Hello, everyone! WaterDragonMaverick here with another chapter of "Your Turn To Roll", the Owl House fanfiction where Luz is a nerd with her friends and loved ones, getting together and playing Dungeons and Dragons. Last we left off, the party had infiltrated a goblin camp and through a mix of stealth and trickery, managed to defeat many of the goblins before getting into a battle with the goblin boss, Azzinax. With all of the goblins and even their worg defeated, our heroes managed to free the prisoners held captive by them and even acquired a small horde of treasure for their troubles. Now at Level 3, our heroes enjoy a celebration held by the people of Woodpine Village to thank them for their hard work in liberating their friends and loved ones. With that, we'll go ahead and begin our next chapter.

Now with the party at Level 3, they get access to more spells and Luz has decided to go with a Level 2 Fighter and Level 1 Rogue. Hunter's Paladin is also now an "Oath of the Crown" subclass. With these new updates to their characters, they'll be in for a bigger journey through Kuugaw Island.

The Owl House is owned by Disney and was created by Dana Terrace

Dungeons and Dragons is published by Wizards of the Coast and was created by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson


After Luz's shift at 'The Owl House', she was speaking to the store owner, Eda Clawthorne. "So, how's the game, kiddo," the 45-year-old woman with silver hair asked. "I bet that you and your friends already got into some real chaos. What did you go with?"

"I decided to play as a Fighter and Rogue multiclass," Luz said as she wiped down a display case for a collectible item Luz loved to see. Inside the case was a life-size replica of the Gokai Saber from 'Pirate Sentai Gokaiger', one of Luz's favorite seasons of the Super Sentai franchise. "I'm basically going to be a pirate."

Eda smirked at this while her 8-year-old son popped his head out from behind a shelf. "That sounds so cool! I wanna play," said King Clawthorne. He had dark skin, pink eyes, and spiky hair that Luz always thought looked like her own when she didn't brush her hair. He was wearing red pants, red shoes with gold-colored designs, and a black shirt that had a design of a white canine skull with horns, one of which was broken.

"What kind of character would you want to play as, King? That should be something you figure out first, then you could play with us when you get a character sheet written down," Luz told King, who she saw as a little brother just like how she saw Eda as a second mother figure in her life.

"Okay. Guess I gotta get some reading in," King said before walking over to the tabletop game section of his mother's store.

"You know, I could pay you to babysit him at your place when he does get that character figured out," Eda told Luz.

"That would help me with getting that Gokai Saber you have," Luz said as she looked at the display case.

"By the way, any chance that I'm in your story in some way? Maybe as the foxy witch that has a magic shop," Eda asked as she was wondering more about Luz's campaign.

"I've got an idea for you as a character in my pirate's backstory. But we haven't gotten there yet," Luz tells her boss. "But we did deal with an entire goblin camp on our way through the island we're on."

"Tell me everything," Eda said as she grinned and King looked through the books behind her.


Several days later, Luz and her friends were gathered back in the Noceda basement to continue their campaign. While setting up, they started talking about who they could possibly invite into the sessions. "My family thinks that it would be fun to actually play the game with me or even start our own at home. My dad's getting the books for himself and Edric, but Emira looked at some details online and thinks that a Trickery Domain Cleric is her first choice of character," Amity says.

"If Critical Role has taught me anything, Jester is great. Emira possibly being a Trickery Cleric would help a lot," Luz agreed. "King wanted to join in, so I told him to figure out a character he could play as."

"Our friends are willing to join in the game if they can get the right ideas," Gus said. "Matt thinks that a Dwarf would be an interesting character for him to join as."

"Viney's happy to play as a Ranger or Druid, but needs to figure out which she'd want more of. But Skara immediately wants to be a Bard," Willow says. "She just wants to figure out if a Drow, Dhampir, or Tiefling."

"What races are those," Camila asked as she decided to join in watching the campaign once again, reading through the various books to find the terms the kids were talking about.

"Drow is basically an elf that lives in underground caves, a Dhampir is like a vampire that isn't always evil, and a Tiefling is a demon person," Hunter explained. "If Skara wanted to play as a Drow, the half-elf version means she isn't sensitive to sunlight."

"But Dhampir also means they can be of another race's heritage as well, giving them some skills or better movement speeds," Gus adds.

"Lot of options, so it depends on the setting," Amity remarked.

"In any case, we'll wait for them to figure out their characters before inviting them over. Knowing Edric, he'd want to test out a bunch of different characters for different times he could play," Willow said.

"You're not wrong," Amity agreed.

"Let's get back into the game," Vee said as everyone had their sheets and dice ready. "When we last left our heroes, they had successfully infiltrated and defeated a goblin camp. With treasures obtained and a celebration held in town, our heroes have become stronger and are now preparing for their journey across Kuugaw Island. We return to the inn of Woodpine Village, where everyone is waking up after a hearty night of drinking, but nobody is hungover. What do you all do for the morning?"

"I'll be meditating to prepare my spells for the day," Willow said as Sariel.

"I'll be going over my spellbook to prepare my magic," Gus said.

"Same here," Amity replied.

"I'll be changing into that new armor we acquired," Hunter says.

"As you wake up, you investigate the armor you acquired from the goblin camp. Compared to your usual steel chain mail, the material of the new armor is of a greenish color and you feel that the interlocking rings are much more durable than your old armor. In fact, you can already see your old armor starting to dent in places you were struck before during your travels and battles in the past," Vee narrated. "Taking the time to put on this new armor, it feels much more comfortable than your other set and you feel like you could take on opponents without worrying about serious injury."

"Greenish material and durable? That sounds interesting," Willow remarks with a smile.

"But we still don't know what it is," Luz said. "As for me, I'd be trying on the cloaks we got from the goblins."

"As I said before, it's a bit short compared to your body and you can only wear it on your shoulder. But it still looks stylish," Vee described.

"Carmen absolutely fastens it to her armor's left shoulder, giving her a little flair as she keeps the cloak as a trophy to show off while still letting her use her dominant hand to attack freely," Luz says.

"With your outfit touched up, you check it out in the mirror until you're satisfied," Vee replied before focusing on Amity. "As you finish preparing your spells for the day, you hear a voice in your head. You recognize the tone and hear a message from it," Vee states, making everyone curious before she changed her voice to match what she was talking about. "Philomena Yolande, this is unbecoming of somebody with your status. You'd best return soon. You have a duty to uphold when you come back."

Hearing the spot-on impression of her own mother's voice, Amity shook her head as she realized what this was meant to be. "Philomena refuses to reply until the spell's effect ends," Amity says. "Instead, she makes sure that she's prepared for the day and walks down to the bar for breakfast."

"Joining the others as you ignore the Sending spell, you find that Caleb is now wearing the armor you acquired from the goblin camp," Vee says.

"Looks like that armor fits you well," Willow voiced as Sariel.

"I just noticed that the armor I've had since my training days was finally starting to become worn down. This is a much more effective set I've donned," Hunter says as Caleb, justifying his choice of putting on the armor.

"Well, I like the color. It's nice," Willow says.

"Caleb will just focus on his food and not the compliment from the Eladrin," Hunter says.

"Carmen will show up now and show off her new armor adjustments," Luz says before voicing her character. "If you like that, then you'll love this look. Muy bonita, eh? I'm sure the cloak adds some style to my looks."

"For a makeshift thing, yeah," Amity voices as Philomena.

"Wrenn will approach the others after having spoken to the archeologists," Gus says. "I managed to help them with some translations they needed, so that's all I had to do here. Are we going to continue on our journey to the other side of the island?"

"Yeah, let's figure out our path," Willow says.

"Wrenn brings out the map you were using before and you find that the quickest way toward the next town is a two-day trek through a forest known as the Gingawood. Every other proper path will take you twice as long to reach the next coastal town of Daggercrest Quay," Vee tells them.

"Okay, if we go through the Gingawood, we can get to the other side of the island pretty quickly and reach Daggercrest Quay. Might have to camp for the night, though. Ah well, it'll be nothing new for me," Luz voices as Carmen.

"I'd be happy with camping in the woods," Willow says as Sariel.

"I'm used to camping from my training, so it'll be fine by me," Hunter responded as Caleb.

"As long as we're safe, that's all I care about," Amity states as Philomena.

"Okay, then we'll get ourselves some new supplies and head off as soon as possible," Gus said as Wrenn.

