She was hunting for them, seeking hir out. The ancient one, the magi who went by many names, the one who had a thousand children, and more grandchildren than the world would ever know, yet possibly none by their own blood. Spotting their camp, the kobold, hir, and the bugbear child. Slowly through the underbrush she went as silent as a shadow in the moonlight. Then, swiftly, she sprang. Sudden flares shot out behind her in brilliantly colored sparkles, almost blinding in the evening light, and she held out a huge bag of gifts, magic had allowed her to carry it, and shouted. "Surprise! Happy Founder's Day!" She'd been sent to seek out the one who'd helped found many the village and city that gave the unwanted homes. -- Anon Guest
In retrospect, Wraithvine should have really paid attention to the way Rawr kept looking off on one specific direction. The kids' new eye had something special about it, and when he looked off to the left, or closed his original right eye, something was askew in the way things should have been. As ze frequently said, Today, we learn. Tomorrow, we do better.
Anthe, naturally paranoid, glared in the same direction, but could not detect anything. Wraithvine made the mistake of passing it off as more of their combined and mutual nonsense. They had alerted at the presence of birds, hares, rabbits and, in one case, a goblin answering the call of nature in the woods. Anthe's reaction to that had simply accelerated the poor creature's process.
After the fact, with a held Chain Lightning ready for a definite attack, Anthe with her drawn daggers, and poor little Rawr halfway between hiding and attacking, Wraithvine swallowed hir heart back down and shrieked, "Don't do that! We could have killed you!"
The Tiefling-Elf Bard with the Tinker's goggles was slowly coming to the realisation that they may have made a mistake. They were all over shades of green and, were it not for the sheep-spiral horns, one could have easily mistaken them for a druid who had gone heavily into the aesthetic.
"Sorry about that," said the green Bard. "I thought it was a good idea at the time?"
"In a city, it may have been more welcome," Wraithvine let the spell fizzle.
"Probably," added Anthe, sliding her daggers back into her scabbards.
Rawr, still mostly fluff and maw, uncurled to offer an open hand with evident trepidation. He was still getting used to Wraithvine's philosophy, and was shakily attempting to be a pair of kind hands. He was a lot young for changing the world, just yet, but the heart was there.
The green Bard's face was an open book with large print. It read, Aaaww, I can't refuse a baby... They stepped out of the shrubbery and cooed, "Thank you, young man." After they made themself comfortable by the fire, they said, "I'm known as Shrubberie. Ze-hir, just like you, Wizard Wraithvine."
"I'd be flattered but I'm still recovering from the shock you gave us." The features. Oh no. Another great-grandchild of the spirit popping up from who-knew-where. "Descendent of Nique Wraithkin?"
"In a roundabout way, yeah. Adoption by kind hands. You know how it goes."
Wraithvine spared a glance for his two newer children, both taken in via one kind offer and two kind hands. That sort of thing had been happening for eons. And now he had even more news that people were paying it forward. "They call the place New Hope, right?"
"Nu'ope," corrected Shrubberie. "Wow you've been away for a while."
"I wander far and wide." Wraithvine accepted Rawr snuggling in under hir cloak for security. Followed closely by Anthe providing backup. "It takes some time."
"I guessed. We're about to have a tricentennial and Wraithvine the Everlasting is like... the only person still alive from the founding. We'd like to have you there."
"Is Armin the Evercursed still patrolling the border?"
Shubberie shrugged and made the 'I dunno' noise.
"Well," sighed Wraithvine. "I'm fairly certain that there's something to learn and something to teach in Nu'ope. Starting with our new friend and why it's a bad idea to sneak up on and surprise armed adventurers."
"Yeah, I've been told I don't think plans through..."
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / solarseven]
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