One month has passed after the parade celebrating the complete defeat of Sarevok and his loyal mercenaries. Two months ago, when Sarevok was still alive and the iron crisis was still active, which was on the first day of the month Eleint, Marshal Kyrill Nederlok of the Flaming Fist had tasked Corporal Bence Duncan and a contingent of their soldiers to go on a scouting mission north to Dragonspear Castle, and along the way there speak to farmers, travelers and adventurers they meet to gain information on the crusaders in case they have to mount an assault against them someday, even though the possibility of Baldur's Gate going to war against Amn was also possible.
Then a couple months later to the present day month, the third day of Uktar, "The Rotting", the second middle month of the autumn season before Nightal, "The Drawing Down", which is the name of the final month of the Year of the Banner (1368 DR) before the new year called the Year of the Gauntlet (1369 DR), Duncan and his scouting party returned to Baldur's Gate and gave Nederlok and Corwin his field report about Caelar's crusaders, their activities any information he believed relevant and useful. By the time Duncan arrived back to Baldur's Gate from his scouting mission, he was happy to learn that the iron crisis is over and war against Amn has been averted, but he is worried that Baldur's Gate might have avoided one war just to fall into another. In addition to all of this happening, more and more refugees that have been displaced by Caelar's crusader armies have been collecting at Baldur's Gate at an alarming rate. However, The hero of Baldur's Gate never got involved with the Flaming Fist's concerns about Caelar Argent and her crusaders being a possible threat until one fateful night on the fifth day of Uktar. Ralis is sound asleep in his king-sized bed, snug in the satin bed sheets, resting comfortably on the pillows and snoring loudly... until he heard Imoen's voice.
"Heya! Ralis, you awake? It's me, Imoen," he heard her say.
He stopped snoring, but he didn't open his eyes, not even an inch.
"I know who you are. And no, I'm not awake," Ralis grumbled in annoyance.
Imoen sighed. "Then I guess I'll talk to you in your sleep," she shrugged.
"Go ahead," Ralis muttered, still keeping his eyes shut.
"Maybe I'm just jumpy, because of what's been going on in the city. There's SO many people here running from that crusade in the north. I thought I heard noises outside my room. I was worried something was happening..." Imoen said with mild anxiety in her voice.
At this moment Ralis finally opened his eyes, then he threw the bed sheets off his body and sat at the edge of his bed, looking at Imoen with a warm smile.
"Imoen, we're in the Ducal Palace. If something bad happens, this is the safest place we can be," he assured her.
Imoen rolled her eyes at him. "Yeesh, why do I even bother trying to talk to you?" She asked herself and Ralis at the same time.
Before Ralis could reply, Imoen snapped at alert, immediately turning her head and body to face the door that is 15 feet ahead of Ralis's bed.
"Wait, there it is again. Did you hear that...?" Imoen asked in a whisper but loud enough for Ralis to hear.
"Hear what...?" Ralis whispered back, feeling rather perplexed and wondering if Imoen's nerves are getting shot at the the thought of a mob of refugees attacking the Ducal Palace for food or money.
Imoen didn't reply, in any way. She stood perfectly still and quiet and so did Ralis. They heard almost nothing but the barely audible indistinct chatter and shouts of hundreds of refugees wandering the midnight streets of Baldur's Gate five floors below Ralis's room.
"... I'm gonna go check it out," Imoen finally said, then she cautiously headed for the door, opened it and moved on into the next room.
Shaking his head to stave off the grogginess that still plagued him, Ralis stood up, grabbed his two sided dirk sitting atop the the dresser next to his bed and steadily headed towards the open door Imoen had recently entered. The room in between his bedroom and the other room on the 6th floor of the Ducal Palace is simply a large room with two couches on both sides of the door Ralis entered from, and two chairs next to each of the two couches, and in the middle of the room is a large expensive rug with a small table with a plant in a pot sitting on top of it. Ralis saw that the next door up ahead leading into the next room is wide open, a sign that Imoen has gone down to the fifth floor of the Ducal Palace from the other room of the sixth floor. As soon Ralis's feet stepped on the rug, he heard Imoen cry out in panic, which snapped him completely wide awake!
He saw Imoen running towards him from the other room ahead!
"Imoen!" He exclaimed.
"Ralis! Something's happening- there are people here- help me!" Imoen cried in panic as she ran towards Ralis.
Ralis saw a shadowed silhouette of a man pursuing Imoen, but he couldn't see who it was because all the candle lights in the next room are out. As soon as Imoen entered the same room that Ralis is in, the man's silhouette threw a throwing knife, and the knife's blade hit Imoen's left shoulder and the knife buried itself deep, causing Imoen to scream out in pain and tumble to the ground, but Imoen somehow managed to get back up on her feet when she was rolling on the ground, then she turned around to face the assassin who threw the knife at her, and he wasn't alone. Two more assassins in black hoods and clothes came into the room!
"Keep back! I'm warning you, come any closer and I'll... I'll..." Imoen tried to warn the three shady men.
"Cut her down," the man wearing shadow armor ordered.
"NO!" Ralis screamed, charging at the man who gave the order.
Imoen blasted the assassin closest to her with a Magic Missile, instantly killing him because he wore no armor, just black clothing with a hood to cover his face, and the magical sphere turned his chest to a bloody pulp when he got hit. Ralis tackled the man who ordered to have Imoen cut down before he could throw one of his throwing knives at her.
Imoen was about to attack the other assassin with her dagger, but a fourth thief that Ralis and Imoen didn't know was there because he snuck in after drinking a Potion of Invisibility, revealed himself when he grabbed Imoen from behind and stabbed her in the back with his dagger, and Ralis saw it all happen.
"NOOOOO!" He screamed in despair.
"That's the hero of Baldur's Gate! Get him!" The assassin Imoen was going to attack exclaimed.
Ralis rolled off the assassin he tackled when the other assassins tried to throw throwing knives at him. Ralis is completely exposed with nowhere to take cover, but fortunately he had the foresight to use the assassin he tackled as a shield against the throwing knives. When he rolled off the assassin he tackled, he pulled the assassin's body to roll with him, placing him in front of the incoming throwing knives, and the blades struck the man's back.
"Aaagh!" The man cried out in pain and died, giving Ralis enough time to scramble up to his feet.
"Damn it!" The assassin that attacked Imoen cursed then he and his partner ran towards Ralis to attack him in melee combat.
Ralis crouched slightly to dodge the left hook of the assassin that stabbed Imoen and headbutted the other assassin in the chest, catching him off guard and throwing both of them off balance. When they both tumbled to the ground, Ralis grabbed his dirk and stabbed its blade into the man's neck only once, but he didn't have time to finish the man off, he had to worry about the other man, so he left the assassin he stabbed writhing in agony on the floor, gargling in pain while trying to plug his neck wound with his right hand while dealing the assassin that stabbed Imoen.
The assassin now brandished a dagger in each hand, so Ralis didn't foolishly come at him. Just before the assassin attempted to charge at Ralis, an arrow flew out of nowhere and hit the man right in the forehead! He collapsed on the floor with his mouth and eyes wide open in shock.
Confused, Ralis turned around to see a tall woman wearing lightweight chainmail body armor with short black hair and a quiver containing 15 arrows standing near the door to his bedroom holding up her longbow in a arrow firing position for a few seconds, then she lowered it once she was sure the threat had been shot down.
