CHAPTER 1: Night in the Woods
After a long and exhausting day of traveling, the party set up camp at the foot of Miranyth mountain. As she finally got herself settled, Rinn let herself fall onto her bedroll. The young drow got up and opened up her rations, marveling at how enthused the rest of the party was. Of course, they were full grown adults. She often had to remind herself that she was no more than a child, even by their standards. She soon gave up trying to finish the entire ration, wrapping what was left up and returning it to her pack.
She couldn't remember the last time she was this tired. After her stint with that Calishite army, she was no stranger to long walks, but that was over a year ago, and the Calishites never had to run from a pack of owlbears. She wantingly eyed the bedroll, but forced herself to go through her nightly routine. Her time in the temple taught her to find safety in routine. As she felt her life was falling apart, structure kept her alive. As a result, she had a strict routine she'd follow in the mornings and nights. She said a quick prayer to Eldath, thanking her for the fortunes of the day, and acknowledged the other gods' hands in her life. Then she set to her diary. This book held the last two years of her life, meticulously recorded for her own sanity. The other ten lay buried with her father. As she sat down, she wrote:
Fifth of Eleint, 1490 DR
It was another interesting day today, this new Group seems to take on Quests as if their lives depended on it. The town we stopped in last night, Creshton, had a Temple, so I stopped by to see if they had anything dedicated to Eldath. The others came with me, they seem to think I can't take Care of Myself. Ah, well. The head Priest in the Temple came up to us. He was an old man, Human, by the looks of it. He was probably Eighty or so, then. He was bald, no more than Wisps of white hair around his head. He recognized us as Adventurers, and asked a Favour of us. There is a Festival coming up in the town, dedicated to Lathander. There is an Idol very important to this festival, he said, that was recently stolen by Bandits. He has Hired us to return it to its place, so they may perform their Rites. I must say, I've never heard of such a Festival, but perhaps it is a local practice. Surely, I am happy to be of Service to Lathander, as he is a good Friend of Lady Eldath.
We set out nearly at once, walking many Miles to Mount Miranyth, the Hideout of these bandits. We encountered a Pack of Owlbears, which I'm not sure even arrange into packs. These were, anyway. We could not face them, so we had to run, and I nearly Fell Behind. I sometimes think the Others forget I am a Child. Though, sometimes, so do I.
By nightfall, we reached the mountain. We set Camp, and now intend to rest until dawn, when we will set upon the Thieving Bandits in the cave. I thank Lady Elendath's watch over us, and pray it follows into the cave. These brash adventurers have a tendency to make my life more difficult with their Heroics, after which I must clean up.
Having finished her entry, she closed the tome and sat down on her bedroll, closing her eyes and preparing for her trance. In a few hours she'd take up watch with whoever had the last shift, but the others wouldn't miss her if she took her much needed rest.
They were surrounding her. She couldn't see them, but they were all around. She tried to ignore them, as she had every night, but they pressed in. Closer and closer, louder and louder; she couldn't think, she could hear them chanting, telling her to go back to the Underdark, taunting her for her faerie magic, threatening to shave her ears down to size. The cacophony rose to a crescendo, until it snapped into a new scene.
An old man, face framed with flowers, his still, pale face just under the surface of the water. Rinn could do nothing but stare at him. Her mind pleaded with him to open his eyes, to jolt above the surface and gasp for breath, but he only lay there. She had half a mind to join him, to slip under the water and let her breath fade, but his last words echoed through her head. She only sat and wept, the others, for once, silent.
