Your stomach rumbles again as you clear your throat. Directing your voice to no one in particular and simply staring down at your plate you tentatively ask for a second helping. You hear a grunt from your left as Voryn reacts to your request, but surprisingly he responds: "well traveler, you may be an offensive heathen but it seems you can at least appreciate good cooking!" he lets out a small chuckle and waves Tarah back into her seat as she gets up to return to the cellar. As he descends below the flooring Tarah leans over with a smirk on her face. "See, I told you his favorite dish would help his mood." She gives you a reassuring pat on the shoulder as Voryn reappears with another helping of bread loaves for everyone. He hands yours to you almost like a peace offering and you smile and nod your acceptance. Tarah leaves the table and returns with spoons, which you quickly realize are necessary as the stew in the pot has cooled enough to make dipping with the bread difficult. The rest of dinner passes in silence as the hungry participants gobble down their food until bare plates are all that is left. As Tarah rises to start collecting dishes and utensils, Voryn leans back in his chair and lets out a long contented sigh. "My dear, your Tha'nit stew is as good as ever!" he booms. Tarah smiles at the compliment as she brings the dishes over to the water basin. Focusing his attention on you, Voryn lowers his voice back to conversational levels. "So, traveler - you shall depart in the morrow. Tarah and I rise with the sun but you may still require some extra rest so please take it. We are retiring now for the night and shall see you when you awake." With that proclamation, Voryn lifts himself out of his chair and thumps over to the master bedroom. Tarah finishes arranging the dishes to soak the night in the water basin and gives you a slight bow before following her husband. The door creaks shut and you hear a latch fall, then the noise of the crackling heath is all that remains.
Backstory
You are a traveler. Orphaned at a young age, you have survived on your own throughout your early years hopping from village to village and learning to live off the land. You began hearing stories from other travelers of a great civilization far off beyond the tall mountains. No one from there was willing or able to give you details - all they could remember was that it was grand and amazing. Curious, and with nothing to tie you to this land, you have set out to find this place. After crossing the mountains and a substantial desert on the other side, you have once again reached fertile land. You made camp beneath the trees for the first time in many weeks, but when you awoke again, you find yourself in a house with no memory of having traveled there. Worse, it seems that besides this vague recollection of your past your memory has become very hazy - so much so that trying to call up your own name proves ultimately futile.
Inventory
Empty
Codex
- someone named "Ashwyn" appears to be a powerful... person?
- you are in some region of the land know as the "Hinterlands", east of a river known as the "Feora"
- Tarah and Voryn are a married couple homesteading out in the Hinterlands
- A Tha'nit is a reptilian creature that has a poison-tipped tail, can be very aggressive if provoked in certain situations but is generally scared off by loud noised. Not edible, unless you have Tarah around to cook one up for you so you don't get poisoned
Story Log
(This log only shows the last 10 turns. To look back further, just select a turn action to view that turn's log)
(#9)You walk back over to the bed, carefully pulling the fungus you scraped off the wall earlier out of your pocket. Tarah comes back in carrying a small lamp, which she places on the low table to light the room. As she turns to leave her eye catches the fungus you are turning over in your hand. "Oh! I see you've found some darkmold." She holds out her hand and you gently place the brown, crumbly plant into it. "It grows best in dark, dry places. We hardly use this room, not many guests come by." Her expression turns thoughtful. "You know, this can be brewed into a fairly potent healing poultice - I'm not well-practiced in herbal arts but I'm sure I could make it mildly effective...?"
> "Sure, thank you."
(#10)Tarah nods and closes her hand around the darkmold. "Well, I don't guarantee a magic healing potion but at the very least you shall have something to deal with any minor scrapes or wounds on your travels." She exits the room, and you soon hear dishware clattering about as the table is set. The smell of cooked meat wafts in through the open doorway and you realize for the first time since waking up how hungry you really are. Mixed in with the smell of food however is a hint of cool, crisp outside air. You hear a heavy door slam shut.
> Leave the room
(#11)You exit the room and find yourself in a large common area. A circular heath lies in the middle with a hood that runs up through the roof to pull the smoke rising off the blazing cooking fire that lights the room. The meaty aroma comes from the pot hanging over the fire, which Tarah is slowly stirring as she hums to herself. Against the wall with the door leading outside is a table with two chairs and a small stool. Shelves of cooking supplies and herbs line the wall next to your bedroom door. Across the room you see a door ajar leading to what appears to be another bedroom. The fourth wall has two small windows looking out into the darkening evening. Propped up in a corner is an aged powder rifle with a well-worn barrel but a finely-crafted and newer-looking wooden stock.
> Talk to Tarah
(#12)You walk towards Tarah, who pauses in both her stirring and her humming to take a small sip from the ladle. "Hmmm," she says, testing the broth. "Just about done," she decides, as she returns to stirring. She looks up and smiles as you approach. "Out and about are we? Well there's a good sign I suppose. I can only imagine how famished you must be after several days sleep."
> "Why yes, I'm quite hungry. What's for dinner?"
(#13)"Well you're in luck!" says Tarah as her smiles brightens. "This is my own recipe for Tha'nit stew." She chuckles. "Now I know how that sounds, but trust me I've been making it for years and there's nothing to worry about! It's Voryn's favorite dish and after the news recently well... I felt it would help cheer him up. Plus it's always been well-received by what few guests we've had." She takes another taste test. "Ah yes, just about ready..."
