The small feathered serpent coils around the coiled finger, also embracing it with its small wings. At Spira's words, the baby-snake's telepathic communication spreads to the entire party: "Mom! I love you mom! I like mom's warmth! Hi stepmoms! Are you warm too? And who is the small winged one?" its eyes are looking at Zentromya "It's my sister?"
Meanwhile the little creature licks the Sergeant of Arvandor's finger with its small forked tongue, tickling it slightly.
Spira doesn't have a precise idea of how to take care of snakes... probably, Gaer, who had always been more interested in nature and the care of animals than her, would have been able to advise her... but she remembers that, usually, snakes love heat more than cold and in any case, as far as the tiefling understands, the specimen shows no signs of problems or illnesses - it seems in good health.
In the meantime, Solitude has recovered from the surprise of the sudden telepathic communication and raises an eyebrow: "S-stepmom? Oh, of course little... beastie? You'll see that everything will be fine..." (the ironic tone reveals her skepticism) "Aunt Balfby will surely be happy to meet you too..."
In Longsaddle, (while the 'Party of Four' gets closer and closer to their destination) one day, Rash, Anita, Roxana and Gaer, while they are relaxing and having a drink together in the common room of the Sharnshield Mansion, see Thia speeding towards them - and the next moment the exuberant young half-elf is already at the table, excitedly announcing: "You have a visit! A foreign admirerrequests the honor of meeting you! He has heard of your exploits and has made a long travel to meet you... What do you want me to do? Shall I accompany him here?"
Thia admits: "Well, by 'foreign' I meant 'not from Longsaddle', not necessarily 'from some very distant country'... Anyway, yes, he knows that you've resurrected Dobbian! And that Roxana is a great, stealthy archer! And that Rash is a wizard who immobilized a fiend with his bare hands! It seems like you've become famous, guys..." she giggles amused and excited, as she runs away (probably to get the admirer).
"Hey, what am I famous for?" Anita tries to ask, but the young half-elf girl is already far away.
“For the magic cakes, I think!” Gaer jokes, winking and the ex-Zhemntarim sticks her tongue out at him in response.
Meanwhile, Thia returns, literally dragging a young man behind her, with slightly wavy brown hair, a beard and mustache both short and well-groomed, whose elegant clothes and jewels suggest that he is of noble stock (or at least rich and with good taste) .
"There he is, guys!" the lively half-elf accompanies the newcomer to your table, quickly offering him a chair "Happy now, Bemon?" she smiles at him "I'll leave you with your heroes... But when you're done with them, remember who made you meet them and come and have a chat with me too! Understood?"
"Of course!" the young man smiles back "How could I neglect to repay such kindness, diligence and nobility of soul? I will be very happy to see you again soon, dear Thia" and he kisses her hand.
At that point, although blushing, struggling to take her eyes off him and turning around three or four times, Thia goes out to take care of other things... and the newcomer dedicates all his attention to you, looking at you attentively, as if you were works of art.
"As you have already heard, my name is Bemon, esteemed heroes..." he finally greets you "You have no idea what a pleasure it is for me to meet you! Your fame spreads... I presume I have the pleasure of find myself in the presence of... Roxana 'Shadow Archer' and Rash 'Wrestling Wizard'?" he takes Roxana's hand to kiss it, if she allows him, and warmly shakes Rash's hand, if he accepts.
Bemon then turns to Anita: "And you... would you be Aidwyn 'Shield Maiden', perhaps? Or Quspira 'Sergeant of Arvandor'?"
Anita first holds out her hand to be kissed, then, while the gallant stranger is doing it, she sighs: "No, I'm Anita 'Magic-Cake Baker', Rash's famous assistant".
"Oh, um..." the other doesn't seem to know exactly what to answer initially, but immediately recovers "Of course! Honored to also make your acquaintance! You are a more mysterious figure than Rash, but perhaps for this reason even more fascinating".
Rash can't help but chuckle at the exchange between Bemon and Anita.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Bemon," the half-orc says, accepting the handshake. "Yes, you're correct in your assumptions about who we are. Oh, and the horny fella next to the 'shadow archer' is Gaer, Quispira's brother. Sorry that Quispira and Aidwyn couldn't be here today, they wandered off somewhere to dedicate Aidwyn to the service of some god or another. So, you came out here just to meet us? I'm not quite sure what we did to deserve that honor, but I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say that I'm flattered."
Roxana doesn't pull her hand away when Bemon takes it to kiss it. But she can't help but laugh. "Shadow Hunter? You are saying that there is someone calling me that?" She listens as he talks to the others. As she listens, she seems to be giving a more and more skeptical look. "Yes, so just why did you come here to meet us? It seems like you want something."
