Work Text
Name: Spectra (Female Changeling, Celestial Warlock 5)Alignment: Neutral GoodAppearance: Light gray eyes, ghostly white skin, colorless hair, 22 years oldCustom Background: Prostitute (two skills & two tools, ‘By Popular Demand’ feature)
STR 8 (-1)DEX 16 (+3)CON 14 (+2)INT 10 (0)WIS 10 (0)CHA 18 (+4)38 HP, 16 AC (with mage armor), 15 Spell Save30ft movespeed, 6d6 Healing Light pool (max 3d6 at once)
Skill Proficiencies: Acrobatics, Deception, Intimidation, Perception, Performance, PersuasionWeapon Proficiencies: Simple weapons, Pact weaponTool Proficiencies: Thieves’ Tools, Weaver’s ToolsLanguages: Common, SylvanSpells: Eldritch Blast (2 count, each 1d10 force), Light, Prestidigitation, Sacred Flame (2d8 radiant), Minor Illusion, Mage Armor (at will), Armor of Agathys, Charm Person, Hex, Tongues, Spider ClimbEldritch Invocations: Armor of Shadows, Improved Pact Weapon, Thirsting BladePact: Pact of the BladeInventory: Necklace of Forced Nudity (Cursed, Arcane Focus), Pact Rapier (1d8+4 piercing)
Explanation: This is essentially a series of D&D one-offs I’ll be playing against myself, rolling dice whenever the situation calls for it. Setting and characters are original, I just liked this PC concept and realized I’d never be able to play her in a real campaign. You’ll have to take my word that I’m not just fudging the numbers whenever I like, lol
Since Spectra’s adventures are more social-oriented, she’ll be earning additional XP using the “Noncombat Challenges” rules in the DM’s Guide. Also, for narrative reasons, she’s currently on the cusp of learning the new spell she gets for hitting level 5.
(Spectra earns 250 backstory XP for the events of The Lizardfolk Temple . Current experience: 13,252/14000 XP to next level.)Spectra shivered violently as she remained crouched behind an alley wall for what felt like hours. The chill had fully settled into her bones, and she winced at every surrounding noise, from the skittering of mice to the footsteps of passing pedestrians, all booted and heavyset. Nobody in this part of Stoneskeep, at this hour of night, was wandering the streets for innocent reasons.Even now, after having spent days rationalizing her upcoming action and carefully preplanning for any contretemps, she still felt she was crossing some sort of moral line. Her mounting schoolwork and additional extracurriculars at the university were severely cutting into her time and energy levels, and she’d been missing far more shifts at the circus than she knew her boss, Qalek, was happy about. But there was a far cry between tardiness and actively swindling him out of his cut.
Her teeth chattered as she once more peered over the lip of a seedy tavern’s windowsill, scanning for any faces that might have connections to Qalek and would go tell him what his priciest prostitute was doing. Even now she debated whether she should just call this all off and go home…but tuition was due in the morning, and she’d already maxed out her extensions. Either she scrounged up enough to pay, or everything she’d spent and sacrificed to make it this far would come crashing down around her. Besides, a voice in her head couldn’t help pointing out, this won’t even break the top ten for horrible things you’ve done. It’s not like you have a chance of being a GOOD person at this point. Worst case scenario, you finally suffer some consequences you’ve long had coming. Taking a deep breath and clutching a burlap sack, she forced herself into character and plastered a suggestive smile on her face. “Hello, boys!” she announced, sauntering inside and quickly drawing the attention of the entire crowded pub. “You’re certainly out late! I haven’t seen many of you in my trailer recently. A girl could get lonely!”Her eyes flashed mischievously as she climbed on an empty table and struck a sultry pose. “Well, tonight’s your lucky night. We’re doing some outreach, thirty percent off my usual rate, and I come to you! C’mon, a barful of big strong men like yourselves wouldn’t leave a poor girl hanging, right?”
Persuasion check: d20(13)+7: 20 (Pass!)
Her clientele needed little convincing with such an eager display, and before long she had a throng of onlookers gathered around her makeshift stage, bulges swelling as she spread her legs and fished the nearest pair of cocks into the light. “Two at a time!” she announced, as a pudgy dwarf tossed his payment into the sack and plunged his throbbing erection into her snatch. “Don’t worry, the night’s still young and everyone will get their turn!”Another cock stuffed itself in her mouth before she could say anything else. The raunchy ring of spectators whooped and downed their drinks as Spectra’s opening patrons roughly spitroasted her, her soft white hands stimulating the dicks on deck so they’d be ready to quickly swap in when the time came. Which didn’t take long, the dwarf quickly reaching his limit and stiffening up as he groaned and shot a heavy load within her. Clearing his throat gruffly, he drew a knife from his belt and stabbed it into the table, carving a single tally next to Spectra's head to mark his carnal triumph.
Performance check: d20(10)+7: 17 (Pass!)
Spectra had hardly noticed, all of her attention focused on keeping her throat relaxed as a large-knotted khenra had his way with her mouth. Her mind had dulled as she lost herself to the rigors of her routine, mentally reserving herself for the long night she had ahead. When the canine cock between her lips finally squirted its passionate payload, she subbed it out for a burly minotaur’s bullcock without losing a breath, keeping the money flowing just as steadily as the cum.
