Forgotten Realms Fan Fiction ❯ Not Really Christmas Winter ❯ Now, Where the Hell I am? ( Prologue )

Not Really Christmas Winter

 

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Iridia Sunheart.

 

Note: Just something to do when I have a writer's block. I'm following the original story of Neverwinter Night with the eyes of a modern person who never played the game but know about the game universe.

 

 

Prologue: Now Where the Hell I am?

 

 

What awaken Iridia was an intense cold. More intense than ever she had experienced to date. In fact, the cold seemed to penetrate up to the core of her soul.

 

She opened her eyes on…nothing.

 

It was a complete void, an absolute darkness. She wasn't even sure she was there to be able to see…nothingness.

 

“WELCOME AVATAR.”

 

The voice that seemed to reach both her ears and her mind shook her to the core. To her shame, she almost peed on herself in fright.

 

“Who… Who are you?! What do you want of me?!”

 

She was panicking, her heartbeat echoing to her ears.

 

“THIS HAS NOT ANY IMPORTANCE FOR NOW. WHAT IS IMPORTANT IS IF YOU WANT TO GO BACK TO YOUR HOME.”

 

Iridia's green eyes widened in terror. “What…? What do you mean?”

 

“YOU DO NOT WANT TO GO HOME?”

 

Iridia was shaking like a leaf. “Yes…! Yes, of course, I want to go home!”

 

“GOOD. THEN YOU WILL DO WHAT YOU ARE ASKED.”

 

Iridia managed to swallow something extremely hard and dry. “What do you ask from me?”

 

“FOR WHAT WOULD YOU FIGHT AND SHED BLOOD IN YOUR WORLD?”

 

Although no one could see her, Iridia actually blinked at this question. “Which blood? Mine or others?”

 

“BOTH.”

 

Iridia shook her head. “I don't understand.”

 

“WOULD YOU FIGHT FOR LOVE? GLORY? HUMANITY? MONEY? JUSTICE? LIFE? BEAUTY? WHAT COULD MAKE YOU DRAW A WEAPON AND BRANDISH IT WITHOUT SHAME?”

 

“Without shame…?” Iridia paused. She didn't know where she was and why she was here, but her sixth sense hammered in her head that her future was hanging on her answer. No matter what this answer was, even or especially if she would say something stupid.

 

“…Justice.”

 

“SO BE IT. TYR WILL SEE TO YOU AND YOUR NEED NOW.”

 

Iridia was speechless. Tyr? The Faerun God of Justice?

 

“INDEED.”

 

`He's reading my thoughts!' “What a second! You can't…”

 

“YOU TOOK YOUR DECISION AND MADE YOUR CHOICE.”

 

Too fast! Everything was too fast! “You didn't leave me any choice!”

 

“THIS IS ALSO A CHOICE.HELP THE REALMSAND THE GUARDIANS OF THE BALANCEIN THE NAME OF JUSTICE AND YOU WILL GO HOME.”

 

The darkness seemed to spread to her consciousness and Iridia ceased to think.

 

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Through layers and layers of non-consciousness, images seemed to imprint themselves in her psyche.

 

A tall white-haired and white-barbed male human clad in a chain-mail spoke to her sternly. He was without his right hand and a gauze band covered his eyes. He was emitting a halo and wielding a long sword.

 

“Avatar from another world, I send you to Lady Aribeth of Tylmarand, a Paladin in my service. You will appear at the academy of the town of Neverwinter north of the Sword Coast and Waterdeep.”

 

“The area is a rude one where clans of Barbarians and tribes of Giants roamed the land and where feral Dragons scourged the skies.”

 

“The town of Neverwinter is the only bastion of civilization in this region, the Pearl of the North under the just rule of Lord Nasher Alagondar.”

 

“But a plague is ravaging the city. Known as the Wailing Death, it strikes without mercy or distinction the population, sparing no one.”

 

“No remedies or spells have been able to stop the plague and panic and violence has seized the people, drawing the proud city on her knees.”

 

“Lord Nasher has asked his Right Hand, Lady Aribeth, to find a Champion against this plague. Numerous were those who answered the call for Glory or Greed.”

 

“The best among them were sent to the Academy of Neverwinter to be taught by the best trainers available in the hope to find a Hero who could vanquish the plague and fight against whatever could have caused it.”