"Oh, it's a pleasure to meet the brother of the 'Sergeant of Arvandor' too!" Benom also shakes hands with Gaer, who however seems to remain slightly wary.
"Yes, of course, Lady Roxana!" the stranger assures "The courier who told me about your exploits a few days ago referred to you with this title, 'Shadow Archer'... He said that your enemies are not able to spot you, not even as you shot them with your merciless bow!"
"Well, flattered..." Bemon continues "Leave false modesty aside! What you have managed to accomplish is incredible! I think I am not exaggerating when I say that you have given hope to anyone who has heard about you... These are hard times. There are many dangers. You have no idea how much the common and most vulnerable people feel reassured when they hear about you and how you have even managed to defeat even death... People needs people like you. Dreams are food for the soul. And you... seems like you are the salt of the dreams".
Catching Roxana's skeptical look, the newcomer holds her gaze and smiles: "It seems like I want something? An eye that is not only precise in aiming, but also attentive to details, so..."
"Roxana is not only as sneaky as a shadow," Gaer is now looking hard at the other too "she also has a quick mind. So why don't you get to the point, Bemon? If you have something to ask... try asking".
"What I would like first of all," the stranger continues to smile, without losing any of his tranquility "would be to hear the report of your great undertaking from your own lips... You know, the rumors I have already heard are fascinating... but sometimes, the news, passing from mouth to mouth, end up being a little distorted... While I... I would really appreciate hearing from you how things really went. Would you do this for me?"
Anita, slightly tense, hastens to say: "You seem like a dear person, Bemon, but I can tell you very little... I was at home baking a magic cake for Rash, you know..." evidently, she doesn't intend to reveal to the other to have been a Zhentarim.
“I really have to order one from you, one day, then” the newcomer smiles. "I'll pay you well. They must be delicious" he then shifts his gaze to the other three heroes... he seems really eager to hear the story...
The night passes peacefully, with the newly added baby-winged-serpent remaining all the time in contact with Spira's skin, curiously crawling all over her and enjoying the warmth of her body.
[[OOC: Can Spira give the little creature a name... what name do you like for him? It's a male, by the way ]]
The next day, it is a day of moderate cold and light annoying rain. The baby-winged-serpent occasionally dares to try to fly a little, but it is clear that he still has to familiarize himself with the technique... he can only stay in the air for short journeys and regularly (and willingly) returns to the 'mom's' body heat.
At night you camp near a pond, but you are woken up by the sound of something large diving into the water from the other bank from you...
Rash can't help but smile at Anita's proclamation that she was baking a magic cake... sooner or later he's really going to have to find a magic cake recipe. Maybe Blinn has one, but then again since Blinn is a Harpell who knows what side effects one of his recipes might have?
"Well, let's see... for me it started when some lady at the bar where I was resting for the evening announced that Lady Martha needed some help from a bunch of adventurers, and I decided to sign up," Rash says. "That was when I met the others... Roxanna, Aidwyn, Quispira, and there was a very angry guy by the name of Obadiah when we started out as well, but I'm afraid that he left us shortly after the mission was completed. I won't lie, I feel a bit bad about that. I think we may have been a bit hard on the poor guy... anyway, after that we went to a diviner named Colin who told us to find a 'bead' in a cavern. So, we went and found the cavern, which by the time we got there was full of Zhentarim... and we kind of fought through them and killed most of them. I still feel pretty bad about how much bloodshed there was... I still think we could have spared more of them... oh well. Anyway, after the dust settled that was when we met Gaer here... the poor guy, along with another tiefling named Solitude and a halfling named Milo, had been taken prisoner by the Zhents.
Gaer and Solitude joined us on our quest after we rescued them. We figured out that there was an ancient Harpell laboratory hidden underneath the cave. After fighting through the security... which consisted mostly of undead freaks, animated armor, and autonomous fireballs, we eventually made it to the dungeon where we found a few supernatural creatures contained in magic circles... and that was where the 'bead' Colin told us about comes in. It turns out that a magic bead was next to each cell which, when moved, broke the magic circle and released whoever or whatever was inside.
