Character Journal - Kothringi Contest

• Posted by Cait March 29, 2015 - 1,105 views

  20th of Rain's Hand 4E 279

  On this date and on the years before I would have helped myself to a drink and be left stuck inside the house, thanks to the suspicions of my late wife Shafia.

  'Stay home today,' she would say. 'Why take the risk, out on those seas?'

  Without her here to sway my mind I gathered my gear and answered the call of the wind, the waves and the promise of a fine catch.

  A sudden change in the weather started to concern me as the sky started to darken and storm clouds gathered above.

  'I'll just pull in this last catch...' I told myself.

  As I pulled on the rope I noticed something was off. Was my net caught? I yanked it harder, dragged it aboard and noticed there was something odd amongst the normal mess of driftwood and seaweed tangled in the net. I almost jumped out of my boots as I heard a groan and saw a hand that looked as if it should have belonged to a corpse, clutching a small amulet in its palm. After ensuring I hadn't soiled myself I lifted the net to reveal the rest of the body. She must of been near frozen, her silver skin barely covered by the thin ragged leather that clung to her form. The strange woman was indeed alive so I took her home, leaving her to recover in the warm glow of the fire while I tried to work out how she came to be in my catch.

  21st Rain's Hand 4E 279

  The woman I found yesterday has continued to fill me with questions. She would not wake in the morning so I looked her over to find not a scratch on her silver form. She appeared to be quite young, no older than twenty years. Her colour however leaves me bewildered; never have I seen skin like hers. I dressed her in my late wife's clothing and left her; it was not till late evening that she stirred.

  She backed into a corner, seemed like she had never even seen a man before. Her eyes searched my home, then locked onto the amulet as I held it out in my hand.

  'T-that's m-mine!' She croaked in a voice that mustn't of been used for quite some time.

  I examined the carvings in the silver, making out a skull. I questioned it's worth for a moment then tossed it to her.

  When I asked her if she had a name I was met with a blank stare.

  27th of Rain's Hand 4E 279

  Over the past few days the strange woman began to find her voice. Her thoughts however seemed to take longer to arrive.

  The amulet had been given to her by her father, she told me, though she refused to speak of it's significance. Getting information from her was proving to be difficult. How long had it been since she'd spoken to another person?

  I asked her why she was in the sea. She appeared confused, then thoughtful, before telling me she might have been on a ship. She went on to tell me of a marsh that had been her home before she paused.

  'We shouldn't have gone so close to the Maelstrom,' She whispered, then bid me goodnight and hurried off to bed.

  3rd of Second Seed 4E 279

  Today I learned that she has a name, Dessi. She seems to recover more with each passing day, not that she notices the passing of time. Her tales grow ever more unbelievable, as she claims to be a Kothringi refugee who tried to flee the flu that was killing her people. Kothringi? It seems the most likely explanation for her colour, but if I remember correctly that race had died out over a thousand years ago. She refused to believe me when I informed her of this, telling me it was impossible.

  Later that day she cried as she told me about the dream that haunts her. She is on board a ship on the edge of a maelstrom one moment, the next she finds herself wandering through empty space for what feels like an eternity.

  29th of Second Seed 4E 279

  I have grown quite fond of Dessi. I must admit it is nice to have a woman in the house again, especially one so excited by everything new she finds. I feel my affections for her grow what am I writing? It's been too long since I've been out to sea.

  17th of Midyear 4E 279

  I have rid myself of that strange woman. Never should I have brought her into my home.

  Late in the night she hears noises, so I follow her outside. There we find criminal scum sneaking around, preparing to steal all my possessions and burn down my home. To my horror I find they've killed both my dogs, explaining how they got so close to the house. The thieves draw their weapons, outnumbering us. I hardly believe my eyes as the small innocent Dessi I had been foolish enough to grow fond of steps in front of me.

  She slowly raises her empty hands, and with two flashes of light my dogs rise to their paws, growling and snarling at the thieves. An intense wave of fear rolls over, and I swear at least one of the thieves pissed himself. Despite the arrows still stuck in their corpses the dogs attacked, and Dessi seemed to pull a bow out of the air and aimed it at the thieves as they fled.

  She turned to me and dropped the bow; I was lost for words as disgust for what she was filled me. She must of seen it in my eyes for she started to beg me to understand. I understood perfectly well what she was.

  'Leave me, you filthy necromancer!' I shouted as I slammed my door, collapsing behind it in disbelief.

  If only my wife had been there to stop me going fishing on that Day of Shame....