It’s Dungeons and Dragons time! Here’s the latest installment of the epic journey of our heroines, Danaeryzard and Alaria! (If you’re new here, check out the entire saga in order by reading the chapters organized on the D&D tab of this site!)

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In the middle of the night, Alaria paced back and forth alone in the bedroom that she shared with Danaeryzard in the Barracks. But Dany was locked away in the Dungeons, and despite her best efforts, there seemed to be nothing that Alaria could do to help her. All the while, Tanar from the Midnight Ring was still holding the Castle Bookstore owner Samuel and his family hostage! If the Midnight Ring didn’t receive the etching that they demanded, they might kill those innocent people! Alaria was running out of time.

She did the etching heist on her own, technically. She could do the delivery on her own as well. There was nothing she could do to help Dany right now, but Alaria could help Samuel and his family. She concealed the etching under her cloak and set off for the carriage service to take her back to the Green Street Tavern in Drachen City.

By the time Alaria arrived, it was after midnight. It had begun to rain steadily. Alaria walked up to the guards at the door and asked to see Tanar.

Unlike their first visit to the tavern, Alaria was admitted in immediately. All eyes were on her as she was taken through the busy tavern and straight to the downstairs room where she had first encountered Tanar. He stood in the same place she had met him last time, with his arms folded under his black cloak. 

“Where is the family?” Alaria demanded of Tanar, who responded with laughter.

“Oh! I thought you would be dead by now. Well done. I trust you have completed your task?” Tanar asked with an evil smile.

Alaria glared at him and opened her cloak to reveal the paper hidden in an inside pocket. This seemed to be enough evidence for Tanar, who suddenly stomped his foot on the wooden floor three times. Near his feet was a trap door, which sprang open and a woman and two children began making their way out of a crawl space. Samuel came out last. They were all blindfolded and had their hands bound before them, making the process a bit clumsy. But they otherwise appeared to be unharmed. 

“Give me the etching,” Tanar said simply.

“Not until you release this innocent family,” Alaria bluntly replied.

“Fine. I’ll let the woman and children leave, then you give me the etching, and I will release Samuel. Fair?”

“Fair.” 

Tanar removed their blindfolds and instructed the mother and her two children to go upstairs and leave, and then relayed a message via his black chat ring to some of his associates to let the family exit. Tanar held out his hand, and Alaria reluctantly gave him the etching of the engravings from the Princess’ Diadem. She was slightly nervous because she didn’t know the meaning of these etchings or what the consequences will be for sharing this secret information with the Midnight Ring. But it’s not like she had any choice in the matter! 

Once Tanar received the slip of paper and glanced at it, he was satisfied. He released Samuel and told them to leave the tavern. The exchange was complete. 

As they exited the tavern, Alaria asked Samuel how he got mixed up with the Midnight Ring. He wasn’t so sure himself; all he knew was that a bunch of thugs wearing masks came into his shop… and after that, his mind was a blank. He had no memory of leaving his store, or his family getting captured, or getting into that little crawl space. Samuel seemed pretty distraught about his strange amnesia, and the fact that his family had been through this ordeal. They all hugged outside, and even Alaria gave Samuel a hug to try and reassure him that she was there to help. She offered that the family take the carriage service with her back to the Castle Bookstore, since their home was on the second floor of the shop. 

“Do you still have the translations, by any chance? The Orc translations that Esmeralda had sent me and my partner to retrieve from you?” Alaria asked Samuel during the ride. 

“As a matter of fact, I do still have them. Whatever the Midnight Ring was looking for in my shop, it wasn’t those translations. I am pretty sure I’ll find them for you,” Samuel said, just as they were pulling up in front of the store. The Castle Bookstore was still in shambles, the door wide open, books strewn everywhere, shelves knocked over… and the coinbox still safely locked. 

After some shuffling around of books and papers, Samuel was able to find the sealed envelope addressed to Esmeralda of the Expeditionary Guard. He handed it to Alaria, looking weary. “I hope this was worth it.”

