Venice Craven

It was not too long before I had worked out enough rune combinations that I was able to do more useful things with the Kha. I could create warmth, invoke simple food out of thin air. Refill water skins. Enough to keep me fed, though I retained my job cleaning tables at the bar, as for all that it could do, it could not provide me with somewhere to sleep. At least, not yet.

I started to grow a little more confident in my surroundings. No one seemed to have come for me yet so I started to meet people. I didn't give my name and soon became known as Scarlet. For my hair of course, even within Telantha, it's strikingly bright colour was unusual. The colour of the scarlet bells which grow in the Telanthan fields and are popular within the bouquets of bribes-to-be.

I was still careful, wore enough layers that my skinny and still embarassingly shapeless form was concealed. My hair was braided and my face often at least partially muddied to conceal my freckles and scar. The scar from that night.. well, no one from back home would know about that, but the stares.. I did not want to draw too much attention to myself.

A friendship developed with a Tir by the name of Trelon. He was a mage, and had focused on more destructive magic. He did not ask questions I could not answer, but rather was more interested in discussions on Kha, and we exchanged many long hours talking about the relationship of runes and testing out theories together. A kind of affection between us developed.

My circle of friends, mostly mages, continued to develop over the coming months. I hungered for the knowledge and learnt from them as much as I could. I started to slowly venture out into the public bars and inns often in the company of others and occassionally on my own.

It was on one of these such trips that a man caught my eye. Very well dressed with mannerisms to match. I had thought at first he might of been a noble....