As the hours passed, the tallymarks growing into the high double digits and the sea of ever-shifting faces around her blurring into an unfocused haze, Spectra felt herself settling into a dull mindlessness, almost a comfort from the usual thoughts swirling around her subconscious.In fact, she slowly realized, the usual emptiness in the pit of her stomach was entirely gone. In the past, her sex work would bring out feelings of inadequacy, of the unshakeable fear that she was squandering her life making ends meet in a way she’d never wanted to. And all of that was still true. But now, in the wake of everything she’d done for Hiyeth, there was a sense of relief to it. That after all the pain and suffering she’d caused across the continent, in perpetual spite of her best efforts to do good at every turn, at least for once she could bring happiness to people without the other shoe needing to fall. In the only way the universe seemed willing to let her.
* * * Crack! A salvo of psionic pulses washed across Spectra’s front, sending her staggering and gritting her teeth. The mental assault threatened to break her focus, but she maintained her combat stance and fired a pair of crackling arcane beams back at a levitating man in a billowing mystic’s robe.
Psionic Blast (3 power points): Spectra automatically takes 3d8(9)+2: 11 psychic damage.
14/38 HP remaining. Spectra retaliates with Eldritch Blast, d20(9)+7: 16 (Hit!) d20(4)+7: 11 (Miss.) Damage: d10(8): 8 force.
“Haha! Nice shot, but I’m only warming up!” he boasted as her projectile collided with his chest, cackling like a madman as he summoned an ethereal hand behind her to smack her into his melee range.
Strength saving throw (Psychic hammer): d20(11)-1: 10 (Pass!) Spectra is unaffected. Abalmy uses Mystic Recovery to heal 3 HP as bonus action.
Luckily she was familiar with his combat style and saw it coming, digging her feet into the ground and resisting its heavy shove. The man fighting her, a Genasi deserter named Abalmy, was a war refugee who lived in a crawlspace under the school, and while originally they’d met as enemies, she’d long ago befriended him and now spent at least one evening a week training with him in his subterranean abode.
Dexterity saving throw (sacred flame): d20(9)+3: 12 (Fail.) Abalmy takes 2d8(6) radiant damage.
Gripping her necklace pendant, she erupted her sparring opponent in a holy radiance that somehow served only to make his uproarious laughter look even more deranged. “Alright, you asked for it!" His glasses glinted with an manic unearthly sheen. "Gaze in awe upon my radical new technique, the Warped Lash of the Sagacious Wisp!”
Intelligence saving throw (Ego Whip, 3 power points): d20(11)+0: 11 (Fail). Spectra takes 3d8(16) psychic damage and cannot attack next turn. 0/38 HP remaining.
Spectra yelped as another invisible wave of force erupted from the sage’s outstretched hands, and this one seemed to penetrate straight through her mental defenses to throttle her very psyche. Crying out, she staggered and lost her balance, lingering fatigue from her long night at the bar exhausting her energy reserves faster than usual and her vision quickly growing dark.
Abalmy spends 7 power points on Mend Wounds, healing Spectra for 7d8(41) HP. 38/38 HP remaining.
Even as she hit the ground, she could feel a different sort of psionic wave hit her, this one soothing and gently banishing the agony of its predecessors. “Miss Spectra?” Her dueling partner’s worried voice cut through the new migraine thudding through her temples. “Are you alright? You’re not blocking like you usually do.”“I’m fine,” she groaned, shaking her head dizzily. “I didn’t get much sleep last night…”“Hmm. Perhaps it’s best we conclude our sparring for the day.” The renegade psion’s tone was polite, but not fully able to hide his disappointment; Spectra knew their skirmishes were the highlight of his week, as otherwise he spent most of his time hiding alone in this cellar.“Yeah, I’m not sure I’ve got much more in me,” she admitted, stumbling to her feet. “Thanks for understanding.”The rogue Genasi smirked. “Rest up, and next time you know where to find me. Though you’re missing your chance to counter the Warped Lash of the Sagacious Wisp before I perfect it with this new combat analysis.”Spectra didn’t reply, only watched silently as he paced to his workbench to resume his studies. Perhaps it was the sleep deprivation, or sheer desperation, but she slowly realized Abalmy was the only person in her life who might be capable enough to help with (and isolated enough to safely confess to) a secret she’d never dared tell anyone. “…Abalmy?” she forced out, throat rapidly turning dry. “C-can I…tell you something?”He didn’t even give her a look. “Of course. Unless it's a tortured admission of burgeoning love, which would be quite understandable but I fear I’m wholly uninterested.”“No, it’s nothing like that,” she quickly assured. “But it is big. Really big. To be honest…” she fidgeted, cold sweat breaking out across her body. “I’ve never told anyone this, and there’s a chance that some very powerful forces might consider you a target just for knowing it. I can’t guarantee your safety if you hear me out.”Now she had his full attention. “Ooh, well you must tell me in that case!” he exclaimed, a wide smile creeping across his face. “I assure you I’m quite capable of handling anyone that dares threaten me.”“You say that, but I’m talking about an angel.” Even as the truth left her mouth, Spectra couldn’t quite believe she was finally discussing her sordid double life out loud. “A banished deva from the celestial plane, named Hiyeth. I met him about a year ago, he turned me into one of his warlocks. It’s where I get my magic abilities.” Her listener’s eyes widened. “I thought…I assumed he was a good person. Aren’t angels supposed to be good?”
