Once again, Remnants and company found themselves in the heat of battle while crossing The Fence. At this moment, they were fending off a devil of some sort. More than likely summoned by a little magic mishap by one of the members. In the center of the fray were the two barbarians, and the demon-weilding swordsman. While the wizard and necromancer stayed a couple dozen feet away, trusting in their skills. And finally tucked behind the rocks was Jem, waiting to get the perfect shot.
They just needed a little extra help. Jem’s line of sight wasn’t great and they’d rather not repeat what happened to Lewellyn on the ship months back with Faye or Lövi. But as they began charging the zephyr spell, they felt their entire body shiver in the familiar feeling of static electricity. A wild magic surge. They closed their eyes, and braced for impact of whatever was to come their way.
Jem felt their mind fade off into a sort of limbo. Their limbs all suddenly began aching as the surge coursed through their veins. In this space of darkness where their consciousness was held, a feeling washed over them. Not one they were too familiar with, but one that made them feel safe and promised them that whatever was to happen next, things would be okay.
With their eyes still closed, they felt their feet land on a solid floor. The winds from the mountains stilled, and instead they heard the crackling of a fire and the sound of dishes being rattled around. Opening their eyes, Jem found themselves in the middle of a cabin.
Being dark outside, the only light in the room was from the fire and some lit candles from around the open living space. The house was tidy, aside from a couple stray cups from what they assumed was a meal. It was decorated humbly, with a dark wooden kitchen table in the joint kitchen, dining room area. And a couch and chair in the living room, with a couple blankets strewn across them.
About five feet away from Jem was a woman with her back turned, who was humming cheerily as she washed the dishes. She was average height, her long, dark hair had grey streaks and they seemingly have been there for awhile. Her shoulders were broad and lean, they could tell through the plaid patterned shirt she wore.
“C’mon dove, you’re leaving me hanging here.” She said, turning around and seeing Jem, clad in their desert clothes and cowboy hat, ready to fire. Her tan, slightly scarred face turned from one of mischief to neutral, careful not to give anything away. She cautiously raised her hands in surrender, eyeing Jem.
Jem, upon realizing how horrible this looked, trusted their instincts and tossed the bow and arrow across the room, and mimicked her in raising their hands, “Miss, I am so sorry for the intrusion. This has been one big misunderstanding.”
The woman nodded, seemingly as if she was understanding, “That’s… okay. Just tell me where the other girl is and we’ll get things sorted out.”
This had Jem taken aback a little, adding even more to their confusion. “What other girl?” Taking a second to think back on everything they knew about wild magic -which admittedly is very little- Jem could only come up with one solution. “Oh you know, this isn’t the first time wild magic has made people swap locations with another. My best friend did a little do-si-do with a werewolf once and then we fell down a hole together. It was wild. Although admittedly they were only a maximum thirty feet apart. I can’t even imagine what side of the world I’m on right now, and please you seem awfully nice but typically the longer I speak the closer I get to shooting myself in the foot. If you could-”
The woman approached placing her hand on their shoulder to hopefully get them to slow down, “I got it, you can relax. Before we figure anything out, let’s start with names, all right? I’m Imdra.”
Jem tipped their hat, offering her a kind yet nervous smile. “Jem Morale, pleasure’s mine, and thank you for not kicking my ass.” They nodded to her firm grip on their shoulder, “I bet you could give me one hell of a run for my money.”
Imdra smiled at that, a bit of a cocky grin before she corrected herself and regained her composure, “You’re insightful, I’ll give you that.” She dropped her hand in favour of placing her hands on her hips. “All right Jem, where are you from? Where would Rowen be right now?”
At the mention of her name, there was a tug in the back of Jem’s mind. Like some odd psychic connection that Jem hadn’t experienced before. “Rowen?” They asked, and even though logically this woman was completely foreign to them, her name felt all too familiar.
Completely oblivious to the storm brewing in Jem’s head, Imdra clarified, “The girl that was here before, my… roommate.”
