Old adventurers never die, they simply fade away.
- Thread starter Artificial Girl
- Start date
- Original Fantasy
DeepWaters
No one will be the wiser.
- Location
- Land of Spiders and Shipping Charts
[X] Is the old drake still on this rock? Ask around as you travel down the road. Prod the kiddos about their pasts.
OfSpaceandTime
Chaotically Inclined
- Location
- Ohio
- Pronouns
- Anything non-rude.
[X] Is the old drake still on this rock? Ask around as you travel down the road. Prod the kiddos about their pasts.
1-8: Back from the dead, now with mud.
- Location
- Somewhere in the stacks
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Well, first things first you supposed. You'd have to find out if Valyr was still even on this rock. Last you'd heard they'd returned to their original parish once they'd gotten news of the death of their old mentor. Who knew if that was still true, though? So, you decided to get Zee a proper travel pack ("A blanket roll is well and good for a short jaunt but if you're walking everywhere, get a good pack!") and ask some questions as you headed further into the interior of the island. Your first question was to the leatherworker who sold you the bag. As you were testing the straps and fit on Zee (who stood there, awkward as a kid letting their mom fuss over them), you glanced towards the man.
"So, I'm actually looking for an old friend of mine who's supposed to be on the island. Valyr Linna, they're a priest. Said they were coming back here to run their old parish ages and ages ago." The man, who was older than you by a good ten or fifteen years, scratched his chin thoughtfully.
"Ahhh… the dragonborn one, right? Aye. I think they're still about. Think they're up in Pine Rest, in the hills? Last I heard of 'em, anyway," he says helpfully. Well, that was much easier than you had expected. And it was somewhere to start.
"Grand," you said. "And we'll take the pack."
--
Pine Rest was a hill community a couple of days walk inland along the well maintained road. Or it would be a couple days if it were not for the sudden storm that rolled off the sea to dump buckets of rain on the island. It caught you in the first day just as you were setting out and it quickly turned the charming dirt road into a mire of mud that went up to your knees (and probably up to Alenea's waist). You were forced to march single file along the edges of the road where it was firm enough not to instantly turn to soup and even then it was slow going and miserable. Thankfully, you made enough progress the first day to reach a waystation--a humble little shelter that wasn't really run by anyone, but offered shelter to travelers. Though it was empty it was decently maintained and a little dusty and best of all had a proper hearth with a supply of firewood someone had left behind. Probably some locals doing their bit to help out.
As the four of you huddled around the fire, waiting for your clothes to dry, you figured now would be the best time to try and learn something about all your companions. Aelenea was cooking a road stew (water and beer boiled with some salt, crushed hard biscuits, and a bit of the salted meat and some local greenery) when you decided to try and break the ice a little.
"...So, there's something we used to do when I was starting out and you fell in with a new party. We'd sit around a lot like this," you said as you squeeze a little more water from your hair,
"And then we'd ask each other questions. It's like a game--You ask someone, then they get to pick someone else and ask them and so on. Good way to get to know each other and pass the time. Especially when your only pack of cards is waterlogged."
"Sounds fun," Vitor said. "What if we don't want to answer a question, though?"
"Then you're boring and it's no fun," Aelena said. You nodded.
"She's got the idea."
"Ilarin's balls, I thought this was an adventuring party, not a school outing," Zee muttered.
"Well, you're welcome not to join but that means I get your share of dinner," you teased.
"Oi. Don't mess with a girl's dinner," Zee replied, a little too quickly. "You play for keeps, don't you Sahar?"
"Always," you said. "I'll start… Vitor, what's your home life like?" You said, leaning back onto your bedroll.
"My home life?" Vitor looked up from meticulously polishing his chain mail. Which was good, you thought. It might get rusty if he didn't take care of it in weather like this.
"Pretty normal, I guess? I'm the second oldest of like, five kids? Older brother is set to take over the farm from mum and da, I didn't really have a lot to do so I was joining the militia and stuff. My younger sister is already set on getting hitched. Other two are too young yet to have an idea of what they're doing and… I dunno. It's normal, I suppose?"
"Gods, you had a normal fuckin' life and you gave it up to come march around the world like an idiot?" Zee said. It was good natured, though. The sort of thing you said to tease someone in the exact same miserable situation you were.
"I know, I'm dumb. Someone had to do something about Krauss though," Vitor said with a smirk. "So, you're next Zee. What was your favorite food as a kid?"
"Oh, I don't know if you'd have them out in the middle of nowhere in the commonwealth," she started and was greeted with a roll of eyes from Alenea and a muted "Booo, get better material," from Vitor.