 

A blue-white light pierced through the gauze and hit Iridia in the heart. “You have been chosen for this mission in the name of Justice. You will awaken inside the academy as one of the trainees. It will be tough, but you are versatile and wilful.” The blue-white light changed into a mixture of red and black. “You are now marked for the Fates and Destinies of this plane. Follow your heart as it sings for Justice and it will never betray you. Search for my signs in your dreams if you are lost during your quest.”

 

Once again darkness seized the consciousness of the young woman.

 

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It was the sound of a bell that awakened Iridia from her forced slumber. She didn't want to get up as she could feel the sharp bite of winter in her throat as she was cocooned in her warm bed. She closed her eyes to sleep a little…

 

Wait a minute… Winter…? It was supposed to be summer! She opened her eyes to see where the hell she was and gasped.

 

She was in a medieval-type bedroom with a slit-window from which blew a cold winter-wind, a big wooden chest, a plant in a corner and a commode with two candles lit on it. She was resting in a big bed with a canopy and green blankets.

 

She blinked…twice… “Where the hell I am?”

 

She winced and gasped in dismay as suddenly all the memories of what happened in the void and just after surged from her mind. “Oh…my…God…”

 

She gulped and tried to swallow something thick. She took a big breathe, coughed a little because of the cold air, and tried to calm herself. Screaming bloody murder didn't seem to be a good idea for now.

 

She remarked her naked state under her bed sheets and for an instant reconsidered screaming bloody murder. Her eyes widened as she suddenly saw the very distinctive tattoos on her body.

 

It was a complex tribal made of blood red and ash black marking her a little over the ankles, just under her knees, around her lower arms and circling her upper arms. The biggest she could see for now was a sort of stylized bird or butterfly circling her breasts. The whole design looked rather aggressive with its jagged lines and hard edges.

 

She sighed and get up, hoping to find clothes in the chest.

 

The icy contact of the stone under her naked feet and the bite of the cold air on her whole body achieved to awaken her completely. Gasping and hurryingly hopping, she opened the chest, grabbed everything inside and hightailed to the still warm interior of her bed.

 

She examined her clothes and sighed: A loincloth, a band of fabric for binding her breasts and black leather clothes fur-lined with a good cleavage. Medieval garment looked cool on a drawing, but were a pain in the butt in the reality. Especially for a modern woman…

 

She stopped at that and examined herself. She frowned: Someone has reduced her adult age to just under her twenties, maybe even somewhere sixteen to eighteen years old. She sighed again. Well, she'll lack the respect due to age, but at least she was at the peak of her physical abilities.

 

She rapidly clothed herself, enjoying the feeling of the fur on her naked skin, and examined the rest of her equipment. A nice surprise there: A Katana. She softly whistled. A real, authentic and sharp-edged Katana. Probably the only melee weapon she could use with some skill due to her background in Kendo. A blackened studded leather armour, a knife, a leather purse with fifty gold coins, a medieval lighter made from flint inside a steel core with a fuse, a strange-looking torch and three vials marked “potion of light cure”.

 

She looked closely at the torch and frowned. There was a distinctive tingle, something she had only sense with… She blinked and looked closely. Bingo, some characters, which she could decipher without difficulty, were engraved in the metal. She smirked and pronounced the word. “Sharak.” The torch lit up by itself. She grinned: An Ever-Burning Torch, a very useful piece of equipment for an adventurer.

 

She cut off the minor magic item and prepared herself for whatever was outside her room.

 

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She was in a big room lit by oil lamps that served as a dormitory and she could see other doors identical to her room on her left, probably personal bedrooms. There was a big door on the opposite wall in front of her and…

 

She raised an eyebrow as a tall blond young man clad in blue white-trimmed banded armour and holding a torch walked to her, smiling.

 

“At last, you're awake. I was worried that you were about to sleep all the day.” He smirked a little. “The trainers of the academy must work you rash.” He extended his hand and Iridia grabbed it for a handshake. Being polite never hurt. “I am Pavel, a new recruit. I've arrived at the academy this morning.” He stopped, sensing a little the confusion still present in Iridia. “You are Iridia Sunheart?”

