Author's Note: Thanks to all the readers out there... I know I've been fairly consistent with updating every few days, but I'm going to be heading up to Oregon State University in a few weeks, so updates might be a little less consistent now. I'll still try for at least once a week, but it could be a bit shaky. Either way, I appreciate all the readers and welcome any and all reviews... you folks are awesome!!
"We are getting closer... I think we have found our goal." Keldorn whispered as the group made their way through the damp halls and pipes.
As they sneaked their way through the all-too prevalent darkness, the sound and smell of burning torches met their senses. Keldorn motioned for them to continue onward; as they did they reached a large hall carved into a stone cavern, a giant opening embedded in the rock. Over the doorway was an eye carved into it, looking like a twisted version of the Eye of Helm. An archway had been chiseled as well, with signs and symbols unknown to them carved into it. In front of the door were two men in armor, along with another man in the robes of a cleric standing between them. The man between them they recognized as Gaal, the prophet they had seen in the vision Oisig had shown them. Keldorn apparently knew this man as well; he stiffened slightly, letting one hand drift down to the hilt of his sword as they stepped into the light before the blind warriors. Gaal frowned and called out to them, "The Unseeing Eye's power reveals you to me, strangers! Declare yourselves and your intentions here. Why have you come to the temple of the one true god?"
Greywulf glanced at the others, their decision on how to handle this already been made long before actually reaching this point. "We have heard about this Unseeing Eye from you in the Temples... we wish to know what manner of religion this is. If what you say is indeed true, we might want to be a part of this new power."
Gaal smiled, "Ah! Bless you, for you have taken the first step to enlightening yourselves. We serve the Unseeing Eye, the god whose power gives us sight. We strip ourselves of our fleshly, corrupt sight by destroying our impure eyes so we can receive his vision instead."
"You… strip out your own eyes?" Jaheira said, unable to fully hide her disgust and revulsion for the man before her.
"Yes, it is the test of worthiness." Gaal said, frowning. "If you are not willing to do this small thing, you are not worthy of the Unseeing Eye."
"I'm not certain... how can we be sure of this power just yet?" Greywulf cut in. "I wish to 'see'... but my faith is somewhat lacking, I fear. Is there some way we can see who your god is before losing the eyes?"
"If you cannot manage a small fleshly sacrifice, then-" Gaal began, but then stopped, cocking his head slightly. "Hmm... perhaps we might be able to work something out. Yes, we might have use for ones such as you. To have found our stronghold without my aid you must be strong... warriors, yes?"
"We've done our share of fighting, true." Keldorn grunted. "What do you have in mind?"
"There is an item that the Unseeing Eye desires: half of a rod that has been buried for centuries. It is located at an abandoned temple not far from here. The master possesses one half, but the other half is beyond his grasp. If you can find the other half and bring it to me, you will be a blessed member of the brethren and retain your mortal sight as well. What say you?"
Greywulf frowned and said, "Why does your master desire this rod so much?"
"It is an artifact that will prove his existence and power." Gaal waved the question away. "It should not matter, if you truly desire admittance to his rule. Again, what say you?"
Greywulf looked at the others, meeting their eyes and knowing exactly what they were thinking... "All right. Where is this rod?"
Gaal did not answer for a moment, but seemed to study the three before him, almost as though suddenly deciding whether or not to trust them... then nodded. "The other tunnel path, the one that splits off when you reach the crossroads; I am sure you saw it when coming here, correct?"
"Yes, we did." Keldorn affirmed.
"That path leads down, to an ancient cavern where this temple is located. The rod half will be in the temple somewhere; prepare for battle, it will no doubt be protected well. Do your duty and you will be blessed. Now go."
Gaal turned and walked back in the structure behind him, leaving the three adventurers to leave, heading back to the tunnel they needed to enter.
"I knew it." Keldorn said with a grim smile. "It's all a farce. There is no 'god' here... whatever this Unseeing Eye may be, it is no deity. Gaal should've been able to sense my present devotion to Torm and Jaheira's to Silvanus."
"Seeing as they didn't call our bluff back there and we didn't launch an attack, I assume we're going with the sneaky option then." Greywulf mused. "So how do you want to play the angle with the rod?"
"I think it is obvious we cannot actually give them whatever this artifact is, should we even make the attempt to search for it." Jaheira noted.
