You enter a small country village via a narrow, winding dirt path and see several buildings surrounding the village green. The air is thick with the scent of autumn leaves and harvest, and you almost feel as though you are coming home. Probably the most distinctive feature of this little town is the variety of architectural styles. Your eye is caught first by a stone house built around a shaded courtyard; an Italian Renaissance palazzo stands on one side of the green while you barely see a small Hobbit-like door in a hill. A cluster of trees shelters a walled gothic monastery. In the distance, there is a lone tower, shrouded in mist, that stands atop another hill overlooking the village.
In the center of the green is a stone wishing well. An old man with a kindly smile is leaning upon the well; he offers you a ladle of the clear, cold water.
"My name is Alfred," he says in a clipped British accent, "Welcome to our small village. I promise you will come to no harm among the inhabitants as they all love visitors and perhaps new inhabitants. Please, feel free to explore the village, you will be welcomed in all the homes, but please remember, they are people's homes and treat them with care." He raises his arm and points to the small hill,
"Jenisis lives in her Den down past the stream. The Den's a popular spot. Everyone seems to end up there eventually. And just about everything. Do be careful of the dragon, though. He's very protective of his hoard." Alfred then gestures at the stone cottage,
"Anomily owns the Atrium, where you'll find an eclectic collection of quotes and Detroit Red Wings." Finally nodding at the marble palazzo,
"And Sarah's Sanctum is known in these parts for its art. I've also heard she's going to be building an addition soon.
"Over there," Alfred points to a building across the road, "that there is Ka's Laboratory. She's a bit of a recluse, doing some sort of strange research all the time, but if you're able to pull her out of her books, she'll be happy to talk over coffee about just about anything. She's got a lot of stories to tell.
"And there is Damon's library. We call it the Archives around here. He's been moving a few things around, so it's in a bit of a mess, right now."
"Joanna is a rover, and we see little of her but for the book she keeps here, in which all of her travels are mysteriously recorded."
"Across the glade, there is a fearsome creature who resides in a cavernous Lair in the foothills of the Grethnalk Mountains. He is known to us as Ozdrayeken, and although he is a much larger dragon than the one that resides in the Hobbit-hole past the stream, we've heard little worse from him than falling boulders and strategically placed rock-gnomes."
"And beyond, you'll find the moonlit garden of theDragonChild, in which your imagination may take a wander through its art gallery, library, and temples..."
There is a small island in the middle of the great inland sea over the hill to the north. Dalvena Bay is home to great sea-beasts, cousins of Leviathan, but on the Siren's Isle, it is safe...
"We've also been renovating the monastery; its library houses a growing collection of writings by our villagers and more." He nods with gruff pride and
glances speculatively around the green.
"I've heard that there is a wave of immigration in this direction, so there may be a few more people moving in shortly. We'll just have to wait and see..."
He then gazes at you measuringly, "You aren't perhaps wishing to move into our village? You look like a worthy inhabitant and an interesting person to boot. I'd suggest you contact either Anomily or Jenisis , preferably both. They'll be happy to help you. Now, have a wonderful time. The good Sir knight, Baeles will lead you back to the Green when you wish to return."
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