I do not own Dungeons and Dragons or any of the characters.
Sunset
Jasper looked around as he stepped out of the gate, instantly grimacing as the cold air assaulted him, his replicated leather armor doing nothing to protect him from the cold, but since his real armor was ruined by the Pride Sinspawn, he'd have to deal with it. On the bright side, his Ironwood sword had finished regrowing, so he was able to wield his favored weapon again. One by one, the others all joined him, all of them spreading out along the narrow path the gate they'd arrived at stood on.
"Well, it's definitely the Sunset Mountains," Mia said, also wearing replicated armor.
"Home at last," Kromlech said as he walked through the gate, followed by Edgin and Kira, who was the last in line.
"So, Kromlech," Jasper said, "which way do we go?"
"We should check in with my clan," Kromlech said. "It's this way."
They nodded, following Kromlech through the mountains, only to stop after barely a quarter of a mile as they found the first of the Sunset Mountain's problems. Gnolls. Dozens of them. Instantly, Mia and Vahn opened fire with their bows, Simon and Mia launching Fireballs and Lightning Bolts quickly, and the Gnolls turned, any who weren't immediately slaughtered dying. Kromlech let out a bellow, charging up the path at the Gnolls. One of them swung a Halberd at him, but it deflected off of Kromlech's axe before he planted the axe in its chest, slamming it into the cliff face to their left before ripping it back out, letting the Gnoll fall down the mountain. Another swung at him from above, but he stepped aside, laughing victoriously as he swung his own axe, the strike tearing through it entirely and knocking it, too, from the mountain. Jasper leapt over Kromlech, slashing a Gnoll down the front, then out to the side, knocking it out of the way before Mia stepped off of his back, her mythril-adamantine sword slashing off its head before she slammed her feet into its chest, knocking it flat to the ground and rolling forward, standing just in time to slash another Gnoll up the front, then shove it off the cliff. Holga leapt over her, smashing her axe down through a halberd's hilt and into its torso, then kicked it off of her blade as Edgin spun around her. He slashed a Gnoll across the chest, knocking it off of the cliff, then ducked under a halberd, standing and jabbing another in the throat. It staggered backward, clutching at its throat as it choked, then bumped into another, both it and the next falling. However, just as it did, the next Gnoll leapt forward. And then, Doric appeared at Edgin's side, lunging as a snake before expanding into an Owlbear and crashing into the Gnoll, her weight crushing it before she grabbed another and hurled it from the cliff. The last Gnoll turned to flee, only for Jasper to send a Flame Arrow into its back, killing it and lighting the body on fire. Shadow shot out, using an Ephemeral Hangman's tentacle to hurl it from the cliff, then returned to Jasper.
"That was easy," Edgin said.
"The narrow cliffs here make it easy to keep their numbers from overwhelming us," Jasper said.
"Aye," Kromlech agreed. "It's one of the reasons why my clan lives here. It's easy to defend."
"Good thinking," Mia nodded.
They all continued along the path as it wound and wove along the top of the mountain. More Gnolls assaulted them, but their ranged fighters killed them all before they could get close. After a few minutes, a Yeti, one with odd, sand-colored hair, stepped out ahead of them, roaring and grabbing a boulder, only for Adrianna to use a Lightning Bolt to briefly paralyze it long enough for Kromlech and Holga to reach it, their strikes slamming into it from the same side, Holga swinging over Kromlech, and knocking it from the path. Then, they continued. The path reached a larger, open section where six more Yetis were waiting, only for Vahn and Mia to target one, killing it in seconds between her Quicksilver arrows and his enchanted ones, Simon and Adrianna each killed one, and before anyone else had even reached theirs, Xenk had sent the blade of his sword streaking across the flat area into one of the Yetis' faces. Kromlech and Holga reached the next, striking its legs and knocking it to its knees, allowing Edgin to slash it up the front, then slash its throat, and a moment later, Jasper had slashed the last Yeti across the side, distracting it and allowing Aranea to slash the back of its knees with her spear's head. Then, Jasper turned, slashing its throat, and it crashed to the ground, rapidly bleeding out.
