Kothringi Application - Breaker

  • Entry #1

    I’m cold. This place is cold. They told me it was a temple. I’m writing this from a bed, in the corner of a small room. My bed, for now, at least until I recover. I’m tired… I’ve been here for a few days, drifting between waking and dreaming. When I last awoke, that priestess asked me many questions, but my head was spinning; I couldn’t answer. I asked her for paper, and something to write with; I need to clear my mind.

     

    Entry #2

    I’m awake again. I should start with what I’m doing here. Apparently here is Skyrim, in a city built on the ruins of the old capital; from what I was told, I was swept up in a fishing boat’s net, in the sea north of the city.

    What was I doing in those freezing waters? I can’t remember… all I know is that they found me “dead,” with only my pendant on me, and took me to the temple for help. It seems I was unconscious for two days, as the icy waters nearly took my life. Even though my head is clouded, I’ll keep writing; it’s all I can do, to hope it will bring back my memory.

     

    Entry #3

    I saw the priestess staring at me again. My silver skin. I’m a Redguard of Hammerfell, though I do not look like it, because of my strangely-colo …It’s the trait of the Kothringi. I am one of the very few that remain… not many people know of the Kothringi, as any memories of us faded a long time ago; we don’t exist outside of legends and histories. We lived in Black Marsh, were choked by the Ruby Necklace, and disappeared when the last of us died on the despair-filled Crimson Ship. We don’t exist anymore. But some of us still do.

     

    Entry #4

    The legend I record here defines the tribe I came from, defines the Remnants of the Kothringi. It is the story of how our ancestors escaped their cursed fate on the Crimson Ship.

    We had placed all of our hopes on the Ship, and nearly every member of every tribe set sail away from the marsh’s shores. Seeking haven, we found none; each port turned us away, as the Ruby Necklace claimed ever more victims, and desperation among us swelled like a massive wave. Many had died, and almost all were infected, when the last port refused us. Shunned and sent away, we were in unimaginable despair.

    It was then that hope came to those few Kothringi who were not yet infected; each one heard a powerful, booming voice in their minds, and the voice ordered them to jump into the water and swim if they wanted to survive. Some stayed behind out of fear and weakness, but the strong ones who were determined to cling to life trusted the voice and leapt into the water. They swam, and swam, and swam, for a longer stretch of ocean than any thought possible, and though their bodies ached, they persevered, and miraculously had the strength to reach Hammerfell’s shore.

    With the trial over, the booming voice congratulated them, and revealed itself to be the Cursegod Malacath. We Kothringi, turned away by every port, every city, every civilization, had found salvation under his fatherly care. When the survivors explored the bay that the Cursegod delivered them to, they found it to be hidden from all sides by rocky cliffs, filled with fish, and the nearby area gifted with natural resources like wood and metal ore. Hard as it was, they soon established a small village, and thrived because of Malacath’s blessing.

     

    Entry #5

    I have my silver necklace here as I write this. It’s a plain, unadorned lump of silver on an iron chain. And yet it means so much more to me. It embodies the first time I set sail on a ship, the first time I saw snow, the first time I fought for real; it embodies my first journey in the outside world.

    When a Kothringi comes of age, they must go out into the world and make a pilgrimage to Black Marsh, and can only return once this is accomplished. They must carry with them a chunk of impure silver from the mines, which draws from their experiences in a kind of spiritual record. When the pilgrimage is complete, they return to the Kothringi Remnants’ territory, and the silver is melted down into a necklace, which marks them as an adult. How they get there is unimportant, as well as how long they take, whether it be ten weeks, months, or years.

    Malacath is a hard but compassionate father, though he does not care for meaningless worship; instead, he asks only for our respect and that we strive to be the strongest we can. One way that we prove ourselves is through this pilgrimage.

     

    Entry #6

    My pilgrimage was not that different from most. I set off through Hammerfell, then signed on as a sailor aboard a cargo ship. I learned how to sail, and learned Cyrodiillic, among other things. I stayed on for about half a year, and after earning enough, I left at a port in Cyrodiil, where I continued my journey on foot, meeting new people and learning many new things. When the gold ran out, I would find work close by before moving on. I reached Black Marsh, and took an uneventful sea voyage back to Hammerfell. I had completed my pilgrimage, earned my pendant; it was the happiest day of my life.

    I won’t go into detail, but eventually I became a sailor again. Recently I worked on a merchant ship, up until about a week ago. Obviously, my memories have returned. We were set upon by raiders, and sunk in the sea north of Skyrim. I was adrift on a piece of the hull, until I fell, but was luckily saved by the fisherman who caught me in his net…

    --- Canaard

Comments

1 Comment
  • Breaker
    Breaker   ·  April 3, 2015
    The 1000 word limit really cut the end short, but I'm still happy with how this turned out.