A Coming Holiday

Alqamar was a sleepy town most days of the year with few exceptions; the summer solstice being one of them. Even a small town like this couldn't escape the hustle and bustle that comes along with the biggest holiday in all of Nefetria, the night where the star Duat shines in the sky alone. In just a week The Ol' Boar Inn would be packed from wall to wall, filled with people from around the town and explorers alike looking for a safe place to celebrate the holiday. Even the druid order that stayed in the swamp the majority of the year would make its way into civilization to honor this most special of days. No one could escape the excitement.

Of course, this meant more work than usual for the guard order, between a few more incidents of public drunkenness and rival bands of adventurers getting into fist fights with one another in the town square. Emrakul sighed, walking through the Inn's front door and into the dining area at the bottom. Still in her uniform from the day's work, she spotted her lads across the room and hailed them, not surprised to see they had all managed to beat her there for the drinks they had promised to have together. She walked over, letting out one more small sigh before starting. "I do love this time of year, but boy it keeps us working late."

Sitting at the bar stools were close friends of the young Dragonborn. Xarus, a tiefling and close friend of Emmy, sat at the end drinking a cup of Boar Ale, old Garon's specialty and a drink that tasted much better than it sounded. A seat over from him sat Silas, a pale skinned young man dressed in plain clothing. He nodded to her as she took her seat between the two of them. "You should be thrilled, so little happens in this town, it must be nice to have some actual adventure and happenings to report." Their elven friend, Arisa, started to chime in, forgetting she had just filled her mouth with food. Impatiently swinging her legs that were closer to the stool-top than the floor, she put her fist in front of her mouth and quickly focused on chewing. "Heya, Emmy! What did they have you working on that kept you?" Beside her sat Dan, who sheepishly looked up from his drink to listen to his friends talk. A starting wizard by trade, he spent more time reading books than actually speaking.

"It's the same as every year around this time. Every year a bit after the holiday, Goblins come to town to barter that apples of theirs." Everyone at the table remembered very clearly the yearly visit of the goblins. Every year, shortly after the solstice, they come bartering a ruby red apple.

Silas placed his mug down and looked over at her. "You know, they say that apple can cure any disease of the one who eats it. Old Miss Mellaloss was blind as a bat until her husband decided to pony up the gold for it. Now she sees better than a child can."

Xarus sneered. "I don't see why we should be in dealings with those creatures. They sell us the apples, people could simply plant the seeds. The Goddess would frown upon any doings with Infernals." He stabbed roughly into his food with his fork and took a bite.

"The way I hear it, they've tried. Around the time the shrubs grow around two feet though, they vanish in the night. People assume the goblins are stealing them to stay in business. Makes sense to me, though we haven't caught any activity of them doing it." Emmy took a drink from the cup at her seat as she finished that thought. "Thanks to whoever ordered this for me by the way." Xarus smiled and replied that she owed him 1 silver.

Arisa sighed. "That's not the only thing. In recent months the rangers have found bodies of buffalo and farmers that have gone out of the town at night. Whatever monster is doing it is covering them in needles, but we haven't been able to track anything yet. It's like they don't leave foot prints at all. Combine that with the fact that the Hucrele lads haven't returned since they set off into the wilderness a month ago. Sigh. This town used to seem so safe, but things just keep getting stranger and stranger."

The atmosphere at the table grew somber for a moment, before someone changed the subject to something a bit more cheerful and the friends got to laughing about the day-to-day. Their conversation went into the night, as the bar filled up with more and more patrons, some familiar and some new, likely adventurers from out of town. The bar grew loud with merriment over time, with everyone enjoying their food and drink. This was, after all, the time of the year when this sleepy town wakes up.