City of Cresthall

TWENTY YEARS AGO

Cora ran.

At least, she tried. Her arm fractured, her ankle twisted, and her nose broken. Crying uncontrollably, she could feel the blood dripping down her lips and chin. It was nighttime, and this time she barely escaped death by her father's drunk beatings by hiding under the tub at first. He found her, eventually, and his club descended on her. Her mother unconscious downstairs, Cora managed to run away by fumbling out a window. She was about 8, and filled with terror and fear as she fled as fast as she could away from the most evil person she'd ever known.

She stumbled in the darkness towards the forest. As drunk as her father was, he slowly lumbered after her but she was quicker. He screamed out her name for her to return home. Promised he would find her. She was breathing hard, panting furiously, and afraid, like a wild wounded animal. The pain was unbearable, and she covered her mouth with her good hand to try and remain quiet enough so that her father would not find her. Normally, she would climb a tall tree and wait till he gave up, but her damaged arm made such an activity impossible. Trying to control her breathing and crying, she was so scared and she shook like a leaf in a strong autumn breeze. She turned around, gripped the tree, hugged it tight, closed her eyes - tears blinding her vision.

A strong grip grabbed her neck, and she screamed in horror. Her father had found her and like a caught animal, he dragged her home. She screamed in fear and defiance until her voice broke and gave out, her father's hands were so big and strong, and she was so little, it completely wrapped around her neck. He squeezed hard and she could feel herself passing out. He took her home, and satisfied with the pain he inflicted upon her, threw her in the outhouse and locked the door.

She wasn't let out until three days later.

NOW

As Crispy tells the story, she points to her arm, where a visible scar resulted in the bone poking through, that never healed correctly. She shows you her ankle, comparing it to her other ankle. There is a slight difference. She takes Ashley's hand, and makes her finger touch the bridge of her nose, and makes her feel how it's so very slightly skewered. She tells you a secret she's never told anyone before.

About 80% of the scars on her body are not from combat, or from her life fighting as an adventurer, but from all the years of abuse from her Father.

She has much more to say, she wanted to talk about how those experiences shaped her on the inside, but  was afraid, hesitant. You can tell nearly anything good in her life eventually dies or leaves.

Then she had another story to tell. This one about her inside trauma..

Karra, seeing the others are going to rest for the day, decides he needs to resupply on some things. He'll inform Hatt he is headed out for a couple of hours and will go to seek some merchants to get some equipment. He also needs to pay his membership, as he was at sea for a month...

OOC: DM, if there is anything I need to do in order to find such places, let me know. I do have the following for local guilds.

(Roll for perception to spot it out or charisma to find out from the locals.)

Perception or Persuasion: 8

 (Just a test.)

After an hour of asking locals and searching the streets, Karra finally manages to find a small office with his guild's symbol. Upon entering the building he is greeted by an receptionist. 

"Hello, how may I help you sir?" 

Karra shows his trade coin, his symbol of membership. "Hmm, have to pay membership, yes? Been stuck out of town for over month, so will need to pay twice." He holds out a platinum piece. "May also want to perhaps hear more about a local."

As Cora and Ashley laid on the bed, winded and sweaty from romance, she eventually opened up to her about how her violent past.

She told Ashley about how being so mistreated created a broken soul, prevented from accepting warmth, and love. How when her mother abandoned her any hope of humanity left her. The military was barely able to control her, to contain her, and the feelings and damage she held inside. Life on the street taught her to be tough, uncaring, and unfeeling.

She told Ashley about how scared she is because she has her Father's blood in her. She is prone to fits, anger, frustration, rage, and death. She tells you how she found her father after graduating from the Academy and murdered him in cold blood and rage. There is goodness in Cora, but it's buried under years of abuse, neglect, questions, and uncertainty.

But worst of all is the hauntings. 

Ashley hugs her beloved Cora tightly. So much pain, so much suffering. Ashley is warm, but Crispy brings to feel something cold and wet on shoulders where Ashley holds her. Ashley is crying tears is sorrow.  No more. None is going to hurt you again, not while I'm around.  After. Few minutes of silence and a few more tears Ashley pulls away. Her face streaked with her sadness at Crispy's past.  The hauntings, is that what happened the night to..well Ashley blushes through her wer cheeks ...turned me into a woman?

Cora noticed Ashley was crying. She held her very tight. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel this way. I don't want to make people sad anymore. I just..don't know how to control it. The night we became one? Yes. Ever since I murdered my Father, i've had horrible, terrible nightmares of him stalking me as a child. It's always the same scene, always the same pain. I always wake up terrified. And..sometimes if someone's next to me I..hurt them, like, i'm still stuck in the dream." She paused for a moment, looked her in the eyes, wiped a tear away from her perfect rosy cheek. "I feel like i'm cursed. I feel like something became of him when he died, he became something more powerful. As if, his soul was so evil he ascended into something even more..terrible. And, he's after me."

The receptionist nods and takes the platinum, "Certainly sir, would you like to know promising buyers or know of the nobles here in Savasst?"

Ashley hardens a bit, her expression almost shifting from sorrow, to and...almost. He cannot hurt you anymore. Not as long as I am near. She steadies her breathing and continues. At first, i thought you and I were just a fling. The passion of the moment and all that. It was wonderful. That first night was scary for me. In may ways. But i liked you and i thought maybe i could fix you. But as time moved and we spent so much time together, and learned so much about each other, I fell. I fell so deep i cannot, do not, want to get out. I believe the Morninglord has brought me to you for a reason. 

