A tale to tell|Haven, Ilyamen

[mikata]

Osric squirms in his chair, feeling fidgety and unfocused. After standing up and shaking his head back and forth vigorously, he sits back back down and again starts trying to concentrate again.

[Kender Bard]

Page 2
The three companions found the company of each other to be agreeable, despite their differences. Together they wandered around a short while, trying to evade their superiors in the war. It wasn't too long, though, until they were spotted by one of Raze's comrades. Quick to judge, the scout ran back to his officers and reported what he saw. Raze was immediately banded a traitor and an ambush attack was sprung that very night. The three fled, barely. Raze was gravely injured, far more than even the healing waters could do to cure him. So Rasla and Hail managed to reach Mount Humontis with him, seeking aid from an herb lady Earth type, Sayleaf. They explained their story to her, and she took pity on Raze, and sought to help him. Sadly, it was not enough, and Raze died shortly after of his extensive wounds.

[mikata]

Osric manages to sit still through this page, though still feeling antsy, with his mind bouncing back and forth on a million different things.

[Kender Bard]

Page 3
Mourning the death of Raze, Hail and Rasla held a funeral for him, done in the proper style that Fire types seem to prefer. Sayleaf watched on, moved by the friendship that these three different elementals had for each other.
"It is a shame that this kind of kinship amongst our peoples cannot be found anywhere else," she remarked. "I am sure that your friend would have been pleased to see such a vision." This, in turn, sparked an idea in Rasla and Hail's thoughts.
"Perhaps we could make such a place," Hail murmured, with Rasla nodding eagerly. Just then, the priest seemed to get a vision. He held his head and gasped, then stumbled back, smiling widely.
"The Forces are with us in this decision!" he announced excitedly. Sayleaf smiled and looked back, towards her home.
"I believe that my people wouldn't mind seeing peace brought to the lands," she says. "If you build a home for people like yourselves... Then we will offer the aide of Humontis."
With that in mind, the two men set off to find a suitable place to turn their vision into reality.

[mikata]

Osric finishes the page, stares out the window for a while, and reads the fourh page.

[Kender Bard]

Hail and Rasla found a position they could agree on, somewhere between all of the elements. There they built their dream city - except that it was little more than their two homes and a picket fence that served as the city's 'walls'. Feeling dejected, the two realized that a dream meant nothing if there were only two people who would believe in it... when over the horizon came the Earth types. Sayleaf led them, and explained to her new friends that when she took their tale to her people, a number of them volunteered to come join the new city. Before long, two homes and a picket fence had grown into a tiny community with a brick wall. It still wasn't much, but it was a start.

[mikata]

Osric chuckled at the thought. His own village was more like two houses and a picket fence than a small community. He continues to read.

[Kender Bard]

After the community was fairly established, word began to spread of it's existence. To the surprise of all, many people started to flock to the "City of Peace". Homes were quickly constructed, businesses set up, and soon the village was absolutely flourishing. But along with the good, came much of the bad. Although the people living within Ilyamen wanted peace and harmony, small fights became common in the streets. They were swiftly dealt with, but before long, tempers began to flare quicker and more easily. Sayleaf approached Hail and Asala, the dual mayors of Ilyamen, and informed them that if they couldn't keep the peace, her people would have to leave the new city and go back to their ancestral homelands. The two men were at a loss on how to keep the people together, peacefully.

[mikata]

Osric squirmed in his seat before getting up and looking out the window for a time before sitting back down at the book and turning the page.

[Kender Bard]

Just as they were at their wits end, a group of Fire types, deviated from their main army force, set out to burn down Ilyamen. They snuck in during the dead of night and began torching buildings and anything flammable they could find. The people were roused and hastily threw together a defense against the raiders. After a grueling fight, the Fire types ran off, pleased with their mischief and having only taken some minor losses. The people, meanwhile, scrambled to put out fires and help save lives. Hail and Rasla despaired, fearing this would be the killing blow of their town.. but... Oddly, it had the opposite effect. In the midst of all the strife, people tossed aside their petty prejudices in the name of human kindness. Friendships were made that were not lightly forgotten, and all in all, a great sense of unity fell over Ilyamen.

[mikata]

Osric gets out of his seat and paces for a little bit before sitting back at the book and turning the page.

[Kender Bard]

Soon peace was able to be brooked with Naurorod and calmness reigned once again. This time, petty squabbles did not break out randomly in the streets anymore, for everyone had come to see that they could work together in harmony for a common goal. That goal, now, was to maintain the peace, and it has been one of the primary tenets of Ilyamen. "Respect and love your brother and sister elementals, for we at least have each other to count on."

~End Chapter One~

Fabrizio wanders over and takes a glance at the page. "Good story, eh?"

[mikata]

Osric looks up at Fabrizio with a smile, "It is pretty good. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to finish it...." he looks away, smile fading, "since I'm not much of a reader..." he looks back up, smiling like before, "but this one's pretty good."

[Kender Bard]

"Don't know your letters that well?" Fabrizio asks, curious. "I thought most bards were good at reading and writing."

[mikata]

"It's not that I don't know... it's just that..." he fumbles for the words to describe his situation, "when I sit down to do something, or when I work on the farm, a million other things come to mind, and I have a hard time paying attention to what I'm doing. I can hardly sit still when I read. I feel like I have to jump up, run, walk, skip, do something or I'll explode."
He shrugs his shoulders a little and looks back at the book for a moment, "at least I've gotten a little better at controling myself. I might have jumped out the window otherwise!"