Alaria thanked Samuel for the translations. This is what she and Dany had been sent to the city to retrieve, and Alaria felt sad that Dany was still sitting in the Dungeon. Alaria rode the carriage service back to the Castle Barracks and resolved that she would try to use these translations as leverage to get Dany freed. She was determined to go straight to Esmeralda – but not before pickpocketing the carriage driver and getting her cab fare back. 

Luckily, Esmeralda was still awake and in her usual spot, pouring over paperwork at a big table in the Great Hall in the Barracks. Esmeralda looked tired and stressed, and when Alaria approached her she tried to turn the Tiefling away.

“But Esmeralda, I have the translations that you sent Dany and me to retrieve. Don’t forget, Dany worked on this mission too. If I hand over these translations, I want you to promise me that Danaeryzard will be freed.”

Esmeralda sighed. “I told you, this is out of my hands.” Alaria asked if she could visit Dany in the Dungeons, but even that was forbidden. “I will let Dany know that you were able to complete the mission, and that you have been trying to visit her. That’s all I can do for now, but please know that I am fighting for her every day.”

Frustrated but out of options, Alaria handed over the sealed envelope. Esmeralda tucked it away in her pouch without opening it. Alaria decided to go off to bed.

Meanwhile, after her third day in the Dungeons, Dany was getting extremely restless and angry. As a prisoner, she felt that she was constantly being judged for her Dragonborn race. Guards would call her derogatory names and beat her when they visited her cell to give her daily rations of bread and water. The only conversations Dany had were with guards asking her all sorts of questions. It felt like an inquisition as they prodded her for a motive to burn down the South Hall. Dany repeated that the whole thing was an accident, and it frustrated the guards. Finally, on the third day, Esmeralda showed up at Dany’s barred cell door.

Without speaking, Esmeralda revealed a key and opened the door.

“Follow me. But don’t get too excited – this isn’t over yet.”

Esmeralda led Dany to the Officer’s Post area of the Barracks, where Dany had never been before. It was filled with desks and workers, who were all staring at Dany. News about “The Dragonborn Who Tried to Burn Down the South Hall” had spread rapidly around the castle. They walked into Esmeralda’s Main Office and Esmeralda shut the door behind them. 

“Everyone is concerned, Danaeryzard. The South Hall is a big deal; it’s a museum of priceless heirlooms of the royal family. It’s up to the royal family how to respond to a threat to their private property, and they do not take these things lightly. I was able to get you released from the Dungeons, but you are not free. You are to remain within the Castle grounds at all times, and you are not permitted to leave at any time. Hopefully the royal family will change their mind on this eventually, once you have proven to them that you are trustworthy. But for now you have to comply. In addition, all of your duties are now suspended, for the most part. And so are Alaria’s.”

Dany gasped upon hearing this, and at the same moment, Alaria entered the office with Ragnar on her shoulder. She had been summoned by chat ring while Esmeralda was transporting Dany out of the Dungeon. Alaria was happy to see that Dany was out of her cell, but was otherwise very confused. Esmeralda broke the news to Alaria that they were no longer going on missions, and the two partners were upset.

“Don’t worry, we will still have something for you two to do. You will have to earn your room and board somehow, so I’ve enlisted you both in our Combat Training program. You two will participate in supervised drills instead of doing guard duty. Don’t despair. I believe eventually the Princess will change her mind and you can resume your duties as before. Just give it some time,” Esmeralda continued to explain. Then she instructed Dany to return to their room in the Barracks, take a bath and try to clean the Dungeon-stench off. Esmeralda also advised Dany to lay low for a few days, as most of the guards were not very happy with her. Dany walked out without saying a word to Esmeralda, but waved a quick hi to Alaria as she left the office.

Alaria started getting up to follow Dany, but Esmeralda stopped her. “I’m counting on you to keep an eye on her. You’re both on very thin ice right now. Do not let Dany leave the castle. You two need to train more and we both have to make sure Dany learns to properly control her breath weapon.” Alaria nodded, feeling that this treatment was extremely unfair, but unable to do anything about it. 

