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The old man had lived in a little house that sat by itself on the edge of the valley. Most of the town considered the old man eccentric or downright odd. He hardly ever ventured out of his home anymore but when he did, he would tell tales to anyone that would listen about strange places and mysterious creatures.

But two days ago in the common room of the pub, in the middle of a grand tale about a huge beast with wings and scales, the man had simply fallen out of his chair and died. As he had no apparent heirs, the townsfolk gave him a small funeral and then promptly walked to the edge of the valley to help themselves to the old man's valuables.

Glenn, who had always been considered a bit on the dumb side, came with them, as curious as the rest. He had to duck in order to fit through the small door. Inside was cluttered, but Glenn made his way toward a large bookshelf. He had never learned to read, but liked to look at the pictures in books and he thought maybe his aunt might like to have one. He picked up a large volume and opened the cover. A worn piece of parchment fell to the floor.

Carefully, Glenn unfolded it to reveal a map with a large X marked on it. "What's this?" He asked the first person that walked past.

Not sure what was going on with the flow of towns people, Grain held his sickle tight as he just finished in the hay field.
Straightening up he began following them. As he entered the house he wondered around.
“Excuse me,is this a party?” He watched as the townsfolk rummaged threw the clutter.

"Old man Phineas died," Glenn offered as way of explanation to Grain. "I heard someone say since he's got no heirs, any of his stuff is free."

"What do you think of this?" Glenn showed Grain the map he had found, not considering that it might not be wise to share his find with others.

“O, I didnt know about Phineas death. I will miss his stories!”
Grain took one hand off the sickle and wiped the hand on his pants.

Leaning towards Glenn,Grain reached to carefully tilt the map with his clean hand so he could catch a glimpse.... “Maybe a map,maybe a map from one of the stories!”

“We should find one of the scholars to see if the can tell us more.Maybe there is an adventure to be had.”

Grain looks across the room to see if there is any goods he should scope up before someone else does...

“My name is Grain,what’s yours?” Pausing Grain whispers to Glenn,”Maybe,we should look for Phineass diaries..”

"I'm Glenn," he replied, then looked back at the map with new wonder. "Ya think maybe it's from that story about the trolls tossing him into the lake, then he stole their loot? Or maybe that one with the fairy folk he tricked? Or the bully-wog he got past in that forest?"

There were so many stories the old man had told and all of them seemed to end with Phineas acquiring some new wealth or the hand of some fair maiden. The fact that he had been unwed and lived alone didn't even cross Glenn's mind, never gave him cause to question if Phineas might have exaggerated at time.

Already he was envisioning himself... and Grain, of course ... fighting off monsters, gaining magnificent treasures, and rescuing princesses from the clutches of danger.

"I bet it's from his tale about the dragon with the pile of treasure," he stated, getting excited and started pulling a few books off the shelf. "What would those diaries look like?" he asked. "I never had a reason to learn how to read these before," he said, slightly embarrassed by the admission.

Excitement began to fill Grain as he listened to Glenn...
This could be his chance to get out of the hay field.What adventure must wait for the two of them on the way to the X. He began to pull books from the shelf quickly barely takeing the time to really look at each one.. He sat them down near his feet n a stack.

But what was it Glenn just asked?What does the diaries look like. Grain slide the book back on the shelf. Then reaching down and picking up the stack on the floor and sat the books on the bookshelf edge.
Reopening the first book he went threw he did his best to read the title and the first page.”Im not sure what a diary like is like,it’s something I heard families chattering at dinner tables in conversations.” Grains face saddens as he looks at Glenn,” Just something I’d hear threw windows as I pass homes when I leave the hay fields.”
“Maybe check where you found the map for anything of interest. I’m not good at reading either and I can not read other languages but I can identify some.”
Grain looks down at the book again, deciding this was of no use to them he sat it down on the floor again.

"My Aunt Dotta knows how to read... she tries to teach me every once'n while," he frowned. He'd never really tried that hard on the lessons and had never before seen any real value in it. Not like the important stuff like learning how to butcher animals or using the colors of the sky to know if it was going to rain tomorrow.

