Curiosity did what, now?

[lurkingkobold]

The kobold's research cave is coming along nicely, after her previous adventure - the floor carefully flattened (by teleporting stone out) and softened (by teleporting sand in); the permanent portals to Deva and the cavern's exit, currently closed to anyone who doesn't know the passwords, but marked off, with spaces set aside for several more portals; her experimenting supplies tucked away behind further portals in her workspace; a small cache set up for her new translation necklace and any other magical items she might happen to find in her travels.

And, now, another portal, leading to another new world. She double-checks that she has her traveling gear - translation necklace, teleporting ring, twine - completes the spell, and peers through.

Comments

[lurkingkobold]

"Elves," she whispers, gesturing down the trail in the direction they were heading with her nose, then listens some more; "mounted."

She retreats into the underbrush.

[last_one_out]

Huh. Well then.

He considers the interpretation of reality he will shortly be acting under. Mysteriously transported from home to this unnaturally bright forest. Confused but not very alarmed because, after all, unnaturally bright areas are supposed to be low on monsters and this one's holding up the bargain so far. This is his completely ordinary and unremarkable magic translation necklace, which he would not like to part with because he has no idea where he is and certainly doesn't imagine he can speak the local language by himself. This is his magic ring, and its functions are no one's business but his, and being questioned about them is mildly offensive and being asked to give it up is extremely offensive. What's a kobold? What's a tigerfolk? For that matter, what's an elf?

That seems to cover it. He settles into the appropriate air of curiosity/caution/bewilderment.

[lurkingkobold]

And, shortly, there are elves. Half a dozen of them, in fact; one, apparently the leader, is riding an absolutely gigantic fluffy black bear with a white snout and white marking on its chest; the other five are on pointy-eared, spotted cats about half the bear's height and maybe a third its mass, or slightly smaller than a horse.

They're moving at a pretty good pace when they come into view, but start slowing down when they spot the Aluvai, and they've slowed to a walk by the time they're in reasonable shouting distance.

[last_one_out]

He blinks up at them - confusion, mild wariness - and waits a little longer until they're in reasonable less-than-completely-shouting distance before he says, "Uh, hello?"

[lurkingkobold]

The elves come to a stop, and the one on the bear gives one of the cat-riders a questioning look. The cat-rider shrugs, and the leader turns back to the stranger. "Hello! What sort of creature are you, and how did you come to be in our forest?"

[last_one_out]

"I'm an Aluvai, and I have no idea," he says. "I just appeared here from where I was before. It was very surprising."

[lurkingkobold]

The elves seem alarmed at the latter half of this. The leader addresses one of the others: "Quill, go back to the village and tell the others - Petal and his apprentices first, and then see what the council wants us to do." The addressed elf nods and turns back up the path while the leader dismounts, landing with practiced ease and the steadying help of his spear. "I'm Swiftness Wintercloud, and these are Goose, Dusk, Hare, and Thorn, of the Saffron Fountain." He indicates the other elves in turn as he speaks, then bows.

[last_one_out]

"I'm Elarron Kevarsin," he says, and returns the bow. "Do strangers often spontaneously appear in this forest? Nothing like it has ever happened before at home."

[lurkingkobold]

"No - that sounds like foreign magic, I've never heard of anything like it. Can you show us where you appeared?"

[last_one_out]

He looks doubtfully back along the path, then shakes his head. "I'm not used to finding my way in a place like this, and I think I've gotten lost a few too many times to find where I started."

[lurkingkobold]

The elf nods. "We should bring you to the village, then. Not all the wildlife here is as well-behaved as Blueberry." He pats the bear's flank affectionately. "Do you ride?"

[last_one_out]

"I do, yes, but I'm only familiar with goats as riding animals."

[lurkingkobold]

The elf glances speculatively at the bear's saddle-less bulk, but concludes, "It's not too far to walk. Dusk, you're with me; Goose, you take Hare and Thorn and go check for tigerfolk - we were assigned to the south bend of the river, but check the eastern bit, too, Lizard's team was assigned there and you know how they are. Don't engage - if they're setting magic traps we want them alive, just report back and we'll get a trapping squad to follow up."

Goose nods, and Hare and Thorn fall in behind her and they set off down the path. Swiftness makes no move to re-mount, but starts walking, and the bear and remaining elf follow. "Can you tell me anything else about the trap that brought you here? What you were doing right before you appeared?"

[last_one_out]

"Nothing exceptional," he shrugs. "Went for a walk in one of the wilder parts of my family's holdings, got attacked by a giant snake, and then before I'd figured out what I was going to do about the giant snake, here I was in this extremely brightly lit forest."

[lurkingkobold]

"...extremely bright? You're from the underdark?"

[last_one_out]

"I don't know what you mean by the underdark, but it doesn't get this bright where I'm from."

[lurkingkobold]

"The caverns," he gestures, "underground. I've never seen them, but the traders are always coming back with stories of the latest wonder or monster the dwarves have found down there."

[last_one_out]

"Oh. No," he says. "We have caverns where I'm from, but I didn't live in one. We just don't get much direct sunlight."

[lurkingkobold]

Swiftness considers this, and concludes "Huh. And are giant snakes common, there? I'm a little concerned that the trap that caught you was meant for the snake, instead - not that we can't handle a monster if we need to, but we've already had one attack here recently; if there's going to be more, we'll want to be prepared."

[last_one_out]

"They're reasonably common, yes. Was the other attack also a monster...? I was under the impression that monsters were very rare in the sunlit lands."

[lurkingkobold]

"No," he sighs, "worse, someone took an axe to one of our trees. In our own forest, I can hardly believe it."

The bear, walking beside the elf, reaches its head over to whuffle his hair with its nose, eliciting a sad smile and a pat on the flank.

[last_one_out]

"...I'm not sure I understand," he says. "There aren't really trees at home like you have here - I've heard of them, but I've never seen one before today."

[lurkingkobold]

The elf blinks, and considers this for a minute.

"Trees are alive, like all plants, and like all living things they're sacred. But trees are special beyond that - trees can live forever, if they're protected, and trees and elves are the only things in the forest that can. To take that potential and end it for a bit of fire or some trinkets is a tragedy."

[last_one_out]

"Oh." He considers this. "Yes, I see what you mean."

[lurkingkobold]

Swiftness nods, and pats his bear, and walks on in contemplative silence.