Chapter Text
"I don't have to prove my worth and value to any but those I love, and that I do by being who I am, with confidence that those I love appreciate the good and accept the bad. Does anything else really matter?"
~ Drizzt Do'Urden
There are grand kingdoms scattered across Faerun, from the holy city of Elturel to the pirate haven of Luskan; every place has its own status. Few of them, though, could ever dream to rival The City of Spenders.
Filled with merchant vessels that pack its harbors until dawn, and caravans rolling through the River Gate into a bustling Trade Ward, the streets of Waterdeep hold the promise of fortune for those bold enough to seize it.
Of course, fortune has its habit of attracting the sort of people eager to take it from someone else. And Waterdeep is no stranger to crimes. Behind its storefront in the North Ward and the slums of the Sea Ward, factions fight for power. Battles between the Zhentarim and the Xanathra Guild stain the alley walls in blood. While the big two fight for power, smaller factions go unnoticed, such as the Bregan D’aerthe, who hire themselves out to the highest bidders. Even the old green dragon Gnawbone has her eyes and ears skittering through the city's walls, ready to influence politics to get the upper hand.
Information flows through the city streets like a second currency, waiting to be traded from mouth to ear for a bit of coin, but every rumor has to start somewhere.
That’s where adventurers come into play.
In the early summer evening, when the warm ocean breeze swept dust through the doors of the Yawning Portal, fate decided it was time to gather a group of three unlikely strangers in search of such rumors.
Within this famous establishment, the air is filled with the smell of alcohol and pipe smoke. Tankards crash together. A bard sang near the fireplace in the back, struggling to compete with the constant roar of conversations. Waiters move about delivering roasted meats and freshly baked bread. In the center of the building, a winch groaned as another group of bright-eyed adventurers decided to test their luck.
The Tavern got its name for a reason, and it wasn’t from the exhausted Waterdavians coming in after another grueling day of work. A gaping well, surrounded by a small stone wall to stop even the most intoxicated from falling in, leads into the dark depths of the Undermountain below Waterdeep; the largest dungeon in all of the Sword Coast.
Mr. Durnan was the tavern's owner, and he’d seen his fair share of adventurers through the years.
“We know the odds and take our chances,” he’d say to the rowdy patrons after giving them a black eye or the desperate souls stranded at the bottom of the well, unable to pay him to lower the chain and rescue them from the monsters of the labyrinth. His demeanor was famously cold, but like all, he had an appetite for information.
Away from the well’s usual crowd, the trio of dragonborn gathered around an oak table near the back; their conversations kept low as they sipped their mead. On the left sat a fierce soldier recognized for her title: Ayassa the Announced. Chainmail armor and purple robes draped most of her blue scales that were as tough as iron. She never took her eyes off the people around her, always alert and ready to mete out justice at a moment's notice–
***
“Dear?”
Hugo was snapped back to reality. The warm tavern and the anticipation of adventure he’d been describing faded away from his mental theater, replaced by the familiar sight of his dining room. Past the DM screen was a dry-erase battle map in the middle of the table, character sheets covered in dice, and bowls filled with assorted snacks. The deep rumbling voice had come from the large lizard woman sitting on his right.
Her name was Axol, and she was Hugo’s mate.
The blue-scaled Daxy placed an elbow on the table, chin resting in her hand. Her green eyes sparkled with admiration as she stared at him with a loving smile. “I was hoping I could introduce my character, if that’s alright?”
The other two Daxy at the table, Axol’s friends Posisx and Exisha snickered in a way that turned Hugo’s dark cheeks a rosy red.
It had been almost a decade since Hugo had played Dungeons & Dragons. He sometimes forgot just how into it he could get as everything came to life in his mind. When the Empire showed up a decade ago, you could say it was a bit difficult to get friends together to pick up from the last session.
“Right– Sorry, honey. I guess I got a little excited to be back in the DM seat,” Hugo said, rubbing his neck in embarrassment.
