Kaf imparted a great deal of knowledge verbally, however many skills must be experienced.
While Anne meditated, Kaf's spirit was able to control her body, to aid in her training. In secret, and with help from the Matriarch, Kaf recorded his memories of the ancient Cohacos homeland, all while Anne slept.
A final gift, for Anne's eyes only, his legacy.
If you've ever played Uncharted, Nathan Drake always has a diary of notes (iirc Sir Francis Drake's dairy in the first game).
Think of the Book of Kaf Cohacos as an equivalent to that; diary entries, drawings, notes, rough maps, etc.
A trail of bread crumbs to follow, all drawn from Kaf's memories of the ancient Cohacos' homeland.
The location of Anne-Seht's first expedition.
Anne knows this map, as she has added to it extensively.
Being a Clan of Archeologists of a people with a long and storied history, Anne's Clan took the opportunity Kaf presented to collect all the information they had on their people's ancient history and organize it.
Though it is only a copy, being given this map of locations shows a lot of trust, … and an expectation.
As for the quest's title I would suggest Exploring the Unknown, Literally.
Anne's eyes open wide as she takes the sealed leather tube from her grandmother, "I though that, ah,-" she knows the map contained inside. For it's the sum total of the Clan's history and Kaf's knowledge combined, a map that outlines a world far from the Khot-Sen-Lanua and her allies.
"That this was going to be my project?" Says the Matriarch, her smile settling into a thin line, "I have too many responsibilities to travel to the steppes. But when you've got the experience to be a master, there's your project." she gestures towards the map, "tracking the trail of the Silef migration back to the ancient homeland? That's how you'll make your name."
Uncle Vanathi whistles, and claps Anne on the back again before pulling away, "She's going to let you figure out on your own that the political and financial costs of setting up that expedition is the real test."
He slaps a large hand on the sliding door and begins to move it, "Come on, I bet they're ready for you now."
"Wha-"
There is a sudden round of cheering and clapping as the door opens up far enough for Anne to see what had to be half the Clan standing outside.
Anne looks over her shoulder to see Master Caen deep in discussion with her grandmother and the Divine Sister tending to the sacrificial basin before her Uncle all but pulls her from the room.
"Come on, she's got guild business." He says, preparing to make a path through the crowd and into the family's central hall, "You can bother her later."
The rest of the morning is an endless tidal wave of hugs and backslaps from kin, fellow cousins and parents congratulating her, Elders pulling her aside to give vitally important advice, and cousins her age shoving small gifts of food and drink into her hands as per tradition.
As the gathering begins to thin, towards midday, after listening to Aunty Junalvia explain to her why you never marry for love (contradictory with Aunty Cerrana's advice to only marry for love), Anne turns around to see her father, Seth, entering the room and heading directly for her.
He stops in front of her and does that odd tip of the imaginary cap that was the Oarsmen's greeting, "Proud of you Anne. All grown up," he smiles, tears welling in the corners of his eyes before he pulls her into an embrace, "You're mother's still, uh, you know how she is with crowds." he steps back, holding his daughter's shoulders, a broad smile on his face, "I thought we could go grab luncheon. You know, get you networking with an Oarsman and an archivist."
Anne looks around, locks eyes with Uncle Vanathi and jerks her head towards the hall's exit meaningingfully, waiting just long enough for a nod of understanding before heading towards the exit.
Seth follows her out, "So" he begins as they step into the midday sun, shadows short in the midday sun, "You and Jalynn have your paperwork squared away?"
"As of yesterday, yes."
"You're headed out next week then." he stops and sets a hand on his daughter's shoulder, "You know, I don't know what to say here."
"That's different"
He laughs, "I don't have a script for you like I do for politics. But I'll keep it simple," he looks directly into Anne's eyes with the same rose-gold eyes she has, "I'm proud of you. I'm going to miss you. And…" he sighs.
"You don't know what else to say."
"Yeah, I don't know what else to say."
The two begin moving again, towards the one of the bridges that rises from the island towards a floating stone platform.
