Finding the Forgotten
A BtVS/Forgotten Realms crossover
CHAPTER ONE
SUNNYDALE, CA., 31OCTOBER, 20XX.
Lysander closed his eyes, instinctively grasping the hilt of his blade, as a cascade of thoughts and memories hammered his mind. Falling down at the sight of a beautiful blonde girl, seeing a monster wearing the face of his brother in all but blood turning to dust, a red haired girl smiling, having fun arguing with a lovely brunette, walking in graveyards hunting the undead, an older man in glasses in a library handing out books and weapons, entering a store full of clothes, armor and weapons.
A child's cry pulled him from his mind, and his sight was now filled with strange visions. An impossibly smooth, black road, structures, 'Houses, maybe,' he thought, built with no thought for defense, unfamiliar trees, carts made of metal and glass stopped in front of the buildings and tall posts with cables connecting them and bright, unwavering light shining forth from arms that overhung the road.
Shaking his head, Lysander turned his attention to where the cry had come from. There, not twenty yards from him, a small group of children, 5 or 6 of them, were fleeing from what looked like some kind of Gnolls, five of the beasts to be exact. Settling his shield, he drew his longsword and swiftly made his way to intercept the monsters.
=
Gr'Acht sent a prayer of thanks to Yeenoghu, the God of the Nuna'kem, for the chance at slaughter, raising his axe, it's head already wet with blood from today's butchery, he called out, "Blood for Yeenoghu!", and charged the pack of human kits.
As his clan neared the kits, one of his men fell to the side, his guts decorating the strange ground, as a young, tall human warrior flashed past the clan to put himself between them and the kits. "Good," purred Gr'Acht, "Better the blood of a warrior, than the blood of a kit."
=
As Lysander shot past the beasts, he got a better look at them and realized that they were some kind of Gnoll, just built on a slenderer frame and with a head that resembled that of a Cougar, or Mountain Lion, rather than that of a Hyena. 'Still, they die all the same,' he thought to himself as his blade carved out the side of one of the beasts, spilling its blood and entrails across the road. Placing himself between the children and the monsters, he heard one say something, something he almost understood, in its tongue and saw the others ready themselves. Not waiting for the beasts to draw near, Lysander launched himself in a bold attack.
As he neared the closest monster, he used the edge of his shield to bash its spear point aside and opened its throat with a forehand flick of his sword. It fell to its knee's, it's hands grasping at its ruined throat in a desperate, and futile, attempt to keep its lifeblood from spilling out. "That's two," Lysander said to himself as he sidestepped a blow from a third attacker. Letting the blow draw his attacker out of position, Lysander delivered a short, sharp kick to the side of its' knee, shattering the joint, sending the beast crashing to the ground. 'That's three,' the warrior thought to himself as he circled away from the downed beast, still keeping himself between them and the children.
Eyeing the two beasts still standing, one armed with a flail the other with a blood-soaked axe, Lysander called out to the children, "Run, find shelter. I'll deal with these things." Hearing the sound of fleeing feet, he once again settled his focus upon his two opponents. "Now it's just us," Lysander called out, beckoning them forward, "Let's settle this!" With those words he shot forward once again.
=
Gr'Acht was impressed, this human had cut down three of his best in short order. He'd even got the kits out of the danger zone! This warrior's blood would make a fine offering to Yeenough indeed. "Yr'Gat, we kill him now! For Yeenough," Gr'Acht called out to his lone, still standing, follower. At his words Yr'Gat, the impatient youth that he was, met the human's charge with a rush of his own.
Yr'Gat, more clever than his youth suggested, launched an overhand attack with his flail, and the moment he saw the human begin to raise his shield, he rolled his shoulder and dropped to a knee, changing the trajectory of his attack, sending his flail's head into the humans side in a crushing blow.
=
Lysander saw the beast drop from his view, just before he felt the terrible impact of the beast's flail. Taking a step back he saw the beast down on one knee, exposed, flail out of position to defend itself! Ignoring the sharp pain in his side, 'Two, maybe three ribs gone,' Lysander thought to himself, he stepped into a short, hard thrust that took the beast through the mouth and out the back of its neck ending its foul life in an instant.