Two of the four creatures were fiends... a bearded devil and some kind of demon. The third was a celestial creature called a Hollyphant. And then there's Aidwyn's new dog... that thing gives me the creeps. Anyway, the celestial was the one we were looking for who had the power to raise the dead. Anyway, somehow the devil and demon got free and... well... I think you can guess how that turned out. After the demon was dead the devil managed to get into a fight with Aidwyn... and that was when I earned the title of 'wrestling wizard' by teleporting behind the devil and dragging it off of her. I even managed to convince the guy to stand down until Obadiah decided to try to kill it... which I still think was foolhardy but I guess I understand where he was coming from. So yeah... that was a total mess... that was also when Obadiah decided to leave us after we dressed him down for his decision to provoke the bearded devil. He left us shortly after that.
So with all that done, we came back to see Lady Martha and the hollyphant was nice enough to resurrect her lover for her. Since then we've just sort of been doing our thing. I was helping Blinn Harpell with crafting a new spell, Aidwyn, Quispira, Solitude, and Zentromya (the hollyphant) went off to do some religious stuff. And I think everyone else has just sort of been chilling here in Longsaddle."
After several ultimately fruitless go-rounds of, "But what do you feel like your name should be, dear?", Spira has decided to call her little wing-baby, "Aedion". To Solitude's raised eyebrow at the term, "my little wing-baby", Spira had replied -- just a bit curtly, "Well, I can't call him my fur-baby as he hasn't any fur. And Aedion means noble and powerful, so I'm certainly not going to insult his dignity calling him my little scale-baby." The other tiefling woman, sensing Mama Bear rather close to the surface in Spira's eyes, wisely chose to respond with silence.
Now Spira lies awake with the little creature nestled in the very place Lymurra had suggested for hatching it -- between her breasts. She'd been a little nervous, to say the least, the previous night when he'd crawled in there, fearing she'd crush the baby in her sleep. But of course it was one of the warmest places on her body, as her fellow priestess had wisely pointed out; and Aedion seemed able to almost flow as he molded himself into the changing curves of her body. She'd even been mischievous enough to startle her companions by having him slip in there while they weren't looking and then suddenly fountain up from her cleavage and take to the air -- and practical enough to take note of the silken ease with which it was done in case she and her baby ever had to go through the same routine for real in a life-or-death situation. Which brought her back to caring for Aedion and keeping him alive. She didn't know as much about snakes as Gaer, but at the least she knew that all babies she'd ever heard of liked to drink milk. And again she wondered how much of this Lymurrahad foreseen. The cleric of Selune's parting gift to her had been a bottle of milk "for the road", and not an ordinary bottle either but one of those wondrous ones known to the traveling orders of priests and a few others that kept their contents fresh as long as ... what was that!
Spira rises quietly upon hearing the splash. She gently wakes Aedion and telepathically whispers to him to stay hidden where he is. "Mom heard a sound she wants to check out. It may be OK, but I want you to keep out of sight until we know more. I'll put on my mail, and that will keep you safe. If it gets too tight, though, you tell me right away." Then she slips out of her tent and quietly begins circling around the pond to the left, with the goal of coming up on whatever dived in from the flank where (hopefully) she can see it before it sees her. Because of her mail she knows this will be difficult; because she sees the secondary benefit of being a diversion for her friends to act if the mail does clink, she keeps it on. If she runs into any of her other companiond on the way, she waves and whispers to get their attention before gesturing to let them know what her plan is.
"Well, for the sake of completeness..." adds Gaer "the dungeon with the supernatural creatures contained in magic circles had a guardian, a floating globular creature with many eyes and magical powers... And it is precisely against that creature that Roxana has given the best proof of her stealth and excellent aim. The guardian could not see her - except in the moment in which she shot her arrow - the next moment Roxana was already hidden among the abundant ruins... and appeared soon somewhere completely different from the place where the guardian was looking for her".
The admirer followed the narrative with extreme attention, literally hanging on Rash's lips first and then Gaer's. "You truly faced powerful and dangerous creatures" he comments at the end. "Although the stories I heard perhaps contained some exaggeration, compared to your account, I am pleased to note that, as I had no doubt, there is a solid basis of truth. I am... I am really happy to have met you! It almost doesn't seem real to me, to be here, in front of you, talking to you face to face!"
"Tell me one thing, though..." Bemon looks puzzled. "I've heard of a Yeth Hound on the loose in this area... You know what a Yeth Hound looks like, right? It stands about 5 feet tall at the shoulder and weighs around 400 pounds. Its head has a human-like face and glowing red eyes. And it is a cruel and ruthless hunter and a threat to everyone. Some travelers I met while traveling along the Long Road told me about it... But it seems impossible to me; if there really was such a threat around here, heroes like you would have already neutralized it... right?"
"Yes mom!" telepathically promises Aedion "I'll be a good baby and stay here! And no, it's not too tight... You really have a warm and comfortable place for me mom!"
