pun_king | The Kingdom of Daventry; Monday [05/06] - Day ONE of the Tournament of Knights!

It was a beautiful, gorgeous day in Daventry. Birds were chirping, the sun was shining, there was a touch of a breeze blowing through the thick canopy of trees that spread over the lush land, while adorable critters frollicked and played. It was just the sort of day to usher in the beginning of a great and exciting Tournament of Knights! The Daventry Inn was ready to open its doors to visitors from far and wide, competitors and spectators alike! Come one, come all, for the time had come, for the Tournament to begin.

Settled among majestic mountains and thick, mysterious woods, the Kingdom of Daventry called for the bold, the brave, and the wise, under the watchful eye of its impressive castle. The bridges over its many roaring rivers might be out, making journeying too far beyond the village and the castle grounds a bit difficult, but the call of adventure was in the air, and, in a few short days, there would be a new knight amongst their ranks. Who would find themselves with this new prestigious title? Only time would tell!

[[ it's time, it's time! Come one, come all (especially if you've gotten an invitation, but even then, the portal is very open! Day one of the tournament! NFB for distance, OCD is up! Today is mostly a lot of "interact with the NPCs and each other" day, with the exception of when I get the chance to post plot-related things later in the day. Huzzah! ]]

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Arden had exceptionally good senses, which meant that the scent of naked goods was an exceptional lure to the frequently-hungry sylph.

She followed her nose to back of the back of the courtyard, pausing for a moment to let a passing bird alight on her finger and sing its little birdy heart out at her. This was much nicer than Fandom birds who seemed to take her status as 'honorary family member' to be 'bullyable baby cousin.'

She set the bird on she shoulder where it continued to sing and went to explore this bakery.

And as she entered the bakery and started to look around, a rotund and cheerful fellow and his amazing mustache bustled out from the back with a hearty chuckle.

"Good morning!" he said. "And welcome to my bakery! In for the tournament, are you? Or just for my goods? Let me know if you knead anything!" There was no denying the twinkle in his eye over the subtle pun, made less suble by his emphasis. "I'll be happy to rise to thr occasion!"

Oh. It was a cultural ~~failing~~ thing. Got it. Arden inhaled, reminded herself she was doing this for Graham, and let loose. "One of my friends is a Hopeful, but right now I'm just exploring and this seemed like a bakery that catered to the upper crust. I've barley been here a minute, but as soon as I caught a whiff of your breads and baked goods, I knew I'd batter come check this place out so I can give a good recommendation to my friend Graham when he gets here, it's the yeast I could do for a friend as good as he is."

The bird on her shoulder gave a disappointed trill and flew away. Fair, little birdie. Fair.

"I knew there was something special about you the moment you walked in through this door, little lady," the baker said, with an appreciative chuckle and a bit of a wink, "no ifs, ands, or buns about it! And the only way to make food made with love taste better is to share it with love, too! What a kind heart you have! You love to see it! Not enough of that going around these days, I'm afraid to say.

"And today, I was hoping to bake up quite the treat today: Grandma's Starshroom Pie! A delicacy big enough to feed an army! Or..." He twirled one of his moustaches with a finger, "someone with the appetite of an army. Unfortunately, my ingredients haven't been delivered, so I can't complete the recipe until those bridges get fixed. People might have to settle for the love in my....goat hoof pie instead...But, I'll tell you what! If you can find me some starberries and sugarshrooms, you can have the monster pie for the discounted price of one shiny gold coin!

"I've also got free samples, this week only, of my walnut strudel! However, I also ran out of bitter root. It's really nasty on its own, but it really brings out the nutty flavor of the strudel. It usually grows under big heavy rocks. If you can find me some of that, as well, or instead, you can have all the free samples you want!"

"O-oh," Arden said, not really sure she wanted goat hoof or monster pie. But then, she didn't have a gold coin - shiny or dull - to buy it with anyway. But the walnut strudel sounded good. And also free. But not free-free, since she was earning it with her labor and no Arbiter would accept an argument from anybody claiming there was a debt.

"What do starberries, sugarshrooms, and bitter root look like?" Arden asked, completely unaware she'd just been given her first quest as a(n urban) fantasy protagonist. "And if you point me in the direction you want - a basket to carry them would also be nice - then I'll see what I can do."

Well, while the goat hoof pie was indeed made of goat hooves, the monster pie was mostly just a reference to its size at least.

"A basket," he offered, pulling one conveniently out from behind the counter, "I can do, easily enough. The starberries, they're yellow, and tend to grow high on trees in sunny areas. The sugarshooms are pink, and only grow in cold, dark areas. And the bitter root, as I said, can be found under big heavy rocks, and it looks brown and a bit gnarled. You'll definitely tell it by its aptly bitter aroma!"

Look, after a man says he makes pies out of goat hooves, you can't be too careful.

"Starberries, yellow - makes sense - up high and sunny - also makes sense. Sugarshrooms are pink - sure - cold and dark. Well, mushrooms like cold and dark I guess. And bitter root smells bitter - helpful - and is under big heavy rocks. So, gonna need some kind of lever..." Arden repeated that to herself a few times to make sure she had it right, then took the basket and made for the door.

"Well, with the currant events happening, I guess I'll be rye-t back. Hate to leave people sur-pies-ed about a lack of dinner."

Arden, you tiny people-please, you.

Still, she was marching out of the bakery and...making for the woods, apparently? That seemed like a place to go get berries, shrooms, and roots. And she was at least pretty comfortable in the outdoors...

The Kingdom of Daventry; Monday [05/06] - Day ONE of the Tournament of Knights!

Re: The Bakery - ToK, Day 1 - 05/06.

Re: The Bakery - ToK, Day 1 - 05/06.

Re: The Bakery - ToK, Day 1 - 05/06.

Re: The Bakery - ToK, Day 1 - 05/06.

Re: The Bakery - ToK, Day 1 - 05/06.

Re: The Bakery - ToK, Day 1 - 05/06.

Re: The Bakery - ToK, Day 1 - 05/06.