"Right. First rule of artifact hunting: if something's been hidden for centuries and broken into numerous pieces... there's usually a pretty good reason for it." Greywulf chuckled.
"We might do what we agreed to... find this rod and discover its purpose. That might be enough to give us some further insight into what this cult is truly after." Keldorn advised. "This 'Unseeing Eye' may not be a god... but it supplies Gaal and the others with some power. We must know more of this matter before we make our own intentions known."
"Agreed." Jaheira nodded. "If we hurry we might reach the crossroads Gaal spoke of within the hour."
As Jaheira had thought, they reached the crossroads quickly and took the other path this time. It led down to a long flight of stone stairs, the sewers and pipes slowly disappearing as they progressed further. Eventually the darkness grew to where descending stairs without aid would have been treacherous, and only the magical illumination provided by Greywulf kept them moving. Finally they reached the floor where another chamber carved of stone and concrete awaited them, a faint glow betraying the presence of torches beckoning them down. Entering, a voice echoed through, "Halt! Hold fast, for we will not let your evil pass through here without a fight!"
Looking at the source of the voice, they saw a group of men stepping out of the darkness, swords and weapons drawn. These men were also blind, cloths covering their eyes just as Gaal had been, but did not seem to have near the coordination or surefootedness the cult prophet had shown.
"Lower your weapons, friends." Keldorn called. "State your purpose: are you followers of the Unseeing Eye?"
"We should ask you that question, intruders!" the speaker of the group called out, his head cocking to the side to ensure he heard everything before him. "All you need know is that if you yourselves follow this so-called Unseeing Eye, you are fools who will die unless you turn from your way! Now answer or feel our wrath! Who are you and why are you here?!"
"We are three adventurers... sent by the Temple of Helm. Our mission is simple; bring down this cult and expose it for the evil it is." Keldorn said, the venerable man stepping out, the calm and authority in his voice both demanding respect and yet bringing peace. "It would appear that we are your allies in this matter."
The men with weapons did not lower their weapons immediately; some mistrust was still in the air. "How do we know you are not spies from that accursed cult? Spies to slip past us and achieve your twisted purposes?"
"If we were truly spies, we would not have wasted so much effort in convincing you otherwise... we would have simply killed you and been done with it." Jaheira answered with her usual manner, Greywulf suddenly glaring at her with an obvious message. That's not helping...
"Whatever has happened to you... I am truly sorry." Keldorn's voice broke through, slowly defusing the situation once more. "On my oath as a Paladin of Torm... we are who we say we are. And if you will allow it, we would see justice be done here."
The oath of Keldorn was enough... the weapons were lowered, their spokesman scarce daring to believe it. "You… you are not from the cult, are you? Praise Lathander! Oh, perhaps the gods have finally seen fit to take mercy on us for our betrayal."
"Perhaps you should tell us what has happened here." Greywulf said, the three of them following the blinded warriors back into the room, over to a number of poorly laid cots and chairs.
"Please sit. My name is Sassar... and I fear I must ask your forgiveness for our reaction to your presence." the blind man said, slowly sitting down when he was sure of his surroundings.
"If you are indeed enemies of the cult, than I imagine you have little occasion to greet anyone with a hospitable face rather than steel." Keldorn noted. "No forgiveness need be offered except an explanation of what you may be doing here."
Sassar grimaced; it was obviously not a pleasant memory for the blind man. Still, he seemed to brace himself, and began speaking. "We were once priests... all of us. Everyone here at one point served one of the gods, Helm, Lathander, Torm... until we betrayed them. Until we abandoned our faith and every blessing we had been so graciously given to follow this path of darkness."
"You were all followers of the Unseeing Eye." Jaheira said grimly. "The priests of this cult, yes?"
"Aye... we were. Gouging out our own eyes in sacrifice to this blasphemous evil, we were certain after our vision was granted by this 'deity' that we were in the right... now I see it as just one more deception. May the gods forgive us for our foolishness. We were the first of the cult... the roots through which the Unseeing Eye spread his malice. He bade us build a temple down here and we never questioned it once."
"It was not until I and the rest of my fellows were instructed to begin converting others, forcefully if necessary... it did not sit right with some. These with me were the ones who began to wonder just what god we had been driven to. None of us had ever seen him before, despite the fact he claimed a physical form. So one day, we decided to find the truth. We made the mistake of telling others of our plans before we crept to his quarters, thinking that they would provide us backup or a distraction so that we could spy unseen. We were wrong... not everyone felt as we did in the priesthood."
