General Summary
Manuscript by PSEUDONYM PENDING
– Note: Surely I can conjure a suitable nom de plume?
The caravan moved steadily forward, cutting through the marshes of central Tairos on the path to the city of Frial with ease. The heat and humidity of high summer was beginning to wane, the buzzing insects that would normally assault these travelers retreating as their sovereignty over the land came to an end for the year.
The brave protectors of this caravan, the Red Word, were steadfast in their duty and were of a noble breed that saw to the comfort and security of the parties that gathered thusly for this journey. Why, they charged only a pittance for their professional services! In the case of our heroes, that cost would never be known for their benefactors had generously covered all traveling and lodging fees. Though only a dozen travelers and their Red Word escorts made up the caravan, the two we now join on this adventure are of particularly unusual purpose. They stand out greatly from most of their mundane companions, whom they met at the roadside tavern they began their journey from.
***
Now dear readers, if you will bring your attention to several days earlier, we visit the common room of said tavern as a dashing young half elf performer, smiling and telling tall tales to the other patrons, catches sight of a dour, middle aged man. His hair and beard full and graying, he was clearly no ordinary peasant, armed and armored as he was for adventure. The performer brought his food over to introduce himself as Irufan Rimer, swashbuckler and traveling merchant of mirth. The gentleman nodded and responded in kind with his own name, Donovo Flameglade. Irufan wanted to exchange stories, for while he was a mighty swordsman and spell-caster, he felt his pen hand needed further training and was looking for ideas. Donovo shrugged and replied that he was an explorer and mercenary waiting for a caravan that was paid for by some potential employers in the town of Frial.
Note – Speaking of pseudonyms, I’ll need to come up with some for myself and the others won’t I? I’ve come this far without incriminating myself, no time to start now. This story writing business is harder than I thought!
“What a coincidence!” exclaimed Irufan. “I too, have received an offer for my talent in Frial; the missive was from a Wagner Abbey, to teach some gifted youngsters.”
Donovo raised his eyebrows. Confirming that he too was contacted by this Wagner Abbey, they both reached into their packs and withdrew their letters. Embossed with the seal of a purple Sparrow,it read as follows:
To whom it may concern,
Your skills in the magical arts have brought you renown, and our school of young people are in need of those of your caliber to guide them through their earliest lessons. Please travel to Frial’s Wagner Abbey Orphanarium, so that we may discuss this opportunity for you. The enclosed instructions shall see that your expenses are covered as you travel here.
Sincerely,
Headmistress Charity Sparrow
“I suppose we might as well get acquainted if we we’re to become teachers at this purported school,” Donovo reasoned. “Have you any experience in training others in magic? Irufan grinned.
“Not in the slightest! But how hard can it be?”
***
With dusk falling on our travelers, the caravan was called to a stop by the Red Word, and camp was quickly made for the evening. A fire was started, and the smell of dinner filled the air as everyone settled in for a relaxing evening. Irufan drew out his lute to the delight of the others, playing a bawdy song as the food was being prepared. Donovo sat by working on his crossbow, waiting impatiently to fill his grumbling belly. Playing cards were pulled out and wagers made and loss. Fireflies and whippoorwills sang their mournful songs, but were mostly drowned out by the noise of the caravan party. There is excitement as the Red Word informs everyone of their scheduled arrival to Frial the next evening.
As the evening’s stew was passed around, another most curious personage approached our two would-be educators. His fine clothes, stylish mustache (done in the fanciful way of the Ghal Pelor gentry!) and open demeanor belying his dwarven heritage, here gentle readers, we meet the brew-master Tomlin Ackley, of the famed Ackley Ales brew houses of Ghal Pelor. With a barrel under each arm, he has been most generous during the trip of providing his strong concoctions to the caravan, loudly proclaiming that he will set up shop in Frial to further the Ackley name there. Greeting Donovo and Irufan, he sets down the barrels and pulls from his pack a tray and several mugs. He begins filling the mugs from the barrels with a generous amount of his ale to share with his new companions.
In spite of the Ackleys being a clan of dwarves that have largely cast off traditional memes, names and affects of your typical Ghal Ankaran (even down to their accents), they are a reputable and industrious bunch, with Tomlin being a fine example.
“I hope you enjoy this one, Donovo,” Tomlin said, handing him the mug. “Very special recipe. You’ll have to tell me if you pick up some of the secret ingredients.”
Donovo took a long pull from the mug, licking his lips with appreciation. “This is as fine an ale as I’ve ever had from Ghal Pelor. Your name is well respected.”
“Aye, I know,” Tomlin replied, waving his hand. He went on about the open market and lack of competition in Frial confidently. Donovo wondered aloud as to the nature of Frial, having never traveled there before.
“I’ve heard nothing but disturbin’ and contradictory information for the most part, but we’ll make do,” Tomlin answered.
Tomlin handed the other mug to a cheerful Irufan. He put it to his lips, just tasting it to mask his shameful inability to hold his liquor. Not wanting to offend the master brewer, he has kept up this charade nightly.
“Have you given any thought to my proposition for sponsorship in Frial? I could spread the good news to anyone there!” Irufan offered. Though alcohol was not his first love, he knew a good product and chance for profit and exposure when he saw it. Tomlin rubbed his chin.
“Start up funds are what they are, but if you were open to considering sort of a profit share in the beginning, I could take you on, but up front my capital is tight…” said Tomlin. Delighted that a local celebrity with such a refined palette as Irufan had taken an interest, he was keen to keep the option available. During the conversation, Irufan let slip Wagner Abbey within Bellehaven as a potential customer, in spite of his lack of knowledge as to the makeup or finances of the institute he sought employment from.
“If this school is accepting of the kids having a drink with their lunch, we could work out an even more lucrative gig. It would be nice to have buyers right off the bat,” Tomlin reasoned.
“I don’t see why not,” Irufan declared. “You have to grow up sometime!”
“There was beer in my bottle when I was being nursed,” Tomlin agreed. Irufan and Donovo regarded their dwarven acquaintance. It had become clear over the last days travel even to them that Tomlin’s boast, though richly deserved for his brewing skills, were an exaggeration as to his position within the Ackley family as he seemingly was on his own quest to prove himself. The two liked the friendly dwarf and his enthusiasm, and the others in the caravan save for a weird and off-putting Toymaker named Malachi were ordinary, honest folk. But be not alarmed, illustrious readers, for Malachi and whatever schemes he has will have to be a story for another time!
With the Red Word keeping a careful eye on the camp, the evening progressed without a care; Tomlin’s hunchbacked dwarf(?) servant was kept busy by the brew-master’s generous serving of his samples.
The evening was in full swing when Donovo’s gifted eyes, the Eldritch Sight bestowed upon him, catches a most curious creature among the caravaner’s feet. To the untrained, it would be but an overly large field mouse, but the mercenary’s senses are not so deceived! Radiating traces of manacite energy and sparks, its true nature is that of a mechanized rodent! Watching as the machine darts to and fro, he observes as it moves towards Irufan’s personal tent. Donovo turns Irufan and brings his attention towards the mouse as it begins to enter his tent through the flap.
Putting a finger to his forehead, he concentrates for a moment and sends a message straight for the creature. What manner of being is this, and for what is its purpose? The sorcerer bent his mental talents in hopes to discover this very thing.
“Little mouse, what are you about?” Irufan inquired.
“Carrying out my mission,” the mouse answered flatly. Without reservation, the messenger relayed that his mission was to speak to the two teachers as it disappeared into Irufan’s tent. The two of them gracefully leave the fire and, warily with their hands on their weapons, for who could say if this mouse be friend or foe, they entered.
