[Story] Prelude: How the Cookie Crumbles

[Touketsu]

Merris As the now familiar sound of scribbling could be heard from his pocket, Merris pulled free the parchment and checked the latest message from his mysterious penpal. "Hm. Fascinating." He smiled, readying the pencil as he responded in shorter phrases: "It" as in the note? Tradewinds, in Rouge. What about you? Deadline for what? Compared to Langtree, Merris' pace and direction were decidedly more leisurely; keeping the vampire in view, but otherwise moving without much purpose. Occasional prompts to stay on task weren't unappreciated though. Merris had been on his own for some time since parting ways with Rahat, his last traveling companion, back in Horizon. While the two were quite different, they certainly shared a sense of drive and resolve that Merris found refreshing. While he wasn't particularly bothered about his comparatively relaxed approach to life, the firbolg had to admit that the world outside his village was a much faster-paced one... and it helped to have people around who could keep up. After Langtree managed to find a few potential leads on fishing spots from a local smith and his apprentices, Merris decided to join in the conversation. "Lake Kagamihara sounds like a great spot... not too far either. Our friends can track us down when they're ready. Not to mention I'd love a chance to check out that temple! What else can you tell us about it Sirs?"

[morgantha]

Langtree "A temple visit sounds nice," Langtree agreed. She was fond of places even older than she was--they made her feel less strange in a world where she often got odd looks when referencing things that had happened a hundred-odd years ago. Not that she was totally alone, with other undead and elves around. She just worked most often with those with short lives--humans in particular seemed predisposed towards reckless reanimation.

[briar]

Prelude: How the Cookie Crumbles
Date: 11th Day of The second month in the Summer season.Aiou, 334 After UnificationA.U.	Time: ~ 11:00 AMMid-Morning	Weather: Fair / 68° F	Locale (Environ): Tradewinds, Rouge (Town Center)	🎼

Maybe Not So Down-On-His-Luck After All

Gundhevir is thoughtful as Rahat speaks, his eyes fixed first on her, then eventually down on the table in front of him after she finishes. He is quiet for a little while longer, then a frail smile draws across his lips. "As old as I am, it seems there is still always more to learn. I was wrong when I said you possessed wisdom beyond your years, for it is, in fact, beyond even mine."

He reaches forth, taking the glass of water before him, emptying what remains of the cold drink in one, long swig and setting the receptacle back down with a loud tap. He gives a refreshed sigh, then stands, "You're right. Ancient though these bones may be, there is yet life in them. And they've sat here moping in my own self-pity for long enough!"

He stands, rigorously, even bumping the table as he does, which causes the orcish tome to fall off into the seat where he sat, though he certainly doesn't seem to mind, having already removed himself from the confines of the booth. The man is still almost half a foot shorter than the centaur, though his hat makes up the difference--and a little more.

"My lady traveler, I cannot thank you enough for your kind council. I feel as though I've been given new eyes by which I might see my own foolishness, and though I doubt this is the end of my worries, for once in a very long time, I find myself able to forget them, even if only for a spell," he proffers a wrinkly hand forth to Rahat, then seems to pause, "Oh, but by the Arcane Verses, I don't even know your name! Might you see fit to grace me with it? I shall do my utmost to remember it."

If Rahat gives her own hand, he takes it quite energetically, clasping it tightly and resting his other top them, wearing a closed-eyed smile that reminds the centaur woman very much of the elders of her own tribe. In addition, she caught another smile out of the corner of her eye, and notices that Elem seems to have been paying attention to their conversation, too. She gives Rahat an appreciative nod, then turns to greet a new batch of patrons that have arrived at the Eatery.

"Well, it would seem I've dawdled here much longer than I had meant to. My young friends are waiting for me, after all, and I need to make sure to tell them..."

No Worse For Wear, It Would Seem!

"Tell us what?"

