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Post by opius on Dec 23, 2022 14:54:02 GMT -5
It was shortly after they arrived that Ferrovax was placated and the party broke off toward their separate tasks (resting being one task of several). Exhausted but driven to continue, it seemed Valor Company wasn't yet ready to turn in early.
Having touched base with Sae about plans toward a tentative firework project, Alastair adjourned from the table to pursue lingering questions, curiosities, and maybe even a few suspicions.
He new better than to ask Alain just about anything. But Drummond... He seemed like an easier read. The dragon born knew more than he was letting on and Alastair knew it. And even if he couldn't get answers, at least he knew it would be entertaining.
To that end he sought out the wily old shepherd.
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Post by Ancelas on Dec 23, 2022 22:59:05 GMT -5
Shepherd Drummond was easy to find. After seeing the unconscious gnome Conifer settled in a room to recover, he had returned to the common area to begin directing some of the resident travelers into preparing a heroic feast to celebrate the safe return of all their kidnapped neighbors.
The black-scaled old wurm hobbled about with a staff in one hand and a pleasant smile on his face, and when Alastair found him, he was instructing one of the cooks to bring out the celebratory jam - not the good jam, which was fine enough for most good occasions, but the celebratory jam, that had just a bit of rum mixed in.
Upon seeing Alastair waiting nearby, the dragonborn shooed off the cook and turned to face the young man. "Ah Mr. Fields, thank you once again for returning Conifer to us. Our family is now complete, thank the Wanderer."
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Post by opius on Dec 23, 2022 23:08:09 GMT -5
Alastair clasped his hands and nodded, leaning in a bit as he approached. He wasn't used to the high praise- not for this kind of thing.
Family. Hmn. Awkward. He just laughed a little. "It's ah- a team effort. Really, just doing what anyone in our position would. Anyone with the, uh, means, anyway." He smiled.
"Yeah, the uh. Wanderer." He pursed his lips. "So, hey, I see you're a little busy. Maybe I could help out with the setup and ask you a few things if you don't mind? We've had very little time with you and your people, and honestly I'm pretty curious about the, uh..." He unfolded his fingers.
"Everything?"
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Post by Ancelas on Dec 24, 2022 10:26:44 GMT -5
"Of course, lad, of course. Do you know how to churn butter? No, forgive me, no one really wants to do that. Come come, let's see what they have for us in the kitchen."
Drummond clapped one hand lightly on Alastair's shoulder and led the way toward the kitchen. "Curiosity is a good trait. It can be troublesome, of course, but a bit of experience will take care of that. How may I satisfy?"
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Post by opius on Dec 26, 2022 16:31:08 GMT -5
"...Churn?" Alastair quietly murmured, not certain if he could.Well, no, he could but he was certain he was missing some minutia beyond the basics- that had basically been his year so far, thinking one thing while learning it was completely different. He shook his head as he dashed the idea away, returning to focus on Drummond and the conversation at hand.
He looked about the kitchen, seeing folks at work, moving and following Drummond's lead. "Well, there's a lot. I mean, a town like this- your place in it, the people here and why they're here. I've clocked the green cloaks, and it's awfully familliar to Alain- he's my- anyway I-" He shook his head. Drummond was an old coot and it was likely not going to go very far unless he picked a place to start and moved on from there.
"...Just what is this place? And why? At first I'd thought it was a commune- like, a religious one. When Felix found us, I'd gotten an impression, but certainly it wasn't right."
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Post by Ancelas on Dec 26, 2022 19:46:38 GMT -5
"Ah, that old question," Drummond said with a chuckle. "We are exactly what we say we are - a refuge. A refuge for those who seek a different path - a simpler path. We work the land and trade stories. We study, and follow whatever craft or skill appeals to us. We're remote enough that no one cares what we do, so we're able to be about our business without outside interference."
Just inside the kitchen, the old dragonborn paused and turned to regard Alastair. "Tell me - what makes you think we aren't a religious commune?"
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Post by opius on Dec 26, 2022 22:24:35 GMT -5
He horned glanced around a little. "Well, I uh. I suppose I got the impression when Felix found us. We discovered that he was visited by Ko- by the Wanderer, that he'd sent Felix out to help us. The way Felix spoke about home, and the way his magic manifested, his holy symbol, I got the impression that this place might have been... I don't know, a monastery, or a little sect." He paused. "Y'know, a uh. Happy little sect." He quirked his lips and glanced away.
"I might be... I don't know, projecting a little. But the coincidences, the green cloaks- the fact that so many people invoke the Wanderer- I'd gotten the impression that this place was full of believers, or made for believers, that there was some connection." He pursed his lips and rubbed his chin before looking back to Drummond.
"... Am I barking up the wrong tree here?"
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Post by Ancelas on Dec 26, 2022 23:00:18 GMT -5
Drummond chuckled and reached over to pat Alastair on the shoulder. "No, no, there most certainly is a cat up that tree you're barking at. We're all followers of the Wanderer, in our own ways, though I suppose it must seem strange. Us being so sedentary, I mean. It seems to go against the very concept of wandering, doesn't it?"
The dragonborn chuckled as he began to move through the kitchen, observing the cooks as they were prepping food for a stew. At the potato peeling station, he picked up a peeler and absently handed it to Alastair as he continued.