 

Iridia managed to smile. `Great, Tyr seemed to have made sure that my name was known here.' She didn't let her sarcasm appeared as she answered. “Yes, I am Iridia Sunheart. Welcome to the Academy, Pavel.”

 

The young warrior seemed excited by something and eagerly asked. “Is it true that Lady Aribeth herself ordered the Academy to invite you? I never heard of someone being “invited” to study at the Academy. In general, it is the people who beg for entrance. It must be a great honour.”

 

`Better and better. I bet that Tyr warned his Paladin of my arrival and the true reason of my presence.' “Indeed, it is an honour AND a privilege to serve Neverwinter.”

 

The blond man seemed impressed. “You're quite modest for someone with such a burden. For me, it hasn't been easy. My bother Bim and I were working in a farm outside the city when we heard the call of Lady Aribeth. We knew that the town was suffering but not like that. We came just before they closed the gates for the quarantine. Praise the gods, the Academy accepted me. I wouldn't like being in the streets with the plague running…and the town guards that don't quite managed to maintain order.”

 

Iridia frowned. There! The plague: The reason of her forced arrival in this universe. “The fact is that I don't know a lot about the plague.”

 

Pavel blinked, a little surprised, but graciously began to explain. “The Wailing Death is the worst plague in the entire history of Neverwinter. As I said the whole city is in quarantine: No one enter or get out. The militia do her best to enforce the isolation, but no one likes to be imprisoned in a contaminated town.” He stopped and his eyes darkened as he remembered what he had seen. “Each day new corpses are being piled in the streets and the people are more and more taken by panic or rebellion.” He sighed. “I understand them. It has only been a few months and already the dead are accounted by thousands.”

 

Iridia nodded to herself. “And, of course, no one has found a remedy so far and the prayers of the clerics have been unanswered.” She sighed. An epidemic. Great, just great. She hoped her vaccinations were up to the task and that her medical knowledge would, at least, help her to dodge the bullet and, at best, to help the healers in the right direction.

 

Pavel nodded. “There are rumours that Lady Aribeth is searching for a successful remedy, but that it.” He shrugged. “Well, that all the gossip I heard so far, but I'm new here. However, if you want some better info about the Academy, ask my brother Bim. He's guarding the dormitory door, or better, ask Olgerd in the adjacent piece.”

 

Iridia smiled. “Thank you, Pavel. I hope we'll meet again in the near future.”

 

He lightly bowed. “It'll be a pleasure Iridia.”

 

Iridia had no difficulty to find Bim. He was the only other person in the dormitory and besides, he looked a great deal like his brother. She pleasantly discussed with him, learning a great deal about Neverwinter in general. Something that surely proved to be very valuable in the future.

 

It was only because she needed it that she risked herself into the privy. Just as she feared: The facilities in medieval time weren't really up to modern standards. She grumbled as she hurried taking care of her business: A revelation in this cold climate. And, of course, she didn't want to think about what she will have to do on the field outside the Academy. And don't let begin about hot bath and basic hygiene.

 

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Olgerd was a surprise: He was a stout dwarf clad in blue white-trimmed banded armour that she now suspected to be the standard gear of Neverwinter forces, with a grey beard and grey hair.

 

The Dwarf was an old veteran that took over the forge and the armoury of the Academy instead of retiring since he didn't have any family left. He had a paternal attitude with any recruits and seemed to enjoy talking with the young girl.

 

He passed in review her equipment and ensured that she knew how to take care of it. Surprised by the full attention of the human fighter, he gave a gift: A chain shirt to replace her studded leather armour.

 

It was a little heavier than her first armour, but Iridia suspected that she'll benefice more from armour than from her agility. She was after all a novice and preferred to have a good defence. In fact, she managed to ask him to sell her a buckler to reinforce her defence.

 

Talking with him enabled Iridia to learn a few interesting things. First, Lady Aribeth seemed to have found a remedy engineered by the famous Khelben “Blackstaff” Arunsun. The remedy was based on reactive taken from some rare and exotic creatures. And second, Olgerd was suspecting that the Wailing Death was unnatural and had been provoked by someone.

 

Iridia thanked him for his help and continued to walk to the training halls.

 

Her green eyes sparkled as she entered a library. Books! Many and many books! Something that pleased her very much. She was an ardent defender of the motto “Knowledge is Power” and this room felt like paradise for her.

