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“Isn’t there something,,, off , about June?”
The half-elf in question was kicking over mushrooms in the field next to camp. She had been wandering the next campsite for a bit after pitching her tent, and looking very intensely down at the fungi before crushing it under her heel.
Shadowheart’s eyes trailed away from their unofficial leader. “Not anything awful, of course. But odd .”
Astarion peeked over his book, “Is there anything really normal about any of us,” he flipped a page, “when there are worms wiggling in our heads?”
The cleric shrugged. “Well, yes, there’s that. Even if a bit odd, June’s sweet enough.”
June returned to camp, plopping onto her bedroll by the fire. Her peridot eye’s peer deep into the fire, lost in thought.
“What a vicious foe you’ve slain. I had no idea our sweetest sage had it out for a plant.” the vampire called out, feigning awe.
June looked over to the two lounging figures, a silvery eyebrow raised and her head tilted. “...Astarion, are you unaware of how easily a mushroom crumbles?”
“No more trouble than dismembered lamb, yes. But-”
June stood and walked over to the elf, and held out a hand. “- and what is that for?” He glanced at her open palm.
Ignoring his question, she bent down and pulled his hand. “Come with me.”
As he was pulled to his feet, he looked over bewilderingly to Shadowheart. The cleric took that moment to look away and admire the sunlight coming through the trees.
The sorcerer lead Astarion back to her battlefield, and pointing to one of the remaining uncrushed toadstools. She had only knocked over about half of them, and he noticed the pattern. While from camp it couldn’t be seen, the fungi were now in a rounded line, a near half-circle.
Mistaken his pause for fear, she patted his back. “It’s not dangerous. Did you see me kick it earlier?” She stretched out her leg and demonstrated. June looked at him, waiting for his response.
Letting out a deep sigh, he tuned out Shadowheart’s snickers, and stepped on the toadstool.
….
“What are you staring at, soldier?” Karlach turned to what June had locked her sight on. It was Shadowheart trading with one of the merchants set up in the Emerald Grove. A pale and elderly woman chatted pleasantly with the cleric, discussing the lesser known properties of local herbs.
June’s bright green eyes never left the direction of the business deal, but the sorcerer herself stood a good distance away from them.
“That merchant…” June started, but paused. Shadowheart was waving goodbye, the trade completed. The old woman smiled, seemingly satisfied with business.
“Got what we needed, and we’ve got the recipe for some potions of any herbs we come about,” the disciple of Shar reported. Catching the look on her companion’s face, Shadowheart raised an eyebrow.”
“Is there something wrong?”
June peeled her eyes away from the vendor’s booth. “No, not really,” she turned to continue the round, to return back to camp. “Was it a good deal? Was she nice.”
Shadowheart hummed and counted her fingers. “I believe so, we’ve got a good lot of consumables for a fair price, I think. Why do you ask?” Karlach came over and took some of the spoils of good bartering. She too was curious about the merchant.
“Auntie Ethel, huh. How human was she?” June also reached for the goods, tossing a pack over her shoulder.
“As human as a human could be?” Shadowheart replied, puzzled.
“Yep, I can confirm that! Your eyes alright?” the tiefling chimed in.
The sorcerer hummed. The smell of smoke and the sharpening of a blade grew closer. Setting up closer to the Emerald Grove had been the right choice.
“Huh, that’s odd. She looked nothing like a human to me, at least.” June wondered, her braid bouncing with her gait.
Karlach almost tripped. “Whaddya mean by that?”
June sidestepped the barbarians near-crash and started sorting the goods in the travel chest. Shadowheart pulled aside what was needed for dinner. Hearing the conversation and ever so nosy, Astarion poked his head from his tent.
The half-wood elf counted off her fingers. “Well, her nose was much too long for a human, based on who I've seen so far.” June motioned to Wyll on cooking duty and Gale with his nose buried into a scroll.
“And her teeth were much too sharp! I’d never seen teeth so pointy on this side.” the sorcerer pressed the tip of her index finger against the point of a canine.
“And her limbs were much too long for any race I’ve seen here, with a back crooked like a shepherd's staff. I’ve seen something like it before, but I don’t remember what it’s called.” June frowned.
The tiefling and the cleric looked at each other, then back at their unofficial leader.