Drums jolted her from her knees, as she was hoisted up by another soldier. A whistle through the air signaled the arrow that landed in his shoulder. He screamed and fell to the ground, grasping the wound and pulling. The arrow finally released from his shoulder, and blood gushed from the wound. Another slammed into the ground behind Rinn, its barbed tip narrowly missing her small frame. She searched through the smoke and flames for her missing satchel, and spotted it fallen a few yards away. She gathered herself and sprinted for it, seeking the bandages and ointments in its pockets. She finally reached the bag, but it fell into shadow. She looked up and saw a gruesome man, face twisted with hatred, wearing a seal she didn't recognize. He raised his sword to strike her, she saw the blade glint in the fire's light, swinging towards her…
She jolted awake, the familiar nightmare ending the same way it always did. She stretched and took a drink of water, looking around. She looked up at the stars, guessing it had been about four hours since she went to sleep. Even if her mind was still tired, her body was fine, so she went to join whoever was on watch. As she glanced around, though, everyone else seemed to be asleep. She wondered who was meant to be awake at the moment, when her thoughts were interrupted by a rustling. She never would have caught it if it weren't for the season, but she listened harder and heard another crunch through the fallen leaves, followed by muffled cursing. Panic shot through her, as she realized the camp was under attack.
She went to her nearest companion trying to stealthily wake him up. Finally rousing from his sleep, the lithe man started to sit up, then froze; he too, heard the ambush. Rinn thanked the gods that Diath was the one she woke up. The rogue looked at her, and silently gestured for her to go wake Oda, as he went to gently rouse Urag. She agreed with this plan; the half-orc was best left to Diath's more experienced hand. The only way to fight against the ambush was with a surprise of their own.
As she silently crawled towards her halfling friend, Rinn realized that her haunting nightmare likely saved her life tonight. She shook her head and focused on the task at hand. When she reached the small bedroll she was crawling towards, she listened for the ambush, figuring the attackers to still be relatively far away. She began to shake Oda, clasping a hand to the woman's mouth as she began to complain. Her eyes shot open in protest, but when she saw the serious look in Rinn's eyes, she realized something was wrong. Rinn released her, and looked back to Diath, who had their giant partner up and ready to fight. In fact, the two were beaming in anticipation, as was Oda when she looked back. This was something the small elf was still struggling to understand. How was it that they relish danger? She frowned and focused the magic inside of her, praying to Eldath and readying her shield.
They sat there in silence for some time, darkness suddenly consuming the clearing as a cloud passed in front of the half-moon. Rinn wondered how the others would fight without being able to see, as she knew she was the only one with the gift of darkvision, and this worry apparently occurred to the others, whose' smiles fell as they squinted into the dark. Rinn realized she should take advantage of her ability, and got ready to quietly move behind a nearby tree. She hoped, when the ambush struck, she might be able to get behind their attackers, shifting the balance in her favor. Suddenly, she heard Diath's voice.
"Urag and I are going to hold in the center, and try to draw attention. You and Oda should keep out of the way: let her use her magic from over there, while you watch her back. Oh, and if they're getting the drop on us, let us know, please." Rinn nodded, more to herself than anyone else. She always forgot about Diath's message spell, and it took her by surprise. She relayed the plan to Oda, then moved to her tree.
Rinn kept a steadfast guard from the tree, and finally caught sight of her attackers. They were clearly as surprised as the party was about the darkness, which relieved her. She found a good spot to watch from and settled in, waiting to launch her own ambush. As she looked around, her spirits lifted to see that the rest of her party was just as well hidden, and probably more ready for the fight to come.
Her breath caught as a twig snapped right behind her. She slowly turned and saw a bandit only a few steps away. She stopped herself from screaming, and realized by his squinting eyes that he couldn't see her. She shakily drew a dagger, and tried to remember what Diath had taught her. Draw the dagger sharply across their their throat, so they can't cry out. She held the dagger tight. She was no stranger to death, but usually she was trying to prevent it. The few times she had killed were in self defense, or against animals so she could eat. Neither felt good.
She remembered why they were after these bandits in the first place. She gained a bit of strength at the thought of bringing justice to someone meaning to desecrate a holy festival. She took a deep breath, and crept toward the bandit. He'd probably done far worse crimes in his time, she thought to herself. Certainly he deserved no better fate. Diath had taught her to bring an enemy down to her level, quickly and smoothly. She let his training take over as she kicked out at his leg and gave his shirt a sharp tug, quickly plunging the dagger into his throat. She tore her eyes away from his as quickly as possible. He deserved this fate, and if she hadn't killed him, she'd be facing his sword. Or she'd be tangled in his net.
