Chapter Text
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Wyatt Nelson (Male Human, Celestial Warlock 4)
XP: 5,800/6,500
Alignment: Neutral Good
Appearance: 24 years old, amber eyes, brown hair, pale skin, clean-shaven
Background: Entertainer (+1 Dex, +2 Cha)
Strength 14 (+2)
Dexterity 18 (+4)
Constitution 16 (+3)
Intelligence 14 (+2)
Wisdom 15 (+2)
Charisma 18 (+4)
AC 18 (Includes Mage Armor and Shark Tooth Necklace), HP 47
Heroic Inspiration: 1
Skills: Acrobatics 6, Animal Handling 4, Arcana 4, Deception 6, Performance 6
Tools: Flute, Drum, Lute, Viol
Languages: Common (High Mordentish)
Class Features: Eldritch Invocations (Pact of the Blade, Agonizing Blast [Eldritch Blast], Armor of Shadows), Pact Magic, Magical Cunning, Healing Light, Celestial Spells
Feats: Tough, Musician, Resilient (Constitution),
Spells: Eldritch Blast, Light, Mind Sliver, Prestidigitation, Sacred Flame, Aid, Cure Wounds, Guiding Bolt, Lesser Restoration, Mirror Image, Misty Step, Speak With Animals, Tasha’s Hideous Laughter, Witch Bolt,
Spell Attack +6, Spell DC 14
Inventory: Arcane Focus (jeweled brooch), riding suit, mandolin, Wyatt’s Shark Tooth Necklace (enchanted by Sapphira, counts as a Cloak of Protection, any creature that gains advantage when attacking a creature with less than full HP gets disadvantage to attack the wearer of this necklace), waterskin, Rations (10), 38 GP.
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Gennifer Weathermay-Foxgrove (Female Human, Circle of the Moon Druid 3, Monk 1)
XP: 5,800/6,500
Alignment: Neutral Good
Appearance: 22 years old, blue eyes, black hair, pale skin
Background: Noble (+1 Str, +2 Int)
Strength 14 (+2)
Dexterity 16 (+3)
Constitution 14 (+2)
Intelligence 16 (+3)
Wisdom 18 (+4)
Charisma 14 (+2)
AC 18 (includes Cloak of Protection), HP 31
Heroic Inspiration: 1
Skills: Animal Handling 6, History 5, Insight 6, Investigation 5, Medicine 6, Nature 9, Persuasion 4
Tools: Alchemist’s Supplies, Herbalism Kit, Playing Cards Set
Languages: Common (High Mordentish), Elven (Low Mordentish), Halfling (Vistanni), Druidic
Class Features: Druidic, Primal Order: Magician, Spellcasting, Wild Companion, Wild Shape (Boar, Mastiff, Venomous Snake, Dire Wolf), Martial Arts, Unarmored Defense, Circle Forms, Circle of the Moon Spells
Feats: Skilled, Healer
Spells: Druidcraft, Mending, Produce Flame, Starry Wisp, Cure Wounds, Speak With Animals, Create or Destroy Water, Detect Magic, Goodberry, Healing Word, Purify Food and Drink, Moonbeam, Continual Flame
Spell Attack +6, Spell DC 14
Inventory: Druidic Focus (flowers woven in her hair), fancy dress OR Shorstword, Druidic Focus (flowers woven in her hair), riding dress, healer’s kit, herbalism kit, waterskin, rations (10)
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Laurie Weathermay-Foxgrove (Female Human, Beastmaster Ranger 3, Monk 1)
XP: 5,800/6,500
Alignment: Neutral Good
Appearance: 22 years old, blue eyes, black hair, pale skin
Background: Noble (+2 Str, +1 Int)
Strength 16 (+3)
Dexterity 16 (+3)
Constitution 14 (+2)
Intelligence 14 (+2)
Wisdom 18 (+4)
Charisma 14 (+2)
AC 18 (includes Cloak of Protection), HP 51
Heroic Inspiration: 1
Skills: Animal Handling 6, Athletics 5, History 4, Insight 6, Perception 8, Persuasion 4, Stealth 5, Survival 6
Tools: Playing Card Set, Thieves’ Tools
Languages: Common (High Mordentish), Elvish (Low Mordentish), Halfling (Vistanni), Druidic
Class Features: Spellcasting, Favored Enemy, Weapon Mastery (Scimitar, Musket), Deft Explorer (Druidic, Perception), Fighting Style (Two-Weapon Fighting), Martial Arts, Unarmored Defense, Primal Companion (Shadow, hunting dog)
Feats: Skilled, Tough
Spells: Hunter’s Mark, Animal Friendship, Cure Wounds, Hail of Thorns, Speak With Animals
Spell Attack +6, Spell DC 14
Inventory: 2 Scimitars, musket (20 bullets), tailored riding suit, component pouch, hooded lantern, oil flasks (10), waterskin, rations (10), thieves’ tools
(Ranger changes: Beastmaster Ranger can command their beast to use the Beast’s Strike option against the target of their Hunter’s Mark, no action required. As part of Favored Enemy, Rangers can concentrate on two Ranger spells if one of them is Hunter’s Mark, losing concentration on one spell breaks concentration on both.)