Spectra felt her cheeks reddening, tears welling in her eyes. “But he’s had me do horrible things. I can’t say no, he uses conjure fey to teleport me wherever he likes, threatens to strand me in terrifying places if I don’t obey him.” Her voice shook, part of herself begging her to stop talking before revealing the most damning parts. “I sabotaged an alliance that would have protected the Orclands, I helped a usurper bring down Duskvale, I caused everyone at the Olympics to get enslaved, I stole a protective crystal that exposed the lizardfolk tribes to the Genasi Empire…and I’m going to do more. He never gives me any warning, and once he summons me it’s already too late!” Her voice cracked and she buried her face in her hands, too overcome with emotion to continue.“Fascinating,” her conversation partner breathed, eyes lighting up with extreme interest and a blessed lack of judgmental scorn. “Has he ever mentioned his motivations? Celestials aren’t generally agents of chaos, in fact they’re among the most orderly beings in the outer planes.”“He never explains anything to me, he won’t even talk to me except to make demands,” Spectra peeped, still unable to look Abalmy in the eye. “I can’t defy him, I’ve tried but he guesses my every move. Some nights I lie awake wishing I had the courage to just off myself and stop the cycle, save the lives of anyone I’m yet to hurt.” She gulped and finally met his gaze, trembling from head to toe. “B-but I thought…first, maybe I should see if you had any ideas.”His visage grew deadly serious, and he stood up, still giving her his undivided attention. She wasn’t quite sure what he was doing until his arms wrapped softly around her. For several minutes he quietly hugged her as she broke down sobbing, years of pent-up anguish and silent suffering overwhelming her once she finally, for the first time in her life, had a shoulder to cry on.“I wish I’d known sooner. Of course I can help,” he promised, his voice taking a comforting tone she didn’t even know he was capable of. “Though these days I may be bending reality to my will, I remember how it feels to be beholden to a hostile higher power, one so absolute that I had seemingly no option but to obey. While the Empire couldn’t project itself directly into my mind, it consumed every facet of my youth, harshly punishing dissidence and mandating that every citizen gave their heart and soul to its grand design. I saw friends and family, even those stronger than me, succumb to zealotry rather than confront the dissonance of the violent utopia we were working for.”He broke the embrace long enough to meet her eye. “You’ve had a similar choice. After every one of these missions, you could have bent your knee and accepted Hiyeth’s will. It would be so ‘easy’ to just silence your inner conscience, abandon your embattled agency and walk his dotted line. But like me, you never stopped fighting. Despite it all, you’ve stayed true to your own moral compass, the hardest decision anyone can make. And there will always be strength in that.”His hand gripped her shoulder. “You are the only person in a position to defy him. Nobody else knows what he’s up to, and I doubt Stoneskeep would listen if you tried to warn them. You must stay alive and wait for a chance to escape his grasp. Give me time to research your situation and look for any possible avenues. Devas may be both physically and magically superior, but in the realm of psionics they are just as much whelplings as anyone else.”Spectra could hardly believe what she was hearing, and her hands trembled as she held him even tighter. “Thank you…you have no idea how grateful I am to hear that…” She felt a small smile break through the sniffles, even after he broke their hug and returned to his workbench. “I was just heading to the library, do you need me to pick you up any books?”“I’m fine,” he assured, unrolling a parchment and already scribbling mystical notes. “I thought you were exhausted, shouldn’t you go rest?”“No, I’m too close to learning my next spell. The one I’ve wanted from the beginning.” Her mind’s eye wandered to the dusty aisle on floor seven where she’d spent countless hours studying remove curse. “The syntax is finally making sense, I can just tell I’ve reached the required level of spellcasting acuity. Next time we meet, I might actually, finally be wearing something.”“Oh! All the more reason to keep up the fight,” he acknowledged supportively, though it was clear most of his attention had already pivoted to his intellectual musings, and Spectra left his crawlspace to return to the crisp evening air of the campus courtyard, feeling far better than she had when she’d arrived.The sidewalks weren’t terribly populated this late after school, and she was enough of a familiar face by this point that the other pedestrians largely ignored her as she made her way towards the large multi-story edifice behind the invocation classrooms. She usually found herself staying late and appreciating the lack of stares and gropings; if anything, she wished she could afford student housing and never deal with Stoneskeep’s general populace again.Her route took her through the university gardens and away from even the unprying eyes of the academics, an even nicer sight with its well-pruned hedges and picturesque statues, including several rare breeds of trees and ferns not normally seen in this region of the continent. Spectra normally took her time when strolling through this part of campus, but the call of removing her nudity curse kept her pace accelerated as she ducked around a central dividing wall and passed through a particularly-private pavilion—
“Hey, girl.” Abruptly she found herself very much not alone, with four dagger-wielding enforcers she recognized as underground contacts of her pimp and circus manager. “Nice place. No wonder you spend so much time here.”She gulped as the black-garbed sellswords hemmed her up against the wall. “W-what is this about?” she stammered. “You’re not supposed to bring weapons on campus—”“Well, if you’d arrived for your shift today, Qalek coulda delivered his message himself. But you’ve been something of a no-show for a while now,” their leader muttered, his blade hovering between her breasts. “And now the boss hears you’re turning tricks off the clock, cutting him out of his share. Suffice to say, he’s not thrilled.”Spectra felt her rising panic fill her with a sense of desperate recklessness. “Then maybe I should just quit and go solo full time!” she shot back, heart hammering in her chest. “I’m tired of debasing myself on his stage anyway. If I can make more without him, why should I keep him in the loop?” Her mind was already spinning at the thought of recouping that lost income, but she had a whole quarter to figure that out before her next tuition came due.
Persuasion check: d20(7)+7: 14 (Fail.)
