Nemaisare

Rising Winds and Shifting Sands

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Rising Winds and Shifting Sands

Well, that took me way longer than probably was necessary to get that written. Had it planned out, just needed to get the beginning part written. Sorry about that, but finally got it! Now to get a few facts written up properly, too. ...after I go to sleep... :D

Rising Winds and Shifting Sands

It was difficult to hold her gaze as he finished his explanation. The smile, small though it had been when he’d started, was gone, and she stared as a falcon might, considering, dangerous, different. He did not know what she was thinking as she leaned towards him. Curdle flinched as she took in a breath to speak, expecting the hard words that so often accompanied the aggressive angle.

They didn’t come.

Or rather, they came in a more collected fashion than shouting accusations. Her tone remained harsh. Her summary, before she’d even reached her confident doubts, made of him a fool. In all honesty, he’d had no plans beyond reaching Renna’s gates. He had not expected to make it even that far, but he’d tried, because even an impossible promise deserved a token effort. His gaze turned, ashamed, to the ground as she gave him greater agency and initiative than he’d even thought to use, let alone acted upon.

No… Shrinking in on himself, shoulders hunching yet further in a blind desire to shield himself from the world, Curdle’s head began to shake. Slowly. Incredulous. Confused. If their meeting was other than happenstance, only the North Wind could have arranged it; his own efforts had played no part in what transpired, beyond getting him caught and leaving Fiira to her fate. Again, he flinched as she reminded him of consequences shared, unjustly, on her side. She did not deserve to be drawn into this trouble he’d caused. If she wanted no more part in this, he would hold nothing against her. But her challenge… It tempted him, and then it dragged his eyes upward in a swift jerk, shuffling forward on his knees before he could help himself.

Yet, expression taut with the fear of what she promised should he not speak up, mouth open, watering eyes wide and staring, one hand grasping the cloth she’d laid out for him for support in this off-kilter world, he could not find his voice. The old jinni was torn between two beliefs. Afraid of leaving what remained of his master to her care knowing she had not accepted the consequences, and just as fearful of bringing those consequences down on her. He couldn’t ask it of her, but he had no other option.

As the moments passed and her frightening proposal, or threat, slipped into memory, his heart and mind calmed somewhat, and he sank back onto his heels. A small, self-deprecating smile twitching the corner of his mouth beneath his beard. He had given himself no other option. But this was a second chance. They were few enough, he should not waste it. A shaky breath in, and he began.

“I had given up, Miria messi. When you found me. I-… I could not do it. I thought it was enough to hope you might carry her beyond the walls. It grieved me most sore, messi, not to know if you would wait until then before emptying her urn. To be responsible for so many feet grinding her into the streets she would leave behind, this filled me with shame. Yet you have kept it safe. Kept it with you, offered even a mourning cloth to this no one.” He rolled the fabric between his fingers, marveling at the complicated texture within this dream world before finding the strength to continue.

“A second chance… It is gift enough, Miria messi, and I should not ask for more, even with North Wind guiding me. Yet this she asked of me, and I cannot let it go when you have carried her where I could not.” The old jinni paused there and bent forward to press his forehead to the soft dust of the marketplace stones. He raised his voice slightly to overcome the muffling of speaking to the ground, but he was too ashamed of having to make such a request of her to look at her while he did. “Messi, I am most sorry I have proved worthless in this. Please do not set her aside. If you will hold her, I will come.” How, he did not yet know, but he would make every attempt until he was no longer able. “If you will not, free her first. Please, messi.”

Sherahd was too far away indeed, on that he would agree, but he could not bear to think of the Lady Fiira caught in an urn so close to the freedom of the wind she’d wanted.