When she wakes the others, the Sergeant of Arvandor hears telepathic advice from Zentromya: "Be careful! And shout if you need... I will be flying over the pond, so I will be close to both you and the others..."
Solitude meanwhile advises Aidwyn: "What if we backed away from the edge of the pond a little?" and in the meantime she focuses her innate powers on the young heroine, helping her.
Once Spira comes to the side, she realizes that...
...that a large monstrosity has managed to swim beneath the surface of the water unseen, neither by her nor by Zentromya, and has now suddenly emerged on the bank of the pond on Aidwyn and Solitude's side! Fortunately, the pair of adventurers had moved a little away from the shore, so the creature (evidently hostile) is unable to attack them immediately, but is forced to get up and move to reach them.
Under the moonlight it is possible to see the outline of a sort of crustacean, as big as a horse, it has four legs with two toes each and has two large pincers which look anything but reassuring. The unexpected horror has caught everyone unprepared and now looms over Aidwyn...
Will your adventuring instincts kick in and send you into action before it can attack?
[[ OOC: Spira, Aidwyn, please, roll for initiative ]]
Roxana listens to Rash tell the tale of their adventures helping Lady Martha. She seems quite pleased to let someone else tell the tale, though she does cringe a bit as he just tells him about the hidden Harpell laboratory.'But I guess we took care of everything there. Nothing that an unscrupulous person might go and retrieve.' She gives Gaer a look as he tells the admirer of her exploits, trying not to blush as she feels he has made her efforts sound way more impressive than they were. "Really, it was not even as impressive as Gaer makes it sound,"she says.
When Bemon asks about the Yeth Hound, she isn't sure what to say. She looks first at Rash and then over to Gaer.
"Ah yes... Aidwyn's creepy dog,"he says. "Yeah... I know Yeth Hounds usually bond with evil creatures, but it seems that the one we found in the dungeon simply bonded to the first creature that it saw in several hundred years... that being our companion Aidwyn. I don't know exactly what we're going to do with that thing either. The city has been using it to do dirty work around here, such as executions and cleaning up goblin raiding parties. I honestly don't know how long that will keep the thing satisfied, though. I think Aidwyn's plan is to pray that it goes back to the Feywild sooner or later... I don't know what to make of the situation myself..."
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Bemon seems genuinely stunned: "So Aidwyn... who everyone describes as a good heroine dedicated to protecting the defenseless... is bound to the Yeth Hound?!"
"It seems like pure madness to me..." the newcomer reflects, amazed and disturbed at the same time... from the way his brow furrows, he seems to be really busy with a lot of thoughts "And yet, you tell me that for now it seems to be working? That bloodthirsty beast is actually content to hunt only what it is allowed to to hunt?"
"I see..." the admirer seems to have come to a conclusion "I'm doubly happy for this meeting, then!" he smiles at you all "I confess to you that the second reason why I went this far, once I learned of this threat, was to eradicate it at the root... But if that creature (surprising me, I admit) is managing to contain its evil instincts enough to be a help rather than a danger... it doesn't seem right to eliminate it. Don't be afraid, though; if one day you need help... for example if that creature goes out of control... don't hesitate to look for me, heroes! Just follow the Long Road towards Triboar... but about 25 miles before you arrive, turn east, in the middle of the wilderness... I will notice you - and I will help you in any way I can" his eyes light up as he gets up to take his leave. "You have my respect. I'm only a bit sorry that I didn't meet the other two brave heroines in person... but maybe I'll meet them on a later occasion. And now, if you'll excuse me, I'm setting off to return to my home... also because before leaving I will really have to pay a visit to that vivacious kind-hearted Thia... I gave her my word - and I always keep my word".
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Party of Four - Lathender Temple:
The small feathered serpent coils around the coiled finger, also embracing it with its small wings. At Spira's words, the baby-snake's telepathic communication spreads to the entire party: "Mom! I love you mom! I like mom's warmth! Hi stepmoms! Are you warm too? And who is the small winged one?" its eyes are looking at Zentromya "It's my sister?"
Meanwhile the little creature licks the Sergeant of Arvandor's finger with its small forked tongue, tickling it slightly.
Spira doesn't have a precise idea of how to take care of snakes... probably, Gaer, who had always been more interested in nature and the care of animals than her, would have been able to advise her... but she remembers that, usually, snakes love heat more than cold and in any case, as far as the tiefling understands, the specimen shows no signs of problems or illnesses - it seems in good health.
