Words in these types of brackets {blabla} are spoken in druidic. As usual, I own nothing in this franchise except plausibly Damiondred, because he is my brainchild.

The winged serpent waited patiently for a long moment before dipping its tail in the inkwell and starting to meticulously write a brief message across the parchment. Jaheira read it, before nodding. "Yes, I am sure. Gaelan Bale was very specific. Did you have any dealings with the Shadow Thieves lately?"

The flying snake gently booped the marker for yes, only to resume writing a few, careful words.

"Then that must be why they lowered the price of their help. We are at eleven hundred right now, roughly. How much has your group gathered?"

Noirog paused for a moment as he mentally relayed that information back to the Archer across the city, received an answer, and delicately jotted down a number.

"Then... We are good to go. We have enough. Nineteen thousand and change, we even have some now to put towards equipment. We-" The flying snake hissed quietly, cutting her off before dipping his tail in the inkwell and laying out a few, slightly more messy words due to the haste he took. The druid's brows furrowed as she read before she nodded. "-... Ah. We will, then. It is good to know that you are fully outfitted. Just to be careful, we will spend no more than two thousand gold pieces in the event that it is necessary for us to have emergency funds. Describe your party, and I will do the same."

Noirog gestured for her to pull a fresh sheet of parchment over, and she nodded obligingly as he dipped his tail in the inkwell and then began to write. The longer he did, the deeper the scowl grew across Jaheira's face.

"Xzar the necromancer, Edwin the conjurer - who spent his time on the Sword Coast trying to kill Dynaheir! - and some new names I do not- Wait... Vampire? Vampire? I do not care how 'well trained' you say it is, it is an abomination of nature-" She clamped her jaw shut as she read the rest of what the hissing serpent was writing, nostrils flaring. "Fine. -Fine-. We have Aeris, an avariel cleric-mage. She lacks her wings, but be careful how you ask why. Cernd, a druid similar to myself, though the path that he walks is a cursed one indeed. Myself, and Minsc of course. Yoshimo. We also have a bear, named Wilson. What. Do not look at me like that."

The flying snake's tongue flicked out, and he continued to stare for a moment while the tip of his tail sloppily spelled out a few words across the page.

"No, but I do not think you should be asking me about -my- sanity, mister Travels with People-Eaters. Do not think I do not know about Xzar. We thought the murders in the city were his doing, until you told us it was the leatherworker and had resolved the situation. It is only because you seem intent on avoiding harming the innocent that I have not spoken up about this in the past. You... Admittedly are doing a good job of pointing all of these evil forces in directions that only hurt other evils. What are you going to do about Edwin and Minsc?" She leaned against the table, sighing as Noirog deftly sketched out the plan. "... That is it? That is your master plan? You know Minsc will be unhappy, traveling with the Thavian. They will eventually come to blows."

The flying snake thought about it for a moment, before sighing.

"Alright folks, good news." The archer blinked, shaking his head slightly as he stopped focusing on his familiar across the city. "Between the two groups, we have enough. They dropped the price down to fifteen thousand, from twenty thousand. Now, I want to go over some things. Edwin. Minsc will be joining us, and I want to make sure that you understand something. He's going to be angry, because you kept trying to kill Dynaheir. While he knows you didn't succeed, that it was Irenicus that did, he's going to likely be an idiot and say a number of things to aggravate you. It's -very- important that you don't rise to his bait."

The Thavian sneered over from where he was stretched out on a sofa with a tome in his hands. "Or else what, I am forced to stay home like an errant child that cannot help but misbehave? I-"

"Exactly, Edwin. The last thing I need, while I'm trying to get my sister back, is you blowing up half the party. Look me in the eyes and tell me that if Minsc provokes you, you won't set him on fire." Damiondred kept an even gaze locked with Edwin, who opened his mouth and then looked away, slumping and muttering under his breath. "See? You and I both know that if he crosses a line with you, he'll pay for it. That's the singular start point of any explosions that would take down half the group. I wouldn't even be able to begrudge you it, but you'd be wasting valuable fodder."

"You gave me your word-"

"-That I would help you with what you were here for. So what is it, Edwin. What are you here for."

The Thavian narrowed his eyes. "(I am to be punished because some oaf cannot follow orders to leave me alone? Feh, the monkey is stupider than I thought.) A Nether scroll. It is reported to be in the graveyard district somewhere."

"Narrower search than we usually get. Let's go then."

Edwin pursed his lips as the drow herded another group of undead into what appeared to be little more than a killbox. Hexxat was keeping watch from the ceiling, while Haer'Dalis continued his offensive spin and Damiondred hacked and slashed and took pointers and learned. Mummies, ghasts, shadows and wights all seemed far less dangerous when they were cowering against a wall, being picked off one by one, and he was content to fold his arms and watch the peons do the work for him.

