Joanne is still considering Dardek & Ashley's words when the chief adds his own perspective, gesturing towards the party, towards Sieg and towards the woods beyond.

The druid seems to measure his words carefully, before responding to him with a brief reply in his language. They share a short exchange and seem come to a mutual understanding before she turns back to you all.

"The chief says you're welcome to stay as long as you'd like, so long as you find a way to pitch in while you're here." She says. "As sovereign of the tribe, it's his decision to make. I've told him of the risks involved, but he seems determined that you will be safe and protected so long as you're here." 

She gently moves the newborn vegekin back into its carrion cradle, then begins wiping the gore from her hands. "As sworn protector of this community, I'll do my part to ensure that, as well." She gestures down to Seig. "If you don't mind, I can take a look at your friend as well and see what I can do for him. Though, from the look of things, he might need a bit of time here to recover before he's ready to take to the road again."

As she says this, the chief addresses his people to prepare appropriately sized accommodations for you as an ant-like train of vegekin bring out trays made of bark topped with servings of grubs and berries and ferns and mushrooms. Others begin a call-and-response communal song that they sing with pride. Even for all the crazy things you've experienced over the past day... This is still quite a spectacle. Joanne sees you all taking it in and smiles.

"Welcome to Qoza Village." She says. "I hope you enjoy it as much as I do."

You're welcome to head straight for bed or enjoy some of the festive welcome you're receiving.

Joanne explains that the village perimeter is well guarded with tribal lookouts and "other methods" that are sacred to her people.

If and when you do finally get a full night's sleep, you can (but do not have to) allocate another 5 points to your Ability scores as you see fit.

If you'd like to go a step further and attempt to stay in the village for longer, we can discuss any particular training you might focus on that would give you access to certain proficiencies, spells or class features... However, you also run the risk of encountering any danger that comes  to the village. That's something I'd let the dice decide.

What would you like to do?

Ashley grins as she takes it all in.  She feels anxiety slowly melting off her... anxiety she has carried for who knows how long and it feels soo good.  She exuberantly welcomes all the vegekin that approach with their offerings of food and attempts to help them as they do what they can to accommodate the larger people.  

As the festivities really get underway she'll try and join in the chant and just enjoy being alive for awhile.  Brother Emmit is still on her mind, she wonders if he will ever not be and she makes sure not to be too loud and if anyone is, she'll try and quiet them as the last thing she wants is attention, but she really does enjoy herself during the celebration.

Talon takes a moment, studying everyone's discomfort, then drops it, feeling like a stranger in a strange land in more ways than one.  He took a moment to raise his hands, picking at his claws while standing there, awkwardly silent as he listens to the others conversation.  It's impossible to tell, but his eyes are shifting, focusing on his friends, then the dead animals the little plant people are crawling out of, and then of course Joanne.  

"Seig very brave."  Talon says, gesturing to his friend.  "Seig is my best friend hm.  He beats up theFistmeatslastnight!  Needs rest.  Talon was much afraid.  Not anymore.  Can Seigs stay here if we has to leave?"  

The little Kobold kneels next to his friend, reaching out with the back of one hand to rub across his friend's forehead.  

"We can't stays here long."  Talon says, looking up at Ashley.  "You like Kobolds now.  Alwaysrunning.  We run soon."  

Nib remains at the back, anxious as before, but slowly he begins to relax, and then his stomach grumbles.  He approaches and takes a mushroom, chewing on it and making a face, then he approaches Joanne and says “Umm, while this is very kind and all, and we are truly appreciative of you and the shelter here… do you have anything else to eat?  Any more typical… food?  Maybe I could make a rabbit stew or something….” He trails off, rubbing his stomach, worried about how the grubs and ferns will sit on his stomach.  He says to himself, “I bet no one from the village has ever seen anything like this….”

As the evening passes, Nib sets up a little target and works on practice with his short bow.  He keeps an ear out in the distance, looking to see if the little vegepigmy people set up any sort of watch or perimeter defense.  As the evening wears on he comes in closer, warming up by any fire that is built.  He will sit and share stories about Figbrook and his past.  He also recounts stories of his first meetings with Pal and how their friendship grew, their plans for the future.  It seems like it was so long ago…

By the next day, Nib continues to rest, practice and prepare, ready to move along by mid afternoon, not wanting to overstay their welcome or endanger Qoza Village.  “Should anyone scout down by the river, see if there any boats that are still out looking for us?”