Axol straightened in her chair and picked up her character sheet with both hands. “As my sweet Hugo just said, my character is Ayassa,” she cleared her throat with theatrical exaggeration before lifting her chin high. “The Announced!” she proclaimed, deepening her voice so it boomed throughout the living room like a queen addressing her court. “She is a large and beautiful blue-scaled dragonborn fighter with dazzling green eyes. She wears gleaming chain mail worthy of a royal knight, and on her back is a massive greatsword for any monster or villain foolish enough to stand in her way.”
She held the paper closer, squinting as she continued reading the next part in a more solemn tone. “Ayassa hails from the prosperous kingdom of Cormyr. Anointed as one of the queen’s most renowned knights, she has traveled to the Sword Coast in search of a cure for her sick mate. No common spell or healer has been able to help him, so she now wanders for the answer wherever fate may lead.”
Exisha leaned back in her chair with both cyan tinted arms folded over each other. “Wow… someone sounds like they’ve been watching too much Pick Mi Pixli lately.” she teased with a short laugh. “Trying to be the next Roxi Risli with that performance or just showing off to your mate?”
Axol set her character sheet down with a smug little flourish. “Of course I am.” She glanced at Hugo with open affection. “If I’m going to play one of my mate’s favorite games, I’m going to do it the right way.”
Across the table from Axol, Posisx tilted her yellow snout inquisitively. “Exisha. If I’m not mistaken, I swear I heard you muttering, I am Eirina of– while looking down at your PDA on the driver over here?”
“I was just reading my character sheet out loud!” Exisha shot back. A blue flush was beginning to tint her cheeks.
Hugo hid a grin behind his DM screen at the sight of the cyan-scaled woman getting flustered. “Would you like to introduce your character next, Exisha? I’d love to see you match my mate's performance, if you think you can do better.”
Exisha’s quills sprang upright. “Uh… me? Perform? I think doing these voices is childish and… Anyway, Posisx should go next with how much she was talked about her character in the group chat this past week.”
Posisx leaned in with an excited grin instead of accepting the offer, nudging her elbow into Exisha’s shoulder. “I know you spent almost as long as me making your character. I want to hear about her. Silly voice or not.”
Exisha's red eyes flicked nervously from one expectant face to another. With a reluctant sigh, she lifted her character sheet so close it nearly hid her snout from the group. “Well…” she mumbled. “She’s… she’s a dragonborn. Cyan scales and red eyes. She’s a girl… obviously. Her class is barbarian, um, she’s a farmer who lives in the forest and…” Her voice dwindled so it was barely audible. “...she came to the city to look for a mate.”
Hugo saw a twinkle in Axol's eyes that he knew all too well. His mate loved to rile people up when she could, and as funny as it would be to nag a player who thought they were too good to roleplay with the others, Exisha was new to the game. She needed encouragement, not bullying.
But before he could say anything, Posisx reached over and gave Exisha a firm pat on the back. “I think that's a perfectly good reason for an adventurer to leave home. It’s sweeter than another brooding warrior out for revenge or having dead parents.” She nodded at the character sheet still held too close to Exisha’s snout. “Come on, what’s her name? I already like her and want to help her find a nice male to cuddle with during the cold winters.”
Exisha hesitated for a moment, but her friend's encouragement got her to perk up. “Right.” She took a quick breath, finally moving the paper away from her face. “Eirina. Her name is Eirina of the Natural Order.” The character sheet was flipped to the backside. “And she has a greataxe, four handaxes, a healer’s kit, carpenter’s tools, an iron pot, a bedroll, ten torches, fifty feet of hempen rope, ten rations–”
“Exisha,” Hugo interrupted with a chuckle. “You don’t have to read us your entire inventory.”
The blue blush deepened even further across her snout as she set her character sheet on the table. “I– I wasn’t planning to read everything… I just thought everyone should know how prepared she is.”
Axol stifled a giggle behind her hand, while Posisx failed to mask her own snicker. Hugo smiled and turned to the only player who’d yet to go. “Posisx, you’re next.”
Posisx’s grin stretched from one side of her yellow snout to the other. Her chair scraped loudly on the hardwood floor as she shoved it back and sprang to her feet, already looking like she’d been waiting weeks for this very moment.
