The party left the inn and took the road to the left, but the passage was blocked by a small crowd of Elves and a handful of armored and armed thugs. "Please, leave us alone!", one of the Elves, a short yet attractive male with long blond hair and blue eyes, pleaded, "We don't want any trouble, why can't you just leave us alone?".
"I already told ye, knife-ears", one of the thugs sneered, "Ye've ta pay for yer stay, either in gold or in pleasure, so…", he trailed off as he felt a tap on his shoulder and turning around, he found himself looking straight at a large and heavily muscled chest encased in Red Dragon scale armor with an emerald in the centre. Gulping, he craned his head back to see whom the chest belonged to and his face lost every bit of color as he met Sarevok's withering glare, "Eh…Hello?".
"Leave these Elves alone. I won't say it twice", the Deathbringer growled. Another thug, who quite probably lacked any sense of self-preservation, narrowed his eyes at him and unsheathed his sword, "Or what? Waddya gonna do, uh? Yer lookin' fer trouble, ye beefy motaffu'er?". All the party members save Daniel facepalmed in unison at that as Meg's cheeks turned livid with fury and her eyes flashed golden. "What did you just call my brother?!", she snarled and before anyone could stop her, she stepped forward and kicked the culprit in his most delicate area with all of her strength, making sure to use the steel-clad tip of her boot to cause extra damage and pain.
The unfortunate victim let out a sound that was halfway between a dolphin's trill and the air escaping from a pierced tyre as he crumpled in a heap to the ground, while all the other men cringed in sympathy and the women cheered. The Painbearer then shot a glare at the remaining thugs, "Now scram or suffer his same fate, you worthless pieces of carrion crawler waste", she threatened and they hastily grabbed their injured comrade and made the fastest retreat in the history of Saradush.
Imoen burst out laughing, "Oh my Gods, Meg, that was awesome! I can't believe you did that!", she wheezed, holding her stomach, then shot a look at Anomen, "Pray you never piss off my sis too bad, mr Holy Knight!", she teased him. The Helmite laughed as well, though he was a little green in the face, "Rest assured, I will not forget this lesson".
The Elf who had pleaded to the thugs coughed discretely and approached the adventurers, though he moved slightly to the side to avoid being too close to the Ilmatari, "Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, my name is Lindir and my kin and I are thankful for your intervention", he said, bowing his head politely, "Even if this will not solve our problem for good, alas". Edwin rolled his eyes, "Oh, let me guess: you are about to ask for our help and offer nothing in return, am I right? (Truly, this girl seems to be a magnet for all of the desperate and helpless street rats without a penny to their name)", he grumbled and Lindir blushed a bit.
"Well…We have little money, just enough to pay for rooms and food for a month, but the innkeeper kicked us out as soon as we got inside, because he was afraid our wives would attract too much attention. If you can find us another place to stay at, I think…". "There's no need to pay us for our help", Margaret Dawn cut him off, shooting a warning look at the Thayan, "And we are going to the Temple of Waukeen, maybe you can find shelter there. Come with us, if nothing else we can protect you for a while longer", she offered.
All of the Elves cheered and the women as one moved to hug her, praising her kindness and generosity and showering her with blessings. "Yes, yes, yes, you're welcome, now let us go, okay?", she said as gently as she could, prying them off of herself in a manner that, to her longtime companions, seemed a bit too similar to Edwin's before she took the lead and moved towards their destination.
When they arrived in front of the Temple of Waukeen, both the party members and the refugee Elves gaped: the building was enormous, an impressively huge gothic cathedral made of white, pink and black marble studded with gems and lined with golden and silvery vines from floor to ceiling.
The inside was just as stunning, a display of opulence unlike any that they had ever witnessed, with tapestries and mosaics and shamefully expensive carpets and pieces of art in sight everywhere they turned, to the point that even Edwin and Sarevok, who were quite used at seeing rich people show off their wealth, were speechless.
Imoen and Yoshimo, for their part, felt their fingers itch with the sudden urge to snatch something shiny: they still had plenty of money and gems from their share of Firkraag's hoard, enough to live in luxury for the rest of their lives, but old habits die hard and it was very hard to resist the temptation when surrounded by such an open show of opulence.
The Temple of Waukeen they had seen in Trademeet could not compare at all with this one, as the former was of a more average size and in Greek style, with less gems and precious metals adorning it, though it was still quite a sight to behold. The Red Wizard curled up his nose as his dark eyes took in his surroundings, "Tasteless", he commented, "Even the Metrons' choice in house décor is not this tacky and believe me, they have awful taste in that department". "It's disgusting", Meg muttered under her breath, grimacing, "So much money wasted and for what? To flaunt their wealth like arrogant brats with a brand new toy?".
"Unfortunately, most faiths try to make their temples as luxurious as they can to represent the greatness of their patron", Anomen sighed, "It pains me to say that even the Church of Helm is not exempt from this". "I think the Ilmatari are only the exception to the rule", Imoen said, "They're the only ones whose temples look more like broom closets than churches". "What's wrong with being frugal?", her sister snapped, hurt and offended. "Nothing, just saying".
Their blooming argument was interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching and they turned to see a woman in her fifties walking up to them: she was of average height, her body wrapped in the finest silks, furs and velvets, her fingers were covered by white gloves; every inch of her clothing, from her ankle length scarlet-and-golden vest with slashed and fluted sleeves to her cloak, was covered in golden threads, gold coins and jeweled brooches; from her neck hung a thick platinum necklace studded with rubies and on her graying blond hair was a tiara that had probably cost enough to feed a family of five for many years.
