Main Session

The party make their way out of the town along with Darcie, Leona and Elric. You head north, moving towards the direction of the river. Elric explains that the bandits were last reported to be seen in the same direction as the river, hiding out in an old hunting lodge. While taking one of the main roads, the group soon comes to a blockade, manned by darkly dressed bandits. On their shields are quickly painted Scarlet Hands, as if they'd covered their palms in paint and slapped the shields.

They don't look as though they're willing to let the party cross.

"You want to get through, it's all of your belongings. Not some of 'em, all of em!" One of the bandit women yells, you see the trees rustle and figures emerge slightly from the main road, still well covered. An ambush. They're clearly watching the roads to rob anyone trying to pass.

"Either that or we kill you and take 'em! Your choice!"

"You've got seconds! After that—we run you through, try anythin' funny and arrows'll be the last thing you ever taste." Another shouts from by the trees, a bow drawn as if to make his threat more meaningful.

The bandits advance up the length of the road once they see the party aren't willing to do as they're told and drop their possessions. Elric is the first to have blood drawn, taking a slash from one the men across his upper right shoulder. The rest advance towards the group. Leona takes a nasty arrow into her lower chest, leaving her drinking down a healing potion before lunging right back at the attacker with two drawn short blades.

A brutish bandit woman heaves a great two handed glaive at Eris, catching her with a nasty slash from its wide arcing swing.

He works with the party in focusing down the nearest bandit too them, catching the man with a rough slash across the side of his hip. He watches as magic rains down on the man, the group eventually working to take him out of the fight completely.

Eris couldn't help but stumble back as the heavy blow landed, shield arm coming in close to try and protect against the steel's bitter bite too late. The motion wasn't wasted, though. The soft sunlight of a heralded dawn coalesced at each point of contact, knitting closed the blow as swift as it'd landed, and erasing nearly all trace of the bandit's attack from the paladin's flesh.

Reinvigorated, she stepped over the fallen enemy, a plea on her lips as she closed distance with the next who'd drawn close. "I've no wish to kill you! Lay down your arms, surrender peacefully!" A thrust of her own blade landed with the bandit's arm, a notably non-fatal blow to further emphasis her point- they could not win.

As the bandits start to move forward, Ardira closes the gap even further; despite the hesitation she feels and rapidly beating heart.

“Stay behind me. Or just… something!” she hurriedly orders to Ophelia, before pointing the tip of her weapon towards the bandit slashing at Elric.

“Let the veil endure.
Spoiler
”

As Seravorn catches the glint of the sun, golden energy surges up the length of the blade and down to her hand where it envelops her body in a blanket of shimmering light — giving her pale skin a faint sparkle as the magic is absorbed.

Practiced grace guides swift steps into one fluid motion — thrusting the tip of her rapier quickly through the heart of the man in front of her.

Her attention turns to the female bandit behind the falling man.

“Don’t try it.”

Seeing Eris step over the enemy she'd defeated, hoping to end the bout peacefully, Ardira's sword speaks to her as she lands a killing blow on her own enemy with a life ending thrust of her rapier. The two elves contrasting each other in their decisions made.

"Duty comes at great cost, Mercy—...one far greater."

The deep, commanding voice reverberates around her mind. If it was not them the bandits were attacking to kill, it would be someone else.

Bandits… bandits…
She should’ve assumed the first thing they’d do is threaten their lives over their belongings. What had they planned to do tracking them down? It was clear they weren’t the type to come to a mutual agreement.

But what prospects did they offer?

She’d given a once-over of their group. They bore nothing of significance—not at first glance, anyway. It was plausible they’d been under the effects of the smoke. Wouldn’t they have entrusted themselves with a decent haul instead of risking combat?

Or at the very least… charged a fee to pass?

Ardira’s orders had Ophelia find a stump to duck behind, Wisper cowering close.

Leora was struck with a blow, and Ophelia quickly muttered under her breath with an outstretched hand to send a fire bolt toward the bandit her way.

”We get it. You’d like some help from your new friends.”

Ophelia wouldn’t consider them friends. Not yet. But she was one for repaying the favor. Another fire bolt was shot at the bandit Leona was engaged with, causing the woman to run away.

Should she let her get away? She’s never—killed—someone before.

Field work was never this dangerous. Not for an archivist!

The flame that shot from her hands whizzed through the battlefield, passing her party members, chasing the running bandit and caught up to her, fire scorching her torso—but Ophelia’s hesitation in channeling enough focus for a spell left the fire bolt uncharged.

