Díarmad u Dael
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Each táelic in Naran has stereotypes associated with it. U Léon are seen as stalwart warriors; guardians of the pass, known for not retreating in the face of larger forces. U Nuín are known as leaders throughout Naran, though there are those who believe it doesn’t have anything to do with ability. U Húnnáhá, mostly comprised of those who chose to not leave for Nóaúnnáhá nearly two generations ago, have become known throughout Naran for their sailing. Not a single Naran ship, both military and commercial, can be found with U Húnnáhá comprising less than half the crew. U Limach and U Dael are the newest táelics. U Limach was mostly comprised of the wealthier merchants within Limach who were less concerned with the politics of what nation they lived in and more interested in continuing their flow of income. They have caused many to associate the táelic with traders in general. U Dael was formed by the marriage of the granddaughter of the Ónnaran and a Ther noble. They allowed locals of Dael to petition for inclusion, and while there are still no strong stereotypes, the táelic is currently seen as being a mix of clanless commoners.
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Díarmad had managed his way onto a merchant ship that had stopped in Dael for repairs. They had “lost” a crewman during some rough seas that had also led to the damage to the ship. Díarmad had been born in Dael near the end of the war that saw the end of Limach as a nation. His parents were not much in the settlement. His father raised chickens and would barter some off for maize and tóasu. His mother sold small meals out of their house to locals and travelers alike. His parents saw potential in joining a táelic, and petitioned to join Táelic u Dael. As early petitioners, they managed to get in before requirements became stricter.
As Díarmad got older, he began running around Dael as a delivery boy for his mother’s cooking. Meeting new people soon had him running errands for all sorts throughout the settlement. Díarmad was able to make a small savings over a course of a decade. He planned to save enough to pay for the daughter of one of the traders he regularly took meals.
He approached the trader one day with his offer.
“Róan u Limach, I would like to make a request.”
“Go ahead, Díarmad. I am soon to return to my home in Limach, but I will give you time if you are not slow.”
“I would like to speak to you in regards to marrying one of your daughters. I have been fond of Caóimé for some time. When I have spoken to her, I felt that she would be receptive.”
“Haha! Oh Díarmad, you do jest. I am certain that you cannot be serious.”
“But I am, Róan u Limach. I have a sum that I can provide in exchange.”
“Poor little Díarmad. You could not afford beautiful Caóimé. Even young Róanaí would be beyond you.”
“But-”
“Please stop embarrassing yourself, Díarmad. You are a good kid, but I cannot just let anyone marry into Táelic u Limach.”
“I am U Dael. She would be marrying into Táelic u Dael.”
“Haha! Don’t insult me, child. The only U Dael worth anything is Ón Dael, and even he dilutes his worth by including so many who are but nothing. Leave me. Tell your mother our business is over.”
Díarmad considered challenging Róan u Limach, but knew it would not help his cause. He vowed to save more and find a negotiator that would plead his case. Certainly he could get a wife then.
He walked home without his usual bounce, thinking over what had occurred. He turned the corner heading to his house when he saw a crowd. “There’s Díarmad!” Called out someone. The crowd split and a soldier came up.
Díarmad recognized the man as one of his regular deliveries. “What is going on, Caol? Why are there so many?”
“Díarmad. Your father got into an argument over chicken prices. It turned violent and he was killed.”
Díarmad didn’t reply. He was in shock from what he had heard. He ran to his house, the crowd split to allow him through. Many were around his mother who was collapsed in tears next to the oven. Díarmad spent countless hours trying to get his mother to move. The many customers she had made over the years assisted as they could snuffing out the oven fire, feeding the chickens in the back, and securing the day’s funds. However, they didn’t stay long, and soon Díarmad and his mother were alone.
Díarmad had to manage the house alone. His mother quickly became a shell of her former self. He tended to the chickens; he prepared the meals that his mother mostly refused. Many came by to inquire about a meal. Díarmad tried to sell some, but without the maize and tóasu that his father purchased, he was unable to make them at the same quality his mother had. Soon the numbers decreased to just the most desperate for cheap food.
Díarmad was able to return to his own errand running, but many had given up on him after his absence. He managed to make enough to buy enough feed for some of the chickens, but had to sell many just so they wouldn’t go to waste. He spent every waking moment running errands. He even slept less just to get a few more jobs in per day.
Nearly two months after his father’s death, he came home to fix his mother a meal between errands and found her sitting with an unknown man. His dress was similar but oddly different than U Dael or U Limach. He reeked heavily of uncooked tóasu, almost that of rotting fish.
“May I help you? Mother, are you okay?” Díarmad asked.
“Ah, Díarmad u Dael. Your mother mentioned you should be here soon.”
“Mother? Are you okay?” Díarmad ignored the strange new man.
“I am okay. He is not a threat. He worked with... your father,” she quietly replied.
“Excuse me for not introducing myself. I am Braónáin u Húnnáhá. I traded with your father. He brought me many fine chickens in exchange for the tóasu I get.”
“You traded with my father? Are you...?”
“I am not the man who killed your father. That was some lowlife from Ther at the western gate. I am sure they have already tossed the scum into the sea.”
“What are you here for?”
“As I was telling your mother, when your father stopped coming by to get tóasu, I just assumed he found someone else who offered a better deal on his chickens. He would have never found a better tóasu than what I provide, but I am sure there are those who would promise greater quantity of poorly made tóasu.”
“We used it to make meals. We wouldn’t have need for more.”
“I am aware of that now. A man I do business with bemoaned the other day the loss of his regular morning dish. I asked if he had lost his ability to afford decent food. I thought he might be a bad deal that would cost me more than it was worth. But he corrected me. He told me that he used to get a wonderful tóasu cooked chicken baked in cornmeal. He told me that your father had be killed, and I recognized the name.”
“Well we don’t have the supplies to make his dish.” Díarmad replied.
“I realized this. I inquired about the location and here I am. I thought I might be able to provide a solution. I want to sell my tóasu to you and your mother so that you may return to making your little meals.”
“We still wouldn’t have the maize, and I had to sell most of the chickens. I have nothing to trade. If I trade you the chickens we have, then we still cannot make a meal.”
“I understand. However, I have a different offer. There is a ship in dock that is short some crew. They do not need anyone especially skilled at sea, just some decent young men who are willing to work.”
“My mother cannot trade on her own. She cannot carry all the supplies she needs from the dock to our house.”
“The pay I have secured for you would cover the amount of tóasu and maize your father regularly bartered for. I would also have one of my men deliver it to your mother. You mother knows the details. I have to go. Come to the dock tomorrow if you want to head out.”
The man left and Díarmad sat with his mother. She was slightly more lively than before.
“I miss cooking.”
“I have missed you. I have not seen you out of this shell.”
“It is hard.”
“If I were to go, would you be able to cook?”
“I would cook, but I cannot ask you to go.”
“Why not say this before?”
“That I would cook? I never knew who your father dealt with. I assumed this was over with him.”
“If it will allow you to cook, I will go.”