This chapter is in particular for Blinck22, with my best wishes to get well soon! ^-^
Author note: since in-game we know nothing about the paladins in Ajantis' party, I decided to switch them with some of the paladin-PCs I created over time to play the game. Castalia (female paladin of Tyr), Terence (male paladin of Tyr), Alybeth (female paladin of Helm) and Nathan (male paladin of Torm) are all my original characters.
oxoxoxoxoxo
It was nearly midday and the party was still marching steadily, when Aerie sighed. "Oh, I'm so tired...Can we stop?". "Not here, we're too exposed. Maybe behind those...", Meg trailed off, seeing a wisp of smoke coming from behind a group of boulders, "There's someone over there".
Edwin shrugged, "It may be a home, or a farm", he suggested, but Jaheira shook her head. "No, it's a campfire: I've seen enough of them to recognize one when I see it". The Painbearer nodded, "Yeah, I agree. It may be Ajantis and his men. Or some bandits", she added, frowning, "Aerie, turn Yoshimo and myself invisible: we'll go take a look".
As soon as the spell was cast, the two silently approached the campsite, only to find themselves in front of the strangest group they'd ever seen: sat around the fire were a Gnoll, two Ogres, a Magi Ogre and even a young Wyvern. The Wyvern opened its mouth...And spoke, in perfect Common and with a woman's voice, "We've been patrolling these lands for days and we haven't found any sign of monsters yet. If there really were any, we should have met them by now".
They are looking for the monsters?, Margaret Dawn thought, sharing a surprised look with the bounty hunter, And since when do Wyverns talk?. Suddenly suspicious, she hid behind a large rock and cast the spell to detect Evil, finding out that all of them were Good-aligned.
The Magi Ogre nodded with a tired sigh, "You're right, lady Castalia", it said to the Wyvern and its voice was that of a man, "There is something very wrong in this place. I am starting to suspect that lord Firkraag was not completely honest with the Order". Hearing that, the Ilmatari and Yoshimo decided to go back to their companions to inform them of their discovery.
Minsc saw them first and waved, "Our good friends are back! Did you find the bad monsters?". "Oh, we did, my big friend and we also found the paladins", Yoshimo answered. "This is good news! We must go and help the noble knights to kick Evil's backside!", the Rashemi joyfully exclaimed, raising his halberd, but Meg stopped him.
"Eh, it's not so simple, Minsc", she turned to Edwin and Aerie, "Can you dispel an illusion? A very powerful one?". The Red Wizard snorted, "Bah! Of course I can! (I am the great Edwin Odesseiron, after all)". "I think I can", the Avariel said, "How powerful is it?". The Painbearer bit her lower lip, "A lot, I fear: the paladins are unaware of it, but to an external observer's eye, they look like monsters". All of the others started.
"But...Maybe they are real monsters", Anomen suggested, but she was already shaking her head. "They were speaking perfect Common, even the Wyvern. Besides, one of them mentioned Firkraag and the Order. And if I recall correctly, that was Ajantis' voice". The Thayan scowled, "So we found the baboon at last. Can we leave, now? Or are you still determined to look for trouble? (Why am I even asking? Of course she is!)".
The Rashemi frowned, "Paladins looking like monsters? Minsc does not understand! And even Boo seems confused". "There seems to be a powerful magic at work in this area", Margaret Dawn explained and Edwin nodded. "I felt the presence of magic, when we arrived here. It covers the whole area of the Hills, so whoever cast it must be a very skilled mage (But not as I am, of course)".
Aerie snapped her fingers. "Yes, that's it! I knew there was something familiar in this place, something that reminded me of Kalah, but I couldn't put my finger on it. It's illusionary magic, but it's extremely strong".
"Can you dispel it?", Meg asked. The Thayan and the Avariel exchanged glances and he grimaced. "I loathe admitting this, but I will need the help of the elfling, here. And the Harper must help too". Aerie beamed proudly, while the Half-Elf rolled her eyes at Edwin's tone.
