02. New in Town

 

 New in Town

As the sun continues its slow rise in the east, Nessuna, a Teifling, walks through the southernmost grove of Embryveil. Six feet tall with dark skin the color of twilight, she attempts to hide beneath the cowl hood of her cloak. Though she successfully hides her face in shadow, she cannot cover the horns that mark her race. The horns are coarsely ringed and deep blue, curving from her just behind her hair line, adding five extra inches to her height. The hood of her cloak has holes cut into them so that she is able to easily anchor the cloth to drape over her face. Strapped to one hip is a short sword and on the other a quiver of arrows, and strung to her back is her longbow. She keeps her three-foot long tail wrapped around her waist, tucked beneath the cloak.

She moves quietly from forest to Grove, eyes darting around, trying to take everything in at once with wide, wonder-filled eyes. She has never seen anything like the Groves of Embyrveil. 

She pauses in her staring and walking every few steps to excitedly jot her observations down in the journal clutched in her hand. When she had left the outpost many days ago, she had been determined to capture every aspect of this new adventure on these pages. For the most part, the trek thus far has been rather unremarkable, but she makes it a point to write something down even on those unremarkable days. But now her hand can hardly keep up with the speed at which her mind was trying to catalog the new environment around her.  

Walking through the forests from the outpost to where she stands now, the trees had transitioned slowly from normal trees to truly impressive in both stature and girth. But there was no mistaking that she is now in Embyrveil. The trees here seem even larger and more grand than any others she had encountered on the way. And folks live in them. She had obviously known that before starting off on her journey here, but she had imagined hammocks strung among the high branches or platforms built upon steady boughs. 

No, the trees of this place make space for the residents of Embyrveil. Bark bulges and stretches from trunks and whole facades of house protrude from trees. And there are multiple floors in the large trees, reminding her vaguely of the outpost tower she grew up in. Up, up, up she looks into the canopy, able to see the shape of many homes, all differently formed and in seemingly no order from tree to tree, some trees supporting only two homes and others having more than ten. And that was only the sides she could see! She circles the outside of one of the larger trees trying to count the amount of homes resting in its wooden arms, but she keeps losing track. 

Nessuna looks around bright eyed and with open wonder. She doesn't give a thought to how she must look, a stranger wandering through the winding streets, head tipped back staring into the trees. In this moment, she is more relaxed, more freely herself, than she usually allows herself to be. She doesn't feel the burden of her size, her background, or the horns on her head here beneath the whispering leaves high above her head and no person on the road around her. She feels only wonder and curiosity and excitement. 

Finally, she drops her gaze back down to the journal in her hands and begins writing. Observations, thoughts, even a sketch or two of the more stunning homes she passes. 

She has been traveling for several days to reach the edge of the city; finally here and in during the time of day where very few were out, she wants nothing more than to explore this strange, new place. But, the further she moves into the city and the more sun rises, the less empty the roads became. The Tiefling tucks her book away into her pack and pulls up her hood as the residents of Embryveil begin to stir from their homes. 

She feels her anxiety begin to spike and decides it is time to try to head for the center of the city where she expects that the festivities would be held. She is hoping to offer her help in some way. She hopes the offer is accepted and that the people here are kind… she had not known much kindness on her travels here. 

However, the city is much different than she is used to, and while it is certainly very beautiful, it is also deeply confusing. A civilization built into trees and roads that are far more organic than any of the ones around the outpost and forests she comes from. Nessuna has no idea how to get to the center of it all--or even if that is where she should be going. She wanders awhile, trying to orient herself while also keeping out of the way of folks as they exit the trees. 

Exit the trees! 

People live in these spaces. She itches to stop and take out her journal to write more about this place, but nerves stay her hand. 

treehouse by zelinecek on Deviant Art

The residents tend to their homes and the gardens around them. Though she did not know much about this place, this seemed more like a domicile block (outpost neighborhood) than a Commerce Hub (outpost term). And though every tree sports decorative ribbons and lanterns, she is sure that the main events of the festival will not be here. 

After too many minutes of wandering and possibly walking around the same few homes several times, Nessuna resigns herself to needing to ask for help and direction. She pauses in the shadow of one of the many storied tree homes and looks around anxiously for someone to ask. 

There are still only a few people in sight. An elven man tends a garden in front of one of the homes, but he is frowning and looks grumpy. From one of the homes just a little down the road, a human man rushes out, slamming the door in his hurry. He pauses to apologize to the tree before half sprinting down the lane, right past Nessuna. The rushing man passes a Gnome who is walking up the road with a slow, calm gait. 