In the meantime, Solitude has recovered from the surprise of the sudden telepathic communication and raises an eyebrow: "S-stepmom? Oh, of course little... beastie? You'll see that everything will be fine..." (the ironic tone reveals her skepticism) "Aunt Balfby will surely be happy to meet you too..."
A foreign admirer
In Longsaddle, (while the 'Party of Four' gets closer and closer to their destination) one day, Rash, Anita, Roxana and Gaer, while they are relaxing and having a drink together in the common room of the Sharnshield Mansion, see Thia speeding towards them - and the next moment the exuberant young half-elf is already at the table, excitedly announcing: "You have a visit! A foreign admirer requests the honor of meeting you! He has heard of your exploits and has made a long travel to meet you... What do you want me to do? Shall I accompany him here?"
Rash raises an eyebrow.
"People are talking about us in foreign lands? Well, that's news to me. Sure, let's see him."
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A foreign admirer
Thia admits: "Well, by 'foreign' I meant 'not from Longsaddle', not necessarily 'from some very distant country'... Anyway, yes, he knows that you've resurrected Dobbian! And that Roxana is a great, stealthy archer! And that Rash is a wizard who immobilized a fiend with his bare hands! It seems like you've become famous, guys..." she giggles amused and excited, as she runs away (probably to get the admirer).
"Hey, what am I famous for?" Anita tries to ask, but the young half-elf girl is already far away.
“For the magic cakes, I think!” Gaer jokes, winking and the ex-Zhemntarim sticks her tongue out at him in response.
Meanwhile, Thia returns, literally dragging a young man behind her, with slightly wavy brown hair, a beard and mustache both short and well-groomed, whose elegant clothes and jewels suggest that he is of noble stock (or at least rich and with good taste) .
"There he is, guys!" the lively half-elf accompanies the newcomer to your table, quickly offering him a chair "Happy now, Bemon?" she smiles at him "I'll leave you with your heroes... But when you're done with them, remember who made you meet them and come and have a chat with me too! Understood?"
"Of course!" the young man smiles back "How could I neglect to repay such kindness, diligence and nobility of soul? I will be very happy to see you again soon, dear Thia" and he kisses her hand.
At that point, although blushing, struggling to take her eyes off him and turning around three or four times, Thia goes out to take care of other things... and the newcomer dedicates all his attention to you, looking at you attentively, as if you were works of art.
"As you have already heard, my name is Bemon, esteemed heroes..." he finally greets you "You have no idea what a pleasure it is for me to meet you! Your fame spreads... I presume I have the pleasure of find myself in the presence of... Roxana 'Shadow Archer' and Rash 'Wrestling Wizard'?" he takes Roxana's hand to kiss it, if she allows him, and warmly shakes Rash's hand, if he accepts.
Bemon then turns to Anita: "And you... would you be Aidwyn 'Shield Maiden', perhaps? Or Quspira 'Sergeant of Arvandor'?"
Anita first holds out her hand to be kissed, then, while the gallant stranger is doing it, she sighs: "No, I'm Anita 'Magic-Cake Baker', Rash's famous assistant".
"Oh, um..." the other doesn't seem to know exactly what to answer initially, but immediately recovers "Of course! Honored to also make your acquaintance! You are a more mysterious figure than Rash, but perhaps for this reason even more fascinating".
Rash can't help but chuckle at the exchange between Bemon and Anita.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Bemon," the half-orc says, accepting the handshake. "Yes, you're correct in your assumptions about who we are. Oh, and the horny fella next to the 'shadow archer' is Gaer, Quispira's brother. Sorry that Quispira and Aidwyn couldn't be here today, they wandered off somewhere to dedicate Aidwyn to the service of some god or another. So, you came out here just to meet us? I'm not quite sure what we did to deserve that honor, but I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say that I'm flattered."
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Roxana doesn't pull her hand away when Bemon takes it to kiss it. But she can't help but laugh. "Shadow Hunter? You are saying that there is someone calling me that?" She listens as he talks to the others. As she listens, she seems to be giving a more and more skeptical look. "Yes, so just why did you come here to meet us? It seems like you want something."
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Vanizi, Warlock || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard ||
Iromae Quinaea, Cleric || Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer || Bronnryn Hethgar, Cleric
A foreign admirer
"Oh, it's a pleasure to meet the brother of the 'Sergeant of Arvandor' too!" Benom also shakes hands with Gaer, who however seems to remain slightly wary.
"Yes, of course, Lady Roxana!" the stranger assures "The courier who told me about your exploits a few days ago referred to you with this title, 'Shadow Archer'... He said that your enemies are not able to spot you, not even as you shot them with your merciless bow!"
