A/N: I sort of wanted to cover a bit more with this chapter, but that would have made it a bit too long. So, nothing really happens aside some conversation. Then again, I think Viconia's Beregost experiences are pretty damn important to cover. It's shocking that if you are playing a female character, you miss out on so much content that truly brings both Jaheira and Viconia to life as great characters. I'm planning to take a lot from their respective romance tracks and modify it to fit the story.
Chapter 12
With no other pressing matters to attend to other than to wait on Yoshimo's return from the docks, Leah led her group back to the slums and the Copper Coronet, the only inn in this city where they could afford lodgings. Once there, Jaheira went to secure their rooms for the night, leaving Leah and Viconia to sit down at one of the more secluded small tables in the corner of the tavern, not that it afforded them with much privacy. Anomen seemed to correctly sense that the two women wished to remain alone and catch up on things, instead joining to sit with Jaheira at another table, Minsc retreating to the room he would be sharing with the young squire and Yoshimo, announcing the intent to give Boo his regular hamster bath.
"So..." Viconia started, giving Leah an appraising stare. "I was praying for some kind of divine intervention while I was tied to that stake, but I certainly did not expect it to arrive in your shape, abbil. What has brought you so far from the Heartlands, Leah?"
"We got jumped soon after leaving Baldur's Gate," Leah replied, wincing at the unpleasant memory. "We were taken by complete surprise, there was no way we could have stood up to those... I don't think they were mere bounty hunters. Your instincts proved right when you decided to disappear from the Gate while the rest of us were still dealing with countless party invitations to celebrate our heroic deeds."
"Yes, you seemed to be enjoying the attention a great deal," Viconia smirked. "What made you leave the city in the first place? Let me guess... the praises and the adoration ran out, and the ungrateful rivvin quickly forgot that you had saved them all?"
"Something like that, yes," Leah admitted reluctantly. To this day, she did not know who had spread those rumors about her ancestry to the people of Baldur's Gate, effectively forcing her to leave the city. Now it occurred to her that it could have very well been a part of the plan by Irenicus, or the men that he had sent to capture them. "Anyway... we ended up captured by some crazy mage who locked us into his dungeon below Athkatla for many months... experimenting on me... torturing me... I guess he was fascinated by my... nature. I think you know what I refer to."
"I do," Viconia nodded. "The undeniable, hidden power within you that makes you so appealing to follow, abbil. You are interesting to many... myself included."
"Well, as long as you promise not to dissect me on a table somewhere, I suppose I will tolerate this interest," Leah rolled her eyes, taking a sip of the cheap, watered down wine, the only kind they could afford right now.
"Still, you seem to have come out of that ordeal without any new scars... at least not physical ones," Viconia noted, refusing to touch the wine that probably offended her delicate senses.
"I would have preferred to keep the physical ones," Leah muttered unhappily. "And that mad mage, Irenicus... Imoen is still with him. The Cowled Wizards took them away and imprisoned both of them... and I must find out where they took them. That's... essentially my goal right now."
"Ah yes, Imoen," Viconia said, scowling a little at the memory. "Well, if you're certain that having that insufferably prattling girl back with us would improve the company you keep, who am I to judge?"
"You know perfectly well that I would never abandon her," Leah spoke with a deep frown. "She is like a sister to me, and you also grew quite fond of her during our travels together, though of course you are too proud to ever admit it."
"I would have liked her far more if she had mastered the fine art of remaining silent," Viconia grinned. "It is amusing that for you simply stating that you share a bond like siblings, implies... such devotion? To a drow stating words 'you are like a sister to me' would imply that you will plot to hasten their demise by all means possible. I had to contribute to thinning the De Vir familiar herd myself... but thankfully for you, I have spent enough time on the surface to observe these stark differences between my people and yours."
"Charming cultural clue, indeed," Leah chuckled, chugging down more of the horribly bland wine. At least the more of it she consumed, the less offending it seemed to taste. "Anyway, enough about me. What have you been up to since leaving Baldur's Gate?"
