Omen: 6, 15

The first light of dawnval welcomed the Iyr into the new year. Many of the Iyrmen, strongly built as they were, enjoyed the first morning by training. Some ran along the roads of the Iyr, while others found themselves within the lush fields, and others trained along the mountain roads.

The Iyrmen were great warriors, each Human, Devilkin, or Half Orcs, though they deny any such labelling. They were Iyrmen, very different to the Humans of Aldland, the Devilkin to the east, or the Half Orcs to the north.

Yet, not all those who stayed within the Iyr, were Iyrmen. There was indeed a Half Elf, one who had become family to an Iyrman.

But he was no Iyrman.

Adam yawned, nestling himself within the bath. His muscles ached from his early morning training, having ran fifty laps around the courtyard of the shared family estate, and lifted the weights he had invented within the Iyr.

‘I really shouldn’t have lifted so much…’ Adam sighed. He enjoyed his morning bath, before returning back to the shared family estate, where his three Half Dragon children stared at him as he walked through the archway into the courtyard, chewing on their fish.

Konarot, his eldest daughter, reached up with her torn fish meat, while her other hand shoving more fish into her tiny mouth.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” Adam asked, sitting down beside his triplets, eating the fish from his daughter’s hand.

Konarot let out a satisfied snort, her thick tail swaying from side to side, silver scales gleaming. She nodded her head, before sticking more fish into her mouth. Kirot and Karot, the younger pair of the triplets, both also tried to feed their father, but Adam ruffled their hair.

“Eat first you silly little babbies!” Adam beamed down at his children, who were certainly the cutest. ‘Though, why are you wearing such nice clothes?’

The children were adorned in the Iyr’s clothing, as they usually were. He wore the Iyr’s clothing too, as a Nephew of the Rot family. A top which wrapped over itself and required a sash around his waist to keep the clothing tied together. It also held a large pocket on the inside against his chest, though it flowed towards his side too. The trousers of the Iyr were fairly normal, as trousers ought to be, with pockets for both the men and the women. The children’s lining were made of slightly nicer material, and the tattoo of the Rot family, a blue circle with three blue diamonds one either side of it, was also embroidered with finer thread.

‘Is there something special today? Well, yeah, but not my birthday. Vonda’s birthday? No, they wouldn’t dress up my kids for just that. Would they?’

Intelligence Check

D20 + 3 = 17 (14)

‘Oh.’

Adam inhaled deeply, reaching down to ruffle his children’s hair once more. Everyone else waited with bated breath, while Adam played with his children’s hair. The triplets stared up at him expectantly.

‘Oh no.’

A chillness seeped through the Half Elf, a new, strange sensation. ‘I didn’t make them anything!’ Adam continued to ruffle their hair, trying to make time to find something to give them.

How could he, known as an idiot father, forget his children’s first birthday?

‘It’s not my fault! Didn’t she saw it was near the end of nightval? Why did…’ The memories came back to him as he recalled the smiles of his children. Technically, he had no idea when their birthday really was, but he had asked them if they wanted to share a birthday with him.

Sonarot, his Aunt, stared at him. She was certain he was thinking something stupid, but what was it that he was thinking about. ‘Did he forget?’ It was something she never would have thought, since it was impossible for Adam to forget his children’s birthday.

However, when it came to Adam, the word impossible didn’t exist.

“Papa!” Lanarot called, pointing up at him accusatory with her bread, before biting into it. The little girl, who was almost two years old, was also adorned in slightly nicer clothing, and wore a small hair clip.

“Yes, my little Lanababy?” Adam asked.

“Bwed,” the girl said, pointing at his food before him. “Num num.”

“Of course, of course,” Adam said, beginning to eat his bread. “What a pretty clip you are wearing. Something special must be happening today.” Adam’s eyes glanced across the other, older children, those of the Ool, Kan, Gak, and Rot families.

Katool, giggled behind her hands, her little bob cut jiggling as she did. The other other children stifled their laughter too, waiting expectantly, save Damokan and Kalokan, who were just smiling.

“Hmmm,” Adam continued, glancing around the children. “That must mean something big is happening today. I wonder what it could be?” Adam tilted his head to the side, like a pup, pretending as though he had no idea what was happening.

“Cousin Adam!” Katool covered her mouth once more as she did her best not to break into laughter.

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“It must be that, right?” Adam asked. “It must be because…” His eyes fell across the other children, all the while drinking from his clay cup. “It must be because it’s Jurot’s birthday today!”

The children fell into laughter at his joke, before they stopped, furrowing their brows in thought. At first they had laughed because he was obviously going to say something false, but…

It was true.

Today, the first of dawnval, was not only Adam’s birthday. It was not only Sir Vonda’s birthday. Nor was it only the triplet’s birthday.

It was also Jurot’s birthday, their cousin who was the same age as Adam. He had disappeared the previous month, the thirteenth month of the year, called the Twilight Month, no doubt to claim his rights as an Expert.

“What?” Adam asked, tilting his head again. “What’s so funny?”

“Cousin Adam,” Taygak, the oldest of the children, a Devilkin, called. She pointed at him, in the same accusatory manner the children always did. “Birthday.”

“What?” Adam gasped, holding his cup up to his lips, blinking. “It’s my birthday too?”

“Yes!” Taygak declared.

“By the Gods,” Adam gasped. “I think you’re right, Cousin Taygak. It is my birthday!”

“Yes!” The girl nodded emphatically.

“Cousin Adam,” Turot called, smirking up at Adam. “It is your children’s birthday too.”

“What?” Adam asked. “It is not Jirot or Jarot’s birthday. It is not duskval, Cousin Turot.” Adam couldn’t help speaking stiffly, his lips twitching as he fought off his smile.

