EVERPRESENT AUTHOR'S NOTE: Oh god, the Pit destroyed my lovely script formatting. I'm trying to piece this back together, but apparently hitting "save" will eat my block quotes. I'm horribly sorry, but it appears that there's nothing at all I can do to break up the occasional TEXTWALLS that are supposed to be intented and double-spaced in courier. So uh, it's incorrect format but I think I'm going to center all the dialogue in hopes of making this readable.
This was written for my scriptwriting course last year. I honestly didn't have any ideas, so I just wrote out a scene from the backstory of my D&D character. She's not so much the protagonist here, or at least it's not from her perspective, and I'm not really sure why. I don't remember actually thinking this up, I found sketches that I don't remember drawing, and wrote the whole story around four or five disjointed comic panels.
Oh, and the "draugshee" I pieced together from several other monsters to get something that fit what I needed for the story; that scene was actually requested by my professor, oddly enough.
Okay, I fucking hate author's notes, so that's it from me!
LIRILEN FOREST (WORKING TITLE) v2.05
LIRILEN FOREST, EXT, LATE EVENING
The shadows in the forest are deepening quickly in the fading light. What would normally be "golden hour" is turned green and blue by the leaves and heavy mist. It's raining, but the forest canopy turns what is probably a downpour outside of the forest into a slight drizzle and an odd, soft sound of running water. Insects chirp, birds call out, and the forest has a noise all its own, a strange windchime-like ambience. This is drowned out, however, by the sound of heavy footsteps and plates of metal scraping together. It's ARDEN, out looking for firewood. He has dirty blonde hair in a ponytail and small, almost beady eyes. He is in full battle gear, including his axe, and clearly expects some kind of hideous monster to jump out at him from the mist. Arden treads as lightly as he can across the mossy forest floor, but he still makes a terrible racket. The windchime-like noise picks up suddenly into a rattling of chains and he tenses. He pivots, looking for the source of the sound, but it is everywhere and nowhere. Behind him, there is a whoosh of wind and the sound of rattling, and he spins again. This time he sees a length of chain in the trees, still swaying. Arden looks around the forest, gripping his axe and grimacing. The rattling fades and he looks up thoughtfully, then very slowly and carefully steps backwards between a tree and a bush. He crouches down silently and readies his axe, hidden well for someone so large. As he expected, the rattling begins to grow louder again. Arden does not move, but follows it with his eyes. The sound surrounds him once again, but Arden stays still. Finally it fades, but does not recede. A leaf falls and Arden watches it. As it gently touches the ground, there is a sudden loud rattling, and in a swirl of leaves, a small girl, ARINAE, drops to the ground several feet from Arden's hiding place. She has pitch black skin and tangled knee-length white hair with leaves and twigs stuck in it. She wears a large number of chains over her simple clothing and rattles as she moves. Arinae looks around the misty forest, puzzled. She gives up quickly and crosses her skinny arms, then turns to walk away and almost runs into Arden, who is standing over her with his axe, looking triumphant. He lunges at her and her scream echoes through the forest.
ADVENTURER'S CAMP, DAKRI WOODS, EXT, NIGHT
EME and EDWIN are sitting around a campfire while DALOS attempts to chop firewood with a small, dull hatchet. The mist and darkness of the forest are hard to keep away, and they are barely managing to stay warm. Their fire is small and weak. Edwin sits on a wet-looking rock. He is thin, with neat brown hair and thick glasses. He wears an intricate tabard over light armor, and has a silver symbol of the sun on a chain around his neck. Eme, a woman with long, curly, brown hair is curled up shivering next to him on her bedroll, wrapped in her winter blanket as though it is a cloak. She is wearing tailored wizard's robes and there is a spellbook at her feet. Dalos is tall, dark, and handsome, with short black hair and clever eyes. He wears simple leather armour and has many different daggers sheathed on his belt, thighs, and boots. He fumbles with his hatchet and drops it.
DALOS:
Ah, shit!
He angrily kicks the log he was trying to split, and then hisses in pain. Eme and Edwin look up at him.
DALOS:
Fucking fuck! You stupid log!
EDWIN:
Are you sure you don't want help with that?
