Woodcutting
Finesse
Waterhandling
HerbalismComments on self
Chapter 1 (What has gone before)
Laphers hurried down the path from the crystal mine where he apprenticed to his father as a crystal miner. His father watched him hurry home early with disapointment clearly showing on his face. Laphers knew that the disapointment was not for the quality or quantity of work he had performed that day but because of his dream to create art. Art was generally reserved for women who were connected to the power of creation and men who attempted art were shunned, by men certainly and also usually by women. The burden of his desire to create was significatly heavier than the burden tucked inside his shirt. Clutched to his belly, he held a clouded rose crystal that he hoped to create a beautiful crystal flower for his mother. His birthing day was still two moons away but he wanted this year's birthgift to be perfect. He hoped to ask his mother to approach their neighbor, Ari, for permission to be lifebound to her daughter,Illia.
Illia was beautiful, a talented artisan and far above his station. He had admired her since they were children but recently, after publicly rejecting the courtship of the village's blacksmith, she privately encouraged Laphers to press his suit. He could hardly believe that she looked fondly upon him. Certainly, as children they played together but that was before either of them knew that they were of different stations. Lifebonds outside one's station were certainly more common in the smaller villages than they were in the cities but the village priest still frowned on them when there were possible suitors available. She was an artisan, creating wonderful wall hangings that were sought after down in the cities and had even received a commision from a noblewoman for a robe to would be worn at Midwinter's Eve. It was said that she wove a single strand of her golden hair in every piece she created but she would not say to anyone if that was true or not.
His mother was silently supportive of his artistic desire. A couple of years ago she broke with tradition and gave him a gift on his birthing day; a set of fine jeweller's tools. Since then he had spent every spare moment practising. He had dozens of small carvings made of sandstone, granite and recently he had allowed himself to practise on the crystal chips and dross that came from the mine. But today was different. He had convinced his father to allow him to leave early and to give him a small crystal in lieu of his week's wages. He had chosen the crystal with care. Though it was not clear and pure, he could detect no flaws within the crystal. When struck, the crystal emitted a pure tone with no distortion, indicating that it was pure enough to store an enchantment. If he carved the crystal properly and could save enough silver coins, he might even be able to buy an enchantment so that it would seem to bloom every morning.
For days he spent his evenings gently removing small chips from the crystal, gently forming a crystal blossom. When the light began to fail, he would go to the local inn where, under the careful eye of the innkeeper, the young people would gather. Laphers spent many evenings there with Illia, though always carefully scrutinized to ensure that neither's honour would be compromised. During their time together, they spoke of many things, his work in the mines, her current progects, how many children each wanted, where they would live if her mother gave permission for them to be bound to one another. But Laphers kept his art to himself until one night as the crystal neared completion. He shared with her his desire to create and even brought one of his later stone carvings to give to her as a token. He feared his confession would cause her to reject him and if she was badly offended by it, he may find himself shunned by many within the village. To his delight, she loved the small carving and wanted to know more about his art. When he shared with her about the birthgift he was crafting for his mother and why she grew excited.
"Mother doesn't really believe in people staying it the station they are born in. She thinks that people should strive to be more than what everyone expects of them. I'm sure she'll look very favourably on your request if she knows that you want to be more than a miner."
He hurried home that night with those words ringing in his head. He worked even harder in the coming days, carefully shaping each petal and leaf until he thought it was perfect... or at least as perfect as it could be without being an affront to the goddess. He carefully modified his sense of pride so that it was in line with the priestess' teachings.
The day of his birth arrived and he woke with the sun. He carefully examined the rose for any missed flaws, gave it one last polish and brought it to the common room so that his mother would see it when she entered. He pulled back the the window tapestry so that the sun would hit it and cause the facets to sparkle. He waited anxiously for his parents to stir. As a child he couldn't wait and would run into their room to wake them but that would not show to his parents that he was an adult and ready for betrothal. Finally he heard striring in the other room and his anxiety increased sevenfold. Was that a flaw on the left inside petal? Was it balanced artisticlly? So many thoughts ran through his mind and he almost went to the rose to remove it from the table. But at that moment his parents came out to the common room. His father came first and stopped as he saw the rose on the table. A slight smile crossed his face as he took in Lapher's work. Then he stepped aside so his wife would have an unobstructed view of her birthgift. She entered the room and saw the rose sparkling in the sunlight. Laphers heard her breath catch as she saw it. Her mouth opened to say something but she remained silent. She circled the table, looking at it from all sides.
"It's beautiful! You did this yourself? I have not seen anything better in the city, ever."
His father looked surprised but not angry or disappointed and he even smiled and examined the rose carefully himself with the odd nod of approval when he saw something he liked.
After breaking their fast together, his mother turned to him and said, "I can see that there is something bubbling inside you that you wish to let out and it is more than this wondrous piece of art that you have crafted. What is it, my son?"
So with an anxious but hopeful heart, he conveyed his wish to his mother, that she would approach Ari.
With a bright smile she said she would speak to Ari on the morrow and would bring with her the crystal rose so that she could see what he could achieve.
