Faerun was far from a peaceful place. But to those who knew it well, it was a wonderfully reality. But as portals opened across the lands, who knew if these 'outsiders' would think the same.
I've been involving myself in the setting of the Forgotten Realms (and Dungeons and Dragons in general) since I was around 12, and have since branched out to just about every other major tabletop setting. From Shadowrun, Gamma World, to even learning a bit of German for Das Schwarze Auge. But I found myself time and time again coming back home to D&D, so I figured, why not write a story for it? But that on its own is rather... plain, and honestly, there's something I've wanted to write for a while.
Namely, Monsters. I've fit them into several stories, as people with such drastic differences to normal humans interest me heavily. Our story involves the protagonist Baeran, half-elven Paladin of Sune. On his journey to find out where all these new... interesting people are coming from. The designs and (general) personality of the characters in question borrow from the MGE, but the setting itself has been discarded. Due to not being my particular taste, and also featuring a (lot) of content that would get me rather quickly banned from SV.
This story will feature adult content per the subject matter, but like all my other stories, I plan on handling such in a mature, reasonable manner, this is not a sex fic. This is an 'aliens are invading Faerun and for once it's not the Illithids'... fic. With that said, please enjoy, and thank you for giving this a shot!
You smile, raising a hand gingerly. "I'm afraid I cannot, I'm much too chivalrous for that." The other raises a second later as the young dwarven woman takes a bold step forward, and you take an equally bold step back.
"And what does that mean?!" the dwarven princess retorts, showing far more energy than she had her entire captivity or rescue by those Lolth worshiping goblins. She was the usual sort of this town, Overlook, The great above-ground dwarven stronghold of the east- proud, and about as used to not getting what they wanted as a cat.
At least her look wasn't that of greed, it was raw adoration, that, in many ways however, was worse. "Because, dear Stoutiron, I have word of a dragon in the mountains just east of here that has been harassing cattle, and beyond that, while I may be a Paladin of Sune, I shall not court until I have removed the ultimate evil from this world." You move one of the hands onto her shoulder, both to support her, and to keep a healthy distance. Then you smile. "My deepest apologies, know that I am flattered for the offer."
Stoutiron flushes so deeply that her brown skin starts to resemble clay. "What… what bravery! But you will come back here once you've done that, right?"
You smile a touch wider, lowering yourself so that you are eye to eye with the dwarf. Her eyes dart over your face, as if trying to memorize it. "Of course I will. But for now, I must be off." Then without another word you stand and turn, your cape waving behind you as you make your way out of the high council chambers. It was an interesting place, both the city, and the chambers, the Dwarves of course were a short race, proud, well built, and damned fine people all around, but short, nevertheless. Yet they insisted on their council chambers being as tall and dignified as Castle Never. It took a minute of walking to fully leave the chamber, and only finally then once outside with none but the guards, and your ever waiting squire for company, you allowed your shoulders to relax slightly. Not much, you had to keep up appearances, but slightly.
"Another one, boss?" Fuyao asks. The Kara-Turan stands near the door, sitting on the truly gigantic pack she saw fit to carry around. It, standing easily at a good four feet tall if placed upon its bottom, nearly rose to her diminutive height of five feet flat. How she managed to carry it from day to day was beyond your understanding, and any attempt on your part to carry it yourself met with as much of a stern disagreement from her as you ever got about anything. Beyond that, the woman herself was in her armor, that odd scale mail from her homeland, complete with the domed hat covered in the same silver scales. It was effective, but somehow made her seem only shorter instead of taller. Bits of her raven black hair stuck out from underneath the helmet, her twin gold eyes blinking at you.
"I'm sure I have no idea what you mean," you reply, smiling.
"Course not," Fuyao replies then hops off the pack. She lets out a little battlecry as she does so, arms stretched forward to balance herself. Then, reaching back she lifts up the pack and sticks her arms through it, tying several knots across her body to balance the weight over the course of several seconds, before, nodding to herself, she looks back towards you once more. "Take it we're not staying in town boss?"
"I'm afraid not, there's been a dragon sighted to the east, over in the Greypeak mountains, slaughtering cattle."
"And you need to run away from another marriage in progress." Fuyao replies, moving to stand behind you, a flat, almost bored expression on her face.
"She's young, she shall find another."
"Eventually they're going to catch you, you are aware of that, right?"
You smile a touch wider, "and if they do, that means their feelings were genuine, now come squire, we have a dragon to hunt."