DALOS:
From you? No.
EDWIN:
(mildly offended)
Well.
DALOS:
You don't know how to use a stupid axe any better than I do. If you can get your god to bless this wood to be chopped, be my guest. Hey, while you're at it, can you dry it off too? Because we're never going to get a fire started with this shit. Everything in this fucking forest is soaked.
Edwin isn't sure if he should be offended or consoling after that. He opens his mouth to talk but shuts it pretty quickly, unable to think of anything to say. Dalos puts the log back upright and picks up the hatchet.
DALOS:
Anyway, it's not like we don't have someone who is perfectly good at chopping things in half with a big fucking axe.
He holds the hatchet as though it is a much bigger weapon and takes some exaggerated swipes at invisible enemies.
DALOS:
You know. Trees. Monsters. People.
EME:
(warningly)
Dalos.
ARDEN:
(off screen)
Oy!
Eme and Edwin turn and Dalos quickly pretends he was innocently chopping wood. Arden walks towards the campsite. He has a smaller figure with him, though their forms are hard to make out through the mist and darkness.
EME:
Arden?
ARDEN:
Yeah.
He steps into view. Arinae is with him, with her hands tied behind her back. Her head is slumped forward, covering her face with a curtain of white hair. Eme gasps.
ARDEN:
Brought you a present.
EME:
(horrified)
Is that a child?!
Arden forces Arinae forward into the light. He reaches down as though to lift her chin, and she flinches away, revealing her face anyway. She is gagged with a strip of dark red fabric, probably from Arden's tabard. Dalos drops the hatchet with a dull clunk. It knocks his log over again.
EDWIN:
(amazed)
Is that a dark elf?!
EME:
(horrified)
You tied up a child?!
Arden looks a little put out at this reaction.
ARDEN:
Well, yeah. She had all these chains so I just-
EME:
By the gods, at least ungag her!
ARDEN:
She wouldn't stop screaming. I don't think she speaks Common.
Eme looks sick. Arinae glances around at the humans with an expression like a frightened animal. Arden looks more and more unsure of himself.
DALOS:
So you gagged her and brought her back?
ARDEN:
Well-
DALOS:
What if her parents come looking for her? We're not equipped to fight drow!
EDWIN:
Why would a drow child be on the surface?
DALOS:
And a female, I have no idea.
EDWIN:
This is fascinating!
Arden can barely get a word in. He looks confused and annoyed. Arinae begins trying to inch away, hoping they won't notice her.
EDWIN:
(mostly to himself)
There must be more of them.
EME:
We can't keep her tied up like that!
ARDEN:
(explosively)
And we can't let her go back, either!
Arinae has managed to sneak almost ten feet away. Arden takes a single step and scoops her up under his arm without even blinking. She struggles and makes angry noises against her gag, kicking any part of Arden that she can reach, but his armor easily protects against her little girl feet. Eme bites her lips, and stares at the dirt, deep in thought. Edwin is enthralled by Arinae. He's so caught up in his own thoughts that he's forgotten that there is a discussion going on. Dalos steps forward decisively.
DALOS:
Ungag her. I want to ask her some questions.
EDWIN:
I didn't know you spoke Undercommon.
DALOS:
(dismissively)
Yeah. Come on, Arden, ungag her.
Arden glares at him, but slowly lowers Arinae to the ground. She tries to bolt but he holds her still.
ARDEN:
Maybe we should tie her legs first.
Eme snaps out of her thoughts and looks up.
EME:
No, let me hold her.
Arden won't argue with Eme. He shrugs and pushes Arinae over to her. Eme accepts the girl with open arms, trying to hold her in a motherly sort of way. Arinae looks confused and scared, but has given up trying to fight them with force. She remains tense and frightened as Eme tries to soothe her with friendly noises, as though dealing with a baby. Dalos kneels down next to her, looking amused.
DALOS:
You do realize that she is probably older than us all, right?
EME:
(in the same babying voice, as to not alarm Arinae)
A child is a child, Dalos. Could we remove her gag, please?
Arden removes the gag and steps back, clearly expecting Arinae to try and flee again. Arinae does not move from Eme's grasp; instead she sucks in air through her mouth and presses her lips together, still looking confused.
