Heritage of Evil:Allies
Part One
"The floor's damp, the walls are damp, and the cold's getting into everything," Yeslick grumbled. "Rescued from one prison, only to get thrown into another."
"Sorry," Shann said listlessly from the other side of the small cave they were locked in.
"Not your fault your contact turned traitor," he said. "I'm just worried about what's going to happen to us once they find out we're not really working for Mulahey's boss. I'm not looking forwards to the guards making bets on how long it will be until we expire, like they've been doing with that elf in the other cell."
"I'm sure I'll figure out how to get past that lock soon," Shann said confidently. Yeslick shook his head, and sighed as he tried to find a comfortable position to sleep in.
Distant screams woke them up, and Shann and Yeslick peered through the bars as several kobold servants ran down the tunnel to the higher levels of the mines. The sounds of battle gradually grew louder until finally the high voices of the Kobolds could no longer be heard and the heavy footsteps of more than one person approached their cell.
"Think that elf had friends?" Yeslick asked.
"They're sure not Mulahey's friends," Shann said, shifting to darkvision for a moment to watch the people coming their way. "A bunch of humans by the looks of the type of heat they're giving off. A couple of them are a bit odd; half-elves probably."
The group that were making their way through the tunnels moved with confidence, if not discipline. Liberal splatters of blood on the weapons and armour of the fighters bore witness to recent battles. The warrior in the lead must be Tiswash. He looks as though he's aged ten years in the three since we met, Shann thought.
"If there are more kobolds down here, I say we quit and let the Nashkel Mines close down," a young archer, who looked barely into womanhood, said in a weary voice.
"We have a duty to clear these mines, Imoen," sniffed one of her companions, a proud dark woman dressed in the robes of a Rashemen Witch. "A few paltry pests cannot thwart us."
"Lady Dynaheir is right," a large warrior, hovering protectively by Dynaheir's side, boomed in a voice that echoed down the tunnel. "Minsc will step on all the nasty, yipping monsters."
"But when Minsc sees nasty, barking monsters he flees and leaves the witch to become dogfood. (What a pity we found the annoying harpy before the gnolls feasted on her tainted flesh,)" sneered a man who was also wearing mage robes.
"Will you lot be quiet. You will alert every enemy in these mines to our position," hissed the half-elven female as she stopped walking and turned to glare at the chattering quartet behind her. The effect of her reprimand was spoiled by the actions of the half-elven male who had been walking beside her, and now casually draped an arm around her waist and winked at the assembly.
"It doesn't matter, Jaheira," said Tiswash. "Word of our arrival must have spread by now, we didn't sneak quietly into this place."
"Right ye are, lad," Yeslick called through the bars. "We've been listening to the sounds of fighting for over an hour now. You wouldn't have happened to find anything that could be a key to our cell on a dead human, would you?"
"Don't think so, all we've been fighting are Kobolds. Every human we've met has acted like an innocent miner," the leader answered, walking up the bars. The two half-elves gripped their weapons and watched the corridor, and Yeslick, with wary eyes.
"I'm pretty good at picking locks," Imoen said as she brushed past a scowling Jaheira to peer at the lock. She rummaged through a small pouch for a slender lock pick and started prying at the keyhole.
"There ya go," Imoen said brightly a few minutes later as she swung the door open with a flourish. Behind her, Jaheira gripped her staff and gave Yeslick a look that said he would be foolish to try attacking the girl.
"Impressive, Shann's been trying to pick that lock for a couple of days now," Yeslick said as he stood in the entrance and spread his hands in a gesture of peace. He looked back at Shann and a frown creased his forehead.
"I was working without any tools," Shann said defensively.
"Who are you, and what do you have to do with the Kobolds poisoning the iron?" Jaheira asked abruptly.
"N..now dear," the man beside her said softly. "There's no need to be so confrontational."
"I wish we had been a bit more untrusting," Yeslick said, scowling. "I'm Yeslick, a warrior in the service of Clangeddin, and the lass behind me is Shann Lightfoot. We came here to put an end to the poisoning of the mines, but the man who was supposed to get us past the guards turned us in instead."
"You know the source of these evil doings?" Tiswash exclaimed. "Tell us where to go and we will end this."
"Humans, always so impatient," Yeslick sighed. "We'll find Mulahey soon enough, but first I want to check on that elf they caught spying and see if he's still alive... might he be a friend of yours?"
Ti shook his head, and Yeslick started walking down the passage. "Come along, youngsters, you can walk and talk at the same time, can't you?"
Tiswash looked at Khalid, who nodded briefly, and then led the group after Yeslick.
"Ye got a name?" Yeslick asked when Tiswash trotted up beside him.
"I'm Tiswash, late of Candlekeep," he answered. "The girl who freed you is Imoen, also from Candlekeep. I'm ashamed to admit that I used to chastise Immy for indulging her taste for the often illicit art of locksmithing."
"Heya," Imoen said absently from the center of the group trailing after Tiswash and Yeslick. She was walking beside Shann and eyeing her with intense scrutiny.
"You look kinda familiar," Imoen said to Shann. "Ever been to Candlekeep?"
"I'm not much for libraries," Shann said, speeding up to walk beside Yeslick.
Tiswash waved vaguely at the two half-elves still watching Yeslick and Shann warily. "That's Jaheira and her husband, Khalid. They're both good fighters. The mages are Dynaheir and Edwin."
