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.”
First a little confused and warily, Skeral sits down, still carefully scanning the tent for any dangers. As he is aware that he's in a disadvantageous situation, he carefully replies after some minutes of silence in which he thought his coming words threw
"Yes it is me indeed, as honored as I might be that you seem to know me, I'm sad to reply, that I can't say the same about you?"
The old Hag grins lightly and chuckles for a moment, "Old me? That is not of importance, you could count me as decoration if you would like", she answers in a husked, old voice. "I'm just someone who's interested in stories of all kinds, so by all means, don't be so scared, nothing will happen to you, except "~, she cuts off grinning widely, revealing tattered and crooked teeth.
The smell of the candles laid heavy in the tent, one of the few familiar and calming things, even though they were levitating. The young high elf took a deep breath and started to talk in a fabricated, calm tone "My names Skeral, I am but simply a man that is driven by the desire to in a way fight death. You see every imbecile can swing a sword or kill others, it's sometimes way too easy to take a life", he pauses and grins slightly. "But to save a life from the brink of death is something I wouldn't consider a miracle, but rather the peak of skill and a real, meaningful challenge".
The old hag chuckles croaky but quietly, after which Skeral continues. "But as you can see, I'm still rather young for a high elf, so I'm only at the starting line. But of course such ambitious plans don't come out of anywhere. Even as a little child, I was interested in those things, pestering everyone about accompanying me into the woods. I was mesmerized by the fact that in every unseen and shadowy corner, a rare medical herb could grow. Something that could just look like a weed and still save or help someone's life", he explains in a way, in which it only sounds natural that that would happen and that that is the only logically possible way.
"So it was only natural that I sooner or later would end up helping in a pharmacy, but as always the world doesn't only revolve around oneself. The Battle of Balian...", he stops for a moment, takes a deep breath, and renewed his fabricated, neutral expression. "Of course, we helped, or better said, we tried to help the wounded. But how does one handle helplessness of some kind? Not being prepared enough, or not being knowledgeable enough in the past, can only be counteracted with working to a point at which you will be prepared in the future".
He closed his eyes for a split second and stumbled away from his seat as he opened them again. The hag and the candles were gone, a tent that seemed to be never cleaned or used. A skeleton sitting in the hag's place, grinning satisfied with crooked teeth.
Finally, having enough, Skeral left the dusty, rotting old tent and was met outside by the foggy swamp wind. As he heard it, whisper in the old hag's voice: "Go down the bridge to the north and follow beyond. There you will find the next settlement, as if for your reason for traveling to this swamp~". The young high elf looked down with widened eyes, there were strange-looking plants growing out of the soil, plants that definitely weren't there before.
"After all, a good story needs to be rewarded. But as future advice, you are more likely to encounter other~ rare things in this swamp you'd rather not want to meet than finding herbs here~", the old hag's voice rasped, whilst fading into silence. And so Skeral took the herbs and left to the bridge in the north. At least he got something else out of this besides a weird story and an uneasy feeling.
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