Good Evening. Or Morning or Afternoon depending on when you are reading this. I am working on building myself a dd world of my own, and I want to share with you a glimpse of this world in the form of a short story told both in 1st and a little bit of 3rd POV (point of view) of my OC Aerowyn Lunanor, an Air Genasi Ranger and Druid. I cannot say much, but I hope you all enjoy this one to the fullest. Feedback is always enjoyed, I like hearing people's opinions and questions readers have for my story.

"You'll know it's the place you are looking for when it smells like home."

That is what I was told when I was first looking for the Luminous Shard. I had stepped into Heartgarde for the first time in about 6 months, clutching a letter from a dear friend of mine. Most of the time I avoid civilization due to my… condition, but there are unavoidable situations that force me into the life of the city. Most of the time it's to restock on items that I cannot acquire from the Illuminese Forest like candle wax, or to trade some of the items I can acquire from the forest's bounty of materials. But today was different.

Today was the day I reunited with an old friend of mine, Thalia Larimore.

Back before I settled down in my home in the largest forest of Seriste, I was part of a party of adventuring misfits that, over the years, became a sort of well known group that solved problems across Avoria while also discovering more about ourselves. There were seven of us, each with our own pasts to escape, and a desire to complete our own goals. Idril aimed to find treasures of her grandmother's past and bring them securely home. Hathor wanted to cement her reputation as a rogue who was able to steal even the rarest of items.

Me? Well, that's another story for another time.

But back to my friend Thalia. She was only 17 years old when we first met, and quite a chaos gremlin at the time. She had her reputation as the Clockwork Caster of Coradell, with her inherited staff and her chaotic array of spells. And yet, I dare say she was the cleverest out of all of us in our group, able to enhance our abilities to the best they could be and catch up with some of our targets with the speed of Ashardalon's stride. Her magic skills were only rivaled by Idril and Corin at times, and for a long time, it stayed that way.

As the years went on, I saw something change in her. A spark lit up in those crystal periwinkle eyes of hers every time we passed stalls of wondrous objects at festivals, handmade cloaks of the most vivid of colors. I thought she was just developing a love for wanting to steal things, something I kinda blamed Hathor for at first. But shortly before we all went our separate ways, I saw her starting to create things that no one had ever seen, and I knew from the belt of glass beads she created for me, she was going to become an artificer. Fate had a way with changing our paths, that I knew from my own tangles with it.

And so, at the end of our adventures, it made sense we all parted ways, all on good terms. Every so often, I would receive letters via her flying cat about her growth as a budding inventor, creating and selling things to please the occasional buying adventurer. Other than that though, it seemed like things were very peaceful, something that I grew used to after becoming a Moon Druid and settling down in the Illuminese Forest. But if there is one thing I've learned from my journeys with Thalia, things never stay quiet for long. And the latest letter from her just proved that one quite well.

I was harvesting some of the nectar of the will o wisp tree flowers when I received Thalia's latest letter. Now usually when she sends her flying cat Stratias, it's usually after stumbling upon a breakthrough of sorts. And this letter would be no different. At least, that's what I thought. Imagine my surprise hearing that my former comrade was settling down in Heartgarde and opening her own store. This was a bigger milestone than I thought, and it was so close to home. And so, with a bit of thought, I packed up a small bag with rations and some housewarming (or rather, storewarming gifts) for my friend, and began to make my way towards civilization for the first time in months.

Heartgarde is a well known city here in Seriste, and very populated for a cave city in the Cresting Mountain Range that borders the northwestern sector of the Illuminese Forest. It is home to lots of Dwarven, Elven, and Earth Genasi folk with some drow and dragonborn. Not too many humans or halflings live near here unless they have a spark of magic in them, as Thalia puts it, because it's rather close to the magic pollution from a set of wars that lasted for 150 years on Seriste's mainlands. The residue from those spells is like a poison, slowly killing those without magic over the years.

It's why I made my home in the Illuminese Forest, but much like my reason for leaving home, that is another story for another time.

So now, here I was in a city I barely visit, trying to find Thalia's store. According to her letter, it was connected to a tavern that was well known in Heartgarde, near one of the edges of the underground lake that surrounds the city. But other than that, her directions for her location were very obscure, with only one cryptic clue. "You'll know it's the place you are looking for when it smells like home."

