Guvenc cocks an eye at the strange phrasing from Sekil. "If we are to believe the sign, then we may be safe. Though Haluk has warned me to be wary of traps beyond the Coven. A sign promising respite could be a perfect lie for a group of hungry Fleshstalkers."
She sighs. "Still, we have little choice. I'd rather a threat be before us, than behind us."
"Let's think this over with a full belly." Egash chimes in while pulling a bread from his backpack.
Ravza is initially hopefully when the sign comes into view, but Guvenc's words change her hope into fear. "Do they really seek to trick people like that?" she asks the woman, her knowledge of foreigners not as great as she'd like it to be. What a cruel trick it would be, though after that last village I am beginning to think the lands outside of our home are all full of danger.
Guvenc suddenly remembers not eating, their breakfast interrupted. On cue, her stomach growls in shared remembrance. "Egash... Sekil, do you have any to spare? Between the attack and not being able to forage on the way here, I'm starving."
"Here you go, I made sure to grab enough breakfast for everyone." Egash replies with a smile as he hands his breakfast-filled backpack to Guvenc. "You can pass it round."
Guvenc lets out a sigh of relief, dropping her guard for a moment as she doles out some of the food to whoever asks to share. She chomps down a hunk of seed-bread, a bit of spit-roasted duck, and washes it down with a glug from her waterskin. Ah. Better. She feels a pang of regret — this was the finest food she'd be eating in quite some time. From here on out, it was foraging and hunting. The young tamer wishes she could have savored it, but that sort of thing is a luxury they can't afford now.
Wiping her mouth off, she peers back up to the building in front of them. "Who wants to go first?"
Sekil nodded, though he was a little late to respond; "I had scavenged some extra food from the last town, so we have some food for the road." Looking back at the building though, Sekil takes in a deep breath. "I'll do it, I'll do it." Sekil says and approaches the building, looking for the front door.
"Good job thinking ahead," Argan says to Egash as he takes some food from Guvenc. He wolfs it down quickly eager to keep moving.
"I'll join you," he says as Sekil volunteers, standing up and following the man towards the door. We can't lose anyone this early into our journey- we should try to stick together, he thinks.
With bellies satisfied for now, Sekil and Argan make their way to the door. The path is surprisingly well-maintained. Past the walls, a narrow boardwalk ascends to a modestly large structure slightly raised from the damp earth below. As you follow the boardwalk, you soon come face to face with a carved oaken door, heavy and sturdy and seeming to tell a story. In the dim lighting, however, you struggle to make out what it is.
By now, the rain's pace has quickened further and the thunder has grown more frequent. From within, you hear the gentle crackle of a fire and a woman's laughter. Although one wouldn't know for certain until the door was opened, there are no immediate signs of a threat.
"Doesn't seem to be an ambush," Guvenc whispers loudly through the falling rain and thunder. "Shall we knock?" she asks, looking toward Argan.
Ravza frowns as her question goes ignored, and she quietly eats a bit of the food as it is passed around. Maybe she didn't hear me, she thinks.
As they reach the home she waits for someone else to respond, not wanting to be the first one in, or the one to get them killed if it is indeed a trap. If we survive all of this, it will make a nice tale to add to our history. I wonder what tune it would go best with.
Argan gives Guvenc a shurg before quickly rapping his knuckles on door and taking a step back, waiting to see the response - if any.
Sekil waits for a response with apprehension as Argan knocks on the door. "I sure hope they will let us stay."
A moment later, the heavy door swings open, the warm light within straining your eyes for a moment. Not a second later, a figure appears in the light. As your eyes adjust, you see it's a rather plump woman with a round, friendly face. She seems to be middle-aged, subtle crow's feet flanking her warm eyes. She gives a toothy grin as she looks over each of you.
"Welcome, dearies! Come in, come in. Warm yourselves by the fire and out of the rain. What are you all doing by your lonesome out here?" She raises an eyebrow, but steps to the side to allow you in. "You may call me Kahli. Make yourselves comfortable! Might I get anything for you?"
As you cross the threshold, you're immediately hit by a wave of warmth, feeling like a comforting hug after being drenched in the torrential rains and mud. You find yourself in what appears to be the structure's main room. There's a large hearth at the center, flanked by a bar with dining tables to your left and comfortable-looking seating to the right. Past these, you see a pair of doors to yet-unknown rooms. Another woman stands behind the bar, slimmer but similarly aged. She grins at you, and opens her arms in a welcoming gesture. "I am Fernya. Welcome to my haven! Will you be staying with us tonight?"