Nessuna feels anything but calm. 

While traveling to the city, she had not run into many people, but the few she had encountered had not been at all kind. Upon learning that Nessuna was from near the Underdark, folks demeanor changed very quickly; and with it, their treatment of her. It was jarring and unpleasant. And she wants, very much, to like it here. She isn’t ready to brave conversations just yet.

She starts to worry that she will be forced to wander for another few days before she makes it to her destination and miss the festival entirely when she hears the sound of a ball bouncing. Her gaze pops up and she looks around, leaving the relative protection of her tree to follow the sound. Not too far off she spots two young boys in a small yard, playing some sort of game where they bounce a ball back and forth. Nessuna feels herself relax a touch. Children are much less intimidating than adults most times. 

Slowly Nessuna walks over to the boys, not removing her hood but doing her best to put away her nerves and appear friendly. She calls out a hesitant hello and waves when she gets the boy's attention. Stopping far enough away as to not seem strange, but close enough to be heard, she clears her throat.

“Um, hi!” she says again, trying not to let anxiety shake her voice. “Can- can you tell me where the center of the city is?”

The boys do not answer right away. They look up and up and up until they can meet her eyes under the hood of her cloak. Nessuna smiles closed mouth and wide, stretching the smile out to hide the trembling of her lips, hoping they would not run off screaming. The children don’t even blink at her appearance and this makes the knots in Nessuna’s stomach unravel a little bit more. 

“Uh, yeah,” one of the boys says. He looks to be the older of the two, though not by much. “You just go up that way and… it's beyond the river. Ummm, but you’ve gotta cross the bridge to get to the otherside of the river—”

“Hey!” the other boy says, coming up closely and tugging on the first boy's arm. “You shouldn’t be talking to strangers! Mom said not to talk to strangers.”

For a moment worry begins to creep into her gut, but she could see the second boy is not saying this out of fear of Nessuna, but rather because he wants to nag his brother. Amusement breaks through Nessuna’s mood and her smile becomes genuine. 

“Mom’s not here!” the first boy says with a dramatic eye roll before turning back to instruct Nessuna on directions. “Just go past the bridge. Everything is on the other side of the bridge.”

“Thank you,” Nessuna says, trying not to laugh at the two boys. “But your mom is right, don’t talk to strangers. I was just- I was asking for some directions.”

She suddenly feels really awkward about her contradictory statement and also has a worry that said mother was watching from a home somewhere in the boughs above them and would come running out to save her boys from a stranger. So she ducks her head in a small nod of thanks and mutters a hasty goodbye as she bolts in the general direction of the boy’s hand waving. 

She is far more used to a grid system to make sense of where she's going, but here the streets are organic and winding, seemingly determined by how the trees themselves have grown. She has to skirt around groups of smaller trees holding only one or two homes and large trees supporting tens of houses planted in the middle of a straight path and forcing the road to split around its girth. Nessuna wants to stop and write about every new thing she sees, but more and more people are starting their day. More than wanting to see, she doesn't want to be seen. Though it takes her a little while, by aiming herself towards the north-west—the direction the boy had pointed—Nessuna eventually finds the river. When the roads widen and there are fewer gardens and more signs, Nessuna knows she is headed in the right direction. The air feels damp and she can see the forest ending just a little ahead.

Awe stops only a few paces out of the treeline. 

Liquid gold tumbles under the bridge before her and races through the space between the two Groves. It had to be gold, because there is no way water could glitter and glint so beautifully under the morning sun. The air smells wet and the sound of the rushing river blends with the sound of wind moving through the tops of the trees all around her. Almost in a daze, Nessuna walks to the bridge nearest her and slowly makes her way across, stopping often to gaze over the ornate wood of the bridge down into the water rushing below. 

After long minutes, she finds herself on the opposite bank, staring back the way she came. She thinks about going down to the bank to get a closer look, but as she turns her wonder is caught by the Riverside Grove. 

The trees before her now are, for the most part, more squat and wide than the ones she had left behind on the other side of the river. But what they lack in size, they more than make up in grandeur. The portly trunks of the trees press outward and split creating windows with sap-like glass, colorfully painted doors are formed out of bark and vines, roots from one tree ringing another to create stairs to an upper level. Every establishment is uniquely formed in its own tree and tucked somewhere among the leaf-roofs or planted just before the opening of its door is a sign declaring the name of each shop.  