"Gaal." Greywulf said in understanding.
"Yes... Gaal betrayed us to the Unseeing Eye... but not before we had discovered his true purpose. This 'god'... it is a beast of the Underdark, a beholder of enormous size and power... so much so it could grant its followers a manner of sight. As soon as he learned of our betrayal our vision was gone once more. We had just barely escaped the Temple before we lost our sight... and only we seven escaped here. The rest who believed as we did were killed by Gaal... his price to become the new high priest of the Unseeing Eye."
"A beholder cult... right underneath Athkatla." Keldorn mused grimly. "The darkness grows powerful indeed if the Eye of Helm was unable to see this threat. Sassar, you said you discovered the truth... why the beholder was here. Did it have anything to do with the rod Gaal told us of?"
"You know of the rod?" Sassar said abruptly, freezing in his spot.
"Aye, we do. In fact, Gaal sent us here to retrieve it." Greywulf said cautiously.
"No! You must not let them have both halves! You mustn't!!" Sassar screeched, lurching from his chair with a flailing of arms, Keldorn reaching out and steadying him. "That is why we are here; what we guard from those blasphemers!!"
"All right... settle down for a moment." Greywulf said gently, as Keldorn helped the man sit once more, his face almost frantic at the mention of the rod. "What is this rod?"
"Swear to me you will never let the beholder have it." Sassar said shakily. "Swear it or I will tell you nothing."
"We swear... the cult shall never lay hands on it." Jaheira said firmly. "Now please... what is this rod that a beholder should desire it so much?"
"It... it is an artifact of ancient power, crafted by the gods themselves. Long was it fought over by the divine powers, by both good and evil deities. Many battles raged for control of its power, and it was almost the cause of a war in the heavens... until Ao, the Overfather stepped in. Ao deemed that no god should wield it and that it be hidden on Toril, forbidden from use by the gods. Still, the question remained about the rod... if the gods could not be trusted with its power, how could they allow mortals to handle it?"
"And so it was hidden... broken to prevent us from ever using it." Greywulf finished.
"Yes. It is said that any mortal who attempts to use the rod will be consumed by its power... but the beholder's own strength is so great... it might be strong enough to bend it to its will. We cannot take that risk." Sassar said with bowed head. "In an attempt to atone for our sins, we have sworn to safeguard the path that leads to the second piece. I can only pray that the gods might someday grant us forgiveness for our foolishness."
"Just how strong is this beholder?" Greywulf asked.
"It is very old... its power has done nothing but grow in the ages it has lived. It has done the unthinkable, gouge out its magic dampening eye so that it may use magic alongside its regular abilities." Sassar said with more than a hint of despair. "If it truly wished... it could destroy us with ease. It only fears losing its half of the rod and will not venture too far away from it... otherwise it fears nothing."
"Then we will teach it fear." Keldorn said boldly, standing up. "We cannot allow this threat to remain unchecked. Somehow we must destroy this cult and kill the beholder."
"If only it were so simple." Sassar sighed. "Still... perhaps you can do what we have been unable to. One thing is certain; the beholder must never have the full rod... and yet, it might be used. I have a plan for this, but we have had no one to carry it out, until now. If you can get the half of the rod that is below us, I think we can get a hold of the other half that the beholder has. If you can put the rod together, you might be able to use it to destroy the beholder."
"I thought you said it would consume any mortal who used it?" Jaheira asked with a frown.
"It will... but its power has no doubt diminished over the centuries. Perhaps... perhaps one use might be safe. After that, it must be returned to its resting place and hidden once again."
"I would rather we avoid using the rod altogether." Keldorn advised. "Nevertheless, you are right in that we will need the half the beholder has. How do you propose we do so?"
"If the cult temple is still the same as it was when we were priests, then there is a back entrance that will lead down into the lair of the beholder itself. Wait until Gaal is testing the new arrivals over the Pit of the Faithless; use that time to slip past and find the rod. With any luck, the Unseeing Eye will not be present at the moment."
"Not exactly a comforting scenario, but I guess we have no choice. Which way to the first half?" Greywulf conceded with a grimace.
"There is a passage over there, at the end of the cavern. We attempted to block it and seal the way... but I imagine you will be able to tear through our efforts fairly easily. Follow it to its end and you will find what you seek." Sassar said with a faint smile. "Go... and may the true gods bless and protect you."
