Welcome to Tal Nareth
A dungeons and dragons short story
Before you dive into this short story, I would like to give you a little bit of a background to these stories. Ashlyn «Ash» Quinn» was the first dnd character that I truly got to play out in a more in depth way, before that my experience playing Dungeons and Dragons had been with more surface level characters. The type of character you create quickly, just to have fun with friends and not expect the characters to survive for long.
Ash was part of an almost three year long campaign that was named «Clouds over Kindred Maw» by our DM, in his imaginary world that he uses to set up the games we play. These weekly games became a highlight of the week for me throughout the pandemic, gave me a group of friends that I am deeply fond of and it gave me a spark to pick up my own writing again.
The stories are all written from Ash’s point of view, and I used the stories to create layers in her, to get to know this character and understand how I would like to play her in the setting we were given. Every other character, places, fractions that are mentioned are the creations of our DM and the rest of the group - those stories belong to them.
Ash’s backstory was heavily inspired by all the grim dark fantasy books I had read over the years and it fit perfectly into the world we were playing in. It is a very basic backstory:
A half orc fire-genasi born into a pleasure house in a small town far far away. One day a mighty wizard from another region «The Maw» , in the empire, buys her and brings her back to his tower. Ash was always pushing boundaries and ended up becoming a rogue, sneaking around doing her masters bidding. Eventually he grew tired of her shenanigans and sold her off to the Influence, a mysterious and dark organisation led by mind flayers.
Ash survived in a harsh environment for two years and eventually made her escape. She met up with another cleric named Kreshnik, who was also on the run from the Influence and together they made their way to The Maw, where their paths crossed with a group of other misfits: Ansa, the charming bard, a quiet barbarian named Pørp, a carefree and happy druid named Luna, the wise cleric Kreshnik and a young paladin named Mara. This is were the story of this crazy group of misfits began.
Welcome to Tal Nareth however, is Ash’s story, of her first meeting with her new home and master.
Characters in this short story
Ash - half orc fire genasi, bought by a known wizard Neeloth Vydren
Neeloth Vydren, a drow wizard. Lives in Tal Nareth - a huge mushroom tower in the region of Kindred Maw
Baron, a half-orc, a soldier who lives and works in Tal Nareth and is responsible for training the men and running the place
Zored, a wood elf who works as a carpenter in Tal Nareth.
The wizards tower
The wagon came to a abrupt halt, low rumbling voices surrounded the wagon and the air was filled with things being moved around. Ashlyn quietly crept forward and stared out through a hole in the wall. She could not make out the people, but caught a glimpse of a half-orc, brown skin and a large scar across his arms that seemed to pulse when he crossed his arms. He grunted some orders, pointed at someone and then moved out of her sight.
The sudden sound of the key turning in the door behind her made her jump and she withdrew further into the shadows. The wizard lord who had bought her had travelled ahead, but before leaving them he had given his men strict orders to keep her there. Her failed attempt at running off when they’d made a stop outside Delhumide, had made him stricter.
Neeloth Vydren, the mysterious wizard of Tal Nareth, was used to his orders being followed and her failed escape attempt had only earned her a single chain around her left ankle. It had gradually gnawed at her skin on the long journey east, to the district of Kindred Maw. The crew had not really spoken to her, but she had been treated nicely enough and one of the mercenaries had entertained her with his pan flute when they had sensed she was unsettled.
Nevertheless, it did not help. Ashlyn did not want to be here. She wanted to go home. Back to the pleasure house, running in the dirty alleys with her friends, and challenging each other to pickpocket the customers. She wanted the warmth of her mothers hugs, the sent of the spiced tea and the low humming from the kitchens. She wanted it so bad it made her chest ache.
The door opened and she was temporarily blinded by the strong sunlight coming in, she covered her face with her arm and waited. The mercenary climbed in and he gestured for her to stretch out her foot so he could remove the chain. He took it off and her sore ankle tingled. When he moved to the side, Ashlyn did not hesitate. Without warning she threw herself towards him, used him as a springboard and jumped out of the wagon. Caught by the surprise he failed to grab her as she went flying past him.
Baron, who had been busy making sure the wagons were being properly unloaded was startled when the mercenaries and crew suddenly started to shout, laugh and run past him. He turned just in time to see a little half-orc girl with fiery red-orange hair jump out the wagon, not hesitating for a moment and running as fast as she could away. “Damn fast little thing” he thought before he grabbed a rope from a nearby wagon and ran after.
Ashlyn heard the shouts and the running footsteps behind her, but she quick and dodged them all. A smile started to form on her lips, she was going to get out. She never got to finish that thought at something hit her feet and before she knew it she tumbled to the ground. She was scrambling to get back on her feet when someone grabbed her and pinned her to the ground. Fighting all she could she tried to get out of his grip to no use, so she finally hissed at the half-orc, showing off her small fangs.
He stunned expression gave her a second chance to try and wiggle out, before he tightened his grip on her and laughed “Feisty little thing aren’t you?” he said before he dragged her up on, her feet dangling just above ground. Ashlyn trashed again trying to get out of his grip. Baron met the eyes of the now laughing crew, sighed dramatically and looked down at her again.
“Now. Are you gonna run off again or can I put you down on your feet?” still holding her just above the ground. She sent such a dark glare that he could not help but laughing again. He slowly put her down, but he had barely let go before she tried to run off again, Baron grabbed her collar with ease. “Hey! Hey!” he said and held her firmly around the neck as he made her walk forward until they passed the gate.
“No need to make this harder than it needs to be kid” He let go and stepped in front of her, studying, his eyes finally resting on her ankle. Baron made a move to check her wound, but she quickly stepped out his reach and turned, only to see the gate closing behind her. The half-orc watched as her small shoulders sank in resignation and he carefully stretched out his hand and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder as he slowly made her turn around to face him.
