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Moderator: Mods
turpentine
Threading the Gerbil since 1982
He was born in a small fishing village, so like those in the great western seas. His mother named him Blue, on account of the color of the water the day he was born. The calm skies and bountiful harvest of fish that day were both auspicious omens for his birth.
From the moment Blue opened his eyes, the villagers knew he was something special, and very different. As he looked about those his inquisitive stare shifted in color and constantly swirled from light green to the deepest blue, just like the different oceans of the world. The medicine wives blessed him and sang praises to the small gods and the spirits of the seas.
His birth was not unexpected, or shocking, instead it seemed preordained. Only a few years earlier a great lord of the mainland houses had come through the area, after a victory in one of the many wars the mainlanders constantly waged. The night that personage stayed amongst the villagers, he asked for tribute, in the form of a maiden. This request was met with honor, and it was Blue’s mother who was finally chosen after much deliberation. She accepted the task with simple dignity, and pride at her appointed duty. That night she entertained the great man, and on that night a peace descended down upon the local waters.
After the great lord left, things pretty much returned to normal, and the village pushed the prestigious occasion from their minds, to concentrate on the business of survival. They did however, place Blue’s mother in a position of honor amongst the fishwives, and never forgot her deed.
So the years went by, two in fact as the Children of the Dragons have longer than normal gestation periods, before Blue was born. The whole time Blue’s mother was watched over by the other fishwives and she carried him without incident In all the days Blue’s mother carried him, never once did the fishermen fail to bring back a days haul, nor did the pirates who dominated those waters pay the small town any mind. All in all the people were content, and taken care of. Truly they believed the gods had smiled on them.
Then the day finally arrived, and it was the most beautiful day any could recall in recent memory. As Blue gave his first cry the powerful leviathans breached the oceans surface and danced in the sun for all the witness. Their songs could be heard throughout he morning, and the fisherman at sea swore the beasts were with their boats all through the day.
Blue’s mother was given a position at the head of the fishwives’ councils, and the village elders looked to the boy as a totem. As he grew it was very apparent that he was more than human, and possessed a piece of his father’s power. Their only regret was that the great man who was responsible for Blue’s creation, never once came back to claim an heir or reward the village for their faithful actions.
Blue himself was happy as a youth, and he picked up both the tools and trade of his people very quickly. He learned to fish, and to sail, and was amongst the best of their tradesmen at the age of five. He grew up fast and very early showed signs of being the most handsome youth the village had ever produced. His dark wavy hair, soft features, and strange eyes, gave him the look of something born to the water. Despite his alien visage or perhaps because of it he was the pride of this small world.
So things continued throughout his childhood. Only on a few occasions did Blue have need to fear anything. Once a terrible storm came from the deep water and threatened to blow and drown the village away. It was Blue who saved them, as he was able to predict the coming storm, which gave the villagers time to move up into higher territory. The other times were close calls with the pirates of the area, but while those bandits attacked their boats, they never came to the village itself. Their presence, never forgotten, loomed like a shadow over daily life.
It may seem weird that Blue was so accepted in his differences, but you must understand that his world is a world of magic, and gods, and wonder. Miracles walked amongst the peoples of every land, and powerful creatures roamed the wilds. Such things were not common per se, but nor were they rare. It was in a small insignificant village’s best interests to embrace such happenings and accept them, rather than shun them. The small gods of the world could be terrible or generous, and it was possible to appease them as long as their gifts were embraced, and their tantrums taken in stride.
These teachings were consequently a part of Blues education amongst the villagers. He grew up learning to respect and thank the spirits of the world. He would start each morning with a prayer, along with every other member of his village.
Gentle blessing
Giving sea
Spirit asked
Watch over me
This was the first prayer taught to each, and every child by their parents, but it was far from the last. Each night at the village dinner more elaborate ceremonies of ‘thanks’ took place. Every morning as the fishermen prepared to depart were blessing for the boats, and prayers to be said as they repaired the nets. Even small prayers or ceremonies were given for clear weather, and before one could touch or drink. This last was a simple thing in which one touches the water and the breast over their heart. Only then can one drink the given liquid, or immerse ones self in its body. These things may seem silly to mainlanders or outsiders, but they were a very real part of village life, and Blue’s early teachings.
This education shaped Blue in mind and spirit. He learned to appreciate what is given, and be thankful to the lesser spirits of the world. In turn he learned to appreciate other people as well, respect for those that contribute, and praise for those that gave. In this he learned to help provide and give back so that he would earn his welcome, and bring something to those that he loved.
Alas, all good things must end, and so too would Blue’s childhood, but it did not pass uneventfully for Blue or his village. His passage into adulthood was ushered forward by great events, both terrible and powerful as omens for his life to come.
It was no secret that Blue possessed special gifts, his ability to read the ocean, and find patterns in the weather had help the village on several occasions, but it was unfocused and unpredictable. Blue also found that he could attune himself, to the water. Mostly he felt this connection whenever he prayed and touched the essence of the liquid. A few times he had even managed to fill cup from nothing.
These happenings had not gone unnoticed, and the elders had done what they could to try and guide the young boys talents. It seemed impossible, as none amongst them had any real experience with such things. So much of the time Blue was left to simply feel his way through the exercises they taught him. He didn’t understand that such things would manifest when they were ready, and until then they would lay inside him nearly dormant.
The moment he had been waiting for came in the middle of his eleventh year. His village had come upon hard times. The pirates who preyed on the fishing towns had become increasingly more active. Rumors trickled in of violent attacks and even raids on other villages. Each day the fishermen would set out with a dark mood, and the fishwives worried away the days, all in dread of the sea dogs.
It happened in the late afternoon one day, as the fishing boats returned, a dark shape was spotted on the horizon. As the village watched, their fear growing, the shape became two, then three, and finally four. The dark specks became outlines, and the outlines became ships. Large ships with patched sails, and flags bearing the markings of pirates.
The villagers did what they could to fortify their homes, and arm themselves. Hooks, and spears were brought out, but they knew they were not fighters. The able bodies of the village practiced a form of martial art, but it was mostly an exercise and had not been forged in the fire of battle. The women, children, and those sick or to old to fight were put in the central hall. Everyone else was put to work.
Blue was out amongst the people. Though to young to fight, he had asked to stand beside those that would fight. If they failed it wouldn’t matter where he was anyway. The elders decided this would be good, and Blue could act as a symbol for the rest to rally beside. Preparations made, they could only sit back and wait for the raiders, with tensions mounting.
As emotions mounted, the fear and anxiety became a living thing to Blue. He felt his mind begin to reel and something inside him begin to churn. He had known fear before but this was different. So caught up in this new sensation was he, that Blue never heard the first sounds of the fighting. It wasn’t until he was jostled violently by the body of a falling fisherman that he was snapped out of his mood.
He pushed the man, an able sailor and fisherman, off himself and looked down into his eyes. The man smiled at Blue and died, and the feelings inside Blue began to rush out. They came in tangible waves of energy. A pirate, the one who killed the man at Blue’s feet, had only time to see the shimmer of water, before it struck him like a javelin.
Quickly, Blue became the center of attention. Pirates screamed, and villagers backed away as torrents of energy cascaded about Blues body like a roaring ocean. Amidst the rolling liquid forms were two spirits; one of a legendary Dragon, and one a leviathan, long revered as protectors by the people of the western seas.
Blue himself wasted no time and began to channel and warp the strange power at his command. He could feel intuitively that it needed his direction, and so direct it he did, toward a bewildered and awestruck group of pirates. They fell over themselves trying to escape the onslaught. Not a few of their number were dead before the rest could reach their landing boats.
The villagers rallied behind Blue, even as they kept their distance, and were able to fight back the raiders with great effect. As the boats pulled away from the beaches several of their ships came to bear and the retort of artillery was heard. In seconds several buildings had disintegrated under the shelling and several more villagers lay screaming.
As a second volley hit the village Blue lost his composure, and in a violent thrust with all his will he pushed a raging sea of energy into the lead ship, blasting a hole straight through the middle. Shortly thereafter the ship broke apart and began to sink. However the pirates weren’t done and Blue felt his new found power begin to drain away. Of course the villagers noticed this, and so did the raiders. As his aura began to fade one of the fishermen helped Blue to safety, and the pirates renewed their assault.
Just as the first of the landing boats came around, a strange sound was heard over the noise of battle. It was haunting music, which filtered in from the open water. Blue felt it, as another entity touched his mind and filled him with renewed strength. With a sharp crack a second of the pirate’s ships revealed a large split running up its center, and slowly it to began to fall into the sea.
A geyser of seawater and sparkling foam exploded beside the ship as several of the great leviathans breached the surface of the water to smash the vessel apart completely. As pirates screamed the villagers looked on with awe, yet Blue could sense something more to come. He knew that something else lurked out in those waters, and felt joyful anticipation as it prepared to reveal itself.
It happened as the remaining pirates began to turn their last ships about and retreat. Another geyser, larger than the other, blasted up between the pirate vessels. As the water began to fall a great form rose from the sea. It was a leviathan larger than any the villagers had ever seen. It was encompassed in an aura of energy not unlike that which Blue so recently manifested. The great beast turned over and rolled, but instead of falling back into the ocean, as it should have, it gently swam through the air between the ships.
Horrified pirates watched as gouts of power slammed, into their beloved ships. Energistic wings unfurled themselves from the leviathan’s sides and blasted through the sides of the now doomed wreckage.
The leviathan itself sang a mournful song, as it caressed the two ships and their crews with destructive energy. Blue could feel it’s sad heart, and knew why it cried. He two felt the sorrow of battle, and loved the great creature all the more for it’s wisdom. The villagers simply heard its song, clear and beautiful, as the creature rescued their simple home. The Pirates as they were blasted or drowned heard only a slow melody, which haunted their last breaths.
As the battle subsided, and the last pirates died, the villagers did their best to begin cleaning up, and helping the wounded, but the water spirit could not help draw their attention. As the elders and those that had hid came out, the large entity drew in toward the shoreline sill lamenting the recent carnage.
Blue stood forward to meet the great beast, as the rest of the humans drew back with trepidation. The leviathan still in touch with Blue’s mind reached out over the minds of the others and began to sing a song of comfort, hope, and love. Blue stepped toward it and they touched for the first time. The child now a young man, with his hand, and the ocean spirit with its head. At this symbol, the tension broke and the villagers cried out in joy, and relief.
The leviathan was called Bay, and it had heard Blue calling out through something it called Creation. It had come here to protect and help Blue, and from that moment forward they would be companions. Blue was happier than he had ever been. The village was safe, he had found a kindred spirit, and finally his potential had manifest. No longer was he unsure of his destiny.
He knew that with his power he could help people. He could show the world the kind of love he had learned growing up. That would be his calling, to show the world compassion, and justice, tempered with humility. If there were others like those pirates then the world was sorely in need of such things. He would also he vowed, never leave those under his care lost with so many questions, as his father had done with him.
At this thought Blue pondered his father, a man he had never known. He hadn’t ever thought about it much, as in this village everyone had many fathers, and mothers. No it occurred to him that he didn’t need that man nor did he resent that his true father had never come back. Blue simply felt that if he had been in the same position he would have been more responsible, and taken a more active roll in his child’s life.
His mother on the other hand he loved dearly, and always would. He loved that she had bore him, and he was proud that she had been the gateway for his very special life. As all these things hit Blue in a moment of clarity he was at peace, and Bay felt that with him.
Although Blue took all these events in stride his village was never quiet the same. Though the pirates had been defeated, the villagers had subtly changed. They had bore witness to the brutality of warfare, and experienced its harsh lessons. So their hearts became just a bit harder, and their eyes became a bit more clouded to the god things in the world.
Still rumors trickled in of pirate incursions, and the village became more battle ready. Houses were fortified, and fishermen were armed. They traded for weapons as often as not. The life in Blue’s once peaceful home would never be the same. Blue wanted desperately to do something, but Bay and the elders urged him to keep training his new skills, as he would be called soon. They wouldn’t say to what he would be called, or by whom, only that a time of change approached. Like his element Blue accepted this, and diligently practiced using his new powers.
He was a creature apart from them, and he understood this, so he trained and listened to his new companions teachings. Bay also knew what it was like to be different and even here he was seen with awe and worship, instead of with a simple thanks. So the two together began to spend their days together, and apart from the rest of the village. They were not begrudged, but instead were encouraged to do so.
Of course the elders were right, those amongst them who had been out in the world, knew that children like Blue were watched for, by the noble houses on the mainland. When Blue had manifested his aura they knew it was only a matter of time. They told his mother and she also came to accept that her child would have to leave, and she took heart in the fact that Bay would be with him.
Sure enough only weeks after the Pirate attack a single ship was spotted approaching the village. The sighting was met with an arming of the able bodies and apprehension, but as the vessel drew closer it became very apparent that it was not a pirate ship. Instead it bore the markings of a mainland institution. The institution was familiar to several of the elders and they knew it was time for Blue to leave.
As the ship pulled into the small port and docked, the elders and fishwives gathered around. Blue was brought forward and placed in front of the group. Blue was a bit scared as a large ramp descended from the ship, and several armored knights bearing standards marched into the village. Behind them came an old man in robes, followed by a gaggle of younger men and women also garbed in robes, and carrying sheets of parchment as well as writing implements.
The procession came to a halt, with the older man at its head, in front of the village elders. Greeting were exchanged, and Blue was held before them as they asked whom amongst them had Exalted. Though Blue didn’t know what Exalted meant, but he was sure they meant him. The old man was pleasant toward him if a bit strict, and he was told to pack only a single bag and be ready by morning.
That night the village threw a feast to sing the praises of their blessed son and his guardian Bay. The Elder and his scribes conferred often and wrote many of their stories and customs down. They were needless to say a bit shocked when they first met the leviathan, but the older man was very serious when he insisted the spirit join Blue on his journey to the mainland kingdoms.
Blue was told he would be going off to attend a school, with other young men and women like himself. He would be taught how to use his powers, and to exist in a world very different from the one he had grown up in. Blue was excited, and a little afraid, and he slept not a wink that whole night.
As morning came and the older man in robes gave the orders to prepare for departure, Blue went to his mother and they exchanged last goodbyes. He then said goodbye to the rest of the village, who all came out to see him off. He then followed the old man and his entourage onto the great vessel, and with a last wave was taken out to sea. The last thing Blue remembered from that morning was his mothers promise that there would always be a place for him in the village.
The ship set course and traveled into the rising sun. The spirit Bay followed Blue and the ship. Sometimes it could be seen flying beside the ship and sometimes beneath it. He was quiet an anomaly and highly unusual, but most of the other people on the ship seemed to accept him.
The trip itself was long with little to do. Everyday Blue was given some minor instructions on what to expect at the school, and what was expected of him. He was quick to pick it all up, and the rest of the time he spent getting to know some of the other young people. It turned out they were all advanced students learning underneath the old man who had come to collect Blue.
It was unusual for humans to Exalt outside the realm, and they let him know this. They asked so many questions Blue didn’t know the answers to, and used so many words that Blue had never heard, that he felt very stupid and out of place. They said it was okay, and that he would get the answers and learn the words in school.
The one thing they seemed the most shocked by however, was that he didn’t know his father. Apparently lineage was rather important on the mainland. This didn’t change most of their opinions of Blue, as he was so easy to get along with and seemed so ready to care for and be interested in them.
It wasn’t an act either, these people from the outside made his old world seem so small, and he was anxious to grow into a new roll, and learn about all the new things. So as the voyage passed Blue grew even more, and learned all about the alien world to which he was determined to belong.
School was a bit different than Blue had been led to believe. Everything was strict and orderly. While the fishing village had its routines, and demanded hard work, it was still much different than the academy.
Before, Blue had been given tasks he had found both enjoyable and without stress. One could lose ones self in the daily chores, and dream while taking care of tasks. At school constant attention had to be devoted to studies and lectures. Blue had to pay attention, and do as he was told, with no room for error, or there came punishments.
It was exceptionally hard for him coming from such a different lifestyle, but he changed old habits and learned to adapt to his new setting, like water from a stream filling a cup. The lessons became easier as routines were established and became familiar. However, there were several parts of his old life Blue cold not leave behind. One was the respect he paid to, the spirits and elements. The other was his desire to help others.
Other students were put off by Blue strange practices and beliefs but his open honesty and desire to understand and accept the beliefs of others, made it easier for them accept him. Plus Blue never turned down the excuses to help someone. This made him very popular amongst the other students and teachers. His attitude and fresh perspective helped all those who knew him to add a bit of light to an otherwise gloomy day to day routine.
As it turned out some of the students who gave him the hardest times at first, became some of his closest compatriots. He was probably the only kid in school who wore his intentions on his sleeve and always delivered on a promise. Yes, it was unsettling, but in the face of his honest smile it was hard not to like and trust him.
Bay for the most part kept to a decent sized lake, which was present on the school grounds. Many of the other students had pets and creatures they called familiars, but no one had anything like Bay. He was a wonder to behold, and several important figures came to talk with Blue about his spirit companion on more than one occasion. If they talked to Bay as well, Blue never found out.
The two existed beside and around one another, Blue was never happier than when he was with his spirit guide. In fact special allowances were made so that Blue could spend more time with the colossal being. It seemed that several of the instructors at the academy had recognized something inherent in the bond between the two.
So four years passed with Blue growing and learning each day. His teachers loved him, and he was rather popular as a student and friend. He learned all about the social life in realm. He learned tactics, and warfare. It even turned out that the martial arts he had learned as simple exercises in his village had actual applications in fighting.
Blue was never entirely comfortable with war, and battle training, but he excelled in it none the less. In fact in all his time at the academy Blue didn’t find a single thing he couldn’t do if he put his mind to it.
In his off time Blue would read, and play games with the other students. Bay usually joined him, much to the delight of those around Blue. He was always ready with a smile and never let hurt feelings or bad news ruin the day. It seemed Blue could always help show some one a better day.
Now the end of his schooling approaches, and a change lurks once again upon the horizon. Blue is ready for what ever comes, and is determined to make the best of the life that awaits him outside the walls of the academy. He knows that to survive he will have to join of the great families, that constantly via for power, and position in the Realm. He also knows he will have the support of his friends and teachers in his life to come.
Bay also has sensed change, and recently let Blue know that wherever and whatever he decided, it would be by his side.
From the moment Blue opened his eyes, the villagers knew he was something special, and very different. As he looked about those his inquisitive stare shifted in color and constantly swirled from light green to the deepest blue, just like the different oceans of the world. The medicine wives blessed him and sang praises to the small gods and the spirits of the seas.
His birth was not unexpected, or shocking, instead it seemed preordained. Only a few years earlier a great lord of the mainland houses had come through the area, after a victory in one of the many wars the mainlanders constantly waged. The night that personage stayed amongst the villagers, he asked for tribute, in the form of a maiden. This request was met with honor, and it was Blue’s mother who was finally chosen after much deliberation. She accepted the task with simple dignity, and pride at her appointed duty. That night she entertained the great man, and on that night a peace descended down upon the local waters.
After the great lord left, things pretty much returned to normal, and the village pushed the prestigious occasion from their minds, to concentrate on the business of survival. They did however, place Blue’s mother in a position of honor amongst the fishwives, and never forgot her deed.
So the years went by, two in fact as the Children of the Dragons have longer than normal gestation periods, before Blue was born. The whole time Blue’s mother was watched over by the other fishwives and she carried him without incident In all the days Blue’s mother carried him, never once did the fishermen fail to bring back a days haul, nor did the pirates who dominated those waters pay the small town any mind. All in all the people were content, and taken care of. Truly they believed the gods had smiled on them.
Then the day finally arrived, and it was the most beautiful day any could recall in recent memory. As Blue gave his first cry the powerful leviathans breached the oceans surface and danced in the sun for all the witness. Their songs could be heard throughout he morning, and the fisherman at sea swore the beasts were with their boats all through the day.
Blue’s mother was given a position at the head of the fishwives’ councils, and the village elders looked to the boy as a totem. As he grew it was very apparent that he was more than human, and possessed a piece of his father’s power. Their only regret was that the great man who was responsible for Blue’s creation, never once came back to claim an heir or reward the village for their faithful actions.
Blue himself was happy as a youth, and he picked up both the tools and trade of his people very quickly. He learned to fish, and to sail, and was amongst the best of their tradesmen at the age of five. He grew up fast and very early showed signs of being the most handsome youth the village had ever produced. His dark wavy hair, soft features, and strange eyes, gave him the look of something born to the water. Despite his alien visage or perhaps because of it he was the pride of this small world.
So things continued throughout his childhood. Only on a few occasions did Blue have need to fear anything. Once a terrible storm came from the deep water and threatened to blow and drown the village away. It was Blue who saved them, as he was able to predict the coming storm, which gave the villagers time to move up into higher territory. The other times were close calls with the pirates of the area, but while those bandits attacked their boats, they never came to the village itself. Their presence, never forgotten, loomed like a shadow over daily life.
It may seem weird that Blue was so accepted in his differences, but you must understand that his world is a world of magic, and gods, and wonder. Miracles walked amongst the peoples of every land, and powerful creatures roamed the wilds. Such things were not common per se, but nor were they rare. It was in a small insignificant village’s best interests to embrace such happenings and accept them, rather than shun them. The small gods of the world could be terrible or generous, and it was possible to appease them as long as their gifts were embraced, and their tantrums taken in stride.
These teachings were consequently a part of Blues education amongst the villagers. He grew up learning to respect and thank the spirits of the world. He would start each morning with a prayer, along with every other member of his village.
Gentle blessing
Giving sea
Spirit asked
Watch over me
This was the first prayer taught to each, and every child by their parents, but it was far from the last. Each night at the village dinner more elaborate ceremonies of ‘thanks’ took place. Every morning as the fishermen prepared to depart were blessing for the boats, and prayers to be said as they repaired the nets. Even small prayers or ceremonies were given for clear weather, and before one could touch or drink. This last was a simple thing in which one touches the water and the breast over their heart. Only then can one drink the given liquid, or immerse ones self in its body. These things may seem silly to mainlanders or outsiders, but they were a very real part of village life, and Blue’s early teachings.
This education shaped Blue in mind and spirit. He learned to appreciate what is given, and be thankful to the lesser spirits of the world. In turn he learned to appreciate other people as well, respect for those that contribute, and praise for those that gave. In this he learned to help provide and give back so that he would earn his welcome, and bring something to those that he loved.
Alas, all good things must end, and so too would Blue’s childhood, but it did not pass uneventfully for Blue or his village. His passage into adulthood was ushered forward by great events, both terrible and powerful as omens for his life to come.