Leading to my situation at hand…


"Good grief Thalia, could you have made your clue any more complex than this? What does it even mean?!"

Aerowyn Lunanor sighed in frustration as he walked down the streets of Heartgarde, the various colorful lanterns that lit up the city illuminating the buildings around him. He had been searching for a good two hours for Thalia's store with very few people knowing about it. Granted, he was not used to the ever changing mountain city in the Cresting Mountain Range, and he was absolutely certain that he never would be unless he stepped out of his own forest home besides restocking his supplies.

"What does she even mean by that, smelling like home? What does home even smell like? Thalia, I hope your latest invention blows up on you if it can." Aerowyn grumbled as he searched up and down the streets, looking for something that could possibly give away where his friend's place could be.

"Excuse me, by chance are you looking for Miss Thalia Larimore?"

Aerowyn stopped his rant mid-sentence, looking over at the person who had spoken up. Standing behind him was a finely dressed young drow male, his short white hair blowing in the wind. Based on the bag that rested on his side, it seemed the other was one of the selected local messengers for Heartgarde.

"I am. Thalia invited me to visit her, and that is what I plan on doing."

"I see. Well then, could I ask that you hand this to her?" The drow messenger paused as he pulled out a package and a letter. "She lives in that little store named the Luminous Shard, about a block down the way you're heading. You'll know it because it's connected to the Mystic Fire Inn."

"Ah, I know that area quite well, and I will deliver her stuff to her."


Ah, now I knew where to find her, and if I had to take some stuff to her from one of the local messengers of Heartgarde, then so be it. The Mystic Fire Inn is one of the more well decorated taverns in the city, with blue and purple glass lanterns illuminating the street. It is part of what Heartgarde calls its Azuric Sector, one of four parts of the city that focuses more on the magical aspect of its life. More often than not I have seen children running around, casting basic cantrips to entertain their friends. The streets themselves even seem brighter with the amount of dancing lights that are cast, allowing one to see the designs of the buildings quite well.

As I reach the end of the street, I can see the Mystic Fire Inn, and just past that, there it is. What was once an abandoned building connected to the place is now warmly lit with golden lights inside, although whether it's lantern-lit or due to magic, I cannot tell. The once blank, rotted away wooden sign above it has been replaced with a curved, dark oak one with fancy, silvery painted writing. As Heartgarde is obscured from the sun of the world outside the mountain, the light from several silvery blue lanterns illuminates the world around it. The corners of the window panes are decorated with blue glass, with the silver lines in between those pieces looking like vines.

A familiar scent enters my nose as I reach the door, and I recognize the burning of dried winter vanilla, cinnamon and cave anise herbs in the air. It is something I would do on my travels to relax me, something that Thalia obviously remembered. Now I see why she wrote what she did, because to me, the scents of nature are indeed a part of me. It is the scent of home. With that warm welcome in mind, I open the door, feeling the scent grow stronger. The sound of glass bell chimes rang in my ears and echoed into the rooms in front of me, possibly to help alert the owner of the establishment to guests and customers.

"One moment please! I shall be out to greet you in a second!"

I gave a slight chuckle, smiling at the familiar voice of my old companion in the back room as I took a look around the shop. It was much larger than it looked inside, with some very well made bookshelves filled with various curios decorating the three inner walls of the lobby. Closer to the wall adjacent from the windows was a very beautiful counter that stretched from one side of the room to nearly the other side, made from what looked like a mix of copper and Phoenix-grade fire oak (a well know tree from the Ember Forest used for furniture, with Phoenix-grade being the best) wood. A myriad of glass bottles aligned the counter, some clear with smaller trinkets inside them, others an assortment of colorful glass with labels on them. And resting on a hook behind the counter, polished up to gleaming beauty, was a pair of blue lensed goggles I knew quite well.

Those goggles used to be mine, actually. I used to ride on a griffin when I was a full-blooded ranger, before I started as a Druid as well. Aspen was a mischievous one that loved to speed up to eye stinging speeds in the air, so I started wearing them to allow me to actually see where I was going. Shortly before we all parted ways, I passed them onto Thalia, as Aspen was returning to my hometown of Stellispire to live the rest of her days peacefully. I figured a budding artificer such as her was going to need them. And as I figured, I had been correct.

