0505 — Brother To The Stones

Noel (he/him) is a transcendentalist mystic, only 16 years old. He lives in a well-sheltered cave part way up one of the mountains, and cultivates a small garden. He has a philosophy of universal animism and addresses all objects and creatures around him as though they were members of a monastic order, with a particular fondness for his brother and sister boulders.

Many of these boulders were stacked into cairns long ago. When they topple, Noel sometimes rebuilds them, but tries to stack them with other stones he knows they have not been near, hoping to spark new friendships between them.

All visitors to Brother Cave are welcomed warmly and offered a meal. Noel carves small figurines out of soapstone he finds in the mountains, and will offer them in trade for dry firewood, though he still gives them away to most people who visit. Members of the Northmost Collaboration (0305) regard these as lucky and blessed, and tend to trust travelers that have them.