"Like I was saying, dunno if you have it outside the city, but in the midwinter festival there are these carts that set up and they sell this roasted nuts with honey and sugar and they get all caramelized and they're sticky and crunchy and they burn your tongue if you're not careful and they're so sweet… I could eat that stuff for days," Zee says dreamily. "But they're a winter only sorta thing and I didn't have a lot of money, so I'd have to somehow get my hand on two pennies, you know? And when I had two pennies it was a beautiful day." She lapses into quiet, as if she could taste it on her tongue, grins.
"Gods, they're the best," she adds, giggles in a way that somehow makes her seem a lot younger than she already is. For all her hard-bitten city-kid bluster, she really is a kid. Seventeen maybe. Younger than both Vitor and Alenea and you feel a pang of guilt for dragging her along on this. She's too young to get herself killed on some stupid mission.
No. She knows what she's getting into. You were her age when you started out and you're fine.
"Sooo, Aleneaaa," she says in a sing-song. "Do you have anyone you liiiiiike~?"
Alenea blushes and focuses on the pot.
"No. Not really," she says, clearly lying. "I like Eastwin." Her bird.
"The bird doesn't count," Zee says. "I meant like a boy. Or is it a girl? They're both good options…"
"I don't--" Alenea was insisting and you joined in the teasing.
"Pff, you definitely have a crush," you insisted. "I can tell."
"I don't! That's my answer. There was this lad back home, you know, that my parents thought I should marry and I liked him well enough but… but I wasn't ready to just settle down and be a farmwife, you know?" she said as she began spooning the stew out into bowls. "And it's my turn to ask questions. So, Sahar--what's the deal with Queen Noel? You seem pretty nervous about seeing her again."
Evil. This child was evil. You could feel your cheeks growing warmer and a stab of unhappy angst in your chest. But the game was the game and it wouldn't be fair to blow them off even if there was a rising spark of irrational anger. You accepted a bowl of stew and poked it with a spoon.
"...We had a thing when we were both kids," you said. Kids. You'd been older than this group of idiots and you thought of yourself as kids then. What did that make them? Babies? Zee let out a low whistle of surprise.
"You were fingerbanging the queen?"
"She wasn't the queen yet," you snapped as Vitor's face turned a beet red shade. "We just--we had a thing while we were adventuring and stuff. It wasn't just like we were fucking around, it was serious. Or you know, I thought it was serious. But then she got the crown and shit and the party started to go its separate ways and we just drifted apart. Wasn't like we didn't try to make it work or whatever but I wasn't ready to just sit in court looking pretty. I left because I couldn't stand court life."
She had wanted to have children. Really badly wanted to have children. And it wasn't like there weren't magical ways to help people like you have kids. It could have happened. You just hadn't felt ready for it. Hadn't felt like you could stop adventuring and helping people and all that crap. And kids? Kids seemed horrifying at the time. They were small and loud and ate up all your time and energy. Why would anyone want to have kids?
Well. Noel had wanted them. And it felt like a betrayal when you had come back from some time on the road and she'd just moved on and got herself a husband and was ready to pop some kids out. Like you didn't even matter. So you hadn't seen her. You'd just left again when you saw that she was married.
"Shit, that sucks," Zee said.
"That explains a lot," Alenea says. "You just didn't want to see her again, I bet--"
"Leave it," Vitor insisted. "It sounds like it was pretty personal for Sahar." Thank God someone in this party had emotional intelligence.
"Let's just eat," you said and the group lapsed into small talk about how shitty road food was as everyone began to dig into dinner.
--
You holed up in the shelter for the couple days it took the storm to pass. Better than trying to march in the pouring rain that was happily pounding everything into mud. Finally, though, the sun came back out and you were back on the road. Your group made its way up into the evergreen covered slopes of the island's hills. Made sense for a place called pine rest, you figured. What had been supposed to be a short couple day walk had turned into a week, thanks to the weather and the conditions of the road. You stopped at one point to help a farmer get their cart free of deep rut, then again because some bandits (ugh) had purposefully caused a mudslide to block the road and were demanding payment from travelers. That had been quick work and the villagers they had been preying on were very grateful, but it took time that you didn't want to waste. Finally, though, you crested a last rise in the road and were greeted by the vale of Pine Rest, nestled among the hills. It was a picturesque little valley through which ran a creek and there were fields of grain, hops, and other foodstuffs carefully tended, grapevines along the terraced hillsides.
Really pretty.
The group of you made your way down into the vale and stopped at a farmhouse to ask directions. There, a robust looking woman pointed you up the creek road as she called it.
"The abbey is right there, you can't miss it. Safe travels!"
It turned out that you couldn't miss it. The abbey or monastery or whatever you wanted to call it was enclosed by stone walls, though the gate stood open to welcome visitors. Within, just barely, you could see the stone church and other buildings and could hear… children? Playing? In an abbey? The four of you stepped inside in time to see a horde of kids (fifteen or twenty, at a guess) of varying ages chasing after a football across the abbey green, hooting and laughing all the while. Off to one side, a young woman in novice's robes was watching them play. You cleared your throat.
