Edwin, master conjurer and Red Wizard of Thay, was having a bad couple of days. At first things were looking promising. He had only just arrived in Nashkel when he learned the witch's bodyguard was laid up in the inn, mumbling about gnolls in his sleep. Given what he already knew, Edwin was sure the witch must have actually been foolish enough to go to the gnoll stronghold. He thought she may already be dead but he had to know for sure. He knew it was not a journey he should take alone, despite his great power, but the town was sparsely populated, even more so due to some kind of problem with the local mine.
Luckily, just when he was thinking he would have to call for help—not something he would do if he had any other option—a trio of pawns crossed his path. They were easily convinced to assist him in his endeavor and they accepted a month of his services as payment. No matter that they wanted him to enter the mine that the Nashkel people were so worked up about. It would be worth it to get his superiors off his back, and then he could return to Thay and be away from these barbaric lands.
But of course, things had not gone to plan. The journey had been easy enough, despite realizing Xzar was completely insane. At least he performed adequately when needed. It was when they finally reached the gnoll stronghold that everything began going downhill.
Edwin was certain they would find the remains of the witch, that the gnolls would have eaten her. That was what gnolls did. But she had somehow tricked them into serving her instead. The gnolls fell quickly. Montaron and Kagain were smelly and foul-tempered but they were good at killing, and Xzar might be crazy, but his unusual methods were effective. Edwin himself, of course, was a powerful conjurer and easily dispatched many of the gnolls with summoned hobgoblins and fire. They would have had no trouble killing their way to the witch, if not for that skull trap.
He was not sure whether to be thankful or insulted that she had not seen fit to have him killed. Instead, he and the others had been unceremoniously dumped in the river and washed almost all the way out to the ocean. Thankfully, the river narrowed enough at one point that they were able to grab onto some rocks, though actually climbing out and up the rocky riverbank was no easy task.
Edwin dried his clothes with a simple cantrip, much to the annoyance of the others. Xzar should have been capable of drying himself, but instead he decided to huddle in a ball and cry while Montaron and Kagain built a fire. Edwin did not relish the thought of having to accompany this group for much longer and was already trying to work out a way to give them the slip once in Nashkel.
Kagain made himself useful by working out where exactly they were. Unfortunately, they were well off course and Montaron wouldn't stop grumbling about how long it would take them to reach the blasted mine.
It had been a few days now since leaving the stronghold and they would likely reach Nashkel the following afternoon. Then onto the mine, for although Dynaheir still breathed Edwin had, according to Montaron, only told them they must accompany him to the stronghold, that it did not matter that they were not successful. Edwin chose not to fight his ill-mannered companions over it. He would win of course, but it would be…inconvenient. Yes, that's right.
He was so lost in his own thoughts that he was the last to notice the ambush. It was the perfect place for one—a narrow pass with rocky cliffs and thick shrubs on either side. Montaron was cursing under his breath as he drew his sword, though it did not take much for the angry little man to do that. Kagain remained silent as usual, but his axe was ready. Xzar appeared to be lucid, thankfully.
On the rise ahead, a couple stepped into view. The man wore leathers and carried a sword while the woman—an elf, by the look of her—wore pristine splint mail and wielded a flail and shield. They did not look hostile, but Edwin knew that was a front. He now saw what his companions already had—they were surrounded, bandits with bows hiding on either side.
"Hail and well met!" called the man cheerfully.
Edwin knew it was up to him to reply. He was the only one with any social skills after all.
"Keep your distance, ape!" he cried. "What is the meaning of this?"
"Now, now, there's no reason for this to turn violent," the man said, his tone still deceptively pleasant. "Hand over your belongings and you may yet live."
Edwin wondered if he could get a shield spell off before the archers struck him. If he could, then he might just live to cast a fireball. But then what? There were too many and they were too spread out. But then he noticed Xzar making some subtle movements beside him, and barely kept the smirk off his face.
"You'll need to be more convincing than that, swine," Edwin said, knowing he needed to retain the couple's attention for a moment more. "Why don't you just try?"