***
The doors to the front of the tavern opened, filling the way with the presence of a tall dragonborn woman. Her metallic scales shined like golden light from the morning sun streaming in from behind her. Her stride was regal, weaving effortlessly between tables and drunken patrons with great finesse for a woman of such imposing stature.
She made her way to the back where Eirina and Ayassa shared a drink. Stopping before their table, she crossed both hands over her breastplate and bowed nearly ninety degrees in a show of respect. “Good day to you, fine woman of the Sword Coast. I am Perjith, Right Hand of Bahamut. I have traveled many leagues to stand here before you today. For it is my sacred duty to seek out and vanquish evil wherever it hides and see that justice prevails.” She spoke with the allure of a courteous maiden, yet rumbled with the ancient authority of an elder dragon, both managing to tangle in an elegant twin that drew the eyes of all the tavern's patrons.
As Perjith straightened, the lantern light illuminating the tavern glinted off the emblem etched into her polished breastplate. Both dragonborn easily recognized the inverted crimson diamond with a clenched fist engulfed in flames as the symbol of the Flaming Fist.
Their newfound companion pulled out a chair. Her sword and shield hit the table with a heavy *thud*, making the tankards rattle while the links of her chainmail jingled. Golden reptilian eyes studied each woman with intensity, but her expression was filled with nothing but warmth. “Am I correct in assuming I have the honor of addressing Ayassa the Announced and Eirina of the Natural Order? If so, I must say the descriptions I was given have failed to do justice to your mighty physiques.”
Ayassa and Eirina were left star-struck, neither able to find the words to answer the radiant paladin.
“Please, do not feel embarrassed by your own amazement,” Perjith said with a melodic chuckle. “It’s a response I am rather accustomed to. Though, I should confirm I have found the correct companions. Were you both hired by Durnan as well? If not, I owe you both an apology for the interruption and will leave you to your evening.”
***
“Girls?” Hugo said.
Exisha and Axol were left stunned with their mouths hanging open. Hugo would be lying if he wasn’t also dazzled by her unexpected character introduction. The entire scene was so vivid in his imagination as Posisx became Perjith. It was exactly the kind of character intro every Dungeon Master secretly hoped a player would give.
“By the Goddess, did Hugo secretly coach you before the session? Because there is no way you just came up with that on the spot.” Exisha admitted.
Posix folded her hands behind her yellow quills. “Well, I did actually learn from some of the best. As soon as Axol said we would be playing this game, I went and found one of those popular human podcasts and binged it for a month to learn all the ins and outs of D&D.”
“Damn girl,” Axol chuffed, picking her jaw off the floor. “Making me feel like I didn’t put any effort into my introduction."
Exisha’s eyes fell to her character sheet. Compared to Posisx’s pages of handwritten notes, it looked embarrassingly sparse. “Yeah girl, way to outshine us and steal the show,” she joked, casually shielding her paper from the rest of the table.
“What’s the point of doing anything if you don’t give it your all? Speaking of stealing the show.” Posisx gleefully pulled a secret paper out from nowhere and proudly displayed the art of her character. “Look, I even got art made of Perjith. My humie surprised me the other day after I talked his ear off about Perjith’s back story.”
The whole table crowded around the drawing, Hugo most of all as Posisx showed off Perjith in all her glory. The dragonborn had brilliant golden scales, rivaling even that of a true gold dragon’s. The chain mail she wore made her scales reflect light in every direction, almost like she was a holy angel who’d descended from the heavens.
The perfect paladin for the platinum dragon.
Hugo couldn’t remember the last time one of his players was not only this invested in their character, but even went so far to get art made of them. Let alone a Daxy. His mind already went to work placing this new look for her into his mind palace, replacing the inferior one he had made.