Greywulf and company nodded, beginning to leave... Keldorn stopped, approaching Sassar and placing one hand on the man's shoulder. "You have done much good and repented in truth. Remember that the gods are not without compassion, Sassar. In time you will find your peace and the forgiveness you so desperately seek; until then... you must learn to forgive yourself."
X X X X X X X
"Edwin… that name is very familiar. Boo's whiskers quiver at the name; I do not like this."
"I'm sure it will be fine." Aerie said, trying to calm the suspicious ranger as they ascended to the second floor. As promised, they had returned the pendant to Mae'var after returning to the Docks. Mae'var had not exactly been welcoming, passing them off for another job to his lieutenant, a wizard he had called 'Edwin'. Minsc had veritably twitched at the name... his hand kept closing around the hilt of the Sword of Chaos as they moved, Aerie continually trying to calm him down. Still, his mind kept churning, trying to remember where he had heard the name before...
"Greetings. I am Edwin Odesseiron, a master of conjuring and unparalleled in power. You simians may refer to me merely as 'Sir,' if you prefer a less... syllable intensive workout."
Yoshimo barely had time to blink before there was a blur that flashed past him, the sound of a sword unsheathing chilling his blood as he spotted Minsc in the middle of the room with a thin man in a large, bright red wizards robe. The contrast in size and frame between the two men might have been interesting if it weren't for the fact that the wizard had the tip of a sword touching his stomach and the ranger had a surging ball of lightning pointing at his unprotected head.
"I remember you now..." Minsc said darkly in a voice that veritably shook with anger. "You were the evil wizard who tried to kill Dynaheir. Minsc promised you something then. Do you remember?"
"Unlike your feebleminded brain(the spell would have no effect on you, nothing to affect), my memory is excellent. You promised to protect your Wychlarian charge from me... who, since she is not with you, must finally rest among the worms where she belongs."
Minsc's eyes flared and his other hand shot out to grasp Edwin's throat; Edwin's other hand lit up with a fireball that he also held at Minsc's head alongside his lightning ball.
"You two know each other well, then." Yoshimo remarked helplessly as he watched the standoff between the ranger and the wizard. "Perhaps... it might not be a bad idea to ignore past grievances, at least for the moment. You'll have to forgive Minsc, he gets... excited, easily."
Edwin sneered up at Minsc, his long drooping mustache curling despite the pressure exerted on his throat by Minsc's hand. "Tell your hairy ape(an insult to apes by saying so, really) to release me and I will forget this transgression for now."
Minsc hesitated for a moment... then released Edwin, sheathing his sword again. He leaned forward in Edwin's face and growled, "Twice you have escaped my wrath. You will not escape a third time, Minsc swears."
"The past hardly matters." Edwin remarked calmly, straightening the collar on his robe as he eyed the other two in the group. "This is the company you now keep? (I would not have been surprised to find him following a donkey around, in truth) Bah, it does not matter, so long as you serve... adequately."
"You'll find we are capable." Yoshimo nodded, trying to keep Minsc's temper in check by ending the meeting as quickly as possible. "What would you have us do?"
"(Aside from take a bath?) It seems that my prowess as a mage has captured the eye of the Cowled Wizards. I'm certain they are envious, though their actions are not fitting tribute. They have dispatched an agent to investigate my activities, something I don't appreciate. This insult must be punished by killing the Cowled agent. Rayic Gethras is his name. His house is a gray three-story behind a fence along the westward wall of the Docks District. When you find him, do not hesitate to end his life. Question him beforehand if you like. Any insight into the Cowled Wizards is useful; a little torture would soften him."
"I... murder, torture? W-we won't do those things!" Aerie exclaimed, drawing back in shock, though she glanced at Yoshimo in fear. "We won't, will we?"
"(Damn, I wish they would just do as I say.)" Edwin muttered, before scowling at the elf. "Unless I am mistaken(which is never the case) you are a follower in this band. Do what you are told and leave the thinking to your betters. I have given my instructions; be on your way before I am forced to involve Mae'var in this. (Ugh, motivating these sloths is like pulling teeth.)"
Yoshimo glanced to his right; he saw the pleading expression in Aerie's gaze... he turned his head from her and swallowed. "Of course. Consider it done."
