Kobolds and the color of Green
Two Kobolds were lost, only they didn’t know it. It happened many decades ago but their actions would be a story told to each generation. The brothers who were named Ogi and Igi had wandered north up the Iota path. The reached the new town of Almanac and stopped on a corner. They looked in all four directions including the road they had just traveled. The Iota Path went north and south. The Noxi road went east and west. Ogi looked at Igi and said, “I’m hungry.”
Igi sniffed the air and said, “I smell food.” and walked toward a building. “Upon entering the Dark Horse Tavern the older brother announced, "I am Igi and this is Ogi.”
“What can I do for you?" asked Keres Aducah, the owner.
Ogi blurted out, “I am hungry.”
“Do you have any money?” asked Keres.
Ogi looked at Igi and asked, “do we have money?”
Igi looked down at his clothes and around the floor and then at a few of the table tops. “No, I don't see no money.”
Ogi said, “No, he don’t see no money.”
Keres was quiet for a moment and then offered, “If you wash the dishes I will give you something to eat and drink.”
“Who’s dishes?” asked Igi.
Keres tilted his head slightly and a wrinkle appeared over his eyebrows. “The dirty dishes from people who ate here. They are in the kitchen and need to be washed.”
“Someone should wash them dishes,” replied Ogi then asked, “what are dishes?”
Keres scratched his head and said, “Dishes are the things we serve food on and they are dirty.”
“Why did you put dirt on them?” asked Ogi.
“I didn’t put any dirt on them. They have left over food that needs to be cleaned off with soap and water. If you wash them I will give you some food.”
“Can we lick them?” asked Igi with a smile.
“I will lick them!” announced Ogi.
“No! No one is going to lick the dishes. You need to wash them.” answered Keres.
Igi and Ogi both frowned and then Igi mentioned, “Don’t know how?”
Keres released a deep breath and said, “I guess, I will show you and then you both can wash them.”
“I will wash them,” answered Igi.
“I will wash them,” repeated Ogi.
Entered by: 0x7BB5…3E05
A couple hours later Keres placed three plates of food on a table and sat down. His shirt was wet and there were several thick smears of dish soap on him. He called, “you two come over here and eat your dinner.” The two kobolds lumbered over and sat down next to him. They were dry but each had several globs of dish soap stuck in their hair. The kobolds looked at the silverware and looked at Keres using a fork and knife. The brothers shrugged their shoulders and shoved the food into their mouths with their fingers.
Morana Roanoke the owner of the trading post came in for some dinner and sat down next to the strange short green men. Keres got up and poured her a mug of mead and fixed her a plate of food. He sat back down and explained that the two wandered in for something to eat with no money.
“Why are your clothes wet and full of soap? She asked Keres.
Looking down at his shirt he said, “I offered to let them do the dishes for food and drink? Silly me. I didn't know they had never washed dishes before so I tried to teach them.”
“Looks like the lesson went well,” she laughed at Keres and then turned her attention to the two kobolds. “Two traveling guys. Where are you going?”
Ogi looked at Igi and asked, “Where we going?"
Igi squished his face in a serious look and got quiet for a moment. Then he smiled and answered, “somewhere or anywhere or here.”
Morana smirked at Keres and said, “Well aren't you two the adventures.”
“Yeah that’s what we are, amateurs?” replied Igi sitting up straighter.
Ogi nodded, “Yeah amateurs.”
Keres snorted as he pretended to cough. Then said, “If you two want to spend the night I can ask Odren if you can stay at his stables. He has an extra room. You probably will have to muck out the stalls since you can’t pay. When the kobolds looked at each other and tilted their heads. Keres said, “Mucking the stalls means you have to clean up the poop and put down new straw for the horses.”
Igi asked, “Who’s poop?”
Ogi’s eyes got bigger as he blurted out, “yeah who’s poop?”
Keres looked at Morana who was bright red from holding back her laughter. “Why the horses poop? Unless you have some money to pay for your night?”
Ogi turned to Igi and asked, “do we have any money?”
Igi looked down at his clothes, around the floor and on the table then answered, “No I don’t see any money. But she’s got a green ring. I like things that are green.”
Morana held her hand out so the kobolds could get a closer look. “It’s an emerald.”
“What’s emerald?” asked Ogi.
“The stone on the ring is an emerald,” she said, watching their reactions closely.
“It’s the same color as the woods,” stated Igi poking his brother.
“Yeah we at the Emerald Forest,” announced Ogi.
“Yeah, the Emerald Forest,” said Igi.
“There you go, Morana the forest around here is officially named the Emerald Forest.”
“Yeah Emerald Forest,” said both brothers at the same time.
“I like green,” replied Ogi.
“I like green,” replied Igi.
From that day on everyone around the town of Almanac let Ogi and Igi call the woods the Emerald Forest. No one corrected them and after time no one even remembered what the real name of the forest was. There are no emeralds in the Emerald Forest, only some jade stones.
Entered by: 0x7BB5…3E05
