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?))
Answer:
"Oh- Well, if you’ve been waiting for me, then I suppose I ought to make myself worth the trouble," she smiles warmly, brushing dirt off her clothes before settling onto the cushion.
"I’m not of much importance," she admits with a dry laugh.
"All I’ve known in my life was my father’s inn. My mother left me on his inn’s doorstep in the dead of winter. They thought I wouldn’t survive, callin’ it a blessing of sorts. Whatever it was, I’m grateful. I’ve since then kept the fire steady, the beds made, and tended to travelers day in and day out," she pauses, looking down as she fiddles with her sleeve.
"Until now, of course. Just four winters ago, a group came through our inn, raiding it to disrupt the trade routes or some such," she gestured vaguely. "Three knights had been following them, and a fight broke out. My father, in his honor and pride, tried to stand firm against the raiders. My brother tried to help… but it got messy fast."
She looks back up at the old woman. "One of the knights stayed to aid my father. While my brother and I cleaned up, I watched him work quietly, tending wounds with experience I didn’t have. He didn’t have to stay after, but he did. That night stuck with me—not for the danger, but for the choice he made to stay."
She smiles, thinking back, "I guess you could say it was inspiring, the knight was kind and spoke to us throughout the night, showed us a trick or two. My father had encouraged me to strike out on my own adventure this spring. That day drove me to want to be someone meaningful, like that knight was to us."
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