Tyra Dragonheart ~ Shadow of Herself

[ShiffDrgnhrt]

~~Some stories are told from beginning to end, some are told in volumes. Some are told in Chapters, some are told in Acts. All stories are told in Parts, even if just one. How many parts will this story have...~~ Parts 1 & 2: Daughter of Swords The Hunt for the Golden Emerald (Private)

[ShiffDrgnhrt]

Jular 19, 1466

It's been a while since I brought this kid home with me.  So far, he's fairly quiet, save for when he needs to be changed or fed.  The rest of the time he either sleeps, or looks around at things.  He's started trying to crawl, so I can't leave him in the crib anymore.  Have to keep him in the bed, or on a few animal skins on the floor.  Though he learned the hard way why to not touch the fireplace.  Thank Aeridin he just got a blister on his finger.  He keeps away from it now.

Having this kid around isn't much of a problem, other then having to keep an eye on him now.  Though it keeps me stuck in the tower more then I would like, considering the shape it is in.  I really need to get this palce fixed...

Maybe Andrew can help me.

[ShiffDrgnhrt]

TO: Haven
FOR: Shiff Dragonheart , Valmara Dragonheart

Dear Mom and Dad,

I'm a mother.

Tyra

[ShiffDrgnhrt]

Tyra sits at her desk, one hand scratching a  the Rottweiler Tiger behind the ears, the other scribbling in her journal.  On the other side of her desk sits the elf, Autumn, and her son Tyr'riel, playing peek-a-boo (with Tyr'riel pulling Autumns hands away from her face and giggling when she says 'boo').

Well taking in the boy has been    rewarding.  He is very observant, some times just sitting across from my desk looking at me with those big brown eyes of his, chewing on the toy dog Andrew made for him.  It's sort of annoying, though, as it makes me want to squeeze and kiss him.  But I give in.  He induces this pleasant sensation when I hold him.  Reminds me of the same feeling I used to have when I was young, and my father held me.

Speaking of the old man, I got a response from him and Mom.  Seems they want to see Tyr'riel.  I hope they don't try to pry out the story behind me taking Tyr'riel.  I don't want to have to lie to them, too.

[ShiffDrgnhrt]

Tyra sits at her desk, concocting another salve.  Her brow was scrunched in concentration as she poured the last bit into the beeker.  "Please don't smoke this time."  She waited.  The candle next to her sank a bit.  There was no smoke, but the room started to smell like rotten eggs.  "Looks like it worked," she said, coughing and futilely waving away the fumes.

She started to smear the lime-salve on her arms.  This batch did not burn like the last one, just tingled.  After so many years with that horrid infection, she was glad the Aeridinites in North Point noticed and figured out how to treat it.  They said it was some sort of yeast infection, probably from travelling through a swamp with some open wounds.  She did not care how, she was just glad to have a remedy.  Of course, they were not that happy she did not stay there for them to treat.

Her options were a yogurt salve or a lime salve, once being a complete mess that didn't smell horrid, and another that was not much of a mess but smelt horrible.  She was glad Tyr'riel was with Andrew so she did not have to subject him to another application.

Tyr'riel, on the other hand, was suffering from a pox.  They said he would get better, and he did, but he was not the same child.  It made Tyra cry some nights when he would not respond to her affection, but it would make her so happy when he would climb into her lap, no matter what she was doing, silently demanding her attention.  She loved her son, but she wished he never got sick.

[ShiffDrgnhrt]

Tyra stood at the top of her new tower, peering through the lenses of a gnomish telescope.  Her target: Auir.  Look at the celestial body, she took notes on what she saw.  He focus, however, were the dark spots.  She was curious about the moons, and she wanted to see what she could learn about them on her own.  Behind her sat a globe, marked with the various constellations.  A candle on the inside made the globe glow, and cast light upon the inside of her observatory, turning the entire top floor into the night sky when the shades were draw over the large windows.

Against one wall sat a table, covered in flasks, oil lamps, glass dishes, and beakers.  Inside these vessels were various chemicals, oils, and acids Tyra either collected or produced on her own.  A notebook decorated with burns and smudges contained various recipes for these chemicals and notes she had taken during experiments.

She took her eye from the lense, looking down at the darkness that spread over the land of Co'rys, where he real work lay.  Criminals thrived in that darkness and yet it was only the moon, most nights, that would bear witness to their evils.  The silver light of the moon lit their way, cast the long shadows they hid in, watched helplessly (or perhaps ambivalently) as horrible things were done.  Tyra wondered if she could turn the humble moons against those she hoped to undo.  And, just maybe, make the night the moons hid their faces from the world the most painful for criminals everywhere.

