Ancient Lands! [4e] Ch1: Arrival & Welcome

[SporkMaster5000]

Oris was already headed back toward the elder's hut once it was clear Rosco was taken care of. He was glad to see the drow following along, he'd expected her to be rather contrary.  

[Arc Vembris]

This dark elf lady knew how to speak Fasrogen's language, even if she was also fluent in cold shoulder. Maybe she would warm up with some brew in her. In any event, Fasrogen itched for action and to get his chains flying. The elder was his best lead so far. He followed behind the drow and deva.  

[Keith Valken Lionheart]

The party, once settled, decided to go see the village's Elder. Remember the hut Kisa told you, the party quickly found it (since it's like 2 houses down the 'road'). Once you reached it, an old voice, speaking in the same accent you've heard from the villagers, came from beyond the hut. "Come in!" He would say, shaky and croaky.

So the party entered, one by one. The hut was very spacious, decorated with feathers and bones of animals and creatures. The floor was covered in soft, colorful hides, and pillows were scattered in front of the elder. The elder sat on a big, wooden chair, covered from head to toe in hides and pillows, making it possibly the most comfortable chair you've ever seen.

The elder was old. Very, very old from what you can see. He had no hair, and had a long, long silver beard, which was possibly longer than he was tall. He wore little except fundoshi, his eyes like those of a fox. He was sitting indian-style on his big chair, resting his upper body on his little wooden cane.

"Sit, please." He would beckon, gesturing with his hand the pillows in front of you.  

[Arc Vembris]

Unaccustomed to this much softery, Fasrogen gingerly jingles himself into a seated position, feeling and looking very awkward.  

[SporkMaster5000]

Oris finds a cushion that seems comfortable enough, and collapses into the same cross-legged posture as the elder atop it. He rests his elbows on his knees and rests his fingertips against each other, then seems to freeze in position, with only the occasional blink betraying him as alive as he waits for the elder to explain why he wanted to see them all.  

[Rain Yupa]

After entering being beckoned to sit, Rosco would at first wave to the elder. "Hello!"

...

"You have a really awesome chair, you know that? If I was the type to sit still, you'd be, like, my hero."

He would look around, observing the two giant halflings that had already taken seats.

"I guess I should probably sit too, huh? But which pillow...? Hmmm..." he would say, gauging the state of his situation. He would begin to move about, testing any unused pillows for qualities such as softness, texture, fluffiness, and would take whichever would be most to his liking.  

[joe-dude667]

As they all heard the old man beckon them in, Kaz was first to enter. It was still a shack compared to the type of places she was used to staying in, but after the last couple of days, it looked divine.

"About time we got some damned comfort!" She exclaimed with glee as she sat down on a pillow. "What would you like to speak to us about?"

There was no point beating around the bush. Kazlien still smelt of salt water, and still had sand in her (now very messy) hair. She hadn't looked this bad since she lived on the streets. She was definitely well overdue for a very strong drink.  

[Manozz55]

Darben entered the hut following after the others. But he politely refused sitting down. Long days of travel kept him on his feet. And besides that he didn't want to sit with his back exposed so much.

Instead he stood near the exit of the hut with his back close to the wall, "Forgive me, I appreciate the offer. But I would rather stand your lordship." He gave an apologetic bow to the clansman and waited patiently for his next words or someone else to change the subject. Darben was a rogue, but a well mannered one at that. He learned it got him places and people invited him in because of it. Out of nature he took minor things, but did something in return for the people.

Then something struck him. The woman who greeted them on the boat seemed to be expecting them. The hut was all made ready for them when they arrived. Could word have spread that fast? "Excuse me, sir, I was wondering. Did you know of our coming specifically? Or do lots of travelers come by here? If so where are they? Surely they couldn't have missed this place. It is -he stressed the word is- the most popular drop of point is it not?" He was probing for answers but he was weary of this place. Where were all the adventures? And why did they expect them? Was this all a trap and they were to become a meal for the village?