"So, you're headed out…"
[ ] "...with the Tarn Sey Shar caravan?"
Anne's signed up with a trade expedition which intends to travel across the continent to a legendary land that is more myth than fact. Anne is travelling as a scribe and assistant cartographer to the caravan's leader, acting as a scribe. Her riding, navigation, and combat training are seen as a bigger asset than formal scribe training.
The expedition is led by Tarn Sey Shar, a Kal Ymi in the prime of his life who is looking to make his name by returning from this trade expedition with never before seen artefacts and luxuries.
[ ] "...aboard the Springshield Journey's convoy?"
Anne's scheduled to ship out aboard the Springshield Journey, a Galleon jointly owned by one of Khot-Sen-Lanua's Universities and the Tattooists guild.
Having heard credible rumours from explorers about an overseas nation which also practises Tattoo magic, the Springshied Journey and her companion vessels were commissioned to explore across the ocean, chart these new lands, and learn what they could about their magics.
The expedition is led by the Harakai Master Ambrahm, one of the Tattooist Guild's senior members, who Anne has signed on with as an aide and bodyguard thanks to her father's connections.
[ ] "...with the Indigo Light Dragoons?"
The confederation of city-states that Khot-Sen-Lanua is a member are reexamining their borders due to recent tensions. As part of that effort the Indigo Light Dragoons were commissioned to survey the sparsely populated northern mountains that lie between The Cities and their greatest rival.
Though not the farthest expedition, the mountain passes saw many trade routes and were home to several bygone peoples, ensuring that the detailed work may take years.
Recommended by newly minted Cornet Jalynn for her mapmaking and combat skills, Anne will be under the command of the Orisatl Captain Abdai Amenasclan.
Feel free to write in (100 words!) Looking to establish where they're going, why, who the expedition reports to, who is in charge, and what role Anne is serving. For all expeditions Anne-Seht and Jalynn will be enlisting together.
(I've also decided that as long as the update is between 750 and 1000 words when I finish the first draft, I'll just post that)
While obviously a ship would go farther faster, I have a lot more interesting ideas for locations on land rather than sea.
Of the land expeditions this one sounds more interesting.
"I think the real reason I got the job is because I know how to fight and write."
"Well, you know, a caravan like that, there's really only four jobs: driver, tender, merchant, guard." Anne's father holds up his hand counts off the roles on his fingers, "Driver and tender can be the same person, but that's a tiring job, and now the merchant-"
Anne smiles, her father is predictable, anything involving logistics and merchants and he can talk for hours. And it's a less awkward conversation than the preceding one.
Her father launching into (Yet another) excited explanation of logistics (that she's heard before) gives her a chance to enjoy the warm spring day and soak in the sights of the only city she'd ever known. And the one that she'd soon be leaving.
Khot-Sen-Lanua is a vertical city.
The limitations of the islands, arcane and mundane mean that if the guilds want to build, their best bet is to go up. And in a land of towering cedars that is a thought that's only natural.
Even today, after centuries of expansion, some of the islands still are half forested, homes and other buildings built into the largest trees, as they were at the city's foundation.
Over the centuries these feats of nature have been met by feats of men, as the highest buildings of Khot-Sen-Lanua stretch up as high as the eldest cedars. Though only Khot's Seven Great Universities can really boast of being as tall as the eldest trees.
The spire that Anne and her father are making their way towards is one of these impressive spires, the one housing the College of Saint Kan.
The two meet Anne's mother in one of the gardens outside the College, where's set out a meal consisting of bread to be dipped into a vegetable slurry.
Anne's mother is clearly excited, tail high in the air, and all but prances over to Anne, hopping up from her spot on the ground.
"Hug?" she asks respectfully, arms outstretched.
Anne goes in for a hug without a word, for it's her mother that shuns most physical contact, not her.
Anne keeps the contact short and then steps back, giving her father a chance to hug her mother before all three settle down on the level ground, sitting around the platter that her mother had prepared.