"You all right?" Schael asked Ralis.
"Who are you?" Ralis asked her.
Schael placed her longbow behind her back and casually approached Ralis.
"Forgive me- I'm Schael Corwin, captain, Flaming Fist. Enemy forced penetrated the palace- I tried to reach you before they did, but... well..."
While Schael was speaking, Ralis walked over to unconscious Imoen to check if she is either dead or unconscious.
"I'd probably like to hear more about what happened if my best friend wasn't dying," Ralis said.
Schael checked Imoen's injury with Ralis and noticed that there is a dagger wound on her back, 3 inches to the left near her spinal column.
"Fenster, the palace cleric, is working his way up, assisting the wounded as he goes. Your friend doesn't look TOO bad..." Schael commended, then shook her head, as if she made an error in her statement and just realized it. "... No, best not to risk it. I'll find Fenster and get him up here," she added.
As if on cue, Liia Jannath and two armored and armed Flaming Fist guards came charging into the room urgently.
"Imoen? Are you here, girl?" Liia called.
"She is here, Grand Duchess Jannath, but she needs help," Schael confirmed, showing Liia Imoen's unconscious body ion the expensive rug.
"Let me see her," Liia instructed.
Ralis and Schael backed away, giving Liia some space, and she knelt down, checking Imoen's dagger wound. Then after four seconds of examination, Liia turned to face Ralis.
"Fenster and the other healers are dealing with the wounded downstairs. I've some knowledge of the healing arts and a few potions- perhaps I can be of some assistance," she told him.
Ralis tried his best not to cry at the thought of Imoen being dead.
"Whatever you can do to help Imoen, please, just let me know how I can help," He said almost tearfully.
"The assassins' blades are coated with a mystic poison, but I believe I can save her..." Liia assured Ralis.
""Believe"? Can you say something a little more encouraging than that?" Ralis asked.
"There is no certainty to be had in this world. I will do everything in my power to restore her. The best thing you can do right now is accompany Captain Corwin downstairs and ensure the palace is secure," Liia replied honestly.
"Of course, milady," Schael said to Liia, then turned her attention to Ralis. "I'll give you a moment to recover yourself, Ralis, and await you on the second floor," she told him.
"Got it," Ralis nodded, then Schael headed back towards Ralis's bedroom and descended down the stairs in that room.
Ralis closed the door to the room where Liia and the two Flaming Fist guards are watching over unconscious Imoen and took the time to undress out of his night clothes, and put on the usual clothes he wears under his body armor, then put on his signature body armor made out of the hide of ankhegs, then strapped on his belt and scabbards containing is two favorite hand-and-a-half swords Kondar and Albruin, then rushed downstairs to meet with Schael.
Ralis saw that on the 5th floor of the Ducal Palace, Schael and three other Flaming Fist guards have already defeated all of the assassins on this floor, five assassin bodies and three Flaming Fist guard bodies littered the floor around the 18 foot long rectangular banquet table.
"We've suffered casualties, but not as much as our enemies, fortunately," Schael informed Ralis.
"That's good news at least," Ralis nodded in agreement.
"We better continue downstairs and make sure no assassins survived," Schael suggested.
"Right," Ralis nodded, following Schael down the Ducal Palace's western stairwell.
There were more assassins that needed to be killed on the fourth and third floors of the Ducal Palace, but the second floor of the palace is all clear.
"Is that all of them?" Schael asked Ralis.
"I believe so," Ralis shrugged, sheathing his bloodstained swords.
"The Council will want to know you're all right- we should get downstairs. Let's go," Schael instructed, and Ralis followed her down to the ground floor of the palace.
In the ballroom at the ground floor level of the palace, the same place where Ralis exposed Sarevok's deception to Belt and Liia during Sarevok's nearly successful coronation as Grand Duke almost replacing Entar Silvershield, Ralis, with Schael standing by his side, met with all four Grand Dukes of Baldur's Gate, Duke Eltan, Duke Entar Silvershield, Duke Belt and Duchess Liia Jannath.
"Let us begin," Liia began. "Ralis, you know your host, Duke Belt, and Grand Dukes Eltan and Entar Silvershield, I believe?" She asked.
Ralis met most of the Grand Dukes during the iron crisis, but he has never met Entar Silvershield in person before, he only knew Entar through the gossip of the citizens and the city watch that he was allegedly murdered by Shadow Thieves along with Scar, but in reality he was killed by two of Sarevok's best assassins. Ralis heard that Entar had been resurrected, but he never met the man in person until now even though he has been living in the Ducal Palace for the past month since Sarevok's death and never returned to Candlekeep. Then again, Entar spends all of his free time with his wife and daughter in his estate in the northwestern parts of Baldur's Gate.
"I haven't had the honor to meet Grand Duke Silvershield until today," Ralis told Liia, then he wanted to ask Entar a question that has been bugging him ever since he heard rumors of Entar's resurrection.
"Grand Duke Silvershield. Weren't you... forgive me if this is indelicate... Weren't you killed?" Ralis asked with caution trying not to offend him with such a horrific memory.
"It took all of Fenster's skills to restore me to life. But we are not here to discuss my health," Entar replied more casually than Ralis thought he would.
"What do you know of the so-called Shining Lady, Caelar Argent, Ralis?" Duke Eltan asked.
Ralis shrugged. "Not as much as the commander of the Flaming Fist, I'd wager. Why?"
"I examined the body of one of the assassins. A sun cresting the horizon was branded upon his forearm," Eltan replied.
"The symbol of Caelar Argent and her accursed crusade," Liia confirmed.
Ralis frowned in confusion and scratched his head. He is surprised ot know that Caelar's crusade is spreading their influence further south along the Sword Coast.
"The crusade has reached Baldur's Gate? I thought they were only active north of the Winding Water," Ralis stated, still frowning in deep concern.
The Winding Water is a river located in the Sword Coast, approximately 250 miles north from Baldur's Gate and the Chionthar River, beginning at the Serpent Hills and the Marsh of Chelimber before joining together further south and passing under Boareskyr Bridge, a bridge little more than 300 miles southeast from Dragonspear Castle, then south several miles before turning west through the inhospitable tors of a series of jagged hills known as The Troll Claws and then under the Coast Way Crossing bridge before winding its way west towards the ocean shore 201 miles away, emptying out into the ocean known as the Sea of Swords.
"They were. Something has changed," Belt confirmed with a nod. "The crusade has disrupted trade all along the Sword Coast. Hundreds, thousands, have been driven from their homes, their fields and storehouses ransacked. Some weeks ago soldiers of Waterdeep and Daggerford were dispatched and marched on Caelar's stronghold- Dragonspear Castle."
Ralis couldn't believe it. Caelar Argent's stronghold is actually Dragonspear Castle? The abandoned castle that is infamously known for the two wars that took place there? From what he has heard, there were two wars centered around this location. The first Dragonspear War happened twelve years ago, in the Year of the Worm (1356 DR), two years before the year all gods including Bhaal but except Helm were forced to walk Faerun as mortals. Devils overran Dragonspear Castle until an army made up soldiers from Baldur's Gate and Waterdeep along with Khelben defeated them. Khelben and the soldiers learned that there is a portal to the Nine Hells somewhere deep within Dragonspear Castle, but they had no idea how to seal it.