Chapter 2 (How Laphers came to this strange land)
To be continued
Laphers hurried down the path from the crystal mine where he apprenticed to his father as a crystal miner. His father watched him hurry home early with disapointment clearly showing on his face. Laphers knew that the disapointment was not for the quality or quantity of work he had performed that day but because of his dream to create art. Art was generally reserved for women who were connected to the power of creation and men who attempted art were shunned, by men certainly and also usually by women. The burden of his desire to create was significatly heavier than the burden tucked inside his shirt. Clutched to his belly, he held a clouded rose crystal that he hoped to create a beautiful crystal flower for his mother. His birthing day was still two moons away but he wanted this year's birthgift to be perfect. He hoped to ask his mother to approach their neighbor, Ari, for permission to be lifebound to her daughter,Illia.
Illia was beautiful, a talented artisan and far above his station. He had admired her since they were children but recently, after publicly rejecting the courtship of the village's blacksmith, she privately encouraged Laphers to press his suit. He could hardly believe that she looked fondly upon him. Certainly, as children they played together but that was before either of them knew that they were of different stations. Lifebonds outside one's station were certainly more common in the smaller villages than they were in the cities but the village priest still frowned on them when there were possible suitors available. She was an artisan, creating wonderful wall hangings that were sought after down in the cities and had even received a commision from a noblewoman for a robe to would be worn at Midwinter's Eve. It was said that she wove a single strand of her golden hair in every piece she created but she would not say to anyone if that was true or not.
His mother was silently supportive of his artistic desire. A couple of years ago she broke with tradition and gave him a gift on his birthing day; a set of fine jeweller's tools. Since then he had spent every spare moment practising. He had dozens of small carvings made of sandstone, granite and recently he had allowed himself to practise on the crystal chips and dross that came from the mine. But today was different. He had convinced his father to allow him to leave early and to give him a small crystal in lieu of his week's wages. He had chosen the crystal with care. Though it was not clear and pure, he could detect no flaws within the crystal. When struck, the crystal emitted a pure tone with no distortion, indicating that it was pure enough to store an enchantment. If he carved the crystal properly and could save enough silver coins, he might even be able to buy an enchantment so that it would seem to bloom every morning.
For days he spent his evenings gently removing small chips from the crystal, gently forming a crystal blossom. When the light began to fail, he would go to the local inn where, under the careful eye of the innkeeper, the young people would gather. Laphers spent many evenings there with Illia, though always carefully scrutinized to ensure that neither's honour would be compromised. During their time together, they spoke of many things, his work in the mines, her current progects, how many children each wanted, where they would live if her mother gave permission for them to be bound to one another. But Laphers kept his art to himself until one night as the crystal neared completion. He shared with her his desire to create and even brought one of his later stone carvings to give to her as a token. He feared his confession would cause her to reject him and if she was badly offended by it, he may find himself shunned by many within the village. To his delight, she loved the small carving and wanted to know more about his art. When he shared with her about the birthgift he was crafting for his mother and why she grew excited.
"Mother doesn't really believe in people staying it the station they are born in. She thinks that people should strive to be more than what everyone expects of them. I'm sure she'll look very favourably on your request if she knows that you want to be more than a miner."
He hurried home that night with those words ringing in his head. He worked even harder in the coming days, carefully shaping each petal and leaf until he thought it was perfect... or at least as perfect as it could be without being an affront to the goddess. He carefully modified his sense of pride so that it was in line with the priestess' teachings.
The day of his birth arrived and he woke with the sun. He carefully examined the rose for any missed flaws, gave it one last polish and brought it to the common room so that his mother would see it when she entered. He pulled back the the window tapestry so that the sun would hit it and cause the facets to sparkle. He waited anxiously for his parents to stir. As a child he couldn't wait and would run into their room to wake them but that would not show to his parents that he was an adult and ready for betrothal. Finally he heard striring in the other room and his anxiety increased sevenfold. Was that a flaw on the left inside petal? Was it balanced artisticlly? So many thoughts ran through his mind and he almost went to the rose to remove it from the table. But at that moment his parents came out to the common room. His father came first and stopped as he saw the rose on the table. A slight smile crossed his face as he took in Lapher's work. Then he stepped aside so his wife would have an unobstructed view of her birthgift. She entered the room and saw the rose sparkling in the sunlight. Laphers heard her breath catch as she saw it. Her mouth opened to say something but she remained silent. She circled the table, looking at it from all sides.
"It's beautiful! You did this yourself? I have not seen anything better in the city, ever."
His father looked surprised but not angry or disappointed and he even smiled and examined the rose carefully himself with the odd nod of approval when he saw something he liked.
After breaking their fast together, his mother turned to him and said, "I can see that there is something bubbling inside you that you wish to let out and it is more than this wondrous piece of art that you have crafted. What is it, my son?"
So with an anxious but hopeful heart, he conveyed his wish to his mother, that she would approach Ari.
With a bright smile she said she would speak to Ari on the morrow and would bring with her the crystal rose so that she could see what he could achieve.
Chapter 2 (How Laphers came to this strange land)
To be continued
