: Andrew E. Larsen
For several months I've been working on an Issaries character with one of my players.
In my campaign the year is 1600 AA. The Pharao rules Holy Country and Sartar has not fallen. I don't believe in following set plotlines, so I don't know if these things will happen either. Anyway...
Janatan Librum is a young man from a powerful Esrolian trading family. The family name Librum is an honoric gained from a Malkioni noble, long ago while trading with the western lands. (I use Latin as a model for the Malkioni languages... suitably strict and logical)
The family Librum is led by Matriarch Dunlaith Librum, chosen of Asrelia. Young Janatan's mother is the sister of the Matriarch, and his father is a "trophy" husband of pure Yelmic blood. Janatan was born on the high holy day of Orlanth, at the beginning of sacred time.
Janatan was quick of intellect, though a bit stormy in nature. The family had big plans for him, and he was taught the difficult art of writing at a young age, and put to be educated at a temple of Issaries in Nochet since he was twelve.
Janatan proved good at math, and excellent at learning languages. His life was planned for him. He was to learn the secrets of Garzeem, marry some money into the family (a bit difficult, him being a boy in Esrolia, but Dunlaith had plans) and then start running a branch of the family business.
Unfortunately there was a small problem with the plans.
Matriarch Dunlaith's brother, Hector, had been just such a Garzeem merchant. He was happily married and prosperous. His wife died tragically of a sicness though, and he became depressed and brooding. When Janatan was still very small Hector sold his share of the family trading house, equipped a caravan, and wentured outside Holy Country - seeking the restless life of a Goldentongue.
Hector returned eventually, bringing wonderful goods and strange tales, only to leave again within the season. His stories ignited a flame in young Janatans heart, and a restlessness that grew with the years.
Janatan's initiatory Guest went strangely. While the other boys and girls ended up in a primitive godtime village, and learned trading at the foot of the wise Master (an aspect of Issaries), Janatan went the wrong way, and run like the wind into the green highlands.
Like the other children Janatan had been allowed to choose some things to carry with him. And he'd taken a travelling stick, and sandals, as well as a beautiful golden necklace.
After running for some time in the beautiful highlands Janatan found a forest, and run inside. He noticed something bounding in the tree branches and in the bushes alongside him. It was a large, greyish cat that called itself Yinkin (being an Esrolian Janatan didn't immediately recognice him) Janatan asked Yinkin if there was something valuable nearby, and Yinkin showed him a field full of beautiful (and tasty) butterflies. Yinkin had a good laugh at Janatan trying to leap after the butterflies.
It started to rain, and Yinkin ran into a hole under the roots of a large tree. Janatan got soaked right through, and set to walking to keep warm. After a while he decided to just take off his shirt and let the rain wash him. When he started to feel comfortable there was a giggle near him.
A beautiful windchild maiden was looking curiously at him. The windchild wasn't getting wet, because there was a whirlwind around her, keeping the raindrops away.
She flirted with Janatan, trying to get him to give her the pretty necklace he had around his neck. Janatan was friendly and polite, but asked for something in return.
The windchild asked if Janatan would like the whirlwind she had, and they made the exchange. The Windchild left, and the rain ended.
Unfortunately the whirlwind didn't obay Janatan, since he had no idea how to command it (he asking nicely, and negotiating with it :) ) The whirlwind stayed close, since the windchild had given it to Janatan.
Janatan spent many frustrating moments with the whirlwind, and was startng to feel stoopid. He had traded away the only valuable thing he had, and gotten a something he could not use.
Janatan travelled on, and found a young boy, of maybe 8 years. The young boy said he was called Morden, and that he was waiting for his father who was a hauscarl of the Stormrock clan.
Morden liked Janatan's whirlwind, and Janatan asked if he'd want to by it from him. Morden didn't have anything valuable, but he offered to trade it for something nevertheless. He asked Janatan to follow.
Morden tracked down a small family of roe deer. Janatan, an urban Nochet dweller tought that the beasts were quite big, and had dangerous looking horns. Morden started circling behind the beasts.
As Janatan watched in horror the young boy sneaked up a tree, and when the deer passed under the tree Morden leaped on one of the young.
Morden and the small deer went down on the gound, and the outraged stag came and slashed at Morden with his horns. Morden was wounded but refused to let go of the fawn. Janatan rushed from his cover, and wrestled with the stag, pinning it to the ground.
(these deer were somewhat bigger than the less than one meter of actual roe deer, but I don't have the time to look up the name of the deer I mean)
The stag spoke to Janatan. "Take my son, for you have beaten me."
Janatan let the stag get up, and followed Morden (Who was determinately carrying the fawn away)
Morden tore some strips from his shirt, and made a leash for the fawn. Then he proudly gave the the leash to Janatan and recieved the Whirlwind.
He spoke sharply to the sylph, and it lifted him to the air. Hanging there he spoke to Janatan "I'll go seek my father now, for I want to show him my whirlwind. You know. The wind will never come to your call until you believe it will"
Janatan was left holding the small fawn, and started leading it away. The fawn spoke in a small worried voice "Where are we going? Where's mummy?"
Janatan, was a softharted city dweller, and couldn't take the creature from it's parents. He took it back to the clearing of the Deer and spoke to the Stag.
"Deer King, I offer you back your son. What would you offer me in return"
And the deer spokeĻ
"Foolish hunter! What doe's a deer have to give but himself or his young?"
This was a problem to Janatan. But he asked for knowledge of the forest, and protection from it's dangers.
The deer king demanden that Janatan would never use this knowledge against deer nor let others use it so. Janatan agreed and the deer King talked at length of the forest, of food, predators and shelter. He also touched Janatans forehead, and left there his Rune.
Janatan started his way back home, but wasn't really very sure where to go.
He found a small pond, and drank to his fill. He also found some berries to eat. Unfortunately it was fast getting dark, and there were predator tracks (as he now knew) on the banks of the pond.
He found a large spruce which had branches hanging down to the ground. There was space to sleep in underneath, and the smell of the spruce would hide his scent from the predators. Just as he was about to go inside he noticed the light of a lantern in the distance. A richly dressed courier was walking in the darkening evening, apparently lost. Janatan greeted the person, and offered him shelter. The traveller gratefully agreed.
Janatan fed the courier some berries, and told him to be still and quiet. They both fell asleep, and Janatan dreamed of balls of light dancing around the spruce. And then proceeded to dream of a life at an earlier age travelling the world trading and learning... of the coming of darkness and chaos, and ultimately of the unity battle.
In the morning they indeed found some wolf tracks around the pond, and the courier was rather surprised that he had gotten lost, and that it had gotten dark so soon.
Janatan was back in the world of the mortals. And pretty soon he knew where he was (some 30 km outside Nochet). He helped the courier reach his destination, and got a hole gold wheel(!) as a reward, parhaps the grace of Issaries was with him at the moment.
Janatan used the wheel to bye himself nice clothes, and hiched a ride to Nochet on a passing chariot.
People at the temple were rather disturbed that the initiate had disappeared from the temple, but undoubtedly the initiation quest was successful, and Issaries had accepted this young man.
As for what happened when Janatan went home with a strange reddish-broun tattoo on his forehead... :)
but parhaps I'll stop here for now...
-Mikko, the Adept
"thinker, dreamer and adventurer"
End of The Glorantha Digest V7 #352
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