"My oh my, aren't you a sight for sore eyes, Aerowyn Lunanor."

I snap out of my train of thoughts as I look over at the doorway to the backroom, finally seeing Thalia for the first time in five years. The long haired sorceress of silver and steel now had her brown locks in a short bob with the bangs now a light blue as a result of the magic she once used, her blue-green eyes framed by a pair of round glasses. Her attire had changed immensely from when I last saw her, no longer wearing the loose fitting blue pants and cloak with a purple tunic and brown vest. Now she wore a flowing white shirt with a loose black corset vest combination (much like the pirates and innkeepers we would come across on occasion), a many-layered blue and black skirt that reached just past her knees, and a pair of knee-high black leather boots that looked like they had seen better days at times. But what really stood out about her (besides the soot that was currently freckling her face), was the round talisman around her neck, shaped like a crescent moon connected together and painted with beautiful dark blue paint and sapphire stones.

"You've become quite the young maiden since we parted ways, Thalia Larimore." I teased with a slight grin, and from the laugh that escaped Thalia, she found it funny as well.

"Oh you tease, Aerowyn. Although I can't blame you, those were the days I often was shunned by society for not dressing as a proper lady of the sapphire Court in Esperin." Thalia admitted.

Esperin was the continent of Avoria that she was born in. It was a smaller area whose kingdoms were often at war with each other over something one trivial thing or another. A lot of those wars were often over lost relics of the Sterling Age, or at least they used to. Eternas Valoura put a stop to the wars after we discovered the link between the magic pollution here in Seriste and the dying non-magi population in Esperin. The Sapphire Court that Thalia mentioned was part of the Sanzanis Kingdom, a group of wizards, sorcerers, and clerics that watched over the kingdom. Jules Larimore, the highest court mage in the group, was Thalia's mother till she died.

Thalia was a part of the group until she was 15, deciding to leave as she felt out of place among the well dressed magicians. It was with us she began to sparkle, entertaining the locals with her magic and allowing herself to be who she wanted to be. And it's clear to me that she is still happy she is free of that past.

"So then, welcome to my little home of the Luminous Shard! As you can probably guess, it's a little home I've set up for myself to make, enchant, and sell my items, be it potions, trinkets, or any of my wondrous curios I've acquired over the years. And you know me, I have quite the stock on me." Thalia pointed out as she grabbed a tankard from underneath the counter. "Care for a brew, Aerowyn? I've been working on this blend with vanilla, anise, and licorice that has such a sweet earthy flavor to it. Non alcohol too, so you don't have to worry about any… drunken mishaps."

I laugh giving a nod as I sit down on one of the chairs in front of the tavern. Thalia gave a hum as she filled the tankard and set it down in front of me before going into another room. "So what made you want to settle down finally? I recall you always were a restless little sorcerer who loved being on the road." I asked as I take a sip of the frothy brew in front of me. It's sweet and earthy, much like how she said it was. This would allow her to sell it to younger crowds with less worry for it causing any drunken incidents for her to be blamed for.

"9 years of travelling satisfies the spark at some point, but on occasion I do get a chance to explore the caverns of the Cresting Mountains. You'd be surprised to see what treasures one finds in a world polluted by magic residue. Although from what I've heard, you've made a name for yourself as well alongside Corin. The Whispering Elements huh?" Thalia asked as she set a plate of warm butterscotch topped buncakes in front of me.

The name was our companion Corin's idea, part of her little dream to try and purify the magic residue from Seriste's mainlands. She looked for fellow Genasi druids who followed her dream, hoping to achieve the impossible. And find them she did. What was once just her became two when I joined her, then six when we found others in the form of two water and two earth Genasi. There was Austril Myalis, a Sea-born from the underwater city of Coracadis who preferred to be called an ice genasi for his love of icy spells and magic. Kimora Rivera, the song loving water genasi who's voice carries across the rivers she sings next to. And then there's Earth Genasi twins Sonia and Miroc, who reflect the crystal and nature sides of the group. Each of us follow a different circle of the druid class, with our own skills we use.

