Profile
Alexa
Ability Scores
Skills
Attacks
Proficiencies
Languages: Common, Dwarvish, Elvish, Goblin, Halfling
Weapons: Crossbow, Longsw., Rapier, Shortsw., Simple W.
Armor: Light Armor
Tools & kits: Flute, Lute, Lyre
Features & Traits
By Popular Demand(background)Spells
Casting Stat: Charisma
Atk Bonus: +6
Save DC: 14
Spell Slots
Cantrips
Mage Hand (Conjuration)- Range: 30ft.
- Casting time: 1 action
- Duration: 1 minute
- Components: V, S
A spectral, floating hand appears at a point you choose within range. The hand lasts for the duration or until you dismiss it as an action. The hand vanishes if it is ever more than 30 feet away from you or if you cast this spell again. You can use your action to control the hand. You can use the hand to manipulate an object, open an unlocked door or container, stow or retrieve an item from an open container, or pour the contents out of a vial. You can move the hand up to 30 feet each time you use it. The hand can't attack, activate magic items, or carry more than 10 pounds.
- Range: 30ft./5ft cube
- Casting time: 1 action
- Save: content
- Duration: 1 minute
- Components: S, M(a bit of fleece)
You create a sound or an image of an object within range that lasts for the duration. The illusion also ends if you dismiss it as an action or cast this spell again. If you create a sound, its volume can range from a whisper to a scream. It can be your voice, someone else's voice, a lion's roar, a beating of drums, or any other sound you choose. The sound continues unabated throughout the duration, or you can make discrete sounds at different times before the spell ends. If you create an image of an object--such as a chair, muddy footprints, or a small chest--it must be no larger than a 5-foot cube. The image can't create sound, light, smell, or any other sensory effect. Physical interaction with the image reveals it to be an illusion, because things can pass through it. If a creature uses its action to examine the sound or image, the creature can determine that it is an illusion with a successful Intelligence (Investigation) check against your spell save DC. If a creature discerns the illusion for what it is, the illusion becomes faint to the creature.
- Range: 60ft.
- Casting time: 1 action
- Save: WIS 14
- Duration: Instantaneous
- Components: V
You unleash a string of insults laced with subtle enchantments at a creature you can see within range. If the target can hear you (though it need not understand you), it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or take 1d4 psychic damage and have disadvantage on the next attack roll it makes before the end of its next turn. This spell's damage increases by 1d4 when you reach 5th level (2d4), 11th level (3d4), and 17th level (4d4).
Level 1 Spells
Charm Person (Enchantment)- Range: 30 ft.
- Casting time: 1 action
- Save: WIS 14
- Duration: 1 hour
- Components: V, S
You attempt to charm a humanoid you can see within range. It must make a Wisdom saving throw, and does so with advantage if you or your companions are fighting it. If it fails the saving throw, it is charmed by you until the spell ends or until you or your companions do anything harmful to it. The charmed creature regards you as a friendly acquaintance. When the spell ends, the creature knows it was charmed by you.
At higher levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, you can target one additional creature for each slot level above 1st. The creatures must be within 30 feet of each other when you target them.
- Range: 60 ft.
- Casting time: 1 action
- Save: WIS 11
- Duration: Instantaneous
- Components: V
You whisper a discordant melody that only one creature of your choice within range can hear, wracking it with terrible pain. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, it takes 3d6 psychic damage and must immediately use its reaction, if available, to move as far as its speed allows away from you. The creature doesn't move into obviously dangerous ground, such as a fire or a pit. On a successful save, the target takes half as much damage and doesn't have to move away. A Deafened creature automatically succeeds on the save.
At higher levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the damage increases by 1d6 for each slot level above 1st. Once used without expending a spell slot, the other available spell is marked as spent.
- Range: 60ft./20ft. cube
- Casting time: 1 action
- Save: DEX 14
- Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
- Components: V
Each object in a 20-foot cube within range is outlined in blue, green, or violet light (your choice). Any creature in the area when the spell is cast is also outlined in light if it fails a Dexterity saving throw. For the duration, objects and affected creatures shed dim light in a 10-foot radius. Any attack roll against an affected creature or object has advantage if the attacker can see it, and the affected creature or object can't benefit from being invisible.