The mechanical mouse exudes jets of steam as it waits for the adventurers’ attention.
“Mouse,” Donovo says, “You have our audience.” In an instance, the little messenger spits out from its metal mouth a piece of paper and then, its mission accomplished, it jerks suddenly and falls over. The surprise on our hero’s faces is palpable as the magic leaves its tiny body.
Irufan retrieves the scroll, beholding a poorly drawn map that leads half a mile outside of camp. Leave the confines of the safe encampment? How bizarre! On closer inspection, the letterhead on the paper the map is drawn on bares the same symbol as the job letters the two of them received. No previous instruction had been given for a moonlit meeting halfway to Frial. What could this mean?
The two are alerted to footsteps outside the tent. Donovo moved to open the flap as Irufan quickly pocketed the map. Outside was Tomlin with a tray of candied dates and shots of more of his fine ales. Smiling and slightly inebriated, he came thinking to provide a few more night caps for Irufan and Donovo.
Noticing the remains of the clockwork mouse, Tomlin asks as to its nature. Quickly concocting a false story, Irufan covers that it is but a trinket that he has been toying with, rebuffing Tomlin’s offer to help restore it (as he has build many of their family’s furnaces and boilers for their breweries, allegedly) as a matter of self indulgence. Donovo intercedes, taking one of the glasses.
“I don’t partake in dates anymore, but thank you,” he gestures, drinking the ale.
“I’ve not met a person yet that has a sworn obligation to avoid a candied date, but so be it,” Tomlin says, taken aback. He hiccups.
“I, fortunately, have not taken such an oath,” Irufan grins, taking both shares for himself.
After sharing a shot, Tomlin retreats back to the fire. Donovo follows to quietly collect his equipment from his tent. Irufan examines the map, discovering that aside from the fine quality of ink, it had not fully set which meant that this amateur cartographer had very recently drawn it with only a passing knowledge of the surrounding area. If this were a trap, thought Irufan, it is a clumsy one!
Gathering up his own pack, Irufan took a peek outside to ensure no prying eyes would see him as he then quietly made his way outside the camp where Donovo was also heading. Enchanting his armor to darken the glamored clothing he wore, Irufan followed Donovo as the mercenary warlock pulled his cloak over head. The moon would be the only witness as they marched off, following the strange map.
***
Donovo, well versed in tracking, led the way with the map, taking careful notes and watching for forest predators as Irufan’s mind wandered during the trek. The mercenary notes some tracks while walking. Wolves? As he pondered this conundrum, Irufan notices a movement in the brush, and has barely enough time to shout warning as it rushes out towards his face!
Putting up their weapons, their attacker reveals itself to be a giant toad, the size of a horse, its maw extending wide enough to take a half elf like Irufan with ease into its almost certainly slimy and mucous filled gullet! Which the beast does! With its huge, gummy lips! Muffled cries come out of the sorcerer as he begins sliding down its slippery throat.
Donovo hoists his shield and trident and fearlessly assaults the great toad. He slips on the greasy discharge it has covered the ground in and grazes against its hide as he catches himself from falling. Now brave reader, gird your courage, for the toad reacts to this affront on his personage with the grinning, horrific visage of a needle toothed face pressing out of its back. A tendril forms alongside it and whips about to ward away Donovo. No mean toad this; a true monster has attacked our heroes!
Donovo quickly casts magic to counter this tendril with an inky black tentacle of his own, born of his cursed blood. The side mouth of the toad begins radiating multiple screams as it attempts to attach itself to the mercenary. Donovo steels himself for a mighty struggle.
As Irufan attempts to free himself, the fleshy interior of the monster begins transforming into people shapes, as if its insides were mutating into bodies writhing on its slick organs. Irufan is grateful he is not able to see such terrors; their caress is distressing enough!
Donovo on the outside flails his tentacle and trident against the monster but to no avail, the tide of battle edging in favor of this man eater. The side mouth catches the his summoned tentacle, catching hold of it. The trident glances off its rubbery body in another failed attack. The monster retaliates, crashing its tongue against him, beating him about and grasping the man in an attempt to have him join his half elf companion within.
The horror then manages to completely swallow said half elf, his gasps for help heard only by the possible ear holes of the malignant bodies that have swollen from its meaty insides. Without a source of light and with splashes of stomach acid lapping against him, Irufan endures the press of the forming faces as they whisper madness and false promises. Their breathy chanting unnerves our hero as he can feel but not see their “jaws” moving. Thinking quickly while suppressing his gag reflexes, Irufan drives a spike of mental energy into this creature’s purported brain-stuff. The damage inflicted momentarily halts the chanting as all the mouths, including the great maw itself, yelps in pain.
Donovo, who has retained his mystic sight in this encounter, is unnerved as any mortal man would be and hesitates in his actions as he watches the writhing, wriggling mass of toad and mutant like faces attached to said toad scream. Donovo desperately tries to attack the tongue lashed to his waist without success, but finally manages to pull away with great effort. Donovo then directs his tentacle to lash at the monster, finally scoring a solid hit. The toad demon reels back, and turns to flee into the woods, content with one meal.
With the acid burning at Irufan, he draws from his pocket a piece of manacite and begins his own chanting, flooding the insides of the foul creature with Dissonant Whispers. The combined damage and psychic assault causes the thing to shudder, its many faces quivering and discharging a foul ichor over the dismayed half elf. Finally, it violently expels Irufan to the ground, covered in goo as it attempts to separate itself from its tormentor. The meal, it seems, was not to its liking!
Its many limbs and faces wriggle as it tries to shake off the damage. Donovo takes the opportunity to strike it with his tentacle, drawing another wound on the monster. It lashes its tongue at Donovo, who wheels around with his shield to block the hideous appendage. Wiping the grime from his clothes, Irufan quickly launches a fire bolt at the creature that it easily withstands.
As the two heroes steady themselves for another charge by the eldritch horror, the monster makes a loud cry as something impacts it from behind. Shocked, they both squint through the night and see the magnificent figure of Tomlin Ackley, his fist stuck in the back of the toad. Powerful indeed was his blow as he joins the battle, staggering from the great amount of alcohol he had imbibed earlier. The sound of bones breaking fills the air as he burps a greeting at his friends.
The three press their attack as this shocking turn of events turns the tables on the monster, who turns its many faces on Ackley, viciously biting down on the brave, drunk dwarf with all its weight, driving him into the muck. Tomlin, though badly wounded stands and strikes back with a great blow of his own, pulling one of its wet eyeballs out. Donovo assists with the icy touch of the dark tentacle, snapping its neck as it tumbles atop Tomlin and pins him down.
Donovo and Irufan breath a sigh of relief as they retrieve their companion from underneath. Tomlin, badly wounded but in high spirits and drunken denial, pulls a small cask from his pack and begins drinking heavily.
“What a night!” exclaims the dwarf.
“Mr. Ackley, your assistance is greatly appreciated, but are you alright?” Donovo asks concernedly.
“You didn’t tell us you were a champion,” Irufan excitedly proclaims. “Yes, you are, aren’t you?!”
Tomlin continues drinking and explains that having spied the two of them leaving camp, he followed out of concern. Offering some of his ale, Donovo takes a small sip. Taken aback at its strange taste, the tingling sensation is identified as the brew having been charged with manacite! What a wonder!
