Phaendris: Scourge of the Sword Coast (Role-Played Evil Play-Through)
Elrandir
Member Posts: 1,664
Welcome one and all to my third documented play-through. This won't be a solo game, as my previous two were/are, but it will be quite different. This time around we're going down a darker path than previously. I introduce to you... Phaendris!
Background and Prologue:
Phaendris isn't going to be a challenge really, except for the whole "being evil" thing, which is a challenge for me! But other than that, she'll be a regular play-through. Limitless reload, no mods, a full party, ect. ect. I don't have an exceptional background or story for the character, but I think I can knock together a pretty good story together. I'll post the first installment tomorrow unless something comes up, so expect to see your first taste of evil adventure then!
Background and Prologue:
Phaendris has always known she was powerful. From the beginning, something about her was different than the other plebeians she was surrounded by. She quickly learned, however, that to succeed you must deceive. To that end she established a good relationship with all the inhabitants of Candlekeep. She worked hard to be perceived as a wonderful person that everyone could count on. And she succeeded for the most part. Between her efforts at becoming likable, and her natural elven beauty, Phaendris became liked by all the people of Candlekeep, although to varying degrees. But Phaendris wasn't satisfied with adoration. She needed to not only seem like the strongest, but also BE the strongest.
Phaendris channeled all her efforts into improving herself, whether it was by sparring with the guards, running with Imoen, studying with Gorion, or even helping out with Dreppin's farm. It all made her stronger, and her natural talent was evident. She was not wise, however, never thinking about her actions before charging in, and always finding herself in more trouble than a normal person would be able to handle. Luckily for her, her natural and earned abilities made her more than capable of overcoming the situations she put herself in. This only brought her more adoration, as everyone was consistently impressed by her abilities. Only one person seemed to think she was mortal, and that was Gorion. Her sagely foster father always seemed to see through her attempts at popularity, and though he willingly instructed her in the ways of magic, he seemed to see the darkness within her that others could not. This infuriated Phaendris, and she avoided Gorion when she was not studying. Another source of constant annoyance was the loud and obnoxious Imoen. Phaendris hated the little blabbermouth, but she was useful in Phaendris' training. Phaendris had long ago decided that were she ever given the opportunity, she'd throw Imoen to the dogs to be devoured. Deep within her, though, a certain fondness existed that she pretended was not there. Whether Phaendris would truly do such a thing to Imoen was not certain, even to her, though she tried to squelch the indecision.
Phaendris desired immensely to leave Candlekeep behind and explore the world, but thought that the day would never come, what with Gorion around. To her surprise, however, she awoke one morning to Gorion calling her name. She awoke and found Gorion beside her, looking more worried than she had ever seen him. She asked what was wrong, and he responded that nothing was wrong, but they needed to leave town immediately. He handed her a sack of gold and told her to purchase supplies at Winthrop's before telling her he'd be in front of the library when she was ready. With that he disappeared, and Phaendris was left to ponder what on earth was going on. After a moment she shrugged, deciding that she would get to leave the walls of the library for once, so whatever had occurred, it was of no concern to her. She dressed and went out to Winthrop's inn immediately.
Phaendris channeled all her efforts into improving herself, whether it was by sparring with the guards, running with Imoen, studying with Gorion, or even helping out with Dreppin's farm. It all made her stronger, and her natural talent was evident. She was not wise, however, never thinking about her actions before charging in, and always finding herself in more trouble than a normal person would be able to handle. Luckily for her, her natural and earned abilities made her more than capable of overcoming the situations she put herself in. This only brought her more adoration, as everyone was consistently impressed by her abilities. Only one person seemed to think she was mortal, and that was Gorion. Her sagely foster father always seemed to see through her attempts at popularity, and though he willingly instructed her in the ways of magic, he seemed to see the darkness within her that others could not. This infuriated Phaendris, and she avoided Gorion when she was not studying. Another source of constant annoyance was the loud and obnoxious Imoen. Phaendris hated the little blabbermouth, but she was useful in Phaendris' training. Phaendris had long ago decided that were she ever given the opportunity, she'd throw Imoen to the dogs to be devoured. Deep within her, though, a certain fondness existed that she pretended was not there. Whether Phaendris would truly do such a thing to Imoen was not certain, even to her, though she tried to squelch the indecision.
Phaendris desired immensely to leave Candlekeep behind and explore the world, but thought that the day would never come, what with Gorion around. To her surprise, however, she awoke one morning to Gorion calling her name. She awoke and found Gorion beside her, looking more worried than she had ever seen him. She asked what was wrong, and he responded that nothing was wrong, but they needed to leave town immediately. He handed her a sack of gold and told her to purchase supplies at Winthrop's before telling her he'd be in front of the library when she was ready. With that he disappeared, and Phaendris was left to ponder what on earth was going on. After a moment she shrugged, deciding that she would get to leave the walls of the library for once, so whatever had occurred, it was of no concern to her. She dressed and went out to Winthrop's inn immediately.
Phaendris isn't going to be a challenge really, except for the whole "being evil" thing, which is a challenge for me! But other than that, she'll be a regular play-through. Limitless reload, no mods, a full party, ect. ect. I don't have an exceptional background or story for the character, but I think I can knock together a pretty good story together. I'll post the first installment tomorrow unless something comes up, so expect to see your first taste of evil adventure then!
Post edited by Elrandir on
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Chapter 1: Freedom At Last
She looked around the bottom floor of the inn, quietly wrenching a desk open and taking the scrolls and money within. She copied the scrolls to her spell book and returned them to the desk, but she realized after doing so that she had no use for a spell of infravision. She erased the spell from her book, deciding that should she ever need such a thing, her elven eyes would be enough. She then bid farewell to Winthrop and stepped out of the inn, before stopping just outside the doorway. She thought she had seen old Firebead Elvenhair in there, and he was always an interesting individual.
Stepping back in, she saw that it was indeed old Firebead, and she went over to say hello. He was a frequent visitor to Candlekeep, and despite his obviously good and moral background, he was a competent man, and someone Phaendris enjoyed speaking with. They began talking with all the usual cordialities, asking how each other were, and how things had been. After speaking for a few moments, he asked her to fetch a scroll from Tethtoril for him. Phaendris was uninterested at first, but when she heard him say that it was a scroll of identify, her pointed ears perked up, and she began scheming how she could feasibly create a lie as to how she lost it. She decided to pick it up and see what she could do as time went on.
She went and spoke to Tethtoril, picking up the scroll from him before deciding to see what else might be found around town. She explored for a little bit, poking her head into the Barracks, pilfering an antidote from within, and searching some crates and barrels outside the building for some gold. She then stepped into the guard’s bunkhouse to see if there were any guards with tasks for her. A man she didn’t recognize approached her, knife drawn, and Phaendris gripped her sword hilts in anticipation. The man asked if she was Gorion’s “little whelp”, and then said that she didn’t look so dangerous. Phaendris was uncomfortable about the man to begin with, and when he questioned her power she felt positively furious at him. She angrily replied “And what business is that of your’s?”
The man responded aggressively, saying that he’d make it his business if he pleased. He then said that he was going to put a blade down her gullet! Phaendris drew her blades and in one motion beheaded the man before proceeding to shred him to bits in seconds. Phaendris almost couldn’t believe what she’d just done. She was splattered with blood, and in front of her lay a man, shredded to bits. Quietly she searched the bunkhouse for a change of clothes and some water to wash herself with. She quickly cleaned herself up and her blades off before stepping outside. She looked around, curious if anyone had seen or heard anything. Almost as if she had summoned him, Karan approached, asking what was wrong. He said he had heard shouting, and Phaendris realized how she must have screamed something, whether it was a battle cry or a shout of fear she did not know, but she had responded to the attack so instinctually that she had not even realized what she had done. Composing herself, she told Karan that it was best that he not ask questions. His face showed true concern, and Phaendris felt disgust at his concern. She felt disgust at herself, for having been so disturbed by the event, as well. She was a mighty warrior mage, and she need not be so shocked by battle. Stepping past Karan, she decided to stop by the infirmary to see if she could pilfer any medicine before speaking with Gorion.
As she walked to it, she smirked, realizing this was the perfect opportunity for an excuse as to why she could not give the scroll to Firebead. She was approached by the gatewarden who requested she practice her combat skills, but she denied him, saying that she was confident in her own abilities. In the infirmary she spoke with a priest of Oghma, and he offered a potion of healing to her, which she accepted. She also copied the scroll of identify to her spell book, before hiding in the shadows when the priest turned his back. Once he had left the room she snuck over to a desk and picked the lock, pilfering the potion of healing hidden within. She then left the building and traveled back to Winthrop’s, to explain the loss of the scroll to poor old Firebead. Before entering, she slashed open her pouch that she had stored the scroll in, and then walked in.
She came up to Firebead and begged his apology, saying that someone attacked her and slashed open her pouch as well as the scroll within. The scroll was torn far beyond repair, so she had left it behind. Firebead was disappointed, but said he hoped she was alright, and told her to hurry and tell Gorion. She nodded in the affirmative, saying she just needed to grab something from a room upstairs that Winthrop had been letting her use. Of course Winthrop had done no such thing, and she was merely interested in pilfering his visitor’s goods. She snuck around, often next to sleeping individuals, and took all they had. Unfortunately, there was little to find, but she did find a silver necklace, which she foolishly put on, not even considering the possibility of others recognizing it. She found a valuable potion and some small quantity of gold as well, and she took these. Perhaps the most valuable thing she took was one traveler’s satchel, to replace the one Phaendris had torn.
Leaving the inn, she decided now was a good time to head to Gorion. Along the way she was bothered by Imoen, but she brushed her off as quickly as possible. She mentioned something about seeing Gorion’s personal letters, but Phaendris brushed it off, thinking it was unimportant. When she found Gorion he seemed worried, and stressed that they needed to leave immediately. Phaendris told him that she was ready, and they left without pause. Before they left the keep, Gorion mentioned a certain Khalid and Jaheira at the Friendly Arm Inn. Phaendris stored the comment in the back of her mind, not believing it to be of any importance.
They traveled for a few hours, and arrived in an area with large druidic stone circles on the ground. It was late, and something seemed off to Phaendris. Gorion seemed somewhat agitated as well, although he kept saying things that to a normal foolish man would be comforting. The night would not comply with his words, however, and a group of armed humans, along with two ogres stepped out from a clump of trees. The well armored man in front mentioned something about handing over Gorion’s ward, and Phaendris realized these were more headhunters. She knew not who wanted her dead, but she was ready to kill them all if need be. Gorion put on a bravado she had never heard from him before, however, and something about him seemed truly powerful to her. The armored man responded with a grin, barely visible through his spiked helmet, fashioned like that of a many sharp-toothed ogre’s head...