The three begin to eat, dipping chunks of bread into the vegetable mix and speaking lightly of inconsequential things until Resennai's eyes suddenly light up.
"Oh!" says Anne's mother, carefully wiping her hands on the cloth she'd kept on her lap for that purpose, "I have something for you!"
Within moments she's withdrawn a thin folio from the book bag slung over her shoulder, opening up the book and showing the script freshly written in the older woman's neat, tight, script, "When you told me where you were headed, I went through the University's archives, and put together what we had."
"Aunty, I-" Anne reaches for the folio, but Resennai snaps the book away in horror.
"Hands!" she says reprovingly.
"Oops, says Anne, her grin drooping into embarrassment as she holds out her hand for her mother to give her a hand towel to wipe her hands with.
"I know the Matriarch taught you better than that." says Anne's mother as she pulls out yet a scrap of cloth from a pocket on the front of her book bag, "And I know the Divine Sisters always say that our hands need to be as pure as our blood."
Seth carefully allows his wife to lecture as he dips another piece of bread into the vegetable slurry.
"We respect books around here Anne-Seht, a book-"
"-is important enough to write that it disrespects the author to treat it badly." says Anne, chagrined, wiping her hands clean."
"Alright," Resennai holds the folio out towards Anne, "I spent the last two months putting this together, it's all the reputable" she pushes the last word from her mouth with some disdain, "sources and legends about your destination…"
[ ] The Glass Cities
Tales are spun about a land far away to the south east of the Cities where a single massive river splits the land in twain, and whose denizens prefer the river and the skies to the land. It is said that these peoples are made from living metal and can perform wondrous magics with glass, changing its shape and colour to whatever hue they wish.
Cities of glass made from these magics float high in the sky, the greatest glass palace housing the Emperor of these lands who rules from above the mouth of the Red River. It's said that the same Emperor has ruled the River since before history, and changes his form every fourteen years in accordance with the lunar laws.
Sections of the journal of an Imharite Divine Sister who travelled to this land in the name of the Matriarch of Rivers describe a journal through vast forests, over a mountain range and down one of the mighty Red River's tributaries towards the Great Glass City at River's Mouth.
[ ] The Singing Dunes
Legend holds that far to the northeast, a great Kingdom stretches from sand dune to snow drifts. The peoples of this land live in compact cities built into cliffs and vast underground caverns where they are waited upon by automatons of wood and iron and sup upon fermented mushrooms.
The great Kings that rule these lands are guided by their great pantheon of thirty gods of good opposed by six hundred gods of evil, and on the death of the last king; the next is selected by the gods themselves in a great ritual. These kings then spread word of their ascension via singing couriers, and these couriers practice song based magics in the king's name until the ascension of the next king.
The collected papers of a mercenary captain tell that the surest route to this land of Dune and Drift lies through a mountain range, a vast steppe, over a sea and into the desert until one finds the great trade routes that travel from isolated city to isolated city.
Today's write in will be 175 words, and I'm looking for legends about what this land is like, what kinds of people and magics are there, what mythical lords rule them, and a vague description of what the path there looks like. This will in many ways gague the kinds of things you want to see and the kinds of places you want to go.
Oh as an example of how these votes would relate to the true reality, this is how Khot-Sen-Lanua would be described:
The Paper City said:
[><] "The Paper City"
Rumours exist of a great city built into a massive forest that is constructed of magical paper and inhabited by spirits that live alongside shapeshifters. The peoples of this land spend all of their time debating magic, religion, and philosophy in their paper towers that reach to the sky. It is said that they use the power of magical ink to write magical words on themselves.
It is said that this land is ruled by seven great houses that take turns ruling the city, and each house is ruled by sages that look to the future using divinations. These divinations are used to plan out what the city will do over the following year as the people of the paper city follow no god but instead revere the motions of the celestial bodies.
The tales of a master merchant report that in order to travel to this City one must traverse great steppes, a great mountain range, the land of a thousand cities, and then pick one's way through a great marsh.
