Humble beginnings

[Ignazio Mezzoli]

First Cycle of the First Month of Spring, Era XIV


Ignazio glanced up at the Volcano, the temple balanced precariously on the side and seemed a rather long way up. But Ignazio had vowed to himself that he would venture there and offer his service, be it as a shepard, olive picker or even questing warrior errant. He cared little at this early hour of the morning where that great golden orb winked over the horizon. Ignazio was exactly where he wanted to be, his tent was set out before him with its cosy confines, his battered pot was cooking some pasta over a fire and a small bottle of oil would serve as a dressing. It would be a breakfast he enjoyed and one that came from the kindness of the strangers he met on the way. Great large women who embraced him and invited him in because they happened to know one of his cousins, the Mezzoli occupied jobs over the entire island and a few contacts was never a bad thing to have.

Ignazio's donkey Ucello rested nearby slowly chewing the cud, of course a stubborn beast but loyal and hardy and he would have little trouvle ascending the volcano. Religion was a strange thing on this island, detached above the people, to them culture was religion, the kitchen the church, the soil their greatest blessing. Ignazio cast his eyes up at the mountain again and shrugged.

Slowly he spooned the pasta into an old bucket that doubled as his helmet and used his old sword to tap the side to rid himself of the water. The oil was poured onto the steaming dish, olive oil was to him the elixir of life, the great blessing from the sun to this island of families and tradition. The olives would grow for an eternity and their taste was like tasting the newborn earth. Slowly he ate seeing no reason to rush, there was never a reason to rush here, his career was simple, a little work here and there, the occasional farm girl chased into a barn where much fun would ensue. The occasional caught chicken when it strayed onto the road, he was sure there was eal adventure somewhere on the island, but he did not look for it. For now he needed the Oracle to give him so guidance, he would repent then he could becomethe protector of the land as he wanted to be.

Slowly he placed all his things into his small bag and cast an eye round the field he called home this morning, he had decided to get a little more sleep and crawled back into his tent and wrapped himself in his blanket. Perhaps he would fish later, if he could wade into the stream and tickle the fish out then it would be fine, the temple he would do later that day, when the sun could bathe his back and tempt the flies into the air.

[Shorty]

Ignazio, the poor peasant boy, found himself along the rough dirt road that led from Port Chelseanna and onto Mounti Tuli and the Temple of the Oracle. It was traveled often enough, for although Chelseannans were not terribly devout people, for some reason they always respected the Oracle. They often consulted the Oracle before major life events and any sort of blessings they might require- a good harvest, a male child, fortune in a merchant's run. Chelseannans were very pragmatic and since there was a place of divine intervention on the island, why not use it?

The ground nearby crunched- somebody approached. Ignazio was in his tent and could not see who it was. Ucello the donkey snorted and heehawed a bit, but was not alarmed.

If Ignazio looked outside his tent he would see two women, townfolk that he recoginzed. One was Panope Vidocai- daughter of the Thane of Port Chelseanna. She was the island beauty, the dark haired angel that worked in the Thanal tower and was the closest thing to a Princess on Chelseanna. She was well known for her kindness, and perhaps the most pursued woman on the isle. Accomponying her was her short and squat cousin Paulina, town snob. Ignazio had never even spoken to Panope before, but he probably knew Paulina well. Ugly and opionated Paulina had probably poked fun at him before. Both seemed to heading up the mountain and towards the temple.

[Ignazio Mezzoli]

When the gods created man they made them perfect so Ignazio had been taught, made in the image of the great gods themselves. Elves were too stobborn, halflings too jolly and dwarves too hairy but humans were the total package, however when they were made Jorel slipped vices into them and admittedly Ignazio had his vices, his main vice was an unbridled lust for the now visible Panope Vidocai, the angle with the good angles. Her cousin also was a source of amusement for the laid back farmboy and he quickly dashed along the field in his pesant garb and popped up sitting on a hedge. He hid the pain of sitting on a hedge with a smile as the ladies would reach him.

"Afternoon ladies." He would say casually still lazy about even these simple issues, "I trust from the path you take you are heading up to the temple, it is rather a steep climb I am told. Perhaps would will join me for some water first? Or if not perhaps you will wait and I can lend my masculine ways against any brigands that assail you, after all you ladies are the most beautiful on the island." He fixed his eyes on Paulina, "And Lady Pauline my donkey Ucello is around, I recall when we last crossed paths you commented my donkey was more attractive and hard working and smelled better than I did and indeed was, well since then his ego has been considerable and he had been grunting and snorting and wanting your company to pet him." He chuckled and rolled off the hedge to safety behind the brambles, from through the bush he watched to see what their reaction would be.