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Party Inventory: 1,133 GP
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Lady Alice Weathermay-Foxgrove (Noble, 2024 MM)
Peter Marwolstelkir (Male Human Champion Fighter)
Heather House Staff (Commoner, 2024 MM)
Michel Butler (butler and valet, Insight)
Mr. Groom (carriage driver and horse master, Animal Handling)
Mrs. Cook (cook, Cook’s Utensils)
Tina (kitchen maid, Cook’s Utensils)
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Gennifer, Laurie, and I rode through Mordent, on our way back to Mordentshire. We’d traveled out to a smaller town, more than a village but less than a city, to personally deliver missives from Lady Alice to the Lord she’d selected to take over the Marwolstelkir titles in the village of Trefwerd. Supposedly, sending her daughters would impress upon the Lord how much faith Lady Alice had in him, but I suspected she sent me with to start spreading the word that Gennifer and Laurie were no longer eligible. Lady Alice never did anything for just one reason.
The meetings went well, Lord Tervorte graciously accepted the transfer of titles, and showed us all due hospitality. Now, we were on our way back home to Heather House, to tell Lady Alice the good news.
It was a pleasant afternoon, a rare one where the sun fully broke free of the mist, clouds, and fog that covered Mordent, beams of sunlight stabbing through the leafy canopy of the trees that spread to either side of the road. I was just considering bringing out my mandolin again to sing us a jaunty traveling tune when a scream split the air ahead of us.
By unspoken agreement, all three of us immediately spurred our horses into a gallop.
The road wasn’t perfectly straight, but it tended less to full turns and more towards gentle curves to and fro. Passing through these curves at the best speed our horses could muster, we soon arrived at the ruckus.
A woman stood atop the driver’s box of a large enclosed cart, brandishing a short, sturdy hammer. Next to her, a man swung and poked a garden hoe at their attackers. And their attackers. . .
I’d been reading up on the wildlife of this world, but even with that, the sights took me by surprise. A tall, thickly built creature was in charge, brandishing a sword and barking orders in a harsh, guttural language. A hobgoblin, the bigger, meaner cousins of the small but vicious goblins. And behind him was one of those goblins, holding a gnarled, ugly staff. But out in front, menacing the cart and its drivers, was a creature my brain had trouble making sense of. It was large, thickly built, walking on all fours but able to rear up on its hind legs to strike with vicious claws at the ends of its gratuitously muscled forelimbs. It was covered in a combination of bristly fur and feathers, its head broad and round with large eyes and a vicious protruding beak. An owlbear.
I blinked, trying to make sense of two completely incongruous creatures mashed together into one form, even as we vaulted off our horses and came to the citizens’ defense.
(Initiative: Wyatt – 19, Gennifer – 10, Laurie – 4, Hobgoblin Captain – 10, Goblin Hexer – 23, Owlbear – 21. Goblin Hexer, Owlbear, Wyatt, Gennifer, Hobgoblin Captain, Laurie.)
The goblin at the back raised its gnarled stick, pointed it at Laurie, and snarled in its ugly tongue.
(Goblin Hexer: Cast Blindness/Deafness. Laurie: Constitution saving throw, 22 – Success!)
The magic the goblin wove settled around Laurie’s head, focusing on her eyes. With a snarl and a shake of her head, she threw the effect off, whatever it was.
(Owlbear: Walk 40 feet.)
The owlbear glared at us with its strange yellow eyes, turned from the people it was menacing at the cart, and charged us. We braced ourselves as it drew closer.
I surveyed the battlefield as Gennifer and Laurie had coached me, accounting for time and distance and the range of my spells, then ground my teeth. I was about to burn half my magic power on spell that would be, at best, half as effective. But I simply couldn’t make my way to within range of two targets, and holding the spell for the perfect moment seemed riskier than using it now, with the opportunity at hand.
(Wyatt: Bonus action, conjure Pact Weapon, longsword. Cast Tasha’s Hideous Laughter. Owlbear: Wisdom saving throw, 3 – Fail! Incapacitated, Prone.)
The owlbear succumbed to the debilitating effect of my hideous laughter, toppling over on its side, convulsing, chest heaving as it fought to breathe.
(Gennifer: Walk 30 feet. Cast Moonbeam. Hobgoblin Captain, Constitution saving throw, advantage from Aura of Authority, 14, 21 – Success! 10 radiant damage, save for half, 53/58 HP.)
