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Between missions for the Pathfinder Society, or perhaps on your way to join them for the first time - you find yourself wandering across the countryside of the nation of Nirmathas, approaching the village of Scallion's Wrap.
The Nirmathi winter is fairly mild and weather pleasant. During your trek, you have more than enough time to introduce yourselves to each other!
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A tall, slender, and young female elf has just arrived in Nirmathas. Her ponytailed hair sways as she walk despite the somewhat frigid wind the winter brings. Thankfully, she has her winter clothing worn, despite being a woodland elf, due to the fact that she had just come from the Lands of the Linnorm Kings for winning as champion in a competition there.
Shortbow in one hand, she walks at a fast pace but gracefully, as any elf does. She continues to walk until she comes near to the entrance of the Scallion's Wrap village. Before she enters in, she whistles to call her owl flying above and lands on her shoulder.
”Let's find something to eat here, Sophia. I'm kinda hungry, and I know, you too,” she tells the owl.
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An aging goblin woman leans on her staff and sings softly to herself as she makes her way across Nirmathas. Occasionally, she takes the toad off her head to show it some interesting feature of the scenery.
When she comes to the village of Scallion's Wrap, her stomach gives a hearty rumble. "We might be due for a meal, Toad." she says, while eyeing the assortment of buildings. "Best we not make a ruckus."
Before she can sneak into Scallion's Wrap, she spots an owl descending to the shoulder of an elf outside the village. She calls to the pair, "Hello dear! That's a mighty friend you have there." It is unclear whether she is addressing the owl or the elf. "I am Mama Jawchu." she says with a wide grin revealing a row of sharp teeth.
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A thinner looking man wearing spectacles and carrying a bulging pack comes scrambling up the trail. Sweat beads his face and damp marks cover his clothes as several books fall from his bag when he trips over a small root growing in the road. He falls down into the dirt to quickly scoop them up before realizing he has company. "Oh hello! My name is Fynn, good to meet you all."
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She calls to the pair, "Hello dear! That's a mighty friend you have there." It is unclear whether she is addressing the owl or the elf. "I am Mama Jawchu." she says with a wide grin revealing a row of sharp teeth.
Avery looks around for the source of the voice. When she finds the goblin woman just behind her, she bows and introduces herself as well. ”Hello, yes, Sophia is nice at hunting. Well,. I am Avry. It is nice to meet you, Mama Jawchu. We are going somewhere with something to eat.”
She even notices the man fell to the ground. ”Are you alright? Roads and grounds are well-covered with snow, I hope you are alright, Fynn.” Upon Oman's arrival, she gives the noble man a nod. ”I am Avery, and this is my friend Sophia.” she says to others and caresses the feathery head of her owl.
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A towering, red haired Varisian woman runs into the group as they enter the inn. A sword with an elaborate serpentine design rests beneath an arm sporting a tattoo just above the wrist of a twist of vines projecting a thorn from each corner.
I suppose there isn't much for it. she sighs, I don't suppose any of you can point me to a Pathfinder, or at least an alchemist.
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Soundtrack #1: "Wandering" - Eluveitie: Hope
As your feet lead you towards the center of the village, an older halfling woman in bright clothes quickly approaches you, a large golden wolfhound at her side. She stops in your path with a glint in her eye and grins.
“Don’t suppose y'all are looking for any work, by chance?!” she asks. “If ya are, I have just the thing. Doesn’t pay much, but you’ll get full bellies and a place to stay, along with the joy of helping an old woman durin' Winter Week!”
She holds up a small cobble stone with great reverence and a slightly crooked facial expression.
“My name's Kupyn Baro,” says the halfling. “Me and my pup Darb need your help to make this rock into a stew that will feed our village. Whaddya say?”
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"Your pardon, I normally travel with an alchemist. But sadly I forgot that I'm not with her now."
”Is she your friend? It is natural to miss them when we are not with them. I hope you meet them again soon, Mister... What is your name again?” Avery asks, recalling if he ever introduced himself since they meet. Their conversation is interrupted when an old halfling woman approaches them for some help.
”I am willing to help as well. But what is this rock for? To make it into a stew?” the words of the old halfling woman does not make sense to her. Or maybe because she is hungry and she is mishearing things. Or maybe not.
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Kupyn grins, brushing off a patch of ground before taking a seat, motioning for you to join her.
