Wash Stories

"And so it was and so it came to be, and so it will remain until the waves of time wash it away."
— Traditional ending to a wash story, P'Ache Micro, c-2000 PT

Background

Wash stories are an age old tradition, passed down from parents to children for generations. In its simplest form, it is the act of telling a story while finger-painting with Kired and mud onto the side of a tree trunk. This is only done in tidal regions and the painting is low enough on the tree that when the tide rises much of the mud is washed away. The art of the practice was in weaving an engaging story which would be enhanced by this mode of telling. Kired was specifically used for parts of the picture which were required to stay there after the tide had risen, so that key elements of the story might remain in place for a day or two after the story has been told. For example, perhaps something which appeared to be a nest during the telling of the story was painted in such a way so that after the tide had washed it what is left is an image of a Hometree - Fenfolium Abordormusia.

Purpose

The purpose of wash stories was to pass down stories in a memorable way to children. One of the advantages of having to make these paintings so low on the tree was that children could find them easily as they were a more convenient height for them.

History

No one knows where the tradition of wash stories comes from, but the earliest recording of someone documenting the practice was in -2141 PT, with an account of a wash story told by Garan of Lichen in Sunshine, one of the most famous storytellers in the history of P'Ache Micro. The popularity of the wash story has ebbed and flowed over the centuries, however, their decline started after the arrival of the Primians in the 200s PT. They brought with them technology which was far more engaging and so the practice fell out of favour with younger generations. Between late-200s PT and the mid-300s PT, there were several attempts to revive them by traditionalists who fought to protect these traditional Macran practices. By the end of The Second Micro Rebellion and the passing of the Forgiveness Act, many abandoned the old ways entirely in favour of the new forms of entertainment on offer. As a result, nowadays only those traditionalists living on P'Ache Micro practice wash stories, and it is the sort of thing which is mainly done for tourists, rather than the almost daily event it was during its peak.

Locations	Ecosystem of Nuskan Swamps, 271 PT, Nuskan, P'Ache Micro, P'Ache Solar System, Peacekeeper Territories
Species	Macran, Hometree - Fenfolium Abordormusia
History	Ecosystem of Nuskan Swamps, 271 PT, The First Micro Rebellion, The Second Micro Rebellion
Materials	Kired