tags: d&d au, unexpected companions, inappropriate use of spell slots, there was only one bedroll
something something, artificer Dustin puts together a d&d party to rescue the daughter of some rich dude from the clutches of some other rich dude
Dustin wants all his bases covered, so he calls in his usual crew (sorcerer Will, ranger Lucas, paladin Mike) plus a few people he's worked with before (rogue Erica, champion fighter Max, barbarian Nancy, bard Robin, forge domain cleric Steve)
problem is, they've only got two days left until they have to set off and he's pretty sure they're going to need a druid, too...
fortunately, d&d craigslist is very reliable and not at all sketchy: Dustin puts an advert up at the local inn, and Lurks
druid Eddie is the first and only applicant, because Dustin swoops down on him the moment he pauses to read the ad and forcibly interviews him for the position before hiring him immediately
Steve is, of course, suspicious. what are the chances a druid just so happens to wander into the exact place where Dustin put his ad? and just so happens to be looking for work? and just so happens to be happy to take on a dangerous quest at the say-so of a total stranger? there's got to be a catch
as the adventure begins, Eddie remains elusive whenever Steve tries to ask about his past. he deflects, distracts, sometimes outright lies. Steve is a protector of his people, though, so he can't just let it go. what if Eddie's dangerous?
cue enemies-to-lovers arc over the course of the adventure, including at least three Only One Bedroll moments because shenanigans (and also Max and Erica have caught on that there's Tension so they might be helpfully destroying or "losing" Steve's bedroll at every opportunity)
there might be some bodily fluids exchanged. and several deeply inappropriate uses of the thorn whip spell
and of course right when Steve is about to finally trust Eddie with his heart, the quest turns out to be a lie. the kidnapped daughter of the rich dude is actually a runaway!
and the other rich dude - the one who supposedly kidnapped warlock El - knew Lord Brenner would send adventurers after her, so he sent his own agent among them so he'd have warning of their arrival and capabilities. Steve can almost respect the play. if it wasn't for the fact that Lord Creel's agent is the guy he's been getting kind of cosy with over the last few weeks...
Lord Creel is a very nice and reasonable man, not at all Evil, and invites the extended party to stay to see how comfortable El is with him. the party minus Steve agrees, because hey, if they're not going to be getting any kind of reward from Lord Brenner they might as well have a fancy vacation at Lord Creel's not at all creepy mansion in the woods, right? and eventually Dustin talks Steve round
he's not happy about it, though. we get a classic betrayal arc, in which Steve avoids Eddie around the place and Eddie tries desperately to corner Steve and apologise for lying to him, and the rest of the party is gradually lulled into believing everything is Fine and Normal in the Creel house...
ofc everything is not Fine and Normal. Steve finds evidence of magical experimentation on children in the attics when he gets lost trying to avoid Eddie
something something, Steve tries to convince the others they're in danger, tries to convince El her brother is using her, but none of them believe him - Lord Creel has his psychic claws too deep. only Robin is able to snap out of it, and even then only for short periods while Steve is actively talking to her about it
he tries to convince the party to leave, but they don't want to - Lord Creel is happy to host them for as long as they want, El needs friends, it would be cruel of them to leave now!
Steve can't cause too much of a fuss, or Lord Creel might notice he's been rumbled, so he plays along during the day but tries to keep exploring at night - maybe, if he finds enough evidence, the others will believe him
Eddie finally tracks Steve down on one of his night wanders and tries to apologise, but Steve assumes he knows about Lord Creel's experiments - Eddie's basically his right hand man, no way he doesn't know - and shuts him down. it doesn't matter that Eddie lied anymore, it matters that he's party to torture and murder
Eddie keeps trying, night after night, and eventually Steve snaps and confronts him about Lord Creel's dark side - when Eddie says Steve's making it up because he's jealous, Steve shows him the attic
then we get the final act, in which Eddie breaks free of Lord Creel's influence and helps Steve set up a plan to take Creel down
something something, they succeed because I say so, but not without a dramatic sacrifice play from Eddie, some love confessions, and Steve expending the last of his spell slots to heal Eddie before dropping unconscious himself
it's all very classic adventure romance, is what I'm saying :P
and, of course, they all live happily ever after!
(and yes, steddie do keep using thorn whip inappropriately, thanks for asking :P)
