Whence To Begin

Sentinel - Haven
JP with Omni and Lorem

Gonyaul stifled a laugh, he wasn’t sure if it was appropriate prisoner etiquette to make merry yet. He made mental notes of the social dynamics and relationship details now afforded to him. Even if something didn’t provide the final answers yet, if it was new information than it was useful.

The moment the cane hit the ground he froze. It reminded him of his elders about to saturate his afternoon with chores and discipline. When she beckoned him to come closer, he did … slowly, side-eyeing Draza carefully as he did so. Gonyaul finished the last bite of food as he took his place full of curiosity.

He was eager to hear what she was going to say. He silenced any other thoughts in his head and gave her his undivided attention.

"Whence to begin?" The elder woman commenced in old Helian, so that all might understand, for Ylja had not yet mastered enough of the Vauxian tongue to follow. Ilyra's countenance shifted to one of wisdom and sorrow, and she leaned forward. "Long ages ago, about seven generations now, our forebears made choices that wrought great suffering upon each other."

She paused, trying to decide which way to take the conversation next, “What know you of King Torkaus?”

Gonyaul listened intently, all traces of skepticism were gone. His friends would advice him to not trust those he barely knew; however, Gonyaul had always found this to be difficult. It was in his nature to trust those that he felt trustworthy. In this way, he hung on her every word as if she was revealing the great mysteries of the past.

Gonyaul whispered the name a few times out loud as if that might help his recall. He had a very good memory and could recite the entire history teachings of his elders, but this name eluded him. It was evident on his face he was drawing a blank. “I know nothing of a King Torkaus.” An idea popped in his head. “Is he the Fireweaver that torched the hearts and minds of the world, causing brother to be against brother?” That was the best he had to offer. There was no name associated with the Fireweaver.

Draza and Ilyra shared expressions of confusion and disbelief. The young man did not know his history, and the women here knew very little of what happened after the Allosi fled Helias. The would have to etch away slowly at these mysteries like chipping away carefully at a block of marble to reveal the hidden sculpture inside.

“From what land do your people hail?”

Gonyaul could easily tell his comment was not the correct answer to their question based off of their exchange. His response was a long shot to begin with, being that it was in reference to a poem. Perhaps it was just fictional, but it could have been in response to real events he had guessed.

The next question was an easy one. “The last of my people come from the trees in a land called Kru’ll. My ancestors; however, came from what is known as the Forsaken Lands, a city called Netihc on Onik. Though it doesn’t exist anymore.”

This was something of a shock Ilyra and Draza. She new the Vaux had fled Netihc on Onik (Point of Hope) to other lands, so Kr’ull wasn’t a surprise, but… Gonyaul said the words ‘Ihcot Aterar Etusim’ which translated to abandoned or forsaken lands.

“Forsaken Lands? Is that what the Vaux now call their ancestral home?" she asked, trying to get the history sorted.

Gonyaul shook his head, “Not a Vaux name. It is what everyone I met, when I left home, called it. I previously knew it as the Ohsnanih An’nezna. Then it became the El Ohsnanih An’nezna, during the massacre of my people that led to our exodus to Kru’ll.” His people called what is now commonly referred to by Helians as the Forsaken Lands, the Safe Haven; later to be replaced with Unsafe Haven.

“When I was finally able to converse in the Helian tongue well enough, I learned that it is now called the Forsaken Lands because something very bad happened there which has tainted the place with unnatural malevolence and suffering.” His tone grew slightly ominous to convey that those that explained it to him were very much afraid and disgusted by those lands now. In fact, thinking about, Gonyaul believes they blame most problems on the Forsaken Lands. He always got the impression it was a scapegoat for their discomforts and shortcomings.

“I have never been there myself and all account I have of it were from others, which had also never been there themselves.”