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About January Vargas

Prelude

A few weeks ago in the Greengold Militia Training Hall…

The rapier speared the padded leather armor. It was a masterwork weapon, so the armor split like an overripe banana. Under any other circumstance, January Vargas would have relaxed at surviving a duel. This time was different. It was not his sword that had done the spearing and he was the one wearing the padded leather armor.

January felt the point of the rapier tickle the skin of his right collarbone. It was not enough to make him bleed but was enough to make him all too aware he lowered his guard. Again. On the same side as a few minutes ago. He swallowed a long series of bitter curses at his own mistake.

“So how is your mother? Your father?” The tengu’s eyes twinkled while he withdrew the sword from the hole in January’s practice armor. “It’s been a full season since I’ve visited. What mischief have they gotten into?”

January rubbed the tear in his armor out of nervous reflex. It was one more close call in a long list of similar close calls. Yet, that was how the lessons went. The raven-headed tengu, Master Bitaan, was a sword master and quite serious about his craft. It was why he had been January’s teacher.

Master Bitaan was also a retired Pathfinder and adventurer. When he was a younger bird, Bitaan adventured with father and mother, Antonio Vargas and Mai'ellanaire. They had been the mage and weapon mistress of their adventuring group. Over time, Antonio and Mai grew close. A relationship between a human and a sea elf was often complicated. Antonio and Mai considered it fascinating. Or so they have told January and his twin sister Mirella. To this day, his parents said they still found it fascinating. Even after they settled down in Greengold to found the Vargas Shipping guild.

January slid his rapier into its scabbard before he unbuckled his practice armor. “Oh, they’re fine,” he replied while tugging off the armor. “Father found a pair of sunken caravels south of the Isle of Terror. Mother’s leading the recovery efforts. I think they were elven spice ships if I remember right.”

Master Bitaan nodded with a satisfied hum. He slipped off his own armor and hung it from a peg on the wall of the practice room. “I’m sure Queen Edasseril will be keen to know what survived the wrecks.”

January snorted. He hung his armor next to Master Bitaan’s then grabbed a towel. January gave the hole in the armor a mournful glare. There was more practice in his future if he was ever to succeed in blocking that attack.

He wiped the sweat from his face then raked his fingers through his sea-green and brown hair in an attempt to comb it. It resulted in marginal success. January reached back and twisted his hair in a quick braid.

“From what Mirella told me she is,” he replied. “The queen sent a messenger already. But mother said the ships sank in contested waters. So she and father are claiming salvage rights. Mirella is setting up an auction for whatever’s recovered. The queen’s messenger has already been told. He wasn’t thrilled. Mother thought it was hilarious.”

The tengu laughed. It was a deep, throaty sound that warbled. “That sounds like her.” His right eyebrow reached for his forehead. “You and your twin are quite lucky.”

While he had not met much in the way of royalty, from what January understood most did not like being told ‘no’. Which he knew was exactly what his parents had done. That often earned people things like a beheading, curses, assassins or declarations of war. Not all at once and sometimes not in that order. He had not put that together with his parent’s actions until now. January wiped his face once more before he reached for a clean shirt and his weapon belt.

“You’ve got a point. We’re alive.”

Bitaan laughed again. This time it was more of a belly laugh. The tengu groomed his raven-black feathers and exchanged his fencing garb for a clean shirt, a wine colored vest and brown leggings. He shook his head.

“I wasn’t talking about your family and how they choose to thumb their nose at the queen today.” He wagged a feathered finger at January. “Which isn’t luck by the way. That’s sheer stubbornness on the part of your mother and father to make the world move when they put their mind to it.” With the flourish of a bard, he gestured at the half sea elf’s chest. “I meant you and your sister in particular.”

Understanding crawled into focus for January. He had heard of other half sea-elves. Even met a few before. Their stories were about the same. Once born, the sea elf parent returned to the sea and the half-blood offspring remained with the human parent. Usually. Later, the sea elf parent would have gifts wash up on shore for their child. Sometimes. But helping raise them? Not a chance. Yet January and his sister had enjoyed a family with both parents, human and sea elf.

“Oh. Well. True.” January fingered the leather of his weapon belt for a full two seconds. It was a topic he and his sister had discussed a time or two. But they never talked it out with anyone else. His conscience warred with itself for a moment before one side surrendered.

January sighed. His voice was somber. “Mirella and I have talked about that. We’ve met other half sea-elves. Mother is different. We know she cares about us but we always took it for granted that something else was interesting enough to keep her here with father.” He gave a shrug to Master Bitaan. “It’s just in her nature to follow what’s interesting. To see what’s past the next hill or coral reef.”

Bitaan smoothed his vest with the care of a tailor. He shrugged at January with his eyebrows. “To an extent, yes. But remember, your mother and father were adventurers. They chased ‘interesting’ across half the world and back. Now, ‘interesting’ is just how often they get to tweak the nose of the land elves. That and seeing after the pair of you.” He grinned. “But seeing what’s past the next hill is why you’re going to scout for your family’s business while your sister manages things here, yes?”

A small grin tugged at the corners of January’s mouth. “True. I just don’t have a head for business. Mirella does.”

Bitaan patted his former apprentice on the shoulder. “My boy, you just take after your mother more than your father. That’s why your sister is an accomplished mage and apprentice guild mistress while you’re the one curious as to what’s down the next road.” The tengu turned away for a moment then produced a plain blue cloth bag from a backpack. “It’s also why I’m giving you this.”

January accepted the bag in stunned surprise. It took several seconds before he realized he held it. He could feel the shape of a box through the soft cloth. It had a solid feel under his fingers. Curious, he removed the bag to stare at the box before opening it. Inside lay two kukuri knives. The curved knives were simple, hilts unadorned, but beautiful in a lethal sort of way. They were also a plain version of the blades Bitaan wore on his own belt.

The tengu grinned again. “A rapier is fine if you’re wanting to kill someone on two legs. But for proper work as a ranger or an alchemist, you need a good pair of knives. I’ve never found a type that served both vocations as well as these.”

January blinked. He shook his head. “Master Bitaan, I don’t know what to say.”

“Well, I hear ‘thank you’ is common to say in Greengold.” Bitaan chuckled then squeezed the young half sea elf’s shoulder. “But I’ll settle for your word that you’ll keep your wits about you and come back alive. Chase down ‘interesting’ and come back home. I look forward to hearing about other the half of the world your parents or myself never got to see.”

Bio

Like most Shoreborn, January has a blend of features from his aquatic-elven mother and human father. His light blue-green skin, sea green hair shot through with strands of gold and small gill slits give away his sea-elf heritage. But his dark eyes, more rounded face, and sturdy frame are more human than elven.

Born a fraternal twin, he grew up in Greengold in Kryonin. The unique circumstances of the area allowed January to be raised by both his human father and aquatic elven mother. From his father, he gained an appreciation for human cultures. His mother taught him to respect the sea and its fickle nature and mysteries. Once he and his twin came of age, they took up working for their father's small trading company, Vargas Shipping.

As fate would have it, January excelled in the more natural pursuits. His sister, Mirella, proved to have the head for business.

Trained by Master Bitaan, a retired Tengu adventurer, in the arts of naturecraft and alchemy, January became a scout for Vargas Shipping, recording new areas and opportunities for Vargas Shipping to look into for trade.