They attacked, and Gorion told Phaendris to flee. At first she was unwilling, but a sharp arrow pierced her stomach suddenly, and as she felt her blood drip from her, her eyes widened and she turned tail, fleeing as quickly as her elven legs could carry her. She fled just far enough to be beyond the sight of the enemy, and she climbed a tree, nursing her wound as best she could. She watched as Gorion slaughtered the enemy with his powerful magic, and Phaendris realized just how mighty her foster father was. To her shock and horror, however, the armored man and the female of the group survived his onslaught, and before Gorion could seal the woman within an orb, she dispelled his mirror images. This allowed the armored man to, with horrifying and almost otherworldly power, cut Gorion down. Phaendris was shocked, believing Gorion to be invincible after seeing the first part of the fight. The two looked around, checking for Phaendris, but seeing her nowhere, turned their backs and left the area. Phaendris breathed a sigh of relief, but she was also intimidated. This was not the Candlekeep where she was queen. She was in a new land and although she had longed to travel it, she was alone and afraid, though she hated to admit it. She stayed in the tree that night, after bandaging her wound.
In the morning she crept down from the tree, still sore from her injuries, but mostly recovered. To her surprise she heard a familiar “Heya!” from nearby. Looking up, she saw Imoen approaching. She apologized for following, and then continued to blather on and on. Eventually she gave her condolences about Gorion. Phaendris gripped her swords, realizing that now was the chance to kill her that she had always desired, but a certain softness stirred within her, and she released the grip on her sword hilt. Imoen said that she wished to travel with her, and while Phaendris would have none of it, she decided that perhaps they could travel to the Friendly Arm Inn together. Something in Phaendris’ head was turning, and she began thinking of schemes she could use to fob Imoen off on the unsuspecting “Khalid and Jaheira”. Phaendris had no intention of falling under the thumb of another bossy controlling goody two-shoes, but they could take care of Imoen. With a plan in mind, Phaendris and Imoen prepared to travel forth, to the Friendly Arm Inn.
Chapter 2: A Strange New World
Phaendris turned towards Imoen and looked at her with visible surprise on her face. Imoen had mentioned checking Gorion’s corpse for any notes or items of interest. IMOEN of all people. Phaendris assumed that anything truly valuable was taken by the headhunters, but she was surprised at the intelligence and thought Imoen was showing. She considered complimenting her, but Imoen's dopey smile caused Phaendris so much disgust that she changed her mind and simply said, "Let's go check."
The two traveled a ways north, and found the site of the attack. Gorion’s body was nearly hewn in two, and Imoen turned her face away in disgust at the entrails pouring forth from his corpse. Phaendris wrinkled her nose at the sight, but she had seen so much blood in the past twenty-four hours that this barely even bothered her.
She then noticed the glittering of Gorion’s belt and her eyes widened. She assumed that it would have been taken, due to it’s magical nature, but perhaps the assassins were too concerned with finding her. Whatever the case, she took it, along with a note and Gorion’s old dagger. She also searched the assassin’s corpses, taking some simple weapons and jewelry from them, along with a suit of leather armor that she gave to Imoen. Phaendris finished searching the corpses while Imoen put the armer on, and once she was done, they took a look at the note together. It didn’t explain much, but the assassins were definitely after Phaendis. She had no clue why, and she had always assumed that if her dark ways were revealed it would be Gorion who would try to stop her, so she was lost. If these assassins wanted a fight, however, they’d get one. She didn’t care much for the old man, but he died protecting her. The least she could do was to gut his killers on her path to world domination.
As the two of them returned to the road, Phaendris felt something coming. Looking to her left, she saw a large wolf bearing down upon them! It must have smelt the blood from her side. Drawing her swords she charged it, yelling at Imoen to fire at it. The battle didn’t last long. The wolf bit deeply into Phaendris’ leg, but she stabbed it in the side, just as two of Imoen’s arrows thunked into the creature’s neck. It released it’s grip on Phaendris’ leg, and she fell to one knee. Imoen rushed over immediately, asking if she was alright. Phaendris’ grit her teeth, aggravated at the girl’s concern. She nodded, however, and they bandaged the wound as best they could.
Imoen let Phaendris’ put her arm around Imoen’s neck, and she acted as Phaendris’ crutch. They slowly walked to the road, but as they neared it, they saw two figures. One glance showed that these were not the most savory of individuals, but that was how Phaendris’ liked it. As they drew near, the two men rushed over, having noticed Phaendris’ injury.
The human, who appeared to be a mage, spoke first. He turned to his halfling companion, who had a scarred face and appeared quite dangerous, and told him to hold for a moment. He then turned to the girls and said “Someone has set about thee, strangers, and you have barely escaped with your life!” The halfling, who the human had referred to as Montaron turned to him and nodded, “Aye Xzar, looks to have been roughed up quite well.” The mage, who Phaendris could now only assume was named Xzar, said that he could offer her a potion of healing, which Phaendris’ would have gratefully accepted, were it not for Imoen who practically bounced for joy, thanking the man. Phaendris rolled her eyes, but thanked the man, before checking the bottle to make sure the potion appeared normal. Xzar smirked and a hint of cunning appeared in his eyes as he said “Nothing to fear from these simple potions, and I’ll not even hold you in debt, though your conscience knows otherwise.” Montaron chimed in “Just like all good people.” Phaendris smirked at the phrase “good people”, but said nothing. Xzar then asked if the girls would travel with them to Nashkel as payment. Phaendris recalled something about an “iron crisis” in a town called Nashkel, which Xzar confirmed. Xzar explained that some of their “acquaintances” were very concerned about the iron shortage. He made it seem as though he would not force the girls to aid them, though Phaendris was only too happy to oblige. A sudden sharp pain from her leg causing her to lean on Imoen reminded her that she needed to drop off the brat first, and she said as much. Xzar nodded, obviously displeased to have an added wait to their “busy schedule”, but he seemed reasonable enough to common sense. Before the four of them left, however, their new companions said that they needed to pick up something to cover their “business expenses”. Apparently it was in a tree nearby. They searched for a few minutes, before Imoen’s sharp eyes caught sight of a glitter in a tree. To Phaendris’ surprise, it was a diamond.
Montaron plucked it from Imoen’s hands so quickly it seemed as if he was afraid to let her hold onto it. Tucking it into his pack, he turned to Xzar and said that their business was concluded here. Xzar giggled happily and responded with “Then let’s be off!” before merrily walking away. Imoen leaned over to Phaendris, who was able to walk on her own now thanks to the potion, and whispered “This Xzar fella seems kinda weird, doesn’t he?” Phaendris responded with a quiet “He’s capable. I can tell. Trust me.” Imoen shrugged and the four left the area.
In the next area the group was surprised to find an old man approaching them. He began rambling about the dangers of the road and the mental state of those who would wander it. Phaendris was tempted to blow him off, but the world was a dangerous one, and allies were useful. Though her wounds were healed, she still wore the bandages, and as such she gripped her side, put on her most pitiful face, and responded with “A fair bit of desperate, actually. Might you know the way to the Friendly Arm Inn? I was told I might find some friends there.” The man responded just as Phaendris wished. He told her exactly where to find the inn, and gave his sympathies for whatever hardships might have been endured. Phaendris grinned cheekily, though she didn’t let the old man see, and continued on the road.
As they traveled, Phaendris struck up a conversation with the mage named Xzar, due to their shared interest in magic. He seemed quite mad, and the halfling's comments seemed to point to that as well. He seemed capable, however, and sometimes even strangely wise. It turned out that he was holding onto a couple of scrolls which he had no real use for, and since they were to be traveling together, he thought that perhaps Phaendris could find a use for them. She jumped at this opportunity, and as they traveled she studied the scrolls, adding them to her spell book. Their journey was quite uneventful. The highlight of it was when a gibberling attacked them. The shortsword he carried went straight to Imoen, but of more interest was where he ran to after being gravely wounded. He ran past a small pile of rocks before being killed. As they cleaned his body Phaendris noticed something glittering in the rock pile. Reaching into it, she found a magical ring, which she quickly pocketed and mentioned to no one. Returning to the road, they traveled along it, with nothing of interest occurring. A woodsman approached the group at one point, talking to them of dangers in the woods, but the conversation was short and impersonal.
They continued on their way and soon found themselves at the Friendly Arm Inn. It was night when they arrived and the group decided to immediately go in for the night. After passing through the gates with no challenge they walked towards the steps of the inn. A man in a black robe walked towards them and Xzar and Montaron tightened their stance, as if readying themselves. Phaendris did the same, noticing her more experienced companion’s reactions. Imoen yawned and tilted her head, wondering what the hold up was. The mysterious man seemed friendly enough, but he was asking a lot of questions. Phaendris was tired and irritable, and snapped at the man, telling him to mind his own business.
The man was taken aback, but revealed his true nature, preparing to cast a spell. Phaendris drew her blades, cursing under her breath at this appearance of yet another assassin. The mage prepared his spell, but Xzar was faster. With a spell that drained the man’s blood straight from him, he stopped the man’s spell, and Montaron did not hesitate. As the man stumbled, Montaron plunged his blade into the man’s stomach, straight up through his chest, and the fight was over. Phaendris had merely watched in awe and now stared at the two. These two were obviously well trained professional mercenaries who had worked together for a long time. She smiled to herself at her good fortune, having found these two so easily. A guard rushed over to figure out what had happened, but it wasn’t hard to prove that the mage had struck first and merely been overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of the group.
After the guard left, the group scoured the body, finding a few scrolls, which Phaendris and Xzar shared, along with a quarterstaff and a note. The note said little besides confirming that assassins were after Phaendris. Xzar looked as if he were about to ask, but decided against it. Imoen seemed quite shaken up by this, but they ushered her into the inn, and got her a drink to calm her. It didn’t take long before she was drunk, and Phaendris carried her to bed.
While the four of them relaxed, they heard a few interesting rumours, though nothing of great import. Montaron, Xzar, and Phaendris sat and talked for a while after that.
Phaendris explained that she had assassins after her for some unknown reason. She explained a bit of her life, and some of her current plans; including the dumping off of Imoen. The men listened, occasionally nodding. Sometimes they would respond with a short response or question. In the end, they decided that as long as it didn’t interfere with their mission, the riches gained from killing a few assassins was worth the danger. Phaendris was quite pleased with the events of the evening. It had gone even better than she could have imagined. She also noted the arrival of several persons of interest, namely the large half-orc wearing chain mail and carrying a positively evil looking claymore. She decided she would speak to him in the morning. The three of them went to bed and in the morning the whole group met downstairs and had a simple breakfast.
Phaendris had overheard two half-elves speaking the night before and she had heard them call each other Khalid and Jaheira. She had no doubt that these two were the “friends” that Gorion mentioned. She took Imoen over to them and explained that she was Gorion’s foster child, and she would be happy to travel with them. They said that they were traveling to Nashkel to investigate the iron crisis. Phaendris tactfully neglected to mention the fact that she was already headed that way, and Imoen seemed to have already forgotten. Phaendris said that she would be happy to go, but first she wished to speak with a couple of the inn’s inhabitants. She said they would spend one more night before setting out. Jaheira and Khalid seemed quite unconcerned with this development.
