FinalHavenLarp.com

A small band of travelers makes their way into Haven. Some of them are oddly dressed. There are faces that seem familiar to a few of you from your recent time spent at Gateway. There is little fanfare, and they seem mostly travel weary. But, as a crowd gathers, one of them, a guard, spots a few faces he personally threw ‘cleansing dirt’ at just a few weeks ago. He produces a scroll from his vest, clears his throat, and begins to read aloud to those present:

“A message from Melwin Barboda to the people of Haven:

Thank you. The disease that has been plaguing the town of Gateway –and the madness it induced-has stopped! I do not know how you managed this, only that you are responsible, or so says a dwarf by the name of Nardeth Ironlock who has mysteriously returned to us, with a few other members of his clan, after years of absence. Technically, they should not even be alive after this long, but several people, with names belonging to the time of my father -and even some from my grandfather- still seem young and whole. And, we have you to thank for that. I would never have dreamed that outsiders, with no connection to any of our factions, our families, or our way of life, would risk so much for us. Especially outsiders so rude, boastful, argumentative, flagrantly drunk at inappropriate times, shifty, prone to unapproved borrowing (i.e. theft), and, well, genuinely frightening.

I have to inform you, though we cannot prove it was you, that several lizards with their heads cut off were found by our town guard after you left. Our fountain was discovered destroyed -literally in tiny pieces (the town council’s only comfort is in knowing that no one drank from it unsupervised). There is, of course, the matter of a member of your town –a dwarf- supposedly cutting out his own eye in public while his friends just stood around and watched. Needless to say that the poor member of Gateway who witnessed this horrific act has now had to take several counseling sessions with the Brotherhood of Repression. But, be that as it may, we still owe you an immense debt, one that far outweighs- I still must say- all the rest. If you should ever return to Gateway, know that you will be whole heartedly welcomed by me, and many others. Our festival is always open to you.

Bataa Tam, Tam Bataa. Good luck. Unhexifious Remainious. May your enemies stay two days behind. May evil never fall on the Great Salt Flats. And, fortune favor you.

[An early] P.S. Please know that I have performed the right of “Spring Moon’s Blessing” upon this letter, and that it is perfectly safe to hear to the end without causing you any curse, hex, ill omen, or general uneasiness if you are of the sect that believes that finishing written works is only to invite evil into your home (to be honest, I can’t keep track of who believes what anymore). None the less, for your benefit, I will warn you when the letter is about to end. Not yet.

P.P.S. if any of you are members of the Eternity cult and have sworn the art of forgetfulness, my heralds will happily show your friends this letter (if you can remember your friends’ names) so they can remind you of my invitation to return to our town at the appropriate time.

P.P.P.S. There have been some signs that our recent batch of cleansing dirt actually stains clothing and skin, requiring months of repeated scrubbing. Our deepest apologies. We have since changed to a new batch.

P.P.P.PS. Now the letter is about to end. You may plug your ears if your beliefs require it.

Long suffering leader of gateway,
Melwin Barboda"

The herald rolls up the scroll with a sigh, and looks for a place for his small group to rest.

Marcus had come out to see what the group had as it's purpose, and had been standing politely with his arms rested on the pommel of his warhammer throughout the entire proclamation, and nods and smiles warmly to the herald and his group.

"And our town thanks you for the hospitality we were shown, Mr. Barboda- and friends. It's...well, unfortunate that Gateway suffered some ill effects from our visit, though I hope this can still be the beginning of a long and rewarding friendship, despite all that.

If you wish, I'd like to officially extend the hospitality of Haven to you, in the same way you did for us, despite the few problems we might have brought to your doorstep. Our tavern can be rougher at times than what you might be used to, but it's food and spirits are open to all who are interested."

*rothek just watches as the man from gateways speaks, at first he looked as though he was going to say some thing but after he spoke about the " being drunk at inappropriate times" and the dwarf "cutting out his own eye" and the fountain being "smashed to tiny pieces"

the beastman suddenly remembered one of dallid's teachings of tact and using good judgement, so he just sat and listened with the occaisonal snort happening at random points

“Your town certainly contains a fascinating collection of disparate cultures. It was a true pleasure to visit, and I must applaud your efforts to accommodate their myriad perspectives. A thoroughly inspiring example of multicultural integration.”

After what seemed like an uncomfortable amount of time passes without anyone saying or doing anything, a second group of travelers arrives, also clearly from Gateway. Again, one of the traveler's pulls out a scroll and reads:

“A message from Melwin Barboda to the people of Haven:

I really have nothing left to say, but seeing as it is commonly known to be bad luck to send but one messenger, as no one ever says "Don't kill the messengers" plural, the singular form being a common phrase due to the equally common act of doing the opposite, it thus follows that apparently at least two is needed to keep everyone safe. This letter too is about to end if ear plugging is required.

Long suffering leader of gateway,
Melwin Barboda"

A palpable sigh of relief is heard at the letter's conclusion. The most recent group apologizes for their tardiness and explains that directions were mistakenly given to a member of the Eternity Cult.

The original group finally responds to those who spoke. To Marcus, "Yes, thank-you, a drink would be much appreciated," one of the traveler's says, though then, looking up to the position of the sun, adds, "in about twenty minutes, that is."

To Alinar, one says, "Thank you so much for your kind words. We recognize the quirkiness that rests within all people and know that if we ever hope to be accepted ourselves, we must first learn to accept the faults, I mean, the quirks of others."

Everyone makes their way to the tavern.