Hello, Everyone!
Last time, after the whole ordeal with Mary's leg, our heroes went to celebrate the fact that they were alive and whole. Bruno got drunk uncharacteristically quickly and Mary and Aurum had to take him to their room, using the Polymorph spell (they turned him into a slug). The two of them had a heart-to-heart, talked about losing Lanurey and the prospect of losing another member of the group.
On the next morning, the group prepared for a nice Hydra-less Ekobian day, but they got a worrying message - Balaine Endoras, the elven Elder from Myth Adofhaer, had died.
“What do you mean Balaine is dead?!” Aurum gasped. “How? When? Why?!”
“He was killed in his office,” Bruno said plainly, as if simply reciting what Tesaya had told him. “Beheaded. Soul destroyed.”
With each new word Mary felt like a nail was being hammered into her chest. Her mind took her back to the last interaction she’d had with the elven Elder in the same office he’d obviously been killed. Back then, he’d been so calm and jovial, and she’d grumbled and growled about something she couldn't even recall anymore.
And now he was dead? How could that possibly be?!
She met Aurum’s gaze and found that his eyes had darkened. He’d been fond of Balaine Endoras. He was flirting and going out of his way to spend more time with the elf. She’d thought it had been just for fun, or for sussing out what his actual politics were. But could there have been something more?
“Tiriel Elaire is mobilising Myth Adofhaer's army,” Bruno continued. “She’s denied Edmund Bright’s invitation and is changing the immediate politics of the elves.”
Fear and confusion gripped Mary’s heart. This didn’t make any sense! The young Emperor was going to unite Eastern Erathos and bring back stability! Why would anyone not want that?!
“We should let Dynatos Perres know about this,” Aurum said. “It might give him an advantage to act if he wasn't aware of this information yet.”
“Yeah, I’ll also tell him about the Hydra,” Bruno said.
Mary blinked. The Hydra seemed like such an inconsequential thing right now. A person was dead, and they had a friend who could be in danger staying in the midst of trouble.
“Please ask Tesaya to take care of herself,” she pleaded. “She isn’t being suspected because she was associated with us, right?”
“I don’t think so, no,” Bruno said after an excruciatingly long half a minute. “Also, Dynatos knows about Endoras. Says that we need to leave Ekoba as soon as possible.”
That was right! Ekoba was on the same side in this conflict as Myth Adofhaer. If the elves were raising an army, soon it would be very dangerous for three Agents of Pamagos to roam the streets of this city.
Up until this point, Mary had been frozen in panic. Now, suddenly, there was a direction to follow. She sprung into action and started shoving all their belongings in the Bag of Holding. They were going to put them in order later, if they had the time.
“But where do we go?” Aurum said.
“Anywhere but here!” Mary said. Her mind was going a thousand miles per hour, mapping out different routes and possibilities. “If we could get on a ship before they stopped them from leaving the port, we can sail north towards Frinkeltong or Zerakas tol.”
“Or,” Aurum said, “we can use my new spell. I can turn into a giant bird and carry you on my back.”
“What about the horses?” Mary said. "Are we going to leave them?"
“No, you're right," Aurum said. "I can’t leave Perjurina.”
“Slow down, you two,” Bruno said. “Why don’t we just go back the way we came?”
Just then, Mary felt a familiar tinge. Her Book of Shadows was calling for her. Was Gillean going to give them directions? Help them decide? Give them insight on the upcoming situation?
Mary opened the Book. Instead of words, there was a little drawing scribbled on the page. A bunch of arcs arranged in a circle. In the centre, a long and lean lizard-like skeleton with no head or limbs. And a beautiful rendition of an orange tree growing from it.
Line by line, Gillean’s wavy handwriting wrote the word 'Here' and drew an arrow pointing at the skeleton. Mary felt the definitions of an orange seed appear in her pocket.
“Why there?” she wrote.
Last time they were near the plateau, a giant lizard was eating the remains of the killed dragon and she wasn't sure she wanted to try her luck with it.
“The corpse of a Gold dragon leaves a
powerful magical imprint on their resting place,”
Gillean wrote.
So, Diohastos--if that was indeed him--had been a Gold dragon. Mary knew about them, they were wise and noble and they protected ancient magical places.
So, their direction was clear now. They were going back to the plateau to find the corpse of Nurvureem’s latest kill.
Why did everything have to lead back to Nurvureem?
Mary and her friends took their horses and headed out. A very strenuous vibe met them outside of the inn. Guards--many more than what they'd witnessed the previous days--walked the streets. They were not the thugs from the ‘SSS’. Those were real fighters. Some of them even wore Ekoba’s military uniforms.
Before the trio reached the First wall, a lone Bearer--a boy, not older than sixteen--caught up to them and handed Mary some letters. She thanked him and glanced at the senders, then put them in her bag. There was nothing urgent. She was going to read them later, when they were safely on their way.
They passed the First wall with little effort. They were lucky it was manned by the same guard who’d seen them enter a few days ago. He nodded, patted his coin purse where their money had previously disappeared, and let them out without questioning. After all, for him they were just some merchants who paid well.
When the trio was about a mile out of the city, all its bells started ringing. They’d escaped just in the nick of time.
A 'strategic retreat', eh? More like 'running away'! Do you think our heroes are going to reach Pamagos in time? What about the Orange tree? Do you think Mary would be able to plant it without attracting Nurvureem's attention?
See you next time when we'll find out!
Take care and be well!
Episodes of Mary Windfiddle's story come out every Monday and Thursday.
(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.