And the bandit alive.

“For how long is the question,” Ophelia spoke aloud, nobody to hear but Wisper—by now, the floating flame knew her well enough that speaking to herself wasn’t out of the ordinary.

She then sank further behind the stump to avoid being seen by those continuing their aggression.

The drow stays rooted where she stands for longer than expected, surprised by the threat of violence. Fighting undead was easy, they couldn’t feel things. People was a whole other kettle of fish.

On instinct, the man that brutally slashed at Elric starts to hear laughter and a ringing in his ears before Ardira cuts him down, causing Vaeri to snap out of it.

She runs and ducks behind an old crate, frantically looking around. This isn’t normal. They’re not in a frenzy, but they’ve definitely been near the void magic and it’s taking an effect.

Laughter tries to ring out in the ears of the woman who charged up, but she seems to ignore it. Vaeri’s eyes go wide, ducking herself tighter behind the crate, before calling out.

“We don’t want to fight you guys!!! You’re being exposed to horrid magic stuff and it’s making you crazy, let us help!”

Seeing that the bandit woman wasn't going down without lashing out at others around her, and the bandits didn't respond to Eris' pleas to stop the needless fighting, Elric felt as though he had no choice.

While the woman was distracted facing Ardira and Leona, he grabbed her shoulder with one hand, running her through with his blade once she was held in place.

The sword withdrew and she slumped to the floor, dead.

Nezryn lets out a squeal as a blade catches her arm. She's not used to seeing her own blood, let alone another's. So when her dagger drives right into the torso of the bandit before her, she can't help but recoil. She knew she hit well, but playswords and real weaponry are very different. Healthy humanoids and a decomposing creature, even more so.

Amidst the battle she sees Eris taking a lot of the flak, being right up at the front protecting the rest of the party by holding the line. A stray arrow from across the way leaves a nasty mark on the Paladin. After Elric finished off the enemy that had been tying them down, she runs over to the downed woman.

"You're okay. You're gunna be okay." She reassures, rummaging through Eris' belongings while looking for a healing potion. After finding a bottle, she drags Eris on to her lap, supporting her head before uncorking the bottle. As she administers the drink, Eris' colour returns, her wounds some what mended.

“They’re still in control of their own actions… somewhat.” Ophelia directed to Vaeri. However the mist was influencing them—it was obvious that their survival instinct was still intact.

At least, the wizard thought so until the bandit stopped running, turning to aim a bow and nocked arrow directly at Nezyrn.

“They don’t want our help,” she spoke, rushed.

Ophelia didn’t take the chance to hesitate again, tracing a blue seal in the air had one appear. Arcane symbols glowed into a fiery orange, and from it shot a third and final bolt of fire that found its mark.

The bandit’s arrow went wide, missing the draconic woman.

And the fire engulfed the bandit in flames instantly, a faint smell of burning flesh and singed hair as the woman crumbled to the ground.

Ophelia flinched, eyes squeezing shut as she forced herself to look away.

She peeked through and over the stump, (or crate, whatever.) noticing Eris on the ground and alarm scattered on Ophelia’s features. “They want us dead.”

"If you don't want to fight us — then die quietly! This is how things are gunna work around here, the Scarlet Hand are gunna be rich, with all these people comin' through to Emberwynd we'd be stupid not to rob 'em!" The man in front of Vaeri yells at her, it was difficult to tell if this was brought on by the mist or by greed. Maybe they really were just bandits? Maybe it was just enhancing their chaotic natures?

Eris didn't see the archer, nor the arrow aimed her way. She only felt it land, buried deep and with a force that bore her earthward. The paladin fell to an unceremonious heap, consciousness ebbing in, out with a sluggish heartbeat...-

Eris came to with a start at Leona's voice cutting through the distant roar of battle, the crimson liquid poured down her throat. There was little to hide the near feral sound that came with a swallow, dissapoinment laced within. But swallow it she did, some few wounds seen to with the potion's assistance, before the wide-eyed, roving sweep settled back to Leona and the closest crazed bandit.

with it came a gruff, "Thank you-" as Eris forced herself to her feet and launched herself once more at their adversary. "Use the trees, find cover!"

Nezryn pierces the armor of the bandit standing in front of her once again, and as she pulls her dagger, the woman falls. The dragonborn grimaces, not finding the fight pleasant at all.

