„The Scent of Burning"
They were dressed in their best armors and robes, polished and repaired, with shiny rings and amulets with various protective enchantments worn not only for show. Daria wore a specially bought for this occasion Robe of Protection from Fire, which she would in no way damage trying to set a camp, with a magic belt, boots and quite ordinary gloves. She even tied her hair in a bun, like she didn't for a very long time, trying to appear as representative as she could. They were to meet Aran Linvail after all, the Shadow Master of Athkatla, the most influential person in the city that was known to be home of all Shadow Thieves and their main market, the richest man in a metropolis called the City of Coin and a person to whom Gaelan Bayle gave them contact to.
The moment they entered the guild a squadron of assassins surrounded them in the shadows, with only their leader, dressed as a common street thug, stepping into light to guide the way. Though Daria sensed the men around her despite their skill and practice in remaining unseen she didn't try to inform her party members that they were being watched. They most likely figured it out by themselves by now.
She knew they were being led through the longer way into the room where the Shadow Master resided and accepted his quests. The shorter path was warded with plenty of traps of both mechanical and magical nature, hidden passages and the best among the assassins on their guard duty. It was a route open only for those trusted enough to be let into a secret, and skilled enough to get past the traps without setting them off. A trained diviner could spend two weeks in the last straight corridor before being certain that he noticed all the traps.
But then again he could end on a spike after setting the first step anyway.
Choosing the longer way around to lead the adventurers into the heart of his dark kingdom the Shadow Master might have also had motives other than secrecy. They moved through the training areas, where tens of adepts of pick pocketing, stealth and disarming traps and locks polished their skills under careful supervision of old professionals. It was a seat of Shadow Thieves' power, a perfect place to show that losing to a new amateur guild was not an option.
No one from the party knew about the guild war by the way. Most of their time they spent outside the city, or in the wilderness where vampire's influence didn't extend, or in small towns, where the undead weren't able to find safe hideouts. Some gossips about fighting in the streets reached their ears, but never caught their interest. Daria thought it was common in a city run by thieves.
It turned out that it wasn't. Gaelan Bayle introduced them into situation, dismissing the threat to the Shadow Thieves completely. He told them about the new guild that began to gain influence in Athkatla, under the noses of local guild masters, trying to overcome the thieves in the place where they were the strongest. Some from the new guild were said to be vampires and that would be confirmed by repeating sightings of these creatures on the streets after dusk. Nothing could remain unnoticed in a city so full of beggars and homeless. According to Gaelan vampiric domination charms were the only cause of their success in the city and it was soon to end now that the Thieves were aware of the threat.
The Shadow Master was already waiting for them in his hidden alcove when they finally reached him, after seeing almost all revealed parts of his base. It was another hidden message. They were a part of it all now, whether they liked it or not.
He was a blond haired man, with his age hard to determine, and empty eyes of a professional assassin. Only candle light was reflected in the scales of his fine elven-made armor, in the room without any windows, hidden underground. Other than that the room had any luxury one could think of, including a large bath with bubbling water, an interesting and delightful magical trick.
"Welcome." Aran gestured for Daria to come near and take a sit by an elegant table, made of some black wood the diviner didn't recognize. She noticed however that a faint magical aura surrounding the furniture was meant to block divinations. More chairs for her party members weren't taken into consideration and the Shadow Master didn't even glance at them. He had his people doing the watching.
Daria took her sit ignoring the obvious counter-divination. No one else had been invited to come nearer by the Shadow Master, the rest of the party had to wait by the doors. It was up to her to negotiate the conditions. Daria summoned up her best poker face.
"I was looking forward to our meeting with eagerness. As you undoubtedly know my name is Aran Linvail" the Shadow Master said without any trace of eagerness.
She sensed a concealed challenge hidden behind the words but she decided not to pursue it. In fact she wasn't certain if the man before her was the Shadow Master or just a proxy. Should it be needed she could try to break through the counter divination on the wooden table, but only if it would be necessary.
"And as you know my name is Daria of Candlekeep. And I came here because of Imoen." Was that a shadow of a smile that crossed his face when she said that, indicating he thought the magical wood blocked her precognition?
"Straight to the business? If so you wish. You want to find your Imoen imprisoned in the Cowled Wizards' facility and probably take revenge on Irenicus for keeping you prisoner. I propose you an exchange of services. I heard a lot about your skills" he accented lightly the last word.
"And I propose you give me what I paid for" Daria countered without a sign of threat in her voice, just as if they were discussing tomorrows weather.
"I apologize if you feel cheated" Linvail said, gesturing, and she was inclined to believe in his good intentions. "But opposing the Cowled Wizards is not a matter to be taken lightly. We need time and resources not to endanger out interests in Athkatla before we take any action. Especially now, with the problem of a guild war on our heads."
"I hope it won't take long" she recited her line.
"Of course, of course. It's only a minor obstacle. Because of this war everything is taking a bit longer. And this is a matter you will help us with."
"You want us to aid you in fight against a vampire that is endangering your position in the underground" Daria stated bluntly.
