Post by Liu Feng on Feb 1, 2011 19:31:17 GMT
The farms of Lu Jiang had undergone great improvement since Sun Ce returned order to the city not too long ago. This agricultural growth, however, was curbed slightly by a terrible lack of rain. Since Ulayne's completion of her fleet, the farmer's had not seen rain in Lu Jiang and they began to worry for their crops. On this particularly sunny day, three farmers were chatting in the marketplace.
“It hasn't rained in weeks,” one farmer lamented, “how will I survive if my crops dry out?” He sighed heavily.
“My crops are drying out too! I heard in Jian Ye they've been getting a lot of r-”
One young farmer stopped the older man mid-sentence with an exclamation of joy.
“I've got it,” said the younger man, “We need to ask that mystic that Lord Sun hired. She can summon rainstorms, you know.”
“Bah! You believe that crap? She just got lucky, I tell ya.”
But the young man insisted that they plead with the odd mystic for her aid. After all, if she got lucky again, it would save the farmer's crops from drying out and would make a big difference in sustaining Lu Jiang's agricultural growth. The next day, the three farmers managed to get an audience with Ulayne, and they immediately began to lament about their crops.
“Mistress Hai,” the younger one said, having heard her name previously, “Our crops are drying out, and we need your help to summon a rainstorm and save them. You can do that, right?”
The young mystic looked a the young farmer and chuckled. She then shook her head.
“No mortal can summon a rainstorm, friend. Certainly not a mere advisor like myself.”
“That's not true!” the young farmer replied adamantly, “I saw you do it once! Remember after you hired us to help construct your fleet?”
Ulayne nodded with another chuckle.
“But I did nothing of the sort. We merely prayed and the spirits of water answered these prayers. It was the spirits that caused the rainstorm, not I.”
“Then help lead us in a prayer for rain! Please!”
Ulayne sighed, as she knew the ritual for even a small rainstorm was complex and draining, but she could not turn down these farmers. She secretly prayed that the spirits would forgive her use of the mystical arts in this case.
The next day, a dozen farmers attended the prayer ritual with Ulayne Umi. She had set up an altar at which she prayed the entire morning to the spirits of water. The rain spirits, Ulayne said, didn't require live sacrifices but rather that the dead be returned to the sea from which they came. One of the farmers had recently lost some of his livestock to wolves, and he offered the corpses as the sacrifice. Ulayne prepared a small raft and placed the corpses on it, crying out a prayer to the rain spirits in a loud voice. At the end of the ritual, many of the farmers crowded around Ulayne.
“Did it work!?”
Ulayne shrugged.
“I cannot know the will of the spirits yet. I will tell you tonight whether or not it worked.”
The farmers were confused, but they returned to their fields and worked as hard as they could for the rest of the day. Ulayne, on the other hand, immediately returned to her home and changed into her swimming clothes. She rode upon her white horse to the shoreline and dismounted, sitting and meditating at the water's edge evaluating the winds and tides. After an hour of meditation, Ulayne jumped into the water and swam for two hours. Ulayne's rituals almost always included swimming, since she felt much closer to her favored water spirits when she was bathing in the beauty of the Chang Jiang. As the sun began to fall, Ulayne returned to the ritual-place and met the farmers.
“It will rain within the next three days,” Ulayne said confidently, though no one knew why or how she could make this assessment as there was not a cloud in the sky.
Sure enough, two days later the sky filled with grey clouds and opened, a violent rainstorm gripping Lu Jiang. The farmers almost had to worry about crops drowning, but the rain stopped before causing damage. It had perfectly counteracted the effects the last few week's drought. The farmers all thanked Ulayne profusely, but she denied having anything to do with it. Many people also doubted her, and a few scholars stated vehemently that simple mathematical probability would have dictated that this rainstorm would fall within the three days Ulayne suggested. Whether she relied on mathematical probability, or she actually contacted the spirits of which she always speaks, is still a mystery to the people of Lu Jiang. This seems, however, to be a common topic of tavern arguments, at least for the few days following the rainstorm.
