Dearest Sister,

It has been two days since I have arrived in the Moonsea region. Per your suggestion, I have chosen the town of Phlan to settle in. I am aware of the odd looks that the people give me, which was to be expected, of course. Thankfully, a halfling going by Madame Freona has offered me lodging in her Tea Kettle. She and her daughters have offered me a kind enough reception, for which I am thankful for. This is a temporary offer, for once I raise the coin for it, I intend to book a permanent room at an inn, one where I won't have to share with others.

I have been keeping my ears open for rumors, and although I've heard many, there is one that is constant and is worthy of your attention. Multiple sightings of dragons have been reported in the region. I find it strange that such reclusive creatures are making themselves known. I urge you to relay this information to our brother, who is further along the south in the Swords Coast region. If not for his safety, then at least to keep him in the circle of information we share. He lacks the strength I possess and the wit you hold, and I fear that his charm and reflexes will not be enough to save him from a possible dragon attack.

I have tried to follow up on these rumors many times, but to no avail. They are spotted during the day, when I am reclusive, and when I am out and about in the night, they are resting. I wish there was more I could do, but the sun beats down on me this far in the north. Additionally, the Welcomers, Phlan's guild of thieves, has been targeting me during my nightly excursions. I have faced them once already, and luck would have it, I found out that there was a complication with one of their recent operations, one to steal a dragon egg. I will keep you updated at this story develops.

Arannis Uthmar lifted his quill from the parchment and returned it to the bottle of ink, freshly opened. He was a dark elf, a sight that stood out in this simple town of Phlan. His smoke gray skin and clean white hair separated him from the local high elves and wood elves of the land. He wore leather armor with a red cape and his three blades, a shortsword, a longsword, and an handaxe respectively, sheathed at his hip, and a longbow holstered across his back. With the letter written, he closed his yellow eyes in deep thought.

The Uthmar family had long been exiled from their home in the Underdark, and accommodating to the surface world was rough. His sister, the head of the family, worked on earning a spot for her and her brothers in their new world. To that end, she dispatched her two elder brothers, twins, to the Sword Coast and Moonsea to earn coin to send back to the family. There were many jobs offered in Phlan, but most of them were during the day. His eyes had yet, and mostly would not, adjust to the bright sun. Even with his hat with a ridiculously large brim, which rested on his leg, working during the day was too much for him to handle.

As such, Arannis was limited to working during the night and indoors. Finding legitimate work was rare then with the only jobs being the illegal kind. He remembered his sister's words well: that he lacked the discretion needed for illegitimate jobs and that he should keep his head down. Much to his liking, there was pit fighting that was not persecuted by the Black Fist, the guards of Phlan. His sister would kill him if she found out that he competed in pit fights, but they earned enough coin to send back to her.

Arannis opened his eyes upon hearing light footsteps, seeing Briez, one of Freona's daughters with black hair, approaching with a plate of biscuits covered in jam.

"Breakfast, sir," Briez set the plate down on his table in the common room. "I hope it is to your liking."

"Thank you," Arannis took one of the biscuits and took a bite out of it. The bread was warm, freshly baked, and the cold jam was sweet. "It's good. Where did you get the jam from?"

"My sisters and I picked the wildberries ourselves," Briez told him, sweeping some of her black hair out of her face. "Some say the wildberries in this area are-"

The young halfling was interrupted by a loud shriek coming from the streets outside. Arannis immediately stood up, his elven ears picking up on the scene. It was a woman who was incoherent with her words. Yet, the dark elf was able to make out the words of what she said. She called out for help and spoke of family, although not of what happened. He put his hat on, took a biscuit from the plate, and tossed a few copper coins on the table for Briez, who looked on in shock. Although it was morning and the sun was out, there was no one else to help in the Tea Kettle.

Arannis stepped out from the building, the sun blinding him for a moment. Even with the hat partially shielding him, his head ached while his eyes adjusted to the sun. He kept his gaze down to the ground, catching a sight of a woman with brown hair and an old dress. In her hands, she clutched an infant child, who screamed out loudly as well. The dark elf made his way over to her and knelt down, making sure to keep his back towards the sun.

"Ma'am, calm down," Arannis tried to assure her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "What happened?"

"G-goblins," she muttered. "T-took my f-family."

"Took?" Arannis raised an eyebrow. "They were taking prisoners?"

"Y-yes," she nodded. "T-they're alive. Need h-help."

"Clear the area!" a voice boomed out. "She's just making a scene."