Viconia's face immediately twisted with a brief reflection of anger and she looked about to grab the bottle of cheap wine and pour some of the liquid for herself despite the offending taste, but she managed to hold herself back, her expression slowly changing back to neutral. "After everything we went through, chasing after your mad half-brother, I simply needed a place where I could... stop and rest, if for a few months," eventually the drow began to speak. "But finding a place where I would be accepted seemed impossible. Finally, I tried to purchase some land on the outskirts of Beregost, using my part of the spoils we had acquired and dropping your good name when necessary. I had also learned the important lesson to stay hooded at all times, claiming that I had suffered from magical burns that made my skin particularly sensitive to sunlight. In the end I was successful and once the deal was done, a few of the locals even helped me settle in. That was when I met my closest neighbor... Roran Midfallow, a stout, sunburned farmer."
"Judging by the way you spat out that name... I take it that the two of you did not become good friends?" Leah asked, a little jokingly.
For some reason Viconia glowered angrily back at the young human before once again calming down and continuing her story. "At first we actually formed an awkward friendship. He seemed very helpful, often bringing me supplies that I had difficulties acquiring myself. It wasn't until a few months later, when on a warm summer day I grew careless and lowered my hood, allowing him to discover my identity. Much to my surprise, he did not run back to the village to summon a crowd that would come to stone me to my death. No... he simply smiled, eyeing me appreciatively and appearing intrigued..."
"Oh god... it's not... that kind of story, is it?" Leah asked, having paled a little, mentally slapping herself for joking about it just now.
"He mentioned that his oldest son, Jiscanan, was busy making a feast and that I was invited," Viconia continued in a morbid tone of voice. "We walked to his farmhouse, where his other son, a surly oaf named Funnard, was working with a sickle in the front yard. When I reached his farmhouse, I learned Roran's true intentions. Somebody hit me in the back of my skull, and the ground rushed up to meet me. I woke up to searing pain. While unconscious, they had abused and tortured me... then tried to bury their sins. I could see nothing except for the lid of a coffin."
"That is... completely and utterly sick," Leah hissed, her cheeks burning with anger from the mere thought of someone acting so despicably. "How could you possibly managed to get out of that mess?"
"By being a drow, abbil," Viconia smiled thinly. "The pain of their abuse and torture stung, but it was nothing compared to what I had gone through at the mercies of the Handmaidens. They had made the mistake of not killing me, so with some effort, I clawed myself out of my grave and then set about wreaking my vengeance upon them."
"Please, I want every detail," Leah begged, hair standing on her neck from the burning need to hear about these defilers suffering horribly.
"I watched the house and waited, listening to them celebrate their victory in the midst of drunkenness. Eventually, Jiscanan, the oldest son, left to use the outhouse. I jammed a stake in the door, trapping him inside. Then I set the building aflame, much like those Beshaban cultists. Soon enough Roran came running, yelling to Funnard. As he stood helpless before the flames, I wrapped a garrote around his neck... I whispered to him of his mistake to underestimate a Drow, before tightening the wire until he breathed no more. By this time the other son, Funnard, returned with a bucket from the well to find his father's corpse and his brother a smoldering ember. He dropped to his knees in shock, which afforded me a height advantage as I caved in his head with a miner's mallet."
"Good," Leah said, emptying the rest of her cup and then pouring herself more wine with slightly shaking hands. "Good... I'm glad you had your vengeance."
"I see you are not disturbed by the grim tale," Viconia said, giving Leah an approving look. "It is good to see that you agree with my treatment of these men, abbil. No doubt that the others would use my actions as evidence of the innate corruption of my people."
"These men abused your trust, tortured you and buried you alive!" Leah exclaimed, then clamping a palm over her mouth when she realized that she had raised her voice, but with the overall volume of the Copper Coronet being exceedingly loud, nobody had even spared a glance in her direction. "I'm sorry... and when you said that they had abused you, it probably meant... you know..." Viconia merely nodded grimly at that. "There's... no excuse that I can think of, really. You were entitled to do as you please with those pigs. I do not begrudge you taking revenge at all, I would have wanted the same in your place."
"Those months of imprisonment and torture have changed you, abbil," Viconia remarked, looking at Leah thoughtfully. "You always had a... quiet, serene strength about you, but now it has been given an edge of sharp steel. I find this change most intriguing..."
"I would have preferred not to go through those particular experiences, but what's done is done," Leah shrugged. "Still, I would prefer not to be reminded of my time in that sadist's care, if you please, Viconia."
"As you would have it, Leah," Viconia said indifferently, turning to look with distaste at the other, mostly drunk patrons of the place, before speaking up again. "Tell me about the way you secured the means of my release, then. I noticed that you were conversing with the prison guards before they all returned to their barracks. How did you manage to convince them to leave?"