It was true that she was a human, and so, presumably exempt from the same rules the jinn understood. But, to Curdle, who lived his life for others because he had no choice, being denied that final freedom in death was more than symbolic failure on his part. He truly believed she was trapped in that urn: mind, body, spirit, whatever was left of her that lingered with them. She could not leave, could not sleep peacefully, could not ride the wind as jinn were meant to if her ashes were contained. It was not the notion of sacrilege or a broken promise that made him beg. It was his own fear of the same happening to him. His horror at what his misguided actions were doing to a woman against whom he harboured no ill will.

“Please. Do not leave her in the dark.”

Rising Winds and Shifting Sands

Nope, s'all good, I've got it half written, I'm just being slow. I actually had ideas soon as I read your post, I just didn't write them down, so they went bye bye and then I had to give up on trying to remember them. Because I'm silly like that. :P

Rising Winds and Shifting Sands

Blargle, apologies for my posting delays. I've been in a writing slump lately. But hoping to jump back in this week.

Rising Winds and Shifting Sands

Eeheeheeheeeee, lovely!

Rising Winds and Shifting Sands

Haha, that works for me. Poor Miria. Curdle will look out for you, dear. Probably, maybe, I hope. When his head gets put back on straight.

And no worries on taking your time. Writing a good post can take a bit, especially if you're not sure of the direction you want to go in. I don't mind waiting at all. I also don't mind if posts wind through different lengths. Sometimes character thoughts and settings and moments call for lots of words and description, sometimes they don't. Provided I'm getting the details I need to move forward with Curdle's actions and learn a little more about Miria and her worldview along the way, I really don't care if the post length goes down or up or wanders all over the place.

You have not disappointed me yet, in any of your posts. Like ever. Even in plotting. Even just when you went eeeeee over Carol Berg. :P So, don't worry about sending me crap. You haven't, you aren't, you won't. :) I like your writing, I like Miria, and I enjoy this story. You would have to put actual effort into ruining it for me now. ;)

So, just write what and how you want to write the reply, no concerning yourself with filler (and whether or not it is or isn't) or length. It's all good to me. :D

Rising Winds and Shifting Sands

It occurs to me that I have not actively written out much about any funerary rites beyond my little pointform bit about Renna. And that this may cause you difficulty when deciding what all Miria knows or doesn't know. So, I will be trying to add info to the appropriate sections in the coming days. But, do feel free to throw out questions if you want to know more. I'm not keeping these facts from you for any plot specific reason. I'm just really bad at writing things down... *rolls eyes at self* And at not making things up on the fly. I need to stop that.

Rising Winds and Shifting Sands

Jinn Stuff

-Probably about 1 jinni for every 100 humans, though their concentration varies depending on the region and city preferences

Religion

Five Winds

• only five main winds, there are plenty of other smaller winds
• winds come from their directional namesake
• personified without bodies, just representations of actions and emotions
• each wind is both a representation and an evocation of what they symbolise, so a jinni wanting revenge might request South Wind's favour, while some might say another is often ignored by the North Wind or blessed by the East Wind's optimism. West Wind might be invoked when someone is trying to find the truth.
  
  
  • South Wind
    • spiteful
    • vengeful
  • East Wind
    • hopeful
    • faithful
    • enduring
  • West Wind
    • cynicism
    • regrets
    • truths
  • North Wind
    • luck
  • Breath
    • life
    • magic

Magic

Identification

• Most jinn can tell magic from not-magic and can sense it in methods that vary between individuals, some might see auras, others hear ringing, some might smell it, or feel their hair rising (provided it belongs to one of the original five senses, any method is viable).
• Active magic and passive magic are distinguishable through the same instinctive sense, though active magic is usually the easiest to recognize or notice, even without being able to see its effects.
• Some magics leave lasting evidence that humans are able to see as well.
  
