Vorel had been wandering this road for a few days now, her feet seeking the compacted and rutted earth that marked the path. She'd been but a few weeks away from her family, and the experience had been both wondrous and frightening.

The days were, as always, cold - it was the season - and the air crisp, clean, and still. Despite lacking the shelter of the cave, she didn't suffer too much with the chill; this was probably an effect of her bloodline, whatever that was.

The road slipped by under her feet, and those she passed did not speak to her, giving the journey a sense of tedium.

The weight of the air putting the day at around mid-afternoon, something struck Vorel as being out of place. Checking carefully, she realised there was a scent in the air beyond the mud of the road and the musk of passing travellers. Nor was it the ever-present gently sweet scent of the natural surroundings - this was woodsmoke, drifting from somewhere off the road.

This was unusual. In her (admittedly limited) experience, travellers wouldn't set up camp by a road, not when there were villages plentiful along the route. Nor was this the time for a simple stop, and there was no smell of cooking in the breeze.

Considering that she had nowhere she was actually going, Vorel decided to step out into the woods and "see" what the reason behind the strange campsite was. When she got close enough through the earth that she was at the edge of the site, she called out, "I khail the kempsite! You need khelp, yess? Hwhy sset up so ssoon you are?"
This message was last edited by the player at 23:29, Fri 11 June 2010.

"Oh! Hello there, young lady" called a slightly startled voice; male, probably human by the height and tones, and around middle-age perhaps, though that was hard to tell.

This close, Vorel could tell the man was alone. As he spoke she heard him fiddling with something that sounded metallic.

"There's only me, you know. No, no, not early at all, not for my task. Why don't you come closer and I'll show you - though I'm not sure you'd be interested!" The fellow's tone was light and friendly as he made his invitation.

"You showing me your tesk fruitless would be: I am in that regard limited," Vorel answered, returning the man's friendliness and waving in front of her own face to make her point. Sstill, I would love about your task to khear. Hwhy does et need your kemp sset up early?
This message was last edited by the player at 23:28, Fri 11 June 2010.

"Oh my! You're...blind? Then how did you find me? Not that I'm trying to hide, you understand."

Now the fellow seemed to be putting an object into a small case, of leather or wood, which he shut with a click.

"I'm an astronomer. You know what that is? I study the stars. This hill we're on - tonight it will afford me a goodly view of the heavens."

"Mind you, it's not the best place, but it's as good as I'm going to get - blasted gnats. Come, share my fire for a while? I'm curious as to what a young lady like you is doing wandering this road when you should be at home, looked after by your family!"

"Phire gave you away; I ssmell et kould," Vorel explained, taking a seat on the ground. The soles of her feet were black with travel, and she avoided the man's gaze as she was taught. "You khope from ze sstars to learn hwat, pray tell?" she asked.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:31, Fri 11 June 2010.

"Mm, the fire, of course. Should I be more careful, do you think? I don't think there's much threat of...bad men, in these parts, but I admit I'm not the best judge."

The man sat down opposite Vorel, adjusting his robes with the rustling of cloth.

"Well, it's not from the stars I hope to learn. I want to learn about the stars. Some say they are the eyes of dead heros, watching over us. Some say they are the torches burning in the halls of the gods. Some say they are the fireflies of the Gardens. I don't know, but regardless, there are patterns there, and the closer I look, the closer I feel to...something."

"That probably makes no sense" he chuckled amicably.

"Anyway, it's by-the-by. This site is not ideal, and I can't get up to the hilltop I really need to be on. It's covered in blasted midges - I can't concentrate up there, with them stinging!"

A swirling sound, and the man offered Vorel some liquid from a flask.

"Whiskey?"

"I em az well niw around thiss kountry," Vorel admitted, "But iss better to be kareful these dayss."

She reached out for the man to place the flask in her hand, not wanting to reveal the full extent of her senses. "Hwat is thiss 'hwiskey?'" she asked.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:32, Fri 11 June 2010.

"What's whiskey?!" the fellow asked in surprise.

"Well it's...an alcoholic spirit drink. But that only tells you how it's defined. What it is, you can only experience!"

The flask was cool and metallic in Vorel's hand as she took it from the man.

"I hope you don't mind my asking, but you don't need to tell me you're not from around here. Your accent is nothing I've heard before. Where do you come from?"

Another of her tribe's teachings rose quick and true in Vorel's mind.

"I kome from dewn ze road ant far aweigh," she recited. "I'm a travelér adventure seeking."

Attempting to temper the awkwardness of it all, she gulped the drink down, wondering what "alka-hall-lick" meant and why spirits would need drinks anyway. She coughed and sputtered. "Augh-ft! Even spiritss want to drink thiss not would!"
This message was last edited by the player at 23:34, Fri 11 June 2010.

"You're seeking adventure?" the fellow asked. "Rather you than me! Perhaps..." he broke off as if considering something.

"But you say you aren't from far away! Your accent though - it is not local, not at all. I don't mean to pry, of course - I'll ask no more if you want to tell no more."

He chuckled softly as Vorel floundered with the whiskey. "Sorry, sorry - you should drink only a little at a time of the whiskey. Too much and you're right, even spirits themselves wouldn't cope!"

The crackle of the campfire filled the air a moment as the man paused.

"My name's Owain. How shall I call you?"

"No, I ssaid from far away I am," the half-elf corrected the man. "Ssecretive iz my tribe about their place," she elaborated.

Upon his introduction, she replied, "Vorel. My name Vorel iz."
This message was last edited by the player at 23:36, Fri 11 June 2010.

The pair spent half an hour chatting pleasantly about this and that. Owain didn't ask any further about Vorel's past, nor how she seemed so confident despite her disability.

Before long, Owain paused in his conversation.

"It'll not be long before night comes upon us. I...have something to ask you, if I may?"

"If this seems too forward, do please say so - only you mentioned seeking adventure. Well, I'm not sure if I'd class it as adventure, but there's something you could do for me."

"That hill up there" Owain seemed to gesture, before realising Vorel couldn't see. "Erm, the next hill to the north, I think it is, is where I'd rather be. It's a much better view. However, it's covered in biting gnats! I can't concentrate enough to set up my telescope, never mind actually use it."

"There's a salve I can make to protect me and keep the gnats away, but I need some Urmira flowers from the woods below us. I happen to know those woods aren't safe for an old-ish man like me. There's nothing too bad in there as far as I know, but I can't take the risk. You seem young and healthy - would you perhaps do me this favour? It shouldn't take you long, maybe a couple of hours."

"Hwat do the flowers ssound like?" Vorel asked. "I am hwilling to try to find zem, but easy it won't be."
This message was last edited by the player at 23:37, Fri 11 June 2010.

"Sound like?" Owain sounded a little surprised. "Well, er... I don't know, I'm sorry. But they have a sweet smell. The leaves are pointed with two tips, perhaps as long as your thumb. There are five petals on each flower, and the petals are soft underneath."

"The real test of course, is getting stung by something like a wasp - if you rub the petals on the sting, it should help against the pain."