The Warrior of Serigix
by Trinis
Nameri
~From the Journal of Trinis Nameri Warrior
of Sergix~
My name is Trinis Nameri
of Sergix, a village east of the village of Kel. My people are simple
folk, relying mostly on hunting and fishing and farming, as well as relying
on those caravans that come and go to the cities of Maston and Tegn.
We have fared simple enough, with no ruler beyond that of a sheriff, who
also acts as mayor. For the most part, he stays out of local affairs
save those of import. He taxed us fairly and lightly. As a
result we had enough gold to buy things from Kel and Tegn.
I was born in this village
in 939 A.C., to Majen and Trea Nameri, on the Holy Day of Dargotten.
My childhood was fairly joyous, playing and learning of things past and
present. Both my parents were priests of the god Dargotten and they,
like all who followed the Church, thought that sorcerous magic was destructive
and unpredictable. Though I did not agree with their methods, I respected
them. I was a child then, not fully understanding the ways of this
world.
When I was fourteen when
a couple moved in, calling themselves Liam and Mira Majere, come from Tegn.
Two months later, they had built a house and claimed a small piece of land
on the outskirts of the village opposite of the Naerwood. My parents
warned me to stay away from them, since from the first they arrived they
used magic, indicating they were mages. Yet it seemed odd, as the
man called Liam wielded a broadsword with considerable skill, to such an
extent that the sheriff was put to shame.
At first many were distrustful
of these two, though who could blame them. Magic can’t be understood
by the norm. But within the months to come, they proved to help us
well. As was with tradition, they belonged to an enclave, or else
they wouldn't have settled. They would have been hunted down. Liam
was so kind enough to teach a few of the older boys and young men to wield
a weapon, with the permission of the sheriff first. The woman, Mira,
taught many young people to read and write with no charge, and these two
quickly became popular in the small town, with the exception of my parents,
though those two rarely if ever, used their magic.
I, of course did not listen
to my parents’ warnings. Although I spent many lessons with my folks, I
learned the skills of warrior from the one called Liam, and I do not brag
that I was his best pupil. I may have been born of a Church
family, but I knew I wanted to follow a warrior’s path. As
time progressed, I became closer to that family. Kind of made my
parents angry, though they never showed it.
A year and a half after their
arrival, the couple had a child, a boy with blue eyes They spoke
of an amazing intelligence and skill. But the most amazing feature
about the boy was his silver hair. No one in centuries had been seen
with silver hair in this region, and it was an amazing rarity among the
human race as well as among the elven race. This was not the silver
of age or that of grey, but silver like the metal itself, which gleaned
in the sun as it grew in length. The elder in Sergix village tells
a legend that a child of silver hair would come to be a warrior and wizard
of great skill. But many, including myself and the Majeres discounted
the legend as that, just a legend.
Many people came to see the
newborn, including, amazingly enough, my parents as well. They were
invited to give the blessing of the child, to give him the blessing of
Dargotten as well as that of the Majere’s long-dead clan founder, Majere,
said to be a mage and warrior as well. The boy was blessed and then
named. He was named Sojin, an elven word which meant “silverflame.”
I was given the honor of being the child’s god sister, which my parents
did not object to, despite their dislike of mages and sorcerous magic.
In time he grew, and he learned how two wield a broadsword and how to defend
himself. He and I were close, but he had few friends, one of them
being Aesin Merjeti, the son of the local blacksmith. They were as close
to one another as brothers. At times, the Majeres would leave the
village to travel to Tegn to visit Liam’s father, though the old man died
a few years later.
Sojin, although calm by nature,
got into trouble with another boy, Vesin Paline, son of Sergix’s sheriff.
He could not have made a more deadlier rival. Those two got into
so many fights that, had the gods had time to watch, would’ve enjoyed with
much interest. Sojin would always come out on the lower hand, but he left
Vesin with many more bruises then he had given the young Majere.
Could be due to fact that Sojin was perhaps the smartest young lad in Sergix,
while Vesin had trouble discerning how to read and write, although he soon
learned that and more. After an encounter in the Naerwood, Vesin
changed for the better, though he had a bruise the size of a brick on his
jaw and a broken nose, he never spoke of it.
A tragedy befell the village
when Liam and Mira died in a snow storm on their way to Tegn on invitation
from a relative. They were found by one of our couriers who came
and went. When he came into Sergix, his horse towing a makeshift
raft. It held the frozen bodies of two of Sergix’s beloved people.
A funeral pyre was held and every person in the village said a word of
thanks and joyness. Their ashes were put in tourns and buried in
the seminary, as was their wish. To them, although Sergix was not the their
place of birth, this village would be home.
Before they had left, Liam
had given me possession of his broadsword, an ancient blade that had seen
more then 270 years of use. He also left me a letter telling me that
should anything happen to him and Mira, I should give it to Sojin, as he
was the last of the Majere clan as they knew of. I took it into account
and went on with my life in the days to come. When the funeral was over
I gave the ancient sword to Sojin, who was sadden by the loss of his only
family besides Aesin and myself.
He lived by himself, mourning
for weeks but eventually he came to accept it as his fate. He took
up his mother’s art, teaching the younger people to read and write in common
as well as the even he learned from his parents. He pitched in at
every harvest and helped prepare for festivals. One time he even
went all the way to Tegn and bought nearly a dozen books for the children
of Sergix to read.
I cannot say why the older
people of Sergix distrusted this one; maybe because of the elder’s tale
or because he was raised with the knowledge that he would use magic one
day. Despite their respect, the people of Sergix were still very
distrustful of magic. All I know is that even though the people Sojin’s
age were wary of this boy with the silver hair, the children loved him
because he knew when it was time for fun and a time for learning.
I regret I was not there
much, as I roamed Korresh’s country side, fighting bandits, helping those
less fortunate and making a small fortune, along with some more...private
things. I now live here in semi retirement. However I did see
a lot of Sojin Majere, and he has grown into a young man who has learned
much from his parents and from experience on the ways of honor and justice,
as well as calmness and caring. Perhaps that is why many people are
wary of him.
Sadly, though Sergix is a
calm place, it couldn’t hold Sojin’s wandering heart from wanting to roam
Telgard. He once told me that he did not know of anything about his clan
beyond his grandfather and the journeys of Majere, first patron of his
clan. Oh, he knew names and facts, but not the history of his family’s
past. He did not of his parents’ enclave, though I am not surprised, as
mages are a secretive lot.
I told him to journey to
Kel in the west, as that was where Liam was born. I remember the
day he left. It was barely sunrise when Sojin went, his few belongings
packed in a bag, his broadsword slung around his back, and his short sword,
which was forged by Aesin’s father as a gift, at his waist. He wasn’t
one for good-byes and so he left for Kel undetected...or so he thought.
I watched from the window of my house as my young brother went out into
the world, to find out about his clan’s history, and secretly to develop
his skills of both weaponry and to gain insight on his untapped magic skills.
I wish him luck and that
Dargotten protect him from harm and speed him on his way.
Trinis Nameri
Warrior of Sergix
Follower of Dargotten