"Wandering is just another name for traveling, and every one here is a Traveler on a path of their own choosing. If anyone feels the urge to leave, they can do so, safe and sound in the knowledge that they always have someplace to come back to, bringing their stories and newly acquired knowledge with them. More books to add to our library - more knowledge to share with any curious enough to seek it out."
He handed Alastair a potato. "Some might call us religious. Others philosophical. I've been called an idealist old coot more than once. They're all appropriate."
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Post by opius on Dec 26, 2022 23:20:40 GMT -5
Alastair took the peeler and looked it over. This... This could be improved upon. He didn't think too much into reinventing the peeler beyond making note. He grabbed a spud and began mirroring the old dragonborn's work.
"... That was another thing. If you were followers of the Wanderer, why would so many gather in one place? Wouldn't it be... Anti-dogmatic?" He looked down as he dragged the peeler across the potato, removing a long ribbon of skin and then another.
"I can understand wanting a place to rest and return to. That just seems... Natural." He glanced at Drummond. "... But why in such a remote place? And why would your people be concerned about being bothered by outsiders?"
He turned his attention back to the potato, thinking it over, feeling it out, musing. "... This place is called the Refuge. A Refuge from what exactly?" From the potato back to Drummond and back to the spud he glanced. "... Something to do with those philosophies and ideals you mentioned?"
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Post by Ancelas on Dec 27, 2022 13:27:05 GMT -5
"Indeed. Let me ask you this, child. A simple question for you."
Drummond held up his peeler and pointed at Alastair. "Is it possible for you to sum up the entirety of your being in a single word?"
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Post by opius on Dec 27, 2022 17:14:22 GMT -5
Alastair frowned some. There was a slight quirk to his lip and a moment's hesitation- he'd almost spoken, but took the time to pause and consider it. He shook his head. "I don't think so." His lips went tight as he carried on peeling, reaching for another potato once the first was skinned.
"I used to think that I knew a lot of very good words to describe a lot of things, myself included. A year ago I had little boxes- boxes I could slip things into, label, and be done with. I've since learned that just about everything is more complex than I gave it credit for- people included. People especially, even." He laughed
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Post by Ancelas on Dec 27, 2022 21:29:07 GMT -5
Drummond chuckled. "It sounds to me like you've started to see the way of things. Nothing is ever just one thing - not even gods. He's called the Wanderer - so what? Can he not amble? Stroll? Saunter? Meander? Ramble? Perhaps he is not a Wanderer so much as a Traveller - and there are so many places you can travel without ever leaving your village, if you're of a mind to step out beyond the walls of your own preconceived notions."
The old dragonborn smiled as one of the others in the kitchen approached and coaxed the potato and peeler out of his hands. "To be quite honest, to be limited to only one thing sounds dreadfully boring. No offense, lad, but seeing the world as a list of checkboxes... well, that feels so... unsatisfying."
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Post by opius on Dec 27, 2022 22:11:44 GMT -5
He thought a few moments longer on that notion. Satisfying... Just what did that word mean? He took another potato, only to see Drummond was relieved of his peeler. There was a lot of wordless juggling in this place. Was it a matter of synchronicity and efficiency, respect, or ... Was it that Drummond couldn't be trusted with a potato peeler?
The more questions he asked, the less he understood - proportionally.
"I suppose check boxes are a lot more rigid than the natural flow of things in real life. I'm uh- trying to get the hang of that myself. Rolling with the punches, that is." He glanced at the potato. "... I've seen what can happen to a person's mind when they're shocked, put through terrible things. Or when the stress is piled higher than they can handle. My friends and I- we've uh... We've been put through the ringer." He looked back to Drummond. "Facing the horrors and contradictions underground, forced to choose them-or-us on the highway, been stripped of our autonomy and freedom- captives, y'know, very nearly slaves at one point. To a giant and his followers." He pursed his lips. "...I like to think if I- if we can bend and twist with whatever storm comes our way, we can come across the other side without, y'know... Cracking."
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Post by Ancelas on Dec 28, 2022 10:41:26 GMT -5
Drummond sighed and turned to Alastair, raising his hand to one more rest it on the boy's shoulder. "My dear boy... I am sorry that you must face so much adversity on your path. While our ways are nonviolent, we know first hand that there is danger and evil in the world that must be contended with - and that there will always be those willing to contend with it. No one would blame you from turning away from those dangers you've faced, as anyone else might. To choose to continue on... I have great admiration for you and your companions.
"But you must be careful not to let such violence consume you. Rolling with the punches, bending to avoid breaking..." The dragonborn shook his head slightly with a sigh. "Don't let the violence settle in your soul. The sailor cannot control the tides, or decide when the storm comes or goes - but they can always adjust their sails when needed.
"The fighter who rolls, the sailor who sails... they are the same in many ways, and in many ways, they are different. Such is the way of the Wanderer and his Travellers."
A pause, and Drummond furrowed his furry brows. "Not to equate either with violence, mind you. Hrmph... I may have mixed my metaphors a bit there..."
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Post by opius on Dec 28, 2022 21:53:28 GMT -5
He blinked a little and shook his head, laughing an awkward little puff. "No, I think I get it. It's good advice, maybe, I think. I'll think it over." With another shake of his head he looked out toward the kitchen. "Maybe not best to dwell on the road so far- otherwise I'll get caught up in my own head. Again. This place- you guys are nonviolent. I see lots of artisans, even a boutique brewer. Is that the kind of goal of this place? I mean, mission statement, philosophy, nature even- to wander out and bring different talents back home to share?"
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