Berra — Letter Home
????, Fire Season, Illusion Week
Context
Fire Season, Illusion Week, Fireday. After talking to Mellia ([[[mellia:hl23|Humakt Letter 23]]]) Berra goes to have a letter written by Xenofos. [[[s01:session-44|Session 44]]]
Events
Xenofos is as Mellia said, in his room. The door is open and Berra can see him huddled over a low table.
Berra claps a little clumsily outside, announcing herself and waiting.
Xenofos turns to see her and nods. “What brings you here little cousin? Please, enter.”
Berra bounces in to sit down. “I wondered if you would write my sister a letter. And I should probably find you a nickname but tall cousin doesn’t sound right.” Bubbly.
“You are in fair mood. Can Yehna read?”
“No, but she will be able to find someone who can. Only the nobility there would be able to.” Berra jiggles her leg, unable to stay still.
“So I should write in tradetalk or attempt to write in heortling…” Xenofos looks thoughtful.
“She speaks Esrolian better… oh, you knew that. Heortling, probably.” Berra suppresses the jiggle with her hand.
“I suppose I can check my words at the temple. Now, what would you wish to tell her?”
“Uh, that I’m going to be helping at a Heroquest, and it’s probably not dangerous, but if I die she is my heir, and should give Haran some biscuits from me, and I love her and she is a good sister and a good wife.”
Raised eyebrow. “Not dangerous? “
“Probably not dangerous. I’m Humakt. The only place for me in the Heroquest is starting it, and being one of the dead gods that finishes it. So two places, I suppose.”
“To Yehna of Blue Tree clan from Berra, her loving sister, greetings and blessings. I will be going to help at a heroquest and hope with gods’ help to return. If I die you are my heir and inheritor. Give Haran some biscuits from me. I love you. You are best of sisters and a good wife. Dictated to Xenofos who wrote.” The quill is moving at same pace as Xenofos speaks. ” Would that do?”
“I don’t know if I am going anywhere, though. If Sword Eril does it all, I just need to be ready for the return. I don’t want to say something that isn’t right.”
Berra, fiddling with everything around her, pokes at something under the pillow next to her, and explores it by poking repeatedly with her fingertip, only half curious.
“You would be in hero path in the end and return, even if your body would not leave temple of Humakt?”
“If I start it, yes. Sword Eril should make the stroke, though. I’ll only step in if he can’t.” Berra pokes the little metal jingly thing a couple of times and then loses interest and picks at her sandal strap.
Xenofos face turns sombre when hearing of proposed start of the heroquest. ” Hmm. Scratch hope and return, replace with ‘should be in no danger’?”
“What does scratch mean? Do you know you have something under your pillow?” Berra taps her fingers on her knee, more in a wave of movement than any rhythm.
“To scrape quite literally away. Or just overline so you can’t see… No? What?”
Berra looks a bit surprised, and then leans over to pull the pillow out of the way. “No clue,” she tells him. “I’m just fiddling with things because I can’t go for a run.”
Ornate earrings with jingly dangly bits. Esrolian in style, quite like Varanis usually wears.
“Oh…”
Berra looks a little puzzled. “Did she sleep here?”
“She must have taken them off when she took a nap. Yes, yes she did sleep here.”
“Oh, right. She needs it.” Berra does not seem to care.
“She did look quite exhausted.”
“She finds it really hard to be pent. Her spirit needs sky. But it won’t be for long, anyhow… So yes, scratch the thing you said. Put in the other thing you said.” Berra is throwing herself from one subject to another.
“I will – end with a blessing of Ernalda?”
“Um, probably not from me. But I can hope the blessings of Ernalda are on her. Can you put that?” Berra is back to bouncing on the edge of the bed, muscles refusing to stop.
“Yes. ‘I hope you and yours are and remain blessed by Ernalda’?”
“That’s good. I like that.” Berra adopts the pillow to hug it, thoughtfully.
“That should do it then. Would you mind if I add a few lines asking her to collect my rents in my name from my tenants, should that please her? Since she would need the lawgiver or chief to read this it should also make it clear she has the right.”
“Not at all. Um, no, wait. The reason I put that I loved her was in case I do die. Can you put that in a different letter?” Berra pauses for a moment, and the pillow gets an extra squeeze.
“Yes. Of course… Speaking of dying. “
“Mm?”
Xenofos clears his throat. “Varanis left some instructions for burial, should that become… If she would die.”
Berra nods. “And I’ll be left behind. Can you let me know, or are they written down?” She is suddenly calmer, almost attentive.
“If I should be left behind…. But there is considerable chance I may be unable to fulfil them when taking the path. So… amulet she wears on her neck should go to her sister. “
“Mhm.” Berra looks off into the distance for a moment, remembering that. As it sinks into her memory she looks back to Xenofos.
“She wishes to be burned, with her armring, sword and other things deemed proper.Urn should be buried somewhere high, with a good view.”
“Mhm.” A little nod, and the same sound.
“Rest is administrative stuff, she wishes her tenants to keep their lands and pay rent to Mellias temple, but I must ask lawgivers how these things work in Sartar.”
“I don’t know, I’m afraid. But I can remember that.” Berra’s calm stillness continues now, the half-giddy mood conquered.
“I will put that to vellum when I have asked the sages.”
“That’s good. Anything else to say?” Berra is getting up. She offers over the pillow, gravely.
“It has been good to get to know you, Berra Daughter of Jarang, of Blue tree clan and Humakti.”
Berra drops the pillow and offers a hug instead.
The hug is returned, a bit clumsily.
