Author's Note: The sewers are a little bit back-to-front from the way they are in the game, I know, but I needed them to be this way :)
General disclaimer: I own nothing, even Maiyn generally decides her own path.
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Larry
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Maiyn tried, and failed, to be surprised that they'd ended up in some sewers. The sludge was shallow though, and she was fairly certain they weren't in the main city system. She found it hard to believe there'd be further slavers hiding out in such conditions, but they decided it'd be better to make sure, and so the group were cautiously making their way through the system, killing various slimes and eventually bettering a hungry otyugh.
The ranger had already tripped over a grate, falling to the ground unceremoniously in an untidy heap. It was there that she'd discovered the old, rotting hand that she was still carrying. Anomen had looked at it quizzically as he helped her to her feet, but she just shrugged at him, and wandered on.
She paused, loitering behind the others as she noticed something hanging on the wall across the sewage channel. With a sigh, she plunged into it, being rewarded with excrement and filth reaching up to her thighs as she waded across and pulled herself out at the other side. She ignored the mess she was in as she discovered what it was she'd caught a glimpse of. Two skeletons hung from the wall, bony hands still entwined as if to signify their togetherness in death. They looked so fragile that Maiyn was scared to breathe on them, but she noticed a gleam from one of the fingers on the grasped hand. She reached out, and lightly touched the object - the ring fell instantly from its place and into her hand, and a wash of remorse swept over her.
She looked around guiltily, relieved to note that her companions had continued ahead. There was nowhere to put the ring, and so she put it in her pocket; there was nowhere safe to leave it behind, and she had a compelling need to take it with her. With one last glimpse at the skeletal pair she dashed off to catch up with the others, finding them just through a doorway, standing at what appeared to be a crossroads.
Yoshimo was examining a rickety bridge over the channel - except it was less a bridge, and more of a broken door. Within minutes he'd detected several snares on its length, and set about removing them. Maiyn signalled for Jaheira, Minsc and Kivan to check down one way of the new corridor, and she took Xan and Anomen with her, heading the other way, telling Yoshimo to shout and run if anything appeared.
Anomen led the way, a small magical torch following him as he strode along the dry ledge running above the sewage canal. A flurry of arrows were the first sign of enemies, the familiar yapping noise quickly following suit. Xan groaned loudly - ever since his capture and imprisonment in the mines at Nashkel he'd detested kobolds, associating them with all his bad memories. Regardless of his displeasure, he rattled off a sleep enchantment which rendered them unconscious, making it easy for Maiyn and Anomen to finish them off.
"Look at this," said Maiyn, examining a staff she'd picked up from one of the corpses. It was intricately carved, polished so that it gleamed. Small bumps were clustered around the centre, leaves extending from them to each tip of the weapon. Xan studied it carefully, casting a quick lore spell over it.
"A Staff of Goodberries," he concluded. "Nothing else magical about it, but will grant the gift of berries infrequently."
Maiyn wrinkled her nose. "Looks more impressive than it is then," she said, but held onto it regardless. Anomen had moved on while they conversed, and Maiyn looked up at his return.
"The passage reaches a dead end, my lady" he said, his voice still strained from the indignity of wallowing in the filth of the tunnels. "Perhaps the others will have had more success."
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Jaheira's group had also reached a dead end, only encountering a solitary carrion crawler on their travels. Yoshimo was just finishing his work on the door when the groups reconvened, and together they crossed the wide channel, heading on down the passage as it passed through another archway.
The sewage canal ceased to exist here, and instead there was only a bare brick ground. This led to much less sewage and water, and a lot of relief from the assembled party. Their progress was still cautious; Yoshimo blending into the shadows as he slunk ahead, keeping an eye out for traps. Soon they reached a junction, and Maiyn quietly signalled for him to head to the left. He nodded and disappeared around the corner, the others following slowly. A roar echoed around the tunnel and Yoshimo was hit by a hold spell as he hastily retreated to the safety of the group.
The tendrils of the spell reached out to envelop Jaheira and Kivan too, much to Maiyn's dismay. She leapt forward with Minsc and Anomen, trying to protect her defenceless companions as hobgoblins appeared, attempting to force their way through to the victims of the paralysis. Xan's enchantment of chaos managed to distract most of them, allowing Anomen to concentrate on the couple who had managed to keep their senses while Maiyn and Minsc chased the others around. They all lay dead by the time the others could move again, and Maiyn had discovered that the tunnel drifted off to the right just ahead of them, past a door in the wall.
She opened the door cautiously, slightly relieved to note that it appeared to only be a sewage outlet. Four large pipes hung from the ceiling, each pointing towards her as they deposited their murky deposits into the sludgy pool. Satisfied there was nothing hiding in the room, the ranger turned to leave but became still when she noticed the pool take on a faint glow.
At last! Find the keys, wielder! I've found a man lacking in worth, so he shall be my voice until I am free. Prove your worth and I shall submit to your mastery!
Maiyn looked back to the pipes. There was no one there, and she realised the excited voice was entering her head, communing with her directly. It seemed to be amused by her reaction.