  • Physical representation is the most obvious, as anything magically shaped is often impossible or extremely difficult to achieve by hand. Landscaping tends to be more difficult to distinguish as jinn follow nature's laws when left to their own devices, but under direct orders, they can even make rocks float, soooooooo, yeah...
  • Signs of routine casting in one area are discoloured stains on nearby items, almost like soot or ash. The colour tends to be black, grey or rusty, all with a bluish tinge. It is difficult to remove, but not impossible. (Repeatedly purifying water, for instance, might leave the pool's edges looking sooty, or constant illusion to hide a door might stain the walls, or repairing a blanket or clothes might discolour them as well.)
  • A sign of strong magic having been used is finding glass formations within the sand around the area.
  • And, of course, seeing a creature with a strange deformity is also a good sign that it is a jinni.

Methods

• Magic can be cast in a variety of ways, usually involving breath and gesture and sometimes other mundane objects.
• Concentration is the main component, as well as a vivid idea of what is wanted.
• Desire and focus are the two aspects of casting that never change, while ten jinn might call the same amount of fire, for the same purpose, with ten different methods.
• Because of this range in methods, one can often identify what region a jinni comes from by how they cast their magic, as they learn magic from others, but there will always remain a good deal of variety.
• Technically, a jinni could cast magic without anything more than wishing if they have a strong enough mind and desire, but using motion and breath is the instinct, while casting in stillness must be trained and practised.
• As with anything, knowledge is power. A jinni might happen across an ability by accident, but the easiest way to learn how to use magic is through practise and being taught. Fewer accidents happen...
• Many magical actions also require knowledge of the material world to accomplish properly. For instance, repairing clothing requires knowledge of cloth and tailoring. If a jinni is a competent weaver, who understands every aspect of turning wool (or other stuff) into cloth, they will be much better at working with cloth and even weaving purely magical cloth, than a jinni who knows only the finished product.
• Too much magic running through a jinni's body at once can burn it out for a time. The length varies, as does the damage, though unless the magic also has to force its way through the first contract, it will never be permanent. Often, it is merely a lack of magic and some fatigue for a day or three, but it can also lead to unconsciousness and sometimes short comas.

Classification
Every Jinni can do the same magic as every other Jinni, although some may be barred by their contract or are unaware of the possibilities. It merely depends on knowledge, practise and affinity how well they manage each of these classifications.

• Shaping and Shifting
  
  • Shaping is changing the shape of an object without changing its physical properties. Ex. making a rock round and smooth or turning it into a statue, giving someone a bigger nose
  • Shifting is changing the thing itself. Ex. turning sand into glass, or a person into a frog
  • Many actions involve a combination of the two.
  • Human bodies are not compatible with shifting magic, but are somewhat susceptible to minor reshaping, though it does not often last. Children are more susceptible than adults.
• Elemental
  
  • They can both create and control the elements.
  • Jinn are weakest in controlling water. They can't do a lot with it. And cannot summon it.
  • Their strongest element is fire, though they cannot create a fire that burns living things. They can, however, control naturally made fire that will.
  • Most Jinn have some instinctive affinity for fire and air. This is usually the first magic a jinni child will manifest.
• Animation
  
  • Animating an inanimate object.
  • Can either control it themselves, or give it an autonomous control much like a golem. These creations are relatively simple, often able to complete only singular, straightforward tasks. Such as carrying messages from one location to another, or following someone to carry their things.
  • The strongest jinn can make golems larger than themselves, but most are capable of one large dog sized golem or two cat sized golems.
  • They require daily maintenance and are generally more bother than they're worth.
  • Can be used to communicate across a city if they remain connected to the jinni who created them, but cannot be used between cities as the distances are too great.
• Spatial and Temporal
  
  • Jinn naturally slow time around them, though in a very, very small area, which is how they live as long as they do. Were their magic not contained through contract, they'd live even longer.
  • They can also travel vast distances through a sort of teleportation. They require a familiar anchor at their destination and must travel the same distance with their mind first. (as Curdle wandered to look for Miria) It is not easy to do.
  • Very few, if any, Jinn realise either of these magics are possible, or could manage them, due to the amount of magic necessary to accomplish spatial relocation.
• Illusions and Reality Shifting
  
