Character Introductions
Story 1: Randal Evenwood, Prince of the Witch.
Written by David Foxfire
The Townspeople call her the Witch of Phandelver. Or at least that’s the only thing they do call her. An elven woman of fire and ice, a mistress of magic, brew, and souls. A beautiful angelic face with red hair with the heart of Auril. She could warm a heart with a smile and freeze it solid with a kiss. They said that she charmed the dwarves into giving her part of the business in the Wave Echo cave. That she is accompanied by several souls that she bound to her will. That she has almost everyone in Phandalin wrapped around her mystic fingers.
But Randal Evenwood could tell the reality from the hype. Sure, she could warm a person’s heart or turn him into solid ice. That she is accompanied by several souls of deceased adventurers who linger around her as she guides them to the afterlife. And she can make some pretty decent brews. But most of the reports of her being a benevolent hag who has the whole woodland warped to her will is mere exaggeration. He knows, because he knows her.
To Randal, she’s Auntie Jamie Wintertouch, a family friend and regular babysitter. She’s known to float down on her broom to visit the family, and they let him go with her on times when they need to go somewhere. Auntie Jamie was always warm and caring toward the child and is never seen without a delicious pie or wineskin of that delicious fruit brew for him. She HHlets him ride with her in her broom and let him visit her lair where he saw many wonders from her.
Whatever it was Jamie’s friendliness toward the child, a side of her that she doesn’t share with everyone, or the possibility of the witch’s charms to keep him at ease when ever she’s around, but Randal couldn’t help but feel just as much as home with her as he is at home. He couldn’t help but feel an intense sense of hearth and home and love, especially when she wraps her arms around him, enveloping him in her royal purple gown and whispering in his ears words that echo throughout his mind. “I can sense great things for you, my child. You are destined to be great.”
Even though Randal knew in his heart that what she said the truth about him, he didn’t really knew what she was talking about.
Until Midnight on her thirteenth birthday, when his body sparked and glow in the midnight sun. He could just feel his soul sparking to life, raw arcane power filling every pore of his body, it frightened him at times. He thought he would just explode and lose himself in the blast.
It was the Witch’s hand that guided him through that night. She knew that day would come. She knew that he had a gift, a noble special soul, with a direct connection to the Weave. He was to be a miracle, part of the next generation of magic, to rise up with the greats of the past finally fall. Jamie told him so. His parents told him so. Everyone in his village told him so.
So, when his parents opened the door only to have a crossbow bolt pierce both of their hearts, followed by a series of torches doused in burning oil, his mind almost refused to have it register in his consciousness.
What. The. Hell. Happened?
The most he could remember was his parents panicking earlier today, then calling for Auntie Jamie to come post haste. As the three talked in hushed and terrified tones, Randal saw for the first time the stern and cold face of the Witch of Phandelver. He heard something about a group known as the Order of the Guilded Eye, whoever that is. For some reason, this group of inquisitors and templars have heard about him and branded him as a heretic.
A heretic. And Randal’s family wasn’t religious by any stripe.
They begged Jamie to spirit Randal away, as they embraced him for what would be the last time, their faces wet with tears and fear, to get him as far away from this Order as she can. Jamie promised them that he will be safe, as part of her coven.
Not that he minded, of course, he met Jamie’s coven and even inducted them into the group. They were children like him, with gifts, some were studying the craft under her tutelage, while others were bound to her by a pact. They learned of magic, and brewing, and how the seasons form a cycle that keeps everything in balance, how they can guide a lost soul to their proper place in the next life, how they can survive and even thrive in even the most extreme of times. For everything there is a season and a time for everything, and it is our purpose to be prepared for all times, so you can endure. Such is the teaching of Auril, the Witch’s Goddess, whose ways she brings to others.
His parents thrusted him to Jamie’s purple-draped arms as angry voices and calls of hellfire and brimstone shouted form outside. What happened next was a blur of blood and fire that will be etched into his mind for all time, although his next conscious thought was of floating high above the burning home. He’d half expected to be looking back as Jamie spirited him away on his broom.
But he didn’t count on Jamie putting her own two bits in.