Listen to the words of my jailor, who cast me off so that he might pass from this world... The voice changed, becoming deeper, more solemn. Four locks are cast and made; four wards will hold the blade. In what order shall thou place the keys? Four deaths are awaiting thee.
Maiyn opened her mouth to speak, but the voice changed back to the original excited tone. When all was silent I crept from the slime and scratched rhymes for you! Vallah forbade it, and hid me, but he is dead, so I've ignored him.
"What is going on here? Who are you?" Maiyn looked back to her companions, huddled in the doorway. They nodded to her; they could hear it too. The voice laughed.
I can't reveal all - prove your worth! Quallo is the vessel through which we will speak.
Then it left them, their minds seemed to clear as the silence was restored, and Maiyn wandered over to the edge of the pool, balancing precariously on the edge to read the child-like handwriting that had been scratched onto each of the pipes. She read the messages out aloud for her companions.
"On the first... 'They wailed and sighed, then they died. From the grave I've had my kiss, bring me now the lover's gift'," she said softly, suddenly thinking of the skeletal remains she'd found, and the ring that had fallen from their fingers. She pulled it out of her pocket and looked at it - it seemed to glow faintly.
"What is that?" Jaheira was peering over, trying to see what Maiyn was holding.
"A ring," mumbled the ranger, quickly looking to the second pipe. "'No sacrifice will do, but the blood of a friend true, but guilt will leave its stain if you wish to have the blade'." Maiyn frowned slightly, and looked at her companions with an arched eyebrow. "We have to donate our blood?"
Jaheira looked thoughtful. "It does not say whose friend it should be. We should investigate further." Xan hastily agreed with this.
"'Vallah is no more, but he has left a thing behind. Give me a hand, and I shall help you in return'." Maiyn looked down to the hand she was absent-mindedly carrying with her, and her companions glances followed.
"It would appear you've found that clue already then," remarked Kivan.
Maiyn agreed, and read out the final inscription. "'Smell of dog, skin of lizard, to find the staff, kill the wizard'." Maiyn turned to look at Xan, with a mischievous glint in her eye. "Well, you see what it says," she said teasingly, advancing towards the enchanter.
Xan merely frowned at her playful attitude, and pointed to the staff she'd stuck into her pack. "I think you'll find it likely refers to that," he observed.
"Probably," agreed Maiyn, nodding. "That means we have three items perhaps..."
"Three?" Jaheira raised her brow.
"Oh, well..." Maiyn quickly recounted her discovery of the skeletons, and the fact the ring fell off into her hand. She could see Kivan's annoyed glance, and she sighed as he turned, stalking off into the dark tunnel with a stony expression. She handed the ring to the druid and ran after him, pulling on his arm to turn him to face her.
"You disapprove," she said calmly.
"You are the leader," was all he replied with, turning away and heading down the passage. Maiyn called for the others to follow, retrieving the ring from Jaheira, and soon they'd wandered in almost a complete circle, ending up just outside a small circular room.
They all noticed the carrion crawler sitting in the corner, but Maiyn signalled for them to lower their weapons as a man came into view, sitting beside it as though it was the most natural thing in the world. Maiyn cautiously wandered into the room, and he looked up to her, smiling vacantly at her presence.
"You have come for the blade, I suppose," he said simply, turning back to regard the crawler. "It is as we always expected, my friend. Too long in this pit. Too long."
"Who are you?" asked Maiyn gently, still advancing slowly towards him. He was painfully thin, with only a sliver of material around his waist serving as a loincloth. His head was bald, his eyes a sparkling shade of green.
"I have been called Quallo in this place," he remarked, "but that name is truly another's. My name is sung both near and far; on the tongues of bards and the lips of fools."
"I have never heard of you," she admitted. Her companions were beginning to follow her into the chamber.
"I cut a swath across the world above, ere I was cast into the pool to be hidden. When you have found the One, you may understand."
"Who is the One?" Maiyn stopped, close to the table where he was seated. The crawler was shuffling around in the corner, and she found its presence disgusting.
"You have met him already child," smiled Quallo. "Perhaps soon you shall know him well. Find the clues the One has left. There is danger in what you must undertake."
"Clues?" she asked. "Are these the same as what is described by the writing on the pipes?"
The man stood suddenly, causing Maiyn to step back in surprise. "The gleam in your eye!" he exclaimed, pointing at her. "It belies your greed, your passion! I've found this blade, you know. It is hidden most insidiously. A cruel jest has been played on us all - my friend here knows this."
"Who is your friend?" Maiyn looked fearfully at the crawler as Quallo pointed to it.
"He is my friend and my loyal companion. Would you like to kiss him?"
Maiyn heard Xan's gasp, and she tried not to shudder as she answered him calmly. "No, thank you."
"A shame," said Quallo sorrowfully. "He does like attention. You must seek out the clues where the topside filth drains. There the clues lie."
"I have found some things," began Maiyn, holding out the staff, ring and hand. She anxiously awaited his response.
"Ah. The staff shall seal the bargain, and prove your worth. The hand was Vallah's, that cast the One into the depths. His suffering is of prime importance. The ring is pretty... it is neither third, nor first."
"There is another item," said Maiyn. "The blood of a true friend."