"Listen to Senjak, friend," said the woman, her voice light and musical. Definitely an elf. "Perhaps you've noticed our associates, who even now are aiming—"
A cry of pain came from the nearby bushes and she stopped speaking abruptly, turning her head in alarm. At the same moment, Xzar's spell finished casting and the man, Senjak, suddenly screamed in terror and began to run. There were similar sounds from the cover on either side and soon the area was swarming with terrified men and women. The only one who was apparently unaffected was the elven woman, who cast some kind of protection spell and watched in dismay as her comrades lost their minds. One rolled to the ground at her feet, dead.
Edwin took the opportunity to cast a shield spell before joining the woman in looking for who or what had attacked her minions. Kagain and Montaron were already making short work of the terrified archers while Xzar was casting his favorite blue hand of death. Edwin would enjoy participating too, but it would do no good if whatever had killed the bandits came after their group next.
Another archer fell to the ground, his body cut completely in two, and a huge armored man jumped from one of the nearby rocks to stand before the woman.
"Senjak! Dorotea!" he roared, his voice deep and full of fury. "I swore I would crush the life out of you someday. Today is that day!"
It would have been a grand entrance, if not for the chaos around him. Most of the archers were dead by now, the rest running around aimlessly, their heads filled with terror. Senjak was huddled a few feet away, hiding his head in his hands. The woman looked rather pale all of a sudden as she gazed upon the newcomer.
"I'm happy to see you, Dorn," she said, an obviously fake smile appearing on her face. "Leaving you behind to take the blame was all Simmeon's idea. He's the one you want, not us."
"'Just following orders' is a coward's excuse, Dorotea," Dorn growled. "And I haven't forgotten what you said when I refused your advances."
Dorotea reddened slightly and for the moment, looked lost for words. She began casting a spell but Dorn interrupted her, knocking her hands aside with his fist.
"Any o' you louts care to explain what's going on?" Kagain asked as the last of the archers met their end on his axe.
Dorn barely glanced at the dwarf before returning his attention to Dorotea. That look was enough to make out his tusks—a half-orc, in this part of the world? Interesting. Dorotea herself turned her gaze upon the group, her eyes flickering from one to the other until they landed on Edwin.
"This brute has been after me for weeks!" she cried, her eyes filling with tears that may just be real. "Defend me from him and I'll give you anything!"
Edwin wasn't about to believe her lies, though he might have considered saving her anyway. She was rather attractive, after all. But his less civilized companions were unaffected by such things and he knew they would not defend someone who had been trying to rob them moments ago.
"We don't believe ye," Montaron said. He had been steadily approaching Senjak and was about to slit the cowering man's throat.
"Wait!" Dorn roared. "His death is mine."
Montaron paused. From what Edwin had seen so far, the little man had few if any morals and enjoyed killing. So he was surprised when Montaron stepped back.
"Seems ye got a history," the halfling muttered. "I understand vengeance."
Dorotea had taken a few steps back, obviously seeing that this was not going to go her way. Dorn, however, was surprisingly fast for his size, and seized her arm before she could get any further.
"You'll not escape me so easily," the half-orc growled. He glanced from Montaron to Edwin, who now had Kagain and Xzar at his side. "Are you going to interfere?"
"Not unless ya want us to," Kagain said. "Think we've done enough already." He gestured to the dead archers, chuckling.
"I can handle these traitors," Dorn said.
"Please, Dorn! It was all Simmeon! I never—'
Dorotea did not get to finish her sentence before she was impaled on Dorn's sword, her magical protections giving way easily. Edwin could see that Dorn's weapon was not an ordinary greatsword; it was made of a strange dark metal and seemed to hold an aura of its own. As Dorotea died, something appeared to pass from her and into the sword, and Edwin understood what Dorn was. A blackguard would make a powerful ally—or a dangerous enemy.
Senjak was beginning to recover from Xzar's spell, but it was hard to tell when Dorn's presence and Dorotea's corpse seemed to terrify him almost as much. He tried to run, but Montaron was blocking his path.
"Face your death like a man, Senjak," Dorn said.
