The gentle breeze blew my raven black hair as I walked down the cobbled streets of Moonbright. I had just gotten into the city and was heading back to the headquarters for the Emerald Eye. My emerald-green tunic fluttered lightly in the breeze beneath my browned leather armor. This was my typical wear, especially when traveling. My trusty saber hung by my side in its plain black sheath, occasionally bumping against my black breeches as I walked. My pointed ears caught bits and pieces of conversations as other people passed me by.

Occasionally I’d get looks, especially from men. The bit of elven blood that ran through my veins had blessed me with a pretty face, which I had promptly used to put tattoos onto. Two green lines extended from under my hair and over my sky-blue eyes in a circular pattern that went over my cheeks and under my ears. A second circle came from the base of my ears and made its way down my cheek and neck. As for why I have these tattoos, well, that is simple, I like them. There were two other things that marred my face, a scar over my lips and one across my nose. Both were gotten from playing on the streets as a kid.

To top off my look is my favorite part of my outfit, my cavalier hat. It is my prized possession. Its as green as my shirt with a white ostrich feather sticking out of it. It was a gift from my father before I left home, and it has been with me on every adventure I have been on.

As much as I enjoy my adventures, there is a certain charm to returning to Moonbright. The smells of bread baking and smoked meat assault your nose almost immediately. The chatter of people in the markets bartering for food, trinkets, and supplies. Finally, the assortment of species; Dwarves, Elves, Gnomes, Goblins, Halflings, Humans, Catfolk, Tieflings, Fetchlings, and many more different species all walked about. Then there were even the half species, like me; Half-elves and half-orcs being the most prevalent among them.

My boots clacked on the cobble as I made my way down the main promenade through the throngs of people. It was not uncommon for you to bump shoulders with others or be forced to move out of the way of a wagon, lest you be run over. Today was no different. I was just rounding the corner to my side street when I was forced to throw myself back to avoid getting hit by a large horse drawn wagon.

“Watch where you’re going, troll face.” I yelled at the driver as he drove his wagon without a care in the world, causing even more people to jump out of the way. Angry shouts marked his position as they faded off behind me. Shaking my head, I continued down the side street, keeping an eye out for other carriages to avoid getting run over. Though less busy than the main street, this side street led to the local wizard college and as such, had plenty of traffic down it as well. I continued, passing all the shops and taverns along the way. There was even a brothel that had set up shop not too far away from the college. Busy students need to blow off some steam somehow, I always thought.

Once I passed the college things finally started to thin out and I was able to increase my pace. Don’t let any adventurer try and fool you, walking sucks. And when you have spent the past week walking every single day, nothing is better than getting back home, taking your boots off, putting your feet up, and relaxing. That thought is what spurred me on to get back as soon as I could. It wasn’t long before I saw the familiar sight I was looking for.

Everything about the headquarters for the Emerald Eye looked unassuming, except for the large green eye painted above the doorframe. The rest of the building was the same; stone walls with plaster for insulation giving the walls a tan look. The roof consisted of blue-gray tiles on top of steep ridges. This was the typical style of Trell, and Moonbright was no different.

Walking up to the front door, I smiled to myself as I reached out and opened the door. “I’m back!” I called out as soon as the door was open. Inside was a medium sized room with a single vacant desk in the middle of the room. Two doors stood against the far wall with the right door currently open. Down it was a hallway that led to all our offices. The left door led to our library. It wasn’t grand, but it still held a ton of books and information.

            I stepped inside, closing the door behind me. “Where in the hells is everyone?” I mumbled to myself just as a figure appeared in the doorway.

            “Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in.” came the familiar voice of my uncle Reynik. “How are you doing, kiddo? How was the trip?”

            I gave my uncle a smile and moved to give him a hug. “I’m doing great, and the trip was a success. You should see all the information I was able to gather about Nezia.” I said with a smirk on my face.

            My uncle Reynik stood about a foot taller than me. His hair and eyes both matched mine, traits we both got from his father, my grandfather. Today he was wearing a simple green tunic, burgundy vest and pants. His eyes went a little wide before embracing me in the hug. “The Nezia? The lost civilization that used to rule these lands thousands of years ago?”

            I nodded my head into his chest before pulling back. “Yes! There are some new symbols that even I have no clue what they mean. But first, I need to get out of these boots and maybe take a bath, it has been a long trip.” I said gesturing down to my boots. “By the way, where is everyone?” I said looking around him.

