Alice said something from behind her gag, but Isa kept her eyes on the man in brown leather. “Were you a cat first or a man?” she asked him.

“Before I kill you, I’ll show you the kind of man I am. The kind of man I was before that elf bitch! out there changed me.” He jabbed a sword at the front of the tree, and Isa swung her club down hard on his outstretched hand. It was a solid blow, but he didn’t lose his blade.

“Sneaky-sneaky,” he said and then his blades whirled toward Isa. She tried to move away from Alice so that her girlfriend wouldn’t get hit accidentally, but the cleric sent a ghostly mace flying at her head that barely missed her.

In that moment of distraction, Grenyen struck Isa with both blades at once. One blade slashed down her front, parting her armor. The other blade plunged into her side, and Isa felt a hot stinging that she would later learn was poison.

She dropped to one knee and only caught herself with her broken hand. A scream ripped from her, and Isa bowed her head feeling her life ebbing. Just then she caught sight of one of the tiny white flowers, and she remembered second wind. She could regain some health - maybe not enough to save herself but enough to protect Alice a little while longer.

Although the shillelagh still glowed with silvery green, Isa grunted out the word wrath and rose swiftly to her feet. The club caught the man named Grenyen in the face. He’d been bringing his empty hand toward his face, and Isa’s club broke his hand and his nose in an instant. His head snapped back, and he fell to the ground, dead.

From the tree trunk entrance Ysel began to chant a spell and then something white moved past Isa, coming between her and the cleric. She saw shimmering white flanks and a shaggy mane, and then she noticed the horn in its forehead. “You have got to be kidding me,” she said aloud.

“The tide turns with you, Isa!”

The cleric screamed in pain, but Isa couldn’t say why. Perhaps the mere sight of the unicorn was painful to him. The hooded man seemed unfazed by the beast’s appearance. He swung at the unicorn, bringing his club down on its neck. He then moved closer to the cleric. “My lord,” he said, “heal yourself! Wathren needs you.”

At the name, the unicorn reared up, hooves flailing. They slammed the cleric to the ground, and then the unicorn bent its head and rammed its horn through the cleric’s belly. With a snort, it pulled free and shook blood and entrails from its horn.

The hooded man gave a strangled cry and hit at the unicorn again. Isa took advantage and began to work at the knot binding Alice’s hands together. “It’s going to be OK,” she murmured.

Alice tried to speak, and Isa realized she should move the gag, realized she should have done that first thing. “I’m sorry, baby. Hold on.” With her good right hand, Isa began to move the cloth gag.

The hooded man’s club hit Isa’s shoulder, knocking her to the ground. The unicorn neighed and lashed out with its hooves again. The man backed up a step.

The unicorn bent to Isa and put its horn on her left hand. The bones mended immediately and the unicorn nudged her hand. Isa closed her now-healed hand around the horn, and the unicorn lifted her to her feet.

The hooded man’s eyes glinted. He pointed his club at Isa. “You will die for what you have done here today.”

But before he could get close enough to attack Isa, a streak went by her and tackled the man. After a moment’s struggle Ysel bounced up, but her quarterstaff had been knocked loose in the tackle. It rolled to Isa’s feet. The man, his hood knocked back from Ysel’s attack, looked up at Isa. He raised his hand as if to cast a spell, but before he could speak, Isa picked up the staff, said “Wrath,” and slammed the quarterstaff down on the man’s head.

In the sudden stillness the unicorn trotted past Isa and touched Ysel with its horn. “Nyegal, my friend,” the goddess whispered.

Isa dropped the staff and turned back to the table where Alice lay. “It’s over,” she said to Alice as she removed the gag. “You’re safe.”

Alice tried to sit up. “Isa! What’s going on? Where are we? You’re all bloody! Are you OK?”

“I’m fine. We’re fine. Let me get you loose.” As she reached toward Alice’s bound hands, a dagger slid into view. “Here,” said Ysel, “this will help.”

Isa took the dagger and cut the rope at Alice’s hands and then did the same at her feet. Alice sat up and pulled the garland of flowers from her neck and dropped them with disgust. She put her hands to her head. “They must have drugged me. I thought I saw a….”

Alice stopped talking as the unicorn padded up to stand beside Ysel. Alice reached out her hand, and Isa took it. “Yeah, me too,” Isa said.

“Alice. I am Ysel, Lady of Lockwood. You are safe now. Your lover fought well and bravely as did my clan.”

“I don’t understa--”

Ysel reached out and placed her finger on Alice’s forehead. The woman slumped to the table. Isa caught her and cried out. “What did you do?” She glared at Ysel.

“She’s fine. Her mind is a whirl of chaos right now - as one might expect. It is simply easier to deal with her once we have finished here.” She lifted Alice as if she weighed no more than a child and placed her across the unicorn’s back.

“Now,” Ysel put her hands on her hips. “We must consecrate this place. Hal-ghit Hal must once more be in balance.”

Spoiler: Isa's character sheet

Name: Isa Chamberlin

Race: Human

Height & Weight: 5ft 6inches / 120 lbs

Class: Fighter Level: 4 / Cleric level 1

Alignment: Chaotic Good

Background: Stranger in a Strange Land

Domain: Nature

Hit Points: 34 AC: 16

Current Hit Points: 34 (fully healed by unicorn)

Combat: +6 to Hit / +4 on club/shillelagh

Weapons: Rapier (left hand) 1d8 +3 / club/shillelagh +4 (right hand) 1d8 +4 (bludgeoning)

STR

11

0

DEX

16

+3

CON

11

0

INT

13

+1

WIS

13

+1

CHA

12

+1

Saving Throws: Str and Con +2

5

Acrobatics* (Dex)

1

Medicine (Wis)

1

Animal Handling (Wis)

4

Nature* (Int)

1

Arcana (Int)

3

Perception* (Wis)

0

Athletics (Str)

1

Performance (Cha)

1

Deception (Cha)

1

Persuasion (Cha)

3

History* (Int)

1

Religion (Int)

3

Insight* (Wis)

3

Sleight of Hand (Dex)

1

Intimidation (Cha)

3

Stealth (Dex)

1

Investigation (Int)

1

Survival (Wis)

Special Attack: Two weapon fighting. When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

Class Features:

Second Wind - On your turn, you can use a Bonus Action to regain hit points equal to 5 + your fighter level. Short or Long Rest before you can use it again.

Action Surge - On your turn, you can take one additional action on top of your regular action and a possible Bonus Action. You must finish a short or Long Rest before using it again.

Martial Archetype: Surgical Fighter

3rd level - Clinical Eye: Spend 1 combat turn studying your enemy and learn one of the following: if the enemy is equal to or stronger than you in strength, dexterity, or constitution. Can spend up to 3 turns to discern all 3. Can be used outside of combat as a free action - spend 1 minute to learn all three.

Cleric Spells: DC = 12 Spell Attack +4

Cantrips – Shillelagh / Spare The Dying / Sacred Flame / Thaumaturgy

Level 1 - Animal Friendship (domain) / Healing Word / Bane