“You misbegotten Fools!” Jamie’s voice boomed throughout the fields and trees. “This child has a gift from the very Gods, and you consider him Evil?! Something to be snuffed out before he could prove which side he’s on?! I went to the Frostmaiden to harasting get away from people like you!!”
He felt it again, the air temperature plunge to shivering cold. A cold that caused him to move closer to fires and move closer to his loved ones. A cold that had a presence, a persona, a gaze that looked upon him, showing interest and attention, but not intended malice.
Auril has come to them, the goddess of winter, a maiden that wields a power that was both elegant and dangerous, a deity that looked at this child and understood what he’s about to go through.
“You come to me with fire and blood, seeking death and destruction, so I shall give it to you in cold and ice! Feel my Goddess’ Wrath!”
The temperature continued to plunge to temperature that he didn’t felt possible. He caused his breath to not just smoke out of his mouth but form crystals as he exhaled. He could see frost and snow rush down in spiral fashion all around him. Leaves in the wind turned to ice and dropped like stones. Birds that had the mistake of flying too close was turned to ice sculptures and shatter into fires that is turning from flame to ice.
Ice that spread throughout his former home.
Ice that spread out in all directions when it reached the ground.
Ice that reached out to the high-minded inquisitors that tried to turn around and flee. In vain.
The moment that the ice as much as touched a boot, the ice grabbed the limb, then the chest, then their whole body, and even their souls as they become liveless ice sculptures where they stand. Where they were once villians, they are now works of art before the Frostmaiden. Just another life offering from the Witch of Phandelver.
A sacrifice accepted with gladness, and a sense of justice fulfilled.
Auril’s ice and snow abated considerably. With the anger and wrath removed, there was only sorrow and mercy. Sorrow and mercy for Randal Evenwood. A personal affection for the sorcerer. The cold became a gentler cool that encircled around the broom he was on, a welcome wash of water in the summer heat. He could feel gentle fingers touch his shoulder while he felt the warmth of the Witch’s embrace.
“You are my child now. And I am your mother.”
Whatever the voice was Jamie’s or Auril’s, it soothed his soul nonetheless. It caused his tears to vaporize from his face and soothe the burns on his skin and his heart. He looked up to the green eyes of Jamie, no, Mother Jamie, and knew it was true. His heart still mourned for his parents, and still feared another visitation from this now-hated Order of the Guilded Eye, but he knew that he needed fear for his survival.
After all, now he’s really a part of Jamie’s coven, and now he’s got the purple robe to prove it.
By the time he accompanied Jamie to Waterdeep, he modified the outfit, of course. A purple tunic with a vest, and pants over simple boots. Adolescence has proven the need for him to dress like a dude. He nonetheless proved to be as much a son to the Witch of Phandelver as if he came from her own womb. Ever so proud of ‘Her Prince,’ she mentored him to hone his power, and to represent the Coven to the best of his abilities. Granted, his magic is different from his Mother, but it has a purpose, just like her’s.
“We all have a purpose and a place, My Prince,” Jamie told him as she made sure that his pointed hat is in place. “And tomorrow you will take your place in the grand story. I will have a party of adventurers that will travel to a far away place to deal with an evil that threatens all of this realm. You will be a part of this group, representing our coven and our goddess in this game. You’ll be my eyes and ears in what will happen, I do not know yet, but I know that you’ll….”
The cold came again, as well as a voice. “I’m sure he’ll do fine, Jamie. There’s no need to butter him up more than necessary.” Even though it had a tone of cold, he could tell Auril was smiling.
And she was, when both Jamie and Randal saw Auril stand before them.
“My lady,” Jamie said with a nod toward the Frostmaiden.
“Merry Meet, Auril,” Randal replied. “Here to see me off to my big adventure.”
“In part,” Auril said. “But I came here to tell your mother here of something, but then I figured that you might be interested. There is something I need both of you to look out for in this coming campaign.”
“And that is,” Jamie asked.
Auril waved a hand, and the air began to crystalize into an ice sculpture. A bearded man with a short beard and mustache, dressed with leather and armed to the teeth. He held his hand in front of him, and it sported a ring of frost.
