Once the group was ready to go, Piper hopped down from her perch on the boulder and followed them down the path. She stalked next to Astarion, wondering how he was going to bring up their little mishap last night. She was surprised no one had heard them wrestling in the dirt, but it worked in his favor at least. It gave him more time to come up with the truth. However, he stayed quiet on their hike, keeping an arrow at the ready in case of an ambush.
Laezel and Wyll led the charge, each mapping out the forest and the winding paths. Piper hadn't come this way before, so she just followed and waited as they discussed what they had seen the day prior. Shadowheart grew irritated, but Piper tried to sooth her emotions by rubbing her head against her hand. While she didn't love being treated like a pet, she understood that she could at least distract the cleric. Shadowheart sighed, silently appreciative of the gesture.
Eventually, they were able to find their way to the goblin camp. Piper wasn't exactly sure how they were going to get in and around the number of goblins roaming the area, but she played along regardless. She could hear the goblins and worgs communicating as they approached, but Wyll gestured for them to follow him. He had found a way around the guards and into the center of the camp.
It was a riskier route, but Piper trusted Wyll enough to try it. Once they crossed the decaying wooden bridge, the warlock led them towards the river, underneath a different bridge that led to the broken-down temple. Piper wasn't sure how the warlock knew that this place existed, but she was glad he did. There wasn't a goblin around, not that she really knew what they looked like. She could see them from far away, but she didn't get a good look.
"Just up this wall and we're at the temple," Wyll informed before Astarion walked up to him. Wyll stopped as the group turned to him.
"How did you find this route?" the vampire asked, finding it odd that Wyll found the one way in without having to answer any questions.
"We saved a deep gnome the other day from a goblin, and the goblin described this route in exchange for its life," Wyll explained. "Laezel thought I should've run my blade through its stomach anyway, but I spared the goblin."
"There could be an ambush up there, then," Astarion surmised as Piper glanced up at the bridge. There didn't seem to be anyone around the bridge, but that could be a sign that they were hiding. Wyll stared at Astarion in silence for a moment before sighing.
"Fair point. Let me go up and I'll give the signal if it's safe," Wyll compromised. The group waited as Wyll climbed to the top. Piper's tail flicked in anticipation, waiting to hear him shout in surprise. Instead Wyll looked over the edge and gave them a thumbs up.
Piper had a bit of a struggle getting up the wall in her feline form, but she managed it eventually after everyone else was already at the top. She could see the goblin camp more clearly now and saw the goblins as well. They were short creatures with nearly green skin and very long pointed ears, even more so than Astarion's. Most had tattoos and piercings, and Piper wondered what the significance of them were, if any.
With Astarion back at her side, they began to cross the bridge towards the temple before an unseen force came over them. Piper felt as if something heavy was pressing on her back as she fell on her stomach, her paws stretched in front of her. The rest of her party was on their knees as the world around them swirled to blackness. Panic set in as she heard a disembodied voice, speaking to them as if it were a god.
Then a vision of three people came before them. There was an armored man who exuded power and control. To his left was a slender yet pale woman with pure white eyes and a dagger in her hand. The third was a man who was younger than the first who seemed arrogant and proud. The voice deemed them her Chosen, and they were looking for a prism. It was an artifact of great importance, and its retrieval was paramount.
Piper didn't even know where to begin with this information. Nothing about this made sense, and they hadn't made the animal speaking potion so she could ask her questions while in this form. Why were they chosen to help find this box? And why did they have this thing talking to them in their heads?
Shadowheart broke free of her invisible bonds as she reached towards the vision with a strange object in her hand. She strained to get the item close enough before it took on a life of its own, spinning and glowing in midair. The light it gave off pushed away the voice and darkness, letting Piper and the party stand up and breathe again. She stood on all fours, shaking off her stress. Astarion stepped forward, pointing at the thing now in Shadowheart's hand.
"Just what in the Hells is that thing?" he demanded loudly. The cleric glared at him before she shrugged.
"It's something that is important to my cloister, and it's imperative that I get it back to Baldur's Gate at all costs," the cleric answered sternly, returning the object to her pocket. Piper peeked her head around Astarion, curious about it as well.
"That is an heirloom of my people, half-elf," Laezel butted in, her accusation hanging in the air. Shadowheart glared at her.
"And it's protecting us from the voice for now. Let's just press on and we can deal with this later," Gale suggested, getting between the two. Both Shadowheart and Laezel backed off as emotions died down a little. "Now, let's get into that temple and see if we can find this missing druid, eh?"
"The sooner we get the druid, the sooner we can leave," Astarion added, already growing tired of this task. Wyll shook his head as he stepped forward.