Posisx slammed her hand over her chest, getting into character once more. “Perjith was born and raised in the great city of Baldur’s Gate. Her whole childhood was spent living in the streets trying to make it through life. But after witnessing so much injustice, she vowed to cleanse the city of its corruption with her own two hands. She joined the Flaming Fist to do what was right, only to find that they were no different from the criminals they hunted. That’s when the platinum dragon himself came to her in a dream to show her a way to truly bring change. Perjith swore an Oath of Devotion before Bahamut, and from that day forward, she–”
“Ahem,” Hugo coughed to get her attention. “I genuinely love how much work you’ve put into this. Truly, but if we spend the entire night reading out our backstories, we will never actually get to play. Besides, it’s more fun when we get to discover these things naturally, as you probably heard in that podcast.”
The yellow daxy’s quills drooped a little as she flipped through the three pages of handwritten backstory. “Oh… I barely got through the first page. Sorry, I didn’t mean to take up so much time. I just put a lot of work into Perjith.”
“Don’t apologize, Posisx. What you shared was fantastic, and you’ll get to reveal the rest soon enough. Trust me. It’ll be even better when the shining paladin, Perjith herself, shares her tales to the group around a campfire.”
Posisx nodded in agreement, admitting that he was probably right and that she’ll just have to wait a little longer. Her quills rose again as she stood proud, beating her fist over her chest like her character would. “Then let us continue the game.”
“Hold up.”
Everyone's eyes turned towards Exisha's character sheet dangling between her claws. “Why are we using paper character sheets anyway and,” she gestured to the dry-erase battle map and dragonborn minis. “all of this when we could be using the new 6e version of the game?”
Exisha nodded at Posisx’s character portrait next to her set of dice. “Honestly, Axol, it wouldn’t even cost that many credits. There are a ton of affordable AR systems now that can project everything right in front of us. We could see our stats and watch our characters move around the map during combat. Why bother playing pretend when the tech is readily available? Wouldn’t you agree, Hugo?”
Hugo’s expression slowly fell into a look of someone whose roleplaying heart had just been run through with a rapier. His weary eyes drifted to the miniatures he’d painstakingly painted late last night. While not a professional by any means, he’d made sure to get the armor, weapons, and scales of his players just right. Hours spent hunched over the table to see them on the battlemap made him proud. No hologram could ever replace that kind of satisfaction.
“As a Dungeons Master who’s been rolling dice since 4th edition came out,” Hugo stated, summoning all the dignity he could muster in his wounded voice. “I feel that I have a responsibility to preserve the traditions of this game. At my table, we play as our lord and dice savior, Gary Gygax always intended.” He picked up his well-worn copy of Tales from the Yawning Portal, a book he’d bought from his local game store when he was a teen, and dropped it back down onto the table with a dramatic *thud*. “You can slap as many fancy things on D&D as you want, but nothing can compare to the thrill of describing your attack that lands as the final blow in a hard-fought battle. That’s where the real magic is made.”
His hand gripped the edge of the DM screen where five clothespins sat. Three of them had the characters' names written in Sharpie, while two on the far edges said initiative one and twenty. “And don’t get me started on how unbalanced 6e is. My God, whoever designed the playable Daxy race clearly has no idea what the word balance means.”
Exisha's pupils narrowed to razor slits. She planted her elbows on the table, leaning in until the wood creaked under her weight. “Oh? And just what exactly is wrong with the Daxy race?”
“What’s wrong with the Daxy race?” Hugo repeated, matching her stare. “Other races would kill for the amount of racial bonuses you get. Natural armor, enhanced senses, a tail that can hold objects like a third arm–” He abruptly stopped himself and took a deep breath before he could launch into a full rant about why he despised what the Empire did to his favorite game. A playable daxy race was only one of many problems with the sixth edition rule set. “The point is, they’re overpowered and unfair to the rest of the game. Let’s just leave it at that and get back to playing.”
Exisha leaned in even closer, her shadow spilling over the battle map. She wasn’t about to back down to a male. “Maybe that’s just because the Daxy race is superior.”
That comment made Hugo’s face heat up. “Well, maybe it’s because someone has a damn bias toward them and forced someone else to design them like that. Not to mention how males of every race can practically only play casters now because of their massive nerf to strength.”
“Buffed their dexterity though,” Exisha snapped back. “Gotta make sure they keep up while we put their legs over–”
“That’s enough you two,” Posisx of all people interrupted their little spat. “Hugo’s the veteran at this shit, alright? And he’s our DM. If this is how he wants us to play, then this is how we’re playing. Besides, he’s right. Roleplaying is the whole point of this game.”