"I told the commander of the guard that we both would reward him with... umm, shall we say, pleasures of the flesh," Leah explained, blushing slightly as she spoke. "In fact, the man should be arriving here shortly to claim his prize."
For a moment, Viconia looked a little stunned, before letting out an amused chortle. "Very good, Leah... very good, I was almost about to ask whether you actually intended to follow through with that promise," the drow laughed. "I am glad that you have taken to my advice to use your... feminine charms, when an opportunity presents itself."
"It will never be my first tool of choice, but... I could not think of anything else at the moment," Leah admitted. "Besides, I wanted to give you the opportunity to deal as you see fit with the one who had sold you to the Beshabans."
"The sentiment is... greatly appreciated, my friend," Viconia smiled, appearing grateful. "Since you obviously have no interest in this foolish jaluk, what would you say if I would lead this man somewhere private once he arrives? I would make sure that he is never heard from again."
"Suits me just fine," Leah shrugged. "An accomplice to those despicable practices of Beshaba's faithful... I think that removing someone like him from the post of the captain of the prison guard would be doing this city a big service."
"You are surprisingly, but pleasantly amiable, abbil," Viconia's smile broadened. "I cannot recall you being quite this reasonable before." She glanced across the rows of tables and the massive fire pit in the centre of the tavern, looking on at the newcomers near the entrance. "I believe there comes the man we have been waiting for, Leah. Ah yes... he will make a fair sacrifice to the Lady of Loss..."
While Leah and Viconia were animatedly talking amongst themselves, two of their companions were sat at another table, but they had barely exchanged a few words amongst them over the past half hour. Anomen's eyes kept drifting back towards the other table where the two priestesses were talking, no matter how much he struggled to keep his curious gaze away. Next to him, Jaheira had been nursing the tankard of watered-down ale in her hands for a long while without showing any intention of actually taking a sip. The druidess seemed to be observing the surroundings indifferently, and now and then Anomen caught her looking in the direction of the corpulent barkeep of the establishment, nodding as if she wanted to beckon the man over and perhaps order something, but the barkeep seemingly ignored her.
Soon enough, Anomen began to grow restless and uncomfortable at the forced silence at their table, and when both Leah and Viconia broke out in laughter over something at the other table, he could no longer remain silent, turning towards his stony-faced companion. "Lady Jaheira... might I pose a question that has been troubling me for a good while?" he finally dared to ask. The druidess looked at him, but did not speak, Anomen taking it for a permission to continue. "This... Viconia de Vir. Lady Leah seems to know and... trust her? I have heard of Drow only as treacherous creatures, my lady... what do you make of Viconia? Can we trust her?"
"I doubt you should place particular trust in her, Anomen," Jaheira smirked. "But strangely enough, I think we can trust her as much as not to betray us. Most unexpectedly, she proved to be completely loyal to Leah during our travels across the Sword Coast. At times I was deeply concerned about her traveling with our group, fearing that she might not be the best influence for Leah, especially when Viconia had only just joined our group. But she proved to be less confrontational than I feared, and Leah managed to convince me that she was mature enough to decide for herself which of Viconia's... advice to listen to, and which to ignore."
"Then we can expect no difficulties due to her presence?" Anomen looked relieved. "I am glad to hear that. The knights at the Order would be most... perplexed to find me traveling alongside a priestess of Shar."
"Oh, I can assure you that Viconia's presence will most definitely make things more interesting," Jaheira smiled thinly. "She will not make your life easy, Anomen. Sometimes she will simply seek to bait and provoke the others. Sometimes her insults will origin in her simply being who she is, and the kind of horrible upbringing her people are exposed to. She will be hurtful simply because she doesn't know any better. The key is to not respond to her provocation... something that is not always easy..."
"I see..." Anomen's face had again darkened a little as he watched Leah and Viconia at their table. "I will attempt to control my temper if the Drow attempts anything. I thank you for these words of advice, Lady Jaheira."
"I hope you remember these words when Viconia's eyes turn on you in search of a new victim to torment," Jaheira spoke, clearly not having much faith in Anomen's ability to control his temper. Their conversation died down as the druidess turned to look at the other table, watching an armored man approaching the two women and engaging them in a brief conversation. After a while, the man departed together with Viconia, looking very excited as the two of them walked upstairs. However, Jaheira had not missed the subtle little gesture of the Drow checking the dagger at her belt as her cloak had parted for a moment.
