Sherwood
Luna's Concubine
Several long hours and many miles later, it is now late afternoon when Duncan signals with a wing wobble to come down to land. All of you are quite tired, and are very ready to take a break. Once you finally land and take on human form, Duncan stretches and lets out a groan. "Ugh, my arms are killing me. Too much flying. Its getting late, and we need to rest. I saw a town up ahead. We can get a hot meal and some rest, then set off for Rathess once more in the morning. Lets finish our approach on foot as to not scare the townspeople, and do your best to hide your tattoos. No need to advertise our nature as Lunars as yet."
The last few miles go by quickly, and through the scrub brush you can see a small walled town up ahead. As you approach, you can all feel the distinctive sensations of a powerful manse centered in the town, and just being close to it you can feel the fatigue and soreness washing away, leaving you all feeling refreshed, if still a bit hungry and thirsty. There is a pair of guards at the gate, looking like their true enemy is boredom instead of actually hunting out bandits. They are armed with pikes and are wearing lightweight armor. One steps forward to address you. "This is the town of Jaffa, and so long as you behave yourselves, you are welcome to stay and enjoy our hospitality. But you need to be on your way before sunset. You don't want to be in the walls after dark."
Duncan nods, and tosses the man a coin from the bag on his hip. "Thank you for your welcome, but I must ask, why must we be out of town after sunset? Aren't there rooms at your inn?"
The guard looks about with a sour expression, despite the coin that he was given. "There are rooms, but it is for your own good. Trust me; you don't want to be stuck in the walls after dark and we close the gates. Its for your own safety. That's all I can say. You still have a good hour and a half before that, so you should have enough time to resupply and be on your way if you don't dawdle."
Duncan looks puzzled, but doesn't push the man any more. "As I said, thank you. Come on, everyone. We are burning daylight, and our bellies won't fill themselves." Once you are out of earshot of the gate guards, he says, "Well, that is damn odd. I wonder what the story is behind that warning? Keep your eyes open; no need to be caught by surprise from whatever it is that we are being warned against."
At first glance, the town seems quite ordinary. Some townsfolk moving about on their routine business, while others are standing and having a friendly chat while smoking a pipe. A group of youngsters come scampering along, playing some game that involves a lot of laughing and shouting that makes sense only to them. But there is something just a bit off about the place, and it takes a few moments to put a finger on it. There are no animals in town. No dogs barking, no cats basking in the sun, no squealing pigs or clucking chickens, no horses or donkeys pulling carts. Other than a few birds flying about, there are only people here. It makes the town feel very artificial, almost unreal.
There is a tavern up ahead, named the Laughing Pixie, with the alluring smell of cooking food coming from it. Duncan heads for it, already reaching for his coin purse to pay for a good meal and some fine brews.
Do all of you follow him in, or do you set off to other parts of the town on your own?
The last few miles go by quickly, and through the scrub brush you can see a small walled town up ahead. As you approach, you can all feel the distinctive sensations of a powerful manse centered in the town, and just being close to it you can feel the fatigue and soreness washing away, leaving you all feeling refreshed, if still a bit hungry and thirsty. There is a pair of guards at the gate, looking like their true enemy is boredom instead of actually hunting out bandits. They are armed with pikes and are wearing lightweight armor. One steps forward to address you. "This is the town of Jaffa, and so long as you behave yourselves, you are welcome to stay and enjoy our hospitality. But you need to be on your way before sunset. You don't want to be in the walls after dark."
Duncan nods, and tosses the man a coin from the bag on his hip. "Thank you for your welcome, but I must ask, why must we be out of town after sunset? Aren't there rooms at your inn?"
The guard looks about with a sour expression, despite the coin that he was given. "There are rooms, but it is for your own good. Trust me; you don't want to be stuck in the walls after dark and we close the gates. Its for your own safety. That's all I can say. You still have a good hour and a half before that, so you should have enough time to resupply and be on your way if you don't dawdle."
Duncan looks puzzled, but doesn't push the man any more. "As I said, thank you. Come on, everyone. We are burning daylight, and our bellies won't fill themselves." Once you are out of earshot of the gate guards, he says, "Well, that is damn odd. I wonder what the story is behind that warning? Keep your eyes open; no need to be caught by surprise from whatever it is that we are being warned against."
At first glance, the town seems quite ordinary. Some townsfolk moving about on their routine business, while others are standing and having a friendly chat while smoking a pipe. A group of youngsters come scampering along, playing some game that involves a lot of laughing and shouting that makes sense only to them. But there is something just a bit off about the place, and it takes a few moments to put a finger on it. There are no animals in town. No dogs barking, no cats basking in the sun, no squealing pigs or clucking chickens, no horses or donkeys pulling carts. Other than a few birds flying about, there are only people here. It makes the town feel very artificial, almost unreal.
There is a tavern up ahead, named the Laughing Pixie, with the alluring smell of cooking food coming from it. Duncan heads for it, already reaching for his coin purse to pay for a good meal and some fine brews.
Do all of you follow him in, or do you set off to other parts of the town on your own?
