Isa woke the next day feeling hungover. She hadn’t had that much to drink - had she? The night was a bit of a blur after the first pint. She remembered talking about Zileek and about loot. Loot!

She shot up and looked beside the bed. Her bags and the bundle were there. Of course they would be. Lund wouldn’t take them, and the bar had been quiet last night, which was good. Isa wouldn’t have had the wherewithal to handle a pickpocket.

With a sigh she settled back into bed, but when she closed her eyes, she saw the dead druid’s eyes staring into the sky. She’d killed him. Well, maybe Joth made the killing blow, but she’d done her part to take his life.

Take his life. Like that was an object she could take, like an apple, or a glass, or a coin. She’d taken his life and then his possessions. In the real world that would make her a sociopath. Here, here she was just being a smart adventurer. And, to be fair, he was trying to take her life, too. He’d even said as much.

He probably hadn’t been a bad guy, not really. At the thought, she shook her head. Aloud she said, “You don’t know anything about him.” Trying to make him out to be a bad guy, just so that she could ease her conscience. …. That felt like a sociopathic move.

Isa rubbed her face and climbed out of bed. She looked in the small mirror at the dresser. When had she last really bathed? With the cold water in the ewer and a wash cloth, she did her best to freshen up. In the mirror she glanced at the bundle of clothes. The two men didn’t need those things anymore. They were going to a good cause - getting this setter of forest fires (well, accomplice anyway) out of Varana.

To that end, she decided to grab a quick bite, go to Gimble’s to sell what she could and then she’d hoof it to Deney. Where had Mery said they’d be? Isa fetched her bag and pulled out her notebook. She hadn’t written down the name - did she dare hope that it was part of her quest log now?

This was a handy little device, the notebook. Imagine having that in everyday life? Not for little things like flossing or taking out the garbage but for big things like finishing grad school, or buying a house. Those things were their own rewards, Isa knew, but at the same time, having a reward - a real reward - for completing them would be great.

Sure enough, under the Children of Thorn quest, there was the name: Cooper’s Rooms. Meet Mery Braydon at Cooper’s Rooms in Deney and help her defeat Thorn.

If she’d been paying attention, Isa would have noticed another change in her quest log, this one under the Always Coming Home quest, but she shut the notebook without a second glance and got dressed.

As she pulled on her pants, Isa vowed to take a long hot bath at the first opportunity. She would definitely look for a bathhouse in Deney. Maybe she’d do that before she got to Cooper’s, before she saw Mery again.

She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Not that she thought that anything sexy would happen with Mery. That was the furthest - well, not the furthest - thing from her mind. She ran her fingers through her dirty hair. A girl wants to look nice; nothing strange about that.

When she got downstairs, she was surprised to see Joth sitting in a booth. When he spied her, he waved her over. “I ordered some breakfast. We should eat before we hit the road.”

The bartender named Tris put several plates on the table. Pancakes, sausage, bowls of oatmeal, and what looked like a fruit salad of chopped apples, raisins, and nuts.

“Sorry about the other night, Tris.” Isa mumbled. She was embarrassed to see the woman this morning, knowing that the last time they’d spoken, Isa had started a small riot.

“Don’t mention it. We were overdue for a good fight, and you left a good tip, so it’s all to the good.”

“You were in a fight? Here?” Joth forked a few pancakes and 3 sausages.

“A guy tried to pickpocket her,” said Tris. “He regretted it, I’m sure.”

“He did pickpocket me, but yeah, I bet he did regret it later.” Isa took one of the bowls of oatmeal and ladled the fruit salad on a small plate.

“Somethings are simpler here,” said Joth. “Back home, you’d have filled out a police report, even though you knew you’d never get your stuff back. But here, someone tries to rob you, you take matters into your own hands.” He held up his hands. “Literally.”

“Thanks for breakfast, but I have to get to Deney. I told you that.”

“Yeah,” Joth cut into the stack of pancakes. “I’m going with you.”

“Why? Do you have the quest?”

Joth paused with the fork mid-way to his mouth. “Quest? What quest? What do you mean?”

