- Joined
- Apr 22, 2010
- Messages
- 1,493
- Reputation score
- 203
TERNBACH
On the border of Elynsor and Brevnia
Rafe took his first step into the town of Ternbach, a small village on Elynsor’s southeastern border nestled comfortably between the woods and the mountains. Here, settlements such as this one had cultures of their own as isolated pockets away from both Elynsor and Brevnia’s capital cities, developing unique identities which were neither uniquely Elynsorian nor strictly Brevnian. To the hunter, places like this village were a common sight, with the sort of terrain and arrangements that he was all too familiar with. Even if there were countless such villas, often with their own traditions and accents, it was difficult not to feel a sense of dejavu.
And yet, for as familiar as he was with this sort of town, not all were familiar with him. Two gruff-looking woodsmen, with beards typical of their profession, stood outside the outer limits of the village, hacking away at some nearby trees with their axes. They paused, their gaze wandering over to the stranger. Rafe felt their suspicious looks upon him as they stood, only their heads pivoting like those of watchful owls to ensure that he wasn’t hostile--though, ironically enough, he could sense their own wariness, seeing their grips tighten upon their axe handles out of his peripheral vision. However, such glares would eventually leave, albeit gradually, as he passed, and once he was over a dozen paces away, they would resume their tasks in short order. These looks of distrust weren’t actually typical, at least not towards someone dressed the way he was.
Closer towards the first building on the main path, was a traveling merchant who had their cart set up. As he closed in, the hunter would find this person to be someone he knew, upon getting a better look at her face, though it might have taken him a little since her clothes always seemed to differ every time he saw her. It was Ellia, an agent also employed by the Elynsorian Church, who often worked in the same vicinity providing information to those like himself. Though she was dressed in common traveling clothes, there was a distinct look about her grey eyes that the detail-oriented Rafe had learned to recognize. Other than that, she had a look that allowed her to fit right in with most settings, and a willingness to wear a variety of hats necessary for the job.
Once she saw him, the woman raised her eyebrows a little to give him a knowing look, which momentarily shifted in the direction of the two men he had encountered earlier outside the village proper.
“Mm… hey there, stranger. Haven’t seen you in a little bit. The looks you get here are um, iinteresting, right? I’ll just go ahead and say that you should probably be glad that I’m here, ‘cause some of the people in this town are really… not the friendliest. Even took -me- a little bit to dig out any kind of info,” said the raven-haired woman in greeting, though quietly enough so that others wouldn’t be able to overhear it too easily. The corner of her lip was turned up as usual in something akin to the start of a sly grin--an expression that she commonly wore, at least during the times he saw her.
“I’m really hoping that the problem isn’t bigger than it looks… but, here.” She quietly handed him a folded piece of parchment, which, when spread out, would show a small map on it, drawn to proper yet smaller scale representing his surroundings. Not much more than two dozen homes made up Ternbach. A red ‘x’ marked a building nearby.
“Luckily, I went ahead and did all the hard work just for you. I was at least able to get some info out of the tool shop owner--one of the few people here who won’t shut the door in your face!” She placed her fingertip on the red mark. “Here is the late blacksmith’s house. He says the smith’s wife has been acting strangely since he passed--far worse than your normal grieving. Probably possessed by a Voidic demon. Either way, the townsfolk fear she is lost to the Void and think she’s responsible for the disappearance of the tanner’s two sons. I took a peek through the window, but couldn’t see much of anything,” she went on to explain, allowing the lone hunter to get a word in if he chose to.
“Now all you gotta do is take care of that little problem for me! No big deal, right? I’ve seen you handle worse before,” she assured him.
On the border of Elynsor and Brevnia
Rafe took his first step into the town of Ternbach, a small village on Elynsor’s southeastern border nestled comfortably between the woods and the mountains. Here, settlements such as this one had cultures of their own as isolated pockets away from both Elynsor and Brevnia’s capital cities, developing unique identities which were neither uniquely Elynsorian nor strictly Brevnian. To the hunter, places like this village were a common sight, with the sort of terrain and arrangements that he was all too familiar with. Even if there were countless such villas, often with their own traditions and accents, it was difficult not to feel a sense of dejavu.
And yet, for as familiar as he was with this sort of town, not all were familiar with him. Two gruff-looking woodsmen, with beards typical of their profession, stood outside the outer limits of the village, hacking away at some nearby trees with their axes. They paused, their gaze wandering over to the stranger. Rafe felt their suspicious looks upon him as they stood, only their heads pivoting like those of watchful owls to ensure that he wasn’t hostile--though, ironically enough, he could sense their own wariness, seeing their grips tighten upon their axe handles out of his peripheral vision. However, such glares would eventually leave, albeit gradually, as he passed, and once he was over a dozen paces away, they would resume their tasks in short order. These looks of distrust weren’t actually typical, at least not towards someone dressed the way he was.
Closer towards the first building on the main path, was a traveling merchant who had their cart set up. As he closed in, the hunter would find this person to be someone he knew, upon getting a better look at her face, though it might have taken him a little since her clothes always seemed to differ every time he saw her. It was Ellia, an agent also employed by the Elynsorian Church, who often worked in the same vicinity providing information to those like himself. Though she was dressed in common traveling clothes, there was a distinct look about her grey eyes that the detail-oriented Rafe had learned to recognize. Other than that, she had a look that allowed her to fit right in with most settings, and a willingness to wear a variety of hats necessary for the job.
Once she saw him, the woman raised her eyebrows a little to give him a knowing look, which momentarily shifted in the direction of the two men he had encountered earlier outside the village proper.
“Mm… hey there, stranger. Haven’t seen you in a little bit. The looks you get here are um, iinteresting, right? I’ll just go ahead and say that you should probably be glad that I’m here, ‘cause some of the people in this town are really… not the friendliest. Even took -me- a little bit to dig out any kind of info,” said the raven-haired woman in greeting, though quietly enough so that others wouldn’t be able to overhear it too easily. The corner of her lip was turned up as usual in something akin to the start of a sly grin--an expression that she commonly wore, at least during the times he saw her.
“I’m really hoping that the problem isn’t bigger than it looks… but, here.” She quietly handed him a folded piece of parchment, which, when spread out, would show a small map on it, drawn to proper yet smaller scale representing his surroundings. Not much more than two dozen homes made up Ternbach. A red ‘x’ marked a building nearby.
“Luckily, I went ahead and did all the hard work just for you. I was at least able to get some info out of the tool shop owner--one of the few people here who won’t shut the door in your face!” She placed her fingertip on the red mark. “Here is the late blacksmith’s house. He says the smith’s wife has been acting strangely since he passed--far worse than your normal grieving. Probably possessed by a Voidic demon. Either way, the townsfolk fear she is lost to the Void and think she’s responsible for the disappearance of the tanner’s two sons. I took a peek through the window, but couldn’t see much of anything,” she went on to explain, allowing the lone hunter to get a word in if he chose to.
“Now all you gotta do is take care of that little problem for me! No big deal, right? I’ve seen you handle worse before,” she assured him.