"Ahem, ah, miss?"
"Oh! Hello! How can I help you travelers?" She asked, seemingly startled by the appearance for four well-armed strangers and a bird. It was like she'd never seen adventurers before, honestly.
"I'm looking for an old friend of mine. Valyr Linna? I heard that they were in this parish."
"Oh! Archdeacon Linna! You're friends of theirs? Oh, I'm sure they'll be happy to see you, hold on a moment--" She calls out to the children.
"Pitras! Pitras, come here, please!" One of the older boys, maybe eleven or twelve, leaves the group and comes hurrying over to the priestess.
"Yes, Sister Lytia?"
"These are friends of the archdeacon. Will you bring them all up to their chambers? I'm sure they'll be happy for the visit."
"Yes, Sister," he turns to look at the group of you with serious, curious eyes, then heads off towards the abbey complex. You follow and soon you enter the finely appointed building. It's well laid stone and the interior walls are plastered and painted with religious imagery. It's beautiful, really. The child leads you up a broad staircase and down corridors until he reaches a heavy door. He raps at it politely, waits. A voice, which you're not sure is familiar, replies.
"Yes, who is it?"
"Pitras, archdeacon. You have visitors."
"Visitors? It must be that letter from the mainland I've been waiting for. Send them in, send them in, child. Thank you." The child shoves the door and open and steps inside. It's a fine solar, meant to capture as much of the natural light during the day as possible so as to allow for reading, writing, and other such work. Hunched over at a tall desk is a dragonborn with glimmering silver and copper scales--but smaller than you remember. They do wear the robes of the archdeacon, though. Almost wizened as if by great age. They look up and adjust the spectacles on their snout, peer at you for a long moment.
"Yes? You don't seem like messengers…"
Did they not recognize you? They looked so old, but... they had been the same age as you! They were guaranteed to live longer, too, so what was this nonsense???
"So, I'm actually looking for an old friend of mine who's supposed to be on the island. Valyr Linna, they're a priest. Said they were coming back here to run their old parish ages and ages ago." The man, who was older than you by a good ten or fifteen years, scratched his chin thoughtfully.
"Ahhh… the dragonborn one, right? Aye. I think they're still about. Think they're up in Pine Rest, in the hills? Last I heard of 'em, anyway," he says helpfully. Well, that was much easier than you had expected. And it was somewhere to start.
"Grand," you said. "And we'll take the pack."
--
Pine Rest was a hill community a couple of days walk inland along the well maintained road. Or it would be a couple days if it were not for the sudden storm that rolled off the sea to dump buckets of rain on the island. It caught you in the first day just as you were setting out and it quickly turned the charming dirt road into a mire of mud that went up to your knees (and probably up to Alenea's waist). You were forced to march single file along the edges of the road where it was firm enough not to instantly turn to soup and even then it was slow going and miserable. Thankfully, you made enough progress the first day to reach a waystation--a humble little shelter that wasn't really run by anyone, but offered shelter to travelers. Though it was empty it was decently maintained and a little dusty and best of all had a proper hearth with a supply of firewood someone had left behind. Probably some locals doing their bit to help out.
As the four of you huddled around the fire, waiting for your clothes to dry, you figured now would be the best time to try and learn something about all your companions. Aelenea was cooking a road stew (water and beer boiled with some salt, crushed hard biscuits, and a bit of the salted meat and some local greenery) when you decided to try and break the ice a little.
"...So, there's something we used to do when I was starting out and you fell in with a new party. We'd sit around a lot like this," you said as you squeeze a little more water from your hair,
"And then we'd ask each other questions. It's like a game--You ask someone, then they get to pick someone else and ask them and so on. Good way to get to know each other and pass the time. Especially when your only pack of cards is waterlogged."
"Sounds fun," Vitor said. "What if we don't want to answer a question, though?"
"Then you're boring and it's no fun," Aelena said. You nodded.
"She's got the idea."
"Ilarin's balls, I thought this was an adventuring party, not a school outing," Zee muttered.
"Well, you're welcome not to join but that means I get your share of dinner," you teased.
"Oi. Don't mess with a girl's dinner," Zee replied, a little too quickly. "You play for keeps, don't you Sahar?"
"Always," you said. "I'll start… Vitor, what's your home life like?" You said, leaning back onto your bedroll.
"My home life?" Vitor looked up from meticulously polishing his chain mail. Which was good, you thought. It might get rusty if he didn't take care of it in weather like this.
"Pretty normal, I guess? I'm the second oldest of like, five kids? Older brother is set to take over the farm from mum and da, I didn't really have a lot to do so I was joining the militia and stuff. My younger sister is already set on getting hitched. Other two are too young yet to have an idea of what they're doing and… I dunno. It's normal, I suppose?"
