Adventures in Everlund
Chapter 8 - The Case of the Captives
17th of Mirtul, 1492 DR
As Valeria gets close to Corporal Thorne’s house, she dons the disguise of a demure disciple. Walking slowly and steadily, she approaches the bandit on guard near the front door. Keeping an eye out for any other movement, she spots another bandit off to the side of the house, appearing to be on patrol. She notes that they are exchanging hand signals with someone inside the house. With a calming breath, she continues forward at the same unhurried pace, muttering to herself. “The light of the Moon. I’ll say the light of the Moon… the light of the Moon be upon you, brother.”
She travels down the wide path that angles in to approach the front door. A short, stalky human is on watch. As Valeria gets closer, he looks up with a glare. “What do you want here? This is no place for preachin’. Move along!”
Valeria continues to walk, moving closer to the house. “The light of the Moon has guided me here, brother. Someone at this place is injured and is in need of healing."
“You must be mistaken,” he growls. “No one here is in need of any healing. Move along if you know what's best for you.”
Valeria takes unhurried steps closer, the habit swishing over her plate mail, walking slowly to maintain her cover by keeping her armor from clanging. "Brother, it is clear that I mean no harm. You see my robes. You see my holy symbol of Selûne. What danger is there in letting me tend to the injured?" (persuasion:nat 20)
The bandit blinks, glancing back at the house in confusion. "Fine, but be quick. We don't want any trouble." He steps to the side and allows her to enter the house.
Valeria offers a soft smile. "Selûne light your way, brother." Valeria heads inside the house and sees two more bandits. One is near the front door, seated on the floor and mending a piece of leather armor. The other is in a chair further back, near three huddled figures, matching the descriptions given by Thorne. Valeria slowly moves towards the family and tries to placate the guards. "It's alright. Selûne sent me. I've been guided here to offer help and healing.”
The bandit at the door rises to his feet and puts the armor aside. The older man, eyeing Valeria suspiciously, rises and takes a few steps towards her. “What are you talking about? We don’t need any healing or help from a loony cleric."
Valeria extends an arm towards the closest bandit, casting Giant’s Might through the rune on her sword. As she grows to eleven feet tall, Valeria easily reaches the bandit by the door and picks him up as though he weighs nothing.
Yávië slips from view as Valeria dons her habit. She moves through the forest with grace and ease, until she’s in a spot where she can slowly approach from the right side of the house. She finds a large window through which she can see a woman and two children huddled close together. Their clothes are intact, their expressions somber, and their faces streaked with dirt and tears. From this vantage, she can see two bandits inside. One is close to the front door, and partially obscured from view by furniture. The other is near the family, keeping a close eye on them.
Outside the house, the bandit keeping an eye on the rear has continued to patrol the perimeter. As he goes out of view, Yávië knows she has a limited amount of time to accomplish the extraction. Turning her attention back inside, she sees Valeria enter the house. Yávië steps quietly up to the window as she watches Valeria grow to giant size, creating a situation that fully distracts both bandits inside the house.
Yávië quietly taps on the window, gaining the woman’s attention. The woman hurries over with the children, pushing open a section of the window. With relief in her eyes, the woman whispers, “The lady with the swirling eyes! Thorne told us to expect you. Please, help us!!”
Yávië smiles and says in a soft, comforting tone, “Sure am! Let’s get you outta here. Everyone, touch my hand. You’re about to be teleported out of the house and into that bush over there. A gnome and a giant rat will lead you to safety.”
The family gathers around close and each of them touch Yávië’s hand. She casts Fey Step and all four of them blink over to a bush a few feet away. Squeezing the mother’s hand, she looks back toward the tree line, where she sees Nimly casting Eldritch Blast at the bandit who’d been on patrol behind the house. With an uttered, “Damnit,” she beckons to the family and begins leading them off in the direction of the woods.
Nimly and Thorn leave Valeria as the house comes into view; with a few words and a gesture, the gnome casts Invisibility on himself and vanishes. Thorn slinks into the bushes and the pair stealthily move up into position.
From their high vantage point at the forest’s edge, Nimly can see through a window where Thorne’s family is visible, huddled close together. Knowing what to look for, he can see the small disturbances that reveal Yávië’s sneaky approach to the side of the house. As he looks for patrolling bandits, he sees only two that are visible; one stands guard near the front where Valeria is approaching and one is walking a patrol near the rear of the house. There is also a tree some distance behind the structure that looks to have some kind of hollow space in it, though it’s hard to be sure from this distance.