There was silence between them as the three adventurers left the guild hall, Aerie watching Yoshimo with a hint of betrayal in her eyes. We're... we're going to kill this man, just because that wicked mage in there told us to? Torture him beforehand? I... I never imagined ever doing these kinds of things when we started. Greywulf would never murder someone in cold blood. He wouldn't agree, would he? Stealing from the Temple for Mae'var... couldn't we have made the money some other way beside this? Maybe I was naive when we started... but I just... I never thought it would be like this. Selling ourselves like this for... for scum like them? I feel so wrong... like the blood just won't wash off our hands...
"Aerie?"
The elf looked up suddenly, catching Yoshimo's gaze. "Huh?"
"I said we should hope the Shadow Thieves take the blame for this death, so as to avoid the Cowled Wizards' ire."
"Oh... of course." she said as they kept moving, doubts that were long suppressed creeping to the forefront of Aerie's mind.
X X X X X X
"This can't end well." Greywulf muttered, leaping back from the perch he had stopped to rest upon. As he left the small jutting of rock, a shadow fiend slashed the space he had formerly been occupying. The three had ventured deep into the darkness of the paths below, moving through rock, stone and darkness. However, they had just reached a small widening of the chamber, a large cavern of sorts when a group of shadows, wraiths, and shadow fiends had slipped into the light to attack.
Their sheer numbers had nearly overwhelmed them, but the three companions had managed to stay alive so far, and were hard pressed against their many foes. Keldorn was fighting with righteous valor, his blade cutting through shadow and wraith, slaying many. Jaheira had been backed up into a small crevice with no exit, the shadows eagerly trying to reach her life force. She had quickly taught them respect though, killing any who attempted to enter the small split of rock and get her. Greywulf had been forced to flee, dodging and leaping from area to area in an attempt to avoid death. As he dodged another attack, Greywulf thrust out his hand and conjured a wave of magic, sending all the shadows right on his tail flying back.
Finding himself with some breathing space, he hurried over to Keldorn and aided the older paladin, taking some pressure off him. Without so many enemies, Keldorn regained a fire he had previously lost, and strode forth, slaying any in his path. With many shadows occupied by Keldorn, Greywulf moved over to where Jaheira was fighting and with a few blasts of fire, he pulled a few of the shadows off her. Jaheira came out of her crevice swinging, sending the shadows guarding her fleeing. The numbers of shadows that had been killed began to weigh upon the other shades and they retreated in the end, fleeing back into the darkness of the cave ahead.
Watching the creatures flee, finally certain they were safe, Keldorn sat down on a nearby rock, the toll of the battle weighing heavily upon him. "In Torm's name, justice has been done."
"Are you alright, Keldorn?" Greywulf asked. "You seem so tired after every battle, so weary. Is all well?"
"This may seem hard to believe for a young lad such as yourself," Keldorn said with the hint of a smile, "But as you grow older, battle becomes tiresome, weary to the body. The spirit is still willing to fight on, but the flesh… well, it has not the strength or energy of past years. You have not felt the effects of age as I have, even less so since you are part elf and will live much longer than I. Still, I am fifty-nine and but human. It has been some time since I felt the fire of youth in my old bones."
"You still fight with the zeal of a righteous warrior; I would take your experience far above youth." Greywulf countered.
"Perhaps, but all the experience in the world is not enough sometimes. Take our present quest for example; it is a dangerous path we tread. The corrupting power of an ancient artifact on one side, the grasp of a power hungry beholder upon the other. We must walk the narrow road of light and pray we do not fall either way."
"Balance indeed." Jaheira noted. "Careful, Keldorn. You almost sound like a Harper."
Keldorn gave something of a wry smile. "I think not, Jaheira. I have met some of your kin in the past... fought alongside them, in fact. With all due respect to yourself, my lady... I am not, nor would I want to be a Harper."
Standing up once more, Keldorn said, "I shall scout a ways ahead, to see how far we have left to go. I will return within a few minutes."
Even as Keldorn shrank into the darkness ahead, Jaheira knit her brow, scarce noticing Greywulf moving to sit beside her. She glanced up at him, then sighed. He could tell that some of what Keldorn had said about her kin had touched her, if only in the slightest. "You all right?"
"Hmm? Of course... just thinking."
"About?"
Jaheira eyed him with a hint of annoyance. "Greywulf... when you ask someone what they're doing and they give you a vague answer... it's generally because they don't care to tell you."