"Well, flattered..." Bemon continues "Leave false modesty aside! What you have managed to accomplish is incredible! I think I am not exaggerating when I say that you have given hope to anyone who has heard about you... These are hard times. There are many dangers. You have no idea how much the common and most vulnerable people feel reassured when they hear about you and how you have even managed to defeat even death... People needs people like you. Dreams are food for the soul. And you... seems like you are the salt of the dreams".
Catching Roxana's skeptical look, the newcomer holds her gaze and smiles: "It seems like I want something? An eye that is not only precise in aiming, but also attentive to details, so..."
"Roxana is not only as sneaky as a shadow," Gaer is now looking hard at the other too "she also has a quick mind. So why don't you get to the point, Bemon? If you have something to ask... try asking".
"What I would like first of all," the stranger continues to smile, without losing any of his tranquility "would be to hear the report of your great undertaking from your own lips... You know, the rumors I have already heard are fascinating... but sometimes, the news, passing from mouth to mouth, end up being a little distorted... While I... I would really appreciate hearing from you how things really went. Would you do this for me?"
Anita, slightly tense, hastens to say: "You seem like a dear person, Bemon, but I can tell you very little... I was at home baking a magic cake for Rash, you know..." evidently, she doesn't intend to reveal to the other to have been a Zhentarim.
“I really have to order one from you, one day, then” the newcomer smiles. "I'll pay you well. They must be delicious" he then shifts his gaze to the other three heroes... he seems really eager to hear the story...
Party of Four - Lathender Temple:
The night passes peacefully, with the newly added baby-winged-serpent remaining all the time in contact with Spira's skin, curiously crawling all over her and enjoying the warmth of her body.
[[OOC: Can Spira give the little creature a name... what name do you like for him? It's a male, by the way ]]
The next day, it is a day of moderate cold and light annoying rain. The baby-winged-serpent occasionally dares to try to fly a little, but it is clear that he still has to familiarize himself with the technique... he can only stay in the air for short journeys and regularly (and willingly) returns to the 'mom's' body heat.
At night you camp near a pond, but you are woken up by the sound of something large diving into the water from the other bank from you...
Rash can't help but smile at Anita's proclamation that she was baking a magic cake... sooner or later he's really going to have to find a magic cake recipe. Maybe Blinn has one, but then again since Blinn is a Harpell who knows what side effects one of his recipes might have?
"Well, let's see... for me it started when some lady at the bar where I was resting for the evening announced that Lady Martha needed some help from a bunch of adventurers, and I decided to sign up," Rash says. "That was when I met the others... Roxanna, Aidwyn, Quispira, and there was a very angry guy by the name of Obadiah when we started out as well, but I'm afraid that he left us shortly after the mission was completed. I won't lie, I feel a bit bad about that. I think we may have been a bit hard on the poor guy... anyway, after that we went to a diviner named Colin who told us to find a 'bead' in a cavern. So, we went and found the cavern, which by the time we got there was full of Zhentarim... and we kind of fought through them and killed most of them. I still feel pretty bad about how much bloodshed there was... I still think we could have spared more of them... oh well. Anyway, after the dust settled that was when we met Gaer here... the poor guy, along with another tiefling named Solitude and a halfling named Milo, had been taken prisoner by the Zhents.
Gaer and Solitude joined us on our quest after we rescued them. We figured out that there was an ancient Harpell laboratory hidden underneath the cave. After fighting through the security... which consisted mostly of undead freaks, animated armor, and autonomous fireballs, we eventually made it to the dungeon where we found a few supernatural creatures contained in magic circles... and that was where the 'bead' Colin told us about comes in. It turns out that a magic bead was next to each cell which, when moved, broke the magic circle and released whoever or whatever was inside.
Two of the four creatures were fiends... a bearded devil and some kind of demon. The third was a celestial creature called a Hollyphant. And then there's Aidwyn's new dog... that thing gives me the creeps. Anyway, the celestial was the one we were looking for who had the power to raise the dead. Anyway, somehow the devil and demon got free and... well... I think you can guess how that turned out. After the demon was dead the devil managed to get into a fight with Aidwyn... and that was when I earned the title of 'wrestling wizard' by teleporting behind the devil and dragging it off of her. I even managed to convince the guy to stand down until Obadiah decided to try to kill it... which I still think was foolhardy but I guess I understand where he was coming from. So yeah... that was a total mess... that was also when Obadiah decided to leave us after we dressed him down for his decision to provoke the bearded devil. He left us shortly after that.
