Adrian: Baldur's Gate

The party moved quickly through the night, to the Zhentarim headquarters on the second floor of Sorcerous Sundries.

Imoen was there; she ran over and embraced Adrian. He held her for a moment.

"We shall work together on this," he promised her. "But it is not time yet for us to journey together."

"I know," Imoen nodded, pink hair bouncing. "Assuming we survive Sarevok, I need to increase my power as a mage."

"Assuming we survive, indeed," Adrian agreed. He knew his brother was mad, but he also knew that he was a fierce warrior who gave no quarter. Adrian would not underestimate him.

Khalid and Jaheria were not there, but they had recently been. They had marshalled what pikemen the Harpers had in their employ, to join Jessa's Flaming Fist renegades and the Zhentarim and Shadow Thieves' operatives.

Jessa herself was embracing Edwin. "We're gonna bring this freak down," she proimised the wizard.

Edwin smiled, sadly. "I hope so, Jessa. I truly hope so."

"What happened to your robes?" she frowned.

Edwin sighed. "Tell you later."

Imoen, Jessa, and the Zhentarim Trio (Kirya, Besheridan, Rakal) fell into rank. The much-swelled party left, marching double time for the Throne tower.

They encountered a few Flaming Fist patrols on the streets, which they overpowered easily. At Jessa's request, they did not slay them, merely knocked them out. Adrian didn't like it, but he understood. It would do his cause no good to have been guily of killing half the city's police force, assuming they survived this.

Adrian had anticpiated a huge battle at the Throne tower, but as Tamoko had said, was surprised at what he found; chaos and panic, Throne merchants running every which way, leaderless.

"Sarevok has abandoned us!" one merchant wailed. "Now that he's a candidate for Grand Duke, he's left us behind like old baggage!"

Adrian smirked.

They mounted the stairs, to find Cythandria in the same top floor room where they'd had the vast battle with Throne operatives, which now seemed so long ago.

"Who told you I was here?" the snippy blonde mage snapped. "It was Tamoko, wasn;t it! That traitor is unworthy of Sarevok!"

Adrian and Besheridan shared a glance; clearly, Cythandria wasn't speaking of a professional relationship.

But it was no matter. Cythandria was no match for the combined magical power of Xzar, Kirya, Imoen and Edwin; they were able to take her down without the rest of hte party even making a move, which dissapointed Jessa and Besheridan. It was, in fact, Imoen who dealt the final spellstrike. Adrian noticed his sister's increased power, and was duly impressed.

From her corpse they retrived Sarevok's diary, as well as some correspondence to a pair of assasins apparently waiting in the undercellar to assasinate the surviving Grand Dukes when the time was right.

As the others secured the building, Adrian and Imoen sat down with Sarevok's diary, reading. Imoen's eyes grew wider and wider, and even Adrian was chilled.

Khalid and Jaheira burst into the upper floor of the Flaming Fist Headquarters, several battered and bruised pikemen in tow.

Duke Eltan's "healer" turned, saw them, and hissssed unnaturally, shifting to reaveal his true form as a Doppleganger. Khalid cut him down.

"Take the Duke to the pirate ship," Jaheira instructed the pikemen. "That's the safest place for him right now. Things are coming to a head."