Wenlan's Escape

The man smiles warmly and waves Wenlan over, "It seems as though you've been through a lot. May I ask what brings you to our settlement?"

"Come, let us take you somewhere with food and warmth so that you may rest. I am Galen, and this settlement is called Valleyview. You no longer have anything to fear, The Order of Karkross keeps this place safe."

He guides Wenlan towards the settlement entrance, and waves to a few people passing by. Several are wearing dark red robes, or have dark red tunics like Galen.

Galen leads Wenlan towards one of the smaller buildings, and knocks a specific pattern on the door. An older woman in dark robes answers, and Wenlan can smell delicious food from inside. "Greetings Mara, this woman was lost in the woods and fortuitously stumbled upon our settlement. I am hoping you can provide her a place to rest, just for a bit."

Mara looks Wenlan up and down with pity, and waves her inside. "Dear look at you! Sit, join me for lunch. Unfortunate things happen to people in those woods, you're in luck. This is a safe place." From the doorway, Wenlan can see a table with three chairs, but there is only food placed infront of one at the moment.

"This is Valleyview, a settlement founded long ago as a refuge for those who are lost in the woods. I've been here many years, but not since the beginning." She sips a warm tea, and continues. "Many of us have seen awful, awful things happen out there. It's a blessing that The Order works so hard to keep us safe within these walls."

"How long have you been lost?"

The lady brims with excitement, Wenlan can tell she is passionate about this subject. "The Order of Karkross is a remarkable group, true heroes that bring order and calm to the harsh wildnerness among us."

"I think you've seen a few of them around, in dark red robes. They patrol the woods during the day, and guard this settlement at night. They are the reason we know safety, and we should be grateful that the spirits saw them fit for this mission."

As the woman continues, Wenlan can definitely tell that there is a cult-like tone to the organization. She also hints at "gifts" in a way that indicates some of them have access to some sort of power others do not.

She furrows her brow when you ask about danger, and speaks in a quieter tone. "There are some who don't have the faith that we do. They've given in to hopelessness, roam the woods in gangs participating in theft and violence. Awful business."

When asked about the ruins, she changes gears and is more upbeat. "It is a site of great magical energies, meticulously studied by some of our best scholars. You know... you're eager to learn miss. Why don't you rest today in my extra room, and in the morning we can go together to the Church and you can find out what it's all about?"

Oh no didn't mean to mix you up, the Ruins are interesting and holy, but no where for people like us to go. The Church is just here within the settlement's walls, a safe place to learn about the righteous work The Order partakes in.

After a bit more casual conversation, she shows you a modest room you can rest in. It has a bed, and a basin to wash in, and she says that she can have someone bring up warm water a bit later if Wenlan wants. Other than that, she leaves Wenlan alone for the rest of the evening to rest.

When the morning comes, she knocks on the door fairly early and leaves a brown full-length dress for Wenlan. "There are certain expectations at the Church, I trust you'll find this more appropriate." She also leaves some fresh bread and cured meats for Wenlan to help herself to before they depart.

As they head to the church several people offer morning's greetings to Mara, including one of the guards. The church is two stories, and upon entering Mara goes to the right and down some stairs, beckoning Wenlan to follow.

The stairs lead to a fairly large room, in it several chairs arranged in a circle with people in four of them. A man in a red robe stands up when he sees Mara, and encourages Wenlan to have a seat and join the group. Then, he walks to a hallway with Mara and they have a short conversation.

The others in the circle look solemn and are mostly staring at the ground, except for one younger lady who motions Wenlan to sit beside her. Upon doing so, she leans in and whispers "Don't buy it, they're cruel. Plan an escape.", and then sits back in her seat normally.

"I'm Tanya, been here a couple days I think. I'm really not sure. I don't know about this man, but the chaser sounds like one of the Robes. Do they have you at Mara's?"