Donovo’s eyes sense the special reserve spreading magic through Tomlin’s body, empowering his abilities. Thanking Tomlin for his help, they welcome him on their quest, though they warn of possible dangers.
“Oh, its fine,” he waves, “I have a tough enough time sleeping anyway when I’m filled with the family reserve. Gotta burn it off somehow, eh?” Inquiring as to their little adventure, Irufan suddenly questions the wisdom of leaving the camp. Donovo looks sharply at his companion.
“Well, I did almost just get eaten. I can mark that off the list of things I need to do before I die, by the way,” Irufan slyly remarks. “I don’t recommend it.”
The dwarf quietly listens, then makes a confession that he himself has also received a letter from headmistress Charity Sparrow. He too, is a magic teacher recruited by the school! It is a revelation worthy of the bards, daring readers! Tomlin claims to have a knack for using manacite and his brews together to fuel magical effects in his outrageous fighting techniques and that must have caught the attention of their employers. The Ackley brewery location in Frial was partially a cover to this end, he embarrassingly admits.
Inebriated though he was, the other two accept Tomlin’s story.
“So the headmistress Sparrow also wrote a letter to you! Aren’t we the comedic trio,” offered Irufan.
“Aye, I was looking to get out of the family business. I make a good drink but I waste a lot of it on my special brews.” Tomlin lamented. “Blown up a couple boilers for sure and spent a lot of money on manacite to make this brew.”
“I don’t think spending a lot of money on drink is the worst thing one can do,” Donovo offered.
“Not when it lets me punch like a mule,” Tomlin cackles. Donovo nods sagely. The trio theorize as to the nature of their terrible attacker, having never seen anything like it.
“While you were inside,” Donovo said to Irufan, “it formed another face on its backside.”
“Funny you should mention that,” Irufan grimly said, “because it kept a whole supply of them in its belly. Did I ever have a talking to with it inside.”
“You been drinking my mead and not telling me?” Tomlin skeptically asked.
“That is a fair question, my friend!” Irufan replied. Donovo took the opportunity to use his sight on the toad’s remains. A strange, divine corruption encased even the corpse, and Donovo explains the aura exuding from it as he draws a finger through the body. The group slumps down a bit away, taking a short rest as they contemplate their next move. Tomlin gladly offers his services which the two of them in turn gladly accepts. After cleaning the remains of the monsters from themselves magically, they follow the map to their destinations.
Note: TRUE STORY. ALL OF IT. Beware this mysterious corruption!
The noises of the forest returned as they marched on. Eventually, they come to the clearing noted in the map. Tomlin takes a moment to draw a metal bar from his pack and screw it onto the sturdy mini cask he carries, making for himself an ingenious hammer weapon. Donovo spreads caltrops on the way they came from, his precaution born of his many adventures.
The trio stood in the clearing, tense with anticipation. Irufan began to whistle a jaunty tune. Just several seconds into the improvised performance, a hushed voice from behind one of the trees near the clearing beckons them over.
As our heroes cautiously approach the voice, two women appear from the large tree, both dressed in sagely robes. The taller, older one stepped forward while the younger one, who couldn’t have been out of her teenage years and dressed in robes that more resembled a uniform, stood back a bit. The former confidently introduced herself.
“I am the one that sent you the map. My name is Bianca; I work for the school that you’re going to,” she explains. Several skeptical oohs and aahs came from the three would be teachers as she continued.
“This is our teacher’s assistant, Love Birdie,” Bianca says, gesturing to her young tag along. Love waved awkwardly. “We are coming to you with a mission of dire...” Bianca started, pausing and rephrasing with suspicious alacrity. “Well, not so much a mission as an initiation, a test. Of your skill! That you have to pass in order to get this job.”
After confirming that this was an interview of sorts, Bianca clucked and chided the three applicants, wondering aloud if they had trouble following her map. Despite the explanation of a toad monster of unknown origin assaulting them on the way to the clearing, Bianca’s insistence of better performance didn’t waver.
“We shall triple our efforts!” Irufan promised.
“I expect nothing less, though I do expect more,” Bianca replied acidly. Could they have jeopardized their opportunity for illustrious teaching careers so soon?
Bianca then, half lecturing, detailed this mission turned interview. A nefarious cutpurse named Klagett, who has been making a name for himself in this area, and his gang have absconded with a device Bianca claims to have built called the Mana Gauge. It is supposedly resting in a fancy, well made box with her initials “B.L.” carved into it.
“It’s going to allow our patrons to gauge the health and wellness of the mana and the leylines of any area that they happen to be in.“ Bianca continues. “You see they’re very interested in restoring magic to the way it once was.”
“A worthy and noble goal,” replies Irufan.
“Interesting that a device can do something like that,” Donovo says skeptically.
“A device can do anything because science can do anything that magic can do,” Bianca haughtily answers back.
Clearing the air as to the true nature of Klagett, Donovo asks if they should deal with this gang as if they were actors in this “interview”. Bianca hesitantly reveals that they have been informed of this test and that they are most definitely actors. She warns that they will be letting her know how the interview goes. Donovo meanwhile retrieves the caltrops he scattered on the ground earlier.
After providing a second map (which Bianca reiterates must be followed carefully) to their hideout, Donovo, having returned from picking up his caltrops, inquires if the teaching assistant will be sent with us to monitor as well.
“Yes,” Bianca says without skipping a beat. “You will be taking Love with you.” Love eagerly steps forward.
“I am 100% ready for this mission, not gonna fail the headmasters in any way shape or form. You can rely on me!” she breathlessly promises.
“You remind me of a niece of mine,” Donovo says gently.
“I aspire to be a professor one day at the school too,” Love says. “and that’s why I decided to help Bianca with this mission. She came to me right away!”
Picking up her pack, Love steps over to the trio with Bianca adding that secrecy was paramount to the mission. Secrecy, it seems, was all the rage at this school of magic for youngsters. Bianca drives home this point several times, claiming no one must know about this mission after today on the grounds of not allowing future applicants to know the process and thus have an unfair advantage. Mysterious!
***
The map, contrary to the first one, is professionally made and marks their destination in the village of Becklingberg. Donovo has in his vast travels never heard of it. As they walk, Love informs our heroes that it is a dangerous place, largely abandoned. The three headmasters of Wagner Abbey have previously ventured there on a quest of there own.
“It’s a village where everyone worshiped some kind of Frog God,” Love explains. “And then the headmasters, being the powerful and wise people that they are, razed it to the ground!”
It is in the ruins of Becklingberg that Klagett hid the Mana Gauge. At the mention of a “Frog God”, Donovo raised his eyebrows.
“That frog we encountered then must have been one of its devotees,” he surmised. “It exhibited powers far beyond that of a regular giant frog.”
Love admits that she has heard rumors of mutations and that this so called Frog God isn’t as frog-like as its name implies. It was either a monster or a god. The tales left its nature inconclusive! Tomlin, in response, continued drinking without a care. Love warned of cultist stragglers that they must avoid as they are not a part of the test. They continued to move through the swamp towards Becklingberg.
Being led by Love, she carefully navigates the path and helps the hapless heroes avoid wolves and another mutant toad hunting nearby. The sun having long since set, it is deep night once they arrive in the ruin that is Becklingberg. No lights flickered in the flooded husk of the village or any signs of life. Ankle deep muck threatened to suck them down as they trudged to the edge of town, Donovo pulling down the hood of his lantern. Irufan comments on the dreary nature of their surroundings.
“I’ve heard a lot about torture cults, and cannibalism and frog worship, but never anything nice,” Love admits.