The voice is overheard from the entryway, and Gundhevir turns to meet the gaze of three young women who've come to stand a few feet away. One, a young orcish woman dressed in light leathers and cloths, stands with her arms crossed and wearing a natural grimace not uncommon to her ancestry, stands beside a stoic-looking human girl around the same age and decked out in skin-tight clothes with bits of heavy armor strapped to her shoulders, legs and waist. A few steps ahead of them, the third young woman appears to be a tiefling with orange-red horns, wear a light, silky tunic, and a bright smile. The latter of these seems to be the one who had spoken.

"There you are..." says the human girl in an even tone, which is followed up by the louder, more aggressive orcish woman deep, bellowing voice, "We've been looking all over for you, y'know."

The wizard's voice quivers, but he manages to speak, turning to them, "Marrid...Kianna...Embry...! You're...you're ok!"

"Naturally..." Embry says, as if the exclamation were not even necessary. Her orcish counterpart, Marrid, doesn't miss a chance to capitalize. "Pffff, it'll take more than a little scrap like that to keep me down. Heck, I'm ready to go back there and beat some sense into that overgrown chicke--!" She winces slightly, which cuts off whatever else she was going to say, rubbing her side.

"...don't overexert yourself...you're still injured..."

"Shut up! I'm fine!"

As the two go back and forth, the young tiefling, Kianna, takes a few steps forward on her cloven hooves, "We've been worried, Gundhevir," she says in a sweet, gentle voice, "When we woke up and didn't see you, we thought..." She pauses, smiling again, "Well, we found you, that's all th--"

The tiefling, too, finds her words cut short when the mage sudden closes the distance, throwing his arms around the girl, and simultaneously pulling the other two into the embrace. "H-hey!! What's the big idea?!" growls the orc, and she visibly struggles, though anyone watching can tell she isn't putting up as much of a resistance as she could be.

"I'm so sorry..." Gundhevir's voice can be heard among muffled sobs, "I should've have been by your sides the whole time. But I promise you, I will not let it happen again."

This is enough to still the orc's struggles, and even garner an ever-so-slight smile from the impassive human. Kianna's smile grows warmer, too, and she is only too happy to return the embrace.

Eventually, though, Marrid's patience thins out and she quickly frees herself from the grasp. "Alright, alright, enough of the sob scene already," she commands, hmphing loudly, "I'm starving. Hey Elem, what's the special?" The orc all but jerks the Little Lamb off towards a corner table. Following this, Kianna gives Embry a look, and with a long, heaving sigh, the human girl slowly trails after her louder compatriot. Gundhevir follows after.

"Don't be so rough with the proprietress, Mary..."

"Don't call me that!!!"

"Thank you..." Kianna says, and Rahat realizes that the tiefling girl is now speaking to her. "On our way here, some other adventurers mentioned that he was distraught over what happened. I was kind of worried we wouldn't be able to talk him into continuing on with us. We may not look like much, but we've all become very close. It just wouldn't be right to go off on another adventure without Gundhevir there. So...from the bottom of my heart...thank you for being there for him. For all of us."

She let's Rahat respond if the centaur wishes to and is about to turn and leave with the others, but stops, looking now to Khrysa, "Oh, by the way, sorry, but I happened to overhear...you're interested in looking for Snowberries, right? Well, this is just a rumor, but a while back, I heard that some other adventurers founds a large patch of them surrounding a statue in the heart of an old abandoned temple near Lake Kagamihara. Its been a while since I heard that, but maybe you'll have some luck if you try there."

---

Elsewhere...

...a smile crept across a pair of pale lips, hauntingly clear against the infinite blackness that surrounded the curious figure to whom they belonged.

A steady, gentle golden glow engulfed them, spreading out from a pair of brilliant , flittering wings.

"Finally..." there came a soft, sweet voice, "...a story worth my attention."

The figure brought a dainty finger to their lips, pinching the bottom one. Their smile grew slightly bigger.

"It won't be long now... I'm looking forward to meeting you. Rahat. Khrysa. Langtree. Merris. Goop. Don't disappoint me, now..."

GM's Notes Congrats on completing your first Thread, "Wizardly Worries"! Doing so grants you the full reward of 1d4+2 🍀, which you can spend to acquire any Foraging materials you find in the Briarheart Hollow region, as well as reveals new materials that can be found in the town of Tradewinds (I'll be updating that thread after this one).

