Hey so I've seen the requests.

"A viscious devil with one horn and a infernal engine for a heart. Karlach. If I don't find her she will bring the blood war to Faerun. So I ask you, will you help me?"

"Of course, the chance to fight such a devil will surely be an amazing opportunity to learn of the hells magical machines." Gale raised his cup in toast.

"Seems like a distraction but could prove useful." Shadow heart smiled as she raised her chalace.

"Oh this sound like fun." Astarion smiled toasting with his.

"Well if a devil is running loose the circle is at risk so you have my aid in this as well." Thalia raised her drink as well.

"If she is as dangerous as you make her out to be, I'll be happy to help." Ruby added her drink last.

"I think this will be the start of a long lasting friendship." Wyll smiled as the all cheered together. "Hail to us! Hail to Our Legend!"

Chapter 8: The Dark Urge

Ruby went down to the river bank behind rocks and bushes with a container of shampoo and her soap. As she set them on the ground, the couch of gravel behind her made her jump. Turning on the spot, she saw Withers walk down the river towards her.

"We have met as predicted. Thy name is re, Ruby Rose." Withers said before heading towards to camp. "I shall remain in your camp should my services be needed."

"Wait, I never told you my name." Ruby stood up.

"Correct." Withers turned to her.

"You gonna explain how you know my name?" She asked.

"No." Ruby couldn't tell if the undead thing was smiling or not.

"Skeletons normally don't talk either." She pressed.

"That is also correct." Withers stated.

"You're gonna explain how... you work?" Ruby asked.

"No."

"What services do you offer?" She asked.

"Should any of your companions perish, for a matter of coin, I can strike their name from the Archive of the Dead." Withers explain.

Ruby's mouth went dry as she swallowed hard. "Me included? Right."

"That matter is more complicated. Thine soul belongs to a being outside of Ao's creation, yet within his creation you stand, the gods hold no claim to thine soul, thus upon death thou art doomed to eternity within the Fugue plane, home of Kelemvor, yet with none of his blessings for life after death. Thine name is recorded, but it has no place in the records of the dead should thou perish."

Ruby swallowed hard yet there was nothing to wet her throat. Her life was at the greatest risk, while the others seemingly could be brought back, she couldn't.

She shook her head clearing the fog in her head. Death was a common thing she had faced before. What did it matter if she was facing goblins here? Beowolfs were far more deadly. And with Wyll and Gale throwing elemental magic to kill their enemies it was like they defenseless, add in Shadowhearts and Thalia's ability to heal wounds and Astarions predilection to my underhanded tactics it wasn't like they were going to easily kill any of them.

"I doesn't matter, I've faced far more dangerous things. I'll be fine." She said as Withers headed into the camp proper. She took some time to properly clean herself up before rejoining the camp. Gale stood solemnly by the fire.

"Hey Gale you alright?" Ruby asked as she approached the purple wearing wizard.

"Go to hell." He said suddenly.

"Sorry... did I do something wrong?" Ruby looked at the ground.

"Sorry, poor choice of words. "Go to Hell." A common insult it's almost meaningless... well we seen hell. And it's not meaningless. Devils, dragons, minflayers and tadpoles. Once all images in the books of my study, and your fairy tales. Abstract things that one never encountered. Now death's at every turn, it hangs over us as a specter, that's not abstract." Gale turned to her.

"My father would say this when I was younger... death holds no fear over hunts men and huntresses, it's the guilt of letting others die that scared us the most." Ruby sat next to the fire warming her hands.

"I see, he's a wise man... I would like to meet him... should we be free of tentacles." Gale smiled. "Get some rest, Wyll has us getting up at sunrise."

Ruby went to her tent curling up in the sleeping bag watching as the light of the fire went out, as night took her she could swear she could see Astarion sneaking into the woods.