  • Any magic a jinni does can be manifested as an illusion, making no concrete changes or actions beyond major or minor deceptions, or as a concrete action reshaping the world.
  • Anyone who is aware of the illusion won't be fooled, and might even be able to see through it.
  • Reality shifting is basically making illusions real.
• Contracts
  
  • Two contracts: first one nullifies magic in a passive, sort of overlay manner, that gradually diminishes in strength
    second one is for maintaining control of the jinni in their active participation within society
  • The second one can be between the jinni and an individual or an entire city and can be adjusted depending on the role they are being given.
  • It acts as a further barrier to prevent the jinn from using their magic without consent or allows those who act as guards to use it against humans when directed.
  • In most instances, spells are done at the behest of a human or when practising. Rarely otherwise, though it is not general practice to bar jinn from using magic on their own, it's merely frowned upon. So, different jinn may make more independent use of the small spells than others, depending on what city they grew up in or where they live now.
  • The more a jinni uses powerful magic, the more powerful they will become. As such, the strongest jinn are generally those that lead caravans or otherwise have their magic constantly in demand. This is not a matter of building up magic like building muscle, but of breaking down the first contract (likely without realising it) and gaining better control. In their physical flesh, there will always be a limit to how much magic any jinni can use at a given time.

Jinn Naming Conventions

No family names. Siblings share a syllable of sound, and exchange that syllable with their significant other, adding it to the end of their original name.
Ex. Curdle's brother is IshBara, and Curdle's wife is Duneskaya. So, he is IshCaredal Esk. And she is Duneskaya Ish. Or Duneskayish...
As the firstborn, IshBara may have been named Bara, and upon Curdle's birth, was renamed IshBara. Or he might have been IshBara all along.
The syllable does not necessarily have to be in the same place in the name, but it is usually in front or in the middle, very rarely at the end.
Sometimes siblings are given the same name, but with the one syllable changing position.
Ex. Duneskaya or Dunayeska

A jinni with only two syllables in their name is most likely an only child, or may have cut all ties with their family, or lost contact before any sibling was born. As two syllable names don't have a sibling syllable, if these jinn find a significant other, their SO is free to pick any sound from their name they like.

Not all siblings sharing a syllable intentionally (there are probably a lot of Jinn out there with the syllable Ish in their name whom Curdle doesn't know), are related. They might have been adopted into a family when separated from their own. The lack of a family name comes from the general uncertainty of whether children will even remain with their parents long enough to remember them.

Jinn Funeral Rites

things and stuff

Rising Winds and Shifting Sands

Yay for missing the drama of Nem's indecision! lol But ewww, flu, go away sickness, you are not welcome! I hope it didn't make Christmas dismal.

Eeeee, I'm glad you liked it! And that Curdle's feelings are coming through. I didn't want to have him completely break down, cuz he's not keen on showing that much intentionally, but it's definitely harder to get emotions across when someone's trying to hold them in or hide them. So, yay! It worked!

And pretty much. Renna inters bodies though, no ashes, so Curdle's technically already ruined their traditions by burning Fiira's body, same with Sherahd. As for the rest, depending on how much Miria should know about jinn death rituals (or Sherahd's funerary traditions), that is the interpretation I was going for. A jinni wouldn't need to go to Sherahd to do it, but Curdle's confused from his poor performance thus far, and will be waffling between finishing things as soon as possible, and taking Fiira back to the home she missed so much. If Miria knows more details than ashes and wind scattering, if she's seen a jinn funeral before, then she might know there's some more magic involved and have a few questions for due procedure. But if she doesn't, that's perfect. :)

He's mostly just telling her he's already set trouble in motion and she may not want to be so generous. Also, kind of hoping for someone to tell him he's doing the right thing. Miria doesn't have to agree with his efforts though. It's too late to stop.

Hope you had a good sleep! And are feeling better!