Gennifer darted past the incapacitated Owlbear, touching the flowers in her hair, invoking her magic words, and raising her hand before chopping it down to point at the hobgoblin. Her spear of silvery moonlight, somehow still visible in the golden light of the sun, struck down from above, making the hobgoblin grimace in pain.
(Hobgoblin Captain: Walk 20 feet. Multiattack, advantage from Aura of Authority. Longbow, 14, 19 – Hit! 5 piercing +7 poison damage. Longbow, 8, 16 – Miss! Wyatt: 35/47 HP. Concentration, 23 – Success!)
The hobgoblin stalked forward with a snarl, raised his bow, took aim, and loosed two shafts in rapid succession at me. One arrow lodged in my ribs, making me hiss in pain, but I held my focus on my spell, keeping the owlbear out of the fight. The second zipped past my ear, ruffling my hair and letting me hear the angry buzz as it split the air.
(Beast of the Land: Walk 30 feet. Laurie: Bonus action, cast Hunter’s Mark without a spell slot. Walk 15 feet. Musket, 11 – Miss! Heroic Inspiration, reroll. Musket, 8 – Miss!)
Laurie moved around the toppled owlbear, pulling the stock of her musket tight to her shoulder and drawing a bead on the hobgoblin. Her musket barked, but the ugly monster evaded the shot. Shadow, Laurie’s faithful hunting hound, bounded around the owlbear as well, ahead of his mistress and just behind Gennifer, braced for a charge.
(Goblin Hexer: Walk 30 feet. Multiattack, advantage from Aura of Authority. Hex Stick, 14, 15 – Miss! Hex Stick, 9, 19 – Hit! 17 psychic damage. Gennifer: 14/31 HP. Concentration, 22 – Success!)
The goblin darted forward, sticking close to the hobgoblin. It pointed its gnarled stick at Gennifer, firing off two sickly purple bolts. Gennifer dodged one, but the other caught her, making her cry out in pain, nose and ears bleeding. Rage blossomed in my breast hearing that sound from one of the women I love.
(Owlbear: Incapacitated. Wisdom saving throw, 17 – Success!)
Still convulsing off the ground, I felt the owlbear’s monstrous animal instinct war against my mystic grip on its mind. With a surge of primal will, the creature threw off my influence, breaking my spell.
“Ah, crap,” I muttered. Sword in hand, I moved towards the owlbear, ready to do this the hard way. But I still had one trick to try against what was obviously the greater threat.
(Wyatt: Walk 10 feet. Cast Witch Bolt, 23 – Hit! 20 lightning damage. Hobgoblin Captain: 33/58 HP.)
My arc of burning lightning shot around the owlbear and slammed into the hobgoblin, making it screech and wail.
(Gennifer: Walk 10 feet. Magic action, move Moonbeam. Goblin Hexer, Constitution saving throw, advantage from Aura of Authority, 11, 12 – Fail! 10 radiant damage, 35/45 HP. Hobgoblin Captain, Constitution saving throw, advantage from Aura of Authority, 3, 11 – Fail! 16 radiant damage, 17/15 HP.)
Gennifer retreated behind Shadow and away from the Owlbear, guiding her moonbeam to sweep over the goblin and hobgoblin, the silvery light burning them both badly.
(Hobgoblin Captain: Walk 25 feet. Multiattack, advantage from Aura of Authority. Greatsword, 8, 13 – Miss! Greatsword, 5, 14 – Miss!)
The hobgoblin glared hatefully at Gennifer, spat something in its foul language that needed no translation, and rushed at her, swinging its massive two-handed sword. Gennifer gracefully evaded the vicious swipes, her longcoat and skirts swirling about her.
“Sorry, Wyatt,” Laurie said, stepping forward.
(Laurie: Walk 5 feet. Command Beast to use Beast’s Strike on Marked target, no action. Beast of the Land: Beast’s Strike, 23 – Hit! 8 piercing damage. Hobgoblin Captain: 9/58 HP. Laurie: Free interaction, stow musket. Draw scimitar as part of attack. Scimitar, 9 – Miss! Light property and Nick mastery. Draw scimitar as part of attack. Scimitar, 7 – Miss!)
“For what?” I asked, as Shadow gnawed on the hobgoblin’s ankles, but Laurie’s flashing cutlasses failed to finish the job on the hobgoblin. Laurie snarled, and I’m not sure if it was at her opponent, me, or both.
(Goblin Hexer: Multiattack. Hex Stick, 18 – Hit! 13 psychic damage. Hex Stick, 20 – Hit! 8 psychic damage. Gennifer: 0/31 HP. Unconscious, Incapacitated, Prone, Concentration ends.)
The goblin fired off its magic shots again, pounding Gennifer and dropping her out of the fight.