“Ock.” Katool slapped her forehead and wiped her face with her hand, before looking to her mother for support.

“No, Cousin Adam,” Turot smiled. “It’s is Konarot’s birthday.”

“Kirot. Karot.” Taygak pointed at the younger pair of his triplets.

“What? It’s your birthday too?” Adam picked his eldest daughter, grunting with effort, before placing her on his lap, smothering her cheek with his affection. “How can this be? Konarot, you are so big now, I can barely pick you up!”

Konarot huffed out defiantly, before leaning back up against her father’s chest. Karot and Kirot also hugged their father, before tip toeing to try to kiss his cheek.

“Of course it’s your birthday today! Did you think I’d forget?” Adam wrapped his arms around his children, pulling them in close. He showered them all with his affection. “How could I forget when all I do is think about you?”

‘He definitely forgot,’ Sonarot thought, shaking her head slightly. Of all the things Adam could do, this was the most surprising of all. It was one thing to somehow die twice, but to forget his children’s birthday? The Adam that she knew?

Adam continued to eat his breakfast, made up of bread and eggs. He ate his vegetables too, keeping an eye on the children to make sure they were eating their vegetables as well, while offering his triplets his portion of fish. It was after breakfast that the children offered him their gifts.

“A bowl this time?” Adam asked, accepting the clay bowl from Taygak. It was painted red, with the symbols of her family across it. “What a lovely gift.” Adam drank from his clay cup, the very same the girl had gifted him the previous year.

“Taygak better,” the girl said, nodding her head. She had spent the previous year working on her pottery, and her bowl was as good as any other found within the Iyr.

“Thank you, Taygak.”

“My turn!” Raygak declared after. He, too, was a Devilkin. He brought Adam a strip of leather. “It is noonval elk.” The boy smirked wide. “Aunt slew one when she went out.”

“Oh my, oh my!” Adam smiled, having no idea what a noonval elk was. “I will cherish it, always. Thank you, Raygak.”

“I have something too,” Saygak, Raygak’s cousin and Taygak’s little brother, said. He held up a scale too, though it was made of an unfamiliar wood. It was grey in colour, like a murky British spring day. Or summer day. Or any day, really.

“What kind of wood is this?”

“Greywood.”

Adam fell silent for a moment, slowly nodding his head. “I should have expected.”

Saygak smiled. “It is the best wood.”

“Is it?”

“Brother Laygak says so.”

Adam peeked over to the teen, who was a woodworker. The Devilkin teen nodded his head. “Well, I’m sure Jurot would disagree.”

Laygak narrowed his eyes.

“Brother Laygak is not wrong,” Saygak said, pouting slightly.

Adam smiled. Who would of thought that little Saygak would have spoken up like this but months ago? “I’m sure he isn’t. Thank you, Saygak.”

Katool held up her gift, waving it excitedly. The girl smiled, unable to contain herself as she sauntered her way to the Half Elf. “Cousin Adam, it is my turn.”

“Is this the tale of Katool, who slew Smogburg the Terrible?” Adam asked, accepting the book from the girl.

“Yes,” the girl said, puffing up her chest excitedly.

“It is a lovely book, isn’t it?”

“I will slay a Dragon when I am big too, Cousin Adam.”

“Of course.” Adam ruffled her bob. “Though I thought you would draw something for me.”

“I did.” Katool pointed at the book.

“You did?”

Katool helped Adam open up the book, revealing the last few pages. “Look.”

“Ah! I see! You drew me and my children?” Adam asked.

“Yes.” The girl nodded, her bob confirming her words.

He noted the blob of purple, which was him within his armour, three shapes with horns and silver scales, and two green little blobs, which were no doubt his adorable twins. This time Adam could vaguely make out dots which made for their eyes, and they were within the scribbled circles which he assumed were their heads. He wasn’t sure if Konarot had horns on her shoulders, though.

“Thank you, Katool.”

The pair of silent Kans walked up to Adam with a pair of metal scales, as they had done so the previous year. The metal scales were beautiful, one sparkling red, another sparkling blue, as though they were filled with gemdust.

“Rubysteel,” Damokan said, who had passed over the dark red scale.

“Sappiresteel,” Kalokan said, who had passed over the dark blue scale.

A vague sense of dejavu filled Adam, who swore the pair had given him metal of the same colour the year previous. “Thank you two too.” He reached up to pat their heads simultaneously.

Adam raised his brow towards Turot, who smiled innocently, but handed Adam nothing. ‘Is he going to do something adorable again?’

“Did you all forget about my childrens’ birthday?”

“No!” Taygak replied, pointing at him as she huffed. “Silly, Cousin Adam.”

Adam smiled. The greatest gift of all was no doubt how he could tease the children. “Hmm. Did Tavgak bring anything for the children then?”

Taygak jerked, as though she had been slapped in the face. She looked to the babies to one side, each who were only a few months old, like Adam’s youngest twins, before furrowing her brows. “No. Baby.”

“Do not bully the children too much, Adam,” Sonarot berated, noting the looks of the other adults nearby. “If you wish to bully someone, we will be heading to the extended family estate.”

“Before we do that, can I give my children their gifts?” Adam asked, his lips forming a small smirk. “In fact, why don’t I thank all my adorable Cousins for their gifts too?” It hadn’t taken Adam long to realise that the season had changed.

‘Right,’ Adam thought as he lifted up his daughter. ‘I should go see Vonda too.’

The adults pierced Sonarot with their eyes. It was one thing for Adam to make jokes around the Twilight Month, where he was restrained due to the chaotic nature of the month, but it was dawnval now. Sonarot replied to the other adults with a smile. If Adam did try anything, they would just kill him.

Mana: 18 -> 15