(Jaheira called Phaendris a dude! 0_o)
Leaving the three of them to get acquainted, Phaendris, Xzar, and Montaron went around the building, speaking with people, gaining information, and generally being nosy. Unfortunately, Phaendris' attempts to speak with the half-orc proved fruitless. That night they slipped away, leaving behind their three unwanted allies, although they took some of their gear with them. The trio had little they thought needed to be taken care of immediately, but they knew that there was an interesting little diversion near Beregost in the form of some “belt-stealing ogre.” At least, that’s what the gnome had said. The belt was magical, they had heard, and so the three wanted to get their hands on it as soon as possible. On their way out, Montaron said he saw something, so the trio went off the path. In no time they had found yet ANOTHER ring in a rock pile. Phaendris was about to start looking under every rock they saw at this rate, although every time they found something she sighed mentally. She still hadn’t shown the first ring to the group, and she wasn’t about to now. She decided that once they were in Beregost she would have to identify all these items. They continued down the path to Beregost, keeping an eye out for that belt-loving ogre. As they walked, Phaendris smirked to herself. She had two capable allies, had dumped Imoen, and was on a real adventure. The Sword Coast would be her’s…
Unfortunately, the last picture I put on here failed to make it into the post, and you can't put them in after you've posted originally. It's nothing of any real importance, so I'll just leave it when I'm deleting the other pictures, for those who care.
Whatever you post I'll certainly read and enjoy!
Your best storytelling so far imo, very fluent, for example the point where Xzar and Monty came to Phaendris' aid with a healing potion.
Btw if you ctrl-F you'll find that you've confused Phaendris with another of your charnames
This is the kind of stupidity we get with male leadership!
Never the less! More updates!
As the trio traveled down the Coast Way, they kept an eye out for the ogre. They hadn’t seen anything as they traveled down the road, apart from a few gibberlings, but near the exit to Beregost they saw a caravan torn apart.
Assuming this was the ogre’s doing and that it might be nearby, the trio began searching up through the northeastern section of the map. After searching for an hour, the trio had found naught but a couple of pests, namely a xvart and another gibberling. Montaron was starting to complain when suddenly they heard heavy footsteps nearby. Leaving Xzar behind a tree, Phaendris and Montaron hid in the shadows and searched ahead.
Just as they had expected, they saw the ogre clomping about. He hadn’t spotted them, however, so Montaron and Phaendris motioned to Xzar to begin casting against the ogre while they snuck up on him from both sides. Xzar nodded and began casting Larloch’s Minor Drain. As Xzar moved into position, however, the ogre looked in Phaendris’ direction and she decided to rush him. Montaron was still fully hidden, however, and continued to circle round the beast. At this moment Xzar released his spell, hitting the ogre, but barely weakening him. The ogre rushed towards Xzar as Phaendris and Montaron closed in from behind. Before they could reach him, however, the ogre got close enough for Xzar to rush to the right, as far away as he could. Thus began an idiotic game of cat and mouse, with Xzar running from the ogre as Phaendris and Montaron tried to catch up to the bloated freak, who seemed quite intent on crushing Xzar. And he nearly did! As they ran around, Phaendris managed to land a solid blow on the ogre, but it wasn’t enough to draw his attention away, and he slammed his flail into Xzar, knocking Xzar away just enough for him to recover and continue running. Of course this meant that Xzar would draw the attention of a gibberling. Suffice it to say, this was not going as planned. Fortunately, Xzar’s physical capabilities were still enhanced from the first minor drain he had cast, otherwise he would have likely died from the ogre’s blow. Eventually the ogre changed focus to Montaron, while the gibberling chose to attack Phaendris.
Unphased by his cracked bones, Xzar began casting another spell at the ogre now that he was being left in peace. And then something beautiful happened. Just as Xzar’s spell hit the ogre, Phaendris brought down the sword in her left hand with perfect accuracy and brutal force. She cleaved almost straight through the ogre, breaking her sword on his last few ribs as his blood flew from him.
She quickly drew her backup sword and spun around to face the gibberling. The creature had no chance. A stone in the back of its head combined with Montaron’s sword in its gut was too much for the creature and it fell down dead. After searching the bodies, the trio found two belts, which they gave to Xzar to hold onto. They knew that one of them was supposedly a valuable girdle of piercing, but they were unsure of the identify of the other and so chose to place it in their pack for now.
After the battle they were tired and injured, most notably Xzar. However his wounds had been healed slightly by the magic he cast at the ogre, and he continued to heal as they traveled. (his bonus HP went away, but he was essentially fully healed, thanks to his magic) They returned to the road and traveled south to Beregost. They arrived at night, but a man walking by noticed them and came up. Phaendris thought he seemed unlikely to be an assassin, due to the nature of his clothing and the lack of armament, but she lightly gripped her sword hilt, just to be sure. She was grateful, however, when the man merely asked if they needed directions. Normally she would have ignored the man, but first impressions were important, and this was a new town, so she asked where an affordable inn could be found. He told her about a few different inns, and she thanked him. Deciding that for a single night’s stay they would merely choose the simplest of rooms, the three chose to go to the Red Sheaf.
Following the man’s directions, they walked down the road, lit only by moonlight. As they strode down it, however, a young woman came running up to them. She began babbling about needing help. She didn’t appear dangerous, but she seemed to be a mage, and the trio nodded at each other; a silent signal to stay on their guard. Phaendris responded, “Keep your distance, woman! Who are you, and what is the problem here?” The woman responded sarcastically, saying that she’d “love” to give the trio a long and detailed explanation, but that they were out of time.
Seconds later four men, two wearing robes, two in leather armor and carrying swords, appeared from the darkness. The obvious leader of the group, a mage wearing elaborate robes began speaking to the girl. “So, you would try to hide from us behind this unfortunate fool? Your cowardice proves as deadly as your reckless magic.” Phaendris noticed the two robed men both wore robes of deep crimson, and realized that these were Thayan wizards. The girl then responded snarkily that “You’re the one trying to capture me! And I still don’t know what you want, so I’d rather not let it happen. Get out of here before me and my new friends decide to inject a fist into your mouth!” The mage then turned to Phaendris and asked “You there! Stand aside and give me the girl. Surely you won’t risk your life for a stranger?” Phaendris looked at Xzar and Montaron and both of them shook their heads. Phaendris shrugged and said “Take her for all I care. I have no idea who this woman is.” The girl said some disparaging comment, though her face showed visible fear. But then to everyone’s surprise she yelled at the red robed mage “Away with you, you pompous creep!” before casting a spell which teleported the Thayan Wizard leader away. Unfortunately, while it removed the red robed mage from the picture, it also teleported the trio into very dangerous positions! The other Thayan Wizard looked terrified as he said “Ekandor?! Where did you go?! We can’t let her escape! Slaughter them all and we’ll sort this out once we find him!”
The battle was not ideal. Xzar was out of magic, and stood closest to the men with swords. Phaendris yelled at him to get out of the way, and pelt the mage with bullets.
He complied, rushing to the wild mage girl’s back before deciding that perhaps he should keep running, since one of the swordsmen was right on his tail.
Phaendris and Montaron charged the wizard, hoping to gut him before any threatening magic might find it’s way to the team. He managed to get off a mirror image, but the two of them cut right through his fakes before an exceptionally powerful blow from Phaendris toppled him to the ground. Turning to the blade wielders, Montaron and Phaendris began to attack them as well. Phaendris toppled her guard in seconds, but Montaron had to catch his prey. Fortunately, the combined efforts of the four allowed them to kill him without much trouble. Xzar led him straight to their blades, as the wild mage woman hit him with a chromatic orb.
With the last enemy dead, she turned to Phaendris and apologized for involving them, saying that had she not they would’ve been elbow deep in her brains. Phaendris, who had been slightly wounded, glared at her, but rather than gutting the woman as she would have liked, she instead told her “That’s well and good, but custom dictates that you dump a load of gold into my hands.” To Phaendris’ dismay, the woman said that she had very little gold. She then said that she could offer her something much more useful, however. Phaendris raised an eyebrow and asked what it was, to which the obnoxious little woman said “My talents! I’m an accomplished mage. I managed to send Ekandor… Uh, somewhere. You saw!” Phaendris sighed before responding “I get the impression that you didn’t really intend for that to happen.” The woman then grinned and said “Since when has intent ever mattered outside of the courts! I got the job done! What do you say? I could really use some new friends.” At this point Phaendris looked at Xzar and Montaron. She stared at them for a moment before kicking Neera to the ground and yelling “Restrain her arms so she can’t cast!” Xzar giggled and Montaron grinned maliciously. Phaendris whispered to the woman “If you have no money to pay us, then we’ll just take your equipment. It seems quite nice.” The woman’s eyes widened, but before she could speak Phaendris clamped a hand over her mouth. They then took everything she had, which wasn’t much. A magical robe, a magical staff, and a bag with a few gems inside. They then released her after telling her that she should be happy they didn’t gut her. She started babbling about calling the Flaming Fist, but Phaendris cut her off with “And what will that do? You have no evidence. As for these dead men, they’re obviously Thayans. The Fist won’t care. Run away, little elf.” The girl looked scared, but then glared at them and said “I’m a half-elf! If you ever need me, I’ll be at the Friendly Arm Inn, though don’t expect me to help!” As she stormed away, Phaendris scratched her head, wondering why she would even tell them that. She shrugged, however, and grinned at her allies. “Not a bad haul, eh boys?” Montaron grinned, “Aye, we gained a fine bit of loot from that one.” Xzar remained quiet, but smiled as he donned his new robes. A minute later, though, he said he’d like to get them changed to black, since it was more slimming. Phaendris and Montaron just stared at him, thinking he was definitely insane. They didn’t much care, though, and they continued on to the Red Sheaf.
As they entered, however, a dwarf in chain mail approached them, drawing his axe as he came near. In a gruff voice he said “You’re at the end of your rope, I’ll wager. Not that it’s anything personal, you understand, but I’m afraid your time on this here ball of mud is just about done.”
Phaendris growled, angry at finding yet another assassin, considering her current injuries and Xzar’s lack of magic. However she spat at him before saying “I hope you’ve the will to back up those words.” The dwarf grinned malevolently and responded “Aye, that I do. The will AND the way. Shall we get to business then?” The battle didn’t last long. Phaendris cut the dwarf down quickly, but not before he cleaved into Montaron’s arm.
With the three of them either injured or drained, they stumbled into the bar, ordered rooms, and immediately went to bed. They were so injured that they spent the entire next day in bed or around the inn. Fortunately, it seemed that this bar was such a seedy place that they weren't going to inform the authorities about the attempted murder. The trio was pleased at this, as it could have added a great deal of hassle to their journey. Montaron also talked with a fellow halfling about some missing shortsword, and Phaendris added the information to her journal. Money making opportunities were everywhere, and once the trouble at Nashkel had been dealt with, the more jobs they had available the better.