"Taking the morning to handle what you need, you gather some materials and more food, then get your horse and cart to begin your way to the Gingawood," Vee narrates. "As the townsfolk bid you safe travels, you watch the town disappear as you continue down the rolling hills of the grassland path to the forest between Woodpine Village and Daggercrest Quay."

"Why is it pronounced as 'key', but spelled 'Q-U-A-Y'? That's confusing," Luz questioned.

"English can be a confusing language," Willow remarked. "I blame the history of it. I mean, take a look at Old English and Beowulf."

"I remember that from Overly Sarcastic Productions. 'GOOD LORD! Where do you start!?' Hahaha! Classic," Gus said as he remembered where he heard of Beowulf.

"Isn't that the YouTube channel you watch with all the myths and history," Camila asked.

"Yup. It's pretty fun," Vee says. "But let's get back to the game with some Perception checks."

"I'm driving the cart, so I'm focused on the road," Hunter says.

"The rest of us will check things out," Gus says as he rolls his die first. "Is that a 16 or an 18?"

"Looks like a 16," Willow says as she looked at the sky-blue d20. "With your stats, it would be 17 total. As for me… that's a 10 for a total of 16."

"I got a 4, so that's 6 for me," Amity says.

"14 to make a total of 19 with my Expertise in Perception," Luz says.

"Wrenn, Sariel, and Carmen are all able to keep a good eye around the cart and make sure that nothing is following after them like before with the goblins before Woodpine. However, you do manage to spot a pack of wolves when they start to howl, alerting you to their location. They aren't bothering you as you recognize the oldest one as the one you charmed before, Sariel," Vee stated. "With the wolves going on their way, you have plenty of time to do some stuff while you travel for the next few hours."

"If that's the case, I'll take out my pepperbox and get some work done on it so that I can use it in battle when we need to," Luz says.

"Taking your weapon out from its holster and safely opening it, you begin to check its functions and clean out what you need to make sure it works properly," Vee describes.

"Where did you manage to get that weapon? I've never really seen anything like it before," Gus asked as Wrenn.

"Oh, you mean Picaro here? I got him when I first met my captain. You see, I might have an interest in magic, but I was never really all that skilled with it," Luz said, letting Carmen tell her story. "I tried to get into a magic school as a kid to be ready for a life of adventure, but I couldn't really understand a bunch of the stuff and couldn't cast a cantrip well. When that failed, I promised my mom I'd find another way to live a life of adventure and make sure to send money her way. One day, I got a job running errands for my hometown when I ended up having to do something on the docks. When I got there, I heard a commotion and saw this woman in a fight with some pirates."

"What happened then," Amity asked as Philomena.

"She was knocked down and a healing potion fell out of her coat. When I saw it, I rushed to give it to her before those pirates could finish her off. I gave her the potion and she sprang back to her feet before she turned the tide of the battle in her favor. When she beat them, she noticed me and I was amazed by her. She took a liking to me after hearing I gave her the potion and asked if I wanted to join her crew as a cabin girl," Luz explained as she continued Carmen's story. "I agreed and told my mom that I would be helping out on a ship to earn what I would send to her. When I got onto the ship, the captain ran me ragged with doing everything. It was worth it, though. I learned a lot about sailing like how to navigate and make sure the boat was safe in a storm. It wasn't until we ran into another pirate ship that I learned that the captain I was under was a pirate herself. She won the fight against them and after I saw her in action again, she decided to teach me everything I know now."

"And she gave you the weapon as part of your lessons," Willow asked as Sariel.

"Yup. All the swordplay and target practice sessions were rough, but it was all worth it to have the skills in it. After I learned how to use my weapons, she taught me how to be quick and efficient in battle. Know when to hit them when I have the advantage and get in a Sneak Attack," Luz explained as Carmen. "All worth it when I was able to help out as a real pirate."

"You seem to take a lot of pride in being a criminal," Hunter says while glaring at Luz to show Caleb's wariness toward Carmen.

"Mostly we just stole from other pirates or rich jerks that attacked us first simply because we passed by them. I was able to give my mom a big cut of my shares from the treasures we'd get, so she's doing fine back home. But life on the open sea has called for me time after time. I got hooked and decided to eventually form my own crew. My captain agreed to leave me here on Kuugaw so I could get my own crew started by finding allies. All she wants me to do is fly her colors to show I'm still part of her crew," Luz stated, finishing Carmen's story.

"Sounds like your captain cares about you," Gus said as Wrenn.

"On the water, she was like a second mother to me. Even gave me this necklace I wear. Taught me about the pirate's life and the wonders of life, too. Like how to flirt with elves and mermaids," Luz said with a wink to Amity, making it clear Carmen was flirting with Philomena.

"Philomena hides her face in her spellbook," Amity says with a blush on her cheeks.

"With that backstory out of the way, about two hours pass and it's approaching noon. I'd like more Perception checks from everyone," Vee states.

"I got a 15 for a modified 20," Luz says.

"Natural 20 for me," Amity replies.

"Wow, same for me," Willow laughs with a smile.

"That's another total of 17 for me," Gus said.

"If I have to give one too," Hunter mutters while shaking his d20, then tosses it. "Straight 11."

"With all of those rolls, you soon see the forest approaching ahead and on the road, you spot a sign and stop to read it. It's pretty roughed up from age, but still standing. It reads 'Gingawood' and underneath the name is a warning. 'DANGER! Be careful of territorial creatures. Stay on the path as much as possible. Do not travel at night.' And to show this is serious, you can see large scratches on the sign," Vee states.

"Looks like this is it," Amity says as Philomena.

"We don't have to go through here if we don't want to," Gus voiced as Wrenn.

"We'll be fine. I know forests well and as long as we do what to sign warns us about, we'll be okay," Willow declared as Sariel.

"Besides, we'll be able to get to Daggercrest by tomorrow night even if we make camp in the woods," Luz added as Carmen. "Better for us to get through the forest today."

"...fine. Guess we might as well keep going," Hunter said as Caleb. "I'll urge the horse to keep going forward."

"With your cart heading down the forest path, you soon get out of the sunlight of the grasslands and the cooling shade of the trees embraces you," Vee told the others. "The sound of the wind causes the leaves of the treetops to sway and rustle. Birds chirp as they land on branches. You can even see a few other types of animals around if you check your surroundings."

"Then, I'll go ahead and roll another Perception check," Luz said as she picked up her die.

"Me too," Willow said as she rolled her own die. "That's 9. So a total of 15."

"14 on my die, so that'll be 19," Luz said.

"The two of you manage to spot a couple of deer and a nest of owls. You also see a number of various other birds and bugs," Vee describes. "By the way, I'd like Survival checks from everyone to navigate through the forest."

Rolling their dice, everyone did their math and added what they needed for the skill check. "Straight 7 for me," Hunter said.

"I got a 6. That'll be an 8," Amity voiced.

"I have a 15, so that makes it 16," Gus told the others.

"13 for a total of 14," Luz said.

"I got an 11, so my bonuses will make it into 17 total," Willow declared.

"As you all make your way through the woods, Sariel and Wrenn's knowledge of forests they grew up around allows you to carefully make your way through the Gingawood. You manage to make it about a third of the way into the forest before dusk. When you see it getting dark, Sariel points out a large glade just off the path that's big enough to make camp."

"It's already dusk. We should rest for the night," Hunter says as Caleb.

"Everyone unpack their things. We've got a camp to set up," Luz declared at Carmen.

"I'll roll another Survival check to go find fresh food for us," Willow says as she rolls her d20 again. "5, so that'll be an 11."

"The most you can gather while the others get camp set up would be a variety of fresh berries near a small stream," Vee states. "While Sariel gathers food, what do the rest of you do?"

"I'll take this time to use magic to know just what the items we got from the goblins will be," Gus says. "I'll go ahead and use Identify as a ritual to investigate the bottle with the smoke first."

"As the 11 minutes pass from setting up your ritual and analyzing the item, you find that the object is an Eversmoking Bottle," Vee explains for the results of Wrenn's Identify. "When you uncork the stopper, it releases a 60-foot radius of thick smoke around the bottle to heavily obscure the area. Every minute the bottle is open, the cloud grows another 10 feet until it reaches a maximum of 120 feet. To close the bottle and remove the smoke, you just need to utter the command word you can give it. When you do, the smoke naturally fades and is gone after 10 minutes."

