Dinner Party - Nym's Story

When her turn came, Nym smiled down at her wine, swirling it gently as she began, "Since we last were together here, my life has been quite quiet... which is how I've liked it." She looked up at the group, and continued, "I was burned quite badly in Llewellyn, so I went home to heal..." "In more ways than one," she finished in her mind. 

Her eyes glazed slightly as she stared into the middle distance remembering her life over the past three years. A soft smile spread across her face as she continued, "I've been able to rekindle friendships from my childhood, and... other times." She blushed slightly, thinking if Illuvaen and how their relationship had deepened and intensified in the last few months. Her hand absently went to her necklace, a simple silver chain decorated with a small moonstone, which had been a gift from Illuvaen shortly before she left for Baldur's Gate.

"Do you remember when we were sucked into the Dream Plane?" Nym asked, looking at Darvin and Talathel. "We were attacked by that monologuing purple worm? ...I am sad to say the entire plane collapsed roughly two years ago. Luckily, many of our friends escaped before its destruction. By happy chance, Illuvaen found me in Silverymoon just this last fall." She blushed a deeper shade of red and tucked her messy, long hair behind her ear. 

"Apparently, when we returned here, Illuvaen's mother took control and ruled the land as ruthlessly as the shadowcasters." Nym frowned, feeling guilty that they hadn't been able to destroy the crystal. "Along with Illuvaen, about 100 members of the resistance survived the collapse and now live throughout the Silver Marches. Dohn Aeskmi, the ex-monk, lives in Silverymoon, as does Miss Stake." Nym looked thoughtful for a moment, adding, "You know, they have very strange names. I never thought about it before..." She shook her head, laughing, and added, "I even received a letter over winter from Druuv, the arctic goblin who helped us, telling me she and some of her people had escaped the collapse. They're living north of the Marches in the Spine of the World mountains near Mithral Hall." Nym's brow furrowed, and she added, "I'm not sure what happened to the shadowcasters or the half elf queen, though... They could be in Faerun as well."

Nym was quiet for a moment before adding, "I've been happy. Truly happy." She smiled, thinking of Illuvaen, her father, her friends, and the forest all waiting for her in the Silver Marches. Pipper scratched on Nym's leg, stretching and yawning to get her attention. She picked up the fox and set him on her lap, rubbing her fingers through his soft, white fur.

Finding Peace

It had been a long time since Nym smelled sea air, and with the scent came a flood of memories from what seemed like another lifetime. She shifted on Nesme’s bare back, feeling uncertain of her decision to return to Baldur’s Gate. As she’d gotten better at riding over the years, she’d found the saddle cumbersome and soon traded it and the saddlebags for a bag of holding and small backpack for Pipper when he grew tired of running alongside the horse. Nym’s hair is long, as it was in her childhood, and she pays it little heed as it dances messily in the wind. Her garb is that of the High Forest elves in shades of subdued greens and browns. She looks a bit out of place riding bareback along the coastal road, but that is of little importance to her. Nym’s various scars have lightened over time so as to be barely noticeable, except the ever present slave brand of Thay that she keeps carefully covered once again as she had in her childhood.

Her mind wandered back to Llewellyn and that last time she’d seen her old friends in Baldur’s Gate. A slight frown darkened her otherwise lovely face, and she impatiently brushed her light brown hair away from her eyes. After the explosion at the Druid temple at Llewellyn, the Influence, as she’d taken to calling the not-Illuvean creature who still haunted her dreams, no longer whispered to her in the dark places of her mind. Her hair slowly returned to her natural brown after that, and she had returned home to her father in the High Forest to mend her many wounds.

For two years, she hadn’t left the forest at all. Any errands to Silverymoon or the other nearby cities were completed by Ollin alone while Nym continued to reconnect herself with… well, herself. After too many tragedies, too many dark turns, and too many deaths, many at her hands, she wasn’t ready for the world. Her heart slowly healed in the forest, and she remembered what it was like to laugh with true joy. Her anger at the Druids of the Sword Coast faded, and she rarely thought of the destruction of Waterdeep, Iron Keep and Caer Corwell. So many of the remaining Druids had fled into the High Forest, she had to decide to fight or forgive. She chose forgive and forget. Nym focused on healing herbs and improving her wild magic abilities. She found herself quite content with life.