Then, five years ago from now, in the Year of the Wyvern (1363 DR), the second Dragonspear War happened, only this time the threat from Dragonspear Castle came in the form of The Horde, a nearly well-organized army of hobgoblins, ogres, bugbears and kobolds commanded by a demon named Baazka, who also had dominated and controlled a black dragon named Maelestor Rex into working for him as an ally. Baazka's forces destroyed The Way Inn, a very famous inn on the Trade Way road that is 100 miles northwest from Dragonspear Castle, and attacked Daggerford as well. Llewellyn Longhand, the man who hired the adventurers instrumental in conquering The Horde, was one of the casualties during the attack, but like Duke Entar Silvershield after him, Longhand was brought back from the dead by a skilled cleric after the war. After repelling the demon attack, the army of Daggerford took it upon themselves to fight against the Hordes of Dragonspear with the assistance of 3rd Company, who are military men from Waterdeep, and Uhmbrick's rangers, the knights of Ilmater, the Misty Forest elves, the dwarves of Illefarn and several adventurers. Baazka was defeated, Maelestor Rex freed from his control, and Baazka was forced to retreat back to the Nine Hells through the portal that allowed demons to pour out during the first Dragonspear War.
Eltan rubbed his right hand on his chin in thought. "It won't be enough," He announced gravely. "The crusade's ranks have swelled. After the Iron Crisis, the Fists are already stretched perilously thin. Even so, we plan on sending every sword we can muster north."
"We would have you join them. The hero of Baldur's Gate is once again called to upon to defend the city," Liia said.
"I stand ready to answer that call," Ralis said without hesitation.
"Excellent. I knew our faith in you was not misplaced, Ralis," Belt said with a relieved smirk.
"There is one other thing you should know, Ralis," Eltan said, then pulled a piece of paper out of his small scroll case attached to his belt and handed it to Ralis. "I took this parchment from one of the assassins' bodies. It's a passable likeness of you, I'm sure you'll agree."
Ralis examined the parchment and saw that someone has drew a nearly accurate picture of himself, the semi short brown hair, the brown eyes, the shape of his face, everything. Someone working for Caelar Argent knows Ralis's face somehow.
"So I was the assassins' target?" Ralis asked Eltan for clarification or at least an opinion.
"You need not go alone. The Fist shall back you- and more as well, if you wish," Belt said. "I know the whereabouts of your old allies- some of them, anyway. The captain here can escort you to them."
"So you're assigning Captain Corwin to come with me? I can think of no better companion," Ralis said, then glanced over at Schael.
"Spoken like someone who barely knows me, but I'll take what compliments I can get and do what I can not to change your mind. When you're ready to leave, Ralis, go to the palace's main doors, I'll await you there."
"Understood," Ralis said, then Schael walked away, leaving the ballroom.
"You're doing Baldur's Gate a great service, Ralis. We'll not forget it," Belt said, then he dismissed everyone.
Ralis remembered that Ophyllis, the Ducal Palace's treasurer, is keeping all of Ralis's money he acquired during his travels uncovering the secrets of the Iron Throne in the palace's basement, so he decided to pay Ophyllis a visit before leaving the palace with Schael.
But before he could get five feet close to the door leading to the stairs to the basement, he heard someone nearby whisper: "Hey. Hey, over here."
Ralis slowly turned around and saw a tall girl who appears to be only a few years older than himself wearing the clothes of a regal noblewoman standing near six feet away behind him. The girl's name is Skie Silvershield, Entar's daughter. Standing five inches taller than Ralis and two years older than he is, Skie's long black hair is tied into a bun, her hair parted in the middle of her scalp, and she has almond eyes like her father. Ralis has only known Skie for a month, ever since the day after the parade. She is a rebellious and mischievous girl, always has been ever since she was a child, giving her father and mother a hard time keeping her out of trouble, and Entar learned a couple years ago that Skie occasionally tries to sneak off to have private romantic dates with her boyfriend, a human bard from an island in the Trackless Sea called Ruathym named Eldoth Kron. Whenever Skie sneaks off with him and Entar finds out, he tasks anyone willing to track Skie down and bring her back to the Silvershield estate away from Eldoth. But no matter how many times Skie has been caught with Eldoth, she always manages to find some way to escape and be with him again and again. Ralis, however, has never taken the job of liberating Skie from Eldoth's hands in the month prior to the crusade's assault on Ducal Palace, but he is fully aware of Skie's reputation.
"Skie? What are you doing here? You better not be up to mischief again. The last thing I want to hear is Entar or your mother complaining again about you sneaking off to be with your sweet-talking boyfriend," Ralis warned her.
"I don't do that anymore. Besides, I was just a child then. Now, I'm a woman. I've even joined... Well, never mind. I'll tell you that later, when I'm sure we're alone," Skie said with a mischievous smirk on her face and lowering her voice to a whisper.
Ralis could tell she is up to something, but for now he can't figure out what until she tells him.
"I heard you talking to Daddy and the other dukes about Caelar. Are you going to Dragonspear?"
Ralis did not want to give her a straight answer, so he shrugged and said with mock sarcasm: "Why not? The Sword Coast is lovely this time of year."
Skie's grin grew more, and it unsettled Ralis a bit. "Daddy hasn't told you everything. Did he mention he thinks Caelar might be one of Bhaal's children? Yeah, I thought not," Skie then suddenly looked around as if she suspects someone is watching or listening. "We can't talk here- I'll tell you more later," she said then left, heading upstairs.
Ralis had no idea what is on her mind, all he knew about is if Entar knew about it, he would not be pleased about it at all. So he continued going downstairs to the palace's basement.
The Ducal Palace's basement is bigger than what you would expect, and it looks more like a dungeon than a basement. There are four separate sections of the basement and a central area designed to look like an underground fighting arena or something similar to it, the central area is a wide open rectangular space surrounded by over a dozen pillars, the northeastern section is where prisoners are held as if this place is a dungeon, the southeastern sections are where drinks like wine, ale and mead are stored, the northwestern sections are where foods is being stored, and the southwestern sections are where money is being kept, and that is where Ralis needs to go.
Heading for the door leading to the treasury rooms, Ralis walked down a long corridor towards a man asleep sitting on a chair, guarding the door to the treasury room. The man's name is Ophyllis. He has short, shaggy red hair and a small mustache with no beard or sideburns, and at first glance he seems like an unassuming person, but Ralis has known this man as long as he has known Skie, he is a not shy at all, he has many friends. Ralis stopped near him, crossing his arms and shaking his head in disappointment at Ophyllis sleeping on the job.
"Sleeping on the job, eh, Ophyllis?" Ralis said aloud to wake him up.
Ophyllis gasped and quickly stood up on his feet exclaiming: "NO! No-no-no, Duke Belt, I swear, I..." He paused and saw Ralis standing near him instead of Duke Eltan.
"Oh! Ralis! Uh, hello. What brings you down here to the palace treasury this night?" Ophillyis smiled sheepishly, embarrassed at revealing his fear of being caught sleeping by Eltan.
"Well met, Ophyllis. I embark upon a journey soon, so I'd like to withdraw my savings, please," Ralis greeted him.
Ophyllis blinked twice, then he said: "You, uh, you want your money, do you?"
"If you'd be so kind," Ralis nodded.
At that moment Ophyllis felt the back of his neck itching and he felt the urge to scratch it, and Ralis noticed that Ophyllis could not keep eye contact on him.
