These Storytellers were so strange in their approach to the truths around them. When looking at the truth, at the past and present, something was either true, false, or still in question. There should be no desire to meld the conclusions. What strange people to want to propagate lies into their histories for the sake of a narrative. Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with… had seen a serious scholar, and was baffled that this was what stood as Gaping's histories. However, it was better to err on the side of caution, and the stories themselves did manage to worm into your ears, didn't they? It was a shame they wouldn't let art be art and fact be fact.
Though something good had come of the odd histories. When even unimportant occurrences could be turned into elaborate stories, an important event that had no stories stood out. Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with… was treated as an outsider here, though as far as appearance and accent went she could easily have been one of them, but she could tell the difference between a Storyteller being silent because a story was sacred and being silent because there was no story to tell. That missing story had led Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with… to this hovel at the edge of town, not far from the Mouth, with a wisp of dark gray smoke coming out of the vent in the roof. Despite a population of only four hundred fifteen – sixteen if you counted Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with… – it had taken most of a month to track this person down. Behnai was the descendent – granddaughter, great-granddaughter, there was no telling for sure – of the one woman known to have ventured deep into the Mouth. And that was the end of the story. She went in, and came out. What happened inside was somehow not only unknown to the Storytellers, but didn't even seem to interest them.
Stranger still, Storytellers ignoring a story that actually might be worthwhile. It's one thing to hold your tongue over a secret- that concept is clear as day- or even refusing to speak of some taboo to a newcomer like herself. But to just… not bother?
Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with… adjusted her rough-spun ash grey cloak around her, letting it casually conceal the armor and knife she wore. No need to set a person on edge when visiting their house, if you could call the shack such. Whether her 'forgotten' ancestor was considered brave clearly had not conferred any benefit to Behnai, shoved out here on the edge of town, barely mentioned by those in Gaping. Instead she seemed cut out.
Well, Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with… had come this far. She rapped gently on the door.
The door was opened immediately, almost eagerly. The woman who opened it was maybe five years younger than Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with…'s twenty-five, her hair tied up in a bun, which was sensible, since it was long, and could get tangled up in the loom which dominated Behnai's small home. She was plain looking, but everyone around here seemed like that to Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with…, who was from the much more diverse city nine or ten day's journey away.
The hovel, despite its haggard appearance from the outside, was clean and well-organized. A stone-walled fire pit smoldered in the center, filling the room with a thin haze. A bedroll had been tied to the wall, next to an unlocked wooden chest, and a small table that was strewn with scissors, scraps of yarn and a flat pincushion. Baskets of food and a bucket of slightly murky water hung neatly by the door. The rest of the room was spun and raw wool, rolled-up cloth, partly-made clothing, and the loom, which was threaded with a yellowed wool not so different in color from Behnai's hair, and Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with…'s, and for that matter nearly everyone either of them had ever met.
Behnai looked out the open doorway to see whether Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with… had brought anyone else with her, and said, “Come in. Are you here to pick something up?”
Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with… readily entered into the hovel after Behnai, stepping confidently into the the small, neat space. She looked around the room, letting her eyes rest on the in-process work surrounding her.
A small chuckle. “No, though I do wish I had had the foresight to be doing so today.” Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with… waved her hand in a gentle, deferential gesture. “Behnai, right? It was awfully difficult to find this place. No, I wish to place an order with you. I have time now for a fitting – a cape and light wool gloves? The latter are tricky as I understand it, but I can place a deposit for your work.” She glanced at the sewing table and back to Behnai expectantly.
Behnai took Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with…'s hand in her own and looked it over. “You're the newcomer, aren't you?” She flipped Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with…'s hand over and examined her palm. “I can make gloves, but Firstfrost is months away. The cape –” she glanced back at the stacked rolls of cloth “– I can finish by tomorrow, unless you want it dyed. The gloves, one week. Why here?” The question was abrupt. Ardet realized she was asking why Behnai had been sought out specifically, when there were better-known weavers in Gaping.
Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with… almost felt bad for the ruse on this blunt young woman, but she had hoped that a paying customer would be harder to kick out. Getting some properly made clothing out of it wasn't going to hurt either.
She let her hand stay upturned in the woman's grasp. “A week? Perfect. As you and everyone else have noticed, I am new here. I won't pretend that yours was the first name recommended to me, although what I see looks ably made.” She paused, “Hm, it's a shame. You would probably do far better business if you were set up in the town itself.” Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with… let the fingers of her outstretched hand curl upwards, bringing her still-healing fingernails back into the weaver's sight. “The road has been less than kind the past few weeks, and I would hope my attles would go far further here. There would be no need to make change for me to carry on my way.” She gently removed her hand from the young woman's. “Do you have some tea? There is a third thing that I would like to discuss.”
Behnai's eyes widened at the mention of gold. Barter was the rule in Gaping, but twice a year, a peddler would come from the city with pots, tools, earthenware, metals and other common goods, as well as exotic items like jewelry, fine cloth that you could almost see through, and tree fruit – things that Benhai had never even considered within her reach. Of course, Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with… was probably exaggerating, but it couldn't hurt to give her a chance.
Like most people in Gaping, Behnai kept a few bundles of herbs hanging from the ceiling above the firepit, so they could be slowly dried by the smoke. “Of course. I'll need to measure your hands anyway.” She looked around the room, considered the stool by her table, but then decided on the slightly more comfortable stool by the loom. She carried it over for Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with…, and then took down a few herbs and dropped them into the pot that hung over the firepit. The infusion would probably taste a little like last night's dinner, but it was the best Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with… had learned to expect. She poured some water from the bucket into the pot, and placed a couple sticks on the embers. “What else would you like? I have enough wool for a blanket, or several if you have children…” she looked again at Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with…'s torn fingernails, and hesitated “… back home.”
Children? She bit back a chuckle. That was a sweet assumption at least. Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with… was glad at Behnai's curiosity and sat down on the stool, letting the woman's question hang in the air until the infusion was ready. It did taste a bit of that omnipresent root stew, but the flavors went well enough.
She stretched her legs out comfortably from the low stool and met Behnai's eyes. “No, blankets won't be necessary, thank you. ” Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with… paused- Behnai seemed practical, too much dancing around the point and she might grow offended enough to turn away gold if this request was a rude one. She shook her head lightly as she made her decision, “You were right, though, I have sought you out for more than thrift. Come and join me.” Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with… gestured toward the second seat.
Behnai kept her expression as stoic as she could, but her movements betrayed her feelings of discomfort. This was clearly not a normal situation for her. But she did drag the taller stool a couple of inches so the little table wouldn't dig into her back, and sat down.
Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with… gave a quick smile and placed an attleplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigRang Currency
The Aglar
Rang's economy is based on barter and silver, the later dominating commercial activity in towns and cities. The silver Aglar (ă'glǒr) has been minted since the early days of Rang, primarily out of the capitol, Duerstadt. There are also regional mints in most of the duchies, bearing unique mint marks, and producing, collectively, about four fifths as much as is produced by on the table. “Here, I realize I'm asking you to delay your other work to finish mine. To cover any disappointment this might cause your regular customers.” For this price, Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with… certainly hoped Behnai's stitching was excellent. She paused to steel her own resolve, and to let Behnai pick up the coin hesitantly and look it over. “I'm also looking for a story.”
Behnai's expression changed, no longer focused on the valuable gold coin held between her thumb and forefinger. Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with… couldn't tell whether the woman was anxious, upset or excited, or perhaps all three. “I'm not a Storyteller. My stories were never very good.”
“I can't tell one to save my life, Behnai,” Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with… had hoped the statement would sound more lighthearted, but the sadness of the past few weeks crept into her voice, “Don't worry about my criticism. Please go on, it's a story only you can tell.” Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with… tried not to notice the lump in her throat; she never had had her brother's charm, and these people's very strange relationships with their stories still eluded her. Was it even valued to practice telling a story?