Dardek stays near Ashley gratefully eating whatever is served. He hopes they will stay a little while so he can learn their language a bit in case he meets more of them on their travels. He finds a peace in this village that he's never experienced. 

Nib finds Talon easily enough when morning comes.  The Kobold looks like he's been up for a long time, probably sitting in one position.  His body is absolutely glistening with dew and his eyes are staring into the nothingness of the forest around them.  He doesn't stir until Nib recommends someone scout down by the river.  

"AhTalonwillgo."  He says, his voice flat and emotionless this morning, like some essential part of his is gone or hasn't woken up or something.  He doesn't say anything else.  He just stands up and slips off into the foliage, making his way toward the river...

2nd Day of Mathair

(Vegekin Village, Dawn)

The evening's festivities stretch late into the evening, but you're all able to get a fairly night's sleep, save for whatever dreams plague your unconscious mind.

Ashley, you dream of your captivity, finding yourself back in the citadel where you were raised... In the dream, you'd escaped your cage but not the citadel itself and you found yourself in a constant state of terror trying to avoid the acolytes before you were re-captured. The dream ends as you open a door... which turns out to be the door to your very cell. Brother Emmitt is there, waiting for your return and, despite his disapproving glare, stretches out a welcoming hand.

You bolt awake to see a pre-dawn glow filtering through the canopy of forest above you. Birds and insects chirp. Something small continues to paw at the inside of the wooden puzzle box, meowing plaintively. 

Glancing around, you notice Talon and Nib preparing to depart on a scouting expedition. 

Talon you spend the night in your sleepless trance, positioned, consciously or not, facing south towards the distant coast...

You feel yourself connected with this land in a way you don't fully understand... In your trance you become,  a bit unmoored from time in a way that, surprisingly, seems very natural.

You're in a time that isn't now... A time when big water came rushing over this whole place... Your eyes dart this way and that, sitting peacefully in place as the wall of water engulfs you and rushes past... carrying with it bits of detritus... entire carriages... cows... peoples... many different peoples... human peopleses...halfling peopleses... a drowned halfling body comes rushing straight towards you, carried by the current... Its bloated wide-eyed face is familiar to you... It's almost like... is it... the halfling you travel with... The one called Nib...

You blink back into full consciousness to see Nib approaching you, checking to see if you're awake, and suggesting a scouting expedition to the river... You agree to go along.

Nib your request for rabbit stew falls on deaf and confused ears. Joanne, amused, explains that the vegekin couldn't conceive the notion of cooking meat. The decomposition process is so integral to their life cycle and society.

Your decision to distract from your hunger with target practice yields pleasing results. As you take your aim and let loose, you discover you actually have quite a talent for this. It's a frame of thought that's somewhat unfamiliar to you... being told your whole life about the many things you're not good at.

Your target practice even garners the attention of some of the Vegekin who start to watch and cheer you on, impressed by your natural talent.

Your sleep is dreamless, but also restless... You keep opening your eyes to troubled thoughts about Pal's fate. Did he make it back to the warren safely? Has he told anyone about your adventures? Will you ever see him or your friends again?

Eventually, you pass out with exhaustion, yet you're still the first one to wake. When you open your eyes, you're surprised to see a small gaggle of vegekin sleeping soundly nearby. They've apparently placed the fresh carcass of a rabbit by your side. Their idea of a gift, perhaps.

You find the silence of the early morning unsettling though. Eager to clear your mind, you decide a scouting expedition is in oder. You check in with Talon who is eager to join. You then move to wake Ashley only to find that she's already up. She declines to join the scouting expedition. Your conversation wakes Dardek who blinks away sleep and seems potentially interested in joining the scouting expedition until Ashley declines on his behalf.

With the course decided, you and Talon head off, noticing a handful of vegekin admirers trailing in your wake.

