A Vinekin's Revenge (pt. 4): Through Everveil Hollow

 

For a split second, Morgwen forgot where she is. She opens her eyes and stares up at the ceiling and feels the weight of a warm blanket on her. That's right, we are at the guard post tower... she thinks to herself. The sharp sound of snoring startles her. She looks over her shoulder and notices Salo and Felix across the room deep asleep in separate bunks. And of course, it was Salo snoring so loudly. 

She sits up in her bed, stretches out her arms and realizes that she feels more refreshed than usual. Wow, I have not had that good of a sleep in a long time. Just as she was about to stand up, she hears Felix tossing and turning restlessly in his bunk. She can hear him talking to himself nervously, seeming anxious. Morgwen walks over to Salo's bunk and wakes him up, "Salo, come on. Get up. It's the morning." Rolling his eyes, he glares at Morgwen and sighs, while pulling the blanket over his face, "Can we not just sleep in a little bit longer?" She lifts up the blanket, "Salo, come on. We need to keep moving, we are getting close to Thornmere! It's best to start our day early." 

Morgwen hears knocking on the door and one of the guards enters the room and drops off some warm biscuits and tea at the table. "Good morning travelers! The head guard wanted me to just drop off some breakfast," he says. Morgwen thanks the man and he walks out. Felix immediately gets up and sits at the table grabbing some food, and a few minutes later Morgwen and Salo do the same. 

The 3 of them sit silently at the table eating, and Felix breaks the silence. 

Felix embarrassingly asks, "Could I... erm... Perhaps, maybe join you both through Everveil Hollow?" 

"Of course you can!" Salo responds, but then Morgwen nudges his arm under the table and whispers, "Salo... are you serious. You know he will slow us down-" 

After overhearing her side comment, Felix interrupts her, "Actually, never mind! I don't want to slow you both down. We will part ways and the trail to Thornmere seems straightforward, I won't get lost or anything." He stares at his plate and continues eating. 

Morgwen relieved says to Salo, "See? He even agrees. He understands." 

Another knock on the door and the head guard comes in. "Greetings everyone. Hope you all rested well. I know traveling through Everveil Hollow can be dangerous, though it is the morning... Highly unlikely that the Spirit of the Forest is awake... as I'm sure you all have heard that he comes alive in the night." Felix's throat started to dry up at the thought of Kevin's vines snaking up on his limbs. 

He continues, "Just be careful and stay on the trail; I'll give you my old spyglass, it could be useful through your travels." He hands Morgwen the spyglass and she thanks him. He nods to the group and leaves the room.

Salo looks to Morgwen, "Alrighty, I guess we shall head out!"

Entering Everveil Hollow

Morgwen & Salo's Experience Traveling Through Everveil Hollow:

The travelers make it to the entrance of Everveil Hollow... Kevin's home... She feels her palms getting sweaty and she grabs her chest feeling it tighten. Salo nudges her saying, "It's ok. We got this. We just need to stick to the trail and Thornmere is just on the other side of this forest." She nods, "You're right. Let's go!"

Salo and Morgwen begin their hike through the forest and Morgwen is relieved to find how still the forest has been. They come across a big pond and Salo decides to take a short rest. Salo drops his pack down and sits on the ground leaning against a boulder letting out a big sigh. Morgwen is still standing and she starts to become anxious, "We probably should stay for too long... I'm just worried that if we stay too long, it might disturb... Kevin..." Salo shakes his head, "You know he comes alive at night..." 

"I know, but we do need to keep moving just to stay safe." Morgwen convinces to Salo to get going and they continue on the trail. Morgwen leads the way as Salo follows behind her. Salo as usual, breaks the silence, "So, what are you hoping for yourself in Thornmere?" Morgwen turns around, "Work. Any kind of work. I'll look at some job postings when we get to town." She really just wants to blend in and not bring any kind of attention to herself. She knows that her grandfather has  wants her dead... and he has connections in so many towns... who knows what it will be like in Thornmere. What if he has people working for him in Thornmere? Morgwen's mind starts to spiral...

Salo interrupts her thoughts, "I want to open up my own market stall, filled with trinkets I've collected from various places I visited in my travels. Like the scrolls I found in Micah's wagon!" Morgwen's mouth dropped, "Wait, what?! You actually took some of her stuff?" He laughs, "Well, yeah! I just thought they looked interesting and I figured why not? Someone would probably pay a solid amount of money for them." Morgwen laughs with him and shakes her head, "Wow, you really surprise me my friend." Salo smiling at her, "It feels nice to have this friendship with you Morgwen!"

Salo spots the town road as they are slowly starting to exit out of Everveil Hollow... "Morgwen! We've made it Thornmere!"

Felix's Experience Traveling Through Everveil Hollow:

Felix sees Morgwen and Salo ahead of him and he notices they start to quicken their pace. I feel so bad, I know I kept slowing them down... and soon, it was just him on the trail. He keeps reminding himself to just follow the trail...

Suddenly... he starts to feel a strange pulse pulling him away from the trail. What is this feeling... he thinks to himself. He walks toward the source of the pulse and he sees these strange weathered stone columns, overgrown with vines... Kevin's tendrils weaved through their cracks and crevices. Felix eyes are fixed on the stone columns and stays completely still... enthralled by the stone beams. Silence suddenly breaks when he hears a couple creatures growling behind him...

