1st Day of The Bloom
Spirit Day
Weather: Sunny I really felt a lot better when I woke up this morning. I don't know what the deal was yesterday, but nothing seemed to go my way. This morning, I decided to start slow and go over what I know. I had a small bag with me when I climbed out of that cave. I hadn't really looked into it for clues, but it seemed like a good place to start. The first thing in the bag was a long knife. I don't know what most people would have thought about it, but as soon as I saw the knife I thought of it as a chef's knife. Not a weapon, not a dagger, not even a table knife, but a chef's knife. I think that immediate association probably means that I have some knowledge, or even training, in the culinary arts. That fits nicely with something else I've noticed. I've cooked a couple of meals for myself and Doctor Cliff since I've come to the Valley, and I feel very comfortable in the kitchen. I wouldn't say that I feel at home, at least not in Doctor Cliff's kitchen, but I move with a certain ease and confidence within that room, surrounded by those tools. The knife is bright silver in color. It doesn't have any blamishes or pitting in the surface. I'm not a metalurgist, but it doesn't seem to be iron. Or at least, not just iron. The handle is a highly-polished wood with an orange hue and a tight grain. The blade is very strait and well-balanced. The tool feels excellent in my hand. On the blade there is an engraving. it says "Congratulations Theo" and then underneath is the date "20th Day of The Blaze". It appears that the knife was a gift commemorating something. I hope I remember more about this in the future. The only other contents of the bag were a handful of coins. A gold coin, 8 silver, and 18 copper from at least 6 different countries or principalities. Perhaps I traveled in my previous life. Or perhaps I came from a place with a great deal of trade with foreign lands. I can't think of many other reasons one purse would have such a variety of coinage. I suppose I should also mention that I had a walking cane with me when I, I don't know appeared? Arrived? Anyway, I had a cane. I don't know why really. I don't appear to need it. There is no hidden sword and it doesn't appear to be magical, but how can you ever be really sure about that? The cane is a pale wood that almost looks like it has muscles and sinew under the surface. The topper is a silver raindrop shape with a waxing gibbous moon engraved into the surface. That seem like an uncommon enough symbol that it almost has to have some significance, but I don't know what that could be. Around midday, I decided to stroll around the town and see what I could discover. Today is Spirit Day, and I'm still trying to figure out quite what that means. Doctor Cliff said it was a supposed to be a day of self reflection and communion with the spirits of the land or ones household gods. I didn't have a plan, I just sort of wandered. There's something about this place. It's calm, and quiet, and the air smells clean. I ended up by the river at one point and just stared down through the clear water at the brightly colored stones or whatever that cover the bottom. I don't really know how long I walked up and down that bank, but by the time I looked up again, I was hungry. I decided to head back to Doctor Cliff's house for a late lunch. Since Spirit Day is supposed to be about reflection and reverence, I didn't feel right about simply introducing myself to new people and hoping they'd invite me to share a meal. Also, I hoped that I might be able to learn about how Doctor Cliff observed Spirit Day. When I walked up to the house, I was surprised to be greeted by the scent of incense and the sound of drums. I followed these around to the rear of the house and found not just Doctor Cliff, but a half-dozen other Orcs gathered in a circle next to the garden patch. A small table against the fence, or maybe it was an altar, supported the smoldering incense. Two of the gathered Orcs held drums that they used to pound out a rhythm that I was pretty sure I had not heard before even before I awoke in the Valley. The rest of the attendants chanted in low, rumbling voices that occasionally rose to a brief cresendo before falling back. One woman, who appeared to be leading the event, chanted louder than the rest. She spoke in counterpoint to the rhythm of the drums and, though I could not understand the words, she seemed to be praising or imploring some kind of spirits. I stood and quietly watched the ceremony until it was done. I am sure that the leader noticed my presence before, but she waitied until the end of the chant to acknowledge me. "I see we have a visitor," she said. I apologized in case I was intruding and told the group that I was simply curious. Doctor Cliff stood and introduced me, explaining that I was staying with him until I found someplace else. The woman leading the gathering introduced herself as Lash and said that she was the "Chantleader" of the group. Apparently most of the Orcs in the area