"And leave Zevlor and his people to fight these monsters on the road? Absolutely not. We have to take out the leadership," the warlock reminded. Astarion groaned loudly and dramatically, to which everyone ignored.
"Okay, we'll find out where the druid is and then we'll take out the leadership," Gale corrected before clapping his hands. Piper stretched out her spine idly before padding with the group through the goblin camp.
Wyll and Gale found a few side items to take care of as Shadowheart lamented over something about the temple. Laezel and Karlach stuck together, wondering when the fighting was going to start. Piper stuck close to Astarion, who seemed incredibly bored. She grew momentarily distracted by the firepit as she smelled roasted meats. In her feline form, her nose was more sensitive, and her mouth watered immediately. She didn't realize how hungry the walking had made her until she saw the rack of ribs near the fire.
Piper wandered away from Astarion and closer to the goblins, who seemed wary of the panther. She purred and gestured towards the meat. They eyed her stupidly, not understanding what she was getting at. With a huff, she mewed and nipped at the meat again before lowering herself down. A goblin laughed before throwing her a piece of something. It wasn't off the spit, but it wasn't leftovers either. She caught it as she chewed her snack, ripping the meat from the bone. She padded over away from the goblins towards a wooden structure close to a statue so she could see the main camp area.
That's when she saw Astarion offering to give the goblins a toast. She hummed, thinking it was strange that he would celebrate with them, but she turned her attention away. She searched for her other companions. Laezel and Karlach were gambling on a game of some sort involving a chicken. Wyll and Gale were bartering with a goblin and a gaudily dressed man. Shadowheart was by herself across the way, her head bowed in prayer. Piper's tail flicked as she finished the meat off. She almost wondered if she could get some more when there was a scream.
Piper perked up her ears and turned to the sound. Several of the goblins had started to topple over, dropping their drinks and spilling them across the ground. She got to her feet as she smelled some of the spilt liquid near her. It was a bittersweet smell that was almost masked by the scent of the beer itself. The beer had been poisoned.
Quickly, she turned and looked for her vampire friend. Piper had seen him drink from the same vat as they had, meaning that he probably had consumed the same poison. Maybe if she could get to Gale fast enough, then she could save Astarion. When she couldn't see the pale elf, she started towards the wizard before an invisible force grabbed her tail. She turned to bite her assailant only to find no one.
In her surprise, she could hear her companions be questioned. The goblins knew that the beer had been poisoned, and that they were probably to blame. Piper glanced around again, and found no sign of the pale elf, meaning that it was likely that it was him that pulled on her tail. How she didn't see him, she didn't know. She turned to look behind her again to hear a small laugh, and she recognized it immediately. She lashed her tail to the side, out of his reach, or at least she guessed. She turned and started sniffing the ground, trying to find the vampire.
Now that she knew what and where to look for, Piper could hear his careful footsteps as he tried to elude her. Soon, her nose bumped into his leg, and she purred, rubbing her face against it in an effort to get him to laugh. Piper felt a hand press down on her head along with a chuckle before Astarion was gone again. With a sigh, she turned, not sure where he had run off to.
Gale and Wyll walked over to her as she saw the gaudily dressed man walk with the goblin inside the temple. They didn't look thrilled, but it seemed that it was time to move on. And it seemed that Astarion had ruined the chicken gambling game as Karlach and Laezel came back, both looking a little defeated. Shadowheart waited by the door, watching them.
"Where's Astarion?" Wyll asked, glancing around.
"Up here," the pale elf smiled down from the platform above. Piper narrowed her eyes, realizing that he had grabbed the wooden planks and evaded her. "Are we ready to head inside?"
"I think so. We're going to have to get Volo on the way," Gale added. Astarion rolled his eyes as he hopped down to the ground.
"Always something, isn't it?" he argued.
"We'll think of something," Gale reassured as they walked towards the large doors.
Piper wasn't prepared for the foul smell when they walked into the temple. It smelled of dust, decay, and burnt flesh. She rubbed her nose with her paw, hoping for something, but she just had to ignore it the best she could. Gale walked up to the guard, talking their way into the temple. Apparently, they were there to see the leaders in charge. Panicking, Gale said they were there to see Dror Ragzlin. Piper wasn't sure what a Dror Ragzlin was, but she was sure it wasn't good.
Once they had made their way passed the guards, they made their way towards an abandoned alcove away from most of the bustle. Piper sat and listened as Gale suggested they split up. He suggested that Astarion, Shadowheart, and Piper go to look for the druid while the rest of them started to track down the leaders and take them out. Whoever found Volo first would help him out as well.
"Are we sure that this is the best course of action?" Astarion asked. If one group got into a scrap, then it could get dangerous. Especially since Piper hadn't really been in a fight since their first meeting at the druid gate.