- Range: 60 ft.
- Casting time: 1 reaction, which you take when you or a creature within 60 feet of you falls
- Duration: 1 minute
- Components: V, M(a small feather or piece of down)
Choose up to five falling creatures within range. A falling creature's rate of descent slows to 60 feet per round until the spell ends. If the creature lands before the spell ends, it takes no falling damage and can land on its feet, and the spell ends for that creature.
- Range: 60 ft.
- Casting time: 1 bonus action
- Duration: Instantaneous
- Components: V
A creature of your choice that you can see within range regains hit points equal to 1d4 + your spellcasting ability modifier. This spell has no effect on undead or constructs.
At higher levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the healing increases by 1d4 for each slot level above 1st.
Level 2 Spells
Misty Step (Conjuration)- Range: Self
- Casting time: 1 bonus action
- Duration: Instantaneous
- Components: V
Briefly surrounded by silvery mist, you teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space that you can see. Once used without expending a spell slot, the other available spell is marked as spent.
- Range: 60ft./10ft. sphere
- Casting time: 1 action
- Save: CON 14
- Duration: Instantaneous
- Components: V, S, M(a chip of mica)
A sudden loud ringing noise, painfully intense, erupts from a point of your choice within range. Each creature in a 10-foot-radius sphere centered on that point must make a Constitution saving throw. A creature takes 3d8 thunder damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature made of inorganic material such as stone, crystal, or metal has disadvantage on this saving throw. A nonmagical object that isn't being worn or carried also takes the damage if it's in the spell's area.
At higher levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, the damage increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 2nd.
- Range: Self
- Casting time: 1 action
- Duration: 1 minute
- Components: V, S
Three illusory duplicates of yourself appear in your space. Until the spell ends, the duplicates move with you and mimic your actions, shifting position so it’s impossible to track which image is real. You can use your action to dismiss the illusory duplicates. Each time a creature targets you with an attack during the spell’s duration, roll a d20 to determine whether the attack instead targets one of your duplicates. If you have three duplicates, you must roll a 6 or higher to change the attack’s target to a duplicate. With two duplicates, you must roll an 8 or higher. With one duplicate, you must roll an 11 or higher. A duplicate’s AC equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier. If an attack hits a duplicate, the duplicate is destroyed. A duplicate can be destroyed only by an attack that hits it. It ignores all other damage and effects. The spell ends when all three duplicates are destroyed. A creature is unaffected by this spell if it can’t see, if it relies on senses other than sight, such as blindsight, or if it can perceive illusions as false, as with truesight.
Level 3 Spells
Sending (Evocation)- Range: Unlimited
- Casting time: 1 action
- Duration: 1 round
- Components: V, S, M(a short piece of fine copper wire)
You send a short message of twenty-five words or less to a creature with which you are familiar. The creature hears the message in its mind, recognizes you as the sender if it knows you, and can answer in a like manner immediately. The spell enables creatures with Intelligence scores of at least 1 to understand the meaning of your message. You can send the message across any distance and even to other planes of existence, but if the target is on a different plane than you, there is a 5 percent chance that the message doesn't arrive.
- Range: Self/10ft. sphere
- Casting time: 1 minute
- Duration: 8 hours
- Components: V, S, M(a small crystal bead)
A 10-foot-radius immobile dome of force springs into existence around and above you and remains stationary for the duration. The spell ends if you leave its area. Nine creatures of Medium size or smaller can fit inside the dome with you. The spell fails if its area includes a larger creature or more than nine creatures. Creatures and objects within the dome when you cast this spell can move through it freely. All other creatures and objects are barred from passing through it. Spells and other magical effects can't extend through the dome or be cast through it. The atmosphere inside the space is comfortable and dry, regardless of the weather outside. Until the spell ends, you can command the interior to become dimly lit or dark. The dome is opaque from the outside, of any color you choose, but it is transparent from the inside.