Image from Pinterest

 

The trees before her now are, for the most part, more squat and wide than the ones she had left behind on the other side of the river. But what they lack in size, they more than make up for in grandeur. The portly trunks of the trees press outward and split creating windows with sap-like glass, colorfully painted doors are formed out of bark and vines, and roots from one tree ring another to create stairs to an upper level. Every establishment is uniquely formed in its own tree and tucked somewhere among the leaf-roofs or planted just before the opening of its door is a sign declaring the name of each shop. 

To the left, as the bank rises leaving the river behind, she can see shops in trees running parallel to the river. Straight ahead there is another road that seems to decline and though she is able to see more shops, she thinks there might be more residential areas down that way.

Nessuna is overwhelmed with the options before her and for many precious moments is rooted to the spot like one of the trees before her. Her fingers don't even twitch in the direction of her journal so struck she is. 

Finally she begins to move, though almost unconsciously. Her feet wander without much direction from her mind, and she finds herself walking along the riverside, her gaze jumping from the golden waters to the gorgeous shops often enough to make her feel a bit dizzy. Though there are more people on the streets now, they do not even register to her at this moment.  

She passes a tavern, a glass smithy, a healer, and an artificer. There is a funeral home, but she moves quickly past that and stops in front of a bakery named The Wild Flour. 

The tree that houses The Wild Flour is shorter than the others around it but far wider. The door is painted a bright yellow and rests above the fat, twisted roots of the tree. A sign is brightly painted with intricate and colorful patterns depicting different baked goods and bags of flour. One of the sap-glass windows is propped open and the enticing scent of hot bread wafts to Neussna, waking up a sudden hunger in her stomach. 

Nessuna wistfully glances farther up the road and is able to see a book shop, and though she desperately wants to go there, her stomach will not be ignored. She climbs the fat roots of the shop and pushes into the Wild Flour still a little high on wonder. 

Once inside, she is hit even more strongly with the scent of bread and warmth, but mixed with it are some sweeter notes, some floral notes, and even a savory note or two. Her gaze is immediately pulled to the shelves lining the walls filled to the brim with foods of different colors, shapes, and sizes. It makes her stomach curl in anticipation and her mouth water. 

"Can I help you?" a voice asks, as Nessuna's attention is snapped to a human woman sitting behind the counter to the right of the door. The woman has mousy-brown hair tied back in a bun and sits slumped back in a chair with arms crossed as she takes Nessuna in.

All of the ease and wonder of Nessuna's mood seizes as reality crashes back to her and anxiety attempts to gain control once more. Nessuna does her best to hold it at bay. A place this beautiful could not be filled with terrible people. Right?

"Yeah, um... do you have anything that’s light on the stomach?" 

"Umm.... Bread?'' The woman's voice is gruff with sleep and her tired eyes sweep back and forth across the many items on display in the shop. "I mean we got lots of bread. Bread is gonna be pretty easy." The woman's gaze returns to Nessuna, and though she can tell the woman is clearly exhausted, much like with the boys before, she sees nothing negative in her eyes. This helps Nessuna to wrest back some of the ease from before.

"Is there a specific kind of bread that you like?" the woman continued. "We got plain bread, we got white bread, we got rye... uh, there are a lot of different types of bread. But everything else here will be pretty much sweet."

"Oh, I will go for some rye bread," she says softly.

"Okay." The girl gestures to a shelf on her right, but when Nessuna follows with her gaze she only sees an empty space. The girl sighs before she turns her head slightly over her shoulder and calls further back into the shop with a raised voice. "Amaryllis! Do we have any rye bread?"

Out from the back comes another human girl, but her energy is the opposite of the girl at the counter. Her thick hair is barely held back in a ponytail, the wild, dust covered curls bursting in all directions behind her head. Actually, all of her is covered in dust. Nessuna can tell that the girl has an apron on but is unable to determine its color under all of the layers of flour, egg, and clumps of wet dough. The girl arrives in the room wide eyed and stares at the woman behind the counter.

"I- I just put some in the oven. It's not ready yet!" Her gaze shifts to Nessuna and the wildness seems to pick up a tick as excitement vibrates her form.