Donovo claims to have heard of cannibalism rumors near the Rylan woods. But of frog people eating their own? A most dangerous test this has turned into, stout readers!
The four of them assess their situation, trying to decide where the most likely place Klagett’s gang has their hideout. Tomlin pipes up.
“If I had a box that I was looking to hide I’d put it in the brewery,” he declares.
Nods of agreement passed between them, but Donovo then asks about Klagett himself. Love reiterates that he is a highway pirate and thief, but also that he is rumored to be a Tengu, the foreign avian folk. Love surmises that Bianca must have had a good relationship with this pirate if the test was set up in this manner.
Heavy clouds hung overhead as they snuck into the village. Donovo, activating his mystic eyes, senses some intense magic on the outskirts of town opposite their position, but holds that detail back as he explains there is a quarry they could investigate there. Tomlin sighs, making his low opinion of the common dwarven standby known.
The curious quartet decide to split into pairs to more quickly investigate Becklingberg. Tomlin and Irufan head in the other direction while Donovo continues on with TA Love Birdie.
***
Tomlin recommends finding the local tavern, reasoning that that would be a likely place to find people gathered. They begin inefficiently searching for what could be the remains of such a building. After Tomlin sniffs the air briefly, he points in a direction certain that he has found it. They begin stomping that way.
Tomlin’s nose, in fact, turned up the remains of a stable. The bloated corpses of several horses litter the ground. Shrugging, they search through it anyway. Finding giant maggots crawling from the equine remains, Irufan spots some untouched crates that Tomlin proceeds to smashes open. Some stable supplies is their reward in one crate, but in the other they find an unused set of Becklinberger bagpipes. Irufan gingerly and reverently picked it up and stowed it away, determined to use it to further carve his name into the annals of performance history on the continent.
Satisfied they have combed through the stables, the duo leave to continue their quest for the tavern. Irufan points at the tallest wreck of a building he can spot and they march towards it, the night promising to be a long one.
***
As Donovo and Love searched in the opposite direction, he starts to notice that many of the houses in this area had what appeared to be bite marks of great magnitude, as if they had been eaten by a huge entity. He decided to keep that from the girl for now.
Without a hint of irony, the two of them arrive at what they guessed was an inn or tavern. Several floating barrels lingered in the brackish water outside. Nearby stood the ruin of what appeared to be an apothecary.
The two of them quietly sneak into the back of the inn. Within they hear loud sounds of rummaging, and spy some untouched containers. Looking around the corner towards the noise, they find two people looting the remains within. After discussing their plan of action to take on what appeared to be the two thugs and actors playing their roles as Klagett’s men, Donovo waved her over to take a shot with her magic.
Summoning a bolt of fire, she hurled it at one of the looters, landing a serious hit on his surprised face. The bandits retreat out, drawing their weapons as Donovo rushed in, shield and trident raised. Love followed closely behind. As Donovo kept them busy, Love launched another fire bolt, once again sparking against the same actor’s face and knocking him face down into the muck of Becklingberg’s filthy streets. Apparently they were quite dedicated to their roles!
“You should stop him from drowning,” Donovo advised, gesturing with his shield at the remaining actor.
“DIIIEEE!” the man screamed, charging with his saber. The action was not what the mercenary expected from the hired hand as he defended himself. After several failed attacks, Donovo once again pointed at his fallen companion.
“Don’t let him drown!” he ordered. Seemingly engrossed in his part, the actor continued to press his attack. Love’s spell interrupts his swing and, deciding that a true bandit would now have a crisis of courage, flees without his partner. Donovo takes the chance to strike at him, wounding him in the back. He tumbles into the water, unconscious but assuredly proud of his performance this day.
Donovo takes some time to bandage the two of them, leaving them propped up and out of the gunk filled streets. The two of them then inspect the crates they find, discovering some money and a spell inscribed on deerskin. They quickly take their leave.
Nearby, Donovo’s sight catches hold of a creature moving in the shadows. Warning Love of its presence, they decide to avoid it until they are reunited with the others. Donovo decides to keep an eye on the creature’s movements while Love goes off to find Irufan and Tomlin.
As Donovo observed Love across the street, two figures in heavy cloaks burst from the shadows and abduct her. In shock, he runs toward the alleyway casting showers of sparks with a quick spell to catch their attention. One of the abductors steps forward, sword and dagger in hand blocking the way to the young student.
***
Heading towards the largest structure within sight, Irufan and Tomlin begin smelling the faint scent of honey as they close in.
“Could be mead!” the dwarf excitedly says.
As they reach the building, they go around back and find a doorway to what appeared to be a kitchen. Irufan suggests sneaking inside to investigate.
“Oooh, not so fast,” Tomlin advises. “This could be a test of our ability to interact and get good information out of people. You know, a real social test!”
“Mmm!” Irufan replies. “I do so love my social tests!”
“Which I do think you’ll excel at. You should take the lead but I don’t think we should rush to violence,” Tomlin warns.
“Why thank you! It was never my attention to start with blades out, only to see what we have in store,” Irufan explains.
“I generally punch or smash first,” Tomlin replied.
Irufan peeks inside the kitchen, which while functional was as partially flooded as the rest of town. Within, a young woman, disheveled and with a grim look about her, worked on kneading dough and firing an oven. He knocks politely, startling the woman who carefully approaches the door and opens it a crack while armed with a cleaver.
“Who are you?” she stammers. Irufan bows.
“Madam, no need for alarm, I mean no harm,” he insists.
“That’s what people say when they mean harm! They lie, they lie about what they come here for,” she says despondently. Irufan introduces himself and Tomlin, in an attempt to calm the woman down, and insists that they only desire information.
“My name is Rosa,” the woman warily answers. “Are you looters, are you vandals?” Irufan replies in the negative, though this does little do dissuade Rosa, who continues ranting about people that have come through desecrating and stealing from Becklingberg.
“People come with nice words and kind promises then they burn it all,” she declares. Irufan offers a trade in exchange for information on Klagett. She cautiously lets them in. Tomlin eagerly enters with the promise of food. A kettle is on the stove, heating quickly. Rosa serves tea as the two sit at a rickety table.
The earthy smelling tea is brought to Irufan’s lips, who pretends to take a sip. Tomlin greedily gulps it down. Irufan asks Rosa what they can do for her in exchange for anything she could tell them about Klagett. Rosa demands an explanation from them, and Irufan candidly relates their efforts in locating an item stolen by Klagett for their employer, omitting the details of them supposedly being actors in a test. Rosa gets up while listening to remove a cake smelling of honey from the oven.
In an attempt to hide the nature of the item, Irufan reveals only that all they know is the item they seek is in a box that has Bianca’s initials on it.
“You don’t have to tell me anymore if you’re here to deal with the vandals. I’m all for having you here,” Rosa says.
Irufan asks if he has been bothering the town, such as it was.
“Yeah, he’s rummaging through all the ruins, taking what belonged to people,” she bemoans, cutting the cake and spreading a sweet glaze atop it that she had retrieved from her cabinet. She serves it to her two guests, waiting to see what their reactions would be.
Irufan eyes the admittedly tasty looking cake hesitantly as he pokes his fork into it. Tomlin devours it quickly, voicing his appreciation. She thanks him for the complement, then turns her attention to Irufan.
“Do you like it? I haven’t had company to make it for in a while, not since the last time people came through,” she says. Irufan fumbles his response, searching for an excuse not to consume the clearly poisonous cake made by this borderline madwoman living alone in the ruins of a town beset by bandits, frog worshipers and actors.
