Lo and Behold
- "This time the revelation is for all of you to perceive, as Peri of Candlekeep will need your faithful support to the end of the prophecy," the solar spoke. "Now witness the truth for yourselves."
A woman with a familiar face, but wearing gear very different from the blue mage robe, appeared. Melissan, wielding a rather demonish-looking poker and a red and black armor complete with a cylinder-shaped helm adorned with quills. I'll never mention this to Sarevok, but that one looks a lot dorkier than his spiky armor, Peri thought.
Sarevok, for his part, was smirking sarcastically.
- "Lo and behold. She was behind all of it. Pardon me while I gasp," he said.
- "What is it you want? Speak quickly!" Melissan spat, her voice still piercing, but now more raucous and broken. Still ear-shattering.
- "You are here at my sufferance, spirit," the solar remarked, and Peri privately again was annoyed by her mannetr. At least the solar had helped her out a few times, something Melissan apparently wasn't up to.
- "You have called a piece of living goddess to you," Melissan contemptuously laughed.
- "You are not a goddess yet, Amelyssan the Blackhearted. The prophecy has not proceeded to its end," the solar spoke in that serene voice of hers.
- "It will soon enough! I have already won."
- "Regardless, you shall explain your actions to us. If what you say is true, then it will make no difference in the end," the solar said.
- "True enough! Very well. I am Amelyssan the Blackhearted, the highest Deathstalker priestess of Bhaal. To me he came for shelter when he was forced to walk the earth as a mortal, to me he came for succor! To me he trusted the most guarded secret rites of his resurrection!"
She stopped for a second to inhale, and the Slayer appeared.
-"Hi, daddy!" Imoen chirped in, grinning in anticipation.
- "The time is nigh, and yet you perform no rites!" Bhaal boomed at Melissan.
- "That is correct. Remain dust, foolish godling," she answered in triumph. Peri grinned too, flipping her finger to the avatar of her sire who was teleported away.
- "I created The Five, using the fools against each other. I promised them they could rule as demigods under Bhaal once he was resurrected. Well they can - in the Limbo, for all I care!"
- "Oh please. I saw it coming ages ago. I just played along as there was no other course of action," Peri said.
- "What you thought matters little. In the end everything happened just like I wanted. I will dispose of you two, and then the Throne of Bhaal will be mine!"
- "You are a boring psycho," Peri yawned. "I guess I will have to kill you too. I would have expected the main villain of the story to be a little more original, though."
- "You can try, child of Bhaal. Attack me, if you dare!"
Peri advanced Melissan meaning to do just that, Sarevok in tow, as the woman had started to seriously annoy her.
- "Enough!" For the first time the solar sounded angry. "A battle here will solve nothing."
She teleported Melissan away.
- "So. Now you have learned the truth behind the actions of The Five and Amelyssan the Blackhearted. The next time you leave this plane you will enter the Throne of Bhaal and face Amelyssan. The pocket plane will be destroyed, and the prophecy will play itself to the end. Should you succeed to defeat Amelyssan, you will be able to save the Realms from a great evil unleashed upon them. My question is this. Why will you do this? What is your motive?"
- "Hm. It is obvious that I don't have much choice in the matter, so that must be the wrong answer. The one about it being the right thing to do is a bit out of character for me, if you hadn't noticed. So let's say..."
- "Hey, may I try?" Imoen piped up. "Life would be boring without earth-shattering prophecies!"
For a moment an almost human emotion flickered on the solar's face. Utter weariness.
- "Prepare yourselves for the final battle," she said, and was gone.
-"Children, you should show a little more respect to an embodiment of goodness," Keldorn said, frowning.
- "Awww, if she's so good she can take a little humor too, can't she?" Imoen said, smiling disarmingly.
- "Keldorn, I believe my sister is using sarcasm as a means to relieve tension having to bear this fate thrust upon her without her asking for it," Sarevok said. "I think she is allowed, and I'm sure the solar thinks so too."
- "So nyah there," said Peri and stuck her tongue out at Keldorn. Her eyes were smiling. It hadn't happened in a long time.