 

She then met another instructor: A woman named Berna that showed her a few interesting titles. She even gave her a gift when she saw that Iridia knew how to read and write: A blank diary and a small writing set to help her kept important things.

 

The books were rapidly red. Iridia could read a standard book in a few hours. The three books she took were a wealth of knowledge. She learned about the current leader of Neverwinter and that the founder of the city was entombed somewhere in the city and protected by a score of flying swords. She learned about the river Surbrin, main waterway to Waterdeep that looked like a sword. And she learned of the city of Luskan, another port in the North that was in a state of permanent war with Neverwinter and a few others neighbours. The city was controlled by five captains and rumoured to be under the yoke of the Arcane Brotherhood.

 

She promised herself to read those books more in details later and proceeded to the training hall from which she could heard the sound of mock battles and the bark of the instructors.

 

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The captain Herban was a powerfully built tall man with sandy hair and a big moustache. He was clad in a chain mail and was looking sternly to the trainees hacking at mannequin in the hall.

 

And he was a hard ass.

 

As soon as he sighted Iridia, he came unto her like a thunderbolt. Iridia was reminded of her military instruction to the point that she came to attention and answered “YES SIR! YES!”

 

Herban seemed pleased by the attitude of the young girl, but nonetheless proceeded to drill her very hard into the art of warfare.

 

Iridia found herself drenched in sweat, but happy to see that she didn't lose too many things from what she had learned on Earth. In fact, she gained many points from the stern instructor.

 

Herban then pointed her to two others instructors who will test her with melee and ranged weapons. If she passed those tests she could think herself as “passable”.

 

Iridia shook her head as she walked to the first instructor. Such a person would have find himself engaged on the spot by all the elite forces of her universe as a military teacher.

 

Dendy was a black-haired man, armed with a long sword and clad in leather armour. Iridia preferred to test herself against a mannequin because she didn't think she could perfectly restrain her attack against a living target although she suspected she would shed blood in the near future. Dendy was satisfied with her technique: Iridia had needed only one clean strike from her katana to cleave in two the mannequin. He directed her to the next tester: A man named Hewwet.

 

The test with Hewwet was also curiously very easy. Iridia suspected that her normal coordination had been slightly enhanced, but it was a good thing. She managed to hit the red part of the target with a short bow after a few tries. She wasn't Robin Hood, but she thought she could hit a target before it was too close. Managing to hit and kill a living target was another story.

 

After that, the whole set of trainees was sent back to the dormitory. Tomorrow morning, Lady Aribeth will formally welcome them and blessed them for passing the Academy tests.

 

Since she had the whole evening for her, Iridia managed to take a hot bath and finished to read her books. She also did find other books about the various tribes created by Uthgardt and about the Heaum monastery in the vicinity of the city. Before dinner with the rest of the trainees who didn't seem to know her, she met Ferdinant, the responsible of the Academy's zoo. The various creatures inside served as example for the trainees about the dangers they could meet outside and how fight them with efficiency.

 

It was the first time that Iridia met monsters from Dungeons & Dragons and thanked God that they were behind bars and spells. At least, she should have the knowledge necessary to retain her wits if…when she'll meet a monster ready to kill and/or eat her.

 

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This night as she slept, Iridia was assaulted by nightmares. It was a remake of Star War in a medieval setting with her as Luke Skywalker. Darth Vader was replaced by an ominous tall woman clad in dark armour and wielding a soul-sucking black sword. It was only when the deadly sword pierced her heart that the young girl awakened, drenched in cold sweat.

 

She sighed as she saw that it was the dawn. She wouldn't have any sleep now and decide to go and have another nice hot bath before breakfast.

 

Well, that was it. She graduated with honour from the Neverwinter Academy and was about to meet Lady Aribeth of Tylmarand, Paladin of Tyr. Well her and the other graduates.

 

She had some discussions with her fellow graduates and managed to get the names of the seven who passed the tests: Kiki, an Elven Archer girl. Déilin, a female Half-Orc Barbarian. Nayade, a human female Ranger. Fonlim, a male Dwarf Fighter. Zarn, a male human Cleric. Rezron, another male Dwarf Fighter and Meiron, a male Halfling.

 

And now, they were all in the Graduation Room, in front of Lady Aribeth.

