DarKnight36
Imagineer
The mayor of Ravalai, Bronson, sat in his home, reading over the letter that had just been delivered. The lines in his face had been pulled even deeper by what he read, and no comfort was gained by the knowledge that the situation was almost certainly out of his hands. He set the letter down and moved to a nearby window, one that overlooked the small port city that he led. He had gained the people's trust here, had done everything he could for them, and they had in turn made him wealthy. A wealth he was all too happy to receive, but Bronson was not satisfied. Ravalai deserved more, and so did its citizens.
His eyes turned past the walls of Ravalai to the woods beyond, and his frown deepened further still. The Gothra... it was no secret he held little love for the goblins. But he was also no wisher of genocide. The idea of leading an army to wipe out the tribe living nearby left his mouth with a bitter taste in it, but if things continued, he might not have any choices left. Bronson, like the Gothra, were caught in the midst of a larger problem, one that would eventually lead to either Ravalai or the Gothra being erased. The letter on his desk only confirmed that further.
Bronson heaved a sigh and returned to his desk to pen a reply. It all lay in the hands of the ignorant heroes of Retriance now; he had explained very little to them when they had arrived, because to explain was to erase neutrality. Only an outside view with an open mind could resolve this conflict.
The fireplace popped loudly, and embers sparked from the wood. One landed on the letter, its spark igniting the parchment. Bronson quickly blew it out, but the incident filled him with foreboding. He couldn't help but feel the heroes of Retriance were like that ember, scattered amidst a forest so dry just one spark could ignite it into an inferno...
***
"Looks like the repair crew went into this cave," Lionel said, inspecting the tracks from the outside. "Anyone up for a little spelunking?"
The repair crew to which Lionel was referring was the very same that Mayor Bronson had sent them to find. A vital bridge had been destroyed, delaying food & other supplies that Ravalai depended on. Bronson had suspected the Gothra due to recent aggressive behavior from the local tribe, but it appeared that perhaps some flood or natural disaster had instead taken out the crossing. The heroes of Ravalai, with Lionel as their guide, had been sent to discover what was delaying the missing repair crew and get the supplies to Ravalai, before the city ran out.
The team had been tracking the repair crew, after they were seemingly attacked. The group had moved quickly to catch up, but now that they had, he wondered what the others really thought about the mess this task was quickly turning into.
His eyes turned past the walls of Ravalai to the woods beyond, and his frown deepened further still. The Gothra... it was no secret he held little love for the goblins. But he was also no wisher of genocide. The idea of leading an army to wipe out the tribe living nearby left his mouth with a bitter taste in it, but if things continued, he might not have any choices left. Bronson, like the Gothra, were caught in the midst of a larger problem, one that would eventually lead to either Ravalai or the Gothra being erased. The letter on his desk only confirmed that further.
Bronson heaved a sigh and returned to his desk to pen a reply. It all lay in the hands of the ignorant heroes of Retriance now; he had explained very little to them when they had arrived, because to explain was to erase neutrality. Only an outside view with an open mind could resolve this conflict.
The fireplace popped loudly, and embers sparked from the wood. One landed on the letter, its spark igniting the parchment. Bronson quickly blew it out, but the incident filled him with foreboding. He couldn't help but feel the heroes of Retriance were like that ember, scattered amidst a forest so dry just one spark could ignite it into an inferno...
***
"Looks like the repair crew went into this cave," Lionel said, inspecting the tracks from the outside. "Anyone up for a little spelunking?"
The repair crew to which Lionel was referring was the very same that Mayor Bronson had sent them to find. A vital bridge had been destroyed, delaying food & other supplies that Ravalai depended on. Bronson had suspected the Gothra due to recent aggressive behavior from the local tribe, but it appeared that perhaps some flood or natural disaster had instead taken out the crossing. The heroes of Ravalai, with Lionel as their guide, had been sent to discover what was delaying the missing repair crew and get the supplies to Ravalai, before the city ran out.
The team had been tracking the repair crew, after they were seemingly attacked. The group had moved quickly to catch up, but now that they had, he wondered what the others really thought about the mess this task was quickly turning into.
