Warm Greetings (2)

All the leaves had fallen. Red, yellow, green, and brown, they all lied on the ground and created a colorful floor at the forest's entrance. The ambiance shifted once you entered this tree-formed grotto. 

Silence reigned these parts, and the cold morning air came tickling the nose of every adventurer who dared lay foot here.

Only Iden was awake at this hour, guarding a small shrine from the inside with his eyes closed. 

His body stood motionless as he stood guard over a small altar, his back against a tree that had grown so big it formed its own archway into the forest. 

He was waiting for someone or something to come by, but he never knew who would show up. There were no tracks leading up to the shrine – only the occasional deer would pass through, but they didn't stop by to have a little chat.

Usually, he could expect someone to be guided to this mysterious place once every month or so.