> "Worry? What's a Tha'nit?"
(#14)The ladle doesn't go back to stirring the pot as Tarah stares at you in confusion. "What's a Tha'nit? Why, everyone knows what a..." she breaks off as realization dawns and plops the ladle back in the pot as she chuckles to herself. "My my, but you must have traveled a long ways indeed." She grabs the pot's wooden handle and lifts, sinewy muscles appearing along her arms. She carries the pot over and sets it on the table, then continues to prepare the place settings. "It's a reptile, about an arms-length long, brown, with a poisonous barb-tipped tail. It's the poison I was joking about. I figured out how to cook it out so you could eat the Tha'nit. They're tough to catch, they'll chase you for hours if they're provoked, but thankfully they're mostly just scared off by any loud noises." She pats the stool at the table. "Voryn should be back any moment now. Ready to eat?"
> Sit at the table
(#15)You walk over and sit on the stool as the big front door swings open and Voryn walks in carrying a large bundle of wood, which he sets down near the hearth and uses to stoke the dimming fire. Tarah moves over to the corner near your room and lifts up a trap door. She descends down into a cellar and returns shortly with three bread loafs stacked in her arms. After placing one on each plate Tarah and Voryn take their seats, closing their eyes. Propping both elbows on the table a shoulders-width apart they straighten their hands as if they were going to chop the air. Slowly, they raise their forearms, touching the two middle fingers of their hands together as they reach their slightly bowed temples, palms facing inwards. One of Voryn's eyes cracks open to see what you are doing.
> Do nothing
(#16)Voryn's left hand balls up into a fist and slams down on the table with enough force to cause the placings to leap a good inch above the thick wooden surface and send small waves splashing around inside the large pot. Both eyes are now open and glaring at you, but before he can speak Tarah's hand blurs across the table faster than you can imagine to lay on his wrist. You are still recoiling slightly at the rage you see in Voryn's eyes as Tarah's plea reaches your ears. "Voryn, wait!" She says as she attempts to tear Voryn's rapt attention away from you. "He is not a traveler among this land, but beyond it! He does not know our customs." A few seconds of silence pass, but to you time seems frozen as you stare back into the depths of Voryn's eyes and realize his pupils are slightly larger than normal, and there seem to be flecks of yellow in his brown iris. As you wait wondering if his right hand is going to strike out, finally the eyes shift, and Voryn stares down at his plate of bread. You can see the muscles in his arms relax and Tarah sighs with relief while patting his hand. "My apologies, traveler," he says softly, still staring down. "I must admit my temper these days is even shorter than usual." He looks up to make eye contact with Tarah and her mouth turns grim as she nods in agreement.
> [Angrily] "What the hell was that all about?!"
(#17)The words barely escape your mouth before you realize that it probably wasn't one of the smarter things you've said in your relatively short lifespan, which you now hope isn't about to come to a swift end at the hands of Voryn. But if anything, the anger in your voice only seems to make the big man collapse further into himself and the sharp rebuttal instead comes from the opposite end of the table. "You watch your tongue traveler!" says Tarah harshly as she continues to stroke Voryn's hand with hers. The other one is waving its index finger under your nose. "Voryn may have overreacted but he had every right to be offended towards a blasphemer in his house. You may be from beyond this land but if you plan to travel in it I suggest you pay more attention to what is going on around you." With that, she resumes her previous posture and Voryn shortly follows suit. Still confused as to whether you should do anything or not, you sit and watch as they both begin to chant: "High is the One who judges us, Low are the Ones who protect us, Near are Ones we love most, Far are the Ones we know least, Thanks we give for all we have, Death we receive for all we keep." With that, they both reach for their food and Tarah gives you a slight nod. Voryn speaks again as he is tearing a chunk of bread off his loaf, "I think, traveler, that you should depart in the morning."
> Nod silently and finish dinner
(#18)Still wary of Voryn's earlier outburst, you silently nod in agreement and watch as Voryn and Tarah dip chunks of their bread loaf into the pot. You rip a chunk off your own loaf and mimic their dipping action. When you bring the bread back out, you see the broth is now actually rather viscous, and long tendrils hang off the bread piece before finally snapping and falling back into the pot. You can see little bits of meat clinging to the bread as the broth cools and hardens even further, but not enough to loose its gooey texture or feeling. You still see steam rising and so carefully insert the piece into your mouth and chew, recognizing that even in your caution you've just singed your tongue but don't want to further upset your hosts by spitting out your food. Surprisingly, the taste of the broth and meat bits reminds you of a type of poultry found in your native land. Despite the discomfort of your burnt tongue, you hastily dip another bread piece as hunger explodes in your stomach. Although Voryn seems to take no notice of your ravenous appetite, you see a small smile form at the corner of Tarah's mouth as she watches you enjoy her meal. Before you even realize it, the last of the bread loaf is working its way down your gullet and you are staring at an empty plate before you. You're pretty sure everyone at the table can hear your stomach rumble for more, but you're also pretty sure that your welcome has already been overstayed.
> Ask for seconds
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