Sune's Solution (D&D/MGE)

Thanks for @Armoury for the beta!

[Fuyao takes a challenge as your squire from Ignis]

—

You were sufficiently padded to prevent any form of pain that would arise from riding without a saddle. That, and years of riding in general had made you rather numb to the kinds of pain that horse-riding in general tended to cause in a man. Indeed, it was not physical pain you were feeling, instead the rather emotional oddities that arises in a man as he rides a woman, quite literally, off into the distance. Brynhild was lovely of course, both in manner and in looks, and from her dress to the faint sweet fragrant that wafted off of her, you could rather easily tell she took as much care of herself as did some of the nobler ladies in Waterdeep and Neverwinter.

But of course, despite what some… rumors about you might say, you had never used one as a mount. Or vice versa you should mention, besides the odd carrying them out of danger while being chased by the occasional dragon or drow, or duergar, or the demogorgon, or- actually, now that you stopped and thought about it. A lot of the truly horrifying things in the realms tended to start with the letter D.

There were some in front of you as well, you had been attempting to be gentlemanly and not pay particular attention to them as Brynhild trotted along. Her conversation at least, once she bothered speaking again, did wonderful work to distract you regardless. "So tell me more about yourself sir, you mentioned yourself as a Paladin? I suspect yours and mine definition is perhaps different."

That was something else you had noticed, her tone had changed rather quickly. Not in terms of attitude, that had remained the same ever since she got over being terrified by her sudden arrival in your midst. No, she had put on a bit of an upper-class accent, at least, you presume that was what it was past her accent. And her diction had gotten a fair bit more… flowery.

A crunch sounded behind you, and you glanced back to see Fuyao slowly eating a raw potato. How she managed such a task you had long since given up questioning. Or thinking particularly much about, as the manner her stomach worked was only known to Cyric, God of Madness that he was. Ignis meanwhile, was staring straight at you, apparently listening intently as the question of what a Paladin truly was came into the open air of discussion.

It had been barely more than an hour since you had started traveling, and you blamed the general awkwardness for the lack of discussion. Despite the furtive glances Brynhild had been shooting you repeatedly, she had been surprisingly mute. And, after dealing with Ignis for a fair bit now, you had welcomed the silence that you tended to prefer when traveling. "I protect the stability of the land by upholding the law and protecting the people within. I seek stability so that the citizenry can live in peace."

"So you're a knight then sir?" Brynhild asks.

"Of a sort, yes." You reply. "Though I do not belong to any nobility myself. Something I am quite thankful for, such a thing tends to be stifling and I enjoy traveling and aiding people afar." You smile at the centauress, "I was taken in by a temple that raised me from a young age, and I have sought to repay their kindness via righting the wrongs of the land, aiding people, and working tirelessly to keep things stable."

You frown for a split second, wondering if perhaps 'stable' was the wrong word to be using around Brynhild, but your worries are cut short by Fuyao grunting behind you, mouth partially full of potato. "Yes, tirelessly, very tireless. As in, his darling Squire never gets to sleep tireless."

"What a splendid cathedral that must have been." Brynhild says wistfully, a hand rising to rest against her face as she closes her eyes.

"It was a brothel actually, such a thing is not uncommon for Sune."

Brynhild blinks, tilting her head ever so slightly as she studies you. "It was… one of the succubus run temples?"

The smile drops from your face immediately, then, thinking about it, you laugh, your humor returning as you think about such a concept. "No… no, I assure you no. The women who worship Sune can be quite lascivious, and, indeed, sex is a large part of the belief for some temples. But they were no Succubi. Indeed, I could not imagine a Succubi running anything, even the rarer lawful varieties of such a monster. Nay, Succubi are beings of chaos."
Ignis speaks up, her voice sounding a touch confused. "They're certainly obnoxious tarts, but not exactly what I would call chaotic, that's more…oni and ogres. "

You turn your head to look at Ignis. "My apologies, but I would ask where you come from that you've run into Succubi more than once? They do venture out of Avernus, but to find one not already in the midst of some plot is thankfully rare."

Ignis shrugs her shoulders, the Salamander looking bored once more now that the conversation had moved on. "Saw a few walking through my woods with their husbands."

Hus…band. You mouth the word slowly. Tasting it, parsing it. "Succubi do not take husbands, their touch is lethal to mortals anywhere but a dream. Perhaps one could be in the harem of an archdevil, but certainly they are not the type for matrimony."

Brynhild jerks, and you look back at her to find her staring at you with an utterly aghast expression. "Succubi are certainly annoying sir, filled with pheromones to be certain that steal away men before a good woman can get their hands on them. But they aren't by any means lethal. Annoying, yes, they are always… flaunting things. But not lethal."

"You are… familiar with the creatures of The Nine Hells as well?"