[Shorty]

Ignazio heard two responses- Panope's light laughter of his antics and Paulina's huffs of anger.

"He's also smarter than you also!" Paulina clenched her fists. "You fethin' ninny!"

"Paulina..." Panope tried to calm her cousin down.

"I don't have to take this from some peasant boy with no property to his name, do I? So his family once made some olive oil, so what? Now he's nothing but an asino!!" Paulina spat. "Waste of space, that's what."

"Come now," Panope smiled. "Let us go. Young Mezzoli," She called at the bold yet charming boy. "We are going to the temple and we have our own water. However, we would never decline company. If you'd like to accompony us, fetch your donkey..."

"Hard to tell the two apart..." Paulina grumbled.

"However, brigands might abound upon Mount Tuli and as a graduate of the Fencing Academy, perhaps I can protect your masculineness and Ucello's donkeyness from harm." Panope giggled and pulled the folds of her skirts aside a little and revealed a rapier hanging off her hip.

[Ignazio Mezzoli]

Ignazio who was still watching from the roadside shouted from the safety of his field, "Lady you have a fine hip, I hope brigands are aplenty so I can see it again." With a laugh he was off haring back to his camp rather too quickly as he tripped and bowled down into his tent with Ucello watching on laughing in the ways only donkeys can do.

"Hee-Haw!"

"Quiet you floppy eared fool" Ignazio hissed, "Now hurry up and get walking, we have to catch them up, truth be told I could take the fat one for a roll in the hay as well. Your company makes me not too fussed about that sort of thing." He sprinted about his campcollecting his goods and rolling them up in the tent before securing it with rope and putting it on the donkeys back and kicking him lightly on the rear to get him moving.

"Ladies! Ladies! My donkey is not as fast as a horse so I cannot be quick." He was doing his best pulling the stubborn donkey along the road and making his hands raw with the effort but the donkey was keen on its own pace, he was a ways behind them but was prepared to put up with the fat one to be in the lady's presence. "It happens in stories, knight and the Lady, I bet you a handful of oats I have her in love with me before we reach the oracle....." he paused, "No two handfuls I have both in love with me, the fat one will take a look at my body and be in love, it is invariable." The donkey looked at him and perhaps one could even hear a sigh.

[Shorty]

Panope's giggles turned into an eyeroll at his hip comment. A sad shake of the head and soon Panope and Paulina began to trudge up the mountain path and to the Temple of the Oracle.

"This is your fault you know..." Paulina whispered to her cousin.
"Yes," Panope smiled. "But perhaps the donkey will prove useful, the boy, I'm not so sure of."

The mountain path was narrow and well worn. The dirt track trodden by the thousands of pairs of feet of countless generations of Chelseannans on their way to the temple. Tough evergreens lined the road and shrubs scratched wandering shins of the weaving pedestrian.

A candlemark later and they stood at the marvelous vista overlooking Port Chelseanna and the Harbor. The white buildings sparkled in the sunlight and they could make out the tiny forms of townspeople carrying on their business.

Panope looked over at Ignazio with a little bit of curiousness in her face.

"So, what is it you seek from the old woman of the volcano?" She grinned, using the island's residents nickname for the oracle. "Or are you merely tagging along because you have nowhere else to go?" She asked in a teasing manner.

[Ignazio Mezzoli]

"Pah!" Ignazio exclaimed before puffing out his chest attempting and failing to look impressive, "I have many places to be, the rustic life is mine, I could be fishing or lending a hand farming, the feel of olives or grapes between the fingers and the art of the harvest, I am an artist." He nodded gently before patting his donkey affectionately, "However I have no family and I now I am a man grown I should find myself some honour and a future, so I come to offer my services to the temple to forgive me of a indolent life, and then I shall speak to the oracle and hopefully she will give me an aim to follow." He smiled gently and looked at his scuffed shoes.

"Perhaps we are too quick to use the Oracle as the answer to problems best left solved by ourselves, but I worry not, perhaps it shall give me a route in life." He smiled and turned to Panope shyly for once shyly casting his eyes away from her quickly, "And erm what are you doing venturing up here....." he paused and then blurted out, "My lady." Frowning with himself he awaited and answer while studying the floor.