A Sojourn in Sairundan [Judge: Manzanita]

Rystil Arden · Aug 4, 2007

"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you said it was Henn-o By-thu-dahg. Ah well, Westerners are strange. I see you Hendrik Gellmann. Here is 2 gold for that, then," she pays him the gold.

[SBLOCK=Sylvan]"Come, I bought you rooms to lay down Jonka and Jonda."[/SBLOCK]

(OOC: No response to 525?)

Rae ArdGaoth · Aug 4, 2007

Rystil Arden said:
(OOC: No response to 525?)

Patience. Patience.

Hendrik takes the gold and chuckles. "Will those two be on the floor, then?" He indicates the bodies of Jonka and Jonda. "This is enough for you ladies... but go ahead, bring 'em back, you can pay in a minute. There's four rooms for four each back there, take the two on the left." He hands Lasair six keys. Four have a shield engraved in them, two have a tree. There are four closed doors down the hall that Hendrik indicated. A stairway leads up to the second floor. The leftmost door has a simple shield carved in its center, and the door to its right has a tree. Lasair opens the shield door with one of her shield keys and she helps lay the boys on some beds.

Jilsa chats with Lasair as they settle in. "

You are close with the names, but not quite. The first part is the... oh, what is the appropriate word... the identity. Galatea grants each child an immortal soul when they are washed of the birthing blood in the river. It is said that you never bathe in the same river twice, but children born on the same day are washed in the same water. Thus, when Galatea's gift flows over them, their souls overlap. They share a soul and they share... an identity.

"

The suffix is... well, I suppose it is gender, though that is not quite the right word. Children with no spirit-sibling receive a their own gender's suffix, and those with a spirit-sibling receive the opposite gender's suffix.

Sa

is... well, it is not masculine, but that is closest so...

Sa

is masculine, and so I am

Jilsa. Na

is also masculine, hence

Jilna. Samsa

has no spirit-sibling, so he was given a masculine suffix.

Sa, na, la, ga,

they are masculine.

Da, ka, fa, ba, ta,

all feminine. There are more, but I think you understand, yes

?"

Rystil Arden · Aug 4, 2007

(OOC: I don't understand the way the counting works. She got six keys for the price of four but he thinks the boys sleep on the floor, or, I don't know :lol:

. Didn't Lasair just pay the right price for Jilna, Jilsa, Jonda, and Jonka?)

"Thank you Hendrik Gellmann," Lasair replies simply, "Should I first pay my respects to the Hearthmistress in charge of this place? It may not be a full hold, but still there should be decorum. Where can I find her?"

[SBLOCK=Sylvan]"I see. It is very different in lands that have water. Where I am from, there is not so much water, so we do not have this tradition. Hmm, so if your spirit-sibling was lost, you would then lose your gender suffix?"[/SBLOCK]

Rae ArdGaoth · Aug 4, 2007

OOC: Well, you walked in with Shadya and yourself plus the other 4. He's assuming you want beds for the 6 of you. Oh, and also, it makes more sense to put the boys in the tree room, now that I think about it. Then all the girls will be together... Whatever. =P

Hendrik figures aloud, "Alright, we've got nine so far tonight. The girls can all be in the Shield Room, the two passed out blokes can be in the Oak Room. Cludge and Conuld, sirs, you can take the Leaf Room, and Kurgahz, sir, you'll have the Sky Room to yourself. Unless some other travelers come along. There are two bridals upstairs, each has one nice big bed. Hearth Suite has a fireplace, but that's no good in this weather. They're a bit more expensive, but if you want the privacy, they're there."

He cocks his head at Lasair. "Eh, hearthmistress? You mean... the missus? Aye, well, she's left us, bless her soul. It's just me out here now, has been for years now." He smiles, to show Lasair that he's not distressed at the mention of his deceased wife.

Jilsa responds to Lasair's query, "

Yes, if one of the spirit-siblings dies, the other takes on the whole identity

." She pauses a moment and then adds, "

Bilda and Freda both had spirit-sisters who died. But they thought the name traditions were silly and pointless, so they continue to use the names they had at birth

." She shrugs.

Rystil Arden · Aug 4, 2007

(OOC: Ah. Lasair was only going to pay for the River Folk and then sleep outside or something. There's something not right about sleeping inside when no Hearthmistress has given you leave to stay there)

'Poor man, he must have no female relatives left in his entire clan if the property fell to him. He knows how it feels to be alone'

"I see. I am sorry, Hendrik Gellmann."

