Chapter 2

Tanis had spent the last hour napping while the dark skinned woman watched the door. Before his nap, the half elf asked his new companion her name once more. She then introduced herself as Kaylah Iceheart.

Kaylah had briefly explained to Tanis that she was a daughter of a drow priestess and a half with human blood and yuan-ti blood, thus explaining her skin tone. When she asked about his heritage, Tanis told her that his mother was an elven bard from Fauern, who traveled to Krynn with a powerful archmage. While in Krynn, Tanis' mother had fallen in love with a man who was a member of the Steel Legionaries. Tanis also told Kaylah that his father had died in battle when he was three years old and that his mother died of sickness only four years ago.

Kaylah had laughed when she first thought the idea of Tanis coming from another world, but then he found a map lying on the floor, and studied it hard. She then mentioned names of famous Fauern heroes such as Drizzt DoUrden and Danilo Thann. Tanis had asked if they were characters in a book she wrote. While he was asleep, the rogue kept a careful eye on him.

When Tanis awoke, Kaylah was securing her bandoleer around her waist. Her cloak was hung over a wooden chair. Tanis guessed the cloak was either magical or had deep pockets, as Kaylah had pulled her two hand crossbows and her repeating crossbow and them all on the table. "Did you have a good nap?" she asked when she noticed the half elf was awake.

Tanis nodded. "Good I guess. Anything interesting happen while I was out?"

"Just more orcs running around," she responded with a smirk. "You handled yourself pretty well out there? Were you some sort of watchman in Solace?"

Tanis detected a small bit of sarcasm in her voice. "I used to train with the guard back home," he replied calmly. "I studied about orcs back at the temple, but never actually fought one before. I read about drow as well. It seems there was some truth when the text described drow as excellent fighters."

Kaylah shrugged. "I really wouldn't know. I lived with my father for most of my life," she said in a low voice. "We lived in Gildenglade until I was about twenty. Then I left home and traveled the eastern part of Fauern, bartending at different inns, to make a living. When I came home to see my father one night, I found his body on the floor with a dagger in her heart. On the hilt of the dagger was a spider. Later, the guards came and told me that a group of dark elves came to my house and murdered my father."

"I'm so sorry," Tanis whispered. "So what brought you to Neverwinter? Was your father's killer living somewhere in the city?"

Kaylah shook her head. "You must have not studied that book very well back at the library." She paused, seeing the confused look on his face. "Drow mainly make their home in the Underdark. My father's killer was a priestess of Lolth living in Ches Nasad. I later found out that one of the priestess' daughters was my mother, and that the priestess killed my father out of revenge. Once she discovered who I was, that really made her angry. Using every resource and tool my father had taught me, I've managed to escape the priestess' wrath. But someday I will avenge my father."

Tanis sighed. Hearing Kaylah's story, made him wonder if his mother's family would accept him. Remembering how his mother described the last moments she had with her own mother and father, he had about as much chance to be welcome by his mother's family as Kaylah did. Maybe even less.

"So besides killing orcs, reading about drow, and having a crossbow aimed at your back, how do you like it here in Fauern so far?" Kaylah asked as she stood up to get a glass of wine.

"It's interesting," Tanis answered. "I know that I have much more to learn in this world, but I suppose that Neverwinter is a good start. I will say this, there are no kender."

Kaylah took a sip of her wine, the sweet nectar flowing past her lips. She swallowed the liquid and made a puckering sound with her lips. "What's a kender?"

Tanis was just about to tell Kaylah that kender were a childlike race on Krynn. They were short like halflings, but they had ears like elves, and their hair was always in a topknot. Kender also had a knack of "borrowing" objects that didn't belong to them. The one thing that made kender special- in Tanis' view- was their innocence.

But the words never left the half elf's mouth. His and Kaylah's ears heard the sound of yelling coming from outside. Kaylah quickly picked up her hand crossbows, then heard the light screeching noises that followed the yelling. Tanis grabbed his long sword, and together they walked to the door-opened it-and peeked outside.

Standing in the middle of the streets were two hobgoblins, an orc, and a bugbear, blocking the paths of a man and a woman. The man was light skinned, and dressed in bronze colored plate armor. He had no hair on his oval shaped head, but there was a thin brown goatee on his lips and chin. The woman standing next to him, had tanned colored skin, and wore light a red colored silk robe. Tanis and Kaylah could clearly see the woman's pointy ears and light blond hair.

"You will go no further," growled the bugbear.

"Thomas, let's go back to the inn near the temple," pleaded the elven woman in her soft voice. The man addressed as Thomas turned to her. "But Nala, our belongings are back at the Silent Blade, and its only two blocks past these fiends."

"You should listen to your elven whore," spat one of the hobs, stroking his long sword.

"It really doesn't matter," said the other hobgoblin. "Brazer will soon own all of Neverwinter."

Ignoring the second hobgoblin's words, Thomas drew his weapon, a long sword with a sickle like blade, known to many as a khopesh. "By the pharaoh's wrath, you will pay for insulting the lady."