“I unfortunately have a horrible, horrible allergy to honey,” Irufan explains demurely. Rosa frowns, but Tomlin pipes up concernedly.
“Honey’s been in a lot of what I’ve made for you in the camp,” he exclaims, not realizing Irufan’s attempted ruse. “Are you OK?!”
“Oh my god,” Irufan moans. “It was?!”
“The meads! Obviously!” Tomlin says pointedly.
“I thought I made my dietary preferences very clear, Tomlin,” Irufan says, mockingly swooning in his chair a bit.
“I think you kicked it, maybe,” Tomlin reassures his performer friend.
“You think?” Irufan slyly answers.
“My mead’s a miracle!” Tomlin proclaims.
“You are indeed a miracle, Mr. Ackley,” smiles Irufan.
“Yer cured,” Dr. Tomlinn, who is not a doctor, concludes.
“Do you hear that Rosa? A miracle!” Irufan says.
Rosa sighs. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a miracle here,” she says dejectedly. Irufan stands from the table.
“And you’ll see another miracle if you point us in the right direction so we can do away with this Klagett fellow,” he promises.
Rosa frowns, claiming that she has to try and remember where she’d seen him last. She stands in contemplation for a moment, mumbling to herself. Irufan senses that the loneliness has taken its toll and begins to feel pity for the unfortunate soul. Eventually she begins naming a few places in Becklingberg that she has seen the bandits in. She then offers more tea to her guests. Irufan asks if Tomlin is interested.
“Always, always yes, the answer’s always yes!” Tomlin nods.
Rosa goes to get more glaze to pour into his teacup and offers Irufan some as well, who refuses politely. Irufan offers Rosa a spot to Frial on their caravan with the Red Word, and a chance to restart her life there. Rosa frowns at the suggestion.
“The people in Frial are judgmental and hateful and they send people to burn everything all the time,” she claims. “They’re afraid of the truth!”
“And what truth is that,” Irufan carefully asks.
“That we’re all his children, and that he’ll call us home soon,” Rosa intones.
“You speak of the Frog God?” Irufan whispers. Rosa nods again.
“I see him in my dreams,” Rosa says. “He’s so mad at us! He rose up and he smote us.” Irufan, attempting to calm her down, fails as she gets more excitable.
“He’s inside you now,” she reassures. Irufan pauses.
“Excuse me?” he asks. Tomlin then burps nosily and falls over his chair into the flooded floor, unconscious. Rosa promises to bring both of them to the Frog God, unnerving Irufan as he worries for his friend. He stands and begins excusing himself to continue his quest for Klagett, trying to find a way to drag Tomlin away from the crazed cultist. Rosa slaps her hand on the table, her eyes widening and her mouth extending unnaturally.
“We’re going home now!” Rosa yells. She reaches towards Irufan, who reacts with a prestidigitation to spark the fire on the stove around her to distract the woman.
“It’s a sign!” she screams. “We can’t make him mad, not again!”
Irufan begins dragging the dwarf out the door in an attempt to flee, slapping at his face. Irufan reaches the door, though Rosa eventually notices he has gone missing and grabs up her cleaver to give chase. She swings the blade at Irufan’s back, scoring a small wound.
“Stop! Stop! I want you to be whole when we feed you to him,” she screams. Irufan shakes off his pain.
“Madam,” he cries, “Even for acting this is too far!” Irufan draws his rapier in response. Before she can get another swing, he drives the tip into her leg, wounding her and felling her to the watery ground.
“Everybody leaves! Everybody burns it down, everybody desecrates,” she sobs manically. Irufan throws Tomlin over his shoulder like a sack of flour.
“Rosa, a bit of friendly advice,” he offers sincerely, “do not poison your guests and do not strike them with a cleaver. Otherwise, your gifts are quite substantial.” He pauses, then adds, “According to Tomlin, anyway.”
As Irufan and Tomlin move further away from the building, Rosa was heard crawling through the street, mumbling about needing to get to “his” mouth and offer herself up before it’s too late.
In a nearby lean-to, Irufan induces Tomlin to vomit up the poisoned tea and cake. Emptying his guts, he sits up, shaking his head.
“Ugh,” he grumbles. “Bad cake.”
Irufan agrees.
“Hope I didn’t’ ruin the social test,” Tomlin apologizes. “How’d it go?” The half elf shrugged.
“Let’s call it an incomplete,” he replies wryly. Irufan recalls the directions Rosa gave to the elder’s home, the nicest building in Becklingberg on the northeast side of town. It is the most likely place the bandits were headquartered in, Irufan thought. After taking a moment to recover, the two continue on, finally on the right path.
Note: A part of me wishes I had tried the cake. But then I’d be inside a Frog monster. The things I do for Love.
***
In the alleyway, as one of the two kidnappers stepped forward with his weapon drawn on the approaching Donovo, Love pulls roughly and manages to free herself from the remaining actor. She steps back a bit, drawing forth the energy for her recently discovered magic, and flame bursts from her hands, fanning forth and surprising the first actor and catching the one advancing on Donovo at the entrance to the alley in the back, scorching them mightily. The young student had learned her lessons well at this school!
Donovo’s would be attacker starts to thrash, both professionals screaming and reeling from the potent spell. Thrusting the butt of his trident into the now aflame goon, he catches Love as she streaks from the alleyway.
“We have to put them out, we have to put them out right away!” she panics. “This is way beyond…this is just way beyond!”
Donovo glances at the badly burnt and unconscious duo, and bends down to roll both in the water flooding the streets. The fire is put out, but their injuries remained grievous.
“I did not mean to do that,” Love said, staring at her handiwork. Her mouth was agape in concern.
“What did you mean for your spell to do?” Donovo asked curiously.
“Um, well I didn’t learn my magic the way other people learn, it’s just a reaction,” Love stammered. “But I didn’t mean to react like that. I mean…these are actors.”
Quickly making sure the two had survived the spell, then cleaning their wounds as best they can and propping them up out of the water, they left them and, half dragging a nervous Love, traveled across the street. Donovo once again scanned the nearby apothecary with his sight, searching for his quarry.
As they reach the building, Donovo and Love crouched down and slowly moved inside, wary as to the creature lurking within. Donovo could make out the shape hunched over; it looked as if it were feeding on something. The mercenary raised the hood on his lantern to shine it inside. There, they beheld a most hideous creature, one more toad than man, its slimy skin, webbed hands and nearly toad face visible to both now. One of the sides, however, still retained a human-like face which stared horrified at our heroes. In its wide, open maw is a pair of boots which thrashed violently about. Now good reader, if you have retained your senses, our would be teacher has encountered yet another fearsome foe!
“A cultist! It’s eating one of the actors,” Donovo surmised to Love. Donovo and Love charge in to assail the beast, catching it by surprised as its meal is interrupted.
Quickly intoning a hex on the foul thing, Donovo brings his trident up and thrusts it down into its rubbery hide, spreading blackish, rotting necrotic energies into its torso. The toad beast rears up, vomiting out its intended dinner onto the ground. The poor, blighted soul is indeed one of the bandit actors, covered in terrible, painful acid wounds. Mercifully, he is unconscious as he lies in the watery floor. The monster turns its full attention on the duo. Love winds up and throws a mote of fire at it. It crashes on the wall behind it, missing its mark but drawing its ire all the more.