[SBLOCK=Sylvan]"Ah, I see. But how is that different than assuming the whole identity when you just have no spirit-sibling to begin with? Because then you'd have the gender-appropriate suffix instead of no suffix, right?"[/SBLOCK]

Rae ArdGaoth · Aug 4, 2007

Jilsa smiles somewhat sadly. "

Yes, but when your spirit-sibling dies, a part of your soul is stripped away. The shorter name represents the loss of your life partner. I have a feeling that Bilda and Freda did not have the connection with their siblings that we four do

," she says, indicating herself, Jilna, and the two boys.

Rystil Arden said:
(OOC: Ah. Lasair was only going to pay for the River Folk and then sleep outside or something. There's something not right about sleeping inside when no Hearthmistress has given you leave to stay there)

Ah, well, Hendrik doesn't know that, and I think it makes sense for him to assume that all 6 of you will be sleeping at the inn tonight. You'll have to explain that to him.

Rystil Arden · Aug 4, 2007

(OOC:

She didn't pay for more than 4, but that's because I forgot Shadya, mostly. Also, she's confused, so she probably didn't know to say that yet.)

"Wait, Hendrik Gellmann. Did you say there are four girls to be sleeping in that shield room. I only count Jilsa, Jilna, and Sha...Oh, do you mean me? Oh no, it is too strange, to stay under a roof with the invitation of no Hearthmistress. Meliana and I shall sleep under the stars."

[SBLOCK=Sylvan]"I see. I believe I understand. Thank you for the explanation. I shall have to remember the way it works in these water-saturated Western Lands. It seems that everything is different when water is plenty."

"Though in my homeland, we do have a way for two who are very close to become sisters or brothers later in life. But it seems it is not the same. I can tell because if you had been joined by my people's ceremony, then Jonka would have needed to marry you both, or neither."[/SBLOCK]

Rae ArdGaoth · Aug 4, 2007

Hendrik is utterly baffled at Lasair's reasoning. "I. Um. Well, alright then. I'll take one of the Shield keys back. I still need five more silver. And will you be eating or drinking here tonight? First drink is free at the First and Furthest Inn," he says with a wink.

Jilsa responds, "

Well, in a way, he has. We are all bound to each other now. I may bear Jonka or Jonda's child, if I so desire, and Jilna may bear Jonda's. And if I or Jonda choose to marry another, then our souls all become united into one great, glorious sea of souls

." Jilsa has a look of religious fervor on her face. She says something to Jilna, and she laughs and nods, smiling. She says, "Thalassa."

Jilsa beams at Lasair. "

That is my dream, to be in such a sea of souls. We have a word for it in our language

, thalassa."

Rystil Arden · Aug 4, 2007

"Ah yes, I am sorry Hendrik Gellmann. I was paying for these young women here and the convalescant men. Shadya yn Hayder keeps the funds for travel for the rest of us," Lasair points to indicate Shadya.

[SBLOCK=Sylvan]"I see...so it is similar in a way. So wait, if you married someone else, and then that man's spirit-brother married another young woman, and then her spirit-sister married another, and so on, would that not become eventually unwieldy? Or does there exist an upper limit? And is it possible to have more than one spirit-sister if three or more children are born on the same day?"

"Thalassa...I think that comes from this language, Sylvan. We have that word among my people too, but it means something completely different. It is the mythical source of all water. I think what we referred to as Thalassa is called here 'The Tower of Water', and it exists far in the north. As followers of the water, is that a pilgrimage your people make, to the lands of water?"[/SBLOCK]

Rae ArdGaoth · Aug 4, 2007

[sblock=Sylvan: ]"Yes, the thalassa can grow to be quite large, though usually not more than eight or so. Oftentimes a spirit-sibling will marry the spirit-sibling of her spirit-spouse. Jonda is a strong, respectable man, but I would like to expand our thalassa, so we will not marry. Also, we eight are not an accurate representation of spirit-siblings. They are usually few and far between, Galatea blessed our generation with ten children, five pairs of spirit-siblings. That is unusually high. And three spirit-siblings are even more rare, but they do exist.

No, we make no pilgrimage. We barely ever leave the fens. I think that is part of why they are so close minded."[/sblock]