“Gennifer!” I screamed in rage and pain.
Unfortunately, I had my own problems to deal with. The owlbear was back up, and I happened to be the first thing it saw. It reared up on its hind legs, its feathered forelimbs raising to display its vicious claws.
(Owlbear: Spend 20 feet of movement to get up. Multiattack, advantage from Aura of Authority. Rend, 14, 17 – Miss! Rend, 13, 20 – Hit! 13 slashing damage. Wyatt: 22/47 HP. Concentration, 22 – Success!)
I barely evaded part of the creature’s frenzied attempt to maul me, but its primal fury would not be denied. Its long claws and sharp beak tore at my clothes and flesh, drawing blood and agony from my body.
And now I had a choice, though it was no choice at all. The arc of blue lightning between me and the hobgoblin wavered and fell off target as I channeled Sapphira’s power in a different way.
(Wyatt: Bonus action, Healing Light, 4d6, 22 HP restored. Gennifer: 22/31 HP. Wyatt: Longsword, 13 – Hit! 9 radiant damage. Owlbear: 50/59 HP.)
I channeled Sapphira’s divine power through me, willing Gennifer to be healed, to get up, to be alright. Her wounds closed and she regained consciousness, and I breathed a sigh of relief as I swung my sword at the Owlbear, the blade flashing with golden light as it sliced through feathers, fur, and flesh.
(Gennifer: Spend 15 feet of movement to get up. Bonus action: Wild Shape, Dire Wolf. Bite, 6 – Miss! Heroic Inspiration, reroll, 16 – Miss! Unarmed Strike, 23 – Hit! 4 bludgeoning damage. Hobgoblin Captain: 5/58 HP. AN: Yes, I realized MUCH later I’d already spent Gennifer’s bonus action to Wild Shape, so she shouldn’t get the Unarmed Strike, but I don’t feel like replaying this whole thing again.)
The Hobgoblin’s eyes grew wide as Gennifer burst out of her clothes, her slender body replaced by a wolf the size of a horse. He fended off Gennifer’s snapping jaws, but was caught unawares by a swipe from her forepaw, staggering at the force she slammed him with.
(Hobgoblin Captain: Multiattack, advantage from Aura of Authority. Greatsword, 5, 24 – Critical Hit! 15 slashing +8 poison damage. Greatsword, 9, 23 – Hit! 9 slashing +3 poison damage. Gennifer: 0/31 HP.)
My heart seized in my chest as I again saw the hobgoblin swing his sword with lethal efficiency and strike down my beloved. Gennifer’s great shaggy body hit the ground with an agonized whimper, the extra fur and muscle melting away, revealing her vulnerable nude body. Laurie roared in rage, and Shadow howled a vicious challenge.
(Laurie: Command Beast to use Beast’s Strike on Marked target, no action. Beast of the Land: Beast’s Strike, 9 – Miss! Laurie: Scimitar, 13 – Miss! Light property and Nick mastery. Scimitar, 21 – Hit! 4 slashing +1 force damage. Hobgoblin Captain: 0/58 HP. Laurie: Bonus action, shift Marked target to Owlbear.)
Shadow and Laurie fell on the Hobgoblin in a frenzy. The monster defended himself valiantly, but was no match for Laurie’s wrath and Shadow’s loyalty, and it fell beneath Laurie’s flashing cutlass.
(Goblin Hexer: Multiattack. Hex Stick, 14 – Miss! Hex Stick, 6 – Miss!)
The goblin fired more magic at Laurie, who ducked beneath the sickly purple missiles.
(Owlbear: Multiattack. Rend, 13 – Miss! Rend, 16 – Miss!)
I dodged and weaved away from the owlbear’s formidable natural weapons, hoping we’d be able to triumph this time, as well. One of theirs was down, but one of ours was too, and our options were dwindling rapidly.
(Wyatt: Bonus action, Healing Light, 1 HP restored. Gennifer: 1/31 HP. Wyatt: Longsword, 10 – Miss! Heroic Inspiration, reroll, 22 – Hit! 5 radiant damage. Owlbear: 45/59 HP.)
Fearing it wouldn’t do much, I spent the last of Sapphira’s power to heal Gennifer. It did indeed not do much, but hopefully enough. I then dug deep to slice my sword into the owlbear yet again, though if it was feeling the wounds, it gave no sign.
(Gennifer: Spend 15 feet of movement to get up. Cast Moonbeam. Goblin Hexer: Constitution saving throw, 5 – Fail! 8 radiant damage, 27/45 HP.)
Gennifer pulled herself to her feet, and summoned her spear of moonlight again, bringing it down on the goblin’s head. The creature squealed in pain as the silver radiance blistered its skin.
