Starting Over Somewhere New (Monthly Narrative Posts)

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When she had returned to Fordeth, it was gone. Her father's workshop had been reclaimed by the city, and her family hadn't a cor to their name. Her family had gone destitute to make sure she was well educated, and now that her education was complete she had nothing to return to. Her saving grace had been a flier posted around Fordeth, a promise of Ritz and waived property fees for those starting a business in Viktoria. With what little she had left, she had made the arduous trip across the vast lands of Crinthe, arriving with little more than her life and the clothes on her back.

She was unfamiliar with the new city, and even less familiar with where to begin her business application. All she could do was ask around, though in her current state it seemed no one was taking her inquiries seriously. She had been on the road for days, she was covered in the filth of the trip and the associated stench. She hadn't the money for room, food, or bath. It seemed she was being taken as a vagrant, and so it was that she spent her first night in Viktoria under the stars.

Her heart ached for her school and for Fordeth, at least there she still had friends, she could have at least had a dignified place to lay her head at night, but here she had even been forced to cast aside such dignity. It was only her first day in the city, she was not giving up yet, but she had little choice but to give up for the night.

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Viktoria was not at all what she had imagined. A place offering such benefits to entrepreneurs should have felt more enlightened. Apparently she had arrived to the city in a time of turmoil, a time of occupation. She had walked out of a bad situation, and into one that may have be even worse. It was not even easy to find a place to lay down for the night, patrols enforced curfews and bullied the citizens in general. The environment was all but overtly hostile.

She eventually came to rest under a walkway. It smelled of stale piss and she was glad the shadows obscured whatever foulness lived there, but at least she was out of view from the street. As she laid her head down on the stones, she conjured a plan of action for the following day. A river ran through the city, perhaps she could find a place to bathe therein. Perhaps she could clean her clothes as well, modesty was little import at this juncture. She needed to be taken more seriously, and she could little do that if everyone believed her a beggar.

Her stomach growled, food would be on her agenda as well. It would be otherwise difficult to present herself over the pains of hunger. It would be several hours until she slept, scenario after scenario running through her mind. Dreams and aspirations; fears and shortcomigs all playing out amid myriad possible futures. Eventually she slept, she dreamt herself a beggar, all of her education for naught, her families sacrifices wasted as her blood disappeared into the obscurity from which it rose. Needless to say it was a restless sleep.

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The sun rose too early, bathing her world in red light. She picked up the noises of a waking cosmopolitan with her sensitive ears, forcing her to rise with the earliest of her fellows. With the rising sun came rising hopes, for in the gutter where she lay, she spotted something that sparkled ever so slightly. In the refuse near where she had lain, she found a handful of filthy disks which once cleaned proved to be ritz. Someone was missing their coin dearly, but it was her good fortune. Perhaps with the small fortune she had just discovered she could turn her appearance around such that people would take her seriously.

Her stomach growled, but as hungry as she was, she figured it more prudent to clean herself up first. Breakfast would taste so much better if she wasn't tasting her own stench. While they may not have taken her seriously when she asked where to apply for the business grant, they did take her seriously when she asked for directions to the bath house and I quote, "By the dragon, its that way." as he the man ran away with his nose clenched. She followed the mans rather rude indication and came across a bath house that was near to the river. They almost turned her away until she sat down one of her coins, at which point she realized they were likely contemplating whether to accept the coin and give her the change, or if they should call the guard. In the end they went with the former.

The bath was splendiferous, at least the second one was. The first bath was so filled with filth that the staff drew her another. She paid the extra to have her clothes laundered and mended. When she left the bath house she may has well have been an entirely different woman. Now for food.

It was a bit early for most of the food carts like those she had grown to love in Fordeth, but she did manage to find a tavern where she had some of the local cuisine that they passed off as real food. It wasn't the best, but with her current state of malnourishment, she hardly noticed, hardly...

With a full belly and that freshly bathed feel, she was ready to face the cruelty of the new city in search of the promised opportunity. No one really seemed to be familiar with the offer, but a few did point her in the direction of the provincial registry office. Even if it wasn't her intended destination, they should at least be able to point her in the right direction.