"Gods, you had a normal fuckin' life and you gave it up to come march around the world like an idiot?" Zee said. It was good natured, though. The sort of thing you said to tease someone in the exact same miserable situation you were.
"I know, I'm dumb. Someone had to do something about Krauss though," Vitor said with a smirk. "So, you're next Zee. What was your favorite food as a kid?"
"Oh, I don't know if you'd have them out in the middle of nowhere in the commonwealth," she started and was greeted with a roll of eyes from Alenea and a muted "Booo, get better material," from Vitor.
"Like I was saying, dunno if you have it outside the city, but in the midwinter festival there are these carts that set up and they sell this roasted nuts with honey and sugar and they get all caramelized and they're sticky and crunchy and they burn your tongue if you're not careful and they're so sweet… I could eat that stuff for days," Zee says dreamily. "But they're a winter only sorta thing and I didn't have a lot of money, so I'd have to somehow get my hand on two pennies, you know? And when I had two pennies it was a beautiful day." She lapses into quiet, as if she could taste it on her tongue, grins.
"Gods, they're the best," she adds, giggles in a way that somehow makes her seem a lot younger than she already is. For all her hard-bitten city-kid bluster, she really is a kid. Seventeen maybe. Younger than both Vitor and Alenea and you feel a pang of guilt for dragging her along on this. She's too young to get herself killed on some stupid mission.
No. She knows what she's getting into. You were her age when you started out and you're fine.
"Sooo, Aleneaaa," she says in a sing-song. "Do you have anyone you liiiiiike~?"
Alenea blushes and focuses on the pot.
"No. Not really," she says, clearly lying. "I like Eastwin." Her bird.
"The bird doesn't count," Zee says. "I meant like a boy. Or is it a girl? They're both good options…"
"I don't--" Alenea was insisting and you joined in the teasing.
"Pff, you definitely have a crush," you insisted. "I can tell."
"I don't! That's my answer. There was this lad back home, you know, that my parents thought I should marry and I liked him well enough but… but I wasn't ready to just settle down and be a farmwife, you know?" she said as she began spooning the stew out into bowls. "And it's my turn to ask questions. So, Sahar--what's the deal with Queen Noel? You seem pretty nervous about seeing her again."
Evil. This child was evil. You could feel your cheeks growing warmer and a stab of unhappy angst in your chest. But the game was the game and it wouldn't be fair to blow them off even if there was a rising spark of irrational anger. You accepted a bowl of stew and poked it with a spoon.
"...We had a thing when we were both kids," you said. Kids. You'd been older than this group of idiots and you thought of yourself as kids then. What did that make them? Babies? Zee let out a low whistle of surprise.
"You were fingerbanging the queen?"
"She wasn't the queen yet," you snapped as Vitor's face turned a beet red shade. "We just--we had a thing while we were adventuring and stuff. It wasn't just like we were fucking around, it was serious. Or you know, I thought it was serious. But then she got the crown and shit and the party started to go its separate ways and we just drifted apart. Wasn't like we didn't try to make it work or whatever but I wasn't ready to just sit in court looking pretty. I left because I couldn't stand court life."
She had wanted to have children. Really badly wanted to have children. And it wasn't like there weren't magical ways to help people like you have kids. It could have happened. You just hadn't felt ready for it. Hadn't felt like you could stop adventuring and helping people and all that crap. And kids? Kids seemed horrifying at the time. They were small and loud and ate up all your time and energy. Why would anyone want to have kids?
Well. Noel had wanted them. And it felt like a betrayal when you had come back from some time on the road and she'd just moved on and got herself a husband and was ready to pop some kids out. Like you didn't even matter. So you hadn't seen her. You'd just left again when you saw that she was married.
"Shit, that sucks," Zee said.
"That explains a lot," Alenea says. "You just didn't want to see her again, I bet--"
"Leave it," Vitor insisted. "It sounds like it was pretty personal for Sahar." Thank God someone in this party had emotional intelligence.
"Let's just eat," you said and the group lapsed into small talk about how shitty road food was as everyone began to dig into dinner.
--
You holed up in the shelter for the couple days it took the storm to pass. Better than trying to march in the pouring rain that was happily pounding everything into mud. Finally, though, the sun came back out and you were back on the road. Your group made its way up into the evergreen covered slopes of the island's hills. Made sense for a place called pine rest, you figured. What had been supposed to be a short couple day walk had turned into a week, thanks to the weather and the conditions of the road. You stopped at one point to help a farmer get their cart free of deep rut, then again because some bandits (ugh) had purposefully caused a mudslide to block the road and were demanding payment from travelers. That had been quick work and the villagers they had been preying on were very grateful, but it took time that you didn't want to waste. Finally, though, you crested a last rise in the road and were greeted by the vale of Pine Rest, nestled among the hills. It was a picturesque little valley through which ran a creek and there were fields of grain, hops, and other foodstuffs carefully tended, grapevines along the terraced hillsides.