Barlowe runs under Pieter legs and enters the building, and starts shaking off the water. Being from a swamp doesn’t mean he likes to stay soaked, apparently.
Pieter just waits outside, disapproving look on his face.
"What... what is this place?" Guvenc asks. I've never seen anything like this before. How did they get all of this here? And why are they inviting us in? Her concerns grow as she considers the unexpected hospitality.
Argan remains guarded, unnerved by the strangeness of the situation. "How do you survive out here in the swamp by yourselves?" He asks, following up on Guvenc's question.
What in the swamp is this place. We should atleast check this place out. If they aren't friendly we can handle 'm.
As Egash enters the strange building he replies to the women:
"Thank you for the warm welcome, my name is Galthux. What a wonderful place you have.My companions and I would love to recuperate at the fire."
Guvenc is already showing her true colors, Argan's head is filled with swamp gas, Emre has his black outs, and Fay is Fay. They better not ruin our chance to learn about this place.
Oh wow, it seems so welcoming, Ravza thinks as she witnesses the scene unfolding before her. Almost too welcoming. I have never seen such friendly people, even in the village. But it does look so cozy. The two thoughts go back and forth in her head and she cannot quite decide whether the women should be feared or trusted. What she does know, though, is that she would really like to sit by their fire.
As he enters, Sekil also begins to shake off the water as best as he can, before he looks around the room. "Ooh, nice and warm in here." After shaking himself off as best as he can, he steps into the room. "My name's Sekil." He says.
Kahli grins and opens her arms in a similar welcoming gesture towards Guvenc. "You're at our own little slice of home, my dear! We settled here years ago after a terrible tragedy befell our village. And so we thought to open a respite for other weary wanderers, as none would take us in during our hour of need," the woman says.
"Yes, a tragedy indeed. But a blessing in disguise," Fernya chimes in from behind the counter.
Kahli turns to Argan, chuckling lightly at his question. "My dear, you don't get to be my age without learning a few tricks." She taps on her temple, smirking at the man. "But welcome in, Galthux and Sekil and friends!" She ducks behind the counter briefly, retrieving a small stack of logs. Walking towards the hearth, she quickly feeds the fire her newfound fuel.
The fire roars and crackles, a wave of intense heat enveloping you. Outside, the storm churns ever greater. The winds howl and the thunder rolls. It shows little signs of stopping anytime soon. "So, will you be spending the night with us? If so, I may go and ready your quarters. And then perhaps tell some of our other guests of your arrival. Oh, they're in such need of company!"
Guvenc doesn't immediately answer, cautious of this strange place and the two strange women. This should be an easy target for the other tribes of the swamp. Food, supplies, wood, furniture, valuables... None of these things come cheaply or easily around here. She considers this further. These two must be more powerful than they appear. Or have powerful allies, at least.
Suddenly, she realizes she missed something. "Other guests? What sort of people are staying here?"
The story told about the village reminds Ravza of the one they passed recently, and she can't help but wonder if the two are somehow connected. Her desire to learn the story momentarily overtakes her wariness of the place, and she steps inside. "I'm Ravza, it is nice to meet you two," she says to the women as she moves further into the inn. "If you've got the time later, would you mind telling me the whole story of how you came to found this place, and the tragedy beforehand? I love to collect new stories," she says to them with a smile.
Argan stays quiet, waiting to see how the situation plays out. He eyes Ravza as she greets the friendly warmly. It is foolish to be trusting so quickly. We don't even know if these women worship the Elder One or some other false idol.
Would it really have been too difficult to follow my lead, and give fake names?
Sekil nodded and spoke up. "I think we'll be staying the night, and this place looks nice and warm!" He said happily, plopping himself down near the fire.
Fay steps inside after shaking excess water from her dark robes. As the others introduce themselves, she makes a pretense of removing and drying her witch's hat while glancing about the room, looking first for obvious dangers and then for books. As the others give names, she hears an unfamiliar one and her eyes flick over to Egash momentarily.
Hmmm...not a bad idea. This could easily be a trap, after all. What easier way to take victims in the swamp than to create a comfortable abode for the lost and wait for them to fall asleep?
"My name is Irshi", she says after a quick mental consultation with Kafa. "We are grateful you have opened your doors to us."
Noticing that Argan is suspicious, she steps next to him and whispers, "I'm going to check for potentially hostile magic. If they look over here, distract them for a moment".
