List of Chapters
Previous Section
Excerpt from Thrane Calton’s Heretic’s Voyage
1st ed., chpt. 9, par. 4 to 6, incl. footnotes
To say that the Wilder people are hardened is not a matter of exaggeration or prejudice. Rather, it is a simple fact visible within the paradoxical life and death of those who live in [the Wildes].
By the age of 30, one of every three “Wilders” will have been killed by attacks by “beasts”1. Of those that remain, another one in five will die due to conditions or risks related to these dangerous environments. These conditions and risks range from poisonous berries2 to starvation3 to dying from cold or other environmental factors4. And within those who survive all the environmental factors, a recorded 39% migrate outside of the territory5. What remains is a mere third of those originally born as “Wilders.” However, amongst those who survive and remain beyond their 31st year, the life expectancy escalates to 71, nearly a decade older than the imperial average6, even after adjusting for similar pre-natural deaths. What we are seeing is that those who survive and remain in this brutal territory become more physically, and perhaps also mentally, durable.
1. The term “beasts” is used colloquially by those in the Wilder parts, but references the enormous animals that live in the region. To many outsiders, these are seen as “monsters,” and it’s assumed by organizations of arcane knowledge (e.g., the Northmages, the Council of Horalius, etc.) that the size of the beasts indicate a magical origin. However, others believe the “beasts” are naturally occurring counterparts to more common animals, and that the tremendous size, aggressive hunting instincts, and nearly preternatural strength stem from a need to adapt to their environment. No consensus has yet been reached but this: The “beasts” will kill any who wander into the Wildes unprepared.
2. To humans, more than half of the naturally occurring plants of the Wildes are potentially, or (just as often) inevitably, fatal. This leads to another peculiarity of the Wilder people; those who have lived in the Wildes for generations seem to have developed natural bodily defenses to some of these berries, and can consume without fear of illness or death.
3. Especially in territories known as “the Deep Wildes,” the inability to purchase sustaining food leaves Wilders to live on low-energy plant food or the flesh of beasts. In these territories especially, starvation is the greatest threat.
4. The Wildes reach only moderate temperatures during the warmer months. However, during the winter months, nightfall can bring temperatures well below freezing.
5. The majority of those who migrate away from homes in the Wildes live on the border to protected lands (e.g., Sholton, Wine, Kalick, Marsh, Hector, and other minor settlements). These individuals are frequently known as “fringers.” There are also few accurate records of those who leave other territories for the Wildes, although within records that do exist, the declared numbers of new settlers are negligible in the grand figures. Due to the lackluster record-keeping of settlers, the Wildes have, in years past, been seen as a last resort for the criminal, vagrant, deserter, and excommunicated; within the empire itself, the term “go Wilder” (e.g., “If I fail here, I may as well go Wilder”) refers to giving up all hope and abandoning society at large.
6. Both figures were obtained from the 920 P.V. census, released on special authorization under the title “Registered Citizenry of Cheyvelrus, Lands and Territories.”
Next section.
The post White Silk: Excerpt 1 appeared first on Robbie Blair Writes.