"What a view," Mia said, staring out from the edge of the cliff.
"It's beautiful," Aranea agreed.
"Come on," Kromlech said. "We have a ways to go, yet."
The others nodded, and they continued along the path, which thinned out once again. Except, there were more Yetis, a dozen or more, along the path ahead, both standing on the path and also hanging from the cliff face to the left, above the path. Before they could worry about it, Shadow flashed out, growing into a Grey Render and rapidly slaughtering them, seeming to want to make up for failing to help much against Xantam. They made quick progress, soon finding another pack of Gnolls, only for them all to be able to slaughter them, Shadow once again taking part in its Grey Render form and making quick work of them. However, just as they were nearly finished, Jasper tackled Aranea and Adrianna out of the way of a falling boulder, which shattered against the ground where they had been.
"Ogre!" Kromlech shouted in warning.
Shadow turned, transforming into a triceratops and charging through a half-dozen Gnolls before expanding back into a Grey Render and slamming into the Ogre, tackling it off of the cliff before flying back up as an eagle and returning to Jasper. The rest of the Gnolls died easily, and they continued on their way without trouble. More Gnolls and Ogres met them along the path, but they slaughtered them all quickly, Jasper shortening the process with the Ogres by fighting them as a Girallon alongside Shadow's Grey Render form, making killing them easy.
"These Gnolls are unusually well armed," Xenk noted as they finished off a slightly larger group, many of these bearing leather armor and iron shields.
"It's like they're meant to be an army," Vahn agreed.
"After meeting an army formed out of Kobolds, I'm leaning toward that being exactly what they're meant to be," Jasper said.
"Agreed," Kromlech nodded.
"Hey, Jasper," Edgin said as they all ignored Shadow ripping through the last handful of Gnolls as a Manticore. "How did you actually meet Shadow in the first place?"
"He found me," Jasper said. "It was when me and Mia went to the Underdark to stash our weapons. We'd only barely escaped a group of Sinspawn, including a Pride Sinspawn, and we were stashing our weapons when we got attacked by a group of Sorrowsworn. As you can imagine, after having already almost died fighting Sinspawn, we weren't exactly thrilled to see them, or too eager to fight them. So, we ran. We ended up in this area of the Underdark with no light where all forms of shadow monsters lived. And I mean all forms. Vampires, Wraiths, Ephemeral Hangmen, Shades, Death Dogs, Death Giants. You name it, it was there. Except for a Shadow Dragon, thankfully. Even Shadar-kai. It was like we'd walked into the Shadowfell. Or just straight into Hell. At some point during that nightmare, we got cornered and were about to die, but then the Sorrowsworn arrived. They'd chased us all the way to that hellhole. Of course, the creatures already in that Hellhole didn't much appreciate them intruding than us, so they attacked them and the Sorrowsworn ended up drawing some of the heat off of us. Enough for us to try and find an escape. Some Shadar-kai didn't like that plan, and they fought us into a corner. But then all of a sudden, Shadow was there, and he fought the Shadar-kai off and led us to an exit."
"Oh, wow," Doric said. "I'm glad we didn't end up there."
"What did this location look like?" Xenk asked.
"Well, like I said, it was dark," Jasper said. "Mia and I both had to become Tabaxi for their Darkvision as much as for the speed the form gave us. But it was mostly just a cave. Black rock, no light, bones from various unfortunate victims spread around. There wasn't really much of anything there, except the monsters. Why? You think it was actually the Shadowfell?"
"It's entirely possible," Xenk nodded. "Such passages into the other Planes do exist, though they are incredibly rare. If that is indeed what that was, you are lucky to have escaped."
"Not escaped," Mia said. "Rescued."