The next day they stopped by Dammons and Arron to pick up any supplies they needed. With the gold they had found from the harpies nest and selling the gear they had gotten from the crypt they were able to buy a few new things. Astarion and wyll got matching green and brown magic padded armor selling their old armors. Wyll was able to get a deal on a new rapier, the fine golden acets glinting. Shdowheart got an enchanted sheild to go with her magic spear. Arron sold Wyll a pair of gloves that let him catch arrows out of the air.

Thalia was able to get a staff called rain dancer and a enchanted scimitar. From her bag she had a rather large raw collection of gemstones.

Gale bought some more scrolls and exchanged ones he didn't need.

Astarion "found" a enchanted dagger somewhere. Though he refused to comment on it's origin as well as getting a magic short bow.

Heading up out of the grove along a dirt road when the sounds of a struggle caught the groups attention. Up on a hill was a skirmish between two humans and a dwarf. They had cornered a being with stark white scales in a dark blue robe. Blood coated his horned head and hands. The dragonborn gripped a staff in his hand and smashed it into the ground blasting his assailants back.

"For the Abosolute!" The dwarf shouted.

"Thats the same being the goblins praised." Wyll said as he drew his rapier. Charging in the three were caught of gaurd. The dwarf leveled his skull headed spear To Gale when an arrow loosed by Astarion pierced his thigh dropping him to one knee.

Wyll deflected the human man's long sword and left a gash across his face before Thalia used her nature magic to wrap a thorny vine around his leg to drag him to Shadowheart. As he got up her spear punctured his armor and he stopped moving.

The woman charged Ruby with a sheild and mace. With slash of her scythe the wooden sheid shattered before Ruby leveled the barrel of her Cresent Rose at the woman's head. The flash of the gun shot did little to hide as the woman's head blasted apart sending bone, skin, and cerebral tissue across the grass. These people didn't have Aura, but they were trying to kill Ruby and her new friends.

Gale Stepped towards the dwarf crushing a scroll in his hand as the dragonborn took a deep breath. Flames erupted from Gale"s palm as a torrent of ice ripped the dwarf aprt from behind. The body dropped to the ground face burnt off as a tadpole escapes it's eye socket. The Dragonborn stomped on the purple thing crushing it as he heated the spear. "Who are urgkghk..." The psionic resonate between all of their minds linked them together.

Ruby saw blood on stones, a hrey skinned woman holding a blood red dagger, the nautilod, herself in the pod, then a sickening rush of bloodlust that seemed to sink into her soul. Then the feeling As they all got their bearings.

"Dann... your not with the cultists... true souls... as they said. Attacked be when I said I was aboard that Nautiloid." The Dragonborn said on uneasy feet. "Can't remember outside my own name..." Wiping a clawed hand across his snout like face, pauseing like he wanted to lick the blood of his hand His grip tightened around the spear before resting the tip on the ground.

"What's your name?" Wyll asked.

"Call me...the... Call me Durge..." Durge took a few seconds to answer.

"Well we can add a very intimidating dragonborn to our group of heroes." Astarion stated.

"I suppose it's better to travel together." Durge said.

"We need all the aid we can get." Wyll sheathed his blade. "Where have you been staying since the nautilod crashed?" The Blade asked.

Durge pointed down the hill. "Cave..."

Picking their was down the hill into the cave that a water fall and stream ran next too. Inside the cave smelled of rot.

"Owlbear by the markings, we should get out while we can." Thalia said.

"Killed them." Durge said leading deeper into the cave.

"What's a owlbear?" Ruby asked Wyll confused.

"A monstrous animal capable of ripping men apart." Wyll stated ay came to the main chamber. Two massive creatures were beaten smashed and dead with blood and guts covering the floor of the cave.

"Mated owlbears... must have been a terrible battle..." Gale said.

"Been cooking and eating what I could salvage, ice magic can only preserve so much... Was cutting meat free for breakfast when they approached. I followed them until I told then I survived the crash." Durge explained.

