Protagonist: Theune Loomer (F)
Theune was once a respected member of the City Guard. She was tough. People wanted to earn her respect. But, she promised her former school mate who fell into the wrong cult that she would help her flee the city when that former friend accidentally killed the head politician’s child in a ceremony gone wrong. Theune was caught and took the full responsibility of the murder so her friend wouldn’t be executed.
Luckily, her former sergeant commander took pity on her, and instead of death for the crime she didn’t commit she was instead stripped of her rank and publicly shamed. Now she lives as a mercenary out of the local inn.
Early one evening while preparing for bed Theune heard a man just outside the inn screaming for his life. She ran down to the entrance of the inn and just as she opened the door a flabby, but well dressed man with wispy hair and a tattoo across his right eye burst through the door. He slammed into Theune and grabbed her by the shoulders. “Help! Please, help! They are coming to kill us all. We must tell the guard. Please. Help me!”
Theune decides to help and is sure that she can wring this man for a bit of coin. She grabs her crossbow and quiver of bolts and leads the man out to the courtyard.
They come first to a small fort just north of the inn. Normally occupied by city guards, it is unusual to see that the entrance is wide open and no one is posted at the entrance. Theune motions to the man, who has introduced himself finally to her as Hanaro Vine, a bureaucrat for the city, telling him to approach quietly. But the man is too worked up, and the chainmail armor she is wearing make more noise than she would like.
Inside the fort, three Zealots from the cult are in a circle with their hands raised. They are chanting “Kol Ban Ri!” over and over. While watching Theune and Hanaro see a green specter raise out of the ground. The wraith is a projection of Kol Ban Ri himself. As they are watching, the apparition sees the two trying to hide and screams out “Kill them!”
Pointing a crooked finger at Theune, the demon blasts her with a freezing bolt of pure hatred and death and she is covered with a green shimmering force. Thankfully, Hanaro was close and just by laying a hand on her shoulder, the force shatters. But, the shock rattles Theune.
At the same time, the three Zealots charge the two adventurers and each cast a thunderous spell at her, seeing that she is stunned and trying to take her down. They hit and while the first causes Theune to stele herself, the other two blasts knock her down and she is near death.
She is able to take one shot at an attacker as she is trying to stay up, and the bolt hits them in the shoulder, but causes barely any damage. As this is happening Hanaro also takes a swipe at the Zealots but he is not a fighter so his attacks go wide and he just flails his arms in the air.
Seeing that all he may have made a poor decision grabbing this scrawny woman from the inn, Hanaro decides to flee. As he turns to run from the cultists he sees a new ally…