Catching the faintest flicker of motion from the corner of his eye, Lysander desperately shifted his shield to block the last creature's axe blow. A sharp flash of pain, and the sudden feeling of wetness covering his hip told him he'd not blocked all of it.
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'Four of the Clan down, to a single human,' thought Gr'Acht, 'Yeenough will savor his blood!' Seeing the human warrior out of position to defend himself, Gr'Acht launched a strike at his flank, surprisingly the human was able to block much of the blow, though his axe once again tasted blood that night. "Soon you will fall, foolish human," Gr'Acht growled out, readying his self, and his axe, to end this fight.
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Lysander saw the beast step back, readying itself to strike once again, when he felt something grab his ankle and claw his leg. Looking down, Lysander saw the beast whose knee he'd shattered! It had dragged itself over to attack him again! Ripping his foot free, Lysander kicked out with it, catching the beast in the muzzle, twisting its head and neck, a dull crunch and the beasts' body spasming telling the tale of its broken neck. Sensing the approach of his last standing foe, Lysander flung out his sword in a desperate attempt at blocking the swiftly nearing axe head.
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'Now,' thought Gr'Acht seeing Nr'Ohw grab the human's foot, distracting him. Throwing his strength and body into the blow Gr'Acht knew Yeenough would be pleased with this kill. Then he saw the impossible, the human had dispatched Nr'Ohw and flung his blade out in a desperate attempt to block this blow. Fully committed, Gr'Acht was unable to stop himself and axe met sword.
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The piercing sound of steel shattering filled the night as axe met sword and axe won. As Gr'Acht was spun to the side by the force of his blow, Lysander instinctively thrust forth with the foot long stump of his blade, driving into the side of the Gr'Acht's throat, and then ripping it out in a shower of gore.
=
Lysander stared dumbly at his fallen foe and then collapsed to the ground, the pain of his wounds finally making it through the rush of battle. As he collapsed, he heard the voices of two people drawing near. Turning his gaze, he saw two of his companions, Avarah and Cor'Dei. As they neared, he rasped out, "The axe is mine." Then darkness covered him over as he fell unconscious.
SUNNYDALE, CA., 27OCTOBER, 20XX.
Xander approached both Buffy and Willow as they stood by their lockers talking. As he neared he heard the blonde Slayer explain that, according to G-Man, also known as Giles, her Watcher, Halloween is a quiet time for their 'extracurricular' activities.
"Ooh, how about a movie night at your place," said the red haired hacker, "We can get pizza, and raid some candy from the gift bowl after the Trick-or-Treaters are done for the night."
"Good idea, Wills," replied Buffy, "It'll be nice having a night in."
"So, can anyone get in on this," Xander asked, "Or is this a 'girl's night' thing?"
Thinking, for just a moment, Buffy responded, "Of course you can come. If Mom okays it, but that shouldn't be a problem. I mean, you have crashed with us before, so the same rules should apply."
"Cool," said the blondes and the redheads Xander-shaped friend, "Now, for the important stuff." He paused for a moment, a serious look on his face, and then went on, "Since this is Halloween, we must decide…. Cheesy, or Scary Horror movies?"
The trio laughed and then said as one, "Cheese."
"Cheesy it is," Xander declaimed, in a faux-ponderous tone, "As We Say, So Shall It Be."
Just then the slimy voice of Principal Snyder shattered the trios good cheer. "Harris, Rosenberg, Summers. Just the delinquents I was looking for," he said as he neared them, a clipboard in hand. "Looking forward to Halloween are we? Going to TP house, soap windows, go bobbing for apples and any other kind of degenerate idea that pops into your delinquent little minds? Well, not this year! You three are actually going to do some good," he declared thrusting the clipboard at Buffy, "Sign."
"Unfortunately, I've developed a sudden case of Carpal Tunnel," she explained , " And my doctor said I can't use a pencil, or pen, for two weeks."
"Funny," said the Tro-Principal Snyder, his tone as deadpan as his expression. Extending the clipboard once more, he restated, "Sign."
Knowing when to give in, Buffy signed the form, and watched glumly as her friends "voluntarily" signed as well. Handing back the form Xander, being the last to sign, asked, "So, what did we 'volunteer ' for?"