Late in the evening they set off, but before going they stopped at a mercenary company that Phaendris had heard talk of. Something about the place had piqued her interest and so they stopped by. Xzar and Montaron didn't understand why they needed to go there, but they had somewhat settled into Phaendris being the leader, as she seemed a skilled leader. Fortunately it was still open when they got there. The dwarf behind the desk introduced himself as Kagain and asked what he could do for them. Phaendris inquired as to the stock of this shop, to which Kagain explained that he ran an escort business, hiring mercenaries to escort caravans. He said that one of his caravans never arrived and he was looking for some people to take care of it for him. He asked if they were interested and before Montaron and Xzar could say anything, she had already agreed. Kagain said that he wouldn’t mind getting a little exercise himself and so decided to join them. Apparently the caravan disappeared just north of Beregost, he said. Before they left, Xzar and Montaron pulled Phaendris away from Kagain and began berating her for accepting a job that requires them to go in the opposite direction of Nashkel. She pacified them, however, by saying that if it took too long, they could just gut the dwarf, take his gold, and be on their way. They were further pacified by Xzar noticing a black mage’s robe in the box that Kagain was getting supplies from. Kagain said that he’d trade it for Xzar’s current robe if he wished, to which Xzar grinned gleefully. Montaron rolled his eyes, but with both of his companions happy to help out this dwarf, he didn’t have much of a choice. The four of them set out immediately, once fully equipped.
To their surprise, after only a few hours of traveling Kagain came up to Phaendris and said “I’m tired of looking fer the damn caravan. We’ll never find it among all the other dead caravans we’ve been coming across. Let’s just forget about it and keep to whatever you want to do. I’ve been itchin' to get out from behind that desk for ages anyway.” The other three shrugged, happy to get back to their journey to Nashkel, though they were unsure of their new companion.
Phaendris and Co. walked down the road from Beregost, wondering what interesting journeys they might find today. As they walked, Phaendris talked to their new companion, Kagain, since he had joined them for a specific job and then given up the job after barely any time at all. “So Kagain, why exactly did you give up the job so quickly?” Kagain looked up at her, his bearded face studying her. “Well, lass, to be frank it be because I'm looking for adventure. I’m tired o’ bein’ cooped up in that town. And if ya ask anythin’ else, I’ll cut ya in two.” Phaendris glared at him. “Threaten me again and I’ll cut you in two, understand? You’re the new face in this group, and I’m positive my companions would rather side with me.” Kagain just shrugged and responded with “If a little gold went their way they might change their mind.” Phaendris scowled and said “I’m sure this group will enjoy the time spent with you immensely…”
For the first part of their journey, they met with no creatures, people, or anything of interest. A ways down the road, however, they came across two ogrillons picking over a halfling’s corpse. They hadn’t noticed the group yet, however, but then Montaron charged the enemy. Phaendris tried to stop him, but then he let out a battlecry and Phaendris sighed before yelling “Attack!” The battle ended quickly enough. Kagain took two strong punches, but managed to shrug them off well enough as he proceeded to chop one of them down, while Phaendris and Xzar killed the other. On the corpses they found little of interest. A scroll of chromatic orb that Phaendris put in her spellbook and a note from some man to his wife. The halfling that the ogrillons killed appeared to have been ambushed by the brutes, and seemed to be heading in the direction of Beregost. Phaendris made a note in her journal about the note and this “Mirianne”, in case a reward could be retrieved at a later date.
Continuing down the path, the group was surprised to meet three members of the Flaming Fist, who accused the group of Banditry!
Phaendris was about to argue their point, when Montaron (who the man was speaking to) butted in with “If you want a fight, we’ll give you a fight!” Phaendris sighed, but drew her swords and dove into battle. The battle was over relatively quickly, and wasn’t very complicated. Each of the group’s three melee combatants chose a target and fought, with Xzar pelting the enemy with bullets. Everyone was wounded when the battle was over, but it was worth it.
Three suits of fine plate mail for the three melee combatants. Phaendris and Montaron were somewhat inconvenienced by their weight, but not enough to warrant ignoring the excellent protection given. They took everything the Fist had, but did not don their helmets. While it might be useful to impersonate members of the Fist, due to their size and races it seemed unlikely to work. Besides, Phaendris had grown rather fond of her horned helm. It allowed her to see a great deal while still having the protection a helm provides. Montaron agreed, and Kagain wasn’t about to give up his personal winged helm for just any old helmet. The group left the corpses in the road, thinking that anyone seeing the corpses would believe they had been killed by bandits.
As they finished putting on their new armor, Xzar thought he heard something over in the trees. The other three didn’t even notice as the addled wizard wandered off, though they certainly noticed when he brought back a group of hobgoblins with him! The mad mage came running back, two hobgoblins hot on his trail.
To his credit, he did spin around and floor one of them with his sling, but he had still brought a group of hobgoblins against them. The group sprang into action and cut the remaining hobgoblin down before rushing to deal with the others. The battle was hardly a challenge, and once it was over, they turned to Xzar to yell at him. Before they could, however, he pointed behind them and they turned to see a large cave.
Kagain’s forgiveness was instant. There would likely be a great deal of treasure there. Montaron and Phaendris were not quite so quick to forgive. Phaendris told him that if he wished to continue working with her, he should not put the group in so much danger. Montaron opened his mouth to say something in agreement, then realized that perhaps Xzar would kill himself next time, and so shut it again. Sighing, Phaendris gripped her blades and said “Let’s head on in.”
Once inside there was little to see. A large crate sat in the middle, with nothing around. Phaendris looked for any traps, and then opened the crate. Inside were several healing potions and a small pouch of gold coins. Kagain suddenly realized he was angry at Xzar at this point. “You put us in danger for this?!” Phaendris gripped Kagain’s shoulder. “Enough. Time to move on. The only one who suffered from this is him. As she said that she motioned to Xzar’s arm, which had been bleeding ever since one of the hobgoblin’s arrows pierced it. Kagain pulled himself away from Phaendris’ grip and left the cave. Phaendris put a hand on her face and sighed. This group would be entirely too much work.
Back at the road, the group checked the corpses. To their surprise they found a pair of enchanted boots. Xzar placed them into his bag after inspecting them to no avail. With their business in this area concluded, the group continued further south.
The next area was rather peaceful, at least until the group was assailed by a group of hobgoblins. Kagain charged in against the four with swords, as he was the best defended and the only one who was unhurt, as it appeared his injuries healed VERY quickly. While he took the brunt of the fight, Montaron and Phaendris attacked the archers, with Xzar providing ranged backup for the two of them.
The archers each fell in a single swing, and the two deadly hobgoblin slayers rushed to aid Kagain. Kagain brought down two of them with Xzar stunning one of them, which allowed Kagain to get an easy kill. Phaendris and Montaron rushed in and killed one each as well.
There wasn’t much on them, but nearby they found a dead family. The hobs had cleared most of the loot, but there was a valuable looking amulet they had missed. Monty stashed it in the gem bag immediately.
From there it was a peaceful trip south to Nashkel.
The group arrived at Nashkel late. Xzar surmised that it was nine o’clock, though the mad mage couldn’t be trusted to accurately tell time. The group decided to go to the inn and spend the night before contacting the mayor about Xzar and Montaron’s arrival. When they entered a member of the guard approached them and the group readied themselves. He told the group to identify themselves, and Phaendris did so, speaking in her sweetest tones. “I am Phaendris, and this is my band of fellow adventurers. I hear that this is a troubled region of late. Allow me to put ourselves at your disposal during our stay here.” The man visibly relaxed and the group did as well. The man then said “If you’re seeking to resolve troubles, welcome. If you’re seeking to cause them, kindly take it elsewhere… Things are not good here, Phaendris.” Phaendris put on her best shocked expression before replying, “What things aren’t good? All I have heard are rumours and vague suspicions.” The man sighed deeply before responding. “Aye, what IS good around here anymore? Our iron is rotten and there is talk of demons in the mines. And then there is the question of Commander Brage… Ack, they have stripped him of that title, but I use it yet… He killed his wife and children in a rage one night and all who saw him. Then he tore himself away and headed for the hills.” The man was visibly hurt by this, and his eyes showed tears in them. He choked them back and wiped them away with his gloved hand. “Fie on you, now! You have brought tears to the eyes of a soldier!” With this statement, he walked away. Montaron rolled his eyes at the man’s emotions. Kagain turned to Phaendris and said “You know, you’re not a bad face, are you? You can pull the innocent sweet little elf act pretty well. I could use you at the business.” Phaendris smirked and replied “I know a few tricks. Let’s head to the inn. I’m tired.” With that the group entered the inn.
Once inside, they were surprised to see a woman stride towards them, club in hand. She began jabbering about expecting a hunt, but Phaendris was tired and irritable and just attacked her.
Xzar began casting a spell as soon as he noticed the woman casting one of her own. It turned out she was a cleric, though she didn’t get much of a chance to prove it as she was quickly overwhelmed by the group’s superior numbers. The foolish woman was hacked to pieces by the trio of blade wielding monsters around her. She didn’t have much. A shield, some chainmail, and a magic helmet, which was once again handed off to Xzar to no avail. Kagain tried asking why they had an assassin attack them, but Phaendris just told him to shut up and ask in the morning. The inn’s clientele and staff were horrified, but Phaendris strode up to the innkeeper and asked for a room. With shaking hands he took her gold. Phaendris motioned to the team and they went to bed.
Monty is the "All business. Especially if it involves killing" type. Quick to anger, slow to forgive. Occasionally he'll be humorous, whether it's due to his anger being amusing, or due to him actually saying something amusing.
Kagain is the calculating businessman. Cold, quiet, occasionally violent, but mainly just calculating. It's all about money and how to best obtain it. No scruples, but he's definitely Lawful Evil.
Xzar is the comic relief of the group. Whether it's his insanity, his moments of (suspiciously useful) clarity, or his bad decisions, he's the chaotic member of the group. It fits, considering he'll be the only chaotically aligned member of the team, despite all of them being evil.
The other team members will both have their own personalities as well, and you'll get to see that later on, hopefully.
In the morning the group met around the breakfast table. Before anyone had a chance to speak, Montaron set a bag of gold coins down on the table. “Let them pay for our rooms, eh?” he said with a smirk. The other three chuckled and nodded approvingly for a moment before Kagain returned his attention to Phaendris. “So what’s this assassin business, hmm? I didn’t know you’d be so bad for business.” Phaendris smirked. “To be frank, I don’t know why they want me, but they’ve been quite unthreatening so far, and we’ve made a decent bit of coin from them. I’m sure that interests you, no?” Kagain scowled, but it was obvious that as soon as she had said coin he was fully invested in the group again. “Very well, but fer me ta aid ya, ya’d best see that nothing’ happens that we can’t handle.”
With their discussion over, the group ate breakfast and prepared to do what tasks needed to be done around town. First on the agenda was for the group to speak with the mayor about the mine. After settling that matter, the group would split up and deal with various tasks about town. The group had decided to stay in town for a couple of days before tackling the mines, as they had many items to be identified, and only one person who could do it. Fortunately, Phaendris had identified the ring that Montaron had found as a ring of evermemory, which would allow her to memorize many more spells at once than normal. This would speed the process of identification greatly. With their plans set, the group left the inn.