The rat and the gnome wait several minutes; Nimly watches anxiously, beginning to bite his nails as Valeria approaches the house, speaks with the guard out front and moves inside. The bushes rustle slightly and Yávië moves in close to a window. A chorus of yells erupt a few seconds after Valeria moves out of sight and into the Thorne family house. The family runs up to the window near Yávië, exchange a few quick words and they suddenly vanish from view, popping up a few seconds later from some bushes to run for the tree line.
Nimly watches the patrolling bandit coming around the back of the house. Not willing to allow him to attack the fleeing family, Nimly hops up onto Thorn’s saddle and hurls a curse at the bandit, using his bonus action to place a Strength Hex. He follows that spell with an Eldritch Blast, infused with Repelling Blast. The stream of force energy slams into him, causing him to stagger from 13 damage and sending him flying 10 feet back. The bandit picks himself up and looks around wildly, before retreating inside the back door of the house.
Nimly turns his attention back to Yávië and the family. With a look from her he doesn’t understand, he watches as she beckons the family to follow her, and disappears into the forest with them.
Roll Initiative.
Round 1
Thorn, using his movement and dash action, runs at full speed around to the back of the house, searching for the bandit who fled inside. Nimly, mounted on Thorn, fires another Eldritch Blast through the open doorway at the Hexed bandit for 6 points of force damage, causing him to bounce off a cabinet and fall unconscious.
The older bandit inside the house trembles in fear, lashing out feebly with his scimitar and missing. The bravado he’d felt in hoping to intimidate a lady of Selûne has fled now that she has grown to giant size. Her initiate’s robes have grown with her, creating some absurdity that he feels incapable to examine. He trembles as he strikes out with his sword, suffering from such bad timing that the sword slips from his fingers as his followthrough swing bounces off a wooden pillar in the house.
With a mighty laugh, Valeria takes the bandit she’s holding and slams him against the failed swordsman, who falls to the ground unconscious. She retains her grip on the first bandit, who is reeling from the blow and unable to escape her grasp.
Hearing the commotion, the guard out front runs in and freezes, unable to sort out the priorities between fighting and flighting. The house feels much smaller with Valeria’s massive form crouched in the living room, casually holding his fellow as though he were a fairly light tower shield. The giant turns to him and smiles.
Round 2
Casting his gaze about, Nimly's eyes lock onto a bandit running towards him. She falters as Nimly raises his hand, channeling the dark energies of his pact. He mutters a few arcane words, transferring the Hex from the fallen bandit onto this new target. The air around Nimly crackles with power and he narrows his eyes at the sprinting bandit. As she makes a run for the tree to use as cover, he raises his hand in a swift, fluid motion. He unleashes an Eldritch Blast, the beam of dark energy sizzling through the air (natural 20).
The blast strikes the bandit with the force of a battering ram, catching her in mid leap. The Hex amplifies the impact and the woman is lifted off her feet as she’s thrown back. Her eyes widen in sheer terror as the blast hits her square in the chest. The force of the impact is so immense that it shatters her armor, sending bits of metal and leather flying in all directions. Her body is propelled backward, spinning and rolling until she comes to rest in a heap. Nimly watches for a few moments. She doesn’t move.
Valeria eyes the bandit gibbering in the doorway and hefts the one she still holds. With a mighty heave, she tosses the bandit in her grasp towards the gawking door guard. The bandit squeals in surprise as he’s hurled toward his companion. The tossed guard falls unconscious upon impact. The door guard tries to recover from the mighty blow, but all he manages is to weakly stand, swaying in a dazed stupor.
Round 3
Nimly, riding on Thorn, makes an arc around the side of the house, looking for more bandits or anything else that is notable. He moves the Hex from the now incapacitated woman in the field at the back of the house to the door guard that has just now recovered his feet. The Strength Hex takes hold and Nimly leaves him to Valeria, angling Thorn toward the tree at the rear of the house. When they get close, Nimly hops off Thorn and checks out the hollow space.
With a determined stride, Valeria approaches the severely injured door guard, grabbing him and lifting him off the ground. With a laugh, Valeria bonks him on the head, rendering him unconscious. Combat fades as all visible threats have been dealt with.
Nimly runs his hand through the dirt casting Guidance on himself. He continues toward the tree and investigates the stash he noticed earlier. Hidden in a hollow at the base of the tree, Nimly finds a map, a letter and a pouch of gold. Happy with his find and tossing the pouch of gold from hand to hand, Nimly sidles back up onto Thorn and heads for the front of the house. He continues to watch the perimeter of the cleared area as he goes, ensuring no more bandits lie in wait.
