The winter winds howled viciously as you make your way through Honeyhome in the late evening. Although the town is often bustling until late at night, there was a somber atmosphere looming in the air. A group of people were gathering in front of the announcement stand clamoring over a conversation between a woman and the town’s sheriff. If you approached the crowd, you will hear some of what they are saying. “Ser Moras, please, how could you suggest that my son is just playing? He knows never to come home this late, especially in the dead of winter. You have to help me find him, he could be frozen out there right about now…” The woman was visibly disheveled attired with patched-together clothes that spoke volume about her economic status. “Look sorry, we’re got our hands tied with some goblin situation in the eastern forest right now, can't you get anyone else to help you?” the sheriff replied as he scratched the back of his head with her big and burly hand. The woman then became frantic and jumped from person to person, asking for help. She eventually came up to you and gripped tightly onto your chest as tears overcame her eyes. “Please, come with me and help me find my son, who knows if he’s eaten by wolves, kidnapped by bandits, or frozen to death right now…” When the sheriff noticed the woman, he called out to you, "hey, you seem capable. Would you mind helping out the lady? I'll lend you a weapon or something, all of our resources are tied up right now." @Emerath Katou @Bastille
Bastille pulled himself into what little starting armor he had, doing his best to evade the chill of the cold, howling wind as he walked the roads of Honeyhome. The allure of freshly baked bread seemed to always hang in the air of this town which was now met with a certain sting with each frigid breath he inhaled. While in the back of his mind he knew that he was at home in the comfort of his twin-sized bed, he couldn’t help but succumb to the errant, wintry breeze numbing him to the bone. It was almost hard to believe that this was all a game. The roads seemed unusually barren for this time of evening. Granted, Bast had only ever been to Honeyhome a handful of times over the course of the past few days, he had clearly made note of how earnest and warm the people were. They would approach you on the streets and dispense hearty greetings and bright smiles like they were going out of style. Those kind of people – they weren’t stopped by a little drop in the temperature. No, there was something else going on. Something wrong. Bastille could feel it as clear as the cold on the wind. It didn’t take long before he found the source of the dreary atmosphere hanging heavily over the town. The woman’s cries came in loud and clear over the whistling winds, screaming tearfully about her missing son to anyone who would listen. Her emotional plea seemed to fall upon the deaf ears of the only figure of authority around. Bastille as she scrambled from player to NPC, moving quickly among the crowd before finally coming to grip him tightly on his lightly armored biceps. “Please, come with me and help—“ she started frantically. “I’ll help,” Bastille answered solemnly. He didn’t need to hear her heartbreaking request again. He had committed to helping in his heart long before she had ever reached him. It was terrible how a game could break you just like that. “Whatever you can offer, I’ll take,” he said to the Sheriff. “I’m still in my starter equipment so anything is an improvement.” Finally, he turned to the crowd, to those that had already heard the woman’s request and perhaps to those who were just joining the crowd. “Is there anyone else who will take up arms and find the boy? I don’t know how much I’ll be able to do on my own but I’m going for it. Someone needs help and I’m going to help. So, I ask again, who will join me?” His voice came across louder and more confident than he thought was possible. He owed it very much to the fire that had been sparked inside him the instant a call to action was heard. Honestly, he was way over his head and he knew it; he was praying someone experienced would lend assistance and bail him out of who knows what trouble he was going to run into. @Emerath Katou
Emerath made no secret that Honeyhome was his favorite place in Terrasphere. he had started here, met a ton of wonderful (and even not so wonderful people) here, and otherwise just felt, well, at home. Sure, he fought with Astorea and went on adventures to and fro. But Emerath knew there was always a good time in Honeyhome. Unfortunately for Emerath, tonight was not a welcoming night in Honeyhome, and it almost made the air feel colder. No bread on the windowsill to cool, no priest sweeping the church stoop, nothing. Just an empty home with cries for help filling the air. A woman, a lost child, and nothing but sadness and regret in the hearts of those who were powerless to help. But Emerath was not one of those, although as he went to step forward, another did the same. A young man, a starter to the game, so it appeared. At least he hoped it was a player, but considering no other NPC had stepped forward, it had to be. Emerath smirked at his confidence in being able to take on this quest, but couldn't help but grin inwardly when the man asked for assistance. "Still a newbie, at least unlike many others, you're willing to admit it," Emerath told the young man as he stepped forward. The sheriff started to offer Emerath succor, but Emerath shrugged and stopped him with, "Come on now, sheriff, I've been around here quite a bit, and helped out plenty of people. This isn't my first rodeo. I'll help the young man find the boy, and we'll call it a day. Happy ending and all that, yeah?" Emerath had a lot more bravado than he usually does. To some, it would seem arrogant. And Emerath wouldn't lie, he felt it. But he had a right to it. He had survived wolves, saved chickens, dealt with witches in the forest, and that was just in Honeyhome alone. He had done his fair share, and he'd keep doing it so long as Honeyhome kept being like home. He didn't want such things as a missing child to make this place any less special and welcoming. So, Emerath turned to Bastille, and offered a hand to the young man. "Emerath Katou, engineer and explorer. You're welcome to lead the way, since you so graciously offered to help the nice lady. I'll follow and make sure we stay out of trouble. And lest you worry," Emerath tapped his iron knuckles on his belt, and let a few sparks run through his fingers for the man to see, "I've got more than science on my side. So shall we depart?"