[ShiffDrgnhrt]

Ausir’s Silver, Orn is White,
One is always in my sight,
With the stars that shine so bright,
Guarding me throughout the night. When the dawn comes they are gone
But I know, not gone for long.
When the night comes they’ll be there
Shining down their light so fair.

[ShiffDrgnhrt]

Tyra amidst the darkened hide out with mixed feelings.  Somehow she managed to both succeed and fail at the same time, but considering how things went, she cannot blame Them.  They are true professionals, experts and masters of Their crafts.  She was an amateur at best, with hints of the skills They possessed as a group.

Another bad decision cost her.  She had gotten all the way to the objective, did what they asked, and got caught on the way out.  An armored guard versus a cotton clad trespasser was not what Tyra called a fair fight.  Worst of all she knew she could have killed him if she had her usual armor on.  Instead she woke up under a bind stone...  On Dregar.

The fact They left her things behind for her was a surprise.  So was the note...
[INDENT]Sorry chickadee, business is business, nothing personal.  There were too many chickens in this particular coop and so we go deeper underground.  Don't try to find us, though I will be surprised if you manage!

You are not entirely too horribly bad at what you do but it is hard for a sapling to grow in a forest full of big trees.  Go home.  Enjoy your family life, but expect a care package soon.  It should hopefully be helpful but that is really up to you.

Love, kisses, hugs, and cuddles,
S.
[/INDENT]She burnt it when she was done with it, more to remove any evidence of Them and her connection to Them.  She was curious what this care package would contain.  She hoped she would be contacted by Them again for another job, but some how she knew that was unlikely.  She failed the test, and she knew that meant she could become a liability.  It was quit clear that she had -a lot- to learn.

Only time would tell if an old cat could learn new tricks.

[ShiffDrgnhrt]

With 210,000 True in hand, Tyra was ready to finally make a difference in Co'rys.  She aimed to build a home for orphans in Co'rys, yet...  she did not know what to do first...

Hopefully, she would be able to find out soon...

[ShiffDrgnhrt]

In her off time, Tyra has been teaching her old lover, Andrew, and a new friend, Jebediah, assorted aspects of the Elvish spoken language.  Andrew, the one she had been working with longer, had a vague grasp of the grammar, but lacked the vocabulary to speak much.  Jebediah, on the other hand, had the vocabulary (being an Aragenite and access to dictionaries) but no understanding of the grammar.  For a while, Tyra was able to tutor them together, but eventually Andrew and Jebediah started taking gibberish as Tyra pushed them along, trying to annoy her.  It succeeded, and she left them alone for a while.

[ShiffDrgnhrt]

Tyra had arrived at the Leringard Home for Delinquents late one night dressed in a purple gown of Corsainian design.  She drew her cloak back behind her shoulders, her hood up, and knocked on the door.

"Hello?"  A young man, an orphan around the age of 12, answered the door.  He seemed surprised someone so well dressed was calling a this late hour.

"Greetings," she says in a friendly manner.  "May I speak with Miss Lyn Tobias?" The young man ushered her inside and closed the door, before leading her to a middle aged woman with quick, bright eyes, a kind smile, and light brunette hair.  Tyra thanks the child and stands in the back, not wanting to directly interrupt Lyn's classes.  Ever in her trademark black cloak, she leaves her hood up for the  time being, watching the goings-on of the Orphanage with a studying  interest.

Lyn is caught somewhere between directing a sewing class, a cooking class, a rope-making class, and a nursery.  She could tell Lyn was clearly a director, overseeing those that actually teach the classes, some of whom appear to be children themselves.  She flits about the place with a practiced ease, and greets Tyra with the smile she almost always wears.  Despite Steel's claim of a relation, she appears so much the opposite of him as to discredit that claim.

"Greetings," she returns Lyn's smile,  "I am Tyra Dragonheart."
"Ah, so you're the bouncer I used to hear about, though... I'm not sure I've ever seen a bouncer in... is that silk?""My station has improved since those days, though I can still handle a disorderly dwarf without much as a run in my stockings."  She grins wide.  The circumstances of her advance through the world of Adventuring was not -really- something to brag about.

Lyn nods.  "And what brings you here today? Has Steel some message for me?"

"Not today.  I have come because I have set myself down the path of running my own orphanage, down in Co'rys.  Something more respectable than splitting heads."  Tyra smirks, sure Lyn is familiar with Tyra's reputation at the Arms.  "I find myself lacking the knowledge and resources to truly begin the task for providing for children in Co'rys, so I come to ask for you help and knowledge, and perhaps even one of your employees."

Lyn paused, studying Tyra a moment.  "Co'rys? You traveled far."  She paused again, looking thoughtful.  "A Dragonheart. Yes, if you truly do mean well, I may have some help to offer. What sort of knowledge are you looking for, exactly?"