(I actually did NOT identify the ring of evermemory, but I very easily could have. I was just too derpy to do it, so bear with me. It’ll make the RP move more smoothly. It'll be identified before the end of the chapter)
As the group neared the temple, a dignified looking middle-aged man approached them. He came up to Phaendris and began speaking. “I recognize Xzar among you, so you must be the group I was expecting. Welcome to Nashkel. I am Berrun Ghastkill, the mayor. If you are here to help, you will be treated well, but I expect no treachery on your part.” Phaendris smiled sweetly at the man and replied “I assure you, were are willing to help. What do you need?” Ghastkill raised an eyebrow, but replied without hesitation. “You are remarkably well-mannered despite the company you keep. You probably already know of part of our problem. The iron shortage has crippled the coast, and our mines are pretty much at the center of it. Miners go missing all too often, and what ore we do get is tainted and worthless. Clearing the mines will not solve all our problems, but it would be a start.” At this point Phaendris was presented with a choice. She had to decide whether to inquire about the reward, or act like a charitable hero. On one hand, she wanted to know that this would be worth it, but at the same time she also knew that Xzar and Montaron were already aware of the value of this mission. Not to mention the fact that having the mayor in her pocket could be very valuable… All these thoughts flew through her head in seconds, and she finally responded “I will help as best I can.” The mayor smiled warmly and thanked her. As he walked away Kagain muttered under his breath “This had better be worth it.”
With this, the group split up, Kagain and Montaron going to the store, while Phaendris searched around for local rumours and jobs. Xzar was allowed to go around freely, though the group warned him not to get them in trouble.
In the guard’s bunkhouse, Phaendris came across a rude guard who told her to leave. She acted apologetic, but once the fool was gone, she broke into one of the chests and stole an enchanted short sword. Unfortunately, one of the guards that had been asleep in the room awoke just as she pulled it out of the chest. He called for assistance, but tripped over his bedsheets and fell flat on the floor. Phaendris rushed out of the building and disappeared into the building’s shadows. The guards never figured out who stole the blade and thanks to the clumsy guard, they never even had a clue as to who might have.
Meanwhile, Xzar was wandering the streets, enjoying the sights of the city. He acted almost like a small child, really, gazing with wonder at the various buildings and people. In his wonder, he completely bumped into a portly man. To his surprise, the man turned to him and began babbling about some one named Greywolf. Then the man offered Xzar 200 gold pieces, and who was Xzar to turn down such a handsome sum? Xzar was so surprised, however, that he could barely form a cohesive response. (though that could have been due to his insanity) “Uhhh… YES! Yes, I would be Greywolf. That’s me all right. None other than Greywolf. I’ll take that reward because… of what I did! I’m Greywolf, and I deserve it! Thank you.”
Xzar was feeling quite chuffed, so when he crossed the bridge and some man came walking up and began talking to him, he didn’t even ignore him. In fact, they talked for nearly an hour. The conversation made little sense, as both speakers seemed to be touched in the head. The random man began. “Hi, I’m Noober. Nice place, huh?” Xzar grinned. “I’m Xzar! This place is quite nice, though it could use some more grues.” Noober seemed unphased by this comment. “So, killed any monsters yet?” he asked. Xzar giggled “Only of the human kind.” Still unphased, Noober asked “Ever been to Baldur’s Gate? I’ve been to Baldur’s Gate.” Xzar shook his head. “Never, though I’ve heard the sewers are filled with very nice things.” Noober raised his foot, sniffed, and made a face. “Ugh, I think I stepped in something.” Xzar replied “Baldur’s Gate’s sewers have plenty of that as well!” Noober tilted his head and stared at Xzar. “Everyone in town used to throw rocks at me and tell me I was annoying.” Xzar gasped in a way that would’ve seemed sarcastic had it been made by a normal man. “Nonsense! Fools are needed. After all, leg of a fool is a key ingredient in many potions!” Noober grinned, then looked at the sun. “What time is it?” “Quarter past second breakfast, I think.” Xzar replied. Noober smiled at Xzar. “I haven’t had a conversation this long, well… ever!” Xzar’s eyes widened. “Neither have I! The last man to talk to me for this long is in a dungeon right now, and he’s insane!” Noober pointed to Neera’s staff, which Xzar was still carrying. “What’s that big weapon for?” Xzar responded without missing a beat. “For walking. And hitting people.” Noober tilted his head again as he scratched his rear. “Those colors look pretty stoopid on you…” Xzar reeled back, highly offended. “It’s slimming, alright?!” Noober seemed to ignore Xzar’s response. “I once knew this guy named Dilby. He threw rocks at me, too. Are you gonna throw rocks at me?” Xzar huffed. “Well only if you keep insulting my robes.” “What about now?” Noober asked. Xzar shook his head. “No.” “What about now?” “No.” “What about now?” “No.” “What about now?” “No.” “What about now?” “No.” This continued on for quite some time before Noober finally said “Gee, you sure are patient. I’ve run out of things to say.” With this said he walked away. Xzar scratched his head, giggled a little, and continued to wander. Who knows what he was thinking, but one can only assume he was thinking that perhaps he wasn’t the only crazy one in the world.
Meanwhile, Kagain and Monty had concluded their business and headed back to the inn, thinking that with their business done, they could relax. Monty decided to go for a walk, however, though in the back of his mind he was surely thinking only about figuring the best possible places to steal from. To his surprise, while he searched the town he found a suit of ankheg plate mail and a pearl buried in a field. After checking to make sure he was alone, Montaron grabbed the mail and pearl and kept walking, quite pleased with his random find. Further down in the fields he came across Xzar, wandering around. Montaron sighed, decided that he had done enough casing for one day, and went over to Xzar to go back to the inn with him.
Phaendris hadn’t found much. She’d heard idle rumours, found an enchanted shortsword, and nearly gotten caught by the cops. She grumpily continued to search, hoping for some sort of interesting opportunity to present itself. At the inn she met a bard who told her more of the current events going on in Nashkel. Most of what he said was what she had heard previously, but he mentioned that the commander of Nashkel’s guard, Commander Brage, had recently procured a new sword. Phaendris took mental note of this, since it might be useful to her in future.
Phaendris knocked back a couple of beers before heading on, though she didn’t find much else in town to interest her. She met a woman who’s husband had disappeared in the mines, and Phaendris said she’d look for him, though she didn’t plan to go out of her way for it. She checked out a couple of houses, but didn’t find anything of interest, as the houses were occupied.
While this was going on, Montaron and Xzar were having a bit of a “discussion”, though Montaron wasn’t enjoying it. Kagain merely watched quietly, a faint smile visible under his beard.
Once Phaendris got back to the inn, the four discussed their day, and then they all turned in after dinner, save for Monty, who snuck away to the manor house once everyone else was asleep. It was a dark evening, and rain was coming down. Monty thought that no one would be likely to see the little halfling sneaking through the storm.
He didn’t find much, but he did get a few scrolls and some pocket change, along with a potion of invisibility. Returning to the inn, he went to sleep for the evening.
The group spent three days in Nashkel, identifying, selling, and generally preparing for the trip into the mines. Of the enchanted equipment the group had found, most of it was useful. The boots and helmet were the first to be identified, and were given to Montaron and Kagain. The boots increased Monty’s stealth abilities, while the helmet allowed Kagain to look super spiffy. Er, rather, it allowed him to see in the dark. Next, they identified the shortsword and Phaendris’ ring she had found. The ring turned out to be a ring of protection, which she was quick to don. The shortsword was nothing more than a mildly enchanted short sword, but it was better than anything else they had. Montaron being the main wielder of such weapons took the blade. He took it with a mischievous grin and spent the rest of their time in Nashkel sharpening his new “toy”.
After another relatively peaceful day, the group went to bed. As Phaendris slept that night, however, a vivid and strange dream interrupted her sleep. When she awoke she felt more powerful. In the corner of her room she noticed a rat scurrying about. Without even thinking about her actions, she raised her hand and slowly the rat’s blood poured forth from his mouth, and it collapsed as it’s blood flew into Phaendris’ finger tips. She smiled maliciously, and clenched her hand into a fist. She said nothing of this to her companions, however. That day she identified two of the belts the group had. To their disappointment, one of them was merely a belt of masculinity/femininity. A powerfully enchanted belt, for sure, but one with no use. They decided to sell it and put it with the “junk bag”. The other belt was indeed a belt of piercing, which Phaendris decided to keep for herself. The last belt the group had was Gorion’s old belt. It was just a belt of antipode, and the group decided to sell it. Another lazy day passed by and the group went to bed. The next morning, to everyone’s surprise, they awoke to find a voluptuous woman waltzing around the inn…
When the woman came up to Phaendris, Montaron, and Kagain and then began giggling, they realized what had happened. Over the next day they managed to get surprisingly accustomed to “Xzarina”, as they had begun calling “her.” The one who had the hardest time with it was Phaendris. She couldn’t get over her jealousy at Xzarina’s quite prominent chest. SHE was the sexiest member of the party, not some fake woman who was mad as a hatter. But the item was cursed, and Xzarina quite liked her new form, so getting rid of it was out of the question for now. She giggled and muttered about being happy to have chosen a black robe. It made her look even better. She also didn’t seem to mind the free drinks the bar’s patrons offered. Montaron was repulsed and kept his distance, but Kagain was disturbingly comfortable with Xzarina. After the shock had worn off, the group continued to prepare that day and then decided finally that they were ready. The next morning the group set out. They stopped in at the shop to trade once more before setting off, but before long they were on their way.
Edit: I'm tired and out of it. (for some reason...) I don't write well when I'm not into it and due to my exhaustion I'm definitely not into it. I've written some of a chapter, but I think I'll just finish it later. Probably tomorrow after work. Sorry for the delay.
Phaendris and Co. trudged towards the mines. Progress wasn’t rapid, but nothing had really gotten in their way. Kagain was leading the way, as his “dwarven sense for mines” would supposedly lead them down the right path. When Phaendris started to notice the cliff walls surrounding them, however, she was not so impressed. Before long they came to a dead end. “Congratulations, gold brain.” She said. “You led us to a dead end. I mean come on. It was supposed to be a simple path south. How could you screw this up?” Before Kagain could respond, however, a group appeared from a crevice in the wall. “And now we’re in an ambush. Fabulous.” There were seven of them, five of whom had bows and crossbows aimed at the group. There were two others who were different, however. They seemed to be the leaders, since they both carried magical tools. One of them, a human with a thick accent that Phaendris (or perhaps Elrandir…) found very alluring, stepped forward. “Hail and well met, elf.” He said, bowing slightly. Phaendris motioned to the team to stay on their guard, though only Montaron and Kagain would truly be able to survive the onslaught of arrows and bolts should it come to that. Xzarina and Phaendris lacked shields and Phaendris decided she’d rather settle this without bloodshed, if only for her sake. “Keep your distance, traveler.” She said. “What do you want?” The man raised his hands in a motion to calm them. “Now, now, there’s no reason for this to turn violent. Hand over your belongings, and you may yet live.” Phaendris glanced around, realizing there was little chance of getting away from this without injury. Before she could respond, however, Montaron had spoken for her. “Come and take them, brigands!” The woman who appeared to be the other leader of this group spoke up. “You should listen to Senjak, friend. Perhaps you have noticed our associates, who are even now aiming their arrows at your hearts. Raise a hand against us, and they’ll cut you down.”
