Oh man, all of the feedback and ideas you guys have handed me is fantastic. I also didn't anticipate a struggle of comparisons within the main character himself. I mean, the focus should naturally be on the main character but sometimes I get away with that when trying to just say what's going on.
His overall goal is to keep a roof over his head, for the time being, and figure out exactly where he is. He begins by talking to these people to find out more about where he's landed. Then he gets pulled in by their telling of stories about their travels and battles and so forth. Eventually...
Hello, thanks for the questions. I hope you forgive me if I summarize a bit, and forgive the hackiness of the backstory. It's hard to explain it gracefully.
The mc's past is a bit convoluted over the past little while. He was originally a jailer that engaged in slavery, selling transport...
So I'm set to write a short story about a conversation between an acolyte who is acting as a grief counselor to warriors who live in a strict warrior culture that reviles weakness of any kind. They have definite hang-ups when it comes to comforting the vanquished, so it probably throws a wrench...