She pauses, recollecting her thoughts as not to keep rambling. Cora, what I'm trying to say is, That i love you. I love you with every fiber of my being. I wish to stay by your side and fight off your demon for the rest of my days. 

For a long time Cora said nothing. She just stared at Ashley with a look of amazement. It took a while to process. No one. EVER. Had EVER said anything as beautiful as what Ashley just said to her at that moment. She swallowed hard, and her heart was pounding - filled with love, and yearning, and she could barely contain it. Cora studied her face, she brought her hands up and held her beautiful face in the palms of her hands, just looking at her. Her thumb traced her lip. Ashley knew, she completely knew, that Cora didn't have to say a single word to know that she felt the EXACT same way as Ashley did. But, she said it anyways. 

"I love you, too. The moment I saw you, I knew you were different. You are everything I wish I could have been. Everything. I was hoping, deep down, that you and I wouldn't just be a fling. I could tell you were scared the first night we spent together, and believe me, I wasn't quite sure how to approach you. I'm..so used to..just TAKING things. But..I WANTED you. It was different. And, I wanted YOU to want me TOO. The time we spent on the boat? That was probably the most amazing time in my life..because of you."

She paused a moment, her smile faded a bit, just a bit.

"I'm scared. Not for me. For you. I've lost loved ones before, I couldn't BEAR to lose you. To..accidentally hurt you. These are not just..simple nightmares i'm having. My father.." she struggled with the word, "..he's dead..but he's not. I know he is probably in Hell. This..whole loss of sleep he's torturing me with? I'm losing. I can slowly feel myself slipping. There are times I want to kill myself and end it all. In the meantime, I can't return to Waterdeep..so here I am. An adventurer. Filling my time with losing my temper, killing people, taking odd jobs.."

She paused again, feeling like she was rambling."I am the child of my Father. One day i'm going to lose. He will get me. I need help. But, all I know is that I want to spend my life with you."  

I'm sure it wont always be as easy as the past couple days, for either of us. But i want to be your shield from your past. Spiritually, mentally, magically...and physically. Ashley mimics Crispy n holder Crispy's face gently. You cannot hurt me, be cause the one that hurts is not you. You cannot lose me, for i shall be your light in the dark.And if it comes to be that you fall to some monster supplanted deep inside you, i will be there to pick you up and cast the demon out.  Ashley closes her eyes and touches her forehead to Crispy's Cast your doubts from your mind for i shall carry them for you. She pulls away slightly and reopens her eye's. But for now, my love, i think we need some sleep. We have had a long day.

No matter what happens after this. Ashley will go through a few short rituals of prayer and purification to Lathandar before rejoining Crispy for bed time.

"Hmm, yes. Need to contact a person, worked under alias." Karra then proceeds to give a detailed description of Ominak. He wants to see whether they come to the same conclusion as the waitress they were talking to earlier.

The receptionist nods, "Your client sounds like Opsola, magical advisor to the queen. He is a client of ours, asking for jewelry every now and then. In fact we have an order for him to be delivered tomorrow."

"Hmm, well looking to speak with him, yes?" Karra replies. "Perhaps work as courier, allow to work both jobs in one, yes?"

Crispy had never felt as grateful for anything as she had that day with Ashley. As night came, they talked a bit more and Ashley offered a prayer to her, and they went to bed. She was right. It had been a long day. Still a bit sore from all of their physical activity, she smiled and pulled her in close.

Crispy held Ashley in her arms until she was peacefully asleep. She didnt move as she slept, not wanting to wake her, and thought about everything she had said as the night crept along. Occationally Ashley adjusted her position like any normal sleeper would do, and Crispy would look at her longingly as she gently slept. Still amazed at how beautiful she was, all she wanted to do was look at her and not fall asleep to wake up and find her dead..like Arianna years ago.

Fighting the urge to sleep, it was another battle she was losing, and her eyelids grew heavy. She tried to focus on the nighttime sky she could see out the window. Then a thought crossed her mind. What about Gasp and Bennett? She was about to make a but fell asleep.

A rooster screamed it was morning, and Cora nearly jumped out of bed. She was twisted in a position indicated she didnt sleep well, and felt like complete cowshit. Her heart raced and she turned to see Ashley peacefully sleeping and the sigh Cora made was evident with complete relief. She took a small white pill out of her backpack and gulped it down. Within moments, the sleep, pain, and fogginess were gone, and her focus was razor sharp.

Still honoring the bet, she put back on her swimsuit, went downstairs to a few very strange looks directed at her, and went around back. She found some heavy logs and did a variety of lifts and carries to keep her agility and strength in top shape. Sweating and her heart pounding, it felt really good. She grew mad because she started thinking about her Father and how he was keeping everything in her life from being good. She continued the activity, and the more she thought about her Father, and how he might do something to Ashley now - she used the anger and frustration to her advantage and kept going until she exhausted herself and laid on the ground, breathless.

The receptionist pauses for a moment, "Hmm, well technically speaking I'm not allowed to have a separate party handle the deliveries. We have a few indentured servants to deliver the goods to him but..."

(Roll for Persuasion with advantage, you're a part of the guild and partially know the client.)