“This is Artus Cimber. He’s a former Harper and a widower, but he doesn’t know that he’s under my watchful eye. But of course, he should’ve expected as such due to that ring he bears.”
Jamie scratches her chin. “And with this, I think you told me where we’re headed. Last time I checked through my other sisters, he’s somewhere in Chult.”
Auril actually blushed. “Perceptive as always, my child. That’s where you’re ultimately headed. I’ve yet to know the detailed purpose; all I know that something there is affecting divine powers. You will know more when they come about. However, there is this unrelated matter.” She pointed at the ring. “This is the Ring of Winter, a band of gold and frost that bares a portion of my very essence. Very few people who tried to put on the ring would withstand my influence on their soul, and scores of sculptures in my domain were once those who failed to master its power. Artus is among a rare breed who could resist its influence. As you can guess, the ring has powers that many people covet, and beings far and wide are currently looking out for him. Fortunately, the ring protects its wearer from being detected via magic, and in some cases divine abilities. Since I’m the one who made it, I don’t have this problem.”
“What do you want us to do with him, Lady Auril?” Randal asked.
“Keep an eye on him, basically,” Auril said as she touched his nose, nipping it with ice. The frostmaiden’s idea of playful teasing. “Make sure that he doesn’t get into too much trouble while every Omin, Evelyn, and Hitch is descending upon the jungle.”
“And if he does?” Jamie asked. “I know enough about misadventure to be without a plan B.”
Auril smiled proudly at Jamie. She learned her lesions well. “If by some unforeseen events that Artus is…deposed, drop everything and get that ring. Neither of you need to wear it, just keep it out of harm’s way. The immediate future will be chaotic enough as it is, none of us need to have it complicated further by people grabbing for that ring.”
“We won’t fail you, Frostmaiden,” Randal.
That got him a cold pinch on his cheeks. “I know you won’t. Even if you encounter misfortune, I doubt I’ll call you incompetent.” She noticed that Randal didn’t understand that, so she explained it. “Even someone like a temper like myself, when she’s old enough, knows the difference between misfortune, inexperience, and incompetence. How Jamie came to me, when she tripped on a doorframe as a green dragon breathed his acid breath, that was misfortune. You walking around with one layer of clothes too few when I paid you a visit and you caught a cold? That was inexperience. You’ve probably heard tales of the Ten Towns under the watch of the Ice Witch,”
“I heard what happened to Baerick Hammerstone.”
“That, child, was incompetence, and he got what he deserved,” Auril said. “You’ll be wise not to repeat such blundering.”
Randal nodded.
Auril turned to Jamie. “I trust that you’ll be giving your Prince the dagger.”
“I have it right here,” Jamie said, and revealed the dagger. It had a row of three black crystals on the hilt, a stone showing a face on the far end, and a blue gray blade that, as Jamie placed the dagger in Randal’s hand, started to glow.
“This dagger can work as an implement for any spellcaster,” Auril said, “and it can cut as good as any. There are several special features on it that is currently asleep, but I think I can trust you with one of them. The dagger will grant you a boon of luck that will aid anyone in your party. There is also a stone that will keep you connected with your Lady.”
“Thank you, both of you,” Randal said as he slipped the dagger under his belt.
“I bid you good luck, Randal Evenwood,” Auril said as she disappears into a whirling spiral of frost, “I feel that it might be needed.”
As the temperature returned to normal, the Witch and her Prince looked back to each other.
“Ready to go?” Jamie said.
Randal nodded, “I hear that the coven complex near Waterdeep has a barn. I can’t wait to see what’s in it.”
“Aw,” Jamie replied, “To be a kid again.”
Randal’s Dagger
Wonderous Item, Unique (requires attunement)
A spellcasting implements that doubles as a dagger. It currently has a Speaking Stone paired with one carried by Jamie.
Once per day, recharging at dawn, the Wielder can take any d20 roll rolled by any member of the Wielder’s party and allow a re-roll. The second roll must be taken.
There are other features of this dagger that are currently inactive. These features may be unlocked in the future.