"Oh, I know." Greywulf grinned back. "But I'm nosy. So..."
She sighed, shaking her head with a resigned chuckle. "Just thinking about what Keldorn said, about the path we walk. We continue on our journey and I cannot help but wonder if we... I walk in balance. I have a role to follow…"
"I assume you speak of your role as Harper?" Greywulf asked.
"As Harper and druid." Jaheira noted. "They are complimentary, despite bards being thought the Harper standard-bearers. Both seek balance over all. I…I think I have done so."
Staring out into the dark with a quiet intensity, she continued, "Sometimes the proper course is hard to see; what is best overall may seem barbaric at first. You will know this when… if you deal with Harpers in the future."
Frowning, Greywulf turned to look at the woman beside him and said, "It sounds like you do not trust yourself. That's unlike you."
Jaheira shrugged reluctantly and said, "The goal is what matters, despite a questionable method. Take Montaron and Xzar for example... balance in politics, balance in nature, balance in one's self; all take strong measures to maintain."
Looking down at the ground between her feet, she slowly said, "I think… I think I am the one out of balance, not you. I think… well, I think many things."
Sighing deeply, she said, "I'm afraid you'll have to indulge my silence a bit longer. I…I apologize for giving you such an evasive answer. We should get ready, Keldorn approaches."
Standing to their feet, the duo greeted the returning paladin, who approached them, a look of hope on his face.
"There is a bridgeway ahead. I can see the a large stairway beyond it, which I believe leads right to the resting place of the rod. We need only cross the rock bridge and we shall be there."
"Do you truly believe it will be that easy?" Jaheira inquired.
"No... there is still great evil that lurks down here. I can feel it all around. Still, it is a fairly short distance. If we can make it past these last few obstacles, we will have reached our destination." Keldorn said.
"Then we should hurry... it's been nearly two days since we left the others and we were supposed to meet them within the week." Greywulf said as they followed Keldorn towards the area he had described.
Indeed there was a rock bridge as Keldorn had described, though its shape was a little different than they had expected. At least a hundred yards long, with a thinness and instability that was more than a little disconcerting. Only hesitating briefly, they began crossing, moving slowly as small pieces of rock chipped off with their footsteps, dropping into the endless chasm below them. Just as they reached the halfway point, a sound like a mighty wind gusting swept through the cavern until they could see the source. From both ends of the bridge came more shadows and wraiths, rushing towards the adventurers trapped in the middle.
Even as the hissing and howling enemies approached, Jaheira stood on one side, Keldorn the other and Greywulf in the middle. Words of powerful magic struck shadows from a distance, thinning the ranks of undead that met fighting range. Keldorn and Jaheira used their surroundings to great advantage, pushing the wraiths so that only one could approach at a time. And for the experienced warriors, that was more than manageable. Still, the numbers of shadow creatures were enormous, the cavern housing thousands of such creatures. Greywulf switched tactics and began the words to simple cantrips rather than complicated spells. Flares of light began sparking from his hands, shooting up through the air and illuminating the cavern.
One flare was easily ignored... but they kept coming, dozens of them spitting out from the sorcerer's hands. The lights' power eventually weakened the shadows, sending some weaker ones fleeing. The few that remained were dispatched by Keldorn and Jaheira, finally opening their path to the other side of the bridge. The sound of hissing and snapping behind them echoed up as they quickened their pace, aiming for the base of the stairway and ran for the stairs, creatures of shadow following behind as the magical light began to dim. Not daring to look back until they had reached the first of the steps, they turned, only to see the shades hesitating, making half-lunges at them from a distance.
"What is this?" Jaheira frowned. "Why should they flee us now?"
"Perhaps they fear something that lies near." Keldorn said, glancing towards the barely visible top of the staircase.
"The rod?" Greywulf asked.
"I don't know." Keldorn shook his head. "Regardless, we've done much today, and the shadows seem to leave us well enough alone here. I suggest we take a rest. This may be the only chance we have for some sleep for a while."
After a nod of agreement from Greywulf and Jaheira, Greywulf took first watch, vigilantly scanning the cavern for any returning shades. He allowed himself a quiet chuckle; Imoen had always used to joke that the dark was nothing to be afraid of... only the dozens of bloodthirsty monsters hiding inside. Imoen... It's been almost a month since we lost her... gods, I miss her. Wherever you are Imoen... I haven't forgotten. We're coming.