Just thinking about UrTih minding his own business, doing alchemy, when his eye spontaneously explodes

And then he just continues on with his day because that’s life for the Mystics. Unpredictable sympathetic injuries whenever the Skeksis get worked up.

💬!

Aw! <3 For you, I'll include two quotes.

First is a line from Chapter 7 of my Dark Crystal fic Katabasis:

' The once-Alchemist turned his head slightly, looking at Jen with his good eye. The Gelfling stared at the glass one, and the wooden arm and leg that were still part of urTih’s shade. As a child, Jen had once asked him who hurt him so badly, and he still remembered the Mystic’s sorrowful answer: “Someone who did not love himself.” ' And second is from my Phantom fic Imprints In Time (which I still appreciate you beta-ing!):

' “I’ve killed a great many people in the years we’ve been apart, Antoinette. This one is nothing special.” For all the emotion he showed, he might as well have been speaking of tossing a dead mouse from a trap. '

UrTih: The moons are really beautiful tonight.

UrIm: They sure are.

UrAmaj, whispering to urNol: Should we tell them that it's just tortillas you threw on the window?

UrNol: Shhhhh.

its them its them

I heard skekTek and urTih and was summoned! I can't wait to see the science babs!! Also, I love the mal/va babs and your art so much!!! 💜 Thank you for your art!

TekTih babs ❤

“You’ve been through so much, Tek... Now you don’t have to be alone anymore.” 

TekTih but he lives. 

UrSan Headcanons!🌊

The UrMaid of Thra...

     It’s probably no surprise that UrSan The Swimmer is my favorite Dark Crystak character considering how much I draw her, but I feel like many of you would like to hear my headcanons for this beautiful lass!

     UrSan is a Nomadic UrRu. Constantly swimming through the various waterways and seas of Thra. Like Urgoh and UrVa, she seeks out her own path. Prefering not to stay in place for too long. Like her counterpart, she yearns to have her own independence and sense of purpose.

     UrSan is Loving and kind, but not Naïve. She knows life can be cruel, but she tries to keep her spirits up. She shows compassion to others, because she knows firsthand how hard it can be when you feel isolated, alone, or nobody cares. She had been scared half to death once when someone very close to her nearly perished due to their grief.

     UrSan’s voyages across the rivers, seas, swamps, and lakes of Thra have inspired many folktales and legends among the Gelfling. The Majority of them coming from the Drenchen and the Sifa. These tales can arrange from terrifying bog monsters with bright glowing eyes... Made up entirely of tangling limbs, reeds, and mud. Shambling about to take away any naughty children who may have wandered too deep into the swamps, To beautiful women who lure young Gelfing into the dark depths, or even pure-hearted sea spirits that will lead you back to shore with their songs when you’re lost at sea…

     UrSan’s singing sounds like that of a whale or siren. Many Sifan folktales have their roots in hearing this elusive tune underneath their ships. Echoing beneath them with a resonating lullaby that can be heard for miles.

     Ursan wears little to no clothing as to prevent drag in the water as she swims. Her long hair serves to cover up most of her body whenever she leaves the water. (Which isn’t often.) But if she must be out of the water for an extended period of time; she has a lightweight dress she wears. She’ll usually keep these dresses in hollow tree trunks along the banks of rivers where she’s known to stop and rest. She finds clothes kinda itchy and weird.

     Due to all of her underwater travel, UrSan occasionally gets things stuck in her hair. Mostly Seaweed, but sometimes small animals, or sometimes even Gelfling can get trapped in her deep indigo locks! Although for that to happen is extremely rare and scary! She often lets plants that get tangled within her mane stay. Using them as a form of decoration. ((And sometimes a food source.)) Although most of the time, this is actually due to her forgetting to remove the flora in the first place!     When dry, UrSan’s hair is wavy. She also has little tufts of hair that stick out of place.

    UrSan Swims by using her powerful tail to propel her forward in the water. keeping her arms and legs pressed against her body. She’ll use her arms to cling onto rocks in particularly strong currents, or to assist in turning another direction.

