The Chronicles of the Guardians
Aleina took a deep breath releasing it in a sigh of frustration. She stood at the center of a casting circle in an expansive room and sensed the way the inlaid silver glyphs and runes enhanced her connection to the weave of magic. Arcane power suffused her, waiting at her beck and call with a responsiveness beyond anything she'd ever felt when using her moonstone orb as a focus. Now if only she could muster the concentration needed to craft it into the spell she desired.
"Again," Laeral said. "You cast it successfully last time you were here. I'll not let you backslide."
The aasimar nodded, closed her eyes for a moment, then began once more, wondering how her tongue and fingers could feel increasingly thick and clumsy over the arcane words and gestures rather than less. Even failed attempts, she reasoned, was practice, which should make things easier, but instead things were getting harder. Despite her fumbling, perhaps due to the casting circle, magical power flowed to gather in the palm of her right hand, manifesting as a spark of fire which rapidly grew in incendiary potential.
It was almost there. Almost ready.
Then the concentration breaking vision once more entered Aleina's mind - eleven burnt and charred bodies on a cobblestone street. The mote of fire sputtered in her palm.
"Aleina, focus," the Open Lord commanded. "Push past it."
The silver haired woman could read surface thoughts when she chose, so she likely understood what held the aasimar back. Aleina tried to follow the older woman's instructions, but the little bead of fire continued to flicker and dwindle. She tightened the fingers of her cupped palm even as her arcane grasp faltered and loosened. In a moment she'd lose the flame entirely, she felt it slipping away, the fire would wink out, and she'd have failed.
Again.
"Remember what you told me of why you wanted to learn this spell," Laeral said. "You used a fireball to help your friends escape from the Underdark through the portal, used more to save Blingdenstone from the Pudding King, and used another to save the myconid sprouts in the Neverlight Grove. A good and useful spell and one you must master."
Those were times when Aleina had used the necklace of fireballs recovered from the tomb on Brysis of Khaem. Memories of those instances replaced the image of charred corpses on cobblestones and the bit of flame in her palm flared brighter as the silver haired woman spoke.
Now. It was ready. The aasimar could feel it.
She uncupped her hand and pointed. Magic drained from her and the spark of flame flew across the room into her target - another circle of glyphs and runes on the far stone wall of the expansive space. Her spell exploded in a fiery, blazing maelstrom and the silvery etching of the target ring flashed to life with an intense white glow to contain the blast. Even at a distance, even contained, the aasimar still felt the touch of heat against her cheeks and smelled acrid smoke, which again brought to mind the image of those burnt bodies on the street and remembrance of the shrieks of the dying coming through the open windows of the Trollskull.
"You see, you can do it," the Open Lord said, breaking into Aleina's thoughts. "Third time's the charm as they say."
"Um, that was far more than the third try," Jhelnae said from where she watched with Kuhl and Sky just outside the doorway to the room. "But you did it! That was amazing!"
The last part would have sounded more congratulatory without the 'but' and if it hadn't been added after the aasimar gave the half-drow a raised palmed look.
"Nine tries," Sky said, lips pursed and tail lashing in thought. "I think, anyway. I wasn't counting, but I think it was nine."
"It was nine," Laeral confirmed with a smile. "Which is the third try in the third set of three tries. So, extra charmed."
"Actually, it seems like nine tries is learning quickly," Kuhl said. "Well done."
Aleina could have done without the 'actually' or the 'seems' and the half-elf's praise would carry more weight if she hadn't already successfully cast the spell in previous training sessions with the Open Lord in fewer than nine tries. Then again, that was before a fireball had exploded in front of the Trollskull a couple of days ago and seared certain images in her mind.
"Not really the room for a meeting," Laeral said, gaze traveling the space. "But since you were coming to the palace anyway, I thought we could get in some practice. And sorry to make you all come so late. It's the only time I'm really free."