"I bet a strong wind could clear the smoke too," Amity says, impressed that the team managed to get a smokescreen they could use whenever possible. Clearing her throat, she then did her voice for Philomena. "Can you see what this new sword does?"

"Of course," Gus said as Wrenn, ready to cast the ritual spell once more.

"After the 11 minutes, you see that the weapon Philomena acquired is simply a +1 rapier. With it, you have a better chance of hitting harder and more accurately," Vee states.

"Useful," Amity says, liking her share of the treasure hoard from the goblins.

"If you have the capability to see what magic is in items, then I'd humbly request learning what my new armor is capable of," Hunter asked as Caleb.

Gus only gestured to Vee while nodding to show he was using the ritual one more time. "With the ritual cast once more, Wrenn touches the armor you're wearing and is able to explain what the material is. Your new chain mail is composed of Adamantine, which is extremely durable and can protect you against critical hits from foes," Vee said.

"That's incredible," Hunter exclaims, excited to have more defense for his Paladin.

"While they're going on with this, I'll be focusing on getting the bedrolls out," Luz says.

"With that, Sariel returns with berries for everyone to enjoy with their rations for the night, easily making them last longer. You'll all have half a day's rations now, then have the rest as a meal in the morning," Vee explains. "After your meal, night falls and the stars are shining high above the trees and clouds, painting the sky in a gorgeous assortment of colors. With this, who would like to take the first watch?"

"First watch," Camila asked.

"Sometimes, enemies and encounters can happen in the night. Bandits trying to steal from you, monsters thinking you could be a nice meal, or even some sort of magical event that happens in the dead of night," Gus told her.

"Caleb will take the first watch. It'll only be about two hours anyways," Hunter said.

"As everyone else goes to bed, the diligent half-elf Paladin stands guard and keeps an eye out for danger. Roll me a Perception check for Caleb, please," Vee asked her brother.

"Dammit! Natural 1," Hunter exclaimed in frustration.

"You don't notice anything you consider a threat. In fact, you're distracted by keeping an eye on the others. You look at each of them and consider what they mean to you since they don't really have any real reason to join you on this quest to return to an island of the Empire. Philomena was the person of interest you were tasked with finding for no explained reason, Wrenn is a gnomish wizard with an interest in human culture, Carmen is a pirate that seems to have a good heart, and Sariel is an elf unlike any other you've met," Vee describes. "As your two hours finish, who do you wake up for the next shift?"

Hunter pondered it before looking at Luz. "Hey, Valentina. You're next for the night watch," he says in Caleb's voice.

"Si. No hay problema," Luz voiced as Carmen. "I'll get up and let him get some sleep, then I'll start my watch by pulling out the ring I got from the goblin camp. Remembering what the ring can do from what I saw in the battle, I'll put it on my left hand and extend my hand like before," he says.

"When you do, nothing happens," Vee states.

"I try a few more times and if nothing happens, I'll just spend some of my shift focusing on the ring itself before actually doing my job," Luz says.

"Go ahead and roll me an Arcana or Investigation check," Vee tells her sister.

Rolling her d20, Luz looked at her result with her mother stepping over to peek at the die as well. "14 to make it a total of 15 since I don't have proficiency in either."

"As you look at the ring, you notice that the gem in the center seems imperfect. Almost as if it was broken by magic. You also see other slots that have space for gems and other smaller stones that are already embedded in the ring," Vee explains.

"Huh. This thing is broken? Then how was that goblin able to use it," Luz said as Carmen talking to herself. "And as she ponders it, she'll turn to a habit she picked up during her travels at sea and look at the stars. With the twinkling lights dancing in the sky, she'll smile at them until she feels like she has to get back to her shift."

"With an hour gone by, you feel something well up inside of you. What you feel is strange, yet comforting. You can feel it flowing between your hand and your heart before spreading through the rest of your body and settling down after a minute," Vee narrates, getting everyone's attention. "What do you do now that you feel this sensation building in you before settling down?"

"Putting two and two together, Carmen will lift up her left fist and remember what she constantly tried to do at the magic school she couldn't get into. With this feeling inside of her, she lets it condense into a small point in her palm, places her other hand on her fist, then gently opens up her hands like showing her mother a bug she caught as a kid," Luz describes.

"With that, you feel a warmth in your hands. Releasing it slowly, you see a unique glyph appear in your hand before watching a small mote of light start to float in your palms. With awe and wonder in your eyes, you watch as the light circles around you," Vee says.

"I try the same thing three more times, spreading them around the camp we have," Luz says, excited to see the ring was truly magical.

"With the glyph appearing again, three more firefly-like spheres of golden light begin floating around the area. You feel amazed by what you can do, but can tell there's still more the ring can do despite its current condition," Vee states. "You look at the ring one last time and see the glyph appear in the larger gem. You can probably tell this glyph is some sort of way that the magic appears and the shape of it means it's connected with light."

"If this thing has some sort of glyph visible, then it means I can actually use light magic with it," Luz says as Carmen, smiling to herself while the others can barely contain their surprise. "With that, I'll get to my job of the night watch and get to searching for any trouble," she said before rolling her die again. "11 for a total of 16."

Rolling her own die, Vee nodded to herself as she looked at Luz. "As you finally focus, you hear a branch snapping on the ground. Looking in the direction of it, you see a large shadowy figure approaching you and the others. At the same time, the wisps of light vanish."

"Guys, wake up," Luz exclaimed as Carmen.

"Claudia, stop painting my room black," Amity said in a groggy voice to show Philomena was waking up from a dream about her family.

"What's going on," Willow asked as Sariel.

"Are we under attack," Hunter questioned as Caleb.

"Who's there," Gus yelped as Wrenn.

"With all of you awake, you watch as the shadowy shape approaches you and the moonlight shines down on the clearing to reveal what's attacking. Stepping into view is a large hulking beast that walks on all fours, covered in feathers, and growls at you with a hoot and a screech," Vee describes as she places the miniature down into view. "The five of you are now face to face with a real owlbear. It glares at you with a fierce look and lets out a cry that shows it doesn't like intruders on its territory. Roll for initiative."

Taking their dice, everyone was ready for battle and got to work figuring out the turn order. "I got a straight 10," Hunter said.

"3 for a total of 5," Amity declared.

"8, so that'll be 11," Gus says.

"I got a 3. That makes 4," Willow said.

"8 for a 12," Luz says.

"And the owlbear has a 13 on its roll. It'll go first," Vee declares. "It will start by looking at the one who noticed it first and alerted everyone. The owlbear focuses on Carmen and rushes forward to start attacking," she says before rolling her d20. "Does a 19 hit you?"

"It does," Luz replies.

"Then that will be 12 points of piercing damage as it attacks you with its beak to start," Vee says as she rolls a d10 for damage. "After that, it'll attack again with its claws. That'll be a total of 10 to hit."

"Misses. After I take that beak to my armor, I duck out of the way and roll aside to avoid the claws," Luz says, flavoring her defense. "With my turn, I'll draw Picaro and take aim with my pepperbox," she declares before rolling a natural 1. "Oh, man."

"As you draw your firearm and pull the trigger, you only hear an empty click. It hits you as you remember that you didn't load it with ammo after cleaning earlier," Vee states. Facepalming at the whole thing, Luz slumped in her seat for the time. "Wrenn's turn. What does he do?"

Gus thinks it over, then snapped his fingers as he decided to test out a spell he chose for Level 3. "I'll pull out the magic orb I use as an arcane focus, then I'll cast Phantasmal Force on it," Gus declared. "The owlbear has to make an Intelligence saving throw against my DC of 14 or it believes the illusion I make is real."

Rolling her d20, Vee checked to see what the result was. "With a penalty to its Intelligence, that's a total of 12. The illusion is rooted into its mind as long as you hold your concentration," Vee stated. "What do you make it see?"

"The owlbear believes that a fire has suddenly erupted from where Carmen aimed her weapon and was struck by the flames," Gus described.

"With the owlbear thinking that the human it attacked has a weapon that shoots fire, it screeches in pain as it believes to have been hit," Vee says. "Roll me the damage for it."

Taking a d6, Gus rolled his damage on the owlbear. "That'll be 4 psychic damage it thinks is fire," he tells her.

"My turn," Hunter says while rolling his d20. "I'll go ahead and attack it with my sword. I got a 16 on my die, so that'll be a total of 21."

"That'll hit," Vee says.

"I'll strike with a total of 7 slashing damage," Hunter declared.