"Some of the tales I have heard of the Drow also mention this... aspect of their behavior as well," Anomen snorted, looking disgusted. Jaheira merely smiled at his outburst, not seeing the need to correct him about Viconia's true intentions, her attention already focused back on Leah, the young priestess getting up and coming to join them at their table, having been abandoned by Viconia.
"Surely you won't mind if I join your riveting conversation, yes?" Leah sat down with a quirky smile, prompting quick assurances from Anomen, unable to quite hide his obvious delight about the young Sorlyn's presence.
"Was that the prison guard commander from earlier today?" Jaheira asked, abruptly pointing at the stairs leading to the upper floor.
"Yes," Leah confirmed quickly. "The very same that sold Viconia to those fanatics. I thought it was only fair."
"Of course," Jaheira nodded. Anomen still looked a little confused, staring inquiringly at them both in turn. "Only Viconia will be returning downstairs, Anomen," the druidess finally took pity on the squire.
"Oh," Anomen only said. While the scoundrel no doubt deserved even worse than what the Drow would do to him for his perversion of justice, the young squire still felt a little unsettled by the ruthless practicality and ease with which the two women at the table discussed it, especially if in Leah's case, this jaded rationality bore such a youthful, innocent and beautiful face.
"You know, there is something strange happening in this inn," Jaheira suddenly remarked after a bout of silence. "And before you say anything, I mean something strange beyond it simply being an incredibly filthy pit of depravity. I have noticed several patrons entering and immediately making a beeline for the back rooms. As far as I see, others are not even allowed inside, the guards are there to ensure that. Some of these patrons who enter look like they might be respectable well-off citizens, perhaps even nobles, dressed in inconspicuous rags to avoid recognition."
"I have been spending a good amount of time in this cesspool of corruption, yet I have failed to notice any of this," Anomen blinked, looking rather surprised. "Your observational skills astound me, Lady Jaheira!"
"I would say that you are too easily impressed, Anomen," Jaheira smiled. "And I have certain... experience and training to notice such things. It is nothing remarkable, I assure you."
Leah nodded at that, realizing that Jaheira subtly referred to her work as a Harper. The druidess rarely spoke about her past with the shadowy organization, and while Leah was extremely curious, certain that her friend had plenty of exciting stories to share, she had always been able to reign in her interest. "Any ideas what they could be up to in there?" the young priestess asked. "Black Lotus den?"
"That would be the least harmless possibility," Jaheira grumbled. "I am worried that it could be something worse..."
"Maybe we should take the time and poke around, see what they're up to?" Leah suggested, Jaheira nodding thoughtfully. "Right now, though, I don't want to commit to something else while we're waiting for Yoshimo to return... and speaking of Yoshimo..." she looked at the familiar face of the Kara-Turan, swiftly forcing himself through the raucous crowd of patrons, waving to the rogue, but he had obviously noticed them already, heading straight for their table, choosing to sit down between her and Anomen, ignoring the slight frown on the squire's face.
"Well... that was an interesting experience," Yoshimo finally remarked, having chugged down some of the watered-down wine to help him gather his bearings. "Unfortunately, you will not be able to use the transfer documents now that I have already made use of them, so we will need to find an alternative way to get you inside Mae'Var's guildhouse... and it so happens that I have some ideas in that regard."
"If you're certain you don't want to fly solo on this one," Leah teased.
"I'm quite certain," Yoshimo replied, looking a little uncomfortable.
"Tell us what you have learned, Yoshimo," Jaheira prompted, the first one to lose patience.
"This Mae'Var is one particularly unlikable fellow," Yoshimo began to explain. "He makes Renal appear like the friendliest thief I've ever met. Of course, Mae'Var was immediately suspicious of me and made me jump through several hoops to prove my loyalty... I will not elaborate, but I doubt that I have seen the end of these loyalty tests. Oh, and young lovely, you will not like to hear this... Mae'Var loves to spend most of his time down in his personal little dungeon. It reminded me starkly of the place where we met... he's got everything down there, torture racks, all the implements... when I was led down there to be introduced to him, Mae'Var was busy working on one of his victims... let's just say that it was very unpleasant..."
