You’ve just arrived in a swampy, dim town. As you look around, your gaze is met with shacks and cabins. It smells of rotted wood and wet moss. You duck and step into a tattered tent, illuminated by a series of candles suspended in the air. At the back of the tent, an old hag raises her head, “What brings you to this dingy town? she begins, then pauses to study your face—”Ah, it’s you. I’ve been expecting you. Sit,” she gestures at a cushion, “Tell me your story.”
Silas hadn't expected much when he came to this town, small and dark as it was. The smells that his nose the moment he stepped in doing nothing to deter him from the old woman within the tent. All it did was remind him painfully of home, the twinge of regret of leaving pouring through his heart. Yet with each word she spoke, it brought comfort he wasn't sure he'd ever feel again.
The sounds of his footsteps through the tent were quiet, barely audible as he did just as she instructed. He doesn't dabble with magic, knows little who do, but even he knows never to question when someone has been expecting them. As scary as it was knowing someone foretold their arrival, the comfort of being known was all too much for him to accept.
"My story is quite long, Ma'am," Silas spoke, his voice soft and hoarse from years of no use, "I've traveled far from the lands, 'cross the mountains through cities far beyond my understanding."
This world had changed so much around him, it grew and shifted while he had sat quietly within his bog for years. Had it always been so wild? He couldn't remember, not when his mind was fighting horrors that no healer or mages could save him from.
Yet, a if a story is what she wants, Silas will gladly provide the many he holds under the tattered cloak that rests upon his shoulders.
"Do you know of Urguan, the grand kingdom of the dwarves?" He asked, folding his trembling hands upon his lap. "I grew near there, far in the mountains with my family. We traveled lots throughout the land, avoiding the large towns with their bustling markets and wars."
What a time it was. He remembers watching from afar how the dwarves worked, trying to learn of their history through his watching. Their greed was intense, and often he feared how one could hold so much want, but yet, he admired their workings all the same.
Silas hoped, silently, that she did not notice how his eyes seemed glossed at his own memories. Painful as they were, he knew, soon, that he'd be reunited with them. "Oh and how lovely it was, though I was a mere boy when we left. We traveled further into the mountains, living within the caves and trees. I did not stay long, as I left when I discovered the bogs and swamps made my mind enter a peace. "
"Say, why don't we share stories together? It must be boring hearing a young man like me rattle tales and riddles."
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