The casting chamber, as the Open Lord called it, was obviously a repurposed banquet hall, perhaps one that became redundant when the palace was expanded and renovated over the years. With a vaulted ceiling it was an airy, large, open space - but there wasn't a bit of furniture in the place nor even tapestries on the walls. The lack of combustible materials made it well suited for practicing spells of destructive fire of course but, as Open Lord said, not ideal for a comfortable chat.
"It's a pleasant evening," the silver haired woman said. "There is a table out on the balcony where we can talk."
Laeral led them across the former banquet hall through a door to a terrace overlooking a small courtyard garden. A light night breeze rustled leaves and carried the scent of flowers and herbs - roses, lilacs, jasmine, mint, and thyme. The Open Lord sat at a stone table and bade the others do the same.
"Once again you are at the center of events," the silver haired woman said when they'd all sat. "Eleven dead, right in front of your tavern and residence."
"I know how it looks," Aleina said. "But I think we can explain what happened."
Laeral forestalled further explanation with a gesture.
"What you told Barnibus and Cromley?" she asked, naming the short and tall investigators who had interviewed the companions in the Trollskull after the explosion. "I know your theory of the deep gnome trying to get to you. They reported it to their superiors who in turn report to me."
"I'm surprised they reported anything we said to anyone," Jhelnae huffed, shaking her head. "They didn't seem to believe a word we said."
"Professional skepticism is part of their job," Laeral said with a half smile. "Surely the owner of a detective agency can appreciate that."
She directed the comment at Sky, who gave a graceful shrug of feline shoulders in response.
"Not really one for skepticism," the tabaxi said with a dismissive wave. "I prefer to follow the most outlandish possibility first and see where it might lead."
The Open Lord sat back seemingly needing a moment to think that through. Sky did tend to have that effect on people.
"That is one way to handle an investigation I suppose," Laeral finally conceded. "But I think you'll find Barnibus and Cromley's method also works, because the things they discovered match your theory rather well. I didn't ask you all here tonight to have you explain yourselves, but share what has been learned."
The silver haired woman took a deep breath, apparently readying herself for a long tale.
"Let's start at the beginning," she said. "Two days ago, as it neared high sun, an explosion rocked North Ward and killed eleven. Among the dead were an older woman out for a walk..."
The Open Lord counted off victims on a raised hand.
"…four halfling street performers…"
All fingers of the hand filled, she started counting down.
"Three servants of North Ward households running errands, two what were assumed to be sellswords with Zhentarim tattoos, and one deep gnome."
Laeral had run out of fingers to count down and ended with a sole finger aloft.
"Barnibus and Cromley investigated the scene, interviewed witnesses, you among them, and concluded the gnome seemed to be running towards the Trollskull," she said. "You shared with them that two of you, Aleina and Jhelnae, had rescued him in the City of the Dead from a little devil, an imp most likely based on your description, and he also had on his person an article from the Waterdeep Wazoo about a party Renaer Neverember threw in your honor that included a picture of the two of you. Sound about right?"
"And a burned man took something from the gnome's body and ran away," Sky said. "Well, fast limped is probably a better way to say it based on what our neighbor Fala described. Oh, and Jezyrnne Hornraven said she saw something that was 'like a puppet shaped like a man' on the rooftop throw something before the explosion."
"We will get to the burned man and the puppet man," the silver haired woman said. "Rest assured."
"Investigation of the scene complete," the Open Lord continued. "Interviews done, Barnibus and Cromley requisitioned some priests to speak to the dead victims."
"I had not thought of that," Kuhl said. "But it makes sense. I can see how having such a resource helps the Watch solve murders quickly. "
"Not really," Jhelnae said. "The soul is not returned to the body with the spell, only an animating spirit. An echo. That animating spirit usually knows only a little and can be cryptic in its answers."
"And it can be untrustworthy," Aleina added, nodding knowingly. "It could lie or simply not know the answer and make something up."
The table fell silent for a moment, the Open Lord, tabaxi, and half-elf looked at the aasimar and half-drow, brows furrowed.