Now, she comes up besides Ardira and Eris, who had already fallen once this battle. "I can help! I can help-" she insists, just to unleash a torrent of fiery breath a little too far to the right. In her hopes to avoid burning her friends, she might as well avoided burning her enemies, too.

“I don’t know what you’re on about, old man.” Ardie grins, responding to Seravorn and shaking her head whilst her feet carry her forward with haste to the next adversary.

Between the twists and turns she takes to dodge sword and arrow, her blade stabs into flesh twice over before one life comes to an unceremonious end — gilded metal cleanly piercing the throat of the second man she had killed today.

Ardira makes no hesitation to side-step in front of Nezryn, hoping to shield her from any incoming arrows.

With everyone gathering around and encircling the bandit man, Leona uses two daggers from the man's flank. She sticks him in the side, right above the hip then the other drives home in his back.

"Oh- oh...god!" She turns her face up, yanking free the daggers, kicking the man free from her blades as she scrunches up her nose, "Making a bloody mess everywhere." Leona grimaces, shaking her daggers wildly like a dog with wet fur.

The woman she faced moved faster than she looked — ducking low as Ardira’s first strike cut only air, then twisting aside from the second. Ardira adjusted her footing, jaw tightening.

Too slow.

Pain flared as the bandit’s glaive slipped past her shimmering guard and scored her ribs. Ardie hissed, forcing herself back into motion — only to take a second hit a breath later, the impact bursting through her shoulder and sending her stumbling a half-step back. Blood darkened her clothes.That was the moment she stilled.

Her breathing leveled. Her stance narrowed. When the bandit rushed in again, Ardira turned with the charge instead of against it — rapier snapping up in a clean arc and striking true.

The body hit the ground with a dull finality. Ardira stood over her for a moment, Seravorn lowered, blood dripping from the edge. She exhaled, slow and controlled, before turning back toward the others.

“A-Are we alright?”

Vaeri rises from behind her crate, taking on board what Ophelia said.

They don’t want our help

"Okay, fine-" She steps towards the bandit she was tangling with. "Let me show you a trick." She reaches out, much like she did with Nezryn, going to pull a coin out from behind his ear- but instead of him feeling inspired when she pockets the coin, dark necrosis starts spreading across his face. She takes a shaky step back, as the bandit didn't fall, her eyes wide.

Then, a sharp whistle breezes past her ear. A sickening thunk hitting Ophelia not far behind her, then a second hit as she falls to the ground. The drow spins in her spot, panicked. "No- nonono- Get up!!! You're fine!"

In that moment, the arrow nestled into Ophelia vanishes with a light pop, and in place of the wound confetti erupts.

That moment of relief is cut short as Vaeri is slashes across her ribs by the bandit. She yelps out, as he reels for another blow. Something in her snaps, lunging forward with her dagger and burying it into his abdomen, finally dropping him. She yanks the blade free, letting him fall, shaking. Head snapping up, just in time to watch Ardira finally take down the final bandit. She counts the people standing- mentally affirming everyone is still alive.

"I-I think so??"

The cover hadn’t been as safe as she thought it was. An arrow was shot and embedded its way into Ophelia’s torso, causing her to let out a whimper of pain—painful enough for her vision to go dark momentarily.

It felt like she blinked, her back pressed against the stump, the brunette’s eyes took in the scenery, feeling better than she assumed she would after taking—Ophelia glance at the arrow she expected to see sticking out of her. Except it wasn’t there, and in its place was small pieces of confetti.

She looked at Wisper for an explanation, but didn’t have quite enough time to get one as the fight continued—she tried her best to continue hauling fire bolts towards the bandits but almost each and all failed to land.

Then, silence.

And Ardira’s voice rang out, causing Ophelia to peek from her hiding spot with a breath of relief. It was over. “For some reason, yes.” She brushed off bits of multicolored confetti. “…which is in large part to you, I’d assume.” She addressed Vaeri.

She was certain of everyone else’s capabilities to a degree, but hers still stood out the most. “Thank you.”

They were outnumbered, and ended up hurt clearly, as Ophelia glanced about to those who accompanied them. But not dead. “They wouldn’t give up.” She stated, shaking her head with disapproval and a flicker of guilt.

A guilt shared by the wood elf. Disappointed resignation practically radiated from Eris where she barely kept her feet, gaze stuck fast to the closest to where their foes' lifeblood soaked the clearing. But, with a concerted effort and murmured word towards their passing, the paladin turned her attentions towards the party.