Quallo just smiled at her. "The One has told you it requires four things. The lock is more complicated than that - heed my words, as the keys must be used in the correct order."
"Can you tell me nothing of the blood?"
"I can help you no more," he replied ruefully, sitting back down, ignoring the crawler as it shambled past his bare legs. "Only the worthy will receive."
"Is this really worth the effort?" asked Anomen quietly, his face wrinkled in disgust at the man's state.
"I think so," said Maiyn softly. "The voice said it would use Quallo to talk to us until it was free. If we free it, we may be able to free him too."
"Maiyn is right," said Jaheira. "But we need to find the meaning of the last riddle, and determine from what friend the blood must come."
"Boo says that he is a loyal and righteous friend," said Minsc sternly, "but it is not the blood of a hamster Maiyn seeks. He suggests we try the blood of Quallo's pet, since it is a loyal companion, although a poor choice for one."
Maiyn looked at Minsc with wonder in her eyes. "Sometimes Minsc," she said, "you can be completely amazing."
The berserker beamed at Maiyn, and she wandered forward, striking out at the creature as her companions closed in behind her. Its tentacles flew out, covering Maiyn in a sticky secretion that dried rapidly, causing her to become held fast. Minsc, Jaheira and Anomen slashed fiercely at it, hacking it to pieces as Kivan gathered some of its blood and fluids in an empty potion bottle from his pack. Xan quickly cast a series of minor fire enchantments to incinerate the remains, ensuring its death, and eventually the substance faded from Maiyn's body, allowing her to move once again.
She shuddered as she accepted the offer of the potion from Kivan. He did not turn away from her when she thanked him, and she knew there was a truce regarding the ring from the skeletons; even the stoic ranger couldn't deny the chance to free a potentially imprisoned soul.
The companions quickly returned to the sewage outlet, trying to ignore Quallo's look of sorrow as he looked down at what little remained of his friend. Xan quickly recounted what Quallo had said, and referred to the inscriptions, working out an order to place the objects in the pipes. Maiyn took a deep breath, wading into the sludgy pool as she followed his direction; the hand clenching into a fist, the ring glowing briefly, the blood from the crawler turning the water crimson, and the staff disappearing in a flash of light. The water around her knees took on a greenish glow, and something rose out of the water, hovering in the air as it floated to the other companions. Minsc reached out, grabbing the sword by the hilt; the instant he made contact with the blade a torturous scream echoed around the sewers.
"Quallo!" shouted Maiyn, clambering up from the pool.
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The companions found him lying on the ground, collapsed and disorientated. "Who... who are you?" he asked, peering at Maiyn, ignoring her filthy state. "What has happened to me?"
"Do you not know? We have spoken before." Maiyn's tone was low and soothing, and the man relaxed as Jaheira tended to some of his minor cuts and bruises.
"I remember you faintly," said the man at length. "It was not me that you spoke with. It was the thing... the person... I don't know! That which compelled me was the thing that spoke to you."
Maiyn nodded. "You were under some charm or domination?"
"I don't think it was human," murmured the man faintly. "Its conscience was too foreign. I can't remember... Gods! How long have I been here? What has happened to my family?"
"We will escort you safely from here," Maiyn assured him, standing as Yoshimo and Kivan returned. They had found another set of stairs leading up. It led to the back rooms of the Copper Coronet, a hidden door having hidden its presence from the untrained eye.
"Anomen, Minsc... Er, Minsc?" Maiyn regarded the berserker curiously.
"Little Maiyn requires something?"
"I was wondering... what you were doing?"
"Eh, Minsc was just replying to Larry."
"'Larry'? Who is 'Larry'?"
Minsc waved around the sword that he'd picked up in the outlet. Maiyn was slightly relieved to see that he'd put the Sword of Chaos away into his pack - every time she caught a sight of it she felt a burst of anger within her, but now she was slightly concerned over its replacement. "This is Larry," said Minsc happily. "Larry, meet little Maiyn."
"Oooh, nice blades!" came a disembodied voice from the sword. Maiyn backed away slightly.
"Ah, Larry approves of your choice of weapons," said Minsc proudly. "Minsc still thinks little Maiyn could wield a nice, big sword-"
"You're a talking sword?" asked Maiyn, looking at the shiny blade.
"Uh. Maybe."
"I... see." Maiyn looked to her companions - most of them were looking amused. "Well, sentient sword... do you have any advice for us?"
"Advice, eh? Hmmm. Well, besides working on your swordsmanship. Ya know, besides that, er... I'd have to think. Maybe... hmmm. Oh, I know! Start swinging! Well, eventually you'll lop off the head of someone important, and then the good fights will REALLY start!"
"Right..." said Maiyn carefully, seriously wondering about the sanity of allowing such a blade to stay within Minsc's grasp. The Rasheman was looking at it lovingly, almost as if he'd just been given his firstborn child to hold for the first time. Maiyn couldn't bear to make them part. Plus, she thought bitterly to herself, it keeps the Sword of Chaos away.
"Minsc, help Anomen to help Quallo down the stairs please," she said, watching the berserker easily hold the man's weight on his own. "Yoshi - lead the way out. We're leaving these sewers."