During her third year in the spring, Nym finally felt some degree of wanderlust and took over making supplies and sales trips to the nearby cities and villages for her father. Nesme was happy for the chance to run after being in the forest so long. After her third trip into Silverymoon on her own, Nym worked up the courage to contact her childhood friends. She wasn’t sure what to expect, but she kept her expectations for a reunion low since her life and their deaths had created such a void in their friendships. On her fifth trip to Silverymoon, Rahm, her elf friend who also hailed from the High Forest, found her in the market while she was bartering for exotic herbs she’d learned of in her travels. Their conversation was awkward at first as they tried to reestablish their relationship, but they soon fell into a new rhythm. Having been 28 at the time of their imprisonment in Thay, still young for an elf, Rahm didn’t find Nym’s sudden age difference nearly as jarring as the others. In fact, he assured her, he was pleased that they were much closer in age now. Rahm took a position at the Lady’s College, and Nym teased him about being a boring elf. Their friendship became easy, and Nym was happy to have at least one of her childhood friends back in her life. Throughout the spring and summer, slowly her other childhood friends, all now between 17 and 20, began joining Rahm for his visits with Nym. A few years past their resurrections, Nym’s sudden age difference didn’t seem to matter as much to them.

In the early fall when the leaves were just beginning to change, during one of her business trips to Silverymoon, Rahm re-introduced her to a man Nym never thought she would see again: Illuvaen. She hadn’t known how to respond to seeing him outside of the dream plane, and after her experiences with the Influence, she was hesitant at first to speak with him. He, however, was overjoyed to see Nym again. His plane had collapsed for reasons unknown, and he and some from the dream plane had somehow managed to escape here. Nym slowly warmed up to him, and by the end of fall, Illuvaen was making trips to the High Forest to see her. She had told him everything she’s been through and done, and it seemed to make him care for her more. In spite of herself and her better judgement, she found herself falling in love again with yet another dashing half elf. Illuvaen kissed her for the second time since they’d first met in midwinter on the south bank of the River Rauvin outside of Everlund. Illuvaen had wanted to travel with her to Baldur’s Gate, but Nym assured him she was more than capable of handling herself.

Nym’s hand fell to her pocket as she felt the outline of two speaking stones she now carried; one for her father and one for Illuvaen. Nym’s mind wandered back to her current task. As of late, prices for her exotic herbs had become unreasonably high in Silverymoon, and another herbalist had given her a name of a contact in Baldur’s Gate who sold the herbs at a lower, but still high, price. As she neared the city, she noted that it looked much healthier than when she’d last seen it. She swung down from Nesme’s back and let Pipper out of his pouch. As she walked into the town, the animals followed behind her. Nym found that her contact’s directions were accurate, and she soon found herself at the correct shop. She motioned for Nesme and Pipper to wait outside, and as she opened the shop door, she pulled the crumpled paper out of her breast pocket: Odin's Fine Provisions and Sporting Goods.

Stones and Shit

The morning after the resurrection, Nym woke early, anxious to see how her friends were taking their recently renewed life. She quickly got dressed, and rode Nesme to the school, arriving at about 7:15 AM, with Pipper in tow. When she arrived at the rooms of her friends, she looked into the first door she came to, Avarn's room, but found that he was still asleep. She turned to go check the next room, but stopped when she saw Headmistress Tainaste walking down the hallway toward her. "I thought I might find you here," the Headmistress said.

Nym responded with a sheepish grin. "I was excited to actually get to talk to them. Yesterday they were pretty quiet. I hoped they would be doing better by now."

Headmistress Tainaste nodded, "I understand, Nym. This is a very difficult time for them, and especially for their relationship with you. You'll have to be patient with them. They've been through a lot, and it's rather jarring to die a painful death, and then wake up in security. It's a good change, of course, but in many ways, the Nym they knew died back there with them. You have grown, my child, and they have not. It is sometimes the way things happen. It will likely be weeks before they are fully themselves again, the way you remember them. Some may be ready to come out of their shells earlier, but it is never a certain thing."

At hearing the prediction of it being weeks before she could talk to her friends, Nym began to panic a bit. "Weeks!? That's a long time. I'm not sure my companions will wait that long. We have things we need to do! There's the ship! And the tsunami! And Beranhond said there were druids involved somehow! And then, we have..."

