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.”
"Expecting me, witch?" Matten lets out a hearty chuckle, bringing an open hand to his chest. The sound brings some joy to the otherwise dreary tent, as the candles flicker and waver. He brings his hand back down and continues with a large breath. "Well miss witch, to answer your first question, I got lost. Then I saw some smoke in the air. Now I came here, asking for directions!" He brings his hand up to rub his bearded chin as he inspects the floating candles. "But, ah, that is no story, hm?"
Matten finally takes a seat, setting his palms on his knees as he leans forward. "My story! A tall ask, no? I am no bard, but I can remember some things about myself." He gives her a short toothy grin before continuing on. "I was born the fifth child to my family, as healthy as can be!" He then drops the smile as he purses his lips and looks up for a moment. "Well, then it gets a little sad for a bit there. Helped on the farm, grew up, but my father passed away from the consumption when I was, say, fifteen?" He nods once. "My mother as well, from grief. My eldest brother then cast the rest of us out and took the farm for himself." Matten then raises a finger and clicks his tongue. "Now, that may sound sad, but that is really where my life began!"
The larger man leans back slightly before nodding to himself. "Yes, my siblings all preferred the life of the city, so it didn't take long for us to separate. But I became a traveler! A scholar, even! Not a good one, but I found out which plants are tasty and which are not. Fine scholarship, if you ask me, which you did." A wry smile grows on his face for a short moment. "From there, well, I have a lot of individual stories, but I wouldn't describe them as my story. Some are lessons, sure, but a lot of them are other people's stories that I found myself in. I suppose that is how I found my purpose. Giving people a hand!" He raises one hand up for a moment before retracting it. "Well, not my hand. Metaphorically, you know. You do know, right?" He lets out one more laugh before he cuts it short and looks very closely towards the witch. "So, miss, where in the world am I?"
