Lorekeepers Inn: Opachii’s Stay

Lorekeepers Inn: Opachii’s Stay

By Justin O’Neal

“Oh hello there, you must be the new person in town. I welcome you with all my warmest regards! A villager brought you here after spotting you unconscious out in the woods, to the Lorekeepers Inn, where stories come from all over the place. New content arrives only so often, though the stories do bring in a wide amount of travelers. They either have a story they would like to share, or hear. Its nice to see the Inn growing in such a rapid pace! Many people who drop their stories off are those, of travelers passing through. It is hard to tell if the stories are true with the wide amount of people stopping in, but they are still a delight to read --Tales of those who travel are always the most intriguing.”

The Inn keeper doesn’t have a clue who the man he is talking to, isn’t quite comprehending to his where abouts. He acts if though he were a lizard, looking every which way, with scepticism in every glance taken. “Where--where am I?” The stranger a little confused, he still managed to mumble beneath all the commotion going on within the Inn. “It’s all arcane to me! The last thing I remember is gliding through the mists of the forest by foot. I must have passed out or something! Oh, not again.”

“What is your name?” A young winsome lady intruded. Her hair was a glossy brown, and worn in a ponytail that came over her shoulder. She stood maybe five foot four. Her eyes, when she batted them at you, were mesmerizing, they were hazelnut colored. She was just outstanding, words she spoke being nothing more than a sweet melody.  

The mans heart was racing wondering if she was talking to him. He gave her a confused look as if it were wrong for him to be spoken too. “I-I’m Opachii.” The mysterious man stuttered while trying to remember his own name, he was dumbstruck. Why would anyone of such beauty speak to him?

“Why so surprised O-pa-chii-- is that how you pronounce it?” The Innkeeper speaks though already having trouble with the newcomers name. “Is this the first time you have spoken to a woman before or something?” The Innkeeper pleads as if he hasn’t had a hard time speaking to women himself.

Opachii Flinches, trying to reassure himself; trying to stop daydreaming about the girl that is, he is still puzzled about the whole thing. “I have, just not one with staggering beauty. What are your names?” Opachii asks out of kindness.

“My name is Mia.” The girl flashes a smile at Opachii.

“The regulars know me as Emrik. It’s a pleasure to have you here!” Emrik also smiles, but… it wasn’t as enthralling as Mia’s.

A silence broke out. It was so quiet, you couldn’t even hear a pin drop! Seemed as if someone cast a soundproof barrier on the place. Then an abrupt cough, coming from Opachii’s direction, broke the silence, bringing attention to himself.

“So… I suppose I have a few questions if you could spare the time answer them.” Trying to demolish the tranquility of silence that flooded the Inn.

“What might the inquiry be?” Emrik raises an eyebrow and strokes his beard, professionally ready for any question that may be thrown his way.

“What is this place? I know I’m in the Lorekeepers Inn, but what hamlet am I in?”

“This is Emerson.” Emrik states with such gratitude. “It is quite a small village.” His boasting turned into a little disappointment. A small settlement isn’t always the greatest. Emrik feared Opachii came from a kingdom of somesort. “The village can only hold a few hundred people.”

“Thats good I’m a bit social phobic. Could you describe the village a little to me?” Opachii seems to have brightened up after hearing there weren’t too many people within the walls of which he now lives. “I can’t really go back to my old village anymore. It just, vanished. I know where it should be, It’s just not there anymore.”

“Hmm, thats quite bizarre. Maybe you could tell me more about the mystifying experience after I get to your question. The inn loves to getting new stories whenever there is one to be told. Your story on the other hand seems to be fairly interesting, new I suppose you could say. Not often do you get word of a village dissipating. It may just be the best article to be logged into the chronicle. I just started this inn up a few weeks ago, so there really isn’t much in the journal yet.

“Emerson; though a small village, is well organized. The huts are lined up in such a manner they make a cross with a circle in the middle, where the towns market is set up. A dirt route allows for a set of huts on each side, making a total of eight rows of housing. It may not seem like much but for only that of a few hundred citizens, it seems to work just fine.