It was no secret that Blue possessed special gifts, his ability to read the ocean, and find patterns in the weather had help the village on several occasions, but it was unfocused and unpredictable. Blue also found that he could attune himself, to the water. Mostly he felt this connection whenever he prayed and touched the essence of the liquid. A few times he had even managed to fill cup from nothing.
These happenings had not gone unnoticed, and the elders had done what they could to try and guide the young boys talents. It seemed impossible, as none amongst them had any real experience with such things. So much of the time Blue was left to simply feel his way through the exercises they taught him. He didn’t understand that such things would manifest when they were ready, and until then they would lay inside him nearly dormant.
The moment he had been waiting for came in the middle of his eleventh year. His village had come upon hard times. The pirates who preyed on the fishing towns had become increasingly more active. Rumors trickled in of violent attacks and even raids on other villages. Each day the fishermen would set out with a dark mood, and the fishwives worried away the days, all in dread of the sea dogs.
It happened in the late afternoon one day, as the fishing boats returned, a dark shape was spotted on the horizon. As the village watched, their fear growing, the shape became two, then three, and finally four. The dark specks became outlines, and the outlines became ships. Large ships with patched sails, and flags bearing the markings of pirates.
The villagers did what they could to fortify their homes, and arm themselves. Hooks, and spears were brought out, but they knew they were not fighters. The able bodies of the village practiced a form of martial art, but it was mostly an exercise and had not been forged in the fire of battle. The women, children, and those sick or to old to fight were put in the central hall. Everyone else was put to work.
Blue was out amongst the people. Though to young to fight, he had asked to stand beside those that would fight. If they failed it wouldn’t matter where he was anyway. The elders decided this would be good, and Blue could act as a symbol for the rest to rally beside. Preparations made, they could only sit back and wait for the raiders, with tensions mounting.
As emotions mounted, the fear and anxiety became a living thing to Blue. He felt his mind begin to reel and something inside him begin to churn. He had known fear before but this was different. So caught up in this new sensation was he, that Blue never heard the first sounds of the fighting. It wasn’t until he was jostled violently by the body of a falling fisherman that he was snapped out of his mood.
He pushed the man, an able sailor and fisherman, off himself and looked down into his eyes. The man smiled at Blue and died, and the feelings inside Blue began to rush out. They came in tangible waves of energy. A pirate, the one who killed the man at Blue’s feet, had only time to see the shimmer of water, before it struck him like a javelin.
Quickly, Blue became the center of attention. Pirates screamed, and villagers backed away as torrents of energy cascaded about Blues body like a roaring ocean. Amidst the rolling liquid forms were two spirits; one of a legendary Dragon, and one a leviathan, long revered as protectors by the people of the western seas.
Blue himself wasted no time and began to channel and warp the strange power at his command. He could feel intuitively that it needed his direction, and so direct it he did, toward a bewildered and awestruck group of pirates. They fell over themselves trying to escape the onslaught. Not a few of their number were dead before the rest could reach their landing boats.
The villagers rallied behind Blue, even as they kept their distance, and were able to fight back the raiders with great effect. As the boats pulled away from the beaches several of their ships came to bear and the retort of artillery was heard. In seconds several buildings had disintegrated under the shelling and several more villagers lay screaming.
As a second volley hit the village Blue lost his composure, and in a violent thrust with all his will he pushed a raging sea of energy into the lead ship, blasting a hole straight through the middle. Shortly thereafter the ship broke apart and began to sink. However the pirates weren’t done and Blue felt his new found power begin to drain away. Of course the villagers noticed this, and so did the raiders. As his aura began to fade one of the fishermen helped Blue to safety, and the pirates renewed their assault.
Just as the first of the landing boats came around, a strange sound was heard over the noise of battle. It was haunting music, which filtered in from the open water. Blue felt it, as another entity touched his mind and filled him with renewed strength. With a sharp crack a second of the pirate’s ships revealed a large split running up its center, and slowly it to began to fall into the sea.
A geyser of seawater and sparkling foam exploded beside the ship as several of the great leviathans breached the surface of the water to smash the vessel apart completely. As pirates screamed the villagers looked on with awe, yet Blue could sense something more to come. He knew that something else lurked out in those waters, and felt joyful anticipation as it prepared to reveal itself.
It happened as the remaining pirates began to turn their last ships about and retreat. Another geyser, larger than the other, blasted up between the pirate vessels. As the water began to fall a great form rose from the sea. It was a leviathan larger than any the villagers had ever seen. It was encompassed in an aura of energy not unlike that which Blue so recently manifested. The great beast turned over and rolled, but instead of falling back into the ocean, as it should have, it gently swam through the air between the ships.
Horrified pirates watched as gouts of power slammed, into their beloved ships. Energistic wings unfurled themselves from the leviathan’s sides and blasted through the sides of the now doomed wreckage.
The leviathan itself sang a mournful song, as it caressed the two ships and their crews with destructive energy. Blue could feel it’s sad heart, and knew why it cried. He two felt the sorrow of battle, and loved the great creature all the more for it’s wisdom. The villagers simply heard its song, clear and beautiful, as the creature rescued their simple home. The Pirates as they were blasted or drowned heard only a slow melody, which haunted their last breaths.
As the battle subsided, and the last pirates died, the villagers did their best to begin cleaning up, and helping the wounded, but the water spirit could not help draw their attention. As the elders and those that had hid came out, the large entity drew in toward the shoreline sill lamenting the recent carnage.
Blue stood forward to meet the great beast, as the rest of the humans drew back with trepidation. The leviathan still in touch with Blue’s mind reached out over the minds of the others and began to sing a song of comfort, hope, and love. Blue stepped toward it and they touched for the first time. The child now a young man, with his hand, and the ocean spirit with its head. At this symbol, the tension broke and the villagers cried out in joy, and relief.
The leviathan was called Bay, and it had heard Blue calling out through something it called Creation. It had come here to protect and help Blue, and from that moment forward they would be companions. Blue was happier than he had ever been. The village was safe, he had found a kindred spirit, and finally his potential had manifest. No longer was he unsure of his destiny.
He knew that with his power he could help people. He could show the world the kind of love he had learned growing up. That would be his calling, to show the world compassion, and justice, tempered with humility. If there were others like those pirates then the world was sorely in need of such things. He would also he vowed, never leave those under his care lost with so many questions, as his father had done with him.
At this thought Blue pondered his father, a man he had never known. He hadn’t ever thought about it much, as in this village everyone had many fathers, and mothers. No it occurred to him that he didn’t need that man nor did he resent that his true father had never come back. Blue simply felt that if he had been in the same position he would have been more responsible, and taken a more active roll in his child’s life.
His mother on the other hand he loved dearly, and always would. He loved that she had bore him, and he was proud that she had been the gateway for his very special life. As all these things hit Blue in a moment of clarity he was at peace, and Bay felt that with him.
Although Blue took all these events in stride his village was never quiet the same. Though the pirates had been defeated, the villagers had subtly changed. They had bore witness to the brutality of warfare, and experienced its harsh lessons. So their hearts became just a bit harder, and their eyes became a bit more clouded to the god things in the world.
Still rumors trickled in of pirate incursions, and the village became more battle ready. Houses were fortified, and fishermen were armed. They traded for weapons as often as not. The life in Blue’s once peaceful home would never be the same. Blue wanted desperately to do something, but Bay and the elders urged him to keep training his new skills, as he would be called soon. They wouldn’t say to what he would be called, or by whom, only that a time of change approached. Like his element Blue accepted this, and diligently practiced using his new powers.
He was a creature apart from them, and he understood this, so he trained and listened to his new companions teachings. Bay also knew what it was like to be different and even here he was seen with awe and worship, instead of with a simple thanks. So the two together began to spend their days together, and apart from the rest of the village. They were not begrudged, but instead were encouraged to do so.
Of course the elders were right, those amongst them who had been out in the world, knew that children like Blue were watched for, by the noble houses on the mainland. When Blue had manifested his aura they knew it was only a matter of time. They told his mother and she also came to accept that her child would have to leave, and she took heart in the fact that Bay would be with him.
Sure enough only weeks after the Pirate attack a single ship was spotted approaching the village. The sighting was met with an arming of the able bodies and apprehension, but as the vessel drew closer it became very apparent that it was not a pirate ship. Instead it bore the markings of a mainland institution. The institution was familiar to several of the elders and they knew it was time for Blue to leave.
As the ship pulled into the small port and docked, the elders and fishwives gathered around. Blue was brought forward and placed in front of the group. Blue was a bit scared as a large ramp descended from the ship, and several armored knights bearing standards marched into the village. Behind them came an old man in robes, followed by a gaggle of younger men and women also garbed in robes, and carrying sheets of parchment as well as writing implements.
The procession came to a halt, with the older man at its head, in front of the village elders. Greeting were exchanged, and Blue was held before them as they asked whom amongst them had Exalted. Though Blue didn’t know what Exalted meant, but he was sure they meant him. The old man was pleasant toward him if a bit strict, and he was told to pack only a single bag and be ready by morning.
That night the village threw a feast to sing the praises of their blessed son and his guardian Bay. The Elder and his scribes conferred often and wrote many of their stories and customs down. They were needless to say a bit shocked when they first met the leviathan, but the older man was very serious when he insisted the spirit join Blue on his journey to the mainland kingdoms.
Blue was told he would be going off to attend a school, with other young men and women like himself. He would be taught how to use his powers, and to exist in a world very different from the one he had grown up in. Blue was excited, and a little afraid, and he slept not a wink that whole night.
As morning came and the older man in robes gave the orders to prepare for departure, Blue went to his mother and they exchanged last goodbyes. He then said goodbye to the rest of the village, who all came out to see him off. He then followed the old man and his entourage onto the great vessel, and with a last wave was taken out to sea. The last thing Blue remembered from that morning was his mothers promise that there would always be a place for him in the village.
The ship set course and traveled into the rising sun. The spirit Bay followed Blue and the ship. Sometimes it could be seen flying beside the ship and sometimes beneath it. He was quiet an anomaly and highly unusual, but most of the other people on the ship seemed to accept him.
The trip itself was long with little to do. Everyday Blue was given some minor instructions on what to expect at the school, and what was expected of him. He was quick to pick it all up, and the rest of the time he spent getting to know some of the other young people. It turned out they were all advanced students learning underneath the old man who had come to collect Blue.
It was unusual for humans to Exalt outside the realm, and they let him know this. They asked so many questions Blue didn’t know the answers to, and used so many words that Blue had never heard, that he felt very stupid and out of place. They said it was okay, and that he would get the answers and learn the words in school.
The one thing they seemed the most shocked by however, was that he didn’t know his father. Apparently lineage was rather important on the mainland. This didn’t change most of their opinions of Blue, as he was so easy to get along with and seemed so ready to care for and be interested in them.
It wasn’t an act either, these people from the outside made his old world seem so small, and he was anxious to grow into a new roll, and learn about all the new things. So as the voyage passed Blue grew even more, and learned all about the alien world to which he was determined to belong.
School was a bit different than Blue had been led to believe. Everything was strict and orderly. While the fishing village had its routines, and demanded hard work, it was still much different than the academy.
Before, Blue had been given tasks he had found both enjoyable and without stress. One could lose ones self in the daily chores, and dream while taking care of tasks. At school constant attention had to be devoted to studies and lectures. Blue had to pay attention, and do as he was told, with no room for error, or there came punishments.
It was exceptionally hard for him coming from such a different lifestyle, but he changed old habits and learned to adapt to his new setting, like water from a stream filling a cup. The lessons became easier as routines were established and became familiar. However, there were several parts of his old life Blue cold not leave behind. One was the respect he paid to, the spirits and elements. The other was his desire to help others.
Other students were put off by Blue strange practices and beliefs but his open honesty and desire to understand and accept the beliefs of others, made it easier for them accept him. Plus Blue never turned down the excuses to help someone. This made him very popular amongst the other students and teachers. His attitude and fresh perspective helped all those who knew him to add a bit of light to an otherwise gloomy day to day routine.
As it turned out some of the students who gave him the hardest times at first, became some of his closest compatriots. He was probably the only kid in school who wore his intentions on his sleeve and always delivered on a promise. Yes, it was unsettling, but in the face of his honest smile it was hard not to like and trust him.
Bay for the most part kept to a decent sized lake, which was present on the school grounds. Many of the other students had pets and creatures they called familiars, but no one had anything like Bay. He was a wonder to behold, and several important figures came to talk with Blue about his spirit companion on more than one occasion. If they talked to Bay as well, Blue never found out.
The two existed beside and around one another, Blue was never happier than when he was with his spirit guide. In fact special allowances were made so that Blue could spend more time with the colossal being. It seemed that several of the instructors at the academy had recognized something inherent in the bond between the two.
So four years passed with Blue growing and learning each day. His teachers loved him, and he was rather popular as a student and friend. He learned all about the social life in realm. He learned tactics, and warfare. It even turned out that the martial arts he had learned as simple exercises in his village had actual applications in fighting.
Blue was never entirely comfortable with war, and battle training, but he excelled in it none the less. In fact in all his time at the academy Blue didn’t find a single thing he couldn’t do if he put his mind to it.
In his off time Blue would read, and play games with the other students. Bay usually joined him, much to the delight of those around Blue. He was always ready with a smile and never let hurt feelings or bad news ruin the day. It seemed Blue could always help show some one a better day.
Now the end of his schooling approaches, and a change lurks once again upon the horizon. Blue is ready for what ever comes, and is determined to make the best of the life that awaits him outside the walls of the academy. He knows that to survive he will have to join of the great families, that constantly via for power, and position in the Realm. He also knows he will have the support of his friends and teachers in his life to come.
Bay also has sensed change, and recently let Blue know that wherever and whatever he decided, it would be by his side.
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Threading the Gerbil since 1982
He was born in a small fishing village, so like those in the great western seas. His mother named him Blue, on account of the color of the water the day he was born. The calm skies and bountiful harvest of fish that day were both auspicious omens for his birth.
From the moment Blue opened his eyes, the villagers knew he was something special, and very different. As he looked about those his inquisitive stare shifted in color and constantly swirled from light green to the deepest blue, just like the different oceans of the world. The medicine wives blessed him and sang praises to the small gods and the spirits of the seas.
His birth was not unexpected, or shocking, instead it seemed preordained. Only a few years earlier a great lord of the mainland houses had come through the area, after a victory in one of the many wars the mainlanders constantly waged. The night that personage stayed amongst the villagers, he asked for tribute, in the form of a maiden. This request was met with honor, and it was Blue’s mother who was finally chosen after much deliberation. She accepted the task with simple dignity, and pride at her appointed duty. That night she entertained the great man, and on that night a peace descended down upon the local waters.
After the great lord left, things pretty much returned to normal, and the village pushed the prestigious occasion from their minds, to concentrate on the business of survival. They did however, place Blue’s mother in a position of honor amongst the fishwives, and never forgot her deed.
So the years went by, two in fact as the Children of the Dragons have longer than normal gestation periods, before Blue was born. The whole time Blue’s mother was watched over by the other fishwives and she carried him without incident In all the days Blue’s mother carried him, never once did the fishermen fail to bring back a days haul, nor did the pirates who dominated those waters pay the small town any mind. All in all the people were content, and taken care of. Truly they believed the gods had smiled on them.
Then the day finally arrived, and it was the most beautiful day any could recall in recent memory. As Blue gave his first cry the powerful leviathans breached the oceans surface and danced in the sun for all the witness. Their songs could be heard throughout he morning, and the fisherman at sea swore the beasts were with their boats all through the day.
Blue’s mother was given a position at the head of the fishwives’ councils, and the village elders looked to the boy as a totem. As he grew it was very apparent that he was more than human, and possessed a piece of his father’s power. Their only regret was that the great man who was responsible for Blue’s creation, never once came back to claim an heir or reward the village for their faithful actions.
Blue himself was happy as a youth, and he picked up both the tools and trade of his people very quickly. He learned to fish, and to sail, and was amongst the best of their tradesmen at the age of five. He grew up fast and very early showed signs of being the most handsome youth the village had ever produced. His dark wavy hair, soft features, and strange eyes, gave him the look of something born to the water. Despite his alien visage or perhaps because of it he was the pride of this small world.
So things continued throughout his childhood. Only on a few occasions did Blue have need to fear anything. Once a terrible storm came from the deep water and threatened to blow and drown the village away. It was Blue who saved them, as he was able to predict the coming storm, which gave the villagers time to move up into higher territory. The other times were close calls with the pirates of the area, but while those bandits attacked their boats, they never came to the village itself. Their presence, never forgotten, loomed like a shadow over daily life.
It may seem weird that Blue was so accepted in his differences, but you must understand that his world is a world of magic, and gods, and wonder. Miracles walked amongst the peoples of every land, and powerful creatures roamed the wilds. Such things were not common per se, but nor were they rare. It was in a small insignificant village’s best interests to embrace such happenings and accept them, rather than shun them. The small gods of the world could be terrible or generous, and it was possible to appease them as long as their gifts were embraced, and their tantrums taken in stride.
These teachings were consequently a part of Blues education amongst the villagers. He grew up learning to respect and thank the spirits of the world. He would start each morning with a prayer, along with every other member of his village.
Gentle blessing
Giving sea
Spirit asked
Watch over me
This was the first prayer taught to each, and every child by their parents, but it was far from the last. Each night at the village dinner more elaborate ceremonies of ‘thanks’ took place. Every morning as the fishermen prepared to depart were blessing for the boats, and prayers to be said as they repaired the nets. Even small prayers or ceremonies were given for clear weather, and before one could touch or drink. This last was a simple thing in which one touches the water and the breast over their heart. Only then can one drink the given liquid, or immerse ones self in its body. These things may seem silly to mainlanders or outsiders, but they were a very real part of village life, and Blue’s early teachings.
This education shaped Blue in mind and spirit. He learned to appreciate what is given, and be thankful to the lesser spirits of the world. In turn he learned to appreciate other people as well, respect for those that contribute, and praise for those that gave. In this he learned to help provide and give back so that he would earn his welcome, and bring something to those that he loved.
Alas, all good things must end, and so too would Blue’s childhood, but it did not pass uneventfully for Blue or his village. His passage into adulthood was ushered forward by great events, both terrible and powerful as omens for his life to come.
It was no secret that Blue possessed special gifts, his ability to read the ocean, and find patterns in the weather had help the village on several occasions, but it was unfocused and unpredictable. Blue also found that he could attune himself, to the water. Mostly he felt this connection whenever he prayed and touched the essence of the liquid. A few times he had even managed to fill cup from nothing.
These happenings had not gone unnoticed, and the elders had done what they could to try and guide the young boys talents. It seemed impossible, as none amongst them had any real experience with such things. So much of the time Blue was left to simply feel his way through the exercises they taught him. He didn’t understand that such things would manifest when they were ready, and until then they would lay inside him nearly dormant.
The moment he had been waiting for came in the middle of his eleventh year. His village had come upon hard times. The pirates who preyed on the fishing towns had become increasingly more active. Rumors trickled in of violent attacks and even raids on other villages. Each day the fishermen would set out with a dark mood, and the fishwives worried away the days, all in dread of the sea dogs.
It happened in the late afternoon one day, as the fishing boats returned, a dark shape was spotted on the horizon. As the village watched, their fear growing, the shape became two, then three, and finally four. The dark specks became outlines, and the outlines became ships. Large ships with patched sails, and flags bearing the markings of pirates.
The villagers did what they could to fortify their homes, and arm themselves. Hooks, and spears were brought out, but they knew they were not fighters. The able bodies of the village practiced a form of martial art, but it was mostly an exercise and had not been forged in the fire of battle. The women, children, and those sick or to old to fight were put in the central hall. Everyone else was put to work.
Blue was out amongst the people. Though to young to fight, he had asked to stand beside those that would fight. If they failed it wouldn’t matter where he was anyway. The elders decided this would be good, and Blue could act as a symbol for the rest to rally beside. Preparations made, they could only sit back and wait for the raiders, with tensions mounting.
As emotions mounted, the fear and anxiety became a living thing to Blue. He felt his mind begin to reel and something inside him begin to churn. He had known fear before but this was different. So caught up in this new sensation was he, that Blue never heard the first sounds of the fighting. It wasn’t until he was jostled violently by the body of a falling fisherman that he was snapped out of his mood.
He pushed the man, an able sailor and fisherman, off himself and looked down into his eyes. The man smiled at Blue and died, and the feelings inside Blue began to rush out. They came in tangible waves of energy. A pirate, the one who killed the man at Blue’s feet, had only time to see the shimmer of water, before it struck him like a javelin.
Quickly, Blue became the center of attention. Pirates screamed, and villagers backed away as torrents of energy cascaded about Blues body like a roaring ocean. Amidst the rolling liquid forms were two spirits; one of a legendary Dragon, and one a leviathan, long revered as protectors by the people of the western seas.
Blue himself wasted no time and began to channel and warp the strange power at his command. He could feel intuitively that it needed his direction, and so direct it he did, toward a bewildered and awestruck group of pirates. They fell over themselves trying to escape the onslaught. Not a few of their number were dead before the rest could reach their landing boats.
The villagers rallied behind Blue, even as they kept their distance, and were able to fight back the raiders with great effect. As the boats pulled away from the beaches several of their ships came to bear and the retort of artillery was heard. In seconds several buildings had disintegrated under the shelling and several more villagers lay screaming.
As a second volley hit the village Blue lost his composure, and in a violent thrust with all his will he pushed a raging sea of energy into the lead ship, blasting a hole straight through the middle. Shortly thereafter the ship broke apart and began to sink. However the pirates weren’t done and Blue felt his new found power begin to drain away. Of course the villagers noticed this, and so did the raiders. As his aura began to fade one of the fishermen helped Blue to safety, and the pirates renewed their assault.
Just as the first of the landing boats came around, a strange sound was heard over the noise of battle. It was haunting music, which filtered in from the open water. Blue felt it, as another entity touched his mind and filled him with renewed strength. With a sharp crack a second of the pirate’s ships revealed a large split running up its center, and slowly it to began to fall into the sea.
A geyser of seawater and sparkling foam exploded beside the ship as several of the great leviathans breached the surface of the water to smash the vessel apart completely. As pirates screamed the villagers looked on with awe, yet Blue could sense something more to come. He knew that something else lurked out in those waters, and felt joyful anticipation as it prepared to reveal itself.
It happened as the remaining pirates began to turn their last ships about and retreat. Another geyser, larger than the other, blasted up between the pirate vessels. As the water began to fall a great form rose from the sea. It was a leviathan larger than any the villagers had ever seen. It was encompassed in an aura of energy not unlike that which Blue so recently manifested. The great beast turned over and rolled, but instead of falling back into the ocean, as it should have, it gently swam through the air between the ships.
