Chronicles of Faerun: Prelude to the Prelude

Chapter Six: A Strange Incident with Drow, or – “HOW STUPID FRANKA MISSED OUT ON GETTING ME A STAFF OF FIRE!!!”

Brrr!!!!! NOW I remember why I hate winters up north, especially in the mountains! This was the time of year Mom and Dad and I would head (with Luna, unfortunately!) south to Cormyr and the sunny beaches! Oh well! I’m making my own money now! And we’re at the top!

It was just after midnight on the 11th of Hammer (January) – the day had just changed over and I could feel my powers flood back into me. It was also a new year – the brand new Year of Wild Magic! That’s 1372 for those educated people out there (like me!). I was seated downstairs in the main room of the Inn we’d chosen to stay at here in Bloodstone Pass. Franka was asleep in his chair next to me, his long blonde hair falling over the table and gently tickling my leg. I was sort of surprised I wasn’t mad at him for that. Cazz had gone to spend the night (AGAIN!) with one of the barmaids, once her shift was over. Hans had retired for the night to his and Franka’s room upstairs. Chang was playing chess with a dwarf from one of our rival adventuring companies – looked like she was winning.

We’d been here now for slightly over a month, and already our name was in the top five on the Big Board. You see, to help boost the popularity of this campaign against evil, the authorities had a huge board erected by the gate, and posted the names of the top 10 companies and their total ear count. Lina’s Slayers had risen to number two, then slipped back over the last tenday because, well, Lina wasn’t slaying right now. We were at number five currently. I knew we had a lot of work to do in catching back up and getting to that Number One spot! I just wasn’t tired – I was contemplative.

Chang was as happy as a pig with a full food trough! She was making legitimate (in her eyes) money for the ears, and had proven to have some good ideas on tactics. They just weren’t flashy enough for my style, but I have to admit, we were doing really well. And she sure could handle that naginata thingie she wielded! The barmaid brought me a fresh glass of elven wine.

“Are you going out hunting tomorrow, Miss Lina?” She asked.

“Yeppers! I think I’ve had enough of a vacation and rest for right now.”

“Just make sure you and Mr. Franka get some rest tonight, if you intend to start early.” She gave me a big wink and walked away.

What the HELL?!?! OH CRAP!!!

BONK!!!

“WAKE UP AND GO TO SLEEP!!! HOW DARE YOU TRY TO SEDUCE ME WHILE YOUR UNCONCIOUS!!!”

CRASH!!! I kicked the chair out from under him and he hit the floor. I stormed out of the Inn into the night to blow off some steam.

Franka stood up, rubbing his head.

“What was THAT all about?”

Chang shrugged and giggled, then turned back to continue playing with the dwarf.

OOHHH!!!! I know it isn’t his fault but still! What is getting into me lately!!! WHY was I playing with his hair and stroking his head while he was asleep!?!? The big lummox! How dare he make me… No, I WILL NOT SAY IT! OR THINK IT!!!

I walked out the gate and blew several holes in the mountainside just to cool off. And got fined 5 dragons for causing a commotion when so many people were asleep. It was worth it.

We were back to Number Two. Tomorrow was Midwinter’s Day – a big festival even up here (where it always seemed to be winter!). I’d have my powers for that day, but then it’d be the 1st of Alturiak (February), so I figured it was vacation time again! Maybe I’d go sledding with the town’s kids, or treat myself to a shopping spree, or just eat and eat and eat! Ohh!!! So many good things to do!

The town had the festival all set up, so we woke up early, with most everyone else in town, and had a blast! Chang showed off her chess skills by playing in a tournament and finishing second (to the dwarf she played with every night – I wonder if something’s going on there, since she’s around his height?). Franka and Hans won the team wrestling competition (and WAY too many looks from all the women!!!) by literally slamming their opponents down. Cazz made a little money doing prestidigitation and enhancing it with his illusion magic (he’d made a friend with some gnome who worked as a librarian at the Gnomish Illusionist school in the Kingdom) – the kids loved him (and again, so did too many of the women!). I enjoyed the whole shebang, walking and filling my belly with all the goodies the street vendors were selling (CORN DOGS!!!). AND I finally got to eat Dragon Turtle Soup!

My rep had spread up here, and people recognized me, so I didn’t worry about pickpockets and such. Besides, most of the people in Damara are law-abiding and good. Why hadn’t I traveled up here earlier? Even some of the orcs and half orcs were pleasant and respected members of the community. I went ahead and bought a wind-up toy for Franka from a goblin vendor. I figured it was actually made by a gnome clan the gobboes had wiped out, but oh well, he’d enjoy it! I DID go sledding – after firing a Scorching Ray down the hillside to make it solid ice once it refroze! Boy did the kids love that – and this time I cleared it first with a local guard, so I didn’t get fined! All in all, it was the best Midwinter’s Festival I think I’ve ever attended.