Yávië easily slips away with the family while the bandits are engaged by the giant knight and the spell-slinging gnome. She casts Pass Without a Trace and slowly leads the family through the woods, on the one-mile journey back to Everlund. They navigate carefully through the city streets and approach the warehouse near the temple. Yávië curses as she remembers Nimly has the key she needs. She glances around, quietly and quickly opening her thieves tools and picking the lock. The family stands by, mired in the quiet terror of the evening; the mother speaks in a constant low tone of reassurance and distraction for the young children.
The warehouse is dark and quiet. Finding the store room and the passage quickly, Yávië leads the family down into the basement of the Temple. A little halfling is on vigil as the four hurry into the room. “Oh, Yávië, you are here, oh goodness, you poor poor things! Let’s get you safely to your room. Blessings upon you all tonight.” The halfing hurries the group forward, fussing over the children and herding the family towards their secret accommodations.
Yávië follows the halfling back up to the main floor of the Temple, thankful for the guide as the layout of the basement isn’t nearly as airy and easy to navigate. She comes out in the familiar light of the glowing white marble and makes her way to the front desk. “Excuse me, is there anyone I could talk to about relics?” The tall elven cleric looks up. “Well, yes… that would be the High Priestess. She is quite busy, but I can see if she has a moment.”
The man stands, beckoning her to follow. They travel up a set of marble stairs, past rooms filled with artifacts, tomes and artwork of Selûne. He leads her to a large carved door, knocking gently on the solid wood. A voice from inside responds with a single clipped word. “Enter.” The elf turns to Yávië. “She will see you.” He opens the door with a bow and closes it behind her.
Yávië pauses a moment, instinctively noticing the valuable objects littered about the room. Delicate strands of enchanted moonlight weave through the air, casting a soft, silvery glow. Shelves line the walls, filled with extensive collections of rare books, texts and artifacts. Yávië sees carved statues of Selûne, glowing crystals and other magical items. Upon the High Priestess’s desk sits an ornate silver tea set, engraved with celestial motifs and embedded with tiny sapphires. Crystals spheres sit along low shelves about the room, each enchanted to show swirling visions of enhanced divination spells.
Yávië clears her throat, “Excuse me. Hi. I am Yávië.”
“Well met. I am High Priestess Liora. What do you need, child?”
Yávië pauses for a moment, deciding to keep the rescue mission unmentioned for now. She smiles at the High Priestess and chases a different thought. “I am on a personal quest. The clerk said I might gain some insight by talking to you about relics. Would you happen to know anything about the Celestial Orb?”
Liora’s expression remains cool and stony as she moves behind her desk to sit down. She gestures at another chair across from her. “How did you come to hear about the Celestial Orb, Yávië?”
Yávië takes a moment to size the High Priestess up, not wanting to say too much about the orb. “A woman in Triboar has asked me to find it.”
Liora’s eyes narrow slightly, as she studies Yávië carefully. “The Celestial Orb is not something spoken of lightly. It is a sacred relic of immense power, closely tied to the very essence of Selûne. It is not for the unworthy or ill-intentioned to seek. Will you tell me her name or her intentions with the orb?”
“Mirabelle is her name and she’s the mayor of Triboar. I am trying to do some digging myself before following through with her request.”
The High Priestess nods thoughtfully, her expression softening. “Yes, Lady Mirabelle is known to me. Her actions are most often aligned with the greater good.” She rises, coming around the desk to look Yávië in the eye. “It is wise of you to seek intentions before proceeding.” She pauses, then continues, “If Lady Mirabelle has requested the orb, there is likely a noble purpose behind it. Still… I must make sure the power is not misused. I will aid in your quest, but you must demonstrate your commitment to Selûne and the protection of this sacred relic.” She turns and opens a hidden compartment in her desk. Inside, there is a glowing orb. “Prove your dedication through a task that benefits the temple and the city of Everlund. Once you have shown your worthiness, I will consider discussing the Celestial Orb. Remember, the light of Selûne is always watching over you.”
Yávië’s eyes widen at the sight of the orb. “I will continue on my current path and prove myself beneficial to Selûne. Thank you, High Priestess.” Liora nods in dismissal. Yávië takes her leave, thinking on the orb and how best to acquire it now that it is finally within her reach.
Intrepid adventurers and DMs, I hope you enjoyed this tale!
May your rolls be critically high or dramatically low, adding flavor and excitement to your campaigns!