     UrSan has hidden grottoes and hideaways she stays in if she needs to rest or recover from an injury she may have gotten from her travels. Most often when noticing that her counterpart got into a particularly nasty fight. She calls these places “Sanctuaries”. These areas are scattered across the world of Thra, and are very hard to come by if you aren’t The Swimmer. UrSan knows these places by heart, and a few of them are connected by underwater tunnels. Any adventurer to stumble upon one of these sanctuaries is a lucky one indeed! As these places are full of necessities for survival, as well as rare and exotic items The Swimmer finds on her travels. She keeps these behind as mementos of previous journeys. If you’re particularly lucky, you may even stumble upon her during a period of rest. A sight very few ever see, but will always remember.     As well as Sanctuaries, She also has a network of underground channels she’ll use for fast travel. Although these are more risky due to the darkness, sharp rocks, and strong currents. Here are some visuals of what I have in mind for these Sanctuaries:

(Below) An underground channel located in the claw mountains.

UrSan makes a pilgrimage back to The Valley of the Mystics once every few Trine.

     On this voyage back home, she’ll bring back various things from her travels to give to her fellow UrRu. It’s not about the quantity, but the quality. Since she can’t carry too much while swimming miles upon miles back home; she’ll put a lot of thought into it. These items will often have a special meaning on how she feels about a certain individual. As well as a use. Many of these objects are not accessible in The Valley making them a heartfelt gift indeed. She keeps them in a small bag made out of fishing nets, or tied up in her hair.

     She’ll stay in the valley for about a week or two before leaving. During this time, She’ll catch up with her brothers. Helping out, speaking of her travels and answering numerous questions. She will also allow her hair to be brushed, dried and braided. Decorating it with seashells that she will leave behind in The Valley from her numerous pilgrimages. As well as wearing clothing. Elaborate ones at that. (Or at least for a Mystic...) Her Robes are made from Sifan silk she found in a shipwreck that she gifted to UrUtt the Weaver, who in return created this masterful work of art. ((Clothing HC Based off of this description of her outfit!))

     The two are good friends. Even though UrUtt is put off by her decision to remain nude outside of the Valley. UrSan however, is blissfully unaware of how others could find her choices inappropriate. Being completely innocent about this aspect of life.

     Speaking of Relationships, Two of her closest friends are UrTih the Alchemist and UrZah the Ritual Guardian.       UrTih the Alchemist is very close to UrSan. With the two of them interacting like a Big Sister and Little Brother of sorts, despite them being the same age. UrSan will spend a good part of her time back home experimenting and helping The Alchemist out with all sorts of things! Be it finding the materials he may need for potions, or asking him thousands of questions on whatever he may be working on! She also helps The Alchemist get out of his shell, as he sometimes feels anxious to speak or share his ideas with his fellow UrRu. UrTih is fond of UrSan as well. And is one of the first people to greet her upon her return. He enjoys the stories and excitement she brings to the monotony of Valley life. Even if she can get to be a too much at times. UrSan gets very excited whenever she’s around UrTih. He always has something new to say, and she admires his Creativity. She brings out a brave side of him, and he offers her kinship and a feeling of family. All and all their bond is inseparable! I heard that with the collaboration with another UrRu, UrTih is crafting a strange vessel known as a “Canoe”...      UrZah the Ritual Guardian is one of UrSan’s oldest, and closest friends. Their relationship started when his facial disfigurement caused him to spiral into a depressive state where all he would do was pray, do his rituals, and go to sleep. He wouldn’t eat and barely ever drank. As he felt unworthy of it. Like he was being punished by the gods for his transgressions. He was guilty of so much; breathing and speaking hurt so bad... It had to be a punishment. Especially considering the wicked acts of his “Other Half”. UrZah was just as responsible of those atrocities as he. They are two sides of the same coin. This period happened during a time frame where UrSan’s travels were very brief. Still being titled “The Swimmer” however she was not nearly as nomadic as she is today. Only really acting as a scout as she swam around the streams in the wilderness they had camped for the night. As they were still looking for their own home. She would make sure check up on everyone at night as she held her vigil. One particularly cold night, She heard UrZah’s harsh wheezing in the distance. It sounded much more labored... So she followed the noise and saw him collapsed on the ground surrounded by various types of sands, prayer objects, and half finished symbols. Twisting about in mesmerizing patterns all across the ground. Mortified, she immediately rushed for help. A few nights later the golden haired mystic awoke to see The Swimmer, UrIm the Healer, and UrSu the Master all watching over him. She had learned that she had saved his life; but he didn’t know why or how. He was scolded harshly by the three, but UrSan stayed with him for the night as she was worried for him. She would spend the next couple unum trying to lift his spirits, giving him little reasons to go on, and making sure he was eating and drinking at least something small everyday. It took a long, long time but he got better due to her and his fellow Mystics. And for that he’s eternally grateful. When he asks her about what happened the night she found him, she only stares off into the distance. Silent. Not saying a word. But perhaps... that’s for the best. As the trine passed the two grew closer despite their long distance apart due to UrSan’s travels. Becoming better friends despite their vastly different personalities and opposing worldviews. UrSan believing in being independent and doing all that they could to make up for their past transgressions, while UrZah believes the opposite. Following the Master’s orders of staying hidden, remaining vigilant, and being patient. Praying for safety until the next great conjunction. They work together like Caramel and Sour Apples! Better with each other than without. UrZah is a stable mystic who can help keep UrSan grounded in reality. Reminding her that there is a way to things. And UrSan is someone who can help him get out of his overly strict attitude and lift him out of his all or nothing mentality. The weight of the world is not on his shoulders. And She’ll always make sure to remind him of that.      Other Wandering Mystics: She has many experiences of running into UrVa the Archer, UrMa the Peacemaker, and in her younger days; UrGoh the Wanderer.