EDWIN:
"Wouldn't stop screaming"?
ARDEN:
(annoyed)
Shut up, Ed, I'm not lying. She's like a banshee.
Dalos waves a hand at them dismissively and leans towards Arinae. He speaks to her in Undercommon, an odd gravelly language with a decidedly evil sound to it.
DALOS:
Vel'bol phuul dos xunin do'suul lil har'oloth, dalhar?
Arinae gapes at him. Everyone holds their breath, waiting for her to respond, but she just looks at them in the same frightened animal way. She can't figure out why they have stopped talking to stare at her. She squirms in Eme's arms.
DALOS:
Vel'bol phuul Illythiiri xunin do'suul lil-
Arinae's eyes grow wide at the mention of "Illythiiri." She fights against Eme suddenly, shouting. The language is fluid rather than gravelly. She has a high pitched little girl voice and sounds more like a panicked child throwing a tantrum than an evil dark elf giving vicious threats. She definitely does not sound like a banshee.
ARINAE:
Delotha lle! Amin liante! Amin faina! Amin faina! Amin nuquernuva lle!
DALOS:
That is not Undercommon.
Arinae continues shouting at them. It has an odd sound; the language is too melodic to fit well with the angry tone she is struggling to achieve.
ARDEN:
What?
DALOS:
It's Elven. She's swearing at us in Elven.
EDWIN:
(to himself)
Fascinating!
ARDEN:
You can swear in Elven?
Dalos opens his mouth to reply but is cut off as a chilling howl echoes through the forest. Arinae gasps as the others look around for the source of the sound.
ARINAE:
Draugshee!
Dalos snaps upright immediately and pulls three daggers out of his clothing wielding them all in one hand like a fan. Arden also pulls out his axe, but looks confused; he is only imitating Dalos. Dalos addresses Arinae but is busy scanning the forest for movement and does not give her more than a glance.
DALOS:
Lle elee sen, hin? Sut nir coia sinome?
Subtitles
Have you seen them, child? How many are there?
ARINAE:
Nir! Draugsheerim ettula iire ta rosa.
Subtitles
Many! They come out when it rains.
DALOS:
Fuck!
EDWIN:
By the gods, Dalos, speak Common, what is going on?
DALOS:
No time... we got the attention of the draugshee.
EME:
The what?
As they speak, Arinae fidgets in Eme's arms, then pulls her hands out in front of her, holding the chains that had been used to bind her.
ARINAE:
(viciously)
Lavaya dagor sen!
Eme tries to hush her but Arinae ignores her, brandishing the chains at Dalos. They have heavy-looking metal weights on either end.
ARINAE:
Amin dagora! Amin anta ere'tincya!
The draugshee howls again.
DALOS:
Let her go.
EME and ARDEN:
(simultaneously)
What?!
Dalos spins on them looking furious and something large rises up behind him. It is something like a huge wolf with forest moss as fur. Several long, graceful antennae protrude from its shoulders, tipped with sharp-looking yellow barbs.
ARDEN:
Dalos!
Dalos leaps out of the way and throws all three daggers at the draugshee before it can recover from the failed attack. They hit it squarely in the chest and it roars in fury. Arden charges it with his axe as Dalos reaches to his belt for more daggers.
ARINAE:
Draugshee!
Eme releases Arinae and they both leap to their feet. They make eye contact for just a moment, then Arinae charges forward, spinning the weights of her chains.Edwin has produced a glowing mace that is stylized to represent a sun and stands behind Dalos and Arden, waiting for a clear shot at the draugshee. Dalos throws another dagger. It hits the monster's shoulder and once again it howls in pain. Furious, it leaps on Dalos and pins him to the forest floor. Arden takes a wild swing at it but barely scrapes the draugshee's mossy side. It snarls at him but is suddenly hit in the back of the head with a weighted chain.
ARINAE:
Tula dagor, uuvanimo!
