Post by nathanw on Dec 24, 2020 0:42:44 GMT
It's been a chaotic few months since Gilbaron arrived in Kantas. Generally bouncing from adventure to adventure, he hasn't yet set down roots. But now he's feeling a little more at home here, and so decides to enquire about permanent lodgings at Fort Ettin. He was previously shown around and found it a very impressive place, before the Fay Queen died that is.
Entering Fort Ettin Gilbaron soon finds himself lost and confused. He's certain he was told on his first visit how to actually sign up and rent a room, but its easy for Gilbaron to forget things and to be fair a few things happened that day!
So that's how Gilbaron found himself in the bath house. And seeing a few people walking out looking fresh and pampered, as well as looking at his knotty beard with twigs and a few insects trapped within, decides a bath would be nice.
It's there he meets a few new faces, Seraphina a Tiefling woman, Bones the large Dragon bird man, Jaezred the snooty food critic, Veridian the wizard and Hamish ( or as he reffered to himself as “Wee Mad Hamish". Hamish in particular stood out. A halfing with a long ginger beard and personal hygiene that made Gilbaron look like a pampered prince.
Gilbaron offered to pay for Hamish’s visit to the baths, something he slightly regretted after he immediately stripped in front of everyone. Soon Gilbaron found himself relaxing in the baths, enjoying the heat and a particularly colourful display of dancing lights and moving water emanating around Veridian.
And then he heard the music...flute music coming from behind a door. Gilbaron didn’t think much of it until Hamish went off to search. Feeling slightly responsible for this naked tattooed halfling Gilbaron followed. Entering the door after Hamish he was suprised to see he was nowhere in sight. As the door closed behind him Gilbaron found himself inexplicably on a sandy beach.
A tunic came towards him and talking in a strange , mechanical speech pattern offered him an interesting choice. Either to unlock a long lost memory with a herb or enter a labyrinth of soul searching. Gilbaron took the herb and the creature disappeared. Grounding the herb up and chewing it, Gilbaron found his surroundings changed again but also he seemed to change.
Suddenly he was very small (more so than normal) and he could feel arms around him. At first the face of this person and their voice was distant and blurred but then to Gilbaron’s astonishment he realised he recognised that face, he recognised that voice!
It was his mother! A mother Gilbaron wasn’t aware he even remembered, a mother he had not seen since he was just an infant. Indeed Gilbaron felt he was looking at her through an infant’s eyes.
His throat heavy, his mind reeling he reached for her face, as she held his hand in hers.
His voice cracking he was barely able to say a single word;
“Mum?”
She smiled at him.
“Its all ok.” She said. “Everything will be allright.” Smiling at him Gilbaron felt a warmth rise in him. He had always wondered about his parents, with a horrible fear that they had simply not wanted him, but looking at her now he could see love light in her eyes. He was loved!
Then in the corner of his vision over his mother’s shoulder a figure approached. Completely black as if this creature repelled all light around it. Gilbaron found he was unable to look directly at the creature and he felt a terrible fear and a terrible pain. And to his amazement he found he recognised these feelings. And then his eyes met with his mothers as she looked back in fear, before fading like a reflection in a lake.
Suddenly Gilbaron found himself back in the room and Hamish stood beside him. Gilbaron found himself struggling to stand, his heart pounding in his chest as he gripped tightly to his walking stick.
Hamish looked equally surprised to see him. It appeared he too had a vision, a memory but it clearly didn’t affect him as much as it had Gilbaron. He struggled to hide his emotions.
Walking back to the baths Hamish was more than happy to talk about what happened but Gilbaron didn’t feel like talking. He sat by the bath dipping his toes in the warm water and drifted into deep thoughts.
Where did that memory come from? Why would his mother leave him when she seemed to love him so? And who was that dark figure, and why did it scare Gilbaron so?
These thoughts and many more passed through his mind. Eventually he realised that Veridian and Jaezred had been through a similar experience having passed through the labyrinth of soul searching. While Bones had apparently left the beach due to a bewildering hatred of the ocean. Seriphina was busy studying Hamish and his various boils, scabs and scars, like he was some great riddle or complex piece of art.
Soon the group parted ways, Gilbaron lost in a funk didn’t really say goodbye. At some point Hamish had mentioned being an art curator but Gilbaron must not have been listening properly because he thought he heard that all his paintings would be of himself and that he wanted people to pay him to display them.
Gilbaron finally found the right people to talk to and signed in to stay at Fort Ettin. He was told a orientation would be coming soon and Gilbaron knew he needed to find work a little more reliable than the odd adventure, but not now.
