Beatrice
Quest: The flowers of Meredia
Type: Intrigue/RP-focused
Description: In the small village, magical flowers are blooming. This is very odd and hasn't happened before in living memory, but no one seems to care. Those crimson-red daisy prove to be a very effective remedy against most illness and it brings incredible wealth to an otherwise very poor village. Many different type of people are pouring in; doctors, merchants, scholars and many more seeking an easier life. Although this sounds fantastic, troubles seem to be on the horizon. What will happen to the flowers of Meredia?

*You can clearly see from far away the small wooden palisade that is still only halfway built. It's thin and probably wouldnt resist a Kobold's assault, but it does it's job. With large fields of corn and a mountain not too far away, the village of Meredia offers quite a view. Approaching the town, you can already hear the very vocal merchants trying to attract customers looking for a fresh meal under the boiling heat. A small door on the palisade opens as you walk toward it. You can see an old man, dressed in a torn tunic, a chainmail shirt too large for him and a lance. He waves to stop you and shout with a rusty voice:* "Hey! State your buisness before stepping in!" *Although his words may be clear, they dont feel any threatening as the palisade is wide open just a couple feet from him.*
Marguerite
Jaina was dressed as she typically did. She had a small swig of alcohol in a pouch on her hip. When thinking about dwarves, or hill Lora if you prefer- they often think about the men. But wouldn't there be women as well for this species? Jaina was quite beautiful even by human standards, though she wasn't a human. She had long black hair and blue eyes. No facial hair, of course. She was a mercenary by trade, and a warrior by choice- for hire. 

All friends she had were dead, and she didn't have much of an attachment to her biological family. So she currently had no one. 

But perhaps trying to set out on a quest could help clear her head. She sometimes appreciate the natural beauty you could find outdoors anyways, though some might not immediately believe it about her if they'd just met her. 

Jaina said,"I'm merely a traveler, curious about the beautiful flowers of this place. I was told there was something truly special about them, and that I might be of help to the people here. So I am here merely to help where I can. As you can see, I'm a mercenary as well. But that doesn't mean all my services are combat based- I do whatever is needed, wherever I go."
Beatrice
*The old man rolls his eyes and steps out of the way. In a sarcastic tone, he spits back:* "Yeah yeah... Like everyone. I never asked you your life story. Im not even paid to do this..." *He keeps mumbling to himself after that, but stepping in, you see the beauties Meridia has to offer. The tall oak tree in it's center with red daisies on it's roots makes for a pretty picture. All around it, merchants have established themselves while mages and scholars dressed in bright colors are negociating with them. The few peasant that come and go seem angry and annoyed by the crowd as they try to make their way. A couple steps further, you notice a small company of mercenaries, all dressed in bright red, that are guarding the flowers. What do you do?*
Marguerite
Jaina smirked at the person. She was trying to be polite, even if she was known for a talkative nature. Her past self would have gotten angry and tried to pick a fight with him immediately- but she was trying to be less reckless, less temperamental and less brash. Her friends had all died- and her own actions made it feel like she should have died instead of them. They were the cautious ones, she was the reckless one- it wasn't fair that she lived and they died.

She would hold in her anger as best she can and NOT attack him. Her old friends would be proud of her. She simply gritted her teeth and said,"Thank you."

She approaches the oak tree and the flowers, to view them closely. See if anyone was close to the tree and maybe start a conversation with them.
Beatrice
*Approaching, you can smell the flowers as others seem to be in awe around you. Everytime a mage or a scholar tries to touch one, he receives serious glares or even gets hit by someone in the crowd. Most are taking notes and seem to be very serious. Behind you, a woman raises her voice and puts an hand on your shoulder.* "Aren't you here from the flowers? Why arent you taking notes, scholar?" *The woman is young, less than 30, but seems to have worked her hands to the bone and carried more than a mule in her lifetime. She is dressed like a slave and her black unwashed hairs hides her beauty.*
Marguerite
Jaina said,"I'm actually not a scholar. Hence my sword on my back. I'm a mercenary. I was nearby and decided to pay this place a visit. I'm not an expert though, perhaps you can teach me some things about these flowers?"

