Tribe of Bronlof

I come from the Bronlof tribe on the fringes of the jungles of Belharia. We are a peaceful people and have no place in the war that has ravaged the world around us. As the war continues to spread we move deeper into the jungle; learning to hunt better, live off the land more efficiently, and becoming a closer family.

Our leader, Seblen, and his partner, Khe, rose to the needs of their people and taught us ways to better ourselves. Seblen trained us superior hunting and gathering techniques. Khe focused more on our maternal needs. She taught us how to treat wounds and properly care for ill and elderly. We adapted to the dense jungle and, in time, made a home.

Years ago, before the war pushed my people from our lands, my parents struggled to conceive a child. They prayed to Hannali to bless them with a child. Our tribe would often pray with them and provided different fertility techniques and herbs. Finally, it happened. Hannali, the goddess of gentleness, nature and beauty, blessed them with a daughter.

When I was born my parents intuitively knew that I was an Godborn; a child whose soul has been touch by celestials and linked to the lights of heaven. Because of this great blessing our tribe celebrated my birth for many days. The tribe gifted me with a golden heart-shaped locket, a symbol of Hannali and reminder of fruits of faithfulness and gratitude.

My parent’s excitement was tempered by old tales of those connected and blessed by the divine. Those children were born for war and became bringers of justice. The thought of having to send me into the war frightened them but they held to their faith- Hannali would not let me come into the world only to be killed.

As I grew, I began receiving visions from my guide, Valandras, a spirit from the heavens with whom I am connected. These visions were messages to begin my training and to help me become more in tune with my spirituality and innate power. Receiving these messages at the tender age of eight only scared my parents more.

This lead to hours of training and isolation. Seblen knew that my messages from Val signaled that times of trouble were near. He trained exclusively with me many hours of the day. Teaching me to use my sword, having me vow to never take my necklace off, learning to live off the land so I would never have trouble feeding myself or finding a dry place to sleep. I trained every day to avoid death on the journey ahead of me.

I wasn’t permitted to go to school with kids my age and I never learned and developed as they did. My sword became my best friend. Val, being the only person to talk to besides my parents and Seblen, became my confidante. Because of this I am an outcast. Every swing of my sword lets out the rage from my loneliness.

Eventually Khe began visiting. Showing me how to braid my golden hair that swings at my waist. She is much more gentle than Seblen. He encourages me to use my anger in fighting, yelling at me to fuel my emotions. Khe, on the other hand, encourages me to try and try even when it seems like I will never get the hang of what she is teaching me that day.

She never raises her voice and always has a smile on her slim face. Her dark, short curls always falling just in her muddy brown eyes as they light up when she laughs at my mistakes. Seblen’s sharp, square face speckled with pepper gray hair and angry eyes when he looks at me. I wonder how they work together.

When I turned 16, I tried to talk to some of the kids in the tribe and they ran from me. They feared me. The younger kids stared and asked their parents if they saw the angel wings too. Their parents grabbed their hands, bowed their heads at me, and walked away.

I went home that day and cried my heart out. My mother sat in the floor with me and ran her fingers through my hair as I cried. My father stood in the corner with his head hung low, staring at the floor. They knew that this moment would change me forever and it broke them too.

The next morning I sat staring at my breakfast instead of eating. My father moved my plate to the side and slid a box down in front of me. I looked up at him, his grass green eyes wet and holding back tears, he gave me a big smile, “Happy birthday.”

I opened the box and found thick boots that the hunters wore to keep their feet safe and warm. A pair just like the ones my father had worn many times and would continue to wear as long as he was able. I would put his on as a child and tell him I was ready to go hunting with him, that I could provide just as he had for our tribe. The boots coming up to my thighs and clomped as I walked was a memory he said he would always cherish and we laughed any time we thought of it.

I jumped up, wrapping my arms around his neck, feeling his shoulder length black hair tickle my arms. He squeezed me tight and told me to look at the rest. I sat back down and pulled out a red shirt. Tears began to tickle my face as I recognized this as my mother’s shirt. I ran my hands over the silkiness of the shirt down to the hem where the small strand of golden stitching etched into designs of the waves from the coast. A smile creeping across my face remembering all the times I had touched this as a child to sooth myself when I became overwhelmed with who I was supposed to be.