—
Your name was Baeran Anderghast. A fine thirty years of age, half-elven, born in a brothel in Silverymoon. This past was not something of shame to you, for you found continued guidance in your life from the goddess of love, Sune, and the temple that was your birthplace served to help guide you to the point in your life where you were now. As a Brother of the Ruby Rose, you sought to rid the world of evil and ugliness, and for the past twenty years of your life had done so ably. Dragons, demons, devils and necromancers, you had hunted them all, and had built quite a reputation for yourself, and of course, with that came a.. following.
You had your fair share of… admirers, would be the gentle word. But none particularly interested you, they were beautiful, certainly, both the men and the women. But you were an adventurer, which meant by nature you had known them only briefly. Far too short for anything approaching 'love' to form. Would Stoutiron persevere? Holding onto her feelings like a candle? Or would you be forgotten in time, you couldn't quite say. You were off on your next task, and though some may call it a lonely existence, you found you didn't much mind. Protecting the realms had its own benefits, after all.
Your squire was currently reaping those benefits in fact, she was busy pocketing all the food the citizens of Overlook were offering towards you. You refused it as a matter of course, but the especially pushy ones tended to find their way into Fuyao's possession. It was not a part of the job you liked, as you did not hunt evil for the reward.
… And yet, you could admit a strangeness to the air as you rode out of Overlook, your squire sitting on her own, smaller mount and keeping pace just beside you. A taste of something, a hint, an inkling, it was… "Destiny." You murmur.
Fuyao looks up from where she had been reading her map. "What?"
"I'm feeling the call of destiny today, Sune is watching us."
Fuyao blinks, then casts her gaze up towards the cloudless sky. "She is?"
You chuckle. "Do not strain your neck warrior, she is with us in spirit, if not in person."
Fuyao continues staring for several seconds before allowing her head to drop again. Then, producing a small pastry one of the dwarves had given her earlier she takes a bite out of it, crumbs falling down to create a small trail on the dirt path leading back to Overlook behind her. "Right, think we can actually get a break after this one boss? We did just ride for three days."
You grimace slightly, "my apologies, I promise you rest once I have investigated this business, but for now we must make our way to the mountains. After Overlook's last dragon problem, I see no reason to allow this one to remain any longer than it has."
"Yeah, but that dragon was raising the dead, not stealing cattle."
"Which makes me hopeful that perhaps it is simply a young wyrm, or perhaps a friendlier species that is merely adapting to a new environment." You reply. "I do hate slaying dragons, majestic creatures."
"The God back home is a dragon," Fuyao replies, shoving the rest of the pastry in her mouth as she does so. "He taxed us."
You don't respond to that, merely focusing your gaze towards the mountains to the east, hoping to see some sign of the beast from here. But there was nothing but farmland. Running your gauntlet through the mane of your horse for a moment, you begin your next journey.
—
Divination is a wonderful gift to receive. You do not need to bother the farmers from their work, you do not need to search for tracks. Instead you merely had to ask, and you received your answer. It was less than a day of travel to reach the mountains, and from there, even less time to scale towards where the Dragon was making its abode.
The mountains of Greypeak were a cragged, broken mess of black and gray rocks, with little in the way of vegetation or interesting sites to see. Plenty of creatures made their homes within their wide expanse, but unlike others… they were very… plain. Regardless, your prey had not proven itself hard to find. From nearly the moment you had started going up the mountains a few miles from the farm in question, you began to hear… the sounds.
Not the growl of a dragon, or the bellow of its flame. But grunts, and the sound of clanging metal. That immediately made your mind wonder, perhaps bandits pretending to be a dragon? It wouldn't be the first time for certain, but then, you must wonder what the point of the ruse was. Overlook was a city filled to the brim with adventurers, and many would immediately jump at the chance to gain glory by slaying a dragon, a foolhardy endeavor or not.
The clangs and shouts filled the air, echoing off the stone peaks, until finally, you were fairly confident it was just around the corner. You pressed yourself against the rock, then held a hand behind you for your squire to hold position. Then you drew your sword and stepped around the rock to find…
Or at the very least, one in human form. She stood a good eight feet tall, her arms and legs covered in bronze scales. Her skin was deeply tanned, and at the moment covered in a good deal of perspiration from the exercise she was putting herself through. At least, that which wasn't covered in a rather rough hide armor. A poleaxe was held tight in both hands, swinging against a metal training dummy, sparks flying off with each impact. Her orange hair whipped behind her, as did a flaming… tail. She was not a red, that much was certain, bronze perhaps, those were a familiar and friendly sort.
