Chapter 7 – The Beginning

The soft rain fell without making a sound. The dark gray clouds overhead muffled even the sloshing footsteps Donnia took as she made her way home. The cold was not so much but still found a way to creep deep into the bones, chilling from the inside as it chilled from the outside. Her long red hair was matted to her neck allowing more drops of rain to invade even through her armor. Her teeth chattering, Donnia longed even more for home with each step that drew her closer to her goal.

The road to her house was not as she remembered it. She doubted she would have forgotten the burning piles of diseased corpses that lined every street in the city of Neverwinter during her time at the Academy.

There were no sounds of families working together. Even the wind had stopped calling to the trees. Her house was dark; no candles lit the windows as they had for so many years. She reached out to the door, paying no attention to the scrap of paper in front of her. The door would not budge. Their house was never locked, for there was nothing in there to steal if someone wished to do so. Since her mother had died no money was kept in the house.

Staring back at the door in shock, her eyes fell to the notice that had been stuck to her front door: "This house has been condemned due to the spread of the Wailing Death. All inhabitants were killed. Do not enter and risk spreading it further."

What joy she had built up during her training withered and died as she read those few poorly scrawled words attached to her door. Everything she ever had in the world was gone.

For a moment Donnia stood there, lost. She almost forgot everything other than what had just happened in the past few moments.

She wept a little for her father, but did not linger on her doorstep long. She bashed in her door to gather her last few belongings.

On her way outside she lit every candle in every window, hoping some of the old warmth would come back to her, back into her home. She closed her eyes and was a child again. She could hear her mother laughing as her father picked her up and swung her around in his tight embrace. She could smell dinner cooking warm over the fire. She could feel love flowing through every fiber of her being.

Donnia opened her eyes and all she had ever known was gone again.

She went back through her house and knocked every candle to the floor, igniting the house. She shed one last tear and walked away as her past turned to ash.

The city center was also laden with burning corpses. The guards stood by to keep people from wandering too close and possibly becoming infected themselves.

Some people called out for mercy, for someone to end their suffering. Others called out for money, ale, or sex. The plague did not stop Ophala's girls from working.

The Hall of Justice stood as a beacon of hope in the once proud city. Upon entering its great doors, Donnia was almost overwhelmed by the grief. Several people who had been infected with the plague lined the floor. Nurses did what they could to help them, which was sadly limited to offering words of comfort and an ear to hear their cries of pain.

Fenthick had been watching Donnia as she surveyed the scene before her. He saw her pain, and most importantly, he saw her sympathy, and anger. As she neared him, he called out to her, "Donnia, you were quick to answer the summons."

Fenthick's voice brought her out of her thoughts. "I am ready to do as you need me."

Desther once again intruded into their conversation, "Fenthick, how are you be so certain that she will be able to help us? Just look at her! Her armor is tattered, her sword bent, and I doubt you missed that she is a woman."

Donnia did not pay much attention to him. She thought him irritating and an annoyance. She could not care less about his opinion of her. "I would have bought better armor and a better weapon had I the money to do so. However, my father was a guard for this city for many years, and he was repaid in his long years of service by not being allowed to make enough money to support himself, nor I, forcing me to get a job here in the city, instead of taking care of him as I needed to do."

Before Desther could retort, Fenthick stepped in, "Do not worry, Donnia, adequate supplies will be granted to you should you have need of them."

"Fenthick! Are you mad? She will rob us blind and make off with the money and the Waterdavian Creatures will be no more found than her virtue!"

Donnia merely replied, "I will look for these creatures for you to the best of my ability. In return I ask only that you trust me. I will not fail you, or the rest of Neverwinter, as long as there is breath in me."

This seemed to quiet Desther for a moment.

Fenthick seemed satisfied by this answer as well. "I am certain that you will complete this task set before you or my Lady Aribeth would not have asked you to help us. She is waiting for you in the main hall. Speak with her to better understand your new duty." With that, Fenthick gave her a slight bow and pointed her toward a large door at the end of the hall.

Lady Aribeth looked every bit the powerful paladin. She exuded power and beauty even in a room shrouded in hopelessness and death. "Lady Aribeth, I am here to help you."

Aribeth turned to her and gave her a bright smile. "Donnia! Thank Tyr you decided to help us. I wish I could give you brighter news, but you are our last and sadly, only hope. I had initially planned that the first students to graduate from the Academy would assist me with this cure, but I fear you are the only one left, graduate or not."

Donnia was unsure how her heart kept beating, but it merely stuttered in her chest and trudged along. But there were so many! she thought. How can they all be dead?

Aribeth saw the flash of pain cross her face as what she had told her sunk in. "I fear your task is now two-fold. On top of finding and returning the Waterdavian Creatures, you must also look for any evidence as to who is behind their disappearance. Lord Nasher and I are in agreement that it must have been well-organized to be so successful in its task. Take this." Aribeth handed her a small gold coin that had four creatures carved upon it. "It holds the picture of the four creatures. It will guide you so as to know what you are looking for. As you find one, its picture will fade, leaving only those you must still find."

Donnia took the coin from her and placed it in her pack.

"Also, this is the Stone of Recall. It is linked to this temple so that whenever you have need of me just use it and I will be here to help you. Its power will also allow you to teleport back to where you last used it. Do you have any questions for me?"

Donnia's head reeled with hundreds of questions, none of which she thought Aribeth could answer. "Do you have any suggestions as to where I should start my quest?"

Aribeth was pleased with her question, "First off, I would find someone who would travel with you. You might find it difficult without some help. I'm sure you could find such help at any of the pubs in town. But do be careful as to whom you choose. Make sure it is someone that you would trust with your life. I would start looking for the Waterdavian creatures in the Peninsula District. There was a prison break there not long ago. Perhaps you could help the guards out there and they may know something that would be of help to you."

"I shall start there. Thank you, Lady Aribeth."

"One last thing, Donnia. Take this. It is 400 gold. You shall be requiring some supplies that I wish I could just give to you, but I cannot."

"That's more than enough. Thank you. I will begin at once." Donnia turned and left her.

Fenthick had watched their conversation from afar. He was pleased with the decision his love had made. "Aribeth, my love, do not fear. I have a strong feeling about her."

Aribeth clasped his hand, "Thank you, Fenthick. May Tyr watch over her in her journeys."

Donnia walked toward the door, not sure what to do next. She knew she must head to the Peninsula District soon, but she was still dizzy from all that had happened to her over the past few days.

"You have the look of a prospective employer!" a strange halfling called to her.

"What's your name, halfling?" Donnia asked of him.

"The name's Tomi Undergallows. I'm from Calimsham. And I'm a mighty fine rogue if I do say so myself. Though it is why I'm stuck in this blasted city in the first place. But that's a long story."

"Would you be willing to work for me, Tomi?" Donnia knew that the skills of a rogue would be very helpful in her quest. "I can't pay you too much, but I can pay you more later if you would agree to work with me."

Tomi seemed to consider the offer. "What's your mission, love?"

"Lady Aribeth is sending me to find some rather important items. I cannot tell you more, unless you agree to work with me."

"Sounds mysterious. What say you to paying me 150 gold coins now and we'll see about later when it gets 'ere?"

Donnia tossed the gold to him, "Let's get started."