Kagain glanced around before speaking up. “Perhaps we could negotiate?” Senjak grinned before replying “Now then, empty your pockets and -“ He was cut short by a muffled cry of pain from behind him. “What’s going on back there?!” As Senjak turned his eyes widened. “This is impossible!” Phaendris had seen it all, and Xzarina seemed to have noticed as well. One by one the three crossbowmen standing behind Senjak and the armored woman were dragged into the shadows by a large shape. After the third one fell, the shape moved into the light. From the shadows came a massive half-orc, wearing splint mail and carrying a vicious looking claymore. His muscles were so large that they strained against his splint mail. Phaendris could not help but bite her lip at the sight of him, so magnificent he was. She admired power, and this half-orc monster was powerful indeed. Something was familiar about him as well. She then realized that he had been the one she had met at the Friendly Arm Inn. She smirked, thinking what a coincidence it was to meet him again. She didn’t have long to think about this, however, as he began to bellow at the two bandit leaders.
“SENJAK! DOROTEA! I swore I would crush the life out of you someday. Today is that day!” Senjak’s face curled into a snarl. “Dorn! You should be dead or rotting in a Luskan prison. How did you find us?” The woman, who the half-orc had called Dorotea seemed nervous. “I-I’m happy to see you Dorn. Leaving you behind to take the blame was all Simmeon’s idea, he’s the one you want, not us.” The half-orc growled. “‘Just following orders’ is a coward’s excuse, Dorotea. And I haven’t forgotten what you said when I refused your advances.” Senjak’s eyes flared, but he kept calm. “What advances? She would never consort with a half-orc, especially when she has me. You haven’t changed, Dorn. You’re as stupid as you are ugly. Tell him, Dorotea.” To Phaendris’ surprise Dorotea responded almost pleadingly. “Senjak was the first to agree with Simmeon — he always hated you… But you know I didn’t feel the same way.” Senjak’s face became visibly overwhelmed with shock. “D-Dorotea, what are you saying..?” Xzarina giggled “This is better than real housewives of Baldur’s Gate!” Montaron turned to him and scowled. “Shut up, ye mad wizard. This isn’t the time fer yer jabberin’.” Senjak’s eyes lit up, more with hope than an idea. “Ah! A ruse, of course. But the half-breed brute is too stupid for that to work. Men! Rush them!”
Dorn growled out the words “You are both mewling cowards, turning on each other as easily as you turned on me. Half your men are already dead. You’ll join them soon.” Dorotea got the last word, however. “It didn’t have to be this way. We’ve beaten you before, Dorn. We’ll do it again! Attack!” Before she had finished, Phaendris was already barking orders. “Montaron, Kagain, deal with the archers! Xzarina, attack Senjak! I’ll get Dorotea!”
With this, the battle raged. It was not long lived, however.
Xzarina took an arrow to his side, and he immediately began casting Larloch’s Minor Drain in an attempt to recover. Kagain and Montaron both rushed to their targets and cut them down in a single blow each. Phaendris charged Dorotea while Dorn attacked Senjak.
Xzarina’s spell connected, and shortly afterwards so did Dorn’s sword, no doubt due in part to him being thrown off balance by Xzarina’s spell. With Senjak dead, the whole team turned their attention to Dorotea. The poor bi*** never had a chance.
After several small blows nicked her, Phaendris brought her sword down hard enough to cleave her nearly in two, even through her plate mail. The corpse collapsed to the ground and Dorn turned to Phaendris.
The others were still ready to defend against Dorn as well, if necessary, but Phaendris bid them relax. Everyone sheathed their weapons and Dorn spoke. “Hrmm. You handled yourself well enough.” Phaendris huffed. “You act surprised.” Dorn shrugged. “As a rule I do not rely on those who fight beside me. Perhaps you may prove an exception to the rule.” “So what’re we? Gibberlings?” Kagain asked, obviously perturbed that he had been ignored. Dorn glanced down at him, his distaste apparent. “About the same height.” Kagain’s eyes lit up with rage, but Montaron of all people placed a hand on his shoulder. “Pick yer battles.” Kagain scowled but remained silent. Phaendris continued, now that her companions had shut up. “Perhaps. What was that business with those two bandits? And who are you, anyway?” Dorn stretched. “My name is Dorn Il-Khan, and I was settling an old score. I’ve been hunting those two for almost a year now. That’s two down and two to go.” Xzarina piped up “When you struck Senjak down, what happened? I saw some ghostly apparition appear.” Dorn frowned. “My powers are none of your concern, unless you are looking for a strong arm to join you.” Phaendris remembered some of the books she had read in Candlekeep and she raised an eyebrow. “You’re a blackguard, aren’t you?” Dorn’s face changed little, but it was obvious to Phaendris that he was surprised. “Very perceptive.” He said. “I suppose you are full of questions about the source of my power. Don’t bother.” Phaendris shrugged. She glanced at her current companions and then said “Unless my companions say otherwise, I’d be interested in you joining us. I’m always on the lookout for traveling companions with useful skills. Would you be interested in joining me?” Dorn’s face changed slightly. “Wait. Are you Phaendris?” Phaendris’ eyes widened and she gripped her sword hilts. “What if I am?” Dorn smiled faintly. “Hrmm. I’ve heard of your… prowess. Traveling with you might help my vendetta, and my powers could certainly help you.” Phaendris looked to her companions, and though they seemed unsure of the half-orc, none of them could deny his power. Even Kagain nodded slightly. Phaendris smirked. “Perhaps they would. Before I accept your aid and offer mine in return, who exactly are you looking for?” Dorn scowled. “My former companions betrayed me and left me to rot in a Luskan prison. I’ve spent the last year tracking them down. After Senjak and Dorotea, there are two left.” Phaendris would betray someone in a heartbeat if it would further her cause, but she decided to humour the half-orc. “I see. Betrayal cannot go unpunished. You may join me in my travels, Dorn.” Dorn grinned malevolently. “Very wise, Phaendris. We shall cut a bloody swath across the Sword Coast!”
With this done, the group cleaned up the corpses. Thanks to his spell Xzarina’s injuries were healed and no one else had suffered any wounds. Xzarina handed his potions over to the group’s new ally, as he would see more direct combat than Xzarina. For the same reason Montaron handed his helm to Dorn, though he was aggravated that Dorn did not have one of his own. Dorn also strapped on Kagain’s old platemail, as the dwarf had cleaned and put on the Ankheg armor that Montaron had found. Most of what they found on the corpses was useless, but Dorn loaded it into his pack regardless. Senjak had been wielding an enchanted wakizashi, while Dorotea carried an enchanted small shield. Both seemed quite useful, but Phaendris decided to save her one use of the identification spell, in case something even better appeared later on. With the area cleaned, Phaendris and Co., now with the addition of a half-orc blackguard, headed on towards the mines.
Along the way Phaendris tried to speak to Dorn, but he said little. It seemed he wanted little to do besides complete whatever task was at hand. Finally they arrived at the mines, and Phaendris looked around curiously. She gazed down into the mining pit before deciding to search the area first, namely a large cabin near the mining pit. The others asked why, since they had come here specifically for the mines. Phaendris shrugged and said that she felt they might gain some insight into what was plaguing the mines if they searched. Besides, she said, there was this large cabin and it might have treasure. She winked as she said it and Kagain decided that he was all for the plan. The others went along with it, though they didn’t seem to be pleased.
Before entering the cabin Phaendris put her ear to the door. Inside she heard noises, but she couldn’t make out what they were. The group drew their weapons and stepped inside to find a trio of dogs. They looked to be trained, and the group assumed that this was a storehouse for the mines.
They didn’t much care, though, and after a short battle they had Dorn toss the bodies into a corner while the rest of them searched the cabin. To everyone’s dismay there was little to be found in the way of treasure. Most of it was stored iron, but they did find a small sack of gold coins, along with a potion of healing, which they handed to Xzarina.
Exiting the cabin, they heard a cry for help nearby. It came from the opposite direction to the mines, and Phaendris turned to her allies and shrugged. They weren’t exactly heroes, but the group rushed towards the sound of the screams anyway. As the group came into a small wooded area, they saw a gnome rushing up to them. He stopped and began gasping for air. After a moment he began to speak. “Hey… Wait… Please wait. You’ve gotta help me, they’re after me. They’ll be here soon.” Phaendris smiled sweetly and put on her best “innocent elf” impression before responding. “Calm down. Tell us what’s going on and we’ll see if we can help you.” The gnome looked around, seemingly searching for something. “They’re kobolds, dozens of them. They captured me and stripped me down. The dirty imps tortured me for no other reason than to hear me scream, but I got away. They’ll be here soon. We have to run, get out of here.” After saying this he paused, as if he heard something before screaming. “Oh no! It’s too late! They’re here!” Seemingly out of nowhere a group of four kobolds appeared.
Without hesitation the group charged in. Fortunately four kobolds are nothing against a group of skilled warriors, and the four creatures died nearly instantly. The gnome had fled, but Montaron didn't seem to care. He was busy picking up the few gold pieces and gems the creatures had. Phaendris thought about the kobolds, wondering what they were doing here. She noticed Kagain pondering as well and wondered if they were both thinking the same thing. Shoving the thought out of her mind, however, she decided the group would head to the mine now, assuming nothing of interest showed itself.
The group headed east, planning to survey the rest of the area directly around the mine, thinking they might find some clues on the south side of the mines. When the group neared the mines, they noticed a man chipping away at the stone of a small rock hill. Curious, they moved closer. As they got close to him they noticed he was working on an incredibly detailed and impressive sculpture of a woman’s face. They heard him mumbling “Ah, beauteous creature! You are my masterpiece! Never should I have stolen these emeralds, but there was nothing else that would capture the majesty of thine eyes! I did what must be done, for I have left my shop, forgotten all my commissions, and spent all that I had. I must complete thee!” Xzarina showed a surprising appreciation for art when she rushed forward and crowed loudly. “Oooh! How beautiful! This work is magnificent!” The rest of the group turned to stare at her, surprised by this outburst. She also drew the attention of the sculptor, who wheeled around and stared at them, fear in his bloodshot eyes. It appeared as though he hadn’t slept in days, and he was thin and pale. “Wait, there is someone here! Who are you? ’Twas that relentless Greywolf who sent you, wasn’t it?” Xzarina piped up “I impersonated Greywolf! That’s how I got those two hundred gold pieces!” Taking this as a sign that they were not affiliated with Greywolf, the sculptor breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank Deneir, I thought I was done in. I am not cut out for a life on the run. Mayhaps you could help a foolish sculptor finish this epiphany? Please, guard this place, for surely Greywolf will come seeking the bounty on the gems. I will pay with my last possessions if you would do this one service for me.” Phaendris responded, gold pieces flashing in front of her eyes. “Perhaps we’ll just take the bounty for ourselves?” Xzarina stepped in between the sculptor and Phaendris. “No! Let him finish! This work is too marvelous!” Phaendris growled “Out of the way, Xzarina.” Kagain gripped her arm. “Nay, the mad wizard is right, though fer the wrong reasons.” Phaendris exclaimed “What?!” her face showing an increasing level of aggravation. Kagain pulled her aside. “Listen, lass. You want the gold as much as I do. But if we guard this man we can kill Greywolf if ‘e arrives, pocket the money from ‘im, and take the idiot’s emeralds too. Not to mention, if the bounty is on the sculptor ‘imself, then we can get the bounty too. It’s more gold all around. We’ll guard ‘im fer now, but as soon as ‘e’s done we gut ‘im.” Phaendris smirked. “Cunning little dwarf, aren’t you? Very well. I like this plan.” Turning back to the sculptor, she agreed that they would guard him. Montaron and Dorn grumbled quietly, but the rest of the group was happy. Prism, for so the man was called, introduced himself and thanked the group, explaining that he had been using potions of speed to aid his work and he had not slept for days, thus explaining the bloodshot eyes. He also explained the origin of this work to Xzarina, who sat near him watching wide-eyed as a young boy watches a duel. Prism said that he had seen the woman on the outskirts of Evereska, but had said nothing and regretted it. The rest of the group tried to ignore him, but he continued to drone on and on about her beauty as he worked.