     When finding one of her Dear, Fellow Travelers. She will often speak to them. Asking where they might be headed and what their plans are. Sometimes they’ll even camp together. Telling each other of their travels. Each Interaction is different depending on who she meets, but meeting another vagabond is always a fun surprise!      UrMa the Peacemaker is by far the most social. As he travels the lands looking for peaceful solutions to conflicts. When the two meet they’ll be sure to play around a bit before catching up. This usually entails UrMa racing her on the riverbank as she swims by the water’s edge. Or UrSan slowly emerging out of the water creeping from behind to startle the big strong UrRu! They’ll definitely set camp together and talk until dawn. Most stories shared between the two are those of unique individuals they met. The Peacemaker telling UrSan of some of the most foolish reasons conflicts had arisen and the weirdest ways those problems were solved! In the morning UrMa will usually invite her to follow him wherever he may be headed next and as long there’s a river alongside him to follow his path, The Swimmer will accept!      UrVa the Archer is someone UrSan also likes to catch up with when she can. She’ll find him most often drinking from a stream or resting in one of her secret sanctuaries. Their talks usually consist of philosophy with a bit of witty remarks and jokes sprinkled in-between. The two will also practice their physical abilities by sparring. As they are the two most active and strong UrRu.      When they camp together they’ll catch fish to make into kebabs. (UrSan is extremely fond of this part) UrVa will wait patiently as he stays still and catches them with his hands in the shallows. Using his strong reflexes and knowledge of the Mystic’s rarely used martial arts. UrSan however will chase the fish around the open water like a dolphin until she catches up to one and grabs it either in her mouth or powerful arms. Sometimes quickly jumping out of the water as she chases them! Each take only what they need for the night and make sure not to waste a single bit of what was given. All life is a gift from Thra. And as they are not of Thra, they can’t take recklessly. The two will cook together, and speak of their journeys and various tales they had heard or have made up themselves. The two will sleep at their camp together, and then part ways in the morning. Wishing the best for each other on their travels. UrGoh the Wanderer is a name UrSan hasen’t heard of in hundreds of trine. She hasn’t seen him since she was young. Telling her of a vision he was given to embrace unity with their counterparts. As well as the others shunning him from the Valley due to him trying to convince the rest. But sadly, they were all too stubborn. UrSan didn’t know what to make of this. It was a very complex and ambitious task to set fourth to acomplish. She did not follow him. But she gave him a spiral shell as a memento to be safe and to keep going forward. There wasn’t much she could do, because to be honest... She was scared. There are some nights where she wonders if she should have done more, should she embrace her own half as well? And how is The Wanderer nowadays? Safe she hopes. These thoughts sometimes keep her up at night.