"Poor poor Red Mage. All the power in the world, and only a business partner to show for it."

"(Oh look, his pet mad dog has come to play with words.) What do you want, Necromancer."

Xzar raised his hands, spreading his fingers in a gesture of non-hostility before slowly reaching to withdraw something from up his sleeve, offering it out. "Only to say that he likes you, Conjurer of Expensive Tricks. He regrets that you can't come with us, but also wants you to be free of the net that he, in his naivety, entangled you with. He was younger then. He knows things now. He also bade me to offer you something, in this trying time."

"A letter? (It is only unlikely to be an explosive rune because I know he does not have that spell.)"

"Something of the sort. A job offer, if you will, best left to your vast intellect and greater casting capacity than this one. Read it over whenever you wish to, the conclusion will not occur for some time, but speak naught of it." Bowing low as Edwin accepted the wad of parchment, he turned and practically skipped over to leave the Thavian with a partial sneer on his face as if he felt he had been insulted and wasn't quite sure how.

"You know, that was the strangest fight I've ever had with a caster. Did anyone actually -see- the lich start casting defensive magic? Did it get intercepted?" Damiondred sat a little off to the side, picking idly at the burns that covered his forearm. He'd have to get a new bowstring, and once Xzar was finished being healed by Viconia (it had taken a direct order to get the stubborn necromancer to finally agree, but his burns were worse and really, they weren't going anywhere for the moment) he would grump his way over and help cut the leather fused to his forearm free so that it could be properly healed. It hurt, but after his time with Irenicus the bhaalspawn found that it was a pain that could be pushed aside for the time being.

"I began to cast but had to restart my incantation to adjust it for evocation versus abjuration." Said necromancer glowered and bared his teeth as he hissed. "Stop picking at it."

"Yes mom. Edwin?"

"No. His first spell was fireball and his second was the cone of cold. (My prize must be around here -somewhere-...!)"

"Right. Hexxat? Any luck yet getting free of that? Did you try poofing?"

"Not yet. I am tempted to just cut off my arm and leg and be done with it." The vampire's voice came dryly from above the door where she was partially frozen to the wall above the door with one hand stuck against the ceiling. She awkwardly hung, chipping away with her dagger. "I was caught between mist and solid, so I can't just, as you say, poof my way free."

"Funnily enough, I think that's the closest we've ever gotten to anyone actually dying." He nodded, before sitting on his good hand as the necromancer growled at him. "Yes mom, I'll stop picking at it. I'm more worried about you, honestly. You bear hugged me and soaked most of that. How's his back, Viconia?"

"The worst is healed, Abbil, but he should not twist and turn. It will pull the new growth of skin. For a human, he is starting to show his age. Have you thought of getting a replacement?"

"Where in the world would I find another necromancer like Xzar? Give him another decade, he'll have found a suitable road to undeath. Can't put an age on competence, after all."

"My Raven! I think I found what our Red-Breasted Robin searches for." The tiefling waved his hand, the other carefully cradling a scroll before quick-stepping closer to avoid the snatching, grabbing hands of the Thavian. "Ah-ah-ah, while I admire your audacity, I think this should fly to the fabled Darkwing first."

"It's okay, Haer'Dalis. I promised him that we'd come here for it, I'm not about to go back on my word and snatch it from his hands." Damiondred waved his hand, and the blade shrugged before almost boredly tossing the scroll to the fuming conjurer.

"Be careful with that! (Yes let us lob the priceless scroll around, like the carnival we have become...!)" Edwin carefully tucked the scroll away after catching it, scowling. "Now then, this is one of the more disgusting places I have traveled in my time party to your travels. If we could leave, I believe that this makes us even for your previous deception and we can now move forward with a, as they say, clean slate."

"Yes, yes. On, this reminds me. Haer'Dalis, you dabble in the arcane a bit, right?" Damiondred offered out his arm to the hovering necromancer who, without a moment of hesitation, drew a knife and started to meticulously cut free the leather fused to the archers arm. "Ow. Ow, Xzar."

"As if you believed for a moment it would be painless. That you trust this one near you with a knife still is... Miraculous."

"I just have faith." He grimaced, torn between watching and focusing on the approaching tiefling as he canted his head to the side.

"Aye, my Raven. All bards do, even those that bear bared blades. While I'm not quite the caster that our red-breasted Robin might be I carry tricks of my own."

"Good. I've got a better understa-Ouch!- understanding of what you can do, and- Bhaal's balls, there's got to be a better way to do this, Xzar. Booze? I heard booze helps." The archer grimaced, leaning away as best he could while leaving his arm stationary.

