About a week after Barra has defeated Utiog, Gus has chanced on something close to a feast for the group. The group is at one of the tables in the Inn. Alexis is in good spirits. He turns to Telosh.
“We’ve never taken the time for you to tell us about your upbringing. About your father. Care to tell us the ‘Tale of Telosh’?”
Telosh looks at Alexis with a gentle smile, and clears his throat. He takes a sip of water, and a deep breath and begins:
“Okken grew up in Amara and left when he was young, my grandparents are farmers, they were among the first waves of settlers in Amara… He trained with the militia along with his brother Dakun. Okken left Amara in his 15th year, no one in my family talked about exactly why.”
“Okken retuned several years later with a baby… me. A small toddler really, but nevertheless… a child, and no mother. No one has ever been able to tell me anything about my mother. My father ignores all questions about her.”
“My father opened a… dry goods shop, farmers mostly grew their own produce, and traded, we benefited from my uncle’s family garden… So we sold all sorts of tools, barrels, boxes, locks, hinges, and several staples, sugar, salt, spices… alcohol… some things on consignment from locals, but most things imported, sometimes traded for with travelers…”
“In any case, Okken was a strict father. He kept me busy in the shop and when there wasn’t stock to be moved, he taught me sums, reading and writing, codes, and code breaking games, how to copy someone’s handwriting, how to move silently, how to hide effectively, how take apart hinges, open locks and disarm traps. A little slight of hand, you know, common copper swaps when receiving change to watch out for, ways to counter them… How to get a dagger out quick when you need it… Some card tricks and street hustles… ‘to watch out for…'”
Telosh smiles. Then his face grows cloudy.
“He taught me how to take a punch, and how to hit were it would really count…”
Telosh grows silent and sad for a moment, then smiles.
“Most of the time he made it fun. Throughout my childhood we did a lot of hiding, sneaking up on each other, playing word and code games… puzzle boxes… locked mystery boxes… He encouraged me to climb all sorts of things, he taught me some tricks for jumping, rolling out falls, dodging attacks, feinting… I had an edge against my cousins in militia training, and playing in hide and find in the woods… But… Making mistakes and poking around where I didn’t belong were… well, the consequences were swift and severe.”
Telosh sighs, and takes another deep breath.
“After I left home I learned that my father was known as “The Specter” in Yamar, and was known to be able to get in and out of anywhere.”
Telosh shrugs.
“Like I said, he kept me busy. That’s really all I know about my dad. I looked up to him and I was afraid of him. I suppose I still do. On both counts…”
” ‘The Specter of Yamar’. And where is he now? Still alive? Seems like a good man to lay low with if things ever got too dangerous.”
Telosh shrugs.
“It’s been 3 years since I saw him last, but I have no reason to think he is anything but alive and well in Amara.”