"Hail." You say, stepping fully out.
The woman pauses mid swing of her poleaxe, then looks towards you. Then she grins, and wickedly at that. "FINALLY!" her voice booms over the small rocky clearing. Then, without another word, she charges, a bare, scaled foot digging into the rock with enough force to dig into it slightly, then she launches herself, clearing the twenty feet or so between the two of you rather quickly, her poleaxe's blade swinging directly for your head.
You step to the side, not raising your blade as her poleaxe slams into the rock, sparks flying as a loud clang sounds through the air. "Are you the one stealing cattle?" you ask.
"Fight me!" the woman shouts, the smile on her face only getting wider.
"I'll take that as a yes," you reply.
Her poleaxe is ripped from the rock and swings back in a wide, cleaving arc. You bring up your blade and parry the swing up and over your head. Then you shove yourself forward, your shoulder colliding with her midsection and causing her to stumble back.
A laugh tears free from her throat, the flames of her tail roaring to life. Before she attempted the same maneuver, launching herself forward, her weapon held low in her hands. She tilts herself to slam her shoulder into your chest. You debate moving, but with your current position, she would possibly go tumbling off a cliff, and she may not have the ability to turn back to her draconic form before something worse happened.
You brace yourself, and with a smash of flesh upon a steel plate she hits, forcing you back a good few inches while she herself bounces off to hit the ground. Her weapon clatters to the ground, and you stare down at it, then at her. The woman clutching the side of her face.
"I would not suggest ramming a man in full plate, unless you are wearing the same yourself."
The woman growls, the pain apparently forgotten at your suggestion, and her hand stabs out to grab her poleaxe then swing it upwards. You step to the side, then slap your blade back, sending the weapon flying across the clearing to clatter against the mountainside.
The woman looks at you, briefly adopting what you would call a boxing stance, before she leaps back, grabbing her weapon once more. There, a good ten feet apart from one another you each shift position. You, for your part, merely watch, your blade ready to parry. While she shifts from form to form, a red tassel hanging from the shaft of her poleaxe waving with every movement. Then she launched herself once more, her grip on the poleaxe higher than it had been previously, as she swung it around like a club towards your head.
… It was a very poor decision. You raised your blade with both hands, and instead of attempting to parry, you simply caught the shaft of her weapon with your enchanted steel. Her momentum at once ceased, then changed. The woman letting out a yelp as at first, her entire body vibrated, then she fell to a heap on the floor.
"Your weapon is one of distance, charging me is ill-advised." You offer.
"Didn't ask!" she roars. Recovering admirably. Launching herself back with one arm pressed against the ground, she catches herself in a three-point stance, then stabs her poleaxe forward.
You step aside, idly batting your sword against the shaft. "Better."
"SHUT IT!"
She yanks the weapon back, dragging it to the side all the while, hoping to slam it against your side. You slam your blade underneath it and lift, forcing the blow far above your head, and sending her spinning off-balance as a consequence. She stumbles, letting out several distressed, undignified noises before she catches herself. Bringing herself around once more, her hands moving all the way to the base of her weapon to swing it with as much reach as possible.
You frown. Then swing your sword, she had some strength to her, but with her weapon that far forward…
The blade collides with the shaft, and she is yanked forward by the sudden shift in momentum. You step forward, allowing her sternum to collide with your elbow, and at once, all of the woman's breath explodes out of her before she falls back to the ground, her weapon clattering off to the side somewhere.
Your blade shifts, and the woman's eyes cross to stare at the tip of it now pointing towards her neck. "Yield, please."
The woman growls, the flame of her tail hot enough that you could feel it through your armor. Then, much to your surprise, she… blushes, and looks away before nodding.
Well then.
—
You set the blade back into its sheath with a click, then, after a moment's thought, set it down against one of the many rocks that built up this area of the Greypeak Mountains. Reaching up, you pull off your helmet as well, allowing your hair to flow free for the first time in many hours. It… was something you had worn now for many years, but nothing quite ever was as wonderful as removing it after a long day. A moment later the skullcap joins it, tossed inside the helmet and set next to the sword.
Then you walked to the edge of the cliff, overlooking the vale, or, in this case, the city of Overlook far in the distance, the forge fires of the dwarves distant visible even from here. Twisted smokes of black and gray rising into the air. It was an impressive sight, though something far nearer was almost as impressive, if only for the fact that she had almost managed to take you by surprise via her assault. You had hardly met anything with a flaming tail short of a Salamander. Between her deep tan skin you had only seen from the lands of Chult, to her bright orange hair and… less than conservative outfit, she was a definite, striking figure.
