| daeja |
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Intended to follow my witch and her fellow adventurers through the Kingmaker campaign, which is what I believe my DM is going to run next.
Early parts are going to be snippets of her life before the campaign gets started.
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Pt 1: Forming a Pact
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The path was so narrow and poorly used that the half-elf would have written it off as a deer trail had she not noticed the fresh, muddy ruts. Keiya thought a cart, perhaps a wagon, had passed by very recently. Perhaps nothing more than a woodcutter hauling lumber, Keiya hoped she would be luckier than that; catching a fat rabbit for her mother’s cooking pot would have been great, but coming back to camp with a purse full of coins would be even better.
Growing up in a gang of half-elven bandits, Keiya counted the days until they saw her as an equal instead of as a child. This could be her chance to show them that she was capable, ready to join them on their adventures instead of staying behind to look after the kids.
The aspiring bandit tried to combine stealth and speed, crouching low over the ground as she jogged down the trail. After a few minutes, her body cramped up and stealth was rejected in favour of a more comfortable, straighter stance. Her speed wavered as her mind wandered, fantasizing about what she was tracking, already mentally spending her share on a new stock for her crossbow, or perhaps a fancy dress.
Every now and again, Keiya heard a stream babbling nearby, and soon the trail ran down along its bank. There was no sign of the wagon she was tracking, but she did spot a weasel stretched out in a patch of sunlight by the water’s edge. Keiya smiled at its furry, brown and white face, tilted upwards as if to catch the rays, but her smile drooped when the weasel scrambled to its feet, chattering at her as it came closer.
Wary, Keiya rested one of her hands on the hilt of the dagger sheathed at her waist. The weasel came within three feet before resting on its hind legs. The intelligence in its dark, beady eyes was unsettling. She waved her free hand at it, trying to drive the creature away. Instead, it sat and watched her, cocking its head as though waiting for her to say something.
A quick glance up the path confirmed that her mark was nowhere in sight, so Keiya scowled at the weasel and said, “Well, go on then. Get out of here!” Its head tilted, and Keiya shook her own. “Why am I talking to a weasel?” Still, she was unnerved by the animal’s interest in her.
Keiya took a few steps backwards, away from the creature and then hurried down the trail. The weasel fell in step behind her. It stayed several paces behind, and she decided to ignore it, hoping it would soon be distracted by a bug or tasty plant or whatever it was weasels ate.
Keiya and her furry companion continued along through the woods for ten minutes in this fashion, until the shade of the trees gave way to a clearing. Pausing at the edge of the forest, Keiya gave her eyes time to adjust to the brightness of the unfiltered afternoon sun. She crouched in the underbrush to avoid detection by her quarry.
Frowning, Keiya realized that two members of the bandit gang - Reslin and Bimo - were having an argument in the clearing with three men she didn’t recognize. The strangers were all human, where Bimo and Reslin were half-elves like the rest of the gang. The strangers wore expensive clothing - rich fabrics covered by leather vests and pants. Two were tougher looking, bigger men with thick biceps and thicker necks. One had an axe hitched over his shoulder, the other a bow and quiver. Both had an assortment of knives and pouches hanging from their belts.
“That’s not the price we agreed on,” Reslin growled, his voice almost too low for Keiya to hear.
“This isn’t what we ordered,” the stranger said. His voice had a smooth quality that Keiya distrusted. He waved his hand dismissively, drawing Keiya’s attention to three girls huddled against a large tree at the edge of the clearing opposite her.
The girls’ wrists and ankles were chained together, their bodies and faces bore evidence of mistreatment: even at this distance Keiya could see the bruises. Nearby was a cart bearing a solid-looking cage, and Keiya felt her heart skip a beat. Slavers.
“These three are easily worth twice what we agreed on,” Reslin said.
The stranger eyed the girls and then flicked a finger. One of the two thugs flanking him tossed Reslin a pouch from his belt.
“Better all be there!” Bimo threatened.