Horrified pirates watched as gouts of power slammed, into their beloved ships. Energistic wings unfurled themselves from the leviathan’s sides and blasted through the sides of the now doomed wreckage.
The leviathan itself sang a mournful song, as it caressed the two ships and their crews with destructive energy. Blue could feel it’s sad heart, and knew why it cried. He two felt the sorrow of battle, and loved the great creature all the more for it’s wisdom. The villagers simply heard its song, clear and beautiful, as the creature rescued their simple home. The Pirates as they were blasted or drowned heard only a slow melody, which haunted their last breaths.
As the battle subsided, and the last pirates died, the villagers did their best to begin cleaning up, and helping the wounded, but the water spirit could not help draw their attention. As the elders and those that had hid came out, the large entity drew in toward the shoreline sill lamenting the recent carnage.
Blue stood forward to meet the great beast, as the rest of the humans drew back with trepidation. The leviathan still in touch with Blue’s mind reached out over the minds of the others and began to sing a song of comfort, hope, and love. Blue stepped toward it and they touched for the first time. The child now a young man, with his hand, and the ocean spirit with its head. At this symbol, the tension broke and the villagers cried out in joy, and relief.
The leviathan was called Bay, and it had heard Blue calling out through something it called Creation. It had come here to protect and help Blue, and from that moment forward they would be companions. Blue was happier than he had ever been. The village was safe, he had found a kindred spirit, and finally his potential had manifest. No longer was he unsure of his destiny.
He knew that with his power he could help people. He could show the world the kind of love he had learned growing up. That would be his calling, to show the world compassion, and justice, tempered with humility. If there were others like those pirates then the world was sorely in need of such things. He would also he vowed, never leave those under his care lost with so many questions, as his father had done with him.
At this thought Blue pondered his father, a man he had never known. He hadn’t ever thought about it much, as in this village everyone had many fathers, and mothers. No it occurred to him that he didn’t need that man nor did he resent that his true father had never come back. Blue simply felt that if he had been in the same position he would have been more responsible, and taken a more active roll in his child’s life.
His mother on the other hand he loved dearly, and always would. He loved that she had bore him, and he was proud that she had been the gateway for his very special life. As all these things hit Blue in a moment of clarity he was at peace, and Bay felt that with him.
Although Blue took all these events in stride his village was never quiet the same. Though the pirates had been defeated, the villagers had subtly changed. They had bore witness to the brutality of warfare, and experienced its harsh lessons. So their hearts became just a bit harder, and their eyes became a bit more clouded to the god things in the world.
Still rumors trickled in of pirate incursions, and the village became more battle ready. Houses were fortified, and fishermen were armed. They traded for weapons as often as not. The life in Blue’s once peaceful home would never be the same. Blue wanted desperately to do something, but Bay and the elders urged him to keep training his new skills, as he would be called soon. They wouldn’t say to what he would be called, or by whom, only that a time of change approached. Like his element Blue accepted this, and diligently practiced using his new powers.
He was a creature apart from them, and he understood this, so he trained and listened to his new companions teachings. Bay also knew what it was like to be different and even here he was seen with awe and worship, instead of with a simple thanks. So the two together began to spend their days together, and apart from the rest of the village. They were not begrudged, but instead were encouraged to do so.
Of course the elders were right, those amongst them who had been out in the world, knew that children like Blue were watched for, by the noble houses on the mainland. When Blue had manifested his aura they knew it was only a matter of time. They told his mother and she also came to accept that her child would have to leave, and she took heart in the fact that Bay would be with him.
Sure enough only weeks after the Pirate attack a single ship was spotted approaching the village. The sighting was met with an arming of the able bodies and apprehension, but as the vessel drew closer it became very apparent that it was not a pirate ship. Instead it bore the markings of a mainland institution. The institution was familiar to several of the elders and they knew it was time for Blue to leave.
As the ship pulled into the small port and docked, the elders and fishwives gathered around. Blue was brought forward and placed in front of the group. Blue was a bit scared as a large ramp descended from the ship, and several armored knights bearing standards marched into the village. Behind them came an old man in robes, followed by a gaggle of younger men and women also garbed in robes, and carrying sheets of parchment as well as writing implements.
The procession came to a halt, with the older man at its head, in front of the village elders. Greeting were exchanged, and Blue was held before them as they asked whom amongst them had Exalted. Though Blue didn’t know what Exalted meant, but he was sure they meant him. The old man was pleasant toward him if a bit strict, and he was told to pack only a single bag and be ready by morning.
That night the village threw a feast to sing the praises of their blessed son and his guardian Bay. The Elder and his scribes conferred often and wrote many of their stories and customs down. They were needless to say a bit shocked when they first met the leviathan, but the older man was very serious when he insisted the spirit join Blue on his journey to the mainland kingdoms.
Blue was told he would be going off to attend a school, with other young men and women like himself. He would be taught how to use his powers, and to exist in a world very different from the one he had grown up in. Blue was excited, and a little afraid, and he slept not a wink that whole night.
As morning came and the older man in robes gave the orders to prepare for departure, Blue went to his mother and they exchanged last goodbyes. He then said goodbye to the rest of the village, who all came out to see him off. He then followed the old man and his entourage onto the great vessel, and with a last wave was taken out to sea. The last thing Blue remembered from that morning was his mothers promise that there would always be a place for him in the village.
The ship set course and traveled into the rising sun. The spirit Bay followed Blue and the ship. Sometimes it could be seen flying beside the ship and sometimes beneath it. He was quiet an anomaly and highly unusual, but most of the other people on the ship seemed to accept him.
The trip itself was long with little to do. Everyday Blue was given some minor instructions on what to expect at the school, and what was expected of him. He was quick to pick it all up, and the rest of the time he spent getting to know some of the other young people. It turned out they were all advanced students learning underneath the old man who had come to collect Blue.
It was unusual for humans to Exalt outside the realm, and they let him know this. They asked so many questions Blue didn’t know the answers to, and used so many words that Blue had never heard, that he felt very stupid and out of place. They said it was okay, and that he would get the answers and learn the words in school.
The one thing they seemed the most shocked by however, was that he didn’t know his father. Apparently lineage was rather important on the mainland. This didn’t change most of their opinions of Blue, as he was so easy to get along with and seemed so ready to care for and be interested in them.
It wasn’t an act either, these people from the outside made his old world seem so small, and he was anxious to grow into a new roll, and learn about all the new things. So as the voyage passed Blue grew even more, and learned all about the alien world to which he was determined to belong.
School was a bit different than Blue had been led to believe. Everything was strict and orderly. While the fishing village had its routines, and demanded hard work, it was still much different than the academy.
Before, Blue had been given tasks he had found both enjoyable and without stress. One could lose ones self in the daily chores, and dream while taking care of tasks. At school constant attention had to be devoted to studies and lectures. Blue had to pay attention, and do as he was told, with no room for error, or there came punishments.
It was exceptionally hard for him coming from such a different lifestyle, but he changed old habits and learned to adapt to his new setting, like water from a stream filling a cup. The lessons became easier as routines were established and became familiar. However, there were several parts of his old life Blue cold not leave behind. One was the respect he paid to, the spirits and elements. The other was his desire to help others.
Other students were put off by Blue strange practices and beliefs but his open honesty and desire to understand and accept the beliefs of others, made it easier for them accept him. Plus Blue never turned down the excuses to help someone. This made him very popular amongst the other students and teachers. His attitude and fresh perspective helped all those who knew him to add a bit of light to an otherwise gloomy day to day routine.
As it turned out some of the students who gave him the hardest times at first, became some of his closest compatriots. He was probably the only kid in school who wore his intentions on his sleeve and always delivered on a promise. Yes, it was unsettling, but in the face of his honest smile it was hard not to like and trust him.
Bay for the most part kept to a decent sized lake, which was present on the school grounds. Many of the other students had pets and creatures they called familiars, but no one had anything like Bay. He was a wonder to behold, and several important figures came to talk with Blue about his spirit companion on more than one occasion. If they talked to Bay as well, Blue never found out.
The two existed beside and around one another, Blue was never happier than when he was with his spirit guide. In fact special allowances were made so that Blue could spend more time with the colossal being. It seemed that several of the instructors at the academy had recognized something inherent in the bond between the two.
So four years passed with Blue growing and learning each day. His teachers loved him, and he was rather popular as a student and friend. He learned all about the social life in realm. He learned tactics, and warfare. It even turned out that the martial arts he had learned as simple exercises in his village had actual applications in fighting.
Blue was never entirely comfortable with war, and battle training, but he excelled in it none the less. In fact in all his time at the academy Blue didn’t find a single thing he couldn’t do if he put his mind to it.
In his off time Blue would read, and play games with the other students. Bay usually joined him, much to the delight of those around Blue. He was always ready with a smile and never let hurt feelings or bad news ruin the day. It seemed Blue could always help show some one a better day.
Now the end of his schooling approaches, and a change lurks once again upon the horizon. Blue is ready for what ever comes, and is determined to make the best of the life that awaits him outside the walls of the academy. He knows that to survive he will have to join of the great families, that constantly via for power, and position in the Realm. He also knows he will have the support of his friends and teachers in his life to come.
Bay also has sensed change, and recently let Blue know that wherever and whatever he decided, it would be by his side.
He was born in a small fishing village, so like those in the great western seas. His mother named him Blue, on account of the color of the water the day he was born. The calm skies and bountiful harvest of fish that day were both auspicious omens for his birth.
From the moment Blue opened his eyes, the villagers knew he was something special, and very different. As he looked about those his inquisitive stare shifted in color and constantly swirled from light green to the deepest blue, just like the different oceans of the world. The medicine wives blessed him and sang praises to the small gods and the spirits of the seas.
His birth was not unexpected, or shocking, instead it seemed preordained. Only a few years earlier a great lord of the mainland houses had come through the area, after a victory in one of the many wars the mainlanders constantly waged. The night that personage stayed amongst the villagers, he asked for tribute, in the form of a maiden. This request was met with honor, and it was Blue’s mother who was finally chosen after much deliberation. She accepted the task with simple dignity, and pride at her appointed duty. That night she entertained the great man, and on that night a peace descended down upon the local waters.
After the great lord left, things pretty much returned to normal, and the village pushed the prestigious occasion from their minds, to concentrate on the business of survival. They did however, place Blue’s mother in a position of honor amongst the fishwives, and never forgot her deed.
So the years went by, two in fact as the Children of the Dragons have longer than normal gestation periods, before Blue was born. The whole time Blue’s mother was watched over by the other fishwives and she carried him without incident In all the days Blue’s mother carried him, never once did the fishermen fail to bring back a days haul, nor did the pirates who dominated those waters pay the small town any mind. All in all the people were content, and taken care of. Truly they believed the gods had smiled on them.
Then the day finally arrived, and it was the most beautiful day any could recall in recent memory. As Blue gave his first cry the powerful leviathans breached the oceans surface and danced in the sun for all the witness. Their songs could be heard throughout he morning, and the fisherman at sea swore the beasts were with their boats all through the day.
Blue’s mother was given a position at the head of the fishwives’ councils, and the village elders looked to the boy as a totem. As he grew it was very apparent that he was more than human, and possessed a piece of his father’s power. Their only regret was that the great man who was responsible for Blue’s creation, never once came back to claim an heir or reward the village for their faithful actions.
Blue himself was happy as a youth, and he picked up both the tools and trade of his people very quickly. He learned to fish, and to sail, and was amongst the best of their tradesmen at the age of five. He grew up fast and very early showed signs of being the most handsome youth the village had ever produced. His dark wavy hair, soft features, and strange eyes, gave him the look of something born to the water. Despite his alien visage or perhaps because of it he was the pride of this small world.
So things continued throughout his childhood. Only on a few occasions did Blue have need to fear anything. Once a terrible storm came from the deep water and threatened to blow and drown the village away. It was Blue who saved them, as he was able to predict the coming storm, which gave the villagers time to move up into higher territory. The other times were close calls with the pirates of the area, but while those bandits attacked their boats, they never came to the village itself. Their presence, never forgotten, loomed like a shadow over daily life.
It may seem weird that Blue was so accepted in his differences, but you must understand that his world is a world of magic, and gods, and wonder. Miracles walked amongst the peoples of every land, and powerful creatures roamed the wilds. Such things were not common per se, but nor were they rare. It was in a small insignificant village’s best interests to embrace such happenings and accept them, rather than shun them. The small gods of the world could be terrible or generous, and it was possible to appease them as long as their gifts were embraced, and their tantrums taken in stride.
These teachings were consequently a part of Blues education amongst the villagers. He grew up learning to respect and thank the spirits of the world. He would start each morning with a prayer, along with every other member of his village.
Gentle blessing
Giving sea
Spirit asked
Watch over me
This was the first prayer taught to each, and every child by their parents, but it was far from the last. Each night at the village dinner more elaborate ceremonies of ‘thanks’ took place. Every morning as the fishermen prepared to depart were blessing for the boats, and prayers to be said as they repaired the nets. Even small prayers or ceremonies were given for clear weather, and before one could touch or drink. This last was a simple thing in which one touches the water and the breast over their heart. Only then can one drink the given liquid, or immerse ones self in its body. These things may seem silly to mainlanders or outsiders, but they were a very real part of village life, and Blue’s early teachings.
This education shaped Blue in mind and spirit. He learned to appreciate what is given, and be thankful to the lesser spirits of the world. In turn he learned to appreciate other people as well, respect for those that contribute, and praise for those that gave. In this he learned to help provide and give back so that he would earn his welcome, and bring something to those that he loved.
Alas, all good things must end, and so too would Blue’s childhood, but it did not pass uneventfully for Blue or his village. His passage into adulthood was ushered forward by great events, both terrible and powerful as omens for his life to come.
It was no secret that Blue possessed special gifts, his ability to read the ocean, and find patterns in the weather had help the village on several occasions, but it was unfocused and unpredictable. Blue also found that he could attune himself, to the water. Mostly he felt this connection whenever he prayed and touched the essence of the liquid. A few times he had even managed to fill cup from nothing.
These happenings had not gone unnoticed, and the elders had done what they could to try and guide the young boys talents. It seemed impossible, as none amongst them had any real experience with such things. So much of the time Blue was left to simply feel his way through the exercises they taught him. He didn’t understand that such things would manifest when they were ready, and until then they would lay inside him nearly dormant.
The moment he had been waiting for came in the middle of his eleventh year. His village had come upon hard times. The pirates who preyed on the fishing towns had become increasingly more active. Rumors trickled in of violent attacks and even raids on other villages. Each day the fishermen would set out with a dark mood, and the fishwives worried away the days, all in dread of the sea dogs.
It happened in the late afternoon one day, as the fishing boats returned, a dark shape was spotted on the horizon. As the village watched, their fear growing, the shape became two, then three, and finally four. The dark specks became outlines, and the outlines became ships. Large ships with patched sails, and flags bearing the markings of pirates.
The villagers did what they could to fortify their homes, and arm themselves. Hooks, and spears were brought out, but they knew they were not fighters. The able bodies of the village practiced a form of martial art, but it was mostly an exercise and had not been forged in the fire of battle. The women, children, and those sick or to old to fight were put in the central hall. Everyone else was put to work.
Blue was out amongst the people. Though to young to fight, he had asked to stand beside those that would fight. If they failed it wouldn’t matter where he was anyway. The elders decided this would be good, and Blue could act as a symbol for the rest to rally beside. Preparations made, they could only sit back and wait for the raiders, with tensions mounting.
As emotions mounted, the fear and anxiety became a living thing to Blue. He felt his mind begin to reel and something inside him begin to churn. He had known fear before but this was different. So caught up in this new sensation was he, that Blue never heard the first sounds of the fighting. It wasn’t until he was jostled violently by the body of a falling fisherman that he was snapped out of his mood.
He pushed the man, an able sailor and fisherman, off himself and looked down into his eyes. The man smiled at Blue and died, and the feelings inside Blue began to rush out. They came in tangible waves of energy. A pirate, the one who killed the man at Blue’s feet, had only time to see the shimmer of water, before it struck him like a javelin.
Quickly, Blue became the center of attention. Pirates screamed, and villagers backed away as torrents of energy cascaded about Blues body like a roaring ocean. Amidst the rolling liquid forms were two spirits; one of a legendary Dragon, and one a leviathan, long revered as protectors by the people of the western seas.
Blue himself wasted no time and began to channel and warp the strange power at his command. He could feel intuitively that it needed his direction, and so direct it he did, toward a bewildered and awestruck group of pirates. They fell over themselves trying to escape the onslaught. Not a few of their number were dead before the rest could reach their landing boats.
The villagers rallied behind Blue, even as they kept their distance, and were able to fight back the raiders with great effect. As the boats pulled away from the beaches several of their ships came to bear and the retort of artillery was heard. In seconds several buildings had disintegrated under the shelling and several more villagers lay screaming.
As a second volley hit the village Blue lost his composure, and in a violent thrust with all his will he pushed a raging sea of energy into the lead ship, blasting a hole straight through the middle. Shortly thereafter the ship broke apart and began to sink. However the pirates weren’t done and Blue felt his new found power begin to drain away. Of course the villagers noticed this, and so did the raiders. As his aura began to fade one of the fishermen helped Blue to safety, and the pirates renewed their assault.
Just as the first of the landing boats came around, a strange sound was heard over the noise of battle. It was haunting music, which filtered in from the open water. Blue felt it, as another entity touched his mind and filled him with renewed strength. With a sharp crack a second of the pirate’s ships revealed a large split running up its center, and slowly it to began to fall into the sea.
A geyser of seawater and sparkling foam exploded beside the ship as several of the great leviathans breached the surface of the water to smash the vessel apart completely. As pirates screamed the villagers looked on with awe, yet Blue could sense something more to come. He knew that something else lurked out in those waters, and felt joyful anticipation as it prepared to reveal itself.
It happened as the remaining pirates began to turn their last ships about and retreat. Another geyser, larger than the other, blasted up between the pirate vessels. As the water began to fall a great form rose from the sea. It was a leviathan larger than any the villagers had ever seen. It was encompassed in an aura of energy not unlike that which Blue so recently manifested. The great beast turned over and rolled, but instead of falling back into the ocean, as it should have, it gently swam through the air between the ships.
Horrified pirates watched as gouts of power slammed, into their beloved ships. Energistic wings unfurled themselves from the leviathan’s sides and blasted through the sides of the now doomed wreckage.
The leviathan itself sang a mournful song, as it caressed the two ships and their crews with destructive energy. Blue could feel it’s sad heart, and knew why it cried. He two felt the sorrow of battle, and loved the great creature all the more for it’s wisdom. The villagers simply heard its song, clear and beautiful, as the creature rescued their simple home. The Pirates as they were blasted or drowned heard only a slow melody, which haunted their last breaths.
As the battle subsided, and the last pirates died, the villagers did their best to begin cleaning up, and helping the wounded, but the water spirit could not help draw their attention. As the elders and those that had hid came out, the large entity drew in toward the shoreline sill lamenting the recent carnage.
Blue stood forward to meet the great beast, as the rest of the humans drew back with trepidation. The leviathan still in touch with Blue’s mind reached out over the minds of the others and began to sing a song of comfort, hope, and love. Blue stepped toward it and they touched for the first time. The child now a young man, with his hand, and the ocean spirit with its head. At this symbol, the tension broke and the villagers cried out in joy, and relief.
The leviathan was called Bay, and it had heard Blue calling out through something it called Creation. It had come here to protect and help Blue, and from that moment forward they would be companions. Blue was happier than he had ever been. The village was safe, he had found a kindred spirit, and finally his potential had manifest. No longer was he unsure of his destiny.
He knew that with his power he could help people. He could show the world the kind of love he had learned growing up. That would be his calling, to show the world compassion, and justice, tempered with humility. If there were others like those pirates then the world was sorely in need of such things. He would also he vowed, never leave those under his care lost with so many questions, as his father had done with him.
At this thought Blue pondered his father, a man he had never known. He hadn’t ever thought about it much, as in this village everyone had many fathers, and mothers. No it occurred to him that he didn’t need that man nor did he resent that his true father had never come back. Blue simply felt that if he had been in the same position he would have been more responsible, and taken a more active roll in his child’s life.
His mother on the other hand he loved dearly, and always would. He loved that she had bore him, and he was proud that she had been the gateway for his very special life. As all these things hit Blue in a moment of clarity he was at peace, and Bay felt that with him.
Although Blue took all these events in stride his village was never quiet the same. Though the pirates had been defeated, the villagers had subtly changed. They had bore witness to the brutality of warfare, and experienced its harsh lessons. So their hearts became just a bit harder, and their eyes became a bit more clouded to the god things in the world.
Still rumors trickled in of pirate incursions, and the village became more battle ready. Houses were fortified, and fishermen were armed. They traded for weapons as often as not. The life in Blue’s once peaceful home would never be the same. Blue wanted desperately to do something, but Bay and the elders urged him to keep training his new skills, as he would be called soon. They wouldn’t say to what he would be called, or by whom, only that a time of change approached. Like his element Blue accepted this, and diligently practiced using his new powers.
He was a creature apart from them, and he understood this, so he trained and listened to his new companions teachings. Bay also knew what it was like to be different and even here he was seen with awe and worship, instead of with a simple thanks. So the two together began to spend their days together, and apart from the rest of the village. They were not begrudged, but instead were encouraged to do so.
Of course the elders were right, those amongst them who had been out in the world, knew that children like Blue were watched for, by the noble houses on the mainland. When Blue had manifested his aura they knew it was only a matter of time. They told his mother and she also came to accept that her child would have to leave, and she took heart in the fact that Bay would be with him.
Sure enough only weeks after the Pirate attack a single ship was spotted approaching the village. The sighting was met with an arming of the able bodies and apprehension, but as the vessel drew closer it became very apparent that it was not a pirate ship. Instead it bore the markings of a mainland institution. The institution was familiar to several of the elders and they knew it was time for Blue to leave.
As the ship pulled into the small port and docked, the elders and fishwives gathered around. Blue was brought forward and placed in front of the group. Blue was a bit scared as a large ramp descended from the ship, and several armored knights bearing standards marched into the village. Behind them came an old man in robes, followed by a gaggle of younger men and women also garbed in robes, and carrying sheets of parchment as well as writing implements.
The procession came to a halt, with the older man at its head, in front of the village elders. Greeting were exchanged, and Blue was held before them as they asked whom amongst them had Exalted. Though Blue didn’t know what Exalted meant, but he was sure they meant him. The old man was pleasant toward him if a bit strict, and he was told to pack only a single bag and be ready by morning.