But she didn’t expect her aggressors to chuckle and ignore her threat. “That’s not an option,” the leader informed, unrolling a parchment and slapping it against the wall millimeters away from her head. “Since you can’t respect a long leash, he’s decided to tighten the knot.”Spectra’s eyes widened as she read the conditions of Qalek’s updated contract for circus employment. Not only was her pay slashed and her hours lengthened, but severe punishments were levied on tardiness or insubordination, and outright absence would incur disciplinary garnishes that could leave her struggling to make ends meet even without college to consider. “I’m not going to sign this!” she exclaimed. “J-just tell him I quit! I’ll have my trailer cleared out by the end of the day!”
Persuasion check: d20(11)+7: 18 (Fail.)
The gang’s knives grew ever closer. “You grew up on the backstreets, you don’t need me to tell you there’s only one way anyone leaves,” their leader warned, his blade tip pressing into her sternum. “Way he sees it, he’s showing you mercy even offering a second chance. But if you don’t want it, we skip straight to the usual retirement plan for people who cross him.”Spectra whimpered, her eyes darting across their daggerpoints as the chill from the stone bricks dug into her backside, her senses heightening as she became all too aware of her extremely precarious situation. She couldn’t think of anything to say, any way to save her skin without signing away her future to a circus she’d wanted to escape for years. And with every passing second of silence, Qalek’s assassins grew more likely to just gut her and be done with it. “...Okay,” she peeped, tears welling in her eyes. “I’ll sign. Just d-don’t hurt me—” FLASH! Abruptly the wall seemed to disappear behind her, sending her tumbling backwards into a whirlwind of color and energy, plummeting head over heels with a startled shriek until crashing painfully into a dank earthy soil. Even before she’d registered her unexpected new surroundings, her skin erupted with goosebumps from an oppressively stale atmosphere like nothing she’d ever breathed before.Her eyes widened as she found herself in pitch-blackness, before her vision slowly adjusted to reveal a musty subterranean expanse, the only light coming from numerous bioluminescent vines and fungus. Cavernous stretches of rock extended in every direction, even above her head, and every feature of the darkened landscape seemed gripped with a stagnance only possible somewhere deep, deep underground. “H-hiyeth…?” she stammered, recognizing the telltale signs of her warlock patron’s summons. “W-where is this? I can’t for once complain about your timing, but—” <THIS ROAD LEADS TO VORNITHARUNE, CAPITAL CITY OF THE DROW.> His commanding voice boomed in her ears. “What!?” she interrupted, eyes widening in horror. “This is the Underdepths?” Only now did she recognize her surroundings as a subterranean region below the Mixed Lands, a wilderness of unfathomable chthonic terrors with danger lurking within every shadow. “Hiyeth, I can’t—!”
<AN IMPOSTER HAS INFILTRATED THEIR ROYAL COURT AND THREATENS DOOM FOR THEIR PEOPLE,> he continued. <YOU MUST UNCOVER THE DECEIVER AND EXPOSE THEIR CHARADE TO THE PUBLIC. THE DROW WILL HANDLE THE REST.> A cold sweat broke out across her skin as she stared in alarm at the inky blackness around her. Her breath caught in her throat as she struggled to put to words how unprepared a lone naked girl was to handle this unforgiving alien wilderness that readily devoured even the most well-equipped adventuring parties with nary a thought. But at the same time, she didn’t dare beg to be returned home, lest she once more find herself staring down a quartet of merciless steel shanks. “Please give me something to help, anything,” she begged, curling into a ball and shying from the unfriendly gloom swallowing her. “Don’t leave me to figure everything out alone. These are drow, Hiyeth, even if I reach their city they’ll gut me before I get a single foot near their palace!”Silence. Like always, her patron had delivered his orders and left her to her own devices. Bitter tears stained her cheeks as she staggered meekly to her feet, summoning her rapier and clutching her offhand around her necklace pendant.
She was terrified of every flicker of movement in her peripherals, of the vast darkened expanse that could house unfathomable dangers. Her eyes had barely adjusted enough to see the dirt road under her bare feet, at least giving her a direction. Too bad that direction leads to the most cutthroat culture in the continent… she mused ruefully, shivering in the starless draft. It was a mixture of hopelessness and fear she was well familiar with, having felt it pretty much every time he sent her somewhere.But this time, there was something else also gripping her heart; defiance. I’m not stumbling into another one of your traps, Hiyeth, she asserted to herself, lip quivering. Exposing an imposter sounds like a noble act, but you’ve NEVER been straight with me in the past. I’ll play your game since your eyes are on me, but I won’t pull the trigger until I’ve figured out what your real goal is. And then, no matter what you might do to me after, I’m going to ensure it doesn’t come to pass.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
At first, it was all Spectra could do to shiver nervously in the drafty stale air, too afraid to take a single step despite her acknowledgment that she was equally unsafe right where she stood. I can barely even see! she thought wildly to herself, squinting fruitlessly into the inky foreboding blackness. I’m liable to stumble off a cliff if I start wandering in the dark. But if I cast ‘light’, any monsters will see me for a mile around. What do I do? Terrified tears stained her cheeks as she fought her instinctual urges to find a hiding place and refuse to move ever again. None of the countless frantic propositions flitting through her brain ended with anything better than her inevitable and unpleasant demise. Finally, only once her desperate vacillations were threatening to graduate to a full-blown panic attack, did she decide to compromise with a much feebler illumination by shifting her pact weapon into a wooden club, folding and knotting Qalek’s contract around the tip, and igniting it with a casting of prestidigitation. It didn’t function terribly well, thanks to being an improvised torch over a regular one, but it provided enough dim light that she felt safe to finally creep forward, eyes darting erratically as every errant sound sent goosebumps washing across her skin.
