Quoted By:
>SELECTED: “A knight is a protector of the people. You would do well to learn more about the folk we vow to safeguard. Bread break with the other pilgrims during your time here. Listen well to the tales of the men of the north and the men of the south, talk with the squires of those other knights that have made this journey. You will never find a more diverse group of peoples coming to one location in all your travels.” Mikail is encouraged to socialise and mingle with the pilgrims, at times while waiting on you and at times on his own. [Hearty]
> Mikail gains the WORDLY trait. He is more adept at handling his own in one-on-one conversations with boys his age and taking social cues where men of seniority are speaking, provided the formality of an event or the difference in rank doesn’t overwhelm him. Girls is another issue altogether, but that’s hardly surprising for an adolescent male. As an interesting aside, for the first time Mikail also has thoughts about what he might want in life beyond attaining knighthood.
There are few other places in the world where you can meet good and faithful men from every corner of Cantǒn than here, so you put Mikail to practice. Greeted as a peacemaker among the faithful, it is rare to find a table or gathering of bodies where you and your squire are not welcome. In one instance, two of Father Towbray’s men give up their last remaining seats for you and stand, a courtesy which is typically only afforded to the landed gentry of high standing in your homeland. For the most part the boy holds his tongue and speaks when spoken to, which is all well and good given the senior age of others present, but as the informality of the discussions continues and with some coaxing from yourself the Mikail engages in the conversations as well. Thankfully he doesn’t unduly embarrass himself beyond the odd awkward comment or foolish opinion borne from youth. Few of the pilgrims pay it any heed, though you couldn’t guess whether that forbearance is them dismissing a boy’s awkwardness or holding their tongue out of respect to you.
The encounters with the men that have travelled from the south are especially interesting, to you and Mikail both. Doctrinally, their faith does not stray too far from the orthodox practices on the continent, but there the cultural similarities with Cantǒn end. Clad in robes and headscarves not dissimilar from the desert spearmen that you saw confronted by the Norsikaans upon your arrival, each man of mature age without exception bears a padded sash crossing from right hip to left shoulder. This item is usually a vibrant colour distinct from the rest of their outfit, and it is in fact quite a lot of material bundled up together rather than a purely decorative fashion item.
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