"What," Aleina said, not knowing why everyone was staring. "It's true. An animating spirit doesn't have perfect knowledge and can mislead. You can't just trust what they say blindly."
"That- is- true," Laeral said slowly. "I'm just surprised by your knowledge I suppose. I did not think either of you had experience in necrotic magic of that sort."
"We know things," Jhelnae said with a shrug.
"We learned it from Marbela the Marvelous Medium Detective," Aleina explained. "It's a chapbook series. The main character can speak with the dead and uses the ability to solve murders. But she has to be careful and not let what the dead say mislead her."
"Aleina," the half-drow sighed. "You really didn't need to share where we learned about it."
"A chapbook on solving mysteries?" Sky said, golden eyes brightening. "I'd read those. I thought everything you two read was romance stuff."
"Oh, there is always a romantic subplot or two in the stories," the aasimar said. "Part of the mystery is whether or not she slept with the killer."
"Usually she has," Jhelnae put in.
"Usually," Aleina agreed with a nod.
"Well," Laeral cut in. "It sounds like this author captures the frustratingly limited and cryptic answers you get with the spell. For most of the victims the priests merely confirmed their identities, but more was learned about the two sellswords - their names were Bashekk Ortallis and Wern Malkrave. They were members of the Zhentarim, as their tattoos indicated, and they worked for another Zhent named Urstul Floxin. Their mission, at time of death, was to catch a gnome named Dalakhar who possessed an artifact which would make them 'rich as kings'."
"The burnt man who limped away," Kuhl said. "Urstul Floxin?"
"We assume," the Open Lord sighed. "An unknown master beyond this Urstul Floxin was also insinuated. Under the same spell the dead gnome confirmed he was Dalakhar. He was an agent of Lord Neverember - not the young Renaer but of his father, the previous Open Lord, Dagult. Dagult sent the gnome to the city to retrieve an artifact called the Stone of Golorr. Apparently this Dalakhar was a very good agent because he managed to steal this stone right from the lair of the Xanathar while the beholder crime lord met with the Zhentarim."
She sat back, letting that sink in.
"All this fuss over a stone?" Jhelnae asked, rolling her eyes. "A rock?"
"A stone!" Sky said, voice excited. "A stone! In Nat, Jenks, and Squiddy's play, the re-creation of when they saw the masked conspirators in the tower, they talked about a stone! One that a deep gnome stole. The Xanathar started a gang war with the Zhentarim because he thought they stole it during the meeting. Remember?"
"Very good, Sky," Laeral said. "Even Barnibus and Cromley did not make that leap in logic. Of course they never saw the play put on by the children."
"By all that dances!" the half-drow said. "Now I feel stupid. In the children's play the masked people were looking for a gnome with a stone."
Aleina felt stupid as well. After watching the play she and Jhelnae even linked the gnome discussed in it to the one they rescued in the City of the Dead. But then again she'd watched the performances of the children over a month prior and a lot had happened in between. Even Sky had needed the reference to this Stone of Golorr to make the connection.
"Remember what Jarlaxle told us," the tabaxi went on, tail lashing behind her. "Neverember used magic to make him forget the location of his embezzled hoard. The Stone of Golorr must be the key to that lost memory."
"I searched the gnome," Jhelnae said. "If he had this stone he no longer did. The burnt man must have taken it."
"Which, if it is truly the key to an embezzled hoard," the Open Lord said. "Might be the worst place for it to end up. If the treasure remains hidden it can't be returned to those it was embezzled from, true, but also does no harm. If Neverember recovers it he clearly means to use it to enhance the city of Neverwinter, which is still stealing and would be done just to solidify his power base rather than altruism, but at least serves a useful purpose. What a beholder crime lord, like the Xanathar, might do with an influx of treasure is anyone's guess, but from what the three orphans witnessed we know what the masked conspirators in the tower plan - a take over of the city's government. They're the most dangerous. Given the burned man is a Zhent he likely will or has taken the stone to the conspirator in the black mask, who may be Manshoon or one his clones, not that the latter makes him any less dangerous either way.."
