"What is that?" Keldorn asked as Laska kicked open the door and strolled inside, dragging behind her a large cart filled with bottles of all sizes and descriptions.

"Well, that's obvious, isn't it?" Laska grinned. "Replacements!"

Picking up the cart with her great strength, the elf took the cart in her arms and carried it down the three broad steps directly behind the front door. After she put the cart on the ground with a thud, one of the bottles fell over the edge and rolled away. And it would have escaped consumption if Laska didn't stop it with her foot. Bending over, she grabbed the bottle.

"Hey, hey," the elf smiled and cradled the bottle she had just picked up. "Trying to hide from your aunty Laska, eh? Naughty!"

"All these... are replacements?" Keldorn asked, flabbergasted as he mentally counted the bottles of the cart and stopped himself when he got to eighty, and still saw even more bottles.

"Yep," Laska smiled. "Cormyrian brandy, Everdusk wine, Streaa, Evermead, Waterdhavian Creature Juice, Chult Tequila, Kara-Turan rice wine, Elminster's Choice Beer, Froth-ale, Upside down Froth-ale, Deep Froth-ale, fermented Froth-ale, Slink, Mazte, Shein, Saurian Brandy, Mushroom beer..."

"How much did all this cost?" Keldorn said, waving his arm about to indicate his astonishment.

"Let's see... about 2600 gold with customer discount," Laska smile. "The guy at the liquor store even threw in this neat cart for free to help me carry the bottles home. I'd been meaning to refill the winecellar for a week but only got around to it now."

"All that money on liquor?" Keldorn sighed, shaking his head.

"Well, I'm not going to drink it all at once, just one bottle at the time..." the tattooed elf replied with a smile. "Besides, technically, it was all for free!"

"Come again?"

"Yes, there was a group of muggers that assaulted me when I was out tonight... Of course, I made quick work of them, and found a big coin-purse on them! I wasted no time and headed right to the liquor-store," Laska smiled and gently patted the bottle she was holding.

"You just took the purse?" Keldorn asked.

"Yes..."

"You don't wonder who it belonged to?"

"No..." Laska said, a blank look crossing her features.

"You never considered that the purse might have an owner?"

"No..."

"Never crossed your mind?"

"No..."

"You didn't care to think that this might have been the life-savings of an entire family?"

"No..."

"What were you thinking about when you held that purse?" Keldorn sighed.

Laska grinned and glanced at the cart filled with bottles. "Booze," Laska winked.

"Laska," Keldorn shook his head. "We should have a little chat about ethics soon."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Laska snorted. "So why are you here so late? Isn't Maria waiting for you or did she throw you out?"

"Certainly not," Keldorn scoffed at the very notion and grew more than a little tense.

"Ooops," Laska grimaced. "That was a bit tactless of me."

"I'd say so," Keldorn smiled, relaxing. "I came here to see if Viconia wants to talk. It's been my observation that people with doubts often cannot sleep. Perhaps, if I talk to her now..."

"She'll be more in the mood to hear you out?" Laska interrupted.

Keldorn nodded and moved to the door leading into Viconia's quarters. After he had knocked on the door, the Drow apparently decided to let him in.

Laska shook her head and started thinking of ways to get all those bottles safely down the stairs. She would definitely have to carry all of them down one by one, since the cart couldn't fit through the staircase and then there would still be the risk of slipping over the stone steps leading into the cellar. She'd rather drink her liquor from a cup or the bottle rather than to have to lick it from the floor.

The dilemma was solved when Laska decided to put it off until tomorrow. She smiled when she heard the light step of Rose, coming down the stairs to the second floor. Crouching behind one of the parlor-palms, she grinned as the half-elf stepped off the stairs. Immediately, Laska pounced and wrapped her arms around the waist of a giggling Rose. The half-elf turned around in her arms, but for she could speak a word, Laska captured her lover's lips. During the seemingly endless kiss, Rose returned the embrace, wrapping her arms around Laska's neck.

"I haven't seen you all day," Laska smiled after finally breaking the kiss, still holding on to Rose.

"Sorry," Rose smiled apologetically. "Long day of tending bar at the inn. And I've just put my little sister to bed. Risa insisted that I tell her no less than two stories."

"Stories? What about?" Laska asked.

"'The laughing Kobold and his dog' and 'Three little ogres'"

"Classics," Laska said.

"Say," Rose asked her lover in a sultry voice, while twirling a bit of Laska's long dark hair around her finger, "how about another game of... the brave and powerful adventurer meets the sweet, innocent and frail milkmaid?"

"Ooooh," Laska returned the embrace and kissed Rose on the lips briefly. "Sounds good to me."

"Good," Rose smiled. "I'll get the chainmail from the dresser, you get the milk and honey from the kitchen..."

"Deal," Laska smiled in return. "Say, errr," Laska asked carefully, "do I get to be the adventurer this time?"

"Come on," Rose smiled and batted Laska playfully against the chest, "you're ALWAYS the powerful adventurer... Give someone else a chance."