"All that you've learned running this orphanage would likely be a good start."  She chuckles a bit.  "I have been a warrior most of my life.  Caring for orphans is not something I have a lot of experience with, save for my taking care of my son.  And even that was in between my own adventures."  Tyra then started counting off on her fingers.  "I need to know how to staff an orphanage, what sort of building is best suited, how to handle the raising and educating of a dozen or more children."  She stopped to take a breath.  "Then I need help finding staff I can trust, bring in children to care for... "

Lyn offered an amused smile, before cutting Tyra off.  "Oh, Ms. Dragonheart. We could spend years discussing all the things which I have learned about running a home for lost children, from the time I was a lost child to the time I inherited this place through today.  I think I have a better idea."  She paused to attend to a curious child, then turned back to Tyra.  "How long do you have in Leringard?"

"I can stay as long as I want.  There are some new staffers at the Arms whom I'm still keeping an eye on for Steel."  Tyra grinned  "Not that he needs help knowning who to trust.  He hired me after all and let me oversee most of the aftermath of his brush with the Blackwatch.  So we can assume he's not very sane anyway, when it comes to judging character."  She snickered a bit.

The hint of a frown passeed her countenance at the mention of Steel and the Blackwatch, but she otherwise seems to dismiss comment.  "Then stay here for a month. The best way for you to learn is to experience this place with all of your senses. I'll let you shadow me so that you can see firsthand how I handle things here."

"I'm not to bad at shadowing."

"The only thing I'll require in return is money enough to cover the cost of your board- food and oil for heat- and, of course, I reserve the right to dismiss you at any point, should you cause this home any undue harm."  The look in Lyn's eyest expressed hat Lyn would have no qualms about tearing Tyra apart if she caused harm to the children.  She then smiled.  "Fair enough?"

"I'll be sure to make it as if I wasn't even here.:

"I believe I have an empty bed you can use. Whenever you're ready to start, bring your things, and we'll get you settled in."


[13:38] *Tyra whispers to Lyn* "Is it sad that orphans here become better educated then most of the children home with their parents?"
[13:38] **the Common language is taught to everyone, though Lyn takes on a few special student to whom she teaches basic Elven**
[13:42] Perhaps... but then, if you're here, you have no parent from whom to inherit a trade and a place in a society.
[13:43] With such an inheritance, all the education we provide is not so necessary.
[13:44] But these children must find, must make their own place in this world, and so need all the tools they can get to help in that endeavor.
[13:44] *Tyra nods*
[13:44] **throughout the day, the entire complex is cleaned by the children, all rotating through the chores and their lessons**
[13:45] **most of the lessons revolve around a skill which pertains to a trade, from sewing to carpentry**
[13:49] **Lyn explains that some of what is made at the home is sold, such as the rope and a few tailored goods, but that the money made from that goes back in to buy the materials needed for the crafts**
[13:50] **She also explains that some orphanages survive off what the children can produce to sell, but that the Leringard Home for Delinquents has not had to rely on such income for decades due to long-standing benefactors**
[13:55] **most of what is made is used by the students, from small wooden toys to clothing**
[13:59] **evening brings about a departure from the lessons and chores. Baths are taken before dinner, and after dinner is cleaned up, children are allowed to pursue quiet play, from card and wooden toy games to reading to storytelling.**
[14:01] **Food is generally delivered to the orphanage by cart, with Lyn overseeing the acquisition and payment, and she occasionally leaves the building to procure other needed items from the market that she cannot have delivered. On these trips she usually takes...**
[14:01] **... one of the older children with her to help and to have a chance to see the city**
[14:03] **the building itself is several stories tall, with clear evidence of add-ons over the years. It is square but with an open-air courtyard in the middle where the children have their garden, both vegetable and flower**
[14:19] How large was this place when you started?
[14:56] Oh, about three fourths of the size it is now.
[15:26] How many rooms did you start with?  And how many children?  *she examines the areas she is shown, comparing the older sections to the newer*
[15:55] *Lyn gives Tyra a brief history of the building and orphanage*
**Upon the arrival of a new child, Lyn personally takes a few days to help them integrate into the orphanage, more or less depending on age and situation.**
[16:30] *Tyra follows Lyn as she helps the new child, taking note of how she deals withthe situation*