were in attendance. At that point the gathering began to dispurse and many of the attendees spoke fondly to Doctor Cliff as they left. Lash stayed behind and we chatted a bit. She explained to me that Orcs from her culture, and the rest of the group, didn't really worship any particular gods. Instead, they venerated their ancestors and deceased loved ones, beseeching them for guidance and aid. While we were talking, I began chopping up some vegetables for lunch and invided Lash to stay. She glanced toward Dorctor Cliff before accepting. Cliff said that he was going to ask her to stay for a while anyway. He wanted to talk to her about something privately. I stayed in the kitchen working on food while the pair went to Doctor Cliff's bedroom. Let me just take a moment to say that early Spring is not the best time of year for culinary delights. You're basically working through the last of the root vegetables and stored grain from the winter, and it's too early for anything from the garden to be ready for even an early harvest. Sometimes you can hunt a bit to supplement, but it's very much a "what can I make with what I have left" time of year. That being said, it can force some real creativity. I ended up boiling the sliced roots with some winter broccoli and some of the last of the barley. The result was thicker than soup, or even stew. I think it might have benefitted from baking once everything had softened. Maybe some cheese too. Regardless, it was pretty tasty and Lash complimented me as she ate. The three of us chatted about Orc culture and the ceremony that I witnessed. I should say that we discussed the culture of the Orcs of the Sapphire Stag, which is the tribe that both Doctor Cliff and Lash are originally from. It would be wrong to suggest that Orcs as a whole have only one homogenous culture. Other members of the local community hail from other tribes, even from across the sea. Lash, however, seems happy to serve as Chantleader, and even spiritual guide, for all the Orcs of the Valley. Once Lash left, Doctor Cliff fell quiet. He didn't seem depressed, just deep in thought. I washed the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen, then I took stock of the stored foodstuffs so that I could plan a few more meals and make a list of items to get to fill out the menu. Thankfully there is plenty of flour, since tomorrow is Bread Day. That covers everything that happened today. It was really an eventful day. I'm looking forward to tomorrow and making some bread.
Weather: Sunny I really felt a lot better when I woke up this morning. I don't know what the deal was yesterday, but nothing seemed to go my way. This morning, I decided to start slow and go over what I know. I had a small bag with me when I climbed out of that cave. I hadn't really looked into it for clues, but it seemed like a good place to start. The first thing in the bag was a long knife. I don't know what most people would have thought about it, but as soon as I saw the knife I thought of it as a chef's knife. Not a weapon, not a dagger, not even a table knife, but a chef's knife. I think that immediate association probably means that I have some knowledge, or even training, in the culinary arts. That fits nicely with something else I've noticed. I've cooked a couple of meals for myself and Doctor Cliff since I've come to the Valley, and I feel very comfortable in the kitchen. I wouldn't say that I feel at home, at least not in Doctor Cliff's kitchen, but I move with a certain ease and confidence within that room, surrounded by those tools. The knife is bright silver in color. It doesn't have any blamishes or pitting in the surface. I'm not a metalurgist, but it doesn't seem to be iron. Or at least, not just iron. The handle is a highly-polished wood with an orange hue and a tight grain. The blade is very strait and well-balanced. The tool feels excellent in my hand. On the blade there is an engraving. it says "Congratulations Theo" and then underneath is the date "20th Day of The Blaze". It appears that the knife was a gift commemorating something. I hope I remember more about this in the future. The only other contents of the bag were a handful of coins. A gold coin, 8 silver, and 18 copper from at least 6 different countries or principalities. Perhaps I traveled in my previous life. Or perhaps I came from a place with a great deal of trade with foreign lands. I can't think of many other reasons one purse would have such a variety of coinage. I suppose I should also mention that I had a walking cane with me when I, I don't know appeared? Arrived? Anyway, I had a cane. I don't know why really. I don't appear to need it. There is no hidden sword and it doesn't appear to be magical, but how can you ever be really sure about that? The cane is a pale wood that almost looks like it has muscles and sinew under the surface. The topper is a silver raindrop shape with a waxing gibbous moon engraved into the surface. That seem like an uncommon enough symbol that it almost has to have some significance, but