She had dark red eyes, with a clear golden ring around her iris, her skin had what looked like naturally formed carvings all the up her arms that occasionally glowed. Her long fiery red orange hair seem to shine on its own. “You are a stubborn one aren’t you?” the girl did not reply, but held his gaze so he smiled again “My name is Baron. I am one of Master Vydrens’ swordsmen. And you are?”
“Is she being difficult?”
Ashlyn instantly pulled back as she recognised the voice and Baron turned to see Neeloth Vydren himself standing there. She had seen him at the pleasure house, when she had been sneaking in to observe the guests and maybe check out a pocket or two. He had locked eyes with her, even when she had been hiding in the shadows and it had startled her, that interested look. She had felt like a prey being studied and had quickly run off. Before she knew it, she had been told to pack up her stuff, not even being able to say goodbye t o her mother and off they’d gone.
Just like that.
Vydren stood in front of them, his arms crossed and with a dark look in his eyes. Ashlyn swallowed and took another step backwards, exactly where she was going she did not know, anywhere but here would work. “Nothing unexpected. She tried to run off when we opened the door” Baron informed him and quickly regretted it when he saw the drows eyes narrow and shoot the girl an even darker glare. He stepped in behind her, to prevent her from running off again and laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder, Vydren nodded and he nudged her closer.
Ashlyn stumbled forward, looked up at Baron who offered her a reassuring smile and nodded for her to move closer to the drow. She swallowed hard again and slowly walked up to Vydren, avoiding his glare. He studied her with an annoyed look on his face.
“Make sure she gets a bath. I do not want any filth inside my tower. There is a room where she can be settled. I will inspect her later, give her the house rules.” and he was gone. Baron lay a hand on her shoulder again and she jumped, instantly moving away from him. “Now now, I am not going to hurt you kid. Well, I suppose a welcome is in order. Welcome to Tal Nareth. This will be your new home” He walked past her and started to walk up to the tower, but she did not move. He looked back at her and sighed, before he walked back and squatted in front of her.
“Look. Let me give you some advice. You are young. Far too young for this in my opinion. But this is the reality of the lives of slaves” the girl looked down at her feet “Yes, I know what you are.” he said softly and gently lifted her chin up “I know you’re far from home. That this is the last place you want to be. But here you are. Now, how this is going to turn out is up to you. Master Vydren is…can be a difficult master. But he is not cruel, not intentionally anyways. So, lets start from the beginning eh? What is your name?”
Ashlyn looked at him, taking in his words. She wanted to go home. To the pleasure house. To the dirty streets. The secret alleys with hidden adventures. To steal cookies from the Madam. And her mother. She wanted to snuggle up with her mother by the oak tree, hear her tell stories, laugh and dream away. Suddenly the full weight of what had happened hit her. She was never going back. Her chest ached, tears started to well up in her eyes and her lower lip started to tremble.
Her mom.
She missed her mother so much it hurt. Baron sat down in front of her and drew her into a big warm hug, and she could not hold it in anymore and started to cry, asking for her mother between the sobs, if she was good could she go back? Could he please take her back home? “Oh I know. I know kid.” They sat there for a while as she cried and Baron patted her gently on her back.
“Baron?” a worried voice from behind them asked.
A grey skinned half-elf came up with a worried look on his face. “What are you - oh” he said and stopped when he saw the little half-orc girl drying her tears. “I heard he had bought a child, but I didn't quite believe it…” Baron got up and brushed off some of the dirt on his clothes “Well, it certainly was unexpected. Zored, this is...uhm, well, she hasn't actually said her name yet” Zored looked at her and tried to smile but it looked awkward, so he just waved them indoors “Come, I’ll get the two of you something to eat” They waited until she made a move before walking in themselves.
Baron placed her on a seat near the carpenters workspace and then exchanged looks with the half-elf. Zored asked one of the servants to find them some hot broth and some bread before giving her an oat cookie. While she slowly ate, he whispered “Why on earth would he buy a child?” Baron shrugged “I’ve got no clue. She must have something he is interested in, that's the only thing I can think of.” They turned to look at her, but to their surprise she wasn't there. “Oh bloody hell, not again!” Baron cursed and checked under the tables.
The half-elf looked surprised “What do you mean again?!” Baron ran out and sure enough, there she was in the middle of the court yard, but she was not running. She looked scared and when they looked at her hands, they both realised why. Both her hands were on fire. Flames came out of her fists, the small carvings Baron had seen on her were now glowing bright orange, like a brewing fire. Her eyes were wide and she tried to put the flames out, but they kept burning.
“Oh! Ooooh!” Zored exclaimed and ran towards her, he stopped a few steps in front of her and carefully laid his hands on her shoulders, avoiding the burning hands. She looked at him with huge eyes, her chest heaving. “Eeeeeasy. Easy. Just breathe. Slowly. In and out.” He breathed with her and she started to calm down, slowly the flames died out and he slowly let go of her shoulders. “There you go. Just breathe. No harm done. See?” He said smiling and pointing to himself.
Baron rubbed his neck and when Zored swooped her up in his arms and carried her back inside, they both understood why Master Vydren had decided to buy this child. A fire genasi. The girl clung to Zored until they carried her up to her room, and before he put her down she whispered to both of them “Ashlyn Quinn.”
They both looked at her “Welcome Ashlyn” they murmured back, before leaving her in her new quarters. “A child and a fire genasi in Tal Nareth. Things are going to be interesting now” Baron said grinning as they walked away. Zored just smiled his usual calm smile “She is just a scared child, what can she possibly do?”
Fabulous details. Amazing world building. Proud of you getting your words down and sharing them. There’s such an audience for fantasy tales for you to tap into. Brava!