The Unlikely Adventurers -- A Dramatic Dungeons and Dragons Game

Chapter 1: Breaking Dawn

Trigger Warning: death, graphic depictions of violence, drugs,  and swearing.

They ran away from Neverwinter, the only home they ever knew, and entered the unknown.

Why am I helping these people? I had a great life back in Neverwinter! I was respected, treated fairly, I had my pick of friends and lovers...

But my friends weren't treated fairly or respectfully and neither were their families. That should be reason enough. Right?

Gell's thoughts went in circles as they ran. He was with them now, there was no turning back. But why did he follow through with this?

Then, as he saw Nala's muscular figure running ahead of him, he was reminded yet again. He had followed through with this because of what the King did to Nala's father and mother and he watched what Nala went through emotionally because of it.

The King burned Nala's mother at the stake several years prior for showing witch-like tendencies. At least that's what he said, during this time anyone could accuse another for being a witch, and it had become an easy way to rid the world of someone you disliked.

When Nala's father had protested the unfair execution, he was shot in the heart by one of the King's loyal soldiers at the King's command. The man who had taken Nala's father's life was someone Gell had previously thought to be his friend. After that day, Nala, who was only 16 at the time, was left without any family at all.

Gell remembered when she had first joined the King's army, and he remembered watching her fight with such ferocity to save her fellow warriors. He had respected her from the beginning.

The commander had yelled at her for not staying in her place and being everywhere, helping everyone. Gell had stood up for her. Soon, they became friends and she told him why she was in the army-- to learn how to kill so she can kill the King one day or kill anyone who dared hurt anyone she cared about. It came as a shock to Gell at first, but he understood her reasoning and respected her ability to follow through with her plans.

Gell had developed some romantic feelings for her, but it seemed Nala didn't have any interest in seeing anyone, just in killing the King. So he left it alone. He ignored his feelings and pushed through life, trying not to feel anything towards her besides respect, and maybe a bit of platonic friendship.

But now, watching her run with the princess in her arms, he realized he still kind of liked her. At least, that's what he was guessing, based on the way his heart sped up when he thought of her, and the hot feeling creeping into his face whenever he looked at her.

In addition to this, Gell took a mental inventory of all the weapons the group possessed. It must have been a leftover instinct from his days of being a commander. He could see that Leshauna had two sheaths for daggers, one attached to each leg around her thigh. She had a thin sword sheathed at her hip, as well and a bow and quiver of arrows slung over her back.

Nala had a sword sheathed at her side, as well as an axe on the other side. Yevelda had gotten two swords somewhere. Jason didn't look to have anything with him besides a basic staff he had been carrying since the daring castle escape.

Personally, Gell had a short sword in a sheath at his left side, a mace strapped to his right, and a bow and quiver of arrows over his shoulders.

Nala started slowing down so Gell shouted, "Let's all slow to a walk!"

Everyone else looked reluctant to, probably still jarred from the sudden escape they'd just made, but it seemed as though Nala couldn't continue to carry Yevelda and keep up with the rest of the group. Besides, they were far enough away from the castle to afford a slower pace.