- Range: Touch
- Casting time: 1 action
- Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
- Components: V, S
You touch a creature, and that creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or become cursed for the duration of the spell. When you cast this spell, choose the nature of the curse from the following options: Choose one ability score. While cursed, the target has disadvantage on ability checks and saving throws made with that ability score. While cursed, the target has disadvantage on attack rolls against you. While cursed, the target must make a Wisdom saving throw at the start of each of its turns. If it fails, it wastes its action that turn doing nothing. While the target is cursed, your attacks and spells deal an extra 1d8 necrotic damage to the target. A remove curse spell ends this effect. At the DM's option, you may choose an alternative curse effect, but it should be no more powerful than those described above. The DM has final say on such a curse's effect.
At Higher Levels. If you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the duration is concentration, up to 10 minutes. If you use a spell slot of 5th level or higher, the duration is 8 hours. If you use a spell slot of 7th level or higher, the duration is 24 hours. If you use a 9th level spell slot, the spell lasts until it is dispelled. Using a spell slot of 5th level or higher grants a duration that doesn't require concentration.
Personality Traits
- Always-performing diva
- Self-reliant
- Materialistic and practical-minded
- Protective of comrades
Values
- Independence
- Beauty and art
- Wealth and luxury
- Anti-authority
Bonds
- To her party members
- To her material possessions
- To her appearance and reputation
- To her fans
Flaws
- Avoids genuine connections
- Distrusting of others
- Mean attitude
- Greed
Positive Traits
- She's very stylish, always strives to look her best.
- She's street-smart and learns new skills quickly.
- She will go a long way to repay someone she owes a favour to.
Negative Traits
- She's vain, greedy and self-centered.
- She will bend her morals a lot for money.
- She's afraid of showing her real self and forming meaningful connections.
Likes
- Money, treasure, jewellery
- She likes anything shiny, valuable and/or rare. Bonus points if it's beautiful and if she can use it to beautify herself.
- Music
- She has a genuine love for music and takes pride in her skills. It saved her life more than once, and it keeps her going.
- Attention
- Much like any bard worth their salt would, although Alexa has deeply rooted reasons for it.
- Steak, bitter flavours, whiskey
- Rather than a sweet tooth, Alexa prefers hearty, strong flavours. Bonus points if the food is expensive or rare, like a fine bloody steak or a well-aged whisky (she can hold her drink quite well).
- The colour teal
- Like the gems on her necklace and hat, and her own eyes. She is a little self-absorbed.
- The seaside
- She grew up by the ocean, and the warm coastal weather is still her favourite.
- Her party mates
- Begrudgingly.
Dislikes
- Exertion and discomfort
- She avoids being sweaty, dishevelled, or in uncomfortable accomodations whenever possible. She values luxury highly.
- Vulnerability
- She hates feeling seen without her performer's mask on. There is a lot she'd rather not face herself.
- Her birth name
- She associates it with her father and no longer uses it or shares it with anyone, simply going by Alexa.
- Being underestimated
- She's often judged solely on her appearance as an airheaded, 'easy' bimbo. She uses it to her advantage, but it still makes her want to prove people wrong.
- Competition
- All eyes should be on her at all times. Any competition must be shown its place.
- Being ignored
- The easiest way to ruffle her pride. Her need from attention stems from childhood trauma.
- Small, enclosed spaces
- Due to traumatizing events from her childhood, she is somewhat claustrophobic.
Skills & Abilities
- Musical Prowess
- She is a true musical prodigy since childhood. She has perfect pitch and easily learns to play new instruments. Her main instrument growing up was the flute, but since starting to play for the populace she has switched almost entirely to the lute.
- Charming Idol
- As the face of the party, she turns on the charm whenever they need to smooth-talk their way in or out of anything. She will flirt with anyone, regardless of whether or not she is attracted to them (almost always, she is not, but is very convincing of the opposite).
- Faerie Magic
- For some reason, her fey ancestry as a half-elf has begun expressing itself in increasingly strong fey magic aspects. Her Mantle of Inspiration cloaks her in a shimmering aura that makes her look even lovelier, almost unearthly - she does not exactly understand the source of this.
