A Path Forward

General Summary

A group of strangers gather at the gates of Château Vérani. There, they are introduced to their employer, Saes Vérani, a fat, noble faun, who tasks the group with the task of escorting his daughter, Hallie Vérani, to the bustling city of Avitoise. The group accepts, departing with Hallie, a shy faun, and Alyse, a member of the Vérani guard and Hallie's caretaker. After a few hundred meters of march, the escort spots a squirrel with a green ribbon sneaking unto the top of Hallie's carriage. Following a few minutes of discussion, they find the animal to be Hallie's pet, Bristlebell, and Kushala traps the critter within a steel cage. The night eventually comes and under the soothing music of Amelia's harp, the group talk amongst themselves. Kushala and Trygve set a pair of "complex" alarms, which none believe would actually work, until an escaping Hallie trips on them, during the last watch period. Following this event, Alyse calls Hallie a failure. The group eventually finds the girl is being forced to marry a nobleman against her own will. The meek girl starts to warm-up towards Amelia and Fionna, confessing her dislike of Alyse and her passion for the arts and travelling. The group discusses escaping with Hallie, but as the sun rises, they are forced to place their plans on hold, resuming their march towards Avitoise. Late in the morning, the escort is ambushed by a group of thugs. During the skirmish, Hallie is poisoned by the knife of an invisible assassin and one of the horses is put down. After a fierce battle, the group of bandits is defeated and Amelia successfully removes the toxin from Hallie's body, while Trygve looks down upon the sole enemy survivor.