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?))
"Expecting...me," you say with confusion. Asulan looks around, peering through the trees and cabins in search for friends of the hag. Not seeing anyone near, she shrugs and steps closer into the tent, feeling a strange but harmless aura. "Well...if you can help me navigate to the nearest tavern then I'll give you every detail." Asulan sits on the cushion in front of her. Noticing the candles illuminating the room, she can see the woman more clearly now in all her wrinkly glory.
"I come from Amathine," she says. "Nothing happens there. No excitement, no fun, no adventure. Its a bore, as one would say. When I was younger all I've ever wanted was to explore the world, see what it has to offer and take advantage of not knowing where I'm at. I guess I didn't need help with that last part." Asulan looks down in regret. "So," she mumbled. "I left. I left and didn't look back. Life wasn't hard there. I had a loving mother and a outstanding father, but as much as they love me, they never let me be me. No matter what, they were always there, keeping me out of harms way, but never letting me learn," she points to some bruises and cuts on her body she had gotten while trekking through the forest. "If I never get hurt, how am I supposed to learn from my mistakes?"
Asulan smiles and chuckles for a second. "I know it sounds ridiculous. Why leave a peaceful and happy existence for a world full of monsters and danger? My answer: why not?" She reaches in her bag and pulls out a small leather-bound journal, flipping through each page, smiling wider with each turn. "I want to grow. I want to be more than what I am. If I get hurt along the way, so be it. At least I can say I did something. This journal is my story and one day I hope to tell it to others so that they too can learn and grow as I did. And maybe, I don't know, show my parents that I'm not a child anymore." She closes the journal and holds it close to her chest, taking a deep inhale through her nose as if she's imagining something. "Also," she added. "I really wanted to try some new food. The kind we have back in Amathine is...edible, but not to my liking anymore."
Asulan looks back up at the woman, still smiling. "That's my story lady. So...do you have any snacks?"
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