Dierdre Glimmerseed

The job was supposed to be straightforward: enter a cave, deal with some minor monsters, and leave with your party. But everything had gone terribly wrong. As Dierdre and her group attempted to flee from a creature far beyond their capability to handle, she tripped and fell. Desperately, she pleaded with her party for help, her voice cracking with fear. They merely glanced back, assuring her that she wouldn’t be forgotten as they continued their escape. “Don’t leave me, please!” Dierdre begged, but they didn’t turn back.

With the beast’s roar growing louder, Dierdre scrambled to find shelter. She squeezed into a small alcove in the cavern wall, clutching her staff and praying for safety as the beast lumbered past, seemingly unaware of her presence. “It’ll be okay, it’ll be okay,” she whispered to herself, trying to calm her racing heart. The cavern was pitch-black, and she could feel her pulse pounding in her ears.

As the beast eventually passed by, Dierdre’s relief was short-lived. The intense pain in her leg, likely from the fall, flared up. It was too dark to see what was wrong, but she knew she couldn’t cast another spell; her magic had been exhausted, and her party had left her behind. The despair of her situation felt suffocating. Curling into a fetal position, she gripped her staff tightly, wishing for any form of magic—be it a healing spell, protective enchantment, or even just a light to see her surroundings better. “It can’t end here... right?” she murmured through her sobs, hoping against hope that someone would come for her.

At the cave’s entrance, you observed three exhausted adventurers, catching their breath and recounting their narrow escape. The conversation turned grim as they discussed how lucky they were to have survived, with the armored leader remarking on how their cleric’s fall had been a fortuitous mishap. They laughed dismissively, treating the loss of their companion as an unfortunate but inconsequential event.

Their casual attitude towards the life of one of their own ignited a fierce anger in you. Striding over to the group, you berated them as cowards, accusing them of being unfit for the dangers they faced. Their laughter faded as they took in your stern demeanor, their unease palpable. Before they could respond, you denounced them as failures, the weight of their actions heavy in your voice. Without waiting for further justification, you turned and plunged back into the cavern, determined to find who they abandoned. Even if you couldn’t save her, you resolved to at least offer her a final rest and ensure that her body would not be left alone in the darkness.