"My grandad left them to me, I've been practicing! Don't break them, please!" the boy wails.
Colivren listens to the boy and is satisfied the emotion is genuine. He nods to Aerwolph who grins delightedly and makes sure the boy is facing the right way round so he can see. Then she places the pan pipes against a rock and uses another rock to smash them up, smiling all the time, occasionally looking up at the boy to see his grief and sadness. Colivren frowns, perhaps at last seeing that he is the only one here invested in the eye and the tooth.
"We are satisfied! Retribution has been enacted!" He turns to Esa and sighs. "I don't know if it was worth it. Sometimes culture can be a two edged sword. Thank you for your help. We might have gotten ourselves into a situation." He looks at Esa and her companions.
"So where are you from, and why are you travelling with these folk?"
Esa motions for them to release the boy, but tells him sternly. "Stay over there with my companions. I wish to speak with you before you leave with your sheep."
She then loosely describes her hometown in the woods, not wanting to get particularly specific with pixies she doesn't know. "I outgrew my magic mentor long ago, and since then I have been on a pursuit for knowledge and power beyond our woods. I'll admit, many whom I have met have been unworthy of my time, but there have been several that do inspire intrigue. She smiles slyly, adding, "There's a most interesting being I've been studying."
"As for these ones, they have proved themselves to be powerful in their own right, and have allowed me plenty of memorable experiences. They travel for nobel reasons, helping the people of these lands and so on. I'm merely tagging along, hoping we find something tantialsing."
Colivren holds out his hand to Esa in a gesture that fey folk know well - the fey touch - he invites you to touch his hand and a particular fey power will pass between you. His kin will know on sight that you are judged as a friend by one of their own. You can reciprocate if you want, but it is common for it to be a one way exchange and no offence will be taken if you don't do the same for him.
Esa waits until they've left, before turning back to the boy. "You told me if your house was destroyed, your family would die. Am I correct in assuming you value your family's lives over the pan pipes?"
The boy wipes his eyes. "Yes, of course. But.." He just points to his broken pan pipes. "They were the only thing I had that was mine. And they were from my grandpa."
Esa sighs. "Sometimes we lose things that are dear. It is important, however, to know when you are beat. I know you may be unable to replace the pipes yourself, so I'll offer you a deal. Do a task for me, and I shall reward you with coin towards a replacement. Not only will you be able to replace them faster, but they will in time grow important to you, for you will have earned them through your own hard work."
She reaches into her own bag and pulls out her quill. "This is important to me. While it is of little monetary value, it is something I must keep safe. Each night, the words "I honour you with my diligence" must be spoken over it as a form of prayer. I fear I shall be heading in to battle again soon, and am looking for someone to look after it for a time, possibly a few days, possibly a ten-day... If you are able to keep this safe for me until I next return, I'll pay you for your work. But you mustn't disclose to anyone where you got it or who owns it."
The boy takes it hesitantly. "I honour you with my ... my.. dil-i-gence.." he says the word diligence like he has never spoken it before. And maybe he hasn't.
"My name is Albie, Albie Gill. My family are sheep farmers, we live over there," he points to a series of buildings not far from the track. My bedroom is the biggest building that's not a barn, top floor, southernmost bedroom. But I share it with my brothers. It will be tricky for them not to see it. I have other hiding places other than my room. When you have brothers with sticky fingers you learn where to hide stuff."
"This is true. There was a lot I learned to hide from my little brother too." Esa smiles at him. "It's pretty strong, a little damage won't ruin it, but I trust you to keep it safe all the same. Now before you leave, be sure not to go near the pixies or their lands again. I know the sheep may stray, but it is your duty to keep them where they should be. They will not be so kind if another incident occurs." She pats him on the shoulder. "Now, get back to work. I shall find you when I return."
"Ugh, I'll never go near those woods again. It was just a couple of sheep that thought they'd get adventurous. They've never done it before."
Albie goes over to retrieve his broken pan flute. He sighs and puts it in his bag, hopeful even now that perhaps it can be fixed. He takes out a cloth from his bag that had the cheese in it. He holds the cheese in his mouth and wraps up the quill. Then he gives a sad smile to Esa and goes to find his shepherd's crook and round his sheep up.
"Simply giving him a new one teaches him nothing. What he did could have easily meant the end of his life. Pixies can be fickle, and if you wrong them, they can be merciless. Besides, if the pixies found out we gave him a replacement, they would have come back and given him a worse punishment, not to mention made enemies of us. This way not only are the pixies satisfied, but the boy has a chance to earn back a replacement. This is the safest outcome. But now I'm without a quill for a while..."
They are not magic.
"My grandad left them to me, I've been practicing! Don't break them, please!" the boy wails.
Colivren listens to the boy and is satisfied the emotion is genuine. He nods to Aerwolph who grins delightedly and makes sure the boy is facing the right way round so he can see. Then she places the pan pipes against a rock and uses another rock to smash them up, smiling all the time, occasionally looking up at the boy to see his grief and sadness. Colivren frowns, perhaps at last seeing that he is the only one here invested in the eye and the tooth.
