CHAPTER I: An, Old, Familiar, Place
Nozomi looks around at the little shop that has been her school, home, and worksite for her whole life, and sighs. She looks at the account ledgers on the counter and at the goods on the shelves. She runs her hand over a worn book of myths and legends that she haggled long and hard over, its leather smooth under her fingertips.
"A good merchant can't stay in one place forever, Nozomi. That's for shopkeeps and retailers", the young woman spins around as her mother walks through the shop's doors, the little bell ringing as she does so.
Alena and Nozomi both look alike, both are at about the Speaker average height of 175cm tall, and with the lean, thin build of the rest of their Caste. They also share the pale skin and straight black hair of their caste too, although Nozomi keeps hers longer than her mother does.
"I guess I shouldn't be moping around here, eh?"
Her mother gestures to a couple bags in the corner of the room, "Now that you're done packing, I thought we could go get your father and spend some time in Fourkeys, say goodbye to some places, before the party tonight?"
Nozomi nods and steps out into the village.
Fourkeys is maybe a thousand people, including the farmers, hunters and fishers that live a short journey away; and it shows, it's a small place all radiating outwards from the Temple Shrine in the middle.
Alena nods at the shrine, "Your father's with Priestess Saena, getting some things for you" she laughs, "Some of the stuff in there I tried to sell for years but your father and Saena insisted we save it just in case. I guess it's your inheritance now" her mouth quirks.
As mother and daughter stroll along, they chat about small inconsequential things as villagers come up and wish Nozomi goodbye.
"Thanks! I'll stay safe! You too!" Nozomi says to grandma Eller as the old woman goes back to her bakery. She nibbles on a biscuit from the old woman as she waves goodbye.
They come around the corner and walk across the village square to the small Shrine, and walk inside, bowing slightly at the entrance as they do so.
"Welcome Children!" Booms a familiar voice as they step across the threshold of the old wooden building, as Priestess Saena waves at them. She's a powerfully built woman the same age as Nozomi's parents and one of the few Invector priests.
"Aunt Saena!"
"Alena, Nozomi! good to see you!" Nozomi is buried under a hug from her parent's oldest and closest friend, "Terim is in the back, pulling out some of our old gear for young Nozomi here..."
"Nice! Anything valuable-" you start before you hear some shouting from the square outside. The three look at each other before heading outside to take a look.
The square is used for festivals, for market days, and gatherings of all types. But right now it seems to be the location of an argument between a trio of Invectors and several shorter Drab. The three walk up to the argument, the big Priestess in the lead.
"...I don't care! Poaching is
illegal around here!" The lead Invector points to a large boar carcass being held by the woman behind him
"You don't care if we starve is that it?"
"Oh, for Singer's sake, I…" The lead Invector sighs in relief when he sees Saena, "Please help us ma'am. We caught these Drab poaching on the village's land.
One of the Drab, at the back, taller than the others, glares at the three as they walk up, and narrows his eyes at Nazomi.
"WE DIDN'T EVEN KN-" one of the Drab starts in before being interrupted by Saena.
"Calm." she holds out her hands evenly between the two groups "Just take a deep breath and think this through. We don't need to argue"
As if by magic (And Nozomi wonders if it is magic, or just her force of personality) everyone, Invector and Drab alike, calms down, "Now, I think we don't want any trouble, and we don't want anyone to go hungry" Saena turns to Nozomi "How much do you think that boar is worth. A fair price please."
Nozomi starts to protest that her prices are always fair, but thinks better of it, "It looks like the whole thing is good for maybe twenty/twenty five servings… so a chit a meal, and adjust for the quality of this beast. I'd say thirty chits"
A couple of the Drab and even one of the Invectors look ready to argue still, but the Drab just off to the back speaks up "We'll take it. I don't want to stay here a minute longer than I have to"
Saena nods graciously at the Drab, probably the leader, as he hands over the chits from his own pouch, "Thank you for being reasonable. Mr...?"
The Drab leader doesn't respond, he just glares at her and turns to leave.
Saena shakes his head, "Unpleasant fellows."
The lead Invector watches the Drab poachers leave, "We found them just on this side of the Gan. They must be refugees from the wars to the west."
"Or scouts" mutters one of the other Invectors, just loud enough for Nozomi to hear.
Saena laughs, "There is whole big mountain range in the way. I know" she gestures to Nozomi, "I once spent a whole year once with this one's parents tromping up and down the Gansedge ridges looking for one of the Lost Shrines"
Alena grins, "We didn't find the Shrine, but we found a whole lot of adventure"
Another voice smoothly cuts in, "Don't listen to her, she wasn't the one that spent a whole day hanging off of a ledge halfway up the summit" Nozomi turns to see her father walking up behind them.
The Healer, Tarim, hugged his wife and daughter, "What say we listen to your Mother's tall tales somewhere else, huh?"
"Everything I say is true!" Alena replies, blushing furiously.
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The next few hours pass by in a blur as people start showing up in the square to talk to Nozomi, and set up for her going away party. There are all kinds of food on the long tables; the farmers, fishers and hunters of Fourkeys have brought in all kinds of foods for the event.
There are speeches from the mayor, from Saena and from all kinds of people who think they are important, and there are toasts to the village's new Chosen late into the night.
As the event dies down, Nozomi has tears in her eyes from the village's outpouring of friendship, "If I known they'd be this happy to see me go, I would have left years ago" she jokes, watching as the last of her friends leaves. It's just her and her family now. Well and Saena, who's like family
"They're just happy to see someone that they know and love, someone that they've watched grow up; they're proud to see you become Chosen." Saena squeezes Nozomi's shoulder affectionately, "I know I am, one doesn't just become a Chosen by birth. Those that squander their talents don't become Chosen. You worked hard and were rewarded"
There's a tear in one of the Priestess' eyes, and she looks away to Nozomi's parents, "So, you still going up the Gan to reach Serenity?"
Nozomi's father smiles, "Yes, we're going along with the river traders that are coming through tomorrow morning. Alena's already got a good rep with them"
Saena sighs, "I hate to lose our best healer for a month, but it's not everyday that your daughter becomes a Chosen I guess. It'll be like that time I got lost down the Han River and-"
"-you came back and we were married all of a sudden." Alena interrupts smiling, holding something behind her back, hard to see in the night, "Since we're leaving tomorrow, we thought that you should get something we've got lying around from our old travels"
Nozomi's parents grin as they present her with a magic artifact:
[ ] It's a shortsword: simple, effective and unnaturally sharp. Recovered from one of Saena's adventures down the Han River
[ ] It's a robe: a simple homespun robe of humble brown, that somehow protects almost as much as leather armour. This is one that Nozomi's father used to use during his travels
[ ] It's a flask: constantly refilling with water, this Flask saved Nozomi's mother's life when she was lost in the Wreck Wastes