Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!
"So we've got refugees to find, a missing fort commander, and a missing holy symbol." Kina summarized.
"And a bandit camp we can head in and loot!" Neeshka added. Kina smiled and nodded, drawing her scimitar. "Still surprised Cormick didn't try anything." she muttered.
"Probably had something to do with me being there. Harbormen tend to trust each other. It's how I pulled off some of my pranks so easily." Kina informed. "Anyway, lets go." she called, running down the road to the graveyard.
On the way, they encountered some trouble. "Hey! Anyone who passes through this road has to pay the toll." one of the bandits blocking the way declared.
"This isn't worth your lives. Turn away and we won't be forced to hurt you." Kina shot back. The easytone easily made the bandits back off. "Well that was easy. Let's keep moving. And Neeshka, could you be a dear and check that chest?" the drow asked, gesturing toward the chest laying under the tree. Neeshka nodded before hurrying off.
"Wish we could've knocked those fools around a bit." Khelgar grumbled, eyeing Neeshka as she worked.
"We don't have to fight our way out of every situation, Khelgar. Besides, we'll attract some trouble soon enough, I'm sure." Kina shrugged. After looting the chest, putting on the Gloves of Greater Concentration and giving her Gloves of Concentration to Neeshka, the small band left the clearing, approaching the graveyard.
…
"I am so sick of these things!" Neeshka declared, shoving her dagger into the eye of yet another zombie.
Ishi's jaws snapped at the ghoul in the room. The tiefling complains a lot. He noted.
"You would too if you had no real advantage over the damn undead." Kina replied, her scimitar slashing across a zombie's torso, damaging it enough to put it down. Khelgar swung his ax, slicing through the other three undead in the room before laughing. "Glad to see you're enjoying yourself, Khel." Kina remarked, rolling her eyes as Neeshka looted the sarcophagi. "Anything good?" The two compared loot while Ishi sniffed the room.
Kina, there's a human scent along with the smell of a necromancer in the next room. Ishi informed.
"Got it, guess it's time to check the next room." Kina replied with her signature grin. What they found was a man in black robes and a mask interrogating a man in a soldier's uniform.
"Ah, it seems we have new materials for our tests." the shadow priest hissed, chanting to raise the dead. "Kill them, and their corpses will be my playthings!"
"Ishi, kill." Kina ordered, the duo leaping into battle. Khelgar engaged three at once, while Neeshka snuck around to the priest, who was chanting again. Quickly and quietly, she plunged her dagger into the man's back, causing him to cry out in pain before turning to the now-worried tiefling. "Ishi, go!" Kina ordered, cutting off the head of the zombie and freeing both of them to aid their companions. Kina stabbed a zombie through the skull while Khelgar took out the other two.
Ishi, for his part, easily pounced on the priest, catching him off guard and knocking him to the ground and raking his claws over the man's back before Neeshka shoved her dagger into the priest's brain. "Thanks Ishi." Neeshka smiled, petting the wolf before turning toward the man in the corner. "I'm guessing you're Commander Tann."
…
"Ah, fresh air!" Kina grinned, feeling much better now that she was out of the crypt. Finding Tann's men hadn't been too difficult, cut through a few undead, find a corpse, heal the other two guards up, and soon everyone was out and headed back to the fort, where more trouble awaited them as Vallis approached with two guards. "Vallis! I found your missing commander!"
"So you have." Vallis replied, a cold glare aimed at Tann. "Well he won't be a commander for long. I'm relieving him of duty." the acting commander declared, drawing his sword.
"What are you talking about man?" Tann demanded.
"I didn't get command of this place just for you to run it into the ground again!" Vallis snarled.
"And I didn't save this guy just to see you kill him." Kina hissed, pressing her hand to the ground and chanting. The vines began to sprout, effectively restraining Vallis and his goons. "Neeshka, the rope?"
"Here you go." Neeshka replied, handing over the rope. While the spell was active, it was a simple matter to tie the trio up and escort them to the fort. "Well that was exciting. This place seems to be getting a lot of attention."
"Indeed. The man from the crypt kept asking me about guard routes, fort defenses, and more. It was as if he was trying to find a weakness." Tann muttered.
"Well, we're going to hunt some bandits, maybe save some people, definitely loot the place. See ya!" Kina called, waving as she ran back out of the fort.
"Strange girl." Tann muttered amusedly.