Exisha looked ready to launch back into her argument, lips drawn in a scowling snarl until she caught Axol’s piercing glare and fell silent.
“You heard the woman,” Axol said firmly. “Drop it, and don’t ever talk to my mate like that again.”
“I’m just saying that I think AR would be way cooler,” Exisha pouted, crossing her arms and staring at the wall.
Hugo was relieved that both his mate and Posisx had stepped in. Arguing with a Daxy could feel like smashing one's face into a brick wall. Except the wall argued back. “Exisha, this is the best way to play the game. Give it a shot and put on a fun voice for Eirina. Use your imagination and see the world from her eyes as she looks around the tavern for her dreamy man.”
Exisha sighed, eyes drifting between her barren character sheet and the detailed artwork of Perjith. “Yeah yeah, AR is stupid or whatever.”
“Good,” Hugo nodded. He flicked through his notes until he found the character who was soon to appear. “Now where were we? Ah, the golden paladin had just introduced herself.”
***
Before any of them could answer their new companion's question, a distinguishably recognizable figure stepped away from the bar. While smaller than the average human male and an aged face showing that his prime had long since passed, there was nothing frail about him. He was stocky, more barrel than a man if you were drunk enough and squinted. His baggy white button-up had its sleeves rolled up to the elbow with a red vest covering his chest and a tie tucked underneath.
The most notable feature on his face was his bushy mutton chops framing a brown mustache that latched itself to his dense sideburns. The back of his head was an unruly mess of hair resembling a rat’s nest, trailing all the way down to his shoulders, but the front of his thinning hairline wasn’t so lucky.
None of the adventurers could quite get a read on him as he approached. His square jaw worked as if he were chewing a piece of tobacco. “If I had to take a gander, you fine lasses must be the adventurers I hired.” His icy blue eyes swept across the group as he came to a stop.
Perjith was the first to speak. She stood from her chair and extended her gauntleted hand to him. “Why yes. I am Perjith, Right hand of Bahamut.” She gestured to the two women seated beside her. “And this is Eirina of the Natural Order and Ayassa the Announced.”
Ayassa and Eirina both nodded in confirmation, but Eirina’s eyes seemed particularly interested in examining all of this male's body.
“Durnan. Owner of this here establishment." His voice was gruff and deep, one that would rumble in your soul if he deemed to shout. He extended his hand to accept Perjith’s handshake, though it practically vanished inside her large gauntlet. “I’ll cut the small talk then, as I’m a very busy man and you ladies seem eager to get paid.”
“Oh no. Talk as long as you want to, handsome–”
***
“I could listen to that pretty voice for hours,” Exisha cooed at Hugo.
Hugo didn’t have to look at his mate to know what was happening. He could practically feel Axol’s stare burning a hole in Exisha as a growl built in her throat. “What did I say about talking to my mate like that, Exisha?”
“What!? I was hitting on Durnan, not Hugo!” Exisha threw her arms up defensively, her quills flaring with indignation. “Didn’t he just tell me to play make-believe? Well, that’s what I’m doing, isn’t it?” A puff of air flared from her nostrils. “First I’m told to get in character, and now I'm being told I can’t do that. What the fuck do you want me to do then, huh? Sit around with my thumb in my mouth.”
“It doesn’t change the fact that my mate is the one behind all the characters,” Axol replied, her voice becoming more tense. “You can play make-believe in any other way, just not when it comes to flirting with my darling.”
Exisha scoffed. “But it’s what my character would do! It’s not my fault he made Durnan sound like a hunk of a man and put on a sexy gruff voice.”
Axol’s quills stood straight up as she leaned towards Exisha like she was about to rip her throat out. “Just because you don’t–”
“Girls!” Hugo shouted before either could say something they'd regret. He raised both hands, trying to calm them so things wouldn’t grow worse. “The only fighting we’ll be doing tonight is against some monsters in a dungeon. We’re supposed to be having fun, and we can’t do that if we keep babbling with each other every few minutes.”