"Welcome to the Temple of Waukeen. I am Holycoin Farielle", she said with a winning smile, her aqua eyes roaming over the males in the party with a hungry gaze, "Why are you seeking the help of the Merchants' Friend?". "These good people are in need of shelter", the Painbearer said in a forced friendly tone as she gestured to the refugee Elves, subtly stepping forward and to the side to shield her brother and her husband from the Waukenaar's eyes, "They have nowhere else to go and we hoped you could provide them with a safe haven, since the mercenaries outside seem hellbent on harassing their women first chance they get. We chased them off, but we won't always be around to do that".
Farielle frowned at those words, "I see. That is unfortunate, but nothing new, alas: ever since those brutes came into the city with lady Melissan, they have been causing problems and Gromnir doesn't seem to care enough to put an end to it", she then turned to look at the Elves, mentally counting them and nodded to herself, "Yes, there are enough rooms in the temple for them to lodge in. They are welcome to stay and enjoy our hospitality for as long as they need". "Thank you, Holycoin Farielle", the Ilmatari smiled with a grateful nod.
The other woman smiled back, "You're welcome, dear. Is that all?". "No, actually: I was told that you were the one who sealed the entrance to the abandoned prison…". "Oh, that Aleson and his big mouth! But at least he knows how to make very good use of it", she added with a conspiratorial wink, "I recommend asking for his special services, unless of course you already have someone better than him to take care of such needs", she added, trying to peek again at Sarevok, but Margaret Dawn blocked her line of sight once more.
"That is none of your business and I would appreciate it if you stayed away from my family", she growled, eyes glowing golden and Farielle hastily stepped back, face twisting with sudden terror. "You're one of them! We don't want those like you in here! Get out!", she shouted, gesturing frantically to the door.
The Painbearer's lips curved in a dangerous smirk as she closed the distance between them and effortlessly lifted the Waukeenar up by the neck with some help from the Slayer's strength, "Now listen and listen closely, Farielle: we need to get into the abandoned prison and I want you to open the way for us. We can do this the easy way or the hard way, it's up to you…But frankly speaking, I wouldn't mind going for the hard way", she said in a velvety, poisonous tone. Daniel snickered in the background, "Oh, I like her!", he commented cheerfully.
"I-I sealed the p-prison for a good reason", Farielle stammered, "There are many undead haunting the place and…". "We've killed three Liches so far, plus an assortment of vampires, trolls, goblins, rakshasas, a balor…". "Don't forget the brain-eating squids, sis!", Imoen piped up and Margaret Dawn nodded. "Ah, yes, thanks Immy. We also wiped out an entire lair of Mind-Flayers and much, much more, so you see, a score of undead does not scare us anymore. Now, remove the seal, or I will remove your brain from your skull. Through your eyesockets", she added with the Slayer-like smile she had become so used to wearing by now.
The Waukeenar gulped, "F-fine, fine, I'll remove it", she said weakly. The other woman let her down, "Get to work, then, we've got no time to waste". "Maybe we should buy some Holy Water, while we are at it", Jaheira intervened, but Anomen shook his head. "We have more than enough for our needs already: during our stay in Suldanesselar, Meg and I performed the ritual and blessed several flasks of water, so that we would have it ready should the need arise. It was her idea", he added with a proud glance at his wife.
Imoen frowned, "Why would ya do that, when we can simply buy it from a temple?". "Do you have any idea how expensive Holy Water is?", her half-sister countered, "To buy the amount of flasks the two of us blessed, we would have had to spend a fortune! Why waste all that money on something that, now that our power has grown stronger, we can have for free?". Sarevok burst out laughing at those words, "Looks like your Sembian heritage is surfacing, Maggie", he commented, proud and amused and she shrugged with a grin.
"That and your teachings, big brother. They helped me a great deal, especially in Ust Natha". "I'm glad that I was able to help you even when I could not be by your side", a flash of sadness and regret flashed in his amber eyes and she immediately moved to hug him. "It wasn't your fault and you know it. And now that I have you back, not even the Gods will be able to tear us apart again", she swore, the golden light in her eyes burning even stronger, "I won't allow it". "I know", he stroked her hair tenderly, "But now calm down, my little wild rose: you are diving in a bit too deep lately and it's dangerous".
She huffed and the golden glow faded as she pulled back, "Okay, okay! I don't really see what the big deal is, but I trust your judgment", she turned to Farielle, who was lining up some spell ingredients on the altar, "How long will it take to open the seal?". "An hour, at least: the ritual is complex and it requires absolute concentration. And silence", the Waukenaar added in an acidic tone and the other woman rolled her eyes. "Sheesh, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, uh? Okay, we'll sit there and be quiet, then", she muttered, going to sit on a stuffed bench long and wide enough to accommodate at least a dozen people, with fluffy pillows so soft that the party members nearly drowned in them.
They waited while the Holycoin mixed the spell components in a golden goblet studded with gems, muttering under her breath and making odd hand gestures, until a thick purple smoke came out of the goblet and she poured its content in a vial, turning to the adventurers. "Here, it is done. Pour this liquid on the door to the prison and it will break the seal. And know that, if the undead escape and hurt anyone in this city, I will hold you responsible for that and denounce you to Countess Santele", she added, her gaze hard.
Meg arched an eyebrow, unimpressed, as she snatched the vial from Farielle's hand, "Oh, dear, I'm terrified", she deadpanned, then turned towards the door, "Everyone, bathe your weapons in holy water and then let's go: it's time to kick some undead butts". Minsc perked up at those words and jumped to his feet with a beaming smile, "Yes! It has been a long time since Minsc and Boo could plant the Boot of Justice on the butt of Evil!", he exclaimed enthusiastically and his leader laughed. "Don't worry, my friend, I have a feeling there will be plenty of evil butts to kick in the upcoming days.".