So with all that done, we came back to see Lady Martha and the hollyphant was nice enough to resurrect her lover for her. Since then we've just sort of been doing our thing. I was helping Blinn Harpell with crafting a new spell, Aidwyn, Quispira, Solitude, and Zentromya (the hollyphant) went off to do some religious stuff. And I think everyone else has just sort of been chilling here in Longsaddle."
Rash pauses for breathe then looks at the others.
"Did I miss anything?" he asks.
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After several ultimately fruitless go-rounds of, "But what do you feel like your name should be, dear?", Spira has decided to call her little wing-baby, "Aedion". To Solitude's raised eyebrow at the term, "my little wing-baby", Spira had replied -- just a bit curtly, "Well, I can't call him my fur-baby as he hasn't any fur. And Aedion means noble and powerful, so I'm certainly not going to insult his dignity calling him my little scale-baby." The other tiefling woman, sensing Mama Bear rather close to the surface in Spira's eyes, wisely chose to respond with silence.
Now Spira lies awake with the little creature nestled in the very place Lymurra had suggested for hatching it -- between her breasts. She'd been a little nervous, to say the least, the previous night when he'd crawled in there, fearing she'd crush the baby in her sleep. But of course it was one of the warmest places on her body, as her fellow priestess had wisely pointed out; and Aedion seemed able to almost flow as he molded himself into the changing curves of her body. She'd even been mischievous enough to startle her companions by having him slip in there while they weren't looking and then suddenly fountain up from her cleavage and take to the air -- and practical enough to take note of the silken ease with which it was done in case she and her baby ever had to go through the same routine for real in a life-or-death situation. Which brought her back to caring for Aedion and keeping him alive. She didn't know as much about snakes as Gaer, but at the least she knew that all babies she'd ever heard of liked to drink milk. And again she wondered how much of this Lymurra had foreseen. The cleric of Selune's parting gift to her had been a bottle of milk "for the road", and not an ordinary bottle either but one of those wondrous ones known to the traveling orders of priests and a few others that kept their contents fresh as long as ... what was that!
Spira rises quietly upon hearing the splash. She gently wakes Aedion and telepathically whispers to him to stay hidden where he is. "Mom heard a sound she wants to check out. It may be OK, but I want you to keep out of sight until we know more. I'll put on my mail, and that will keep you safe. If it gets too tight, though, you tell me right away." Then she slips out of her tent and quietly begins circling around the pond to the left, with the goal of coming up on whatever dived in from the flank where (hopefully) she can see it before it sees her. Because of her mail she knows this will be difficult; because she sees the secondary benefit of being a diversion for her friends to act if the mail does clink, she keeps it on. If she runs into any of her other companiond on the way, she waves and whispers to get their attention before gesturing to let them know what her plan is.
===========================
Stealth 10
Famh Thrawn Fiadhaich - 'half elven' sorcerer (wild magic) 2, Sleeping Gods - A Dragon Warriors campaign in the Lands of Legend
Quspira Inirali - tiefling cleric (Life domain) 4, Painted's "He'll be the father of my child"
---RETIRED HEROES' REST HOME---
Sae Ivui Nailo - wood elf rogue (inquisitive) 5 , Sea of Death: Captain Hailstorm's Lost Treasure
Ryshraxea "Shra" Naranthi - tabaxi artificer 1, Nyx's Tomb of Annihilation - Group 1
A foreign admirer
"Well, for the sake of completeness..." adds Gaer "the dungeon with the supernatural creatures contained in magic circles had a guardian, a floating globular creature with many eyes and magical powers... And it is precisely against that creature that Roxana has given the best proof of her stealth and excellent aim. The guardian could not see her - except in the moment in which she shot her arrow - the next moment Roxana was already hidden among the abundant ruins... and appeared soon somewhere completely different from the place where the guardian was looking for her".
The admirer followed the narrative with extreme attention, literally hanging on Rash's lips first and then Gaer's. "You truly faced powerful and dangerous creatures" he comments at the end. "Although the stories I heard perhaps contained some exaggeration, compared to your account, I am pleased to note that, as I had no doubt, there is a solid basis of truth. I am... I am really happy to have met you! It almost doesn't seem real to me, to be here, in front of you, talking to you face to face!"
"Tell me one thing, though..." Bemon looks puzzled. "I've heard of a Yeth Hound on the loose in this area... You know what a Yeth Hound looks like, right? It stands about 5 feet tall at the shoulder and weighs around 400 pounds. Its head has a human-like face and glowing red eyes. And it is a cruel and ruthless hunter and a threat to everyone. Some travelers I met while traveling along the Long Road told me about it... But it seems impossible to me; if there really was such a threat around here, heroes like you would have already neutralized it... right?"