All Gilbaron wanted was to have some time to himself. He dropped his single bag of belongings off in his room and laid on his bed. Staring into the ceiling he tried to remember his mother’s face, her kind voice. They formed briefly in his mind like a fog and eventually Gilbaron fell asleep feeling a mixture of confusion and fear but also a great deal of comfort finally knowing that once he had a mother who loved him.
Entering Fort Ettin Gilbaron soon finds himself lost and confused. He's certain he was told on his first visit how to actually sign up and rent a room, but its easy for Gilbaron to forget things and to be fair a few things happened that day!
So that's how Gilbaron found himself in the bath house. And seeing a few people walking out looking fresh and pampered, as well as looking at his knotty beard with twigs and a few insects trapped within, decides a bath would be nice.
It's there he meets a few new faces, Seraphina a Tiefling woman, Bones the large Dragon bird man, Jaezred the snooty food critic, Veridian the wizard and Hamish ( or as he reffered to himself as “Wee Mad Hamish". Hamish in particular stood out. A halfing with a long ginger beard and personal hygiene that made Gilbaron look like a pampered prince.
Gilbaron offered to pay for Hamish’s visit to the baths, something he slightly regretted after he immediately stripped in front of everyone. Soon Gilbaron found himself relaxing in the baths, enjoying the heat and a particularly colourful display of dancing lights and moving water emanating around Veridian.
And then he heard the music...flute music coming from behind a door. Gilbaron didn’t think much of it until Hamish went off to search. Feeling slightly responsible for this naked tattooed halfling Gilbaron followed. Entering the door after Hamish he was suprised to see he was nowhere in sight. As the door closed behind him Gilbaron found himself inexplicably on a sandy beach.
A tunic came towards him and talking in a strange , mechanical speech pattern offered him an interesting choice. Either to unlock a long lost memory with a herb or enter a labyrinth of soul searching. Gilbaron took the herb and the creature disappeared. Grounding the herb up and chewing it, Gilbaron found his surroundings changed again but also he seemed to change.
Suddenly he was very small (more so than normal) and he could feel arms around him. At first the face of this person and their voice was distant and blurred but then to Gilbaron’s astonishment he realised he recognised that face, he recognised that voice!
It was his mother! A mother Gilbaron wasn’t aware he even remembered, a mother he had not seen since he was just an infant. Indeed Gilbaron felt he was looking at her through an infant’s eyes.
His throat heavy, his mind reeling he reached for her face, as she held his hand in hers.
His voice cracking he was barely able to say a single word;
“Mum?”
She smiled at him.
“Its all ok.” She said. “Everything will be allright.” Smiling at him Gilbaron felt a warmth rise in him. He had always wondered about his parents, with a horrible fear that they had simply not wanted him, but looking at her now he could see love light in her eyes. He was loved!
Then in the corner of his vision over his mother’s shoulder a figure approached. Completely black as if this creature repelled all light around it. Gilbaron found he was unable to look directly at the creature and he felt a terrible fear and a terrible pain. And to his amazement he found he recognised these feelings. And then his eyes met with his mothers as she looked back in fear, before fading like a reflection in a lake.
Suddenly Gilbaron found himself back in the room and Hamish stood beside him. Gilbaron found himself struggling to stand, his heart pounding in his chest as he gripped tightly to his walking stick.
Hamish looked equally surprised to see him. It appeared he too had a vision, a memory but it clearly didn’t affect him as much as it had Gilbaron. He struggled to hide his emotions.
Walking back to the baths Hamish was more than happy to talk about what happened but Gilbaron didn’t feel like talking. He sat by the bath dipping his toes in the warm water and drifted into deep thoughts.
Where did that memory come from? Why would his mother leave him when she seemed to love him so? And who was that dark figure, and why did it scare Gilbaron so?
These thoughts and many more passed through his mind. Eventually he realised that Veridian and Jaezred had been through a similar experience having passed through the labyrinth of soul searching. While Bones had apparently left the beach due to a bewildering hatred of the ocean. Seriphina was busy studying Hamish and his various boils, scabs and scars, like he was some great riddle or complex piece of art.
Soon the group parted ways, Gilbaron lost in a funk didn’t really say goodbye. At some point Hamish had mentioned being an art curator but Gilbaron must not have been listening properly because he thought he heard that all his paintings would be of himself and that he wanted people to pay him to display them.
Gilbaron finally found the right people to talk to and signed in to stay at Fort Ettin. He was told a orientation would be coming soon and Gilbaron knew he needed to find work a little more reliable than the odd adventure, but not now.
All Gilbaron wanted was to have some time to himself. He dropped his single bag of belongings off in his room and laid on his bed. Staring into the ceiling he tried to remember his mother’s face, her kind voice. They formed briefly in his mind like a fog and eventually Gilbaron fell asleep feeling a mixture of confusion and fear but also a great deal of comfort finally knowing that once he had a mother who loved him.