Jasper nodded in agreement, and they continued on in relative silence. Then, finally, they had reached Kromlech's home. He glanced at Jasper and Mia as they walked.
"Don't tell anyone what you are," Kromlech advised them. "We had some trouble with a few Changelings a few years ago. That's why I didn't trust you at first, but now I just don't care." he glanced at Aranea. "You probably shouldn't either."
The three of them nodded, and they followed Kromlech over to a Dwarf with a long, braided, black beard and equally long, black hair. He stood outside of a blacksmith's shop, and he greeted Kromlech happily, welcoming him home.
"Jasper, Mia, this is Branoch," Kromlech said. "He's the best smith I've ever met. He can fix up your spare armor and your sword."
"You can work mythril-adamantite weapons?" Jasper asked.
"Of course," Branoch nodded. "Not easy, but I can do it."
Jasper nodded, and Shadow released his and Mia's armor in complete and separate piles, then the fragments of Jasper's sword.
Branoch's eyes widened. "That's an impressive trick."
"Makes it easy to carry excess gear," Jasper said, picking up the pieces of a sword, all but the hilt wrapped in a cloth to hold it. "If you can, I'd like it reforged into a rapier, and I'd like it to include the face from the guard. It's a sort of...running joke in my family, but also one that means a lot to my family."
Branoch nodded. "I'll do what I can. Shouldn't be too hard to manage that. And I'll be able to keep the protection enchantment, too, though you'll need someone to activate it again."
Jasper smiled, nodding. "I'm impressed you could tell it was there."
Branoch chuckled. "I'm no sorcerer, but magic weapons have a certain feel to them. You armor, on the other hand..." he stared at Jasper's mangled armor, then shook his head. "I'll have to remake them entirely."
"How long should all of that take?" Jasper asked.
"A day for the armor," Branoch said. "About two for the sword."
"Perfect," Jasper nodded, handing him a large sack of gold. "Thank you."
Branoch's eyes widened but he smiled nodding. "It'll be the most beautiful armor and sword you've ever seen."
"I don't doubt it," Jasper nodded, smiling.
He and Mia walked over to the others, who were speaking to a Dwarf with a brown beard tied at the bottom with a pair of rings tied into it and a bald head. As they arrived, he was explaining that the key to their mine had been with their leader, Kolgrim, who'd gone with three others to climb Burning Eye, a mountain in the distance. He explained that they'd climbed it to light the signal fire and call Easting, where the rest of their clan lived, for help. However, it had been a day and a half, and the signal fire hadn't been lit.
"We'll find Kolgrim," Kromlech promised. "And then we will clear out the mines."
The Dwarf nodded gratefully, and Kromlech turned, heading for the mountain, everyone else following.
The Yeti roared in fear as Jasper's two right fists exploded into its chest, caving it in. Off to his right, Shadow ripped another in half as a Grey Render, then lunged, sinking his teeth into another and biting off its head, only to spit the head into another's face, distracting it just long enough for Holga to plant her axe in its chest. The last one lunged at Xenk, but he swept its head from his shoulders in a strike so beautifully smooth that Jasper had almost missed it.
"I hate Yetis," Jasper decided as he returned to his elf form.
"They're annoyingly stubborn," Mia agreed, wiping off her mythril-adamantite sword.
"And there are so many here," Edgin added.
"It'll get worse," Simon assured them. "It always gets worse."
"At least there aren't any Pride Sinspawn," Jasper said.
"Don't jinx us," Doric warned him.
"Aren't you two cold?" Adrianna asked. "You're not really wearing clothes, right?"
"Oh, it's freezing," Jasper assured her.
"I can't wait for our armor to be finished," Mia sighed.
"Why don't you just become Tabaxi?" Adrianna suggested. "At least you'd have fur."
"Yeah, but the bright light reflecting off the snow would hurt our eyes," Jasper said.
"It's just easier this way," Mia said.