(Laurie: Bonus action, Command Beast. Beast of the Land: Walk 25 feet. Beast’s Strike (Charge), 22 – Hit! 17 piercing damage. Goblin Hexer: 10/45 HP, prone. Laurie: Scimitar, 16 – Hit! 7 slashing +3 force damage. Light property and Nick mastery. Scimitar, 24 – Hit! 6 slashing +4 force damage. Owlbear: 25/59 HP.)
Laurie whistled and pointed, and Shadow ran forward, leaping to pounce on the goblin, bearing it to the ground as the hound savaged the monster with its sharp fangs. Laurie focused on the owlbear, her cutlasses slashing deep wounds. The monstrosity was reeling now, feeling the damage we were heaping upon it.
(Goblin Hexer: Spend 15 feet of movement to get up. Move 5 feet. Multiattack. Hex Stick, 18 – Hit! 15 psychic damage. Hex Stick, 23 – Hit! 13 psychic damage. Beast of the Land: 0/20 HP.)
The goblin rolled out from under Shadow and Gennifer’s moonbeam, gaining its feet, and slammed its gnarled stick again and again into the dog, flashes of putrid violet sparking forth with each hit. Shadow whimpered and cried in pain, then lay still on the dirt of the road. The goblin let loose a foul cheer of sadistic triumph that sparked rage in all three of our hearts.
(Owlbear: Multiattack. Rend, 11 – Miss! Rend, 26 – Hit! 15 slashing damage. Laurie: 36/51 HP. Concentration, 22 – Success!)
The owlbear rounded on Laurie, slashing with its claws and pecking with its beak. Clothing ripped and blood spattered as the creature mauled her, but Laurie held her ground.
(Wyatt: Longsword, 7 – Miss!)
I loosed a furious roaring battle cry as I swung my sword, but the keen edge glanced off the owlbear’s fur and feathers.
(Gennifer: Bonus action, Healing Word, 7 HP restored. Beast of the Land: 7/20 HP. Gennifer: Magic action, move Moonbeam. Goblin Hexer: Constitution saving throw, 21 – Success! 3 radiant damage, save for half, 9/45 HP. Owlbear: Constitution saving throw, 18 – Success! 7 radiant damage, save for half, 22/59 HP.)
Gennifer channeled her natural magic, accelerating Shadow’s natural healing process to supernatural levels. The hound’s wound’s mended, and he recovered. Simultaneously, she swept her spear of moonlight over the goblin again and onto the owlbear, burning both, if superficially.
(Laurie: Bonus action: Command Beast to use Beast’s Strike. Beast of the Land: Beast’s Strike, 7 – Miss! Laurie: Scimitar, 25 – Critical Hit! 7 slashing +6 force damage. Light property and Nick mastery. Scimitar, 24 – Hit! 6 slashing +4 force damage. Owlbear: 0/59 HP.)
Laurie whistled to Shadow again, and the savaged pup snapped at the goblin, who evaded him with a panicked shriek. Laurie’s cutlasses flashed out at the owlbear, one slashing deep into its throat, making fountains of blood spray on the air. Another carved deep enough to finish the job of spilling the monster’s life into the packed dirt road, and the owlbear toppled to the ground and breathed its last.
(Goblin Hexer: Wisdom saving throw, 3 – Fail! Fleeing. Walk 30 feet. Shadow: Attack of opportunity, Beast’s Strike, 14 – Hit! 11 piercing damage. Goblin Hexer: 0/45 HP.)
Seeing its leader and brutal monster felled, the goblin panicked and ran, heedless of Shadow. The dog caught its ankle in his teeth, tripping it and yanking it back, the goblin’s ratty nails digging furrows in the dirt. Shadow pounced, teeth descending on the goblin’s neck. A crisp snap, and the last foe was no more.
(Hobgoblin Captain, Goblin Hexer, and Owlbear defeated! 2,100 XP awarded. Wyatt, Gennifer, Laurie, 6,500/6,500 XP.)
“Gennifer!” I yelled, rushing over to my Lady. Gennifer sagged, exhausted and severely injured. I wrapped her naked body in her longcoat, the mystically embroidered one she’d recovered from the Marwolstekir crypt. I hugged her tight to me, kissed her in passionate relief.
(Wyatt: Magical Cunning, restore 1 Pact Magic slot. Wyatt: Cast Cure Wounds, 23 HP restored. Gennifer: 24/31 HP.)
The love I felt for Gennifer moved through me, to Sapphira, my Warlock Patron, empowering us both. A bit of my mystic energy returned, and I immediately pushed it back into Gennifer, mending her wounds. She sighed in my arms. “I love you,” she whispered.
I kissed her again, speaking my feelings in a way more profound than mere words could manage.
(Laurie: Cast Cure Wounds. Beast of the Land: 20/20 HP. Laurie: Cast Cure Wounds. Wyatt: 33/47 HP.)
