First Post
Syuri
Laneteth was an old elven village. The population had barely changed in a thousand years. Sitting on a crossroads near the edge of the northern reach of Falwood it had a busy road through it. It was the kind of road young elves would follow to leave the sleepy village and find greater things.
The neighbouring settlements were all human, and the elves here frequently used the trade tongue, or borrowed words from it when speaking their elven dialect. Very little had happened here for a long time, but a recent tragedy had changed the atmosphere.
Keernan stepped into the only Inn. It was prominent, sitting on the roadside beside the stables. They were used to visitors. No one paid him much heed. He walked for the bar.
"Hello," he said in greeting. "There is a sign outside."
The woman at the bar waited patiently for him to expand on this announcement. When nothing was offered she replied: "You mean the noticeboard?"
"It could be. It said you were looking for a strange man."
"Yes."
"I am a strange man and would like to help with these missing children," Keernan replied. His voice was soft, but several tables had fallen silent to listen in.
The woman had stopped drying a glass now. She frowned, and even managed to draw lines in her youthful, elven features.
"You might have misunderstood. They think a strange man took the children in the night. They were looking for him...but...are you a bounty hunter?"
"A bounty hunter?" he replied, mulling over the phrase. He turned his eyes, gold and blue, towards the rafters. "I suppose it would depend on the bounty," he replied. His tone suggested he had not understood. "How do they know it was not an animal?"
"You don't look like a bounty hunter," she remarked, noting the lack of weapons. Keernan had drawn back his heavy travelling cloak and there was no weapon at his hip. This was more familiar ground however. Simple questions. She started drying the glass again.
"The children were taken on three different nights from their homes. No sign of any beast. Doors and windows shut," she explained.
"Terrible business," someone muttered.
"How do you know they didn't follow the leylines south, into the darker woods?" Keernan asked innocently.
"The what? We don't know of any..."
"That is because you have forgotten how to be elves. You have learned to be humans. Children are not the same, they might be susceptible to..." Keernan started, as if explaining to a child.
"Im sorry we have what?" the barlady went. The atmosphere had gone very frosty. Keernan seemed oblivious to this.
Laneteth was an old elven village. The population had barely changed in a thousand years. Sitting on a crossroads near the edge of the northern reach of Falwood it had a busy road through it. It was the kind of road young elves would follow to leave the sleepy village and find greater things.
The neighbouring settlements were all human, and the elves here frequently used the trade tongue, or borrowed words from it when speaking their elven dialect. Very little had happened here for a long time, but a recent tragedy had changed the atmosphere.
Keernan stepped into the only Inn. It was prominent, sitting on the roadside beside the stables. They were used to visitors. No one paid him much heed. He walked for the bar.
"Hello," he said in greeting. "There is a sign outside."
The woman at the bar waited patiently for him to expand on this announcement. When nothing was offered she replied: "You mean the noticeboard?"
"It could be. It said you were looking for a strange man."
"Yes."
"I am a strange man and would like to help with these missing children," Keernan replied. His voice was soft, but several tables had fallen silent to listen in.
The woman had stopped drying a glass now. She frowned, and even managed to draw lines in her youthful, elven features.
"You might have misunderstood. They think a strange man took the children in the night. They were looking for him...but...are you a bounty hunter?"
"A bounty hunter?" he replied, mulling over the phrase. He turned his eyes, gold and blue, towards the rafters. "I suppose it would depend on the bounty," he replied. His tone suggested he had not understood. "How do they know it was not an animal?"
"You don't look like a bounty hunter," she remarked, noting the lack of weapons. Keernan had drawn back his heavy travelling cloak and there was no weapon at his hip. This was more familiar ground however. Simple questions. She started drying the glass again.
"The children were taken on three different nights from their homes. No sign of any beast. Doors and windows shut," she explained.
"Terrible business," someone muttered.
"How do you know they didn't follow the leylines south, into the darker woods?" Keernan asked innocently.
"The what? We don't know of any..."
"That is because you have forgotten how to be elves. You have learned to be humans. Children are not the same, they might be susceptible to..." Keernan started, as if explaining to a child.
"Im sorry we have what?" the barlady went. The atmosphere had gone very frosty. Keernan seemed oblivious to this.