Really pretty.
The group of you made your way down into the vale and stopped at a farmhouse to ask directions. There, a robust looking woman pointed you up the creek road as she called it.
"The abbey is right there, you can't miss it. Safe travels!"
It turned out that you couldn't miss it. The abbey or monastery or whatever you wanted to call it was enclosed by stone walls, though the gate stood open to welcome visitors. Within, just barely, you could see the stone church and other buildings and could hear… children? Playing? In an abbey? The four of you stepped inside in time to see a horde of kids (fifteen or twenty, at a guess) of varying ages chasing after a football across the abbey green, hooting and laughing all the while. Off to one side, a young woman in novice's robes was watching them play. You cleared your throat.
"Ahem, ah, miss?"
"Oh! Hello! How can I help you travelers?" She asked, seemingly startled by the appearance for four well-armed strangers and a bird. It was like she'd never seen adventurers before, honestly.
"I'm looking for an old friend of mine. Valyr Linna? I heard that they were in this parish."
"Oh! Archdeacon Linna! You're friends of theirs? Oh, I'm sure they'll be happy to see you, hold on a moment--" She calls out to the children.
"Pitras! Pitras, come here, please!" One of the older boys, maybe eleven or twelve, leaves the group and comes hurrying over to the priestess.
"Yes, Sister Lytia?"
"These are friends of the archdeacon. Will you bring them all up to their chambers? I'm sure they'll be happy for the visit."
"Yes, Sister," he turns to look at the group of you with serious, curious eyes, then heads off towards the abbey complex. You follow and soon you enter the finely appointed building. It's well laid stone and the interior walls are plastered and painted with religious imagery. It's beautiful, really. The child leads you up a broad staircase and down corridors until he reaches a heavy door. He raps at it politely, waits. A voice, which you're not sure is familiar, replies.
"Yes, who is it?"
"Pitras, archdeacon. You have visitors."
"Visitors? It must be that letter from the mainland I've been waiting for. Send them in, send them in, child. Thank you." The child shoves the door and open and steps inside. It's a fine solar, meant to capture as much of the natural light during the day as possible so as to allow for reading, writing, and other such work. Hunched over at a tall desk is a dragonborn with glimmering silver and copper scales--but smaller than you remember. They do wear the robes of the archdeacon, though. Almost wizened as if by great age. They look up and adjust the spectacles on their snout, peer at you for a long moment.
"Yes? You don't seem like messengers…"
Did they not recognize you? They looked so old, but... they had been the same age as you! They were guaranteed to live longer, too, so what was this nonsense???
[ ] Valyr, it's me, your old friend Sahar!
[ ] Who is this imposter? This isn't Valyr! They're tall and broad and full of life! Not old and bent.
Last edited:
- Location
- Head in the clouds
[X] Valyr, it's me, your old friend Sahar!
Never expected to see this update again!
And... Sahar really needs to learn the lesson about the weight of time.
Never expected to see this update again!
And... Sahar really needs to learn the lesson about the weight of time.
- Location
- Somewhere in the stacks
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I got inspired and had been wanting to pick it up again for a while. Hopefully I can keep it going this time!
[X] Valyr, it's me, your old friend Sahar!
[X] Valyr, it's me, your old friend Sahar!
That is a question, is it possible that this actually isn't Valyr?
- Location
- Somewhere in the stacks
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I dunno. is it? :3c
cB557
voOOP
Like, the way Valyr looks older than Sahar does seem genuinely kinda weird if they're supposed to have greater longevity than her. That first comes off as just Sahar being an unreliable narrator when it comes to age again, of course, but I feel like it hasn't been normally to this degree. Still, Sahar is very dense, her being mistaken is still pretty plausible.
Though what spurred this line of thought wasn't any in-character stuff, it's just that this vote feels like it has an obvious "right" answer as far as like, the smart thing to do. And that feeling is built off that pattern of Sahar not being able to face how old she's gotten and often making a bit of a fool of herself. So, that makes us want to take option 1 and try and grow a bit and be more serious, and when someone is trying to be serious is the perfect time to pull the rug out from under them for a gag.
Basically I'm just like, seeing an option that feels like the obvious right choice and it's making me suspicious. But also it feels like it's probably not going for "pick the right choice" and more for "do you want a serious moment or a funny moment?" so I might just be overthinking it.
Though what spurred this line of thought wasn't any in-character stuff, it's just that this vote feels like it has an obvious "right" answer as far as like, the smart thing to do. And that feeling is built off that pattern of Sahar not being able to face how old she's gotten and often making a bit of a fool of herself. So, that makes us want to take option 1 and try and grow a bit and be more serious, and when someone is trying to be serious is the perfect time to pull the rug out from under them for a gag.