Leah's face had gone pale as she listened, hands gripping the edge of the table fiercely as she was buy trying to fight off waves of nausea. "I... perhaps it was for the best that we didn't join you, after all..." she eventually managed. "I'm not certain I could have maintained my disguise in the face of all that."
"Take heart, my lady. This villain will not hurt you, we will make sure of it," Anomen gallantly offered with a supportive smile.
"I doubt that your friend Renal is someone who would refuse to torture his enemies if it could get him what he wants," Jaheira remarked simply. "But I digress. You mentioned that you have discovered a way for us to get into the guildhouse... if you truly require our aid with gathering evidence against this Mae'Var."
"Your aid would be appreciated," Yoshimo said hopefully. "And my plan is very simple... Mae'Var's guild oversees the streetwalkers operating at the docks and the Sea's Bounty, as well as several brothels of the Docks District. I made a mention that I might be able to secure the services of several upper class courtesans for a sizable cut and one of Mae'Var's lieutenants appeared interested, asking me to bring the 'merchandize' over for inspection. So, I was wondering if..."
"If we would agree to dress up like streetwalkers, and then you could get us into the guildhouse," Leah finished with a smile.
"Surely you will not agree to submit yourself to such humiliation, my lady?" Anomen asked, looking bewildered.
"Well, I'm not going to enjoy the experience, but if it helps us get the job done then why not?" Leah shrugged. "I think we can pull it off. Jaheira, what about you?"
"I am not letting you into the lion's den with only Yoshimo watching over you," Jaheira replied sternly. "And it might surprise you, but I have no issues with this kind of deception. My... line of work has required me to act in various roles... and do not even think of asking me, because I will not elaborate."
"Too embarrassing?" Yoshimo winked cheekily.
"If you knew the truth, I might have to kill you," Jaheira warned, not looking as if she was joking, either.
"And we don't want that," Leah intervened quickly, then looking up to see Viconia descending down the stairs, the Drow grinning in smug satisfaction, looking particularly pleased. Leah decided that she didn't really care to know the specific details of what had happened with the prison guard commander, instead turning to introduce the Drow to Yoshimo, the bounty hunter already staring Viconia down with a very interested look in his eyes. "Yoshimo, please meet Viconia de Vir. She is an old friend, and she will be traveling with us from now on."
"My, my, young lovely, you attract the most charming companions to your side, I must say," Yoshimo said smoothly, moving to take Viconia's hand with the obvious intent to kiss it, but the Drow withdrew it swiftly, glaring at the rogue. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady Viconia," the Kara-Turan grinned, undeterred by the cool reception.
"I'm sure," Viconia snapped, sitting down and looking at Leah. "Who is this fool jaluk?"
"Yoshimo handles all the rogue-related issues of the group, Viconia," Leah replied with a smile. "Now, tell me, my friend..." she beamed at the puzzled looking Drow. "How would you like to do a little dress up and infiltration of a thieves' guildhall in order to spy on them?"
"I'm sure there's a reason why I should be interested," Viconia remarked listlessly.
"Well, at least dressing up as a whore will come naturally to one of us," Jaheira said, unable to stop a little chuckle from escaping her lips. "There is just one caveat, Leah," she looked at the young priestess again. "We do not have nearly enough gold to afford us passable disguises."
"Hmm... well, I'm sure that we could find something at Renal's guildhall, some black market goods that he would be willing to donate for common cause," Leah suggested. "In fact... since the evening is still young and we have nothing better to do, why don't we head over there right now and play a little game of dressing up?"
"If you truly insist on going through with this... questionable plan, my lady, I insist on joining you," Anomen said, rising from the table together with them. "You will undoubtedly benefit from the extra protection."
"Umm, Anomen... actually, I had something else in mind for you..." Leah said uncomfortably, blushing a little. "I was going to ask whether you could return to the barracks of your Order and spend the night there. I need you to gather some information for us from your fellow squires and knights... see what you can learn about Lord Jierdan Firkraag, that mage hater Valygar Corthala, and also whether someone knows something about the Cowled Wizards and what they are doing with these so called magical deviants..."
"I... see," Anomen said, looking obviously disappointed, but still recognizing the importance of the task that was assigned to him. "In that case, I resolve to discover as much as I can while back with the Order. I will report back with my findings tomorrow morning, my lady."
"I knew I could rely on you, Anomen," Leah said, placing her hand on the young squire's shoulder, noticing how he blushed immediately. "As for the rest of us... it's back to the docks!"