“Oh! I also have an update on the Orc translations! Come with me.” Esmeralda led Alaria to another part of the Main Offices – a grand Library filled with books, maps and globes.

When they arrived, Esmeralda continued, “It turns out that the Orc writing on one of the building schematics was actually the title of a book… and it makes the situation worse. You see, Water’s Edge was once the location of an ancient Orc empire. It was these ancient Orcs who really discovered the power of the magic crystals. And the book referenced here is a book that explains how to control those crystals. We happen to have a copy of this ancient tome, and I have hired Samuel once again to translate it.” 

They reached a table where Samuel was busy scribbling into a notebook, while glancing at an ancient leather-bound book every two seconds. He looked up and saw Alaria, and gave her a big smile. But then he looked at Esmeralda and his face grew solemn. 

“Esmeralda… I think I know what the Sun Wizard is looking to do next. You see, this structure is made of crystal.” Samuel pointed to an illustration in the book. “I fear that the Sun Wizard is working on… achieving immortality. One of these crystal structures is the Library at Water’s Edge, this much we know. But the other is in Toril. The Orc Homeland.”

They shared silence for a moment as they all processed what this terrible news meant. Then Esmeralda sighed and thanked Samuel once again for his knowledge and assistance. Then she turned to Alaria and asked what she thought.

“I think Dany needs to be able to leave the castle so that she and I can further investigate this,” Alaria snapped. She was still upset about Dany’s punishment, and the fact that Alaria was being punished right along with her partner.

“You know the situation right now, Alaria. Please don’t make this more difficult. Now, I want you to rest up with Dany for two days, and then come report to Combat Training.” Esmeralda commanded Alaria. 

Back in their Barracks room, Dany had finished a bath and Alaria was grooming Ragnar. They were both pretty angry at the situation, and didn’t know what to say. They thought about that fateful day when they had first started traveling together, and were given a choice to join the Expeditionary Guard or the Midnight Ring. 

“Do you think we made the wrong choice?” Alaria asked. After what Dany had been through, she wasn’t really sure what the right choice might have been.

On training day, the duo prepared their weapons and were a little excited to go outdoors and have a little excitement. It was better than being cooped up in their room in the Barracks. 

“Welcome to Day One of Specialized Combat Training,” Esmeralda greeted them as they approached the training site. They had been instructed to meet at a special training area that was designed to look like a real city block. There were fake stores and townhouses along the road, and it looked very realistic. “This is a simulated street for combat in an urban setting. You see this building behind me?”

She pointed to a large two story building with a pointed roof. 

“Today’s Mission: Don’t let anyone in this building. I’ll observe.”

Dany and Alaria looked at each other, trying to hide their confusion. They had no idea where to begin. 

…………………..

And so ends the latest installment of our DnD adventures! Thanks for reading! I hope you like this ongoing storyline lol! If you play Dungeons and Dragons too, let’s hear about your character in the comments! 🙂

It’s Dungeons and Dragons time! Here’s the latest installment of the epic journey of our heroines, Danaeryzard and Alaria! (If you’re new here, check out the entire saga in order by reading the chapters organized on the D&D tab of this site!)

…………..

It was 10AM at the South Hall, and it seemed even more vast and glorious in the daylight. Danaeryzard and Alaria were ready to start their heist to get an etching of the engravings in the Princess’ Diadem for the Midnight Ring, so that they could rescue the Castle Bookstore shopkeeper, Samuel. 

Alaria had disguised herself as an old man, a Royal Jeweler named ‘Jasox.’ Her plan was to claim that she was there to do a presentation on how to properly clean the royal jewels that were on display in the South Hall. Dany was planning to enter separately as a regular visitor and create a diversion when ‘Jasox’ reached the diadem, so that Alaria could secretly get the etching that they needed. 