That night the village threw a feast to sing the praises of their blessed son and his guardian Bay. The Elder and his scribes conferred often and wrote many of their stories and customs down. They were needless to say a bit shocked when they first met the leviathan, but the older man was very serious when he insisted the spirit join Blue on his journey to the mainland kingdoms.
Blue was told he would be going off to attend a school, with other young men and women like himself. He would be taught how to use his powers, and to exist in a world very different from the one he had grown up in. Blue was excited, and a little afraid, and he slept not a wink that whole night.
As morning came and the older man in robes gave the orders to prepare for departure, Blue went to his mother and they exchanged last goodbyes. He then said goodbye to the rest of the village, who all came out to see him off. He then followed the old man and his entourage onto the great vessel, and with a last wave was taken out to sea. The last thing Blue remembered from that morning was his mothers promise that there would always be a place for him in the village.
The ship set course and traveled into the rising sun. The spirit Bay followed Blue and the ship. Sometimes it could be seen flying beside the ship and sometimes beneath it. He was quiet an anomaly and highly unusual, but most of the other people on the ship seemed to accept him.
The trip itself was long with little to do. Everyday Blue was given some minor instructions on what to expect at the school, and what was expected of him. He was quick to pick it all up, and the rest of the time he spent getting to know some of the other young people. It turned out they were all advanced students learning underneath the old man who had come to collect Blue.
It was unusual for humans to Exalt outside the realm, and they let him know this. They asked so many questions Blue didn’t know the answers to, and used so many words that Blue had never heard, that he felt very stupid and out of place. They said it was okay, and that he would get the answers and learn the words in school.
The one thing they seemed the most shocked by however, was that he didn’t know his father. Apparently lineage was rather important on the mainland. This didn’t change most of their opinions of Blue, as he was so easy to get along with and seemed so ready to care for and be interested in them.
It wasn’t an act either, these people from the outside made his old world seem so small, and he was anxious to grow into a new roll, and learn about all the new things. So as the voyage passed Blue grew even more, and learned all about the alien world to which he was determined to belong.
School was a bit different than Blue had been led to believe. Everything was strict and orderly. While the fishing village had its routines, and demanded hard work, it was still much different than the academy.
Before, Blue had been given tasks he had found both enjoyable and without stress. One could lose ones self in the daily chores, and dream while taking care of tasks. At school constant attention had to be devoted to studies and lectures. Blue had to pay attention, and do as he was told, with no room for error, or there came punishments.
It was exceptionally hard for him coming from such a different lifestyle, but he changed old habits and learned to adapt to his new setting, like water from a stream filling a cup. The lessons became easier as routines were established and became familiar. However, there were several parts of his old life Blue cold not leave behind. One was the respect he paid to, the spirits and elements. The other was his desire to help others.
Other students were put off by Blue strange practices and beliefs but his open honesty and desire to understand and accept the beliefs of others, made it easier for them accept him. Plus Blue never turned down the excuses to help someone. This made him very popular amongst the other students and teachers. His attitude and fresh perspective helped all those who knew him to add a bit of light to an otherwise gloomy day to day routine.
As it turned out some of the students who gave him the hardest times at first, became some of his closest compatriots. He was probably the only kid in school who wore his intentions on his sleeve and always delivered on a promise. Yes, it was unsettling, but in the face of his honest smile it was hard not to like and trust him.
Bay for the most part kept to a decent sized lake, which was present on the school grounds. Many of the other students had pets and creatures they called familiars, but no one had anything like Bay. He was a wonder to behold, and several important figures came to talk with Blue about his spirit companion on more than one occasion. If they talked to Bay as well, Blue never found out.
The two existed beside and around one another, Blue was never happier than when he was with his spirit guide. In fact special allowances were made so that Blue could spend more time with the colossal being. It seemed that several of the instructors at the academy had recognized something inherent in the bond between the two.
So four years passed with Blue growing and learning each day. His teachers loved him, and he was rather popular as a student and friend. He learned all about the social life in realm. He learned tactics, and warfare. It even turned out that the martial arts he had learned as simple exercises in his village had actual applications in fighting.
Blue was never entirely comfortable with war, and battle training, but he excelled in it none the less. In fact in all his time at the academy Blue didn’t find a single thing he couldn’t do if he put his mind to it.
In his off time Blue would read, and play games with the other students. Bay usually joined him, much to the delight of those around Blue. He was always ready with a smile and never let hurt feelings or bad news ruin the day. It seemed Blue could always help show some one a better day.
Now the end of his schooling approaches, and a change lurks once again upon the horizon. Blue is ready for what ever comes, and is determined to make the best of the life that awaits him outside the walls of the academy. He knows that to survive he will have to join of the great families, that constantly via for power, and position in the Realm. He also knows he will have the support of his friends and teachers in his life to come.
Bay also has sensed change, and recently let Blue know that wherever and whatever he decided, it would be by his side.
He was born in a small fishing village, so like those in the great western seas. His mother named him Blue, on account of the color of the water the day he was born. The calm skies and bountiful harvest of fish that day were both auspicious omens for his birth.
From the moment Blue opened his eyes, the villagers knew he was something special, and very different. As he looked about those his inquisitive stare shifted in color and constantly swirled from light green to the deepest blue, just like the different oceans of the world. The medicine wives blessed him and sang praises to the small gods and the spirits of the seas.
His birth was not unexpected, or shocking, instead it seemed preordained. Only a few years earlier a great lord of the mainland houses had come through the area, after a victory in one of the many wars the mainlanders constantly waged. The night that personage stayed amongst the villagers, he asked for tribute, in the form of a maiden. This request was met with honor, and it was Blue’s mother who was finally chosen after much deliberation. She accepted the task with simple dignity, and pride at her appointed duty. That night she entertained the great man, and on that night a peace descended down upon the local waters.
After the great lord left, things pretty much returned to normal, and the village pushed the prestigious occasion from their minds, to concentrate on the business of survival. They did however, place Blue’s mother in a position of honor amongst the fishwives, and never forgot her deed.
So the years went by, two in fact as the Children of the Dragons have longer than normal gestation periods, before Blue was born. The whole time Blue’s mother was watched over by the other fishwives and she carried him without incident In all the days Blue’s mother carried him, never once did the fishermen fail to bring back a days haul, nor did the pirates who dominated those waters pay the small town any mind. All in all the people were content, and taken care of. Truly they believed the gods had smiled on them.
Then the day finally arrived, and it was the most beautiful day any could recall in recent memory. As Blue gave his first cry the powerful leviathans breached the oceans surface and danced in the sun for all the witness. Their songs could be heard throughout he morning, and the fisherman at sea swore the beasts were with their boats all through the day.
Blue’s mother was given a position at the head of the fishwives’ councils, and the village elders looked to the boy as a totem. As he grew it was very apparent that he was more than human, and possessed a piece of his father’s power. Their only regret was that the great man who was responsible for Blue’s creation, never once came back to claim an heir or reward the village for their faithful actions.
Blue himself was happy as a youth, and he picked up both the tools and trade of his people very quickly. He learned to fish, and to sail, and was amongst the best of their tradesmen at the age of five. He grew up fast and very early showed signs of being the most handsome youth the village had ever produced. His dark wavy hair, soft features, and strange eyes, gave him the look of something born to the water. Despite his alien visage or perhaps because of it he was the pride of this small world.
So things continued throughout his childhood. Only on a few occasions did Blue have need to fear anything. Once a terrible storm came from the deep water and threatened to blow and drown the village away. It was Blue who saved them, as he was able to predict the coming storm, which gave the villagers time to move up into higher territory. The other times were close calls with the pirates of the area, but while those bandits attacked their boats, they never came to the village itself. Their presence, never forgotten, loomed like a shadow over daily life.
It may seem weird that Blue was so accepted in his differences, but you must understand that his world is a world of magic, and gods, and wonder. Miracles walked amongst the peoples of every land, and powerful creatures roamed the wilds. Such things were not common per se, but nor were they rare. It was in a small insignificant village’s best interests to embrace such happenings and accept them, rather than shun them. The small gods of the world could be terrible or generous, and it was possible to appease them as long as their gifts were embraced, and their tantrums taken in stride.
These teachings were consequently a part of Blues education amongst the villagers. He grew up learning to respect and thank the spirits of the world. He would start each morning with a prayer, along with every other member of his village.
Gentle blessing
Giving sea
Spirit asked
Watch over me
This was the first prayer taught to each, and every child by their parents, but it was far from the last. Each night at the village dinner more elaborate ceremonies of ‘thanks’ took place. Every morning as the fishermen prepared to depart were blessing for the boats, and prayers to be said as they repaired the nets. Even small prayers or ceremonies were given for clear weather, and before one could touch or drink. This last was a simple thing in which one touches the water and the breast over their heart. Only then can one drink the given liquid, or immerse ones self in its body. These things may seem silly to mainlanders or outsiders, but they were a very real part of village life, and Blue’s early teachings.
This education shaped Blue in mind and spirit. He learned to appreciate what is given, and be thankful to the lesser spirits of the world. In turn he learned to appreciate other people as well, respect for those that contribute, and praise for those that gave. In this he learned to help provide and give back so that he would earn his welcome, and bring something to those that he loved.
Alas, all good things must end, and so too would Blue’s childhood, but it did not pass uneventfully for Blue or his village. His passage into adulthood was ushered forward by great events, both terrible and powerful as omens for his life to come.
It was no secret that Blue possessed special gifts, his ability to read the ocean, and find patterns in the weather had help the village on several occasions, but it was unfocused and unpredictable. Blue also found that he could attune himself, to the water. Mostly he felt this connection whenever he prayed and touched the essence of the liquid. A few times he had even managed to fill cup from nothing.
These happenings had not gone unnoticed, and the elders had done what they could to try and guide the young boys talents. It seemed impossible, as none amongst them had any real experience with such things. So much of the time Blue was left to simply feel his way through the exercises they taught him. He didn’t understand that such things would manifest when they were ready, and until then they would lay inside him nearly dormant.
The moment he had been waiting for came in the middle of his eleventh year. His village had come upon hard times. The pirates who preyed on the fishing towns had become increasingly more active. Rumors trickled in of violent attacks and even raids on other villages. Each day the fishermen would set out with a dark mood, and the fishwives worried away the days, all in dread of the sea dogs.
It happened in the late afternoon one day, as the fishing boats returned, a dark shape was spotted on the horizon. As the village watched, their fear growing, the shape became two, then three, and finally four. The dark specks became outlines, and the outlines became ships. Large ships with patched sails, and flags bearing the markings of pirates.
The villagers did what they could to fortify their homes, and arm themselves. Hooks, and spears were brought out, but they knew they were not fighters. The able bodies of the village practiced a form of martial art, but it was mostly an exercise and had not been forged in the fire of battle. The women, children, and those sick or to old to fight were put in the central hall. Everyone else was put to work.
Blue was out amongst the people. Though to young to fight, he had asked to stand beside those that would fight. If they failed it wouldn’t matter where he was anyway. The elders decided this would be good, and Blue could act as a symbol for the rest to rally beside. Preparations made, they could only sit back and wait for the raiders, with tensions mounting.
As emotions mounted, the fear and anxiety became a living thing to Blue. He felt his mind begin to reel and something inside him begin to churn. He had known fear before but this was different. So caught up in this new sensation was he, that Blue never heard the first sounds of the fighting. It wasn’t until he was jostled violently by the body of a falling fisherman that he was snapped out of his mood.
He pushed the man, an able sailor and fisherman, off himself and looked down into his eyes. The man smiled at Blue and died, and the feelings inside Blue began to rush out. They came in tangible waves of energy. A pirate, the one who killed the man at Blue’s feet, had only time to see the shimmer of water, before it struck him like a javelin.
Quickly, Blue became the center of attention. Pirates screamed, and villagers backed away as torrents of energy cascaded about Blues body like a roaring ocean. Amidst the rolling liquid forms were two spirits; one of a legendary Dragon, and one a leviathan, long revered as protectors by the people of the western seas.
Blue himself wasted no time and began to channel and warp the strange power at his command. He could feel intuitively that it needed his direction, and so direct it he did, toward a bewildered and awestruck group of pirates. They fell over themselves trying to escape the onslaught. Not a few of their number were dead before the rest could reach their landing boats.
The villagers rallied behind Blue, even as they kept their distance, and were able to fight back the raiders with great effect. As the boats pulled away from the beaches several of their ships came to bear and the retort of artillery was heard. In seconds several buildings had disintegrated under the shelling and several more villagers lay screaming.
As a second volley hit the village Blue lost his composure, and in a violent thrust with all his will he pushed a raging sea of energy into the lead ship, blasting a hole straight through the middle. Shortly thereafter the ship broke apart and began to sink. However the pirates weren’t done and Blue felt his new found power begin to drain away. Of course the villagers noticed this, and so did the raiders. As his aura began to fade one of the fishermen helped Blue to safety, and the pirates renewed their assault.
Just as the first of the landing boats came around, a strange sound was heard over the noise of battle. It was haunting music, which filtered in from the open water. Blue felt it, as another entity touched his mind and filled him with renewed strength. With a sharp crack a second of the pirate’s ships revealed a large split running up its center, and slowly it to began to fall into the sea.
A geyser of seawater and sparkling foam exploded beside the ship as several of the great leviathans breached the surface of the water to smash the vessel apart completely. As pirates screamed the villagers looked on with awe, yet Blue could sense something more to come. He knew that something else lurked out in those waters, and felt joyful anticipation as it prepared to reveal itself.
It happened as the remaining pirates began to turn their last ships about and retreat. Another geyser, larger than the other, blasted up between the pirate vessels. As the water began to fall a great form rose from the sea. It was a leviathan larger than any the villagers had ever seen. It was encompassed in an aura of energy not unlike that which Blue so recently manifested. The great beast turned over and rolled, but instead of falling back into the ocean, as it should have, it gently swam through the air between the ships.
Horrified pirates watched as gouts of power slammed, into their beloved ships. Energistic wings unfurled themselves from the leviathan’s sides and blasted through the sides of the now doomed wreckage.
The leviathan itself sang a mournful song, as it caressed the two ships and their crews with destructive energy. Blue could feel it’s sad heart, and knew why it cried. He two felt the sorrow of battle, and loved the great creature all the more for it’s wisdom. The villagers simply heard its song, clear and beautiful, as the creature rescued their simple home. The Pirates as they were blasted or drowned heard only a slow melody, which haunted their last breaths.
As the battle subsided, and the last pirates died, the villagers did their best to begin cleaning up, and helping the wounded, but the water spirit could not help draw their attention. As the elders and those that had hid came out, the large entity drew in toward the shoreline sill lamenting the recent carnage.
Blue stood forward to meet the great beast, as the rest of the humans drew back with trepidation. The leviathan still in touch with Blue’s mind reached out over the minds of the others and began to sing a song of comfort, hope, and love. Blue stepped toward it and they touched for the first time. The child now a young man, with his hand, and the ocean spirit with its head. At this symbol, the tension broke and the villagers cried out in joy, and relief.
The leviathan was called Bay, and it had heard Blue calling out through something it called Creation. It had come here to protect and help Blue, and from that moment forward they would be companions. Blue was happier than he had ever been. The village was safe, he had found a kindred spirit, and finally his potential had manifest. No longer was he unsure of his destiny.
He knew that with his power he could help people. He could show the world the kind of love he had learned growing up. That would be his calling, to show the world compassion, and justice, tempered with humility. If there were others like those pirates then the world was sorely in need of such things. He would also he vowed, never leave those under his care lost with so many questions, as his father had done with him.
At this thought Blue pondered his father, a man he had never known. He hadn’t ever thought about it much, as in this village everyone had many fathers, and mothers. No it occurred to him that he didn’t need that man nor did he resent that his true father had never come back. Blue simply felt that if he had been in the same position he would have been more responsible, and taken a more active roll in his child’s life.
His mother on the other hand he loved dearly, and always would. He loved that she had bore him, and he was proud that she had been the gateway for his very special life. As all these things hit Blue in a moment of clarity he was at peace, and Bay felt that with him.
Although Blue took all these events in stride his village was never quiet the same. Though the pirates had b
From the moment Blue opened his eyes, the villagers knew he was something special, and very different. As he looked about those his inquisitive stare shifted in color and constantly swirled from light green to the deepest blue, just like the different oceans of the world. The medicine wives blessed him and sang praises to the small gods and the spirits of the seas.
His birth was not unexpected, or shocking, instead it seemed preordained. Only a few years earlier a great lord of the mainland houses had come through the area, after a victory in one of the many wars the mainlanders constantly waged. The night that personage stayed amongst the villagers, he asked for tribute, in the form of a maiden. This request was met with honor, and it was Blue’s mother who was finally chosen after much deliberation. She accepted the task with simple dignity, and pride at her appointed duty. That night she entertained the great man, and on that night a peace descended down upon the local waters.
After the great lord left, things pretty much returned to normal, and the village pushed the prestigious occasion from their minds, to concentrate on the business of survival. They did however, place Blue’s mother in a position of honor amongst the fishwives, and never forgot her deed.
So the years went by, two in fact as the Children of the Dragons have longer than normal gestation periods, before Blue was born. The whole time Blue’s mother was watched over by the other fishwives and she carried him without incident In all the days Blue’s mother carried him, never once did the fishermen fail to bring back a days haul, nor did the pirates who dominated those waters pay the small town any mind. All in all the people were content, and taken care of. Truly they believed the gods had smiled on them.
Then the day finally arrived, and it was the most beautiful day any could recall in recent memory. As Blue gave his first cry the powerful leviathans breached the oceans surface and danced in the sun for all the witness. Their songs could be heard throughout he morning, and the fisherman at sea swore the beasts were with their boats all through the day.
Blue’s mother was given a position at the head of the fishwives’ councils, and the village elders looked to the boy as a totem. As he grew it was very apparent that he was more than human, and possessed a piece of his father’s power. Their only regret was that the great man who was responsible for Blue’s creation, never once came back to claim an heir or reward the village for their faithful actions.
Blue himself was happy as a youth, and he picked up both the tools and trade of his people very quickly. He learned to fish, and to sail, and was amongst the best of their tradesmen at the age of five. He grew up fast and very early showed signs of being the most handsome youth the village had ever produced. His dark wavy hair, soft features, and strange eyes, gave him the look of something born to the water. Despite his alien visage or perhaps because of it he was the pride of this small world.
So things continued throughout his childhood. Only on a few occasions did Blue have need to fear anything. Once a terrible storm came from the deep water and threatened to blow and drown the village away. It was Blue who saved them, as he was able to predict the coming storm, which gave the villagers time to move up into higher territory. The other times were close calls with the pirates of the area, but while those bandits attacked their boats, they never came to the village itself. Their presence, never forgotten, loomed like a shadow over daily life.
It may seem weird that Blue was so accepted in his differences, but you must understand that his world is a world of magic, and gods, and wonder. Miracles walked amongst the peoples of every land, and powerful creatures roamed the wilds. Such things were not common per se, but nor were they rare. It was in a small insignificant village’s best interests to embrace such happenings and accept them, rather than shun them. The small gods of the world could be terrible or generous, and it was possible to appease them as long as their gifts were embraced, and their tantrums taken in stride.
These teachings were consequently a part of Blues education amongst the villagers. He grew up learning to respect and thank the spirits of the world. He would start each morning with a prayer, along with every other member of his village.
Gentle blessing
Giving sea
Spirit asked
Watch over me
This was the first prayer taught to each, and every child by their parents, but it was far from the last. Each night at the village dinner more elaborate ceremonies of ‘thanks’ took place. Every morning as the fishermen prepared to depart were blessing for the boats, and prayers to be said as they repaired the nets. Even small prayers or ceremonies were given for clear weather, and before one could touch or drink. This last was a simple thing in which one touches the water and the breast over their heart. Only then can one drink the given liquid, or immerse ones self in its body. These things may seem silly to mainlanders or outsiders, but they were a very real part of village life, and Blue’s early teachings.
This education shaped Blue in mind and spirit. He learned to appreciate what is given, and be thankful to the lesser spirits of the world. In turn he learned to appreciate other people as well, respect for those that contribute, and praise for those that gave. In this he learned to help provide and give back so that he would earn his welcome, and bring something to those that he loved.
Alas, all good things must end, and so too would Blue’s childhood, but it did not pass uneventfully for Blue or his village. His passage into adulthood was ushered forward by great events, both terrible and powerful as omens for his life to come.
It was no secret that Blue possessed special gifts, his ability to read the ocean, and find patterns in the weather had help the village on several occasions, but it was unfocused and unpredictable. Blue also found that he could attune himself, to the water. Mostly he felt this connection whenever he prayed and touched the essence of the liquid. A few times he had even managed to fill cup from nothing.
These happenings had not gone unnoticed, and the elders had done what they could to try and guide the young boys talents. It seemed impossible, as none amongst them had any real experience with such things. So much of the time Blue was left to simply feel his way through the exercises they taught him. He didn’t understand that such things would manifest when they were ready, and until then they would lay inside him nearly dormant.
The moment he had been waiting for came in the middle of his eleventh year. His village had come upon hard times. The pirates who preyed on the fishing towns had become increasingly more active. Rumors trickled in of violent attacks and even raids on other villages. Each day the fishermen would set out with a dark mood, and the fishwives worried away the days, all in dread of the sea dogs.
It happened in the late afternoon one day, as the fishing boats returned, a dark shape was spotted on the horizon. As the village watched, their fear growing, the shape became two, then three, and finally four. The dark specks became outlines, and the outlines became ships. Large ships with patched sails, and flags bearing the markings of pirates.
The villagers did what they could to fortify their homes, and arm themselves. Hooks, and spears were brought out, but they knew they were not fighters. The able bodies of the village practiced a form of martial art, but it was mostly an exercise and had not been forged in the fire of battle. The women, children, and those sick or to old to fight were put in the central hall. Everyone else was put to work.
Blue was out amongst the people. Though to young to fight, he had asked to stand beside those that would fight. If they failed it wouldn’t matter where he was anyway. The elders decided this would be good, and Blue could act as a symbol for the rest to rally beside. Preparations made, they could only sit back and wait for the raiders, with tensions mounting.
As emotions mounted, the fear and anxiety became a living thing to Blue. He felt his mind begin to reel and something inside him begin to churn. He had known fear before but this was different. So caught up in this new sensation was he, that Blue never heard the first sounds of the fighting. It wasn’t until he was jostled violently by the body of a falling fisherman that he was snapped out of his mood.
He pushed the man, an able sailor and fisherman, off himself and looked down into his eyes. The man smiled at Blue and died, and the feelings inside Blue began to rush out. They came in tangible waves of energy. A pirate, the one who killed the man at Blue’s feet, had only time to see the shimmer of water, before it struck him like a javelin.
