Jaired (platinum)/The Saga of Jaired Delone (short story)

This is a collection of stories that tell of the adventures and history of Jaired Delone, written by the player.

The Sea of Fire

Jaired's childhood was in many ways ideal. Given the name "Shufflefoot" by those of his tribe, he grew up under the close eye of his mother, the tribe’s shaman and a gifted Seer. This was an anomaly amongst the Tehir, as it is typical for only the men to trouble themselves with the art of divination, but her natural talent was not something that could be denied nor easily ignored. She was a gentle and nurturing woman, with dark skin and eyes of an uncharacteristic blue that seemed trapped in an unwavering calm.

The matter of his father seemed to be some kind of a taboo secret amongst the people, as none would ever reveal the man’s identity to the young boy despite his persistent attempts to learn it. Even his mother would change the subject with a gentle smile and simply tell him that he would know when he would know. He was smaller than the other children his age, and many thought him sickly and frail. Jaired made up for it, however, with a quick tongue and even quicker hands.

Unfortunately, with no father to guide or discipline him, Shufflefoot was persistently a thorn in the tribe’s side. Consistently getting himself into trouble and sneaking things off in the night, the tribe began to demand that he be reigned in. His mother noticed early on that he did not share her gift of a Seer's Sight, and he never took to her lessons in healing or spiritual rituals. Like most boys his age, he was much more interested in getting into fistfights and taunting the yierka. Seeing this, his mother made the decision to turn him over to another. An elder named Rothel.

The name alone instilled fear in most of the tribe’s children, and it was rumored that every apprentice the man took had disappeared under suspect and unexplained circumstances. Rothel served as the tribe’s guide when they moved over the dunes from oasis to oasis, and he was revered as a brilliant tactician. His voice was as rough as the sands, and his walking stick was as hard as iron. Shufflefoot learned quickly to keep his thoughts to himself unless he wanted to feel the stick’s sting, and learned to follow the old man’s instructions to the letter.

The Lessons

Jaired started by walking the dunes to a particular spring to gather drinking water for the whole tribe. He would work from sun up to sun down, bringing jug after jug, and skin after skin to each and every tent. If Rothel did not like the boy’s progress, he would knock the jug from Jaired’s hands and allow it to empty into the sands, forcing the boy to make the trip over again. This was when Shufflefoot learned the most valuable lesson of the Tehir. When you think you have enough, go back and get twice as much more.

One morning as the sun crept into his tent, Rothel noticed his walking stick was missing. He knew of Jaired’s habits and figured the boy made off with it in order to get back at him for something or other. Fueled by rage, the old man limped from tent to tent while shouting all manner of profanities to try and bring the boy out of hiding. What he saw next shocked him, as he saw Shufflefoot making his way down the side of a dune with the walking stick slung heavily across his shoulders, dangling three to four jugs and skins from each end. This way he could carry many more with each trip, and finish the work faster.

The lesson was finally learned. Work smarter, not harder… and it was finally time for the real lessons to begin. With his mother closely watching, Rothel began instructing the boy in the most valuable techniques and bits of knowledge that a Tehir needs to know in order to survive. He taught him to rope, calm, and ride the yierka. How to find food when there was none, and how to find water when there was naught but sand. It was during this time that he began studying under his mother from time to time as well, where he learned of the stars and of the spirits… only so the old man could tell him how to use this knowledge to navigate and to survive. All ways of the Tehir go hand in hand with the other, and all lessons have purpose.

Each night at the fire, Rothel would tell Shufflefoot a new story to convey a new lesson, but the stories he enjoyed the most were the ones about Rothel himself. Long ago and in his youth, it would seem that Rothel was quite the warrior and quite the adventurer. His journeys led him far from the Sea of Fire, and he regaled the boy with exciting tales of danger and courage. He had made a living off of raiding ancient tombs and delving into the mysteries of the forgotten past. Shufflefoot was certain that some of the stories were made up, but nonetheless they were always entertaining and left him in wonder.

There was even a time or two where Rothel would bring Jaired along through ancient ruins that seemed long lost beneath the sands, and told him of hushed tales of an ancient people that had lived there long before... and how the desert was not always thus. In one such adventure during a rather violent sandstorm, Shufflefoot and Rothel made their way into a cave for shelter. Within they found that the cave went much deeper, and before long they found themselves within an archaic vault and surrounded by treasure.

A lone sword rested upon a wall, and Shufflefoot was immediately drawn to it. When he grabbed it, however, he sprang a trap and the entire cavern began to collapse. Cussing and shouting the whole way, Rothel pushed and shoved at the boy to run faster as they made their way back towards the surface. Just as they were almost clear, several boulders fell upon Rothel and pinned him beneath them. He shouted at Jaired to leave, but he would not. Instead, he took the sword that he had stolen and wedged it beneath the boulders and the floor, giving Rothel just enough time to squeeze free and to safety. This moment only served to bring the two closer, and the old man began teaching Shufflefoot the skills more suited for an adventurer.

The one skill he was not taught, however, was how to use such a weapon and how to fight… and this was the lesson Jaired wanted the most to learn. He was taught to learn to use his wits and his head first, and then he’d be taught to use his fists and the way of the blade. It was a lesson that would come too late, unfortunately.