“The Children of Thorn quest.” Isa touched her bag. “That’s why I’m going to Deney. I told you.” Her eyes narrowed. “Are you alright, Joth? Did something happen? Have you seen your friend Fedru?”

“You’ve got him all wrong. He’s been helping me. Giving me jobs, helping me level.” Joth put down his fork. “He wants me to get home.”

Isa shrugged and focused on shoveling oatmeal into her mouth. She couldn’t waste time chatting with the wizard. Joth could come with her or not - his choice. She couldn’t very well keep him from walking down the same road, could she?

After a few minutes of silence Joth said, “You were hungry, huh?” He pushed his empty plate away. “If you’re ready I know a--”

“Joth, I’m sorry. I can’t stay and chat. I want to run by Gimble’s.” She put the bundle on the table. “See what he’ll buy, and then I need to be on the road to Deney. It’s a full day’s journey there.”

“That’s what I was about to say. I know a druid, owes me a favor. We can go by tree.”

Isa blinked. “I’m sorry. I thought you said ‘Go by tree.’”

“I did!” Joth laughed. “It’s a druid spell.” He held up his hand. “I know, druids. But buddy of mine, he’s also a Ready, and he owes me. I already asked him about casting transport via plant for us. We can step into a shrubbery here and step out in Deney.”

“I don’t-- Shrubbery? Is this a joke?”

“It sounds like a joke. And it can be any plant, really. But you have to step into the plant, and it’s easy - well, relatively easy - to step into a bush or a shrub. Maybe a large fern or honeysuckle vines…. But a tree? You can’t step into a tree very easily, so it’s kind of ironic, if you think-- Never mind. Melestra is ready out back. Are you ready?”

Isa put her hands flat on the table. This was all so quick. “I need to sell stuff. And pay for breakfast and-- Oh crap.” She sat back down. “I forgot about Zileek. He did have a room for me last night, I bet. I need to run there and let him know it’s gonna be a few days.”

Joth held out his hand. Somehow he’d left the booth and was standing ready to help her out. “Easily handled; I can message him. Breakfast is paid for. There are dozens of merchants in Deney; you can sell your stuff there.” He smiled. “Off we go!”

Spoiler: Isa's Character Sheet

Name: Isa Chamberlin

Race: Human

Height & Weight: 5ft 6inches / 120 lbs

Class: Fighter Level: 4

Alignment: Chaotic Good

Background: Stranger in a Strange Land

Hit Points: 26 AC: 15

Current Hit Points: 26

Combat: +5 to Hit / +6 on the Quarterstaff

Weapons: Rapier (left hand) 1d8 +3 / Quarterstaff +1 (right hand) 1d6 +3 (bludgeoning)

Potion of Healing

STR

11

0

DEX

16

+3

CON

11

0

INT

13

+1

WIS

13

+1

CHA

12

+1

Saving Throws: Str and Con +2

5

Acrobatics* (Dex)

1

Medicine (Wis)

1

Animal Handling (Wis)

1

Nature (Int)

1

Arcana (Int)

3

Perception* (Wis)

0

Athletics (Str)

1

Performance (Cha)

1

Deception (Cha)

1

Persuasion (Cha)

3

History* (Int)

1

Religion (Int)

3

Insight* (Wis)

3

Sleight of Hand (Dex)

1

Intimidation (Cha)

3

Stealth (Dex)

1

Investigation (Int)

1

Survival (Wis)

Special Attack: Two weapon fighting. When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

Class Features:

Second Wind - On your turn, you can use a Bonus Action to regain hit points equal to 5 + your fighter level. Short or Long Rest before you can use it again.

Action Surge - On your turn, you can take one additional action on top of your regular action and a possible Bonus Action. You must finish a short or Long Rest before using it again.

Martial Archetype: Surgical Fighter

3rd level - Clinical Eye: Spend 1 combat turn studying your enemy and learn one of the following: if the enemy is equal to or stronger than you in strength, dexterity, or constitution. Can spend up to 3 turns to discern all 3. Can be used outside of combat as a free action - spend 1 minute to learn all three.