The Ancient of Days

Israel and I spent the first ten-day at the compound getting acquainted with each other and the strappings of current modern society. I adopted quickly to wearing shoes again as they were of elven design and enchanted to almost be indistinguishable to walking barefooted. Israel shunned them for their origin.

I got used to the finely designed pants made by Malachi and mostly worn at the Order by initiates of the ways and paths of the brotherhoods. Israel disdained them for their human origins. He disregarded the talismans and enchanted weapons for favour of his own crudely made but effective spear. The compound is big enough that we didn't encounter too many new people and his interactions with others were brief.

We did settle on a set of clothing eventually. Leather, sinew, suede, exotic hide and fur. All clothing commonly worn by demi-human societies within their various territories on Pangaea. Shoes he went without as we embarked on a journey to free his twin sister and mother from many decades of slavery. The righteous anger in the boy is powerful and would eat him up if it wasn't curtailed.

We used mostly mundane forms of travel this time, walking and then riding in a carriage pulled by two beautiful mastiff horses.

I tutor Israel in the current history of the different kingdoms and their societies as we travelled. Though the boy has disdain for all around him, especially elves and humans me he respects. And he takes my words in like dry ground takes water. Learning quickly and eagerly as though this may be his only opportunity to fulfill his dreams.

By the time we reached the kingdom of Ulgeria he knew most of the cities and towns along our route by name. After passing two villages and a boarder fort we arrived at our first human town. A small town by the name of Westernmost, surrounded by a wooden palisade and armed guards of the local militia.

The little kingdom surrounded by the Eldridge Forest which is home to magical beasts, panther demi-humans, panther demi-elves, a tribe of marsh elves and swamps. Not an ideal place for humans to migrate to but they did, due mainly to the most vicious of all predictors, other humans.

Ulgeria is less of a kingdom and more of a territory. Controlled by a council of elders that answer to a Council of town heads, that collectively answer to a king. For they know no other way of governance, even though they left the other kingdoms for the current to escape the whims and appetites of men calling themselves kings.

The vast majority of land in and around Eldridge on Pangaea is uncontested, unclaimed land. Making it ideal for a refuge people to settle into. The neighbours only raiding them occasionally to blood their young but otherwise ignoring the small number of hapless human towns and villages.

We are met at the gate by armed guards and two robed men. Malachi warned that our human neighbours so far have no idea we have been building a training camp at their door-step the past 3 years. The carriage stops a few dozen meters from the gates and Israel and I step out as soon as I tell the horses to stop.

The militia are mostly armoured in leather wielding spears and wooden shields. The raids by the demi-humans have done wonders for their responsive readiness and discipline. One of the robe wearers steps forward, a woman with a sourer faced guard a step behind. I can easily see the pride, hopefulness and determination in their auras.

It is time for diplomacy, I bow slightly in greeting as the woman stands before us. We are going to need to learn humility if Saea and Ester are where I suspect they are and this will be good practice for my descendent. For even I can't just burg into the city of Orion in the Celestial empire without being noticed by that uncanny man.

*

‎ Sachihiro

I have never experienced such pleasure taking a shit before. Sitting on a pot sticking out of the wall of the house my parents have claimed for themselves in the new growing city. A shitting pot specially designed for comfort and ease when relieving ones-self.

For this ingenious contravention alone the fae have paid for their share of the ore in my opinion. I have never taken such pleasure and just relaxed when defecating, and what a wonder it is.

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I groan as I release a big one, and sigh as it enters the boil of water in the poty. Two small bushes grow an arms reach away from me in the small but well ventilated room.

One a flowering plant that blooms two different flowers depending on the time of the year providing a beautiful scent in the small poty room all year round. The other providing a constant supply of coco-wet leaves for wiping in luxury when I'm done. Ingenious.

Life seems to have gotten a bit more comfortable among the tribes. Every single house constructed so far has at least one such room built into it. The work crews are getting very good at building as well as everyone is getting more than enough practice.

It now takes a team of five experienced builders about a hundred hours to put together a complete house when all the materials are already gathered. And some of these crews have been doing this for years now.

I sigh thinking about my daughter, thinking about my other child about to be born without me. Thinking about Mira, thinking about soft spoken Kuyoki. A woman older than my mother but whom I have designs on romantically, I don't even understand myself anymore.

I think about Henrietta, who was more than eager to have both Om and I at the same time. Something neither Om nor I had ever done before but I needn't have worried. The woman is experienced and she directed the whole carnal affair expertly.

I'm grateful for the experience, it was very enjoyable and enlightening. It also somehow resulted in Om and I forming a deeper friendship. But now I know for sure that I could never be that intimate with another man present also taking his pleasure from the same woman. It just isn't for me, or at least me at this point in my life. Henrietta did ease the pressure that has been building up in my loins though.

According to Om the Jotnar women have been keeping most of the other tribesmen so busy that women from the other tribes have gotten more giving as well to stay competitive. At least that's how he phrased it as we got drunk at the north district long-house after our enthusiastic work with Henrietta.

At first we couldn't look at each other in the eyes after the affair. The things one does when their blood is hot with lust are not always normal and usually that is a side of a person is only between a man and a woman. But now I have seen some of Om's animal side, the funny faces he makes as he climaxes. And he has seen how vulnerable I can be during sex, eager to please.

We eventually got drunk enough to laugh about it. And a true friendship blossomed from that experience. An experience I could repeat with him present since we've already done it, but never with any other man present, no way. Sex is just too intimate and raw to be on display for strangers.

I get up from the poty seat after wiping and press the glyph for flushing the excrement down. I wash my hands and my face before going out. I'm slightly nervous, I will be joining a battle group today.

The southerners have mastered a force of more than 80 000 divided into five armies. The dwarves coming fast to reinforce them, expected to arrive within 5 to 7 days. The elves have been stalling, not something easy to ignore at this point in time.

The undines still mostly observant but the seers have noticed other watchers in the Tundra. Powerful foes that would otherwise have gone unnoticed had the Tundra not been Claimed territory, territory magically acknowledged by Gaia herself to be the home of our people. Knowing when a foe enters ones territory with hostile intentions is one of the benefits the Tundra grants us through the Seers. Apparently the seers have been noticing new threats for a few months now as word of our large deposits of celestial ore spreads.

The only thing preventing large kingdoms from conquering us completely being the isolated little notch our continent falls into in comparison to the rest of the world. Ma says the tribes will fall, it is inevitable because the forces that will keep coming against us will not end.

Even if we manage to mine and forge every piece of celestial ore into a weapon it won't help. Opposition will come if not for the raw ore, then for the scalable weapons they can claim from our cold dead hands.

I sigh as I look at myself in the mirror. I can't bring Vigdis into the Tundra, not when the level of opposition is this great. And I'm gonna need to find and get Teà Dustin and their new baby out of here as well if I can.

It is said in the Council that the fae are negotiating with the southeners for Paradisum to be excluded from the fighting. That no ore be kept here and only none combatants live here for the next ten years or so. This to ensure that the fae do not get involved with either side of the fighting as they make Paradisum their home.

Maybe a way for Paradisum to become a refuge for our people if things get too bad. But forces from the city, which is the first combined settlement of the tribes in centuries, are the only thing stopping the tide of southerners from sweeping deep into the Tundra and spreading. That would make them difficult to face in open battle if they chose to retreat and use guerilla warfare tactics.

I slap my cheeks to get my head in the game. I may not survive the coming battle but I'm worrying about things to come and that doesn't help or change anything.

"Alright Sachi, it's show time." I say to myself as I leave the house to go find Om and then our fighting group.