"Ah, Keldorn," Viconia said, not looking up from the painting she was holding. "Might I ask your opinion on something?"

"Always," Keldorn smiled, hoping she would open up to him.

"Yes," Viconia said, picking up another painting, "which one of these do you think would look better over the dinner table on the right side of the room. 'Wailing Death Descends' or 'Rotting Flesh Forgotten'?"

Grimacing at the dark and gruesome things depicted on either painting, Keldorn forgot his disappointment for a moment. "I... I am not sure those would be... appropriate to hang over a dinner-table. I would suspect loss of appetites will lead to a fuller larder, though."

"Ah, good point," Viconia said and scribbled some notes on her diagram of the house, which hung on the wall. "Maybe I'll hang 'undead man walking' there, then."

"Undead man walking," Keldorn muttered disapprovingly and sat down in a chair.

"I've decided to take down all the artworks in this house and reorganize them. Damn Laska and her weeds!" Viconia shouted, her temper building up. "It ruined the entire light and furniture pattern in the house! I need to... I must..."

"Perform pointless busy-work to avoid confronting what happened to you yesterday?" Keldorn finished for Viconia.

"Must you," Viconia snarled, putting down the third painting, "always be so DAMNED confrontational?! Why must you always have such a sanctimonious and paladine attitude?!"

"I am a paladin, Viconia," Keldorn said. "And I am here to help you. You need only ask..."

Viconia sighed and sat down on her bed. Khittix skittered over to the bed, having noticed Viconia's distress. The Drow smiled briefly and petted the spider for a moment.

"I don't know," Viconia said. "I just don't know. I know the Sharrans are no longer looking for me. And I can't deny what happened last night, but... damned if I can make sense of it. Shar has no abandoned me, and is still granting me powers, but I cannot figure out why."

"Did Shar ever speak to you directly?" Keldorn asked.

"HAH!" Viconia chuckled. "As a holy warrior yourself, I think you would know that the gods have better things to do that to converse with the little mortals. Especially one such as Shar. She only bothers to speak to and through her Flames."

"Then how did you come to worship her?" Keldorn probed. "You mentioned that she spoke to you before."

"Keldorn," Viconia stood up. "If you ever consider blabbing what I am about to tell you to anyone, I will personally feed your genitals to a wolf," she menaced.

After grimacing for a moment, Keldorn composed himself and dared to ask further. "Tell me, then."

"I've told you about my... Great, Shar!" Viconia said, her ear piqued in the direction of Laska's bedroom, "don't those two ever stop?"

"Apparently not," Keldorn said impatiently. "Please continue."

"Anyway," Viconia continued, "I have told you that, when I travelled the surface for the first time, I was hunted by all, could not find any source of food and huddled under the great open sky. It was all... too much for me to handle. It was so different. I had power in the Underdark, and none on the surface. One evening I simply... took out my old dagger. It was made from Adamantine and was already decaying, so I wanted to make my move before I lost my last change. I... put my dagger to my own breast and..."

"You contemplated suicide?" Keldorn asked.

"Do not see it as weakness, Keldorn," Viconia nodded. "See it as taking my fate in my own hand. To die with a shred of pride instead of ending at the spear of a hunter or the arrow of an elf."

"Obviously you are still alive," Keldorn said. "What happened next?"

"Divine intervention," Viconia smiled. "I heard a whisper in the wind. No words were spoken but I could hear words in the winds whipping across me. A voice, strong, yet slightly benevolent offered power. Not much, just enough for me to survive, something I could nurture and something that would allow me to grow. The wind whispered a single word in my ear. 'SHAR'. And then I had the power. I knew nothing of Shar or her domain when I traveled but I slowly learned. But I've always thought I was simply given these powers without obligations. And I always wonder why. In any case, I am grateful to Shar."

"But Tymora's sudden interest puzzles you does it not?" Keldorn asked. "It might be a good idea to pursue why she's interested in you. There is a temple to Tymora on the road between Athkatla and Trademeet. Perhaps, we could visit it together to find answers."

"STOP," Viconia shouted, but caught herself, "trying to convert me. I worship Shar and Shar alone! I do not know this Tymora and I do not want to know her."

"But, apparently," Keldorn said, "Tymora wants to know you. Would that not be reason enough to at least visit her temple?"

"Get out..." Viconia whispered quietly.

"But, Viconia," Keldorn started to say.

"I TOLD YOU TO GET OUT!" the Drow snarled.

Keldorn nodded solemnly and silently left the room. When the paladin was gone, Viconia flopped into her desk chair and let her head hang backwards, sighing. Khittix once again came forth to comfort and received another petting over the head.

During breakfast today, Laska noted that Viconia had remained strangely silent. No complaints about Korgan's eating, nor any complaints about the noise coming from Laska's bedroom during the night.

However, the tension in the air was obvious as time passed. Viconia silenced her fellows with a single glare. Pure murder was in her eyes as she regarded someone looking in her direction. Just as Laska wondered whether she should smack her Drow friend to knock some sense into her, a very familiar gnome stepped through the door.