Basically I'm just like, seeing an option that feels like the obvious right choice and it's making me suspicious. But also it feels like it's probably not going for "pick the right choice" and more for "do you want a serious moment or a funny moment?" so I might just be overthinking it.
- Location
- USA
[X] Who is this imposter? This isn't Valyr! They're tall and broad and full of life! Not old and bent.
1-9 Get used to disappointment
- Location
- Somewhere in the stacks
- Pronouns
- She/Her
"Valyr, do you really not recognize me? It's Sahar! Sahar Raad! We slew the Dark Lord and all that shit, remember?" you said quizzically. THis had to be them. You could see it in their face! There was a slow blink and then the dragonborn began to shakily get to their feet, reaching for a walking stick that leaned against the desk.
"Sahar! Oh, gods, it is you isn't it--my eyes aren't so good any longer, you know? How have you been! It's been what… Twenty years?" They said cheerily and you saw some of the calm, optimistic young person you'd known coming through. You took a few steps forward to embrace them, surprised by how frail they felt in your arms. You took a step back.
"...No offense, Val, but what happened to you? Just got old that fast? You're not that much older than me, right?" Sure you had other stuff to ask, but important things first.
"Ah! Gods above… It's a tale. Where are my manners, tho… Pitras? Pitras are you still there? Good lad. Go down to the kitchens, ask them to send up tea and something to eat for my friend and her friends here, quick as you like." Pitras vanished out the door, leaving you with Valyr and your group of ducklings.
"Sit down, please--I don't think I have enough chairs," Val said. You took one of the available chairs, and Zee was perched in another before you could say anything. VItor settled for leaning against the wall and Alenea plopped down to sit cross-legged on the floor.
"Where was I?" Val asked. "Yes, my health, of course. Well… You remember how I got stabbed with that Black Dagger or whatever they called it? It left a bit of itself inside of me. A few years after I got home, it was like I had come down with a wasting disease…"
"I thought Noel made sure to get all of it," you said indignantly.
"Oh, yes. I thought she had too, but I don't blame her. The shard afflicted me and if it weren't for the ministrations of my parishioners, I likely would have wasted away to nothing. As it is, they managed to save my life, but… well, I am old before my time." As always, Val had a dignified, calm smile in the face of adversity that made you itch. You loved them but the way they let everything roll off their back was infuriating at times.
"And besides that, the wasting re-opened some old wounds and well.. I just haven't been the same since, I'm afraid…" They shook their head. "But! I am doing well enough and keeping myself busy despite it all. We all must live with what the gods grant us, such is the will of Iramaat. That's the important part. We have twenty orphans to look after here, you know? What brings you here, anyway? And with fresh young companions? " They look over your gaggle of fresh faces with a merry twinkle in their eye.
"...I was coming to see if you could help me, actually…" you muttered as behind you someone opened the door. Of course, if they had been seriously afflicted with this shard of the past, then they would be in no shape to go tromping around the countryside.
Neither are you, said the voice in your head.
"Ah, Novice Madaya, thank you…" Valyr said absently and a young woman in novice robes (you remember when Valyr wore those) set a tray contain a steaming pot of tea and some cups down on the desk. She was dark-skinned, with high cheekbones, perhaps descended from people further south.
"What sort of help, Sahar?" Valyr asked inquisitively as the tea was poured. Madaya moved to leave once the tea was poured and vanished out into the corridor.
"Well, it's… Alenea and Vitor are from the Commonwealth of Dalin. Some jerkwad warlord out there is starting to style himself a new Lord of Terror or whatever and they're trying to put together some people to put a stop to that. They were on their way to see Noel when they met me, so I figured I could help 'em out," you said casually as if you hadn't been killing goblins and giant rats to make ends meet.
"So… I thought I'd try to get some of the old gang back together. You know, smash up some upstart wanna be for old time's sake, right?" Ha ha. You made it sound so simple. It always sounded simple. You smiled.
"Sahar…" Valyr smiled. "I would love to of assistance, but as you can see, I am no longer the young person I once was. The cursed sword shard has aged me before my time. I've made my peace with that, but I'm not able to simply strap on my armor and pick up my warhammer as I would have done ten or fifteen years ago. No… I can't go with you. Were it possible, I would--there are others who can manage the parish in my absence, but as it is I would be far more a hindrance than a help." You felt some of the air leave the room, a sense of crushing defeat. None of your old companions had been able to help yet. Still, that had only been two and maybe the rest would come along? You had to hope.
"You're that you can't do anything?" You hated how petulant you sounded. How hopeful you were that maybe you could talk them into it. Even if they were obviously in no shape to go yu desperately wanted them along. Perhaps just as a sign that you were still someone people would follow when it came down to. Unfortunately for your ego, Valyr just shook their head.