 

She was a tall and extremely beautiful woman with the blood of the elves in her veins. She had long brown hair and sparkling eyes. She was clad in extremely well-adjusted plate armour with a long sword marked by the symbols of Tyr. She exuded charisma and wisdom. Iridia felt her heart sped up as she seized the woman who should be able to help her go home. IF she managed to help her in return.

 

She smiled as Iridia walked to her. “Welcome and congratulations. You achieved your training at the Academy. May Tyr bless you forever.” They grasped their forearms as two warriors greeted themselves. “I was impatient to meet you, Iridia Sunheart, the instructors have only praises for you.”

 

`Just as I thought. She knows many things about me.'

 

“I am Aribeth of Tylmarand.” She lowered her voice. “My god spoke to me about you during my prayers. Perhaps we could talk privately after the ceremony for the sake of Neverwinter.”

 

Iridia grimly nodded.

 

“We…” Aribeth stopped to talk. Iridia blinked and frowned as something crept along her nerves. Her sixth sense was horning DANGER to her mind. “Wait. What's that? Did you sense it?” Iridia nodded and scanned the room for threats.

 

Four magic pentacles burst suddenly in each corners of the room. Aribeth draw her sword. “To arms! We're under attack!” Four silhouettes clad in black appeared inside each pentacle and began to chant words of power. “Mages! Kill them!” Aribeth charged the mage near her.

 

Despite her surprise, Iridia fell on the endless drills of captain Herban and in a practiced way, drew her Katana and buckler in a ready position before launching herself alongside Aribeth.

 

She passed the defence of the mage, too occupied with the steel of Aribeth and scored a slash on her side. Aribeth relieved of his head in a fountain of blood. Iridia considered throwing up, but the screams of death and pain from the other graduates called her to her senses and she charged.

 

The next few moments felt like an eternity and a few seconds at the same time. She killed two mages herself, but once the adrenaline abated, she considered with dismay that she was the only survivor of the attack with Aribeth. All the other had been taken by surprise and had only a superficial defence against the black-clad mages. They now lay on the ground, all dead. Some were still smoking from elemental spells, others had throats slit after they became paralyzed. Iridia was pale and felt on the verge of fainting.

 

Aribeth reached for the young girl. She saw that she was shocked by her first blood but there wasn't time for that. She shook her. “Pull yourself together and listen to me, Iridia!”

 

Brought out of her stupor, Iridia gasped and turned to the Paladin. “We don't have much time. This was no random attack. You already know about the creatures brought from Waterdeep to the Academy. We thought we could make a remedy based on some organic parts of them.” She had a crocked smile. “We tried to keep it secret, but apparently our enemies knew about it.”

 

Iridia nodded. “Who do you think they are?”

 

Aribeth shook her head. “I don't know. We have many enemies, especially the city of Luskan, but there are others in the shadows. Whoever they are, they mustn't succeed! You must go and protect the creatures!”

 

Iridia's green eyes widened. “Me! Why me?! What about you?!”

 

Aribeth sighed. “I could guide you there, but I fear our enemies are using magic to spy on us. This attack was centred on me. They believed I was near the creatures, if they are monitoring us, we can't take the risk to guide them to our only hope.” Aribeth took a deep breath and stared at Iridia. “You must act alone!” She ripped off something from her belt. “Take this key and take the path to the East outside this room, it'll lead you to where the creatures are hidden.”

 

Iridia took the key and licked her dried lips. She shook herself and wiped out the blood on her katana. She had already made her decision the moment she drew her weapon on a living being. She wanted to go home! Aribeth nodded at the determination of the young girl. “Neverwinter's fate is in your hands, Iridia Sunheart.” She put her warm hand on the forehead of the Earthling and called a blessing on her. “May Tyr be with you.”

 

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Battle raged when she exited the Graduation Hall. At her feet, a guard achieved to bleed on the floor. Another black-clad mage sneered to her in front of her. “I was waiting for Aribeth. Not a whelp like you, wench.”

 

Iridia's eyes narrowed, but before she could launch an attack, the mage summoned two Goblins and teleported away. `This magic is pretty powerful stuff, I really hope I can make a difference.'

 

The two Goblins didn't present any difficulty. She dodged their clumsy attacks and cut them into pieces easily.

