SoulSprinkles

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.” ((How do you respond?)) "O-oh, yes... Apologies for my tardiness. I was... a little preoccupied. But I'm glad that you seem to be doing alright...?" The elf paused for a moment, studying the old woman's face before sitting down on the cushion. With a gentle voice, they continued to speak. He wasn't insecure, no, not at all, but they were cautious. Or perhaps just very selective of what they shared. Somehow, though, they felt much safer within the presence of this woman. "Well... it's nothing too interesting, really. I left home quite recently, you see. I love my parents, and the other family that I was lucky to have, but something always felt off. I need to do something more with myself, I know it, but I have yet to discover what. I still visit them occasionally, of course, but I am focused much more on the answers I seek. I wish for more of a purpose, and... just to help people. Which is why I am here." His voice got quieter near the end, and they paused again, studying the others face for whatever her reaction may be. "Decades ago... or... longer, I am uncertain. My distant ancestors lived in a magnificent kingdom underground. I really don't know much about it. It seems like most of the knowledge has been lost to time -or, perhaps it simply isn't available to a mere commoner- but they called it Magara'lin. I believe it is somewhere in the mountains of Ceru?" They paused to think about this for a moment, trying to recall the little knowledge they had managed to scrape together over the last few decades. "Well, anyhow," the dark elf continued, folding his hands in his lap, "I decided long ago that I wished to look into my history a bit more. I am not currently strong enough to make the trip on my own, of course - it is far too cold and dangerous to venture into those mountains alone... but I will gain strength, and hope to gain some allies as well." A small laugh escaped their throat a moment later, they felt so silly saying all of this to someone he didn't know very well. "I guess you'd probably wonder why I'd go into all of this... well, I tried once, of course. When I was quite a bit younger ... but I never even got to the mountains. My mother had to come save me long before I even set foot at the base of them! She dragged me all the way back to Nor'Asath, where we lived at the time. My father is a wonderful healer, and my mother quite a wonderful warrior. We were never very involved in any big events, but I loved studying them, and reading about our history, ever since I was young. Perhaps I'm I'm trying to be more of a historian... or perhaps I just admire them and the stories that were told about them." "I... well, apologies! I fear I may have gotten ahead of myself and rambled on for a little while..." They laughed awkwardly. Damn. They really needed to work on that. "Well, I am here now, Madame and... oh, yes, right! My name is Naeris." He held out a hand, a warm smile gracing his face, offering a handshake. "How may I be of service?"