‘Jasox’ approached the entrance of the South Hall and was met by a row of guards at the entrance, who questioned the random appearance of this unknown Royal Jeweler. One of the guards called over to his captain, “Jacob – can you come here and verify this jeweler?”

Jacob was annoyed to be interrupted. He was busy talking to the charming South Hall curator Willow and did not want to be disturbed for something trivial like this. He began berating the team for shouting to him across the South Hall.  

Willow told Jacob to relax and assign a guard to accompany ‘Jasox’ around the hall to clean the various jewels on display. She brought ‘Jasox’ into a side room and gave him a special set of royal jeweler tools, as well as a set of cleaning instructions for specifics. Alaria was a bit nervous, but wouldn’t let it show through her disguise. If she made any mistakes as she impersonated this Royal Jeweler, then her cover would be blown. ‘Jasox’ would have to be very focused.

Back at the entrance of the South Hall, Dany was making her way through the guard security check, handing over her daggers and crossbow before walking through the door. She kept her distance from Alaria in her ‘Jasox’ disguise, but made sure that the Royal Jeweler was in view at all times. Danaeryzard was planning to wait for the signal – ‘Jasox’ will drop his tools – and then she’ll create a diversion. Dany watched ‘Jasox’ clean the first jeweled crown on display without any issues. Dany pretended to be inspecting a jeweled staff in a random display case.

“Do you know how much copper is in that staff? With the price of copper these days, that staff is worth a fortune!” laughed a gruff voice behind Dany, surprising her and causing her to spin around and see a rather round dwarf. “Oh did I startle you? My apologies. I’m Chancellor Thormek, I’m visiting Castle Drachen for the Trade Conference this week. I don’t usually see non-humans around here! You… caught my eye.”

Dany shook his outstretched hand and explained that she was a new member of the Expeditionary Guard at the castle. Chancellor Thormek identified himself as a history buff, and began to drone on and on about the background of each item that was on display. Dany decided to walk around with the Chancellor; he might help her blend in while she waited for the signal from ‘Jasox’ at the other end of the South Hall. 

The far side of the South Hall was starting to draw a crowd, as ‘Jasox’ continued on his presentation to properly clean the royal jewels. It was a rare chance for people to see the jewels out of their display cases, and some of the visitors were starting to watch ‘Jasox’ quite closely. Alaria was nervous and sweating a little in her ‘Jasox’ disguise and she fumbled with her tools, but luckily she did not drop any! If she gave the signal at the wrong time, the entire heist might be ruined. But ‘Jasox’ continued on without issue, and when he finished cleaning the royal dagger that he was holding, the crowd gave a polite round of quiet claps.

Dany led the Chancellor a little further into the South Hall to keep a better watch on ‘Jasox.’ The Princess’ Diadem was located in the back of the hall, and ‘Jasox’ was approaching it. Dany knew the signal would be coming soon, and she began to feel nerves and panic sweep through her body. What was her distraction plan? She was going to have to use her Breath Weapon to start a fire, but she didn’t want to cause too much destruction. 

Suddenly Dany heard ‘Jasox’ drop his tools on the floor with a loud clang. Dany froze for a moment, but she knew she had to act. She turned towards a wall that was covered with a red velvet drape and sneezed out loudly, blasting her Dragonborn Breath Weapon out in a cone of fire from her lizard-like mouth. Unfortunately, Chancellor Thormek was also in the line of the flames, and his burly beard and flowing royal robes caught fire. The drapes along the wall also began to burn, and the distraction was certainly working. Everyone in the room was looking at Danaeryzard and the Chancellor, and the guards were running towards her with their swords drawn. Dany raised her arms and immediately began shouting that it was an accident.

During the commotion, Alaria in her ‘Jasox’ disguise had no problem pulling a piece of paper and creating an etching of the engraving on the inside of the Diadem. The guard that had been watching ‘Jasox’ was rushing to help with the fire situation on the other side of the hall. In a matter of ten seconds Alaria’s heist was complete, but Dany’s troubles were far from over.