While the Underdepths weren’t quite as alien as the Faewilds (another exotic location Hiyeth had once unceremoniously dumped her), still mostly natural-looking as far as craggy cavelike expanses go, it made up for that by radiating a pervasive malice that almost felt sentient, like it was just biding its time before something terrible crossed and dispatched her with barely a thought. Even the glowing fungi felt like it were watching her, undulating unsettlingly despite the breezeless emptiness of the smothering subterranean sky.The road beneath her bare feet was rough and unpaved, barely distinguishable from the rocky terrain around it thanks to the slight foot traffic it had sustained over the centuries. It had clearly been born from the path of least resistance through the harsh unforgiving topography, leaving her constantly switchbacking and relying on her intuition to not lose the trail.
Perception check: d20(9)+3: 12 (Pass!)
It was during one of these frequent detours that she got her first real spook; she had just crept out from around a large boulder to realize the darkness in front of her was even more ‘alive’ than usual, when the light of the nearby mushrooms illuminated the telltale rippling of a massive creature, its leathery hide stretching with every movement of its six clawed feet.
Eyes widening, Spectra stifled a peep and dove back behind the boulder, reflexively snuffing the torch in her haste to avoid being spotted. Her fingers trembled as she shot another terrified peek at the horned monstrosity standing directly in her path, munching on something at its feet and clearly not going anywhere soon. Her mind raced as she debated what to do; what even was it? Did she have any chance of defeating it in combat, or should she stray off the path and try to go around?
Nature check: d20(9)+0: 9 (Weak pass)
At first, she didn’t think she had enough info to go off, until it glanced her way, just for a moment, and she recognized its piercing green eye as that of a basilisk. Quickly she knew she was severely out of her weight class; basilisks could petrify their prey with a single glance, and upon further inspection she recognized its current victim as a poor flumph who’d been turned to stone fleeing for its life.Her heart palpitated and she fought to keep her breathing steady as she gripped the chilled stone under her fingertips. Unless she remained very, very quiet, she was about to join it as a permanent cairn on this spot of trail to warn future travelers. It made her dizzy to think of braving the uncharted terrain for even a minute, but the alternative was far, far worse.
Spectra casts Hex on the basilisk, targeting Wisdom. Stealth check d20(8)+3: 11, opposing the basilisk’s Perception d20(1, disadvantage 7)-1: 2 (Spectra wins)
Delicately and as quietly as she could, Spectra tiptoed across the road, aiming for an opening between the rocks that would lead her onto the shale mudrocks off the beaten path. The unforgiving ground cut into her heavily calloused soles, but thankfully the basilisk remained munching obliviously on its current meal, clearly not concerned with spotting any unexpected intruders at the moment. Within seconds, Spectra was a hairsbreadth away from once more being out of sight—
BOOM! Suddenly the ground shook and a pelting torrent of sediment erupted skyward, raining down on the startled changeling who collapsed to the road with a panicked cry. Wildly she glanced back as the basilisk screeched in alarm, and nearly wet herself at the sight of a gigantic purple worm enclosing its fanged jaws around the terrified hexapod. Only the behemoth’s top half was visible as a towering vermiform shaft jutting from a new gaping hole where the road once lay, the last cries of its doomed prey echoing through the air as Spectra scrambled backward in terror, unable to find her footing until she escaped the path and went hurdling blindly through the darkness as fast as her legs could take her. T-that thing had to have tremorsense! It KNEW I was there! she thought wildly. The only reason it didn’t eat me was a bigger meal nearby!
Hyperventilating and nearly deranged with fear, Spectra didn’t stop running until she faceplanted straight into a jet-black boulder and collapsed into a blubbering mess. Tears stained her cheeks and every part of her body trembled in uncontrollable quakes, and if she weren’t so terrified at the thought of another worm erupting from underneath her she’d be screaming for Hiyeth to teleport her home, Qalek’s thugs be damned.
But instead she heard a wholly different and unfamiliar voice in her head. <What was that? Check the area.> The command didn’t seem directed at her, rather it seemed to radiate in all directions, like someone was telepathically broadcasting to everyone in its vicinity. Her breath caught in her throat as she crawled to the edge of the boulder and peeked around, spotting several highly concerning sights in rapid succession.
The only illumination in the area came from a gloomy bonfire spewing sickly black flames, any nearby vegetation having been cut down and thrown in as kindling. Surrounding the fire were multiple nude humanoids, all prostate and facing the obvious leader, a purple-skinned aberration with glowing red eyes and squidlike tentacles sprouting from its otherwise featureless face. Spectra felt her stomach do a flipflop as the creature’s thralls all sprung to their feet, spreading out to find the intruder their master had detected.
Stealth check: d20(5)+3: 8 (Fail)
<Behind that rock!> the voice ordered, shattering any hope Spectra had of evading her pursuers. Before she could get far, she felt herself tackled by multiple shadowy figures, mostly dark elves but also a smattering of surfacefolk and dwarves with coal-black skin and scraggly white beards. <Bring her to me,> their rubbery ringleader insisted, leaving Spectra struggling in horror as they carried her forth.
