(no subject)

[samahl]

FORM: Sending Crystal
SENDER: Cyril and OPEN
RECIPIENT: Everyone
WHAT: Cyril asks for help moving.
WHEN: Afternoon
WHERE: Sam's house
NOTES: None

Some of you may know that Sam recently left Kirkwall to reunite with his family. I'm very supportive of this idea but I was unable to go with him and...

I can't sleep in his house anymore. It's very lonely and I've always thrived with people around. I think this means it's time for me to move back to the Gallows, at least for now.

I could use some people to help me move some of my supplies. Anyone willing to help out?

Then after I'm moved in I was thinking of finding a way to distract myself. Maybe some drinks? As always, I could use some good company while I do that and I find that nearly all of us in the Inquisition qualify.

Comments

[samahl]

Well met, Aro. My name is Cyril.

If you are willing, I'd love to hear a bit more about Toril. Is it anything like Thedas?

[sorcerised]

In some ways, yes. In other ways not at all.

[ Where should he start? On the similarities, probably. That would be best. ]

Clothing is similar, and housing and development. Kirkwall doesn't look much different from any other town I've ever been in. There's far more kinds of people in Toril, though. We've humans, dwarves, elves and half-elves like you do, but we've also tieflings, aasimar, dragonborn, halflings, orcs, goblins. Many more. Magic is everywhere, and most everyone could find a way to learn it if they want. It's not hated like it is here.

I miss it quite a lot. More than I'd have thought.

[samahl]

I'm sorry if my question made that homesickness come rushing back, then.

It does sound interesting though. I have many questions coming to mind about the different races.

[sorcerised]

It's all right. It's nice to talk about home, actually.

Go ahead and ask. I'm a traveler, back there. I've met quite a few different folk in my time.

[samahl]

Then let's start with the different races. What makes each one unique?

[sorcerised]

[ That sure is a question. Aro lets out a brief laugh. ]

Well, there's probably too many to explain them all without hideously boring you.

[ No one needs an encyclopaedic summary of everything the Player's Handbook has to say about races. But he'll start with a few. ]

Elves are taller than they are here, and stronger. They live a very long time. Thousands of years, sometimes, though dragons can be truly ancient. And dragons talk, by the way. They're as intelligent as we are, if not more so. Probably more so.

[ He's getting into this. He could also talk about dragons all day, actually, so let's cut that short. ]

Dragonborn are people who come from dragons, so they share some characteristics. Halflings are even shorter than dwarves, about half the height of a human – hence the name. Tieflings, Aasimar and Genasi all have heritage from another realm, and they'll have some physical traits to show for it. Like horned and tailed tieflings, bright-eyed aasimar, and genasi with flames in their hair. Centaurs have the body and head of a man, and the legs of a horse. Shifters look like humans, mostly, but can turn into a beast. Tritons live underwater, and goliaths are a race of giants…

[ He pauses, aware that he's rattled through many, and yet that's probably less than half. ]

There's many more. Birdfolk, lizardfolk…and half-elves, obviously, like me. There's enough of us that we're generally thought of as a race to ourselves. Am I boring you yet? I'll bet I am.

this is so late i am so sorry. ok to drop if you want. this reply got lost in my inbox

[samahl]

[Cyril seems to be hanging on his words though, and he chuckles a bit at the question.]

You're telling me about a whole different world! How could that be boring?

Here, on Thedas, half-elves always take on the attributes of the non-elf parent. But... it's not the same for you?

no worries <3

[sorcerised]

[ Well, at least he has a captive audience. There's warmth in Aro's voice. ]

Not really. We're more like half in half. Pointed ears, but not as large as an elf's. We can grow beards, apparently, although I'm abysmal at it. We're taller than humans but shorter than elves, and we live for hundreds of years, not thousands.

That explains why everyone here mistakes me for an elf, I suppose.

[samahl]

Yes, probably. That's a lot of baggage for you to take on. I apologize for that.

I always feel terrible for elves and elf blooded who come from the Rifts. You all seem to come from worlds where the elves are as they once were here. It must be such a culture shock.

[sorcerised]

It was, admittedly. But that's nothing for you to apologise for. I should be apologising to you, instead. It's awful, what Elves have to go through here. It's not at all like that where I'm from.

[samahl]

What is it like where you are from then? How are the elves treated?

[sorcerised]

By humans, you mean?

They get along well enough. Elves tend to keep to themselves, especially the High Elves. The ones that don't tend to be very long-lived, wise and skillful, and they're treated as such. Humans...I mean, I don't want to say no human thinks that humans are better than everyone else. There's people of every race who think their own are better. But as a rule? They tend to look up to Elves, if anything, and they'll get irritated when the Elves look down on them. Very different from here.

[samahl]

It sounds like it, yeah.

Sometimes I wonder who has a harder time adjusting, those Rifters from worlds similar in scope to Thedas but with different societal rules, or the ones who come from worlds with technology I could only hope to imagine....