One guard used the end of his sword to bludgeon Dany in the back as another guard yelled for her to get on the ground. More guards were patting down the Chancellor to put out the fires on his robes and beard, and the once-friendly dwarf was now cursing in dwarvish at Dany, and screaming at the guards for letting a Dragonborn into their midst.

“I only sneezed! I have trouble controlling my Breath Weapon sometimes! It was an accident!” Dany pleaded, but the guards continued to attack her. 

Meanwhile, ‘Jasox’ folded the etching back into his robes, pretended to have a coughing fit from the smoke, and demanded that the guards let him leave the South Hall. Cleared from the building, Alaria rushed back to the Barracks to remove her disguise and hide the etching somewhere safe. Then she would come back and try to help Dany, somehow.

It didn’t seem like any amount of help would change Dany’s situation. She was laying prone, face down on the ground as the guards continued to beat and kick her.

“This is excessive brutality! I am in the Expeditionary Guard!” Dany cried, trying to cover her face from more beatings. 

“The jewels in the South Hall are worth more than your LIFE!” a guard spat at her as he and another lifted Dany from the ground and escorted her into a Guard Barracks room off to the side of the South Hall. Dany was placed in restraints and the guards held her there until they received further orders.

Alaria showed up at the South Hall, as herself, and claimed to the guards at the door that Esmeralda had sent her to retrieve Dany. But just at that moment, Esmeralda arrived and coldly told Alaria go back to the Barracks. Esmeralda marched inside the South Hall and was shocked to see the guards putting out fires, and the recently doused Chancellor cursing and panting. Esmeralda had been given simple orders – throw Danaeryzard Targeleon in the Dungeons.

Hours later, Dany was in her Dungeon cell, sitting on a bed of hay. The Dungeons were dark and dank, but Dany knew precisely where she was… because she used to guard and clean these cells when she was working for the Expeditionary Guard. Now she was a prisoner. She felt sad and regretful. She had never meant for anyone to get hurt. This was turning into a repeat of when she was exiled from her home after she burned down the outdoor market. Dany was furious with herself. Why did she think that a fire was a good idea for a distraction? She should have thought more about the repercussions of her actions! Dany could only hope that Alaria would be able to complete the mission on her own.

But Alaria wasn’t thinking about delivering the sketch to the Midnight Ring at that moment. She was trying to rescue her partner! The guards at the Dungeons wouldn’t let Alaria get anywhere near the prisoner cells. Alaria used her Mage Hand spell to pickpocket a key from the guards, but she knew there was no way to get past them. Esmeralda suddenly contacted Alaria through the Chat Ring and told her to meet her in the Barracks for a debrief. Alaria obeyed and acted as though she didn’t know what was going on with Dany.

Esmeralda was blunt and said that Dany had set a Chancellor and some drapes in the South Hall on fire, and that she was in a lot of trouble and suspected of being a part of an evil Dragonborn clan working with the Midnight Ring. Alaria was shocked that Esmeralda would believe Dany to be evil, after having worked with her so closely. Dragonborn prejudice seemed to be very prevalent in this castle all of the sudden.

Esmeralda asked Alaria for the Orc translations that they were sent to retrieve. Alaria simply replied that there was a delay and she would have them soon. She asked again for Esmeralda to free Dany, but Esmeralda claimed that at this moment, her hands were tied.

Later on in the evening, Esmeralda and Hendricks walked into Dany’s cell in the dungeon. Dany was very nervous looking at their stern faces. Hendricks seemed to be glaring at her with hate in his eyes. Once again, Dany stated her case – that it was an accident, she needs to learn to control her Breath Weapon, nobody was seriously injured, this was all blown out of proportion… but Esmeralda and Hendricks didn’t want to listen. 

“We know that you’re working with the Midnight Ring! You Dragonborn are bred to be villains!” Hendricks shouted at Dany, trying to intimidate her. Esmeralda rolled her eyes a bit, thinking that Hendricks was taking this a bit too far. 