Angrily, it widens its enormous mouth, and gurgling disgustingly, it spews a gout of acid wildly at Donovo and Love. Donovo catches the acid on his enchanted shield, managing to turn it aside as the toad bounds over to try and run them down. Bracing himself, he protects Love from the blow and they are no worse for it. A brief back and forth of blows between man and horror ends with Love launching another bolt of fire, grazing the monster. Enraged, it vomits forth yet another glob of acid at the brave student. Wide eyed, Love yelps in pain as she is splashed by the discharge. The damage overcomes her senses and she collapses into the wet floor.
Donovo quickly reacts, summoning tendrils which call forth a rebuke of great power that strikes the offensive creature; its grave sin of harming his charge is the fuel for his undoing, as the energies from those inky appendages batter him and crush his body. Its eyes roll into its bulbous head and it too crashes to the ground, dead. The flailing tentacles consume the corpse, a sight better left only to the boldest of people.
While the actor continued to roll on the ground from his acid burns, Donovo rushes to Love and, pulling the recently acquired potion from their earlier rummaging from her pack, he slowly pours the healing contents into her mouth. The burns recede as she wakes up, shaking her head.
Supposing that the test took into account the ‘native wildlife’, Love reasons that this is all part of the plan. Donovo agrees hesitantly before both check on the wounded bandit. The burns eating the flesh from his face, he begs for help but, unable to find any other healing implements and lacking the skills to treat his wounds, he passes out from the pain after a short while.
Helping him onto a table, the pair proceed to search the room. Finding a few items of value from the previous occupants, they return to the bandit. Attempting their best to treat his wounds and wake him, he eventually does so, in fits and with great difficulty, opening his remaining good eye as the other had melted over.
Over his pleas for help, Donovo asks if he’s with Klagett. Responding that he was, he claimed the infamous Tengu bandit would pay a fortune for his safe return.
“Where is he stationed right now?” Donovo asked.
“If you bring me there, I’ll tell you,” he answered weakly.
“OK, I don’t have a problem with that,” the mercenary agreed. “Will you be able to help us negotiate with him?”
The man, between gasps of pain, looked puzzled. “Negotiate for what?” he questioned.
“We need the box for the test,” Donovo answered back impatiently. The actor, no doubt from his painful injuries, looked confused, his one eye scrunching up.
“What…what box? What test?” he sputtered. Donovo began to describe the object of their quest to him before Love tapped him on the shoulder to draw his attention, wanting to speak in private.
“This might be…part of the test,” Love guessed. “Like we have to prove that we can get information out of somebody.” Donovo nodded, indicating that he would handle this.
“If you don’t tell me what I need to know,” Donovo threatened, pulling out a coil of rope, “I will gladly tie you and leave you somewhere for the next one of those creatures to sate itself on you.”
Sensing the hesitancy in his voice, the actor reiterated his offer to direct him to Klagett, who would pay us for his return. Donovo and Love decided to act the part of tough mercenaries to ransom the man back.
Donovo and Love tie the wounded man with rope and they steadily backtrack to find the goons in the alleyway and the others they had ambushed at the apothecary. With the five men restrained, they marched them to Klagett’s hideout per their instructions.
“All right,” Donovo announced to his captives, “this is your choice. Either you work with us to negotiate with your criminal mastermind,” which he said sarcastically, “or I leave you to be consumed.”
“We’ll…we’ll KILL you,” Love added unconvincingly for effect. “We’ll kill you really badly!” The grievously injured men remained grievously injured in response. Donovo instructed Love to watch them carefully for any attempts to escape. The march began.
Note: The real Love Birdie is…not the actors these professionals hired by the school were. They were as committed as I had ever seen, taking face scarring and other crippling wounds, all for their craft!
***
As Irufan and Tomlin continued following the directions to the elder’s house that Rosa provided, they hear a loud, shuffling noise coming from the next street and, rushing ahead while keeping hidden, they behold their companions Donovo and Love leading a procession of ragged, horribly injured bandits. How they managed to keep the masquerade going while suffering such ill harm, dear reader, no one would ever know. Irufan appears from his hiding spot, waving at the group.
“Well, it looks like you’ve had much more success than we had at interrogation,” the half elf admitted.
“If I’m being honest,” Donovo responded, “it was Love’s idea.” Irufan voiced his appreciation.
“Looks like your group of captives is going to do much better at the overall test than…” Tomlin muttered. “ah, we, we…the trap we fell into ended up being a whole bunch of time eating a cake and drinking tea.”
“Yes, it’s a whole thing,” Irufan confessed. “But it wasn’t an actor, it was one of the natives, unfortunately.” Tomlin hiked a thumb Irufan’s way.
“And this goon walked backwards into a coat hanger and bolt himself through the shoulder!” the dwarf mocked.
“True story!” Irufan said as he put his hand over his heart solemnly.
Donovo waited for the two talkative pre-teachers to finish, and Irufan finally reveal that Rosa had given them specific directions to the elder’s house. Taking the lead, they continued their grim march. Trudging wordlessly, save for the occasional moans from the brilliantly locked in actors tied together, the quartet eventually spy their destination as they head further towards the outskirts of town.
The elder’s home is a sad, dilapidated affair, multi-storied and even more worn down by the flooding of the town. Lights shone through the windows on several floors. The party halts to plot their next move.
Donovo regards their prisoners.
“Have you all recovered from your wounds?” he asks the sorry bunch. They groan in pain in response, their burns and other wounds having not improved.
“I have to say, I hate to break character,” Irufan remarked, “but your makeup technique is brilliant!”
The acid scarred bandit that had nearly become toad fodder, a man named Seeberg, gurgles out a half formed “I’m dying” in response. Irufan continues to marvel at their dedication.
Donovo shakes his head, whispering to Irufan “That’s actual acid burns.” Irufan turns to the mercenary.
“WHAT?” he hisses back incredulously.“
One of the cultists got him,” Donovo explains. Love Birdie voices her concern about the dangers of Becklingberg but ultimately puts full trust in her headmasters. She is confident that the one named Adjenna has arranged to use her healing arts on the actors for any damage sustained.
“A most generous healthcare plan, very progressive,” murmurs Irufan. A thought occurred to him then.
“Bianca herself,” the half elf asks, “she is a magician of some kind?”
“Uh huh,” Love affirms, “I think so, all of them are. Bianca talks about the moon a lot and she builds weird machines.”
“The moon?” Irufan asks. Bianca looks around nervously.
“Yeah…I think she got in trouble recently,” Love admits.
Donovo ends the conversation there, pointing out that time was running out on their test.
They lead their prisoners to the front of the large building and, a short distance from the entrance, many of the still functional shudders opened up with bandits peering through them, all leveling loaded crossbows at the group. The party halts. A brief silence ensues as each side assesses the situation.
Seeberg shambles forward and as loudly as he can speak, bellows out to his compatriots “It’s me! It’s Seeberg! I’m dddyyyyinnng!” The words croak out as he whines out the last few words.
“We have your men, Klagett!” Irufan declares. “Surrender the object and we can do away with any pretenses of you succeeding in your thievery!” In response, one of the shudders on the second floor is thrown open. Behind it is a Tengu, his charcoal beak the only part of him exposed from his dark, flowing robe.
“Who do you think you are?” he asks, annoyance in his voice. Clearly, the avian knows not the forces he deals with this night.
“You face…” Irufan says, pausing slightly, “educators! From the Orphanarium of Wagner Abbey!” The incessant buzzing of flies and distant ribbits of the town’s many toad families could be heard for several speechless seconds after this introduction. The Tengu who would be Klagett rubbed his feathered chin.