The Ilmatari nodded, "Fine, then, you will prepare the spell. When it's ready, we will approach the paladins as silently as we can and I will use a spell of mine to freeze their movements, so they won't attack us. Anomen, while they are trapped, you will speak to them and tell them who we are and that we have no hostile intentions". The squire blinked, "Why me, my lady?". "Because you're a member of the Order like them. They will listen to your words. Now let's get some rest".
When the counter-spell was ready, they made their way towards the campsite, but the sound of the armour alerted the paladins, who stood at once. "Vile creatures!", the Magi Ogre/Ajantis shouted, "You will not prey upon...", his voice became a surprised squeal, as Meg's spell made thick vines appear from nowhere and wrap around the paladins' arms.
The squire quickly stepped forward, keeping his empty hands before himself to show his pacific intentions, "Please, calm down. I know you see us as monsters, but we are only humans, with two ladies of Elven heritage among our number", he said.
The Magi Ogre sneered at him, "Lies! You are only trying to deceive us with your silver tongue, but I will not be fooled by a vile monster like you!". The Wyvern seemed unsure, "I don't know...He looks like an Ogre, but the way he speaks is that of a man". "I am a man, my lady", Anomen assured her, "I am squire Anomen Delryn, a member of the Order just like yourselves".
The Gnoll cocked his head to the side, "Delryn, you say? I remember a squire by that name. If your words are true, then you will have no trouble in telling me the name of your sponsor knight". "I am the squire to sir Blethyn Spearwave". The Gnoll nodded and turned to his companions, "He speaks the truth: I recall having him as a student in my Literature class last year. He is one of us".
Those words caused the paladins to instantly stop struggling against the vines and as they were still trying to decide what to do next, the illusion was dispelled and the adventurers could finally see them in their true shape: they were two women and three men, all of them wielding a bastard sword and a shield.
Ajantis' eyes widened as he saw Jaheira, "You! You were on the Sword Coast, travelling with that abomination...". Minsc raised a big fist, "Don't use that bad word when talking about little Meg, or you will feel the Punch of Righteousness on your face again!".
One of the female paladins, a tall woman who had short dark brown hair, clapped her hands, "Enough! I would like to know what is going on here, if you please. Who is your leader?". Meg took a step forward, "That's me, my name's Margaret Dawn".
"I'm Castalia, nice to meet you. Sir Ajantis you already know, I gather. This is lady Alybeth", she pointed to the other woman, who had a waist-length black braid. "This is sir Nathan", she indicated the black-haired man at her right, "And this is sir Terence", her finger turned to indicate the last man, who had blond hair and dark brown eyes. Meg nodded to them and made quick introductions, then proceeded to sum up the latest events.
"I see", Castalia frowned, worried, "It seems like Firkraag wanted us to slaughter each other, then. But how did you know we were not real monsters?". "Yoshimo and I witnessed your conversation and well, as far as I know, Wyverns don't talk. And even if they did, I doubt they would be knighted in the Order", Meg added with a grin and the other woman laughed. "Ha, good point! Though it would surely make for an unforgettable scene".
"Lady Castalia!", Ajantis cried, outraged, "This talk is highly disrespectful of our sacred Order! Please refrain from saying such things again!". Castalia rolled her eyes, "Oh, cool down, Ilvastarr, I was joking. You know, it's guys like you that cause us paladins to be considered a bunch of boring bigot fools with a pole stuck up their...".
Thankfully, before she could finish the sentence, a man's voice interrupted her, "Who are you? Why are you here?", the speaker was a short and chubby man with greying brown hair and black eyes. "I am lady Castalia, sir and my companions and I are here on a mission for the Order. May I know who you are?". He blinked, "Why, I'm the lord of these lands, Garren Windspear".
oxoxoxoxoxo
Garren Windspear was kind enough to offer both the adventurers and the paladins shelter in his cabin, since a heavy rain had started to fall while they were talking. There, the two parties explained their reasons for being in his lands and when he heard the whole story, his face twisted with a mixture of hate and disgust.