Scars: [MAJOR SPOILER WARNING FOR THE TIDES AND FLAMES OF THRA UNDER THE CUT] Non-Spoiler HC: She has some minor scarring from SkekSa due to the Skeksis being a swashbuckling adventurer. Of course she’s gonna get nicked from time to time. UrSan has gotten used to these. She also has piercing holes along the sides of her snout, but she doesn’t choose to wear any piercings to go with them.

When Skeksa gets her hand cut off by Tae, as we know, the same happens to UrSan. Her hand being cut clean off. Thankfully Urru have four hands in all, but this wound took a lot out of UrSan and makes turning while swimming harder. As well as gripping to rocks in areas with stronger currents. Saltwater can sometimes enter the wound. Causing a stinging sensation. She also has a bad stab wound in her abdomen and shoulder. As well as burn scars across her body. Her Fight with SkekSa also gave the two of them some deep scars.

Although her Counterpart was imprisoned inside an enchanted apeknot tree, UrSan survived into the Garthim wars. During this time she would save and hide away as many Gelfling as she could even though all seemed hopeless. She died of unknown causes during this era. Let’s just hope her efforts weren’t in vain.

got bored and played a Fun New Game™ called "a few TDC characters as images saved on my phone" on Discord

I just see UrTih and...and I just...wanna...

Ya know?

Create for Thra - Day Five: What Was Sundered and Undone - The Division of the UrSkeks.

If you’re not the saddest urRu in existence are you even urTih

Flames of the Dark Crystal liveblog pt 5

Flames of the Dark Crystal by J.M. Lee because they escaped Vassa, what now?

Last times in book: Naia and Gurjin tried to rescue their friends from the clutches of skekSa the Mariner and skekZok the Ritual-Master aboard skekSa’s turtleship Vassa. The rescue goes... bad? And Naia gets her head smashed in by skekZok. At skekSa’s urging, Gurjin manages to take Naia’s healing powers and save her from death. Naia accidentally dreamfasts with Vassa, as she has been known to do, and convinces the giant turtle to resist skekSa and let the Gelfling go. It worked and as the Gelfing escaped on the good ship Onica’s Ship, urSan the Swimmer joined them.

Chapter 5

Naia wakes in the Valley of the Mystics where there’s a lot of Mystics.

Memories flowed like a river from the furthest reaches of her mind. Originating deep in the Swamp of Sog, where she’d been born in the heartwood of Great Smerth. One of two, her mother and father had told her. Destined to follow in Maudra Laesid’s footsteps as maudra of the proud Drenchen clan, while her twin brother would leave the swamp to serve the Skeksis at the Castle of the Crystal. She would learn to heal while he learned to protect with a sword. And she would stay in Sog, while he would leave, to join the other Gelfling on the outside in the great world beyond the swamp.

That had been her dream for so long. To go on an adventure. To see the world and find her place within it. She’d finally been able to pursue that dream. Set a course for it and chase it down, like a star twinkling on the far horizon.

Naia has been on this very important journey for a while so its easy to forget she started off as a fantasy princess Wanting Something More.

Anyway, she’s out of it for a while. She remembers having her head bashed in by the Ritual Master and either hears or remembers Gurjin saying something cryptic about it not being the right time.

When she finally comes to her senses, its twelve days later. Gurjin has been trying to heal her since they arrived wherever they are, with the instruction of urTih the Alchemist.

Naia still doesn’t know how to feel about that whole situation with him taking her healing powers but since its the reason she’s even alive, she doesn’t dwell.

Amri is sitting beside Naia when she wakes up (and in fact, she realizes that she’s been out a while based on how long his hair has gotten) and they get into a little argument about who is getting who hurt. Amri clearly has some emotions about Naia getting hurt saving him and he’s not great at conveying it.