Trivia
- Alexa is illiterate; the one thing she can read or write, other than her own name, is sheet music.
- She's a night owl - not at all a morning person.
- Her signature scent is jasmine, vanilla and bourbon.
- Her mole on the side of her lip is drawn on; she does have freckles, but she covers them with makeup.
- She is claustrophobic, especially if alone and in a dark space.
- For how flirtatious and sensual she appears, she does not actually enjoy intimacy with most people.
Inventory
Currency
- CP: 160
- SP: 147
- EP: 00
- GP: 302
- PP: 00
Treasure
- Malachite (?): 1
- Cave Crystal (?): 1
- Bugbear Eyepatch (Bedazzled): 1
- Platinum signet ring: 1
- Key to Tresendar Manor: 1
- Monogrammed Kerchief ("A.I."): 1
Equipment
- Bedroll (1)
[ Adventuring gear (common) | 7lb. ]
- Candle (5)
[ Adventuring gear (common) | 0lb. ]
- Clothes (1)
[ Adventuring gear (common) | 8lb. ]
- Disguise Kit (1)
[ Gear (common) | 3lb. ]
It's her makeup pouch.
- Rations (1 day) (4)
[ Adventuring gear (common) | 16lb. ]
- Rope, Hempen (50 feet) (1)
[ Adventuring gear (common) | 10lb. ]
- Waterskin (1)
[ Adventuring gear (common) | 5lb. ]
- Lizene's Creep Repellent (1)
[ Wondrous item (uncommon) | 5lb. ] Arcane Polish: It takes about ten minutes to apply this nail polish to all your fingernails. The bottle holds enough polish for 4 applications. Dazzling Display: For the next 24 hours while the nail polish is applied, you can use an action to cast the spell Color Spray at 2nd level. You can cast this spell twice per application of the nail polish.
Weaponry
- Rapier, +1 (1)
[ Martial, Finesse ]
Enchanted in the Forge of Spells.
- Shortsword (1)
[ Martial, Finesse, Light ]
- Dagger (2)
[ Finesse, Light, Thrown ]
- Crossbow, hand (1)
[ Ammunition, Range, Light, Loading ]
- Crossbow Bolts (67)
[ - ]
- Leather Armour (1)
[ Light Armour ]
What her party knows
Alexa had a sheltered upbringing in the Sword Coast. Her expensive tastes show someone who grew up with all the comforts of wealth, but her colourful vocabulary and street-smart attitude show she's had her fair share of contact with common folk. She had no formal education outside of music, and seems reluctant to bring up her family or any other past relationships.
If you are in Alexa's party, please read no further! Here there be spoilers.
Backstory
Jezeff, seeing the entire weight and responsibility of fatherhood suddenly thrust upon himself, nonchalantly dropped it altogether and left the child to nurses at first, then to her own imagination’s entertainment, rather than any kind of formal education, let alone any semblance of familial love. This meant that Alexa would spend her days nagging the servants and workers for any scraps of their attention, who naturally resented her by extension of their contempt for her father’s opulence at their expense. If they were caught entertaining her whims and playing with her for too long, they would be punished for neglecting their work, and so they often resorted to locking her in closed storerooms for hours on end, perhaps out of cruelty, perhaps out of desperation. Small, closed spaces have made Alexa uneasy ever since, even if she doesn’t quite connect that feeling to the hours of weeping and yelling alone in the dark.
Upon discovering her uncanny talent for music, however, Jezeff did hire a private tutor, a halfling named Masha Starking, who belonged to a family of great renown in the fine arts. With Masha, Alexa learned to sing and play an array of instruments, and the kind halfling would often quietly teach her of things other than music, from practical skills to musings on life. As Alexa showed herself a true prodigy, Jezeff began to parade her at dinner parties, like a songbird whose tunes might amuse his eminent guests. Alexa viewed these brief moments in the limelight as her rare chances to earn her father's undivided attention, if not his love. She poured her heart into every performance, and practiced her playing until her fingers bled.