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Her property acquired, finally she had a roof under which to rest. It was rather barren and not so functional, something she would need to amend in the near future. For now though it would suffice. She began considering all the furniture, all the expansions, all the modifications she would need to perform on the property to be able to use it to maximum benefit. She would definitely need a place to store her supplies, a cellar might serve well for such purposes. A remodeling of one of the rooms into a luxurious bedroom would also be beneficial, while she could sleep pretty much anywhere, she preferred to sleep in a bed that is located in a comfortable room.

She would need a workshop with a forge to melt gold and silver for her jewelry projects, and just a general space to work on her clothes and jewelry. While she didn't mind going to the vendors for food every day, she would like to have a proper kitchen so she could hire a proper cook. She was not going to cook for herself, and it was often a waste of time to go outside to the vendors. She was aware of the Kushfire construction crew in Sorath, she had the gold, although it would take weeks, they seemed as good a choice as any. In the meantime she could find some other source of revenue. There was that ad for an expedition to the west that was to meet in Morith in a few days... But first the letter, she penned it in the dimly lit room on the floor as she didn't yet have a table.

Back into the city to drop the letter off at the post master. Hopefully, she would get a response to her request before she left, for now she had some prepping to do, rations and such were required for the journey to Morith, and it wouldn't hurt to find a group to travel with, for her safety of course. So much to do in so little time.

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A reply, she found the terms acceptable. However, she was unsure if she would return by the time they were complete and she had no wish to leave a debt unpaid. She would need to find a clerk who would be able to pay the man from her funds on her behalf. Into the city once more, luckily she lived in a ritzy area and finding a clerk was no difficult task. It was a small building, and the man sitting behind the desk was rather young for a clerk. "Welcome... um... uh... please take a seat." He mumbled as she walked in. "Uh... oh, my name is Asmat, uh, how can I help you today?"


The man seemed nice enough, if not a bit dim, but she only needed him to pay bills on her behalf while she was gone so the man would likely suffice, "I need a representative to pay my debts on my behalf while I am away from the city, are you capable of such a task." Her tone rather condescending, but in as a polite a way as one can while still being rude.


"Umm, of course." It was clear the man didn't have a lot of experience, but he seemed honest enough as he bumbled around looking for the correct forms. "Um, if you'll just sign here... and umm. Uh, print your name here, initial here, sign here, and ummm sign here."


The forms were in Cruic, she had some trouble with the human's letters, so she did her best to read exactly what she was signing.

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K=13, Cruic I, Literacy I, High Cruic (untrained), Difficult (legal documents); Threshold 8 gjeYuLtG

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Even if she were able to figure out the letters and read the document, the jargon was a little bit above her head, but from what was explained and the little she was able to make out, his terms seemed agreeable, a small retainer fee, then mild fees for various services. She paid the man his retainer fee, signed the document and then went about her way to finish her preparations for the journey east.

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Signing Document: k=13, Cruic I, Literacy I, High Cruic (untrained), Easy (signing name); Threshold 38

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At least her signature was pretty enough...·

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The market in Viktoria was a bit of a mess, it was nigh impossible to find whatever one might need. She went from store to store, checking each one. Most didn't really have anything useful, nothing that was noteworthy enough to include in the Viktoria provincial thread at least. Somehow she eventually she managed to scrounge together enough food for the road. She would set out in the next day or so. Before she left, she would need to speak with Asmat. In addition to paying the builders for the construction, perhaps he would be able to broker some agreements between various suppliers. It would be nice to come back to a workshop that had everything she would need to begin working.

Leaving her supplies in her new home she set back out to Asmat's office. She arrived to find him sitting over some papers, she didn't know that he couldn't really read them. He looked very officious sitting there. He welcomed her again, "Ummm, Nadera, uh What can I do for you today?"

"In addition to paying the builders for the renovations, would you be able to broker trade agreements with suppliers of cotton and silk, and perhaps gemstones, gold, and silver. The cloth is the most important, but if you can get me a supply of precious metals, gemstones and cloth, I would greatly appreciate it. I would pay you for your services of course."

Asmat had a brief look of shock, no one asked such things of him... no one. This elkagr woman really had no idea who he was. This was his chance to prove himself for real. "Of course I can!" He had no idea how to do what she was asking, but he wasn't going to tell her that. He needed her business, and he could always figure it out along the way.

"Very well then, I will see you when I get back. You should already have everything that you need from me."

"Umm, yes, yes of course I have everything I need." at least I hope I do.

With that, Nadera went back to her house and slept for the evening, getting an early start the following morning on her way to Morith.