Shadow trundled up to Laurie, smiling a good dog smile with his bloody muzzle. Laurie knelt and petted him, focusing a bit of her own magic on healing the damage the goblin had inflicted. Then she brushed a hand on my back, healing me, as well. “You are handy to have around, Wyatt.”
I smiled lovingly at her. “Thank you, Laurie.”
At that, we turned our attention to the cart and its occupants.
“Thank you for coming to our aid,” the woman said, climbing down. As she approached, I was able to get a good look at her. She was tall, slender, extremely elegant and graceful, wearing the kind of fancy dress Laurie wouldn’t be caught dead in. Her skin was rich brown, her face finely sculpted, giving her the look of an exotic ethnicity I couldn’t quite identify. Her black hair was elegantly pulled back and piled atop and behind her head, drawing attention to her most striking feature: her ears gracefully tapered up to points. “I am Sybella Smith.” She waved to the man accompanying her. “This is my son, Leoven. We are in your debt, my Lord, my Ladies.”
I blinked in confusion. This woman didn’t look nearly old enough to have an adult son. But there was certainly a resemblance, not just in skin tone and pointed ears. “Your s–”
Gennifer cut me off. “It was our pleasure, my Lady,” she said smoothly, shooting me a quick warning look. “I am Gennifer Weathermay-Foxgrove, this is my sister Laurie, and our dear friend, Wyatt Nelson.”
Sybella smiled. “I thought as much. The gods truly smile on us, for we were on our way to your house.”
“Truly?” Gennifer asked.
“Indeed. We have heard of your bold efforts in striking down the monsters of the land, and wished to offer our services.”
“What services might those be?” Laurie asked.
Sybella’s smile grew. “Come,” she beckoned, leading us to the back of the enclosed cart. Opening the doors, she pulled out a small chest. Producing a key from her dress, she unlocked it, and lifted the lid.
Inside were several small ingots of metal, about the size of a deck of playing cards, though thicker and narrower. They gleamed with a breathtakingly beautiful silver sheen.
“What is that?” I asked.
Sybella picked up one of the ingots and held it out to me. I took it, feeling the weight. It was far lighter than I expected, and something in the texture of the metal made it. . . I don’t know, feel strong in my hand. “It’s light,” I said, turning it in my fingers, admiring the way it caught the sun. “And beautiful.”
“Quite so,” Sybella said. “What you hold in your hand, Mr. Nelson, is mithral.”
Now, I’ve never been much of a “Lord of the Rings” fan. I know, I know, “nerd blasphemy! How can you call yourself a nerd and not accept the Gospel of Tolkien!” Well, I just feel like his Professor is showing too much. We don’t need six pages of backstory about the town the characters will spend the next three pages in, but Tolkien says we do, because it might be on the test. Meanwhile, major plot and character developments, like reforging the shards of Narsil, are handled in a single throwaway line. But even I, who barely struggled through “Fellowship of the Ring” and gave up early in “The Two Towers” because I felt there were better ways to spend my time, even I was aware of mithral.
Gennifer and Laurie gasped, and I raised an eyebrow. “Magical elven metal?” I asked. “Lighter and stronger than steel?”
“Quite right,” Sybella replied. “But it’s not just light and strong. Mithral is mystic silver.”
Now she had my undivided attention. “Wait, silver?”
Sybella nodded. “Metal of the moon, bane of werebeasts and shapeshifters, yet hard enough to hold a razor’s edge indefinitely, supple enough to never chip, crack, or break. Might that be of interest to you, my Lord, my Ladies?”
“Absolutely,” Laurie breathed, gazing at the chest of mithral ingots with. . . not precisely greed, but profound interest.
“You can actually forge mithral weapons?” Gennifer asked.
Sybella looked apologetic. “Not yet. To truly work mithral and retain its magic properties, a forge requires specialized tools, proper enchantments, and suitable mystic reagents. It will take some time to acquire everything necessary. There’s also a level of skill required that, I admit, I do not yet possess. But, eventually, I will be able to outfit you with weapons that will make every monster in the world fear you, and in the meantime, I can hone my craft on ordinary steel.”
“So,” Laurie said, still eyeing the mithral lustfully. “We provide you with a place to work, you and your son with a place to stay, you eventually provide us with mithral weapons?”
Sybella nodded. “And Leoven can earn his keep, as well.”
The young man nodded. “I’m a gardner.”
Gennifer smiled. “The planters at Uncle Rudolph’s shop could use some more thorough care.”
“It’s settled, then?” Sybella asked.
“We’ll need Mother to give her blessing,” Gennifer said thoughtfully. “But I believe we can persuade her.”
“Wonderful,” Sybella replied with a beautiful smile.
“Let’s get going,” Laurie said. “We’ll escort you to Mordentshire.”
