Hello, Everyone!
Last time, our heroes went to the home of Correlon Entivio, the husband of one Olivia Enry, an elven woman that was killed by ghouls 18 years ago beyond the Teeth. They spoke to the man who was still, to this day, very much distraught by his wife’s passing.
The whole encounter was so sad that Mary insisted they didn’t bother the man too much, and they soon went away.
When they got out of Correlon Entivio’s home, Mary and the others found it hard to decide what to do next.
They went to Tiriel Elaire’s first, hoping to get an audience about the teleportation scroll or just hear her views on the case. Bruno, Aurum and Tesaya had already been there once while Mary was with Gillean, but the guards (rude as usual) had told them to come back tomorrow.
They said the same thing now. The Elder didn’t want to see them. She even had a magical protection around her office which didn’t allow them to contact her through any of their spells.
Next, the four of them went to lord Dwendel’s office. Bruno had suggested they asked about Dorina’s behaviour before she’d disappeared. If she was possessed or controlled in some way, it’d be good to know when that might have happened.
They found the Lord’s working place and took him out for an afternoon break. He was happy to see them, although his eyes darkened when they asked about Dorina. He told them that, upon coming home from Myth Adofhaer, his daughter had been uncharacteristically cold and serious. Three days later, she disappeared.
“What about that weapon she was famous for using?” Bruno asked. “Do you know anything about it?”
“Dorina didn’t tell us much about her work,” lord Dwendel said. “We didn’t even see the thing. All I know is that she found it in one of her first missions, out in the jungles of Orborea, in some kind of a temple.”
Mary could see a realization forming in his eyes. Why were they asking about his daughter, when they had an investigation on their hands? And what did her behaviour and weapon had to do with…
“How’s William?” she said in an attempt to change the subject.
The lord smiled and started talking about his son and his recent hijinks.
“So, what now?”
They’d left lord Dwendel and were still wandering around the city, unsure of what to do.
“Is it time to try and hit up Dorina?” Bruno said. “I have the Sending spell prepared.”
“Shouldn’t we get ready first?” Tesaya said. “Last time we fought her, she almost took us out.”
“I have an idea,” Mary said, not very confident in her own words. “We could try talking to Granny Gretel.”
Aurum and Bruno nodded. Tesaya looked confused.
The bard called Granny via his ruby amulet. Mary looked around, expecting to see ‘The Hut’ or the hunched over figure of the old woman herself, but none of those appeared. Instead, a small black bird flew up and perched on Aurum’s shoulder.
“Hello, children! Granny’s voice came straight from the creature’s beak. Everyone jumped. “What can I do for you?”
“Wait, why the bird? Why aren’t you here?” Bruno asked.
“Because I can’t,” she said. “There’s a barrier around the city?”
Oh, right! The Mythalar. Of course the hag wouldn’t have a ‘Key’.
They described their current predicament and asked for any advice or help she could offer.
“I have healing potions.” It was so weird, the way the bird just opened its beak and the words came out.
“What about the weapon?” Bruno said. “Do you know anything about it?”
“All I can say is…” The bird paused. “Strike when you’re being struck.”
That’s all they got from her. She said ‘goodbye’ and then the bird was just a bird. Bruno gave it a few crumbs he had in his pocket and it flew away.
"What was that?!" Tesaya said.
The others shook their heads. How do you explain something even you don't really understand?
And so, they prepared, as much as they could. They didn’t want to necessarily fight Dorina, but they had their weapons sharpened just in case, their spells revised and their magical items gathered. They went to the elven barracks and asked that the whole training grounds was cleared for them.
And when Bruno sent his invitation to Dorina, they waited, holding their breath, expecting the woman to appear from anywhere.
“I got a reply,” Bruno said after a while. He looked disappointed and confused. “Dorina says she has a counter offer. She wants to meet us behind Falka’s mausoleum. Says she knows we’ve been interested in it.”
Uh-oh! Dorina’s one step ahead of our heroes. But how does she know about the mausoleum?! Has she been spying on them?!
Let’s hope that we’ll find out, sooner or later! There's a whole NEW CHAPTER ahead of us, and I think the action is about to start! Don't miss it - starting in the next episode!
But before that happens, here's a fan picture a friend of mine made for Mary's story!
Take care and be well!
(Also, here's a link to the Chapter Guide and the Glossary for the series. You're welcome!)
An important disclaimer: These are my notes from a D&D game turned into a narrative. All the worldbuilding and NPC encounters belong to our DM, and all the actions of the other main characters (Aurum and Bruno) belong to my co-players. My contribution to the story is only everything Mary-related (actions, reactions, inner thoughts), as well as the writing itself.