"Nothing much," replied Snyder, "Just to escort kids on Halloween." Snyder then scanned the grounds muttering, "Just one more." Pausing, he saw Cordellia and her Cordettes nearing and a self-satisfied smile appeared on his face. "Ms. Chase, just the person I was looking for," he said, with a smile, a nasty self-serving smile, on his face.
"Principal Snyder," said the Queen of Sunnydale High, unaware of that her pack of minions had vanished behind her, "What can I do for you?"
"Just sign here," he said, handing her the clipboard and a pen.
Quickly scanning the form, Cordelia's eyes widened, and she frantically began to look for a way, anyway, out of it. "Harm…," she started, looking behind her, only to find herself all alone. 'Bitches,' she thought to herself. "Unfortunately," the brunette cheerleader sai, "my family's having a party that night and I have to be there."
Not caring in the least, Snyder simply said, "How nice. Sign!"
Seeing the look on the Trol…Principal's face, she sighed and, mentally cursing her so-called friends, she signed.
"Very good," Snyder said, a victorious smirk on his face, " You four and Mr. Giles, will be escorting a group of children together. And to help you all out, each group chose a theme for their escorts costumes." Taking a moment, he scanned a second form that lay behind the first and then said, "Ah, here it is. You all get to dress up as a 'D adventuring party'. How nice."
He then reached into a pocket and pulled out a small sheet of paper, handing it to Buffy. "The PTA was even able to arrange for a costume shop to give an us an 'event' discount, here's the coupon." Taking a final look at the four 'volunteers' he went on, "Be at the School's front quad by 4:30 p.m. on Halloween. You'll escort them to 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. their parents will be here to pick them up at 9:00 p.m." Taking a final look at the four teens, he gave them a patently false smile and turning away said, "You four have a good day. Now, get to class."
=
Later the same day, Sunnydale High School Library
The quartet entered the library and found Giles in a discussion with Ms. Calendar, the new Computer Sciences teacher. As they drew closer to the two, they heard Ms. Calendar say, "…think that it would be a useful skill exercise for my classes and, bonus for you, you get a digital backup of your catalog of books."
"That may be so, Ms. Calendar…", Giles began, when Ms. Calendar interrupted.
"Jenny, please," she said, "Outside of class I'm not much of one for formality."
"Quite," the Englishman said, pulling his glasses off to clean the lenses. As he placed them back on, he noticed the four teens.
"Buffy, what brings you four here" he inquired.
"Snyder… Principal Snyder," the blonde teen began, " 'volunteered' the four of use to escort a group of kids on Halloween and said that you are to be our faculty supervisor."
"What," exclaimed Giles, "I never…! We will see about this!" And with those words he made for his office.
"So," began Ms. Calendar, "You have any ideas for a costume?"
Smiling, Xander replied, " At least that's an easy one. The kids were allowed to pick their escorts costumes theme, we got a 'D adventuring party' at least me and Wills, should have an easy go of it. We've been playing since we were 10 or 11."
"What's your main," Ms. Calendar asked, "I main Wizard, but sometimes I multiclass with Cleric of Mystra."
"What race," asked Willow interest shining in her eyes, "I mainly go Elf, or Half Elf Wizard, though I have been known to play a Druid."
"Human," Ms. Calendar replied, "I just like the broader approach you can have as one."
"That's exactly what Xander says whenever he plays," snarked the redhead, "but then again he does main as either a Fighter or Barbarian."
"Hey, don't dis the tank," he snarked back, "How many times have I saved you from a Goblin, Orc or even Kobolds?"
Buffy and Cordelia turned and looked at each other, confusion glazing their eyes. "Do you have any idea what they are talking about," the brunette asked the blonde.
"I have no earthly idea," Buffy replied. "It almost sounds like they're talking about some kind of game," she went on in a questioning tone.
Just then Giles reenter the library, grumbling something that sounded like, 'sodding troll' and 'give him a right rogering with a roll of rusty barbed wire'.
Unable to hold it in the four teens and Ms. Calendar broke into snorts and giggles, drawing the English Librarian's attention. Starting at the quintets attention, he once again removed his glasses and furiously polished it's lenses. "Right then," Giles began, placing his glasses back on, only to be interrupted by Xander.
"Sodding Troll," he said in a querying tone.
"Right rogering," Jenny said, fighting back a storm of giggles.
