• Solo • [Treth] Holiday Traditions

[Tei'serin Nji'ryn]

7th Ymiden, 717


Tei'serin watched quietly while her students gathered in the classroom one final time before the festival. The air was filled with the savory smells of food that was being cooked for the feast that would be held later that trial. And everywhere you looked, people were grinning, and talking animatedly in anticipation of the Feast of the Heavens. Her students were no different.

"I know that everyone is excited to attend the festival, but we need to concentrate on class first, okay? Everything has its own time and place, and now is the time for learning."

The class groaned, but the kids settled down quickly, if reluctantly.

"Does everyone know what trial it is?"

The older kids rolled their eyes at the question, but the younger ones raised their hands eagerly; each wanted to be the one she called on to answer the question. Tei'serin looked around the classroom for a few trills, before her eyes settled on Cally, one of her youngest students.

"Cally?"

"It's the Feast of the Heavens!" Cally exclaimed happily.

"That's right. And who knows what happens on the Feast of the Heavens?"

Once again, the older kids rolled their eyes, while the younger ones raised their hands eagerly. Tei'serin paused for a few trills as she considered who she wanted to call on. The obvious answer, of course, was one of the younger students. They wanted to answer the question, and allowing them to do so would harness some of the energy they were practically bouncing out of their seats with. But the older students were clearly bored with the lesson, and wished they were out celebrating rather than stuck in the classroom. Many of them weren't paying any attention to the lesson. And while Tei'serin had expected this, it wasn't acceptable, and she had no intentions of allowing it to continue. So she looked to see who was paying the least amount of attention, and made her decision.

"Sorin?"

Sorin nearly jumped out of his seat at the sound of his name. His reaction caused the class to laugh at him, and Tei'serin herself felt no small amount of satisfaction. Perhaps in the future, he and the rest of the older kids would be less likely to ignore her when they thought they knew the material being taught.

"I...umm...what was the question, again?" he asked as he blushed sheepishly.

The rest of the class laughed again as Tei'serin repeated the question.

"The Feast of the Heavens is a holiday that is devoutly celebrated by the whole region, not just here in Treth. It is considered to be one of the most important dates of the arc. Feasts are held throughout the cities. The Immortals are very carefully referenced throughout the feasts, and much care is taken to ensure that each and every immortal is represented and referenced in one way or another." he recited obediently.

Well, I have to give him credit for offering more information than I asked for, and anticipating my next few questions. Perhaps he was paying more attention than I thought he was. Tei'serin mused as she nodded.

Off Topic

Bonus experience approved by Jade, to be given to the following character(s) involved in this thread, only upon the completion of the review, where the character(s) demonstrated celebration of the holiday, Feast of the Heavens, on 7th Ymiden Arc 717.

Bonus Experience Upon Review Completion:
Knowledge
Ne'haer Holiday: Feast of the Heavens
+2 Bonus Skill Points
Free Item: A statuette of your chosen Immortal (or if not specified, randomly chosen by the reviewer).

[Tei'serin Nji'ryn]

"Can we work on our parts for the play we're doing later?" Tarya asked hopefully.

"I know we all know our lines now...or at least we had better know them since the play is in a few breaks. But I want to practice the lines I have to say in the Ancient Language more while I have the chance. I'm worried about pronouncing the words right."

At first, Tei'serin thought that Tarya was just trying to get out of the rest of the lesson, but when she brought up the lines in the Ancient Language, she realized that it was a legitimate request. Adding a few lines of the language of the Immortals for each student was fitting, seeing that the play they were going to perform was about them. But it was a gamble, as well.

Tei'serin had come across the book that had introduced her to the Ancient Language just a few trials ago. It was an odd book to be found in a small school in Treth, but Tei'serin had quickly realized that it had not been meant for the school. Instead, Tar'isa had ordered it in order to further her study of the Ancient Language. When Tei'serin brought the book to her, she asked if she could borrow it for a few trials in order to help with the play her class was doing for the festival. Fortunately, the other woman had agreed.

The book had been written by an Eidisi scholar named Rousin. He had studied at the Viden Academy, at the Institute of Languages for many arcs, making him something of an expert on languages. The introduction had mentioned that the Ancient Language was both the language of the Immortals, and the language spoken by the Eidisi. She had also learned that the Ancient Language had originated in Viden, just like the Eidisi had. Reading the page or so about the author told Tei'serin that the man was brilliant. It depicted a man who was obsessed with knowledge, and ruthless in its pursuit. Tei'serin got the feeling that these were characteristics of the Eidisi race in general, not just the author himself. He didn't sound like a pleasant man, but he did sound like a fascinating one.

And he was even more fascinating in person than he was on paper. He had come to Treth to take advantage of the festival. The kids were fascinated by the fact that he was blue. But Tei'serin was far more interested in what he could teach her students. Tei'serin had offered to pay the man for his services while he waited for the next flutterbus to Desnind. Instead of payment, he was more interested in an exchange of information. He agreed to teach her class some phrases in the Ancient Language for their play if she would teach him some Xanthea. Tei'serin didn't even have to think about it; she accepted the exchange happily.

So her gamble had paid off. Tei'serin didn't know how to speak the Ancient Language; all she knew of it came from what she had learned in a brief introduction to a book. She certainly never would have tried to use the book to teach her kids the words they would need when she had no idea how to say them herself. But with Rousin there to teach them, Tei'serin was able to make the changes to the play so that each of her students would have a few lines to say in the Ancient Language.