“Have you gone mad? Ethel looked nothing like that. Are you resting well?” Shadowheart reached over and felt June’s forehead.
“Shads is right, soldier. Just a sweet old lady.”
The sorcerer stood and brushed off the dirt on her robes. “It has been a long day.” she commented, feeling as if she hadn’t properly explained what she saw and not having enough words to describe it.
“Get some good rest tonight, alright?”
June waved in response and returned to her tent.
…
“Aren’t those the brothers? The ones looking for their sister.” Two human bodies laid face down in the grass, cold. Karlach and June poked one of the bodies with a stick. No reaction.
“Perhaps a wild animal?” Shadowheart suggested as she swiped for loot. The lack of blood on the ground was confusing, and the grass seemed sharp under the cleric’s knee.
A baaaa caught Astarion’s attention. Several fluffy sheep puttered around. Its white wool was nearly blinding. “Shame to let so many snacks go to waste.”
“Those aren’t sheep.” the half wood elf said, swinging her staff down on a sheep’s skull. With a small puff of smoke, the glamor fell. The bright and airy field’s facade melted into a murky swamp full of half eaten-fish remains and eye-watering stenches. The once cattle morphed into bloodthirsty Red Caps, who broke into a Dash with sickles in hand.
...
“How the hells did you know that?” Astarion asked after the fight.
“About the redcaps? They looked like redcaps to me, I did not see sheep.” June plopped against the log, breaking out a snack during their brief rest.
“Huh. Your perception must be pretty sharp.”
The four companions wandered throughout the wetland, the occasional toad most definitely not startling the rogue, he insisted. A standalone hut came into view, along with a Waypoint. Just as the party was approaching the Riverside Teahouse, a human monster hunter called out.
As the Gur described his business with the hag, he mentioned his current mission he needed assistance with. He mentioned a vampire spawn that was on the top of his hit list, and gave a suspicious glance at Astarion. The vampire shifted and tensed, like a coiled spring.
“Wouldn’t a spawn burst into a pile of ashes at a sunbeam’s first touch? Can’t say I’ve ever seen one.” June looked over her shoulder to her companions, a sparkle in her eye.
Shadowheart played along. “No, never had the unfortunate pleasure.”
The sorcerer looked back at the monster wearing a smile a touch too pleasant. “We do wish you success in your hunt, sir.” Gandrel bade farewell and set down another moss covered path.
June threw Astarion a bright-eyed grin. Just as Karlach was about to ask the very-much-a-vampire-spawn what the hells was that about, June pointed into the fog. “That must be where the hag is. Whatever that is.”
“Never seen a hag?” Astarion asked, taking the out when he saw it. “Vile things, I’m told. Absolutely grotesque.”
Shadowheart climbed the stairs, and opened the door. To her surprise, a familiar face greeted her. “Auntie Ethel?”
“Eat the pie, Mayrina! Quit your sniveling. Oh! Hello again, puddin’.” the merchant greeted, one hand rested heavily on the young human girl’s shoulder.
The half-elf sorcerer recoiled in disgust at the sight of Ethel. “Quit harassing the girl. She said she’s quite finished. Mayrina, right?” Ethel sniffed the air, distracted by a familiar scent.
The blond girl nodded. “Who are you? Auntie, please, any more pie and it will come back to say hello.”
June wasted no time. “Your brothers were killed by your ‘Auntie’.” The human recoiled in horror.
“Are you alright?” Shadowheart reached for Mayrina.
Annoyed, Ethel’s face darkened, then shifted. Her once pale and wrinkled skin melted into the color of swampwater. Stalks of fungus sprouted from her head and spine and curved with the sound of snapping twigs. Her arms stretched and stretched until they nearly dragged against the ground.
“Blast it all! Mind your business, petal.” she screeched, grabbing the young woman’s arm with a bony hand. With a flash, the two disappeared.
“What a hideous thing! Did you see the pecker on that thing? Definitely not one of the beautiful hags.” Astarion gagged.
June looked at the vampire spawn. “You see it too now? So that what is hag is. I haven’t seen one in a while but I’m not sure what magic she was using.”
“Wait wait,” Karlach looked around the hut, searching for a sign of Mayrina. “Did she look like that to you at the Emerald Grove?”
The sorcerer threw up her hands. “Yes! That’s what I’ve been saying the entire time. Not sure why it can only be seen now. Let’s go after them.”