She was also currently sulking. Her tail wrapped about herself and currently caused some stones to turn to glass around her. Smoking rising from her body in places, residual heat, if you were to wager. She was also covered in a fair amount of blood, you had held back as best you could once you realized the woman, while draconic, was in no way the dragon you had been sent to hunt. But she seemed to have little in the way of self preservation. Of course, now she was just staring off into the distance, arms wrapped around her knees.
You suppose it was time for you to truly get to the bottom of this situation. "Are you quite alright miss…?"
"... Ignis." The woman replies, her bright red eyes flitting to you a moment before she returns to gazing out over the landscape.
"You wouldn't happen to be partially a dragon, would you?" you ask.
The woman now known to be Ignis gains an annoyed expression then shakes her head. "Those stuck up bitches? No. Always acting like they rule the world."
You smile thinly. "I find it depends entirely on the type, indeed, there is a gold dragon quite fond of me in fact. But, ignoring that, are you alright?"
Ignis frowns. "No. I couldn't even scratch you."
"My apologies, but I came prepared to fight a dragon," you say slowly. "So I took the matter rather seriously. Are you… upset that you were bested?"
Ignis gives you a look like you are quite stupid. "My mother always said that when I found someone who could beat me, or at least match me, I'd know I'd found the one. But I couldn't even scratch you! It was over in seconds, like… yeah, it was kind of hot I guess. But there was no satisfaction in it."
Ah, barbarian culture, this was a type you had run into before. Though, of course, such dealings usually involved either talking down or beheading the chief so that the rest of the clan fell in line. You had more than a few up north in Icewind Dale that demanded you come back to pay various forms of restitution, mostly coming from the chief's wives for the most part you found. "My apologies for not dragging along the fight, when one is fighting a dragon one should aim to attack hard and as quickly as possible before the situation gets out of hand."
"I'm not a dragon!" Ignis snaps.
"But I believed you to be so, so by the time I started holding back it was much too late."
"That was you holding back?" Ignis asks, disbelief filling her voice.
You tilt your head. "Yes? I have received no word that you are my prey, unless you have been the one harassing the local farmers."
Ignis looks away, her cheeks coloring despite the heat of her flame and the tan of her skin. "... Maybe."
"Might I ask why?"
Ignis sighs, looking down towards the chipped axe in her hand. One hit against your own had seen fit to crush a large section of the metal, the edge truly ruined. "Was looking for a husband."
You nod. "So, you attacked the farmers seeking a strong opponent that you may wed, retreated up to the mountains between attacks. Then I found you here, defeated you, but you feel unfulfilled due to the fact that the battle ended quickly."
Ignis nods.
"I cannot condone your actions against the local populace, even if none came to harm. You did damage property and stole sheep."
"I was hungry." Ignis says quietly.
"Be that as it may, stealing is a crime, if you wish for something you can simply pay for it."
"... Pay?" Ignis parrots.
"Indeed, pay." You say slowly. "Do you not have the concept of currency?"
Ignis thinks, claw moving to her chin. As she does so, her tail lightly taps against the ground, the flames you note having died well down. "No? If I want something, I just take it."
"I am afraid I cannot abide that as a Paladin."
Ignis tilts her head, her red eyes blinking. "Paladin?"
"Indeed, a Paladin. I am a warrior in service of my goddess, and I protect the laws as well. I shall not entertain the thought of you raiding in these mountains." You say. "If you sought a husband as a custom, then I would suggest you simply ask in the future. Seeing your confusion… I shall repay the villagers on your behalf."
"Is being a Paladin how you got so strong?" Ignis asks.
"Indeed, my goddess grants me strength, though I of course have trained all my life." You reply with a faint smile.
Ignis goes silent for several moments, lost in thought once more. Then she gains a rather determined look on her face. "You are going to teach me how to be a Paladin."
"... Might I ask why?" you ask slowly, this conversation having quickly turned in a direction you weren't expecting.
"So I can get stronger." Ignis replies.
…
"No."
"Why not!?"
"For many reasons," you reply.
"Then I challenge you to a duel!"
"No."
"Why!?"
"For I wish to make dinner, would you like some?"
Ignis goes quiet again, then, she simply nods her head. Smiling, you look back towards the pass and whistle. A moment later, Fuyao's head appears around the rocks, her gaze almost immediately moves to stare at Ignis, her eyes widening. Then she looks at you. "That our dragon boss?"