"Okay, my turn," Amity says. "I'll activate my Bladesong, then use my own 2nd-level spell. With my arcane focus crystal glowing purple, I cast the spell known as Maximillian's Earth Grasp. A hand made of compacted soil and clay sprouts from the ground and clutches onto the owlbear hard. It has to make a Strength saving throw or be restrained and take 2d6 bludgeoning damage."

"Ooo, good move," Vee states as she rolls her die. "And a lucky roll for you. It's got great strength, but rolled a 2. Even with the bonuses to it, the hand slams down on it and forces its head to the ground. Go ahead and roll the damage."

With Luz and Willow giving their d6s to let her roll, Amity checked to see how effectively her spell hurt the monstrosity. "A 3 and a 6. 9 total damage as it gets crushed into the ground and can't move," Amity says.

"Then it'll be my turn," Willow says. "With Carmen hurt and the owlbear restrained, I'll go over to her and cast Cure Wounds. You'll recover everything you took as I got the highest result. 8 on the die plus my modifier."

"Willow is best heals. Her hugs are good for your body and soul," Luz says with a grin. "Now go ahead and give some to Hunter."

Hunter and Willow blushed at Luz messing with them, but Vee then rolled for the owlbear. "The owlbear tries to break free from the hand, but it can't do so because of the strong grip it has. Carmen's turn," the Dungeon Master says.

"With my ammo problem, I'll back away about 20 feet and use a bonus action to actually reload it before I take aim and pull the trigger," Luz declared as she rolled her die. "Talk about a turnabout. Natural 20 this time," she exclaimed. "With memories of my first use of the weapon filling my head, I aim it at where I see the owlbear might be the weakest with a 9 on the damage die. That'll be 18 piercing damage."

"As you take aim and fire Picaro, the gunshot echoes throughout the Gingawood and the bullet flies into the monster's eye. While its body is tough enough to power through the damage, you still manage to cripple the monster and blind it in one eye," Vee narrated. "Gus, it's Wrenn's turn."

"Ending concentration on his Phantasmal Force, Wrenn will reach out his hand to the shadows and mutter some arcane words. When he does, a thread of darkness extends out to his hand and solidifies when he grabs it. With that, he's successfully used a bonus action to cast Shadow Blade," Gus states.

"Elaborate on how that spell works," Vee requests.

"Shadow Blade lets me weave shadows into a magic sword. I'm considered proficient with it, it's a light finesse weapon, and can be thrown. Essentially, it's a stronger dagger that when I use it in dim light or darkness, I get an advantage on the attack. And I'll do so right now by throwing it," Gus says before rolling his d20. "A 6 on the first roll and a 5 on the second. So that'll make it into a total of 10."

"That'll miss. Trying this spell out for the first time, you aren't used to the new weapon it creates and it bounces off the clay hand and dissipates back into shadow," Vee says.

"Luckily for me, as long as I keep my concentration, I can summon it back to my hand as a bonus action and try again," Gus states.

"My turn. Caleb will attack the owlbear again with a two-handed swing of his sword," Hunter declared before rolling his die. "13 plus 5. 18 total," he says.

"That will hit. Roll your d10," Vee tells him.

"A 3, so that'll be 6 slashing damage," Hunter says.

"My turn," Amity said. "I'll continue focusing on my spell and it has to roll another Strength save or be crushed again."

Rolling a d20, Vee looked at the results and was surprised again. "That's a total of 10. It gets hurt more as the grip from your clay hand tightens. Roll another 2d6."

"That's… 9 damage," Amity says after rolling.

"I thought that you said owlbears were tough monsters," Camila asked Luz.

"They are. We're just lucky tonight," Luz answered.

"Willow, you're up," Vee tells the last party member.

Thinking about her turn, Willow twirled her braided pigtails in her fingers before she gasped and knew just what to do. "I'll grab hold of my staff and with heat swirling in front of me, I cast Flaming Sphere and shape it to look like a jack-o-lantern. With it out, I roll it right at the owlbear to make it roll a Dexterity saving throw."

"And with it restrained, it has a disadvantage. Has to take the lower number of two rolls," Vee remarks before rolling for the owlbear. "16 total on the first roll, but a total of 7 on the second. It tries to struggle out of the way, but gets burned by the sphere crashing into it. Roll damage," she narrates.

"That'll be 2d6 fire damage," Willow said as she shook some dice and rolled them in her tray. "11 total," she exclaimed.

Marking down what health the monster had left, Vee rolled her d20 again. "The owlbear will make another attempt to break free of the clay hand keeping it pinned to the ground. With a total of 15, it finally manages to escape Maxilmillian's Earthen Grasp with a screeching roar, then immediately charges toward the last opponent to seriously hurt it," Vee says before rolling the attacks for the owlbear. "With a 17, it'll attack Sariel with its beak for 9 piercing damage, digging into your shoulder. Roll me a Constitution saving throw for your Flaming Sphere."

Rolling her d20, Willow groaned as she looked at the result. "4 plus 2 for 6," she said.

"With the pain surging through you, the jack-o-lantern of a Flaming Sphere burns to nothing but cinders before the owlbear attacks again with a total of… 16," she says, then rolled more dice. "That'll be 14 slashing damage as it brings down its claw on you."

"I'm only at 7 hit points," Willow said, making everyone worried.

"Okay, I see what you mean," Camila voiced to Luz, feeling the same tension the players were feeling.

"It'll be my turn now. Seeing my friend hurt, I focus on the ring in my hand and hope for the best I can do the same move that the goblin tried to use against Philomena back at the camp," Luz says.

"Roll me a ranged spell attack with a modifier using… hmm, I would say either Wisdom because of a gut feeling or Charisma because you're trying to bring the magic forth with your heart and soul. No proficiency bonus just yet as this is your first use of it in combat," Vee told Luz.

"Charisma is higher, so let's have my love of magic show through," Luz says as she shook her d20 and kissed Amity on the lips for luck. While the purple-haired girl turned as red as a tomato, Luz looked at the result. "10 on the die for a total of 13."

"That just barely… hits," Vee said, making Luz throw her arms into the air in celebration while the others cheered with her. "Roll 4d6 radiant damage," Vee told her with a grin.

Borrowing a d6 from each of the others, Luz shook the dice into her tray and counted up the grand total. "2, 3, 4, 6… 15 radiant damage," Luz exclaimed.

"With Sariel taking heavy damage from the owlbear, you harness the magic of the ring with your truest intent to cast the spell, causing that same glyph you noticed to appear briefly in your hand. Throwing your hand forward, you unleash a blast of magic that looks like a shooting star that flies toward the monster. With the bolt of light hitting dead on, the owlbear screeches in pain as the wounds dealt to it begin to glimmer with a dim golden light. Thanks to these illuminated scars shining, the next attack on the owlbear has an advantage," narrated Vee.

"For Wrenn's turn, he's going to gawk at what just happened for a second, shake his head, then resummon his Shadow Blade to his side," Gus decided. "Seeing as I have an advantage in the dark and with this attack, I'll throw my blade at the wound in its eye," he said before rolling his d20. "A 19 and an 18. That'll hit either way. As for the 2d8 psychic damage it deals, that'll be a total of 8."

"The shadowy blade of gloom is thrown into the wounded eye of the owlbear, making it growl in pain once again before the blade vanishes from its head. Hunter, it's Caleb's turn," Vee says.

"Caleb's duty is to help the people of his kingdom, so he'll focus on getting to Sariel and as a bonus action, use Channel Divinity and Turn the Tide," Hunter says before speaking as Caleb. "You've done well in battle already, so don't fall now. I won't let you," he declared before rolling a d6. "That'll heal everyone that can hear me within 30 feet under half health by a d6 roll plus my Charisma modifier. That'll make it 3 total. After that, Caleb will get by Sariel and start using Lay on Hands to heal her by another 15 points," Hunter told the others.

"I'm back up to 25 now," Willow says before speaking as Sariel. "Thank you."

"Then that'll be my turn," Amity says while rolling her d20. "Philomena will run up to the owlbear after seeing everything happening within the round, then strike with her new +1 rapier. With a 17 on the die, my rapier, Dexterity, and proficiency… that makes it 22 total."

"That'll hit. Roll damage," Vee says.

"Okay, a 7 on the d8. Plus my rapier's bonus for 8 and my Dexterity, that's 10 damage," Amity says.

"How do you want to do this," Vee asked, confirming the defeat of the owlbear as the table cheered.