We mounted up, riding ahead of Sybella’s wagon to scout for danger. I pulled Sunbow close to Gennifer on Buttercup, leaned in to talk quietly. “So, what’s–”
“She’s an elf,” Gennifer replied in a whisper. “Elves live for hundreds of years, so they age imperceptibly slowly by our standards.. Her son is probably more than a century old, she may well be over three. And it’s rude to ask strangers their age.”
I nodded.
We arrived back at Heather House late in the afternoon. Peter, ever the dutiful man-at-arms, opened the gate to the courtyard for our horses and Sybella’s cart.
“What’s this, then?” he asked as I dismounted Sunbow.
“Peter,” Gennifer said, slipping elegantly off Buttercup, keeping her longcoat closed to preserve her modesty. “This is Sybella Smith and her son, Leoven. They’re here to discuss something important. Sybella, Leoven, may I present Lord Peter Marwolstelkir, man-at-arms for our family.”
“Honored, my Lord,” Sybella replied, giving Peter a curtsey.
“My Lord,” Leoven added, bowing.
“My Lady, my Lord,” Peter replied, giving them each a polite bow in return. He made it look easy, even in his brigandine armor.
Peter and Mr. Groom set about unpacking and stabling the horses, and we went inside to introduce Sybella and Leoven to Lady Alice.
We (well, mostly Gennifer) explained why Sybella had sought us out, and what we hoped to gain from it. Lady Alice was a bit reluctant, but agreed. She didn’t like her daughters rushing out into danger, but knew she couldn’t stop them, so anything that made our job easier and safer was a boon to her.
After accepting Sybella’s offer, and sending her off with Michel to get rooms for her and her son set up, Lady Alice looked at the three of us. “Any more you are planning to bring to the House?” she asked pointedly.
“Probably,” Gennifer admitted. “Mother, we’ve talked about this. We can do only so much on our own. We need allies, supplies, and resources. We’re reaching the point where we can turn all this–” she waved a hand to indicate the whole of Heather House– “into a bastion against the darkness. A place to gather, prepare, train others, and push out to protect people from the horrors of this land.”
“It’s how we help and protect our people, Mother,” Laurie added.
Lady Alice pursed her lips, then nodded. “Alright.” She held up a finger. “But you will not be gutting out our ancestral home.”
Laurie smirked. “Please, Mother. We have the whole basement, finished but completely empty. And there’s enough room on the grounds to build three more manors, if need be.”
“And I’ll expect you to cover the finances for that,” Lady Alice said wryly.
“We will,” Gennifer replied sincerely.
Lady Alice raised an eyebrow at me. “And you, Mr. Nelson?”
I shrugged. “Me? I’m just here to sing and stab things.”
Lady Alice laughed politely, then waved a hand. “Fine. But all renovations must be approved by me, and you shoulder the burden of cost.” Her eyes narrowed. “And I approve of anyone coming to work or live here.”
Gennifer curtseyed. “Thank you, Mother.”
(Long rest. All resources restored.)
I woke in the night, sandwiched between Gennifer and Laurie, our naked bodies pressed together delightfully. But I had to pee. As delicately as I could, I wiggled free of my ladies. Gennifer stirred only slightly, Laurie mumbled something vulgar. I went to the lavatory that adjoined our room, emptied my bladder and filled the chamberpot.
As I made my way back to our room, something out the window caught my eye, a flicker of movement. I walked to the window, looking out.
The ground outside Heather House was bathed in light from the full moon, the pale silver light shining over everything. And there I saw it again, movement. A figure out on the lawn, twisting and twirling–
I swallowed and blushed. The dancing figure was close enough I could see clearly it was Sybella, dancing under the light of the moon. And she was stark naked.
While a part of me absolutely was captivated by her nudity and its promise of sexuality, what really froze my gaze to her was the grace and beauty of her dance, how her limbs and trunk flowed like water, billowed like smoke in a breeze. Her dark caramel skin was limned in silver light, her black hair flashed white moonbeams as it rippled with her movements. Her moonlit dance was one of the most stunningly beautiful things I had ever seen.
Mere seconds and an eternity later, I yanked myself away from the window, terrified she might see me spying on her. Blushing, feeling a confusing mix of guilt, shame, joy, and a bit of arousal, I slipped back into bed. The twins shifted to pull the three of us back together, and I tried to get back to sleep.
“What’s eating you, Wyatt?” Gennifer asked, looking down at me. She was dressed and ready for the day, I was still lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling, trying to order my thoughts and feelings. Even Laurie was up unprompted, getting dressed in the closet.
I sighed. “I did a bad thing.”
“Not last night, you didn’t,” Laurie said, exiting the closet and putting one foot up on the couch at the end of the bed to pull on her boots.
