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.”
((How do you respond?))
-Rurik tensed up upon hearing her last words, still holding the sword from the recent events-"How could someone I never met have been expecting me?"-he wondered aloud, now relaxing and sheathing his sword afterward, heeding the old hag's invitation-"Very well, here is my story..."
"I come from a blacksmith family and grew up with a brother." A sad expression briefly crosses his face at the mention of his brother, but after a moment of gathering his thoughts, he continued. "My childhood was relatively good; with the family business doing well, we never had to worry about what to put on our plates for dinner. In my free time, I started sparring with my brother, secretly ‘borrowing’ my father's crafts—spears, swords, shields." He paused to take a breath, then began to go on. "As I continued to grow, I took up my father's craft, as was expected of me. Despite this, I still trained with my sword and shield in my free time, even crafting my own with my father's approval this time. Sadly, as I reached adulthood, the business started to decline." He would take a moment to brace himself emotionally for what he was about to say next, as the memories he has been pushing away came flooding back. Shaking slightly, he continued. "We had to transport our goods on our own, and on one fateful expedition, we were ambushed by bandits. I saw my brother and mother die as we tried to fight off the attack. As we were being overwhelmed, my father told me to run, to escape with my life, just seconds before an arrow pierced his neck." He sighed, a mix of anger and sadness slowly overtook him, barely held in check by his willpower. "So, I ran. I ran and didn't look back for a long time, still holding my sword but without the shield, which I had dropped for greater agility. After a while, I reached this town, lucky enough to escape with only minor bruises. Now, alone in this world, my journey is only beginning..." He finished, trying to focus on the future and began to try push that traumatic event as far as possible into the darkest corner of his mind.
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