The few spots in King's Valley that could be considered towns were the few spots Galvynn didn't mind venturing in to. There was a much closer kinship with the nomads of the valley than most others. Plus the establishments were always much smaller and less compact so he did not feel as stifled. 

But the mood inside of Thunderhoof Village was even more subdued than he expected as he and Bucky strode in. Emptied streets and turned over baskets made it clear whatever had happened here, happened in a hurry. Did something attack the village? It didn't look like there was any blood or damage, but a lot of panic.

He motions his head to send Bucky off in the opposite direction as he starts wandering through town. Bucky snuffles the dirt to try and pick up the trail of whatever is going on. Galvynn, meanwhile, looks for any signs of what may have happened. No claw marks.....no signs of natural damage....Maybe it was some type of flying creature? 

But what could chase off an entire village? It was either something incredibly powerful or just incredibly scary.

"Careful where you go Bucky....something strange is definitely happening, we just gotta figure out what."

---

SPOILER: Click to show

Quest Name: Attack of the Killer Wasps
Participants: Two or more
Location: Moonglade, Marshflats, Kings' Valley
Post Requirements: 5 posts per person, 200 words per post
Reward: +1 Renown
Description: People have been getting used to the presence of Fae in Charon. Many of the creatures have even begun to find places to call home. However the nature of the Fae remains the same, with many of them still pulling pranks and causing mischief. We are unsure of where it started or who began the trend, but pockets of Fae are now starting to release thousands of wasps into isolated areas, such as small villages or areas of high travel. Locals are being bombarded with the swarms of wasps, which is causing quite the disruption. We need brave adventurers to help locals survive the swarm and find a way to rid the area of the pesky creatures.

A triton walked through the city streets along Thunderhoof village not paying much attention to his surroundings just idly walking through with no care in the world. He had arrived in the village to lay low for a few days after successfully pulling off a contract killing on a corrupt politician. It wasn't something to do in the village so he decided to look around and find somewhere to take a nap. If there was anything that places like this did well it would give folks nice peace and quiet out in King’s Valley.


As he strode along he didn’t pay much attention to the lack of people figuring to himself, “Eh, guess folks just all slept in today, they probably had the right idea”.

Vonoros would head towards the nearest tavern or inn someplace he could rest his head and get a drink. As he found one he noticed it was empty, not even a bartender to speak of, now things were proving dire. Taverns usually were always open no matter what and to see no one around caused the triton to feel that something was wrong.

He quickly went to the tavern looking around for any sign of life he’d start yelling, maybe someone would hear him and explain, “Hello, Hello, anyone out here dude? I’m looking to get a drink but no one's around. Where’d everyone go?”

The first and most obvious thing Vonoros would see when stepping out of the tavern is a large dire badger drinking from the well in the middle of town. The creature was smart enough to paw at the crank that moved the bucket, dropping it back down to refill a couple times. He laps at the water happily, unaware of anyone else in town.

Not too far away from Bucky, Galvynn could be spotted crouched down in front of some alley cats. They mew and weave their way inbetween the druid's legs as he smiles. He offers out hands for small pets and scritches.

"Do you know why its so quiet around here friend?"

Mew.

"Oh...hiding? From what?"

Mrrrow.

"Hm...well that would be concerning. Are you all safe?"

Purrrr...purrrr....meow.

Galvynn gives a small laugh at the answer, "That is good to hear. Continue to stay safe, OK? I will see what I can do about the others." With a little flourish of his hands, the grass in the alley suddenly fills with little tufts of catnip.^[1]

The druid stands as the cats prance away to play in the alley. Galvynn looks around, finally hearing the triton calling out to the void. He watches the man for a moment, he certainly doesn't seem like a villager. Still...

"You might want to head back inside. Apparently there is some sort of disagreement with wasps in the area. I plan on going to talk to them, but don't wanna have anyone hurt in the meantime.....though I guess if you were I could just heal you.." He is suddenly more distracted thinking about if this warning was even necessary.

---

1. Plant Growth

As Vonoros kept trying to get anyone’s attention he’d notice something big drinking from the town’s well. He walked closer to get a better look at it realizing it was some sort of big badger.