The monster sends three of its antennae at Arinae but she jumps deftly out of the way. The antennae follow her though the draugshee itself does not move. Just as it looks like it might be about to catch her, Arden neatly slices off all three antennae with his axe. Arinae tumbles out of the way and rolls into a standing position next to him. They glance at each other curiously. From behind them, Eme shouts something in an arcane tongue and a bright red ball of light flies over their head and collides with the monster. The magic knocks it off of Dalos, who immediately pulls a dagger and slices the monster along its underside as it falls away from him. Before the draugshee can stand again, Arden cleaves into its back, Arinae wraps her chains around its legs, and Edwin steps confidently forward to hit it once with his glowing mace. With a final echoing howl, the draugshee dissolves into water vapour and flies into the darkness. Dalos pulls himself to his feet and the party glances around the trees.
EDWIN:
Funny, I heard there were only faeries in this forest.
DALOS:
Draugshee are faerie wolves. They only come out when it rains. I've never seen one before.
EDWIN:
Incredible. That and a dark elf in the same day.
DALOS:
The girl isn't much of a...
Dalos pauses; Arinae is nowhere to be found.
DALOS:
Well, fuck.
ARDEN:
(realizing finally)
You let her get away?!
EME:
No, wait, Arden!
Ignoring Eme, Arden quickly grabs a stick out of the fire to use as a torch and charges his way through the forest. Eme conjures several floating balls of light to light her way and hurries after, pulling her blanket around her shoulders again. Edwin and Dalos glance at each other and then follow behind.
LIRILEN FOREST, EXT, NIGHT
The party whispers as they search. The rain has stopped, but the dark forest is still full of strange noises. Arinae's distinctive rattling is once again everywhere and nowhere.
EME:
She got herself free, Arden! She got herself free to help us! You bound her with her own weapon and she still fought for you. She's clearly not our enemy; we should just let her be.
ARDEN:
(missing the point)
She's got some kind of weird affinity for chains or something. Is that normal for drow?
DALOS:
No.
EDWIN:
No.
EME:
Affinity? Well, she was a fair fighter for her age, I suppose, but-
ARDEN:
No, no, the whole forest is full of them, listen.
They stop and listen to the rattling for a moment. It is eerie, like hollow tuneless windchimes. Eme is awed and Edwin looks thrilled, but Dalos is less than excited.
DALOS:
The whole forest.
ARDEN:
Yeah.
DALOS:
(snapping)
God dammit, Arden, why didn't you mention that earlier? If she has had time to build herself a fucking web of chains in this forest, she's probably been here a while!
ARDEN:
What?
DALOS:
She doesn't speak Undercommon, didn't cringe away from our fire, knows bloody everything about the faerie wolves, and practically owns this forest.
EME:
(an epiphany)
She lives here! A feral child!
DALOS:
No, her elven is much too fluent to be feral. She's had at least some contact with surface elves.
ARDEN:
Shh.
He holds up a hand and they stop walking. A chain is swinging on a nearby tree.
ARDEN:
She's close.
He runs around the area, looking up into the trees. It's too dark to see anything.
ARDEN:
Hey Em, bring your magic light things over here so I can see.
EME:
We should leave her, Arden. This is her home.
ARDEN:
(condescending)
She's a drow, Em, they're evil, okay.
EME:
She's a child!
Arden runs off to look up a different tree. Edwin gives Eme a helpless look and follows Arden. Dalos is elsewhere, calling for Arinae in melodious elven.
DALOS:
(off screen)
Ettula! Ettula, niselle! Lye ere'mema quena!
Eme bites her thumb, thinking. Her magic lights float around her and slowly go out as her party's voices fade. She hears a soft noise and glances up. Arinae is in a tree, directly above her. She's abandoned the chains that were around her clothes, and looks down at Eme with a curious and fearful expression. Still biting her thumb, Eme smiles at her. Slowly, nervously, Arinae smiles back. Very gently, Eme puts a finger against her pursed lips: be silent. Arinae stares at her, then nods, clinging to the tree. Eme carefully takes a few steps back, then forces her gaze away from Arinae, turns, and hurries back towards her camp. Arinae leaps across a few more trees like a monkey to watch her leave. She watches for a few seconds, then leaps off her tree, uses a chain to slow her fall, and runs along the forest floor in the opposite direction, giggling like a faerie. Cut to black, once again with Arinae's voice fading out past the cut.