Jem couldn’t help the smirk that crossed their face, “Roommate, huh?” The way her eyes narrowed in response had Jem straightening themselves out right away, “I don’t mean any harm by it. I’ve had a… roommate before as well. That’s all.” Jem removed their hat, grabbing a seat before continuing, “I come from Katril, but I was just at The Fence with my friends crossing over.. to … Vedra.”
They hesitated adding onto their spiel as Imdra’s face only became more and more confused. It was as if Jem was speaking another language. “Where am I now?”
Imdra took a minute to think, pacing a little trying to come up with an explanation, “Icewind Dale.”
“Is that in Bleisia?” Jem asked, honestly. It’s the only place Jem hadn’t travelled themselves yet, but they hadn’t heard Szen or Helra mention this prior.
“Faerȗn.” Imdra replied, once again a little stunned by Jem’s words.
Jem shook their head in disbelief, panic beginning to settle in again. They spoke slightly out of breath, “That’s not a place, is it?”
“Funny words coming from a person who apparently doesn’t live anywhere on the map.” Imdra replied in an equally shocked voice. She shakes her head, rushing to her front door and throwing on a jacket.
“What’re you doing?” They asked, getting up to follow her and grabbing Pazuzu (their beloved bow) along the way.
Beginning to bundle herself with a scarf and gloves, she answered, “If this Bleisia-Fence-whatever place is just very far away, then Rowen’s sending stone should be able to reach her. Which is in my make-shift office. And, if you’re gonna be here awhile,” she cringed at Jem’s outfit choice, “you’re gonna want a change of clothes.”
They stared out the closest window, watching the snowfall around the small town, and the moon just peeking out behind some overcast clouds. “There’s a clothing store open this late?”
“Yeah, about that,” Imdra pressed her lips in a thin line, leading Jem out into the cold, “I was just cleaning up lunch. We’ve been without the sun for a long time, and we don’t expect to see it again anytime soon.”
They sighed, crossing their arms and rubbing them to try and stay warm, keeping up a quick walking pace so that they could get to the destination without succumbing to frostbite, “Is it a bad time to mention I was in the middle of the desert just yesterday?”
At that, Imdra threw her head back and laughed, “Oh, I bet Rowen’s just loving that right now.”
~*~
One moment, Rowen was hyping herself up. Trying her best to help tidy up after lunch, but was uncharacteristically quiet. She couldn’t quite find the words to ask Imdra what they were, or if Imdra even wanted a label. Rowen’s mind had gone in circles so many times about this, that for a second she thought the anxiety had made her pass out.
As Rowen’s vision of the cabin became shrouded in darkness, and her body was levitated to a plane beyond her comprehension. That assumption was immediately dashed as her entire body ached in this limbo. But despite the pain, Rowen knew things were going to be alright.
Her feet landed on a mountain top, the sun beaming down on her for the first time in ages. Rowen almost found it in herself to stare directly at it in a moment of absolute glee. It was the clanging of blades and familiar grunts of battle that brought Rowen back down to earth.
Peering from behind a rock, she caught a glimpse of them. A party of adventurers taking on a fiend face to face. With its tail, it lashed out against a very tall, red humanoid with long hair. He collided into a mountain nearby, blood gushing from wounds that had appeared long before Rowen’s arrival.
Considering her options, and the fact that the only weaponry she brought with her to this strange place was her arm that remained attached, and a dirty fork from lunch, she decided to help when and where she could. Coming out of her hiding place, Rowen dashed towards the unconscious man.
Upon closer inspection, this man was of demon-kind. He was tall, over seven feet easy. He had two sets of horns, a smaller pair sprouting out of the flat surface of his forehead and the larger set curved along the natural shape of his skull. His two-toned hair -the majority of it being closest to a cream colour, with deep red streaks hidden throughout- reached past his shoulders, and he dressed in fine, neutral coloured clothes. A poofy sleeved shirt accompanied by a vest. His deep red wings cacooned his sides in his dying state. The bleeding had only gotten worse before Rowen placed her hands against his chest and cast a healing spell.
This casting felt different. The way it flowed out of her it almost stuttered on the way out. It made Rowens arm hairs stand on end, and anxiety dwell in the pit of her stomach.
She should’ve taken the warning.
Instead, Rowen decided to worry about it later.
