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<blockquote data-quote="Richards" data-source="post: 8105644" data-attributes="member: 508">The man awoke in a comfortable but unfamiliar room.&nbsp; His body had been well cared for: bandages covered his torso and leg and the sharp scent of antiseptic reached his nostrils.&nbsp; He hurt, but welcomed the pain; it was, after all, preferable to the death he had been sure was his due.Sitting up, and grimacing at the pain it caused his side to do so, the man got a good look at his surroundings.&nbsp; The room was bright and airy with a view overlooking the sea.&nbsp; Besides the bed on which he lay, the room boasted a set of bookcases and a desk and chair; upon the desk were writing utensils: pots of ink, freshly-cut quills, and a generousstack of clean, crisp parchment.&nbsp; An open book on the desk looked to be in the early stages of completion, perhaps a notebook or journal.The door to the room opened and an elderly gentleman entered, carrying a tray of food.&nbsp; &quot;Good day, my friend&quot; he said.&nbsp; &quot;I was hoping you might be awake, and thought you might like some nourishment.&quot;&nbsp; He set the tray down on the desk and helped the wounded man to sit up in bed, then assisted him with the bowl of fish broth he had brought on the tray.As the wounded man sipped down the broth, the older man introduced himself.&nbsp; &quot;My name is Jonas; I'm a sage of some small renown about these parts.&nbsp; You were found on the beach by a girl from the village, much the worse for wear, I'm afraid.&nbsp; The healer did what he could, and suggested you remain still for a few days.&nbsp; I had some extra room at my place and so had him bring you here.&quot;&quot;I'm grateful.&nbsp; My name is Cal.&quot;&quot;Pleased to meet you, Cal.&nbsp; How's the leg feel?&quot;Cal grimaced.&nbsp; &quot;It's been better.&nbsp; It'll be fine, in time.&quot;&quot;Let us hope so.&nbsp; Still, I've taken the liberty of sending a man to the city to fetch a friend of mine.&nbsp; A priestess, well-versed in the healing arts.&nbsp; I'm sure she can get your leg back as good as new in no time, once she gets here.&nbsp; That won't be 'til tomorrow, though, I fear.&quot;&quot;That wasn't necessary.&nbsp; I'm afraid I can't pay--&quot;&quot;Pish tosh, don't worry about that.&nbsp; She's a good friend.&nbsp; But still, if it's payment for simple human kindness that's worrying you, rest assured, there is a way you can pay me back in full, and then some, and it won't cost you a copper.&quot;&quot;Go on.&quot;&quot;My specialty is the sea and all of its creatures.&nbsp; You'll be spending at least the next day here, with an old man who rarely gets company these days.&nbsp; I'd be more than happy to take payment in stories of the sea creatures you've encountered in your life.&quot;&quot;What makes you think I have a stock of such stories?&quot;&quot;Well, Cal, unless I miss my guess, you've got some elf blood in you.&quot;Cal laughed.&nbsp; &quot;What gave me away, the ears?&quot;&quot;Sea elf blood.&quot;&quot;How--?&quot;&nbsp; Startled, Cal ran a hand up to his head and felt the stubble growing there.&nbsp; &quot;Of course, the green hair.&nbsp; How long have I been out?&quot;&quot;Two days.&quot;Cal leaned back in the bed and breathed out a big sigh.&nbsp; &quot;Well, I guess the secret's out then, huh, Jonas?&quot;&quot;Only out as far as me.&nbsp; And that's as far as it need go, let me assure you.&nbsp; I've always been fascinated with the intelligent marine races, but your culture remains one of the more distant.&nbsp; Mind you, I'm making no judgment; I'm just an inquisitive old man, eager to learn more whenever the opportunity presents itself.&quot;&quot;Yeah.&nbsp; Well, I appreciate the help, really I do, but I really don't think I ought to be spilling the secrets of the sea elves to just anyone, no matter how nice as they might be.&quot;&quot;I quite understand.&quot;Even though the older man was careful to keep a mask of joviality on his face, Cal could tell he was disappointed.&nbsp; &quot;Tell you what, though,&quot; he said.&nbsp; &quot;There's plenty of other fish in the sea.&nbsp; If you want, I can jot down a few lines in your notebook for you.&nbsp; Give you a fresh perspective on some of the creatures you probably don't get to see too often.&quot;&quot;That would be wonderful, if you feel up to it!&nbsp; Have you finished with the broth?&quot;&quot;Yes, thanks.&quot;&nbsp; Jonas cleared up the bowl and said, &quot;Perhaps it's best if you rest now.&nbsp; You don't want to try and do too much too soon.&nbsp; I'll check in on you in awhile.&quot;&nbsp; And with that, he left the room, closing the door behind him.Cal closed his eyes and thought about what Jonas had said.&nbsp; It surely would do no harm to indulge the old man's request.&nbsp; After all, he owed the elderly sage a lot, and if all he wanted was a few &quot;inside facts&quot; on a sea creature or two, where was the harm?&nbsp; Jonas would treasure the information, maybe even write a scholarly work on the subject, who could tell?But where to start?&nbsp; The sea lion?