Polite5Equation

Your character has just arrived in a swampy, dim town. As they look around, their gaze is met with shacks and cabins. It smells of rotted wood and wet moss. They 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?))

Aled stands still for a moment, shocked that the hag knew who he was. The air is thick and damp, the flickering candles casting long shadows that seem to stretch out toward him.  With a slow breath, he steps forward and lowers himself onto the cushion she gestures to. The seat feels oddly comforting compared to the ground he had been sleeping on for the past week of travel. "How’d you know me?" Aled questions, his voice timid, but filled with glowing curiosity. The hag’s eyes stared intensely into his own, no words were said, but none were needed, "I suppose my story might be simpler than the other travelers who’ve come across you." He looks down at his hands for a moment, covered in calluses from his travels, gathering his thoughts, before continuing."I was born in a merchant town to west, bustling with life and trade. My father raised me to be a merchant, much like him, constantly haggling to earn some more coin. My mother passed when I was young, so it was just the two of us. I was trained to make the right deals and charm customers. But my heart was not in the trade as much as my father. He despised my untamed curiosity which had gotten me into more than enough trouble in my youth,” Aled says with a snicker. He pauses, eyes distant for a moment as memories flood back."The last two years, I’ve been traveling alone, seeing the world beyond New Providence. A merchant’s life, yes, but with another purpose. I’ve begun writing down my thoughts on how the world works, the way people interact, why they do what they do; I’m searching for something deeper, something that... explains it all. A greater truth, that’s hidden in the roots of our lives."His gaze meets the hag's again, steady this time, a quiet resolve in his voice."But I feel I may be getting ahead of myself, please tell me about yourself, it seems the world has offered you wisdom I may never achieve.”