Feori: Farming to Theomancy (Part 1)
The first of many?!
Feori blinks away sleep and stretches out,a little too quickly. His antlers hit the headboard and his feet-hooves smack against the wall.
"Agh... Stup't bed!"
He falls limp, lying back down on the bed with a small sigh. The deer boy pulls the old blanket back over himself and wonders why he even let his parents move him in here. Sure, they don't have a lot of money, but they'll have even less if they have to pay for his funeral when he dies of exhaustion and lack of proper sleep! It's far too early to get up yet. The sun has risen, but only enough to reflect off of the spires of the nearby city, Tseropus. The same spires were blinding to look at, burning the eyes as if they were the sun itself, not just reflecting it. His own room had a window facing away from the city, but they couldn't be blinding their lodgers every morning, could they?
His mother was too busy serving a customer his breakfast to care about his, wearing her own bedclothes still. He didn't ask for much, porridge every morning, clean clothes... His parents though, had started to ask more and more from him. An extra hour working in the fields one day, a bit of time spent praying to the god of grains on another. The god of grain listened to him at least, spoke to him on better days. Today, as he stomped out the door, wearing only shorts (the only undirtiewalkd thing in his bedroom) towards the shrine, he thought about whether he should ask for some help, or at least porridge. Would that be rude, to ask a god for food? Would the strange old man curse his crops for doing so? He decided it would be best to not risk it.
He arrived within 5 minutes. The shrine itself was hidden. His supplication would be taken the wrong way, someone would assume he was practising witchcraft or begging some dark force to murder their daughter; People were too superstitious around here. Even his mother and father had no idea how he did the things he did, they just knew that when he asked for things, they usually happened. He knew, of course. He spoke to the gods. He wouldn't tell anyone that though. Even his parents would think that he'd gone mad if he told them the truth.
They didn't always answer him, and today was one such day. He did notice a letter though. It was placed on the shrine where he usually placed his own offerings. No one else used this shrine. It was his, Feori hadn't ever seen another offering here, not for years. He took the letter, turning it over to see the addressee. His name was on it and was written in expensive looking ink... He'd have to read it for later, for now though, he has to get home fast. There's work to be done.
He finishes his work a few hours later, sweating from the heat of the sun and the work. He was still wearing nothing to cover his chest, which jutted out proudly as he walked the fields, gazing upon the crops he had requested nourishment and high yields for. He picked the ones that were ready, leaving others to grow a little longer, as the old man had taught him. He knew words to make the grains dance, twirl and uproot itself, but he didn't dare say them in case someone saw the half naked deer singing and twirling, with all sorts of plants flying around him. Not only would they think him a witch, they'd think him a queer too.
He couldn't have that. The country people were as accepting as an open grave when it came to anything different. Feori went inside, searching for lunch. None was there, his mother was asleep on upstairs. He let out a weary, resigned sigh before heading into the kitchen to grab a bowl and root out some edible nibbles. He tosses the ingredients into a salad and heads ups upstairs to open his strange letter.
A strange scent radiates from the letter as it opens, and a tingling rushes along the spine of the deer boy, setting his nerves on edge. He looks around, searching. Nothing... He pauses, waiting for an attack for up to a minute before he begins on the letter.
_Master Feori, _
_We have come to notice a strange power coming from your farm, an ancient force that should never have been awakened. This is a serious business. We suspect that your close family are possibly possessed by the manifestations of this power and we cannot allow it to get out of control. _
A drop of sweat dropped onto the paper, and the smell of burning candles filled the room. Feori spent another minute, furtively looking around, still nothing...
_We need you to travel to the city immediately, bring nothing, we will provide you with clothes and discuss this problem with you in more detail. _
_We have an offer for you too,We, the administrators of the natural magics and divine will offer you a job here, we assure you, it is not a life to be scoffed at by someone who will grow up to amount to nothing more than a farmer. _
We can tell you no more, do not show this to anyone, this is a matter of life and death, The Administrators.
Feori regarded the letter with an eyebrow raised. Strange... Could it be a prank? No, no one he knew could read, and no one knew he could read. Whoever had written this was no local, the paper was far too expensive and distinctly City. His own power came to mind, could they be talking about the old god he spoke to? No, the god of grains was no ancient danger, of course not! He would have to go, to find out what was happening, to make sure that he was safe. Tomorrow though. Feori needed his sleep.