Report From Stonesworth

Fir

Metadata

Reference Number: BICI/SSP/CRJ1004/014

Title: Report From Stonesworth

Author: Fir

Date: Written approximately in the second month of year 5607 A.o.W.

Extent: One report, two pages long

Notes: Was originally found burnt nearly beyond recognition. A version has been recreated above.

To His Eternal Warmth, Who Forged Our Bodies In Love And Strength:

Your most faithful disciple is tiring of her stubborn subordinate. If he wasn’t the best Overseer of the Tending Grounds that I’ve ever had, I’d send him off to babysit Scritta’s ridiculous Hall for a decade or two until he learned to stop questioning me so much. But I must keep my judgement clear, and I simply don’t have an Undying Ember who could perform his role half as well as he does. 

Speaking of Ash’s role, if Your most faithful disciple could be allowed a moment of presumptuousness… I believe it would be in our world’s best interest to send more Sparks to potential Undying Embers. The Tending Grounds feel so barren these days, and the amount of aberrations that stalk the land have not decreased in any meaningful way. 

Maybe this is all for a reason. An emptier camp meant that Ash had no reason to say no when I told him to train Spica. I have so much to teach Spica myself; I can’t wait around for three years just so some Undying Ember of middling rank can occasionally teach her magic. But after seeing Spica in a sparring match… the poor thing would probably need six years before I’d feel comfortable sending her across the land on her own. 

If she trains under Ash directly, then surely she’ll pick up the basics much faster. The personalized attention is good for her. And afterwards, once she’s Branded and back under my tutelage, maybe You’ll spread Your Spark far and wide across the land. I would be thrilled to see these camps awash with potential Undying Embers once more!

Though back to Spica. You know I love speaking about her! I don’t need her to be a combat expert. I won’t say it’s not beneficial, but it’s not a requirement. I have plenty of Embers ready and willing to kill aberrations. She doesn’t need to waste her time on something so trivial. I hardly fight these days, myself. A fact that Ash seems unable to wrap his head around. 

I’m tired of hearing “She’ll die out there, Flame-Feeder,” and “Branding someone as inexperienced as her besmirches the legacy of every Undying Ember that has come before us.” I reminded him that I am the one who is granted Your audience, not he. Naturally, I am closer to Your will than he is. And if You have deemed her to be my protege, then I have deemed her to be a perfect continuation to Your mighty legacy. Really. He’s getting too comfortable here…

Maybe I will send him to Scritta’s Hall.

Anyways. I haven’t spent too long around the Tending Grounds. As much as I want to watch Spica’s training, my presence will only make her a bigger target. Teenagers are cruel, and they’ll pick on her enough as it is. No need to make jealousy fuel their flame, too. 

Instead I headed up to Stonesworth. The Embers there are struggling against the aberrations. I’ll need to send a few more to help guard their walls… maybe from Strinarre. They can always do with less Embers, though I know You are often loathe to part with them there. I could always take some from Scritta.

Or I could send Ash! 

…No. He’s much better at commanding others than he is fighting aberrations himself. He’d be of little help in Stonesworth. 

But enough about Ash. I received the most interesting letter from Scritta recently… it appears that things at the Hall of Kindling and Charcoal are not going as well as she’d like. She’s invited me personally to see them, “mete out their form of justice,” as she puts it. I’m still debating whether or not I should go. On one hand, I don’t care. On the other hand, it could be a good experience for Spica…

I’ll consider further. If You have any guidance, I am of course happy to obey Your command. You’ve been quiet as of late, but I’m no stranger to these periods. I’m sure you had a multitude of reasons to select me as Your Flame-Feeder, and one of those is how You can trust me to run Embers fine in Your stead. 

Ah… I miss Spica. Maybe I’ll come see her before the Branding Ceremony, though I’ll definitely be in attendance for the actual ceremony. At that point, who cares if the other trainees hate her? The next time she sees any of them, she’ll have command over them. They wouldn’t dare harass her then.

-Fir