Chapter 1: Flamefade

Ophira asks, "Ofric? Who is that? Please, Ana, tell us more..."

"Huh? you want me to stay? This must be pretty serious then." Lirann says, rolling her eyes. But she stops before leaving the hut and waits near the door.

"Ofric, now what business would you have with him?" Lirann chuckles. "Please don't tell me you became his apprentice or something like that."

Listening to the chatter, Gaelan is ever polite, but impatient.

"Villagers are missing -- taken last night. Should we not immediately form up a rescue troop now that the assault has passed?" he says to the others. He'd lost a lot of blood the night before, but the bandages Beric had applied were holding.

Ana gives a weak, mirthless smile at Lirann's remark. "You're not far off. All those years ago, I came here—we came here, following rumors and cryptic texts, hoping to unearth the secrets of the old Vracian royal family." She makes a vague gesture northwards. "The old ruins of the capital still remain, where the nobles experimented and advanced their understanding of the sorcerous arts. They pushed boundaries, contravened the natural laws, uncovered knowledge far beyond anything we have today. To a young witch like me at the time, a trove of buried secrets like that? It was an irresistible lure."

"I brought a scholar with me. Percival, if my memory serves. Rhys, a guide who knew the land well. Some hired swords and helping hands. And Mira." Ana speaks the name uncertainly, as if the name feels unfamiliar in her mouth, her hands touching her neck gingerly. "My first apprentice. My friend. She'd been with me for years, since I first left my homeland."

She takes a deep breath, gathers herself. Wipes an errant tear from the corner of her eye. "Well, simply put, we found what we were looking for. The ruined capital, sunken beneath the earth. And at its center, the royal palace."

That's where I found him. King Ofric, last of his line, his restless spirit locked into its final moments, unaware of how his whole kingdom had crumbled around him."

"You're right, Lirann, I did hope to learn from him. I took every precaution, employed every spell and ritual I knew to keep myself and my companions safe. And then I roused him from his reverie."

She falls silent for a long while, staring at the cup in her hands. "I alone made it out. I settled here to keep watch, and over the decades I thought perhaps he had faded back into sleep. But now I know. He's returned again, as I feared."

Lirann leans against the frame of the busted door. She listens. At first with a contemptuous smirk, but her expression grows softer as the tale goes on.

"I guess we aren't too different after all." She sighs. "Maybe there can still be some comradery between us two fools if nothing else."

Looking around the messed up hut Lirann continues. "This means Ofric is on the loose then? And you seem dangerously low on options as well. I might have an option to add to that dwindling pile. Though I don't like it." She throws a sinister glance at Ana. "And you will like it even less."

Gaelan frowns as he tries to puzzle it all together. (Not the sharpest knife in the drawer at INT 8, folks!)

"This King Ofric... is he behind the attack? Is the brigand Bohdan allied with him?"

Ophira listens to the story, her face falling into dismay. once it's complete, she asks quietly, "So, those who have been hurt, or died, suffered because of your hubris? That is so disappointing. And keeping it a secret from us all this time? Almost as bad."

Beric sits quietly off to one side, cradling Nok and stroking him. With nothing worthwhile to add, he just listens.

Thalen listens to Anathma's tale with keen interest. He perks up at the mention of Ofric and the Vracian Royal Family. "I suggest we return to the village. We could all use some time to regroup, and I would love to speak with my parents and explore their collection to gain some more knowledge about the legends."

"And we need to equip for the rescue," Gaelan says with purpose. He cares not about the witch's missteps and poor decisions made years ago; what matters now is that villagers are in peril.