༺ ───────────────────────── ◦ 𓆩⟡𓆪 ◦ ───────────────────────── ༻

Meanwhile...

Merris responds to the letter, but finds a response isn't immediately forthcoming. It would seem that his mysterious penpal is perhaps a little busier than they seems to be imply, but that just gives him more time to enjoy the leisurely stroll with his newfound travel companions.

When the question is asked of the smith, the stocky man scratches a gruff, pointed mustachio, "Can't say I know much meself, I only hear tales of it from the local fishermen who frequent the lake, and now an' then from the adventurers. The way I hear tell it, the temple ain't seen any worshipers since long before Tradewinds was founded and this place was part of the Great Forest. That was back before the Unification, too, mind. Can't say I know much else, though if you believe the rumors, on certain nights some people claim to hear singing coming from inside it."

If pressed further, the smith reveals that the temple is located in a part of the lake called Twinspring Grove, which is accessible by boat, else it takes several hours to walk the trails to get there.

[Kaigen]

Rahat Rahat averted her eyes at Gundhevir's praise, blushing behind her mask and lightly scraping a foreleg against the floor. "If I understand much, it is because my elders have taught me how to see." She had the urge to downplay her actions more, to say the she was only repeating the wisdom saved by those who came before her, but another thing her elders taught her was to accept praise graciously, with only a small portion of humility. Ultimately, this interaction was not about her. Seeing Gundhevir's outstretched hand, Rahat reached out and clasped his wrist. "I am Rahat of the Serpent Clan." There was a moment of awkward fumbling as Rahat realized Gundhevir meant to clasp palms and they adjusted their way in that direction. Her other hand hung limply at her side as she let Gundhevir pumped hers up and down with both of his. She looked around for some clue as to whether she was supposed to reciprocated with her other hand and caught Khrysa making some gesture towards the door as well as Elem's respectful nod. A forgotten knot of tension laying between her shoulders loosened. By some standards she had been meddling, but she seemed to have carried it off well, without her latent hoof-in-mouth disease getting in her way. "I will be sure to remember your story as well, Gundhevir of Rouge." Though perhaps Rahat had relaxed too soon. She started as she heard someone, evidently familiar with Gundhevir, calling out from the doorway. She stared at the three young women standing there. Gundhevir's storytelling had been heavy on action and light on description, and she never would have guessed that Marrid, Kianna, and Embry looked like this. She held her breath as she watched the reunion between the adventuring band. Gundhevir's glowing stories had led her to assume the best of them and so she had advised him based on that—if they were rather more resentful than she had anticipated, that was still important to have out, of course—but this was the moment where she would find if she had advised him well or set him up for rejection. The adventurers were, thankfully, as kind as Rahat had assumed, reconciling with Gundhevir immediately. Letting out her held breath, Rahat turned to finish her water. And then proceeded to choke on it as suddenly the Tiefling woman was right next to her, talking to her. Coughing, Rahat waved a hand to signal that she was fine, just in need of a moment to recover, and then turned to give Kianna and her words of gratitude full attention. By the time Kianna was finished, Rahat was blushing so furiously she was sure it was glowing through her mask. It didn't help that something about her silken tunic and ruddy skin was vaguely reminiscent of her homeland, and that smile. It was like the blazing noonday sun—dizzying with the way it sent warmth crashing over her skin. Rahat had the urge to throw a blanket over herself for shelter. "I—" Rahat squeaked, then cleared her throat to try again. "It was—it is my calling. I could not stand by and watch him suffer." She averted her eyes from Kianna's to keep from being blinded, looking over to where her comrades were securing a table. "He will need your encouragement, and help to realize his problems are not insurmountable. But I have made a start, I think." Rahat attempted to meet Kianna's eyes again. "The rest is up to you." Rahat stared as Kianna walked over to Khrysa and said something about snowberries before rejoining her group. Shaking herself, Rahat chastised herself to stop staring before anyone noticed and looked around, realizing that the other members of their group were no longer here. She walked over to Khrysa. "Where did the others go? Did something come up?"