“You should have known better, Esmeralda. We trusted her, and now THIS happens!” Hendricks shouted as he stormed out of the dungeon cell and out of sight. 

When they were alone, Esmeralda’s face changed and showed a bit of sadness.

“I’m fighting for you up there, Dany. But you’ve really gotten yourself into a mess. I don’t know how much I can do at this point. Hendricks outranks me and the Princess is furious with you. Just stay here, do what they tell you, and hopefully I’ll get you out of the Dungeon soon. There isn’t anything I can do right now…” Esmeralda said softly, and made her exit.

Dany sighed and rubbed her arms to help keep her warm as she sat alone in the dark.

Later that night, a hooded figure rode on horseback in the moonlight to a barn in the outskirts of Drachen City. The figure dismounted the horse, cracked the door of the barn open and slipped inside. Inside the barn stood another hooded figure waiting and lighting a lantern. The dim light revealed Hendricks, holding out a sealed scroll.

“Here it is, Ezra,” Hendricks whispered, passing the scroll to the Midnight Ring recruiter – the same elf who tried to convince Dany and Alaria to join the Ring back when the duo had first met! Ezra nodded knowingly at Hendricks and slipped the scroll into her satchel. 

“We’ll bust Dany out though, right?” Hendricks asked.

Ezra laughed and her white eye gleamed.

“Don’t worry Hendricks, the Ring isn’t done with those two just yet…”

…………………..

And so ends the latest installment of our DnD adventures! Thanks for reading! I hope you like this ongoing storyline lol! If you play Dungeons and Dragons too, let’s hear about your character in the comments! 🙂

It’s Dungeons and Dragons time! Here’s the latest installment of the epic journey of our heroines, Danaeryzard and Alaria! (If you’re new here, check out the entire saga in order by reading the chapters organized on the DnD tab of this site!)

…………..

Days after the Bug Bear attack, Danaeryard and Alaria found themselves back in the regular routine of guard duty and combat training in the Barracks of Castle Drachen. They had been waiting to hear from Esmeralda about the translations of the ancient Orc writing that was on the building schematics they found at Lake Constant. Finally, one afternoon during guard duty, they were summoned to the Great Hall to meet Esmeralda! 

“We are getting closer. I need you two to go to the Castle Bookstore, miles away past the outer courts, in the castle city district by the gate house. An ancient Orc specialist who runs the shop has finished the translations and will be waiting for you. Please retrieve the final translations and bring them back here. We are one step closer to ridding the world of this menace.” Esmeralda instructed the duo from her usual table at the Great Hall. She gave them an address and explained how to get there via the Drachen horse-drawn buggy service. 

When they reached the city district, it was quite busy. Merchants and shoppers filled the streets. Delicious odors from various food stands wafted through the roads as the buggy took the duo to an upscale part of the city, with fancy stone buildings and shops. The driver pulled up to a shop with a sign that read “Castle Bookstore” above it’s open door. Dany and Alaria hopped out of the buggy and headed inside.

The scene inside was shocking. Shelves had been knocked over. Books were strewn all over the floor. But shop was otherwise deserted, and they found the coin box untouched; whoever did this was not looking for gold. Before they could discuss that their Orc translations might have been the target, a loud squawk interrupted the stunned silence. 

“I know that voice!” Alaria cried out. Turning towards the door, a commotion could be heard outside. A child was yelling and the bird’s caws continued loudly. Dany followed Alaria out of the shop and saw a boy sitting on a barrel, and also fighting off a hawk with a red tail that was diving down towards him, flapping it’s wings and nipping with it’s beak. “Ragnar!”

The bird turned and squawked happily, swooping over to Alaria and landing on her forearm. Ragnar was an old friend of Alaria’s, her animal companion from back home! Alaria was overjoyed to be reunited with her hawk and she stroked his feathers lovingly. She wondered what would make Ragnar attack this child, so she asked him, “What happened at the bookstore?”