Jezeff noticed this friendship, and his shrewd eye for business saw an opportunity to turn what he'd seen as a useless daughter into a bartering chip. If he arranged the engagement of Alexa to Mikhael, he could bring Porter's Postage under his own control, eventually outliving its current owners. This would be the key to a total monopoly over trade in the Sword Coast. And so he did - after a prolonged negotioation period, he arranged the engagement of Alexa to Mikhael.
At the age of twelve, Alexa was actually delighted by her sudden importance in her father's eyes, as well as by the choice of groom. She paraded herself in front of her peers, who for the first time swarmed her with attention and questioning; she was all of a sudden almost grown-up, a bride-to-be. Nevertheless, her boasting got old fast. Already put off by her father’s shady reputation, his wealth and her very secluded upbringing, the other children disliked her more and more for her obnoxious behavior, and the few friends she had distanced themselves, though did not openly mock her for fear of her father’s influence. Mikhael was kind to her, though, and often visited with gifts and small talk, more than she’d ever received before save from her dear tutor.
So Alexa lived in her dream-world for another two years, unaware of her unpopularity and believing at last that both her father and Mike truly loved her. However, the other youths’ opinions of her as well as her suddenly grand attitude slowly but surely grated on Mikhael. At last, he exploded and revealed that his esteem for her had been performed under his uncle’s orders, in a desperate bid to save Porter's Postage and Mike's own future against the inexorable competition of Valkyrie. Alexa's feelings had never once entered the equation. He was still determined to go through with it, but shell-shocked Alexa refused to continue the sham and tried to break off the engagement.
This rebellion, which jeopardized his most important business plan, infuriated Jezeff. He locked Alexa in her quarters, where she was barely more than a prisoner, without her musical instruments or anyone who might care to help her.
Modest and quiet and proper, Siri was all that Alexa never could be, though their talents were evenly matched. Alexa resented her, imagining her to be Masha’s favourite, envying their close and strong familial ties and feeling like an intruder in their household; the bitter rivalry she began then between them was rather one-sided, for unlike most other youths Siri didn’t dislike her at all, but was too shy to try to make friends. Nevertheless, Alexa embraced their differences with a vicious pride, becoming louder where Siri was quiet, thriving off scandal and rowdiness and escaping the house at first to busk in the streets, then to perform in the many taverns of Crossail. Around this time, she learned how to hold her own in melee, to keep herself safe from creeps.
Her reputation and her figure blossomed as she entered her early adult years, now a staple of the lively seaside nightlife, having cast off her father’s name completely and refusing to acknowledge his legacy now that she had earned a measure of independence. He never attempted to look for her, enraged at the loss of the profitable merger. However, Masha Starking’s health only declined with the years, and by the time Alexa was eighteen and spending more nights in taverns than in the Starking household, she passed away. The loss of this maternal figure was a great blow to Alexa, who refused to share her grief with Siri, whom she had avoided and competed with for years now.
Now that all her ties were cut loose, and thirsting for adventure, the luxuries of the wealthy life she not-so-secretly missed, and to know more about her maternal family, Alexa left the city of Crossail, hoping to spread her name far and wide and hear it spoken with envy and admiration. The only clue she has to find the identity of her mother is the white kerchief she was wrapped in when she was left with her father, which bears the initials "A.I.".
She spent the next two years at and around Middoth, the capital city of Guntan, performing and doing occasional mercenary work, before making her way south to Orogoth and eventually joining up with a ragtag bunch of other mercenaries on a hired errand for the Rockseeker brothers.
Trivia & Meta
Alexa, Jezeff and Valkyrie are fantasy-fied versions of Alexa the virtual assistant technology, Jeff Bezos, and Amazon, respectively. Masha Starking and Siri relate to Apple, and William Porter and Mike Rowsaft to Bill Gates and Microsoft.
Some inspiriations behind her design were 18th century undergarments, the Three Musketeers, Marie Antoinette, and Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge.
Alexa's character was initially meant only for a practice oneshot, so it was built around the "that is so sad, Alexa, play Despacito" meme.
"Ah, healing potions. The only drink I love more than alcohol."
"Gratitude can always be exchanged into coin."
"Do you trust me? Then jump!"
[Healing Artem] "Don't you dare die!"