OOC Rahat's dice continue to be hot earning her 6 🍀, though I think she maxes out at either 3 or 4.

[Xyza]

Khrysa

"They te-e-end to be solitary plants that grow in and around caves further up into the mountains, though I've heard tell from some of the local adventurers that there are a few secre-e-et places close by where they grow in droves. Some of the old ruins near Lake Kagamihara, no doubt. Sure wish I had the time to ge-e-et to them..."

"Aww!" Khrysa felt a rush of sympathy for Elem, knowing all too well the feeling of running out of an ingredient as a chef. The heart-wrenching exclamations of the Kerfluffleas only added to her desire to help.

"I bet I could go find some! Er, probably not before lunch is over? But-" Khrysa was interrupted by the ruckus of three adventurers entering the tavern, apparently friends with the old man Rahat had been talking to. The dragon-girl was quite out of the loop with what was going on with that, but all signs seemed like they were having a happy reunion, so Khrysa beamed along.

"Oh, by the way, sorry, but I happened to overhear...you're interested in looking for Snowberries, right? Well, this is just a rumor, but a while back, I heard that some other adventurers founds a large patch of them surrounding a statue in the heart of an old abandoned temple near Lake Kagamihara. Its been a while since I heard that, but maybe you'll have some luck if you try there."

"Oh!" Khrysa turned to address the tiefling girl, while fumbling to pull out her journal to write the details down. "Yeah, I can definitely try to help with that!" she smiled at both Kianna and the now-displaced Elem. "And I'm sure my friends would also be happy to help with-"

"Where did the others go? Did something come up?"

"Riiiight, about that...um...they headed out at some point, I just noticed too. I thiink I heard them talking about fishing? But I'm not sure where exactly they would have gone, maybe some kind of river or lake nearby? ...Ah!" upon having a realization, she looked back at the notes she had just scribbled. "Lake Kagamihara, maybe they went there? And we could help Elem and the Kerflulffleas too...it's like...two fish with one hook!"

[Kaigen]

Rahat It would seem that while Rahat had been speaking with Gundhevir, Khrysa had been busy lining up more odd jobs. She seemed to have a knack for finding things that people needed done, and Rahat was grateful for the prospect of work that would surely keep them fed, at least. The fishing metaphor left her a touch confused, however. "Is—is that how it works?" Her tail twitched as she tried to imagine how two fish would get snagged on a hook at the same time. She shook her head. "Anyway, I agree. We should set out in that direction and see if we catch up to them on the way." There was another reason why Rahat wished to set out for the grove beyond the need for snowberries, however. The metaphors of her tradition cut both ways. If a person's body was a temple, then an abandoned temple was like a corpse exposed in the wilds. It stirred something in Rahat's chest to think of it. That was the way of things—the scavengers would have their due, as Rahat's jackal mask always reminded—but, as the passage she had just quoted to Gundhevir went on to say, "there is blood in a body collapsed." Sometimes spirits lingered long past the point their homes became unlivable. She needed to see for herself if that was the case here. Rahat turned to Kianna and gazed into her eyes with unconscious intensity. "Thank you," she said. "This is important. I feel it." She was struck by the urge to reach for the tiefling, to clasp her hands (but they were too far down) or her shoulders (but that would be too forward). Propriety won out as Rahat merely shifted around on her hooves. "I ask nothing for the help I gave your friend, but if you feel you owe me, consider that debt paid in full." Part of Rahat wanted Kianna to feel indebted to her regardless, because that would prompt Kianna to seek her out later—but that was pure selfishness on Rahat's part.

[Xyza]

Khrysa

"Is—is that how it works?"

"U-ummm..." Khrysa stood pondering the question over for far too long; the modified saying had just popped into her head, but now she was trying to actually mull it over with her limited fishing experience to answer Rahat's question.

"Anyway, I agree. We should set out in that direction and see if we catch up to them on the way."

"Yep, sounds good!"

While Rahat talked with the tiefling and her group, Khrysa gave a final wave to Elem and the Kerflufflea staff. "Don't worry, we'll get those snowberries for you!"

OOC Ready to meet back up with everyone!