"Not everyone will take the hand offered," She replied to Ophelia in low tones as she made her way over, a hand pressed tight around the arrow still jutting from her shoulder. "But that doesn't mean we shouldn't extend it, regardless." Eris came to the ground in a ginger, careful settling, exhaustion welling in limb and fortitude. But enough was found to give a quick turn of wrist and pained hiss, snapping the bolt away.

"Glad to see we're all in one piece." She says, slotting away daggers in the side of her long coat, "That was some fight, everytime one fell another was right there to take their place."

"You all look suitably battle hardened." She jokes, throwing on a smile before waving off the party, "Don't worry, don't worry. I'll do the dirty work again, I'm sure these bastards have a bit of a collection, I'll gather up the spoils."

"It was a little dicey for a few moments there. They sure packed a hit." Elric says, rubbing over his right shoulder.

To his credit the man looked fairly wounded, but was holding it together, "I could definitely use a rest. I'm sure you're all the same." He suggests, "Leona is right for once, though. You all handled yourselves well. Thanks to that, these people won't be attacking innocents again."

Around an hour had passed, the adventurers sat around on overturned log stumps, leaning against nearby trees or generally taking some time to tend to their wounds and fatigue after a long battle.

Suddenly, Darcie stands, pointing into the sky behind the treeline, "Look!– Over there!" She yells into the clearing, looking troubled.

"That's no cooking fire..." She says far more quietly, her voice heavy with concern. The party was likely to believe her as thick streams of smoke strangled the fading blue afternoon sky, polluting it with the smouldering black plumes of a roaring fire.

From the many different sources of smoke rising into the air, the fire must've been huge, "We should go!"

She was just about finished collecting everything, piling it infront of the adventurers for them to pick clean. When Darcie shouts, her eyes follow.

"They're out setting fires in the woods?" She heaves a heavy sigh, "Are they bandits or just plain stupid?" She growls, watching the results of what was likely a forest fire.

Whilst the group collected themselves and began to gather the spoils of battle, Ardira wandered the tree-line and scoured the abandoned wagons for any stragglers that may have been hiding.

Fortunately, no bandits were found — though what she did find was a pretty wooden box.

Locked.

She picked it up, golden eyes narrowed in concentration as she measured its weight with her hands and examined the keyhole — until Darcie’s shouting pulled her attention away.

Torn between rushing back to the group and cracking open the lock, Ardie bit her lip and tapped her boot against the ground.

She shook her head, quickly coming to a decision.

“I’ll be right there, just have to try one thing first…”

The box looks fairly secure and left rather wide open in a bandit's care. Bandits weren't usually known for being careless with their loot. As Ardira checks it over, the rest of the party gather to help deal with it quickly.

She wandered up to Ardira with the rest of the party. Ophelia didn’t reach for the box that she held taut between her hands, but she examined it.

Hovering one hand over it, and a finger near the lock—she felt the magic radiating off of it. “There’s a ward.” She met Ardira’s eyes, something unspoken between them as Ophelia began muttering a spell, waving the air around the box. She allowed and expected her friend to join in—hoping their magic together was strong enough to break the charm.

A soft blue radiated from Ophelia, while gold emanated from Ardira. Mana surfaced, the colors encircling them both and finding its way into the keyhole.

A glow.

And then it dissolved, failing.

“I suppose it’s been a while since we’ve done much of anything together.”

At least, magically.

Ardira watched in quiet awe as she let Ophelia take control of the spell, softly nodding when their eyes finally meet.

Two voices joined as one in the delicate chant of the spell, with Ardie’s hands filling the empty space between her friend’s own movements with fluid, practiced motions.

Her eyes widened, a smile quickly creeping up her cheeks as the mana flowed eagerly into the keyhole — only for it to falter as fast as it began.

“It’s fine,” she reassured her with a warm grin, ducking her head to properly meet Ophelia’s eyes. “We’re just out of sync.”

Ardira slowly moves to hover her hands above Ophie’s own, gesturing that she follow her lead.

“Let’s try again, like this.”

Recounting the same spell that her friend began, the words sound firmer this time. Ardira closes her eyes and focuses her hands around the body of the wooden box; gold-blue magic once again humming to life, shimmering vibrantly around the pair as they work in sync.

The two feel the barrier around the clasp fall away, leaving an exposed keyhole. You could probably examine it further. You could also try to unlock it or force it open. If it was sealed by magic, then it's likely that was the only precaution to the box, right?

Vaeri, still holding the edge of her ribs where the cut had been, blinks in confusion when Ophelia thanks her.