Finally after several minutes of this Dorn snapped. “Enough of this! I’ll kill him if he doesn’t shut up right now!” Before he could prove his point, however, a grey haired yet fairly young human came striding up. Sheathed at his side was a sword from which small particles of frost appeared on the hilt. The man’s face was scarred and he looked to be a foul tempered man. In a gravelly voice he cried out “I have come for you, Prism!” Prism looked terrified, his pale face somehow becoming even paler. “No! Not yet! My work is nearly done! Please, I implore you!” Greywolf scowled. “Your sentiment is wasted on me, fool. You are but gold in my purse.” Glancing around, he took note of the group gathered around Prism. “Who are you fools? Has Prism hired help to protect him?” Phaendris drew her sword and with that cue the whole group prepared to fight. Phaendris smirked. “Who we are is unimportant. What is important is that we are armed to the teeth and we mean to stop you from hurting him.” Greywolf growled and then took a second look at Xzarina. “Wait! I recognize you! It was you who stole a bounty rightfully mine! Prism will live a moment longer while I kill the lot of you!” Xzarina grinned gleefully and began chanting. “Stole your gold! Stole your gold!” Greywolf roared and lunged at the wizard.
Xzarina dodged out of the way and began pelting him with bullets as the rest of the group surrounded the bounty hunter.
Had he fought the group one on one he might have succeeded, as it seemed he was quite skilled. However he was alone, and if four against one was not bad enough Xzarina’s bullets made it no less challenging. He fell quickly under a shower of blows, and Phaendris instantly grabbed his sword, eager to gain the magical blade.
Xzarina turned to Prism and cried “He’s dead! You can finish!” only to notice Prism slumping against the stone. “Alas, my work is complete…” Xzarina rushed to him and helped him sit down. Prism asked that they leave the sparkle in her eyes, though they could take whatever else they desired. Before his eyes closed he placed a hand on his heart. “O sweet creature, my effigy to thee is done. Perhaps our paths shall cross in distant realms, and I shall find the courage to call thy name, Ellesime…”
The group felt certain that were they more caring people this scene would have touched them greatly. Xzarina seemed saddened, but he was as mad as they came and evil as well, so his sorrow could be as fake as Phaendris' kindness. To their surprise, however, he refused to allow them to take the emeralds, saying that they must “leave the sparkle in her eyes”! The group glanced at one another before shrugging and agreeing with Xzarina. He seemed surprised by this, but the group began to leave, and Xzarina followed, grinning broadly. A short glance and nod of the head from Phaendris to Montaron explained why the group was so amenable to Xzarina’s choice. Montaron slipped away for a few minutes and then returned, giving a short nod to Phaendris. She grinned, her scheming visible in her eyes. She paused, wondering how Greywolf knew that the transformed Xzarina was the one who had stolen Greywolf’s bounty, however. After a moment she shrugged the thought away.
Finding no entrance to the mining pit to the south, the group returned to the north side. The group found the stairs down, but decided to take a lunch break, as it had been several activity filled hours since they had eaten.
They stopped near an old dead tree, which Dorn sat against. To everyone’s surprise, Dorn’s massive frame toppled the dead tree over. Montaron and Xzarina burst out laughing. Montaron said through his laughter “Perhaps ye should lose a few pounds, eh ye fat orc-kin?!” Dorn climbed to his feet, drew his sword and rushed at the halfling before Phaendris knocked him to the ground with a shoulder blow. “Dorn! No killing allies! Do you hear me?!” She shrieked. “And Montaron! Don’t insult him, do you understand?! I’ll kill both of you if you make this mistake again, got it?!” Dorn stared at her, amazed that a frail little elf woman could knock him down. Montaron scowled. “Sleep lightly, taskmaster…” Kagain then yelled at the group, shocking everyone. “Shut yer traps, ya da** fools! There was something in the tree!” He stepped over to the tree, now laying pathetically on it’s side. He drew out a long thin blue wand, which he handed to Phaendris. “It’s magical.” he said with a grin. Phaendris smiled. “Not bad, Dorn. Seems you’re good for something besides combat as well.” Dorn was strangely quiet, but nodded slowly. Phaendris wondered if his pride had been injured by her knocking him down. She grinned, thinking to herself “Good. Don’t underestimate me you half-orc bast***.”
Kagain asked which of the various things they had found should they identify, to which Phaendris replied “Oh well obviously the sword. That way we don’t have to worry about me breaking as many swords, and my combat abilities will increase.” Kagain rolled his eyes, realizing exactly how selfish Phaendris was. Phaendris didn’t care, though. This was her moment to shine. She scarfed her food down quickly before getting to work on the identification process while the others ate. It wasn’t just a simple few words and hand gestures after all! Identification of magical items and properties takes dedicated work. By the time the others had finished, however, she had identified the blade. It was a highly magical blade of frost. She was no scholar, however, and could only ascertain the effects of the blade, not the origin. It was certainly not like she was some bard who studied legends and history for fun! That would be madness, she thought to herself. With her new sword in hand, Phaendris and Co. prepared to journey into the mines.
Phaendris and Co. trudged towards the entrance of the mines. It had begun to rain after they had found the wand, and although they wanted to get inside and out of the rain, they wanted just as much to continue resting. Xzarina was her usual mad self, skipping about and singing as rain poured onto her. She’d come up with an obnoxious little ditty about “singing in the rain”, and the group hoped she would shut her trap before Dorn snapped and throttled her. Finally, after spending an annoyingly long time getting permission to enter from the leader of the mining operations, the group stepped up to the entrance of the mine, around which small puddles of water were beginning to form. The group walked inside quickly, happy to get out of the rain. Once within, they noticed there was little of interest, though they supposed there wouldn’t have been anything really. Just rock walls and a few torches lining the walls. A miner approached them and warned them of the dangers within. The group was unimpressed. The miner spoke of “little demons” that attacked his friend. Phaendris simply deflected his wild statements by saying that they were professionals and could handle such things. Further down the hall they ran into another miner. This one seemed eager to talk to them, but at the very least he seemed less mad than the last. He asked if they were heading deeper into the mines, and asked if they would return his friend’s dagger to him. Phaendris shrugged and said sure, since talking to the miners was the best method for learning more about the “little demons” that plagued the place. They asked him where the stairs to the next level were and he told them before bidding them good day.
The group continued to the next level with no more interruptions, but as they walked forward a man came running towards them, screaming about yipping devils. Kagain grunted at the man. “Don’t be foolish, I’ve never heard of a yipping demon.” Dorn turned to him with an almost disturbing level of confidence in his statement and replied “How many devils have you met, dwarf?” Before Kagain could respond, however, the man began blubbering “But I… There they are! There they-ghk!“ The man collapsed, his sentence unfinished, as the four kobolds that had shot him in the back came running up.
The group didn’t hesitate for a moment before attacking. Four kobolds weren’t much of a challenge for five skilled individuals, and the lizard-dogs crumbled before their onslaught. Phaendris spat on the ground as she sheathed her blades. “Well they’re certainly not demons, though to weak miners they might as well be.” Dorn scowled as he ripped an arrow from his forearm. “Demons they may not be, but at least we have a clue as to the nature of this iron shortage.” Xzarina pondered a moment before responding. “But it would take a brilliant kobold to lead a group capable of such a feat. Methinks there be someone else at the helm.” Of course Xzarina could never do anything wise without promptly ruining it, as she did this time by poking at the dead corpses and giggling as their bodies still twitched. The rest of the group shook their heads in disgust and searched the corpses. Phaendris was the next to speak. “Well let’s find this miner and give him the dagger if he still lives. Maybe he can tell us more.” The group nodded in assent. From there they paced about the halls of the mines, occasionally encountering one or two kobolds, which they put down quickly. Eventually they found the owner of the knife in a small open part of the mine, wherein several guards and miners stood about, doing their jobs. After a moment or two of asking about, the group found the miner they were looking for and came up to him. When they showed him the dagger his face lit up. “You have my dagger? Thank you so much, I was getting nervous down here being unarmed, with all the things going on.” Phaendris inquired about the happenings of the mine, to which the man exclaimed rather angrily. “Kobolds!
Once the group had finished talking to the man, they decided to set up a camp here in this safe spot. Dorn’s arm had yet to cease bleeding, and the group didn’t mind a bit of rest. Phaendris woke before the rest of them and began working her magic on more of the group’s items, revealing the small shield to be a lightly enchanted shield of finer craftsmanship than was standard. This she gave to Kagain. She also identified the wand they had found, which was revealed to be a wand of frost. This she handed to Xzarina for safekeeping. Once the group was ready, they continued to search the mines.
Eventually they found a staircase leading downwards, guarded by about twelve kobolds. They killed these with ease, and on one of them they found a small vial filled with a sickly greenish liquid. Montaron remarked that it looked similar to a slimy material he had noticed on the iron in the mine carts they had passed by. The rest of the group didn’t say much about it, but merely continued walking. At the entrance to the next floor lay a man torn to pieces by what the group presumed were the kobold's swords. As they stepped past the corpse, Kagain’s greedy eyes noticed something glittering on the ground. He reached down and picked up a greenstone ring. Phaendris raised an eyebrow, glanced at the ring, then down at the corpse, then back at the ring. “Give that to me. I think I know who this man is.” Kagain looked at her, unsure. “D’ye mean to tell me you’ll give this back to whoever this man’s related to?” Phaendris rolled her eyes. “We might get a reward, Kagain. Not to mention these cheap rings aren’t worth much to begin with. What would we get for it? Five gold pieces? Ten at the max?” Kagain sighed and handed it to Phaendris. Phaendris nodded approvingly before motioning the group to continue moving.
