Hello, Everyone!
Last time, Mary, Bruno and Aurum came back from the 'Gastronome' and were met with some booing from Paulina and her company. Mary, eager to show her dwarf friend that she was interesting, had a bit too much to drink and it resulted in her first ever hangover. The worst part of it all was that it turned out that 'the moustache curse' was back - Aurum's spell hadn't worked.
The bard appeared at lunch. Mary was slumped on the table, her head still pulsing with pain, and Bruno, to her utter disgust, was drinking an ale.
"You look pretty," Mary spat out, eyeing their friend through the mess of her hair. "What happened, did you have a nice morning?"
"I did, thanks for asking!"
Aurum grinned and showed them his new tattoo. It was on his forearm and the image was that of Nurvureem's sword pointing down to his wrist.
"Driko used his special kind of ink to make me look even more charismatic."
As if you needed it, Mary thought.
"Your spell didn't work," she said out loud and told him about the Moustache Curse.
A glint of some kind passed through Aurum's eyes when he shared a look with Bruno but Mary was too unhappy to pay much attention to it.
"I'll be sure to look into it," the bard said.
Paulina and her party had disappeared without saying a word. Leon told them they'd packed up and went away first thing in the morning. Mary felt a sinking sensation in her chest. Why wouldn't Paulina say goodbye?
"Polly says you’ve impressed her last night,” Bruno said. “Whatever that means."
Mary looked at him in surprise.
"Sent her a message. She replied."
Mary stared at the floor. So Paulina had thought about her after all. Why wasn't that as exciting as before? There was a thought that Mary couldn't get rid of. Why hadn't she stopped her from making a fool of herself last night? Wasn't that what friends were supposed to do?
She buried her head into her hands and groaned.
They spent the afternoon doing different errands. While her friends were gathering supplies for the upcoming journey, Mary made a few rounds through the local libraries and archives in search for the names mentioned in last evening's overheard conversation.
She couldn’t find a single mention of ‘Diohastos’ or the ‘Titan of Ix’ but she did happen upon the name Meltharond. It was mentioned in an adventurer’s report along with a note saying he was a ‘cryomancer’. Looking for the latter, Mary found out that the word meant a person with the ability to shape ice the same way a Fire-mage could do with flames.
She looked for the ‘White Queen’ as well, expecting to find nothing, but to her surprise there was a mention of the name in an agricultural study about expanding the farmland north of Frinkeltong. It didn’t say much, only that the attempts had turned out difficult because of her ‘influence’.
Later the same night, already in her room in 'The Maimed Lion', she had a strange feeling, like something was calling for her attention. She looked around and her eyes fell on her Book of Shadows. She hadn't checked it for a while.
A message appeared on the last page.
it said.
She groaned.
Probably for some, she thought.
your clothes back in Myth Adofhaer?"
Mary frowned. Why would Gillean ask about that? It was ancient history by that point. Bruno had made her new clothes and everything was fine.
”That much blood couldn't simply be washed away."
how to use your wand's OTHER other abilities."
Mary perked up a little. Did she sense the coming of a magic lesson? That would be the only thing that could make her forget last night’s embarrassment.
Gillean explained--through writing--that her wand could do simple magic to repair or clean small objects. She could also make little trinkets and light or snuff out candles with just a flick of the tip. She tried a few small tricks and they all worked like charm.
Her night was suddenly turning out to be quite interesting. She wasn't going to sleep anyway. She wanted to check if the Moustache Curse was triggered by her sleeping or just by the dawn.
She read her books and practiced her magic way into the early hours.
Right before dawn, the door to her room unlatched. Mary froze in her bed, half lying down, book on her lap. Her eyes, able to see in the darkness, followed Aurum as he snucked in and tip-toed towards her.
"What… are you… doing?" she asked slowly.
"Ack!" He jumped. "You're awake!"
"I am, yes," she said, squinting suspiciously at him.
She flicked her wand and a few candles lit up, giving the room a warm glow. The bard had put his hand on his chest, as if to slow down his heartbeat. He looked at her and grinned.
"I mean, it's great that you're awake!" he said, "I've been tossing and turning all night, thinking about the problem with your Moustache Curse. And I think I have a solution."
"You do?"
"Yes!"
"Oh!"
He told her he felt guilty that his Dispel Magic hadn't worked and wanted to make up for it. Mary felt that the middle of the night wasn't the best time to do that, but didn't say so. It was a nice gesture and she appreciated it. She stood up and let him do the new spell he'd designed.
“Hey!” Bruno’s voice came through the wall. “I know you two lovebirds like getting it on but can you keep it down? Some of us are trying to sleep!”
Mary’s face burned red.
“Nothing is happening!!!” she screamed.
Aurum just chuckled.
Oh, Bruno! You always say the most unappropriate things! :)
But also, have you guessed by now what 'the moustache curse' is? This is the last time it'll be brought out, since Mary couldn't find out what caused it after all. But you feel free to tell me your guesses in the comments :)
Anyway, see you next time.
Take care and be well!
(Also, here's a link to the Chapter Guide, the Glossary and the Map 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.