"I was flirting with him to throw him off — I flirt with everyone, he’s not special!"
"Do you want me to Minor Illusion your face?"
Alexa is tied for second place with Theefsa for the most final blows / HDYWTDT in the Forgekeepers, with four each. Artem is number one, with five.
Her go-to signature spell is Shatter.
Dalanesse: the forgekeepers
Alexa, Hekikat (a halfling monk), Eagle (a human barbarian), and Dúri (a dwarf cleric), have been hird to take the Rockseekers' cart from Neverwinter to Phandalin. They get ambushed by goblins on the road, and are forced to abandon the cart and chase them, as it seems they have kidnapped Sildar, one of their employers. In the goblins' lair, they fend off attacks from wolves and run into another prisoner, a tiefling named Artem, who joins them upon being released. They find Sildar with a goblin named Yeemik, whom Alexa attempts to charm - a fight breaks off all the same and they manage to free Sildar, but Yeemik escapes. before they can leave the lair, the party must still defeat a bugbear and a band of Yeemik's goblins; once more, Yeemik lives on Hekikat's mercy. He tells them that Gundren, their other missing employer, has been taken to King Grol's stronghold, Cragmaw Castle.
On the road back to Phandalin, Eagle parts ways with the group, claiming no interest in all the fighting and killing. They encounter Zyannya, an apparently friendly beggar-child who robs them blind while they sleep.
In Phandalin, they get to know the town, explore its shops and get rooms at the Stonehill Inn. Sildar tells them about the Wave Echo Cave, a lost mine of great magic power of dwarves. Human and goblin had allied themselves to turn it into a magical forge. Phandalin prospered, until the orcs attacked and laid waste to everything. Gundren had been trying to find it and reopen it. Sildar then offers them 500 gold pieces to find Gundren and 200 gold pieces to find what happened to his missing friend Iarno Albrek, and maybe even take the Redbrands out. They become acquainted with this resident band of thugs, the Redbrands, in a skirmish outside their usual pub.
The party hightails it away from the skirmish before reinforcements arrive, and head to the Redbrands' hideout in Tresendar Manor. Before they begin exploring in earnest, Hekikat has a vision that calls her away from their current adventure, and parts with the group. The Redbrands find them soon after, and in the fight that ensues, an unassuming spider transforms into a young elven druid named Addan, who joins them.
As they explore, they find a goblin in a pit trap in a corridor. Theefsa the goblin warlock joins them as well once they help her out. Together, they fight their way past Redbrands and animated skeletons, and help free prisoners in a holding cell. They also have a creepy encounter with a nothic, which Addan manages to bring down in his giant centipede form. They sleep in a frigid crevice, warmed only by contraband beaver pelts. Their rest ends when they are found by more Redbrands and bugbears; in the ensuing struggle, they see Glasstaff, the head of the Redbrands getting away.
When they reemerge from the Manor, they have found more intel, items and treasure, but their mission is not complete. They arrange for the abandoned cart to be brought back to Phandalin, and Alexa spends the evenings performing at the inn to make extra coin, with Dúri as her magical techie. Sildar reminds them that their goal should be to get Gundren back, so they set off to Cragmaw Castle.
While traversing the woods, they are ambushed by wolves. Once near the castle, they sneak in and explore it, eventually running into a wormlike creature. The noise of the fight notifies nearby goblins, who raise the alarm. They fight their way across the castle, and are driven against King Grol and his minions, who are keeping Gundren prisoner. They prevail against him, and free Gundren. Alexa and Theefsa loot the place while Gundren is healed, finding, among other treasure, the map marking the location of Wave Echo Cave. Meanwhile, Artem severs King Grol's head and carries it with him.
As they are leaving the castle, hobgoblin reinforcements arrive asking for King Grol; Artem, scouting ahead and currently holding the King's head, urges them all to return to Phandalin quietly and quickly. They do so, but the atmosphere in town is rather tense, with an intensified Rebrand presence. Back at the Inn, Theefsa commandeers the kitchen to bake carrot cupcakes - the first time Artem tries dessert. They reconvene with Sildar and discuss theories, and have some bonding moments as a group. The next day, they get the reward money from Gundren. Alexa convinces him to give them 20% of the mine's profits if they manage to clear it of monsters.