"I'll show my skill with a blade by piercing through the owlbear's damaged eye and stabbing it cleanly through the brain," Amity decided.

"With the grace and skill of a jungle cat, you thrust your rapier into the eye socket of the monster, ending its life as you punch a hole into its brain, driving the bullet from Carmen's pepperbox in deeper during the process. With a final gurgling hoot, the owlbear falls dead at your feet," Vee narrates.

"With all of that finished, Wrenn will go up to Carmen and ask about what he saw," Gus says before getting into character. "What was that thing you just did?! I thought you told us you couldn't do magic?"

"I thought so too, but watch," Luz says. "And then I'll demonstrate the light wisps again for everyone to see."

"When Philomena sees this, she's amazed because she remembers what Carmen said about her magic attempts," Amity says. "Incredible."

"It's all because of this ring I got from that goblin camp," Luz explained as Carmen.

"Seeing that and still awake from the battle, Wrenn will cast Identify with a spell slot to understand what it is," Gus said.

"Taking the minute or so it takes to hold onto the ring and cast the spell, you gain the knowledge of what this ring is," Vee says before handing Gus a notecard for him to read, letting him explain about the ring as his character.

"This… this is a really rare magic item," Gus voiced as a surprised Wrenn.

"What is it," Luz asked as Carmen.

"This is a Ring of Shooting Stars! It might be broken, but it can still let you cast some magic," Gus explained as Wrenn. "It allows you to use the Light and Dancing Lights cantrips when in dim light or darkness. But the ring isn't at full power because the gems are broken or missing. For now, you can cast a Guiding Bolt spell once a day. At dawn, it gains the power to use it again."

"Amazing! This is going to be so great to show my mother when I see her again. Same with my captain," Luz exclaimed as Carmen in joy.

"The real problem is the fact we don't know how to repair it to reach its full power," Gus remarked to show Wrenn's concern.

"While you may not be the most receptive of my kingdom, I'm positive that we'll find somebody within the Alexandrian Empire that may assist with that ring's power. I may not agree with your line of work, but you haven't done anything to warrant an arrest by me. I'll trust you not to misuse that ring. If you do, I'll have to uphold the law and bring you in," Hunter says as Caleb.

"Hunter, roll Persuasion. Luz, roll Insight," Vee said, wanting to see how the roleplaying would go.

Tossing their dice, the brother and sister checked their results. "14 plus my Charisma for 16," Hunter declared.

"Natural 20. I read you like my Good Witch Azura books," Luz replied with a smirk.

"You can tell that despite his warning, Caleb won't actually go through with it. He's starting to see the good in you more and can see an earnest love of magic from you," Vee narrated, describing the inner thoughts of Caleb that Carmen could see from his body language.

"Aww… Is the big strong soldier a big softie? I bet a guy like you would drop everything to save a girl like me or our lovely elf companions in a heartbeat. Such is the way of a knight in shining armor," Luz teased as Carmen.

"No! I just can tell you won't be like typical pirates and shoot your allies in the back with that magic ring," Hunter exclaimed as Caleb.

"I don't have to. That's what my pepperbox is for. Hahaha," Luz continued to joke as Carmen, but became serious. "Maybe we can find somebody that knows about magic more than the rest of us. They might know how to fix this ring."

"Roll a History check everyone," Vee asked. "This will help you see if there's somebody on this island that can help or if we have to go about it later on."

Rolling their dice, everybody made an Intelligence-based skill check. "12 for a total of 16," Hunter said.

"I got a 4, so that'll be 10 total," Amity said.

"16 on my die, so that's a modified 20," Gus told Vee.

"15, so I got the same total as Hunter. 16," Willow says.

"3 to make 4," Luz says.

"Wrenn thinks about it for a second before remembering that there's actually a magic shop in Daggercrest Quay that he heard about from one of the members of the dig crew back in Woodpine Village. If you take the time to find it and ask the right questions, you'll learn how to fix up the ring," Vee explained.

"I make sure Wrenn says this to everyone before we all decide to get more rest," Gus says.

"With that owlbear body next to us, I'll go ahead and make a Survival check to try and get some materials from its body," Willow says. "Probably feathers and claws."

"If you can get the skull, I want to take that with us," Luz said.

Rolling her d20, Willow looked at the result and totaled her score up. "16 plus… that'll be 22," she told Vee.

"With that roll, you spend the next part of your shift taking every feather you can get and filling a large bag with them. Along with that, you successfully remove the long claws of the monster and obtain the owlbear's liver as an ingredient for making potions yourself or selling it to an apothecary. Finally, you're able to carve away enough of the hide to get the skull of the owlbear," Vee states. "With that finished, we'll say anything that's around seeing you carve up this owlbear is too afraid of you to do anything and your night is coming to a close. Choose one other person to take the last shift."

"I'll let Philomena do it. Then she can get a little rest in the car as we continue on our way through the forest," Amity says as she rolls a die. "That'll be an 8 on Perception."

"Roll me a Wisdom save, please," Vee asked, confusing everyone before Amity did just that.

"15 on my die, plus my saving throw proficiency makes it 19 total," Amity says.

"You spend your time until dawn trying to keep watch, seeing that nothing's really sticking out to you. It's just at the crack of dawn when a voice pops into your head," Vee says before speaking in the same impression of Amity's mother, Odalia Blight. "Philomena, why do you insist on running around in the woods like a child? Return home with that soldier or I shall hire bounty hunters." Hearing this, Camila and the players were surprised that the voice seemed to know of Philomena's location.

"Hearing this, I'll actually respond this time," Amity said before speaking as Philomena. "I thought I told the twins to tell you this already. I'm not going to go through with this arrangement you've made without my consent."

"As dawn breaks, everyone begins to stir. I'd like an Insight check for everyone but Philomena, who has to roll a Deception check for me," Vee tells everyone.

"12 for a 14 on Deception," Amity responded after her roll.

"7 for a 9 on Insight," Hunter says.

"Natural 1 for me. I'm kissing my new ring in my sleepy state," Luz says with a laugh.

"15 to make an 18," Gus says.

"6 for a total of 10," Willow says.

"As everyone gets up, Wrenn is the only one to notice Philomena shake her head and try to visibly stay calm after the end of her shift," Vee says.

"Hey, are you okay," Gus asked as Wrenn.

"Just a headache that comes and goes recently," Amity says, bringing her fingers up to her temples as a way to show Philomena's annoyance.

"Still wondering what that was, but staying quiet, Wrenn will go ahead and pack the bedrolls up for everyone before he finishes his rations and berries for breakfast," Gus says.

"I'll go ahead and feed the horse," Luz says, remembering the animal pulling the cart.

"Give me an Animal Handling check," Vee asked for fun.

"That's a 12 for a total of 15," Luz replied.

"You feed the horse and it happily lets you pet it while it eats its own meal," Vee said. "After you all get everything back onto the cart, I'd like everyone to roll me more Survival checks and Perception checks to navigate the woods and keep an eye out for any other troubles."

Rolling their dice, the players made sure to check their Wisdom skills for bonuses before listing what was given. "I got an 11 plus 5 for my Perception and a 3 plus 1 for Survival. 16 and 4," Luz says.

"11 plus 2 for Perception and a 9 plus 2 for Survival," Amity said.

"13 plus 6 for Perception and 8 plus 6 on Survival," Willow told everyone.

"13 plus 1 on Perception while Survival is a natural 19," Gus tells the others.

"18 on my Perception and my Survival is a natural 20," Hunter exclaimed, getting the luckiest rolls of everyone.

"The guy with the lowest Wisdom does the best. Always funny," Gus chuckles.

"Caleb, with memories of your training returning to you, the Gingawood is similar to what you remember of a place you trained in back near the capital of the Alexandrian Empire. With your training kicking in as you steer the horse and cart, you're able to help get everyone out of the forest in a matter of hours. By the time you leave the forest, it's around 11 in the morning, maybe noon. With the forest cleared, you make your way down the path. Luz, have Carmen roll another Perception check with your spyglass," Vee narrated before asking for another skill check.

"That's a 16, so 21," Luz says.

"Looking with your telescope, you manage to spot the ocean in the distance with sparkling blue waters shimmering in the sunlight. Down the path, you spot a coastal town that you know from the map is the area you're looking for, Daggercrest Quay," Vee says.

"I make sure to tell everyone I spot the city in the distance," Luz tells Vee.