Bryhild frowns. "I am not familiar with… er… Hells. But I wouldn't describe Succubi as creatures either, they are as sentient as I am. Even if they do tend to mock m-, not pay me proper respect."

She said something odd there near the end, but you aren't focused on it enough to care. That… are you dealing with people from another plane? That would explain some of the oddities. You had visited Sigil, but that was only once, and briefly at that. You had never spent time around the Spelljammers and the weird worlds they visited. One way to find out you suppose, "what is the name of the planet in your culture?"

Brynhild's frown drops. "The… disc? In my culture we just call it after its shape, some other cultures have a name for it. But not in my home of Triken. The disc rides upon the shoulders of the great turtle woman. Of course, whether she is a kappa or another type is… frequently a cause of debates."

"And wars." Ignis snorts.

You look back at the Salamander. "And do you have a name for… this disc?"

"Nope." Ignis replies. "I just owned the woods."

Fuyao lets out a snort, and you look at her in time to see your squire rolling her eyes.

"You got something to say runt?" Ignis growls.

"Not to you." Fuyao replies, taking another bite out of the potato before staring at Ignis. She wasn't glaring, indeed, your squire had the same bored expression she was frequently seen wearing.

But nevertheless, it seemed to anger Ignis a great deal. "I do not battle with words, if you want to fight me, use your weapon."

Fuyao stares at Ignis, then at her potato, then at you. She says nothing, but the question was obvious enough.

… You had wished to make more progress. You had only just started approaching the forests that sat west of Overlook, your pace having been hindered by the apologies you had to dole out, the circumstances of Brynhild, and the fact that Ignis did not know how to ride a horse with any particularly agility.

But you also had the sneaking suspicion that if you didn't allow this to happen, the two of them would continue sniping each other until the 'duel' was instead replaced with a 'brawl'. Why exactly Fuyao didn't like the woman, you weren't sure. She had been more outwardly hostile with her, as much as Fuyao could be outwardly anything, more than with anyone else you had ever seen.

But you were going to try and ease the lid of the pot, as it were. "You are a squire Fuyao, you have to protect your honor as much as I do. If you have cast insult upon Ignis, it is your duty to see it through."

Fuyao lets out a sigh, then, swinging her legs over the side of her horse, slides off of it. She grabs the reins as she does, bringing it to a stop. Ignis leaps off of hers as well, showing none of the same grace, and for a moment you worry briefly about Majestic, before the horse, showcasing its usual priorities, immediately wanders off to the side of the road to begin eating grass.

Brynhild comes to a stop, and you slide off of her to land onto the rough dirt road, your hand resting on the hilt of your sword. Fuyao draws her ax, it's a Kara-Turan design through and through, far wider than most you would find in Faerun, with a fat head to it more akin to a shovel than that of something used to felling trees or foes. Ignis, meanwhile, produces her poleaxe, the fact that they had at least fundamentally similar weapons was not lost on you.

Though you couldn't help but note that despite the poleaxe being a versatile weapon, Ignis seemed to treat it like an ax stuck upon the end of a spear, versus using the other implements on the weapon itself. You wonder if perhaps it was a weapon she hadn't received training in, or, perhaps like many adventurers, she had simply grabbed it long ago because she enjoyed the look of it, without questioning the practicalities of such a weapon.

More than one adventurer had been lost wandering into a tight dungeon with a two-hander, after all.

Both fighters stand apart from each other, ten paces. Fuyao ready, ax held in both hands, staring down her opponent, while Ignis has the butt of hers planted in the dirt, glaring down at your young squire.

"First blood. Begin." You order.

When you fought Ignis, it hadn't been a close, or, to be honest, an interesting thing. She had brute force, but then, so did ogres, and you had no problem besting them either. She had little in the way of finesse, little in the way of honing. It had become more a challenge to prevent her from hurting herself once you realized she wasn't the quarry you had been led to believe. Fuyao had skill, but she was your squire for a reason, and as the battle begun, it showed.

Ignis's poleaxe swings out like a club, her arms at full extension as she carves the weapon through the air to hit Fuyao. Fuyao raises her ax in a desperate, hurried parry. And you watch as the poleaxe hits her weapon… then, Fuyao's strength almost immediately falters. Her arms buckle, and she rides the hit, allowing it to carry her aside briefly before she slides away from it, the poleaxe continuing on its journey, narrowly missing her head by inches.

Fuyao then lunges forward, attempting to close the distance between them, Ignis brings the ax around, preparing to swing it downwards, before, to her shock, she discovers that Fuyao was hiding a ranged weapon. Fuyao's right hand shoots forward, casting a partially crushed potato directly into Ignis's face.

Ignis stumbles back, more from shock than force, and her flaming tail whips around. Churning up earth and setting grass ablaze, and likely saving major injury. Forcing Fuyao to halt her approach. Giving Ignis ample time to wipe the potato remains away from her face, teeth bared, eyes alight with anger.

