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.” Gharak smiles, amused, and sits gratefully. "You know, I don't have much to talk about" she begins, knowing damn well she could absolutely talk for days on end. "I have been traveling, as you suggested. And though it is true this `dingy` —she looks around as she quotes— town doesn't have much, it is my hometown after all."
She looks at the ground, now avoiding eye contact. "I like the people here. People are happy with what they have." She sighs.
"I left because I wanted to have more: more knowledge, more people to speak to, more points of view, more things… I thought there was nothing here. And, true! I have learned right? I have learned a lot, about history and magic, about alchemy and… yeah… but now I want to learn how to be happy, like people here." Her voice is now cracking as she struggles to hold back tears. She manages to raise her head to gaze into the old lady's eyes.
"I missed you mom."
Backstory:
Gharak comes from a small orc village, and was raised in a happy family along with her brothers and sisters. She has always been curious and intelligent (especially for an orc!) and, following her mother's advice, she decided to travel to learn and discover what the world has to offer. Always loving and always sharing, she dreams of becoming a great writer, or perhaps a teacher, though she doesn't really have an academic record. Not everybody gets to hold books, unfortunately.
Still, while traveling, she has learned to read and to speak different languages, heard from many wise thinkers and prestigious scholars. Her journey is certainly far from over, and her thirst for knowledge is yet to be quelled.