"Not quite, as it turns out, but it is our cattle bandit nevertheless. I have also offered her dinner, would you mind getting our cooking equipment out?"
Fuyao's eyes flit back to Ignis once more, a hint of wariness to her gaze, then she nods. "On it boss, we taking her back with us?"
… A valid question, honestly. If she does indeed have no concept of currency, then turning her over to the farmers would do little. You could, of course, pay out of pocket, and would regardless to help them out. Waukeen herself knows you have more gold than you knew what to do with, but that wouldn't be a very good lesson either. So the question remained, what to do with her?
"Where are you from?" you ask, crouching so that you were eye to eye with the sulking woman.
Ignis stares at you, then shrugs her shoulders. "Around, was wandering around the woods when I saw one of those weird magic… things, next thing I knew I was here in these mountains."
"You were teleported? Fascinating. Then, if you do not mind, could you perhaps inform me of your species?"
Ignis grins. "Salamander!"
… A humanoid Salamander, how peculiar. But then, if she teleported, it could simply be another name for the species. But then, she was speaking common. "Well, you are going to need to apologize to the farmers for stealing their cattle."
"Why? They were weak."
"... That was not a request," you reply, staring Ignis in the eyes. "You will apologize."
Ignis meets your gaze, then blushes and looks away once more. "... 'Kay."
You smile again. "Wonderful. As for afterwards, you do not recall where you are from, at all?"
Ignis shakes her head. "Lived in the woods and mountains all my life, it was just a… place."
Right. So you'll need to find out where she was from to get her back there. Overlook was a city of smiths, there was little to find out there. You wished to get to the bottom of this, you did not sense she was lying in the slightest, she was battle-hungry to be sure, but she did not smell of evil either. So you wished to find out where she had been taken from, and return her there. You also wished to find out who had 'taken' her to begin with.
You had options on that front, at the very least.
—
View: https://i.imgur.com/pPAE5v7.png
[] [Candlekeep] The city of knowledge. All sorts of bestiaries lie there. Perhaps you could find an origin. Also rather bookish wizards… one can hope she doesn't set fire to anything particularly dangerous and ancient.
[] [Silverymoon] The city of magic. Perhaps you could get to the bottom of this 'teleportation' she was subjected to. It was also a city of spectacle and nature… one can only pray she doesn't set fire to the invisible bridge.
View: https://i.imgur.com/eJOvP9C.png [] [Waterdeep] City of sailors and merchants. Those in that city had traveled to shores even beyond your knowledge, they may know of her species. It was also a city of tricks and dirty plays… one might expect she may set some poor thief on fire.
---
[X] [Silverymoon] The city of magic. Perhaps you could get to the bottom of this 'teleportation' she was subjected to. It was also a city of spectacle and nature… one can only pray she doesn't set fire to the invisible bridge.
You smile thinly. "I find it depends entirely on the type, indeed, there is a gold dragon quite fond of me in fact. But, ignoring that, are you alright?"
Ignis goes silent for several moments, lost in thought once more. Then she gains a rather determined look on her face. "You are going to teach me how to be a Paladin."
To be fair, the discipline of paladin training would probably be good for her! Let her calm down a bit, and if she still wants to, I say go for it!
[X] [Candlekeep] The city of knowledge. All sorts of bestiaries lie there. Perhaps you could find an origin. Also rather bookish wizards… one can hope she doesn't set fire to anything particularly dangerous and ancient.
I don't know any of the three cities, but this sounds pretty dope.
[X] [Silverymoon] The city of magic. Perhaps you could get to the bottom of this 'teleportation' she was subjected to. It was also a city of spectacle and nature… one can only pray she doesn't set fire to the invisible bridge.
They can check out the magic, they should have enough nature experts to identify a salamander, and the invisible bridge owes me money anyway--the hell with that thing.
[jk] [Gheldaneth] Given their history, the Mulhorandi know a thing or two about being dragged around to strange realms against their will. Perhaps they might have some insight.
[jk] [Skuld] Given their history, the Mulhorandi know a thing or two about being dragged around to strange realms against their will. Perhaps they might have some insight.
The woman pauses mid swing of her poleaxe, then looks towards you. Then she grins, and wickedly at that. "FINALLY!" her voice booms over the small rocky clearing. Then, without another word, she charges
Ignis goes silent for several moments, lost in thought once more. Then she gains a rather determined look on her face. "You are going to teach me how to be a Paladin."