Spectra attempts to break multiple grapples: d20(4)-1: 3 (Fail)
The deranged cultists’ fingers dug into her arms, their eyes wild and their minds clearly long succumbed to madness. Spectra cried openly as they reached the campfire and threw her before their master, forming a protective ring to ensure she couldn’t escape as he stood placidly over her. <So, then. What are you?> the creature murmured to itself, examining her with a cold emotionless curiosity. One tentacle pulled the torch from her grasp and tossed it dismissively into the fire. <One of those Demetaphone worshippers, probably. But let’s find out…>
Spectra blanched as the creature’s eyes flashed and seemed to root her in place. She knew it was about to pry into her mind, and frantically recalled the protective measures she’d learned in university. Let harmless thoughts bubble to the forefront, she reminded herself hurriedly. Garb any lies in half-truths…
Illithid casts ‘Detect Thoughts’ and reads Spectra’s mind.
The monster's glowing eyes flickered as it pored through her surface-level thoughts. <A changeling? Never seen your kind before,> he mused with a detached tone. She shuddered as his clawed hand gripped her by the chin to forcibly lock her gaze with his.
<And who is ‘Hiyeth?’>She struggled to answer with his palm digging into her windpipe. “He’s…an angel…” she gasped, shivering with fear. “I live to serve him…he is my light…”The octopean overlord chuckled as his psionic scanning confirmed a veracity in her words. <Well, that is a new one,> he admitted, dropping her to the ground where she gasped desperately for breath. <But no matter. You no longer worship Hiyeth. Now, you belong only to me.>“Of course! I am yours, my liege!” Spectra stammered, crawling subserviently towards him. Heart thumping, she knew her only chance of survival was to win him over long enough to (temporarily) join his cult. “You are so much stronger than Hiyeth…please, let me show you the fullness of my devotion…”
Performance check: d20(11)+7: 18 (Pass!)
Her racial proclivity for deception helped her easily pull off the role of a brainwashed weakling, and the mind flayer was more than happy to let her wrap her arms around his slick mucous legs. His warped body still retained the penis of its host, and she suppressed a gag reflex as she took it between her lips, feeling its slippery length grow stiff within her throat. The creature’s tentacles slithered down her back, wrapping around her arms and shoulders to pin her in place as she serviced him in heart and soul. The watching thralls chanted supportive praise as their master finally closed his eyes, seemingly convinced by her servile display. But even as she felt the foreign conscience retreat from her mind, his tentacles only grew tighter…
Illithid uses Extract Brain: Automatically fails, since Spectra’s a fey not a humanoid.
Spectra shivered as the tendrils locked her in place, only realizing the monster’s maw was gumming in confusion against her scalp when he detached himself in surprise. <What is this?> he boomed in confusion. <What ARE you?>“M-my lord…?” Spectra stammered, pausing her blowjob as the tentacles suddenly pulled her to her feet, bringing her face unsettlingly close to his. “What’s wrong?” His gaze drilled suspiciously into hers, and she had only moments to realize he was about to scan her mind again, this time to root out everything about her.
Mind Flayer detects thoughts again and probes deeper. Wisdom saving throw (Spectra): d20(10)+3: 13 (Fail.)
Spectra winced as the full brunt of his psionic attention dug into her mind like a fishhook, punching through her mental defenses and sifting doggedly through every secret she held. The creature quickly determined her fey nature, answering his main question, but he soon grew more interested in the many sordid details of her missions and allegiances. <Well…you’ve had a storied life, haven’t you?> he noted. <Devils, demons, elder fey, elementals…the Elder Brain will want to digest what you know.>Spectra shivered in terror as he continued dredging the limits of her subconscious, leaving her completely at his mercy. If she attempted any sort of counterattack that wasn’t instinctive and instantaneous, even something as brief as spellcasting components would be enough to forewarn him.<Come,> the mind flayer ordered, turning to his thralls. <We set out at once—>
Healing Light: Spectra heals the illithid for 1d6 as a bonus action. 5d6 remaining in Healing Light pool. Spectra attempts to escape the grapple as an action: Athletics d20(15)+6: 21 (Pass!)
The moment the monster’s attention was directed elsewhere, even for just a moment, Spectra seized the opportunity and erupted in a blinding display of celestial brilliance, her entire body flashing with holy light that sent the subterranean squidman screaming in retinal agony. Wrenching herself free from his prehensile appendages, Spectra sprinted towards the equally surprised cultists, hoping their star-filled vision might give her an advantage in slithering through their perimeter—
Illithid uses Mind Blast. Intelligence saving throw (Spectra): d20(18)+0: 18 (Pass!) Intelligence saving throw (Cultist 1): d20(14)+0: 14 (Fail.) Intelligence saving throw (Cultist 2): d20(12)+0: 12 (Fail.) Both cultists take 4d4(17)+4: 21 psychic damage.
—but the mind flayer wasn’t done yet. Roaring in fury, he cast his arm forward and sent a cone of crippling extrasensory energy coursing through her body. Spectra cried out and nearly stumbled, but her many bouts with Abalmy had left her uniquely experienced at resisting psionic attacks and she fought through the disorientation without losing a step. Both cultists caught in the cone weren’t so lucky, their heads exploding and their bodies collapsing to the ground as she vaulted over them and took off into the night.
<GET HER!> the illithid screamed in outrage, and she heard his remaining servants quickly spring to their feet and give chase. Shadowy shapes and rocky obstacles loomed from the darkness, each giving her milliseconds to pivot before she’d splat and lose her only advantage from the beguiled throng.