Party of Four - Lathender Temple:
"Yes mom!" telepathically promises Aedion "I'll be a good baby and stay here! And no, it's not too tight... You really have a warm and comfortable place for me mom!"
When she wakes the others, the Sergeant of Arvandor hears telepathic advice from Zentromya: "Be careful! And shout if you need... I will be flying over the pond, so I will be close to both you and the others..."
Solitude meanwhile advises Aidwyn: "What if we backed away from the edge of the pond a little?" and in the meantime she focuses her innate powers on the young heroine, helping her.
Once Spira comes to the side, she realizes that...
Party of Four - Lathender Temple:
18
Party of Four - Lathender Temple:
...that a large monstrosity has managed to swim beneath the surface of the water unseen, neither by her nor by Zentromya, and has now suddenly emerged on the bank of the pond on Aidwyn and Solitude's side! Fortunately, the pair of adventurers had moved a little away from the shore, so the creature (evidently hostile) is unable to attack them immediately, but is forced to get up and move to reach them.
Under the moonlight it is possible to see the outline of a sort of crustacean, as big as a horse, it has four legs with two toes each and has two large pincers which look anything but reassuring. The unexpected horror has caught everyone unprepared and now looms over Aidwyn...
Will your adventuring instincts kick in and send you into action before it can attack?
[[ OOC: Spira, Aidwyn, please, roll for initiative ]]
Party of Four - Lathender Temple:
Other initiatives:
Crustacean Horror: 12
Zentromya: 12
Solitude: 9
A Foreign Admirer
Roxana listens to Rash tell the tale of their adventures helping Lady Martha. She seems quite pleased to let someone else tell the tale, though she does cringe a bit as he just tells him about the hidden Harpell laboratory. 'But I guess we took care of everything there. Nothing that an unscrupulous person might go and retrieve.' She gives Gaer a look as he tells the admirer of her exploits, trying not to blush as she feels he has made her efforts sound way more impressive than they were. "Really, it was not even as impressive as Gaer makes it sound," she says.
When Bemon asks about the Yeth Hound, she isn't sure what to say. She looks first at Rash and then over to Gaer.
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Vanizi, Warlock || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard ||
Iromae Quinaea, Cleric || Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer || Bronnryn Hethgar, Cleric
Rash sighs.
"Ah yes... Aidwyn's creepy dog," he says. "Yeah... I know Yeth Hounds usually bond with evil creatures, but it seems that the one we found in the dungeon simply bonded to the first creature that it saw in several hundred years... that being our companion Aidwyn. I don't know exactly what we're going to do with that thing either. The city has been using it to do dirty work around here, such as executions and cleaning up goblin raiding parties. I honestly don't know how long that will keep the thing satisfied, though. I think Aidwyn's plan is to pray that it goes back to the Feywild sooner or later... I don't know what to make of the situation myself..."
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A Foreign Admirer
Bemon seems genuinely stunned: "So Aidwyn... who everyone describes as a good heroine dedicated to protecting the defenseless... is bound to the Yeth Hound?!"
"It seems like pure madness to me..." the newcomer reflects, amazed and disturbed at the same time... from the way his brow furrows, he seems to be really busy with a lot of thoughts "And yet, you tell me that for now it seems to be working? That bloodthirsty beast is actually content to hunt only what it is allowed to to hunt?"
Rash nods.
"Yes... for the moment that seems to be the case... I don't know how this will work out long-term, though."
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A Foreign Admirer
"I see..." the admirer seems to have come to a conclusion "I'm doubly happy for this meeting, then!" he smiles at you all "I confess to you that the second reason why I went this far, once I learned of this threat, was to eradicate it at the root... But if that creature (surprising me, I admit) is managing to contain its evil instincts enough to be a help rather than a danger... it doesn't seem right to eliminate it. Don't be afraid, though; if one day you need help... for example if that creature goes out of control... don't hesitate to look for me, heroes! Just follow the Long Road towards Triboar... but about 25 miles before you arrive, turn east, in the middle of the wilderness... I will notice you - and I will help you in any way I can" his eyes light up as he gets up to take his leave. "You have my respect. I'm only a bit sorry that I didn't meet the other two brave heroines in person... but maybe I'll meet them on a later occasion. And now, if you'll excuse me, I'm setting off to return to my home... also because before leaving I will really have to pay a visit to that vivacious kind-hearted Thia... I gave her my word - and I always keep my word".