Well boys and girls, in the last chapter Haer'dalis and Laeleslin set eyes on each other for the first time. On their way to investigate the death of Anomen's sister, the group stumbles across a lynching!
Hm... by the way, to clarify, I am not the owner of any of the Baldur's Gate characters. I believe Wizards of the Coast and Black Isle are, but anywho, back to the story.
It took only a few moments to reach the scene. Angry fanatics swarmed like bees around the figure of a woman tied to a pole, the former shouting about the continuing apostasy of the Drow people. The leader, flail in hand, pointed towards the unfortunate victim of the mob's ire. "Look ye all upon this foul drow that we have bound before ye! A creature of evil and darkness, my brethren! A creature of foulness and deceit!"
Laeleslin examined the creature in question and turned to Minsc, who nodded in recognition. Fixed to the pole, with ebony skin and stark white hair, was a terrified drow woman. It was none other than Viconia, who the group had traveled with during the Iron Crisis in Baldur's Gate.
The fanatic continued. "This creature has foolishly come amongst us, my brethren, thinking that we would be lax in our senses. Tell me what should be done with it!" Demands of "Burn the drow!" were quickly made by the crowd, and the two rangers tensed.
Viconia spoke for the first time, her voice pleading and beseeching. "You rivven are mad! I've done nothing to any of you! I seek only to make my way without molestation! Why have you done this?! Why?!"
"Done nothing?! You are a drow elf, are you not?! That is as good a reason as any!"
As the tirades continued, Laeleslin signaled to Minsc and the others. Anomen, who seemed to be enjoying the prospective execution of the unrighteous, reluctantly shouldered his mace and watched his leader step to the front of the crowd.
Viconia shook with rage and cursed in Drow, then turned her eyes upward in a desperate prayer as the lead fanatic approached the stake bearing a torch. "Shar! My deliverance is in your hands!" She took in the looming fire and the crowd, and suddenly focused on the figure of an elven warrior, a glittering long sword in each hand, at the fore. "...wait, I recognize you! Laeleslin, you must remember me! My life depends on it!"
Without hesitation, Laeleslin sprung nimbly to Viconia's side, and with one deft slice of her blades, cut her free. The leader stood in shock, mouth open. "Allies of the foul creature! Allies of the drow!! This can never be allowed!! The drow dies!!" Several armed men rushed towards the two figures, and the panicked crowd scattered to the winds. Before Haer'dalis could even blink, the twirling blades of his leader had cut two of the charging fanatics down. She twisted and spun so gracefully, blades singing in the soft afternoon light. When she came clear of the bodies, her eyes were alight with that same spark he had first seen in her eyes. What he saw would have frightened any mortal, and certainly was enough to dissuade the remainder of the opposition from challenging her.
Viconia, bearing a conjured flame sword, bore down upon one of them with a lust for revenge while Minsc and Aerie combined metal and magic into a lethal alchemy. Shaking his head, Haer'dalis leaped into action, intent on handling the last of the extremists. "Out of my way, boy," Anomen snarled, pushing the bard aside.
"Yes, you must excuse me, my lord. I wasn't aware that you were armed with more than that hubris of yours."
The knight skidded to a halt and wheeled around. "Impudent cur! Do you know who you are talking to? I am a.." "Oh no need to continue, my lord, I know exactly who you are." With a smirk, Anomen began to turn away. "You're a bumbling idiot with a head the size of the Planar Sphere." The two turned on each other hotly, voices quickly escalating.
Meanwhile, the last of the fanatics, left unattended by the two bickering men, was closing the distance between himself and Anomen's unprotected flank.