Mthandihle "Myth"'s page

And then it happened. Not long before her tenth birthday, Mthandihle was again exploring somewhere she wasn’t supposed to--some old ruins the tribe elders said to stay away from--when she drew the attention of a dangerous Beast. Terrified she tried to hide from it, but it sniffed her out and almost caught her. She fled, right into her parents, who had finally figured out where she’d gone.

They died saving her from the Beast.

The rest of the tribe was shocked when she came back alone, and more so when she told them what had happened. Shock soon turned to anger--it was her fault her parents had died! But for all that, there was little to be done now. Life had to go on.

But it would never be the same for Mthandihle. Not only were her parents dead, she now carried with her the resentment of the rest of her tribe and the knowledge that her recklessness had gotten her parents killed. This led to her being far more subdued, and far more obedient to the rules of the tribe. As she grew, the resolution grew within her--no one would ever die for her again.

As the years passed, however, the disdain of the others grew more grating, and her repressed curiosity began to reassert itself. Now older, more capable, and much less likely to have anyone care if she disappeared for a few hours (she was, after all, supposed to be practicing her hunting skills), Mthandihle started cautiously exploring again. She stayed far away from places the elders said were dangerous, but everywhere else, she wanted to see.

Eventually her sixteenth birthday arrived, meaning she was an adult in the eyes of her tribe. Mthandihle wasted no time in announcing she was leaving, and no one was really sorry to see her go. Following her curiosity she headed north and west, using her skills as a huntress (particularly the part about knowing when and how to hide) to survive the jungle’s dangers. It seemed to her that the further she got from her tribe, with all of the bad memories it contained, the more her natural cheer and curiosity reawakened.

She crossed the great river, and was disappointed to find the jungle on the other side similar to what she knew. So she kept going, until the trees began to thin and she found something she’d thought was only a legend.

An end to the jungle. She’d heard stories about such a thing, but until now Mthandihle hadn’t really thought they were true. For a while she stood and stared out at the open spaces, until she noticed some buildings in the distance. They looked a little like some of the ruins she’d seen before, but… not ruined. Maybe this was one of those mythical ‘towns’ the storytellers said existed outside the jungle?

Curious, she approached the buildings. As she neared she saw people in and around the town--human people, like some of the other tribes in the jungle. They dressed kind of different, though. When she tried to talk with them, she found that most of them also *talked* different, so she couldn’t really understand what they were saying. Annoyed, Mthandihle kept exploring the town, hoping to find someone who could understand her.

She picked up something that looked interesting to her, ignoring the nonsensical shouting of the person standing near it. It was then that she learned what the word “guards” meant, when strong humans came and grabbed her. Though she bit and clawed, they wore metal that kept them safe, and soon they threw her in a stone place with a metal door.

In this place was a man who understood her. Excitedly she talked to him, and he explained some things about the city. He explained that she had done something called ‘stealing’, because people in the town did not share what they had. He further explained that he and his friends helped teach people to share by taking things while they weren’t looking and giving them to others.

Then he asked her name. When Mthandihle gave it, he laughed and suggested she go by “Myth”. Liking the sound of it she agreed (and she only grew to like it more when she later learned what it meant). He then invited her to join him and his friends, saying they’d be by soon to get them out. Not liking this cold stone place, Myth said she would.

Sure enough, a couple nights later there was a soft sound at the door, and it soon opened to reveal another human, this one a woman. The two humans talked for a while in their own language before the first invited Myth to come with them. Not having a better idea, she agreed.

They took her to another building and told her to make it her home. Over the next months, they taught her the human language, how to get along in the town… and how to use her hunting skills to ‘help people share’. She proved to be very good at this, and was glad to finally be appreciated by someone for once, glad enough she never questioned why no one else seemed happy about this.

As Myth’s skill grew, so did her confidence… and the lengths to which she would go to satisfy her curiosity. She’d noticed a wizard casting a spell one day, and, never having seen magic other than the simple magics of the tribe’s shaman. Her curiosity piqued, she tailed him to his home, then came back that night to have a look around. Her ‘friends’ had taught her to read by this point, so when she found a shelf full of books, she studied the titles intently. Finding one titled “A Beginner Mage’s Primer”, she took it, wanting to learn more.

She’d just grabbed a shiny-looking dagger, too, when she heard a sound and turned around. She was just in time to see the wizard raising his hands so that she could dodge the bolt of lightning he threw at her. Myth wisely bolted after this, fleeing to one of her usual hiding places.

After he followed her to two of them, she decided to leave town entirely. Fleeing west she eventually came to the city of Eleder. Amazed at its size, she almost forgot about why she came until Myth again spotted the wizard hot on her tail. At this point she stowed away on a ship bound for Absalom, figuring the wizard wouldn’t bother following her that far over a book and a dagger.

Absalom was a wonder and a delight to the curious catfolk. So many people from so many places! So many things to see! With a bit more understanding now that people objected to ‘sharing’ like she’d been doing, Myth managed to find enough applications for her talents to make a living without drawing the same kind of attention as she had before. She almost believed she could make a life for herself here…

But then the wizard found her again. Another time she barely escaped his arcane assault and fled, and again she took to a ship to get away from him. Further north she went, taking ships and joining caravans until she found herself in Trunau. Having not planned for what to do when she reached a town that no caravans were traveling onward from (as she feared going back the way she’d came), Myth panicked for a little while. What if the wizard found her here?

But as the days passed and no pursuer followed, she began to relax. This wasn’t really her kind of town, in some ways--it was small and suspicious of an outsider like her--but the longer she stayed, the more she realized that, in some ways, it reminded her of her far-off tribe, with how every member of the community had to work together to survive. Almost without realizing it, she slowly began fitting herself into Trunau’s rhythm, finding the place she could contribute.

By day, she got to know the other residents of the town, trained, slept, and read the book she’d gone through so much trouble for. By night she stalked the wilds outside the palisade, sometimes bringing back game she’d hunted, other times news of orcs moving in the darkness.

Over the course of a few years Myth has found that she has a small talent for magic, enough to cast the few spells in her stolen book. She’s also grown comfortable in Trunau, enough to feel a true part of the community. Her restless curiosity, however, has been growing again of late. With the mysteries of her book unlocked and the land around Trunau explored, she’s taken to scouting further and further afield, sometimes leaving for days or even weeks before returning to town. Those who know her warn her that she’ll die alone out there one of these times if she keeps this up… but to Myth, what is important is that, if she does, no one else will die saving her from herself.

That’s happened once. Once was more than enough. If she risks her life, now it will only be her own that could be lost.