Oh shit! 2 cobblehounds growl and bark at him making him sprint away and flee the area. They are clearly protecting that area... but why? What is the secret behind those pillars? Felix finds the trail again and keeps running as fast as he could. 

He looks around him and sees that he's alone again. God damn, that was close... glad I was able to get away from those hounds... He slows down his pace trying to catch his breath. As he continues on, and spots a large still pond and decided to sit on the boulder to rest. Felix looks around and spots a few woodland creatures, appreciating the active life found within Everveil Hollow. 

He then notices a little movement in the bushes behind him. Shit, are those Kevin's vines moving? It's still the morning! Without any hesitation, he immediately gets up and continues to go through the forest. Along the trail, he notices that he's not alone. It's another traveler; he looks like an older man with a couple swords hung around his waist and a large heavy pack on his pack. He notices that the older man's posture is a bit hunched and he's walking with a limp...

Felix goes up to the man and asks, "Excuse me, sire. Do you need a hand with your items? I'm headed to Thornmere too." The old man grunts, "Yeah? Well, no shit. Of course I'm heading to Thornmere. Fuck off, half-orc." Felix clear his throat, "Um, I do not appreciate the way you are talking to me--" The old man get up into his face, "I said, 'FUCK OFF.'" 

Damn, I only wanted to try to help... Felix passes the old man, hoping he won't ever bump into him again along the trail. Looking up ahead, he can slowly see the trail starting to level out and can see he's getting near the end of the trail. He hears more creatures living here in Kevin's home, he spots a wood elf jumping through the trees, another protector of Everveil Hollow. 

Felix finally makes it to the end of the forest and sees the the wonderful bustling town of Thornmere.

Entering Thornmere

Thornmere, a thriving town attracting so many different types of cultures and people. Entering the town, travelers notice the smells of baked goods, loud voices haggling over prices at the Market Stalls, the bell tower of Wildebourne Chapel ringing to signal the start of a service, and music and laughter coming from a popular tavern, The Keeling Kevin. 

Kevin's vines intertwine with a few buildings near the edge of town, weaving through the structures. Construction sites can be seen clearing off vines from walls and stone roads, tearing down old buildings and making new ones, and even expanding parts of the town. 

There's a small library near the Thornmere Town Hall and a town square right in the center attracting everyone to try food, listen to the Town Crier, and bet their coin to beat Thornmere's best fighter, Malik a dwarf barbarian. 

It's a place for new experiences and opportunity! 

Felix spots Salo and Morgwen by a couple market stalls and runs over to them. "Hello! We all made it!" Morgwen rolls her eyes at Felix ignoring him, and Salo greets him, "Look at YOU! You made it on your own!" 

"Yes, well it was quite the journey to get here. The trail in the forest is quite scary!"

Salo asks, "Really? We didn't come across anything scary. What happened to you?"

Morgwen starts to listen intently to Felix. "Well, I ran away from a couple of cobblehounds... and met a grumpy old man along the trail. He looked like a blacksmith carrying a bunch of stuff." Morgwen says, "Cobblehounds? We didn't see any cobblehounds... and I feel like we would have bumped into another traveler..." Salo's stomach starts to growl, "Ok, well let's just all call it a day. I need to get food in my stomach. Felix, it was a pleasure getting to know you. But, we will need to head off now." Felix nods, "Yes, of course. Thank you for everything. I wish you both the best. Maybe we will bump into each other!"

Salo and Morgwen walk toward The Keeling Kevin and walk into a busy afternoon. Tables were full of adventurers and travelers all chatting, some singing, others looking very drunk. Morgwen spots a table by a job posting board. She nudges Salo's elbow, "Come on, let's go to the back. There's a table there."

Salo follows Morgwen's lead and she stops a barmaid passing by asking for 2 ales and roasted chicken and vegetables. She smiles and winks at Morgwen, "Coming up, sweetheart!" Salo teasing Morgwen, "Wow, we haven't even been here for that long and someone already fancies you!" Morgwen blushes, "Yeah, yeah. Don't push it." 

They both sit down at the table and she stares at the job posting board. "Wow, there seems to be a lot of construction in town; look at all these jobs!" Perfect, she thinks to herself. I don't think that would draw much attention to me at all, seems to be like a good job too. Looks like I would get paid pretty well. 

The barmaid comes back with their food and Morgwen pays her. The barmaid smiles at Morgwen and asks, "Are you both new to Thornmere?" Salo answers, "Yes! We actually just got here today. There seems to be so much going on in town!" The barmaid says, "Yes, the mayor is doing a lot for this town to thrive and even expand! Economy is good, job and opportunities everywhere. You honestly will never get bored here!" Morgwen blushes tries to avoid eye contact with the pretty barmaid. Salo giggles, "This is Morgwen," pointing to his friend. The barmaid laughs, "Morgwen! What a cute name. I'm Jean. And if you ever need anything from me, let me know! I hope this is not the last time I will see you, Morgwen." Salo smiles and laughs. Morgwen takes a sip of ale, looks up at Jean and quietly says, "Same."  

Content with that answer, Jean walks away with a big smile on her face. Salo pats Morgwen on the shoulder, "That wasn't too hard!"

"Ok, you're done. Can we just enjoy our meal and celebrate the fact that we made it to Thornmere?"

Salo nods, "Yes, of course!"