Her necklace gave off a faint glow as some of his wounds sealed up, and the tiefling snapped awake. Adjusting his eyes to the surroundings, he became very confused at the sight of Rowen, “Who’re you?”
With a two fingered salute Rowen replied, “Here to help.”
She spun around, aiming her glowing gemstone at the fiend and channeled her magic to fire a blast of radiance towards the hellspawn. The injured man launched upwards with his wings, extending a set of claws with a growl, and heading back into the clash. Catching its attention for just a second Rowen followed up with enchanting the piece of silverware she still held with the catapult spell and launching it forward, hitting the fiend in the temple.
And instinctively, she tried to summon her mage hand to toss it back. Instead, she felt a howling surge of energy as her spell fizzled out. The static feeling was a hundred times more powerful and as sudden as it came, it left. She had no idea what happened, or what that even meant, Rowen was only left with an odd itching at her scalp.
The killing blow was dealt by a pale woman with long, white, flowing hair who was about the same size of the axe she used to chop off the head of that devil. Her furious gold eyes turned on Rowen, as she gestured at the genasi shouting, “Who the fuck are you?!” She dressed in very little clothing, blacks, reds, and golds that showed a lot of skin. Wrapped around her axe, her fingers were adorned with very similar expensive looking rings that glimmered in the sun. And all the gold on hermatched two small dots just below her eyes.
Looking around in the crowd of strangers, there were five in total. Along with the demon and the pale woman, there was a tall pale man standing right next to the decapitated body of the fiend. He was dressed in all black, leather armour worn over a set of black pants and a black dress shirt with the sleeves partially rolled up. He tucked his scarlet sword and shield away, and gazed at her curiously with silver, pupil-less eyes.
On either side of the battlefield were two casters. A young tiefling -couldn’t be more than twenty years old- joined the others near the dead body. He stood out amongst the crowd with rich, purple skin, and spikes on his elbows and both sets of knees. Although his short, sandy brown hair was tame in comparison to his palette, it helped his teal eyes stand out from quite a distance. He was dressed in nothing but a short, beige bodysuit.
And finally, the first to approach Rowen was a drow lady. Dressed in a beautiful looking, but also battle functioning grey and blue corset dress and black pants underneath. A matching large hat protected her stone-grey skin and deep blue eyes from the harshness of the sun. It also partially covered her bobbed, white hair that was tucked behind one of her pointed ears.
Her hands were still up defensively, readying to cast a spell at a moment’s notice, “Who are you?”
Rowen was about to respond, but instead decided to act like she was in control of the situation. She closed her eyes peacefully, putting up a finger to give herself a second as she laid against the nearest stone hill. The warmth from the rock relaxed her tense shoulders, and she waved her hand as if inviting the party to continue, “All right, let the interrogation begin.”
The drow positioned her hat to get a better look at Rowen, froze for a second, blinking in surprise before asking,“What-What’re you doing?”
“You guys seem awfully strong and big and scary,” Rowen taunted, letting the sun's rays soak into her skin, “but if you knew where I’ve been for the past three and a half years you wouldn’t blame me for doing this.”
The tall, pale man strode up to her until he was right in front of Rowen’s prone form, his shadow bleeding through her closed eyelids. “What’s your name?” He questioned, voice completely barren of emotion.
“Rowena Kane, call me Rowen.” She put up her flesh hand blindly for an introduction. “Nice to meet ya.”
She felt him grab her hand and yank her upwards roughly and with a grunt. As to not fall flat on her face, Rowen opened her eyes, rolling them at the annoyance and put one foot in front of her to catch herself.
“Guyth,” the young tiefling chimed in, voice cracking a bit, “where’th Jem?”
Jem. The name tugged at the back of Rowen’s mind and it was so sudden, the emotions that rushed out of her made her blurt out, “Jem, I know Jem!” And immediately the heads turned back to her as concerned faces washed over the unfamiliar faces. Pulling away from the man, Rowen smacked herself in the forehead, “Shit, sorry, I don’t! Why did I say that? I don’t know who you’re talking about.”
“Well, did you see them?” The drow spoke up again, trotting over to Rowen at a quick pace. “Tall, tan skin, scarred face.”
