"Proper wizards are reliable!" Holga commented, looking around the hut. "Way better than that rookie Simon."
"Hey! Don't talk about Simon like that!" Edgin frowned. "He's still an Aumar, and I have faith in him!"
"Who's Simon?" Aoko asked out of curiosity. "A friend of yours?"
"Our party's sorcerer," Edgin said, unpacking his things as Holga went out to tie up the horses. "Not very strong—not many high-level spells—but always gets lucky."
"I see." Aoko nodded and didn't ask more.
She took out a comfy cushion, sat cross-legged, and started writing in her notebook.
Edgin didn't disturb her, just sat on the other side, silently chewing on rations. After all, they hadn't rested since escaping prison.
A few minutes later, Holga came back and sat near Edgin, taking out her beloved roasted potato, pondering where to start eating.
Aoko, thinking for a moment, used Prestidigitation to clean them up a bit—she could smell their body odor from a distance.
"Oh, thanks!" Edgin said sincerely. "Since going into Revel's End, Holga and I haven't had a bath in two years! Not that it matters—it's too dirty and cold there anyway."
"There are upsides to the cold," Holga said, biting into her potato. "If we'd been in Waterdeep prison for two years, we'd be covered in moss by now."
"You're right," Edgin shivered at the thought, "Good thing we weren't locked in Waterdeep's dungeons…"
"Want a drink?" Aoko shook her magical canteen. "A specialty from my homeland—you won't regret trying it."
"Great, please!" Edgin quickly produced his flask, and Holga came over too. Aoko happily filled both with a drink.
Her magic canteen held a huge supply and could pour out different beverages just by turning the knob—very convenient.
"This is wine?" Edgin took a sip. "Tastes great! How's it so clean?"
"From my family's vineyard. Of course, it's good," Aoko smiled. "Back home, I'm a minor lord. I take care with what I use."
"I knew she was a noble," Holga said knowingly. "But she's more well-mannered than Faerûn's nobles."
"I'm not a noble," Aoko considered. "Just from a wizard family—so more heritage and wealth. Nobles are rare back home, and mostly powerless."
"Constitutional monarchy?" Edgin mused. "I've heard of such city-states, but not many in Faerûn."
"So, how did you and Holga end up in Revel's End?" Aoko sipped her wine. "You don't seem like real criminals."
"Knew you'd ask," Edgin bit into his rations. "Might as well tell it again."
"Where to start…" Edgin's eyes grew distant. "I guess I'll start with joining the Harpers."
Edgin's story was simple. He was once a bard, gifted with music and speech, drawn to freedom and justice. But his fighting was average—he was more a strategist than a warrior.
Years ago, he joined the Harpers to do good deeds. His kind wife, Zia, supported him.
The Harpers' jobs ranged from catching robbers, and driving off beasts for poor farmers, to battling evil Red Wizards of Thay—Edgin did it all.
But one day, the Red Wizards retaliated—a Thayan assassin killed his wife while he was away, though his daughter escaped by hiding.
After burying his wife, Edgin left the Harpers and burned his vow.
"Wait," Aoko interrupted. "Two questions."
"Go ahead," Edgin said patiently.
"First, how did the Thayan assassin find your home? Second, did you try to resurrect your wife?"
"...Right, I missed some details," Edgin's mood dimmed, but he answered honestly. "When capturing that Red Wizard, I took a gold coin from his workshop. It had a tracking spell."
"As for the second: my wife Zia was killed by a Red Wizard's Blade. Resurrection spells can't bring back those killed by it."
"Not even True Resurrection?" Aoko was shocked.
"Not even True Resurrection," Edgin confirmed. "I asked clerics who could cast it."
"Alright, please continue," Aoko said.
Edgin continued. After his wife died, he raised his daughter alone. He met Holga, who had just divorced and been exiled. She thought the drunken single dad Edgin was unreliable, so she stayed to care for his daughter Kira.
Without Harper's support, Edgin's life grew tough. So he and Holga turned to robbing the rich to help the poor. Along the way, they met warlock Simon and conman Forge, forming a small but principled and successful thieving crew.
All went well until they met a mysterious wizard named Sofina.
Following Forge's suggestion, they learned of a legendary artifact—the Tablet of Reawakening—kept at the Harpers' fortress, Korin's Keep.
This tablet could cast a resurrection spell beyond even True Resurrection—capable of reviving those killed by the Red Wizards' Blade, including Edgin's wife.
The temptation was too great. Edgin donned his Harper gear again for the biggest—and last—heist of his life.