"I'm sure it'll be fine," Gale answered before he pulled out a spell scroll. "Here's a sending spell, just in case. If you find yourself in a spot of trouble, use this and we'll come as fast as we can. I also have one, so if you hear me, come as fast as you can, too."
"I suppose that's a good tradeoff," Astarion relented. The temple wasn't that large after all, surely it wouldn't be too big of a problem. He grabbed the scroll from Gale and handed it to Shadowheart to tuck away. She had more experience in magic than he did, and he would have his hands full with his bow anyway.
Once they had their headings, the group split off. While Priestess Gut was in plain sight, Gale thought it would be best to locate the other two before they started to pick them off. Piper followed Astarion and Shadowheart in search of the druid. She listened to conversations as they passed, wondering if anyone would let anything slip. Then she heard a very peculiar conversation.
"There's a bear in the cell? Why are they keeping a bear in a cell?" a tiny voice squeaked. It was so soft that Piper almost missed it. She turned and saw two rats talking. She walked towards them, tilting her head to the side. They saw her immediately.
"How did a panther get in here?!" they shrieked as they started to scramble. Piper glanced between them.
"I'm sorry, I don't mean you any harm. I might know the bear you're talking about," she quickly lied. The rats stopped, confused by her admission. While she didn't know any bears, it was very strange to keep a bear in a prison cell unless it was a druid in wildshape. The rats didn't approach her, but they didn't run away either. "I'm trying to get the bear out of the cell. I want to get the bear back home."
"That might be a little hard, there's a ton of those monsters guarding him. They do terrible things to him. They throw rocks at him and poke him with sticks," the rat informed, his voice shaky. Piper nodded her head as she looked down.
"Where are the cells?" Piper asked before the rats glanced at each other.
"There's a room down the hall passed the rickety floor room. Go through the door and then you'll be in the prison. You should be able to hear the bear in there," the rat explained. Piper sighed and nodded.
"Thank you, I owe you one," she replied before she bounded after Astarion and Shadowheart.
They had been walking in the wrong direction when Piper caught up to them. She pulled on the edge of Shadowheart's armor, pulling her to a stop. Piper tried to give them the directions the rats gave her before she remembered the language barrier. With a huff, she tried to gesture with her head. Shadowheart and Astarion glanced at each other before the cleric sighed, following the panther down the hall.
"You know, I wonder if she's stuck again," Shadowheart mentioned as they walked. Astarion hummed as Piper waited for them by the wooden bridge area leading to the next room. "She can change into multiple animals in a day, I don't know why she hasn't changed back into her human form once we got here. I'm sure it helps with traveling through the forest, but it would be so much easier if she would just talk to us."
Piper heard their conversation, and she stared at Astarion, her tail swaying behind her. This would be a great time to start explaining the situation, or at least give something that would let her back into her human form without outing him immediately.
"Maybe she prefers being in animal form," Astarion suggested. Piper narrowed her eyes menacingly as Astarion averted his gaze.
"After all the trouble and fuss we went through with the language spells and getting her back into human form? I doubt it," Shadowheart scoffed. Piper nodded once before she stood again. She stood next to the cleric, staring at the vampire. Astarion glanced between the two of them before shrugging. "I wonder if something happened during the night, then. When I woke up, she was in panther form. I didn't see her in her human form at all today."
"Are we even sure this is Piper?"
"Who else would it be? Panthers aren't this docile, no offense," Shadowheart replied, glancing at Piper.
"Who knows? I don't have an animal speaking potion," Astarion floundered as Shadowheart raised an eyebrow.
"I don't either," Shadowheart replied before she hummed. She put a finger to her chin before she placed her other hand on Piper's shoulder. Piper could feel almost a soothing, probing magic as Shadowheart searched for something. The panther watched as Shadowheart opened her eyes with a frown. "Well, you're healthy for the most part, but you seem to be iron deficient. I wonder if you were feeling light headed and thought your animal form would make you feel better."
Piper stared up at Shadowheart as the cleric stood before the panther glared at Astarion, who was watching intently. She wasn't sure why, but this felt like cheating. Piper had hoped that Astarion would come clean about his vampirism to others, but it seemed that Shadowheart had figured out what was wrong without learning the true cause. A bright magic settled over Piper as Shadowheart whispered an incantation. Even in panther form, Piper felt more energetic and alert.
"That should feel better, at least. Now, let's go find this druid and see if he can get you unstuck again," Shadowheart informed, leading the way through the rooms. Piper had half a mind to kick Astarion into one of the goblins as they passed, but she restrained herself. Even if he looked rather pleased with himself.