"I am glad his plan didn't work. Damned Firkraag...His vileness has no limits!", he spat. "Do you know him, lord Windspear?", Anomen asked and the older nobleman nodded tiredly. "Oh, I know him all too well! That criminal stole my lands!". Ajantis blinked, "Why didn't you ask for help to the Order, then? If he took your lands by force...".
"I couldn't, he's much subtler than that: there were always bandits only he could stop, missing people only he could find, problems only he could solve...Problems, I'm sure, that were all of his making. With each passing day, my people started to lose faith in my ruling and turned to him for guidance. In the end, all that was left to me was this cabin and my son, Taar", Garren smiled and gave his son an affectionate pat on the head.
Taar was twelve and the resemblance with his father was striking, the only difference between them was the eye-colour: the child's eyes were a misty grey, like the smoke coming out of a chimney and they had been fixed on Alybeth's lovely face since the paladin had set foot in Garren's cabin.
"I guess you would like to rest now, right?", lord Windspear said and his guests nodded in unison, "I'm afraid you'll have to sleep on the floor, though". "Don't you worry, my lord", sir Nathan said, smiling, "We're used to it and we're grateful for your hospitality, especially now that it's raining".
Both the adventurers and the paladins lay down and wrapped themselves in their cloaks, hoping for a peaceful rest, but after a couple of hours, they were woken up by the cracking of a Dimension Door opening. A group of thirteen bandits emerged from it and their leader took Taar in a vice-like grip, smiling cruelly, while his other companions engaged the paladins and the adventurers in a fight. "Hello, Margaret Dawn", the leader of the criminals said, "Our master Firkraag sends his regards".
"Release the child this instant, you despicable wrong-doer!", Ajantis shouted and if her hands hadn't been occupied with her sword and shield, Castalia would have surely facepalmed. "Ilvastarr, for Tyr's sake, just shut the Abyss up and kill him!", she yelled, kicking her opponent in the groin.
The bandit leader laughed, "The child is part of our master's plan! He challenges you, Margaret Dawn!", he exclaimed, throwing a scroll at Meg, then he opened another portal and vanished inside it with his prey.
The rest of his group was dispatched, but this was of no comfort to Garren, who sagged on the floor with eyes full of tears. "My son! My poor son is gone!". The Painbearer knelt next to him, "Fear not, my lord, I give you my word that we'll save him. He'll be back soon". "Thank you. I...I don't know why Firkraag is doing all of this, but...".
Ajantis snorted, "It's because of this abomination", he spat, pointing his sword at the Ilmatari's throat, "The leader of those criminals called her by name and talked about a challenge!". Anomen put himself between the paladin and his leader and pushed the sword aside with a gauntleted hand, snarling, "Leave her alone!".
Sir Terence intervened, keeping them away from each other, "Calm down now, this is not fitting behaviour for brothers in arms. Sir Ajantis, sheathe your weapon, please. And you, squire Delryn, take a step back. Now, if I recall correctly, one of those bandits threw a scroll at you, lady Margaret Dawn. I suggest you read it to us". She nodded and took the scroll up, then she unrolled it, "It's addressed to me and signed by Firkraag.
It says: 'Margaret Dawn, I give you the opportunity to regain your honour and maybe even more than that. This game has been interesting, but now I'm tired of it. Meet me and we'll see who is the best of us. Our battlefield will be in the North-East. You'll recognize it, of that I have no doubt' ", she read and her fist closed in a tight ball with anger, "So you want to see who's the best, you Godsdamned son of a bitch? Fine then, I'll show you", she growled and a flash of gold passed in her eyes as she tossed the crushed parchment to the ground and walked outside.