As Nym started going off, the Headmistress held up a hand to stop her. "There are many ways for you to keep in contact with them from afar. In fact, I have given two of your companions, Darvin and Talathel, whisper stones. I currently have three that are paired, but I can have more made. How about this: You ask Darvin and Talathel to give you their whisper stones. Keep one for yourself, and give the other to Wayrn. I will use the one I have as a key to make more, and then give one to each person staying here. How does that sound?"

Nym was heartsick at what her former Headmistress was proposing. "But I won't be able to see them, or hold their hands. I won't really be helping them at all. They'll grow up without me. You're telling me I should just leave my friends behind?"

"Nym, they're not ready for your friendship again, yet. And though it hurts to hear this, they may never be. This way, you can talk to them, and maybe you can rebuild that friendship, but they see you as someone else. In their eyes, you are Nym's older sister now. Things can't just suddenly be the same as they were. I'm sorry. It doesn't work that way. I'm giving you a way of keeping in contact, and maybe rebuilding that friendship, but if they choose not to reforge your relationship, you must let it go. It is not healthy living in the past, and the friends that you see are in the past still."

Nym, going numb from the hurt of realizing what she was hearing, heard herself say, "How do you use the whisper stones?"

The Headmistress explained, "They glow when activated, and hum slightly, so if you hear the hum, you know that someone wishes to speak, and by simply holding it in your hand, you can have a conversation with anyone back here. If you would like to activate it yourself, simply put a drop of blood or saliva on the stone, hold it in your hand, and envision talking. Your stone should begin glowing. Do you understand?"

Nym nodded. "Yes, Headmistress. I understand."

Headmistress Tainaste, seeing Nym's distress, chose to leave her alone with her thoughts. "It has been good see you again, Nym. You are always welcome here at the school. Will you be leaving Silverymoon soon?"

Nym's mind was in a fog. "Yes. We will be leaving soon."

Stepping forward and wrapping Nym in a hug, the Headmistress said, "Fare well, Nym. I hope that what you learned here may help you in your travels."

Nym barely heard her. She reactively hugged her, clinging for several seconds longer than was necessary, and when Headmistress Tainaste released the hug and left, she stood and stared off into space. She was unaware of how long she stood there before woodenly going and peeking in the rest of the rooms, seeing they were all still asleep. Making a decision, she made up her mind to leave a note with Wayrn, and let him deliver it to them when he thought they were ready. She whispered a halting goodbye to her friends, and left the school, heading for the tavern where Beranhond, Kailina and Janusa were staying. There, she found all of her new companions, and told them she was ready to go. She went through the motions of asking Darvin and Talathel for their Whisper Stones, which they gladly gave her. The group agreed to grab their things and meet at the gate out of the city by 11, and they separated.

Nym found Ollin, and asked him to pack up for her, explaining she had another goodbye to say before she was ready to leave, and telling him about meeting at the gate at 11. Seeing her depressed state, Ollin got to work without another word, and Nym traveled to see Wayrn.

As she talked to Wayrn, she thought about what Headmistress Tainaste had said, and realized that there was a distance and an uncertainty in all of Wayrn's actions now. He didn't quite know how to treat her. Greatly saddened at discovering the truth in what she'd been told, she kept the conversation short, and she somehow found Ollin and met the others at the gate, too shocked to care what went on around her.

The next several days passed the same way. The group stayed with Ollin, where he made them breakfast before they left the next morning, he gave Nym a big hug, wishing her the best on her travels and telling her to return safely. They were able to make it back to Waterdeep without any unusual trouble, arriving at around 3 PM after a couple days of travel.

Nym led Nesme to her pen, and went into her cabin as soon as they arrived at the ship, closing the door behind herself.

The rest of the group took care of the ship, checking with those they had left to make sure nothing untoward had happened. Talathel asked after Lailsan before anyone else had time to get a question in edgewise, and found out she wasn't onboard, but was expected back later in the day. As Beranhond and Darvin talked to the head of the current watch, Talathel began to crawl up to the crow's nest, to check on his favorite perch. Darvin found out from the sailor that Gurkirat had left shortly after Darvin and the rest of the group, and that he had said something about being tired of adventuring. He told the crew not to expect him back.

As Talathel climbed to about 10 feet from the crow's nest, a furry head peeked over the edge of the crow's nest. Shortly after, the upper half of a monkey popped up, and the monkey threw a piece of poop right at Talathel.

Talathel: Could I have a climb check to see how well you are able to dodge the thrown feces?