(Rolling Diplomacy check at +3 if it is necessary.)  

[Keith Valken Lionheart]

The Elder let out a silly cackle when he heard the halfling. "And if I was still young, you'd be, like, my hero." The elder truly envied Rosco's energetic youth. He would, however, clear his throat when Darben spoke.

"Yes, I suppose you're all wondering why we welcomed you so warmly to our village. Yes, we were expecting you. We received word from the captain of the ship that brought you here, that a group of adventurers have come to our lands. You're not the first ones, however... this land is wild, untamed, dangerous. Beasts and creatures lurk every corner of the lands, thwarting our efforts to expand beyond this beach. Our hunters can only go so deep into the forest before they're attacked by beasts, and our humble village is constantly under attack from critters."

He stood up with great difficulty, resting his upper body on his cane. He would take a few steps towards the heroes, and sighed. "I humbly request your help, brave warriors. Help us with our threat. You are welcomed as our own in this village, and you can keep the hut. We know you outsiders exchange shiny ching-chings for other less shiny ching-chings in your lands, but here, we have no such thing. Whenever you're hungry or thirsty, ask someone. They will provide you with what you need."

He stretched his back, and let out another sigh. "We can only pay you with hospitality and kindness. However... our village's tool crafter has a knack of working with nature itself: he makes tools out of bones, wood, hide, and sap. If you were to fight creatures with tough hides or sharp fangs, our tool crafter would surely make something for you. Other than that... we can offer no more, for we have no more." The elder turned around, and sat on his chair, letting out a sigh of relief that his back and hip wasn't under so much pressure.

-----

Those versed in the Arcane arts would feel... a strange vibe coming from the elder. The rest feel slightly... intimidated. However, it's negated by the Elder's own relaxed nature.  

[SporkMaster5000]

"Elder," Oris was actually the first to speak up after the elder's request for their aid, "I am a servant of Ioun, goddess of wisdom. I, for one, would accept an exchange of knowledge from yourself and your people as payment for whatever aid I can render."  

[joe-dude667]

"What happened to the other adventures that came this way?" Kaz said seriously. The Elder breezed over that fact far too nonchalantly for her liking. There was definitely something about this Elder...

[[27 Arcana to learn more about this guys "strange vibe". This Drow knows her s**t. cool ]]  

[Keith Valken Lionheart]

"Some went back to their lands, some went further into our lands, some perished. As to what happened to those who ventured further, I cannot say."

------------------------

Kaz, your very high Arcana check tells you that the Elder is DEFINITELY not human. He looks human, acts human, and feels human. Also, the 'strange' vibe is a strong arcane weave flowing through him, and is so strong you can SEE it. Normally, you can feel how strong one is in the arcane arts by feeling his arcane power the same way you feel the breeze, but on the Elder, it's so strong it's visible to you. It's like an aurora borealis/australis flowing THROUGH him, and then it went through the roof of his hut, and then who knows where.  

[joe-dude667]

There was something about this Elder. Though it took Kaz a moment to notice what that was. It was power. Great arcane power. This place was like hell for the female Drow, but she wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the entire world.

"How would you be needing our help?" She asked, almost too keenly. "Surely there is little we can do that your people couldn't easily achieve on their own?"  

[Arc Vembris]

Fasrogen rubs his stubbly chin. "Oh I don't know, they can't seem to hold onter any adventurers fer very long, could be anything."  

[Rain Yupa]

Rosco would wave his hands before him back and forth upon the Elder's explanation. "Hey whoa hey whoa hey whoa. Let's back up a tick here. You're asking us to exterminate every monstrous being on this land mass? I mean, as glorious and awesome as that would be, I think that's a bit of a stretch, even for me!" He would laugh as he explained this.

"I came here to make a name for myself, but I didn't quite mean to have that name on a tombstone. Maybe I wasn't clear enough in my résumé. Do you still have it handy, so I can make the appropriate editorial adjustments? Piece of parchment, about yea big, lots of recommendations about how awesome I am?"