But the time passed, and we had work to do. And besides, that cold feeling was with me now almost all the time – not just when I cast a spell. And I’m not referring to the weather, you dolts! I was having nightmares, and waking up in a cold sweat with a slight golden aura. This had happened before, around this time of year, but the images weren’t as intense (and no, I’m not telling you what they’re of!). Anyway, enough about my little problems…

It was the 18th of Alturiak. We’d come in the day before with a big harvest, gotten some rest, and were headed back out to try and find the rest of the goblin tribe that had escaped us. We passed through the gate in the usual order, and were walking along when something caught my eye.

It was a full party of Drow, including Priestesses.

Now, Drow are bad news, regardless of what they’re doing, they need to be destroyed. The only good drow is a dead drow (except for Eilistraee worshippers and Drizz’t Do’Urden). I had all sorts of backup around here, including the militia and army, so I felt pretty comfortable issuing a challenge. First I wanted to size them up.

There were two priestesses – one with silver hair, one with standard white, but both carried the Scourge’s only Lolth’s priestesses carried. One male was gaunt and looked like a corpse, another was dressed in black and almost masked. A third had strange robes and a long spear, and the fourth had a huge falchion and some sort of tattoo across his arm.

A scouting party, I bet! Coming into town pretending to be ear collecting to get the layout and prepare for an invasion! Well, it ain’t gonna happen on my watch, darkies!

I stopped as we were passing them. The rest of my company stopped as well, somewhat puzzled.

“Well!!! Look at that! I bet they think they’re just hot stuff simply because they’re drow!” I turned and locked my amber eyes with the red eyes of the silver-haired priestess. She examined me for a second, put a hand on one of the males who was moving forward, said something in elven (I guess!) and then turned and walked on!

Huh?!?! Drow don’t do that!!! OOOOOHHH!!!! HOW DARE SHE IGNORE ME!!!

“Hmmph! Oh well, guess we’ll get ears elsewhere…” I tossed my hair back. WAIT!!! Did she back down because she thought I was drow in disguise!!! OH!!! Now I’m REALLY PISSED!!!

The gaunt corpse-like drow walked straight up to Franka. He wanted to buy the amulet I’d given to Franka way back! And he was offering a Staff of Fire! I did a quick detect magic and could see the whole drow party tense, until both priestesses waved their hands down.

Take the deal, Franka! Today I get to screw over a bunch of drow without fighting!!! A Staff of Fire for that worthless amulet!!! TAKE IT!!!

The negotiations went nowhere, and I could tell the city guard was getting anxious – they were closing on our positions, weapons ready. The silver haired priestess and I must have had the same idea at the same time – end the confrontation and meeting right now!

She marched up in all her plate mail clad glory and grabbed the male by the ear and issued an order (again in elven I guess), her hand flashing to the scourge. He turned and walked away. She and I locked eyes again for a second (do I see understanding in those eyes – it’s like somehow we’re connected in some way, maybe part of the same person… NAH, sentimental rubbish!).

I turned and bonked Franka on the head.

“NEXT TIME SOMEONE OFFERS YOU A STAFF OF FIRE FOR A LOUSY TRINKET – YOU SAY YES!!! Do you realize what I could do with that!!! No more down time! No more worries about running out of scrolls and such! YOU IDIOT!!! You owe me big time!!!”

The others were milling around, explaining to the guard a battle wasn’t going to happen, and waiting for me to finish my tirade (or temper tantrum as Cazz calls them – PPPHHTTT!!!!!!).

I grabbed Franka by the ear and pulled him along on our hunt for the gobboes.

Franka was upset. He was actually crying, softly, in a corner of the Inn’s main room. It was three in the morning on the same day we’d met the drow. I slipped downstairs to see if he was okay.

You see, later that day we’d been ambushed – I figured by the drow, but we couldn’t find them to confirm it. No one had been hurt, but the amulet had been stolen, and I’d really let Franka have it about that. I’d exhausted all my spells firing randomly into darkness (a drow trick!) to protect us, so we had had to return to town to sleep and for me to recover my spells. Now if I’d had that Staff of Fire… Oh well, water under the bridge, spilled milk and all that!

I looked around the room. There was no one else here except a drunken dwarf snoring on the side bench. I went over to Franka.

“Don’t worry about it, you need to get some sleep.”

“You don’t understand, Lina. There was something VERY important about that amulet. Not only did it talk to me, and make me know it needed to be protected by someone like me, but…”

“But? Go on, get it out, then you can go to sleep and I can quit worrying about you!”

“It was the first thing you ever gave me.”

I don’t know how I stopped myself from frying him. Maybe it’s because…