The stay at the Happenstance temple had been a welcome respite from the travails of the road for Finn, and he had embraced the opportunity to refocus and contemplate his faith in the security that the temple afforded. That’s not to say that the stay was without adventure. There were some exciting moments, and much valuable information about their current quest had been gained. Even in the moments of quiet, Tobias was often just around the corner, ready to drag Finn into another unexplored wing of the temple.
Nonetheless, Finn felt the call to the road again, as he assumed Daphne and Araxis did as well. Finn began to remember why he had set forth from Ulther in the first place; “to shelter the Light and stand against the wickedness that would swallow it.” With new information about The Watch’s connection to the Leaf of Light, Finn was ready to set forth with a renewed sense of purpose, and an appetite for adventure. Appreciation was offered, goodbyes were said, and the trio set off.
And then Finn got walloped by a Gnoll.
Daphne had sensed the creature first. She managed to pinpoint its location, knocked an arrow, and hit the malevolent creature. She quickly relayed the information to Finn and Araxis, who readied themselves for battle. Perhaps the days of rest had left Finn a little less sharp than normal, or perhaps he was distracted by the beauty of the day. Whatever the reason, Finn took a blow from the Gnoll that left him within a hair’s breadth of becoming one with The Light. Finn wasn’t exactly sure what happened next, but he had to assume that Daphne and Araxis succeeded where he had failed, and managed to defeat the violent creature.
In retrospect, Finn did not have a very good recollection of anything that occurred over the next few days. He assumed that the trio was making their way back to Wayfair and the University, to follow up on leads they had attained in Happenstance. He also assumed that if they had encountered any trouble, Daphne and Araxis had handled it. Finn was recovering slowly from the walloping, and did not begin to feel fully like himself until arriving in town.
Once in Wayfair, the trio split up, each with a job to do. Daphne made her way to the market, intent on procuring items that might be of assistance on future adventures, using the spoils of previous adventures. Araxis went to the library archives, intent on following up on leads from the library archives of Happenstance. Finn made his way to the Temple district, to secure lodging and pay his respects to the Temple Elders. Not long after, he met up with Araxis once again and was asked to aid in a small bit of landscaping—a task Araxis had agreed to in exchange for some translation work. It wasn’t the height of adventure, but after the walloping Finn had just taken, it seemed to be the right pace of action for him.
While not overly taxing, the landscaping was fraught with its own unique perils—bees, which were annoying, and spores, which Finn was allergic to. The real peril; however, was the quandary Finn found himself in when he unearthed a chest beneath the foliage he had just pruned. Clearly, it did not belong to him. But he felt that perhaps Daphne had been wearing off on him, as Finn couldn’t seem to leave without knowing the contents of the chest. Eventually, he decided to bring the chest back to the University and present it to the professor for whom he had done the landscaping.
It had occurred to Finn that recovering the chest was the point of the landscaping in the first place. It later occurred to Finn (with Daphne’s help), that perhaps the landscaping wasn’t for the professor at all, and was just a rouse to procure the chest illicitly. Mercifully, both scenarios turned out to be false. When presented with the chest, the professor assured Finn she had never seen it before, and had no use for the dirty old box.
Finn was properly chuffed. He felt that he had obtained loot from an adventure, the way Daphne might. But he was also relieved he hadn’t needed to resort to grave robbing or any other nefarious actions. His elation was quickly dashed; however, when upon opening the dirty old chest a rank and putrid odor filled the room. Finn quickly realized that he had probably dug up the remains of a long-lost pet. Finn handed the box to Daphne in shame—perhaps a little hastily. Disgusted by the odor, but intrigued by what else the chest might contain, Daphne dug through the putrefaction to revel a wondrous wand, which she handed back to Finn.
Araxis and Daphne had each secured their own wondrous items for the journey ahead. After much consideration and research Daphne had purchased for herself a sword of warning. Araxis, desirous of keeping her feet dry in the swamps whereto the trio was headed, was able to haggle for a ring that would allow her to walk across water as if it were solid ground. And so, with rest, and provisions for the road, Finn felt sharp and ready for the work ahead.