Story 2: Jappa and Godhuntter
Written by Nova
There in the darkness, just before dawn, the sillhoutes of a male and female tortle walk hand-in-hand along the coastline, to the place that would become their home for the next year. The calm shores, the soft warm sands, and the crystal clear waters, provided the perfect paradise for raising their children. Just outside Ahoyhoy, the pair of mates begin their ritual in preparation for their coming offspring. The male Tortle begins to clear debris and starts to build a structure affixed with netting on top, so that no flying predators can pilfer his precious treasure below. The female Tortle inside the structure begins digging a hole, breaking apart the hard clumps of sand and shells with her giant claws. This is the hole that will eventually become her nest. After their nightly labors, both are shocked to find, only a single leathery egg lay in the nest just as the sun stretched over the horizon. Terrified as they were, their fear soon turned to comfort when they noticed the Sun and the Moon both hung in the sky that dawn, blessing the arrival of their sole Tortle child. They knew then the child would be healthy and have a fantastic life full of splendor and friendship.
Sixty days later, there would be a similiar blessing in that very same sky, on the day of Jappa's hatching. His first memories of life were of looking up into his mother's crystal turqouise eyes from the sandy hole he had just dug out of and to his father's dark sillhoute so strong and powerful that a wave of security washed over him. After nearly a year, the couple had taught the young Tortle nearly all he would need to know about surviving in Snout of Omgar. It was on a sad moonless night, that both of his parent would rest and never awaken. Jappa cried for many days for his loss. He felt hopeless and wouldn't eat, drink, or move far from the house his parents had provided for him. He buried his parents and began to search his home for answers as to why they had left him alone so soon. He would not find that answer, but instead found a note written on the back of a map of Snout of Omgar.
The note read,
"Ahoyhoy is paradise, but Tortles wear their homes on their backs my son, venture far from this place and meet many new friends. You will live a rich life if you do this, and paradise will embrace your return. We leave all of our possessions to you, but do not fear for as long as there is an eye in the sky above, we will be watching over you. All our love, Mama & Papa."
Jappa, invigorated by his parent's final message, grabbed his father's tacklebox and fishing rod, his mother's cooking utensils, and his Koa wood pendant that his parents had made for him and set out to explore the Snout of Omgar. As he ventured forth in this new world, he found new and exciting creatures, all of which energized him to venture even farther from Ahoyhoy. The young Tortle often made friends with other races. He was now 10 years old and having seen all there was on the island, headed back to Ahoyhoy. He was just south of his hometown, when a mighty storm hit the coastline. He noticed that out on the choppy waters was a human ship about to capsize. He ran into the town and called for other Tortles to help save the humans. Many Tortles risked it all to save the poor sailors being battered by the choppy waves, but luckily no lives were lost that night. Jappa had rescued a paculiar human named Volothamp Geddarm, who went by Volo for short. He was just as curious about Jappa and his people as Jappa was about his and it wasn't long before the two were friends. They spent just a few months together, but Volo was able to teach the youngling how to speak, read, and write common. When Volo decided it was time for his people to leave, Jappa eagerly joined the crew sailing for Port Nyanzura.
Jappa, stimulated by Volo's tales, had decided it was time to leave the Snout of Omgar and make tales of his own. The new location seemed to be a place of endless wonder for the young Tortle. Dinosaur races and the market and the new species of humanoids and the new animals overwhelmed his senses with joy. Though Volo had to continue his journey, Jappa was not ready to leave and had to say goodbye to his first new friend. After spending a few months in Port Nyanzaru, Jappa started to explore the lands outside the city. New plants and creatures were abundant and intensily alluring for him. Eventually, he had wandered too far to find his way back, though it did not concern him too much and continued to wander.