"It was inside this one," he lifted one of the larger books entitled Fantastic Flora and Fauna of the Blackmarsh. Glenn paged through the book, looking at some of the hand drawn illustrations of various plants and sketches of animals large and small.

"Hey, you think old Phineas buried some of his treasure there at the X?"

Grain looked up,”Maybe we should take a few books for her to look at.”
Spreading a few apart he pulls a greenish book out.,” I can not read it but this symbol in the middle is a wood elf signature. I think.”
Grain holds the book for a moment ,” Hey let me find something to put some of these in.”Grain moves towards a room where some men a shoveing a mattress threw the door. Reaching for the end he gives the mattress a pull freeing up the door way.
Grain steps in bed room and heads for the closet. Opening the door it appears no one has looted it yet.A few clothes are hung on the wall. Upon the floor a some used boots and a couple of empty backpacks. As Grain picks up the packs. A dirty tattered blanket lies folded.Grain grabs the blanket and boots shoving them into the pack.
Grain walks back into the room where Glenn stood with the book and map. Offering the empty backpack to Glenn,”Here you can put those in this, let’s look for more stuff. There’s clothes in that closet in there . I’m not sure if you need them.”

"A wood elf?" Glenn had never seen an elf before and thought that he would very much like to meet one. "Let's take that one too then."

Taking the offered backpack upon Grain's return, Glenn put the flora and fauna book into the pack, plus the one with the suspected wood elf signature, and then a few random others.

A woman pushed past them, her arms laden with a heavy stock pot that she had filled with various kitchen tools and sundries. Another man, equipped with a large sack already half-way full came over to the bookcase and started piling books into it. Glenn glanced worried at Grain, fearful that the diaries they sought were being stolen by this man, but there was little he could do about it.

In fact, in only about 15 minutes, the townsfolk had managed to strip the place of most things that weren't nailed down.

Glenn hurried to gather the clothes in the closet, putting as many into his pack as he could shove in there. No matter if they didn't fit. His Aunt Dotta would appreciate the fabric.

"You wanna go see her ... my aunt, I mean... and see what she think bout the books and the map?" he asked once he could fit nothing else in the pack.

Grain noticed the worry in Glenn’s face before he hurried in the direction of the room.
Thinking to himself This guy could be snatching the diaries,if there where any.

Grain buffed up,” Hey neighbor, me and my friend where collecting those books.
Those could be useful to the halfway house children.” Not really waiting for a response Grain dropped his backpack and gripped the sickle, not in a threatening manor. But more so as a yeah this is about to happen situation.

In the background Grain heard Glenn asking about visiting his aunt,”Yes I would but wait a moment I’ll collect the rest of these books.”
Grain noticed an onlooker watching to see what was happening. Grain moved towards the man. The man stepped back. Grain gets close enough to get a good look at the mans face Incase he needs to find him later,”You can take the ones you packed the rest is for us and those that need them.”
The onlooker ran past the two hopeing not to get caught up in the mess.It was a young lady nicely dressed.
Stepping back a little Grain offered space enough for the man to leave.

The man smiled disarmingly at Grain as he proceeded to put 1 more book into his almost full pack, seemingly unconcerned about the sickle. "Well, lad, it seems great minds think alike!" he exclaimed. "Why, don't you know, I'm taking these very books and these other sundries to the halfway house for children this very evening! It was what dear old Phineas would have wanted, I think."

"Would you like me to take those ones for you as well?" he asked, gesturing at the ones Grain had piled on the floor. "Since I'm going anyway, I'd be happy to save you the effort."

Grain look the room over to see if he would hit a by standard if he swing the sickle.
“How do you know what Phineas wants?”

Looking back at the man Grain tries to judge the swing as to not hit the bookcase.
“No,you may not take this stuff.”

A few other townsfolk had paused to watch the confrontation, but were staying well out of the sickle's reach in case things turned ugly

"Very well then," the man hefted his full sack over one shoulder. "Probably better as I've got what I can carry," he commented as headed past Grain and started toward the door. "Good day to you lads."