Without waiting for a response, her eyes go slightly out of focus as she attempts to discern nearby potential magical threats from the "Haven"
Fernya looks towards Guvenc and smiles. "Oh, just travelers like yourself! Except ol' Bufo who lives nearby and stops by on nights like tonight."
Kahli nods. "Aye, my dears. Most keep to themselves, though. It gets so lonely when they do that." Her eyes light up at Sekil's supposed commitment towards staying the night. "Truly? I think you'll find Fernya's Haven to be such a lovely place."
"Such a lovely face you've got with that bright smile," Fernya replies to Ravza, returning the smile. "I would be delighted to share such a tale with you. But first, might I get you all anything to eat? Drink?" She looks over each of your faces, expectantly. "Our gracious and all-powerful god has given us quite the bounty here, wouldn't you agree? Praise be Avuulamek!"
Why did Fay use a fake name, is she just paranoid, or does she know something I don't? Or worse, she is the only one who understands my line of thought.
"Aye, praise be! Thank you kindly ladies. But I fear I am far too tired eat. A room would be great for sure." Egash replies jovially. Egash turns to his companions and continues:
"A good rest would be nice, yes?. Also Irshi, I still have that thingy you borrowed me. You should take it back before we forget about it."
Not waiting for a reply Egash gently pulls Fay with him towards one of the walls, away from the strange ladies. Egash takes off his backpack and rummages through it just loud enough to drown out his whisper to Fay: "Do you know anything about this place? I think we should at least check this place out. No sense in trying to get away now. Any ideas on how to proceed?"
Avuula-mek? These people are pretenders. Guvenc sighs uncomfortably as the others talk with the hostesses. And here I wished I was wrong about this place being a trap.
She leans a bit closer to Argan. If there is one thing I trust about this brute, it's that he does not stand for false believers. I will try and catch his ear when we have a moment.
Sekil continues to sit down near the fire, smiling and closing his eyes. "Mmn, I would like some food, for sure!" He said, looking back at the others. "Please."
Argan simply nods in reply to Fay, but as their new hosts don't seem to notice her, he tries to stay quiet, not wanting to draw attention to Fay. Avuulamek! They seek to deceive us! Argan feels a rage building inside him, as he clenches his fists. However the calmness of the rest of the group stops him from acting on his emotions.
Ravza is pleased with the hospitality, but is also intrigued. "I have not heard that pronunciation of the Elder One's name before," she says, a bit excited at a potential new piece of lore to add to her repertoire. "Is that unique to this region? Do you pronounce other things differently as well?"
"So, uh... what's for dinner?" He asked, looking up from the dancing flames finally and back to the staff of the establishment.
Fernya smiles warmly towards Egash and nods. "Of course, dear. Your rooms are right through there," she says, pointing towards the lone door against the wall. "Any room with an open door is yours to take. They're a little snug, but plenty comfortable!"
Kahli looks at Ravza with intense eyes for a moment. "Hm, yes, of course! Our village often sounded like we all had frogs in our throat!" At this, both she and Fernya burst out laughing, almost cackling madly. After a moment, it subsides as they each seem to wipe a tear from their eyes.
Kahli looks at Sekil and nods. "Of course, you must be famished after so long in the rains. Tonight, we'll serve a dish I discovered in an Imardanian cookbook: pan-seared frog legs in an herbal sauce. We'll have this with fresh vegetables from Fernya's garden, all over a bed of rice. Sounds exquisite, yes?" She disappears into the back, not waiting for much of an answer.
"I know I've already worked up quite the appetite. I'll go fetch the other guests." Fernya disappears into the guest hall for a moment, appearing soon after with four people trailing behind, three men and a woman. Their wide eyes stare almost blankly ahead but they don't speak. "You'll have to forgive them. They aren't much for conversation." She walks closer to you, lowering her voice."I suspect they've endured unimaginable traumas."
After several minutes pass, Kahli returns with several platters, placing them on the desk. "Dinner is served, my dears! Help yourself to your fill before you retire for the night." The platters appear to be what was described: frog legs with vegetables, served over rice. From what you can tell, nothing is out of the ordinary about the dish. "I shall let you all eat in peace." She and Fernya step into the backroom. The other guests, meanwhile, stand idly, staring ahead. This is until their limbs suddenly jerk into motion and they grab their own plates of food, hurriedly eating the contents with their hands.
Sekil waited patiently for the food, and he certainly felt like he was starving.
As the food arrived, Sekil made a happy little growling noise. "Ooh, yummy." And upon being given permission, he began to dig in.