"Corin came up with the name. She's been working hard to achieve her goals, with a little bit of results. We think there could be something in Sol Illune that could help us purify the air down there. But none of us have the courage to even consider going inside that mountain." I admitted, digging my teeth into the gooey warm treat in front of me. A groan of joy escapes my lips as the warm caramel-butterscotch glaze drips down my throat, warming up my figure after a chilly winter journey.

Thalia gave a slight giggle. "Well I suppose that makes sense. The place that might have ways to purify the air is the one place that everyone is so worried about going into. No one's stepped into Sol Illune for over 400 years due to the burning of Aster Illus."

A hum of agreement escapes me as I swallow my bite of food with another gulp of frothy sweet brew. "I would think there is something we could use. It's the birthplace of the relics of ruin after all. I would imagine that it would have some sort of secrets, seeing as those relics are the cause of the air's corruption in Seriste. Corin thinks so too, which is why she's been spending time looking over her ancestors' old journals of that age and time. She's determined to purify the air, but she needs to learn to take a moment to rest her body."

"That's Corin for you though. And what about you? You seem much brighter since we parted ways. Much more at ease."

"I do?" Thalia nods at my confusion, and I think for a second. In all my years of traveling, not a place has set me more at peace than living in the Illuminese Forest of Seriste. It's abundance of flora and fauna that it hides, the glowing Luminous fruits that one can use as a dye for clothing, and of course the vividly colored Amakiir herb that grows within the heart of it. Simple comforts for most people, but treasures of my new life that has made me content with my home there.

"I suppose you are right. You'd understand if you get the chance to come visit. There are quite a few things one could get from the bounty of the ethereal arboretum as this city calls it. Speaking of…" I pause in conversation as I pull my bag onto the counter, opening it up. "I came bringing housewarming gifts for you. As well as a package or two that a messenger asked me to bring to you, seeing as I making my way here."

"Oh? What do you bring to show the Lady of Larimar?" Thalia asks with intrigue, a sparkle of curiosity in her eyes as she leans on the counter in interest.

"Gifts from the Illuminese Forest itself. A small pouch of Amakiir herbs, guaranteed to make for a lovely new addition to your meals. Dyes made from the Emeris, Ivori, and Amets flowers. And the one I think you'll enjoy the most," I take out a rather large vial of bluish-purple nectar, the liquid glowing ever so warmly. "Nectar harvested from flowers of the Will o wisp trees that attract the twilight firefoxes to the woods."

Thalia squeals with delight at the items, opening up the nectar to inhale its sweet scent. "This is absolutely perfect, Aero! I think this is just the item I need to complete this sweet brew! It's delicious, but I think it was missing something. Something like honey to make Thalia's Terrific Root Beer Brew a stunning success!"

I laugh, having missed the optimistic energy of my old traveling companion after so long. "I think this will be perfect indeed, my old friend."

We chat for several hours, before it's obvious that both of us do need our rest. As I stand up to prepare to depart for the Mystic Fire Inn, she hands me a dark blue dyed leather journal, much like the brown one with her sketches that she carries with her. "The pages are like a sending stone, where you can write a message to me and I can see it, although it has a 100 word limit on it per send, and you can only cast it once a day. But it's connected to the blue journal I carry in the back, so if you ever have the urge to communicate with me, I will be here. Just try and come visit again sometime soon, alright?"

"I will. Now that I know you are here, it gives more reason for me to visit the city. I'll see if I can drag Corin with me next time as well. She'll be happy to see you again!" I point out.

Thalia laughs in agreement, taking a sip of her brew before standing up. "I think so as well. Take care of yourself Aerowyn Lunanor, the moon-touched protector of the Illuminese Forest!"

"And you as well, Thalia 'Lady of Larimar' Larimore. Until our next meeting."

Thalia opens the door to allow me to exit, and when I turn to look back one more time, she is gone. The ever so faint scent of vanilla and the vivid glow of the store helps reassure me that I have a reason to be happy once more. But should I ever forget where to go, just remember, I'll know it's the place when it smells like home.

And so, as I walk to find a room at the Mystic Fire Inn next door, I swear I hear the sound of soft singing from the second story. A poem of the heroes that brought peace to Esperin 5 years ago.

"Gather round, young and old


And I'll tell you a story of 7 bold…"