Banli awoke to the smell of baked burnt bread. It was a horrible smell and it was coming from outside his humble dwelling in the Rock Hollows. He rubbed his balding head as he customarily did every morning, sometimes his feet too, although he had long forgotten why he did this. He summoned his badger and longtime companion Razrim to his side, with a quick low whistle, to go and see whom left this horrible smell for him first thing on this cool spring morning. He stepped out into the sunlight, his chubby disposition barely fitting through his cobbled doorway. Normally the sun would have felt amazing except for the burnt stench of bread making Banli want to wretch. Razrim curious, ran down the cobbled path away from Banli's humble dwelling to a makeshift campsite ever so close to the main dirt road in the hollows. Someone nearby in the woods, not far from the dirt road with a tall disposition and a slight but otherwise noticeable limp in their walk was wearing a light green cloak, with big black boots on, and was watching Razrim with great interest.
Once Banli arrived at the smoldering fire, he was overcome with the bad stench of burnt bread and wretched right onto the cobblestone where it intersected with the dirt road. Unable to afford himself a moment longer of the horrible smell, he emptied the contents of his stomach rather loudly and completely, and totally void of any grace. He was bent over coughing and hacking for a good long while. Once he somewhat regained his composure he could see Razrim circling the fire pit looking about as if someone had left it hastily, and may be returning any minute. In the fire pit was the source of the problem. A charred small, black looking loaf of bread that resembled something closer to a Troll's chew toy. Also, beside the fire pit on the ground was a shiny silver necklace with a symbol of a fist holding a hammer in it. Banli picked it up and put it into the folds of his dark brown cloak after giving the silver necklace a good wipe. He was not sure what the symbol on the necklace meant or to whom it may have belonged to. It how ever was shiny and that was good enough for him. Banli now set his attention to the fire pit.
The densely black brick of bread was smoking profusely and Banli only had one good idea. Bury it. So he with Razrim's help did that. He poked the burnt loaf out of the fire with his trusted maple wood walking stick and waved his finger into the air towards Razrim. As if on command Razrim began digging right by where the loaf laid on the dirt road. Moments later the repugnant smelling loaf was dispatched and the air was noticeably more palatable to his senses. Normally this kind of event, trauma really, would require a few deep thoughts and perhaps a nap for Banli, but not today. Today he was to begin a grand adventure. He was to seek out the golden culinary hammer of Athramas.
His village earlier electing him by unanimous vote to represent them in a yearly esteemed culinary contest. They elected one individual each year, to compete in the annual golden hammer culinary competition in Athramas. He was not to return unless he has won the golden culinary hammer and it was in his possession. This was the custom of the Rock Hollows village. To date none of the competitors sent had ever returned, either failing the challenge or never making it there in the first place. He gathered himself and his badger and headed back to his home a short distance away to prepare for his upcoming journey. Meanwhile in the woods a tall green cloak clad individual slipped awkwardly deeper into the woods, completely unseen by Banli or his badger Razrim.
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Shuffling about his house gathering his leather pack and the things he would need to place in his pack, Banli was feeling much better. He would almost go as far as telling anyone who might ask that he felt great. He held his trusty soup ladle high into the air, observing it with a pride that only a cook might have for their utensils. It was shiny, and smooth and well, just made him feel good! Actually as a point of fact Banli only stood at three feet five inches, so he wasn't holding the ladle that high. He added that ladle with his serving spoon, kissing it softly before delicately putting it away, he then gathered some herbs, and other kitchen utensils into a well used but sturdy leather roll that then went into his leather pack. He thought about eating some leftover pottage from the night before but wasn't quite ready to eat yet, so he fed the pottage to his badger Razrim. Then the two prepared to leave the house and begin their journey to Athramas.
It was mid afternoon by the time they stepped out of their house and onto their cobblestone path that would lead to the dirt road not too far away, and eventually out of the village all together. Some of the female villagers had come to wish them a fond farewell, with shouts of encouragement all the while throwing berries, and herbs, onto the path ahead of the newly deemed adventurers Banli and Razrim. This practice was also customary to send off their culinary contestant although it sometimes came across as slightly odd and foolish. Berries were usually not in abundance and herbs even less so. Maybe that was another reason none of the previous contestants ever came back. Banli more than aware of this, picked some of the herbs at his feet and some berries too, putting them into the folds within his dark brown cloak.
The dirt road went up a hill that eventually left the rock hollows behind them. Before them lay large sweeping green pastures with a few old oak trees sprinkled about. Rickety fences long past their state of usefulness lay amok and tufts of long hay was visible sticking out everywhere in clumps. An assortment of what seemed to be farming machines or equipment strewn about as if a storm had taken all the farming items high into the air only to then deposit them randomly about. They had a look of neglect and a state of much needed repair. This bothered Banli as he liked things to be in good working order. He thought that maybe upon his return he would do something about the state of disrepair to all of it. Razrim was always slightly ahead of Banli and constantly scanning the road looking for anything that might be considered trouble. Soon enough after a couple of hours of walking through the once picturesque pastures Banli and Razrim came across a horrifying site. Right there on the dirt road was a dead badger. Roughly the same size as Razrim. It was apparent that it had been here for quite some time. It looked as though something had ripped right through it. Parts of the badger strewn across the dirt road as if it had been dragged brutally about. Banli reached down and petted Razrim, kissing him gently on the head. The two went about making a burial mound for the deceased badger. By the end of their efforts they were a little sweaty, somewhat hungry and realizing that the sun was going down decided to set up camp near three closely standing oak trees. Off in the not too far distance from within the shadows of a halfway standing barn, a figure in a light green cloak stood watching Banli and Razrim make camp.