Arannis glared at two men, each wearing dark armor. Guards of the Black Fist trying to break up the scene, as they called it.. If only they knew the trouble she was in. One of the guards started to shoo away the crowd that was gathering, telling them to get along with their business. The other guard grabbed onto the woman, trying to drag her away. She screamed out louder and managed to break free from his grip. He advanced on her only to be intercepted by the dark elf, who grabbed his wrist. The two locked eyes with intense anger showing.

"She needs help," Arannis spoke bluntly. "Her family was taken by goblins."

"Nothing we can do about it," the Black Fist soldier told him, rolling his eyes. "That's Millivent Moss. Her husband works as a peat farmer in a bog outside of Phlan."

"And?" Arannis asked.

"Outside of Phlan," the guard repeated himself. "Out of our jurisdiction. Nothing we can do other than remove the screaming woman from the streets."

"You're just going to do nothing about this threat," Arannis questioned, his anger growing.

"You should let go of my hand," the guard threatened, his free hand reaching down to his sword's hilt.

"Make me," Arannis challenged.

"Hold on a moment," the second Black Fist soldier walked up, trying to defuse the situation. "There is something we can do."

The second guard reached into his pocket and pulled out a slip of paper. He held it out to Arannis, who took a glimpse at it. With a sigh, he released the man's wrist and snatched the slip from his hands. He took a quick glance to read it over, seeing it as an offer from the Black Fists. Simple and blunt: for services rendered, the city will over fifty gold pieces from its coffer. The dark elf was about the call out the guards for pushing their problems away, but they had managed to run away. He shook his head in disappointment, knowing that he was going to have to take action into his own hands.

Millivent sat on the side of the street, no longer screaming while rocking her infant son in her arms. The child started to calm down as well, and eventually, passed into a gentle sleep. Arannis pocketed the note, deciding it would be best not to bring it up. He would have helped her regardless of payment. The dark elf took a seat next to her and clasped his hands together. He kept his eyes focused on the ground, trying to hide from the sun's wrath.

"I will help you," Arannis declared. "I need you to take me to where the goblins attacked your family."

"What about Bo?" Millivent asked, holding her child close to her chest. "Who will watch over him?"

"Madame Freona should be able to help," Arannis told her. "I will be waiting outside."

Millivent nodded and stood up, making her way inside into the Tea Kettle. Arannis stood up as well, adjusting his hat while looking down on the ground. To others, helping out the family for a meager award was not worth his time. To him, helping out a family in need was worth all the time in the world. The dark elf valued traits such as strength, determination, and honor, but none of that compared to family. He would ensure that Millivent and Bo would be reunited with the rest of their family, no matter the effort required from him.

To make the journey go smoothly, Millivent offered to take Arannis there on her cart. While she was fleeing from the goblins, she had been fortunate enough to grab a cart to escape on. It made the journey go by much swifter, and eventually, they came across the Moss family farm. For having suffered a goblin raid, it was in good enough shape and still in standing. It meant that the creatures were after prisoners, something the dark elf found strange.

"I saw the goblins dragging away the people towards the east," Millivent told him. "You will save everyone?"

"How many goblins were there?" Arannis hopped off the cart. "How many prisoners are there?"

"I couldn't keep track of the goblins," Millivent sighed, growing teary-eyed. "They took my husband, Haldred, my daughters, Allenea and and Kithian, and my sons, Quayle and Volland. The farmhands are also missing, so they have to have been taken as well."

"I'll find them," Arannis told her, walking off. "Stay safe."

Even with the afternoon sun glaring down on him, Arannis kept his gaze down and was able to find the goblin's tracks. Or rather, drag marks of their prisoners being pulled across the deep mud of the bogs. He was able to make out footprints within the mud as well, smaller ones that a goblin would have. Finally, leading the goblins and prisoners were a set of heavy footprints, much larger than a goblin. Much larger than a human. The leader of the raiders was certainly no goblin and would be a threat needed to be taken down if encountered.

Arannis followed the tracks, keeping one hand on the hilt of his longsword at all times. His feet sunk into the mud and he was careful not to tread through the open water of the swamps. The bogs were not to his liking as it slowed down his travel by several minutes. Eventually, he came upon a hill rising from the bog, a cave mouth revealing the goblin's lair. He smirke, glad that the sun was positioned as not to blind him from looking at it.

When he saw that the cave entrance was being watched, he took shelter behind a bush, eyeing the mouth carefully. A goblin stood guard, watching a human approach expectantly. Arannis was taken back by the man's appearance and the goblin's acceptance of him. It was clear to him that there was more at stake than a simple raid. The dark elf observed the two from his distance, and with how silent it was in the bog, their voices carried out throughout the area.

"Only one raiding group returned," the goblin reported in Broken Common. "They bring prisoners. Other raiding groups return soon. No more snake people coin found."

