Open Chronicles A Growing Village / Another Bar Thread [Elbion]

[Kara Orin]

Greenbend Village

From the heart of Elbion to the nearest portal stone normally took just a few days for an individual. Kara was on this journey from the portal stone back to Elbion. With the sun beginning to set, she stopped at a village on the Cairou River named Greenbend.

Since the portal storm appeared, what used to be a small pitstop in people’s journey up and down the river began to slowly grow. Greenbend now served as the hub for those travelling from Elbion via the river. Logos and branding of different merchant companies from Elbion were sprinkled throughout the village.

With night coming soon, Kara decided to spend the night at Greenbend and take a boat first thing in the morning. She entered an inn named the Badger Barrel Inn. This inn recently opened after an Elbion company bought and renovated one of the largest buildings in the village.

When Kara entered, she could see several half-filled tables and a bar. It appeared as if the inn could handle a few more guests.

Yet at the bar, a tall brute of a man slammed a fist on the wooden bar top. Just a bit before Kara entered, the bartender – a village native – accidentally tripped and splashed beer all over the raging human’s face and leather armor. The man had a long-sword hanging off his hip.

The man grabbed the bartender by the shirt

“DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?!” he barked.

Kassa Lia

 

[Kassa Lia]

Large and comfortable enough, the Badger Barrel Inn was yet not the sort of place Kassa Lia was used to. The fine oak tables, the polished chairs, the nicely stocked wall of wines, ales, and even rare scotch at the back, even the ceiling – which boasted a jeweled chandelier – it was all very nice. Too nice. Kassa Lia thrummed her fingers on the small round table she had claimed as hers, thinking, comparing this fine tavern to what she was used to.

Grease-stained counters. Roughly hewn stools. Cheap, watered-down anomalies, and queer foods. Yes, that was what she was used to. These were what she had settled for when wandering the wilds outside of cities and towns. Now, it seemed, the outskirts of Elbion were eager to offer more. She glanced out the window next to her table, seeing through the mottled glass the white, ivory towers of the famed College. Her next destination.

She leaned back as her meal came, a slice of a rather renowned meat pie, the special treat of this particular inn. It steamed with freshness, and the succulent mix of boar and venison was deliciously spiced, cooked lovingly over a fire for hours until it practically fell apart in the flavorful broth it was then soaked in before encased in a delicate crust. As she tasted it in small bites, Kassa Lia felt her unease melting away in comfort.

That was before the eruption, of course.

The glass of beer rolled on the floor, stopped only by one of the legs of her table. A large brute of a man was up in the hapless bartender’s face, the former red with anger, and the latter’s red with shame. The tavern was suddenly silent as the brute declared the expectation that he be known.

“DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?”

The bartender choked, shaking his head. It was wrong, and most stupid answer he could give.

The brute cast an enraged look around him. No one else seemed to know either.

The door opened.

“Maybe she knows,” Kassa Lia smiled indulgently.

 

[Gregor Hanover]

The trip to Elbion had been an interesting one. Starting out simple enough with the usual work order sent out by Kalmoir. A village in Elbion had a problem with a supposed witch moving into a cave just outside the village. Investigate the supposed witch and remove if necessary, a pretty straightforward task. So he thought.

Turns out the witch wasn't a witch. Just some old lady who moved into the cave to get away from her ungrateful children. Or was it her grandchildren? She couldn't fully remember. The old woman herself had no magical abilities whatsoever and the ramblings the villagers heard were not her casting spells or talking to otherworldly entities, but just her rambling to herself.

Gregor did have to admit, the hardest part of the job was just getting away from the woman. He remained trapped in the cave for longer than expected, not by magical means, but by the woman constantly trying to tell a story or remember someones name. First it was her ungrateful children or grandchildren, whichever of the two. Then the neighbor with four different names. So on and so forth. In the end, he managed to get the old woman back to the village and explain the situation. The villagers, in both sympathy and embarrassment, took the old woman in to take care of her. All in all it wasn't the worst job he ever had.

The sun was starting to set when he reached the village of Greenbend nestled along the banks of the Cairou River. A growing village from what the locals say. Companies moving in and buying up what they could. Plus the increase in boat traffic up the Cairou only added to the growth. Which was good considering he could hop a boat to Elbion and save himself the trip of walking.

His footsteps lead him to the Badger Barrel Inn. A newer establishment recently bought out by one company or another. None of that made a difference to him if they proved decent food and a place to sleep.

"Do you know who I am!"

That was the first thing Gregor heard as he walked into the room. His blue eyes quickly caught sight of the one who shouted the question. A tall brute of a man stood by the bar. His face was red from anger at both having to ask the question and the fact that no one seemed to know. The bartenders face was the same shade of red, but he seemed more like he just wanted to disappear than anything.

So far the trip to Elbion had been interesting.