Yes! Finished! At last! A sequel is on the cards at some point, but it's rather on hold until other projects get dealt with. Next, I intend to give Tide of Destiny a push forwards for a bit, until I'm inevitably distracted by something else. Some other project, be it the BG2 paladin Nalia romance, the BG1 bard Imoen romance, something completely different but equally crazy and distracting. No, for now, I intend to tackle the Underdark, Tide-style! Roll on the love dodecahedrons!
Epilogue: Aftermath
"I don't believe it!" Jaheira snapped as she and her five companions settled around one of the tables towards the back of the Sea's Bounty in Athkatla. It was a month later, and the adventurous Harpers were already frustrated by the limitations placed on them by the Amnish legal system – they needed to stay in Athkatla for as long as was necessary to bring Ployer's court case to a conclusion. And now that it was, nobody was too satisfied with the outcome.
"The man should have been swinging on the end of a noose," Xanthus agreed grumpily. He too had been required to remain in Athkatla for Ployer's judgement, eager as he was to start his new life.
"N-now, let's not be t-too hasty," Khalid asserted, taking a grateful gulp of his ale, watered down as it always was in the Sea's Bounty. "We h-have to b-be benevolent, and the c-courts have r-ruled. There is n-nothing wrong w-with a little m-mercy on occasion."
Darial snorted. "Tell that to the slaves who suffered under him for years. I don't think it's too much of a leap to assume that most of them would have wanted him to be executed," she muttered bitterly.
"Yes, but if you were to ask for their opinion, they would probably also want Ployer to be tortured within an inch of his life," Belgrade interjected from where he sat across the table, his arm across Jaheira's shoulder. "This is why you don't let victims decide the fate here, because they are always going to be biased, and thus the judgement is unlikely to be fair."
Jaheira shifted to look at him curiously. "What's unfair about allowing those who are wronged to be in charge of setting things right? When someone takes something from someone else – money, freedom, their life – they upset the balance. The only way to redress the balance is to allow the victim to retaliate in kind, because that evens things out."
"Not necessarily. Belgrade's right – their emotions will cloud their judgement," the final figure at the table insisted, and Gorion leaned forwards slightly, sipping his glass of wine. "If someone strikes your child, you will be angry. If the law means that you have to retaliate in kind, your emotion may affect your judgement. Where they gave your child a light slap, you'll punch them in the jaw, and when they thrashed the child, you'll kill them." The mage shrugged. "Obviously this isn't perfect, but you see my point. This is why judgement must come from the impartial."
Silence fell on the table, broken only by a discontented mutter from Darial. "I still say that Ployer should have hanged," she mumbled bitterly, taking a gulp from her ale and shaking her head.
Khalid considered this for a moment. "It m-might have b-been better f-for us if h-he d-did, but I think, this w-way, it's worse f-for him as well." He shrugged as the others looked at him. "P-Ployer's a proud m-man. If h-he was executed, he'd b-be remembered b-by the underworld as the r-rich, s-successful s-slaver who g-got caught and d-died. N-now he'll f-fade into oblivion, and b-be n-nothing m-more than a p-poor man who w-was once s-somebody."
Belgrade smiled a pearly grin as he nodded enthusiastically. "Death would be getting off lightly. Now he has to live the rest of his days in humiliation. He can no longer be a threat to anyone, and he'll be in abject poverty for the rest of his life," the rogue declared cheerily, raising his cup in an offer of a toast.
Gorion raised his glass also. "You have all done exceptionally well on this quest – especially our two newcomers," he congratulated them, nodding briefly at a smug Jaheira and a shyly pleased Khalid. "The slaving of Ployer has come to an end. But this is not yet over." They all looked curiously at him. "The Seawolf has once again departed from Athkatla, for unknown waters. People in the Copper Coronet say that Skorrid, now he's evaded the Athkatlan justice, is ready to get back in the game. He's been ordering shipments of slaves from Jorkaan Bates."
"That has to be stopped," Darial replied blandly, as if both guessing and agreeing with what Gorion was going to say next.
The mage nodded, smiling tightly. "It may be some time before the Seawolf returns, however, but I have people working on where she's going, why, and so forth. Galvarey has been quite co-operative, and the Herald is giving me full power to act on this." Gorion looked around the table, his eyes eventually settling on Xanthus. "I would like you to stay with us for a time, Aergoth," he continued quietly. "Your extensive knowledge of the slaving underworld would be invaluable. It would only be for a short time."
Xanthus looked contemplative as he considered this for a moment. "Even if it would take years, my blade is yours if you will be using it to hunt and stop the slavers." He straightened up. "You have given me my freedom, and for that I am eternally grateful. Now there is the freedom of others to take into consideration."
Gorion nodded. "But not yet." He leaned back in his chair, giving them all considerate glances. "I don't know when this will start. We could have as long as six months before the Seawolf returns and we could get down to business, and quite frankly, I'd be surprised if it's much less than that." He sat upright slowly, pulling a scroll from out of his robes. "So I can't have you sitting around here pointlessly – there are things to be done. If I need you, you know I'll find you. But in the meantime, there have been some rather odd goings-on up around Nashkel I'd like you to take a look at. Feel free to go along, Xanthus, if you so wish, because it never hurts to get to know the party you'll be working with in the future. It often helps us freelancers to get in the Harpers' good books as much as possible…"
Darial smiled slightly as Gorion sat casually, telling them what he wanted from them next, and felt a sense of both excitement and wellbeing rise within her. They had proven their worth against Ployer, and whilst she had the sensation that this jaunt north was merely Gorion's way of keeping them occupied, there were great things on the horizon. This party was competent, and was coming into its own with the arrival and development of Khalid and Jaheira, and with Xanthus' unofficial assistance, it seemed as if there was nothing they'd be unable to achieve. The quest for the Seawolf and bringing down the slavers would have to wait, for now, but when they met it… they'd meet it head on.