"Excellent. Tell Gorrunk that my friends and I will pay lots of coin and give lots of gifts for all of the dragon artifacts you can find," the man replied with a nod. "And kill any other humans you find near your home."

The goblin grunted and made his way back to the cave. Arannis emerged from the bushes, ready to engage the man in battle, only for him to disappear. A spellcaster of some sorts, meaning that this was more dangerous than he knew. To make the situation more dire, there were more goblins. He could easily take on the dozen in there and Gorrunk, whoever he was, but anymore was too much of a risk. The time to think had passed. It was now time to act.

Arannis pulled out his two swords, and without hesitation, ran straight into the cave. The marsh was replaced by the stone walls of the goblin's lair, a narrow tunnel that curved off to the east. His vision adjusted to the darkness and the dark elf grinned, his hat falling down on the ground behind him. No more sun to worry about blinding him now. Taking a turn to the right, he felt a wire snap under his foot, followed by a bell ringing. Entering the room, he made notice of a wolf pelt draped across the wall, likely an entrance. From behind it, he heard voices cry out. Not like he needed the element of surprise.

Arannis stabbed both of his blades into the ground, having them go across each other, and pulled out his longbow. Nocking an arrow on it, he knew that he was preparing to fight a battle. He took a deep breath in, and broke through the wolf pelt drape. There were two goblins on the other side, guarding over wolves in the cage. Without hesitation, he let his arrow fly, letting in strike against the rock wall. The dark elf cursed, knowing that he needed to work on his archery.

One goblin charged forward while the other made his way over to the cages. Arannis knew better than to let it release the other wolves out, and with another arrow pulled out, fired it at that goblin. The arrow struck him in the thigh and failed to stop him from opening the cage. The wolf, loyal to its master, leapt from its cell, and ran after the dark elf. The warrior remain calm despite the pressure, and with another arrow, silenced the goblin with a shot to the neck. At least he no longer had to worry about anymore wolves joining the battle.

So distracted on the goblin by the cages, he had let his guard down on the other goblin. With ease, he struck across Arannis' guts, leaving a nasty slash that pierced through his leather armor. The dark elf grunted in pain, and with the wolf advancing on him, knew it was time for a temporary fall retreat. He disengaged from his foes, running back through the wolf drape. Goblin and wolf alike followed him through, seeing him pull out both swords from the ground after dropping his longbow from the ground.

Arannis grinned, glad to have his swords in his hands. Unlike his bow, he was more accustomed to using his blades. The first goblin ran up only to be decapitated by a swift strike from his longsword. The dark elf tried to lung down on the wolf with his shortsword at the same time, but the beast was swifter than he was. It dove past his blade and bit its fangs into his exposed leg. He swung both blades down on the wolf's exposed back, putting an end to its life and kicked it off his leg.

With the first battle over, he took deep breaths. Slowly, the sensation of battle started to overcome him. When he sustained injuries from fighting, it only made him more excited for more action. That excitement served to numb the pain he experienced, allowing him to fight unhindered. He flicked the goblin and wolf blood from his blades and sheathed them. The dark elf picked up his longbow, nocked another arrow on it, and made his way further into the goblin's lair.

Arannis made his way into the final room, seeing that it was more furnished than the others. Tables and chairs were laid out with cells towards the back, housing about a dozen humans or so. Three goblins were seated on the chairs with their leader, a massive bugbear holding a morningstar and obsidian in his shield. He turned to face the dark elf, grinning as he battered his weapon against his shield, openly challenging the intruder.

"You dare to kill my goblins," the bugbear laughed out loudly. "You dare challenge Gorrunk the-GRAH!"

"Sorry, I couldn't hear you over your screaming," Arannis nocked another arrow after his first struck Gorrunk in the shoulder. "Could you repeat that?"

"Kill him!" Gorrunk ordered.

"Go ahead and try," Arannis smirked.

The goblins started to rush down from their chairs, but one of them was shot and pinned to the wooden table by an arrow, ending his life. The remaining two charged with Gorrunk, heading straight for Arannis. He calmly threw his bow aside, pulled out his handaxe, and hurled it at one of the goblins. The axe head embedded itself in the goblin's skull, who crashed into the ground. With only two more foes charging at him, the dark elf backed himself into a corner and pulled out both of his swords.

Gorrunk and the goblin tried to strike at Arannis, who avoided both of their strikes with ease. He effortlessly decapitated the remaining goblin with his longsword and slashed his shortsword across the bugbear's face. Gorrunk grunted, blood dripping from his open wound. A much tougher opponent than his goblin minions, it would seem. He swung both blades down at both shoulders, leaving nasty gashes. The warlord started to show fear, almost backing away from the battle.

