Submission (#2012) Approved

Quest: Resonance - Act 2
Act Type: Support
Word Count: 1044
Adult Elnin Present: Neve [ELN011]
Regional Affinity: Silveil
Claiming Regional Affinity for: Eweca [ELN971]

Eweca had pleaded with Neve to help her set up and host a community event, a mushroom hunt to be precise. Silveil was known for it’s luminous forest flora, particularly it’s mushrooms and they had spent enough time in the region that she couldn’t be patient any longer. There were plenty of activities to do in the big city lit up with entertaining acts and gaming centers Eweca wasn’t allowed into, not that she particularly understood. So it seemed like for some entertainment she would just have to make her own. Events were significantly more enjoyable though with larger groups. Eweca would advertise she just needed Neve’s wisdom to make a list of mushroom species to hunt down and identify, with some visuals.

Participants didn’t need to pick the mushrooms but the event would be isolated to a small portion of the forest. If a mushroom was found the kittom or elnin participating would need to mark down the spot where they found it and mention what it looked like based on the roster of mushrooms Neve would supply. Neve wasn’t a flora expert by any means but she did just enough research to write a good mystery novel, and that included specifying what mushrooms in silveil a curious kittom or elnin might want to avoid and those that were safe to approach. Research was important when it came to solving mysteries or writing related novels.

Eweca sat on a stool next to Neve, her small head peeking over the edge of the desk to admire her mother’s handiwork. She dozed off though after a while, only waking up when Neve stirred her awake. “It’s time to hand out fliers.” Neve commented, not particularly fond of crowds but willing to chaperone her kittom around town a bit to keep an eye out for any more suspicious folks that might have less than kind intent towards her kittom. With that in mind the two left their home. Eweca slipped through the crowded street with Neve hot on her heels. Eweca wasn’t trying to run away but her eager pace left the fluffy pale blue elnin out of breath a bit every time Eweca paused to hand out a flier. Most of the fliers were to kittoms like herself but a few seemed to be extended to particularly kind shop owners they had met during their stay in Silveil.

Once all the fliers for the event had been handed out they simply had to wait for the day to arrive and work on any paper maps of the area and helpful guidelines for what mushrooms to look for. The one who found the most mushrooms, and pristine examples of them in the advent of a tie, would be the mushroom hunt winner. Eweca had spent an evening or two with Neve setting up temporary small markers of the area the hunt would take place in the following day and then after a solid rest that day had come.

Eweca cleared her small voice to relay the rules of the event to the small crowd that had gathered. Some of the kittoms seemed to have less of an attention span but Eweca got their attention mentioning the event prize would be tickets to a popular Silveil show that was out right now. She had to thank her mother Neve for the connection that had donated the tickets but even the adults that were less interested in the event initially seemed to perk up a bit at the mention. Eweca handed out the info and lastly it was Neve who handed her a sheet. “You can’t win the prize but it would be fun to participate yourself, right?” Neve said with a glimmer of mischief beneath her bangs and a satisfied smirk on her face.

Eweca’s face immediately lit up with joy. She had enjoyed planning the event but the realization she couldn’t participate had her down a bit. Planning the event was only half the fun it seemed. With the community members instructed the mushroom search began beneath the starry Silveil sky. The utensils used to mark down notes held glowing ink that reminded the scavenging elnin of the very mushrooms they were looking for. Eweca tried not to let out a delighted squeak as she found her first mushroom, a vibrant pink one with green polka dots on its top. She marked it down on the map as being on the side of the forest closer to the city. It was so fascinating she sometimes wondered if certain mushrooms or local flora grew in spots due to their relation to the city or lake. She found a trio of small luminous blue mushrooms that seemed to be attracting fireflies. From the forest’s edge Eweca could see the shoreline of Starlake and the silhouette of the eldertree beneath its waters. A few waves of disturbed jellyfish in the lake though and the silhouette was obscured. One look at the blue mushrooms though and Eweca could tell they seemed to like the lake.

The mushroom hunt went on for a long while. Traversing the forest was not an easy task, as areas where it grew darker elnin had to pull out lanterns to get through but those same lanterns made it harder to see the mushrooms. Eweca found some luminous white mushrooms with large tops that seemed to cling to the tree bases and spread out like flowing cloth but despite their delicate appearance these mushrooms actually had quite a bit of strength and stiffness to them Neve had noted. Eweca continued to appreciate the small facts she had picked up from her parents. Finally though a delicate whistle broke through the quiet in the area and Eweca used the stars in the area to guide her back to the starting point at the forest. She had placed third to two other locals, likely because of her familiarity with the mushroom notes.

The event went off without a hitch, Eweca was nothing but pleased as well. “What a success.” She beamed, conveying the words quietly to her mother as she stood beside Neve watching the community members depart from the event. Maybe they would have to try this again next year if they visited Silveil again Eweca thought.