Adrian: Baldur's Gate

Imoen stood before a mirror twitching her fingers, eyes unfocused. Divination spells were not her forte, and she was using the mirror as a foci. She had sent Khalid and Jaheira away, she had no time for them now.

"What are you doing, brother?" she whispered. "What are you looking for....?" Then the mirror seemed to become a window, and indeed she did see. "Ah...tracking the Throne...good...." then the view shifted. "Sarevok on his damnable throne, yech no thanks." She dismissed the image. Then she sat back and brooded. "Now, if I could just find out where his base is, because it surely isn't the Throne tower in the city. Hmmmm...."

Sarevok looked up, yellow eyes narrowing, sniffing the air.

"Do either of you sense anything?" he asked Semaj and Winksi.

Both mages cast detect magic spells.

"Not now," said Semaj, "But someone was looking at you not long ago."

"I get the impressions they were looking for someone else, and happened to get you at the tail end of their search," added Winksi.

Sarevok brooded. "Why do I get the feeling there are players in this game we know nothing about?"

Winksi chuckled. "There almost always are."

("You have no idea," muttered the dark male figure to the far south.)

"But in any case, this is all off the point," said Semaj. "The Cult of the Ressurection have come."

"Yes, I know," said Sarevok. "That's what we're down here for, waiting for their arrival."

"No," said Semaj. "They have come, already."

Sarevok blinked. "What?"

"He means," said a soft female voice, "That we have arrived."

All three turned, and saw a woman with feathers in her hair standing before them, flanked by many dark priests in robes.

The Cult of the Ressurection had come to Sarevok and Winksi shortly after he had failed to get any information from that Bhaal priest. The woman was the High Preistess of the Cult. She was called "Lyssan". They had helped Sarevok's planned rise to power in many ways, that Winski had never though of. It was they that had provided the enchantments for his armor, for example. And then there was the matter of his eyes, their strange yellow glow, that had nothing to do with Bhaal, but had helped him nevertheless, enabling him to see many of his followers at once. They had not been responsible for that, but had helped him find the one who had done it to the young Bhaalspawn. Sarevok shook the memory away, now was not the time.

(The two figures to the south stared at Lyssan. "Who is that?" the woman whispered.)

"Lyssan" halted, and a grimace overcame her face. "It seems you are still being watched, Sarevok," she said, and turned and glared at nothing, hissing.

(Far to the south, the pair of figures could see nothing but "Lyssan's" blazing eyes. "You are interfering," her voice hissed in their minds. "I may have a use for you later, if your own purposes do not cross mine. For now cease your observations, lest I become angry." Abruptly, the ability of these two figures to observe events was cut off. They stared at eachother for a while, shivering in fear they had not felt for centuries.)

"Now then," said Lyssan, recovering her composure and smiling at Sarevok. "I have brought these cultists to man your temple. Once the war has begun they will use the bloodletting to begin your Ascension. But I warn you, all other spawn must be dead for your victory to be complete."

"They shall die," Sarevok promised, clenching a fist.

"I'm sure." Lyssan smiled, then frowned. "It seemes I must leave even sooner than I thought. Those watchers, they were in Amn. I may need to deal with them for you."

"As you say," nodded Sarevok. The cultists began to disperse around the chamber. Lyssan turned and stalked away. The two mages eyed eachother uneasily. Not for the first time, Winski wondered if he'd gotten in over his head.

Adrian, meanwhile, had sent Rakal and Tiax into the village. Rakal had gone openly, Tiax had slunk to the shadows. They had come back with the information Adrian wanted.

Adrian felt his admiration for the Throne plan go up several notches. The village, called Krael, was indeed a recruiting ground for the Throne, but more importantly a listening post. Caravans would stop there for the night, and would leave the next day unmolested, but their passing would be reported to the Throne's base in the foothills.

So then, it would be a simple matter for Adrian's party to follow one of the messengers back to the base.