They found a large crevasse in the path, over which lay a small natural bridge of rock. By staring down into the crevasse could see magma bubbling beneath it. Before the group crossed, however, Montaron and Kagain both stopped them. They stopped and stared at each other for a moment in confusion before Montaron began to speak. “This is the perfect place for traps to be set. I'll check about before we cross.” Kagain nodded approvingly. “Smart. I was going to say that this would be an ideal place for those kobolds to stage an ambush, so we should be ready. I suppose if there are traps and an ambush, we might want to have ranged equipment ready, so as to not fall prey to their tricks.” Dorn shrugged and pulled out a light crossbow he had snatched from one of Senjak’s crew. The rest of the group either already had their ranged weapons equipped, or lacked ranged weapons altogether. Montaron also took off his plate mail and slipped into some more comfortable studded leather. With this done, Montaron led the party forward, searching dutifully for any traps. Short as he was, it was easier for him to be even closer to the ground than usual while searching, and plate mail restricted his movement. Before they had even stepped out onto the “bridge” across the crevasse, Montaron stopped them, muttered “Two traps. Hold on.” and began working to disarm a rock. Or so it seemed, as when he was done the first trap activated, launching an arrow into the crevasse.
As he began working on the second trap, however, three kobolds appeared. Phaendris and Kagain growled, wanting to charge across, but they were restrained by the trap. Dorn and Xzar began to shoot at the kobolds, as they shot back. In but a moment, however, Montaron had finished disarming the traps, and he dropped back, drawing his sling and launching a bullet at the kobolds as Phaendris and Kagain charged. Monty’s bullet pierced straight through one of the kobold’s skulls as a bolt from Dorn’s crossbow tore a hole in the other’s throat. The first one had already met it’s end at another of Dorn’s bolts, so the fight was ended. With the battle over, Monty yanked out the arrow stuck in his leg as Xzarina began to patch it up. Kagain began looting as Phaendris turned to Dorn and exclaimed “You’re amazing with that crossbow!” Dorn shrugged. “Not too hard. Point and shoot, that’s all.” “Surely that can’t be it! You’ve undoubtedly used a crossbow before.” Dorn shook his head. “Never. This is my first time. I rather like the weapon, though. It feels… Visceral.” Phaendris shook her head in disbelief as Kagain handed her a scroll. “What’s this? Hm, a scroll of blindness, eh? Blindness is part of the illusion school of magic, isn’t it, Xzarina?” Xzarina looked up from where she was bandaging Montaron and nodded. “Guess that makes this mine then.” She scribed the scroll to her spell book as the group finished their respective jobs.
The group continued their journey into the mines, dealing with the occasional kobold or even spider. Eventually they found the exit, guarded by a few kobolds, which were led by a kobold commando. The battle was not too hard, however the group was injured slightly. Before they went down to the fourth floor, however, Montaron stopped them again. He had noticed a thin wire across the path and disarmed the trap, along with two others he noticed afterwards. With this done the group continued further into the bowels of the earth.
They entered a large open area, which housed what seemed to be a small cave surrounded by water. “A cave within a mine, hmm? Most dwarves would die to see such a sight” Kagain murmured. There was no time to ponder, however, as two kobolds and a kobold commando appeared and began to attack. The commando’s fire arrow hit Dorn in the chest, but he ripped it out before the magic did too much damage and immediately knocked back a potion of healing. The effect was immediate, though obviously not free of discomfort, since Dorn grimaced as the wound began to magically close. A combination of ranged and melee prowess finished the other two kobolds off shortly thereafter.
Near the back of the cave hid a ghoul, which did it’s best to defeat the party. It fell quickly, however. Knowing that with the sounds of battle, anyone lurking within the cave might know of their approach, the group prepared to go in. Once inside Phaendris and Montaron hid in the shadows and snuck around to scope out the situation. They found a group of four kobolds guarding an elf and backstabbed two of them, before cutting the others down.
They then inquired as to the nature of the elf’s imprisonment. He introduced himself as Xan, and though he seemed a dreary sort, he was still a friendly face in an inhospitable place. Apparently he was sent to investigate the iron crisis as well, but he was imprisoned by the kobolds and their leader, who he said was a half-orc named Mulahey. Phaendris cut his bonds and requested his aid in the battle against the half-orc. Montaron opened his mouth to object, but a glance from Phaendris caused him to change his mind. Phaendris leaned down and whispered in his ear “Every resource should be used as efficiently as possible.” “Ye’re too trusting, elf.” he muttered back.
Phaendris sent a hidden Montaron back to alert the others of the situation and their plan to swoop down upon Mulahey all at once, as well as to retrieve a dagger from Xzar for their new ally to wield. Xan’s magic was exhausted and his blade, which he mentioned was a moonblade, was in Mulahey’s treasure chest. Once everyone was in place, the group moved in. Xzarina told Montaron and Kagain to stay at the back with her, because she sensed something unnatural in the area. Kagain and Montaron thought the mad (wo)man was being insane as usual, but there was an unusual clarity in her eyes, and so they did as asked. The group walked into the room and looked around. A large iron throne stood in the back of the room, and upon it sat a particularly ugly half-orc. While Dorn was both physically fit and attractive, this half-orc was foul of face and manner, holding onto a cooked leg of some animal while his large belly bulged over his belt, causing his splintmail a great deal of strain. As he saw the group, he bellowed loudly, “Wot’re YOU doing here?!” He dropped the cooked animal leg and grabbed his mace, walking over to the group menacingly. “Tazok must have dispatched you, and my traitorous kobolds let you pass, didn’t they?! I knew I couldn’t trust them! Armed as such, you have obviously been sent to kill me! By Cyric, not a measure of ore leaves these mines unspoiled, and I am still to be executed?! I’ll not lose my head over this!” Xan pulled his hood further over his face, hoping not to be noticed amid the group. Phaendris glanced at Dorn, who stood next to her, before responding. “Uh… Yes!.. Fool, Tazok is most displeased with thee! Reveal your treachery and mayhaps he will spare ye!” Mulahey almost pouted as he replied. “Tazok is unfair. I have no desire to cheat him, or thee! My letters will show, they are in that chest. Take them, take them and Tazok will see!” Phaendris glanced at the group and moved towards the chest, as Dorn stood face to face with the fat Cyricist. Dorn was nearly a head taller than Mulahey, and he stared his fellow half-orc down with visible disgust. As Phaendris neared the chest, she tightened her muscles somewhat. Suddenly, in a single motion she threw the chest open, grabbed a glittering blade from within and threw it to Xan just as Mulahey pushed Dorn backwards and cried out, “Fools, you’ll never have the chance to take anything! Minions, come forth and kill the intruders!” “Xan! Catch your blade!” Phaendris cried out as the moonblade flew through the air. From behind Kagain and Montaron the sounds of creaking bones and yipping came forth. Dorn jumped to his feet and brandished his sword as everyone prepared for battle. Skeletons and kobolds poured forth from the caverns behind them, Mulahey prepared to strike, and Xan’s precious sword flew through the air. The elf moaned and said “We’re all doomed!”
To everyone’s surprise, however, the mage caught his blade and brandished it at the swarming fiends coming from behind. With four of them occupied on the masses congregating against them, Dorn and Phaendris charged at Mulahey. Mulahey fell quickly between the mighty strikes of Dorn and Phaendris, as the skeletons and kobolds fell one by one.
(Note: This image is from one of my two failed attempts at this fight. Dorn was hit with rigid thinking and killed Phaendris on attempt 1, and Xan and Xzarina on attempt 2. Needless to say, I was perturbed. So if you're wondering why Dorn has the rigid thinking icon in this picture, that's why.)
Xan proved himself rather useful at cutting down vermin, while the rest of the group did what they did best; Killing. In no time all the enemies had been wiped out, and the group stood there, wiping the sweat and blood away. Xan looked quite shocked at how well the battle had gone, until Phaendris clamped a hand on his shoulder. “Not bad, mage. I’m impressed.” Xan almost smiled as he wiped his brow. “This has been an interesting, if vain, battle. Not one I shall soon forget I think. Phaendris shook her head. “You really are a dreary fellow, aren’t you? Oh well. At least you can fight. Everyone else alright?” The rest of the group nodded or grunted. Everyone then began the process of looting. There wasn’t too much to be found on the corpses, though Mulahey had several items of interest, and there was a large pile of scrolls in his chest. Phaendris scribed a scroll of web and charm person, while Xzarina scribed a scroll of sleep and identify. Much as Phaendris hated to admit it, Xzarina had more spell casting ability than she, so Xzarina took the ring of evermemory. They lost no identifying capabilities, but Xzarina gained a use of sleep as well.
When the group was done looting, they prepared to leave. Obviously these kobolds and Mulahey got in some other way than the front entrance, so they searched the edge of the area outside the cave. At first they found nothing, but then they saw a small pathway leading up, hidden by a large rock. However nothing could ever be simple, and so the path was guarded by two grey oozes. Tired and irritable, the group brutalized the creatures. After congratulating themselves on a job well done, the group prepared to leave. Before doing so, however, Kagain pulled Phaendris aside and said that they should kill Xan. After all, that moonblade was a valuable item, either to them or to sell to another. Phaendris shook her head, saying that the blade weighed too much when wielded by anyone but Xan, and that you couldn’t sell such an item. At least not without drawing a lot of unwanted attention. Kagain frowned, though it was practically a pout, and walked away grumpily up the passage. He knew Phaendris was right, but that made him no less pleased with the result.
The passage was narrow, and Dorn got stuck more than once. Xzarina, Xan, and Phaendris made it through easily due to their thin forms, while Montaron had no issue at all simply due to his size. Kagain was a dwarf, and moved through the tiny passage as easily as an elf moves through a forest. It was not an easy climb, however, since the path was not as simple as steps leading upwards. There were many places where the group had to climb almost completely vertically to move forward. As they neared the outside the passage began to shake, and the group looked about uncomfortably. A few shakes more and Kagain exclaimed “The path is collapsing! Move faster!” The group scrambled their way up the last climb and piled out into the gleaming sunlight. Phaendris covered her eyes in pain from the sudden shift in light before looking around. “Everyone made it? Wait… Where’s Dorn?!” She looked into the path underground, now falling apart, only to find Dorn hanging on to a rock as debris fell against him. Gasping, she gripped his wrist and began struggling to lift him. To her surprise she felt Kagain and Montaron’s arms wrap around her waist as they added their strength to the task. It was still not quite enough, however, but suddenly Xzarina grabbed onto Kagain and Montaron and used her strength to help as well. A few moments later and the group piled out onto the dirt a second time. Phaendris shoved Dorn’s large frame off of her and looked at the now fully caved in passageway.
Dorn breathed heavy sighs, and as intimidating as the half-orc was, it was obvious he had been concerned for his life. Phaendris glanced from Montaron to Kagain to Xzarina and then to Dorn, before realizing how this might be a functional group, despite how mad, sociopathic, or greedy they might be. Phaendris lay back on the dirt and breathed a heavy sigh. Yes, she could use this group...
Now, this is assuming Xan survives the trip back to Nashkel. It's not going to be an easy road, necessarily...