Quickly, Blue became the center of attention. Pirates screamed, and villagers backed away as torrents of energy cascaded about Blues body like a roaring ocean. Amidst the rolling liquid forms were two spirits; one of a legendary Dragon, and one a leviathan, long revered as protectors by the people of the western seas.
Blue himself wasted no time and began to channel and warp the strange power at his command. He could feel intuitively that it needed his direction, and so direct it he did, toward a bewildered and awestruck group of pirates. They fell over themselves trying to escape the onslaught. Not a few of their number were dead before the rest could reach their landing boats.
The villagers rallied behind Blue, even as they kept their distance, and were able to fight back the raiders with great effect. As the boats pulled away from the beaches several of their ships came to bear and the retort of artillery was heard. In seconds several buildings had disintegrated under the shelling and several more villagers lay screaming.
As a second volley hit the village Blue lost his composure, and in a violent thrust with all his will he pushed a raging sea of energy into the lead ship, blasting a hole straight through the middle. Shortly thereafter the ship broke apart and began to sink. However the pirates weren’t done and Blue felt his new found power begin to drain away. Of course the villagers noticed this, and so did the raiders. As his aura began to fade one of the fishermen helped Blue to safety, and the pirates renewed their assault.
Just as the first of the landing boats came around, a strange sound was heard over the noise of battle. It was haunting music, which filtered in from the open water. Blue felt it, as another entity touched his mind and filled him with renewed strength. With a sharp crack a second of the pirate’s ships revealed a large split running up its center, and slowly it to began to fall into the sea.
A geyser of seawater and sparkling foam exploded beside the ship as several of the great leviathans breached the surface of the water to smash the vessel apart completely. As pirates screamed the villagers looked on with awe, yet Blue could sense something more to come. He knew that something else lurked out in those waters, and felt joyful anticipation as it prepared to reveal itself.
It happened as the remaining pirates began to turn their last ships about and retreat. Another geyser, larger than the other, blasted up between the pirate vessels. As the water began to fall a great form rose from the sea. It was a leviathan larger than any the villagers had ever seen. It was encompassed in an aura of energy not unlike that which Blue so recently manifested. The great beast turned over and rolled, but instead of falling back into the ocean, as it should have, it gently swam through the air between the ships.
Horrified pirates watched as gouts of power slammed, into their beloved ships. Energistic wings unfurled themselves from the leviathan’s sides and blasted through the sides of the now doomed wreckage.
The leviathan itself sang a mournful song, as it caressed the two ships and their crews with destructive energy. Blue could feel it’s sad heart, and knew why it cried. He two felt the sorrow of battle, and loved the great creature all the more for it’s wisdom. The villagers simply heard its song, clear and beautiful, as the creature rescued their simple home. The Pirates as they were blasted or drowned heard only a slow melody, which haunted their last breaths.
As the battle subsided, and the last pirates died, the villagers did their best to begin cleaning up, and helping the wounded, but the water spirit could not help draw their attention. As the elders and those that had hid came out, the large entity drew in toward the shoreline sill lamenting the recent carnage.
Blue stood forward to meet the great beast, as the rest of the humans drew back with trepidation. The leviathan still in touch with Blue’s mind reached out over the minds of the others and began to sing a song of comfort, hope, and love. Blue stepped toward it and they touched for the first time. The child now a young man, with his hand, and the ocean spirit with its head. At this symbol, the tension broke and the villagers cried out in joy, and relief.
The leviathan was called Bay, and it had heard Blue calling out through something it called Creation. It had come here to protect and help Blue, and from that moment forward they would be companions. Blue was happier than he had ever been. The village was safe, he had found a kindred spirit, and finally his potential had manifest. No longer was he unsure of his destiny.
He knew that with his power he could help people. He could show the world the kind of love he had learned growing up. That would be his calling, to show the world compassion, and justice, tempered with humility. If there were others like those pirates then the world was sorely in need of such things. He would also he vowed, never leave those under his care lost with so many questions, as his father had done with him.
At this thought Blue pondered his father, a man he had never known. He hadn’t ever thought about it much, as in this village everyone had many fathers, and mothers. No it occurred to him that he didn’t need that man nor did he resent that his true father had never come back. Blue simply felt that if he had been in the same position he would have been more responsible, and taken a more active roll in his child’s life.
His mother on the other hand he loved dearly, and always would. He loved that she had bore him, and he was proud that she had been the gateway for his very special life. As all these things hit Blue in a moment of clarity he was at peace, and Bay felt that with him.
Although Blue took all these events in stride his village was never quiet the same. Though the pirates had been defeated, the villagers had subtly changed. They had bore witness to the brutality of warfare, and experienced its harsh lessons. So their hearts became just a bit harder, and their eyes became a bit more clouded to the god things in the world.
Still rumors trickled in of pirate incursions, and the village became more battle ready. Houses were fortified, and fishermen were armed. They traded for weapons as often as not. The life in Blue’s once peaceful home would never be the same. Blue wanted desperately to do something, but Bay and the elders urged him to keep training his new skills, as he would be called soon. They wouldn’t say to what he would be called, or by whom, only that a time of change approached. Like his element Blue accepted this, and diligently practiced using his new powers.
He was a creature apart from them, and he understood this, so he trained and listened to his new companions teachings. Bay also knew what it was like to be different and even here he was seen with awe and worship, instead of with a simple thanks. So the two together began to spend their days together, and apart from the rest of the village. They were not begrudged, but instead were encouraged to do so.
Of course the elders were right, those amongst them who had been out in the world, knew that children like Blue were watched for, by the noble houses on the mainland. When Blue had manifested his aura they knew it was only a matter of time. They told his mother and she also came to accept that her child would have to leave, and she took heart in the fact that Bay would be with him.
Sure enough only weeks after the Pirate attack a single ship was spotted approaching the village. The sighting was met with an arming of the able bodies and apprehension, but as the vessel drew closer it became very apparent that it was not a pirate ship. Instead it bore the markings of a mainland institution. The institution was familiar to several of the elders and they knew it was time for Blue to leave.
As the ship pulled into the small port and docked, the elders and fishwives gathered around. Blue was brought forward and placed in front of the group. Blue was a bit scared as a large ramp descended from the ship, and several armored knights bearing standards marched into the village. Behind them came an old man in robes, followed by a gaggle of younger men and women also garbed in robes, and carrying sheets of parchment as well as writing implements.
The procession came to a halt, with the older man at its head, in front of the village elders. Greeting were exchanged, and Blue was held before them as they asked whom amongst them had Exalted. Though Blue didn’t know what Exalted meant, but he was sure they meant him. The old man was pleasant toward him if a bit strict, and he was told to pack only a single bag and be ready by morning.
That night the village threw a feast to sing the praises of their blessed son and his guardian Bay. The Elder and his scribes conferred often and wrote many of their stories and customs down. They were needless to say a bit shocked when they first met the leviathan, but the older man was very serious when he insisted the spirit join Blue on his journey to the mainland kingdoms.
Blue was told he would be going off to attend a school, with other young men and women like himself. He would be taught how to use his powers, and to exist in a world very different from the one he had grown up in. Blue was excited, and a little afraid, and he slept not a wink that whole night.
As morning came and the older man in robes gave the orders to prepare for departure, Blue went to his mother and they exchanged last goodbyes. He then said goodbye to the rest of the village, who all came out to see him off. He then followed the old man and his entourage onto the great vessel, and with a last wave was taken out to sea. The last thing Blue remembered from that morning was his mothers promise that there would always be a place for him in the village.
The ship set course and traveled into the rising sun. The spirit Bay followed Blue and the ship. Sometimes it could be seen flying beside the ship and sometimes beneath it. He was quiet an anomaly and highly unusual, but most of the other people on the ship seemed to accept him.
The trip itself was long with little to do. Everyday Blue was given some minor instructions on what to expect at the school, and what was expected of him. He was quick to pick it all up, and the rest of the time he spent getting to know some of the other young people. It turned out they were all advanced students learning underneath the old man who had come to collect Blue.
It was unusual for humans to Exalt outside the realm, and they let him know this. They asked so many questions Blue didn’t know the answers to, and used so many words that Blue had never heard, that he felt very stupid and out of place. They said it was okay, and that he would get the answers and learn the words in school.
The one thing they seemed the most shocked by however, was that he didn’t know his father. Apparently lineage was rather important on the mainland. This didn’t change most of their opinions of Blue, as he was so easy to get along with and seemed so ready to care for and be interested in them.
It wasn’t an act either, these people from the outside made his old world seem so small, and he was anxious to grow into a new roll, and learn about all the new things. So as the voyage passed Blue grew even more, and learned all about the alien world to which he was determined to belong.
School was a bit different than Blue had been led to believe. Everything was strict and orderly. While the fishing village had its routines, and demanded hard work, it was still much different than the academy.
Before, Blue had been given tasks he had found both enjoyable and without stress. One could lose ones self in the daily chores, and dream while taking care of tasks. At school constant attention had to be devoted to studies and lectures. Blue had to pay attention, and do as he was told, with no room for error, or there came punishments.
It was exceptionally hard for him coming from such a different lifestyle, but he changed old habits and learned to adapt to his new setting, like water from a stream filling a cup. The lessons became easier as routines were established and became familiar. However, there were several parts of his old life Blue cold not leave behind. One was the respect he paid to, the spirits and elements. The other was his desire to help others.
Other students were put off by Blue strange practices and beliefs but his open honesty and desire to understand and accept the beliefs of others, made it easier for them accept him. Plus Blue never turned down the excuses to help someone. This made him very popular amongst the other students and teachers. His attitude and fresh perspective helped all those who knew him to add a bit of light to an otherwise gloomy day to day routine.
As it turned out some of the students who gave him the hardest times at first, became some of his closest compatriots. He was probably the only kid in school who wore his intentions on his sleeve and always delivered on a promise. Yes, it was unsettling, but in the face of his honest smile it was hard not to like and trust him.
Bay for the most part kept to a decent sized lake, which was present on the school grounds. Many of the other students had pets and creatures they called familiars, but no one had anything like Bay. He was a wonder to behold, and several important figures came to talk with Blue about his spirit companion on more than one occasion. If they talked to Bay as well, Blue never found out.
The two existed beside and around one another, Blue was never happier than when he was with his spirit guide. In fact special allowances were made so that Blue could spend more time with the colossal being. It seemed that several of the instructors at the academy had recognized something inherent in the bond between the two.
So four years passed with Blue growing and learning each day. His teachers loved him, and he was rather popular as a student and friend. He learned all about the social life in realm. He learned tactics, and warfare. It even turned out that the martial arts he had learned as simple exercises in his village had actual applications in fighting.
Blue was never entirely comfortable with war, and battle training, but he excelled in it none the less. In fact in all his time at the academy Blue didn’t find a single thing he couldn’t do if he put his mind to it.
In his off time Blue would read, and play games with the other students. Bay usually joined him, much to the delight of those around Blue. He was always ready with a smile and never let hurt feelings or bad news ruin the day. It seemed Blue could always help show some one a better day.
Now the end of his schooling approaches, and a change lurks once again upon the horizon. Blue is ready for what ever comes, and is determined to make the best of the life that awaits him outside the walls of the academy. He knows that to survive he will have to join of the great families, that constantly via for power, and position in the Realm. He also knows he will have the support of his friends and teachers in his life to come.
Bay also has sensed change, and recently let Blue know that wherever and whatever he decided, it would be by his side.
He was born in a small fishing village, so like those in the great western seas. His mother named him Blue, on account of the color of the water the day he was born. The calm skies and bountiful harvest of fish that day were both auspicious omens for his birth.
From the moment Blue opened his eyes, the villagers knew he was something special, and very different. As he looked about those his inquisitive stare shifted in color and constantly swirled from light green to the deepest blue, just like the different oceans of the world. The medicine wives blessed him and sang praises to the small gods and the spirits of the seas.
His birth was not unexpected, or shocking, instead it seemed preordained. Only a few years earlier a great lord of the mainland houses had come through the area, after a victory in one of the many wars the mainlanders constantly waged. The night that personage stayed amongst the villagers, he asked for tribute, in the form of a maiden. This request was met with honor, and it was Blue’s mother who was finally chosen after much deliberation. She accepted the task with simple dignity, and pride at her appointed duty. That night she entertained the great man, and on that night a peace descended down upon the local waters.
After the great lord left, things pretty much returned to normal, and the village pushed the prestigious occasion from their minds, to concentrate on the business of survival. They did however, place Blue’s mother in a position of honor amongst the fishwives, and never forgot her deed.
So the years went by, two in fact as the Children of the Dragons have longer than normal gestation periods, before Blue was born. The whole time Blue’s mother was watched over by the other fishwives and she carried him without incident In all the days Blue’s mother carried him, never once did the fishermen fail to bring back a days haul, nor did the pirates who dominated those waters pay the small town any mind. All in all the people were content, and taken care of. Truly they believed the gods had smiled on them.
Then the day finally arrived, and it was the most beautiful day any could recall in recent memory. As Blue gave his first cry the powerful leviathans breached the oceans surface and danced in the sun for all the witness. Their songs could be heard throughout he morning, and the fisherman at sea swore the beasts were with their boats all through the day.
Blue’s mother was given a position at the head of the fishwives’ councils, and the village elders looked to the boy as a totem. As he grew it was very apparent that he was more than human, and possessed a piece of his father’s power. Their only regret was that the great man who was responsible for Blue’s creation, never once came back to claim an heir or reward the village for their faithful actions.
Blue himself was happy as a youth, and he picked up both the tools and trade of his people very quickly. He learned to fish, and to sail, and was amongst the best of their tradesmen at the age of five. He grew up fast and very early showed signs of being the most handsome youth the village had ever produced. His dark wavy hair, soft features, and strange eyes, gave him the look of something born to the water. Despite his alien visage or perhaps because of it he was the pride of this small world.
So things continued throughout his childhood. Only on a few occasions did Blue have need to fear anything. Once a terrible storm came from the deep water and threatened to blow and drown the village away. It was Blue who saved them, as he was able to predict the coming storm, which gave the villagers time to move up into higher territory. The other times were close calls with the pirates of the area, but while those bandits attacked their boats, they never came to the village itself. Their presence, never forgotten, loomed like a shadow over daily life.
It may seem weird that Blue was so accepted in his differences, but you must understand that his world is a world of magic, and gods, and wonder. Miracles walked amongst the peoples of every land, and powerful creatures roamed the wilds. Such things were not common per se, but nor were they rare. It was in a small insignificant village’s best interests to embrace such happenings and accept them, rather than shun them. The small gods of the world could be terrible or generous, and it was possible to appease them as long as their gifts were embraced, and their tantrums taken in stride.
These teachings were consequently a part of Blues education amongst the villagers. He grew up learning to respect and thank the spirits of the world. He would start each morning with a prayer, along with every other member of his village.
Gentle blessing
Giving sea
Spirit asked
Watch over me
This was the first prayer taught to each, and every child by their parents, but it was far from the last. Each night at the village dinner more elaborate ceremonies of ‘thanks’ took place. Every morning as the fishermen prepared to depart were blessing for the boats, and prayers to be said as they repaired the nets. Even small prayers or ceremonies were given for clear weather, and before one could touch or drink. This last was a simple thing in which one touches the water and the breast over their heart. Only then can one drink the given liquid, or immerse ones self in its body. These things may seem silly to mainlanders or outsiders, but they were a very real part of village life, and Blue’s early teachings.
This education shaped Blue in mind and spirit. He learned to appreciate what is given, and be thankful to the lesser spirits of the world. In turn he learned to appreciate other people as well, respect for those that contribute, and praise for those that gave. In this he learned to help provide and give back so that he would earn his welcome, and bring something to those that he loved.
Alas, all good things must end, and so too would Blue’s childhood, but it did not pass uneventfully for Blue or his village. His passage into adulthood was ushered forward by great events, both terrible and powerful as omens for his life to come.
It was no secret that Blue possessed special gifts, his ability to read the ocean, and find patterns in the weather had help the village on several occasions, but it was unfocused and unpredictable. Blue also found that he could attune himself, to the water. Mostly he felt this connection whenever he prayed and touched the essence of the liquid. A few times he had even managed to fill cup from nothing.
These happenings had not gone unnoticed, and the elders had done what they could to try and guide the young boys talents. It seemed impossible, as none amongst them had any real experience with such things. So much of the time Blue was left to simply feel his way through the exercises they taught him. He didn’t understand that such things would manifest when they were ready, and until then they would lay inside him nearly dormant.
The moment he had been waiting for came in the middle of his eleventh year. His village had come upon hard times. The pirates who preyed on the fishing towns had become increasingly more active. Rumors trickled in of violent attacks and even raids on other villages. Each day the fishermen would set out with a dark mood, and the fishwives worried away the days, all in dread of the sea dogs.
It happened in the late afternoon one day, as the fishing boats returned, a dark shape was spotted on the horizon. As the village watched, their fear growing, the shape became two, then three, and finally four. The dark specks became outlines, and the outlines became ships. Large ships with patched sails, and flags bearing the markings of pirates.
The villagers did what they could to fortify their homes, and arm themselves. Hooks, and spears were brought out, but they knew they were not fighters. The able bodies of the village practiced a form of martial art, but it was mostly an exercise and had not been forged in the fire of battle. The women, children, and those sick or to old to fight were put in the central hall. Everyone else was put to work.
Blue was out amongst the people. Though to young to fight, he had asked to stand beside those that would fight. If they failed it wouldn’t matter where he was anyway. The elders decided this would be good, and Blue could act as a symbol for the rest to rally beside. Preparations made, they could only sit back and wait for the raiders, with tensions mounting.
As emotions mounted, the fear and anxiety became a living thing to Blue. He felt his mind begin to reel and something inside him begin to churn. He had known fear before but this was different. So caught up in this new sensation was he, that Blue never heard the first sounds of the fighting. It wasn’t until he was jostled violently by the body of a falling fisherman that he was snapped out of his mood.
He pushed the man, an able sailor and fisherman, off himself and looked down into his eyes. The man smiled at Blue and died, and the feelings inside Blue began to rush out. They came in tangible waves of energy. A pirate, the one who killed the man at Blue’s feet, had only time to see the shimmer of water, before it struck him like a javelin.
Quickly, Blue became the center of attention. Pirates screamed, and villagers backed away as torrents of energy cascaded about Blues body like a roaring ocean. Amidst the rolling liquid forms were two spirits; one of a legendary Dragon, and one a leviathan, long revered as protectors by the people of the western seas.
Blue himself wasted no time and began to channel and warp the strange power at his command. He could feel intuitively that it needed his direction, and so direct it he did, toward a bewildered and awestruck group of pirates. They fell over themselves trying to escape the onslaught. Not a few of their number were dead before the rest could reach their landing boats.
The villagers rallied behind Blue, even as they kept their distance, and were able to fight back the raiders with great effect. As the boats pulled away from the beaches several of their ships came to bear and the retort of artillery was heard. In seconds several buildings had disintegrated under the shelling and several more villagers lay screaming.
As a second volley hit the village Blue lost his composure, and in a violent thrust with all his will he pushed a raging sea of energy into the lead ship, blasting a hole straight through the middle. Shortly thereafter the ship broke apart and began to sink. However the pirates weren’t done and Blue felt his new found power begin to drain away. Of course the villagers noticed this, and so did the raiders. As his aura began to fade one of the fishermen helped Blue to safety, and the pirates renewed their assault.
Just as the first of the landing boats came around, a strange sound was heard over the noise of battle. It was haunting music, which filtered in from the open water. Blue felt it, as another entity touched his mind and filled him with renewed strength. With a sharp crack a second of the pirate’s ships revealed a large split running up its center, and slowly it to began to fall into the sea.
A geyser of seawater and sparkling foam exploded beside the ship as several of the great leviathans breached the surface of the water to smash the vessel apart completely. As pirates screamed the villagers looked on with awe, yet Blue could sense something more to come. He knew that something else lurked out in those waters, and felt joyful anticipation as it prepared to reveal itself.
It happened as the remaining pirates began to turn their last ships about and retreat. Another geyser, larger than the other, blasted up between the pirate vessels. As the water began to fall a great form rose from the sea. It was a leviathan larger than any the villagers had ever seen. It was encompassed in an aura of energy not unlike that which Blue so recently manifested. The great beast turned over and rolled, but instead of falling back into the ocean, as it should have, it gently swam through the air between the ships.
Horrified pirates watched as gouts of power slammed, into their beloved ships. Energistic wings unfurled themselves from the leviathan’s sides and blasted through the sides of the now doomed wreckage.
The leviathan itself sang a mournful song, as it caressed the two ships and their crews with destructive energy. Blue could feel it’s sad heart, and knew why it cried. He two felt the sorrow of battle, and loved the great creature all the more for it’s wisdom. The villagers simply heard its song, clear and beautiful, as the creature rescued their simple home. The Pirates as they were blasted or drowned heard only a slow melody, which haunted their last breaths.
As the battle subsided, and the last pirates died, the villagers did their best to begin cleaning up, and helping the wounded, but the water spirit could not help draw their attention. As the elders and those that had hid came out, the large entity drew in toward the shoreline sill lamenting the recent carnage.
Blue stood forward to meet the great beast, as the rest of the humans drew back with trepidation. The leviathan still in touch with Blue’s mind reached out over the minds of the others and began to sing a song of comfort, hope, and love. Blue stepped toward it and they touched for the first time. The child now a young man, with his hand, and the ocean spirit with its head. At this symbol, the tension broke and the villagers cried out in joy, and relief.
The leviathan was called Bay, and it had heard Blue calling out through something it called Creation. It had come here to protect and help Blue, and from that moment forward they would be companions. Blue was happier than he had ever been. The village was safe, he had found a kindred spirit, and finally his potential had manifest. No longer was he unsure of his destiny.
He knew that with his power he could help people. He could show the world the kind of love he had learned growing up. That would be his calling, to show the world compassion, and justice, tempered with humility. If there were others like those pirates then the world was sorely in need of such things. He would also he vowed, never leave those under his care lost with so many questions, as his father had done with him.
At this thought Blue pondered his father, a man he had never known. He hadn’t ever thought about it much, as in this village everyone had many fathers, and mothers. No it occurred to him that he didn’t need that man nor did he resent that his true father had never come back. Blue simply felt that if he had been in the same position he would have been more responsible, and taken a more active roll in his child’s life.
His mother on the other hand he loved dearly, and always would. He loved that she had bore him, and he was proud that she had been the gateway for his very special life. As all these things hit Blue in a moment of clarity he was at peace, and Bay felt that with him.