“Me?” she points at herself, genuinely baffled. “But you… you got up by yourself? Unless- Oh! Ohhh. Maybe my friend helped!” she says brightly, trying to sound casual, even though her voice trembles around the edges. “He must’ve heard me shouting. He’s very considerate like that!”

The smile she forces afterward isn’t convincing. Her hands keep twitching, checking her dagger, smoothing her hair, counting everyone in the clearing again and again just to reassure herself they are all standing, all breathing. Her worry is concealed very poorly.

However, when the group gathers around Ardira and Ophelia attempting to break the ward, she winces sympathetically when the first spell fizzles out.

Then the second attempt begins, gold light and blue intertwining, and Vaeri’s face softens. She doesn’t speak, not wanting to disrupt them, but her eyes are star-wide with admiration as their magic hums in harmony.

And when the lock finally clicks, dissolving cleanly, she lets out a delighted gasp.

“Oh! Wonderful! You did it!”

She bounces forward, practically vibrating with excitement- and mischief.

“Ardira,” she says sweetly, stepping close.

Before the elf can fully turn, Vaeri leans in and blows a gentle puff of air at her palms. A burst of gold-blue glitter, the exact shades of their magic, appears from absolutely nowhere. It swirls upward in a little cloud, then cascades down over Ardira’s hands and arms. Tiny little sparkles covering everything in the vecinity.

Vaeri beams, hands clasped behind her back.

“A little bit of good luck to pry it open!"

Ardira's eyes flutter closed, tilting her head upwards to the drifting glitter as it slowly settles with a weightless shimmer onto her body.

"Thank you," she whispers with a smile, letting out a breath that had been unknowingly held.

"I haven't tried this in a while—" Ardie thinks out loud, unfastening the decorative clasp that joined her cloak at her neck and inserting the pointed metal edge into the keyhole, carefully twisting in a focused trance.

When the box opened with a satisfying click, Ardira gasps in surprise — wasting no time in flipping it open, eager to see its contents.

The box flips open easily, on the inside was a plush red cushion. The cushion was housing an ornate looking silver key, it's handle decorated with in intricate pattern. There was no indicator what the key was though there a small raven engraved on the key's handle. Beneath the key was a small diamond, you imagine it'd be worth around 200 gold.

“Out of sync.” Ophelia repeated softly. It sounded like an agreement, but not one she felt proud of. Surprisingly, she was more than willing to let Ardira take point on the spell. The scholar had always considered herself superior to many when it came to the arcane. Not that their party would ever know that small truth—but with Ardira, she was far more lenient.

She followed Ardira’s lead, and they were rewarded with the deactivation of the arcane ward.

She watched as her friend picked the lock, glitter riddling her. Ophelia took the time to study Vaeri more closely. It was clear the woman was some kind of spellcaster. Laughter, confetti—and the constant refrain of “that wasn’t me, that was my friend!” It was unlike anything she’d ever seen, and it made Ophelia wonder if there truly was something invisible running around.

“I—”

The box opened, and Ardira’s gasp cut her question short. A key, and a diamond stared back at them, Ophelia let out an audible hm.

“It’s a good spell component,” she said, its sizable value pushed aside in her mind. It certainly wasn’t a tool for her—just an observation.

“Let’s continue?”

Her gasp turned ecstatic grin soon disappeared — the magical glint in her eye from Vaeri's magic fizzling out as she discovers the unexpected.

"A key?" Ardie remarks, confusion evident in her tone as she carefully picks it up, running her fingers over the ornate engravings. "I suppose we don't have time to look around for what it might unlock." she sighs, looking to the distant smoke and standing up from her crouched position.

"That it is. I'm sure we'll find a good use for it." Ardira replies, safely pocketing the diamond and looking to the group with a new urgency.

"Let's go put out some fires:" Her hands clap together in finality, fastening the clasp back to her cloak.

"Right!" She nods firmly, although it was a short time they had to rest, collect loot and gather themselves, the adrenaline from the battle seemed to dispell any feelings of fatigue. Eerie black smoke smothered the sky above the treeline. The group soon found themselves darting through the tree lined main road towards the chaos.

Important Info

Recap

The party is ambushed on the north road by the Scarlet Hand, who demand all possessions and launch a coordinated attack. Despite injuries, the group defeats the bandits after a brutal fight. Among the spoils, they recover a warded lockbox containing a mysterious raven-engraved key and a valuable diamond. Before they can investigate further, Darcie spots massive fires spreading through the forest ahead.