Fuyao simply smirks.

"Sir, if I may ask." Brynhild begins, drawing your attention away from the sound of clanging metal. "How did you meet Fuyao? You stated she was your squire?"

"She is indeed, I met her along the trading roads heading into these lands. She was part of a caravan that had been harassed by the giants that live in the mountain regions that separate our two lands. I came to their aid, helped them across, and she then pledged herself to my service. That was around five years ago now." You say, smiling as you recall it.

Ignis lets out a shout as Fuya's ax narrowly misses her skull. The Kara-Turan having thrown it at her head. Fuyao recovers quickly from the miss, withdrawing two thin pointed daggers from her shoes and charging forward with them.

"Oh my, how romantic." Brynhild says wistfully.

You glance over at her, and find, to your surprise, that a fierce blush had crept over Brynhild's pale features. A hand rested on her cheek, and a slightly… dopey smile was on her face. "For a gallant knight to come to the aid of another, it is only right to pledge yourself in eternal service, fighting the same battles together and forging a legend fit for song."

For Fuyao it was more a manner of honor, but you were not going to correct Brynhild. Turning your attention back to the fight, where Ignis's tail slaps against Fuyao's scalemail, sending your squire tumbling end over end onto the ground.

"Hah! I knew you were nothing." Ignis says, slamming the pommel end of her weapon into the dirt.

"You have lost, actually." You say, then raise a finger to tap a finger against your cheek.

Ignis stares at you, confused for a moment, then raises a hand to wipe at her cheek, pulling it away to reveal blood from the thin cut there. Her mouth falls open a bit, confusion now writ large across her features. "... When?"

"She put a rock in the potato when she was dodging along the ground," you say. "The fight was over from her first move, Fuyao tends to not fight exactly fair."

Fuyao was also still laying on the ground, you note. You'll likely have to check up on her momentarily.

"Then why did you allow it to continue?" Brynhild asks.

"Learning opportunity, practice is always important." You reply, then, making your way over, you lightly brush your hand against Ignis's cheek, the wound closing itself at your touch.

The Salamander's eyes dart to your hand, then she looks away, her already tanned cheeks darkening at your touch. Lowering your hand a moment later, you turn your attention towards your squire currently planted onto the ground face first. "Fuyao, you okay?"

Your squire says nothing, instead she merely raises a solitary finger.

"Is… that a sign she is injured? I don't understand." Brynhild says, trotting over.

"She's fine." You reply. "And she is currently acting very un-squirelike.

Fuyao drops her hand, then lets out a groan. "Could use some healing boss."

You smile and make your way over.


—


View: https://youtu.be/owsS1TcoJbo?si=qg35LS_ubwcRfFer

"My apologies for stopping here, I had fully expected to be someplace more civilized, but we were delayed." You say, gripping the reins of your horse as you turn around to look at the group.

"I want to be at this book palace already," Ignis grunts.

"My apologies, but I sold my airship some time back, I don't particularly enjoy the experience of flying. That, and I find it takes away from the joy of travel to just allow the lands to pass beneath you."

Brynhild speaks up. "Will be stopping at an inn for the night then?"

You smile over at the centauress. "There is no nee-"

"Need a bed princess?" Ignis grunts. "There's nothing wrong with sleeping in the woods from time to time."

You clear your throat. "There is no need."

Brynhild stares at you. "I'm afraid I don't quite fit in your average tent sir."

Reaching to your side, you open one of the many small pouches placed around your person. Fiddling inside of it a moment, you produce the midnight-black scroll you had been searching for. Snapping it open, the silver text printed upon it glows faintly in the evening light. One of many gifts you had received from Mystra, Goddess of Magic, for saving her life a few years back. "I require lodging," you say aloud.

Then, the night turns just a bit brighter as a shimmering portal opens in the air just in front of you. Smiling, you close the scroll again, then look at Ignis and Brynhild as Fuyao walks through the portal without a world. "Don't be frightened. You are permitted to enter."

Then you step through, taking in the sight of your home away from home… well, home away from your many homes. The mansion was as splendiferous as it always was, white marble walls held up by glinting blue columns, each carefully decorated by magic rune work. It was 'only' two stories, but you found it had enough space for anything you had ever needed, and the material cost alone if it was real… would likely have been enough to buy the city of Baldur's Gate itself, Mystra never spared effort. That included the crystal statue of herself parked near the entrance.

You never dared ask her why it was a nude, though you felt you knew already.

"What the…" Ignis's voice speaks up behind you.

"Fuck!?" Brynhild finishes.

You jerk your head back, finding the centauress has clapped a hand over her mouth. You smile, you suppose it did have that effect on people. "Come along," you say, walking around the statue and towards the main entrance the statue guarded.