“Woah badger bro, that’s pretty cool”, he’d say, squatting down looking and finding the sight of an animal smart enough to use the crank to get water, very amusing. After a few moments, the thought hit him, maybe the fellow had an owner.

“Hello! Is anyone out here? Anyone own this badger over here?”, he’d yell out trying to get anyone’s attention. For as much as the man enjoyed his quiet time something about an entire town so still and motionless, it deeply weirded him out.

Soon enough he relaxed a little bit hearing an actual voice that wasn’t his thoughts. A faint smile would appear on the man’s face as he saw Galvynn approaching, relieved that someone was here, “Hey there fella, thanks for the heads up. Wait, what do you mean by disagreement with wasps? That sounds honestly pretty funny, mind if I tag along and see what this is all about? Don’t worry about me getting hurt. I've been through a lot worse in my life than just a few bee stings”.

Bucky turns his head, chin dripping with water. His heavy paws thud into the ground as he turns to toddle towards Vonoros. The glacial pace he moves at makes it hard to view him as a threat, plus there is no snarling or defensive posture. Just large sniffs at the air to see if he can find a snack hidden somewhere on the triton.

"Yeah the cats told me the wasps are mad about something the people did and when they came to ask about it, the people started swinging stuff at them and they got mad...Doesn't sound like anyone was hurt, but I don't want this to escalate any further."

Around the town, there was damage to some buildings and broken brooms or chairs. Surprisingly though, no blood. At least none in an amount that would be concerning to either of them. Still, the puncture wounds on some of the buildings showed these weren't any normal sized bugs.

Galvynn raises an eye brow at Vonoros offer, "Well...I'm not exactly the type to tell people what they can or can't do. So if you want, I guess I won't stop you. Guess that just means if you want, you can leave whenever too right?" He gives a soft laugh as he reaches down to give Bucky a little pet.

“You’re a pretty cool critter, you know that big buddy?”, Vonoros laughs looking over Buddy as he toddles towards him, “I like your vibes already”, before focusing his attention on what the stranger had said.

“So you’re telling me that the cats of this place told you this? How’d you manage that odd fellow?”, he questions the other man, “That seems like it makes sense though, looks like everyone is mad at each other today. Everyone just has to cool off and relax, getting angry does no one good. Glad to hear everyone’s alright but we better step in to resolve things before they get any worse”, Vonoros glances over to the damage to the city noticing the punctures on the buildings, “Yeah, actually we’ll probably need to talk to those wasps and make them chill out”.

The triton chuckles, “You seem like a good enough guy already to say that, don’t worry though I ain’t the heroic type so if things get too crazy I’ll leave ya without problem. Nice to meetcha name’s Vonoros. What's yours and this big fella’s name? Looks like we’re in for quite the buzzing time today huh?’”.

"I asked them." He gave the simple answer, forgetting that beast speech is not a talent that is common to many. To Galvynn, it's as simple as asking any other regular human a question.

Bucky snuffles at the triton a few more times before relenting from his nose-based assault. The badger didn't mind fish, but it wasn't his favorite. This guy smelled like sea water, so Bucky imagined he didn't have many bugs on him. No one ever did, Galvynn was the only person to regularly have grubs in his pockets.

"I suppose having someone else could help....it'll make them less likely to attack if there three of us." He thinks a moment, scratching the back of his head idly before perking up with a sheepish smile. "Oh right, uh Galvynn and this is Bucky."

The pun passes over Galvynn like a breeze. Being disconnected from society in such a severe way meant he didn't recognize jokes from time to time and often despite his best efforts his own attempts at jokes fell flat.

"If things do go bad just don't....don't hurt them. It's pretty likely they are just upset over something the people did, I don't think they would attack so needlessly." He motions for Vonoros to follow whenever the triton is ready so they can zero in on these wasps.