Adrianna nodded, and they all continued on in silence. They were on their way up Burning Eye, but they'd had to fight their way through Gnolls, Yetis, and one particularly large and aggressive pack of Winter Wolves. Finally, they stopped, looking around. They'd reached a four-way intersection.
"The peak is straight," Kromlech said. "They should have gone that way."
"One did," Jasper said, kneeling down and resting his hand against the ground. "One set of tracks goes up the mountain. "Another goes right. Another left."
"Shit," Kromlech growled.
"How do you know?" Edgin asked. "All I see is ice."
"Look at my shadow," Jasper said.
Edgin blinked, focusing on the shadow, and noticed that there were spots, the size and shape of a Dwarf's footprints, that were pure black while the rest of the shadow was faint.
"He helps me with tracking," Jasper shrugged. "Anyway, Edgin, you Holga, Simon, Doric, Xenk, and Vahn go left. You should be able to handle just about anything that way. And take Kira. She'll be safest with you. Me, Mia, Aranea, Adrianna, and Kromlech will go right. We'll meet back up here once we find the Dwarves."
The others nodded and separated, all of them heading the direction Jasper had instructed. Edgin would be in charge of planning for their side, but on Jasper's side, it was simple. Mia and Adrianna would use their bow and spells to cover from a distance, with Jasper helping where he was needed. Meanwhile, Aranea, Jasper, and Kromlech were the front lines, fighting whatever they met up close. And what they met was an entire military encampment of Gnolls. Jasper sighed, spinning around a halberd and slashed the Gnoll's leg off at the knee, then his head. Another lunged, and Jasper fired a trio of Flame Arrows into its chest, deflecting it away from himself and killing it. As another lunged, Kromlech stepped forward, slashing it aside with his axe. One broke into a charge from a distance, only for Mia to put a Quicksilver arrow into its face, killing it instantly. She hit another in the heart, and it collapsed, convulsing and bleeding out in seconds. One leapt at her from behind, but Aranea spun, slashing it to the side before stabbing it in the back once it had crashed to the ground.
Aranea launched a Fireball into a cluster in the distance, slaughtering them just as Shadow and Jasper both expanded into a Grey Render and a Girallon respectively. Both swatted a handful of Gnolls aside, breaking their bodies in the process, and roared as they charged a pair of Ogres. One of the two swung hard at Shadow, but its tree-turned-club passed through him and swung around, smashing against the other Ogre's face, knocking it out instantly. Shadow roared, lunging and tackling the Ogre, biting into its hear and driving his claws into its shoulders, then ripped its head from its body. At the same time, Jasper swung its four fists downward two atop the others, and smashed the unconscious Ogre's head, killing it. Then, he picked up its club and turned, hurling it and sending it spinning away. It crashed down in a group of Gnolls, smashing the ground and slaughtering all but one, which died a moment later when Shadow crashed down on it as a Manticore. Its tail flicked instantly, its tail's spines spraying into a group of Gnolls and killing them before it lunged, biting into another and pinning it down, ripping a section of its torso off. Another leapt forward, slashing, only to pass through Shadow and receive his tail to its back. Then, Shadow was a Giant Eagle, snatching several Gnolls off the ground before spearing it with his talons and dropping them on more Gnolls, which were bathed in flames by Adrianna a moment later.
A trio of Gnolls charged at Adrianna, but Jasper shifted into a giant serpent and shot forward, slithering over all three and crushing them before spitting acid onto a fourth. He shifted back in time for Kromlech to block a halberd for him and slashed the Gnoll holding it. And then, finally, the fight was over. Then, finally, it was over. Jasper looked around, then whistled, and Wolf transformed into a wolf, trotting over to the far right side of the encampment where several large crates rested. Jasper walked over to where Shadow had stopped, kneeling down beside the dead Dwarf. He hadn't gone down easy. His body bore the wounds of a long, bloody battle, and a broken sword lay at his side. He'd fought hard, but they were too late to save him. Clutched in one hand, however, immaculate, despite the blood and wounds coating him, was a torch. Jasper freed it from his hand carefully, frowning.