“Ah…one of the magic circles,” he surmises. “Thinks you can come into my territory and make demands?”
“We only seek what is ours and want no trouble with you,” Irufan says, adding, “even as you are a bandit.”
“It is a watery grave in the marsh,” Klagett threatens, “and I am happy to give you what is yours.” Irufan draws his rapier at this provocation.
“Now now,” he calmly counters, “We have your men. Do you not care for their wellbeing?”
“I’ll take them back shortly,” Klagett answers. He waves a wing at his men at the windows and orders “Kill them!”
As the bandit actors prepared to fire their crossbows down at the intrepid group, Irufan angrily looks back at the prisoners.
“Seeberg, you promised us gold!” the sorcerer complains. A meek protest about his inability to breath is the only response from the acid burned prisoner. Donovo quickly directs Love to take cover behind the group of prisoners. The mercenary warlock spews a litany of curses at the Tengu villain, hexing him even as he raises his arms and brings forth a black tentacle from the depths of some gross dimension. It hungrily whips forward, catching Klagett in the chest and forcing him back a bit as ice bursts from the withering wound. He hurriedly falls back inside after taking this attack. Love hurls a sparkling bit of flame at his retreating form, which glances off his robes.
Irufan waves his free hand, bringing to bear four lanterns of multicolored lights which then shape themselves into dancing globes. They flutter to the four crossbowmen at the windows, obscuring their vision and incurring loud curses in response. Tomlin lowers his shoulder and charges towards the front door of the rotting building, crashing right through the it and reducing it to splinters. Irufan follows behind him hurriedly.
The bandits at the window aim as best they can and launch a volley of crossbow bolts at Donovo and Love. They miss wildly as they struggle to get a bead through the dancing lights, striking Seeberg by accident in the process. The bolt thumps squishily into his arm.
His eyes widen as he shrieks “I didn’t feel that!” The others ignore him as the battle continues.
As Tomlin rushes into the second floor room where Klagett and his men were hunkered down, the Tengu whips his prepared daggers at the brew-master, one of which strikes his shoulder with a wet thud. Tomlin does not slow his approach and indeed, barely acknowledges the wound.
The crossbowmen do not miss a beat as they reload and as one, launch another volley, drawing a slight wound as one grazes Love and another breaks against Donovo’s armor, eliciting a grimace. Another bolt finds one of their gang in the stomach, which causes him to look down at it briefly in shock before slumping to the ground, threatening to bring the entire line of tied up and wounded bandits with him. Donovo once again is overtaken by energy as he lashes out the damage in fiery form at one of the crossbowmen. His clothes catching from this sinister attack, he drops his weapon and races around the room, panicking loudly.
Irufan, arriving on the second floor, races towards Tomlin as the dwarf draws his barrel hammer.
“I’ma kill you, bird!” Tomlin bellows.
Irufan quietly mouths an enchantment on his weapon as Tomlin, dagger still poking from his shoulder, engages with the bandit leader. He swings his hammer across at Klagett’s head, and too late does the Tengu brings his daggers up to parry, the blow crashing into him and throwing him several feet back. Klagett squawks in pain as pieces of his beak chip off from the damage. The dwarf’s blow served to save Donovo’s tentacle from reaching him monetarily, though with another fiendish spell, the warlock launches a sizzling blast at Klagett’s back from below. Before he can even fully regain his senses from Tomlin’s attack, he is struck from behind by Donovo’s wicked blast. Out of breath, Klagett barely remains on his talons.
Irufan lunges forward, his rapier flashing with sorcerous energy. Klagett on instinct alone twists away from the attack, spoiling the half elf’s entrance. Note: Embarrassing! Tomlin appears at Irufan’s side and punches out his barrel hammer once again, catching the bird in the chest. Feathers billow out as the weapon cracks ribs. Donovo’s spell, remaining on the Tengu bandit, continues to wound as it flares up again with another charge as energy ripples around him. Gasping for breath, he slumps against a wall on the far side of the room.
“Not too late, Klagett!” Irufan declares. “If you surrender we’ll give you clemency.”
“They’ll hang me!” Klagett says.
Down below, Love rears back and throws another bolt of fire at the windows, this time catching a crossbowman with the full force of her magic. Like his compatriot, he face is lit aflame, his screams and frantic movements around the room causing greater chaos. The remaining two bandits steadfastly continue the attack, missing Love but causing a minor wound on the mercenary.
Klagett stumbles forward, and makes a desperate attack on Tomlin, drawing a red line across his chest before stumbling awkwardly with his second attack missing badly from the damage he has sustained. The dwarf blusters a bit, hiding the pain from his injuries through gritted teeth. Tomlin brings his hammer up from the ground, striking the faltering Klagett in his cracked beak and knocking him off his feet with the fearsome blow.
On his back, Klagett throws off his bandoleer of daggers, raising his wings and muttering surrender. Two of his bandits were already unconscious from burn wounds, and the other two, seeing their employer’s defeat, drop their weapons and quietly attempt to sneak pass. Irufan reaches a hand out to calm Tomlin.
“I can take ‘em, I can take ‘em!” he yells.
“I know you can,” Irufan nods. “Well fought, master dwarf. We accept your surrender, Klagett,” he says the last to the grounded Tengu.
“Well I’m almost out of booze, and starting to feel it,” Tomlin admits. Laughing, Irufan nods towards Klagett.
“And now, the stolen item if you please,” the half elf sorcerer demands.
“What are you talking about, what stolen item?” Klagett asks confusedly. “Everything is stolen from someone.”
“Ah, touché,” Irufan answers. “But I am not here to philosophize with you. It’s a box with the initials ‘BL’ engraved on it.”
The Tengu gestures towards the room he came from earlier, indicating that all their stolen loot is housed within, offering it all in exchange for his freedom. Irufan motions for Tomlin to tie up Klagett and the others while they go search through the items.
“Well, I could tie up his brain with some pain! I can hit him in the head,” Tomlin excitedly says, raising his hammer. Irufan shakes his head and hands him a coil of rope from his pack, shocked at his new friend’s lack of gear so far from camp.
“Ah good. Would have been a shame to fail the test at the finish line,” Tomlin says.
Love and Donovo meet the others in the treasure room, rummaging through magical jewelry, a few items of some power, weapons and a sizable pile of gold, all a small fortune’s worth of ill gotten booty. Eventually they stumble on a small black box matching the description Bianca provided.
“Well, Klagett!” Irufan announces, “It looks like the game is at an end.”
“What are you talking about?” Klagett caws angrily again.
“The water is coming out of this building, right?” Donovo asks the others, interrupting the confused exchange. “Why is that, what’s going on?”
One of the newly captured bandit actors answers that it comes from the door in the kitchen. In fear, they never investigated further. As the others ruminate on what this mystery could mean, which unfortunately, curious reader, is another story for another time, Love uncorks a newly discovered healing potion from the stolen treasure to sooth some of Seeberg’s wounds. Klagett impatiently speaks up once again.
“What game? What do you mean the game??” he demands.
“The game!” Irufan replies. “The game that headmistress Charity Sparrow hired you to play with us for out interview.” Donovo nods approvingly at the response.
“Well done,” the warlock mutters under his breath.
“Don’t know any Sparrow,” hisses Klagett. Irufan cocks his head.
“You don’t? You’re actually here stealing stuff from caravans?” Irufan asks.
“You must not be from here,” the Tengu laughs painfully. “My name is synonymous with danger on the road.”
“Wow. Well, I’m sorry, but we can’t actually let you go if you’re a bandit,” Irufan apologetically says.