"I heard you already met one of them. I assume friendly feelings would not get in your way in completing the tasks you will be given?" He gave her a studied smile. A fleeting urge to punch his egoistic face crossed Daria's mind, but she didn't even had to struggle to suppress it, so fast it disappeared.
"Your first mission will be to protect the shipment that is to arrive in the western dock tonight" Aran continued. "One of my thieves by the name Mook will assist you. You will be her armed safeguard. Make sure the vampires won't destroy the cargo."
"What is inside it?"
"Something we all will find very helpful in banishing the plague of vampirism from Athkatla. And by the way… take these." The Shadow Master handed her a plain strongbox adorned with a simple pattern made of Lathander's holy symbol. He touched her hand when she began to open it. "No, don't open it… yet." He raised her gloved hand to his lips and kissed it, his cold eyes of a murderer looking into hers. "Let it be a surprise."
"I do not like this at all" was the first thing Jaheira said after leaving the stuffy underground bunker that served as a hideout of the Shadow Master of Shadow Thieves.
"We are walking into our graves, Jaheira. There's nothing in it to be liked." Xan shared her sentiment to working for a guild of murderers and thieves.
"Boo says we should trust Daria! He says she has a good plan!" Minsc shared his detached smile with them. Boo squeaked his approval.
"What's in the chest he gave you anyway?" Yoshimo was, as always, more interested in the loot.
"Amulets countering negative energy and rings of protection" the diviner said hiding the strongbox in her pack. "No more vampire bites for us. We'll share them in the Sphere. We still have few hours to dusk." Daria stumbled on a stone on the road. Xan was immediately by her side to support her.
"How do you feel?" he asked with concern in his voice. They all knew that she hadn't recovered fully from her latest injury, but Xan was up and ready every time she sneezed, treating her like she was made of glass. She would usually be annoyed by such behavior, but… he was talking to her again and didn't try to avoid her. The situation between them cleared slowly.
"I'm fine, it's just a stone…" her voice became distant as she focused on some point ahead of them. Her eyes shone with milky silvery glow.
"What's…?" Jaheira didn't have enough time to finish as Daria suddenly broke into run, sprinting ahead in some unknown direction.
"After her!" the druidess didn't have to say it twice as the party rushed to follow their leader at once.
Valygar and Yoshimo caught up with her in few short moments after the diviner crossed the gates of the government district. Xan was following shortly with Minsc and Jaheira in their heavy armor closing the obstacle race.
"What's happening?" Valygar asked catch up with the diviner.
"Can't… explain… now…" the sun elf was already panting heavily, unable to keep the tempo for long. She was obviously trying to reach some place and Valygar quickly learned what it was, when she ran straight in a crowd of people shouting angrily and bumped on one of them holding a crude torch. The burning stick fell from the man's grasp, landing on the ground along with the man who held it and the reason why he fell.
"Watch out what you are doing, wench!" The man raised his hand to hit the elf, but then he noticed Valygar and Yoshimo walking up to him, both armed and grim.
Xan was just drawing level to the group of the people when he heard a high shriek.
"It's me! It's Viconia de Vir! You have to recognize me, Daria! My life depends on it!"
He pushed through the mass of sweated bodies sensing trouble getting near. The first thing he saw was Daria shielded by Valygar and Yoshimo, and behind them a woman, a drow, tied tightly to a pole surrounded by a pile of dry wood. Before them stood a man with a symbol of Beshaba, goddess of misfortune, visible on his chest.
"Don't meddle with Beshaba's justice!" the man shouted, showing his holy symbol. All around them people were chanting 'Burn her!'
"What is it this time?" Jaheira appeared by Xan's side along with Minsc.
"Stopping lynch on a drow we happened to meet on our way over a year ago" Xan explained with a morose tone, drawing a sling he had in his pack. Once again he wouldn't be able to use his enchantments. Public lynch wasn't as severely punished as use of magic.
And then the hell broke free. The moment Daria cut the ropes tying Viconia to a pole the priest lost his patience to the unfaithful and drew his mace instead. Few of his acolytes from the crowd followed his lead, but the rest of the people scattered away, ramming through all on their way, screaming and hitting blindly.
Once the view cleared most of the acolytes were already on the ground dead, Minsc and Valygar defending themselves from the remaining two and Jaheira whispering a spell over a huge bump on Yoshimo's head. Daria stood before the Beshaba priest with her dagger, shielding unarmed Viconia in the middle of her chant.
"It's time for you to die, elven wench!" The priest yelled and threw himself at the tiny in comparison elf. Silver glittered in Daria's eyes and she dodged gracefully, exposing Viconia with a flaming sword erupting in her grasp.
"Oloth plynn dost" the drow woman muttered impaling the man on her burning weapon using his own momentum. The sword extinguished after the man died, becoming only a harmless pile of ash.
"Thank you for your help, for the second time, abbil." Viconia smiled a cunning smile at Daria with the last glints of silver in her eyes, ignoring the burning corpse lying by their feet. "But we must leave this place before more of these fanatics come after me."
"It seems we have a new party member" Valygar stated, eying the drow.
Xan only groaned.