“Oh really? You understood them”, the triton would question giving the strange fellow an odd look before just shrugging deciding it wasn’t the weirdest thing he’d heard ever, “Well that’s pretty cool if you ask me, haven’t heard of people speaking to animals before but hey there’s always a first for everything I guess. I’m sure those bugs will surely see reason with the three of us working together. If they don't do well I’m sure I can convince them to listen to reason, I have a particular set of skills you see”.

“Can’t promise ya anything though about hurting them especially if they start with those deadly stingers. But since you asked so nicely I’ll try to be as peaceful as possible. Nice to meet you two Galvynn and Bucky, I’m sure we’ll get along fine. You two seem like chill dudes and have good vibes flowing round ya”.

Vonoros places his hands behind his head and follows Galvynn as he leads towards the wasp.

“So, what’s the plan? Just asking them nicely to stop? What happens if they just say no and do us like the poor walls and buildings in town?”, the triton questions as they walk.

Galvynn frowns a bit as he considers what they would do if the wasps turn down an offer of peace. He wasn't exactly the type to do harm, though Bucky could certainly plow through more than a few wasps. The only time the druid ever harmed something else was while hunting and that was for food, wasps weren't food.

"Let us just hope it doesn't come to that." It was the best answer he could think of in the moment.

A hand touches the bear jaw necklace he wears as they walk, a reminder of why he is so slow to violence. Bucky nudges at his free hand as they walk and Galvynn breaks from his momentary funk with a soft smile. He scritches the rune badger between the ears, his gaze rising back to the road in front of them.

"I suppose if they attack and you kill them, I can't really hold that against you. It's a difficult line to walk sometimes, trying to do as little harm as possible, but you at least seem willing to give me a chance to speak with them, that's as fair a deal as I can ask for given the circumstances. Bridging the natural world and the human world is tenuous at best."

As they walk, they head towards the forest. The treetop thickens casting a shade over the pair as they make their way towards the buzzing sounds in the distance.

“Yeah let’s hope we can all be chill and friendly with these bee fellas but be prepared yourself if things go south Galvynn. Or not it’s your choice what you do, do whatever you want my friend. However, if it does come down to those giant wasps trying to kill us then just go ahead and run away. I’ll handle things if it gets to that point so don’t worry about being a hero or anything”, Vonoros would remark honestly.

“I respect your respect for the natural world dude, trees and stuff are pretty dope in my opinion. I’m personally more of a sea type of guy, I just really enjoy looking at the ocean for hours and being like damn that’s an ocean. It’s a pretty calming experience. I'd recommend it if you're into being one with nature. Enough about me though what’s up with you dude? How’d you end up in Thunderhoof? Do ya have a family in the town or something?”.

Normally the triton was more than happy with just walking in silence but the strange fellow interested him. After all, you don’t get to meet someone who can talk to animals every day plus Galvynn had pretty chill and peaceful vibes.

"I've spent plenty of time around the sea...though most days call me to the woods and forests, it seems that is where I am needed most." He smiles softly as they walk.

The forest is dotted with little hives of activity. Some are the normal bee hives you would expect, some are wasps nests. So far nothing is sizeable enough to house the giant wasps they are looking for.

"I walk...that's how I end up most places." He offers out a hand for a little bird, sharing a few chirps with it as it rests in his hand. After a moment it returns to its previous flight.

"No family....though I guess in a way everyone is family....at least connected whether they recognize it or not. In the wide reaching, all things in nature are connected kind of way." Galvynn laughs gently as he looks to Vonoros. "I just walk wherever each morning, sometimes I run into situations like this where I can help. Other days I walk without seeing a human. I rarely choose where I am going specifically."

The druid pauses his walking and holds up a hand. He points to some of the treetops ahead. Branches sag a bit lower than usual, hidden amongst the leaves are large wasps nest. The dwellings are bridged across multiple trees, needing several branches to support their weight. Wasptown has been located.

“Where you’re needed the most. What’s that mean?”, the triton questions, “Galvynn what exactly do you do for a living? Are you some of ranger or shaman type of fella? I mean I guess that’d make sense you do look the part”.

Vonoros would glance occasionally, keeping an eye out for any signs of trouble but only seeing small hives, nothing that screams giant wasp home. He was letting Galvynn take the lead simply matching his pace since the odd fellow looked like he knew where he was going.

