First Impressions

“Good day, Your Holiness.” said the young lordling. She knew him as Riese and he reminded Voah of a dream she once knew, and though it was a bitter reminder, she smiled at him in spite of herself.

“It is nice to finally be in port.” he said with some charm. They hadn't spoken much and she didn't approve of some of his behaviors.

He spoke again, “A new place and a grand adventure.”

"Indeed." Voah responded as she packed her silver sword into a shallow trunk with her other things and walked away.

The old boards creaked as her wrapped boots hit the gangway. Voah swayed for a second, then, catching herself on the support rail, she straightened herself.

Finally... after the arduous sea voyage, she was pleased to meet the new land of opportunities. Looking out past the docks she beheld the scene of a bustling port town saturated with brightly painted roofs and beyond that, a pallet of vibrant color; the warm golden-brown sand, the cerulean of both sky and sea, and the flourishing green of the flora in the hills. She could see gulls circling the bell-tower of Kupen's Shrine topped with a sunburst weather vane. That must be Suncross, she thought.

The birds called, as if some half-starved child crying for food after a long day away from home. The new arrivals descended the ramp where rows of colonists waited to greet them. Dockworkers stood primed to offload the passengers and cargo.

As she made her way into the crowded docks a young, grizzled man in a vest and tunic approached her with a broad smile and grabbed the small trunk she was carrying.

He quickly turned and shouted over the crowd, "Right this way miss!" and he headed off toward an alleyway between two buildings. The man disappeared quickly in the rabble and she was tripped to the ground. In her state of travel exhaustion, she was useless against it.

"Oi's balls!" the Arbiter cried a minced oath in frustration. The Goddess, Hoi, of course had no balls, but it was only pseudo-blasphemy and she wasn't speaking to the Gods directly.

Voah had learned from Abbott Yan'Dian that, "Words are just that... words. Most arbitrary. It is the intention behind the utterance that matters. Words indeed. People make them, but seldom hold to their meaning. Words. Men give theirs but don't often keep them. T'is your duty to judge carefully."

Had Voah not been in such a poor state of health, that thief would have been on the ground instead of her, and before his hand even touched her. She picked herself up and dusted off her knees. Disappointed in herself and her first interaction with another person in the colony, Voah sighed and headed back into the street as confidently as she could.

She had lost the Holy Sword, she thought to herself. It could NOT be easily replaced. Her most prized possessions were tucked tightly within her robes. Once her strength was up, she would track down the thief and recover the sword and her other stolen things. The man would pay his price, of course.