"As you get closer, you see the town is a bit different from Bone River. Roll me a History check, everyone," Vee says.

"I got a 12, so that'll be a total of 18," Amity tells Vee after her roll.

"9 for a total of 10," Luz replied.

"15 to make 16," Willow says.

"A 10 to make a total of 14," Gus says.

"9 plus 4 to make 13," Hunter counted up.

"You all know from travels, stories, or research that the town of Daggercrest Quay is a hub for adventurers that reach Kuugaw Island. There's work for bounty hunting, item retrieval, monster slaying, and even escorting important people visiting the island. With all the possibilities for adventurers, there are a couple of shops that specialize in helping people going to and from the sea. Weapon stores, armorers, and a couple of magic shops that carry items meant to support you on your travels," Vee narrated. "As you reach the guard station at the city limits, Caleb is able to speak with the lower-ranked soldiers about recent events that happened to you."

"Men, at attention," Hunter says as Caleb.

"Sir," Vee responded with a voice that worked perfectly for a diligent soldier, straightening her back as she did.

"I am Commander Caleb Xiloscient. I've been tasked with escorting a person of interest off the island, but some issues in Bone River involving the Bloodsail Bandits caused me to make my way here for access to a more secure harbor. We ran into some trouble along the way, including an owlbear that attacked us while camping last night. Fortunately, my current companions were able to assist me in defeating it," Hunter says in an official tone.

"To prove his point, I hold up the skull of the owlbear," Willow adds.

"Seeing this, the soldiers nod in agreement," Vee states. "Very well. You may enter. We'll take your horse and cart to the stables. If you wish to explore the town, I would recommend the Tidepool Tavern for drinks. One of the most popular spots by the harbor itself. I regularly head there myself off duty."

"Thank you for the recommendation. What about for magical items or selling materials we don't want weighing us down," Hunter asked.

"I'm not much for magic myself, but there is the Arcane Alley if you wish to find a magic shop in that area. That district is full of them. There's also the general store, The Sailor's Stop. They'd be happy to take those feathers of the owlbear you killed to make pillows or sell to the tailor to make clothes filled with them. As for weaponry and armor, it never hurts to check the Crested Dagger Armory. They make and sell anything you need for a straight-up fight," Vee explained as the soldier.

"Thank you for the information. We'll be on our way. Keep up the good work," Hunter told the soldiers as Caleb.

"I nod to the soldiers as I pass by," Luz says.

"Okay, as you enter the town, you see a variety of people out and about. Various elves and half-elves of all sizes and colors, a large number of humans going about their business, gnomes and halflings making their way through crowds, and even other more exotic races. You see merfolk with their fish-like scales and fins going about on regular business, tieflings of numerous colors speaking to people around stalls, half-orcs talking about sailing stories and adventures, bird-like people calling out to others, and even dragonborn people speaking to some guards in a civil tone," Vee describes.

"This place is bustling," Gus remarked.

"Dragonborn," Camila questioned before finding the right page in the player's guide. "Ah, that makes sense. Why do I feel like King would want to play as one," she wondered, knowing of the kid Luz considers a little brother because of all her time babysitting him.

"Probably the breath weapon," Luz replied, thinking the same thing. "Anyways, if we're going to check the place out, let's do some shopping before actually getting passage on a boat."

"Yeah. I want to sell the liver we got from that owlbear," Willow says.

"Then I guess we'll start at the general store and Arcane Alley," Amity suggested.

"Roll me a Charisma check to ask people around for the right way," Vee says to everyone.

"I got a 6, so that'll be 8 total," Willow said.

"19 for a modified 20," Gus voiced.

"15 plus 2 for 17," Amity told Vee.

"I got a 2, that's a 4," Hunter said.

"I have an 18 for a 21 total," Luz says.

"All of you ask around, but several adventurers outright shrug off Caleb because they see the emblem on his shield and Sariel is trying to ask around a busy area that is filled with noisy people. Carmen, Philomena, and Wrenn are all able to ask people that are by themselves for directions and are pointed toward the Sailor's Stop General Store, which is only a short walk of 5 minutes from the Arcane Alley," Vee narrated. "As the five of you get into the area, who wants to go with Sariel to sell the liver and feathers?"

"I'll go with her," Amity says.

"The two elf girls step into the store and a middle-aged human man steps out from behind the counter with his wife," Vee says before doing the right voice. "Aye, welcome to the Sailor's Stop. How I help ye?"

"Hello, we're here to sell you something that might be of good use to you," Amity says as Philomena. "And Philomena will show them the items from the owlbear."

"Looking over everything, the store owner and his wife can tell the feathers, claws, and liver are genuine from a recently killed owlbear. They're impressed by some adventurers that were able to do this, then turn to face you again," Vee says before doing the man's voice once more. "These be real, alright. Probably several hours ago. Maybe a day old. If you take the liver to The Herbal Emerald in Arcane Alley, you'd get more money for it. Maybe even some free potions. But for now, we can take the feathers and claws off you for about… oh, say 13 gold?"

"We were attacked in the middle of the night by this monster and my friend here nearly died to it. These feathers are very soft. Perfect for pillows or clothes. And the claws would make for great decorations and jewelry. I'm sure that you could buy them off us for 20 gold total and make up the price by selling them in your story as finished products," Amity persuaded as Philomena.

"Persuasion check with that," Vee asked.

"Can I help her out with it," Willow questioned, then got a nod from Vee.

Rolling her die, Amity facepalmed when she saw the result. "Ugh, a natural 1. Thanks for helping, Willow," she said before rolling again. "Not much better. 6, so that'll be 10 total."

"The store owner looks at you with a stern glare, then leans forward," Vee says before doing the shopkeep's voice again. "15 gold. Take it or leave it."

"We'll take it," Willow says as Sariel, seeing that even a small increase was better than nothing.

"Deal," Vee said as the shopkeep. "After that, the two of you walk out with the feathers and claws sold, but the liver still wrapped up in some cloth and ready to be sold soon. The group then heads into the Arcane Alley and sees a variety of shops and stalls at the ready. Roll me a Perception check," she says.

"I have a 12 for 14 total," Amity says.

"14 on my die. That's 19 total," Luz tells the others.

"I have a 17 for 18 total," said Gus.

"9 to make a total of 15," Willow replied.

"Straight 6," Hunter voiced.

"Carmen and Wrenn immediately find a couple of magic shops that catch their eye, which might be the one that knows how to fix Carmen's ring. As for Sariel, you find the Herbal Emerald is a small stall just a little down the road and head in that direction. When you get there, the scent of various herbs and spices fills the air much more than the rest of the alley. When you get there, a woman with an eyepatch and wrinkly old skin approaches you," Vee says before doing a voice for the old woman. "How may I help you, dearie?"

"Well, my friends and I have been traveling through the Gingawood to reach here and we fought an owlbear off. I managed to pull out its liver and I thought I could sell it," Willow voiced as Sariel.

"Owlbear liver? That's quite the find. If I may?"

"I let her inspect the liver," Willow says.

"She opens up the cloth and sees that the liver's in pretty good condition. Excellent for potion making," Vee remarks before speaking as the old woman again. "Yes… very nice. I can give you 50 gold for this ingredient."

"You have a deal," Willow says as she mimes handing over the monster organ and holding out her hand for the money.

"She takes the liver and pays you the gold, then bids you a nice day and to enjoy checking out the alley's shops," Vee tells Willow.

"What are the names of the stores we find," Gus asked. "I'm sure with our rolls, Luz and I managed to find at least two or three good stores to check out."

"The first and largest store you find is called 'The Blue Moon' and specializes in a variety of magical services that the locals told you about as you found it. Enchantments, identifications, products of magical nature that have been sold by adventurers who found no use for them, or even items that every traveler should have," Vee explained.

"We'll stop in there then," Luz said.

"When you approach, you see the sign is designed in a way where the name of the shop has 'Moon' going down vertically instead of horizontally. This makes it so that the B looks like the Os in a way that evokes an actual blue moon reflected on the water at night, especially with the wavy patterns of how 'Moon' is carved on the sign to look like it's written in the water," Vee elaborated.

"Ooh! Artistic," Luz says with a smile.

"When you enter the door, a bell jingles and you hear a voice," Vee says. "Be right there. Have a look around."

"I guess we'll start checking the place out. Should we roll anything," Hunter asked.