“Yes, but they’re only worth that if they’re,” the leader of the slavers paused, his eyes flicking over the girls, before saying, “compliant.” Keiya shuddered.
Reslin weighed the pouch in his hand thoughtfully before signalling for Bimo to release the girls.
Bile rose in Keiya’s throat as she watched Bimo gather the chain attached to the girls and then give it a solid yank. He dragged the girls, their feet scrambling to get under them, and tossed the end of the chain to one of the two thugs. The girls cowered together while they were inspected.
How could Bimo and Reslin have betrayed the gang like that? There were a few lines that even the bandits wouldn’t cross and slavery was one of them. It was unforgivable.
“You know how to contact me if you require more merchandise,” Reslin said before nodding to Bimo and heading towards Keiya. She nearly panicked, thinking she’d been spotted, but no, they walked past her hiding spot, down the path and, she presumed, back to camp.
The leader seemed satisfied with the girls, ordering them to their feet. When one of the girls stumbled too close to thug with the axe, he backhanded her, making her cry out in pain. The thug snarled at her to shut up, and punched her in the stomach, causing her to double-over.
One of the other girls wailed in terror, and the second thug moved in front of her. Keiya could see the leer on his face and he said something in a low growl that made the girl cry harder. Keiya couldn’t watch anymore; she was afraid of what was going to happen next, afraid for the safety of the girls.
Armed with only a dagger and crossbow, Keiya knew that she was no match for the three slavers. She quickly debated heading back to camp, telling the rest of the gang what she’d seen. But not only would that mean abandoning the girls, Keiya had no evidence to present. It would be her word against that of Bimo and Reslin, both trusted and highly valued members of the gang, and she knew that no one would believe her.
“I’m on my own here,” Keiya murmured to herself. “I can do this. I have to do this.” She took a deep breath. Out-numbered and not liking the odds, Keiya looked around for some inspiration, anything that might give her an advantage.
Much to her surprise, the weasel was sitting three feet away, perched on a fallen branch, watching the half-elf. The weasel’s nose twitched, and Keiya glanced back at the clearing to see that the girls had been unchained and one was being shoved into the cage on the back of the cart.
Anxious now to come up with a plan, Keiya squeezed her eyes shut and mouthed the words to a common prayer to Desna, praising and thanking the goddess before she added her personal plea. Please, if you’re listening, I need your help. These poor girls, they don’t deserve this - no one deserves this. Please help me make it right. Please, please, grant me a miracle. I need your aid now more than ever.
There was a poignant pause as Keiya waited for the goddess to give a sign that she had heard the prayer, and then Keiya felt a sharp pain in her left hand. She swallowed a cry and looked down to see the weasel seated in front of her clasped hands. Her index finger was bleeding at the first knuckle from a small bite. The weasel sat, head cocked, watching her.
“What are you waiting for?” She hissed, shoving her bloody finger into her mouth. The weasel looked at her hands, and then turned and looked out into the clearing. Keiya thought it was trying to tell her something.
Could this be a sign? Keiya wondered. She reached out to the weasel, her hand shaking. When it sat still, letting her pet its head, she realized the weasel had to be something more than it appeared. She felt energized, confident now that someone was watching over her.
Keiya released her crossbow from the strap at her back. She loaded it and took aim at the nearest thug. The bolt whistled through the air, striking him in the shoulder, too high to hit a vital organ. Still, it was enough to draw blood, and the thug howled in pain and shock. The other two men looked towards her.
Driven by some unexplained inspiration, Keiya dropped her crossbow and took a step into the clearing. She raised her hands and pointed them towards the slavers, shouting strange, unfamiliar words. A tingling sensation ran up her fingers as she traced small symbols in the air with them. Her fingertips began to warm until they felt as though they were burning. A blast of fire burst from them, dousing the area in front of her with flames.
Keiya didn’t know who was more surprised - the slavers who were busy patting down their burning clothing or herself. She’d never cast a spell before, never tried to wield magic, and now she’d--.