I don't know what that could be. Around midday, I decided to stroll around the town and see what I could discover. Today is Spirit Day, and I'm still trying to figure out quite what that means. Doctor Cliff said it was a supposed to be a day of self reflection and communion with the spirits of the land or ones household gods. I didn't have a plan, I just sort of wandered. There's something about this place. It's calm, and quiet, and the air smells clean. I ended up by the river at one point and just stared down through the clear water at the brightly colored stones or whatever that cover the bottom. I don't really know how long I walked up and down that bank, but by the time I looked up again, I was hungry. I decided to head back to Doctor Cliff's house for a late lunch. Since Spirit Day is supposed to be about reflection and reverence, I didn't feel right about simply introducing myself to new people and hoping they'd invite me to share a meal. Also, I hoped that I might be able to learn about how Doctor Cliff observed Spirit Day. When I walked up to the house, I was surprised to be greeted by the scent of incense and the sound of drums. I followed these around to the rear of the house and found not just Doctor Cliff, but a half-dozen other Orcs gathered in a circle next to the garden patch. A small table against the fence, or maybe it was an altar, supported the smoldering incense. Two of the gathered Orcs held drums that they used to pound out a rhythm that I was pretty sure I had not heard before even before I awoke in the Valley. The rest of the attendants chanted in low, rumbling voices that occasionally rose to a brief cresendo before falling back. One woman, who appeared to be leading the event, chanted louder than the rest. She spoke in counterpoint to the rhythm of the drums and, though I could not understand the words, she seemed to be praising or imploring some kind of spirits. I stood and quietly watched the ceremony until it was done. I am sure that the leader noticed my presence before, but she waitied until the end of the chant to acknowledge me. "I see we have a visitor," she said. I apologized in case I was intruding and told the group that I was simply curious. Doctor Cliff stood and introduced me, explaining that I was staying with him until I found someplace else. The woman leading the gathering introduced herself as Lash and said that she was the "Chantleader" of the group. Apparently most of the Orcs in the area were in attendance. At that point the gathering began to dispurse and many of the attendees spoke fondly to Doctor Cliff as they left. Lash stayed behind and we chatted a bit. She explained to me that Orcs from her culture, and the rest of the group, didn't really worship any particular gods. Instead, they venerated their ancestors and deceased loved ones, beseeching them for guidance and aid. While we were talking, I began chopping up some vegetables for lunch and invided Lash to stay. She glanced toward Dorctor Cliff before accepting. Cliff said that he was going to ask her to stay for a while anyway. He wanted to talk to her about something privately. I stayed in the kitchen working on food while the pair went to Doctor Cliff's bedroom. Let me just take a moment to say that early Spring is not the best time of year for culinary delights. You're basically working through the last of the root vegetables and stored grain from the winter, and it's too early for anything from the garden to be ready for even an early harvest. Sometimes you can hunt a bit to supplement, but it's very much a "what can I make with what I have left" time of year. That being said, it can force some real creativity. I ended up boiling the sliced roots with some winter broccoli and some of the last of the barley. The result was thicker than soup, or even stew. I think it might have benefitted from baking once everything had softened. Maybe some cheese too. Regardless, it was pretty tasty and Lash complimented me as she ate. The three of us chatted about Orc culture and the ceremony that I witnessed. I should say that we discussed the culture of the Orcs of the Sapphire Stag, which is the tribe that both Doctor Cliff and Lash are originally from. It would be wrong to suggest that Orcs as a whole have only one homogenous culture. Other members of the local community hail from other tribes, even from across the sea. Lash, however, seems happy to serve as Chantleader, and even spiritual guide, for all the Orcs of the Valley. Once Lash left, Doctor Cliff fell quiet. He didn't seem depressed, just deep in thought. I washed the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen, then I took stock of the stored foodstuffs so that I could plan a few more meals and make a list of items to get to fill out the menu. Thankfully there is plenty of flour, since tomorrow is Bread Day. That covers everything that happened today. It was really an eventful day. I'm looking forward to tomorrow and making some bread.
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