Hello, Everyone!
It's been some time since I posted a chapter, so here's a short recap of what's going on. Mary and her friends managed to fight and kill the Big Bad Kloth and left it to the elve to finish the investigation on his body an artefacts, as well as his undead wife.
Last time, Balaine Endoras invited our heroes to his office and told them everything that they found out. He was pretty happy with the way the group handled the investigation, and said they'd put him in a good mood.
“We would like to take advantage of your good mood,” Mary said with calmness even she was surprised by.
If this conversation had happened just a day earlier, she’d be stuttering and stumbling through her words and she’d probably need Aurum or Bruno to speak on her behalf. But she had almost died last night. She had done it in service to the elves. She had the right to ask for what she wanted.
“I’m listening,” Balaine Endoras said.
“You know my Patron, Gillean,” Mary said. The elf nodded. “Sometimes he asks me for little… favours.”
She took out the orange seed from her pocket and put it on the desk.
“He asks me to plant his trees all over the world. And the place he has in mind for this particular seed is here, in Myth Adofhaer. More precisely, the Unicorn pond.”
The Elder raised his eyebrows.
“You don’t want to know the places she's planted the last two,” Bruno said, shaking his head.
“Oh, I do,” the elf said. “But for now, tell me… What kind of trees were those? And why does he want them planted?”
“Orange trees.” Mary shrugged. “I don’t know why, I don’t really ask questions when it comes to his will.” That was mostly a lie but the elf didn’t need to know of her true relationship with Gillean.
“Tell me, then.” Balaine Endoras leaned forward with his hands folded in front of his face. “When exactly did you plant your two other seeds?”
Mary didn’t have to think very hard. She knew the exact dates she’d been able to fulfill her quests for Gillean. She'd made sure to write them down in her journal.
After hearing them, Balaine Endoras fell silent for a good while. He seemed to be considering something.
“You know what?” he said finally. “I think I’ll help you with your task. You see, my bow is made out of a special orange tree, too.” He pointed at Fen’thras and it proudly spinned on its pedestal. ”And on the precise dates you mentioned, I felt his power grow. So, I have something to gain from your endeavour as well." He leaned in and smiled. "I’ll tell you what we’ll do.”
Apparently there was a custom for people who've done great feats for the elves to get their statues made and placed somewhere in the city. Nothing stated that the statues in question couldn't be by the Unicorn pond, and, moreover, nothing said they couldn't be surrounded by a small fence and a few square feet of land, and, say, on this land, a small orange tree.
For aesthetic purposes.
Endoras was going to place the order for the statue that very afternoon, and with that, Mary's task would be completed.
“Now, we do have some unfinished talk, Miss Windfiddle,” Endoras said after the seed issue had been sorted out.
“We do,” Mary nodded, remembering the embarrassing string of Messages she'd sent him so far. “You have a traitor in the Council.”
The trio told him everything they knew about Clement. About that time they saw him cooperating with the duergar to steal gold from unsuspecting travellers. About him betraying Moira and her husband to the drow enchantress. And about him blatantly lying, saying that they were killed by bandits on their way to Meraket.
“And now we see him in your Council. A person who could still be working for the Underdark,” Aurum finished. “What could that mean?”
“The people in the Council aren’t always good,” Endoras said. “But Clement is a small fry. He's a scum, known for always acting out of his own interest and cowardice. I'd be worried if the traitor was someone with power, like, say, Tiriel.”
“What worries me,” Bruno said, “is that he might be in cahoots with someone in your Council who is more powerful. And that could mean trouble.”
“What worries me,” Endoras repeated Bruno’s words, “is the fact that the inhabitants of the Underdark have been getting more and more unruly as of recent.” He leaned forward, all business-like. “And speaking of that, I have a proposition for you three. I'm planning a mission of sorts - a small elite force going down through a certain tavern in Meraket, deep into the Underdark. Our goal would be the assassination of Imenoth.”
“Imenoth?”
“The Matriarch of the dark elves. She is the High Priestess of Lolth and the core of Menzoberranzan's evil.”
“What about the people in Meraket?” Mary said. “Have you thought about them? You’ll get in the Underdark through their tunnel, but when you finish your 'mission’ and get back to the Red Forest’s safety, you’ll leave the town in danger of any subsequent retaliation.”
“Don’t worry, Miss,” Endoras assured her. “The tunnel will be sealed when we get back. We won’t be risking an all-out war, and I doubt a weakened Menzoberranzan would, either.”
They stayed quiet for a while, thinking about the Elder’s plans. Outside, the sun was high in the sky and far-off, indistinct conversations came through the window.
“I wonder," Aurum said, as if he was thinking of something else, "if a war was to happen, would you consider asking for help from the other forces in Eastern Erathos?”
“If it’s about the survival of the Elven race, I wouldn’t hesitate,” Balaine said. “Unlike Clement, my own well-being is far from first in my list of priorities.”
“So, would you ask for help if it was too much to deal with alone?” Aurum said. “Would you, for example, contact Zerakas tol, or will you be too proud to?”
“You really seem to like Francesca, don’t you?” Balaine smirked. “You spoke of her in the Council, too…”
Aurum shrugged. “She is a bit too old for my taste buuut…”
“You know, I’ve seen her at different ages.” Endoras seemed entertained by the bard’s attitude. “I’m sure she could make herself look a certain way if she wanted.”
“Nah, I have my eyes on another,” Aurum said with a wink.
Mary rolled her eyes. He was talking about that Reina girl again. Who else would he ‘have his eyes on’ in Zerakas tol? Why wouldn’t he just leave her behind like he’d done with all his other partners?
Thinking about her, she realized she’d missed a part of the conversation. Endoras was just saying something that threw her off.
"...but in a direct confrontation we would lose. Zerakas tol has the military advantage, Francesca and the Devoted are a formidable force.”
How did they end up talking about a direct confrontation between Zerakas tol and Myth Adofhaer?
Yay! Mary's tree has been planted. That's one more point for her in the eyes of her Patron. But anyway, do you think it wise to leave that Clement guy unchecked? Or would it end up badly?
Hope to see you next time for some more talking. This time, things will be a bit more... personal :)
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.