“Black hair?” Rowen questioned, a flash of a stranger coming into her mind. And worry pulsed through her veins at the thought of this person being lost. Or possibly in pain.
“Tho you do know them?” The tiefling asked.
She blinked a few times in response, but her head was completely empty. She didn’t know how she knew them, but knowing her own history it didn't mean Rowen hadn’t met them at some point in her fuzzy -at best- past, “I cannot stress enough how I’ve never heard of this person in my life. I just… feel like I know them.”
The drow nodded slowly, trying to process this but Rowen interjected, “I know that makes no sense! But that’s the most sense I can make of this!”
“Okay, just breathe. We’ll figure this out.” The drow paused until Rowen let out three, deliberate and slow breaths. “I’m Lewellyn, and we’re with The Remnants.”
Rowen nodded as if she understood completely, “Right, The Remnants.” Another beat. “I’m sorry, is that like a band?”
Lewellyn closed her eyes, seemingly on the edge of losing it. The purple tiefling stepped between the two, sticking out his hand for introduction, “Yep, a band of adventurerth! I’m Kumo.”
“That’s totally what I meant.” Rowen shook his hand with about half as much enthusiasm.
“Okay Rowen,” Lewellyn continued, “where did you come from? Where might Jem be?”
“Icewind Dale.” Rowen answered, short and sweet. From the confusion written across their faces, Rowen tried to reason with them, “I know people aren’t supposed to be able to enter or leave there, but I’d say this is pretty special circumstances.”
Lewellyn shook her head, “That’s not it. I’ve never heard of that place, any of you?” She asked, turning back to the rest of her party.
Rowen was extremely taken aback, “C’mon, I know it hasn’t been covered up. The icey place up north that’s been Auril’s bitch for the past few years.”
“Auril?” Lewellyn asked, crossing her arms getting slightly exasperated. “We don’t know any Auril, and trust me we’ve encountered plenty of powerful enemies. Just hold on,” she took another breath, “do you know about wild magic? Has your casting been affected at all?”
Rowen shook her head, recalling the incessant itching at her scalp, “Not until I sprung up here. Is that what’s going on, magic’s broken?”
“Yeah, and it might’ve been what brought you here and placed Jem somewhere else.” She replied, her gaze leaving Rowen’s completely as she stared off into space.
“So, how do I get back?” Rowen’s question went unanswered throughout the group. The silence only lingering as her vision began to blur. Panic setting in and the wool sweater dress becoming suffocating under the beaming sun. “You don’t understand, I need to get back. I have people counting on me and I-” the fear froze the sentence in the back of her throat.
Names of her people -her friends- echoed in the back of her head. Imdra. Vadryn. Sio.
Ben.
The short, pale girl meandered her way forward, putting her hand on Rowen’s shoulder in reassurance. Tears of frustration pricking at the girl’s eyes, “We will get you back, we have to. Jem…” a deep breath and for a moment Rowen was touched by the girl’s concern. “Jem has all of the party’s money on them. We’re broke!”
The white haired man deadpanned, “The party’s broke, Faye, you’re going to be okay.”
Faye, the pale woman, turned to him, she reiterated shaking her head, “We’re broke, because if any of you mother fuckers try asking for my money because Jem has the funds I’m not going to happy. So as far as I’m concerned, we’re all broke.”
Rowen pressed her lips into a thin-lipped smile as she spoke, sarcasm dripping off of her, “Your concern over your friend is heartwarming.”
Faye took a second recollecting herself as she spoke with thinly veiled anger, “I’m worried about Jem. Of course I am. But that’s like three thousand in gold and nine hundred in diamonds we’re missing out on. Don’t we need those diamonds to not die?”
“Fair point.” Lewellyn came back to conversation, a new calm washing over her. “First thing’s first, we need to get back to the guild hall. Talk to Romy and the others, and see if they’ve even heard of Icewind Dale or a magic surge this powerful.” She reached out and grabbed Rowen’s hand to try and give some comfort, “And then we’ll get you home.”
The genasi nodded, conviction bleeding through her words, “We have to.”