Dardek thoroughly enjoys the festivities. Never before has he encountered such unrestrained joy.  Between the cultural divide and your lack of experience, you have a bit of trouble figuring out exactly how to participate, but Ashley is more than happy to guide you through it all. Every bite of new food, every note of music, every dance step is a treasure for your senses and you don't ever want it to end. 

You don't thoroughly recall the moment when you actually settled into bed. The transition was seemless... You just remember yourself standing in a clearing at some point... lost in some vague notion that all of this has happened before and all of it will happen again... Your father ensures it... Qoneus, The Eternal... Guardian of the Sphere.

You stand before his colossal avatar now. You looks down on you with paternal pride, love and judgement. The time has come for you to affirm your legacy. Your time has come to serve.

You awake to hear Ashley and Nib discussing a scouting expedition. You start to raise your voice to join in, but Ashley answers for you. You're both staying here.

You linger behind while Talon and Nib set off to scout while you and Ashley seek out breakfast.

Searching for food, Dardek and Ashley find a trough of what looks like compost that the vegekin use as both a bathing and food source. You quickly decide that isn't for you. Turning to search elsewhere, you see Joanna gathering water from the stream. She invites you to eat with her at her tent.

There, she has dried mushrooms and other foraged food to eat. Smiling, she apologizes for not having more traditional foods available, but she doesn't entertain guests from the city very often. She asks to hear more about the road that brought you all here, and what you hope to gain by finding the elves.. Her questions seem to come from a place of genuine curiosity and she doesn't seek to pry.

Meanwhile, down by the river, Talon and Nib find a good place to settle in and watch for oncoming ships... They sit in quiet for a moment before either of them notice that some of the vegekin have joined them, sitting silently in the tall grass, waiting to see what their new allies will do.

After about 20 minutes time you see a ship heading along this course from Seamew downstream... 

What would you like to do?

Nib looks for a good section of tall grass or the protective cover of a large bush and hides, watching the boat approach.  He says in a hurried low voice, “Talon!  Move away!  Get to cover, find a good place to hide, let’s watch and see what is going on…”

Nib sits and watches, waits.   

If the boat seems to be approaching, he will break away and run at full speed to the village to warn them and escape.  

Dardek eats some of the food put out by Joanne, and squirms a bit at her questions. He looks at Ashley who is gorging like she's never had a meal, and can't help but wonder if that Emmit guy fed her. At least his captives gave him 3 meals a day. He looks back at Joanne and begins to tell her everything "Well you see I was a captive of the Clerics of Qoneus. They believed I had special powers because of this" He points to his cheeks "I was taken from my parents, who I have no memory of, at a young age and kept in the Clerics of Qoneus' stronghold where they ran tests and experiments on me. I had a friend or few there....One friend, Johan, who showed me kindness whisked me away in the middle of the night, put me on a boat but the pirates who took me double crossed him it seemed, and he did not come with me....I was help prisoner on their boat, where I met a kind dwarf who taught me how to use a mace! I am quite skilled with it" Dardek beams with a confidence unbefitting of someone who has never actually used it to attack anything. "Oh I have said a lot....uhhh...Well these pirates handed me over to a man named Emmit who made me his prisoner....That's where I met Ashely who saved me! She's me best friend now....well my only friend....that makes her the best one I have!"

Nib, you crouch in the tall grass, nerves taught, ready to bolt if need be... but as the craft comes closer you hear the casual off-key singing of a human man butchering an old dirty tavern song about a ornery housewife and her layabout husband. By the time the craft comes into view, you see that it's a couple of hungover humans carting mostly-empty cargo up river. They seem totally oblivious to anything but their own journey.

Dardek, Joanne listens to your story with great interest and empathy. "That's a sad tale... Makes it sound like everything I ever heard about city folk was true... Whatever would possess a living thing to think it could own another is quite beyond what my mind could figure..." She takes a bite ans shakes her head, considering a thought... "I couldn't imagine being ripped from the arms of my Ma and Da before I even knew them. In the kith where I grew up, we were all family of a sort. I don't even know who I'd be without them."

She finishes her meal and wipes her hands on her clothes. "So, you've gone and broken free. Good on you for that. What will you do now? Where will you go? What do you think the elves of the north have to offer you?"

