We got into the Oasis this morning. I always forget how massive this city is. It blows me away every time I see it. And so many people. I know that many of the older tribe members like to stay in the camp outside the city just because there are so many people. But I can’t keep myself away. It’s just amazing! That anyone can have the vision to see these buildings complete before the work even begins… And there’s so much stone. And yet, while the buildings stick out from the earth as though they were mountains, they fit right in to the earth too. It’s like they belong there. The craftsmanship is just incredible. The Cheraph who own this city certainly have gifts that I could never have. Everything moves so quickly here too. I’ve hardly had time to breathe since I got here.

*****

I don’t have the words to describe how I feel right now. I have no idea who put my name in the drawing, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t supposed to be there. I’VE BEEN CHOSEN FOR THE BONDING YEAR!!! How did this happen? I’m the only shaman in our group (so far… They chose five names, but only three of us were there at the ceremony) and I have no idea how to lead a tribe. I’m still learning from my mother. But I guess you learn while you’re out there, don’t you? And I guess no one said I was the leader. It just seems natural for the shaman to be the leader. What if there had been two shamans? I thank Kiefieh that it worked out the way it did. However, this will be kind of a shift of me, since I’ve never even been in really close contact with a Sol’ Kal at all. And the other two members are Sol’ Kal, so It will take some getting used to. Man, I’m so excited. What am I excited for though? I’ve been trying to figure it out. Nervous might be more like what I’m feeling. And scared to death. The elders announced we had to cross to deserts to the North and find a tribe of Gru’ Dwar which has not been heard of for some time. It only begs for me to ask where are they? And what is so important about them that we need to find them? I know the elders mentioned something about the new gunpowder weapons and something else, but honestly, the whole afternoon is a blur. All I know for sure is that my neck hurts - alot.

But I’ve gotta go, cause there’s supposed to be a feast for us tonight. I can’t get these jitters out of my stomach.

The Kalim’ Dor hail from the plains of the vast Southern Expanse. They are a nomadic people, never staying in one place for a very long time. In fact, they don’t bother to set up even temporary homes wherever they stay. All of their tents and equipment are carried by beasts of burden. Camels aren’t very easy to come by on the plains, so the preferred beast is the Quillboar, which are about the size of a Shetland Pony. They are essentially glorified hogs, with a thick furry hide. The name Quillboar comes from the dart-like quills that project from it’s face (they look like whiskers on a cat).

The tribe is unique in that it is composed mostly of Cha’ Or, and yet it is led by a Seraph shaman. The tribe officially worships Kiefieh, but sorcery is utilized in regular day-to-day living by most members of the tribe. This occurred because the tribe once captured a shaman of Kiefieh and her husband (Aquila’s grandparents). She slowly converted them to believe in the ways of the air goddess, but many members of the tribe have still clung to the old words of power. However, they are a rarity among Cha’ Or tribes in that infighting is almost non-existant, also, they refuse to take prisoners, and, in fact, as part of the conversion process have also freed all of their former slaves, many of whom chose to remain as part of the tribe.

The demographics of the tribe are roughly 70% Cha’ Or, about 5% Kaa’ Jah Kushani, 15% Tauren, and 2 Seraphs. There are also smatterings of other beings, with the exception of any of the other major races. The tribe is extremely well-versed in combat, due to the large Cha’ Or population.

The tribe generally has very little of value to other tribes, and don’t ever have much to offer when trading with others in the Gathering. In fact, the raids they conduct and The Gathering are usually their only outside contact. As such, they are a very close-knit group.

*****

The Tauren are also a rarity to find in large groups on Orb. They are almost another race in and of themselves, except that no god in particular claims them. Plus, they aren’t numerous enough to be considered a full-fledged race. They only inhabit a few small villages around the southern plains. The Kalim’ Dor has quite a few of them because they raided one such village, and kept many of them as slaves. When they were all freed, they chose to stay with the tribe. Now, the Tauren and Cha’ Or work extremely well together, complementing each other quite nicely. The Tauren look something like minotaurs, except that they have the entire body of a bull, rather than just the head. They stand on their hind legs like the other races and are about 6 feet, 3 inches tall. The men have horns much like a bull. They have four-fingered hands, rather than hooves, but their hind legs do end in hooves. They tend to grow their hair out long and braided (Similar to a Gru’ Dwar). The Tauren are a very spiritual people, seeking the blessings of the gods in everything, even before battle. 

*****

My reason for including that segment in the tribal history is that Aquila had several close friends among the Tauren, one in particular whose name was Marn. They were very good friends, and if I ever get Aquila to the point that he can have a sidekick, Marn will be joining him on his journey.

*** Sorry this is so long. It’s meant to be a kinda of character background. The next ones won’t be so long. Plus, I’m still trying to catch up to where we are now.

This morning I was woken pretty harshly as sunlight burst through the tent flap and pierced my eyelids. My best friend pushed his way into my room. He was ectatic and his boisterous voice hurt my head - alot. I urged him to go back to sleep, and the absence of pain told me that he took my advice. Sometimes, the threat of bodily pain can make a person think twice. Especially since he knows I’ll follow through with it. I’ve never hurt him, of course, but I really don’t think he knows that I wouldn’t. Of course, he does know that he just woke me up. And he knows he robbed me of whatever sleep I would have gotten. Jerk. Jathan’s my best friend, but sometimes his over-eagerness and just general zest for life has gotten him — and me — into trouble. He’s the curious, inventive one. His schemes have gotten us caught between a rock and a hard place more than once. I’m the smart, cool-headed one. I’m the one that gets us unstuck. Sometimes, though, he makes me think too hard. Like now, when I should be sleeping instead. Whatever… I needed to get up anyways. The tribe is on the move towards The Gathering, and the morning hunt is going to start soon.