"I really wish that I could, dear Sahar, but I'm not in the physical shape for that kind of thing any longer. Besides, I'm sure Noel has a whole stable of clerics who would love to help," they said. You felt your gut churn and there was a flicker of understanding in Valyr's eyes a moment later. They always had had the uncanny ability to see right through you. Thankfully, they just continued on as if nothing happened.
"Allow me to write you a letter, though, Valyr continued "There is a monastery on the mainland, in the Alvandian mountains. There may be someone there who can be of help to you." So saying, they put their tea aside and began rummaging for quill and ink. As they began to scratch out a letter, they smiled apologetically.
"I wish I could do more, Sahar. I know it must be important for you to come all this way." At least they were good at softening the blow of disappointment.
"But you should at least stay here for the night and wait for the road tomorrow, if you can. There'll be comfortable beds and hot food. For all of you." There was an excited smile on Zee's face at the prospect of a proper bed and proper meal and you admitted you found the idea compelling. On the other hand, you still had much to do and much to ground to cover if you were going to continue this damn goose chase for more help. At least this one had given you a lead on someplace to go…
[ ]The Ranger, Enramu Greencloak: Probably the hardest to track down, but well worth the trouble. He had disappeared into the northern wilds of the Wood Elves a while back and while that meant he was fairly close to where you were now, you might have to spend a decent amount of time stomping around the woods in search of him. Still, his unerring accuracy with a bow, knowledge of the wilderness, and his unmatched tracking ability would surely come in handy in this new struggle.
"Sahar! Oh, gods, it is you isn't it--my eyes aren't so good any longer, you know? How have you been! It's been what… Twenty years?" They said cheerily and you saw some of the calm, optimistic young person you'd known coming through. You took a few steps forward to embrace them, surprised by how frail they felt in your arms. You took a step back.
"...No offense, Val, but what happened to you? Just got old that fast? You're not that much older than me, right?" Sure you had other stuff to ask, but important things first.
"Ah! Gods above… It's a tale. Where are my manners, tho… Pitras? Pitras are you still there? Good lad. Go down to the kitchens, ask them to send up tea and something to eat for my friend and her friends here, quick as you like." Pitras vanished out the door, leaving you with Valyr and your group of ducklings.
"Sit down, please--I don't think I have enough chairs," Val said. You took one of the available chairs, and Zee was perched in another before you could say anything. VItor settled for leaning against the wall and Alenea plopped down to sit cross-legged on the floor.
"Where was I?" Val asked. "Yes, my health, of course. Well… You remember how I got stabbed with that Black Dagger or whatever they called it? It left a bit of itself inside of me. A few years after I got home, it was like I had come down with a wasting disease…"
"I thought Noel made sure to get all of it," you said indignantly.
"Oh, yes. I thought she had too, but I don't blame her. The shard afflicted me and if it weren't for the ministrations of my parishioners, I likely would have wasted away to nothing. As it is, they managed to save my life, but… well, I am old before my time." As always, Val had a dignified, calm smile in the face of adversity that made you itch. You loved them but the way they let everything roll off their back was infuriating at times.
"And besides that, the wasting re-opened some old wounds and well.. I just haven't been the same since, I'm afraid…" They shook their head. "But! I am doing well enough and keeping myself busy despite it all. We all must live with what the gods grant us, such is the will of Iramaat. That's the important part. We have twenty orphans to look after here, you know? What brings you here, anyway? And with fresh young companions? " They look over your gaggle of fresh faces with a merry twinkle in their eye.
"...I was coming to see if you could help me, actually…" you muttered as behind you someone opened the door. Of course, if they had been seriously afflicted with this shard of the past, then they would be in no shape to go tromping around the countryside.
Neither are you, said the voice in your head.
"Ah, Novice Madaya, thank you…" Valyr said absently and a young woman in novice robes (you remember when Valyr wore those) set a tray contain a steaming pot of tea and some cups down on the desk. She was dark-skinned, with high cheekbones, perhaps descended from people further south.
"What sort of help, Sahar?" Valyr asked inquisitively as the tea was poured. Madaya moved to leave once the tea was poured and vanished out into the corridor.
"Well, it's… Alenea and Vitor are from the Commonwealth of Dalin. Some jerkwad warlord out there is starting to style himself a new Lord of Terror or whatever and they're trying to put together some people to put a stop to that. They were on their way to see Noel when they met me, so I figured I could help 'em out," you said casually as if you hadn't been killing goblins and giant rats to make ends meet.
"So… I thought I'd try to get some of the old gang back together. You know, smash up some upstart wanna be for old time's sake, right?" Ha ha. You made it sound so simple. It always sounded simple. You smiled.
"Sahar…" Valyr smiled. "I would love to of assistance, but as you can see, I am no longer the young person I once was. The cursed sword shard has aged me before my time. I've made my peace with that, but I'm not able to simply strap on my armor and pick up my warhammer as I would have done ten or fifteen years ago. No… I can't go with you. Were it possible, I would--there are others who can manage the parish in my absence, but as it is I would be far more a hindrance than a help." You felt some of the air leave the room, a sense of crushing defeat. None of your old companions had been able to help yet. Still, that had only been two and maybe the rest would come along? You had to hope.