"Some things that one who has worked as hard as you have, would know- as opposed to what the scholars think about them."
Beatrice
*She looks angrily at you and nearly bolts back on the spot. She waits a moment and stares at you.* "Then why are you here! These flowers only brought pain to this village. They may be red and heal wounds, they kill the spirit and leave this place bleeding dry." *She then moves out of the crowd toward a small inn that seems empty from the outside.*
Marguerite
Jaina attempted to follow closely behind her, not letting up for a moment. This was definitely too interesting to let slide. She had asked for this woman's point of view, not the scholar's point of view, and now when this woman had hinted at it- she was trying to leave. She headed towards the same inn the girl was headed toward, trying to follow the woman as closely as possible!
Beatrice
*The inn itself looks completely trashed. Broken tables, broken chairs, beer on the ground and an old man sleeping at the bar. As the women come inside, he wakes up.* "Maya, im awake! I wasnt sleeping! I was. Not sleeping." *With drool still on his mouth, he smiles as the woman moves swiftly downstairs behind the bar. The man then looks at Jaina* "And what can old' Jackson do for you pretty lady?"
Marguerite
Jaina decided her usual blunt nature wasn't going to change, so she'd just try to be polite as she could with being straightforward. At leat she could try to make her words hit less hard than they used to.

"Well... I heard the flowers have actually done bad things for some of your people, and I want to understand it from that point of view. They are beauitful, but I want to understand the point of view of a hard worker- someone who isn't here to merely look at he flowers for their beauty or be a scholar and study them- I want to understand what the native people of this city feel about them."
Beatrice
*He sighs deeply and keeps an uneasy smile.* "Well you see, Meridia was and has always been a small farmer's village led by our mayor; old' Franz my brother you see!" *From downstairs you can hear a female voice shout* "HE'S NOT EVEN YOUR BROTHER YOU OLD FART" *Jackson smiles even more and keeps going.* "As I was saying, the village was calm and peaceful until these flowers bloomed last spring. One bookish fella grabbed one of them and got so excited he must have wet himself!" *He chuckles, coughs, then looks nostalgic and sad.* "But from there, they all came by the dozen. Without any care for us poor workers, they only cared about the flowers. They destroyed all my tables, my beds, my whole inn with their recklessness! Now some merchants built fancy inns, sell foreign goods and become properous! They even engaged mercenaries to keep peace... But they are only bullies." *He smiles softly and looks at you again* "But hey, thats Ol' Jackson for ya! Always complaining!"
Marguerite
Jaina said,"I'm a mercenary, but I wasn't hired by anyone to come here. I was merely curious about the area. I could... Be hired by you, if there's services you are looking for me to do, Mr. Jackson."
Beatrice
*He laughs out loud* "If only I had coin to pay you Young lady! And what's your name Mercenary?" *He looks genuinely intrigued by your identity. He pours you a drink as he asks his question*
Marguerite
"My name is Jaina. I'm a hill Lora, or as some humans have called me- a dwarf. I don't mind the term, honestly. Some may, I don't. I'm not much older than 200, so i figure I still got plenty of years left in me. Hmm... Maybe if I were to help the town, maybe together you could pool something to pay me?"
Beatrice
*The old man smiles widely, showing what's left of his theets.* "Well in this case Lady Jaina, I will tell you a little secret!" *He smiles even more and whispers* "I know a spot in a marsh not far from here... There, you'll find red daisies just like those in the village. But those are poisonous." *He suddenly looses his smile and becomes stoic* "Bring some back here... We'll start selling them and maybe halt this madness. Some may die in the process but that price has to be paid."
Christina
🆙 | **TheAskail leveled up!**