Honestly, ever since coming to Faerûn, Aoko had a constant feeling of being home, yet uncomfortable at the same time.
After much thought, she decided it was mostly because all her powers except Weave magic were suppressed—but maybe not entirely. Sometimes, she felt a little irritable.
But Aoko had excellent self-control, so to others she was still the polite young mage, not some mad witch who'll blast you for a word.
This strange mood was new to her—like nothing she'd ever felt before… Even before becoming a magician, she'd never hid her personality and had physically beaten the herd mentality and bullying culture out of her old school.
But Faerûn was different. Aoko could feel that even at the legendary level she was hemmed in by countless layers of rules, always a hand behind the scenes ready to kill her.
So, lost in thought, Aoko rode along with the party, arriving in the dead of night at the fortress town of Shield of Mobyrian, at the confluence of branches of the Surbrin River.
After a long time explaining to the night guards they weren't bandits or an evil cult, it was nearly 3 a.m. Most were exhausted.
So they found an inn to sleep in, planning to find Xenk Yendar in the morning.
Aoko had no problem, as she hadn't slept—just meditated until dawn, since the place wasn't entirely safe, and Sofina was still watching them.
"Does anyone know where that idiot Xenk is?" Edgin asked at breakfast.
"There's a Harper command post over there," Doric said. "I just checked—locals say Xenk stays there."
"Great. Miss Aoko, get ready," Edgin said. "We'll go confront him. If he pulls anything, hit him hard."
"Already ready," Aoko said. "Just have Edgin explain and ask about the helm. Telling if he's a paladin is easy."
"Is this necessary…?" Doric wondered.
After breakfast, the party walked through Shield of Mobyrian's main street toward the Harper fortress.
The town, at the crossroads of several regions, was diverse: humans, forest elves, dragonborn refugees, and even beastfolk with cat heads.
"Is that Xenk?" Holga pointed at a man on the docks.
Aoko looked—a brown-skinned man who radiated order in every movement was basking in applause, having just saved a beastfolk child from a giant fish's mouth.
"How about it, Edgin? Isn't Xenk interesting?" Holga nudged Edgin.
"You go check him out," Edgin said stiffly. "I'll keep watch from back here."
Holga shook his head and took Simon to greet the supposed Xenk Yendar.
"Are you Xenk?" Holga asked.
"Before I know who you are, I'd rather not answer," the man said. "Can you answer my question first?"
"I'm Holga Kilgore," Holga introduced himself. "This is Simon Aumar."
"Then I am Xenk Yendar," Xenk replied. "Why have you come to the Shield of Mobyrian?"
"We're looking for you," Holga said bluntly. "We're trying to find the Magic Helm, and you're our lead."
"It's the Helmet of disjunction," Simon corrected.
Xenk didn't reply immediately—he stopped to help a poor dragonborn, giving him a gold coin and blessing.
"We know you're a man of justice," Simon said. "I can assure you, our reasons for needing the helm are noble."
"Yeah, we're planning to rob someone's vault," Holga added.
"We're robbing Forge Fitzwilliam's vault," Simon tried to clarify. "And his partner is the Thayan Red Wizard Sofina."
At the word "Thay," Xenk paused, then, after a moment's thought, said, "Follow me."
…
Inside the Harper fortress, Xenk turned and smiled at Edgin. "Familiar with this place, Edgin? Curious how I know you?"
"How do you know me?" Edgin frowned. "Don't play word games—I'm a pro."
"You may have left the Harpers' oath," Xenk said, "but the oath hasn't left you. To the Harpers, you're still family."
"Don't give me that. Miss Aoko, can you confirm if he's a paladin?"
"Of course," Aoko replied, glancing around the fortress. "He hasn't even turned off his aura of courage—I recognized him from a mile away."
"You," Xenk looked at Aoko, "stand dangerously close to the abyss. One more step and we might have to draw swords."
Everyone tensed—especially Edgin, who thought Xenk would attack Aoko.
"I have my views on alignment," Aoko said, meeting Xenk's gaze. "And I've saved almost as many as I've killed. How do you judge that, half-undead Xenk?"
"I knew it!" Edgin readied his lute. "He's up to no good! Should we attack?"
"You're right," Xenk answered calmly. "I escaped Szass Tam's transformation ritual, but the poison cost me part of my soul."