“The marketplace is my favorite part of Emerson. We have a blacksmith, alchemist, leatherworker, jewelcrafter, inscriptionist, and an herbalist. Most villages will have a few professionists at a time, that is what makes this ones market so remarkable. Emerson also has to offer a place to where you can bring in raw meat you scavenge from beast, and they will cook it up for you. There is also a first aid, fish market,  and Bazaar.”

“The first aid is never short on supply, Emerson has one of the cheapest care units in the entire sphere.  This is because over the years we have obtained many different types of herb seeds, containing just about all the healing properties we need for this village. We were able to get these seeds from travelers who would sell their herbs to us. One of our citizens, who was in need of herbal tea to cure headaches, accidentally discovered something that would change everything. They had forgotten about the stocks to the herb, and found them a few days later, in a puddle of water, with roots growing out of the stem. That allowed us to get seeds from that plant after it bloomed, so we tried it with plants we have gotten afterwards, not all worked, but most did. We were able to germinate roots by simply placing them in water. What herbs that worked we then started collecting seeds when they bloomed,and grew  more of them to collect more seeds to have a ready supply.

Then eventually Emerson was able to make it’s own herbal garden. We gave each herb five rows each in a length of about forty to fifty each. To spice the fields up a bit we then took the wood from trees we had to cut down in order to fit the garden, and put ties up around each different herb to separate them. Making the plot a little more organized, and easier to organize. There was still enough wood left over to make signs, that way we don’t have to harvest the entire crop when someone is in need of help.      

“You can sell fish you catch to the fish market, or take it to the cook for them to prepare you a dinner of great delight. The fish are mostly sold to those who pass through the village. They need more food for their journey. Since there is a large amount of wet, slimy creatures that lurk the water. We figure it’s best to sell it to travelers so we don’t overflow with fish. Fishing is one of the top pastimes around here as well. We even have a dedicated day for everyone to get out of their house and get the “biggest” catch. Who knows, if you stay maybe you can experience the contest.”

“The bazaar, I won’t go to much into it, but is used for travelers to drop off unwanted items they no longer need in their satchel. It has some of the best artifacts you could ask for, though business there is a little slow. Mostly because the only people who truly buy from the Bazaar live here. Most of the bypassers need every little bit of money they make from selling items for their journey, and as much space as the can have. It would almost be pointless for them to sell then buy. That is of course unless they are heading back after a journey.

“It all sounds to good to be true! Now I guess it’s only fair for me to share to you my story, so it can be apart of the chronicle too.” Opachii announces a bit querulously, and soon begins to look up on his dreaded fear of being alone once again. He felt as if the Lorekeepers Inn was to be his home all this time.

“You seem pretty wore out, why not see if we can’t book you a room for the night? Tomorrow then, you can tell me your story, on your fullest strength. I’m sure all that has happened, has left you stumped and dumbstruck.”

“You’re right, my head is a little foggy. I would probably forget to include important matters. Problem though, I don’t really have any currency. I wasn’t expecting my village to disappear, I wasn’t quite prepared.”

“Not a problem, I will let this night slip, that way you can take a little time to figure things out. I can help you find a job and place to stay if you decide to live here in Emerson from now on.” Emrik gestures a welcoming smile.

“Really? Thank you! There weren’t many--anyone for that matter, at my old village, Vongor that were nice, or willing to help me.”

“Thats a shame. It looks like we have a few open rooms. Since you don’t have any belongings, right this way.” Emrik motions his right arm, guiding Opachii up the narrow staircase, to the left and into his room. “Sorry if it seems like I’m abandoning you, but unfortunately something has come up.” Taking a nervous look over at a piece of parchment. Emrik can see letters starting to appear on the paper. Only bad things were written on that parchment though, from an enchantment someone had cast on it. Despite what he knew, he managed to keep calm, as he yelled “I hope you enjoy your stay, and figure things out soon. See you in the morning Opachii!” while heading down the stairs.