"That's probably for lighting the signal fire," Kromlech said.
Jasper nodded, holding it out to Shadow, who swallowed it before rejoining with Jasper's own shadow. Jasper and the others turned, heading back to the intersection, finding Edgin and the others just returning Edgin holding a large chunk of flint.
"Flint, huh?" Jasper asked, holding out his hand.
Edgin tossed it to him, and Jasper dropped it into his shadow, Shadow claiming it.
"You find your dwarf?" Edgin asked.
"Dead," Jasper said. "He had a torch."
"Ours, too," Edgin nodded. "But with the flint."
"They spread out the things they'd need to start the signal fire," Kromlech said. "Makes sense. It'd make it easier for everyone to fight if everyone only has to carry one thing."
"What else would we need?" Adrianna asked.
"Oil," Kromlech said. "I think just the oil. Should be wood at the top already."
Jasper nodded, and they headed along the third path, Jasper keeping an eye on his shadow as Shadow highlighted the third Dwarf's tracks for him. As the path sloped upward sharply into a winding climb, a branch led off to the side, the tracks going that way. They followed them and a trio of wounds charged them, all three bearing wounds but with their muzzles matted with fresh blood. Simon and Adrianna killed all three with Lightning Bolts instantly, and they all sprinted along the path, finding an ice cave where their third missing Dwarf sat. However, even at a glance, Jasper knew it was too late. He couldn't be saved. He had a brown beard in twin braids, long brown hair and a ponytail, a pale green shirt, a brown, fur cape, brown pants, and black boots. His body was riddled with wounds, and blood had soaked most of his body. How sword, however, a shortsword with a blade more fitting of a broadsword with Dwarvish runes along its sides, a silver guard, and a black grip and what looked like a ruby in the pommel. The entire sword was dripping blood.
"Stay back," the Dwarf growled, his voice thick and low with exhaustion. "By Clangeddin's twin axes, I've...still enough strength...ta gut ye."
"Kolgrim!" Kromlech said, rushing forward.
"Brother," Kolgrim wheezed, relief flooding him. "Are ye from Easting? Are ye here to help us?"
"I'm from Easting, yes," Kromlech said. "But I came here from Baldur's Gate. Let us treat your wounds."
"Ye...Ye've come too late for that," Kolgrim said. "I'm nearly done. Thrice-damned Ogres. Too many of 'em for me...and me band."
"Where's the key to the mine?" Kromlech asked. "We mean to clear the Drow out of it."
"I...don't have it," Kolgrim shook his head, the life starting to fade from his eyes. "One...One of the others...has it. We were...attacked by a dragon atop the peak. An Ice Dragon. It...froze the one holding the key in a block of ice. Ye'll need to light...the signal fire to get to his body." His head drooped for a moment before he lifted it again. "Me band...each one of my men was carrying...fuel and tinder for the watchtower. Fine them and get it from them. Take this from me." He set an oil can in front of himself, the wound he'd been holding before bleeding profusely as he did, but the hand holding his sword, Jasper realized, was frozen solid. "Ye'll need this to fuel the flames."
"We've found your men," Kromlech said. "I'm sorry, Kolgrim. They're dead."
"I thought they...might be," Kolgrim nodded.
"They didn't go down without a fight," Jasper supplied. "They did your clan honor."
Kolgrim smiled, nodding. "Thank ye." He looked to Kromlech. "Brother...do ye know...how to wield a sword?"
"I do," Kromlech nodded.
"I want ye...to take my sword," Kolgrim said. "Stick it in that...dragon's throat. Stick it...Stick it in that Drow bitch's heart. She caused all of this."
Kromlech didn't question who, he merely reached out to the sword, then hesitated.
"Break it," Kolgrim said simply.