"Yes, well, you see, here's the thing. There's, uh, in regards to your gold, there's a little problem... I, er, I don't exactly have it at the moment," Ophyllis reluctantly said while scratching the back of his neck.
Ralis was feeling angry, no doubt about it, and Ophyllis knew it, but Ralis did not want to unleash his rage on Ophyllis, but if he is responsible for losing his savings, then something must be done.
"I see. And how exactly did you lose all my money?" He asked.
Ophyllis shrugged. "I still don't know how it happened. The dog won every race it was in the last five tendays. It should have won this race too, but someone's pet rabbit won the race! Who brings a rabbit to a dog race? I mean really!"
"WHAT? You bet all my gold on a dog race? ALL of it?" Ralis exclaimed incredulously.
"In all fairness, I also bet all my gold on the race and lost that too. I can get the gold for you soon, very soon, I swear. Please don't tell Duke Belt of this. I'll lose my post," Ophyllis pleaded.
"I won't tell Belt. You'll tell him yourself, immediately. He needs to know what's happening down here."
"Oh no, please- please don't make me do that," Ophyllis got down on both of his knees and pleaded, his slightly tanned vanilla colored face sweating profusely.
"I want my money, Ophyllis. Get it for me. NOW," Ralis demanded, losing his patience.
"Please. Just give me a little time. I'll get it for you, I swear. I'll- I'll go right now and fetch it for you, shall I? Yes, I'll go now. I'll meet you outside the palace with your money before you leave," Ophyllis promised.
"Don't let me down, I'm depending on you," Ralis warned him.
Ophyllis nodded and left. Ralis slowly followed him. Ophyllis traveled up the stairs six seconds after Ralis emerged from the hallway leading to the treasury room, and before Ralis could place his right leg on the first step of the stairs, he heard a strange noise. The sound of arcane energy whooshing loudly. The three Flaming Fist guards here in the basement heard it too, and Ralis thought he recognized that sound, so he headed northeast towards the confused Flaming Fist guards.
"Did you hear that?" One of them asked.
"Huh?" The guard standing near one of the jail cell doors frowned in confusion. He turned around to face the jail door he guarded.
"Who is in there?" Ralis asked.
Soon he got his answer. The person inside the jail cell cast a Fireball spell, causing the door to explode off its hinges and smash into the guard standing in front of it!
Ralis and the other two guards flinched in surprise as the door and the guard who got smashed by it flew past them.
When Ralis looked at the open jail cell, a woman stepped out, a mage, already protected by her Globe of Invulnerability and had already cast Mirror Image making four illusory copies of herself. Ralis knew of only one woman who loved to use those kinds of protection spells.
What confused him even more is her ragged state. Her robes are dirty and torn, almost exposing her bosom and the lower parts torn off to expose her bare legs, there are knife cut marks on her arms legs, chest and face, and her left eye is bruised and swollen from being punched by someone recently, almost closed shut.
"You! Stand down!" One of the guards exclaimed.
"Never! I'll not be imprisoned again!" The bruised and battered woman shot back.
Korlasz ignored the guards but she did not ignore Ralis standing in front of her.
"Stand down, or we will put you down!" The second guard armed with a longsword and round shield exclaimed.
"Korlasz!" Ralis exclaimed in shock at seeing her emerge from her jail cell.
Korlasz ignored the guards, but she did not ignore Ralis, her hateful eyes fixed on him and bent on revenge.
"You! You are the one who delivered me to this hell!" She snarled.
"You call this place hell? Your last residence was a crypt, so the Ducal Palace is quite a step up to me," Ralis said.
"I was surprised when I was taken to the palace and not to the jail. Now I know it was so the dukes could torment me in private. Did you think I'd be treated fairly? Justly? I expected no mercy, but even I didn't expect this... this horror."
Ralis couldn't believe what he heard her say. The Flaming Fist and Grand Dukes tortured this woman? Even though she was an ally of Sarevok, Ralis believes that all prisoners should be treated humanely regardless of their allegiance, he does not condone torture, it is inhumane in his eyes.
"You're saying that the Flaming Fist mistreated you? Tortured you?" Ralis asked her in disbelief.
"Don't believe a word this bitch says, she's trying to mess with your head, sir!" The guard with the sword and shield said.
"You're nothing more than I expected, Ralis. Pathetic. Now let us finish this!" Korlasz exclaimed.
"Attack!" The guard with the longbow exclaimed.
Ralis and the guard with the sword and shield charged at Korlasz, their swords ready to strike.
Korlasz and her illusory clones split up and took cover behind the pillars to avoid the arrows being fired by the other guard.
The guard with the sword and shield quaffed a potion of Defense and went after one of the clones hoping it is the real Korlasz. Ralis and the guard with the longbow stayed out in the open, waiting for Korlasz and her illusion clones to make a move.
"Gotcha!" Enforcer #2 with the sword and shield exclaimed when he found Korlasz hiding behind one of the northern pillars, but when he cut her down, he realized that his sword had actually destroyed one of her illusory clones!
"Damn it!" He cursed.
At that moment he heard the real Korlasz behind him chanting the words and doing the hand gestures to cast a spell on him. By the time he turned around to face her, he charged at her even though there is the possibility he won't be able to get close enough to strike her down in time. Korlasz cast the Slow spell on him, causing his movements to be slow as a turtle. Saved by her spell, she then used the rest of her clones to distract Ralis and the other guard while she cast the Slow spell on the other guard. All she wanted is to slow down the guards and confront and kill Ralis as revenge for not only killing Sarevok and ruining his plans, but also arresting her to be brutally tortured by the Flaming Fist guards. After the second guard was affected by the Slow spell, Korlasz moved away from the guard with the sword and shield even though he was only 8 feet away from being close enough to strike her down with his sword, but he wouldn't be able to do that at the turtle speed he is going.
Then Korlasz cast Mirror Image again, creating more illusory images of herself to confuse and confound Ralis while she prepared a spell that she has been memorizing for future use in the past few days waiting for the right moment to break out. While running around cutting down whatever illusory image he thought was the real Korlasz, he couldn't help wondering why Korlasz isn't attacking him and the guards, only using her images to confuse them and the Slow spell to slow the movements of the enorcers instead of killing them outright.
Ralis then heard the sound of Korlasz chanting the words to cast a spell. He turned around and saw the real Korlasz standing 14 feet away from him, beginning to cast a spell on him. He knew that he doesn't have enough time to run over to her and strike her with either one of his swords, so he dropped them, and tried to equip his Dead Shot +2 longbow as quick as he could, but by the time he tried to pull an arrow out of his quiver, Korlasz finished casting the spell, and a ball of bright arcane energy flew straight at Ralis! He braced himself for impact, but by the time the arcane energy ball hit his chest, his eye vision immediately went pitch black.
Ralis wondered if this is what it feels like to be dead. It sure feels strange, he still has this feeling that he is standing in his feet and breathing. He then realized that Korlasz didn't kill him, she blinded him! The magic spell she cast caused him to go blind temporarily! At the moment of that realization, Ralis felt someone slug him in the face a couple times, left and right, causing him to lose his balance and fall to the floor.
