Journey to Baldur’s Gate

CH.1 First Awakening

A young half-elf wakes up on the shore of a lake, memories scrambled, parts of a ship scattered all around her, and a terrible wriggling headache behind her right eye. She sits up and tries to gather her surroundings, fire blazing behind her as she can feel the intense heat at her back. She looks at herself, wearing the simple robes a sorcerer would wear. She remembered one detail so far. She is a sorceress, a decent one. She stands up and dusts some of the sand from her robes as she roams the beach, seeing bits of ship and bodies crushed under the rubble. And a black-haired woman, unconscious in the sand. She seemed familiar somehow.

She approaches the woman and attempts to awaken her, hoping not to provoke any violence as she does so. There was no response, but the woman seemed to be still breathing. She stands back up and decides to leave her for now. Perhaps she will recover eventually. She goes on, walking along a path, seeing an ancient door up ahead and a strange purple glow on a wall. She investigates the peculiar glow and discovers it is an ancient sigil, a waypoint to make magical fast travel easier. “This seems interesting. Only one so far,” she says with intrigue in her voice. As she moved up a hill, she could see the crash site. A large, alien-like ship engulfed in flames with strange brain creatures skittering along the rubble. “Those seem a little dangerous to deal with on my own… I’d better move on,” she says to herself, trying to keep her wits about her as she moves along.

She gets to the top of the hill and makes her way on the path around. She suddenly stops in her tracks and sees someone overlooking the hill at its edge. She approaches cautiously as she gets a better look at the figure. White curly hair and fancy purple clothing. Long, pointed ears and a strangely pale complexion to his skin. The figure turns to her and begins to say frantically, “Hurry. I’ve got one of those brain things cornered.” He turns away and points out toward some tall grass. “There, in the grass. You can kill it, can’t you? I’m sure you’ve killed one of them before.”

She ponders for a moment. She had just met this man, but he looked a bit roughed up. Could he have been in the crash, too? He may know what happened before. She takes a deep breath. “Easily. Stand back.” She cautiously approached the tall grass, ready to grab her staff if she needed it.

“There, can you see it?” The elf asked.

The grass rustled as she quickly reached for the staff before seeing a wild boar run out of the grass and away from the two. Just a wild boar. She is relieved but fails to see the flash of a dagger behind her. The man grabs her and yanks her onto the ground with him, holding the dagger to her throat as she yells out and struggles to push his arm away.

“Shhhhh~ Not another sound. And if you want to keep that darling neck of yours, you will answer some questions. No need for this to get messy~.”

The woman grunts as she keeps a firm hold on his arm as he barely even budges, the blade still hovering over her neck. “F-Fine.”

“Good. Now, I saw you on the ship, didn’t I? Nod.” She could barely remember, but if she wanted to remain alive, she needed to play along however she could. She nods her head as he smiles in response. “Splendid. And now you’re going to tell me what you and those tentacled freaks did to me!”

Tentacled freaks? Fragments began to flash into her head. She was on the ship, but not as a partner to whatever creatures piloted it. She was trapped in some pod. She remembered seeing a strange tadpole in one of them's hands and then a sharp pain behind her eye. She remembered running through the crashing ship with two other people, one of the faces blurred and the other the black-haired woman back at the shore. She remembered falling but had lost consciousness on the way down. How is she still alive? “Y-You have it backward! They took me prisoner, just like you!”

The elf glared at her, not satisfied with her answer. “Don’t lie to me. I- Urgh!!!”

A strange aura began to glow from both their heads, a sharp discomfort in their brains. Images of everything they had gone through flashed at each other’s heads, showing him what she was saying to be the truth and showing her flashes of unknown memories, looking through unfamiliar eyes roaming dark, busy streets. She tries to hold the memory, but it fades to the worm, the light, the fear….

The elf groans as the aura fades, pressing the blade against the half-elf’s neck. “What was that? What’s going on??”

She attempts to persuade him to have more civil interaction. “P-Put the knife down… We can figure it out.”

The persuasion works, as the elf blinks somewhat before pulling the dagger away and standing back up, the woman following suit as she holds her neck a bit. “You’re…. Not one of them. They took you. Just the same as me… And to think I was ready to decorate the ground with your innards.” He gives her a smirk before putting the dagger away as he chuckles. “Apologies.”

She watches him for a moment before responding, “Apology accepted… I’d have done the same had our roles been reversed…”

“I’m out of wine and flowers, so I hope an introduction will suffice. My name’s Astarion. I was in Baldur’s Gate when those beasts snatched me.”

Baldur’s Gate! Those streets felt eerily familiar in the memory. That city was her home. After careful thinking, the memory of her name and bits of her childhood in the streets had even returned. “I’m…. Ellynn. I’m a Baldurian myself.”

“Is that so?” he says, raising a brow at her. “We clearly move in different circles. So... do you know anything about these worms?”