“You’re going to pay for that,” the leader snarled. He cradled his left arm; the sleeve of his shirt was burned away and his skin was pink and raw from the fire.
“Get her!” He ordered the other two. The injured man hefted his axe and began barreling towards Keiya. The captives were forgotten as the other thug unslung a bow from his back and notched an arrow.
The girl who had been thrust into the cage climbed out and joined the other two as they backpeddled into the forest behind the slavers.
Good for them, Keiya thought as she twisted behind a tree. An arrow thunked into the wood and she bit her tongue to keep from screaming. It was the damn weasel, butting its head into her leg that got Keiya moving again. Now that she’d lost the advantage of surprise, Keiya’s only thought was to run.
Clumsy at first, Keiya tripped on rocks and crashed through underbrush. But then the weasel was there, racing ahead of her, showing her a less disastrous route to take. They reached the cart path where it ran alongside the stream. Keiya hesitated, looking up the trail, and then behind her. She could hear shouting:
“Where’d she'd go?”
“We’ll find her! She won’t get far.”
Keiya crossed the stream, heading deeper into the woods. The weasel wasn’t keeping pace anymore, left behind as Keiya ran and ran and ran. She knew it wasn’t going to be enough though, not enough to escape.
Branches slapped her face, clawing at her hair and clothing, as she crashed onwards, hearing the men behind her. They cursed and swore and threatened. Keiya tried to ignore them, to close her mind against the horrible things they promised . Still, tears streaked down her cheeks.
Soon she hit a treeline and after a few feet of bare, uneven rocks, the ground gave way. Keiya skidded to a stop, sending a few stones flying over the edge of the cliff. She peered down, seeing the stones bounce along the steep incline. Her eyes widened as she realized it had to be at least sixty feet to the ground below.
One of the thugs, bow in hand, tore out of the forest behind her. He paused to take a breath when he saw she had nowhere left to run, his wide mouth split into a grin.
Keiya drew her dagger, trying to ward off the man. He laughed - a deep, dark sound that frightened the half-elf. “Why don’t you put the knife down, girlie.”
“Stay back or I’ll carve-”
“You wouldn’t have run if you thought you had a chance in a fight,” the man smirked.
Keiya swallowed hard. He was right, and as she tried to come up with a new plan, the other two slavers came out of the woods.
“I’m going kill you!” The injured thug promised, brandishing his axe with his good arm.
“No,” the leader said, glaring at Keiya. “Let’s take her with us. She’ll fetch a fair price.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you!” Keiya swung her dagger menacingly. The men all snickered, and the injured thug began to approach her.
Keiya took a few steps backwards, stopping when she felt the edge of the cliff at her heels.
“You’ve got nowhere to go, except with us,” the leader smiled and spread his arms, in a conciliatory gesture, as though he thought he could somehow charm her into surrendering.
“I’d rather be dead,” Keiya spat. The injured thug looked quite happy to fulfill that desire.
There was movement at the edge of the forest and Keiya realized the weasel was there. It was up on its hind legs again, watching the stand-off. Keiya swallowed hard, and squeezed her eyes shut for a quick second.
Please, you heard me once, please hear me again. I need you.
“That’s right, little half-elf. Give in,” the leader cajoled.
Keiya opened one eye to see the injured thug reaching towards her. She sidestepped away from him, dodging his grab. The thug’s arms windmilled as he teetered on the precipice.
Keiya might have given him a helpful push, but the other thug reached out and yanked the man backwards by his belt.
“Unless you can fly, you’d be better off surrendering,” the leader snapped.
“Maybe I can,” Keiya murmured. She glanced to the weasel again, gathering her courage .She glared defiantly at the men, before turning to the cliff’s edge.
The landscape below, forest that gradually thinned into farmers' fields, seemed like a safe haven from her current predicament. Keiya took a deep breath, smiled, and then dove off the bluff, into the hands of the great unknown.
**
end of pt 1.
Thanks for reading!