Astarion groaned. “Must we?”
“Wouldn't it be fun to foil whatever nonsense she has planned? And you might be able to kill someone” June snickered.
The vampire nodded in agreement. “So very true.”
“Let’s go save the girl!” Karlach cheered, patting her favorite ax.
The four split off investigating the hut: tables with stacks of dirty dishes, unfinished and rotting meals scattered on any flat surface. As they searched, Astarion swiped silver cutlery and anything that sparkled and Shadowheart stuffed her alchemy pouch with ingredients left out on shelves.
While the other’s stripped the hut in for a clue, Astarion beckoned over the sorcerer. She shuffled over with curiosity.
“You…” the rogue started.
“Me?” June questioned.
“I- Well, you lied. To the Gur hunter.”
She giggled. “Did I? I told no lie; I have indeed never seen a vampire spawn ignite in the sunlight. That is the truth. Nor do I ever wish to see one.” the half-elf patted Astarion’s arm.
He bit back a laugh. “Indeed, no falsehoods were used. My apologies, my dear.”
Finding nothing, the party gathered in the back most of the hut, pulling out books for any hint.
June scanned walls and landed on the backing of the fireplace. The flames looked fake, and with closer inspection, the brickwall was transparent. Feeling adventurous, she climbed over the empty cauldron and felt for the wall.
“Oh-.” Her hand went through, and the half elf fell past the illusion and onto her face.
“June?” Shadowheart called out.
Irked, the sorcerer blew a stray curl from her face. Shaking the dirt off her clothes, she reached back through the wall, waving for the others. Someone’s hand grabbed hers, and June pulled it through. The cleric glanced around, taking note of puddles of mud and the high boulders covered in vines. “Seems like a prime location for an ambush.”
And it was indeed. Several masked individuals struggled against an unseen voice before slipping into a fogged state to attack. The possessed victims were an unexpected burden before hunting down the hag, and took about an hour before all four were knocked out.
Fascinated with the masks, and with the possessed incapacitated, fingers gripped the sides of the facewear. It resisted for a beat before falling away. Below, the body spasmed violently, then fell silent after a harsh snap. June froze.
“What is it-” Astarion walked over, while wiping his blades on a patch of moss. He looked at the sorcerer sitting unmoving on her knees, the mask in hand. He crouched next to the unconscious man and felt for a pulse.
“When I pulled off his mask, he…died. It seems. ” She stared down at the foam dribbling out of his month.
The sorcerer rose to her feet, slipping the mask into her pack. While Karlach’s back was turned, trying to empty her boots of muddy water, June flicked her wrist towards another minion. The body jerked with the knife’s impact, but it was a much cleaner death than whatever sick tricks Ethel roped them into. The vampire followed suit, finishing off the last of them.
June raised an eyebrow. “Feeling merciful today, Astarion?”
“I know what it’s like to have no agency in your own actions. It is not something I wish on others. A swift death is the best ending.” the vampire explained, nonchalant.
…
The burning cage dangling over the bottomless pit was a pain, with Ethel’s doublegangers lobbing spell after spell. It was even more annoying that Mayrina was snatched as soon as Karlach freed her, and placed under an illusion of the hag herself.
“The one under the lantern! Don’t hit her.” June shouted across the cave.
Ethel turned towards the sorcerer, smiling maniacally with realization. “You ! You can see through the glamor, can’t you petal. It may be faint, but the smell of the Feywild haunts you; your pretty little eyes shine with it with its Blessing . They’ll be mine, and I'll toss you back to whoever’s grubby hands you managed to flee from!” The hag turned her sights, and a casted Hold Person gripped June’s limbs.
A Blessing?
Karlach swung her ax down across Ethel’s back, her bickering exposing her as the original. Soon, the hag laid defeat, trying to strike a bargain.
“Petal, a deal for you! No need for any more violence. Give me the girl, and I’ll give you a gift. A gift to strengthen any skill of your choosing and you’ll leave me be.”
June feigned deep thought before responding, “No, I want the girl and the gift. You’ll hand over both, won’t you Auntie? We might let you crawl off, we might not.”
Sensing her disadvantage, the hag concedes. “This won’t be the last of it, petal!” she announced, disappearing in a poof of smoke.
“It’s great we were able to save the girl, but why did you let her escape?” Karlach asked.