"Roll of rusty barbed wire," continued a red faced Willow.
Then the two cheerleaders, one current and one former, loked at each other and then back to Giles and said in unconscious unison, "Ouch, and Eewww!"
"Ahem, yes," began Giles a bit shamefaced, "Apparently, I inadvertently signed up on the incorrect sheet. I had wanted to volunteer for the weekend reading program, and not the Halloween escort. But, 'needs must' as they say, so I shall be joining you on Friday night."
"At least you already gave an idea for your costume, English," said Ms. Calendar.
"Yes, Principal Snyder told me about that," Giles stated, "Though I'm not quite certain of what kind of costume an 'Adventuring Party' would be appropriate. "
"Alexander, Willow," Jenny began turning to the two teens, "Bring your books tomorrow, and I'll bring mine as well."
"Why," Willow asked her teacher.
"Just our PHBs, or should we bring some setting books as well," Xander asked
"Which ones do you have," asked Jenny, "Dragonlance, Greyhawk, The Realms?"
"Mainly Realms, some Spelljammer, and Ravenloft," said Willow.
'The irony of that last one,' thought Xander to himself before saying, "Plus Wills and my little bit of Homebrew. We call it The Shattered Isles."
"Bring your Realms books," said Jenny, "At least we're all familiar with it."
"Wait, we," Buffy asked, catching what Jenny had just said.
"Yes, we," Jenny replied, "I'll be joining you. This sounds a lot more fun than the plans I had anyways." She then looked at them all a d went on saying, "Look the kids want 'D Adventuring Party' to escort them, so let's give them one. Don't just put on the costume and call it a night. Let's go all in, outfits, names, histories the whole nine yards, and the best way I know to do that is to start with creating a character!" She looked at the group, who looked half convinced, and then went in for the kill, "Plus, imagine the look on Snyder's face when he sees you and the kids having a blast." Another look, and she knew she had them.
=
SUNYDALE HIGH LIBRARY, 28OCTOBER20XX.
Giles and Jenny had just finished setting up a table for the six to sit at and work on when the doors opened, and the four teens entered, Willow and Xander with a little extra bulk in their respective backpacks. Xander approached the table and, after placing his bag upon it, pulled out chairs saying, in a slightly comedic gentleman's tone, as he did so, "Good Lady, your chair." First to Buffy, then Willow and lastly Cordelia, before taking his own seat beside the brunette.
Taking her seat Jenny reached down and pulled a couple of books out of her bag and placed them on yhe table. "Okay," she began, "Since there are three of us that gave played before, we'll pair up with a new person." Gesturing to Giles she said, "I'll take English, Willow since you're already next to her, why don't you help Buffy."
"And I'll work with Cordy," added Xander, already seeing the outcome of his impromptu seating.
"Now, let me give a brief run down….," Jenny said as she gestured for Xander and Willow to pull out their books, before she began to explain.
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"You need to start with an image of the character in your mind, what are they, what do they look like, a name, all the little details.", Willow explained, trying to flesh out an image in Buffy's mind.
"All she wanted to do was dance", the Slayer said, a strange intensity in her tone.
=
"What race you are can influence your stats, give you some perks, or penalties, and can influence how others react to you in the game," Xander said while watching Cordelia peruse the list of races.
"The Aasimar, they can have any kind of Divine heritage," the brunette cheerleader inquired, "They could be descendants of a Sea God?" Because she was looking at the book, Xander didn't notice the subtle golden glow that shone from her eyes.
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"Now, English," Jenny said, "Your class I literally your role in the party. A Fighter, or Barbarian are tanks and a shield wall for the others. An Arcane spellcaster is a force multiplier…"
"Can one be more than one class," Giles asked feeling equally interested in the Bard and Cleric.
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The rattle of dice filled the library as Willow rolled her stats, ne er noticing the subtle warmth that filled the dice.
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He didn't know why, it went against his usual choices, but this time, this character he decided to go with an axe instead of a sword. It somehow just felt right.
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Jenny thought about her name, what to call herself, she wondered. She had lived disguised for so long she sometimes wondered if she knew who she really was anymore. Then it hit her, she knew what to call her character, to call herself. And raising her pencil she filled in the block. Janna Kalderash.
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And the eyes of a God looked upon his subtle works and was pleased.