The town of Monteci sat on a bay in the sea, its fishermen heading out to work in the wider gulf while the rest of the town went to work in the fields and shops.

The coastal road, for those who traveled from Shipton, led the traveler first past the church of St Magnus and the town cemetery.  Continuing on the road, there were fields and houses, and shops.  Near the center of the town stood the inn, with its cheerful sign depicting what appeared to be an orange tabby cat with its head wholly inside a blue pot with custard dripping from the overturned pot.  Nearby stood an area with some permanent stalls and an open space where, on the first of the month would be a fair with people coming from outlying farms to trade goods.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:40, Thu 20 June 2019.

This particular traveler didn't go past the church.   For it was her destination...

St. Magnus' was a humble construction, compared to the central church in Calandia, where she'd lived, studied, and trained since her fifth summer.  But, she was glad to see it, regardless.   Here, she would make the acquaintance of more devoted, true servants of Atu.   As well, there was a swamp nearby with plants that could not be found on Calandia, and it was an opportunity to expand her medicinal knowledge.

Niall was the name of Monteci's head priest, so she'd been told. She took the cobbled path off the main road, and wound her way toward the church, so she could report in and have an introduction.

Entering the grounds of the church, Lenelle could see a figure busily working to tidy the grounds within the walls of the cemetery, a man dressed in the simple robe of an acolyte.  He looked toward Lenelle, and then positioned himself to keep his face more hidden as he continued in his labors.

A youth of perhaps twelve summers, also dressed in the plain garb of an acolyte, a wooden symbol suspended from a chain about his neck, approached, and asked Lenelle to follow.  Within the church, there was a short hallway that led to the right, and down this hallway, her guide knocked at the first door.

An older man, likely to be closer to sixty, his garb declaring him a full priest with a well-polished silver symbol of Atu, beckoned Lenelle into the office.

"Well met," he said, "I am Brother Niall.  Will you be tarrying with us awhile, or only for a night?"

Westin was in a good mood as he approached Monteci. He enjoyed exploring and coming to a new town was an adventure to him. New people to meet, spices to taste and perhaps purchase, recipes to exchange and, of course, a chance to meet another mage and, if he was lucky, learn new spells. As he mulled these prospects over in his mind, he passed, without much of a glance, a church devoted to some human deity. Churches of other races were pretty irrelevant to him. The cemetary, however, held his attention a little longer.

The poor humans with their terribly short life span. If he was human, he probably would already be dead by now! Even so, he hadn't really lived long enough to fully appreciate the brevity of human lives. The cemetary, though, together with the odd way humans bury and mark their dead, served as a reminder and a lesson. If he didn't make it back in 40 or 50 years, the town, the people, the layout would be completely different, if it was here at all.

He continued on noting the various shops and houses on the way until he reached the center of town and arrived at the inn. He paused for a moment or two and stared curiously at the sign of the dropping custard pot. The inn was advertising their cooking. It was is even better than he had hoped! He resumed and eagerly entered the inn, intent on asking the innkeeper for a room, but more importantly, for some of that custard touted on their sign.

A jangle of bells heralded Westin's entrance into the Cat and Custard Pot, and shortly thereafter, a human man well into his middle years emerged.

"Well," began the man, and he hesitated as if considering whether to attempt a guess as he seemed to be scanning the young elf for a sign of red or orange, and then he continued, the pause so brief as to make it unclear if it had in fact existed, "met.  Do you come to dine, or will you also wish to stay?"

"Both," Westin replies, "though the former is more pressing. So is custard the house specialty?" Westin asks as he takes a seat.

"Let me ask too, is there a herb and spice shop in town? I have some culinary interest you might say."

"Welcome to the Cat and Custard Pot," he replied, "since you're here well ahead of the first, there's plenty of rooms. A single would be to your liking?  For one asil, the room for the night and dinner.  Of course, on the first, there's the fair over on the square across the way, and you're apt to find some such of interest.  And then there's Ethna's cooking here, of course."

She inclined her head, in proper greeting.    "All Saints' blessings, Brother Niall. Longer than a night.  The next step in my training is to visit a number of outlying churches, such as St. Magnus'.  With a certain study assignment at each. Medicinal plants that grow nearby, in this case."   She inclined her head again.  "Beyond that, I am at your service, if there are things I can assist with."

The traveler walked into town as if he had lived there his entire life, but in fact ... he had never laid eyes upon Monteci before this day.  Such was the ease with with Silas glided through life.  Without a care in the world, as if the world owed him a favor ... and only he and the universe were in on some grand joke.

The middle aged man bore an easygoing grin and nodded to the other travelers and passers-by in a a genial fashion.  The smell of salt air strong upon the breeze, which carried also the sounds of the fishermen down by the docks, singing and working throughout their day.

Ah, The man thought, pleased to be in such company.  These people will be the honest, hard working sort.

Seeking out an inn, Silas happened upon the Cat and Custard.  He entered the building and took a moment to allow his eyes to adjust to the light within.

"Innkeep."  He said, crossing over toward the bar.  "I've only just arrived in your fair town, and would stay for a spell.   Do you have rooms to let?"