Dardek shifts his feet around a little in the dirt "Well uh refuge I suppose....Well we started working for a dragonborn city folk who gave us a list of places we could go, and if we made it safely he would have a job for us at each place. We decided to go to the elves because they seemed the most likely to keep us safe....I dunno, I kind of like it here...."

Ashley saw she had no choice but to let Dardek speak.  As he takes a breath, she quickly interjects.  "Dardek.  Not everyone we meet should know our whole story.  As you have experienced yourself, not everyone is as kind and open as Joanne here.  Please, can you work on holding some things to the chest until you are sure you and we are safe?"  She takes another bite, enjoying the difference of the foods here.

She sighs at Dardek's last comment, "We can't stay here, even with how beautiful it is, we would put these people in danger.  We need to get further away."  She then turns to Joanne, "But he is right, we are looking for somewhat of sanctuary far from Seamew and to make a home for ourselves, even if temporary.  Our dragonborn friend mentioned the elves of the North, but we need to find a gift in order to even garner audience with them and I don't have a clue as to what that should be?"  She looks a little desperate at that fact, hating that their plan has a huge hole in it.

Talon doesn't need to be told twice.  He slinks back and away from the shore.  

"Shall I warn the others?"  He whispers to Nib, watching the ship approach.  "Or perhapses we could sendsoneofthese..." 

He reaches out, a clawed hand brushing over the head of one of the Vegekins.  

Nib waits and watches them go by, thankful that they were not another search team.  He stands and goes to Talon, saying “Let’s head back.  We probably need to get ready to leave.  How are you feeling?  That lady in the boat, that thing…. I don’t know what she did to you.  I’m sorry that happened, I thought she was going to kill us all!  I hope you uh… feel ok.  C’mon, dyawant to head back?”  He looks around at the little vegepigmy people who followed, “You too, I guess.”  

If Talon agrees, Nib starts heading back to the village to report his findings and make way to leave.  

Talon watches the boat slip by, then hears Nibs words.  

"Talonshmmwhat?"  He says, his head pulling back away from Nib even while his body stays stationary, almost rigid.  "Talon...I feels...floaty."  

He pauses for a moment, rolling these words around in his head, before he steps toward the shore of the river.  His head swivels side to side as he goes, searching for something along the bank.  Then he picks up a piece of driftwood that has been well polished by the river.  He holds it up and lets Nib see it.  

"Sees...in the past...OldTalon is like..."  

He squatted down, putting the stick in the water, up and down, burying the base of it in the sandy bottom of the river so it stood upright.  

"...feet on the ground, part of this where hm?"  

He stomped on foot on the shore of the river for emphasis.  Grounded in this reality, he means.  

"But now I is floaty like..."  

He pulls the stick up, looks at it for a moment, then throws it into a nearby eddy, letting it float and turn and churn on the surface of the river.  

"Talon is...no, Talon was..."  

He squints, searching for words...when something far above the little Kobold's limited station comes out of his mouth.  

"We were all wading in the calms waters of this world, when I was thrust into the churning tides of somewhere else, somewhere no one is meant to venture and come back from.  This is still there..."

He taps the side of his head.

"...but this is still here." 

He motions up and down.  He means his body.    

"Ohs but nothings to be sorry about Nibs."  He says, reaching out with a hand that is uncomfortably cold, patting his new friends shoulder.  "OldTalon just wanted to protects everyone, including glitter boy and Nibs.  OldTalonscouldn'tbecomethisifhehadn't."  

When Nib suggests going back, Talon nods, agreeing, and reaches out to take the hand of one of the Vegekin and lead them back...

Dardek & Ashley - Joanne takes a bite of her food, rapt by your story. Mid-chew, she covers her mouth with the back of her wrist and responds to Ashley's interjection.

"She's right, you know... I'm not sure how things work in the city lands, but out here in the wild we're safest when we stay cautious. Sometimes the sweetest smelling flour can bloom on the deadliest vine..." She swallows her food and licks her fingers. "Or something poetic like that..."