Tei'serin had hoped to learn a bit of the language herself, but by necessity, Rousin had had to focus on the kids so they could learn what they needed to in a short period of time. Even so, she was fascinated by the language of the Immortals, and she promised herself that she would learn it when she could.

"Ms. Nji'ryn?" Tarya asked in concern.

Tei'serin jumped a little, startled out of her thoughts by the concern in her student's voice.

"Yes, of course you can. I know that I'm asking a lot of you, changing things so close to the time we have to present the play."

"We can handle it, Ms. Nji'ryn." Sorin said with a confident grin.

Tei'serin smiled back. She believed him. It was a known fact that children were able to learn languages more easily than adults could. And although the Ancient Language was a difficult one to learn, according to Rousin, Tei'serin was confident that her class could manage to pick up a couple of sentences worth in a few trials. Especially when they had had an expert to teach them what to say, and how to pronounce the words.

[Tei'serin Nji'ryn]

Tei'serin listened as the children practiced their lines in the Ancient Language. Although she couldn't tell for certain if they were saying them correctly, the words sounded like the ones that Rousin had taught her class. As she watched, the kids helped each other practice. The older kids helped the younger ones to remember their lines. At the same time, the other children had split into small groups where they were taking turns reciting their lines while the others corrected them if necessary. Pride filled Tei'serin as she watched her kids practice for their play. She was certain that they would do well when they were so willing to help each other out the way they were.

Tei'serin hoped that learning a little but of the Ancient Language would inspire the kids to want to learn more. As a teacher, she knew the value of knowing more than one language. It was almost vital that anyone who wanted to do a lot of traveling have at least a working understanding of the languages spoken in the cities they wished to visit. Even those who did not wish to ever leave Treth would benefit from knowing more than one language. Books held a great wealth of information that was just waiting to be claimed by anyone who could read them. And books made great teachers. Doctors used them to learn about new medicines, and techniques. Farmers used them to learn about the crops they wanted to grow, or the animals they wished to raise. There wasn't a single occupation in the world that couldn't be benefited by reading about information related to it. And knowing more than one language opened up even more information. It was Tei'serin's hope that each of her students would be bilingual by the time they graduated school.

As it was a festival trial, school ended early. When the time came, Tei'serin dismissed her class. But her responsibility to her students didn't end there. Once class was over for the trial, she helped her students get into their costumes. A few had last bit jitters as they walked over to the make shift stage that had been built for the occasion, and Tei'serin did what she could to calm their nerves. Then it was time to begin.
Tei'serin stood on the stage as she introduced the play. Then she moved to sit in the first row of seats so she could watch the results of her students' best efforts. They had worked hard on this play, and Tei'serin was very proud of all of them.

The play was far from professional quality, of course, but that was to be expected from a class play put on for a small village. It was a series of skits about each of the Immortals rather than a cohesive story in itself. The kids took the parts of the Immortals, and acted out scenes that described what each of the Immortals was like, what their areas of influence were, and their personalities. Each skit ended in a short prayer spoken in the Ancient Language. For some, it was a prayer thanking them for their blessing. And for others, it was a prayer to appease their wrath, and beg them not to harm the people of Treth.

Professional or not, the play was a big hit among the villagers. It wasn't the usual depiction of historical battles that was often done during the Feast of the Heavens, but since a small village like Treth didn't hold much to attract a lot of musicians to perform in honor of the Immortals, Tei'serin felt as though the play was a fitting compromise. When the play was over, Tei'serin took the stage once more to thank the audience for watching the play. Then the kids took their bows, and left the stage to join their families for the feast.

Off Topic

For the free statuette of your chosen Immortal, I would like one of Moseke, please.

[Pash Raj'oriq]

Thread Rewards

Tei’serin Nji’ryn

Overview

I have taught young people before, so your portrayal of Tei’serin’s students made me laugh out loud. Thank you for that. I will make note that not a lot of musicians come play in Treth … Haha. Ahem. Anyway, Tei’serin is so introspective but seems to be a very patient teacher. I love that she is actually just as curious about things as her students.

Points

XP: 10 | These points cannot be used for magic.

Fame:
+1 Helping with the play

Loot

Moseke statuette, +2 bonus skill points (holiday bonus)

Knowledge

Skill Knowledge:
Discipline: Patience is a virtue
Language: Ancient Language
Ancient Language: language of the Immortals
Ancient Language: language of the Eidisi
Linguistics: the Ancient Language originated in Viden
Linguistics: children learn languages more easily than adults do
Teaching: the value of knowing more than one language

Other Knowledge:
Ne'haer Holiday: Feast of the Heavens
Feast of the Heavens: is a holiday that is devoutly celebrated by the whole region
Feast of the Heavens: is considered to be one of the most important dates of the arc
Feast of the Heavens: Feasts are held throughout the cities. The Immortals are very carefully referenced throughout the feasts, and much care is taken to ensure that each and every immortal is represented and referenced in one way or another.

Race: Eidisi
Eidisi: are blue
Eidisi: are obsessed with knowledge, and are ruthless in the pursuit of it
Eidisi: originate from Viden

Location: Viden
Location: Viden Academy
Viden Academy: Institute of Languages
Treth: Flutterbus

Tei'serin: wants to learn the Ancient Language
Tei'serin: is fascinated by the language of the Immortals

NPC: Rousin
Rousin: an Eidisi scholar
Rousin: fluent in the Ancient Language

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