Before they leave, they meet a delegation from the city of Pommel at the Town Hall - Hyudin and Baffo, who congratulate them for dealing with the Redbrands, who have been taken back under control, out from Glasstaff's clutches. Hyudin offers them work, should they ever visit Pommel.
They hike to the location of Wave Echo Cave, wherein they quickly find one of Gundren's brothers - dead. They face off against stirges, ghouls, bugbears and other foes; in a temple-like chamber, a drow mage attempts to lure them into a deal. Finding themselves cornered among his minions, the party agrees to a tense ceasefire, and they plan to work together to reach the Forge of Spells. The next day, after an awkward night of camping, they follow Nezznar and fight a powerful Flame Skull; however, as soon as they win the fight for him, the drow turns on them, dragging his bugbear minions into a tough skirmish. The party knocks Nezznar unconscious and, not knowing what else to do with him, keeps him captive as they delve deeper in the mine.
When they eventually find the Forge of Spells, it is guarded by a Spectator who explains its contract with a wizard, holding him as a guardian of the place. The party discovers said wizard Mormesk, as an undead shade. They manage to defeat him by the skin of their teeth, and attempt to convince the Spectator that it is now free of its contract, the wizard being destroyed. The Spectator is wary of those who might misuse the forge, like Nezznar, so Dúri, acting as the face of the party, trades Nezznar's life for theirs. Satisfied, the Spectator leaves, but Dúri is sent on a spiral. In the meantime, the others experiment with the forge, managing to enchant a few items - including Alexa's rapier.
On their way out of the cave, they still have to fight their way through packs of ghouls - Dúri makes a heroic stand and defeats several on his own - and bugbears; Valak, Nezznar's helper, bails upon learning his master is dead, but their giant spiders not so much. They attack the party, who only just defeat them. They also find the second of Gundren's brothers - this one alive. This makes their mission to the mine a reasonably successful one, and they are rewarded accordingly upon their return to Phandalin. Alexa once more has a grand performance at the Inn. During the night, the dark curse that seems to hold power over Dúri activates, waking everyone as he seizes in his sleep, but he returns to himself after waking up from a troubled dream. They take turns in their sleep afterwards.
The group spends their last few days in Phandalin recovering from their adventure, and getting up to various shenanigans: Artem and Addan forage and craft potions, Alexa performs at the inn, Theefsa bakes (and burns) muffins, and Dúri sleeps off his exhaustion. After one last dinner at the Stonehill Inn, they set off on the road to Pommel, navigated by Addan and with Artem scouting. The journey is made easier by Alexa's new magical trick: a magical dome where they can safely sleep.
The road is still dangerous and unpredictable, though: they are attacked by owlbears on the second evening, and during the third day they find a mysterious panther-shaped satchel in the mud, containing letters and enchanted items. On the fourth morning, they are woken up by repeated earth tremors, and it seems like the patch of road they were on and the surrounding area of forest has started moving independently. As they stare down a cliff face watching the landscape go by, they are cornered by a pack of hyenas; after dealing with them, Alexa asks the party to trust her, they hold hands and jump off the cliff, landing safely thanks to the bard's Feather Fall. From this perspective, they can see they were on the back of an enormous land turtle.
Continuing on the path to Pommel, they run into a shack where fishfolk appear to have settled, littered with humanoid and animal bones. A fight ensues, and Artem and Dúri argue whether or not to kill the last standing enemy once it is subdued; Artem ignores the dwarf's protests and slits its throat. From there, they soon reach Pommel itself. A town crier announces the promotion of Jezeff Mazos to a high office in the financial sector (Alexa tenses at this), as well as a tournament being held at the Colosseum with a prize pool of 130,000 gold pieces. They rush to the Colosseum before it's too late to enter.
