Scilla had gone most of her life without knowing what a tuning fork was, but in the span of a day she had gone from ignorance, to wanting. She had stretched her pockets too thin as of late anyway, and the very few she had found from merchants either were part of an expensive set, or rang out in a note that was far from her need. If she had the money to spare, she would have gotten one of the more expansive sets, but unfortunately such traders were unwilling to part with only one.
It had all started, in short, a handful of nights ago as she stayed at an inn. She had grown used to the wary nature of those she had come across, and the group that inhabited the inn along with her were no different. Musicians, traveling bards who had formed a sort of band that traveled from place to place. From what she knew, such a thing wasn't uncommon, and she had heard small groups gather and play at the inns they stayed at for some extra pocket change, but this time, a noise struck her in a way that grabbed her attention.
While she quietly ate the hot soup from the Inn's kitchen, the snakes upon her head seemed to be riled, a noise striking them as it struck her. A ringing, harsh but constant, echoing as the vibrations came off it with such a frequency that it almost overwhelmed her. She could see it, the first thing she could see the exact shape off through the snakes senses, almost perfect save for its blur of motion, a two pronged metal stick, a tuning fork. It had been an awkward few minutes afterwards, asking question after question to the bards, even being allowed to hold and ring the fork on her own. What struck her in a different way, was that, as its vibrations let out into the air around the fork, she could see the outlines of the world nearby just a little bit better.
It was then that she knew what she wanted, and from there she moved onward. Tuning forks were not uncommon by any means, but given the materials and use, not many people made them. If she had to guess, most of them came from just a few places, perhaps a smithy who specialized in such odd tools. Instead of seeking one out, she simply wished to find one, to own one, and that goal was why she had found herself out in the Plains of Bohar, seeking a rumor that a traveling merchant had told her. Near a town that saw many travelers, old buildings and structures off the beaten path were said to have been owned by a small tribe that loved music, and all the instruments they could acquire.
How long ago they lived there she did not know, only that the land had taken back what was settled, and only scavengers sparsely visited. Exactly where it was though? …Scilla didn't have the slightest idea. So that's why she found herself, map in hand, wandering the marketplace as she asked person after person. "Do you know where the nearby ruins are? I have a map here, but I don't know where they'd be…"