Grain looked to see Glenn’s where about.
Hopeing to himself he didn’t get crossways with a good citizen trying to help others.
Grain grabbed the remaining books and shoved them in his pack. What didn’t fit he carried backpack strapped to his back and sickle in free hand...
“I’m ready Glenn. Lead the way.”

Glenn hefted his pack easily and started home. He talked the whole way about stories he'd heard Phineas tell over the years, sometimes repeating himself or mixing up the details, but growing ever more convinced that the map must lead to some grand treasure just waiting for he and Grain to go claim it.

The pair followed the path that wound it's way down toward a slow-moving river where a small house sat nestled in a wide bend. The widow's little place looked tired, though it was obvious that it had some recent repairs to the thatched roof and to parts of the fence that held a few head of cattle.

"Ms Dotta!" Glenn called as they walked up the narrow pathway and a woman who was probably in her thirties appeared only a few moments later, wiping her hands on her apron. "Just in time for lunch," she said, holding the gate open for them both and giving Grain an appraising look.

"This is Grain," her nephew said by way of explanation, ducking his head slightly to enter the door.

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Grain smiled upon the introduction, “Ma’am.” He gave the women a nod. As he walked past her. He continued following Glenn.
Thoughts of his encounters with the man where put to ease once he thought of the possibility of a home cooked meal.

"Got some stuff from old man Phineas," Glenn said to Dotta, too excited about the prospect of treasure to wait until after lunch. He let the backpack fall to the table with a loud *thud*. "Books and some cloth and this," he was pulling the map from where he had tucked it into his shirt.

Normally she would have chided him for dropping the pack on the table, particularly when she was about to set out lunch, but the news of the books immediately peaked her interest, so she let it slide. "A map?" she said as he unfolded the parchment and she looked closer, her brow scrunched as she squinted a bit. "I wonder where it shows," she commented and Glenn felt a small bit of disappointment that she didn't know.

The gentle hush of a quiet river proves just enough to mask her steps. Something very particular had summoned a young woman to town - namely the death of a man she used to know. She's a small slip of a thing at only five and a half feet tall and not even a hundred and a half pounds. The term 'fair folk' doesn't seem to apply to her light olive complexion, but her pointed ears hidden under her unbound and wavy hair seem evidence enough of what she is. The angled planes of her face and lean body only further serve to identify the green-eyed beauty as something not human. As luck would have it, a wood elf has come into their midst.

As far as they know.

It's not as if they can tell she's actually the scaly thing in one of Phineas' stories. The creature that caused his heart to stop at the mere memory of her, only shifted into a different form.

One of her ears twitches as if jumping at the sound of a hefty thump solidly hitting against a wooden table. A part of her considers staying concealed, in going on her way to find the man's corpse and search for -- all at once she turns sharply at Dotta's two words. 'A map'. Just my luck. She tells herself in many shades of emotion. One of luck, humor, exasperation, and most of all; mischief. Knowing she'll have no better timing, Zamora makes her way to the door and knocks.

“I have these also I don’t know what they are if you could look them over.”
Grain unloads the books he collected aswell.

Before he said anything else, a knock on the door.
Grain decides this is his opportunity to try on the boots. Takeing off his left boot he tries on the old mans. it fits a little tight, but they are better then what he currently wears.
Putting on the other boot he packs up his old boots,These are headed to the halfway house.

"Oh, that's probably Marsilia, come for some milk," Dotta said about the knock on the door. Her eyes lingered on the map for a few moments more, then at Grain's pile of books, almost as intrigued as the two young men.

She pulled herself away, and went to open the door, "Marsi... oh, ah, hello." Dotta was a bit surprised to see the stranger standing there. At first glance she seemed a young woman, perhaps even younger than Glenn, but then Dotta noticed her features and her eyes widened in surprise. It was not every day that an elf came knocking on one's door. She forced her mouth closed, realizing that it had opened slightly with her surprise, then cleared her throat and smoothed out her apron with her hands. "How... how may I help you?"