Ulayne sat in her office with a wide smirk on her face. She would speak not a word about it.
“It hasn't rained in weeks,” one farmer lamented, “how will I survive if my crops dry out?” He sighed heavily.
“My crops are drying out too! I heard in Jian Ye they've been getting a lot of r-”
One young farmer stopped the older man mid-sentence with an exclamation of joy.
“I've got it,” said the younger man, “We need to ask that mystic that Lord Sun hired. She can summon rainstorms, you know.”
“Bah! You believe that crap? She just got lucky, I tell ya.”
But the young man insisted that they plead with the odd mystic for her aid. After all, if she got lucky again, it would save the farmer's crops from drying out and would make a big difference in sustaining Lu Jiang's agricultural growth. The next day, the three farmers managed to get an audience with Ulayne, and they immediately began to lament about their crops.
“Mistress Hai,” the younger one said, having heard her name previously, “Our crops are drying out, and we need your help to summon a rainstorm and save them. You can do that, right?”
The young mystic looked a the young farmer and chuckled. She then shook her head.
“No mortal can summon a rainstorm, friend. Certainly not a mere advisor like myself.”
“That's not true!” the young farmer replied adamantly, “I saw you do it once! Remember after you hired us to help construct your fleet?”
Ulayne nodded with another chuckle.
“But I did nothing of the sort. We merely prayed and the spirits of water answered these prayers. It was the spirits that caused the rainstorm, not I.”
“Then help lead us in a prayer for rain! Please!”
Ulayne sighed, as she knew the ritual for even a small rainstorm was complex and draining, but she could not turn down these farmers. She secretly prayed that the spirits would forgive her use of the mystical arts in this case.
The next day, a dozen farmers attended the prayer ritual with Ulayne Umi. She had set up an altar at which she prayed the entire morning to the spirits of water. The rain spirits, Ulayne said, didn't require live sacrifices but rather that the dead be returned to the sea from which they came. One of the farmers had recently lost some of his livestock to wolves, and he offered the corpses as the sacrifice. Ulayne prepared a small raft and placed the corpses on it, crying out a prayer to the rain spirits in a loud voice. At the end of the ritual, many of the farmers crowded around Ulayne.
“Did it work!?”
Ulayne shrugged.
“I cannot know the will of the spirits yet. I will tell you tonight whether or not it worked.”
The farmers were confused, but they returned to their fields and worked as hard as they could for the rest of the day. Ulayne, on the other hand, immediately returned to her home and changed into her swimming clothes. She rode upon her white horse to the shoreline and dismounted, sitting and meditating at the water's edge evaluating the winds and tides. After an hour of meditation, Ulayne jumped into the water and swam for two hours. Ulayne's rituals almost always included swimming, since she felt much closer to her favored water spirits when she was bathing in the beauty of the Chang Jiang. As the sun began to fall, Ulayne returned to the ritual-place and met the farmers.
“It will rain within the next three days,” Ulayne said confidently, though no one knew why or how she could make this assessment as there was not a cloud in the sky.
Sure enough, two days later the sky filled with grey clouds and opened, a violent rainstorm gripping Lu Jiang. The farmers almost had to worry about crops drowning, but the rain stopped before causing damage. It had perfectly counteracted the effects the last few week's drought. The farmers all thanked Ulayne profusely, but she denied having anything to do with it. Many people also doubted her, and a few scholars stated vehemently that simple mathematical probability would have dictated that this rainstorm would fall within the three days Ulayne suggested. Whether she relied on mathematical probability, or she actually contacted the spirits of which she always speaks, is still a mystery to the people of Lu Jiang. This seems, however, to be a common topic of tavern arguments, at least for the few days following the rainstorm.
Ulayne sat in her office with a wide smirk on her face. She would speak not a word about it.