…
Killing the bandits had been easy, they all being rather isolated in groups. And evacuating the refugees had been equally easy with vines stopping the bandits from pursuing. Now the small band of prisoners stood outside the camp's gate. "Uh, thank you for aiding us. You and your dwarf friend. We won't soon forget this." The leader of the band said, leading his group back down the road.
"Did you see that? He completely ignored me!" Neeshka cried indignantly.
"True heros don't need thanks." Khelgar shot back.
"Yeah cause you weren't swelling with pride when he thanked you." Kina noted dryly, causing the dwarf to back down. "For what it's worth, you have my thanks Neeshka." she added.
"Oh, well I guess that's good." Neeshka muttered, smiling slightly. "Now what do you say we finish cleaning this place out?" she suggested.
…
"So what do you all want here? I suppose you're after the prisoners." The bandit leader said once the group had made it to his room.
"What prisoners?" Kina asked innocently. "I just came to stop all these bandit raids. I know that Fort Locke is shorthanded. Think I could convince you to work over there?"
The leader laughed. "Me work as a guard? I make far more doing these raids." he declared. "And what would stop them from hanging the lot of us the second we enter?"
"Well a man who can rally others deserves on officer's position, and pay." Kina replied. "And as for your safety, the fort commander owes me one. I can put in a good word."
The leader thought it over before sighing. "It would be nice not to have to look over my shoulder all the time." he admitted. "Very well, you've talked me into it."
"Oh! And you'll return the fort priest's holy symbol?" Kina requested. The leader laughed, but agreed nonetheless and followed the drow girl back to the fort with what was left of his forces. "Hey Tann, I got some extra hands for you!" she called as they entered the fort.
…
"Well that was fun." Kina giggled as the small group wandered down the path to Highcliff. That was when trouble arose.
"Nowhere to run now, Kalath-cha. Give back what you stole and we will allow you to leave this place alive." a bladeling demanded, his duregar thralls armed and ready.
"What is it about that damn shard, lass? It seems to be bringing all sorts of trouble." Khelgar complained.
"That's why I'm going to Neverwinter, to find out." Kina huffed, drawing her sword. "Sorry, but I can't give it to you." she informed. The bladeling gave the order to attack, but soon found themselves tripping on vines and under attack from behind by a wood elf and badger. Kina and company easily managed to take the attackers out after the sudden aid, and they all turned to meet their benefactor.
"Well it seems they've been handled. You seem to be keeping rather strange company recently Kina. I can't help but-oof!" the wood elf grunted as she was hug-tackled.
"Big sis Elanee!" Kina practically shouted. "It's so good to see you!"
"Big sis?" Neeshka and Khelgar wondered.
"I was the one who brought Kina into the Circle of the Mere." Elanee explained, ruffling the drow's hair. "Alright, now that we've said hello, can we discuss why I'm here?"
Kina stepped back with a curious look on her face. "I haven't seen you for a while." she noted. "Why is that?"
"I have been following the bladelings to see what their goals are. When they began tracking you, I decided to observe until I could no longer remain on the sidelines." Elanee explained.
"Ha! As if we needed your help!" Khelgar laughed. "You look like you could be knocked over by a stiff wind!"
"Hey!" Kina snapped, "That's my sis you're talking to. And I've seen Naloch tear out the throat of a beetle three times his size." the badger in question waved his front paw in greeting. Khelgar held his hands up in mock surrender. Kina fixed the dwarf with a glare before turning back to the wood elf. "So what are you offering? I'd welcome the chance to travel with you, of course, but there's no way that's all."
"Indeed. I know of a faster way to Highcliff, and one that's protected from your pursuers." Elanee informed. "Do you remember the Maiden's Glade?"
"Oh yeah, that's nearby isn't it?" Kina said, tilting her head back in thought before smiling. "Well what are we waiting for? Let's get going! I have so much to tell you!"
Kina pulled Elanee along the path while Neeshka and Khelgar followed behind. "First the fiendling, now the willow-thin tree-worshiper. Why not invite all the realms? Make a mighty army to tromp through the woods."
"We won't be tromping, we'll be weaving through!" Elanee snapped.
"And speaking of wind, stop talking before your breath attracts more enemies." Neeshka added with a smirk. Kina kept running along, waving her group to hurry up.
And done! The Elanee thing stemmed from the whole "Circle of the Mere" thing and I figured a druid in West Harbor would probably be a part of said Circle.
Well, updates really depend on how much I play my game, as its still in progress. I hope everyone's enjoyed themselves thus far, leave a review telling me what you thought, and I'll see everyone next time!