A Stitch in Time

After how poorly I handled the “Generic Kill The Monster Quest,” I felt that I had to redeem myself. There was only one way for that to happen, though, and I intended to use all the narrative tricks I’d learned while studying theatre in college. In short, shit had to get real, yo.

The Setup
The party returned to the hole in the ground leading to injured woman. They had the other half of the disc that had been broken in the struggle, but no idea of how or why it was so important, other than it had something to do with a child.

The Party
Rila- Elven Ranger
Cedrick- Half-elven Paladin
Israfel- Eladrin Rogue
Indiriana- Eladrin Warlock
Pentaros- Eladrin Warlord
Sarin- Elven Ranger
Azreal- Something? He showed up to this one session, so I can’t remember what he played. I’m lame.
Sylph- Elven Cleric

In the Cave
After jumping through the silvery substance once more, Rila makes a beeline for the other half of the disc. Maybe, she thinks, if I can see what the image on it is, I can figure out what is so important that the harpy flew off with half of it. She joins the two parts of the disc together and it magically seals itself together. And together it forms….

Mystra? That's lame. I was hoping for Voltron.

A couple of WTF expressions on the player’s faces and some frantic religion rolls confirm that the disc is emblazoned with Mystra’s sigil. But Mystra has been dead for over a hundred years. So why does this woman protect the relic?

Confronting the Woman

The party walks into the next room, where they see the woman being tended to by Bimbi, the resident Halfling paladin. The woman smiles as she sees the party enter.
“Did you recover the other half of the disc?” the woman asks, propping herself up.
As an answer, Rila holds up the completed disc.
“Could you perhaps explain why you have the emblem of a dead god?” Rila asks, brusquely.
“She’s dead for now, but she’ll be back. She always comes back.” the woman responds.
“Lady, it’s been about a hundred years. Somehow I doubt she’s coming back.” Rila says.
“Has it been a hundred years? It’s only been about a month in my cave. We sealed it and hid it away so I could protect the sign. It’s important that we guard it, for if we don’t, darkness will come across the land.” the woman responds. As if remembering something, the woman holds out her hand. “May I have the disc? I need to make sure that it is still all right.”
Rila hands over the disc, while exchanging confused glances with other members of the party. The woman takes it, closes her eyes, and concentrates. After a moment, she starts crying.
“No! This can’t be, the magic, it’s broken, the ward has been dissolved, the children….” the woman says, between sobs.
“Is there someway to recharge it?” Rila asks, suddenly uncomfortable. There is a pause in the sobs.
“Maybe… Maybe my friend who created this time pocket can help. But… it’s been a hundred years….”
Cedrick, recognizing a story hook when he hears one, jumps in.
“Where can we find this friend of yours?” he asks.
“There is… or at least used to be a town about a day away from here. You might be able to find some answers there.” she responds.
The party, having nothing else to say, take back the symbol from the woman, and head out to this mysterious town.

To Be Continued….

Related: Generic Kill the Monster Quest

**Image taken from The Forgotten Realms Wiki. It was the only place I could find the symbol, and my scanner doesn’t work with my new computer. But hey, it’s an excuse for me to link to a really, really awesome site, so yay for that.