They’ve been here, living – thriving – but still sedentary. Their voices are the music to their home, playing in sync with the ocean tides and the squawking gulls. They’ve all contributed in making this a home, making it something more than just a spit of land that had been given to them. The fuel that drove them here must never wane or diminish. They each have a purpose and a role to play whether it’s as a mother, warrior, diplomat, queen, or a nomad. Wanting to delve deeper into them, into their untapped potential, Nayl brings herself to a small rolling hill atop the Cliffside where both sand and grass spontaneously erupt and coat the ground. The lull of the waves is still among them, but faint enough for her to be more easily heard.
She calls to them – all of them – and scours her surroundings for a fleeting moment for them to arrive. While in wait, she placidly observes the sparse stalks of grass leaning against her legs as the wind blows. Her mind reels with the past, present, and future. It churns relentlessly with thoughts of Nerine, of Stillwater and Lior, of power. The mixture provides a distraction until they assemble around and in front of her, their eyes searching and curious.
”Those of you who remain without a rank, it’s time to address your purpose here. Do you want to pursue a future as a soldier or as a diplomat? A historian? Something else?” She doesn’t elaborate or bothers to mention that she can create a rank for someone deserving, that they are not bound to what few ranks there currently are. In due time, they will learn. ”You will be placed into a group of Untested. Step forward now to make yourself known and your intentions.” Her eyes, lit by a fire within, sweep across each of their faces dubiously. ”Should you want to be a soldier, you must win one battle in order to be placed into the army. If diplomacy and interkingdom affairs interest you, then you must visit a kingdom and chat with someone there. Bring back new information and things you learned – tell me what you found out. A historian? Do some research and report to me something that has happened in Beqanna prior to the Reckoning – something you learned, not experienced, if you were alive then.”
These are small challenges, small tasks of initiation, but perhaps it will be enough to spark their interests and guide them into their underlying purposes in life.
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