Asurti stepped into his favorite Inn in Skara Brae and breathed deeply, enjoying the smell of coffee brewing and bread rising. His stomach grumbled and his mouth watered thinking of the breakfast he intended to enjoy. He looked around the room smiling a bit and nodding pleasantly to the few sleepy faces sitting at the tables. Asurti fully expected to encounter friendly nods back as he had every morning since he’d arrived on the shores of this land.

After a few moments, however, Asurti smile faded and he noticed that every person who met his eye only did so briefly before turning away and busying themselves with their platters and mugs. A few avoided his eye completely and he was perplexed when his favorite waitress took one look at him and bolted for the kitchen like a rabbit with a pack of hounds nipping at her heels.

As he was pondering this strange behavior, he saw Artemia approaching him. He knew the ranger slightly from his forays around Skara Brae but they were only acquaintances at best. He knew that Artemia had been the one to find Viktor badly beaten at the side of the roads months before and had been kept busy since trying to protect the roads from the band of wandering theives and ruffians.

“Storyteller, you may want to find your breakfast elsewhere. The people are tense enough as it is,” Artemia stated firmly, blocking Asurti’s path further into the room.

Asurti looked at Artemia in confusion but took her advice and abandoned his breakfast plans after looking around the room once more quickly. He made his way through Skara heading to the moongate and onto Britain. As he passed, he noticed the tense look on the citizens faces and the way they moved away from him quickly.

Musing as he walked, Asurti’s face suddenly cleared as it hit him, “Why it’s been too long since the citizens have had a good story! Of course that’s it! Poor things, their lives are so hard now they need a distraction and some entertainment.”

Asurti began chuckling to himself as he formulated an evening’s entertainment for the citizens. “Why, I know JUST the tale!”

Asurti started whistling happily as his stride picked up and he hurried to send the word out to all corners of the land.
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Please join Asurti the story teller at the Britain Counselor’s Hall, Sunday, June 10th @ 6 p.m. PST for a new story adventure.