            “Some adventurers brought back some large relic from their trip and everyone jumped at the opportunity to go see it. So, I stuck around to keep the place company.” He said with a smile as he gently patted the wall, much like how one would pat an old horse.

            “If I wasn’t dying to relax, I’d be right there with them.” I said through a grin. “However, the bath calls.”

            Reynik let out a laugh before turning around and starting to walk back through the doorway. Looking over his shoulder he said to me, “Then go rest up, we will talk later with everyone else once they get back.” He walked towards the end of the hallway before turning into his office. I followed him through the door and towards the end of the hallway, but instead of turning into his office, I took the stairs opposite them.

            The upstairs of the headquarters contained my office, my bedroom, the bathroom, and storage. For as many books as we collected, we collected almost as many artifacts from ancient times. I should mention that the reason that I am the only member living out of the headquarters is because I am a bit… well, I tend to lose track of time while working. The other members got tired of finding me asleep at my desk and eventually just gave me one of the rooms to use. That was 3 years ago, I’ve been living here ever since.

            I opened the door to my room and stepped inside. A layer of dust had collected in the couple months that I had been gone. I didn’t have much in the way of furniture in here as it was an old office converted into a bedroom. My bed was shoved up against the far wall with a wardrobe right next to it. A small writing desk and chair were near the door. The rest of my room was covered in mountain ranges of books and paper. Like I said, I sometimes forget to stop working. I walked over to my bed and put my bag down on it. I’d unpack after I took a nice relaxing dip in the water to wash away the grime from my travels.

Sometime later, after I had taken a relaxing dip and cleaned myself up, I heard the front door open and the sound of excited voices coming from downstairs. I smiled to myself, threw open my door and skipped downstairs. I almost collided with my uncle who had just left his office. I gave him a smile as he rolled his eyes at me.

            “How was the relic?” He said to the group at the end of the hall. Like in typical fashion, I was not able to hear any of their replies as they all started talking at the same time. I heard my uncle just start laughing before shaking his head, “One at a time. One at a time!” He walked out into the room and stepped aside to let me by.

            I hadn’t gotten more than 1 step into the room before everyone’s attention was on me. “Sylona! You’re back!” Exclaimed Kalza, a female red-skinned tiefling. She stood just slightly taller than me, not counting her horns. Her black hair framed her face, which was lit up by a smile. She wore a loose-fitting white shirt under a tight green corset and black breeches that tucked into her boots. She did almost a little dance as she ran over and tossed her arms around me for a tight hug.

            I laughed and hugged her back. Kalza had been my friend ever since I arrived at the Emerald Eye. “Kalza! It is good to see you too.” I said through a smile. “I hear you have been up to no good while I’ve been away.”

            Kalza immediately broke the hug and looked at me with a shocked face. “WHAT?!” She yelled before turning her head sharply to my uncle. “Why did you tell her? You promised me you wouldn’t tell.”

            Reynik held his hands up and backed up with a smile on his face, “I didn’t say anything. But you just let the cat out of the bag.” Everyone else behind her started laughing at Kalza’s predicament.

            Kalza just turned from Reynik to me and back and forth a few times before crossing her arms and pouting. “I promise I’ve been good.” She said to me.

            I laughed and gave her another hug, “I’m just teasing you.” Reaching up I gave her nose a light poke before sticking out my tongue. “I’m sure whatever you did isn’t that bad.”

            “No, its horrible.” Came the voice of Brimorn from behind Kalza. Brimorn was a gnome that stood three feet two inches tall. His large eyes always tended to have a gleam to them. For as much of a scholar as he was, he also loved pranks. He was by far the oldest of the Emerald Eye members as well. He was dressed in his green, black, and gold robe that was filled with fancy designs and arcane symbols.

            “Oh, don’t be so harsh on the poor girl, Brimorn.” Said Sariel in her voice that many men had described as sounding like an angel. Her sandy blonde hair, tanned skin, and pointed ears betrayed her heritage, that of a desert elf. She was a longtime friend of Brimorn and shared in his sense of humor, but always knew when to back off. She was like the older sister of the group. Her brown eyes always seemed to be smiling and she got along with just about everyone. She was wearing her typical outfit of a simple emerald green robe. It wasn’t required, but most members wore at least some green in their outfit daily. It was an unspoken dress code that we all followed.