Xenk took a book from the shelf, opened it, and showed the party.
"Szass Tam not only slaughtered and transformed Thay's people but also his fellow Red Wizards. That's why Thay's reputation is so terrible."
"And because of that ritual, I lost part of my soul—now I can't fully feel or age, which is why I've kept the Helmet of disjunction safe for a century."
"Very convincing," Aoko said to Edgin. "It's possible—he's half-human, half-undead, neither living nor dead. He's not lying."
"Now that you believe me, why do you want to rob Forge Fitzwilliam's vault?" Xenk asked seriously. "Depending on your answer, I'll decide if I give you the helm."
"Forge cheated and kidnapped Edgin's daughter," Simon said. "And a pile of treasure, including the Tablet of reawakening he was saving to revive his wife!"
"Why'd you tell him everything?!" Edgin glared at Simon.
"In other words—Forge is a bastard," Holga said bluntly. "So we want to take him down."
"How can you blame his mother?" Xenk frowned at Holga, who was left speechless.
"I think Holga's words are just an expression," Aoko added. "But Forge's parents are at fault too—back home we say, 'if a child goes bad, it's the parents' fault.'"
"I see," Xenk mused. "Old proverbs are worth pondering. I'm not used to colloquial expressions, sorry."
"Is he incapable of humor?" Holga asked Aoko.
"I think he's pretty funny," Aoko replied, smiling meaningfully.
"I agree to give you the Helmet of disjunction," Xenk said, showing them some Thay materials. "But as a Thayan, I must say: for a Red Wizard to be Forge's advisor, it's more than politics."
"I figured," Aoko said. "Next, a Thayan army will help Sofina in Neverwinter."
"I don't know Sofina," Xenk nodded, "but if she's here, she serves Szass Tam."
"And if Szass Tam targets Neverwinter, there's only one reason," Xenk said, pointing to a painting of undead armies. "To transform its people into undead and use them to conquer Faerûn."
"The High Sun Games," Aoko said. "Not just Neverwinter, but all the visitors from the Lord's Alliance—perfect for a mass transformation ritual."
"Exactly," Xenk nodded. "Szass Tam has a ritual called Vampiric mist —it absorbs all souls touched by the red mist, turning them into his undead soldiers. Part of my soul was taken that way."
"Perfect. Forge is a super-villain working with the evil overlord," Edgin said. "Give us the helm. We'll defeat Forge and ruin their plot—everyone wins!"
"And you, Edgin?" Xenk stared at him. "What about the rest of Forge's treasure? I won't give you the helm if you're in it for personal gain."
"...Fine," Edgin sighed. "I'll give the treasure to the townspeople, alright?"
"You need to swear it," Xenk put a Harper oath book before Edgin. "Place your hand on it and vow to give all the treasure to Neverwinter's people."
"Sure, no problem!" Edgin placed his hand on the book, but Aoko could tell he was anything but relaxed.
"...I swear," Edgin hesitated, then met Xenk's eyes. "I'll give Forge's money… to Neverwinter's people."
"Keep the book," Xenk gripped Edgin's hand. "You may not trust your oath, but I choose to."
Edgin, embarrassed, immediately tossed the book to Simon. "So where's the Helmet of disjunction?" he asked Xenk. "Can we have it?"
"In the depths of the Underdark," Xenk said. "For safety."
"You're kidding?!" Edgin protested. "The Underdark's the most dangerous place in Faerûn!"
"Because the most dangerous place is the safest?" Aoko mused.
"Is that another proverb?" Xenk asked. "It makes sense."
"Thanks, Xenk," Aoko said. "How do we get into the Underdark?"
"There's a hidden entrance in the Crypt Garden Forest, east of the Sword Mountains," Xenk said. "It leads directly to the ruins of Dobruind."
"Good," Aoko was suddenly excited. "There's a place I want to visit, east of the Forge of Fury, near a myconid village."
"...As far as I know, there's only one large myconid village left, and it's not safe—you'll need a boat," Xenk frowned. "Why are you going there?"
"There's an arcane tower there," Aoko said honestly. "I want the knowledge in its library. That'll make me stronger when I face Sofina."
"Will we have time?" Holga worried. "The High Sun Game isn't far off."
"Don't worry," Aoko grinned. "I've studied that tower—I won't take long. And don't forget, I can teleport us back up, so no need to worry about the return trip."