"There are a veritable cornucopia of 'better' ways to do this, Leader, but unless you want to bleed out like a stuck pig avoid alcohol. It thins the blood, turning it from a thicker viscus fluid to proverbially water and prevents clotting. Ask any that would deign to deliver a tattoo." The necromancer sounded sheepish as he muttered, head ducking as he continued to deftly wield the knife. "Almost done, almost done..."

"Right. Haer'Dalis, what I'm trying to say is that I'd like you to cover Viconia. Between your ability to weave magic into your verses to helpfully boost our collective abilities, aptitude for magic and skill with your blades, I want you to focus on blowing up people before they get to the group and then act as a flanker to-" He faltered, dark eyes closing as Xzar deftly wrenched the entire loosened swath of fused leather from his arm with a litany of muttered apologies. Viconia stepped in to begin healing, quirking a brow as the archer resumed talking with a level tone. "-To... To push people against Viconia's shield and finish them off."

"It was too deep, I was scraping bone." The former Zhent shrunk where he stood, hunching and blinking pale green eyes rapidly as if he expected to get stabbed and was rather hoping he was wrong.

"I could tell." The bhaalspawn grit his teeth and exhaled slowly. Opening his eyes, he gave the necromancer what he hoped was an encouraging smile before looking towards their cleric. "How long until I have full use of my arm again?"

"I would sleep on it to see how well the healing took, Abbil." Viconia shook her head, studying the arm as flesh and muscle re-knit over the grey coloured bone. "Until then, be ginger with it. Magical healing will mend you, but it must take time to set for the soreness to fade."

"Right. Let's get Hexxat free and then get out of here."

They ended up parting ways with Edwin once they left the graveyard district. He excused himself and proclaimed that his studies with the scroll would take some time. As they were planning to leave the city as soon as possible they didn't hold much hope that they would see him before he joined them at the boat. They headed to the slums to meet up with the rest of the party, and pool their funds. By the time they made it to the Docks, the archer was frowning.

"Da~Mi~On~... What vexes you? Speak with your Priest, and he will do the rest."

"You'd think fifteen thousand gold would cover a lot of things, right? Like we would be done, ready to go and shipping off after we exit the building, right?"

"Yooou have a bad feeling?" Xzar glanced around, noting how the rest of their companions had gone silent to not so subtly eavesdrop. Damiondred tilted his head and nodded slowly.

"Something like that. Jaheira? What do we know about the person we're going to see?"

"Only that they lead all of the Shadow Thieves, and that their name is Aran Linvail." The druid pursed her lips and glanced back, before looking ahead once more. "We already know he is having a problem with vampires and a rival guild. Your... Friend, might not be welcome."

"They don't have to like it, she's not with them she's with me. Besides, I think I'll need her out and about."

"Leader, these... Are not like the Zhentarim. Intimidation will not go well. Their leader is strong willed." Xzar lifted a hand to his mouth to chew on the nails, drawing a suspicious gaze from Jaheira before she realized it was, in fact, his own and still attached. "Attempts to bend him will garner much the same effect as bending a flexible pole. It's as likely to snap back and slap you cross the face."

"Yes but Xzar, I have a plan. When do my plans ever go wrong?" Damiondred beamed at him as he stepped through the doorway.

"... Should be in there..."

Jaheira ignored the pacing, muttering necromancer in favour of watching Haer'Dalis and Aerie sitting in the corner, talking quietly back and forth. Somewhere beside her Cernd was sitting with his back against Wilson's flank, eyes closed while he meditated. Minsc and Yoshimo were trading tales of their travels while pretending not to keep an eye out down the hallway, the former keeping careful watch over the wingless avariel while the latter kept an eye out for the archers return with a fair bit more success at keeping his glances subtle.

It was a large group, made larger by the drow that leaned back against the wall and the vampire that idly chatted with her. They laughed, and the half-elf frowned as she noted the one gesturing at the other out of the corner of her eye. She contemplated getting up and saying something, but a hand settled on her shoulder and drew her attention to the shapeshifter as he smiled slightly.

{You worry about them.} His voice was smooth and almost gentle as the druidic language hummed out of him. {About the boy, in particular. About those he travels with.}

{He surrounds himself with abominations and those that defile the natural order. A necromancer, and a vampire. The doomguard and the drow are only passingly better choices.} She grimaced, before reaching up to scrub her face. {He is the adopted son of a friend long since passed.}

{I can hear them argue.} Cernd nodded slightly down the hall. {They will not allow eleven to go. They say only six. He will want to take his four. Look at them, see how strange they are, and think on who should go with them. The rest of us should make sure they have somewhere to come back to, if what you have said is true.}

She worried her lower lip, and then sighed. {Your insight into this matter is better than mine. I barely know him, but for all that I have seen it is...}

{Odd? He surrounds himself with those that, should they be left to their own devices, would cause chaos or wreak havoc through nature. You asked me to follow him for a time, and I did. I have seen that, standing in his shadow, he steers them away from these things. There must always be evil to balance the good, chaos to balance the law, and he walks this line carefully. His victims are deserving.} The shapeshifter patted her shoulder gently before leaning back against the dozing bear once more. {They are less 'evil' than some of those who would walk the paths of the wild.}

Jaheira couldn't argue with that, knowing what she did of the druids in the Cloakwood.