Reading over the proper book for the details of shopping for magic items, Vee set it aside for Camila to read herself before describing the scene. "You walk around the store and see all kinds of artwork, decorations, and various items that all have the distinct feeling of being magical. Soon, you watch as somebody steps out from a beaded curtain that leads to a backroom. You watch as a Dragonborn with fancy robes and bronze scales walks up to the counter. He has a few scars on his face and hands, showing that he's seen his fair share of conflict, but his eyes show that he's a pleasant person," Vee explains before speaking as the Dragonborn. "Hello, there. Welcome to The Blue Moon. My name is Torinn. How may I be of service to you today?"

"Yes, we've just arrived in town and we were wondering if you've got some magical items for sale if we're going to leave the island," Gus says as Wrenn.

"Go ahead and give a Persuasion check, everyone," Vee says.

Picking up their dice, the party began to see what they could roll to search for magic items. "I got a 17, so that'll be a modified 20," Luz says.

"I rolled an 11, so that'll be 15 total," Amity says.

"7 for a 9," Willow tells Vee.

"I got a 5 to make 6," Gus says.

"I have a 4 to make 6 total," Hunter groaned.

Seeing all the rolls and comparing them to what she looked at earlier for how to play out magic item shopping, Vee started to roll several dice to determine what was available. After checking her guide, Vee nodded before speaking as the shopkeeper. "I have plenty of items for sale, but I think that some may catch your eye more than others," she says. "As he says this, he reaches under the counter to pull out some boxes. One looks like it holds spell scrolls like the last place you visited in Woodpine, another holds some potions, one with a box of bullets, and one seems to hold a crystalline fairy-shaped vial and a small packet of some kind."

"And what are these," Willow asked as Sariel.

"The glimmering red potions are stronger than regular healing potions I'm sure that you have. But the flickering orange one here is a Potion of Fire Breath. Very useful if you don't normally have it like some of my cousins. Hehehehe," Vee says as Torinn, cracking a joke about his heritage and family. "The two remaining scrolls contain some Level 2 spells that I'll be happy to tell you about if interested. The next box has some enhanced ammunition for the type of adventurer that uses firearms. As for the last box, the bag has an item called 'Dust of Dryness'. It condenses water into a small marble that you can break later. But if you were to use it against an elemental being composed of water, it'll deal some good damage against it when you're having trouble. And the crystal vial has some Dust of Disappearance. If you throw the dust in the air, it can turn you and anything within 10 feet of you invisible for about 2 to 8 minutes. Very useful if you're the type to sneak around."

"That's pretty cool," Luz says as Carmen.

"After you say that, your attention is caught by a wall that has several items on it, Luz. First is a large messenger bag with an image of a serene face and a pair of hands ready to hold something. The second is a cloak that resembles an aquatic creature you've seen in the waters of some islands you've visited in the past. And third, is a pair of goggles that resemble the face of an owl," Vee stated.

"Hey, Mister Torinn. Can you tell me about these things," Luz asked in Carmen's voice.

"Ah, some very useful items for sale. The first is an object every adventurer must have; a Bag of Holding. With it, you can store up to 500 pounds worth of items while it will always just weigh 15 pounds. When you want something that can fit in it back, just simply think about what you want when you reach in," Vee says as Torinn. "And to demonstrate, he takes the cloak and goggles, tosses them into the bag, then pulls both back out before he explains what each is," she adds. "The goggles are an item called 'Goggles of Night'. With these, you can see in the dark up to 60 feet away. If you already can see in the dark, your vision's range is extended by the same amount these goggles can grant you."

"That's useful. And what about the cloak," Hunter asked as Caleb.

"This is a Cloak of the Manta Ray. When you wear it with the hood over your head, you're granted the power to breathe underwater without issue and have the swimming speed of a swift sea creature, moving up to 60 feet in six seconds. One of the most important items you could get if you were to leave the island and explore the seas," Vee told them as the Dragonborn shopkeep.

"Do you have anything you would consider your best when it comes to magical potential," Amity asked as Philomena.

"To answer your question, he gently nudges you aside to reach an item at the front window of the store, revealing a box labeled 'Marvelous Pigments' before opening it to show you the paint and brushes inside," Vee said before doing Torinn's voice again. "This contains a magical set of paint that can bring whatever you draw into reality. If you draw a door on a surface, it can open to what's on the other side. If you draw flames, they'll flare to life without hurting anything. If you draw anything with material value, it won't make anything worth more than 25 gold. This is the most valuable item in my store at the moment. If you wish to speak about the prices of any of these items, just ask."

With all the items shown, the teenagers looked at each other before they began debating what to buy. "Okay, that paint sounds really fun, but I don't see a use for it aside from making cartoon jokes real with the door painted and there's only a brick wall on the other side," Gus remarked. "I say we get the scroll or potions."

"Augustus, think about it. That Bag of Holding will be a huge benefit for us in the future of this adventure. We'll have a weight lifted off our shoulders, literally," Amity said, using Gus' full first name to prove her point about the seriousness of the option.

"That cloak would really help if we have to go underwater to find something," Luz says. "We'll be able to salvage wrecked ships if possible. Plus, the goggles would be a great help."

"Plus, they look like an owl, which reminds you of Eda's shop," Willow added with a smirk. Luz only shrugged in response to that. "That said, I do think that the bag and goggles would help. Especially since Luz is the only one without Darkvision."

"Actually, I focused Philomena's custom lineage to have the proficiency instead of Darkvision, so it could benefit me too," Amity remarked.

"Okay, I say we put it to a vote. We say which items we want and the majority is what we get. If we have any leftover money, we see what we can get with it," Hunter suggested. "I say we get the Bag of Holding and the Manta Cloak."

"Bag of Holding, Manta Cloak, magic dust, and Owl Goggles," Luz says.

"Bag of Holding, Spell Scrolls, and Goggles of Night," Amity voted.

"Potions, Spell Scrolls, and Bag of Holding," Gus says.

"Bag of Holding, Night Goggles, and potions," Willow declared.

"Guess we're all in agreement. We get the bag first," Hunter says.

"Yup," everyone else affirmed.

"How much for the Bag of Holding," Luz asked.

Rolling her dice and checking the pricing guide for the rarity of the item in her notes, Vee cleared her throat before speaking as Torinn again. "Ah, I've got a good price for that because so many adventurers that pass by have their own. Supply and demand, you know. As such, I can give you this for about… 200 gold pieces."

"If we all want this, how about we all give 40," Willow says as Sariel, miming herself fishing out the money she received for the owlbear liver.

"I think that's fair enough," Gus says as Wrenn while he and the others pantomime retrieving their money.

"As you all pay for the bag, Torinn allows you to take it off the shelf for yourselves. Who's gonna carry it," Vee asked.

"You guys tend to see me with my own bag when we head out, so I'll have Carmen carry it," Luz says.

"I think it should be between Carmen and Caleb," Hunter voted.

"We'll trade it off based on the day," Luz says, getting Hunter to nod in agreement at the deal. "Okay, what about the rest? How much money do we have left?"

"After this and the owlbear stuff, that's going to be 250 gold for Carmen, 80 gold for Philomena, 225 gold for Sariel, 305 gold for Caleb, and 265 gold for me," Gus said as he kept track of the money the party had.

"Let's hope the other prices are good so we don't spend too much," Amity remarked, being the lowest out of everyone because of her previous shopping trip getting basic-level healing potions that the party still haven't used.

"Thank you for the bag. How much are the goggles and cloak," Willow asked as Sariel.

"The Cloak of the Manta Ray will actually be the same amount as the bag at 200 gold pieces. As for the Goggles of Night, I don't have many of them. They'll be 400 gold," Vee says as Torinn.

"600 gold. We have that much, but Luz is the one that really wants both," Hunter remarked.

"Maybe we can haggle with him? Eda says she likes to do it at flea markets," Luz suggests.

"Good idea. You and Amity can try it," Gus said.

"By any chance is there a possibility to lower the price if we purchase both items together, sir? I'm sure that you'd be willing to make a deal for adventurers on a journey if they'll still give your shop the business you'd want," Amity says as Philomena.

"I agree with this lovely lady," Luz said as Carmen. "And as she says this, Carmen pulls Philomena in by the hip in a flirtatious way." Amity blushed and rolled her eyes before letting Luz continue as her character. "It would be a benefit if we talked about how great your store is to people we meet if they ask about our quality equipment."

"Both of you roll a Persuasion check. With the two of you or one with advantage," Vee told the girls.

