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~ Saure's Story

The girl Saure was born in a very remote kirn (or village, as we know the word) west of Nora. Nora was (and still is, to my knowledge) a bustling merchant hub; it was the crossing of four great trade routes that passed over sea, plain, wood and mountain range. The kirn did very well for itself because of Nora; and the three families that made up the kirn- Dess, Mag, and Fira – were very active merchants. They farmed land and meat and milk, and crafted tools and keepsakes for tradesmen and tourists. And in the case of the Firas, they crafted much-coveted potionry for magical and practical uses alike.

Now, men in Avarae don't always have the dull hair colors you see on earth; black, brown, blonde and the like. Men in Avarae often have hair to match the element contiguous to their numin (the closest thing I can think of to describe numin would be "aura"). The Desses had varying shades of blue hair, because their element was water. Water is the key ingredient for life, and life is what they tended. Their crops thrived, and their animals provided great profit in many forms.

The Mags had brassy and silvery hair because their element was metal, and sometimes stone. They were blacksmiths and artificers, crafting useful tools and intricate designs.

The Firas had varying shades of red, orange, and magenta locks, because their element was fire. Now, even though fire and heat have much to do with the brewing of potions, it didn't much help their reputation. Fire in one's bloodline often means viciousness and rage. Many fireborn become warriors and harriers, swordsmen and axemen. The Firas, however, were good and peace-loving folken. They wouldn't even hold a knife but to cut up an ingredient or to prepare supper. The kirnfolk knew this, but they still held their suspicions about Saure and her crazy ramblings.

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The Firas' only daughter, Saure, was the tender of herbs and spices and woody plants. She grew the majority of the ingredients needed for the best-selling potions. Now, with many magic-tending families, some gifts are inherited with bloodline. Saure was born with two gifts. She had the gift of the green hand, and the gift of beast-speak. All herbs she tended grew with astounding potency and envious height. All beasts great and small could understand her words. Whether or not they heeded them was up to the animal in question, and thus she would often argue with a passing goat or sparrow.

The Firas worried for their daughter. The gift of the green hand, while uncommon, was a known gift. Accepted, you might say, within the wider magical circles. Beast-speak, however, was more well-known in the closer magical circles, and not known at all in Nora. Nora, after all, was governed by man primarily. And man did not always deal with the sort of magic elves and fairies and other such folken deal with as a part of daily routine.

So, thus, the youngest Fira was little more than an outcast in her kirn. She went about life accepting this fact, and half believed she was actually crazy- as the other kirnfolk spoke of her.