Friends and colleagues talked and considered purchases of useful or interesting items they wouldn‘t see again for a long time. Lenris and Icressah among them went on browsing the foreign items until the day receded. Night fell and tired people broke off from the group to wander towards their beds. When there wasn’t many of the village people left a large female approached Lenris. She carried a foreboding air perhaps due to her ruff exterior, several scars and places with cracked scales were prevalent on her, it may have alternatively been traced to the massive weapon strapped to her back. It was a wooden rod reinforced with copper and a hunk of metal at the end, a very thick crescent shape facing away parallel from the handle. It was a blade but Lenris guessed it’d do as much work crushing as cutting because of it’s wide angle and dull surface.
“Are you Lenris? One of your elders gave me your description.” “Yeah I’m Lenris, is there something you need?” Lenris replied a little confused. “I’m Cerphyla and talking to you for my village Regjoral, we live just a few days distance to the south.” “I’ve heard of your village, it’s a religious village right?” “It is and that is also why I’m here, we need you to fix our temple. One of the sides is pretty bad, you might have to rebuild the whole thing. We will pay you very well and we have materials at the village so you wouldn‘t need to bring any.” With a pensive, furled brow Lenris thought for a moment and said “Give me a little time and I’ll have an answer for you soon.” In the morning he had made his decision, he would be traveling to his neighbor village before the day was through.
He park up a few possessions he thought he’d need. A couple of silver coins and the wooden figurine of the salamander in a pouch hung from a string over one shoulder and under the other. Finally he also brought some food in a larger bag secured to his back. When all the preparations were made he found Cerphyla waiting by their place of departure. This was all very new for Lenris, he had never left his cozy little village before now. Thinking about leaving his home caused a nervous feeling deep in his core. Apprehension battled worry as he made his first steps out into the wilderness.
During the beginning hours the land around them largely continued to endure in its swampy elements. Small pools green with scum, trees gnawed off at the base and dragged away, shy wild life darting out of sight the moment they heard the procession’s advance. Eventually less willow trees hung and the salamanders were not to be seen as oaks and birches became the dominate foliage and the giant cranes seemed to disappear.
Although Cerphyla was not especially talkative and Lenris was just a little shy a conversation budded out of desperation before long. The two went on about many different things, from foods to people and tradition. Cerphyla’s people had heard of some stressed relations with the little, soft things from the east. They had been preparing to put them in their place, apparently they didn’t like foreigners much.