"Hi! I'm Amaryllis." Her voice is bright and loud in the quiet shop. In her peripherals Nessuna can see the woman at the counter flinch before closing her eyes and rubbing at her temples. Nessuna quickly focuses on the girl called Amaryllis in front of her.

"I- I'm Nessuna," she stutters. "I'm new around here... obviously," she trails off at the end, wanting desperately to take a step away from this energetic human girl. Even though Nessuna towered over the girl, Amaryllis was... a force, she could already tell.

"Yeah, yeah," the girl says with archer focused eyes trained on Nessuna and present nods. "Where are you from?"

"An outpost near the edge of the forest."

"Which edge of the forest? I don’t know if you noticed, but we have a lot of forest here!" Amaryllis laughs at her joke, getting comfortable in the conversation. 

"Where?... Um, well. I- I guess you would consider it near the Underdark." Nessuna’s voice gets smaller as she finishes the sentence, unsure of what the reception might be.

"Wow, I've never been there. That sounds really dangerous."

"A little bit, but it's a good spot. There are plenty of us and we take turns. We haven't really had any issues in a long time." Nessuna rambles, not knowing if what she’s saying makes sense to someone not from her outpost.

"So you're here for the festival, yeah?"

"I am!" She responds a little too loud, grabbing onto the new subject like a lifeline. "Could you tell me when events start? I have heard of the Firefly Festival before, but I have no idea what to expect."

"I mean it's already kinda started. But the festival properly starts tomorrow so you came at the perfect time! It's going to be so lovely. You've never been before?"

"No, this is actually my first time in the city."

"Oh! You're gonna love it. We actually have a booth down in the Grove of Elders. We'll be there tomorrow afternoon so you should definitely stop by! We are gonna have lots of bread. And I am preparing some cookies and stuff so it's gonna be really, very good."

Nessuna nods, smiling at the girl and feeling far more relaxed than she had at the start of this conversation.

"So, like... you're like from the Underdark? You lived there?"

The tension rolls back in without pause.

"Um... sort of. I mean, I grew up there as a kid but all I remember is the outpost. My parents were both rangers and they just did.. very different things." Amaryllis nods along saying nothing. Nessuna isn’t sure if this was a good thing or not, and not knowing makes her loose-lipped and overshare. "My parents would go out for a little bit of time and come back. So I really just knew my little group of people. So I am not really from the Underdark, I’m from just outside the Underdark? It's more forest than anything else."

"Awesome, awesome." For the first time Amaryllis’s gaze kind of skitters away for a second and it makes Nessuna uneasy. But Amaryills's eyes lock back on her and there is curiosity in her gaze.

"Okay so, I don't wanna be rude, but like… are you a Drow? I've never met anyone from the Underdark before so I am not sure. Is that a bad thing to ask?"

Nessuna is stunned for a moment. Then a moment more. This is the first time she has ever been asked something like this.

"No," she says, drawing out the word slowly. "No. I don't have the pointy ears."

"Well I can't really see under the hood…"

"I'm a tiefling." 

"What's that?"

"Uuuuuhmmm." Nessuna is very, very uncomfortable. And flustered. Are there no Tieflings in Embyrveil? Or just so few that someone could really not know about the existence of a whole race?

"Was that rude?" Amaryllis asks. Nessuna doesn't know how to respond. 

The other woman finally drops her hands from her head and opens her eyes. Nessuna is not sure what she sees on her face, but whatever it is has the woman sitting up in her seat and leaning forward.

"Right, so if the rye bread isn't ready yet would you like to wait for it? Or we have muffins that just came out ten minutes ago if you want that. Amaryllis, shouldn't you go check on the ovens back there?"

"Oh gosh! You're right, Nena." Amaryllis gasps and tugs on her apron, relaxing a fine dusting of flour on the floor at her feet. "It was really nice to meet you. Nessuna, right?"

Nessuna
(ai generated image)

"Yes, Nessuna."

"Well I hope you love the festival! And be sure to check out our booth tomorrow!" she calls with a bright wave, spinning around to disappear into the back once more. "It was great meeting you!"

"You too," Nessuna says quietly as the girl exits the room, taking most of Nessuna's tension as well as a lot of her energy.

"So..." The woman called Nena says, gaining Nessuna's attention. "Did you want a muffin or do you wanna wait for the bread?"

"A muffin would be great." Nessuna says with a soft smile. "And... thank you."

"Yeah, no problem," the girl waves the thanks away. "That will be two copper pieces."

{Part Three: The Book Nook by the Brook}