&nbsp; The hippocampus?&nbsp; The dreaded sahuagin, hated enemies of his mother's race?&nbsp; The possible topics were near endless; he had spent over half of his life with the aquatic elves, after all.&nbsp; Mulling over the possibilities, Cal fell into a deep sleep.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Richards, post: 8105644, member: 508"] The man awoke in a comfortable but unfamiliar room. His body had been well cared for: bandages covered his torso and leg and the sharp scent of antiseptic reached his nostrils. He hurt, but welcomed the pain; it was, after all, preferable to the death he had been sure was his due. Sitting up, and grimacing at the pain it caused his side to do so, the man got a good look at his surroundings. The room was bright and airy with a view overlooking the sea. Besides the bed on which he lay, the room boasted a set of bookcases and a desk and chair; upon the desk were writing utensils: pots of ink, freshly-cut quills, and a generousstack of clean, crisp parchment. An open book on the desk looked to be in the early stages of completion, perhaps a notebook or journal. The door to the room opened and an elderly gentleman entered, carrying a tray of food. "Good day, my friend" he said. "I was hoping you might be awake, and thought you might like some nourishment." He set the tray down on the desk and helped the wounded man to sit up in bed, then assisted him with the bowl of fish broth he had brought on the tray. As the wounded man sipped down the broth, the older man introduced himself. "My name is Jonas; I'm a sage of some small renown about these parts. You were found on the beach by a girl from the village, much the worse for wear, I'm afraid. The healer did what he could, and suggested you remain still for a few days. I had some extra room at my place and so had him bring you here." "I'm grateful. My name is Cal." "Pleased to meet you, Cal. How's the leg feel?" Cal grimaced. "It's been better. It'll be fine, in time." "Let us hope so. Still, I've taken the liberty of sending a man to the city to fetch a friend of mine. A priestess, well-versed in the healing arts. I'm sure she can get your leg back as good as new in no time, once she gets here. That won't be 'til tomorrow, though, I fear." "That wasn't necessary. I'm afraid I can't pay--" "Pish tosh, don't worry about that. She's a good friend. But still, if it's payment for simple human kindness that's worrying you, rest assured, there is a way you can pay me back in full, and then some, and it won't cost you a copper." "Go on." "My specialty is the sea and all of its creatures. You'll be spending at least the next day here, with an old man who rarely gets company these days. I'd be more than happy to take payment in stories of the sea creatures you've encountered in your life." "What makes you think I have a stock of such stories?" "Well, Cal, unless I miss my guess, you've got some elf blood in you." Cal laughed. "What gave me away, the ears?" "Sea elf blood." "How--?" Startled, Cal ran a hand up to his head and felt the stubble growing there. "Of course, the green hair. How long have I been out?" "Two days." Cal leaned back in the bed and breathed out a big sigh. "Well, I guess the secret's out then, huh, Jonas?" "Only out as far as me. And that's as far as it need go, let me assure you. I've always been fascinated with the intelligent marine races, but your culture remains one of the more distant. Mind you, I'm making no judgment; I'm just an inquisitive old man, eager to learn more whenever the opportunity presents itself." "Yeah. Well, I appreciate the help, really I do, but I really don't think I ought to be spilling the secrets of the sea elves to just anyone, no matter how nice as they might be." "I quite understand." Even though the older man was careful to keep a mask of joviality on his face, Cal could tell he was disappointed. "Tell you what, though," he said. "There's plenty of other fish in the sea. If you want, I can jot down a few lines in your notebook for you. Give you a fresh perspective on some of the creatures you probably don't get to see too often." "That would be wonderful, if you feel up to it! Have you finished with the broth?" "Yes, thanks." Jonas cleared up the bowl and said, "Perhaps it's best if you rest now. You don't want to try and do too much too soon. I'll check in on you in awhile." And with that, he left the room, closing the door behind him. Cal closed his eyes and thought about what Jonas had said. It surely would do no harm to indulge the old man's request. After all, he owed the elderly sage a lot, and if all he wanted was a few "inside facts" on a sea creature or two, where was the harm? Jonas would treasure the information, maybe even write a scholarly work on the subject, who could tell? But where to start? The sea lion? The hippocampus? The dreaded sahuagin, hated enemies of his mother's race? The possible topics were near endless; he had spent over half of his life with the aquatic elves, after all. Mulling over the possibilities, Cal fell into a deep sleep. [/QUOTE]

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