They are nearly too late to sign up, but an unexpected appearance by Hyudin allows them to enter as a group, officially naming themselves The Forgekeepers. They also are given the option to buy a "revival package" - a magical hand tattoo that ensures if they die in the arena it will not be permanent, although it will mean they're out of the game. The tournament consists of three challenges: the first one is a battle between all contestants, which are sorted into two teams. Each team contains one undercover criminal placed in it by the game-makers; they have no revival mark and the goal is to find and kill the criminal infiltrating your team first and end the game, while also preventing your team members from being taken out of the game. Chaos ensues, and nearly at the same time both criminals are revealed: the opposite team's is a dragonborn fighter, Veldran. Artem catches the infiltrator in their own team, but hesitates to kill her for a moment; she breaks free and is about to cast a fireball that would end the dragonborn and the game, but Artem's swift reaction kills her first. Her body, unlike those of the ones with revival marks, does not dissipate in a cloud of glitter: it stays, bloody, on the arena.
For the second challenge, the Forgekeepers and the rest of their team are brought out again and face off against two skeletal snakes and one huge, frosty six-legged lizard. A couple more of their allies are dispelled from the game, and Addan nearly falls too, but they prevail. Veldran himself rips off the jaw of the frost salamander, holding it aloft as a prize, before it too shimmers and disappears. After the challenge, Alexa asks him about his past - he used to be a mercenary bounty hunter from Mudbay in Ayessa (a whole other continent), but he was captured and brought in shackles all the way to Pommel to fight in these games. They interact with other allies and enemies - Addan chats with Celsia, the other druid fighting on their team, and they agree on exploring their shared druidic roots after the contest ends.
Before the third challenge, each remaining contestant from both teams is welcomed into the arena and introduced by name. Then, the challenge is announced: another monster, specifically the imposing lightning dragon Quetzal, which has only been featured in the games twice before. The full-grown dragon is rolled into the arena in chains, but before the horns can sound for the challenge to start, the magical lights of the Colosseum go dark. The dragon smirks and speaks like rolling thunder: “Lightning does not strike the same place thrice". He breaks free from his shackles and unleashes his breath on the stands of the Colosseum, leaving it in total chaos before flying off over Pommel before the Forgekeepers can react. Inspecting their revival marks, they see their magical glimmer has faded entirely.
Check back later!
Check back later!
THE FORGEKEEPERS
[ tiefling | male | 20s? ]
Artem's roguish antics have been the cause of many an eyeroll from Alexa. They bicker, but every time he goes down in a fight she can't bear not to heal him.
[ goblin | female | young ]
Theefsa has changed Alexa's mindset on goblins, and she's flattered by the young warlock looking up to her, as well as the chance for a good makeover.
[ dwarf | male | middle-aged ]
Dúri's calming aura and the fact he has never once hit on her make Alexa feel at ease around him. She knows he has her back in a fight, and vice-versa. She is, however, wary of the effects of his curse.
[ wood elf | male | young ]
Addan's bluntness and Alexa's meanness can clash on occasion, but when they team up they are surprisingly efficient. No brain cells to be had between the two of them, though.
[ dragonborn | male | ? ]
Veldran is the newest addition to the Forgekeepers, and as such Alexa doesn't entirely trust him yet, but he seems to be an open book. She appreciates his fighting prowess, which has already proved invaluable.
Backstory (Spoilers!)
[ elf | male | appears 40s | businessman ]
Alexa has burned every bridge when it comes to her relationship with her father. Once striving for the barest crumb of his attention, she now holds nothing but contempt for who he is and the negative mark he has left in the world.
[ half-halfling | female | 18 | musician ]
Alexa's relationship with Siri was always complex, strained by envy and Alexa's projecting upon Siri, who might have liked to be friends but was slotted into a rival's role instead. Still, Alexa holds some fondness for their time as adopted family.
[ human | male | 22 | apprentice ]
Alexa's first and last real heartbreak, Mike taught her to be guarded around others and never share her heart with anyone else. While his actions hurt her, she is now aware in hindsight that he was just a pawn in their parents' games. This does not mean she has forgiven him.
Deceased (Spoilers!)
[ halfling | female | appears 60s | music tutor ]
Alexa truly admired and cared for Masha, who was the closest thing to a parental figure she ever had. Masha's death affected her deeply, though she'd rather not admit it.