“She’ll only be a pain in the future.” Shadowheart added.
The sorcerer stretched out her limbs, the battle left her feeling sore. “That is true; hags are the realms best grudge holders. But there is nothing we can do for now. She’ll keep spawning again until we find the life source.”
Mayrina sobbed and dashed for the door, leaving her saviors behind.
Karlach watched the human run away, and scratched her neck. “We should probably follow her, yeah? Seems mighty upset to survive.” The tiefling turned to her leader, curious. “How do you know she’ll come back?”
June was pulling their cleric back to her feet, Shadowheart still recovering from the lingering poison from a Ray of Sickness. “They wander back and forth between realms. I’ve never made a deal myself, but I’ve seen enough squabbles to know better. I think they are called ꀯꌅꂦꋊꈼ ? Or was it ꃃꍟ꒒ꁕꋫꁒ ?” She rubbed Shadowheart’s back in comfort.
The party wandered through the damp moss underground of Ethel’s lair, eventually finding her workshop. Every surface in the room was covered in potions of dubious origin, and what appeared to be random knickknacks. Upon one of the stone slabs was a wand made of clumps of hair and flesh, wrapping around twisted roots and a name engraved on its handle. ‘Connor’
“What a fool, that girl is.” June grabbed the rod, shaking her head. “Anyone else find anything interesting?”
“Here’s a staff, it’s a bit gnarly though.” Karlach tossed the Staff of Crones. Immediately, at its first touch, June felt a wave of nausea.
“You don’t look too well, darling.” Astarion commented, the shine of his newfound loot disappearing into his pack.
“Yeah, no. We’re burning this at camp.” the sorcerer responded.
“I’ve got some charms over here, they seem less repulsive.” Shadowheart showed a tarnished charm and an amulet of an eyeball. “Just barely,” she corrected.
In the far back of the workshop, a glow emitted from the floor. As the four approached the corner, June stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of a familiar formation of fungi.
“No, absolutely not.” She protested.
“The Shrooms’ got ya peeved?” Karlach looked at her companion’s tense face.
The cleric and rogue both thought back at their earlier conversation at camp, when they were watching the half-elf topple mushrooms with great focus.
“You are rather vexed by mushrooms.” Astarion recalled how serious her face was then.
“I don’t get involved with ꄞꁲꈼ ꌅꂑꋊꁅꌚ , “she said, suddenly walking towards the source of her ire. Before anyone could stop her, she crushed the fungus beneath her boot, and the glow fizzled out.
“With what ??” the tiefling asked, the others following after June as she made her way for the exit.
...
Mayrina rushed forward, and slapped June across the cheek. “You’ve ruined it all! I made a deal with her and now I’ll never see him again. My husband.” She sobbed.
Astarion made a move toward her, but was stopped by the sorcerer.
“What did you trade? To supposedly bring your loved one back.” Unfazed her smarting cheek, June tilted her head with knowing eyes. “There’s only one thing ꀯꌅꂦꋊꈼ really want.”
The human looked away, the guilt making her hand reach for her stomach.
“Not ‘supposedly’! She made a promise to bring my husband back!” she wailed.
Shadowheart and Karlach looked on in horror and disgust.
June tossed Mayrina a wand: Bitter Divorce . “Then see what exactly was promised to you. What you would have exchanged your unborn child for.”
Looking hopeful, the human waved the wand over a casket, and waited with baited breath. A rotting hand busted through the casket lid, and a rancid body emerged from the box. It stuttered in steps, flesh falling off its bones. Mayrina fell back in terror.
“This-This isn’t my Connor! What have you done?!” she accused looking up at the sorcerer.
“I have delivered what you were promised. That is the truth of your deal. Hags will twist and turn whatever meaning and words fit their agenda. They keep their word but at a price you won’t know you’ll pay until it’s too late.” June swatted down, staring at the trembling widow.
“Never make a deal with a fey, but especially with ꀯꌅꂦꋊꈼ , a hag.” the half elf straightened up, leaving the sobbing mother with her undead husband.
The party walked through the lair, looking for the last bit of goodies that could be snatched. “That was fucked.” The barbarian broke the quiet.
“She could not cope with her loss, and nearly made her child suffer for it.” the cleric thought aloud. “Lady Shar would have accepted this grief and unburdened her of its weight.”