"We are satisfied! Retribution has been enacted!" He turns to Esa and sighs. "I don't know if it was worth it. Sometimes culture can be a two edged sword. Thank you for your help. We might have gotten ourselves into a situation." He looks at Esa and her companions.
"So where are you from, and why are you travelling with these folk?"
RL is watching all this and gets a light bulb moment. No wonder Esa and Augustin get along so well. They both come from crazy people's.
Esa motions for them to release the boy, but tells him sternly. "Stay over there with my companions. I wish to speak with you before you leave with your sheep."
She then loosely describes her hometown in the woods, not wanting to get particularly specific with pixies she doesn't know. "I outgrew my magic mentor long ago, and since then I have been on a pursuit for knowledge and power beyond our woods. I'll admit, many whom I have met have been unworthy of my time, but there have been several that do inspire intrigue. She smiles slyly, adding, "There's a most interesting being I've been studying."
"As for these ones, they have proved themselves to be powerful in their own right, and have allowed me plenty of memorable experiences. They travel for nobel reasons, helping the people of these lands and so on. I'm merely tagging along, hoping we find something tantialsing."
Colivren holds out his hand to Esa in a gesture that fey folk know well - the fey touch - he invites you to touch his hand and a particular fey power will pass between you. His kin will know on sight that you are judged as a friend by one of their own. You can reciprocate if you want, but it is common for it to be a one way exchange and no offence will be taken if you don't do the same for him.
Esa obliges, and will do the same for him.
Colivren nods and they all fly off, turning invisible as they go.
The levitate spell is broken and the sheep and boy are lowered gently to the ground.
Esa waits until they've left, before turning back to the boy. "You told me if your house was destroyed, your family would die. Am I correct in assuming you value your family's lives over the pan pipes?"
The boy wipes his eyes. "Yes, of course. But.." He just points to his broken pan pipes. "They were the only thing I had that was mine. And they were from my grandpa."
Esa sighs. "Sometimes we lose things that are dear. It is important, however, to know when you are beat. I know you may be unable to replace the pipes yourself, so I'll offer you a deal. Do a task for me, and I shall reward you with coin towards a replacement. Not only will you be able to replace them faster, but they will in time grow important to you, for you will have earned them through your own hard work."
Esa has his attention. "What would you have me do?"
"these fairies are real bullies" Grimbald mumbles
She reaches into her own bag and pulls out her quill. "This is important to me. While it is of little monetary value, it is something I must keep safe. Each night, the words "I honour you with my diligence" must be spoken over it as a form of prayer. I fear I shall be heading in to battle again soon, and am looking for someone to look after it for a time, possibly a few days, possibly a ten-day... If you are able to keep this safe for me until I next return, I'll pay you for your work. But you mustn't disclose to anyone where you got it or who owns it."
The boy takes it hesitantly. "I honour you with my ... my.. dil-i-gence.." he says the word diligence like he has never spoken it before. And maybe he hasn't.
"Is it magic?" he asks, looking back up at Esa.
Esa screws up her nose. "In a way. You could say that it represents someone magical. What is your name?"
"My name is Albie, Albie Gill. My family are sheep farmers, we live over there," he points to a series of buildings not far from the track. My bedroom is the biggest building that's not a barn, top floor, southernmost bedroom. But I share it with my brothers. It will be tricky for them not to see it. I have other hiding places other than my room. When you have brothers with sticky fingers you learn where to hide stuff."
"This is true. There was a lot I learned to hide from my little brother too." Esa smiles at him. "It's pretty strong, a little damage won't ruin it, but I trust you to keep it safe all the same. Now before you leave, be sure not to go near the pixies or their lands again. I know the sheep may stray, but it is your duty to keep them where they should be. They will not be so kind if another incident occurs." She pats him on the shoulder. "Now, get back to work. I shall find you when I return."
RL will move Esa aside a bit out of hearing of Albie and whispers.
"Esa, I could have just given him my pan flute. Do you really need him to do something for you?"
"Ugh, I'll never go near those woods again. It was just a couple of sheep that thought they'd get adventurous. They've never done it before."
Albie goes over to retrieve his broken pan flute. He sighs and puts it in his bag, hopeful even now that perhaps it can be fixed. He takes out a cloth from his bag that had the cheese in it. He holds the cheese in his mouth and wraps up the quill. Then he gives a sad smile to Esa and goes to find his shepherd's crook and round his sheep up.
"Simply giving him a new one teaches him nothing. What he did could have easily meant the end of his life. Pixies can be fickle, and if you wrong them, they can be merciless. Besides, if the pixies found out we gave him a replacement, they would have come back and given him a worse punishment, not to mention made enemies of us. This way not only are the pixies satisfied, but the boy has a chance to earn back a replacement. This is the safest outcome. But now I'm without a quill for a while..."
Everyone gets 150xp.
(Including Augustin, I expect he is doing things at Albridge to further the cause - like contributing to Marigold's retirement fund)