“Gotcha I ain’t got a family either, well except a little sister but that’s been a new thing. But that sure is a funny way of thinking buddy, everyone’s family and connected huh? So you’re saying to me and that little bird are like cousins according to you?”, he jokes, making himself chuckle.

“So you just travel around helping animals running into giant wasps? Sounds like you sure have an eventful life if stuff like this is normal to you. I mean I’m usually around a lot of humans on a daily basis, trust me you’re not missing much. Honestly, I’d much rather have the companionship of a pillow or a blanket than a person personally".

Before Vonoros could say another word, he stopped in his tracks seeing Galvynn hold his hand up. The triton’s yellow eyes darted towards where the man was pointing confused at first thinking he just wanted to show him the tree. It was only after focusing on the tree that he realized they had arrived at their goal, Wasp Town.

"A living?" He raises an eyebrow, confused by what the question even means.

It takes a moment of thought before he realizes what it does in fact mean. Plenty of times people had tried to hand him bags of little metal circles of various colors, a strange way of thanks he thought. He had always refused though, it wasn't exactly something he had a use for. He would be likely to lose it somewhere along the way.

"I don't do anything for a living...I live. I don't have the typical needs of other humans...I can find and forage my own food just fine, hunt when I want to, I am comfortable outside and don't need shelter."

Everything he wore was handmade from the looks of it and well worn too. It wasn't a lie that he didn't need really anything from society. No strings attached freedom, or at least as close to that as a person can get in this world.

Galvynn is similarly silenced when the buzzing intensifies and they find themselves slowly approached by the wasps. Each one was the size of a mastiff, not impossible for someone like Vonoros to handle, but way, way too big to not be a little weirded out. Even Galvynn was a little surprised at their sheer size, and number. Wasps didn't fly in such swarms like bees.

"Hello friends...We aren't here to drive you out....I want to hear what went wrong. What did the people do to hurt you?"

Soon enough the Killer Wasps began to surround the two adventurers and their size was no joke. It made sense and matched up with the large puncture wounds on the wall that he spotted back when they were in town. Each one was about the size of a really big dog and it was a freaky thing to see, their eyes and bodies usually just a tiny little dot that buzzed around were not full size, and their odd insect eyes and six legs creeped him out just a little. It wasn’t just one or two of them either, there was a whole herd of big wasps around them even if the triton was able to escape it certainly wouldn’t be unharmed.

It didn’t exactly intimidate the man but he was at least going to try to keep things peaceful. Getting covered with large piercing stings was not something he wanted to deal with so he was going to play it cool and chill for now. Vonoros gives them a faint wave and just stands by letting Galvynn do the talking. He wasn’t going to take the chance and say something to piss them off, not yet at least. The Wasps cast their gaze towards Galvynn as he speaks looking at each other until one of the wasps comes up to him and begins speaking to him the only thing that Vonoros can hear though is just loud buzzing noises.

"Uh huh..."

Bzz...bzzt bzzz.

"And then what happened?"

Bzz bzz bzzzz....bzzzt....bzz bzz.

"Just like that?"

Bzzt.

"Can I have one second to talk with my friend? He may have an idea how we can find a solution to this."

.....Bzz.

Galvynn turns to Vonoros as if all of that conversation was normal. He gives the triton a look seemingly asking for his opinion before he remembers Vonoros understood none of that at all.

"Right, sorry, seems like the village is growing and they needed wood for buildings...guess who was living in those trees? Exactly....so I really feel for them because their homes were suddenly taken, but...I do understand people need to grow as well so I don't think the humans are at fault."

He puts his hands on his hips as he tries to think. The wasps buzz around them still, some do leave seeing as this doesn't seem to be a fight. Others stick around for the novelty, how often do you get to talk to a human? This is as wild to them as it is to Vonoros. For Galvynn, it is Tuesday.

"Do you think there's something we can do? The wasps were afraid more trees would be taken so they attacked, but I've found asking people to apologize to my friends never goes over well. So I think we need a solution they understand."