It didn't take him long to realize that Korlasz had punched him down. And he had to admit for a woman of average build with few muscles, she threw some strong left and right hooks, both sides of his face stung like hell. He tasted blood in his mouth, and while he tired to get up, he felt Korlasz's foot slam right into his face, knocking the wind out of him, causing him to lie flat on his back, and instinctively, he brought his hands up to his neck, and just in time, because Korlasz was going to crush his neck with her foot, and his hands caught her foot. He heard her let out a gasp of surprise and Ralis pushed her foot away from his neck, and he heard Korlasz yelp in surprise and heard her body thud on the ground near him.
Ralis got on all fours quickly and stood up, reaching for his dirk attacked to his belt and moved away from Korlasz, hoping he does not run into a pillar or something. Then he heard one if the guards say in a semi slow voice: "Six!"
Ralis hesitated in confusion for a second then kicked his leg out from behind and he heard Korlasz grunt from the impact if being kicked.
Ralis quickly realized that the guards are warning him which direction Korlasz is attacking him based on the position of clock! For example, straight ahead of Ralis is 12:00, behind him is 6:00, his left is 9:00 and his right is 3:00. Since the slowed Flaming fist enforcers can't speak fast enough to form long sentences like "She's to your left" or anything like that, they had to say something short and effective, and they had to visualize the clock positions from Ralis's point of view too.
Ralis turned to face the 6:00 direction, and he hoped that korlasz remains focused on attacking him and not the guards, otherwise he will be lost and helpless.
"Three!" Enforcer #1 exclaimed.
Then Ralis, holding his two sided dirk, turned right and stabbed his dirk towards the reported position where Korlasz is likely standing! He heard the blade pierce flesh, and he heard her gasping, and he heard the sound of her feet shuffling along the ground, then he heard her body collapse on the floor.
When his sight returned three minutes later, Ralis saw what he had done. Korlasz lay on the ground facing up at the ceiling her eyes and mouth open, his dirk stuck into the wound on her chest. He stabbed deep enough to puncture her heart. He knelt down and pulled his dirk out, and looked up at the guards, unable to look at her body anymore.
"I see now why they call you "hero". We are in your debt, sir," Guard #2, who is now freed from the effects of the Slow spell said to Ralis.
"What in the Nine Hells is going on here? How did she get loose?" Ralis demanded angrily.
"We thought she was secured. Her manacles were warded, her cell reinforced, but somehow she found the magical power needed to escape," Enforcer #1 explained.
Ralis had this feeling that there is something these two men are not telling him.
"You two best go and let your commanding officer know about what happened here," Ralis told them.
"I suppose we'll have to. Damn! Captain Emesi won't be happy about this..." Enforcer #1 said with worry.
After the two men ran upstairs, Ralis stayed behind to check inside Korlasz's prison cell. He walked over to it, and stepped inside the open entrance. What he saw in there made him sick inside. There are spatters of blood on the walls and floor of the cell!
"What in the bloody hells were they doing to her...?" Ralis muttered to himself.
He didn't want to believe it, but there is the possibility that there are corrupt officers in the Flaming Fist who would never treat a prisoner humanely. Ralis can't act against them right now because he does not know who they are yet, but once he does, he will confront them about this unethical act. Ralis left the basement, his anger at Ophyllis's incompetence forgotten for the unethical treatment Korlasz endured. She may have been an ally of Sarevok, but she did not deserve this deeply inhumane treatment.
Ralis approached the exit of the Ducal Palace where Schael awaited him.
"Ready to go?" She asked him.
"Yeah. Do you know exactly where my old crew is? The streets are very crowded out there, so I need to have intel so we won't have to aimlessly run up and down the city," Ralis said.
"The Flaming Fist tracked down a few of your known associates. Unfortunately several were beyond our reach," Corwin replied as she and Ralis walked out the door, heading for the open gates leading outside, and the crowds of clamoring people littering the streets.
"Which of my friends have you located?" Ralis asked.
"Well, at the Elfsong Tavern there are two ne'er-do-wells named Safana and Coran there. The witch Dynaheir and her bodyguard Minsc are staying at the Three Old Kegs... And monk named Rasaad is currently working at the old Iron Throne building- the Council of Four made it a refuge for those fleeing Caelar."
"What about Khalid and Jaheira? They've known my foster father Gorion for years, and I trust them the most," Ralis said.
"Reports we've received put them somewhere up north, enjoying some time to themselves after the iron crisis," Schael replied as they neared closer to the open gates.
"Figures... But wait, you couldn't find Neera, the wild mage? She's hard to miss. Just look for the nearest burning... anything."
"Hmm... We did receive some reports of unseasonal fires near Boareskyr Bridge... I can't recall hearing of anything similar recently," Schael said.
The clamoring grew louder in Ralis's ears, and up ahead outside the gates he saw dozens of Flaming Fist enforcers standing guard in front of the Ducal Palace gates holding up their tower shields in defense, preventing desperate refugees from entering. Anyone who has the guts to get near the enforcers gets bashed by their shields.
"Stay back! I'm warning you!" Ralis heard one enforcer exclaim to the refugees trying to barge their way into the palace.
He saw one man in a dirty tattered tunic try to barge past the enforcers, but when he got bashed by their tower shields, he flew back three feet and landed on the ground hard, his back hitting the concrete road and almost somersaulted on his head, but his body never flipped and instead fell flat. Ralis saw him slowly stagger up to his feet and walk way in defeat, sobbing. He also noticed that the air is cool with a light autumn breeze, a testament that the autumn season will be ending soon and winter will begin when the year ends. He hoped that he would help the Flaming Fist stop Caelar Argent's crusade before the winter season, otherwise the refugees' visit in Baldur's Gate will be much worse once the winds grow colder and the snow starts falling.
"The Flaming Fist is trying to keep the peace, but it's an uphill battle," Schael told Ralis.
"STOP HIDING BEHIND YOUR FANCY PALACE AND GIVE US SOMETHING TO EAT AND DRINK!" One refugee, a woman, shouted among the crowd.
Ralis followed Schael past the Flaming Fist enforcers guarding the palace entrance and made their way towards the crowds of refugees.
"Damned crusaders!" Ralis heard a refugee man curse.
"The crusaders must be destroyed!" He heard another exclaim.
"Where are we supposed to sleep?" Another nearby refugee spoke up.
"Out of the way people! MOVE!" Schael shouted at the top of her lungs and some of the refugees parted away making a clear path, and Ralis followed her through the crowd, looking around for Ophyllis.
Where is that idiot? He told me he would meet me out here... Ralis wondered while he followed Corwin through the crowd.
"Out of the way- out of the way, damn it!" Ralis heard Schael shout at the refugee crowds ahead.
After moving 25 feet away from the palace entrance, Ralis and Schael finally made it out of the crowd surrounding the palace, but the roads are still full of refugees. Ralis finally saw Ophyllis standing near an abandoned wooden wheelbarrow.
"Ophyllis!" Ralis called to him, waving.
Ophyllis looked up and smiled at finally seeing Ralis and approached him.
"Ralis. There you are. Nice to see you again, Captain Corwin," Ophyllis greeted them.
Corwin greeted him with a single nod, then she and Ralis noticed that Ophyllis has a cut on his face and a bruised cheek.
"Ophyllis! What happened to you?" Ralis asked with concern.
"I had it, Ralis... I had your money..." Ophyllis began to sob.
"Forget the money, Ophyllis. Who did this to you?" Ralis asked.