"Why was the gnome trying to get to us?" Aleina asked. "Did it have something to do with the article about us in his pocket? The priests ask why he had that?"
"They did," the Open Lord said. "Dalakhar tried several times to get out of the city by different means and back to Neverember in Neverwinter. But ways out were watched. Once, when he tried to leave, an imp spotted him and gave chase. He only escaped with the help of two passerbys in the City of the Dead. Imagine his surprise when he saw their picture again on a broadsheet he used as a blanket and learned they had helped the younger Lord Neverember. Now desperate, he decided to seek their help in escaping the city."
"So," Kuhl said. "He is trying to reach Aleina and Jhelnae. He is almost at the Trollskull, but three of the Zhentarim have found him. He makes a dash for the door, the three chase him, but then a 'puppet of a man' drops a fireball from the roof on all of them. Why?"
"The description sounds like a nimblewright," Jhelnae said. "Jarlaxle had two of them on the Eyecatcher, Jacks and…"
"Rachet," Sky put in. "The other one was named Rachet."
"Rachet," the half-drow said, nodding. "We know Jarlaxle was also seeking the embezzled hoard, which he claimed he was going to give to you -"
"In trade for a favor," Laeral interjected.
"In trade for a favor," Jhelnae agreed. "But the Sea Maiden's Faire left port more than a month ago. I suppose Jarlaxle could have left a nimblewright behind, but a fireball dropped in the middle of a bunch of innocent people does not sound like him."
"It does not," the Open Lord sighed, giving a slight shake of the head that stirred her long silvery locks "Also, I already agreed to help Luskan into the Lord's Alliance in trade for those he sent to help with the mind flayer. But, then again, a treasure hoard is still a treasure hoard. So, he might have left a nimblewright behind to hunt Dalakhar and the explosion was a mistake of the nimblewright, Barnibus and Cromley did recover a necklace of fireball beads at the scene. Why would this 'puppet-man' drop that? Carelessness? Surprise at what happened? Even regret?"
Aleina of course did not know the answers to these questions, nor did anyone else. All fell silent for a time, each lost in their own thoughts.
"Thank you for telling us about this," Kuhl said, breaking the lull. "But I'm guessing you did not summon us here just to satisfy our curiosity?"
"I did not," Laeral said, her slight shrug implying an apology.
"You want us to find this Stone of Golorr," the half-elf said.
"I want you to find this supposed embezzled hoard," the Open Lord said. "And give it to me. It's a big ask, I know."
She again gave the apologetic shrug and accompanied it with a scrunched nose expression that seemed far too cute for the face of an over seven hundred year old woman.
"You have the resources of the entire city of Waterdeep," Kuhl said, speaking slowly, as if puzzling it out. "From what you have told us Barnibus and Cromley are running a very competent investigation. Why do you need our help?"
"Why indeed," the silver haired woman sighed. "Barnibus and Cromley are running a competent investigation and my first instinct, when I heard their report, was to share with them the information they did not have that we've discussed that would let them link their investigation with Neverember's rumored hoard. But I held my tongue. You see, if officials of the city find it, then the hoard would flow into the coffers of the city, to be appropriated through rulings by the Masked Lords. Its appropriation would become mired in politics."
"Even so," Aleina found herself saying. "Isn't that where the money should go?"
She found herself troubled by what the Open Lord was saying and worried this conversation was going to result in her losing admiration for a woman, in the time she'd known her, she held in high regard.
"Perhaps," Laeral said. "Hear me out."
She gave the aasimar a contemplative look and Aleina knew that even if her suspicions weren't apparent in her expression, the silver haired woman could read her surface thoughts if she chose.