"I would thank thee not to mention me and that ... that person in the same breath," Dynaheir interrupted, glaring at the red-robed wizard striding beside Imoen.
"For once, the witch is right," Edwin added. "There is no need to mention lesser beings such as her when Edwin Odesseiron graces your presence."
"They both tend to talk too much," Tiswash muttered to Yeslick and Shann.
"I think this is the place," Yeslick said as they walked into a dark cavern. There were no bars in this prison, the lone occupant was sprawled in a corner, chains keeping him in place. He did not stir, and Yeslick hurried over to him, muttering to himself.
Jaheira followed him and Shann frowned, until she saw the woman lay her staff aside to help Yeslick minister to the elf. "She's a druid and a very good healer, although her patients rarely like her tongue," Khalid said to Shann.
"Who's the big warrior?" Shann asked Tiswash as they waited for the healers to tend to the elf.
"That's Minsc, he's with Dynaheir," Tiswash answered. "He's on a journey, something about a dejemma, but basically he protects Dynaheir. He's very enthusiastic."
"Yuck, what a filthy hole," Imoen said, poking into the corners of the cave.
"Apparently, we were in the luxury quarters," Shann laughed.
"How fortunate," Dynaheir said icily.
"I'm sure it was only temporary," Shann said. "We'd have been treated the same as the elf eventually."
"Perhaps," Dynaheir said, studying Shann's features. "I do believe travelling in the outside world has made me a touch suspicious of strangers. I do not like mysteries, either, the dwarf seems easy enough to classify, but thou hast been puzzling me since we met."
"Woman, caged, freed, how hard is that to understand, you fool female?" Edwin muttered condescendingly.
"Then tell me what race she does belong to, thou insufferable twit," Dynaheir said.
"Short, needs a shave," he said in the same condescending tone as before. "Were you sleeping when they mentioned dwarven females in what passes for a school in Rashemen?"
"Hast thou ever seen a dwarf with pointy-ears, thou lackwitted charlatan?"
"Instead of discussing me like some lab specimen, why don't you try asking me about my ancestry. I do speak Common, amazingly enough," Shann said with a scowl.
"It's none of our business," Tiswash said, stepping between the mages and Shann.
"Some races are prone to evil," Dynaheir said insistently. "From the cast of her features, my studies suggest she may be ..."
"Half Drow," Shann hissed. "And half Duergar, to save you the trouble of further speculation. I've known many humans who were prone to evil, perhaps you should answer for their actions."
"I did not mean to suggest that thou wert evil, only that thee may be more easily lured into darkness," Dynaheir said stiffly. "I would not presume to judge thee by any actions but thine own."
The two women stared uncomfortably at each other for a moment, but before either could think of something else to say, they were distracted by Edwin. The mage had been pacing back and forth, studying Shann, and was now starting to talk to himself.
"Interesting field of study, the crossing of various slave races ... what you get is often inferior to the parent classes although the odd success occurs, ogrons are quite useful," he said, seemingly oblivious to the quiet that had settled around him. "I believe it was Anstru of Priador who had a habit of mating his elves with his dwarves ... what did he call them? Eldwars, no, dwelves. Complete waste of time, of course ... too weak to match the dwarven labourers, and not as graceful and well-formed as the elven concubines ... still, playing with the races is a fascinating hobby I may take up some day ... or not," he trailed off after finally noticing the dark looks being sent his way.
"Are you quite finished?" Shann asked the now quiet wizard.
"Watch thy back," Dynaheir said. "I am certain the Thayvian beast would be delighted to dissect thy corpse."
"Not while she's alive!" he protested. "Er ... that is ... I don't ..."
"Now would be a good time to stop talking, Eddie," Tiswash said as he gripped the mage by the sleeve and steered him away from the two scowling women.
"Don't mind Edwin," Tiswash said when he walked back. "He's ..."
"A Thayvian Red Wizard," Shann said, making the words sound like a curse. "I thought the robes were a pathetic attempt by an imitator to look more intimidating. A suicidal action perhaps, but not unheard of. If that man truly is a Red Wizard ..."
"He is, and proud to belong to that vile clan, too," Dynaheir stated.
"Why is that filthy slaver with you?" Shann demanded of Tiswash.
"He's useful, and I trust him," he answered. "Five minutes ago you were berating Dynaheir for judging you by your ancestry, and now you have the nerve to judge Edwin because of his ancestry?"
"It's not the same," Shann hissed, flicking an angry glance at the wizard on the other side of the room. Edwin scowled back at her.
"It's not your place to question my judgement," Tiswash said calmly. "You are the newcomer here, and if you do not agree with my choice of companions, you are quite welcome to go your own way. That goes for you, too, Dynaheir."
"Have I not shown great restraint in these past days?" Dynaheir asked. "Truly, though I have been sorely tempted, I have held Minsc back from throttling the Red Worm."
"Fine," Shann said sourly. "For as long as I'm with your group, I will attempt to work with the slaver, and not kill him."
"A dreadful situation, I know," Dynaheir said, patting Shann's shoulder sympathetically.
"The loving camaraderie of this group brings tears to my eyes, it does," Imoen grunted as she dragged a chest out from beneath a ledge.
Good, Shann thought, I was beginning to be afraid I'd have to 'stumble' across the chest myself.
"Let's see what we've got here," Imoen said as she snapped open the lock.