The door shut behind the archer, and he took a deep breath before raking his hands back through his hair. Though it never seemed to tangle, it was singed and uneven after the fireball the lich had thrown, and he distracted himself with it for a moment as Xzar scurried up and checked him over for wounds.

"So." The necromancer muttered quietly, glancing up as he felt along Damiondred's forearm. "Was I right? What did intimidation do?"

"Kept Hexxat with us without an additional two and a half thousand gold cost. But the caveat is that we have to go vampire hunting and eliminate their competition. Oh, and they say there's only room for six on the boat. So now I have to decide who to leave behind." The bhaalspawn ground his teeth in frustration, stepping out past Xzar as he finished his inspection to face the rest of the party. "Okay. Complications. Discount is not, in fact, because we helped them but because five thousand gold worth of the job is vampire extermination. And I can't take everyone when we're done."

"How many can you take?" Jaheira pushed off from the wall, eyes narrowing slightly.

"Six, including myself." Damiondred folded his arms and set his jaw, bracing for the inevitable only to frown slightly as the druid nodded and patted the flank of the bear.

"Your party numbers five, yes? Including yourself? Take Wilson with you."

"... The bear."

"Yes, the bear."

"Nnnot you and Minsc and the people you gathered?" The archer squinted slightly, canting his head to the side as Jaheira smiled and shook her head.

"No. It would take too long to integrate you into our tactics, and you are more used to your group anyways." She stepped up and settled a hand on each of his shoulders. "You are a man grown, now. You will always be Gorion's ward and my nephew, but all birds must learn to fly on their own and seek their own thermals."

"But... What about avenging Khalid?" He sounded confused as he reached up to grasp her elbows, and blinked as she laughed humourlessly.

"You avenged your father without my help, and I am not foolish enough to be anything but willfully blind at what you would do to Irenicus when you catch him. You... Khalid would not want anyone to torture someone for his sake, and I would travel down that dark path if I caught up to him. All I can do, is hope and have faith that you will not. But that is your path through the dark woods to take." Jaheira stepped in to hug him, and Damiondred returned the hug with a sigh.

"This is why you're my favourite aunt. But, I already have six in my party. I still have Edwin, he's just doing research."

"Leader, you have five." At Xzar's voice the archer blinked and shifted away from the druid to look over at where the necromancer was carefully bundling up his gear. "Yourself, Edwin, Haer'Dalis, Hexxat and Viconia."

"Did you forget you were a person, my Priest?" The bhaalspawn turned properly, quirking a brow as Xzar fondly laid his spellbook atop the pile and adjusted his plain green robes.

"Hmm, no. But there is something that must be done. For all that I have faith in you, do you have faith in your Priest?"

"I do."

"Then we will meet again. And soon. Trust me, but do not wait for me."

Xzar dipped into a low bow, only to straighten and thread his way through the hall to head for the exit. Damiondred frowned as he left, but simply nodded.

Imoen huddled in the corner, knees drawn up to her chest as she watched the other residents of Spellhold. All of them mages of some kind, all of them cracked. Most medicated into harmlessness where they sat rocking and muttering to themselves. The really dangerous ones were never allowed outside of their own cells. She tried to tuen them out, for the most part, knowing that Irenicus was preparing to make a move of some kind. Why had they taken her too? She wasn't evil. She certainly wasn't crazy, and if she was it was because Irenicus had... Because he had...

A hand gently touched her shoulder, and she shied away until she recognized the chewed fingernails and followed the arm up to vibrant green eyes.

I like to think I can stay somewhat true to the characters, though I have trouble with Xzar quite a bit of time. I want to write him fairly mad but then go oh yeah, restoration'd. Regarding the planar prison, that's surprisingly true to how it actually went down in my current playthrough. I just sort of... Killed everything in the way without really thinking about the morality of whether or not I should avoid killing the few thralls that inevitably get in the way. We're getting to part of the story that I -really- look forward to. Just gotta get on the heckin' boat.
Gee, wonder who the green eyes belong to, and where Xzar went. Surely these must be two completely separate things and not related to one another at all.
Questions? Comments? Consistency issues?
Leave a message after the tone,
-KD