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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?))

Andreu takes a moment to catch his breath before stepping into the tent, the lingering scent of damp marsh still clinging to his boots. He nods respectfully to the elderly lady. Even though the air feels heavy and a bit off, he stands tall, keeping his cool, just by habit

When she says, "Ah, it is you. I have been expecting you. Sit," she gestures at a cushion, "Tell me your story." He takes off his gloves and sits down where she points.

"My story?" he echoes.

He takes a deep breath before he goes on, speaking clearly but with a simple tone.

"I was born far from paved roads, in the land of Viru, where farmland stretches farther than most care to look. My dad follow the merchant life like his dad did, so I was meant to take up his plow one day, but he fled his homeland because of war."

He glances at the candles for a second, then keeps going.

"But the world does not stay beyond the fields forever. Caravans come and go. Soldiers march through. Banners go up, and occasionally they come down. My dad told about the wars and chaos from the lands I come from and I watched some of them as a boy from behind hedges and fence posts, and I realized big opportunities rise when fear and echoes of war starts. I know now that I do not want to be a merchant or trader."

He shifts slighly, sitting taller.

"I carry no great family name. No richeness to show off, but I have got a good deal of patience and I have got discipline. The land shows you that it does not give a hoot to those who do not pay attention or are not strong, that is what my experience taught me."

He pauses with quiet determination.

"So now I am here seeking for service. To earn steel throught merit, not birth. If battle finds me, I will not shy from it. And if men must be led, they should be led by one who understands labor, hunger, and consequence."

He turn to the old hag, steady and unwavering.

"If you were expecting me, then you already know this: I do not seek glory for its shine. I seek it because I want to prove that even an Hyspian may stand at the front of the battle, even a low born like me."

Andreu grows quiet, sitting firm despite the damp chill in the air.