Adrian: Baldur's Gate

It took no time at all to work out that Mulahey and his minions had not entered the mines through the front. Finding the passage out took about five minutes. Edwin was certain his superior intellect would find it, but it was Viconia who discovered it.

"Shoulda been me," grunted Kagain.

"You were to busy complaining about how you needed an ale," Viconia said, slightly amused.

Kagain grunted. Edwin looked ashamed of his own failure. Adrian thought about rubbing it in, then decided not to. He wanted the Thayvian in a cooperative mood, at least for now.

The way out was guarded by ochre jellies, which Adrian was not comfortable fighting. He liked to see that his blows were wounding the foe. But when Viconia and Montaron made the little pools of guk spread out and dissipate, he was satisfied.

Just as they were on the way out, the exit started to collapse on top of them, stones falling, and one big boulder nearly squashing Montaron flat. They dusted themselves off, looking around in the harsh sunlight. It was nearly noon.

"So, back to Nashkel?" asked Kagain.

"To collect the reward, yes," Adrian said thoughtfully. "Though we should scout round here first."

Narcillicus Harwilliger Neen. That was a name that would stick in Adrian's mind for some time to come. Xzar and Edwin had wanted to know the fools abilities to control jellies, and were even now chuckling over the spell components from his body. Adrian wanted to bash their heads together. Kagain had nearly died, and the slow spells had been most infuriating.

But Edwin had also got a lightning bolt scroll out of it, which Adrian recognized as a useful spell to have, so he shut up.

They tried to rest in several caves, running into various undead, but getting a nice enchanted dagger of Xzar and a strange wand for their troubles.

But their troubles were not yet over.

"Yer end shall be quick, if ye let it!" the leader of the Iron Throne assassins said. And she was nearly right.

Iron Throne. Whoever they were, they were behind this. Behind the iron poisoning, behind the bandits. Later, Xzar gnashed his teeth and said they were a rival trade coster in Baldur's Gate. When Adrian had asked rival to whom, Montaron had spat and said "Everyone."

Montaron had almost died again, during that battle. Adrian himself had been battered into unconsciousness. But Viconia's healing, Kagain's axe, and above all the wizards' magic had saved the day. As the last of the four assassins was pulverized by Xzar's magic missiles, a very groggy Adrian had looted the corpses. No bounty notices, this time. These were assassins who were regular employees of the Throne. The enemy was beginning to take them seriously, and Adrian wasn't at all sure that was a good thing.

But what did any of this have to do with the man who killed Gorion? Gorion had known Khalid and Jaheira, and had been going to go with them, presumably with himself in tow, to investigate the mines. The same mines Xzar and Montaron had wanted to look into. Could they be connected? He didn't know. But the only way to find out was to press on.

Thrashed to within a inch of their lives, literally, the party limped back towards Nashkel, finding themselves in the Carnival east of town, and collapsed into an exhausted sleep.