The argument brings Kylan and Gurjin who are so very relieved that she’s woken up. Gurjin hugs her and reveals how they got wherever they are from where they were, the ocean.

And the answer is that urSan the Swimmer just had them dock at Ha’rar, put them all on a raft, and then towed the raft upriver. urSan urStrong.  Although she argues that its more that the river isn’t that swift but still. Strong.

Also, there’s a description of urSan’s robes and its a real nice touch.

Her robes were silver and blue and green - hues of the Silver Sea - strung here and there with obsidian cord that shimmered like the Black River.

Its a good touch that she’s decorated her robes like the waters she swims so often. Or perhaps urUtt decorated them.

Naia also notices that urSan is missing the hand corresponding to the one skekSa lost fighting the Gelfling.

That’s another thing Naia just has to try not to let bother her.

Naia asks where here even is and because she’s an urRu, urSan doesn’t just answer. Because urRu never answer questions.

urSan moved closer to Naia, lifting her locs and smoothing her forehead where her wound had been with a gentle, strong hand. Then she stepped back, out of the way so there was nothing between Naia and the doorway.

“See for yourself,” she said.

The cave was one of dozens clustered throughout a walkway that curved along a spiral-shaped canyon. The morning was cool in the bottom of the valley, with dew glistening, and the air was sweet with incense and wildflowers. The way the morning sun caught the dust reminded Naia of being below water, surrounded by rippling golden shafts and curtains of light. Punctuating the gentle valley were towers of stacked stones, conjoined into pillars by time and the elements. The boulders and monuments were of every size, some coming up only to Naia’s knee, while others towered high overhead. Some were covered with cloth, intricately embroidered and sewn, others painted and engraved with more symbols of time and space.

‘Cool but I still don’t know where I am’ is a thing Naia could have said.

Naia sees one of those crystal veins within the rocks, a healthy one, and comments that there are places still unaffected by the Darkening.

Gurjin mutters “seems that way” and seems bothered.

There’s been something up with Gurjin this whole book, something he’s not telling Naia. Something about his momdra so I don’t know if this crystal thing is involved in that earlier thing.

Gurjin then changes the subject, saying that Amri has started calling this place the Mystic Valley.

Because its a valley. And its full of Mystics.

Who Naia suddenly notices. They just tend to blend in with the rocks.

One Naia recognizes as urLii the Storyteller. And he’s supposed to be in the Grottan Sanctuary, keeping skekLi stuck on a rock.

Turns out that the Emperor noticed skekLi’s absence and sent reinforcements to the Caves of Grot to rescue him.

Now Naia has yet another thing that she has to not dwell on. Because she’s kicking herself at the missed opportunity. They had one of the Skeksis out of action but now he’s back in the mix. Maybe the Gelfling should have killed skekLi.

(Although, funnily enough, according to the new Dark Crystal adventure game, skekLi just threw up his hands and retired into spiteful neutrality after being saved. Sparing him was the best, funniest, moral choice.)

As far as urLii knows, Maudra Argot managed to flee with the Grottan during the Emperor Strikes Back.

Naia tried to hold on to hope. Because of their travels to Grot, they’d found the Sanctuary Tree. They’d been able to send Kylan’s message dream-stitched among its pink petals. And of course, if they hadn’t gone to Grot, she wouldn’t have met Amri.

She reached out and caught his hand, squeezing.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

He pulled away and pushed his hands into his cloak. “Me too. We just have to believe in Maudra Argot. She didn’t get to be the oldest living maudra for nothing... she’ll figure something out.”

Okay, cool. Amri is acting weird too.

I bet he’s freaked out over Naia getting hurt saving him.

Talk about your feelings, dude.

Anyway, Kylan introduces Naia to urZah the Ritual Guardian and urTih the Alchemist.

urZah tells Naia, with eyes that seem to be looking past Naia, that Master urSu wanted to speak with her and Gurjin when she woke up.

The Mystic Master. Naia hadn’t known such a creature had even existed until that moment, but when urZah spoke his title, she knew there was no one else she wanted to meet more.

Hey. Same.

I want to see urSu in his prime. Pre-single dad urSu. Before he got his dad bod, I assume.