 

She cringed as she remembered all the others inside the Academy. If she hurried, she could help them. But what about the creatures? For a few seconds, her heart battled with her reason, but she really couldn't live with herself if she let people died when she could have done something. She charged into the corridors, ignoring the East door for now.

 

Unfortunately, she found a slaughter. Taken by surprise, most of the personnel of the Academy have been killed by the Goblins roaming the corridors. She hacked, cut and slashed among their ranks.

 

The vision of the corpses of the people she was eating with and laughing with just yesterday was enraging her. She focused the red-hot sensation in her core being and her arm raised and strike. And strike. And strike.

 

She panted and took a rest when she reached the dormitory. The vision of the broken body of Bim made her shed tears for all the dead she saw so far.

 

Captain Herban, knifed in the back. The gentle Berna, hacked into pieces. The gruffly but nice Olerg, killed among a pile of dead Goblins. And others, and others…

 

She couldn't afford to lower her guard now. She broke out her first aid kit and bandaged her few cuts and grimly walked back to the East door determined to make those responsible for this butchery paid.

 

Passing the door, she met again the same black-clad mage from before. He seemed surprise that she was still alive and promptly summoned another two Goblins while he teleported away again.

 

“I hate Magic!” Iridia felt better as she hacked into pieces the two poor Goblins who served nicely as targets for her frustration.

 

She then saw the various chests in the room, hesitated because she wasn't in a computer RPG where you can take what you want from chests, but finally decided that it was better to explain later that she needed those supplies than died.

 

One chest had a nice little surprise: She recognized another minor magic item. It was a Ring of Fortitude that she promptly put on her ring finger.

 

She raised her Katana when she saw the silhouette in the next room but gasped in surprise as she recognized Pavel, the young guard from the dormitory. “Pavel! You're alive!”

 

The young guard seemed also extremely happy to find the young girl. In fact, the two spontaneously and briefly hugged. “Iridia! It's good to see you. I thought I was alone…” He stopped, tears shining in his eyes.

 

Iridia grimly nodded and softly spoke. “I know. I found your brother in the dormitory. I'm sorry Pavel.” Her green eyes seemed to glow with power as she firmly grasped his arms. “Come with me. We'll make them pay for his murder.”

 

Pavel nodded and held a pale smile. “I wasn't very hot about staying here alone.”

 

The two of them made short work of the various Goblins and Animated Skeletons they met as they progressed. Pavel was as novice as Iridia, but the two of them could easily cover the back of the other and that was a deadly combo for the monsters so far.

 

In fact as she fought with fervour, Iridia felt more and more in touch with the arts of the Warrior. Her gestures became less and less awkward to perform and her feet were becoming very quick at the uptake. She found herself reacting instead of acting and that was good.

 

As they progressed and eradicated the monsters, Pavel and she took the precaution to equip themselves with better gear when they found them.

 

The two fighters finally reached a big room where the black-clad mage seemed to guard a door. He sneered at their arrival and summoned Skeletons to help him. Letting Pavel dealt with the low-level monsters, Iridia rushed to the Mage and before he could cast a spell lashed at him. His astonished head flew through the air. Even with her heart beating rapidly, Iridia couldn't help herself. “There can be only one.”

 

Pavel had achieved to finish his monsters. “Excuse me, Iridia?”

 

She blushed. “It was nothing. Well, at least we avenged most of our comrades. Hello, what's this?” Searching the corpse for loot and clues, Iridia found that he was equipped with a full plate armour. Something strange for a mage. To her amazement, the armour was a perfect fit for her with a golden silver-trimmed colour. She shrugged. It was the best non-magical armour she found so far, and she wasn't about to ditch it soon. Even better, it wasn't something from a dead comrade and could be wield without guilt.

 

The duo burst into the barn with the creatures of Waterdeep. Already, a group of Goblins led by an elite member of their race was clashing with two people. A Cleric clad in red and blue and an elf using with dexterity a crossbow.

 

The Elite Goblin pointed to a gorgeous woman with a greenish tint to her skin. “Kill the Dryad!” Frightened, the Dryad decided to escape and teleported away. Meanwhile a Goblin had broken a seal on a creature with snake features.