Senjak drew his sword and turned to defend himself but he was trembling so badly it was unlikely he had a chance, if he even did to begin with.
"I got some gold," he said. "I'll tell you where it is. Should be more than enough to make up for everything."
"I care nothing for your gold!" Dorn roared.
The fight was over almost as soon as it had begun. Senjak's weak efforts were in vain; he simply could not match the half-orc's strength and speed. Moments later, his soul was also feeding Dorn's sword.
Dorn did not bother to wipe the blood from his blade before turning to face Edwin and his lackeys. Edwin felt a little uneasy and began thinking of the best spell to cast on such an adversary. A summon of course, hobgoblins would not last long but they would serve as a distraction, and then-
"You handled yourselves well enough," the half-orc said, looking vaguely interested.
"Why so surprised?" Edwin asked, unable to resist rolling his eyes. After the summons, maybe an acid arrow to eat through that heavy armor?
"As a rule, I do not rely on those who fight beside me," said Dorn, his eyes narrowing. "I am Dorn-Il-Khan and I was settling an old score with some former…companions of mine."
"You are a blackguard, correct?" Edwin asked, getting impatient. He was beginning to think he was not in immediate danger from this brute and now he just wanted to be done here as soon as possible. He had things to do.
"My powers are none of your concern," Dorn said, and paused a moment. "Unless, that is, you are looking for a strong arm to join you."
"I am after a witch," Edwin said quickly, unable to miss the opportunity. "It would be helpful if—"
"First, the mine!" Montaron growled. "Ye gave us yer word, wizard!"
Edwin sighed. "Yes, the mine. We have to investigate the Nashkel mine because these three want to. And then we can kill the witch."
"I have my own quest," said Dorn. "But if they are compatible then I suppose I could deal with companions once more. If you betray me, this will be your fate."
The blackguard gestured to the carnage around them. Most of the archers, of course, had been killed by Edwin's group, but they were weak. Senjak and Dorotea were not, yet Dorn had dispatched them easily. Edwin had not forgotten the way Dorn's sword was completely unhindered by the woman's magical defenses. Well, Edwin would get away from him if he had to. For now, it looked like they may be able to work together.
"What is it you're after?" Edwin asked.
"Vengeance, of course. Two more to go, and I have a lead in Nashkel. There is also this." The blackguard pulled a scroll from his pack.
Edwin accepted it and read. Chasing bounties was beneath him, and he did not need such a piddly sum of gold. The woman herself, however…
"Is this depiction accurate?" he asked, unable to take his eyes from the drawing.
Dorn shrugged. "Perhaps. I think I saw someone matching her description while in the Friendly Arm, before I knew of the bounty. Come to think of it, you two were with her."
Xzar perked up as Dorn indicated him and Montaron. "The nymph!" he cried. "I liked her but Monty made us leave. She traveled with Harpers."
"Buncha goodie goodies," Montaron said, spitting onto the blood-soaked ground. "Green too. We first thought she an' her friend might be of use in the mine but realized they'd probably just get us killed. An' when they hooked up with a pair of Harpers and a paladin… that was that. We knew Kagain already, figured we'd stand a better chance with him."
"And this one?" Dorn asked, indicating Edwin in a way that did not at all fit his magnificence.
"I am Edwin Odesseiron, master conjurer and Red Wizard of Thay!" Edwin cried, puffing out his chest. He almost immediately wished he hadn't, since there was no way he could come close to comparing to Dorn in that department. "I recruited them to hunt my witch in return for my assistance in the mine. Unfortunately, she proved more slippery than I had anticipated and she escaped. We will find her after we do whatever must be done in the mine."
"Do you know where this woman is now?" Dorn asked.
"Beats me if I know," Montaron said. "The Harpers wanted to hit the mine too. They're probably lyin' dead in there by now."
Dorn did not seem to like hearing this, and Edwin had some idea why that may be.
"The notice says dead or alive," Edwin said. "Come to the mine with us and if we find her corpse you can take her head."
"He doesn't want her dead," Xzar said in one of his rare displays of clarity.