“If you take me into the city my allies will seal your fate,” Klagett threatens. Donovo turns to Love and inquires as to the Tengu’s infamy. Love admits to having heard his name before but also explains that a lot of the people that come through town have bad reputations so she had not thought much of it. Love goes on to inform the trio of the magic circles and the complicated politics surrounding the mystic community of Frial.
Donovo unties Seeberg, asking him to explain Klagett’s threats of allies in the city. Seeberg claims that their connected with only the best.
“Are you talking about the Black Thorn?” Donovo asks, his eyes narrowing. The name of the deadly organization of villains leaves his lips with disdain.
“Does that send a shiver up your spine? Perhaps you want to let us go now,” Seeberg bargains.
Donovo wordlessly raises his hand and with a slight gesture, sends a blast of eldritch energy right into the restrained and very surprised Klagett. Eyes rolling into the back of his head, his cloaked body crumples limply to the floor, dead.
“Donovo!” Irufan says alarmingly. Donovo addresses his companions sternly.
“The Black Thorn is not anybody we want to deal with,” he says gravely. “These people are better off dead. They are slavers.”
“Aren’t we not supposed to kill anybody?” Love panics. Irufan rubs his chin.
“I’m starting to think that we were bamboozled,” the half elf remarks. Love could only mouth an ‘oh’. Donovo quickly rebinds Seeberg’s hands.
“I was a slave too!” Seeberg quickly claims. “Am I free now?” Donovo shrugs.
“We’ll let the authorities decide that,” the mercenary mutters.
“So…you were a slave that starting working for your slavers?” Irufan inquires. Seeberg rambles a litany of unconvincing lines.
“Well this is a fine mess we’ve gotten ourselves into,” Irufan sighs. “Test or not, this is way more than we bargained for.” Donovo offers to just let the Frial authorities deal with the remaining captured men, having reversed his thought on executing the remaining bandits. Or actors? Probably just actual bandits.
“Klagett getting broken out of by the Black Thorn and hunting us down is the last thing we want,” Donovo says. Donovo strips the Tengu of his equipment before kicking his body into the overflowing water coming from the first floor. The feathered body sinks without issue into the murky depths.
Scavenging a small wagon from the street, our heroes load up the stolen goods and their prized mana gauge and, nine bandit prisoners in tow, not a one a true actor, the band of future educators march back to the clearing outside of town where they first encountered Bianca and Love.
Had you figured out the twist, clever reader, before it was revealed? A shocking turn of events that fooled even our bright new teachers!
Note: Disappointment. I recalled being excited for the possibility of recruiting some of these “actors” for myself. I suppose actual thugs would be excellent at playing themselves
***
Bianca raised her head as a great scuffling approached the clearing, her tools and clockwork trinkets scattered about her as she worked on them during the evening. Stepping towards the cacophony, she watched as the intrepid group of would-be teachers, Love and nine ragged, badly wounded and bound bandits walked to meet her.
She straightens out her clothes and affected an air of strictness as they came to greet her.
“Well, this wasn’t the quickest I’ve seen this test done, but um...” she lectured, pausing as if noticing the additional people to the four of them for the first time, “oh, prisoners...”
“We will need to take them to Frial as they are associated with Black Thorns, yes,” Donovo said.
“The actors were not well vetted,” Irufan added. Bianca shuffled nervously.
“Well, we can just let them all go now,” she said. Donovo cut her off.
”I believe the Red Word will be very pleased to turn these people over to the authorities as that will improve their standing in Frial,” he reasoned.
“But these are hirelings,” Bianca objected. “We just hired them, we can’t just turn them over.” The group stared at her for several seconds.
“We should just let them go,” she tried again. With Donovo unmoved, she quickly changed the subject.
“Let’s finish the interview then, do you have the box?” Bianca asked anxiously. Donovo motioned to Irufan. He approached drawing the black box from his coat.
“As promised, one box,” Irufan began, before withdrawing the box, “although...since it’s something that’s of such importance to the headmistress, we could just deliver it to her directly. That would definitely be a feather in our cap then.”
“I’m the one handling the interview though,” Bianca argued. Irufan stroked his hairless chin.
“Are you also the one who hired the Black Thorn to be actors?” he asked slyly. Bianca stumbled several excuses to the contrary. Donovo gestured towards Seeberg, extracting a reluctant admission of Klagett’s membership in the feared criminal organization.
“We went looking for actors, we didn’t run full background checks,” Bianca said weakly.
“That’s fine,” Donovo shrugged. “They’ll be off the streets, so there’s nothing wrong with that.” Bianca relents on the matter of transferring the ‘actors’ to the Red Word, then asks for the box again.
“Shouldn’t we just all travel to Frial together since we’re all here?” Irufan asks.
“Remember, secrecy, they’ll ask too many questions; who’s this new person, the school’s business always needs to be private,” Bianca answers.
“Oh yes, absolutely,” Irufan agrees, “which is why we will ONLY speak to the headmistress about it.”
Bianca accuses the half elf of holding the mana gauge hostage after he dances around turning it directly over to her. Irufan shakes his head.
“It’s safe keeping, not a hostage! We all have our role to play, Ms. Bianca,” Irufan says confidently. Bianca sputters about marking the interview incomplete because of their refusal to hand over the box.
“As you said, we were already working on a deficit,” Irufan remarks. “What’s one more little mark as long as we have the item in question? We wouldn’t want another bandit to attack you on your way back to town.”
While Bianca laments about needing the mana gauge, Donovo invites a now confused Love to join them at the Red Word caravan on their way back to Frial. She accepts, wondering aloud if this test was indeed sanctioned by the headmistress of the Abbey. Donovo instructs Tomlin to watch Irufan and catch up as the rest are safely brought back to the camp. Tomlin nods, having been drinking noisily from his barrel the whole time as Donovo and Love head back in the direction of the encampment.
Bianca desperately attempts one last play.
“I can pay you for the box,” she offers to Irufan. The sorcerer thinks briefly then smiles.
“Another test,” he proclaims, speaking over Bianca protestations, “very, very shrewd, but it won’t work! I am beyond bribery, good lady!” Bianca’s shoulders slumped.
“Ok..well, I’ll be reporting this when I return,” she says, defeated.
“I clearly expect you to,” Irufan nods. “Well met, and I hope that we’ll be seeing more of each other as co-workers!” Bianca sullenly gathers her equipment and tools, loads up her horse and disappears into the woods . Irufan wonders if she knows a safe path to and from this place, having rejected a spot in the caravan, as it is still a day’s journey to Frial.
“What would possess someone to pull such a ruse,” Irufan asks, turning to the still drinking Tomlin.
“She wanted that box!” the dwarf answered pointedly.
“Yes...” Irufan agreed, “But it almost got one of their students injured, or worse!”
“Uh, she wanted that box BAD.” Tomlin replied. “Sometimes, you gotta break the rules, you gotta eat that honey cake.” Irufan grinned at this.
“Well said,” the half elf declared. “I believe my miraculously cured honey allergy is in need of more honey. Some more of your mead, if you will!”
“Time to put that fragile elven system of yours to the test,” Tomlin says, pulling more drink from his weapon head. “Honey treats from here all the way to Frial!”
FIN
Note: Hmmm. I should have gone with my instincts and just made this into another play. Also...I should definitely get to changing these names and maybe do some heavy editing, what with the Black Thorn not knowing what happened to their bird and me writing about it in such fine detail liable to get me killed and all.