 

The Yuan-Ti laughed as the seal preventing her to use her power was broken. She had no intention to being used as a remedy and teleported away.

 

Iridia could only snarl and curse as she cut into the massed Goblins as she saw the last two creatures escaped from the barn to the outside.

 

The four of them made short work of the remaining Goblins with steel, wood, arrows and spells.

 

The elf was dismayed. “It's over. We're doomed! The creatures have escaped and the recruits of the Academy have been killed! NO! It cannot be! How could this happen?”

 

The red cleric snorted in contempt. “Yes, it's all over, Fenthick! The Dryad ran away! The Yuan-Ti and the two others creatures have escaped into the streets! And where was Aribeth during all this time?!”

 

Iridia frowned and intervened as she wiped off the blood of her blade. “Lady Aribeth was ensuring that the other monsters in the Academy didn't find this barn. She sent me to help and assure the protection of the creatures.”

 

The Cleric looked at her with contempt and hostility. “What?! Aribeth was counting on a…puppy to ensure the protection of the creatures. Is she that blind to reality, Fenthick?”

 

Iridia reddened in anger. A puppy?

 

Fenthick was also undignified. “Desther! She did what she thought was the best! You have no right to calumny her!”

 

Desther shrugged and snorted. “Humph! I know about the love between the two of you, Fenthick. But the facts are the facts. She shouldn't have brought back the creatures here.” He walked to the main door. “I left you with your loved one, Fenthick. I must know do something to find what the reckless of Aribeth made us loose.” He exited the barn to the relief of Iridia who had stopped herself to tear him a new one.

 

Calming herself, Iridia talked with Fenthick Moss, a Priest of Tyr and fiancé of Aribeth. She learned that Desther is a Priest of Heaum and according to Fenthick was dismayed by the ravages of the Wailing Death. That was why he talked like that.

 

Iridia was sceptical about that, but remained silent. According to Fenthick, the battle was finished, but now they needed to find the four escaped creatures. Iridia was of the same advice and spontaneously offered her services. Fenthick seemed relieved and revealed that Aribeth had talked him about the secret origin of Iridia. He gave the young girl rendezvous in one week in the Hall of Justice to see what they can do to save Neverwinter.

 

After his departure, Iridia checked on Pavel who was still in relative good health after all those fights. The young man told her goodbye. He wasn't made for this life and no longer wanted to fight for gold and glory.

 

Iridia understood that the death of his brother had marked him profoundly and bid him farewell. She just hoped they would meet again in better circumstances. Before he departed, Pavel said that he was sure she'll become a legend as she was already a great heroine.

 

Alone, Iridia sheathed her Katana and sat down on a ball of hay. She felt so tired. She was no longer bleeding from her numerous cuts, but she could still feel all her bruises. Those who thought that battle was glorious, certainly never participated in a true fight for life.

 

She sighed. She couldn't go back now. She was deeply imbedded into the problem of Neverwinter. She really hoped that Tyr will respect his promise and send her home after this adventure.

 

Adventure? Nightmare was a better name.

 

Wincing as she stood up, Iridia exited the barn to see what she could do before she met Aribeth and Fenthick in one week.

 

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Notes: here is the character as I entered her in the game.

 

Iridia Sunheart

 

Age: 17. Deity: Tyr. Hair: Black. Eyes: Green. Build: Medium. Speed: 30 feet. Alignment: Neutral Good.

 

Class: Fighter. Level: 1.

 

Force: 15 (+2).

Dexterity: 14 (+2).

Constitution: 14 (+2).

Intelligence: 12 (+1).

Wisdom: 10 (+0).

Charisma: 12 (+1).

Amour Class: 17 (chain shirt & buckler).

Hit points: 12.

Fortitude: +4. Reflexes: +2. Willpower: +0.

 

Skills: Focus +2. Discipline +6. Stealthy -1. Silent move -1. Disarm trap +3. Detect +0. Search +1. Parade -1. Hearing +0. Persuasion +1. First aid +0. Taunt +1. Knowledge +5.

 

Main weapon: Katana. +4 attack. Dmg 1-10 +2. Critical 19-20/X2.

 

Feats: all Armour Proficiency. Dodge. Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Katana). Martial Weapon Proficiency. Shield Proficiency. Simple Weapon Proficiency. Weapon Focus (Katana).