"Many years ago, after Scallion’s Wrap lost all their crops and sheep to a roving band of wolves, the townsfolk met in the village green to figure out where they should move now that they had no food.
Their witch, Tulyn Baro, questioned why moving was necessary.
'What would you have us do,' the mayor asked, 'eat rocks from the Hollow Hills?'
Some laughed at that, but Tulyn picked up a gray rock and said, 'Do you not know this little rock is magic? Why, with it I can make a stew that would feed the whole of Scallion’s Wrap through Winter Week!'
The villagers allowed Tulyn the chance to prove her boast. Thus began Tulyn’s plan. As she poured water into her cauldron, she began to wheedle small things from various folks in the area, 'just to help the magic of the rock along.' From the farmers, she finagled carrots and celery. From the dwarf miners in the Hollow Hills, she received bags of deep-root potatoes. From the brownies in the surrounding glade, she procured five bundles of scallions. After this, Tulyn grimly left the town to see about meat for the stew, bouncing the “magic rock” in her hand. Where she found the meat, none dared ask, but wolves never troubled Scallion’s Wrap again.
Upon returning, Tulyn placed the rock into her cauldron...and that is why we have rock stew every year for Winter Week!"
The old woman grins up at each of you. "Why, we even have a song I can teach you!"
Rock stew for me, rock stew for you!
It’s the soup that helps us in all that we do!
If you want to make it, you need a few things,
Potatoes, carrots, celery, and
FIVE SCALLION RINGS
Rock stew for me, rock stew for you!
It’s the dish that helps us see winter through!
Some salt, some pepper,
a cauldron of bounty,
a few cuts of mutton
and a magic rock or three!
Rock stew for me, rock stew for you!
Have a Happy Winter Week, let’s eat some stew!
Finished with both tale and song, Kupyn stands up, leaning heavily on her trusty Darb.
"Now, every Winter Week, tradition dictates that the witch of Scallion’s Wrap should lead the village in making rock stew for the holiday. For the last 70 years, I've been using my family's magic cauldron to multiply the ingredients for the stew and ensure there’s enough for everyone in Scallion’s Wrap. Every year, I place a small rock in the stew, and whoever finds the rock in their bowl is said to be blessed with good fortune in the coming year...but luck isn't with ME, and I'm getting old, and need assistants!"
"I'll go pick up the mutton myself, but I'll pay you if you can help me with three other things."
Counting off on her fingers, she gives you a list of tasks:
• Carrots and celery from Farmer Greetle’s farm, found in the southwest part of the village.
• A bag of deep root potatoes grown by the dwarves at the foot of the Hollow Hills, a bit west of the village.
• A bundle of scallions from the brownies who tend them in the grove just north of the village.
"Once you get all of it, bring it to my house just there." she points to a nearby chimney. "So...any questions for me before you head out?"
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Avery throws a skeptical look at the witch. She can't believe a rock can be used as an ingredient for a stew. With crossed arms and raised eyebrow, she tells the witch, "That's it? We just find those things and bring it to you, and that rock, we can have a stew?"
The halfling woman's eyes twinkle as she wiggles her fingers in Avery's direction. "Maaaaagic."
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Rosa's eyes scan the village as Kupyn points out the sources for the stew'singredients. This sounds as uneventful as the fishing contest I enjoyed... So what should we expect to attack us along the way?
The old woman almost looks hurt by that statement. "Attack? Here? Never seen a fight that didn't involve alcohol in all of my 70 years livin' in Scallion’s Wrap!"
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”We better find those things now. I am already hungry, but I am giving this old woman witch an opportunity to show us how she does it. Well, we have nothing to lose if we try, right? Except for hungrier stomach for me.” Avery tells the others, though she is trying to tell it to herself actually, as she is still unconvinced.
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The old goblin woman sat enraptured through the halfling's tale, especially delighted by the song, which she immediately began quietly humming.
"What a delightful recipe!" she exclaims, "It even comes with a personal anecdote and enough cultural history to fill a long scroll. I do think every recipe should be so enjoyable." she beams.
"Mama Jawchu likes to have dessert before her meals. I say we visit the brownies first." she turns to Kupyn and asks the woman, "Such creatures are often fickle. Is there anything we should do to win their favor and avoid their ire?"
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The old goblin woman sat enraptured through the halfling's tale, especially delighted by the song, which she immediately began quietly humming.
"What a delightful recipe!" she exclaims, "It even comes with a personal anecdote and enough cultural history to fill a long scroll. I do think every recipe should be so enjoyable." she beams.