*****

The morning hunt was routine. I don’t even know why I go anymore. They say they need me for my eyes. Whatever. But it does give me time to fly and not feel like everyone’s watching me. I hate that. Being the only winged Seraph in our tribe, I guess it’s still a little new for people. In the hunt at least, they expect me to fly; it’s my job. After I’ve spotted our prey, I usually hang back and let the real hunters move in for the kill. I know how to use my bow, but it’s not the hunt that I love. When my part is done, I ride the back of the wind and let Kiefieh speak to my mind. There’s nothing more relaxing and yet so totally taxing as the thrill of speaking words of power as they’re being whispered to your soul. I’m only 19 years old, but Kiefieh has chosen me to represent her will in this tribe. It was designated as her tribe long ago, and now the mantle has fallen on me to carry us. I’ve even taught a few things to Jathan that she’s taught to me. I guess it’s considered sorcery but it’s all the same to me. My mother used to hold this honored position… But that’s a different story altogether. As for me, I’m so glad she’s chosen me. I can’t think of any better blessing.

*****

Ok, three journal entries in one day is a lot, even for me. But I couldn’t just leave a story untold like that. It’s not an easy story for me to tell, being that it’s no story at all, but honest truth, and that it’s so emotional for me. But it needs to be told, just for posterity. I’m sure if my children end up reading this journal, they’d like to know what happened to their grandmother, and why she has no wings. I’d rather them hear it from me than from some other source. But I guess to understand my mother, you’d have to understand my tribe; so I’ll start there.

My tribe, the Kalim’ Dor, are plains-dwellers. We never settle in one place for long, and for the most part, we’re content. We’re also mostly Cha’ Or. It seems strange, I guess, for a Seraph to live in a tribe of Cha’ Or. But the truth is, they’re a very honest, hardworking, and respectable people. They’re deeply sown in tradition and honor. My mother told me that my grandmother and grandfather were on the move away from their own tribe (she never told me any details about why - I never cared to press her about it) when a group of huntsmen from the Kalim’ Dor ambushed them. My grandfather didn’t even have time to draw his weapon before they were surrounded. The Cha’ Or are notoriously bloosthirsty, but the warchief stayed his hand when he caught sight of the platinum feather on my grandmother’s neck. Although their respective Gods were the bitterest of enemies, the warchief had been taught to always honor the platinum tattoo, no matter whose symbol was displayed. They took my grandparents into their camp and treated them as equals. I’ll ever have respect to my tribal elders for that act of compassion. They had a daughter, my mother, who was also eventually chosen by Kiefieh.

It’s important to understand that while the Cha’ Or and the Seraph are technically polar opposites as far as pretty much everything is concerned, the religious practices of the Cha’ Or at the time they found my grandparents  had perfectly represented their deity. Utter chaos. Even the elders bickered on almost every point about the religion. No one knew what was appropriate and what was not. No one could agree, even on how to worship Ka’ Lieth properly. So, even though our Gods hate each other, the elders were extremely eager to learn from my grandmother the proper way to worship. Of course, she taught them all she knew, which happened to be worship of Kiefieh. It seems strange to say that the tribe rather liked the organized way she did things. They found that when all of the elders applied her teachings, the tribe ceased the endless in-fighting that tore them apart. They experienced unprecedented growth and peace. I can only imagine the smile on Kiefieh’s face as she watched a tribe predominantly made of Cha’ Or slowly change from a fierce and bloodthirsty people to one that lives in harmony with each other.

My mother eventually became the shaman as my grandmother passed away. I came into the picture when the elders of my tribe and another arranged a marriage between my mother and father. He moved in with our tribe since my mother was slated to become our shaman. Then he died in a hunting accident. My mother always said he wasn’t much of a hunter.

But that’s not what I’m writing about is it? I started out writing about how I’m the only winged Seraph in camp. I guess I got sidetracked. Anyways, Since my tribe is predominantly Cha’ Or, sorcery is big. I don’t practice it myself, but I don’t need to. It’s more or less accepted as common practice among our tribe members. But some other people around Orb don’t feel that way. Quite a few years ago, we were camped at the Oasis for the Gathering. My mother was travelling from the market back to camp, when she was seized by a bunch of men wearing white cloaks. She found herself gagged, bound, and crying. For a shaman of Kiefieh, there is no greater shame. The men spat poisonous words as they brandished their weapons and brutally cut each of her wings off. The next thing she remembered was waking up in the street, with a searing pain across her back. Back in camp, she found that they had added insult to injury by not only clipping her wings, but also branding the symbol of sorcerers across her back. She’d been tattooed with a spider from shoulder to shoulder, and down to the small of her back. I can’t imagine what animals would do something so brutal. But I promise if I find them, I swear I’ll unleash the fury of the sky upon their heads for the crimes they’ve committed.