A camp fire had been set up with smashed bits of owl bear egg near by. Thalia found a skeleton buried in the dirt with enchanted hide armor.

Near the back of the cave they found a shrine. "The moon witch Selena. Touch nothing." Shadowheart said with venom in her voice to Ruby as Wyll and the others Salvaged what meat they could from the bodies of the owl bears.

"Ohhhkay... not gonna touch that bag off... whatever that was." Ruby said seeing the utter disdain the half elven woman had for the statue.

It didn't take long before they were ready to go. Heading up and out of the cave they made their way up the opposite bank looking up at the village on the cliffside.

Walking along the path towards the village they came upon a sad sight, a man dead on the forest floor and a stark white dog standing over him. Thalia knelt down and...

"Hello there, What happened to your friend?" Thalia asked him.

"Is she... talking to the dog like he can respond?" Ruby asked.

"Well druids are well known for their close connection to nature." Wyll said.

"In fact several major cout cases were resolved due to animal testimony. Magic is a wonderful thing." Gale laughed.

"I'm sorry scrath but your friend, he isn't waking up... here follow my scent and find our camp." Thalia patted his head.

Leaving the dog to mourn his lost companion Ruby found herself next to Durge. "So... can you do magic as well?"

"Yes, the blood of storms thrums in my veins... I feel the sorcerers blood thunder in my veins of ice..." Durge stated.

"Oh... so you a... wizard like Gale?" Runy asked.

"Oh no, what he described is text book sorcerer. His power come from his plood line, something quite common among Dragonborn due to their connections to the Dragons themselves. Of course it often manifests differently in different individuals. Should the divine power in your eyes grow you could grow to be 'divine' magic sorcerer.of some ilk or perhaps to merely better harness that power given you don't have a proper connection to Mystra's weave." Gale explained.

"He is correct... though I do not remember the source of my power, much less of my ancestry. I don't know if it's the tadpole or something else... I smell blood." They reached the top of the hill, where a boar lay dead. Durge knelt down to examine it. "It looks healthy... but it's been drained of blood." Durge said running his fingers over two punctures in it's neck.

"Let's get moving, we don't have time to gawk over every bit of carrion we find." Astarion said... almost wanting for the group to move on and forget the boar quickly.

"What's wrong?" Ruby asked.

Astarion looked around. "It's been killed by punctures in its neck and devoid of blood. A vampire killed it. I didn't want to say anything because we have enough issues without chasing a creature of the night."

"Strange most vampires wouldn't settle for animals blood, much less would the be in the forest near an abandoned village." Wyll said.

"If your so worried I'll keep watch tonight." Astarion said.

Ruby looked back to the boar and Durge, but Durge had his gaze locked upon Astarion. Ruby couldn't help but it was like a predator sizing up his prey... or his competition.

Ruby Rose stats, class, and racial abilities

Class Fighter lv 3

Subclass Champion

Great weapon fighting style (rerolls one's and twos on damage)

Hp: 28 (3 d12 plus 0)

Strength: 18 (base 17)

Dexterity: 16 (base 15)

Constitution:10

Wisdom: 8

Intelligence:12

Charisma: 10

Race Human Variant (Remnant)

Feats:

Ability score improvement: plus 1 str plus 1 Dex

Base Speed: 40 ft

Aura: 10 temp hit points per level (30 Thp)

Semblance: Petal Dash; Dash action is now a bonus action

Improved Critical: reduces critical requirements by 1 (19-20)

Action Surge: Gain an extra action

Gear:

Crescent Rose: 2 to damage and rolls to hit, 2 d 12 slashing plus strength. 2 d 8 Piercing plus Dex when firing.

All but Ruby Rose have disadvantage with this weapon.

Elemental bullets: 2d4 elemental damage added to ranged attacks.

Two-handed, heavy, extra reach

Cleave lacerate trip enemies, peircing shot

1 Half plate armor: Ac 18 (16 plus 2 dex) Medium armor. Reduces piercing damage by 1.