110
Read to everyone:
As the Carja family gets up from the table and begins to gather their dishes, the adults notice you looking for a place to sit and beckon you over. The two middle-aged men are accompanied by a pair of teenage girls, all of whom look travel-worn and tired, but in good health. The men introduce themselves as Verdant Faruk and Golden Elin, and their daughters Hanin and Lenyara.
Narrators who would like more background can read the bio for Faruk and Elin.
If asked how they came to Mother’s Watch, Verdant Faruk will answer:
“We used to grow food crops in the Royal Maizelands. Not just corn — we could grow anything the Sun King desired. But the day of the Eclipse, a Deathbringer awoke from deep beneath our fields. We’d had no idea it was there, our we’d never have let our daughters … anyway.”
“We’re just farmers. We thought we should leave the fighting to people with spears and slings and Oseram cannons, not rakes and hoes. But when the Deathbringer awoke … it destroyed everything. It didn’t even move! It just sat there, shuddering and creaking.”
“Black smoke poured out of it, eating everything it touched. Elin and I sat and watched as our crops withered, greyed with death, and crumbled and vanished before our eyes. The smoke glowed red, getting brighter the more it ate, and returned to the Deathbringer, feeding it. Ancient wounds repaired themselves, bending metal plates back into place with horrible shrieks and groans.”
“We didn’t wait to see what would happen when all the wounds were closed. We grabbed what we could carry on our backs and ran, away from Shadow lands, of course. At Daytower, we heard the Nora had opened their gates, so here we are.”
If asked what they think they will do next, Golden Elin will answer:
“We’re farmers — that’s really all we know. The weather is a little different in Nora lands, and we’re told it gets much colder in the winter, but we think we can make something here. The Nora don’t seem to have much in the way of worked land, and we don’t know much about hunting, so I think we can learn from each other.
If asked about “Verdant” and “Golden”, the older daughter Hanin will take her sister’s hand and answer:
“Back home we grew all kinds of things, but before we were born our dads started with just a single field of corn. When we were kids the Sun King visited the Maizelands and saw that our fields were the healthiest around. He saw the green stalks and golden silk and said it was all so bright it hurt his eyes. His adviser, I forget his name, said it was a most verdant display, and the Sun King agreed. They doubled our land, and we’ve gotten more ever since. Until the Deathbringer ate it.”
If Thia is in your party, Thia will recognize this story and may take this opportunity to establish a rapport with the family.
If asked about the group of people gathering around the lodge, the adults will take turns explaining:
“Many Carja families have come through, but not all have stayed. The builders have been setting up new lodges as fast as the lumber can be collected, but there’s never enough space. Each night, the Nora coordinate space and beds for all of us.”