"Ahh, I see." Edwin noticed that the others appeared confused. "She is very beautiful. It is natural that you may want to spend some time with her before turning her in. Perhaps if we make haste, we can prevent her untimely death."
In fact, he was hoping now that would be the case. He just had to figure out a way to get to her before Dorn did. He would think of something, of course. It would not be hard to outwit a half-orc.
"We should move on," Kagain said. "Got to find a spot to camp before it's too dark."
Edwin had to admit the dwarf made a good point. The sky was beginning to darken already and it was hard enough to find a campsite in this rough terrain by day. Thankfully, no one argued—a rare thing with this company—and they walked a short distance until Xzar declared he had found a spot. Insane though he was, he had proved particularly adept at picking safe places to stop for the night. Edwin suspected he often altered the surroundings a little to make the place more appropriate, but if he wanted to waste his energy on that then he would not complain.
Montaron made the fire and they brought out their rations. Xzar ignored his food for the moment and instead pulled out a piece of parchment and a small bundle.
"Wish the mad wizard wouldn't do that," Kagain said, eyeing Xzar with disdain.
"This is different," Edwin said, noticing what Xzar was laying on the parchment. He was not well versed in divination, though he could see how this spell was different than Xzar's usual splattering of ink or blood on parchment. "He is scrying."
"You have her hair?" Dorn asked, eyeing the blonde lock.
"She tried charming Xzar when we first met," Montaron said. "Made 'er give it to us as payment. 'Course, half-nymph hair isn't worth anything, but it'll do to target her for certain spells."
"This idea has merit (though of course I would have thought of it first had I a lock of her hair)," Edwin said reluctantly. "Maybe she's not in the mine at all."
Xzar closed his eyes and began his spell, ignoring the voices around him. Everyone remained silent, which was quite a feat, but Edwin guessed they all wanted to know this woman's whereabouts for their own reasons.
"Alive!" Xzar squealed, giddy with joy. "She's alive! And with new friends!"
"New friends?" Edwin repeated. "How is that good? Calm yourself and describe these friends."
"Can't," Xzar said, lowering his voice until it was barely above a whisper. "The spell is focused on her, I can only sense them. She is on her way to the mine."
"Musta had a hell of a delay gettin' to Nashkel then," said Montaron. "Thought she'd be long gone by now."
"We should follow her in," said Dorn. "If you think she does not stand a chance…"
"Oh, she'll be quite safe with her new friends," Xzar said confidently. "We should wait for her to emerge and find out what she knows."
"Ye think she'll just tell us?" Montaron said.
"We're friends!" Xzar cried, getting excited again. "Of course she will. Meanwhile, we can pursue this lead of Dorn's, and maybe find Edwin's witch! And we don't have to go into a dirty mine!"
And here Edwin was thinking he was the only one with such reservations about entering the mine. He was not sure how to feel knowing it was the madman who was on his side in this. He was quite pleased with this turn of events, however. Nashkel was a small, uncultured town, but he would rather stay there for a while than enter the mine.
"Why are you so intent on entering this mine anyway?" Dorn asked.
"Something's killin' the miners and the ore's comin' out wrong," Montaron said. "Our employers want us ter find out the cause. But if the Harpers get in and out first it'd be easier to just question them."
"Your employers?" Dorn said.
"It's nothin' to you," Montaron replied, glaring at the half-orc as if daring him to challenge him.
Edwin thought the halfling was being foolishly brave and he expected a fight. Maybe Dorn could rid him of Montaron and Xzar, for that was who he expected to win that particular fight. Yes, that would be convenient. But it appeared he would not get his wish, at least not now. Dorn merely grunted and turned his attention back to his rations.
Edwin himself pored over his spellbook, murmuring to himself over what to memorize. Fireball was a staple of course, as were magic missiles and summons. He wondered if he should try a charm for the girl. Or a sleep spell? If she were truly half-nymph, however, they may not work properly. He'd have to think on it some more. At least he still had some time before Xzar expected this Silandra to return to Nashkel. And when she did, Edwin would be ready for her.