“Yes, actually,” I said. I sighed again, then, hesitantly, told them what happened. How I’d gotten up in the night to visit the lavatory, and coming back to our room, had happened to spy Sybella out the window, dancing naked on the lawn.
As I finished my story, Laurie shrugged. “Elves are weird.”
“It’s not that,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s. . . I. . . I feel–”
Gennifer leaned down, silencing me with a finger on my lips. “We’re not mad, Wyatt. It was an accident, wholly understandable. There’s nothing for you to feel guilty about.”
“Quite right,” Laurie said, tugging on her other boot. “After all, we’ve given you permission to go hunting,” she added with a smirk.
“What?”
“We talked about this, Wyatt,” Gennifer said. “If Sapphira needs or wants more than we can provide, you can ask us to approve an additional dalliance.”
Laurie’s booted foot thumped on the floor. “And we approve of Sybella.”
Gennifer’s eyes glittered. “Oh, most definitely.”
I blinked, taking that in. Yeah, we’d had this discussion, but it was one thing in the abstract, discussing a hypothetical person, quite another now that my two loves were essentially telling me to go get my game on with a very real and present person.
“Okay,” I said slowly. “Setting all that aside for the moment, the fact of the matter is that I spied on her. Saw her without her permission.”
“Accidentally,” Laurie said. “You weren’t creeping around trying to get a look at her. You weren’t doing anything wrong.”
“And you turned away when you realized what you were seeing,” Gennifer added.
“And to be blunt, I don’t believe she has a reasonable expectation of privacy in the middle of the lawn, even in the middle of the night,” Laurie concluded.
I frowned at her. “That doesn’t mean she was inviting ogling.”
“No,” Gennifer agreed. “But it also limits her right to take umbrage if someone does happen to see her.”
I frowned. I still didn’t like it.
“If it bothers you that much,” Laurie said with a shrug. “Come clean. Go to her, explain what happened, apologize.”
“What if she takes offense?” I asked.
“That is the point of apologizing, Wyatt,” Laurie said with sardonic slowness.
“And she might not take offense at all,” Gennifer said. Then she smiled. “That might even open an avenue for further discussion.”
Slowly, I nodded. This wasn’t going to be fun, but I had to do it. I sat up, got out of bed, and got dressed.
“Let me help you with that,” I said, walking up to Sybella at her wagon, seeing her struggle with a large, hefty crate.
“Thank you, my Lord,” she said. She took one end, I took the other, and we carried it down into the basement. Sybella had staked out a room that would work for a forge, and begun drawing up plans for modifications that would be needed. Mostly ensuring proper ventilation.
We set the crate down with the rest of her supplies. As she turned to walk back up to the courtyard, I decided this was as close to the right place and time as any. “My Lady?”
Sybella turned to look at me. “Yes, my Lord?”
(Wyatt: Persuasion, 15 – Success!)
“I. . . I have a confession to make. Last night, I was out of bed briefly, and passing by the window, I saw. . . well. . .” I cleared my throat awkwardly. “I apologize, my Lady, but I saw you on the lawn.”
She smiled faintly. “I see, my Lord, and no apology is necessary. In fact, I believe I should apologize to you, if I overstepped the bounds of your hospitality.”
I waved my hand. “No, not at all.” Then I frowned. “Well. . . I imagine Lady Alice would be somewhat upset.”
“I shall keep that in mind,” Sybella said.
“Still, I’m sorry, my Lady, for spying on you.”
“It appears it was unintentional, so there is no need to apologize. Besides that, I don’t mind at all being seen.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Yet you picked a time and place where it was highly unlikely anyone would see you.”
She smiled again. “There is a difference, sir, between not minding being and seeing and wanting to be seen.”
“Ah,” I said, nodding. “Well, then, I hope you will take this in the spirit it was intended: your dance was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen in my life. Simply. . . indescribable.”
“You flatter me, sir,” she said happily.
“If it’s not too personal, I’d like to ask, what was the reason? Is there some special significance?”
Sybella nodded. “It is a way of honoring a lesser-known goddess. An Elven Swordmaiden, who encourages beauty and goodness. All that is really known is that she is said to dance naked in the moonlight.”
I nodded. “That sounds lovely. Thank you for sharing.” I put on my most charming smile. “If it’s not presumptuous of me to say, if your rite is not wholly private, I wouldn’t mind seeing more of it next time.”
“Sir!” she said, with a lightly scolding laugh. “What would your Ladies say, to hear such talk?”
I smiled back. “It was they who bade me speak to you, after I confessed to them.”
One elegant black eyebrow arched at me. “Truly, sir?”
“Truly, my Lady.”
“How interesting.” She turned towards the stairs out of the basement. “If you wouldn’t mind helping me with more boxes?”
“Not at all, my Lady.”