Pushing open the doors Fuyao just went through, you enter the grand lobby, which at the moment was also serving as the dining area. Long tables line the room, filled to the brim with all manners of food and drink. Each chair staffed by its own invisible servant.

"I… thought you said you weren't nobility?" Brynhild says, her voice full of wonder.

"I'm not, I had to work for this," you reply. "Feel free to eat and drink, the servants will guide you to your rooms if you ask. There will be ample space for each of you." You turn on the spot to smile at both of them in turn. "Please let me know if something isn't to your satisfaction of course, I will not be joining you for dinner, I have my evening prayers to attend to, alongside some personal matters."

Brynhild, you could tell, was hardly paying attention to what you were saying. Her eyes moved from spot to spot as she took in the magic around her. Ignis, meanwhile, was absolutely not paying attention at all. As she decided to look at the gift being presented, and had immediately moved to a chair where she had begun to devour a rather lovely looking turkey.

Bowing slightly, you depart the room, nodding to Fuyao as you go. The squire is currently in the midst of doffing her armor to hand it to a servant. Making your way down the hall, you enter a room at the far end of it, the door undecorated beside a lick of flame painted just near the lock. Opening it, you enter your relatively plain space. You had been staying in the mansion now for years, not every night mind, but plenty. And it was one of the few places you could say that truly belonged to you.

To that end it was decorated, however lightly. The symbol of Sune decorated the space about the mirror taking up nearly the entire far wall. You were not a particularly vain person, but the mirror was there when you arrived, and it was useful. The one over the bed wasn't, but you had at least gotten good angle views to see when you were cleaning your armor. Trophies littered the place, stuffed heads, feathers, scrolls and banners. Gifts people had given you, or things you had made yourself. Each carefully kept and maintained, but beyond that and a simple bed you had little in the way of luxury.

It wasn't against your church, nor was it out of distaste on your part. But it was simply something you had never desired. Wealth only slowed you down, and while you had plenty of it, there was precious little reason to show it off within the confines of your own sleeping space. Reaching down to your sides, you pull off the gambeson you were wearing, along with the tunic underneath it. A sigh escapes you as your bare flesh meets the cool air of the room, then, making away across the room towards a small pillow set near the windows. You light a brazier, a sweet sunflower scent filling the air before you close your eyes and pray.

—

It was a half hour later when there was a knock on your door, and you opened your eyes slowly. "It's open."

The door opens with a creak, and you arise and turn around. Fuyao stood there, her eyes on your chest a moment before she locked gazes. She had changed into her casual wear. Which for her meant a simple tunic and pants. Both aged and worn with small tears and marks across the material. You had asked her about replacing them more than once, but she had refused every time.

With a click the door closes behind her, and Fuyao draws in a breath before she leans against it. "You sure about this boss? I think they're Spelljammers."

Spelljammers, those… odd individuals that used magic to traverse space itself on ships you couldn't quite wrap your head around. You had thought about it earlier in the day, and at this point you found that unlikely. "From another plane or planet? Possibly. But I doubt they are spelljammers, recall that I summoned Brynhild, and I doubt Ignis could captain a ship."

Fuyao's lip curls up for a moment before she arrests control of her expressions again. "Well they aren't from here."

"That much I had figured out already. I do not know by what magic Ignis was brought to Faerun, and my spell should have been nowhere near powerful enough to summon Brynhild. At least, if she is from the same realm Ignis belongs to… though they seem to recognize each other's species." You lean against the bedpost nearby, idly fiddling with the belt around your waist. "I blame myself for Brynhild in any case, and if anyone would know about either of them, it would be the sages at Candlekeep… Or the God of Knowledge I suppose. But I believe he's still mad at me regarding that fire.

"Oghma should use his infinite wisdom to know you didn't summon the Cloud Giant that invaded his library." Fuyao grunts.

"It is what it is," you reply. "But for the moment, unless something else come sup, we'll take care of them at least until we reach Candlekeep."

Fuyao sighs, closing her eyes. "I was hoping we would finally have some downtime."

You smile. "You are welcome to stay in the mansion as long as you wish Miss Ling."

Fuyao shakes her head, opening her eyes again. "We have a job to do, try and eat and get some sleep."

You smile a touch wider. "I will Fuyao, have a nice night."

Fuyao smiles back, a rare thing. Then, opening the door again, she slips outside.

You make your way over to the dresser and pull out something more proper to eat in, and had just about finished changing when there was another knock on your door. You turn to look at it, somewhat surprised yet… not, to have a visitor. "It's unlocked."

The door opens, to reveal-

—

[] [Ignis]

[] [Brynhild]

[] [An Old Friend]

—

Relationship values.

Fuyao - 8/10
Ignis - 3/10
Brynhild - 1/10