"Great a paladin," Kaylah whispered from the doorway as she stepped back and loaded her hand crossbow. Before she was finished, Tanis pushed the door open all the way and rushed out to aid the paladin and his elven maiden.

The hobs, the orc, and the bugbear turned as soon as they heard the half elf coming. This gave Thomas a moment to pray to his deity, Horus Re, a god from the land of Mulhorand. He then waited for the enemies to face him. The paladin refused to attack a foe when they weren't facing his direction.

Sadly Thomas never got his chance. Two crossbow bolts zipped past the half elf's ears, each one finding their way into a hobgoblin's throat.

Tanis stepped in front of the orc and gave a mighty swing with his sword, cutting the head off and sending it flying to the ground. The bugbear moved in to him, swinging his halberd at the half elf. Tanis stepped back to avoid the attack, but the bugbear's weapon scraped him hard across the shoulder.

Letting out a cry of anger, Tanis slashed his long sword across the bugbear's midsection, cutting through the skin. The bugbear attempted another swing of his halberd, but Tanis grabbed the part of the halberd's shaft, that just below the axe head and pushed the blunt end of the weapon, into the bugbear's chest. He then tossed the halberd away and stabbed his long sword deep into the bugbear's stomach.

"That's some decent fighting good sir," Thomas commented as the bugbear fell dead to the ground. "Tis a shame I never got to participate in the battle," The paladin walked over to the corpses of the hobgoblin. "You managed to take these hobs down without laying a finger on them."

Tanis laughed, but shook his head. This paladin named Thomas reminded Tanis of some of the Solamnic Knights back in Krynn. Many of the knights were good men, who upheld the values of honor, defending the helpless, and aiding the fair maidens of the world. Though in the last few years, the Knights of Solamnia had fallen into ruin, it was somewhat refreshing to see someone uphold similar values and morals like the knights of old.

Kaylah stepped outside and walked over to the three. Thomas and Nala traded odd glances, both keeping their thoughts-mainly Nala's- about Kaylah's heritage to themselves. After an awkward moment of silence, Thomas bowed to her. "Thank you for your help fair maiden."

The rogue smiled. "You're welcome. We have some wine back in the house," she offered, pointing to the house that she and Tanis had been resting for some of the night.

Thomas smiled and looked at Nala, who gave nodded back at him. "We would be honored to join you," the paladin answered," but tell me, isn't that a house that belongs to a wealthy merchant?"

"It does," Kaylah answered quickly," but my friend and I are borrowing it for the moment."

Thomas, paladin of Horus-Re raised an eyebrow. He wasn't too fond of breaking and entering, and he clearly saw that the drow and the half elf had clearly broken into the house. However, there were rumors that more orcs and other fiends were running around the Blacklake District, and he didn't want to risk Nala's safety. The paladin with his khopesh and his devotion, combined with Nala's magical abilities were enough to meet any challenge, but there was still a chance of being heavily out numbered.

Sensing the paladin was at odds with himself, Tanis smiled as he patted Thomas' arm, distracting the paladin from his thoughts. "Let's go inside, I'm curious to learn about this Horus-Re."

"So you're in Neverwinter because of the orcs?" Tanis asked, sipping his glass of wine.

Nala nodded, finishing her drink. Thomas held out his khopesh for Tanis and Kaylah to see. It was a beautiful weapon. Its hilt was made of adamantine, with small images of eagles carved around the design. The blade itself was made of steel. "I serve the god Horus-Re, who was actually known as Re at one time. Many years ago, during what they called the Orcgate Wars, the orc god Gruumsh killed Re in battle. The god Horus took up Re's mantle. Nala and I have traveled to Neverwinter to help rid the city of its orc menace.

"Interesting," remarked Kaylah as she sat next to Tanis. "How did you plan on defeating the orcs?"

Nala sat back in her chair. "We're waiting for some friends to arrive in Neverwinter. When they come, we will meet them and proceed to Helm's Hold. What you saw earlier, was Thomas and I going back to the inn in this district and retrieve some of our belongings, mainly my spell book. Luckily I remembered to memorize my spells this morning."

"Shouldn't be too hard to infiltrate Helm's Hold," Kaylah said before sipping her wine. "From what we've seen so far this evening, the orcs and their allies aren't very smart."

"I would not be so hasty as to judge one's intelligence, drow," echoed a deep voice from the open doorway. A tall elderly man with a thick grey beard appeared at the door, with four Neverwinter guards standing next to him. "If you're going to break into someone's house, the least you could do is keep the door closed."

Tanis and Kaylah grabbed their weapons. Thomas put a hand on the hilt of his khopesh, but Nala stopped him. "Before you say or do anything," the wizard announced," know that if you resist us, we are in every right to kill you."

"What do you want," demanded Tanis as he stood up, shielding Kaylah.

The wizard gave a wicked smile. "Lady Udeen Carmine, marshal of Neverwinter's forces, would like to have a word with you. All of you."