A Promise Kept, Serets Revealed

Writers: Avery, Miriah
Date Posted: 31st May 2017

Characters: L'pin, Vestian
Description: L'pin keeps a promise he made to J'ackt.
Location: Harper Hall
Date: month 12, day 2 of Turn 8

Vestian

Chaneth broke from /between/ over Emerald Falls Hold and spiraled down
towards the Harper Hall, looking for a good landing spot. L'pin
appreciated the chance to look over it from the air. Things appeared
to be going well. The new buildings looked solid. There was no sign of
unrest from the air. But then again, would such really be done in the
broad daylight?

When Chaneth landed, L'pin slid off his side and patted the blue's
hide. He had dressed up nicely to visit the Hall, in plain brown
trousers and a tunic in Harper blue that only had a small hole - and
anyway that had been mended recently. He'd even taken the pair of
knots that reflected his status as a Harper as well as that as a
dragonrider. No one should question his right to be here.

He strolled into the Hall to start his search, heading towards where
the Archives used to be.

Before he got too far down the hallway, Vestian emerged from his
office and cleared his throat. "Rider L'pin, isn't it?" He approached,
open curiousity on his face. "Hallmaster Vestian." He presented his
hand as a greeting, his eyes flicking quickly over the man's knots.
"An...archivist, if I'm correct, yes?"

"Hallmaster, how are you today?" L'pin asked courteously.

"Yes, I was Journeyman before posted to a Weyr and Impressing, and
then I continued by running the archives for awhile," he said.

Vestian nodded. "I'm doing well, thank you. But you're going the wrong
way. The archives have
been moved to a larger building." He gestured down another exit. "I'm
not an archivist myself, but perhaps if you tell me what you are
interested in?"

"Oh, is that a recent change?" L'pin inquired of the Hallmaster as he
fell into step.

"I'm looking for criminal records from between 16 and 18 Turns ago.
Specifically, for any crimes that were severe enough to result in
banishment or shunning," L'pin said, wondering how much he should give
away.

"Within the last two months. I believe they just finished moving the
minor records." He looked at L'pin, his mind working with the
possibilities. "Banishment...like becoming Holdless." One brow arched
as his voice softened. "And you're an Assistant Weyrlingmaster, are
you not? Would this information need to be from the Emerald Falls Hold
area?"

"I am one of the Weyrlingstaff, yes,"

Vestian was a smart man, and in another time he would have had to
report for him, so L'pin didn't see the harm in answering the
question. He looked around to see if anyone was going to overhear,
before speaking more.

"The person I'm wondering about isn't my weyrling anymore. I'm looking
into the matter because I want to know the truth, and clear up
uncertainties about what occurred. I'm not intending to try to damage
Hold-Weyr relations with any shocking revelations."

"I didn't believe you were for an instant." Vestian reassured him
quietly. As they came to the archive doors, Vestian opened them and
ushered L'pin inside. He glanced around at the other Archivists. "
Excuse us for about a candlemark, please." He waited as they left for
their unexpected, but welcome break, and gestured to the files. "Feel
free to find what you like. I'll help as I can. I have an interest in
the boy, myself."

"Thank you for your freedom with the archives. I don't know what I'll
find, but I think he deserves to know the truth about his family,
whether it's painful or not."

"Agreed." He scanned the shelves, a bit at a loss. He was a painter,
not a scholar. "Just tell me what you need."

L'pin looked over the organizing schema, reacquainting himself with
it. "This section has criminal records organized by Hold, then it
should be by Turn within it. I think that...Yes." He drew out Emerald
Falls' records. Then handed a sheaf to Vestian.

"If you read through there, and I read through these, we might find
it. I don't know his father's name. He did come to the Weyr under an
assumed identity."

"Yes, N'vanik told me. Amitko, I think, right?" He took the sheaf of
hides and sat. "Any information about his background at all? What his
father did as a craft? Or if his mother had any duties in the hold?"

"Yes, that sounds right. I think his father was a guard, I think.
Explains the fighting skills and the interesting belief in discipline.
It can't be very common for a guard to be expelled. Not sure about his
mother, he hasn't confided about her to me," L'pin said, beginning to
flip through some hides.

"Looks like Emerald Falls had a period of being very tough on
offenders," he said after a few minutes. A few expulsions for rape and
murder, even one for claimed self-defense battery that had killed a
man.

Vestian nodded; he vaguely remembered that time period, but had been
more concerned with his art than politics at the time. "They were if I
recall." He flicked through his own hides. "Any of those a guard?
Maybe we can find out if the he has other family around." He frowned
as he looked at the list he had. Most of his were thefts from around
that time period. His brow furrowed. "Looks like around seventeen
turns ago, a rash of thefts were reported in the cotholds surrounding
Emerald Falls, then farther out. Food, cooking supplies, weapons,
clothes, plenty of spirits came up missing. Hmm..sounds like items a
holdless family would need. " He frowned. "Maybe this is the right
time frame you're looking for?"