Although Blue took all these events in stride his village was never quiet the same. Though the pirates had been defeated, the villagers had subtly changed. They had bore witness to the brutality of warfare, and experienced its harsh lessons. So their hearts became just a bit harder, and their eyes became a bit more clouded to the god things in the world.
Still rumors trickled in of pirate incursions, and the village became more battle ready. Houses were fortified, and fishermen were armed. They traded for weapons as often as not. The life in Blue’s once peaceful home would never be the same. Blue wanted desperately to do something, but Bay and the elders urged him to keep training his new skills, as he would be called soon. They wouldn’t say to what he would be called, or by whom, only that a time of change approached. Like his element Blue accepted this, and diligently practiced using his new powers.
He was a creature apart from them, and he understood this, so he trained and listened to his new companions teachings. Bay also knew what it was like to be different and even here he was seen with awe and worship, instead of with a simple thanks. So the two together began to spend their days together, and apart from the rest of the village. They were not begrudged, but instead were encouraged to do so.
Of course the elders were right, those amongst them who had been out in the world, knew that children like Blue were watched for, by the noble houses on the mainland. When Blue had manifested his aura they knew it was only a matter of time. They told his mother and she also came to accept that her child would have to leave, and she took heart in the fact that Bay would be with him.
Sure enough only weeks after the Pirate attack a single ship was spotted approaching the village. The sighting was met with an arming of the able bodies and apprehension, but as the vessel drew closer it became very apparent that it was not a pirate ship. Instead it bore the markings of a mainland institution. The institution was familiar to several of the elders and they knew it was time for Blue to leave.
As the ship pulled into the small port and docked, the elders and fishwives gathered around. Blue was brought forward and placed in front of the group. Blue was a bit scared as a large ramp descended from the ship, and several armored knights bearing standards marched into the village. Behind them came an old man in robes, followed by a gaggle of younger men and women also garbed in robes, and carrying sheets of parchment as well as writing implements.
The procession came to a halt, with the older man at its head, in front of the village elders. Greeting were exchanged, and Blue was held before them as they asked whom amongst them had Exalted. Though Blue didn’t know what Exalted meant, but he was sure they meant him. The old man was pleasant toward him if a bit strict, and he was told to pack only a single bag and be ready by morning.
That night the village threw a feast to sing the praises of their blessed son and his guardian Bay. The Elder and his scribes conferred often and wrote many of their stories and customs down. They were needless to say a bit shocked when they first met the leviathan, but the older man was very serious when he insisted the spirit join Blue on his journey to the mainland kingdoms.
Blue was told he would be going off to attend a school, with other young men and women like himself. He would be taught how to use his powers, and to exist in a world very different from the one he had grown up in. Blue was excited, and a little afraid, and he slept not a wink that whole night.
As morning came and the older man in robes gave the orders to prepare for departure, Blue went to his mother and they exchanged last goodbyes. He then said goodbye to the rest of the village, who all came out to see him off. He then followed the old man and his entourage onto the great vessel, and with a last wave was taken out to sea. The last thing Blue remembered from that morning was his mothers promise that there would always be a place for him in the village.
The ship set course and traveled into the rising sun. The spirit Bay followed Blue and the ship. Sometimes it could be seen flying beside the ship and sometimes beneath it. He was quiet an anomaly and highly unusual, but most of the other people on the ship seemed to accept him.
The trip itself was long with little to do. Everyday Blue was given some minor instructions on what to expect at the school, and what was expected of him. He was quick to pick it all up, and the rest of the time he spent getting to know some of the other young people. It turned out they were all advanced students learning underneath the old man who had come to collect Blue.
It was unusual for humans to Exalt outside the realm, and they let him know this. They asked so many questions Blue didn’t know the answers to, and used so many words that Blue had never heard, that he felt very stupid and out of place. They said it was okay, and that he would get the answers and learn the words in school.
The one thing they seemed the most shocked by however, was that he didn’t know his father. Apparently lineage was rather important on the mainland. This didn’t change most of their opinions of Blue, as he was so easy to get along with and seemed so ready to care for and be interested in them.
It wasn’t an act either, these people from the outside made his old world seem so small, and he was anxious to grow into a new roll, and learn about all the new things. So as the voyage passed Blue grew even more, and learned all about the alien world to which he was determined to belong.
School was a bit different than Blue had been led to believe. Everything was strict and orderly. While the fishing village had its routines, and demanded hard work, it was still much different than the academy.
Before, Blue had been given tasks he had found both enjoyable and without stress. One could lose ones self in the daily chores, and dream while taking care of tasks. At school constant attention had to be devoted to studies and lectures. Blue had to pay attention, and do as he was told, with no room for error, or there came punishments.
It was exceptionally hard for him coming from such a different lifestyle, but he changed old habits and learned to adapt to his new setting, like water from a stream filling a cup. The lessons became easier as routines were established and became familiar. However, there were several parts of his old life Blue cold not leave behind. One was the respect he paid to, the spirits and elements. The other was his desire to help others.
Other students were put off by Blue strange practices and beliefs but his open honesty and desire to understand and accept the beliefs of others, made it easier for them accept him. Plus Blue never turned down the excuses to help someone. This made him very popular amongst the other students and teachers. His attitude and fresh perspective helped all those who knew him to add a bit of light to an otherwise gloomy day to day routine.
As it turned out some of the students who gave him the hardest times at first, became some of his closest compatriots. He was probably the only kid in school who wore his intentions on his sleeve and always delivered on a promise. Yes, it was unsettling, but in the face of his honest smile it was hard not to like and trust him.
Bay for the most part kept to a decent sized lake, which was present on the school grounds. Many of the other students had pets and creatures they called familiars, but no one had anything like Bay. He was a wonder to behold, and several important figures came to talk with Blue about his spirit companion on more than one occasion. If they talked to Bay as well, Blue never found out.
The two existed beside and around one another, Blue was never happier than when he was with his spirit guide. In fact special allowances were made so that Blue could spend more time with the colossal being. It seemed that several of the instructors at the academy had recognized something inherent in the bond between the two.
So four years passed with Blue growing and learning each day. His teachers loved him, and he was rather popular as a student and friend. He learned all about the social life in realm. He learned tactics, and warfare. It even turned out that the martial arts he had learned as simple exercises in his village had actual applications in fighting.
Blue was never entirely comfortable with war, and battle training, but he excelled in it none the less. In fact in all his time at the academy Blue didn’t find a single thing he couldn’t do if he put his mind to it.
In his off time Blue would read, and play games with the other students. Bay usually joined him, much to the delight of those around Blue. He was always ready with a smile and never let hurt feelings or bad news ruin the day. It seemed Blue could always help show some one a better day.
Now the end of his schooling approaches, and a change lurks once again upon the horizon. Blue is ready for what ever comes, and is determined to make the best of the life that awaits him outside the walls of the academy. He knows that to survive he will have to join of the great families, that constantly via for power, and position in the Realm. He also knows he will have the support of his friends and teachers in his life to come.
Bay also has sensed change, and recently let Blue know that wherever and whatever he decided, it would be by his side.
He was born in a small fishing village, so like those in the great western seas. His mother named him Blue, on account of the color of the water the day he was born. The calm skies and bountiful harvest of fish that day were both auspicious omens for his birth.
From the moment Blue opened his eyes, the villagers knew he was something special, and very different. As he looked about those his inquisitive stare shifted in color and constantly swirled from light green to the deepest blue, just like the different oceans of the world. The medicine wives blessed him and sang praises to the small gods and the spirits of the seas.
His birth was not unexpected, or shocking, instead it seemed preordained. Only a few years earlier a great lord of the mainland houses had come through the area, after a victory in one of the many wars the mainlanders constantly waged. The night that personage stayed amongst the villagers, he asked for tribute, in the form of a maiden. This request was met with honor, and it was Blue’s mother who was finally chosen after much deliberation. She accepted the task with simple dignity, and pride at her appointed duty. That night she entertained the great man, and on that night a peace descended down upon the local waters.
After the great lord left, things pretty much returned to normal, and the village pushed the prestigious occasion from their minds, to concentrate on the business of survival. They did however, place Blue’s mother in a position of honor amongst the fishwives, and never forgot her deed.
So the years went by, two in fact as the Children of the Dragons have longer than normal gestation periods, before Blue was born. The whole time Blue’s mother was watched over by the other fishwives and she carried him without incident In all the days Blue’s mother carried him, never once did the fishermen fail to bring back a days haul, nor did the pirates who dominated those waters pay the small town any mind. All in all the people were content, and taken care of. Truly they believed the gods had smiled on them.
Then the day finally arrived, and it was the most beautiful day any could recall in recent memory. As Blue gave his first cry the powerful leviathans breached the oceans surface and danced in the sun for all the witness. Their songs could be heard throughout he morning, and the fisherman at sea swore the beasts were with their boats all through the day.
Blue’s mother was given a position at the head of the fishwives’ councils, and the village elders looked to the boy as a totem. As he grew it was very apparent that he was more than human, and possessed a piece of his father’s power. Their only regret was that the great man who was responsible for Blue’s creation, never once came back to claim an heir or reward the village for their faithful actions.
Blue himself was happy as a youth, and he picked up both the tools and trade of his people very quickly. He learned to fish, and to sail, and was amongst the best of their tradesmen at the age of five. He grew up fast and very early showed signs of being the most handsome youth the village had ever produced. His dark wavy hair, soft features, and strange eyes, gave him the look of something born to the water. Despite his alien visage or perhaps because of it he was the pride of this small world.
So things continued throughout his childhood. Only on a few occasions did Blue have need to fear anything. Once a terrible storm came from the deep water and threatened to blow and drown the village away. It was Blue who saved them, as he was able to predict the coming storm, which gave the villagers time to move up into higher territory. The other times were close calls with the pirates of the area, but while those bandits attacked their boats, they never came to the village itself. Their presence, never forgotten, loomed like a shadow over daily life.
It may seem weird that Blue was so accepted in his differences, but you must understand that his world is a world of magic, and gods, and wonder. Miracles walked amongst the peoples of every land, and powerful creatures roamed the wilds. Such things were not common per se, but nor were they rare. It was in a small insignificant village’s best interests to embrace such happenings and accept them, rather than shun them. The small gods of the world could be terrible or generous, and it was possible to appease them as long as their gifts were embraced, and their tantrums taken in stride.
These teachings were consequently a part of Blues education amongst the villagers. He grew up learning to respect and thank the spirits of the world. He would start each morning with a prayer, along with every other member of his village.
Gentle blessing
Giving sea
Spirit asked
Watch over me
This was the first prayer taught to each, and every child by their parents, but it was far from the last. Each night at the village dinner more elaborate ceremonies of ‘thanks’ took place. Every morning as the fishermen prepared to depart were blessing for the boats, and prayers to be said as they repaired the nets. Even small prayers or ceremonies were given for clear weather, and before one could touch or drink. This last was a simple thing in which one touches the water and the breast over their heart. Only then can one drink the given liquid, or immerse ones self in its body. These things may seem silly to mainlanders or outsiders, but they were a very real part of village life, and Blue’s early teachings.
This education shaped Blue in mind and spirit. He learned to appreciate what is given, and be thankful to the lesser spirits of the world. In turn he learned to appreciate other people as well, respect for those that contribute, and praise for those that gave. In this he learned to help provide and give back so that he would earn his welcome, and bring something to those that he loved.
Alas, all good things must end, and so too would Blue’s childhood, but it did not pass uneventfully for Blue or his village. His passage into adulthood was ushered forward by great events, both terrible and powerful as omens for his life to come.
It was no secret that Blue possessed special gifts, his ability to read the ocean, and find patterns in the weather had help the village on several occasions, but it was unfocused and unpredictable. Blue also found that he could attune himself, to the water. Mostly he felt this connection whenever he prayed and touched the essence of the liquid. A few times he had even managed to fill cup from nothing.
These happenings had not gone unnoticed, and the elders had done what they could to try and guide the young boys talents. It seemed impossible, as none amongst them had any real experience with such things. So much of the time Blue was left to simply feel his way through the exercises they taught him. He didn’t understand that such things would manifest when they were ready, and until then they would lay inside him nearly dormant.
The moment he had been waiting for came in the middle of his eleventh year. His village had come upon hard times. The pirates who preyed on the fishing towns had become increasingly more active. Rumors trickled in of violent attacks and even raids on other villages. Each day the fishermen would set out with a dark mood, and the fishwives worried away the days, all in dread of the sea dogs.
It happened in the late afternoon one day, as the fishing boats returned, a dark shape was spotted on the horizon. As the village watched, their fear growing, the shape became two, then three, and finally four. The dark specks became outlines, and the outlines became ships. Large ships with patched sails, and flags bearing the markings of pirates.
The villagers did what they could to fortify their homes, and arm themselves. Hooks, and spears were brought out, but they knew they were not fighters. The able bodies of the village practiced a form of martial art, but it was mostly an exercise and had not been forged in the fire of battle. The women, children, and those sick or to old to fight were put in the central hall. Everyone else was put to work.
Blue was out amongst the people. Though to young to fight, he had asked to stand beside those that would fight. If they failed it wouldn’t matter where he was anyway. The elders decided this would be good, and Blue could act as a symbol for the rest to rally beside. Preparations made, they could only sit back and wait for the raiders, with tensions mounting.
As emotions mounted, the fear and anxiety became a living thing to Blue. He felt his mind begin to reel and something inside him begin to churn. He had known fear before but this was different. So caught up in this new sensation was he, that Blue never heard the first sounds of the fighting. It wasn’t until he was jostled violently by the body of a falling fisherman that he was snapped out of his mood.
He pushed the man, an able sailor and fisherman, off himself and looked down into his eyes. The man smiled at Blue and died, and the feelings inside Blue began to rush out. They came in tangible waves of energy. A pirate, the one who killed the man at Blue’s feet, had only time to see the shimmer of water, before it struck him like a javelin.
Quickly, Blue became the center of attention. Pirates screamed, and villagers backed away as torrents of energy cascaded about Blues body like a roaring ocean. Amidst the rolling liquid forms were two spirits; one of a legendary Dragon, and one a leviathan, long revered as protectors by the people of the western seas.
Blue himself wasted no time and began to channel and warp the strange power at his command. He could feel intuitively that it needed his direction, and so direct it he did, toward a bewildered and awestruck group of pirates. They fell over themselves trying to escape the onslaught. Not a few of their number were dead before the rest could reach their landing boats.
The villagers rallied behind Blue, even as they kept their distance, and were able to fight back the raiders with great effect. As the boats pulled away from the beaches several of their ships came to bear and the retort of artillery was heard. In seconds several buildings had disintegrated under the shelling and several more villagers lay screaming.
As a second volley hit the village Blue lost his composure, and in a violent thrust with all his will he pushed a raging sea of energy into the lead ship, blasting a hole straight through the middle. Shortly thereafter the ship broke apart and began to sink. However the pirates weren’t done and Blue felt his new found power begin to drain away. Of course the villagers noticed this, and so did the raiders. As his aura began to fade one of the fishermen helped Blue to safety, and the pirates renewed their assault.
Just as the first of the landing boats came around, a strange sound was heard over the noise of battle. It was haunting music, which filtered in from the open water. Blue felt it, as another entity touched his mind and filled him with renewed strength. With a sharp crack a second of the pirate’s ships revealed a large split running up its center, and slowly it to began to fall into the sea.
A geyser of seawater and sparkling foam exploded beside the ship as several of the great leviathans breached the surface of the water to smash the vessel apart completely. As pirates screamed the villagers looked on with awe, yet Blue could sense something more to come. He knew that something else lurked out in those waters, and felt joyful anticipation as it prepared to reveal itself.
It happened as the remaining pirates began to turn their last ships about and retreat. Another geyser, larger than the other, blasted up between the pirate vessels. As the water began to fall a great form rose from the sea. It was a leviathan larger than any the villagers had ever seen. It was encompassed in an aura of energy not unlike that which Blue so recently manifested. The great beast turned over and rolled, but instead of falling back into the ocean, as it should have, it gently swam through the air between the ships.
Horrified pirates watched as gouts of power slammed, into their beloved ships. Energistic wings unfurled themselves from the leviathan’s sides and blasted through the sides of the now doomed wreckage.
The leviathan itself sang a mournful song, as it caressed the two ships and their crews with destructive energy. Blue could feel it’s sad heart, and knew why it cried. He two felt the sorrow of battle, and loved the great creature all the more for it’s wisdom. The villagers simply heard its song, clear and beautiful, as the creature rescued their simple home. The Pirates as they were blasted or drowned heard only a slow melody, which haunted their last breaths.
As the battle subsided, and the last pirates died, the villagers did their best to begin cleaning up, and helping the wounded, but the water spirit could not help draw their attention. As the elders and those that had hid came out, the large entity drew in toward the shoreline sill lamenting the recent carnage.
Blue stood forward to meet the great beast, as the rest of the humans drew back with trepidation. The leviathan still in touch with Blue’s mind reached out over the minds of the others and began to sing a song of comfort, hope, and love. Blue stepped toward it and they touched for the first time. The child now a young man, with his hand, and the ocean spirit with its head. At this symbol, the tension broke and the villagers cried out in joy, and relief.
The leviathan was called Bay, and it had heard Blue calling out through something it called Creation. It had come here to protect and help Blue, and from that moment forward they would be companions. Blue was happier than he had ever been. The village was safe, he had found a kindred spirit, and finally his potential had manifest. No longer was he unsure of his destiny.
He knew that with his power he could help people. He could show the world the kind of love he had learned growing up. That would be his calling, to show the world compassion, and justice, tempered with humility. If there were others like those pirates then the world was sorely in need of such things. He would also he vowed, never leave those under his care lost with so many questions, as his father had done with him.
At this thought Blue pondered his father, a man he had never known. He hadn’t ever thought about it much, as in this village everyone had many fathers, and mothers. No it occurred to him that he didn’t need that man nor did he resent that his true father had never come back. Blue simply felt that if he had been in the same position he would have been more responsible, and taken a more active roll in his child’s life.
His mother on the other hand he loved dearly, and always would. He loved that she had bore him, and he was proud that she had been the gateway for his very special life. As all these things hit Blue in a moment of clarity he was at peace, and Bay felt that with him.
Although Blue took all these events in stride his village was never quiet the same. Though the pirates had b
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Social Stratification in Pre-collegiate Students in the United States: An Overview
By William James
Introduction
Social stratification permeates the United States educational system and is responsible for perpetuating the disadvantaged status of minorities in the United States. Some would say that prejudice in education has gone away in the wake of the civil rights, feminist, and other equal rights movements, but it is the intent of this paper to show that though the situation may have improved in many ways, much of the unjust treatment of minority groups has simply become more covert. This shall be accomplished by analyzing the effect of class, race, gender, and intelligence/aptitude on the education received by students in the pre-collegiate years.
Class
Class is a subtle but powerful factor in the stratification occurring in schools. The first issue concerning class is the role of parents in their children’s education. Those parents from higher classes tend to flock to school districts that include a larger percent of people in the same class, therefor securing a chance for their child to participate in a better funded school system than their more monetarily challenged counterparts. The middle and upper classes tend to have more of the skills required for success in the academic community than the poor and the working class, allowing for them to assist their children with schoolwork and pass on the language skills required for academic achievement. Even when such parents are incapable of helping their children they can generally afford tutoring or other academic aids for their children.
Parents from higher classes feel equal or even superior to their children’s teachers, rather than inferior to them as do many of those from lower classes. They are therefore able to defend their children from unfair treatment, request more help for their children in areas of poor performance, and even protect their misbehaving children from the consequences of their actions. Those from the upper middle and upper classes sometimes wield their money as weapons against school administrators and teachers that they feel are ‘hurting’ their children by giving them well earned bad grades or punishments. This results in children that skate through school on their parents’ merits and money, while those from lower classes have neither the money nor the resources to go against even truly unjust decisions made by school administrators.
The second issue involving class involves the preparedness of children for academic requirements. It has already been stated that children from higher classes are better prepared to face school. This trend is present in virtually all areas of behavior. Children from the middle class and above often have better reading and writing skills, and speak (or can speak if the need arises) in the manner that is required for positive regard from teachers. They are less likely to have school transportation problems, allowing for more class time and with it the opportunity to learn more and avoid missing assignments. Middle and higher class children are less likely to be working and attending class at the same time, allowing for more homework, more social events, more sleep and far less stress.
The third problem relating to class is the school staff itself. As D. W. Rossides states in The American Class System,
Recruited largely from middle class backgrounds, teachers absorb the ethos of middle class America […] As a result, they develop an image of the ideal student and an ideology of education highly inappropriate to many of the actual students and situations they face. It has even been argued that teachers behave in such a way as to elicit from lower class pupils the low achievement they expect. (pg. 207)
Teachers transmit the ideals of the stratification system to their pupils. Many teachers treat their lower class children as less intelligent, more poorly behaved, and generally inferior to their higher-class students. Some administrators, often concerned with their own success, will cave to upper class parents’ desires rather than facing lawsuits or complaints to their superiors. Even the police that staff schools will often give more leeway and ignore the activities of higher class students while paying pointed attention to lower class and especially minority students.
To summarize, students of higher-class background have a tremendous advantage in education. This advantage covers their privileges, preparedness for school, options for tutoring and other aid, and their workload. These advantages carry over into college and beyond. To again quote Rossides in The American Class System,
Class is related strongly and directly to the amount of money spent per pupil; educational aspirations; I.Q., grades, prizes, diplomas, and degrees; rate of attendance and years of school completed; choice of school and program of study; income and occupation; and success in school without superior academic achievement. […] Academic education, in short, is primarily a means of maintaining and transmitting the existing class structure. (pg. 223)
Class, though not the only factor involved in the inequality of the United States education system, is extremely important and intimately connected with all other types of stratification.
Race
Race is especially difficult to differentiate from class. It is a common thing in sociology to ask if the reason for continued mistreatment of minority races is due to their race, or their lower economic position and the powerlessness that comes with it. When looking at Asian Americans, one can see a much lower rate of discrimination and other detriments associated with minority status, and it would be easy to theorize that their economic status is responsible for their favorable position. This could be a true hypothesis in the society of today, but the question of how they went from an abused minority to a favored one still remains. It is likely that their cultural background, which supported conformity and sacrifice of self for the community was helpful in this transition, but a large factor is also that they did not have the same stigmas associated with other, less fortunate, minorities. Latin Americans and Black Americans have had very negative associations attached to them in the past by the white majority. Criminal, lazy, violent, lacking self-control, perverted, ignorant and many more negative stereotypes have been attached to Latin and Black Americans in the past. These stigmas, the fighting with the Spanish and Mexicans during America’s youth, and the centuries of slavery of Black Americans provide Latin Americans and Black Americans with many more disadvantages in integration than Asian Americans have had to face.