"They... they were refugees fleeing the crusade. I heard one... She said they c-could return to the... the Three Old Kegs, now that-
Ophyllis stopped to double over in pain because the refugees who attacked him hit his chest several times and he still feels the pain. "Oh gods, that hurts, that really, really hurts- now that they had gold to spend."
"The Three Old Kegs, huh? Looks like I'll start there, then. Get in the palace and find Fenster. These streets aren't safe, especially in your condition," Ralis instructed him.
"You're a kind man. Th-thank you. I will repay you someday, I swear it. Just.. just need... just need a little... just need a little more time... and some healing. Excuse me." Ophyllis headed twords the crowd, squeezing through them to get back to the palace.
"Well, off we go to the Three Old Kegs then," Corwin said.
"Lead the way," Ralis said.
Fortunately the walk to the Three Old Kegs wasn't long, in fact it is next to the Ducal Palace to the east about one block away. However, having to move past hundreds of refugees to get there made the walk feel a bit longer than it should have. A few minutes later, Schael and Ralis were not far from the Three Old Kegs.
"The Three Old Kegs isn't far from here," Corwin told Ralis. "There's a pair of Rashemi travelers staying there. Duke Eltan thought you might speak with them."
Ralis took a deep breath and sighed while he followed Corwin through the crowds of Baldur's Gate citizens and refugees.
"Half-price nights for halflings at the Three Old Kegs!" A man nearby named Robel exclaimed.
"Get your stlarning arses out of my stlarning way!" Corwin angrily exclaimed at the crowds of people blocking the way.
To the left several yards ahead, Ralis saw the Three Old Kegs inn. It is the most popular hotel in Baldur's Gate, known for its comfortable furnishings and relaxing atmosphere. Its signboard has three old kegs hanging on chains from a roof pole above the door. Ralis and Corwin walked up the stairs towards the entrance, moving past people coming in or out of the inn and made their way inside.
While not a huge building, the Three Old Kegs is fairly large on the inside, with four floors above ground level and two levels of cellars below. The ground floor is the foyer and communal areas, the upper three floors contain mostly the hotel rooms. All the floors in this building are covered in thick rugs made from a wide variety of beasts, and the fabric draping the walls and floors make this inn a serene place to visit.
"Hey, Corwin," Ralis said to her when they entered.
"Yeah? What is it?"
"I'm thirsty. Are you thirsty? I need a drink. Do you want to join me for a drink?" Ralis replied.
Corwin smiled. "I like the way you think. Let's go," she said, and they headed for the nearest bar.
They stopped by a bar where a woman named Charra who is the one of the bartenders of the Three Old Kegs is and took a seat.
"What can I getcha?" Charra asked Schael and Ralis.
"Wine," Corwin said.
"Ale," Ralis said.
"Coming right up," Charra nodded, then Corwin gave Charra eight silver pieces for the drinks, paying for Ralis's ale too since his money had been stolen by whoever did the deed who is somewhere in this building.
It took less than a minute for Charra to prepare Corwin and Ralis's drinks. Once they had their drinks, Ralis and Schael wasted no time drinking. Ralis noticed that Corwin's wine is dark wine from Berdusk, he heard from some acquaintances in the Flaming Fist that this kind of wine tastes pretty good, though he doubted that it could beat the flavor of Shadowdark ale.
"So. Ralis Rutela. The man. The myth. The hero of Baldur's Gate. Tell me about yourself," Corwin said after chugging her wine for a few seconds.
"Everything you heard about me? It's all true," Ralis replied after drinking his ale, not wanting to give Corwin the long story.
She raised an eyebrow in amusement. "ALL of it? Impressive..."
She had heard that Ralis had been raised in Candlekeep by a man named Gorion, and because of Sarevok, he had been forced out of Candlekeep and had to survive on his own for a while, but teamed up with Imoen and several other people to learn the truth of the iron crisis while ducking, dodging and fighting every assassin and bounty hunter the Iron Throne could throw at them. Ralis remembered that there are some rumors from people who think highly of him who believe that he might possibly be related to the paladin of Tyr from the north parts of the Sword Coast named Priam Agrivar, one of the few paladins he happens to admire from the stories of heroes Gorion used to tell him, though no one has heard anything about the paladin since the Year of the Dragon (1352 DR). However, the rumors about Ralis being related to the Agrivar family are all untrue, and he knew it.
"Well, maybe not all of it," he admitted.
"And modest too," Corwin smirked approvingly.
"And that surprises you?" Ralis asked.
"A little," Corwin nodded. "After the iron crisis, the city adores you. When I told my daughter I might meet the hero of Baldur's Gate, she nearly fainted. That kind of deference would go to some peoples' heads. But not yours, it seems. That's good. We'll need level heads when it comes time to face the crusade."
Ralis was drinking his ale while Corwin was speaking to him, but when she finished, Ralis replied: "I'll keep mine as level as I can. Tell me about yourself, Captain. How did you come to join the Flaming Fist?"
"Ah, well, therein lies a tale, but its a long one. My father, Audamar, was a Fist. You could say I followed in his footsteps," Corwin replied before continuing to drink her wine.
Ralis chuckled. "That's a curious way of pulling things. You obviously followed in his footsteps when you enlisted."
Corwin nodded in agreement. "I did, eventually. But it took me a long time to recognize the value in my father's example. When I was younger, I ran a bit wild. It took a lot of strength and patience on my father's part to set me on the right path. Things would have been much different for me if he were a lesser man."
Ralis then realized that Corwin most likely used to be like Skie when she was a few years younger.
"Sounds like Duke Entar could take a lesson from your father," Ralis smirked at the coincidence.
Corwin smirked, knowing what Ralis is hinting at. "I wasn't so different from Skie Silvershield when I was her age- I thought that everything should be given to me on a silver platter and couldn't understand why I couldn't have everything I wanted. With a little help from Tymora, she'll learn some lessons and grow into a good and decent person."
"Just like you?" Ralis asked.
"Just like me," Corwin said with a nod then continued drinking.
"Time will tell. What are your thoughts on Caelar?" Ralis asked.
"A charismatic leader. An acolyte of the Order of the Aster, once. She claims divine favor for herself and her forces- that's why so many flock to her banner. She'll be a formidable opponent," Corwin replied.
Ralis nodded in agreement. "That she will. But why? What is she hoping to accomplish?"
"We'll find out soon enough, I suspect, but what she wants is of little consequence. It's what she actually does that matters. Whether the battle's long or short, glorious or horrific, it's going to happen. Caelar's got to be stopped. She's driving people out of their homes, seizing their goods, forcing innocents into service... We can't let it go on."
"We won't. With the combined forces of Waterdeep, Daggerford and Baldur's Gate, our victory is certain," Ralis assured her.
Corwin nodded. "Drink up. We've things to do and not much time to do them in," she said.
Ralis nodded and continued drinking his ale. He looked over at the menu and saw how limited the selection of food and drinks is. The truth is, the Three Old Kegs is not a tavern or restaurant, the small selection of food and drinks from the menu proves it. the only food that is served here is dark, nutty malt bread, and Ralis is in no mood to eat anything like that, so he continued drinking his ale.
As he was drinking, he heard a lot of chatter going on around him.
"The Amnian Delight is the ricketiest tub I ever seen! You hear me over there?" He heard someone nearby exclaim.
