They were wandering adventurers, lost, hungry, most of their equipment wrecked. A poor family that had little took them in and shared what meager rations they had. None got 'quite enough', but no one went to bed completely hungry. The adventurers arrived as an escort to their leader, a king. He helped the poor family get back on their feet again, not through lavish wealth, but humbler gifts of food, aid to fix their home, and seed that would actually grow in the poor soil. -- Anon Guest
A band of Adventurers can count as a natural disaster. As in, it's only natural that some Adventurers leave disaster in their wake. They have a habit of stealing anything that isn't nailed down, adopting creatures they shouldn't, and gathering unto themselves frightening amounts of power.
So it was quite a shock to the family of Ruffield Farm to meet a band of Adventurers who were mindful of their effect on the world.
It was a poor farm, and barely made enough to keep the family alive and the farm solvent. It did not need a pack of bedraggled Adventurers dragging themselves in from wherever they'd got roughed up. Nevertheless, they gave the crew shelter, and thinned down their stew for them. They shared their thin blankets and did what they could for the Adventurer's injuries.
In the morning, they were off again. Chasing whatever vainglory Adventurers chased. Though the Ruffields did find a handful more coppers in their pyg jar.
They thought they got off lucky, all things considered. When Adventurers visit a place, they tend to leave a trail a mile wide. If they really dislike somewhere, they name the resulting crater after somebody. Therefore, it was something of a miracle that they left Ruffield Farm in one piece.
At the next spring, a King came to visit. Guarded by a coterie who looked very familiar to the Ruffield family. The Adventurers weren't roughed up. They were in fine spirits. Hale and hearty. And radiating subtle and ominous power that they currently kept restrained.
"I've come to deliver my thanks for sheltering my honour guard in their time of need. Thanks to you and your farm, they were able to see me safely to throne and crown. I've used their reports and consulted my Druids to grant you a favour you would appreciate."
It was a sack of seeds, carried from the coach by one of the Adventurers. "These can grow on a rock and turn the ground sweet instead of sour. Add them to your rotation cycle after the fallow year, and you should flourish."
"We couldn't thank you properly, last we were here," said one of the Adventurers. "But you were so ashamed of serving us thin stew, and... well. They say the best gift is a future."
Titles and land would not serve them. Grand gifts of gold would only invite thieves. But the seeds of a better tomorrow would allow progress at a pace they could accept.
[Photo by Karyna Panchenko on Unsplash]
If you like my stories, please Check out my blog and Follow me. Or share them with your friends! Or visit my hub site to see what else I'm up to.
Send me a prompt [32 remaining prompts!]