The status of racial minorities has unarguably improved since the years of the civil rights movement and affirmative action, but much of the prejudice still remains. Though there are laws to prevent discrimination, and it is not politically correct to attribute characteristics to race, both still occur. Today however, racism is a covert thing, expressed in small, even subconscious ways. Racism takes the form of the much higher rate of black and Latin American criminals reported on the news, or the picture painted in popular culture of blacks and Latinos hooked on and selling drugs. This understanding of the subtle transmission of racism is essential to understanding the current state of bias in the United States education system.
Teachers, even those raised in the years since the social reforms of the sixties, are still subjected to the subconscious biases of the media, their parents, and a popular culture that shows Black and Latin American people in general as inferior and Black/Latin American males as threatening. Such perceptions only become worse with age, as the teachers are not faced with cute children learning simple information, but nearly grown individuals absorbing and sorting complex data. At younger ages this perception of inferiority may manifest as frustration on the part of the teacher with the ‘slow’ child, ignoring the child, and/or the tendency to discipline more frequently. As the child gets older these trends continue, but increase in severity. Teachers may tend to give only grudging praise to such children, and notice more often when their actions break rules. Such children may be viewed as being offensive, rude, mean spirited, or any number of other negative personality traits. In Race, Class, and Education, Meler Stewart Jr. states that
A black student is nearly three times more likely to be placed in a class for the educable mentally retarded than is a white student. A black student is 30 percent more likely to be assigned to a trainable mentally retarded class than a white student […] a black student is more than twice as likely as a white student to be corporally punished or suspended. A black student is 3.5 times more likely than a white student to be expelled […] 18percent more likely to drop out of school and 27 percent less likely to graduate from high school. (pg.5)
A thing perceived as real becomes real in its consequences. The poor treatment of minority children and the production of a primarily negative self-image are likely to result in sub-par behavior. In the now famous experiment by Jane Elliott, in which she subjected third graders to discriminatory practices based upon eye color for a two day period, children on the negative end of bias were shown to perform far below their personal norm, and children given special privilege showed marked improvement that actually lasted long after the experiment. This begs the question, if a two day experiment can have such a profound effect, what can a life time of subtle bias and negative regard do to a person?
One of the arguably worst results of such bias in current schools could be seen as the rejection by minority children of what is seen as a primarily white culture and a tight in-grouping based upon racial solidarity. This type of behavior is perfectly understandable, but such in-grouping and isolation fosters the same type of prejudice in minority groups that they face themselves from the rest of society. Such behavior serves not to integrate them into society but to ostracize them from it further, reinforcing the negative stereotypes forced upon them by the white majority.
Sex
Sex discrimination is very similar to racial discrimination in its ethical and social implications. The same principles regarding self-image and bias that apply to race apply also to the female sex in the United States. Sex discrimination has unique problems associated with it however, that other forms of discrimination do not. Sex difference is far more obvious, physically at least, than any racial or even cultural difference. Females have different physical capabilities than men, and many people often assume that such differences extend to mental faculties as well. That females have been socialized to live up to these stereotypes only makes matters worse. Most religions have separate beliefs regarding men and women, and place a supposed divine approval on the discrimination against women. The perception of difference and separateness of the sexes is universal; it crosses every racial, religious, and national division, as does sexual discrimination.
In confronting the problem of sexual discrimination then, one is confronted with difficult problems. First, even those firmly against most forms of discrimination may feel justified in having sexist beliefs. Second, the physical difference in women reinforces sexist treatment far more than all other forms of discrimination based upon difference (other than possibly the handicapped). Third, many women are socialized to accept discrimination as correct, resulting in the prevention of a united resistance to discrimination and the perpetuation of sexist training by mothers. These combined make sexism far more difficult than racism to fight, and far more powerful in the school setting than one might first believe.
Females receive an education that is supposedly equal to that of males. They sit in the same classes, they suffer from the same blessing or curse that race, culture, religion, and class gives the males in the room with them. But strangely, it is as though the females walk a road parallel to, but far different from, the road walked by the males. Where the way is clear for boys, girls are faced with their ‘inferiority’ in certain subjects, counselors that try to move them onto a different path tailored to their ‘strengths’, and the road signs stating the rules are all different.
Worse than their academic education is their social education however. Females are trained at a young age to accept and expect double standards that put them at a disadvantage. Females tend to do more and higher quality work, but receive less praise. The work of males is seen as creative and intelligent, while females are encouraged to conform to a standard of normalized form and mundane content. Males are allowed to break the rules, are smiled at as incorrigible rascals, while the slightest bend of the rules on the part of a female is greeted with a frown and disappointment. As they grow older women will see more double standards, such as those regarding promiscuity, dating, and autonomy.
This perverted education prepares women not to be successful, but to be at a disadvantage throughout the rest of their life. Women do not learn how to channel anger, frustration and aggression to effectively win in the business world. They do not learn to be independent but instead learn to take their self-concepts from the input of others. They do not receive training in or reinforcement of the innovative thinking that can lead to personal success and recognition. Teachers, administrators, parents and fellow students both male and female encourage this disadvantaged position of women.
Teachers, again both male and female, give more academic attention to males and treat their words as more important (teaching young females early on to have an instinctual respect and deference towards males), and give more leniency to male rule breakers. Teachers speak to females differently: lighter tones, smaller words, and often with a condescending air. In sports or playground accidents females are taught to cry and are coddled, while males are taught control and endurance. To assume women learn nothing of value would be a mistake, but even the advantages of female socialization are reduced in value however, as many of them contradict the social habits required for success in higher paying and more powerful/prestigious jobs. Integrated rather than hierarchical group structure, empathy, and emotional openness are but a few of the positive aspects of female socialization where males are at a marked disadvantage, but such traits, despite their benefit, do not allow women upward mobility in a system that values and utilizes traditionally male traits.
Women’s disadvantages in the school system are compounded by stereotypes and ‘scientific’ evidence of their inborn mental deficiency. Such has been the case for centuries; women in the Victorian era were said by the medical community to be too weak of mind and constitution to participate in government or academics, and women in the early 1900’s were thought to be too emotional to be involved in politics. Supposed evidence of differences in brain structure between the sexes is the current popular reason for female inferiority.
According to brain scan analysis, the brain is thought to be structured differently between males and females, and there is a new trend in the sciences, formerly declining, to stress sex differences in biopsychology. Such differences are at best uncertain however, as little analysis has been done on infants and pre-socialized children, leaving open the rather large possibility that such differences are due to different life experience rather than biological tendencies. Such neurological differences are also made suspect by current sociological data. Greater math skill in males has been thought to be related to a better developed spatial center in the brain, but to summarize D.P. Baker and D.P. Jones in “Opportunity and Performance” as shown in Education and Gender Equality, in many cases the math skills of women are equal or superior to those of men when viewed on an international level.
The level of performance in math is positively correlated with job opportunities for women that utilize math. Other influencing factors are number of women in the workforce, number of women in higher education, parental encouragement, and educational access to math programs. Findings such as these suggest that much of the assumed inferiority of women may be due to inferior education and socialization given them. Sex differences in thought and capability, if they exist, are far less relevant than gender differences promoted by society. It should be noted as well, that much of the evidence being presented on sex differences is presented by a largely male dominated field that has more vested interest in theories that maintain women as different from men.
Though there is little concrete evidence sex differences in thought and mental abilities actually exists, that ideology still permeates the school system, and creates the situation it predicts by treating females as lesser beings, and applying different rules to females than to males. While an androgynous system where both sexes are taught the positive traits of both genders would be the ideal, and only positive, solution, it is unlikely as long as teachers, parents, and students enforce and create divisions between the sexes.
The ‘Gifted’ and the ‘Special’
The ‘gifted’, those possessing heightened intelligence or aptitude in an area or areas, and the ‘special’, those possessing a deficiency in intelligence or in aptitude, cause special problems to the education system and are major examples of stratification that often go unseen. The problems start with definition; what does it mean to be gifted or special?
Intelligence is a tricky topic on its own, as the tests measuring it are often biased toward the white middle class, and do not cover a significant portion of the aptitudes that go into heightened or deficient thought. Intelligence poses a problem beyond the scope of this paper in fact, though many quality books have been written on it for those interested.
Instead of intelligence, one might be tempted to look at achievement as the deciding factor in defining ‘gifted’ and ‘special’, but achievement is not a clear thing either, as many ‘gifted’ are underachievers, and many ‘special’ children are capable of very high quality work in some or even most areas. Again an area beyond the scope of this paper but nonetheless necessary to mention for a full understanding of the topic, and the difficulty of placing such children into appropriate categories.
Another problem, already dealt with to some degree in the above sections, deals with whether a child is gifted or special in actuality, or only because they were given that status due to race, wealth, etc. The final problem is the bias with which those actually possessing gifted/special traits are treated. These last two issues are what will be covered here.
As has already been discussed, many minorities are represented in programs for the educable retarded, many more in fact than one would expect to see. This may be due to any number of factors, but some of the most likely involve direct discrimination, such as derogatory treatment or purposeful denial of resources to minorities, or the secondary effects of discrimination such as low social-economic class and the score of other problems that are shown to have a high correlation with minority status. What is certain, is that in many cases the programs for the mentally inferior/superior are less places for the those in need of such help and are instead gathering places for those low or high in the educational stratification system respectively. While the higher proportion of low social-economic class in minorities might account for a slightly higher proportion of children amongst said minorities in need of remedial training, the huge abundance of minorities in such programs suggests that many are there simply because they are a minority, not because they are actually deficient.
The likelihood of an individual actually being special, and the wisdom of placing below average individuals in programs for the deficient is also questionable. The programs for the deficient are many times used to keep minorities and those with other undesirable traits away from ‘normal’ white children. Often, the programs for those children that are not retarded, but simply behind their classmates, serve merely to isolate troubled students (though troubled is a distinction most often made by white male principles). Such programs put children on vocational tracks rather than giving them the skills they need to go to four-year colleges and get professional jobs. S. R. Lucas states in Tracking Inequality that,
Texts used in low-track classes provide lists that students are to memorize, rather than data that high-track students are to sift, synthesize, contrast, and/or reject. Further, teachers encourage high-track students to question and probe and challenge both teacher and text; students in low-track classes who question the same teacher are viewed and treated by the teacher as insubordinate. (pg. 116)
The gifted programs are often the same, being places for those children of well off parents or that fulfill normative roles in school especially well (attendance, good work, citizenship, etc). In Tracking Inequality Lucas went on to state that, “many middle-class parents push their children into classes over the objections of school personnel (pg. 70).” Stewart supports this view of placement without merit in Race, Class, and Education by stating, “Whites […] are three to four times more likely than blacks to be enrolled in gifted classes (pg. 84).” With the increasing pressure of children to get into college (need for high GPA’s, high test scores, and other merits to meet entrance requirements), the expenses of college (raising the hopes of scholarship awards in parents), and the increasing overpopulation of schools (with a correspondingly smaller chunk of resources devoted to each child) many middle-class parents place a great deal of pressure on both educators to allow entrance, and their children to earn entrance, into gifted programs. Minority children, and/or those from the lower class or the working poor are hedged out because of the greater deal of pressure that those of higher classes and the white majority can exert. Also of note is that many of those in the lower classes cannot give the extra attention to their children that gifted programs require due to long or irregular work hours, further cutting off lower class and minority children from gifted programs.
Sadly, many mentally deficient children are unable to get the help they need due to problems with identification and ill-conceived notions of intelligence. In The Doubtful Gift, K. W. McCluskey and K. D. Walker site an experiment in which Skodak and Skeals take babies from an orphanage and place them in the care of retarded mothers. The children, formerly lower than 50 I. Q., had their scores rocket to nearly 100 in a year. They tried the test again with other children comparing them to a control group of children staying at the orphanage that had fallen to deficient levels of I. Q., and the results were the same impressive improvements seen in the first group. Even after 20 years the children in the test group were functioning normally, while those in the orphanage group were still deficient. Instances such as these throw doubt on the idea of treating mentally deficient children differently than others, and expecting a lesser degree of achievement from them. These children that need a proverbial hand up, instead are thrown down into a pool of troubled students where they learn helplessness, are given less positive attention, and are taught to have a negative self-image.
The ‘gifted’ are, again, in much the same position as the ‘special’. They often do not receive the help they need to achieve their potential. As McClusky and Walker state time and again in The Doubtful Gift, “[…] gifted children are virtually ignored (pg. 17).” They go on to say that “[…] the potential of gifted children is in large part wasted, and that, deplorably, the gifted tend on average to fulfill only fifteen percent of their true capabilities (pg. 12).” In many cases ‘gifted’ students face boredom, ennui, and social isolation that leads to underachievement and unhealthy psychological conditions. It is not uncommon for the gifted to be mistaken as retarded or at least learning deficient, as they withdraw into themselves and lash out at society. After looking at the status of gifted/special children, one is led to believe that the graph regarding stratification for them is often, at least in the public school system, a bell with the least and most intelligent at either end.
There is a tendency for those with abnormal mental traits (both high and low I.Q. for example) to stand out. They require personal attention, and inconvenience educators with difficult questions and less easily controlled behavior than those possessing more ‘normal’ traits, causing them to receive not the help they need, but rather reprimand, dislike, and mistreatment. Those that make the least waves and better fulfill normative roles in school gain the approval, awards, and positive regard, and even undeservedly take up slots in programs designed specifically for those that need more academic help (i.e. gifted programs) as a reward for their ‘good’ behavior.
It is unfortunate that even the presence of special and gifted programs are simply ways of handling groups of people that the regular education system cannot effectively handle. Such programs often provide little of the help needed while providing an abnormal socialization that makes such programs extremely questionable tools in aiding the gifted/special even if such programs worked as they should academically.
Summary
Bias is present in many ways in the modern United States School system. Class, race, sex, and intellectual ability are all a factor. Class taints everything, while racial factors give advantage to whites and simultaneously taking it away from minorities. Sex divides even minority groups and leads to unfair treatment of women, lack of preparation for life, and an ultimately detrimental effect on the psyches of (if not necessarily the wallets) of both men and women. Unsurprisingly one finds that deficient intelligence is a source of bias and disadvantage, but surprisingly one finds that those with heightened intellects suffer much the same fate, while the white middle- and upper-classes usurp the benefits of gifted programs.
We have come a long way in the last century, but there is much that needs to be done in this one. Our greatest adversary in progress is our perception of difference. Rather than see similarities, we see those things that separate us and use those things to create hierarchies of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ people. Those that receive the label of ‘right’ receive a greater and unjustified portion of society’s benefits, and those labeled ‘wrong’ are seldom capable of ever attaining the same heights of achievement as their more favored counterparts. The primary transmitter of this situation, aside from the media, is the education system, in which parents, politicians and educators come together to pass on the stratification system to new generations. Whether by personal bias on the part of parents and teachers or poor rules and legislation on the part of parents, administrators, and politicians, the education system must be the focus of any attempt to change the bias, prejudice, and privilege present in American culture today.
References
1. Lucas, Samuel Roundfield. 1999. Tracking Inequality. New York: Teachers College Press.
2. McCluskey, Ken W. and Walker, Keith D. The Doubtful Gift. Kingston: Ronald P. Frye & Company.
3. Stewart, Meler Jr. 1989. Race, Class, and Education. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press.
4. Peters, William. 1987. A Class Divided Then and Now. Chelsea: BookCrafters
5. Rossides, Daniel W. 1976. The American Class System. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
6. Wrigley, Julia. 1992. Education and Gender Equality. London: The Falmer Press.
By William James
Introduction
Social stratification permeates the United States educational system and is responsible for perpetuating the disadvantaged status of minorities in the United States. Some would say that prejudice in education has gone away in the wake of the civil rights, feminist, and other equal rights movements, but it is the intent of this paper to show that though the situation may have improved in many ways, much of the unjust treatment of minority groups has simply become more covert. This shall be accomplished by analyzing the effect of class, race, gender, and intelligence/aptitude on the education received by students in the pre-collegiate years.
Class
Class is a subtle but powerful factor in the stratification occurring in schools. The first issue concerning class is the role of parents in their children’s education. Those parents from higher classes tend to flock to school districts that include a larger percent of people in the same class, therefor securing a chance for their child to participate in a better funded school system than their more monetarily challenged counterparts. The middle and upper classes tend to have more of the skills required for success in the academic community than the poor and the working class, allowing for them to assist their children with schoolwork and pass on the language skills required for academic achievement. Even when such parents are incapable of helping their children they can generally afford tutoring or other academic aids for their children.
Parents from higher classes feel equal or even superior to their children’s teachers, rather than inferior to them as do many of those from lower classes. They are therefore able to defend their children from unfair treatment, request more help for their children in areas of poor performance, and even protect their misbehaving children from the consequences of their actions. Those from the upper middle and upper classes sometimes wield their money as weapons against school administrators and teachers that they feel are ‘hurting’ their children by giving them well earned bad grades or punishments. This results in children that skate through school on their parents’ merits and money, while those from lower classes have neither the money nor the resources to go against even truly unjust decisions made by school administrators.
The second issue involving class involves the preparedness of children for academic requirements. It has already been stated that children from higher classes are better prepared to face school. This trend is present in virtually all areas of behavior. Children from the middle class and above often have better reading and writing skills, and speak (or can speak if the need arises) in the manner that is required for positive regard from teachers. They are less likely to have school transportation problems, allowing for more class time and with it the opportunity to learn more and avoid missing assignments. Middle and higher class children are less likely to be working and attending class at the same time, allowing for more homework, more social events, more sleep and far less stress.
The third problem relating to class is the school staff itself. As D. W. Rossides states in The American Class System,
Recruited largely from middle class backgrounds, teachers absorb the ethos of middle class America […] As a result, they develop an image of the ideal student and an ideology of education highly inappropriate to many of the actual students and situations they face. It has even been argued that teachers behave in such a way as to elicit from lower class pupils the low achievement they expect. (pg. 207)
Teachers transmit the ideals of the stratification system to their pupils. Many teachers treat their lower class children as less intelligent, more poorly behaved, and generally inferior to their higher-class students. Some administrators, often concerned with their own success, will cave to upper class parents’ desires rather than facing lawsuits or complaints to their superiors. Even the police that staff schools will often give more leeway and ignore the activities of higher class students while paying pointed attention to lower class and especially minority students.
To summarize, students of higher-class background have a tremendous advantage in education. This advantage covers their privileges, preparedness for school, options for tutoring and other aid, and their workload. These advantages carry over into college and beyond. To again quote Rossides in The American Class System,
Class is related strongly and directly to the amount of money spent per pupil; educational aspirations; I.Q., grades, prizes, diplomas, and degrees; rate of attendance and years of school completed; choice of school and program of study; income and occupation; and success in school without superior academic achievement. […] Academic education, in short, is primarily a means of maintaining and transmitting the existing class structure. (pg. 223)
Class, though not the only factor involved in the inequality of the United States education system, is extremely important and intimately connected with all other types of stratification.
Race
Race is especially difficult to differentiate from class. It is a common thing in sociology to ask if the reason for continued mistreatment of minority races is due to their race, or their lower economic position and the powerlessness that comes with it. When looking at Asian Americans, one can see a much lower rate of discrimination and other detriments associated with minority status, and it would be easy to theorize that their economic status is responsible for their favorable position. This could be a true hypothesis in the society of today, but the question of how they went from an abused minority to a favored one still remains. It is likely that their cultural background, which supported conformity and sacrifice of self for the community was helpful in this transition, but a large factor is also that they did not have the same stigmas associated with other, less fortunate, minorities. Latin Americans and Black Americans have had very negative associations attached to them in the past by the white majority. Criminal, lazy, violent, lacking self-control, perverted, ignorant and many more negative stereotypes have been attached to Latin and Black Americans in the past. These stigmas, the fighting with the Spanish and Mexicans during America’s youth, and the centuries of slavery of Black Americans provide Latin Americans and Black Americans with many more disadvantages in integration than Asian Americans have had to face.
The status of racial minorities has unarguably improved since the years of the civil rights movement and affirmative action, but much of the prejudice still remains. Though there are laws to prevent discrimination, and it is not politically correct to attribute characteristics to race, both still occur. Today however, racism is a covert thing, expressed in small, even subconscious ways. Racism takes the form of the much higher rate of black and Latin American criminals reported on the news, or the picture painted in popular culture of blacks and Latinos hooked on and selling drugs. This understanding of the subtle transmission of racism is essential to understanding the current state of bias in the United States education system.
Teachers, even those raised in the years since the social reforms of the sixties, are still subjected to the subconscious biases of the media, their parents, and a popular culture that shows Black and Latin American people in general as inferior and Black/Latin American males as threatening. Such perceptions only become worse with age, as the teachers are not faced with cute children learning simple information, but nearly grown individuals absorbing and sorting complex data. At younger ages this perception of inferiority may manifest as frustration on the part of the teacher with the ‘slow’ child, ignoring the child, and/or the tendency to discipline more frequently. As the child gets older these trends continue, but increase in severity. Teachers may tend to give only grudging praise to such children, and notice more often when their actions break rules. Such children may be viewed as being offensive, rude, mean spirited, or any number of other negative personality traits. In Race, Class, and Education, Meler Stewart Jr. states that
A black student is nearly three times more likely to be placed in a class for the educable mentally retarded than is a white student. A black student is 30 percent more likely to be assigned to a trainable mentally retarded class than a white student […] a black student is more than twice as likely as a white student to be corporally punished or suspended. A black student is 3.5 times more likely than a white student to be expelled […] 18percent more likely to drop out of school and 27 percent less likely to graduate from high school. (pg.5)
A thing perceived as real becomes real in its consequences. The poor treatment of minority children and the production of a primarily negative self-image are likely to result in sub-par behavior. In the now famous experiment by Jane Elliott, in which she subjected third graders to discriminatory practices based upon eye color for a two day period, children on the negative end of bias were shown to perform far below their personal norm, and children given special privilege showed marked improvement that actually lasted long after the experiment. This begs the question, if a two day experiment can have such a profound effect, what can a life time of subtle bias and negative regard do to a person?
One of the arguably worst results of such bias in current schools could be seen as the rejection by minority children of what is seen as a primarily white culture and a tight in-grouping based upon racial solidarity. This type of behavior is perfectly understandable, but such in-grouping and isolation fosters the same type of prejudice in minority groups that they face themselves from the rest of society. Such behavior serves not to integrate them into society but to ostracize them from it further, reinforcing the negative stereotypes forced upon them by the white majority.