“Follow the ravine until you see a spiral stair overgrown with medicine moss. But you should be forewarned,” urSan began. “Here in the valley, a friend of yours has been recovering from a grave injury. We did not reveal his presence until now because we feared it might upset you. He is not well, and there is nothing you can do. But the Master is tending him, so when you go to see the Master, you will also see your friend.”

Naia was already on her feet.

“A friend? Who?”

“It is urVa,” urSan said. “urVa the Archer.”

Who has hurt the poor arrow giant??

Some UrSkek thoughts/ideas, cut cuz it's long

skekOk the Scrollkeeper + urAk the Scribe = OkAk the Historian

These roles are quite similar; people who write and record things. Thus, this one was easy for me. OkAk would be the one who recorded and knew all of UrSkek history, and would likely have a large library.

skekAyuk the Gourmand + urAmaj the Cook = AyukAmaj the Chef

These roles go hand-in-hand, one who eats and one who cooks. Thus, I went with the logical mix; a Chef, one who improves and creates new dishes. They would obviously be the chef of the UrSkeks, providing meals for the others.

skekGra the Conqueror/Heretic + urGoh the Wanderer = GraGoh the Explorer

While I was tempted to make GraGoh an artist due to their shared interests during AoR, I went with their official titles, both known for traveling. I think GraGoh would be the type to be constantly finding new places, meeting new creatures, and relaying the things they learn to the other UrSkeks.

skekHak the ??? + urHom the Carpenter = HakHom the ???

Unfortunately, we don't know what skekHak's role was. Thus, I can't combine their roles as I did with the others. For them, I speculate that skekHak would have ended up being some sort of craftsman or builder, and it would have extended to HakHom.

skekUng the General/Garthim Master/Emperor + urIm the Healer = UngIm the Leader

After the deaths of skekSo and urSu, skekUng took over as Emperor of the Skeksis. I'm not sure what their role would have been before this, as I can't find any real comparison between them. Maybe a Medic? Like, a battle medic.

skekLi the Satirist + urLii the Storyteller = LiLii the Entertainer

Though we've never seen them, these two were also easy for me. In my mind, Lilii was the one who would come up with humor and stories to entertain the other UrSkeks, based on the halves' titles.

skekVar the General + urMa the Peacemaker = VarMa the Strategist

In the case that the UrSkeks would ever have to fight, it would come down to VarMa to figure out what to do. They're a master negotiator, but also skilled in battle when need be. All in all, they would be the one to figure out how to best face a conflict.

skekNa the Slave Master + urNol the Herbalist = NaNol the ???

Honestly, I have no idea what to do with these two. Their roles seem completely unrelated to me. If y'all can come up with something for them, let me know, I'd be excited to see.

skekSa the Mariner + urSan the Swimmer = SaSan the Sailor

Similarly to GraGoh, SaSan would be a constant traveler, the only difference being that they focused on the sea.

skekLach the Collector + urSen the Monk = LachSen the ???

These two seem like complete opposites. Honestly, I'm not sure what to do with them. Maybe something to do with sorting or rating.

skekSil the Chamberlain + urSol the Chanter = SilSol the ???

While I can't quite figure out exactly what I'd want their role to be, with their titles being so different, but I know that they were likely an assistant to whoever bore the title of Leader. Perhaps something to do with speaking, due to skekSil's tendency to mess with people through words.

skekSo the Emporer + urSu the Master = SoSu the Leader.

They were the original leader of the UrSkeks, before the role was passed to UngIm with their death.

skekTek the Scientist + urTih the Alchemist = TekTih the Researcher

They spend all of their time trying to learn new things, trying to find information about the world around them. Unlike GraGoh and SaSol, however, they don't travel, instead researching through books and experimentation.

skekEkt the Ornamentalist + urUtt the Weaver = EktUtt the Tailor

EktUtt was likely the one who provided clothing for all of the UrSkeks, and in my mind, were the most materialistic UrSkek. They like high-quality clothing that tells a story and expresses the wearer.

skekMal the Hunter and urVa the Archer = MalVa the Warrior

MalVa was likely one of the physically strongest UrSkeks, fighting/killing for food and to protect the others when needed. They likely worked closely with ValMa, both dealing with battle more than the other UrSkeks.

skekYi the ??? + urYa the ??? = YiYa the ???