"That sounds correct," L'pin said, looking through the ones he had at
that time period.

"Here's one about a murder. One guard killed another guard. Spirits
were involved. It was over accusation about the man's wife."

Vestian's brows rose. He got up and came around to L'pin's side to
look over the document. "That would cause a banishment, certainly. Are
there any names or other details? There had to be a trial."

"Guard Jenasom is being charged with the murder of Guard Naroud, it
says." L'pin frowned. That name was very close to Jenackt. Maybe the
trial transcript would tell them more.

L'pin rifled through the records until he found the trial data.
"Here's the transcript," he said, turning it so that Vestian could
read as well.

As he read it, he said aloud some of the more telling phrases:

"Other guards have attested that Naroud repeatedly taunted Jenasom
with accusations of his wife committing infidelity. Taunts include but
are not limited to claiming that Ocktima was "a weyrbred whore", an
accusation that Ocktima was seen in the company of a brownrider during
a Gather, and pointing out the difference in the babe's eye and hair
color."

Another one: "Healer Vadren testified that blonde hair does not
normally happen when the parents are red and dark."

He could see the picture that the documents painted, and it wasn't a
pretty one. A wife from the Weyr married a Hold guard with a temper.
She had been seen in the company of male dragonriders during social
events. A babe was born that looked different from the father. Another
guard needles at those points for Turns, fueling insecurity.

Finally, one day, the angry father snaps, lashing out and killing the
man. Then he gets exiled for his crime, takes his family and the
child, and falls off the map. At some point his wife dies, and the man
is left alone with a vulnerable youth.

Scanning the document alongside L'pin, Vestian's brows furrowed
deeply. He read the transcript, then read it again. "I'll be shafted.
Look." He pointed at the wife's name. "Ocktima. Flip it around, L'pin.
I think we've found your lad's parents." He immediately began digging
through the files. "I wonder if there are marriage records or records
of where she came from. Or if his father had family." He paused and
turned to L'pin. "And there's no way of finding out what riders went
to that Gather, I'm guessing. Too many go to keep note, correct?"

Ocktima. Amitko. The alias J'ackt had used. "Yes, I see," he said.

"There arne't usually signup sheets for going to Gathers, and this
would have been many Turns ago. Of course, there were far fewer riders
back then, the clutches hadn't ramped up yet. An individual Weyr might
have made notes of it, but there were 5 options where the riders could
have been from." Since the Northern Weyrs hadn't been re-opened yet.

He thought about how best to research this. "If Ocktima was weyrbred,
we could find out which weyr she came from and discover how she came
to marry a guard at Emerald Falls. My guess would be Thayan Peak which
means the records would be back at Dolphin Cove if they survived, but
dragon travel means she could have been anywhere beforehand."

If he had to travel through five different weyrs to find records of
her birth, he would. The Hall should have marriage records, but those
might not list her family.

"Wouldn't a marriage record record her place of origin?" Vestian
scratched at his head. He was reminded again that he may have to learn
about this part of the Hall more than just his general knowledge. He
looked up at the rest of the Emerald Falls records. They took up a
large part of the archive wall. He didn't have the time in his
position to assist in the research "I'll leave you to your specialty.
I would ask that you let me know what you find out."

"It ought to if it was well done, but she may not have said. I will
certainly write up any findings and provide them to you," L'pin said.

He hesitated, then asked, "Is the Hall still trying to rehabilitate
his reputation some?"

Vestian pursed his lips and a brow arched. "Of course the Hall has to
be neutral in those areas between Hold and Weyr." The brow dropped
back into place and his lips quirked. "But a little helpful nudges
towards the facts and towards public opinion isn't outside of our
realm of responsibilities."

Ah, the fine line of figuring out a Harper's proper job in a
situation. He missed it sometimes, and was reminded of it when
negotiating with weyrlings other times.

"If these records tell half the story, it sounds like he was set up
for a bad life from the start. It's not really fair to him to bear the
sins of his father," L'pin said sadly.

"I hope what he does as a dragonrider will make up for any
irregularities or deficiencies from before."

"If the man was indeed his father." Vestian frowned. "I don't know
much of his story other than the sparse details that N'vanik has
shared, but it doesn't sound like a situation any child should be in."
He handed L'pin the sheaf of hides he'd been looking at. "I have
faith in the boy. I think he'll do well for himself, especially with
those supporting him now."

"Him being a child of adultery wouldn't win him any points in many
people's mind, unfortunately," L'pin said, accepting the hides.
"Whether Jenasom was his father or not, he raised the boy in poor
circumstances. I have faith in J'ackt, though."

"Oh, and thank you for letting me use the archives."

"That isn't his fault, but I agree with you on people's opinions of
him." He inclined his head. "You're welcome here at any time, Rider
L'pin."

L'pin shook the Hallmaster's hand. "I appreciate working with you."

Last updated on the June 8th 2017

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A Promise Kept, Serets Revealed