Sex
Sex discrimination is very similar to racial discrimination in its ethical and social implications. The same principles regarding self-image and bias that apply to race apply also to the female sex in the United States. Sex discrimination has unique problems associated with it however, that other forms of discrimination do not. Sex difference is far more obvious, physically at least, than any racial or even cultural difference. Females have different physical capabilities than men, and many people often assume that such differences extend to mental faculties as well. That females have been socialized to live up to these stereotypes only makes matters worse. Most religions have separate beliefs regarding men and women, and place a supposed divine approval on the discrimination against women. The perception of difference and separateness of the sexes is universal; it crosses every racial, religious, and national division, as does sexual discrimination.
In confronting the problem of sexual discrimination then, one is confronted with difficult problems. First, even those firmly against most forms of discrimination may feel justified in having sexist beliefs. Second, the physical difference in women reinforces sexist treatment far more than all other forms of discrimination based upon difference (other than possibly the handicapped). Third, many women are socialized to accept discrimination as correct, resulting in the prevention of a united resistance to discrimination and the perpetuation of sexist training by mothers. These combined make sexism far more difficult than racism to fight, and far more powerful in the school setting than one might first believe.
Females receive an education that is supposedly equal to that of males. They sit in the same classes, they suffer from the same blessing or curse that race, culture, religion, and class gives the males in the room with them. But strangely, it is as though the females walk a road parallel to, but far different from, the road walked by the males. Where the way is clear for boys, girls are faced with their ‘inferiority’ in certain subjects, counselors that try to move them onto a different path tailored to their ‘strengths’, and the road signs stating the rules are all different.
Worse than their academic education is their social education however. Females are trained at a young age to accept and expect double standards that put them at a disadvantage. Females tend to do more and higher quality work, but receive less praise. The work of males is seen as creative and intelligent, while females are encouraged to conform to a standard of normalized form and mundane content. Males are allowed to break the rules, are smiled at as incorrigible rascals, while the slightest bend of the rules on the part of a female is greeted with a frown and disappointment. As they grow older women will see more double standards, such as those regarding promiscuity, dating, and autonomy.
This perverted education prepares women not to be successful, but to be at a disadvantage throughout the rest of their life. Women do not learn how to channel anger, frustration and aggression to effectively win in the business world. They do not learn to be independent but instead learn to take their self-concepts from the input of others. They do not receive training in or reinforcement of the innovative thinking that can lead to personal success and recognition. Teachers, administrators, parents and fellow students both male and female encourage this disadvantaged position of women.
Teachers, again both male and female, give more academic attention to males and treat their words as more important (teaching young females early on to have an instinctual respect and deference towards males), and give more leniency to male rule breakers. Teachers speak to females differently: lighter tones, smaller words, and often with a condescending air. In sports or playground accidents females are taught to cry and are coddled, while males are taught control and endurance. To assume women learn nothing of value would be a mistake, but even the advantages of female socialization are reduced in value however, as many of them contradict the social habits required for success in higher paying and more powerful/prestigious jobs. Integrated rather than hierarchical group structure, empathy, and emotional openness are but a few of the positive aspects of female socialization where males are at a marked disadvantage, but such traits, despite their benefit, do not allow women upward mobility in a system that values and utilizes traditionally male traits.
Women’s disadvantages in the school system are compounded by stereotypes and ‘scientific’ evidence of their inborn mental deficiency. Such has been the case for centuries; women in the Victorian era were said by the medical community to be too weak of mind and constitution to participate in government or academics, and women in the early 1900’s were thought to be too emotional to be involved in politics. Supposed evidence of differences in brain structure between the sexes is the current popular reason for female inferiority.
According to brain scan analysis, the brain is thought to be structured differently between males and females, and there is a new trend in the sciences, formerly declining, to stress sex differences in biopsychology. Such differences are at best uncertain however, as little analysis has been done on infants and pre-socialized children, leaving open the rather large possibility that such differences are due to different life experience rather than biological tendencies. Such neurological differences are also made suspect by current sociological data. Greater math skill in males has been thought to be related to a better developed spatial center in the brain, but to summarize D.P. Baker and D.P. Jones in “Opportunity and Performance” as shown in Education and Gender Equality, in many cases the math skills of women are equal or superior to those of men when viewed on an international level.
The level of performance in math is positively correlated with job opportunities for women that utilize math. Other influencing factors are number of women in the workforce, number of women in higher education, parental encouragement, and educational access to math programs. Findings such as these suggest that much of the assumed inferiority of women may be due to inferior education and socialization given them. Sex differences in thought and capability, if they exist, are far less relevant than gender differences promoted by society. It should be noted as well, that much of the evidence being presented on sex differences is presented by a largely male dominated field that has more vested interest in theories that maintain women as different from men.
Though there is little concrete evidence sex differences in thought and mental abilities actually exists, that ideology still permeates the school system, and creates the situation it predicts by treating females as lesser beings, and applying different rules to females than to males. While an androgynous system where both sexes are taught the positive traits of both genders would be the ideal, and only positive, solution, it is unlikely as long as teachers, parents, and students enforce and create divisions between the sexes.
The ‘Gifted’ and the ‘Special’
The ‘gifted’, those possessing heightened intelligence or aptitude in an area or areas, and the ‘special’, those possessing a deficiency in intelligence or in aptitude, cause special problems to the education system and are major examples of stratification that often go unseen. The problems start with definition; what does it mean to be gifted or special?
Intelligence is a tricky topic on its own, as the tests measuring it are often biased toward the white middle class, and do not cover a significant portion of the aptitudes that go into heightened or deficient thought. Intelligence poses a problem beyond the scope of this paper in fact, though many quality books have been written on it for those interested.
Instead of intelligence, one might be tempted to look at achievement as the deciding factor in defining ‘gifted’ and ‘special’, but achievement is not a clear thing either, as many ‘gifted’ are underachievers, and many ‘special’ children are capable of very high quality work in some or even most areas. Again an area beyond the scope of this paper but nonetheless necessary to mention for a full understanding of the topic, and the difficulty of placing such children into appropriate categories.
Another problem, already dealt with to some degree in the above sections, deals with whether a child is gifted or special in actuality, or only because they were given that status due to race, wealth, etc. The final problem is the bias with which those actually possessing gifted/special traits are treated. These last two issues are what will be covered here.
As has already been discussed, many minorities are represented in programs for the educable retarded, many more in fact than one would expect to see. This may be due to any number of factors, but some of the most likely involve direct discrimination, such as derogatory treatment or purposeful denial of resources to minorities, or the secondary effects of discrimination such as low social-economic class and the score of other problems that are shown to have a high correlation with minority status. What is certain, is that in many cases the programs for the mentally inferior/superior are less places for the those in need of such help and are instead gathering places for those low or high in the educational stratification system respectively. While the higher proportion of low social-economic class in minorities might account for a slightly higher proportion of children amongst said minorities in need of remedial training, the huge abundance of minorities in such programs suggests that many are there simply because they are a minority, not because they are actually deficient.
The likelihood of an individual actually being special, and the wisdom of placing below average individuals in programs for the deficient is also questionable. The programs for the deficient are many times used to keep minorities and those with other undesirable traits away from ‘normal’ white children. Often, the programs for those children that are not retarded, but simply behind their classmates, serve merely to isolate troubled students (though troubled is a distinction most often made by white male principles). Such programs put children on vocational tracks rather than giving them the skills they need to go to four-year colleges and get professional jobs. S. R. Lucas states in Tracking Inequality that,
Texts used in low-track classes provide lists that students are to memorize, rather than data that high-track students are to sift, synthesize, contrast, and/or reject. Further, teachers encourage high-track students to question and probe and challenge both teacher and text; students in low-track classes who question the same teacher are viewed and treated by the teacher as insubordinate. (pg. 116)
The gifted programs are often the same, being places for those children of well off parents or that fulfill normative roles in school especially well (attendance, good work, citizenship, etc). In Tracking Inequality Lucas went on to state that, “many middle-class parents push their children into classes over the objections of school personnel (pg. 70).” Stewart supports this view of placement without merit in Race, Class, and Education by stating, “Whites […] are three to four times more likely than blacks to be enrolled in gifted classes (pg. 84).” With the increasing pressure of children to get into college (need for high GPA’s, high test scores, and other merits to meet entrance requirements), the expenses of college (raising the hopes of scholarship awards in parents), and the increasing overpopulation of schools (with a correspondingly smaller chunk of resources devoted to each child) many middle-class parents place a great deal of pressure on both educators to allow entrance, and their children to earn entrance, into gifted programs. Minority children, and/or those from the lower class or the working poor are hedged out because of the greater deal of pressure that those of higher classes and the white majority can exert. Also of note is that many of those in the lower classes cannot give the extra attention to their children that gifted programs require due to long or irregular work hours, further cutting off lower class and minority children from gifted programs.
Sadly, many mentally deficient children are unable to get the help they need due to problems with identification and ill-conceived notions of intelligence. In The Doubtful Gift, K. W. McCluskey and K. D. Walker site an experiment in which Skodak and Skeals take babies from an orphanage and place them in the care of retarded mothers. The children, formerly lower than 50 I. Q., had their scores rocket to nearly 100 in a year. They tried the test again with other children comparing them to a control group of children staying at the orphanage that had fallen to deficient levels of I. Q., and the results were the same impressive improvements seen in the first group. Even after 20 years the children in the test group were functioning normally, while those in the orphanage group were still deficient. Instances such as these throw doubt on the idea of treating mentally deficient children differently than others, and expecting a lesser degree of achievement from them. These children that need a proverbial hand up, instead are thrown down into a pool of troubled students where they learn helplessness, are given less positive attention, and are taught to have a negative self-image.
The ‘gifted’ are, again, in much the same position as the ‘special’. They often do not receive the help they need to achieve their potential. As McClusky and Walker state time and again in The Doubtful Gift, “[…] gifted children are virtually ignored (pg. 17).” They go on to say that “[…] the potential of gifted children is in large part wasted, and that, deplorably, the gifted tend on average to fulfill only fifteen percent of their true capabilities (pg. 12).” In many cases ‘gifted’ students face boredom, ennui, and social isolation that leads to underachievement and unhealthy psychological conditions. It is not uncommon for the gifted to be mistaken as retarded or at least learning deficient, as they withdraw into themselves and lash out at society. After looking at the status of gifted/special children, one is led to believe that the graph regarding stratification for them is often, at least in the public school system, a bell with the least and most intelligent at either end.
There is a tendency for those with abnormal mental traits (both high and low I.Q. for example) to stand out. They require personal attention, and inconvenience educators with difficult questions and less easily controlled behavior than those possessing more ‘normal’ traits, causing them to receive not the help they need, but rather reprimand, dislike, and mistreatment. Those that make the least waves and better fulfill normative roles in school gain the approval, awards, and positive regard, and even undeservedly take up slots in programs designed specifically for those that need more academic help (i.e. gifted programs) as a reward for their ‘good’ behavior.
It is unfortunate that even the presence of special and gifted programs are simply ways of handling groups of people that the regular education system cannot effectively handle. Such programs often provide little of the help needed while providing an abnormal socialization that makes such programs extremely questionable tools in aiding the gifted/special even if such programs worked as they should academically.
Summary
Bias is present in many ways in the modern United States School system. Class, race, sex, and intellectual ability are all a factor. Class taints everything, while racial factors give advantage to whites and simultaneously taking it away from minorities. Sex divides even minority groups and leads to unfair treatment of women, lack of preparation for life, and an ultimately detrimental effect on the psyches of (if not necessarily the wallets) of both men and women. Unsurprisingly one finds that deficient intelligence is a source of bias and disadvantage, but surprisingly one finds that those with heightened intellects suffer much the same fate, while the white middle- and upper-classes usurp the benefits of gifted programs.
We have come a long way in the last century, but there is much that needs to be done in this one. Our greatest adversary in progress is our perception of difference. Rather than see similarities, we see those things that separate us and use those things to create hierarchies of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ people. Those that receive the label of ‘right’ receive a greater and unjustified portion of society’s benefits, and those labeled ‘wrong’ are seldom capable of ever attaining the same heights of achievement as their more favored counterparts. The primary transmitter of this situation, aside from the media, is the education system, in which parents, politicians and educators come together to pass on the stratification system to new generations. Whether by personal bias on the part of parents and teachers or poor rules and legislation on the part of parents, administrators, and politicians, the education system must be the focus of any attempt to change the bias, prejudice, and privilege present in American culture today.
References
1. Lucas, Samuel Roundfield. 1999. Tracking Inequality. New York: Teachers College Press.
2. McCluskey, Ken W. and Walker, Keith D. The Doubtful Gift. Kingston: Ronald P. Frye & Company.
3. Stewart, Meler Jr. 1989. Race, Class, and Education. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press.
4. Peters, William. 1987. A Class Divided Then and Now. Chelsea: BookCrafters
5. Rossides, Daniel W. 1976. The American Class System. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
6. Wrigley, Julia. 1992. Education and Gender Equality. London: The Falmer Press.
Threading the Gerbil since 1982
Obedience to Authority Critique
W. C. James
In Obedience to Authority, Milgram shows how he attempted to create an experiment that dealt with the idea of authority and its impact upon human interaction. Milgram’s now seminal experiment succeeded far beyond his expectations however. In the beginning Milgram thought his experiment, one in which the experimenter urged a subject to apply progressively more severe electric shocks to another individual (an actor that was not actually being shocked) as punishment, would show that only a relative few were willing to inflict severe and possibly harmful pain on another at the urging of an authority figure. What Milgram found however, was to shock both him and the educated world.
Milgram’s experiments showed that a majority of people were willing to obey authority and commit acts that they would not tolerate being performed upon themselves and/or would see as immoral (Milgram had participants answer questionnaires regarding these topics after the experiments). Though the subjects were not forced in any way other than verbal command to act in accordance with the experimenter, they were still willing to shock fellow humans to the point of incapacitation, or in some cases, risk of death.
The determining factor in the experiments seemed to be the proximity of both the authority and the individual to be shocked, in relation to the test subject, and the legitimacy of the power of the authority figure. The closer the person being shocked, the more the subjects were confronted with the reality of the situation and inhumanity of what they were doing. In trials where the experimenter was not in the room, the subjects would apply less or even no shock, but curiously would still not break from authority, often lying about the amount of shock they used when telephoned by the experimenter from outside the room.
The legitimacy of authority came into play mainly when there were multiple authority figures in disagreement. In such cases the subjects generally stopped shocking much earlier. Also, in cases where the authority figure was another ‘normal’ person (an actor presented to the subject as just another volunteer), rather than an ‘expert’ the subjects readily disobeyed, deeming the authority figure cruel and disturbed.
The subjects, even those that administered shocks of the highest voltage, were not all in favor of continuing the experiment, often they experienced much pain over their choices and pleaded with the authority figure, but in the end the majority continued with the experiment. For those that did not have problems with the experiment, most had no conception that disobedience was an option, or that there was the possibility of personal responsibility; they became simply an instrument of the experimenter’s will. Often, subjects actually placed blame on the individual being shocked. Many of the subjects were of the opinion that if the learner, or the one being shocked, would simply perform better and comply with the demands of the study, there would be no need for shock. Personality tests administered later showed a high correlation between authoritarian tendencies and compliance with the experiment.
The ramifications of these findings were extraordinary. Not only did they show the world the power that authority holds in determining our actions, they also gave possible solutions to some of the worlds’ most troubling moral questions. ‘Why did the Nazis kill Jews?’, for example may have a simple yet powerful explanation: they were told to. Though there are of course more factors involved in most situations than were taken into account by Milgram’s experiments, the experiments showed the power of authority to be an undeniably large factor in decision making.
Though there were some flaws in Milgram’s experiments, such as the lack of females in the roles of learner and experimenter, the overall design of the experiment was good. It was both valid, in that it did in fact study response to authority, and replicable, as the experiments were performed at universities the world over with similar results. The greatest criticism that Milgram has received has actually not been on the experiments quality, but upon the ethics of performing it at all.
It was Milgram’s obedience study, along with Zimbardo’s prison study, that many credit as the cause of modern psychological experimentation ethics standards. I would personally disagree with any who would call Milgram’s experiments unethical, however. Milgram went to a great deal of trouble to minimize mental harm to his subjects, and as he points out, the same mechanisms that allowed people to continue shocking the learner allowed the subjects to deny any responsibility or wrongdoing. Further, in responses to questionnaires after the experiment, subjects seemed positive and commented that they had learned much from the study, many even saying they would like to participate in further studies. The final reason for its ethical validity however, is simply that all participants were given the choice to act or not to act in accordance with authority. If subjects found out unpleasant truths about themselves in the process of the experiment, that does not indicate unethical experimental practices. If harm is seen as presenting people with the opportunity to choose poorly, all freedom is removed; to paraphrase J. S. Mill, without the freedom to choose, how can morality ever be truly developed?
Milgram’s study has much to teach us about social interaction, ethics, and even the nature of free will. His study implies a great need for individuals to think for themselves, and take responsibility for their own actions, for only by such vigilance is atrocity prevented. A subject of Milgram’s stated best the true value of the his experiments: “…the experiment pointed up…the extent to which each individual should have or discover firm ground on which to base his decisions, no matter how trivial they appear to be. I think people should think more deeply about themselves and their relation to their world and to other people. If this experiment serves to jar people out of complacency, it will have served its end (Milgram, pg.196).”
W. C. James
In Obedience to Authority, Milgram shows how he attempted to create an experiment that dealt with the idea of authority and its impact upon human interaction. Milgram’s now seminal experiment succeeded far beyond his expectations however. In the beginning Milgram thought his experiment, one in which the experimenter urged a subject to apply progressively more severe electric shocks to another individual (an actor that was not actually being shocked) as punishment, would show that only a relative few were willing to inflict severe and possibly harmful pain on another at the urging of an authority figure. What Milgram found however, was to shock both him and the educated world.
Milgram’s experiments showed that a majority of people were willing to obey authority and commit acts that they would not tolerate being performed upon themselves and/or would see as immoral (Milgram had participants answer questionnaires regarding these topics after the experiments). Though the subjects were not forced in any way other than verbal command to act in accordance with the experimenter, they were still willing to shock fellow humans to the point of incapacitation, or in some cases, risk of death.
The determining factor in the experiments seemed to be the proximity of both the authority and the individual to be shocked, in relation to the test subject, and the legitimacy of the power of the authority figure. The closer the person being shocked, the more the subjects were confronted with the reality of the situation and inhumanity of what they were doing. In trials where the experimenter was not in the room, the subjects would apply less or even no shock, but curiously would still not break from authority, often lying about the amount of shock they used when telephoned by the experimenter from outside the room.
The legitimacy of authority came into play mainly when there were multiple authority figures in disagreement. In such cases the subjects generally stopped shocking much earlier. Also, in cases where the authority figure was another ‘normal’ person (an actor presented to the subject as just another volunteer), rather than an ‘expert’ the subjects readily disobeyed, deeming the authority figure cruel and disturbed.
The subjects, even those that administered shocks of the highest voltage, were not all in favor of continuing the experiment, often they experienced much pain over their choices and pleaded with the authority figure, but in the end the majority continued with the experiment. For those that did not have problems with the experiment, most had no conception that disobedience was an option, or that there was the possibility of personal responsibility; they became simply an instrument of the experimenter’s will. Often, subjects actually placed blame on the individual being shocked. Many of the subjects were of the opinion that if the learner, or the one being shocked, would simply perform better and comply with the demands of the study, there would be no need for shock. Personality tests administered later showed a high correlation between authoritarian tendencies and compliance with the experiment.
The ramifications of these findings were extraordinary. Not only did they show the world the power that authority holds in determining our actions, they also gave possible solutions to some of the worlds’ most troubling moral questions. ‘Why did the Nazis kill Jews?’, for example may have a simple yet powerful explanation: they were told to. Though there are of course more factors involved in most situations than were taken into account by Milgram’s experiments, the experiments showed the power of authority to be an undeniably large factor in decision making.
Though there were some flaws in Milgram’s experiments, such as the lack of females in the roles of learner and experimenter, the overall design of the experiment was good. It was both valid, in that it did in fact study response to authority, and replicable, as the experiments were performed at universities the world over with similar results. The greatest criticism that Milgram has received has actually not been on the experiments quality, but upon the ethics of performing it at all.
It was Milgram’s obedience study, along with Zimbardo’s prison study, that many credit as the cause of modern psychological experimentation ethics standards. I would personally disagree with any who would call Milgram’s experiments unethical, however. Milgram went to a great deal of trouble to minimize mental harm to his subjects, and as he points out, the same mechanisms that allowed people to continue shocking the learner allowed the subjects to deny any responsibility or wrongdoing. Further, in responses to questionnaires after the experiment, subjects seemed positive and commented that they had learned much from the study, many even saying they would like to participate in further studies. The final reason for its ethical validity however, is simply that all participants were given the choice to act or not to act in accordance with authority. If subjects found out unpleasant truths about themselves in the process of the experiment, that does not indicate unethical experimental practices. If harm is seen as presenting people with the opportunity to choose poorly, all freedom is removed; to paraphrase J. S. Mill, without the freedom to choose, how can morality ever be truly developed?
Milgram’s study has much to teach us about social interaction, ethics, and even the nature of free will. His study implies a great need for individuals to think for themselves, and take responsibility for their own actions, for only by such vigilance is atrocity prevented. A subject of Milgram’s stated best the true value of the his experiments: “…the experiment pointed up…the extent to which each individual should have or discover firm ground on which to base his decisions, no matter how trivial they appear to be. I think people should think more deeply about themselves and their relation to their world and to other people. If this experiment serves to jar people out of complacency, it will have served its end (Milgram, pg.196).”
Threading the Gerbil since 1982
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Liquidprism
- Lost Soul
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You have to wonder haw it all started....
All things in moderation...Except syrup.
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Liquidprism
- Lost Soul
- Posts: 1509
- Joined: Tue Jun 17, 2008 11:40 pm
- Location: Behind You...
Re: turpentine
Wait, now I remember
rydi wrote:.
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is bad.
All things in moderation...Except syrup.
<a href="http://www.wizards.com/magic/playmagic/ ... areyou.asp" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.wizards.com/magic/images/wha ... isblue.jpg" border="0">
<b>Take the Magic: The Gathering 'What Color Are You?' Quiz.</b></a>
<a href="http://www.wizards.com/magic/playmagic/ ... areyou.asp" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.wizards.com/magic/images/wha ... isblue.jpg" border="0">
<b>Take the Magic: The Gathering 'What Color Are You?' Quiz.</b></a>