Their furious howls echoed in her ears, their footsteps keeping pace with their panicking prey. Panting in terror, Spectra fought to make anything out of the imperceptible gloom through which she was barrelling, every step risking her running into something even worse than the cultists—
Dexterity saving throw: d20(4)+3: 7 (Fail)
But perhaps she should have been looking down instead of forward, as the ground abruptly disappeared out from underneath her, sending her plummeting with a horrified screech off the side of a nearly invisible cliffside. Her world abruptly turned topsy-turvy as any attempt to righten herself was met only with increased speed and a never-ending flurry of earth and disturbed rocks that riddled her naked flesh with bruises and nicks.
Strength saving throw: d20(5)-1: 4 (Fail). 1d10(4) bludgeoning damage taken. 34/38 HP remaining.
Spectra grunted as a half-submerged rock careened off her cranium. Ears ringing, she could nonetheless hear the cultists scaling the cliffside after her, unwilling to abandon the chase and face their master’s wrath.
Strength saving throw: d20(7)-1: 6 (Fail). 1d10(1) bludgeoning damage taken. 33/38 HP remaining.
Despite her best efforts, the rockslide was just too disorienting, and Spectra wholly failed to gain any control over her forward motion until she splatted painfully onto the bottom of the cliff, coughing and fighting to breathe as she dragged herself free from the new dirtpile marking the end of her exodus. The only saving grace from her harrowing plunge was that she’d descended the cliffside significantly faster than the cultists, and could easily scamper off into the darkness before they had any hope of maintaining their pursuit.
(Mind Flayer and 8 cultists escaped! 3100 XP earned. Level 6 reached! Level-up mechanics [and additionally-earned XP] will be backlogged to the end of the adventure. 16,352/23,000 XP to next level.)
Spectra whimpered as she staggered weakly through yet another expanse of unfriendly murk, though this time she collapsed under a dimly glowing mushroom as soon as she knew she’d made enough distance from the cultists to lose their trail. Her lips trembled as she curled into a ball and hugged herself, fighting to keep from breaking down after having escaped such a dire situation. I can’t do this! she cried to herself, digging her face into the unforgiving sand. Everything in this horrid land is trying to kill me! Unless Hiyeth plans on teleporting me DIRECTLY there, he can just give up on his stupid mission, I want to go home! Sniffling, she took another worried glance at her surroundings, half expecting to see some ghastly thing creeping up on her in her moment of weakness…but instead she suddenly saw light. Certainly nothing natural, or nearby, but something that almost looked like faint city lights to her east. Weakly, she caught her breath and realized she might have, despite the Underdepths’ best efforts, managed to actually reach her destination.Spending almost a minute to work up the courage to climb unsteadily to her feet, Spectra brushed herself down and limped for what she prayed was Vornitharune, or at least a friendly settlement where she could find help. The ground under her feet even felt less inhospitable, perhaps due to her proximity to an occupied landmark, further buoying her spirits and letting her shore up enough nerve to keep going until she could reach the light.
Spectra summons her pact rapier and casts armor of agathys, gaining 15 temp HP.
It was only once she scaled a large rock formation and got a better look that she could confirm she was indeed headed for a city, its spires jagged and gothic and no friendlier than the wretched ecosystem she was escaping. But by this point, she’d happily take a threat she could negotiate with over the hostile beasts of the surrounding wilderness.Turning to retreat back down the rock formation, Spectra suddenly paused when she noticed something flutter in her peripherals. It was a large strip of dark brown leather dangling off the side of the formation, whether or not it had been tied there intentionally she couldn’t tell. Squinting at the odd sight, she wondered if it were perhaps marking something important, like a supply cache or message, and debated climbing down the side of the formation to investigate closer.
Perception check with weaver’s tools proficiency: d20(7)+6: 13 (Pass!)
Carefully learning over the edge, Spectra noticed the fabric was actually a large cloak, but she couldn’t see any sort of fastening connecting it to the rock. There also seemed to be something peculiar about its movements; she couldn’t quite place her finger on why, but it didn’t match what she would expect leather to do when blowing in the— wait, there’s no wind down here! she suddenly realized.Abruptly a pair of glowing red eyelets opened up, and the ‘cloak’ gave out an angry hiss as it realized its prey had sussed out its trap. Spectra yelped as the cloak suddenly detached from the rock face and flew straight at her head, snarling hungrily as it bore down on her.
Initiative: Spectra d20(11)+3: 14. Cloaker d20(5)+2: 7.
Spectra uses her bonus action to shift Hex to the Cloaker, targeting Wisdom. Eldritch blast: 1st bolt d20(18)+7: 25 (Hit!) 2nd bolt d20(14)+7: 21 (Hit!) Damage: 2d10(8)+2d6(3): 11 damage.
Steeling herself, Spectra sent two arcane bolts fizzing through the air, both striking their target and leaving it sizzling angrily as it bridged the gap and attacked her face. Spectra yelped as her vision abruptly filled with its smothering merciless folds.
Multiattack: Tail d20(13)+6: 19 (Hit!) Damage d8(3)+2: 5 slashing damage. Armor of agathys absorbs and cloaker takes 10 cold damage. Concentration saving throw (Hex): d20(1)+2: 3 (Fail.) Hex ends. 2nd attack: Bite d20(18)+6: 24 (Hit!) Damage 2d6(6)+3: 9 piercing damage. Armor of agathys absorbs and cloaker takes 10 cold damage. 1/15 temp HP remaining in armor of agathys.