Axol’s features softened the moment she heard her mate raise his voice. Some of the tensions visibly left her shoulders as she turned to Hugo. “I know, but I still don’t like it.” She glanced at Exisha, then back at Hugo. “You’re my mate and no amount of fantasy bullshit is going to change what's really happening.”
Hugo stood up, reaching over his DM screen and resting his hand over his mate’s. “And nothing will change that I love you and you alone. I can handle a little flirting. God knows I had to deal with a lot of it when we first met.”
Both of Axol’s hands engulfed his smaller one. “This is different though. Even if we are all friends, I don’t feel comfortable watching another woman flirt with my querido.”
“Trust me, Mi big blue Ajolote, it’s alright.” Hugo hummed, bringing her hand close to plant a kiss on it. “I’ve dealt with much worse. One session, I had an entire table of guys flirt with me as they tried and failed to seduce a dragon. Nothing you three could say tonight will ever match how uncomfortable that made me feel.”
All three women shuddered at the thought of Hugo dealing with that mess. Exisha most of all, her snout wrinkling in disgust. “Eugh. I’d never fucking go that far,” she muttered, her voice dropping to a whisper. “Guess I should just make a new character if I can’t play your mate's stupid game right.”
Axol shot her a look deadlier than a bullet and just as effective. Exisha’s attitude wilted further; her lips drooped, and her claws restlessly poked at her dice.
Hugo watched her sink into her chair and couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt. No Dungeon Master wanted a new player to feel left out or targeted.
He paused, searching for a way to draw Exisha back in without putting her on the spot again. His eyes focused on Durnan’s character sheet, and then the little box labeled Inspiration. Suddenly, an idea sparked in his head.
“Hey, you’re right, Exisha,” Hugo said, catching her attention. “It’s not fair to say you can’t flirt when Eirina is searching for a mate. So how about this. If an NPC isn’t interested, but you keep trying to flirt with them anyway, or you go too far like my old friends did, you’ll get a sexual harassment point.”
The three scaled women, who were a few feet taller than Hugo even while seated, looked at one another in surprised confusion, like Hugo had spoken to them in a foreign language.
“A What?” Exisha asked, her head tilting slightly.
“We’ll call it SHaP.” Hugo tried not to let his teeth show when he realized the silly acronym it made. “It will be a point of negative inspiration that gives disadvantage on your next roll. Does that sound fair?”
“The hell it doesn’t!” Exisha hissed. “You’re just encouraging me to do it so Axol can yell at me again, Hugo.”
“She’s not going to do that, and you only get penalized if you go too far, all right?” Hugo quickly clarified. “Maybe an NPC or two might actually be interested in a big, strong woman protecting them. I’m not here to shut you down after some casual flirting from Eirina. I want you to have fun.”
Exisha mulled it over for a second. While not looking super thrilled with the idea, there was a hint of understanding in her eyes that told Hugo she recognized the olive branch he was extending. At least this way, she could keep playing Eirina the way she wanted, though with a few new boundaries that didn’t seem too unfair, even if she’d be the one most likely earning these SHaPs.
As if he read her mind, Hugo quelled her biggest worry, adding, “And before you say anything, that goes for everyone here, even you Axol.”
Axol huffed at him with a stupefied look. Clearly, she also wasn’t enthused by a rule that stopped her from hitting on her mate, but Hugo knew she couldn’t exactly argue with rules that applied to everyone equally. “Fine. If it’s for everyone at the table, and it keeps Exisha in check, then that's good enough for me.”
Hugo turned to Posisx who nodded with parted lips, already ready to agree. “Sure, Hugo. I think that's a wonderful idea.”
Exisha made up her mind as well, staying slumped in her seat and not bothering to hide her grumpy annoyance. “I promise I won’t go past anybody’s boundaries, ok?”
“Great!” Hugo clapped his hands together in a prayer-like gesture to regain the table's attention. “Now that all the distractions are hopefully out of the way, and we’re all on the same page, let's get back to speaking with the quest giver.”
Daxy minis painted by me!