Looking up at my delicate mother with her hand cupped over her lips smiling. I whispered a thank you and wrapped my hand through her golden hair, kissing her forehead. She wrapped her thin arms around my waist and leaned into my kiss as if savoring this moment because it would be gone too soon.

That night after training, I came home and found my mother working hard on something in the middle of the floor. I sat down next to her and watched as she weaved a needle through dark brown fabric. Her hands worked skillfully and carefully. As she slowed her pace she told me she was making me a cloak for my travels. I asked if I could help, and we worked until the early morning, taking turns sewing and enjoying reminiscing together.

When the cloak was finished I wore it everywhere. I was in love with it. Not only was I able to walk around the village without people stopping to stare or running away but it was made with my and my mother’s hands. It gave me freedom from the attention I didn’t want. The freedom and the memories I will cherish forever.

I recently received a message from Val telling me to head north. I wish my visions were more clear- or that he would answer my questions so I knew who to see or where to go. I must trust in him completely; he knows what I must do to fulfill my destiny. There is no room for fear in my life, I will begin my travels north and hope my training has readied me for this new phase of life.

Traveling through the jungle was easy. I didn’t have to work too hard aside from setting a place for me to rest and cook. I would like to think that if I were not who I am or that if I had a different destiny that I would have been a hunter like my father. Setting traps is- was- my favorite part of the day.

Leaving the jungle was strange. It felt like I was walking away from everything I cared about knowing that I would likely never see them again. My heart pounded hard in my chest from the emotions, I fell against a tree shaking. My breath becoming deep and unsteady. My vision blurring in and out, unable to focus on anything. I quickly grabbed my chest with my heart trying to escape and begged Val to ease the pain and fear.

In that moment wind rushed through the trees, swirling around me causing the ends of my braids to lift slightly. I took a deep breath and was calmed. Tears began to leak from my eye even though I wasn’t crying. Blinking a few times, I was able to see clearly again. The word “calm” whispered through my mind and my heart dropped to a steady beat.

“Thank you, Val,” I whispered out loud.

Traveling north was miserable and lonely. I passed by some desolate villages and kept my cloak tight. My mother made me promise to always keep it on.

She held my face with both her hands looking into my eyes. “Most people in our tribe don’t understand who you are and they’re scared. The more people you meet the more likely you will meet someone who will be so scared, they will kill you. I love you too much for that to happen. I need you to come back to me safe when it is time.”

The air began to get colder and I became more discouraged with every step. Val hadn’t given me anything else to go on, just north. The first day I saw snow it was strange. I was walking through a forest when it began to sprinkle down on me. I was surprised and crouched low in the bushes. I held my breath, expecting it to be poison and began to watch for who was trying to kill me.

Val’s voice whispered in my mind, “Stick out your tongue.” I slowly let out my breath, still watching the treetops. When I was convinced there was no one there, I slowly stood pointing my face directly to the sky and opened my mouth. The powder began to drift into my mouth and I realized that it was water. The rest of the trip through the forest I had my face pointed up watching the snow drift downward.

During my rest that night I had a vision of a woman that could take me where I needed to go. She had taken over for her grandmother in helping travelers to their destinations. She was my fated escort.

I found her the next day and asked if she knew the way into the north. She introduced herself as Lorena and told me that she was waiting on some other travelers before we can set out. Eventually, the others showed up and we began our way. Killian and Jade said they were heading north because they heard there was an evil lurking there.

Lorena took us to a pass that was surrounded by mountains. She warned us that the area is dangerous and to be alert. Within a few hours two griffons swooped out of the sky and attacked us. We were able to defend ourselves and dispatched them quickly. We realized that the two we killed were children when a far larger griffon came screeching down upon us.

After a difficult and deadly path, we made it to the village. There we discovered that the pass we had gone through is closed now, we’re stuck here. We also learned that there are human sacrifices being made to keep the evil plaguing them away. Our group recognized that we needed to get out of the city before they decided to use the newcomers as a sacrifice. I’m just realizing my adventure has only begun.