"Stop," Guvenc suddenly commands, raising a hand toward Sekil who has begun to eat what is offered. She peers at Argan, her eyes wide with tension, before turning to face the two hostesses. "We will not be staying here tonight. We should go."
"Now," she says more toward her companions, as she backs toward the door. "It is not right here."
Damn Sekil, why do have to always think with your stomach!
Egash steps away from Fay, and towards their hosts.
"Ladies, I suggest you consider your next words carefully. We've seen through your charade! We are strong and hardened by the Swamp. You stand no chance against us. Tell us the truth about this place now, or become that what feeds the worms!"
Guvenc stops her retreat, feeling emboldened by Egash' sudden response, but not quite ready to begin an incantation. With great anxiety she watches the women's next moves carefully. I am glad I wasn't the only one.
Hairs on the back of Ravza's neck begin to rise as the seemingly-emotionless other guests are brought out, and she is not sure whether to be a gracious guest and act like all is still normal, or mention the oddity of the situation. Fortunately she doesn't have to decide, as Guvenc announces her own concerns. As the woman speaks she walks closer to her, trying to keep a safe distance from the people that everyone seems to be afraid of, something she'd not quite picked up before. Are we in danger here? What is going on.
Upon being yelled at Sekil leaps back from the table. 'What, has the food gone sour?' He thinks to himself as he looks around the room quickly to see what might have sent his traveling companions off.
Argan gives Guvenc a nod as she locks eyes with him. She is right, we shouldn't be here, he thinks. He begins to move closer to Guvenc and Ravza, however when Egash steps instead towards their hosts Argan moves to follow him - his hands gripping the hilts of his swords.
The pair of women look at you all, silent for a moment. Then, they suddenly burst into tears. "Oh!" Fernya wails. She wipes her eyes. "It's just... we're so terribly lonely out here."
Kahli takes a deep breath and steps forward. "We owe you an honest explanation. You see, the tragedy that befell our village. It was our own undoing." She sighs and shakes her head. "An incantation of ours went awry, and, well... our village's denizens were turned to frogs."
Fernya nods, having stopped her tears by now. "Indeed. We had little else to do, so we created this inn. Our hopes were that what travelers we get might aid in our research, and cure our perpetual loneliness and guilt." She sighs, frowning. "I would still be grateful if you young ones stayed the night. It's much too dangerous to be trekking out now. And I would hate for an ill fate to befall you out in the wilds."
"Bufo has readied a large room that you all might share, if you still wish to stay. Fernya and I will be retiring for the night shortly. I promise we will not lay a hand on you."
Either they're good liars, or they're being honest right now... Sekil pauses for a moment, still backing away from the food. "I think we can trust them, guys." He says hesitantly, not wanting to make the call.
Guvenc ignores Sekil, not trusting his judgement after nearly diving face full into the food. "You said you turned your people into frogs," she says in a tone of authority that surprises herself. "Where did these come from?" The young woman points toward the platter piled high with cooked frog legs.
"And what is wrong with them?" she asks, in a more hushed tone as she eyes the strange, unspeaking patrons.
At Egash's prompting, Fay simply shakes her head. "I don't know anything for certain. It just seems prudent to keep our guard up".
As the women cry and bemoan their lonely fate, she waivers in her mind. Perhaps it would be alright if we stayed in a group and kept shifts as if we were still outside...?
Noticing a tug on her sleeve, the young witch looks down to see Thing attempting to gain her attention. At her glance, the familiar points to the other patrons and Fay notices their wide-eyed, blank stares and abnormal behavior. No time for subtlety here. We don't want that to be us in a few hours. They'll probably break with a little pressure...
Making her voice sharp as old hag Nefes interrogating a student, Fay snaps, "If what you say is true then who are they and what actually happened to them. It would be inconceivable for anyone to make it through the swamp in such a state."
It took a long while for Pieter to decide to enter the building, and even then he stood very close to the exit. He hasn’t spoken at all since entering, his eyes wandering around the room for any entrances, exits, traps, obstacles, and anything else that could be a danger. Upon hearing the weird story of turning people into frogs he redoubles his attention, and calls Barlowe close.
Let them talk, I will be ready for when they betray us. Can’t never be at ease near strangers. They are dangerous.
Ravza's eyes grow wide as the woman spin their sad tale, only to be further interrogated by the others. Are those frogs their old villagers? Why are their guests so strange? Are they going to turn us into frogs too? After the others speak she continues to back further behind them, eager to keep her distance from the clearly-threatening hosts.