“No one asks for that story. My ancestor wouldn't tell it properly, and I was taught not to either. If you want a good story, they are told in the Story Hall every night.”
“I know where the Story Hall is.” Ow, a bit harsh. Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with… worked to soften her voice, “I listened to some of their stories, but despite their words, they weren't what I was looking for; yours is.” She took a sip of her tea. “There's much more to a story than just the art with which it's told, right? Even the improper ones can have merit.”
Behnai considered before she spoke, but Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with… knew she was going to talk. She wanted to, even if her visitor was a brash foreigner. “No one has ever asked me to tell this story, not since my mother made me repeat it back to her. I don't think anyone ever asked her either. Maybe the Storytellers where you come from are different, but here, only the good stories are told. If they're not worth listening to, they're not worth telling. My mother disagreed, so she made sure I knew it. It's not a proper story because nothing happens.
“When I came of age, I did it too. I cleaned myself and my clothing, released all of my fluids, and wrapped my boots. 'Take nothing out, leave nothing behind, disturb nothing.' At the entrance, I put on the mask, and stepped out of the wrappings into the Mouth. I didn't move from that spot until morning. I barely breathed. I didn't dare sleep, because I didn't want to see the terrors. But I heard the winds coming from deeper in the Mouth, and I watched my grandmother's mother slowly creep into the darkness with nothing but a hooded candle. She kept one hand under it, flinching each time a drop of hot wax landed, and she breathed in the smoke so she could take it out with her, even though it burned in her nostrils. 'Take nothing out, leave nothing behind, disturb nothing.'
“She wandered the tunnels for hours, cautious at each step not to roll any pebbles out of place or even kick up dust. There were doors, but always open. She did not close them. She greeted the sleeping giants, and backed through the winds so her candle would not blow out, and stepped over the water but did not drink, even though the smoke from her candle had dried out her throat. She came to the place of unreadable letters and followed the best of three paths, to the skull of bone and copper. She nearly ran where she was told, but that would have disturbed the untouched earth, so she returned by her path. 'Take nothing out, leave nothing behind, disturb nothing.' I watched my grandmother's mother emerge from the darkness, her mask blackened with smoke and her hand crusted with wax, and with her, I brushed the dust off my boots and stepped out of the Mouth, and breathed for the first time since the night fell.
Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with… let Behnai speak uninterrupted, then sat quietly after she finished to let the details of the story sink in. Such care about cleanliness to breathe in a candle's smoke all night. Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with… reflexively took another sip; her throat already felt dry.
“That was a story worth listening to. Thank you.” She tried to make the questions come out one at a time. Maybe this was all the young woman had memorized, the only scraps left, but she might as well check. “Did your grandmother's mother say who spoke to her, where they wanted her to go?” Might as well ask one that Behnai would definitely know, something Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with… would need to learn… “And would you tell me about the mask you wore?”
Behnai looked relieved that Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with… didn't judge her poorly for telling the story. She stood and walked the three steps to her pile of cloth, bent over, and fished around with her hands. “I told you the story as I was told to remember it. A proper story can improve over time. Mine can't.” She pulled out a long, narrow scrap of cloth. “Anything can be a mask,” she said, and tied the cloth around her face and neck so that only her eyes were visible over the top. Then she wrapped it around several more times, to the point where breathing couldn't be all that easy. She loosened it and took it off. “Some people decorate theirs, or make them out of wood or bone, but this is all you need.” She handed the tangled strip of cloth to Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with… and sat down again.
“Of course,” Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with… wished for more information, but tucked the long cloth into her bag. Hm. She felt a bit grateful that this story hadn't caught on, despite the time she had spent tracking it down. Who would have known what 'improvements' would have been carelessly added by dozens of Storytellers. As it was, the story was spare, but it sounded like it was taught rote through four generations.
Still, the Mouth sounded like an unsettling place. If there were any truth to Behnai's story, it was far more than just a cave with something in it. What could be in there that would demand that kind of protection… or containment? Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with… worked to push the thought from her mind, watching the young woman across from her.