“I ain’t no snitch. Who’s askin’?”

“Do you want this hawk to peck your eyes out?” Alaria snapped back.

The boy jumped off the barrel, laughing nervously. “All right, all right, but keep that thing away from me! I was playing here a couple hours ago and I saw a group of masked people go inside the bookstore. It was just for about 20 minutes. Then they all left, but they had the shopkeeper and his family with ’em. But they all seemed fine to me.”

Alaria thanked the kid for the info and he ran off, not wanting to spend another minute near that hawk. Dany thought that Ragnar might be more useful than she realized! Alaria nuzzled with Ragnar, and as she looked at him more closely she noticed there was a slip of paper tied to his leg. She opened it up and the contents read:

Crispin Docks – Slip 5 – 1st of the Month – Midnight

~ B

The note was signed with an ornate “B” and immediately Alaria grew pale. It was the signature of Birolesh – Uncle Biro, as Alaria called him. He was a leader of a thieving guild and Alaria explained that Uncle Biro had killed her own parents, many years ago. Receiving communication from this man was ominous. 

“The only good news is that we have two weeks before the first of the month…” Alaria muttered. “Let’s go sweep the bookstore once more for clues and report back to Esmeralda.” Carrying Ragnar on her arm, she led the way back inside the store. However, when Ragnar was inside, he started flying around and tossing books through the air. Dany cowered and felt a bit afraid, but suddenly Ragnar squawked victoriously and produced a dark black ring from under a pile of papers. He flew to Alaria and dropped it in her hands, and she knew all too well that this was the calling card of a gang called the Midnight Ring.

“The Midnight Ring?? Isn’t that the gang that Ezra was trying to recruit us into when we first came to Drachen?” Dany said with dismay. This was starting to get overwhelming and she wanted guidance, so she reached out to Esmeralda via chat ring. After Dany explained the situation, Esmeralda asked the partners to try to find another Midnight Ring recruiter at one of the taverns in town. If they could find where the Midnight Ring was hanging out, maybe they could find the stolen translations. 

Once they were on the streets, Dany and Alaria were surprised at just how many inns and taverns were in the city district! They started at the Weary Traveler, where they had met Ezra many weeks ago, but there was no sign of her or any other Midnight Ring affiliates. They wandered up and down the streets to every tavern they could find: The Belching Bull, Liquid Gold, Thistledown, The Dented Mug… but they had no luck. Finally, as the sun was setting, they turned down Green Street and saw a big tavern at the end of the road.

As they approached, Alaria noticed a secret symbol on the tavern sign: an “M” written in Theives’ Cant. She pointed this out to Dany and whispered, “This must be the place.” Alaria slipped the dark black ring on her finger and confidently went to the door. However, they were immediately stopped by large guards blocking the entrance inside, demanding to know what their business was at this tavern.

Dany and Alaria asked for Ezra and said that they had been invited. The guards laughed at the partners and said that nobody was there with that name. But Alaria did not give up; she pointed to the black ring on her finger and said, “I have something that might interest you.” Without another word the guards stepped aside and let them in. One of the guards directed them to a staircase leading to the basement. All eyes were on Dany and Alaria as they walked through the tavern to the staircase. Dany began to feel weak and sickly as they walked down the stairs. Alaria pulled out her wand of magic detection, as she always does in new places, but the wand was not working.

They entered the basement chamber, which was filled with typical tavern storage: kegs, wooden boxes and crates, and bags of hops and wheat. Lurking in the far corner was a cloaked figure, standing with his arms crossed, peering at them from under a hood. “Oh, I guess you’re not as stupid as I thought,” he scoffed at them, while stroking a black crow that was sitting on his shoulder.

“Look at you, pathetic Expeditionary Guards. Running errands for that bratty princess, high up in her castle? She cares nothing for you, yet you break your back for her. What kind of life is that? Anyway, you can call me Tanar. What are you doing in our tavern?”

