Oni stood their looking over Trobridge. Trobridge is the example of the world in a microcosm. It was built thousands of years ago, over a river that have not existed in most of that time. It’s fine stonework still mostly intact. Each side of the bridge had wind worn statues. They were believed to be the statues of Cyrious and Bhallen. They are the first couple to have and create the Mul. They were the bridge that created the Mul people forever. The dry river represents the infertile nature of the Mul. Oni looked at it as he always struggled with this tail. The bridged seemed to be older than Mul people. How could that be true. It was the story for Mul children, and not for him. He could not know who Cyrious and Bhallen were but could not think of them as the Mul beginnings.
He looked over the bridge knowing this might be the last time he would see it. He looked back at the tent village created around an ancient ruined town. Most of the town had been ruined so long ago that the only building left was the Aquafier. Everything else was stone foundations of a once great town and culture. Some tents were setup over some ancient pit, likely the ceiler of these ruined buildings. Oni wandered how these people lived and how this could be a home again. The Aquafier was built by his people. Or at least if was built from some old unknown building. He wandered if they had water in the river, and how it tasted. The water from the Aquafier had a slight sand flavor. His mother Paulu told him it was unique to his home. He had grown up with it and loved it.
Oni looked back at the Aquafier. It was the source of life here, and it was now dead. That death has killed his home. They would become nomads proper now. He watched as the cloth fins were slowly removed. They were the last of the village to be packed. they all hoped to gather just a few more drops of water before they left. It was remarkable. The wind and sand would blow through the fins, they would gather liquid life as it dripped down into the storage below. The sand had to be removed a couple times a year. This was the miracle of Trobridge. The air did not have water in it anymore and the storage was starting to dry up. Like all the other nomads, it was time to follow the water.
Now Oni looked to his friends, family, and elders. All working. He was young and given a little break. Everyone else, even the elders were working now. They were desperate and even the elders work when desperate. The main difference now between them, will be water rations. The elders will ride while he walks. He had been learning the teaching of Lathandoe. This would give him comfort to think about the travel as training. Each step another step towards his inner strength and personal defense.
“Oni, time to come back and help pack,” came the calm voice of Paulu. She had a worn but kind face. She was a water carrier in the tribe, giving her and her family slightly better jobs. She was proud even for her low cast but knew her place within the tribe. She never caused issues and just did the jobs the elders asks her to do. This is the way. Oni headed back to the town to help load his things.
Notes to Gabe:
- This is Boareskyr Bridge
- Cyrious and Bhallen are Cyric and Bhaal
- The teaching for Lathandoe, is a martial art used among the slaves. I am thinking of this as the basis for a monk character. It is also unknown to all the adherents but this started as teaching from Lathander.