"Part of this embezzled hoard, it is rumored, is from the treasure recovered when the Cult of the Dragon tried to summon dragon goddess Tiamat to this plane," the Open Lord said. "A good portion of that treasure came from smaller settlements the cult targeted in raids up and down the Sword Coast. But when the recovered treasure was divided between the Lord's Alliance, how much of those funds do you think made it back to those smaller communities?"
Aleina was from a destitute noble family with little power or wealth, something she was improving by transferring money home as she acquired it, but even a poor noble family discussed politics around the table. So, she knew the answer to the question.
"Very little," she said.
"Very little," the Open Lord confirmed. "I was there. Part of the negotiations. I tried to do what I could, but I was viewed as an interfering outsider, there were always excuses given as to why it was 'logistically impossible' to give more to the smaller communities that suffered, and always the implied accusation, if I got too forceful, that I was trying to bully others with the very nature of who I am and the arcane power I wield. So, I was not as effective as I would have liked to have been. This is an opportunity for me to correct that."
The aasimar decided she could respect that motivation and nodded.
"What would you do with the treasure?" she asked.
"I've thought about that," Laeral said, favoring the table with a melancholy smile. "This is not my first time governing. When I was very young, but still older than you all are, I founded a kingdom, the Kingdom of Stornanter. Much of it was vanity, I styled myself as its Witch-Queen. It was centered around the town of Port Llast, to the north of Neverwinter, and no trace of it remains. It did not long survive after I abdicated and ceased to be involved. So, what would I have done differently with the benefit of hindsight? I would have strengthened the ties between the communities of my kingdom and hope that allowed it to prove more enduring. And that is what I would do with access to Neverember's hoard. I'd improve the roadways to these smaller communities, strengthen patrols, and effectively make them less isolated."
"That all makes some sense," Jhelnae said, tone suggesting otherwise. "But the 'why us' question remains. For the mind flayer you knew we wanted to rescue Sky and Kuhl, so our goals aligned. But finding a treasure hoard for you? What makes you think you can trust us to give it to you if we find it? I don't even know if I can trust myself to give it to you. Eilistraee knows, I'm far from perfect."
"That I can answer," the silver haired woman said with a chuckle. "Because I've put some thought into it as well. Remember when we first met, I told you my niece Amarune, who had traveled with you, mentioned you all and said you were trustworthy. Next, in our interactions so far, I have not been disappointed. And finally, because of the Chronicles of the Guardians."
Aleina started in surprise.
"Chronicles of the Guardians?" she repeated. "The children's chapbook series? We had a copy of it in my family's library. I've actually been buying copies I can find and re-reading it…"
She trailed off, confused.
"Chronicles of the Guardians," Laeral said, voice bemused. "Was written under a pen name by my sister Storm. She did it mostly for the amusement of myself and my sister Dove. We grew up together, and before puberty put us at each other's throats, more often than not, we used to have a frequent game of imagination. We were the guardians of the Tree of Harmony, protecting it from all sorts of dreamed up threats."
She gave a laugh and her emerald eyes sparkled with wistful merriment even as they grew distant, thoughts probably far in the past.
"I love those books…" the aasimar said, again trailing off, mind still playing catch up.
More than loved them. She and her two cousins had acted out scenes from those books in their playroom at their family's manor. It had been perfect, three main characters, one for each of them to assume an identity.
"I know you do," the Open Lord said. "Forgive me. As you know, I can read surface thoughts when I choose and it is often useful when I am training someone in magic. You once used something said to one of the characters, the one who represented me, oddly enough, to help motivate yourself to draw deeper on your arcane abilities, which I found infinitely amusing."
The entire table shared a collective chuckle at that, except for Aleina, who felt herself getting flushed with embarrassment.
"To my mind anyone who holds children's stories like those so dear," Laeral said. "Well into adulthood, has to be trustworthy."
"Never knew an aasimar could get so red-faced," Sky observed. "Of course we'll do it. Now this is an assignment that actually sounds fun and interesting. Oh, I forgot, we charge two copper nibs a day. Unless that is a deal breaker. Then we'll do it for free."