Kupyn grins in response. "See, you're exactly the kind of folk who'd get along fantastic in these parts!"
"Mama Jawchu likes to have dessert before her meals. I say we visit the brownies first." she turns to Kupyn and asks the woman, "Such creatures are often fickle. Is there anything we should do to win their favor and avoid their ire?"
“Well...I caught them brownies knotting my hound Darb’s hair as a joke... I may have lost my temper with them and knocked over a hut or two. That's why I think it’ll go better if someone else asked for the scallions. Might be good to bring Darb with you, if you want. Those brownies love him.”
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“Well...I caught them brownies knotting my hound Darb’s hair as a joke... I may have lost my temper with them and knocked over a hut or two. That's why I think it’ll go better if someone else asked for the scallions. Might be good to bring Darb with you, if you want. Those brownies love him.”
Any troubles with Farmer Greetle or the dwarves?
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“Stingy old git tried to for vegetables when I talked to 'im yesterday! Don’t know why; always gave them free before! If I set foot on his farm again and see his smug face, I don’t know that I could control my temper!”
“And for the dwarves, every month I give their head miner, Jaget Steim, a tincture to help with aching joints. Only this month...well, my own joints are aching and I didn’t have enough for more than one person. If you could help Jaget out somehow, it’d go a long way toward making things right.”
"Well, I think I better get goin' now if I'm gonna get the mutton and be back here to meet you all when y'er done with your errands. Do you want me to leave Darb with ya, or no?"
One minor decision to be made before she leaves you, and then you get to decide where you want to travel to first, Pathfinders!
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"Do you want me to leave Darb with ya, or no?"
Mama Jawchu eyes the hound suspiciously. She doesn't trust dogs. But maybe she can tame the beast.
Mama whispers a wilding word at the hound.
The beast is completely unaffected! Clearly it is too powerful for Mama Jawchu, she holds her staff defensively as she slowly backs away.
"No, thank you. Please take the fearsome creature with you." she says to Kupyn from behind Avery.
The beast is completely unaffected! Clearly it is too powerful for Mama Jawchu, she holds her staff defensively as she slowly backs away.
"No, thank you. Please take the fearsome creature with you." she says to Kupyn from behind Avery.
Darb sits on the ground, tongue out and panting.
"Woof!"
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As you approach the grove, a multitude of twinkling lights begin dancing about in the shadows beneath the ancient trees. Giggles and whispers fill the air, but you see nothing. Upon reaching the center of the grove, where scallions, garlic, onions, and chives grow in thick clumps amid the dark soil, the whispering stops and the twinkling lights fade.
Several diminutive fey wearing leaves and flowers emerge from their hiding places from within the wood. One, taller than the rest, wearing a crown of woven scallions and holding a purple onion flower (several times her height) like a scepter, steps forward. “I am Nelia Starsister, the Grove’s Grand Garlicia and Alliumic Empress. Who are you to set foot in our domain?”
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"Greetings Nelia." Mama Jawchu approximates a curtsy, bowing her head slightly.
"I am Mama Jawchu and this here is Toad." She gestures to the amphibian sitting on her head. "Winter Week is here and we would like to add your scallions to the rock stew."
Mama continues to hum the Winter Weak song quietly to herself, until singing the words "FIVE SCALLION RINGS"
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Hearing what you have to say, especially about the soup and the song, numerous brownies stick their heads out from just about everywhere around you (including a few from around your own shoulders). They mutter and grumble, as their Empress holds up a garland for silence, causing most of them to comply or wander off.
"We love Darb, he of yon sun-like color, very very much. Our finest hair-braiders sought to make his golden locks look even more noble and tied it full of braids and ribbons......then-Kupyn-came-by-the-big-grump-and-kicked-over-our-castle-an d-stormed-off-in-a-huff!"
The brownies motion towards half a dozen small logs that look like they were stacked on top of each other in a triangular shape without much holding them together.
"How do we know that Kupyn won't be a meanie if she gets these scallions, hmmmmmm?"
(Feel free to roll once you've said or done your piece! :)
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Rosa is able to find a good placement to repair the brownie's "castle" while Mama Jawchu (with a small bonus for RP) is able to convince them that no harm was actually meant.
The brownies put their little heads together, then give you all the scallions you could need for soup, and also promise to attend the Winter Week celebrations!