            Beside Sariel was our last member, Asar, a human who had come from the deserts of Aksahdet. He and Sariel would sometimes speak at length on their time there. Most of the time, however, he was the quiet type, only speaking when he needed to. Today, he was laughing along with the rest of them, but one glance and you could tell he was distracted. Most likely by the relic he just got to see.

            “So, tell me about this relic you all saw.” I said, looking around at the group.

            Kalza immediately piped up before anyone else could answer. “Oh! It was great. We believe it to be some kind of relic from the early days of Stelandia. The adventurers had spent some time there and have been showing it off to anyone who wants to see it.” Kalza practically vibrated as she talked about it.

            Asar piped in, “It’s a strange small ball made of adamantium with old common carved into it. Based on the look and text, we would place it as dating back to possibly King Madren Longhammer’s reign. Which would make it over a thousand years old. Unfortunately, they were not willing to sell the artifact to us to study more.

            “Well, that is a shame. Do you know how long they will be in the city? I would very much like to see it.” I said with a sigh.

            “They said a couple days, but you know how adventurers can be, leaving to go fight something at the drop of a bucket.” Brimorn replied, “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have research to continue.” Brimorn shuffled past everyone on his way to his office. The rest of the group agreed and made their way to their respective offices. This was the norm for the Emerald Eye. When the members weren’t off looking for artifacts, they were in their offices digging into the discoveries that they had made, writing up theses on their work, or looking for any potential new lead to take them to their next discovery. This is how I spent the rest of my day, hunched over some artifacts I had brought back with me that needed to be translated.

It wasn’t until the following day around noon that I finally took a break, unless of course you count falling asleep at my desk again. I got up and stretched only to have my stomach growl in protest at the lack of food. Smiling to myself, I made my way down the stairs and out into the street. It was my first day back and I was going to treat myself to my favorite spot, the Dragon’s Roost, a local tavern that served the best cooked meat in the city. The city was alive with people walking about it, visiting shops, selling goods, bartering, and arguing over the best deal. It brought a smile to my face to be seeing the sights of the city once again.

            Just as I was walking up to turn the final corner to the Dragon’s Roost, a large explosion rang out not too far away. Everyone around me stopped and looked, some started to scream and run in a panic. The fear spread like wildfire, creating a stampede of people running away from the danger. Another explosion rang out and before I realized it, my feet were carrying me towards it.

            After sprinting and fighting my way through the crowd I arrived at a gruesome sight. Horses and men, burnt to a crisp, lay scattered throughout the street. Smoke rose from a carriage on fire that had been knocked over by the force of the explosion, or something really big pushing it over. My eyes went wide as I recognized the symbol on the side of the carriage, the Moonbright family crest. Off in the distance came the sharp whistle of the guards. Deciding that I didn’t feel like spending the rest of the day being questioned about this, I slipped off in the opposite direction heading back home.

            My mind was racing. Just what had happened? Was it a robbery gone wrong? What were they looking for? Jewels? Gold? Some kind of magic item? Before I knew it, I was walking back inside the Emerald Eye headquarters. Kalza was sitting at the front desk, her feet up on it with some kind of stone in her hands that she was focusing on. A half-eaten sandwich lay on a plate on the desk. Her concentration broke at the sound of me walking in and she gave me a curious expression.

            “Back already? That was a quick lunch.” She said putting the artifact down.

            “There was an explosion. Someone, or someones, just tried to rob one of the Moonbright’s carriages. Or maybe it was an attempted murder, though with that wreckage attempted is probably the wrong word for it.” I replied, rambling on a bit.

            “Wait, what?” Kalza said practically jumping up. “Someone tried to kill the Moonbrights?”

            I nodded my head in reply.

            “Did I just hear that right, there was an explosion?” Came Brimorn’s voice from the hallway. He walked out into the room and looked between us.

            I nodded my head in reply again. “Someone attacked one of the Moonbright’s carriages.”

            “Well, that is going to be the talk of the town for a while. Though, I am not surprised. A family as stuck up as they are probably has plenty of enemies.”

            “Yeah, with how they treat anyone lower than them this could easily be revenge.” Said Kalza before turning to look at me. “Here, you can have half of my sandwich since you didn’t get to have your lunch.” She said, offering me half of her lunch, with a smile.

            “Thank you.” I said taking the sandwich from her and taking a bite. “I think I’m going to just get back to work and I’ll head to the Dragon’s Roost later.” I excused myself and headed back to my room. My mind filled with thoughts of trying to figure out just what had happened.