Hello, Everyone!
Sorry, I skipped a few updates :( I haven't exactly been busy but I haven't really felt it recently. Our game is on a halt--not for bad reasons, I'm DM-ing a campaign of my own and we're concentrating on that--but it's hard to think about Mary in the same manner as before. Plus, I don't have illustrations for the upcoming chapters which is weighing on me :(
I hope you have patience with me until I go back to my usual pace.
Anyway. Last time we heard of Mary and her friends, they had just spent a weird night in one of Ekoba's inns. When they came in, the whole place was brimming with magic. The counter itself, as well as the surrounding furniture and items, were animated, and served the customers in this manner.
However, the following night something went wrong. There was a commotion downstairs and when the group went there, there was no sign of the previous magic. The counter was just a counter, there was a broken window and some blood on the windowsill. Also, when they came upstairs, they realized that their Pocket of Holding was missing and there was a whola other Bag instead, full of their stuff, but also someone else's, a half-elven woman named Lanurey Trost.
Our heroes went away (ran away!) from Rory's inn and prepared for the next part of their journey.
The place they left their horses--’Trim’s Inn’--was close to the Red Quay. There were few tables occupied by customers but the staff looked stressed and overworked. The man at the counter was taking orders and going to the kitchen to cook them right after, and his boy, not older than twelve, was moving back and forth to serve the patrons and take care of their other requests.
“Busy morning, eh?” Aurum said when he approached the counter.
“No, not really,” the inn-keeper said. “It’s fairly average. We’re just… It’s been hard for us to manage everything lately.”
“Did you have a helper who quit or something?”
“No, it’s always been just Piper and me.”
Mary and Aurum looked at each other. There was something strange about that but they couldn’t quite put their finger on it.
They payed for the horses and rented a room for the whole week. Who knew, they might need to stay longer than they anticipated.
The docks were a flurry of activity – people loaded and unloaded shipments, moved goods from one place to another, tied up ropes, carried boxes, pushed carts and did all the other small things that made up the busy seaport life.
There were a lot of arriving ships, more than Mary imagined would ever sail to Ekoba. She looked at the flags on their masts – Pamagos, Zerakas tol, Dzabras, as well as a few that she didn’t recognize. So, a lot of trade came this way. How were the three of them supposed to find out what exactly interfered with Pamagos’ business?
“So, we should find ourselves a boat,” Aurum said. “The sailor I spoke to said that nobody would let us rent one, because it was going to sink in the Misty Sea or something.” He rolled his eyes. “But I say let’s try it anyway! I’m sure I can ‘suade someone to let us use their vessel for a day or two!”
“I can see one problem with that plan,” Bruno said,. “When we arrive at our destination, my armour will let me sink to the bottom pretty quickly, but getting me up again is going to be near impossible.”
“Can’t we pull you up with a rope?” Mary asked.
“How long do you suppose a rope to the bottom of the sea would have to be?” he said. “Plus, you two would have to find the boat first. Swimming up amidst the waves can be a bit disorienting, or so I’ve heard.”
“Well, there is that,” Aurum said. “Hmmm… How long does your Waterbreathing spell last, Mary?”
“Twenty-four hours.”
“What about that – we get to the reef with the boat, sink down and get the bells, and then Mary and me swim up and let Bruno walk back on the bottom? Or, better yet, all of us go back on foot. That way it’ll be easier to fight if anything attacks us during the journey.”
“What’s the point in renting a boat then?” Bruno said. “We could just go on foot in both directions!”
“Yeah, good point,” Aurum said.
“Wait, wait, wait!” Mary said. “Are you seriously suggesting we walk on the bottom of the sea?! I thought you were joking!”
They weren’t. As much as Mary argued and pleaded, they kept insisting that this was the best option. Finally, she had to give up and they sat on the shore, preparing for the coming adventure.
Twenty minutes later, Mary was still wrapping up all her books in wax paper in order to put them safely into the Bag of Holding. She couldn’t believe she was going to put her precious babies in so much danger!
She had just made her Waterbreathing ritual and was smoothing out a piece of wrapping for her Book of Shadows, when something weird caught her attention. There was… writing on the paper.
Mary frowned. This hadn’t been there a minute ago. She inspected it more closely and a sudden realization made her heart skip a beat.
This was her handwriting!
“Bruno!” she called out. “Aurum!”
She straightened the paper for her friends to see but gasped and stared at her hand in confusion. On her forearm, where the sleeve had just lifted from the motion, more markings were revealed. Two short black lines. She rubbed her finger over the ink. It was dry and didn't come off with ease.
“What is happening?” she said. “Did I make these? Did I write that?” she pointed at the words on the wrapping paper. “I don’t… I don’t remember!"
What's going on? Why isn't Mary remembering?! And is anyone other than me getting some Doctor Who vibes???
See you next time when our characters will try to solve all this.
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.