She thought momentarily, trying to grasp any hidden information she might have. Suddenly, she recalls an awful detail about those creatures. They were known as Mind Flayers, alien beasts of great intelligence and agents of a god known as the Absolute. The worms they had given her and Astarion were tadpoles in their incubation stage. Once the incubation is completed…. “Unfortunately, yes… They’ll turn us into Mind Flayers…”

His eyes widened with disbelief as he processed what she had just said. “Turn us into… Hah!” He lets out a nervous laugh before regaining his composure. “Of course, it will turn me into a monster.” He sighs softly as he looks away. “What else did I expect?” A moment passes as he suddenly comes to a realization. The incubation process is usually swift. Nothing has happened to them yet. “Although… It hasn’t happened yet. If we can find an expert, someone that can control these things, there might still be time.”

Ellynn looks at him in disbelief. Control them? It’s impossible! “Control them??? We need to get rid of them!”

He chuckles somewhat in response, understanding her hesitation. “You know… I was ready to go this alone, but maybe sticking with you isn’t such a bad idea.” He leans closely, having a good look at her. She was quite pretty for a half-elf. Heterochromia eyes, one blue, one brown. Simple markings of soft blue silhouettes of birds under her left eye. Medium-length brown hair with braids on the right side of her head. And a small scar strewn across her nose. “And you seem like a useful person to know~” He soon pulls back as he bows to her. “Alright! I accept.” He straightens back up as he waves a hand at her. “Lead on.”

She thought that he was already infuriating about 5 minutes into this group. But he wasn’t bad-looking either. He is surprisingly robust and looks like he could be a good fighter. She soon begins to walk along the beach, returning to see if the black-haired woman is still there. She steps from where she lies but is nowhere to be seen. That is… She looked toward the ancient door and saw the woman trying to get it open with her mace. She and Astarion approach the woman, who continuously beats the mace against the sturdy door until she notices the two. She speaks up. “You. You were the one who freed me from the pod back at the ship.” She puts her mace away, showing she is no threat.

“What happened with your Gith friend?” Gith? The Githyanki. That’s who the second person is. A warrior race of green-tinted creatures with small noses, long mouths, piercing slitted eyes, and an aggressive personality based on their faith in Vlaakith, their Queen. She had ambushed you, thinking you were an accomplice with the Mind Flayers, but, after a brief surge through your mind, had joined with you to seize control of the ship and escape. She briefly tried to get you to turn away from the woman in the pod, but you ignored her to help anyway. She and the woman didn’t seem too thrilled with having to work together. The woman continues. “No surprise that she would leave us behind. She is a Gith, after all.” She looks toward Astarion. “You’ve found a new friend, I see.”

He gave her a bow, flashing a smile. “My name is Astarion, and who might you be, my dear?”

The woman rolls her eyes as she crosses her arms. “Shadowheart. That’s all I’ll tell you.”

“Shadowheart? Shadow…heart. I’m sure her parents meant well, but the name’s a little ominous, isn’t it? Unless she chose it herself. Which is even more worrying, honestly.”

“No one asked you, elf. And I don’t think I ever got your name. It is rude to not introduce yourself after you've rescued me.”

“Ellynn.”

“Ellynn. Such a kind name for a kind soul. Well, Ellynn, I have yet to find a way inside this ancient chamber. It may contain clues to what has happened to us.”

Astarion groans as he shakes his head. “We already know what happened. Those worms will turn us into those beasts.”

“Of course… But if that is the case, wouldn’t we have changed by now?”

“That’s what we’re trying to figure out. You’re… welcome to join us if you so please~ We could use all the help we can get.”

“Perhaps it would be wise to travel as a group. You may need as many able bodies as possible if we’re to survive this. I will join you.”

“Splendid! We’re growing into quite a harem~.”

Shadowheart scoffs in disgust. “More like a herd.”

“Oh, whatever. Shall we go now?”

Ellynn approaches the ancient door, looking over the markings left by the mace. Shadowheart quickly speaks up. “Don’t even bother. Thing’s as sturdy as titanium.” The half-elf soon takes out some thieves’ tools and attempts to pick the lock on the door. It took a couple of tries, but she got it open. Shadowheart stands there in awe. “Wait—you got it open? Just like that??”

Ellynn nods as she heads inside, Astarion and Shadowheart following closely behind. They were immediately surprised by a man who had come with a group to pillage whatever treasure was within the chambers. He was left behind to guard the door as he attempted to dash toward the next door. She leaps over the rail to block his way while Astarion gets out a bow and shoots an arrow right into the man’s hamstring, limiting his movements as he cries out. Shadowheart runs to the man and swings her mace right into his head, making him prone to losing his balance. He attempts to swing his sword at Ellynn but misses as he turns just inches from her head. The half-elf finishes him off, taking her staff and swinging it into his jaw before swinging again, breaking his skull as he falls to the stony ground, falling limp. There he was, dead on the cold stone, as Ellynn proceeded to loot his body for anything useful.