Ex Viscus Ut Vitam

As Nym stood in front of the crowd awkwardly and Darvin held his head in his hands, four wizards of the school walked onto the stage from the back, followed by four floating beds with small offerings of bows, incense, and earth, one diamond and one finger each. After the beds followed four clerics of Mielikki. The group fanned out, with one wizard with their backs to the assembled group at the foot of each bed, one cleric facing the assembled group at the head of each bed, and the beds splayed out like fingers. Headmistress Tainaste walked onto the stage last of all, walked through the middle of the four, and stood at the front of the stage, addressing the audience.

"Thank you for coming to this ceremony, and helping us to welcome back four of ours who we thought were lost to us." Her voice was magically amplified, and could be clearly heard, though she was not speaking much above a whisper, and with this very simple message, she nodded slightly to Nym and Wayrn in turn at the foot of the stage, then turned to the assembled healers behind her. Nym and Wayrn stepped slowly up the steps to the stage, and stood one on either side of Headmistress Tainaste.

"Healers of Mielikki, may the early autumn these four young ones experienced make way for renewed spring in their lives, and may this renewal nurture them and help them to grow in your bounty." Her voice was still amplified, and though she was not facing them, the entire crowd heard every word she said very plainly.

The priestess to the audience's left raised her left hand. "When I was young, I wanted to be older."

The teacher across from her raised his left hand. "When I was ignorant, I wanted all knowledge."

Nym, taking her part, walked to the left side of the table. "When I was lonely, I wanted companions."

And Wayrn, walking to the right side of the table, spoke his part. "When I was dead, I wanted life."

The priestess continued. "The cycle of life continues, though it was interrupted for a time for this one. May the cycle continue, and may the Forest Queen watch us all through the autumns of our lives."

Once she had finished speaking, she bowed her head to the table. The wizard cast an illusory spell over the table that gave it a glowing halo, obscuring the sight of the items on the table. The priestess spoke three long sentences in draconic, and her hands performed an intricate dance that represented the passage of time through life. As she spoke, the form on the figure, bathed in light though it was, began to take form, and the small offerings on the table grew, like a vine growing up a trellis, the dirt and twigs grew into human shape, though instead of leaves, hair grew, and instead of vines, bones and muscle grew. Shortly after she had finished speaking, the wizard adjusted his illusion to become a glowing brown robe that covered the unclothed body of a 13 year old girl. Nym recognized her as Morna.

As soon as the robe began forming, the girl sat up, looking around startled. She saw Nym, which confused her even more, as she looked like the Nym she remembered, but older, and more mature, and she wasn't sure what to think, but then she saw Wayrn, and started crying and hugging him immediately. Wayrn calmed her down, and assured her everything was going to be alright, and the ceremony continued.

At each of the tables, the same words were spoken, though Nym and Wayrn were the only two involved in all four of the rituals. Moran was next, and took his return calmly, though his poise was obviously a bit forced. Avarn was third, and came to herself screaming and frantic. It took Nym, Wayrn, and Headmistress Tainaste all to stop her screaming, and as soon as she stopped screaming, she began sobbing loudly and uncontrollably. The priest and wizard accompanying her bed accompanied her away so she would not be too embarrassed by her reaction. Finally, Rahm was resurrected, and he simply laid back, not sure what reaction to take. He finally looked at Nym. "Nym, is that you? How long has it been?"


With the four all raised from the dead, Headmistress Tainaste turned once again to the assembly gathered. "We are happy to have all four of our lost students returned to us. Please, show them your encouragement and support."

The crowd began clapping their open right hands against their chests, creating a gentle thunder sound, as if a rainstorm was on the horizon, and the rains of life would be coming shortly to nourish the plants and animals that so depended on them.

Vive la Résurrection!

In Yartar:
As Beranhond left Yartar the morning of the 28th, he began to look forward to seeing his friends again. Riding hard, he hoped to make it to Silverymoon by the evening of the 30th, and so he rode quite hard, making 40 miles per day.