[14:08] *Tyra comes out of her room to meet with Lyn on the last night*
[14:09] **After a few weeks of observation, Tyra gets a feel for the daily operations of the Home for Delinquents, and how Lyn approaches the care and education of the parent-less children.**
[14:09] **By the end of the month, Tyra can easily pick out the leaders among the older children, and who aids most with Lyn's vision, her work.**
[14:12] **Lyn is in her room, relaxing after the day, and invites Tyra to join her by the small fireplace**
[14:13] Miss Tobias...  *she enters her 'office'*  Thank you for the time here.  It's remarkable how well things are run.
[14:17] That is very flattering. Thank you.
[14:17] I take it you enjoyed your time here, then?
[14:20] It was informative.  I hope to take this experience and use it to make my own orphanage a success.
[14:20] In fact, I was wondering if any of your oldest would be interested in helping make that a reality.
[14:21] I have a few that will be of age to leave the Home within a year, but the decision will of course be theirs as to whether they wish to go with you back to Co'rys.
[14:22] Can I meet with them before I leave?  I'm not sure when I'll be back, and wouldn't want to miss them.
[14:24] Of course. May I ask you a question?
[14:24] After all I have asked you over the past few weeks, I could not deny you a few in return.  *she smiles*
[14:26] How many children do you plan to care for?
[14:26] I do not know yet, since I do not have a building.  But at least a dozen, if not more.
[14:27] I'd care for as many as I can afford to, if I have the space.
[14:34] I see. Seems that your starting vision is realistic. Starting with a handful and building from there is wise.
[14:35] I try to remain grounded in reality...
[14:36] It will take time to discover what skills are most useful to teach the children given the industry of the nearby countryside, and even though it will be painful to turn any away, it is better to provide well for a few than poorly for many.
[14:37] Be sure that for each child you take in, that you are fully able and willing to offer them everything they need to leave your establishment one day with all the needed skills and desire to survive in the world.
[14:37] If you think for a moment that you cannot offer the child the best, then don't offer at all.
[14:37] I'm aware of the issues.  I plan to try my best to help those I cannot directly care for with a soup kitchen and the like.  I am well acquainted with the issues in Co'rys.
[14:55] **she nods** Luck be with you, then.
[14:55] You will have to keep me updated with how things are going.
[14:57] I will.
[14:57] May I speak with the kids, now?
[15:00] Wait until the morning. I'll pull each of them aside and let them know that they have the opportunity to meet with you.
[15:00] *she nods*

[ShiffDrgnhrt]

Kuhl was out for adventurer blood...

Tyra panicked when she heard the news that Kuhl, and those bastard Cultists, put a bounty on the head of anyone calling themselves 'adventurer' or anyone associated with them.  For the first time, Tyra genuinely understood one of her father's greatest fears: that someone would come for his family to get to him.

Tyra dropped everything and headed home.  She had to get Tyr'riel somewhere safe...  but where...

[ShiffDrgnhrt]

Tyra sat at her desk in the tower, arranging some paperwork.  The sounds of others preparing themselves could be heard echoing in the otherwise quiet tower.  She stood and approached her mirror.  She had taken a dress out of storage she hadn't worn in years and recently dyed it different colors.  She looked good, according to LAZ.  The others had 'matching' outfits.  She demanded some sort of unity in their attire.  Now it was time to see if starting this orphanage was going to get off the ground.  Before she gathered her allies, she stuck her bladed fan in her belt, and put a dangerous parasol over her shoulder.  She was not going to be caught off guard.

[miltonyorkcastle]

/// Just chiming in here to confirm that Tyra did spend a little over a month with Lyn and the Leringard Home for Delinquents. She recruited some of the older students (those about to leave the Home to start their own lives) to join her in the coming year to form a new orphanage in Co'rys. ///

[ShiffDrgnhrt]

So far, the orphanage and shelter were doing well, the war was intensifying, and her life was becoming interesting.

Two elves, apparently in love, want her to find some individuals who are harassing the female of the two.  This should be amusing.

[ShiffDrgnhrt]

Stalker was starting to become more useful, and having to track down people of interest is becoming amusing for her.  One of them, called Nym by a person called Jenna, is the one that was harassing Keela, the Elf she's been 'hired' to protect.  She let him go once, but soon, it will be time to close the snare and start enjoying her work.

[ShiffDrgnhrt]

//Much of what has been happening with Tyra I haven't been able to get on the forums.  Some things are CDQ related, others are quests.  Some successes, and failures.  Some include learning how to make Sulfuric Ether, recruiting Ven and Shaina, creating an orphanage to use as a cover for Stalker, helping get some net throwers to Fort of Last Hope, investigating a kidnapping and solving another, the first in Vehl, the other in Wayfare.  Other details may be missing, but as a WL app is in the works, these should be filled in there.

[ShiffDrgnhrt]

//Most of this came to an apparent end when she committed her crime in Co'rys, and because of the subsequent exile.  Loose end may still exist, however.