“Surely someone has disturbed the Mouth by accident? Everyone goes in there; somebody must have been tired or sloppy, even with all the care taken…” Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with… tried to speak softly, trying to reflect the gravity that the question probably held to these villagers.
“It has never happened.” Behnai paused, and then leaned forward conspiratorially and continued with a soft voice. “Or so the stories say. I guess it must have happened sometime, or how would we know?”
Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with… matched the woman's lean, but felt a pang of disappointment at her answer. “Yes, I suppose that's right. Those runes wouldn't have been carved for no reason. Still, they are very old, right? Some story may have been lost to the years.” She let her eyes break momentarily from the young woman's gaze before returning, “Say, I realize that a guess is all you can give me, but you have spent a night in the Mouth. What did you think would happen if you…” she trailed off, not wanting to imply that Behnai would be careless, “What did you fear?”
Behnai looked away. “You don't understand. You sitting in my home shows that your Storytellers aren't the same as ours. In Gaping, we respect our stories, the same way the Polies of the village respect their gods.” She referred to the small group of Polinakasplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigPolinaka
This religion has been dead for three hundred years, since the Plague of Morenth, that bloody period when the followers of Morenth completely wiped out the Polinakas.
Polinaka's theology is much the opposite of Morenth's. Polinakas believe that there are gods in everything, and that only the actions of Man can bring order to the universe. They believe, for example, that the sun rises each morning only because Polinakas pray for it to rise each night. Spring comes only when Polinakas p… who lived in a valley outside of town. Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with… knew they were there, but she hadn't visited them. “No one would ever make a mistake like that. But the nightmares… If dreams can be that bad, then the truth must be worse. No one who has head the Dream of Faulkan would doubt the power of the Mouth.”
So now stories are gods, too? Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with… could understand respecting the truth in a story, but that distinction wasn't even made by these people. A story itself doesn't deserve reverence, and certainly not something like worship. She tried to hide her distaste as she nodded in acknowledgment while Behnai finished, “Ah, yes, my apologies- I didn't understand if such a story might have been improper as well. But tell me, what is this dream that you speak of? Who is Faulkan?”
Behnai looked surprised for a moment, but then smiled – the first time Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with… had seen her smile. “Oh, of course. You wouldn't know. The Dream of Faulkan is a Story. I can't tell it, but there are Storytellers in the Hall who can. Faulkan… slept in the Mouth.”
“Really, you can't? I thought your story earlier was lovely. I suppose I'll have to go to the Hall, then.” Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with… politely returned her smile, then shifted her weight and placed her hands on the table expectantly, “You said you needed to take some measurements? We'd best get that done now, if I must be going back to town.”
The measuring went quickly, requiring nothing more than stretching out a length of cloth and marking it with charcoal. As Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with… was leaving, Behnai said, “Thank you. I wanted to be a Storyteller, but I wasn't good enough.”
Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with… politely wrapped up her business with Behnai, asking for the clothing to be dyed a dusty blue, a color she'd seen some of the locals wearing. She returned to the little lee at the outskirts of town where she'd been camping since her arrival. There was no inn in town, and there was only so long she could impose on people who were already wary of strangers. Her tent was comfortable enough, especially after some of her recent experiences, and was sheltered from the wind. The downside was that there was no keeping the mice out of her food and clothing.
Welcome, Aldetplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigAldet Bray
Aldet is about 25, 5’4”, with a wiry, almost boyish frame. Her blonde hair is lightened further by the sun and pulled back neatly and unceremoniously. She has muddy hazel eyes and a thin-lipped, solemn demeanor. She has a ragged, still pink scar on her right brow. She wears new mahogany studded leather armor with matching gloves and boots, all finely made but lacking any real flourish to their design. The light crossbow and heavy, curved dagger that she carries are well-crafted, with…! This turn was really fun to re-read. I look forward to having you in the game for at least 20-30 years.