Rolling a d20, Luz and Amity checked to see if they could get their discount. "I got a 7, so that'll be 11 total," Amity says before shaking her d20 again. "I think I'll take advantage. And I got an 18 for 22."

"Torinn puts a clawed finger to his scaly chin and hums in thought as he looks at the two of you," Vee says before doing her voice for Torinn. "Hmm… well, I'm not one to turn down an adventurous couple and their friends. I'll give you both items for a discounted price of 300 gold. As long as you buy an extra item to be added to that purchase."

"Philomena stammers and blushes at the idea of being labeled as a couple with the pirate she only met a couple of days ago," Amity remarks.

"Sounds like a deal. How much for the Dust of Disappearance," Luz asked as Carmen.

"The Dust of Disappearance? That'll be about 300 gold. Sounds like a good deal considering you'd be essentially getting it for free compared to my original price for your planned purchase," Vee chuckled as Torinn.

"Three magic items for 600 gold. That sounds good to me," Luz says. "I can pay 200 now."

"I might as well give 125," Willow says. "The goggles sound pretty good when we need them."

"I'll regret it later, but I can give the rest," Hunter told them.

"200… 325… that would be 275 gold from you," Camila said as she counted the money mentioned.

"That brings me down to 130 gold," Hunter remarked.

"And since I haven't spent anything besides the 40 for the bag, I think I'll check out the potions and scrolls," Gus says.

"As Torinn accepts the payment, he hands over the items while allowing you to inspect the scrolls. The party now has the Cloak of the Manta Ray, the Goggles of Night, and one vial of Dust of Disappearance," Vee states. "As for the spells, the scrolls contain the equations and incantations for Misty Step and Aganazzar's Scorcher."

"Cool! Teleporting," Hunter says with a grin.

"Excuse me. How much are the potions and scrolls together," Gus asked as Wrenn.

"The scrolls would be 150 gold each while the potions are all on sale for 50 gold each if you purchase them all," Vee says as Torinn.

"That's another 450 gold. What can we do without," Willow asked.

"The Misty Step spell being copied down would be good. That'll just be 300 more gold if we only get that and all the potions," Gus says. "Who wants to help me pay for them?"

"I could use the spell, so I'll give 30 gold," Amity says.

"I want it as well to at least use as the scroll," Hunter added. "I'll give 80 gold."

"I'll give an extra 50," Willow says. "You could use them."

"That's 160 total. I'll use 140 of my own and spend 75 more on supplies for writing down our spells," Gus says.

"As you pay up all of the materials, Torinn smiles warmly at all of you," Vee says. "Thank you for your patronage. Please come by again if you're in town."

"Actually, there's one other thing," Luz says as Carmen. "And I hold up my ring like I'm Kamen Rider Wizard."

"Showtime," Amity said with a chuckle.

"I am the final hope," Willow adds with a grin.

"I found this ring and I was wondering if you knew how to fix it," Luz asked as Carmen.

Rolling her dice to see if Torinn knew about the ring and its condition, Vee hummed in thought as Torinn himself. "This is quite a remarkable find. A very rare Ring of Shooting Stars. However, it's been damaged heavily. I'm surprised it still has magic left in it."

"Can you fix it? Or at least tell us what we need to find to fix it," Luz asked.

"Well, I may not be a jeweler, but I do know magic. You'll need to acquire moonstones, star rubies, star sapphires, and maybe other gems worth 1000 or more gold. But none of those are magic on their own. They'll just be what can be cut and set into the ring. The real item you need to fix the ring's magic is a Carbuncle's Garnet," Vee states as Torinn explaining everything.

"A Carbuncle's Garnet? What's that," Gus questioned.

"Everyone go ahead and roll a Nature, Arcana, or Survival check for me," Vee told the group.

Picking up their dice, the players all checked to see what numbers they got to have their question answered. "I have a 13 plus 6 for a total of 19 for Arcana," Gus replied.

"Same results for my Survival," Willow said.

"Natural 20 on Arcana! I read about these before," Hunter exclaims as he pumped a fist in celebration.

"7 to make a 13 total for Arcana," Amity says.

"13 plus 1 in any case, so that'll be 14," Luz says.

"Through all of your studies or travels, you've heard of these jungle cats that have gems in their foreheads that if removed, can be sold for good money or used for magical items. But thanks to Caleb's research, he's able to remember that the magical gem is only possible if the Carbuncle willingly gives it to you. If removed by force, it's worthless as a magical item and is only worth the gold it can be. Frustrating for spellcasters that want to get the item as soon as possible," Vee explains.

"Carbuncles aren't found on this island. We'll need to go and figure out where we can find a jungle they'd reside in," Hunter says as Caleb.

"I'm sure we'll find one eventually. We just have to get a ship and set sail," Luz says as Carmen.

"Yeah, but how much money would it cost? Depending on where we have to go, things will get pricey," Gus stated as Wrenn.

"After all this shopping, we've only got 50 gold each. Maybe we could do some odd jobs around town just in case," Willow brought up, voicing Sariel.

"If you want, there's a job board in the Tidepool Tavern. Lots of adventurers and guards stop by there, so the town likes to share opportunities for work with anyone that enters the establishment. Helpful for when problems can't be solved by regular people," Vee says as Torinn.

"Sounds good to me," Luz voiced for Carmen. "I thank him for all the business and head off with our Bag of Holding across my shoulder."

"Then, I guess we'll follow after you," Gus says.

"Thank you for your help, Mister Torinn," Amity says courteously as Philomena.

"You're welcome. Stop by Blue Moon again sometime," Vee replied as the Dragonborn. "After you leave, you head back to the waterfront and follow the sign leading to the Tidepool Tavern. And with that, I think we're good for now. Got a lot done for the moment," Vee says.

"I'll say. Learned what my ring does, fought an owlbear, got some good items, and we're nearly ready to get going to the next island," Luz said.

"Just have to make sure we have the extra gold when needed," Hunter states.

"Yup. We'll need more than 50 each," Amity adds just as Luz's phone gave a text notification.

"Who is it," Gus asked.

"Eda's phone. Maybe King finally got his character made," Luz says as she saw the contact info. Opening her phone, she saw that it was a picture of King with a character sheet and a big grin on his face before reading the message. "He figured out what character he wants to play as first. Can you let him join in the game if you have it here in my shop's back room," Luz read aloud.

"I think that would be sweet of you to let him play," Camila said. "Besides, I don't think this table is big enough for more than six."

"Game night at The Owl House it is," Willow exclaimed with a cheerful smile.

Everyone cheered at the idea of playing their campaign at the shop where Luz got all their supplies. "I'll message Eda back," Luz said before speaking out her message as she typed. "Sounds like fun. Maybe after my next shift. That okay?"

Seconds later, Luz got a reply. Peering over her shoulder, Amity looked at the message from Eda. "That's good to me. Just don't mess up everything or I'll sick Hooty and Owlbert on you. Hahaha," Amity read aloud.

"Owl Lady loves her owls," Luz remarked, then hummed in thought at something. "I think I got an idea for another character later. Several, really. I'll need to at least write down notes before I forget them," she said before grabbing some blank character sheets and jotting down what popped into her head. "Done with those. Let's get cleaned up," she said.

"I guess we can consider our next session being one with a guest character," Gus remarked as he put away his dice.

"Let's see how that all goes," Willow says with a smile.

"Knowing King, things might get loud," Vee chuckles, knowing of the kid Luz always looked after.


And finished! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I know I loved writing up the owlbear battle and Luz's first use of the damaged Ring of Shooting Stars. In case you're wondering, the flavoring I have for the light magic IS the Light Glyph in Owl House canon. I couldn't pass up the opportunity, especially with the debut of Luz being able to use light-based magic against an owl-like monster. Now, the sidequest of repairing the ring to get its full power is established. Until then, it's only able to use the cantrips the actual ring can do and a single use of Guiding Bolt once a day. Still a very useful spell.

And with the shopping trip in Daggercrest Quay, the party now has those important magical items. The Manta Ray Cloak, Goggles of Night, and Bag of Holding are especially useful. And with all the other items they got, everyone's ready to get more than 50 gold in their wallets. And to do so, it's sidequest time. If you're wondering what I've got planned, I'll just say that one of the ideas will be how I introduce King's first character for this D&D fic. I'll let you all speculate on what might it be for the story, but I'll show you what it'll really be later.

Until next time, WaterDragonMaverick signing out.