Spectra and the animated outerwear both cried out as they found their opponent riddling them with attacks from unexpected sources. The ostensible garment was clearly unhappy at the degree of fight its prey was putting up, but now that it had penetrated her icy defenses it was free to wrap itself tightly around her screaming head, grappling her with instinctive and unshakeable alacrity—
Nudity curse triggers: Cloaker and Spectra both take 1d3(3): 3 fire damage. Spectra has 0 temp HP and 31/38 HP remaining.
—at least until a very unexpected burst of flame engulfed the startled shawl, and it detached itself hurriedly from its prey, fully befuddled at why it was having such trouble biting what looked like a naked unprotected girl.
Spectra hadn’t enjoyed her head catching on fire any more than the cloaker, but she wasn’t about to lose this opportunity to stab her rapier forward and ward the creature even further from her vitals. She’d lost both of her spellslot buffs after a single round of attacks, and wanted to capitalize before her opponent could snowball its upcoming advantage.
Rapier multiattack: 1st attack d20(16)+7: 23 (Hit!) Damage d8(2)+4: 6 piercing. 2nd attack: d20(2)+7: 9 (Miss).
The cloaker, meanwhile, was still thoroughly disoriented from the many elemental attacks it had suffered, and an oversized sewing needle suddenly piercing through its hem wasn’t helping matters. Vibrating its collar, it let loose a low melancholy croon supercharged with chthonic energy, rattling Spectra’s teeth as the sulfurous sound washed over her.
Wisdom saving throw (Moan): d20(12)+3: 15 (Pass!) Spectra is unaffected.
Her ears ringing, Spectra fought through the pain and shouted, “Just fly away! There’s got to be something easier for you to eat!” as she stabbed her rapier forward to punctuate her point.
Rapier multiattack: 1st attack d20(3)+7: 10 (Miss.) 2nd attack: d20(20)+7: 27 (Crit!) Damage 2[d8(4)+3]: 14 piercing damage.
The creature let out another furious hiss as she perforated it straight between the eyelets, ripping one of its fangs off with the accuracy of a needlepoint. Though its latest cry was sounding distinctly more deflated than the previous, and she could tell it was having second thoughts about continuing to fight such overly-prepared prey. But it also wasn’t about to concede without trying every trick up its sleeve.
Cloaker uses Phantasms.
Gyrating wildly, the carnivorous cape began vibrating again, this time so violently that it looked like it was tearing itself apart. Before Spectra’s eyes, three shadowy duplicates ripped free from the cloaker as it cackled in chorus and swiveled to surround her on all sides. Eyes widening, she wavered as her rapier bobbed hesitantly, unsure which opponent to target……until she threw caution to the wind. “I can’t beat four of you,” she admitted, shoring up her nerves before sacrificing her chance to counterattack on a desperate gambit. “But you didn’t seem to like being ignited earlier. So let’s see any of you get close when I’m literally on fire!”
Spectra shapeshifts her pact weapon into a knuckle duster. Nudity curse triggers: Spectra takes 1d3(1): 1 fire damage. Spectra has 0 temp HP and 30/38 HP remaining.
Swapping her melee weapon into a brass knuckle, Spectra winced as her hand erupted with blazing flames, searing her skin even as she brandished it skywards and sent the distressed leathers reeling away in alarm. “Go on, then!” she shouted at them, moving her fiery fist to ward off any attire that dared draw close. “Try and take another bite!”The cloaker bobbed and weaved, but her illuminating inferno was clearly cowing its courage. Like most creatures in the Underdepths, it was not a fan of bright light, and it ultimately sacrificed its chance to attack in favor of keeping its distance.But Spectra couldn’t afford to be so passive. “These flames don’t even hurt me, you know!” she lied, swiping it in a show of force that made the animated mantle retreat even further away. “I can do this all day! Scuttle back to your shadows and pick on something else in the dark!”
Spectra takes d3(3): 3 fire damage. Intimidation check: d20(1, advantage 12)+7: 19 (Pass!) 27/38 HP remaining.
With one final snarl, the cloaker’s nerves finally failed and it darted away, leaving the exhausted changeling to drop her burning beacon and sink to the ground, nursing her charred hand but well aware she was lucky to have ended the encounter in one piece.
(Cloaker defeated! 3,900 XP earned. 20,252/23,000 XP to next level.)
Somehow the adrenaline coursing through Spectra’s veins kept her from feeling the fear she was expecting, and before long she had already climbed back to her feet, resummoning her signature rapier and holding it defensively in her offhand. The Underdepths have taken enough from me…let’s just get to Vornitharune… she told herself, once more resuming her tortured journey.The remainder of her trek passed without incident; perhaps most wildlife had learned to steer clear of a settlement full of dark elves. Spectra wished she could be so lucky, but before long she found herself crouched behind a dead fern, the city walls less than thirty feet away.
“I can’t just go barging in, I’m wounded and out of magic,” she muttered dully, collapsing onto the dirt. “You’re gonna have to wait an hour, Hiyeth…”
Spectra takes a short rest, spending 2 Hit Dice (4, 8) to regain health. 3/5 Hit Dice and 38/38 HP remaining. Spellslots refreshed.
For the entirety of her recovery period, Spectra weighed ideas for infiltrating the city, and while nothing incredible had come to mind by the time she felt her magic return, she knew she would at least need to look the part. “If you want this to work, you really should consider giving me anything to go with,” she pointed out as her skin flushed to a dark purple and her ears grew pointy. “A little intel could go a long way. But that’s not how you operate, is it…?”Characteristic silence. Sighing, Spectra took a deep breath and began her walk to the main gate. She had no way of knowing what dangers the city might have in store for her, but she was more than ready to face them if it meant leaving the wilderness behind her.