One day, while searching through the jungle, he heard loud noises coming from a valley over the next hillside. He began moving in that direction, until he could see the source of the noises. It was a beastlike man, though much larger than a human, with large horns. The beast was in combat with other creatures, velociraptors. Jappa quickly sprinted for the battlefield but found that by the time he arrived, all of the velociraptors had been slain and only a bleeding Minotaur remained. He wielded a greataxe and his horns were covered in dino-blood. His fur was read with white streaking lines where the fur had been dyed. The lines told stories of his people's history, Jappa suspected, and one noticable depiction was of a great fire on the bull's chest. Jappa cautiously but confidently walked out of the woodline and up to the Minotaur, holding a large fish he had caught earlier that day as an offering to the beast-man. The beast lumbered up to it's feet in a sudden motion, grabbed it's battleaxe and held it up defensively at first. As Jappa closed a bit of the distance and when the Minotaur was certain the Tortle wasn't another threat, he gladly accepted the offering. Jappa then pulled another fish from his pack and laid it on the ground nearby, went off to find some loose branches, and started a fire. It was getting dark now and the rain began to pour. Jappa quickly made a makeshift cover for the fire pit and continued to grill the fish. The two ate their meal by the fire and drank some of the rainwater collected in his mother's cooking pot.
From that point on, Jappa and the Minotaur were inseperable. They traveled far and wide through the vast wilderness of Chult and began to share their language with one another. Jappa teaching the Minotaur common, and the Minotaur teaching him the language of the Minotaur. He would later learn that his new friend's name was Godhuntter of the Thunderhorn tribe. He also found out that Godhuntter was on a spiritual journey, to protect his people and bring tranquility to his raging soul. It wasn't long before the Minotaur and the Tortle were close friends, both gaining a mutual respect for the other. Though the jungles of Chult held many mysteries just waiting to be explored, a conversation lead them on a different path.
Jappa told Godhuntter of a wonderous place full of excitement and adventure, he told him of Port Nyanzura. The two set out to find city that Jappa had lost so many years ago and with Godhuntter's keen perception, the two of them found the city again. Many marveled at the strange duo that had emerged from the jungle, though none dared to challenge the pair. Jappa showed his new friend the excitement of the dinousaur races, the bustle of the markets, and the beauty of the harbor. On their second day there were reports of the dead rising to kill all who enter the jungle. Jappa was intriguied and the two decided to investigate these claims, but before they could leave they were approached by a man. The man spoke of two other adventurering parties he had sent into the forest who never returned and asked the pair if they'd be willing to travel to Waterdeep to find a hardy stock of adventuerers up to the task. The man offered to pay for the ship's journey round trip. Jappa was thrilled at the chance to travel even farther into the world and meet new people. Godhuntter knew his journey would take him to distant lands, though he couldn't have anticipated that the journey would take him over the vast oceans, or that sea-sickness would make the journey so miserable.
The crew arrive in Waterdeep harbor, weeks after they left Port Nyanzura. Jappa's overwhelming excitement filled every fiber of his being. He could not wait to taste the unusual foods, drink the unusual drinks, and smell the unusual smells. He was unable to contain his excitement and leaped from the ship early, swimming to the docks as the ship approached. Godhuntter found him sometime later, near one of the docks with three fish-on-a-sticks in his hand that he had purchased from a vendor. The fish were foreign to both men and seasoned by the vendor giving them a distinct flavor that melted in Jappa's mouth. As they traveled deeper into the city, they came upon a group of Humans beating a Kobold to the ground. There were five humans and only one Kobold. Godhuntter charged in at the sight and blasted one of the assailants with a charging gore, taking care not to skewer the thug but knocking him unconscious. Jappa rushed over to the Kobold and took up a defensive posture. The sight of the two mencing beast-men were enough to send the thugs running in retreat, feeling that their actions weren't worth this much opposition. Jappa tenderly raised the Kobold from the ground, and offered his remaining fish-on-a-stick to the diminuative dragon-man. "I am Jappa, this is Godhuntter, you are safe now little brudda."
From there the Godhuntter grabbed the unconscious thug and dragged him over to the first person he thought may have some sort of authority. This person introduced himself as Chasrin Hollin, a man who worked for the Lady of Blackstaff Tower. Jappa didn't understand the man's strange accent, but knew that he would help his friend find justice. Chasrin then asked the trio of beast-men to join his expedition to Chult, to stop a powerful force of Evil. The group agreed, having similiar goals in mind. Though first, they would be put to the test here in Waterdeep. The would have to prove that they could handle themselves before any contracts could be signed. It is here, in the City of Splendors, that our journey begins...