Eril's Story

Day 4

It was a viscous wind that awoke me from slumber. I was being buffeted by sheets of sand that had me up quickly, spluttering and shielding my face with my hand. I hadn't set up any shelter the previous night, as the weather had been clear and mild. Packing my scattered belongings up was a challenge, and I had to run down a spare shirt that had begun migrating off the beach. After bundling everything together I set my stride and headed West, back towards the main roads.

The highway out of Tenora was wide and well maintained. Covered with a unique soil on the surface, it was special in the fact that over time, it increasingly solidified and became more resilient with use, truly a marvel. Just a short way up from the Waterfields, where I had just come from, the road split in two. The Northern path followed the coastline, eventually meeting up with other larger coastal cities, and even further beyond, the lands of ice where few people dwelt. The Western road veered off at a sharp angle, leading into the heart of the world. From a crude map I possessed of the inhabited lands, I had decided to go inwards where much of the land was still wild and unexplored.

Going West, the road took me into terrain that gradually became more elevated and less flat. Each hill was a miniature adventure, getting to the top of one and being rewarded with a new horizon every time. The road went on like this for quite some time, dotted by small groves of trees and herds of animals grazing on the luscious grass, until after a final, more sizable hill, everything opened up into a wide vibrant valley, a lazy river flowing through its base.

Along the serene river, a town had been built, with multiple roads leading to and from. It stood out starkly from its surroundings of warm greens and soft blues by way of it's vivid array of colors that instantly caught the eye of anyone traveling by. Walking into the city I was welcomed by a festive mood that permeated the air. People milled about talking animatedly, children darted through the streets, and the houses and shops were being smothered with colorful clay found abundantly on the streets, lying in troughs for anyone so inclined to liberally use any structure of their choosing. Every sound coming from the town was pleasant and joyous, and laughter rang out frequently.

I had planned that the start of my journey should coincide with the bounty festival week. It was a wild and special time, when the celebration of the end of winter would commence, and the townsfolk would fish out extra clay from the river, where a large amount found in an array of striking colors from the river and its tributaries. Then the clay would be dried and ground down into a powder, before then mixing it and applying it freely to any available surface in the town. For the people, it was a source of local pride to have such a unique resource, and one that helped support the town and its inhabitants financially as well.

As I walked the streets, more of the remaining walls were being recolored haphazardly, some people were more refined in their efforts, painting murals or interesting geometric patterns, using every hue of the rainbow. All this work would be washed away with the first couple of spring rains, back into the river from where it came. My afternoon was spent with a small group of locals who invited me to join in on vivifying a wall they were working on coating in color. With much laughter and silliness, applying thick mixtures of clay by throwing and brushing, short work was made of the wall.

Afterwards I was asked to join for a meal and some music which I quickly obliged to. I spent a few hours, just enjoying the company of the townsfolk, while they passed around instruments for us to play as the food cooked. We made quite the racket, and I had little to no skill with the instrument I was given, but no one seemed to notice. The meal was served, and while we ate people would volunteer to read exciting short stories from a scroll, much to the diners delight. Saying my goodbyes I walked out and down along the river for a bit, before going and finding lodgings that had been recommended to me in the center of town.

The establishment was cozy and the place clean. Then, taking a soak to wash off the day's dust and color, I climbed into a very comfortable bed and was asleep before any thought had a chance to enter my mind.