"Ah, that crew's spineless! They don't even care when I say their captain is a doddering half-wit who don't know port from starboard! That ship of theirs shouldn't just be hauling garbage, it should be towed away AS garbage!" Someone replied to the first man Ralis heard speak among the indistinct chatter of the people in this inn.
"It's been hard tenday upon harder of late for us, but today, at least, we celebrate!"
Hearing someone nearby say that caught Ralis's attention. Over near the bar where the owner of the inn, Nantrin Bellowglyn, a tall human man with long, curly black hair and a scar shaped like the blade of a sword running diagonally from the bridge of his nose to his right cheek who is a retired nobleman's guard from Tethyr, is acting as the other bartender of the tavern, is the source of the voice. Ralis stood up and headed towards Nantrin's bar and saw that near it, four men are sitting at a table covered in a crimson cloth, eating a few slices of dark nutty malt bread and drinking large amounts of ale. Not much of a feast, but these guys are happy anyway, and that made Ralis suspicious, so he approached them.
A rugged man with receding black hair named Berahli spotted Ralis first.
"Ho there, stranger! Come and have a drink with us!" He exclaimed.
"You seem in high spirits this night, friends," Ralis observed.
"Why wouldn't we be?" Berahli asked incredulously. "We have a roof over our heads, food and drink- more than we've had since the Shining Lady's bloody crusade drove us from the Troll Claws."
Ralis couldn't understand why these men originally lived near the Troll Claws. Although the Trollclaw Ford is the safest area to travel through en route to Dragonspear Castle because it is occasionally where wagons can safely cross over the Winding Water and it is occasionally occupied by military forces, it is still a couple miles west from the Troll Claws, which is most definitely not the safest landscape to travel through or settle on because of its large population of beasts that can quickly heal their injuries, like trolls. Either these men were already homeless but had a decent life being protected by the military at the Trollclaw Ford, or the crusade made their lives much worse.
Regardless, he wanted to cut to the chase and get this done, so he asked: "Tell me, friend. Do you know a man named Ophyllis?"
"Ophyllis, aye, we know him- we know him well!" Berahli blurted out.
"Shut up, Berahli," Ozil, one of Berahli's friends snapped, then he eyed Ralis suspiciously. "You, friend- how do YOU know Ophyllis?"
"He stole some gold from me, but that's beside the point. You lot hurt the man, badly, and that cannot go unanswered," Ralis admitted.
Berahli and his friends fell silent, but not with contempt, more like subtle guilt, but Berahli and Ozil showed their guilt most.
"I'll lose sleep over that, I will. But what's done is done and I'd do it again if I had the chance. That gold may cost us our lives, but our lives would have been lost already without it. So do what you must. Kill us if you want," Berahli said.
"And if we're not killed, a cell in the Flaming Fist headquarters will at least give us a roof over our heads and a small meal a day. That's more than many have right now," Ozil added solemnly.
Ralis didn't know what to say at first. These men have no ill will towards Ophyllis, they feel guilty for what they have done, but they are not sorry for doing what they needed to do to survive as homeless refugees.
"... Your hearts might have been in the right place, but what about Ophyllis? You fellas beat the man within an inch of his life. I'm sorry, but I can't allow thievery and assault to go on unchallenged in the city. turn yourself in to Captain Corwin of the Flaming Fist over there and she will hand you over to the nearest Flaming Fist enforcer to take you to their headquarters," Ralis instructed, pointing at Corwin over at Charra's bar alone still drinking her wine.
Berahli nodded in agreement. "You're right. We needed what we took, but that doesn't excuse what we did. We'll gladly turn ourselves in. Farewell, hero," he said, then, he, Ozil and the other two men stood up out of their chairs and casually approached Corwin.
Ralis headed over to the stairs to find out which hotel room Minsc and Dynaheir is staying in. He felt embarrassed systematically checking the hotel rooms for Minsc and Dynaheir. He did not want to barge into rooms with anyone inside doing anything that is... private, so he pressed his ear against each door to see if he could hear Minsc or Dynaheir speak. Most of the rooms in the 2nd floor of the Three Old Kegs are empty. The few rooms that are occupied are occupied by refugees who had been given money by sympathetic citizens of Baldur's Gate, or they stole money from citizens like Ozil and his friends. After Ralis checked all the rooms in the second floor, he went up the stairs to the third floor.
Again, just like in the second floor, most of the rooms are vacant. When he pressed his ear on the door numbered "23", he heard some voices inside.
"There's no doubting it. Now is the time to remove the Council of Four and take the city for ourselves," someone inside said.
Ralis gasped softly and quietly. He stumbled on a conspiracy to overthrow Grand Dukes Belt, Liia, Entar and Eltan! He had heard rumors that ever since Sarevok's death, there are a group of nobles of Baldur's Gate that believe that the Grand Dukes may appear strong and indomitable, but in reality are vulnerable and weak due to the fact that Sarevok managed to send assassins to kill Entar and almost succeeded in killing Eltan and almost got elected as Grand Duke. They believe the survival of the Grand Dukes was all a fluke, and they want to replace them as supposedly stronger leaders.
"Hush! Someone's here," Ralis heard a feminine voice say from inside the room.
Ralis didn't believe that the nobles inside realized that he is eavesdropping on them, but they could have had this room magically warded to warn them of intruders. The door flew open and Ralis found himself staring into the scowling face of Lord Therton.
"You there! This is a private room! What are you... You're Ralis, aren't you? The hero of Baldur's Gate? What are you doing here?" He asked.
"I apologize. I couldn't help but overhear you," Ralis humbly apologized.
"Oh? What precisely did you hear?" Lord Maxwell, the youngest of the three nobles in this room asked.
"Oh, nothing I've not heard many times since Sarevok's fall. The Council is weak. They must be removed. All that riffraff," Ralis replied with an indifferent shrug.
"You say you would join us in our efforts to, shall we say, improve the city? The hero of Baldur's Gate could be a valuable ally," Lord Therton said.
"Indeed he would- if we could trust him. Grand Duke Belt and the Council have treated you very well these past weeks, Ralis. Why turn against them now?" Lady Araya asked.
"Because this is the first opportunity that's presented itself," Ralis replied without missing a beat.
His answer proved satisfactory for the three nobles.
"There are many who would challenge Belt and the others, but few have our resources," Lord Therton said.
Lady Araya crossed her arms. "I'm prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt, but we must be unanimous in agreeing to have Ralis join us. We can make no final decision without Eldric," she said.
"Who is Eldric?" Ralis asked.
"Eldric is a drunken lout, but an influential one. We'll need him if we're to be recognized by the lords of Waterdeep. Knowing ihm, he's downstairs, drinking the inn dry," Anaya replied.
Ralis finally got an idea to expose these people to the Flaming Fist.
"Oh, THAT Eldric," he said as if he finally recalled who Eldric is. "Yes, I think I last saw him on the main floor. I'll go see if he's still there."
"Do so, and then bring him back here and we can get on with this." Anaya instructed.
Ralis nodded and closed the door, and hastily traveled downstairs to the ground floor and found Corwin sitting at Charra's bar as usual, waiting for Ralis to finish his business here.
"Captain, I got interesting news to tell you," Ralis said, almost out of breath from running down the stairs.
"Oh?" Corwin arched her left eyebrow in amusement.
"A plot against the Council is being hatched upstairs on the third floor in room 23," Ralis said.
Corwin blinked in surprise.