Legit have no info on either of them. No idea what they could've done.

skekShod the Treasurer + urYod the Numerologist = ShodYod the Mathematician

They're a master of math, with their accounting skills moving to skekShod. If UrSkeks had a system of currency, they totally were the one who handled it.

skekZok the Ritual Master + urZah the Ritual Guardian = ZokZah the High Priest

Their titles are near exactly the same, so I treated that as ZokZah being extremely ritualistic and focusing on tradition, moreso than any other UrSkek.

UrTih: I am not about this, skekTek! Science has its limits!

SkekTek: Don't be so naïve. This is mild experimentation at best.

urru whats this

HEADCANON: RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE MYSTICS

When Jen’s family and clan were killed, the Mystics raised him and became his adoptive family. They shielded him from the outside world ensuring that no danger befell him before he could fulfill his destiny as the healer of the Crystal. 

URSU. urSu is the Master. urSu was the one who rescued Jen from the rubble of his home and became his adoptive father. He tended to Jen the most; bathing him, teaching him, feeding him, and telling him stories about what the world used to be like. He was family, teacher, and friend to Jen. 

URSOL. urSol is the Chanter, and he had a passion for music, saying that it is the most ephemeral form of sculpture and therefore the most powerful. When Jen was first brought to the Valley, he didn’t speak or eat for days. Having watched his father die and his village be destroyed had a toll on him. When urSu took him to the Valley, young Jen mostly kept to himself. It was urSol that got him to open up with his music, and the two spent a lot of time together singing and playing songs. urSol also taught Jen how to play his firca! Jen considers urSol to be his closest friend. 

URIM. urIm the Healer could restore or reduce the fires in one’s soul, and his amulets, baths, and acupuncture restored the balance of one’s aura. He would see Jen many times after he would hurt himself from falling from cliffs or out of trees. He cared very much for Jen’s safety and would often lecture him about being careful while he played. 

URZAH. urZah the Ritual Guardian was known for his prophetic sand paintings and speaking in riddles, and his wisdom surpassed that of even urSu. urZah acted as Jen’s mentor for most of his childhood when urSu wasn’t around. Jen had a rocky relationship with urZah and found his riddles and sayings annoying, but he still respected him because he was wise.

URTIH. urTih the Alchemist was forever lost in his experiments, constantly seeking to change things from solid, liquid, to gas, to solids again. He very seldom had time for Jen’s curious questions but, in the rare case he would show Jen his new experiments and teach him that while some things can be created, one cannot create what is already nature’s work. He also taught Jen to always be humble with your accomplishments. 

URYOD. urYod is the Numerologist and he is often seen with his abacus tracking the passage of time. He passed this knowledge on to Jen, teaching him how to count the years. He was a strict teacher, but he was also patient. 

URAC. urAc was the mystcs’ Scribe, and he was tasked with making prayer sticks and composing their prayers, and record his comrade’s thoughts. He taught Jen how to write along with urSu.

URAMAJ & URNOL. urAmaj the Cook and urNol the Herbalist were the closest two among the mystics. Together, they tended to body and spirits of their fellow mystics and Jen. It’s canon that Jen didn’t like the food the Mystics made him, but part of that is because the ingredients for the food he was used to didn’t grow in the Valley, so they were inaccessible. He still ate their food, and often helped urAmaj and urNol prepare meals. He even got to be the taste tester!

URUTT. urUtt the Weaver made all of the saddle blankets for his companions. Each saddle blanket was inscribed with the thoughts and fate of the wearer in intricate swirls and patterns. Jen’s clothes were tricky and had to be custom made. Even when he was living with his parents it was difficult to find clothes that fit him because of his size. urUtt would always complain that Jen’s tiny Gelfling body was too small to make clothes for, in a lighthearted way ofc! urUtt would always mend Jen’s clothes if they got a tear or make him new ones if he outgrew them.