Kromlech nodded, then one by one snapped Kolgrim's frozen fingers off, freeing the sword. Kolgrim nodded a final time before slumping forward. However, he didn't fall. Jasper looked down at his legs and saw that the blood on his legs had frozen him to the barrel on which he sat, and the barrel was frozen to the ground. Even in death, Kolgrim couldn't rest.
"Should we give him a burial?" Doric asked.
"Not yet," Kromlech said. "First we have to deal with the signal fire and make sure this area's clear. The clan can retrieve him once we do."
The others all nodded, and Kromlech retrieved the sword's sheath as well, strapping it to his waist as they walked outside. He stopped, using snow and one of the dead wolves' fur to clean the blood from the blade before sheathing it. Then, He hefted his axe again, and they all continued up the mountain. However, as they reached the sight of the battle Kolgrim had spoken about, they stopped. The Ogres and Gnolls were dead, but there were will-o'-wisps all around the battlefield, feeding on the residual life force of the dead monsters.
"Shit," Jasper breathed. "I wasn't expecting to fight will-o'-wisps."
"Magic only," Xenk advised them. "Simon, Adrianna, Jasper, that's you. No lightning. Fire works, but not well. Magic Missile works better."
Jasper and the others nodded, preparing themselves. Then, all at once, they began the fight. Jasper began to rapidly fire Flame Arrows, and Simon and Adrianna began to fire successive bursts of Magic Missile. Their spells flooded toward the will-o'-wisps rapidly, most of the shots missing, but many finding their targets. The will-o-wisps streaked forward to fight them, but the closer they got, the more spells were able to hit them. Finally, the first handful died, but now, there were more descending from higher up the mountain. There were more than a dozen of them, and Jasper was beginning to feel the strain of firing too many spells. Unlike Adrianna and Simon, he didn't have a staff to bear the brunt of his spellcasting, but he also knew better than to get close to a will-o'-wisp. Their magic attacks could only reach about five feet, but anything in range was as good as dead. Finally, he had to stop, stepping back with the others to watch as the will-o'-wisps grew steadily closer. One after another, they died, but those that remained grew closer rapidly. Vahn began to add enchanted arrows to the fight, sticking with flaming and exploding ones, but very few hit, and they didn't seem very effective. Jasper braced himself to have to fight, but before he could worry about it, Adrianna and Simon both switched to using a constant stream of Burning Hands, the will-o'-wisps just barely in range, and within seconds, they'd finished them off.
"Is that all of them?" Jasper asked.
"It better be," Simon said, wiping sweat from his forehead. "My staff's out of power."
"Mine, too," Adrianna nodded. "We won't be able to augment our magic with them until tomorrow."
"Alright," Edgin said. "Let's head up the mountain. Carefully."
The others all nodded, carefully ascending the mountain again, finally reaching the watchtower without meeting any more will-o'-wisps. The watchtower wasn't as tall as Jasper was expecting. In fact, if not for being on the very top of the mountain, it technically wouldn't even be able to be called a tower. It was like a giant metal torch twenty feet high. On the ground around it were a pair of dead Dwarves, who'd frozen after death from the cold, but at the foot of the tower was the dwarf they were looking for, who was entirely encased in a block of ice, just as Kolgrim had said. Jasper shifted into an eagle, flying up to the top of the torch and changing back. Shadow released the things he'd need for the flame, and Jasper carefully lit it, then leapt down just before the rest the wood caught and went up so fast that the resulting rush of flames was like an explosion. As heat radiated from the flames, enough that everyone shrank back a bit from it, the ice around the dwarf began to melt rapidly, all of them watching water course down the outside of the ice chunk as the ice shrank down rapidly. Then, finally, the dwarf's body was free and promptly pitched forward, crashing to the ground. Jasper walked forward, reaching down and freeing the mine's key from the dwarf's neck, and they all turned, starting back down the mountain.
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