"By all that dances," Jhelnae snorted. "Master of negotiations, she is not."
"Two copper nibs a day?" Laeral said contemplatively. "To find a hoard of treasure? I think I can manage that. I also have a suggestion as to where to start, only one unfortunately. If we accept that Jarlaxle took his two nimblewrights with him when the Sea Maiden's Faire sailed there is only one other nimblewright I know of in the city. At the temple of Gond, the House of Inspired Hands, in the Sea Ward."
I hope this works. Note in the module the information gets fed piece meal. In our play through, for example Barnibus and Cromley revealed a little, but were tight lipped as is fitting as for all they knew, we could be the perpetrators. So we got the gist of things, but of course they did *not* tell us the information they later got when they had speak with the dead cast on the bodies. Next, Renaer came to us and told us about Dalakhar the gnome's connection to his father. Finally, Vajra Safahr (the Blackstaff), who was the head of the faction we joined (Grey Hands) called us in and told us the results of the speak with the dead spells. This worked really well in game play (each meeting was like 10 to 15 minutes of roleplay and then we had the essential information). I was going to do it the same here, but then I started thinking that having three dialogue heavy chapters in a row that essentially went over the same event with a little more information revealed each time would bore anyone reading to the point of saying, "That is it! Done with this stupid fic!"
And lets be honest. It is hard enough to keep readers as it is, ha ha!
So I was like, "Laeral...you got to do a lot of lifting for me here as a quest giver...also going to use you to explain why Aleina now knows fireball since she leveled up."
On Laeral, Ed Greenwood, her creator, did two 30 minute youtube videos about her just recently. I watched them wondering how close I was getting to his characterization of her. The stuff on the Kingdom of Stornanter I lifted as it was said to be her one of her biggest regrets. I guess all three of her children are still alive having used magic to extend their lives? But the wiki lists Krehlan as killed at age 49 (citing the book Blackstaff Tower as a reference) her first child missing in the frozen north over 100 years from the prior from the current timeline, so this confused me a bit. I was a bit dismayed to learn not all that close in her characterization. The main deviation is that, in Greenwood's eyes, she has a a hard drinking and free loving adventurer at her core and that is who she truly is when she is not having to put on an act. I thought I misheard the free loving part the first time I heard it, but he mentioned it a couple of times. For those she shares an affinity with, as I understand it, she wants fully share in affection (male or female). This is actually not unusual in the Seven Sisters and not something only Greenwood includes. I remember listening to the Simbul's gift by Lynn Abbey and being like, "Wait...did the Simbul, who is over six hundred years old (in the time line of the novel) just have sex with a teenage boy?" Now, don't get me wrong, if I had read the book in my teens rather than in my 50s I'd have been like, "AWESOME! I wish I could meet a 600 year old silver haired woman like that!" ;)
But it actually bothered me a bit thinking about it when I was older. However, let me also say that it is not wrong for good fantasy/science fiction to present questions like that. Is it wrong? The boy is like 18 or 19 and more than consenting, so what? In some ways it is far better than something like this fanfic where I'm like, "I just want mindless, readable, pulp with lots action!" It could be argued that at least Abbey was presenting challenging things to contemplate. Also, you have to remember when all this stuff was conceived. Back then the standard was Tolkien with Galadriel. She is powerful, mysterious, very much untouchable. So Greenwood and Abbey trying something different makes sense.
But ultimately, for my purposes, I need Laeral to be the quest giver to push along the story. Because of this, I am using her more in the traditional role of mentor and aspirational role model, with a touch of a humor to lighten the mood. I hope hard core followers of the Realms (if any of you even read this) can forgive that!
Chronicles of the Guardians - I hope you can also forgive me for having a bit of fun by inserting this in here. Recently I had a discussion with Lumen del Mari about Avatar the Last Airbender. Now I know plenty of other adults who like the show and I couldn't help but think, "What if Aleina had a children's story near and dear to her heart?" So I worked it in.