"Take the prisoners and leave!" Gorrunk demanded. "Our fight is over."

"Our fight doesn't end until one of us is dead," Arannis told him.

"But I'm surrendering!" Gorrunk shot back.

"You lost your chance to surrender the moment you thought to challenge me," Arannis shrugged. "You have three options: let me strike you down now, kill me, or die in battle and die with dignity."

"You die!" Gorrunk shouted/

Gorrunk grunted, and with no other way out, had to continue fighting. Without any warning, he swung his morningstar into Arannis' ribs. He let out a scream as the air was shot out from his lungs. He could feel that some of his ribs from such a blow. He stepped back against the wall, ready to make a final stand. Knowing that going in with an assault would leave him open for a lethal assault, he prepared to dodge and let the bugbear come to him, taking a deep breath as time seemed to slow down to him.

Gorrunk fell to the trap easily enough and charged forward, swinging his morningstar crashing down on Arannis. The dark elf pivoted around on his feet, avoiding blow entirely. He continued to spin around, longsword aimed at his chest. The bugbear growled and slammed his scaled shield out towards the exposed arm, pushing it out of the way. The warrior swore he heard something pop and gritted his teeth in pain. One shortsword stab, going straight through his gut and completely through his back while cutting the spine, ended his opponent's life.

Arannis threw Gorrunk off his blade, taking deep breaths. The battle was over and the excitement faded, now replaced by pain. It shot throughout his whole body and he knew that he would need medical attention soon. The dark elf snatched a pair of keys from the fallen bugbear and made his way over to the cages, walking with a noticeable limp. With the battle concluded, he opened the cage for the prisoners, who started to pour out from their prison.

"More goblins are coming," Arannis warned. "We need to get you back to the farm."

"Thank you, stranger," the lead farmer thanked. "We won't forget your good deed!"

The farmer, his children, and the farmhands left. As one of the farmhands, one towards the back, tried to follow suit, Arannis pulled out his longsword and held it towards his neck. The man looked surprised, backing away as he was separated from the other prisoners. The dark elf knew that this man was not a farm hand. His black clothing resembled that of what one would wear underneath metal armor, and excluding the children and farmer, there were already six farm hands who had passed. This man was an imposter.

"Easy there with that blade," the man advised. "The name's Chaab."

"Who're you with, Chaab?" Arannis questioned. "If you value your life, you will not lie."

"It should be you who should know who they're messing with," Chaab gulped. "I'm with the Zhentarim."

"A misunderstanding then," Arannis sheathed his blade. "We have much to talk about now."

"By the Gods!" Briez exclaimed when Arannis walked into the Tea Kettle. "What happened to you?!"

"Nothing I couldn't handle," Arannis tried to assure her.

Not having any healing magic, his own or of an ally, Arannis relied on basic first aid to treat his injuries from battle. The Moss family was more than happy to help treat him, which would have been impossible on his own. White cloth strips were wrapped tightly around his leg from where the wolf bit him. The top of his leather armor was off, revealing his lean build that was mostly covered in similar strips. His right arm was in a sling from where Gorrunk had bashed him. Briez, who was mopping the floor as the Tea Kettle prepared to close for the night, looked on in shock. The other patrons, gathered for nightly conversation, gave odd looks.

"You're going to live, right?" Briez asked nervously.

"I should," Arannis took off his hat and walked over to his table. "Could I get something to eat for dinner?"

"Of course!" Briez nodded quickly. "Your biscuits grew stale and your ink dried out. I got you a new bottle, unopened, and left your letter right where you left it. I didn't read it either!"

"Thank you for your service," Arannis smiled.

Arannis sat down at his table, letting out a sigh of relief. The patrons returned to their business while Briez ran off to the kitchens. Just as the halfling promised, his letter was left in place with a new bottle of ink and quill. With his left hand, the dark elf opened the ink and wetted his quill in it. Part of him was tempted to start a new letter entirely given the latest developments. Yet, he thought best to continue the current letter with his new information. Sloppily, he started to write on the letter with his left hand.

Please do send word to your superiors within the Zhentarim that I was responsible for saving one of their agents, a man named Chaab. He has reported that the rumors about the dragons were true and how a black dragon was slain by adventurers. Goblins occupied its lair, which I found. I have taken a black dragon scale from their leader, who used it as a shield, and intend to sell it as coin for our family. I will keep you updated on the events.

Sincerely,

Your brother,

Arannis Uthmar

A/N: And we are introduced to the second member of our cast. Also, heads up, but some of you reading my other DnD works may notice that I'm taking a break. Since this story is mainly one-shots, and I always intended to get it done with one month, I shall continue this during my hiatus.

Until next time.