“We have reason to believe that you know where certain stolen documents might be,” Alaria replied. “And where a certain missing shopkeeper and his family might be.” 

Tanar laughed, but looked a bit annoyed. “Oh, I don’t have that here. That is the truth, and even if you don’t believe me, don’t bother to try and fight me. You won’t have much success with my magic dampening field  suppressing your magic. Not to mention the thirty gang members waiting to pounce on you upstairs.

“No, what I’d like is an exchange. That’s fair, right? Nobody has to get hurt. All I need is a simple tracing of an etching on Princess Pema’s crystal diadem. You can handle a simple task like that, right? Or do Tieflings and Dragonborn not know how to hold a piece of charcoal?” Tanar laughed mockingly. “Get me that tracing and I’ll give you the translated schematics.

“And one more thing. Don’t go running to your superiors for help, or tell anyone about this little arrangement. If you speak one word to the authorities, the shopkeeper and his family might meet an… unfortunate end.”

Dany and Alaria had no choice. They couldn’t let an innocent family suffer at the hands of the ruthless Midnight Ring. They agreed to comply with Tanar’s request, and they were instructed to meet up with an informant at a nearby barn for more detailed information on where the crystal diadem could be found.

They left the Green Street Tavern and made their way outside of the city district, to the barn where they would meet Tanar’s inside agent. The barn was empty except for a few bails of hay. Dany and Alaria waited inside, playing with Ragnar and watching him do parlor tricks with Alaria that they had clearly been practicing for years. Despite the dire circumstances, Alaria was in high spirits – the thought of pulling a heist in the castle was quite an alluring challenge. Dany on the other hand was very apprehensive. Her burly form made sneaking around and thieving a difficult task. It was hard for her to go anywhere without being noticed.

After waiting for twenty minutes, a man rushed into the barn carrying a sword and wearing a dark black ring, just like Alaria’s. 

“Just received word from Tanar. I am Yawnax and I have some information on the handling of the diadem. I have learned that the diadem is only seen in the South Hall, in the Royal Vault, or on the Princess herself. She only wears the diadem on holidays, so any average day the diadem is on display at the South Hall. It is probably easier to access while it’s on display here during the day, despite the plentiful amount of guards. Each jewel is in a glass display case that has an alarm attached to it, so it cannot be lifted without the guards knowing. And the Royal Vault is impenetrable, so don’t even bother with that.” 

Yawnax unsheathed his sword and began using it to draw in the dirt. He was making a map, showing the duo where the guards were positioned, and where the diadem was found in the hall. Alaria studied it and made sketches and notes on some parchment paper. 

“You can contact me via the black ring for the next 24 hours. After that the connection is severed.” Yawnax tapped his ring onto Alaria’s and she felt it buzz with energy. “Now be gone from here before anyone sees you.”

Back at the castle, Dany and Alaria went to the South Hall to see the layout for themselves and come up with a plan. Since it was night time, nothing was on display and there were only a few guards stationed around the perimeter. They expected to see far more guards the next morning when the South Hall was open to the public. 

After scouting out the area, Alaria began coming up with a plan. They went back to their room in the Barracks to discuss. Alaria suggested that since she was a master of disguises, that she would impersonate a Royal Jeweler. This would give her access to the crystal diadem and enable her to handle it without being questioned.

Dany was in a panic. She knew she couldn’t help with the heist, or the sketching. But she couldn’t stand the thought of her partner being at risk and doing all the work, while she sat by on the sidelines. Dany insisted that she would come along and create a diversion to keep attention off of the heist. 

Alaria wasn’t so sure about this. Dany had a history of being accident prone. Was a diversion necessary? However, Dany refused to sit back and let Alaria do all the work, and she was acting really stubborn about it.

Alaria shrugged and figured a little diversion couldn’t hurt… could it??

…………………..

And so ends the latest installment of our DnD adventures! Thanks for reading! I hope you like this ongoing storyline lol! If you play Dungeons and Dragons too, let’s hear about your character in the comments! 🙂