Astarion watches her with amusement. “Looting the corpse of your enemy? How scandalous~”

“He’s dead anyway. He doesn’t need this stuff.”

“Loving the attitude, darling. Keep it up!”

Ellynn makes her way to the next door and notices a lever on the wall. She pulls the lever as the door unlocks and swings open, revealing a group of pillagers. They had a magic user among them as she quickly cast HOLD PERSON on Ellynn, a purple glow freezing in her place. Astarion runs up behind her and aims her arm, aiming for the mage as he goes for a piercing shot this time. The shot manages to hit the mage in the side, causing her to take some damage. The other three fighters make their way closer to the group, one of them grabbing a stone and throwing it at Astarion’s head. He quickly dodges, the stone missing its mark. Shadowheart runs up behind Ellynn and charges a spell, invoking duplicity, a weak illusionary spell that sends a clone of herself in front of Ellynn, blocking their view of the half-elf. One of the opposing men runs up at the clone and swings his ax down, making it take half the damage from the swing. Another takes out a crossbow and shoots a bolt right at Astarion, but he dodges again, making it miss its mark. The mage attempts to heal herself but can only slightly ease the pain. This breaks her concentration as the spell on Ellynn wears off, allowing her to move again. She takes this chance to move past the clone and throws a fire bolt at the mage, causing her to combust before going limp. This sets the rest of her group in a rage as they dash for Ellynn. Astarion takes this opportunity to run in and make a sneak attack on the man with the ax, stabbing his dagger into his side and twisting the blade until he falls. One swift man runs at Ellynn and manages to s***h her in the side, making her drop to her knees as she groans. He was ready to swing down on her when Shadowheart’s clone rushed over and bashed him in the back of the head with her mace, making him drop to his knees in a daze. The real Shadowheart runs to aid Ellynn, using a simple spell to ease the pain and slow the bleeding as she helps her back to her feet. Ellynn takes this opportunity to distance herself from the dazed man as he attempts to get back up and take a chance to attack her as she runs. Shadowheart sees this and swings her mace at him, this time delivering a killing blow. The last man attempts to flee to the next chamber, Astarion following and leaving the women alone.

Shadowheart approaches Ellynn, taking out a healing potion. “It’s not much, but it’ll help for now.”

Ellynn drinks the potion, her wound sealing shut and the pain fading. She still felt exhausted, but she could move well again. “Thank you.”

They hear the last man let out a final shriek before silence. Astarion returns, wiping blood splatters off his face. He notices the two looking at him with concern as he chuckles. “I was furious today. I needed to let out some steam.”

Shadowheart slowly puts her mace away. “Don’t try anything like that on me or Ellynn…”

“ Why would I ever waste such gorgeous company? Especially since you two are in the same situation as I am.”

Ellynn rubs along her side a bit as she straightens up. “Nevermind. Let’s loot these guys and get back outside. The sun is setting. We’ll need to set up camp for now.”

The three loot the group, finding valuable jewelry, more weapons, and a couple of spell scrolls before finally making their way back outside, the sun setting behind the mountains. Ellynn notices Astarion hanging about with a somewhat confused look as they begin setting up camp.

She approaches the pale elf, helping him set up his tent. “Your little friend seems dour tonight,” he began. “Must not relish the idea of sprouting tentacles… Understandable. Can’t say I’m a fan either.”

“Neither am I… Honestly, I can barely remember anything before the ship. It’s so daunting to think about…”

“Well, either way, it’s just a little hard to be joining in anything when all of this feels so new.” The sky slowly darkens as stars peek out in the void as he looks up a bit. “The night normally means bustling streets, bursting taverns.” He then looks down at his bedroll near a small pit for a campfire. “Curling up in the dirt and resting is…. A little novel.”

Ellynn chuckles as she finishes setting up the tent for him. “Give it a try. We’ll need to be fresh in the morning, after all.”

“I’m in no place to rest yet. Today has been a lot. I need some time to think things through. To process this.” He then looks down at her. “You sleep. I’ll keep watch.”

Ellynn looks up at him. Seeing his eyes in the shadows was hard, but she smiled somewhat. “Thank you. I’ll sleep better for that.”

Astarion smiled, seeming to approve of her acceptance. “The pleasure is all mine. Sweet dreams.”

Ellynn and Shadowheart lay on their bedrolls while Astarion stood by his tent for a bit. As Ellynn gently began to doze off to sleep, she could hear soft footsteps as she opened her eyes to see what was happening. She caught a strange sight. Astarion slowly sneaked out of the campsite, his body language indicating he was stalking something. Perhaps he saw something and went to check on it to see what it was. That’s what she thought, giving him the benefit of the doubt as she turned away and went to sleep.

Soon after, he returns to the sight, wiping blood from his face and his hands as he makes his way to his bedroll, but not before looking at the women. He contemplated a bit, though it is unknown what. He shakes his head and nestles into the bedroll, finally able to rest easily after a good hunt. The morning would be here soon, he thought to himself. What an exciting start to a whole new adventure.