She takes a deep breath and thinks... "I don't know much about the elves, save that they come from another realm... And, of course, folks say they can do magic... that they can bend the elements to their will... manipulate the world around them... turn the minds of other people in whichever way they like... But I'm not sure how much of that is legend and how much of it is real. What I can say with confidence is that they keep to themselves up there in the north. Not too fond of humans... dwarves neither..." She takes another bite, considering. "Halflings I'm not to sure of...  but, of course, I'd never had cause to find out..."

She starts to say something, stops herself, then decides to say it anyway... "...but I'm thinking... from what you're saying... maybe you're not quite human yourself, eh?"

Before either of you can respond, she throws up a defensive hand. "Not that it's my business. Whatever you are, you've brought no trouble to my little corner of the woods. And if you have reason to think the elves can help, then I wish you luck. You deserve a good turn after all the trouble you've gone through..."

Leaning back, she continues, "Folks from my kith who've had dealings with the elves say they're haughty sorts. That they believe they're better than all... So, you're probably right in thinking you need to come with some sort of gift to earn their favor... As to what sort of thing might earn their respect, I can't...."

She trails off for a moment, lost in thought... Then turns an eye back to you both. "When you say gift... Are you thinking, like... Treasure? Gold. Art. Fancy rocks. Something rare you might find in an dusty old ruin?" She sits up straight and places her hands on her knees, a keen idea starting to form. "Because if you don't mind poking around in a dangerous place where no right- minded person aught to be poking around... I think I might actually have an idea where you can look..."

Talon & Nib - The vegekin study Talon carefully, with a sense of awed curiosity, but also recoil a bit when he attempts to touch them. They openly whisper about him... perhaps trying to understand what he is... or perhaps just sensing he is... off.

After Talon gives his explanation to Nib and turns to walk away, Nib notices the water almost seems to pull toward the little kobold for a moment, like the moon pulling the tides, as he continues down the path back to the village, walking hand-in hand with the nervous, awed vegekin.

All - Talon and Nib return and find Dardek and Ashley just as Joanne is about to explain her idea to them... "There's a... Well... A well... Like, a water well, in the middle of the woods, about a day's journey west. Members of kith found it a loooong long time ago and investigated to see if there was anything down beneath worth knowing about.... fungus to harvest, animal burrows to observe, life to protect... but instead they found stone and mortar... a human built tunnel... some long abandoned stronghold or something or other... Nothing of interest to us, except for the fact that my kithmates knew that knowledge of its presence would draw treasure hunters, thrillseekers from Seamew, Caeili and Roan. So, we used our skills to conceal its presence from the world... To great effect it would seem... Anyway, it would be no trouble to direct you there. I can vouch for you and ensure you won't be troubled by my kithmates..."

She sits upright, very serious for a moment.

"But I'd need you to make a vow... a sacred vow... that you would not say a word of the well's presence to anyone for the rest of your days."

At this point she notices the returned Talon and Nib and turns to regard each of you, waiting to see your response to her thought...

Nib stands and holds his chin up, holding his hand over his heart and his other hand up palm forward.  “I swear.  I’m good at keepin secrets.  I would swear up and down and I mean it.  I won’t tell a soul.”  He looks back at Joanne, almost a challenging look on his face.  

Joanne gives Nib a warm but tight lipped smile in response to his promise... "I'm sure you would... but it's a bit more complicated than that."

She adjusts her position and chooses her words delicately as she explains... "You see, the sort of sacred vow my people take... it requires the swearer to offer something up... a binding pledge... a sacrifice... Something they'd be willing to lose if they were to ever break the vow they've made..."

"So, the question is... what would you be willing to put on the line to ensure you'll keep your vow?"

Dardek said Mable to hide his fright “I have nothing…didn’t we find a box or something down by the river? Isn’t that good enough?”

Talon listens to Joanne and clicks his tongue.  For a moment, it looks like his cheeks are turning green...but then the dulled gray purple returns.  

"If we reveal...you cans tell Brother Emmet where we is hm?"  He says.  "Talon's life is forfeit anyway.  He cannot offers it up.  But these others?  Seig's?  Not forfeit.  If we betray Joanne and village, Joanne cans betraysus.  Sees, likethis, sacred place and lives bonded together..."  

He clasps his hands together to illustrate his idea of bonded, even shaking them toward Joanne to demonstrate how two things are now practically one...