Net? Why did he have a net, she wondered. They're not exactly a common weapon to take to an ambush. The ambush! She whirled around in time to see the bandits steps away from Diath and Urag. In her distress, she forgot to keep watch for her friends. She berated herself, knowing it could have cost them their lives. She took a breath and focused on the bandits. She picked up a pebble, forming a plan. She waited until the bandits were nearly upon Diath and Urag, then sent the pebble at the closest bandit's head. She hoped Diath would know what to do. As it rapped against his head, the bandit winced and recoiled, cursing. As soon as the bandit revealed himself, Diath struck, grabbing him and slicing his throat; a perfect execution of the movements he had taught Rinn. The second bandit's sound of confusion led Diath to throw his dagger, perfectly lodging the blade in his throat. His kind demeanor often let Rinn forget how efficient of a killer her friend really was.
She supposed the same was true of all her friends. Urag was a silly goofball, until he was shattering someone's skull with that hammer of his. And Oda was a hell of a comedian, but she had a bit too much fun with her bolts of lighting for Rinn's taste.
As color returned to the scene, Rinn realized the clouds had once again parted. With a pang of fear, she realized that meant the bandits would be able to see. Everyone's hiding places were well suited to the sudden darkness, but wouldn't do too well under the bright moonlight. A crack shot through the air as Oda let loose a bolt of electricity into the chest of one of their attackers, who fell with a thud. Urag rushed at a group, swinging his hammer in a wide arc, shattering their ribs. Rinn winced, but was glad at her teammates' successes.
An arrow ripped through the trees and lodged itself in Oda's leg. She screamed and fell, blood starting to pool under her. Rinn's blood ran cold. She stole a glance around her and sprinted to her fallen friend's side. She called on Eldath's power, and the wound quickly closed. Rinn breathed a sigh of relief, then started to drag the unconscious girl to safety. She jumped as an arrow thudded against the shield on her back, and she quickened her pace. When she was sure Oda was safe, she turned and drew her sword and shield, watching the field for more wounds.
She saw at least ten bandits with a quick glance, one on the ground, holding a now muddy bow. The rest tried to surround the camp, wielding quarterstaffs. They all had bows on their backs and nets at their hips. There they were again! A huge crack in the air interrupted her thoughts again, and she whipped around to find the source. What she found was Urag in a daze, next to a bandit staring approvingly at a wand in his hand. In an instant, five of the bandits were upon Urag, beating him with their staffs. He tried to fight, but was soon overwhelmed. They left him and set their focus on Diath. Urag was still breathing, though, and Rinn thought these bandits were rather overconfident.
It suddenly hit her then. The nets. The staffs. The archer, knocked to the ground. Urag, left alive but unconscious. The bandits weren't trying to kill them. They were trying to capture them. Her head flooded with more questions: why not just kill them? Who wanted them alive? How were the bandits able to launch such an organized attack?
She shook the thoughts from her head. At the moment, it was important to stay focused. She gave her attention to her remaining companion. Diath shot her a worried look, then his eyes filled with panic as his eyes flicked above her. She turned in time to see the end of a staff racing towards her head.
Author: and there it is! The first chapter of my first story. This came about while I was teaching a friend to DM, the sample adventure we came up with ended up sounding really fun, and since we couldn't play it, I decided to write this. Throughout the story, I've done my best to stay true to the mechanics of DnD and make this story the sort of thing that could actually happen in a game. For those purposes, this is based in DnD's Fifth Edition, with no homebrew or anything of the sort. Rinn is my own character, Oda is based off of a (different) friend's character in progress, and Diath is loosely based off of ProJared's DnD character. Urag was made for this story, sorry, no fun background there. I'll keep using him though, and I'm going to roll him up a character sheet now. If you liked it, please share that, and if you didn't, let me know! This being the first story I've published in any caliber, I appreciate any feedback.