In Silverymoon, May 30th, 2:15 PM:
At the Stagstand: Darvin and Talathel saw that their stones began glowing. Talathel's glowed bright pink, and Darvin's was a deep blue glow. Upon holding it in their hands, they became aware of the Headmistress's voice, and she told them that Nym was in the city, and told them about the resurrection ceremony the next day. Darvin asked about Nym's current whereabouts, but the Headmistress didn't know where Nym was staying and was therefore honestly unable to give them any more information. Darvin thanked the woman for her information, and expressed his intent to attend the ceremony the following day. When the stones stopped glowing, Thjodolf stood up and told both Darvin and Talathel that he was going gambling. It had been a long time since he last played a game of chance, and he figured with the luck he was having, he should do pretty well. Darvin was too excited to concentrate, so turned him down, and Talathel was already well into his drinks and decided he would stay where he was until nightfall.

Silverymoon, May 30th, 6:20 PM:
Beranhond arrived in town before the sun set and in plenty of time to find lodging at Solar's Smiling Satyr, a tavern close to the school. In the area around the school, there was a lot of talk about Nym and the resurrection ceremony the next morning, and Beranhond quickly found out when and where he would need to be in order to find his companions.

Silverymoon, May 31st, 6:30 AM:
At the Wayward House: As soon as Nym woke up, she began tingling with anticipation and trepidation. How would her friends react to seeing her so much older than they remembered? How would they take the resurrection? Would the ceremony be too public? How was it all going to happen? She got up and paced nervously, Piper peering at her curiously before snuggling down and going back to sleep for a bit longer.

Silverymoon, May 31st, 7:00 AM:
At Solar's Smiling Satyr: Beranhond awoke and went through the ritual of his morning devotions, preparing himself for the day. He smiled when Tigrisclawu stretched and asked him, "When do we get to see the woman who calls me meowface?" 

Silverymoon, May 31st, 7:30 AM:
At the Stagstand: Darvin woke Talathel and Thjodolf up. Thjodolf reported he had done very well at dice the night before, earning 25 gp. Talathel reported he'd done very well at drinking the night before, convincing three different strangers to buy him rum. Darvin listened somewhat patiently to his two companions as he twiddled with his sword hilts and tried not to think about what he was going to do today. Eventually, he lost his patience, and simply told his two friends, "I can't stand this any longer. I'm going. Be at the school by 8:30 to see the ceremony." Thjodolf and Talathel agreed, and continued talking as they headed down to the common room for a bite of breakfast.

Silverymoon, May 31st, 8:00 AM:
At the school: Nym was the first to arrive at the school, and headed straight for the Headmistress's office. After talking to her about what the ceremony was going to be like, she found out that Wayrn had been successfully resurrected the day before, and that both he and she would have a place in the ceremony. Nym asked to see Wayrn, but was told that he was still recovering a bit and it would be best for his recovery for him to be alone a bit longer. The ceremony would be enough of a strain as it was. Nym acquiesced, and was led to a staff woman of the Lady's College who instructed her in the proper procedure for the ceremony and how exactly she was to participate. The woman assured Nym that everything would be fine, and she shouldn't worry.

Silverymoon, May 31st, 8:05 AM:
At the school: When Darvin arrived at the small amphitheatre where the ceremony was to be held, there were still students and staff setting up for the event. He was the first one there, and looked around anxiously for Nym. Not wanting terribly badly to run into Mashy, he kept away from most of those setting up, and walked around a bit more until the setup was done and others began showing up.

Silverymoon, May 31st, 8:10 AM:
At the school: Beranhond was the next of the group to arrive. He found his way to the seats and was surprised to find Darvin pacing outside the seating area. He went up to Darvin and said, "Hello. I thought I might find you here." And as Darvin spun around to meet the voice, his face was a mixture of surprise and joy. The two found seats at the edge of the amphitheatre, so that Talathel and Thjodolf could easily find them and join them, and they saved a seat for Nym too, if they should happen to find her in time to offer her a seat.

Silverymoon, May 31st, 8:20 AM:
At the school: Talathel and Thjodolf arrived at the amphitheatre, having eaten a quick breakfast. They found Darvin and Beranhond, and as they headed to their seats, Darvin spotted Nym walking up to the stage area. She walked onto the stage, opposite a male human in his late teens, (Wayrn) they both bowed to each other, emotion contorting both of their features slightly, as each tried to smile bravely at the other, then turned and walked away from each other, down the stairs at either side of the stage, stopping at the bottom of the steps. Nym was standing facing the amphitheatre, though her eyes weren't really focused on the people in front of her. Instead, she was looking at the man across from her. Nym stood straight down the aisle from where Darvin, Beranhond, Talathel, and Thjodolf were sitting.

The ceremony will begin at 8:30 AM.