User:Meyvn/TNOTW

The First Foreshadow

...

The Waystone Inn

Setting:

• The Waystone Inn is a full service inn which has been in business since the arrival of its owner, Kote, about a year ago (CH1). It has an exterior sign hanging sign on hooks, wooden floors, a black stone hearth, barrels behind a mahogany bar (CH0).
• It is Felling, early on an autumn night.
• The consistently small crowd and low spirits speak to it being a time of fear and uncertainty. Something happened on Shep's farm last Cendling which no one will mention or inquire about.

Present:

• Kote, owner of the Waystone
• An Inkeeper, a young man in the back room
• Old Cob, town storyteller and advice dispensary
• Jake (Jacob Walker), Shep, and Grahm, childhood friends
• The Smith's Prentice, a tall man who moved from Rannish when he was 11, still known as "Boy" in town.
• (Later) Carter

Events:

• Old Cob tells a story about Taborlin the Great.

When he awoke, Taborlin the Great found himself locked in a high tower. They had taken his sword and stripped him of his tools: key, coin, and candle were all gone. But that weren't even the worst of it, you see...cause the lamps on the wall were burning blue! Now Taborlin needed to escape, but when he looked around, he saw his cell had no door. No windows. All around him was nothing but smooth, hard stone. It was a cell no man had ever escaped. But Taborlin knew the names of all things, and so all things were his to command. He said to the stone: 'Break!' and the stone broke. The wall tore like a piece of paper, and through that hole Taborlin could see the sky and breathe the sweet spring air. He stepped to the edge, looked down, and without a second thought he stepped out into the open air. So Taborlin fell, but he did not despair. For he knew the name of the wind, and so the wind obeyed him. He spoke to the wind and it cradled and caressed him. It bore him to the ground as gently as a puff of thistledown and set him on his feet softly as a mother's kiss. And when he got to the ground and felt his side where they'd stabbed him, he saw that it weren't hardly a scratch. Now maybe it was just a piece of luck, or maybe it had something to do with the amulet he was wearing under his shirt. A few days earlier, Taborlin had met a tinker on the road. And even though Taborlin didn't have much to eat, he shared his dinner with the old man. Now this amulet was worth a whole bucket of gold nobles, but on account of Taborlin's kindness, the tinker sold it to him for nothing but an iron penny, a copper penny, and a silver penny. It was black as a winter night and cold as ice to touch, but so long as it was round his neck, Taborlin would be safe from the harm of evil things. Demons and such.

• The crowd argues over details of the story.

• According to Cob, everyone knows that blue fire is one of the Chandrian's signs (CH1), and that it is a mystery where they come from, where they go after they've done their bloody deeds, and whether they are men who sold their souls, demons, spirits, or something else (CH1).
• According to Jake, the Chandrian are not demons, but the first six people to refuse Tehlu's choice of the path, and he cursed them to wander the corners— (CH1)

• Carter arrives, wounded by a spider-like creature which killed his horse. The innkeeper recognizes it as a Scraeling, seemingly surprised to see them "this far west" and that he'd thought the mountains would stymie their movement. When the others are confused by his recognition, he quickly weaves a story about discussing them with a passing trader he did not believe until now.

The scrael is as large as a wagon wheel. It's body is black, smooth, and hard - likened to stone both to the touch and the sound it makes when it falls on the table. It has no eyes or mouth and its feet are compared to blades. When wounded, the creatures body fractured with many small cracks. Its insides contain no blood or organs, just a gray, mushroom-like material (CH1)

• A debate ensues about whether the scraeling is a demon. Grahm points out that demons fear only three things, "cold on, clean fire, and the holy name of God" (CH1). Kote presses an iron drab against the creature, resulting in sharp, cracking sound and an acrid smell compared to rotting flowers and burning hair.

=Descriptions

Kvothe

Owner of the Waystone Inn; hair red like true flame; silent hands; long, graceful hands; patient, cut-flower sound of a man waiting to die

Old Cob

Newarre's storyteller and advice dispensary

Bast

A young man

Jake

Full name Jacob Walker

Shep

Grahm

Smith's Prentice

A tall man who moved from Rannish when he was 11, still known as "Boy" in town.

Carter

Taborlin the Great

Powerful mage; hunted by the Chandrian; knew the names of all things; possessed a sword, key, coin, candle and protective magic amulet (black and cold)

Names

Kvothe

Kote, Reshi

Origins

• They were the first six people to refuse Tehlu's choice of the path, cursed to wander the corners

=Signs

• Blue flame

Things that Smell Like Flowers and Hair

• Scraeling