"Those conspirators are upstairs right now?" She asked, and Ralis nodded, then she stood up. "I'll summon help and take up position outside their door. You go back up and get them talking about this plot again," Corwin instructed.
"Very well, but make sure you and the others are ready to move as soon as the nobles reveal their plan," Ralis said.
"I'll be there as soon as I can," Schael nodded and ran outside to find the nearest squad of patrolling Flaming Fist enforcers.
Ralis returned to the third floor and re-entered room 23, shutting the door behind him.
"You're back. Excellent," Lord Maxwell said.
"Any sign of Eldric?" Lord Therton asked.
"He sent a messenger. It seems he's ill from drinking too much wine and can't make it, but says you should proceed without him," Ralis replied.
"Perhaps we should reschedule for when Eldric is available?" Lady Anaya asked.
"I can't guarantee I'll be around for your next meeting. If you want me help, we need to settle this sooner than later," Ralis said with mild urgency.
"He's right. We may not have an opportunity like this again for some time..." Lord Therton agreed.
Anaya placed her hand on her hips and sighed in defeat. "Fine. Forget Eldric. There are things we can do, events we can start in motion without his immediate assistance."
Then Lord Maxwell said: "We should pool our resources and undercut the trade business of... you know who. That will put us in a strong position."
"If it's shipping lines you want disrupted, I know a few people who can make it happen," Ralis said.
"The dregs of the Sword Coast fill our streets. Demand for goods is rising, and prices will follow- we'll see to it. You will speak out about the Council's inability to deal with the situation," Lady Anays instructed Ralis, and he nodded.
"People will listen to the hero of Baldur's Gate. You will help us topple the Grand Dukes one by one. And we shall be there to take the reins of power," Maxwell said.
At that moment, suddenly, Schael kicked the door open, then she and two other Flaming fist enforcers along with Inspector Tyle charged into the room, startling Maxwell, Therton and Anaya.
"By order of the Flaming Fist, you three are under arrest!" Corwin declared.
Lord Maxwell frowned incredulously. "What? Don't you know who I am?" He asked in an offended tone as if it mattered.
"I do, and I'm disappointed to see you embroiled in this sordid plot, milord," Inspector Tyle said to Maxwell sadly.
"It was all Araya's fault!" Therton pointed at her accusingly, sweating profusely. "She put us up to this!"
"WHAT? Don't listen to him; Therton is the real ringleader!" Araya exclaimed defensively.
"The magistrate will sort it out," Tyle interjected, then he turned his attention to Ralis. "As for you, Ralis, you've done us a great service. Take this, and the city's thanks," he said then gave Ralis 90 gold coin pieces and an emerald.
"It was an honor to serve the interests of Baldur's Gate," Ralis humbly said, placing the money and jewel in his money bag.
"You did good work tonight, Ralis. Thank you," Schael said, then she and the other two Flaming Fist bound the two nobles hands by rope and escorted them out of the hotel room and Inspector Tyle followed, leaving Ralis to continue his search for Minsc and Dynaheir.
Several minutes later he found Minsc on the top floor of the inn, standing guard next to door marked #35. He saw Minsc gently holding his hamster named Boo in his big hands, and as Ralis approached, he saw Boo getting a bit agitated.
"What is it, Boo? I've never seen you so..." When Minsc turned his head to the left, he saw Ralis approaching with a smile.
"Ah? Can it be? Is this the hero of Baldur's Gate I see?" Minsc asked himself with growing glee.
"It is I, Minsc. It's been too long," Ralis said.
Minsc grinned wide like a child in a candy store. "Boo's giant shrunken heart thrills to see you again, Ralis, as does my own. How are you?"
"Aw, worse today than I felt months ago," Ralis said with a shrug. "I'm journeying north. I was hoping Boo- and you, of course, would join me. Will you join me...?"
Minsc smiled. "Boo and I would journey to at least seven of the Hells and back for you, Ralis. Probably all nine, but Boo says, "Minsc! Be realistic!" This you know."
"Yeah, I know, Boo is the voice of reason," Ralis nodded, happy to see Minsc and Boo again even though it's only been a couple months since he last saw them, but it feels like it has been a couple years.
"But we cannot leave our friend Dynaheir undefended," Minsc added.
Ralis felt stupid to forget about Dynaheir so suddenly.
"She is here, then? Excellent, I want to speak with her too," Ralis said.
"Then do as the cats do to Boo when they think he is not looking and follow!" Minsc said, then he opened the door to room 35 and stepped inside, with Ralis following.
"Dynaheir. Someone would like to speak with you," Minsc called to Dynaheir, who is busy combing her long black hair in front of a mirror.
She grunted in frustration and said in agitation: "How many times must I tell you, Minsc, I'll not debate Boo on the merits of..."
Her voice trailed off when she saw Ralis step into view from standing behind Minsc's large muscular body.
"Ralis? Is everything all right? Why art thou here?" She asked him.
To Ralis, it feels like it has been years since he has heard that strange way Dynaheir speaks, mangling the natural vocabulary of the Common tongue, but it reality it has only been a few months.
"It's been a while since I heard someone well and truly mangle the common tongue. I missed it," Ralis smiled.
Dynaheir did not smile at all.
"I know not what thou speakest of. Common words never sound better than when they're 'twixt my lips," she said firmly and proudly.
"I meant only to say you have a unique way with words, not an unappealing one. Far from it," Ralis clarified, albeit somewhat with worry Dynaheir might take offense.
"What dost thou want of me?" Dynaheir asked, wanting to skip the praise and pleasantries.
"Your company. Soon I will journey north and I would have you join me," Ralis said.
Dynaheir blinked in surprise. "Thou wouldst face the Shining Lady, then?" She aksed.
"That's right. She sent assassins to kill me an hour ago. They almost killed Imoen, and that's a transgression I can't let slide," Ralis replied.
Dynaheir now looked as if she has come to some realization that she never thought of until now.
"I know of this woman," she said to Ralis in a hushed tone. "There are those who believe her to be a daughter of the divine- perhaps even a child of Bhaal... She merits further investigation, and is the reason I still linger in the region. Thine offer is accepted. Minsc and I will travel north with thee."
"And with Boo," Minsc added, and Boo squeaked.
Dynaheir sighed and rolled her eyes. "Of course. We would be lost without thy hamster," she said with tired sarcasm in her voice.
"Prepare yourself, Boo! We are about to embark on another epic adventure!" Minsc exclaimed excitedly, and Boo squeaked enthusiastically with response.
"Come on, the captain of the Flaming Fist is waiting for us downstairs," Ralis said, leading the way with Dynaheir and Misc following.
"What have we here?" Corwin asked Ralis when she noticed Minsc and Dynaheir behind him.
"Captain Schael Corwin, allow me to introduce Dynaheir and Minsc of Rashemen," Ralis said.
Dynaheir simply nodded courteously at Corwin without saying a word.
"And this is Boo. Say hello, Boo," Minsc said, holding both hands out towards Corwin to show Boo to her.
Corwin frowned in confusion for a second, then looked over at Ralis.
"It's a long way to Dragonspear, Ralis. Are you sure you want to bring the hamster along?" She asked.
"The hamster and the ranger are a package deal, I'm afraid," Ralis admitted with a sheepish smile.
Corwin shrugged. "All right, if that's the way you want it."
After all has been said, Schael, Dynaheir and Minsc followed Ralis out the exit.