"You're that you can't do anything?" You hated how petulant you sounded. How hopeful you were that maybe you could talk them into it. Even if they were obviously in no shape to go yu desperately wanted them along. Perhaps just as a sign that you were still someone people would follow when it came down to. Unfortunately for your ego, Valyr just shook their head.
"I really wish that I could, dear Sahar, but I'm not in the physical shape for that kind of thing any longer. Besides, I'm sure Noel has a whole stable of clerics who would love to help," they said. You felt your gut churn and there was a flicker of understanding in Valyr's eyes a moment later. They always had had the uncanny ability to see right through you. Thankfully, they just continued on as if nothing happened.
"Allow me to write you a letter, though, Valyr continued "There is a monastery on the mainland, in the Alvandian mountains. There may be someone there who can be of help to you." So saying, they put their tea aside and began rummaging for quill and ink. As they began to scratch out a letter, they smiled apologetically.
"I wish I could do more, Sahar. I know it must be important for you to come all this way." At least they were good at softening the blow of disappointment.
"But you should at least stay here for the night and wait for the road tomorrow, if you can. There'll be comfortable beds and hot food. For all of you." There was an excited smile on Zee's face at the prospect of a proper bed and proper meal and you admitted you found the idea compelling. On the other hand, you still had much to do and much to ground to cover if you were going to continue this damn goose chase for more help. At least this one had given you a lead on someplace to go…
[ ] Accept; stay the night with a proper bed and a proper meal. Catch up with your old friend. It can't hurt.
[ ] No; you'll take the letter and get back on the road. Better to get moving as soon as possible. Lessens the sting of humiliation.
Besides that, you need to figure out who's next on your attempt to find help:
[ ] The Paladin: Queen Noel Devere, also known as the Half-elven, first of her name. Currently the reigning monarch of your home country of Odrijan. She is another couple of weeks good travel at least, in the capital of Kul Zard. The obvious choice and the most established, but also one you're a little reluctant to approach for your own reasons. Still, she's the kids' first choice...
[ ] The Wizard, Aamir al-Jafari: Last you heard he'd headed back to his home country to the south of Odrijan to take up a deanship at his old magical university, the Kiriton University of the Arcane. He might be able to help. Bit of a longer trek, at least a couple months, but he could offer a lot of magical insight and of course his phenomenal magical power. Plus he could teleport you where ever you needed to go next.
[ ] The Rogue, Dal Quickknife: From what you've heard she's in the city of Jahanabad. Doing what, you weren't sure but that half-orc always kept her ear to the ground and she could definitely give you information. And she'd be useful for figuring out the best way of approaching this problem given her quick mind.
[ ]The Cleric, Valyr Linna: Last you knew, the dragonbon cleric was working in their small home in the Suslis archipelago off the coast of Odrijan. They were the sort who had always been ready to fight evil wherever it dwelled. Surely, their divine powers, healing skills, and wise insight would be helpful in the fight against this Anton.
[ ] Follow up on Valyr's letter: This monastery could actually be promising. Maybe you should flip a bitch and head back to the mainland to try and get that worked out first. Every party needs a cleric, after all.
[ ] Consult the party: Talk to the rest of the party and see what their opinions are on all this. Even if you know this folks and you're the most experienced, it doesn't mean you should just drag them around without thinking about their ideas about saving the world or whatnot.
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- Location
- Somewhere!
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Accept; stay the night with a proper bed and a proper meal. Catch up with your old friend. It can't hurt.
[X] Consult the party: Talk to the rest of the party and see what their opinions are on all this. Even if you know this folks and you're the most experienced, it doesn't mean you should just drag them around without thinking about their ideas about saving the world or whatnot.
We're 0 for 2, and they have to be wondering about that, so... I think we sorta owe it to them to get their feelings.
[X] Consult the party: Talk to the rest of the party and see what their opinions are on all this. Even if you know this folks and you're the most experienced, it doesn't mean you should just drag them around without thinking about their ideas about saving the world or whatnot.
We're 0 for 2, and they have to be wondering about that, so... I think we sorta owe it to them to get their feelings.
- Location
- France
[X] Accept; stay the night with a proper bed and a proper meal. Catch up with your old friend. It can't hurt.
[X] Consult the party: Talk to the rest of the party and see what their opinions are on all this. Even if you know this folks and you're the most experienced, it doesn't mean you should just drag them around without thinking about their ideas about saving the world or whatnot.
[X] Consult the party: Talk to the rest of the party and see what their opinions are on all this. Even if you know this folks and you're the most experienced, it doesn't mean you should just drag them around without thinking about their ideas about saving the world or whatnot.