"Hello, hello, hello!" Jan smiled, wearing a pair of strange dark glasses and a blue shirt with palm-trees on it, "the gnome is back, so your lives have meaning once more!"

"Back from yer honeymoon so soon, ey?" Korgan chuckled. "Blimey, that be quick."

"What?!" Jan smirked, but put his hands at his sides. "What are you implying?!"

"HAR!" Korgan roared. "Ye be figurin' it out!"

"Hey there, Jan," Rose smiled. "How was you honeymoon?"

"Oh, great!" Jan smiled. "We went to Lantan. To the Thompson Skiing/health/beach resort! Oh, we had so much fun. We drank from a turnip with two straws in it. And after that, we went bungee-jumping at cliff SmashDeath. And then, we went shark-fishing! Well, actually the sharks went gnome-fishing... we just had to resist the temptation to bite into the turnip the sharks had baited their hooks with. Ah, it was an adventurous holiday. Lava-surfing, Orc-punching, Skunk-tossing, Insult fingerbiting and, best of all, hurling insults at a Red Wizard! We had fun there. Lissa came up with an insult, comparing Reddie's parentage with that of a pig and a griffin. Time to dodge some fireballs there! Gotta love outdoor extreme sports. Even the wedding night was an extreme sport."

"How so?" Rose asked.

"They only have spike-beds at the resort," Jan smiled.

"Ouch," Laska said. "Elves have too soft a skin for that."

"Anyway, could you gather the troops? I have a new quest for ya!" Jan grinned.

"What?" Dynaheir grinned. "Thou wouldst not have us chase across Toril to find a golden turnip?"

"No, no, actually, I want you to explore a giant marble," Jan grinned.

"Okay, he's gone nuts," Minsc said. "Boo says married life has gone to his head."

"No, no, no, no, no," Jan smiled. "I'm telling you, a giant marble just appeared in the slums! Just ZAP it was there. Carved straight through buildings and is just sitting there like a big, useless soccerball made out of metal. Damn thing has everyone and everything in an uproar. Cowled wizards came and tried to break in and *POOF*, they were turned into pigeons. Shadow Thieves came, tried to open the door and *POOF* were turned into Ostriches. Now, I think you can imagine a little round vault like that must contain quite a bit of treasure."

"Aye," Korgan roared. "Thar be gold in that there marble!"

"But," Laska said, "I have no intention to spending the rest of my millennia of life as a crow or a duck."

"You don't have to," Jan grinned. "Because I found someone snooping around there. Valy? Would you come in?"

All heads turned to the door, where a tall, brooding man was standing, wearing a cloak that completely concealed his features. "Is," he said in a deep voice, "the gnome done talking? Please tell me his done talking."

The party was assembled completely. Laska, Minsc, Keldorn, Viconia, Dynaheir, Korgan, Jan, Mazzy and Valygar were sitting at the dinner table discussing the situation. Valygar told them about the sphere, which belonged to his ancestor Lavok, apparantly a foul necromancer, whom had doomed his family with a vile curse. One by one, with no exception, obsession with magic ruined his family, which explained his aversion to all practitioners of magic, and his desire to end the life of Lavok for once and for all.

"So," Dynaheir spoke, "thou dost not like mages much, then."

"No, I do not," Valygar said, glaring holes in her skull, "witch."

"Boo says that a brother of the woods should not speak so harshy to nice Dynaheir," Minsc announced.

"In any case," Valygar said, "I hear from friends that you, Laska and your Drow friend were responsible for the death of Tolgerias, the one who knew the sphere would return and would use my body to open its secrets."

"How did you know what?" Laska asked.

"I have friends among the Shadow Thieves. Don't worry, they'd rather see Tolgerias go as well," Valygar nodded. "Now, you can have everything we find inside the sphere. I just want to end Lavok's hold over my bloodline."

"Finally," Mazzy smiled. "A new quest. I was beginning to feel a bit ignored here."

"YOU!" was suddenly shouted by Viconia, at the top of her lungs. "YOU ARE A JOKE, VALYGAR! A JOKE! TO DENY MAGIC IS TO DENY YOURSELF, TO DENY THE WORLD! YOU ARE USELESS!"

Everybody was staring at the Drow with open mouths. Next, Viconia turned to Laska.

"YOU BLOODY ELF! YOU DRINK LIKE A FISH, ACT LIKE AN IDIOT AND NEVER, EVER THINK!" Viconia snarled. "YOU PLAY WITH ALL OUR LIVES GUIDED BY YOUR FOOLISH WHIMS!"

"AND YOU!" Viconia directed her ire Minsc, "DEMENTED FOOL, GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF THE CLOUDS FOR ONCE IN A WHILE!"

"KELDORN!" she added. "SANCTIMONIOUS GIT! CAN'T YOU LEAVE WELL ENOUGH ALONE?! DO YOU HAVE TO MEDDLE WITH EVERYTHING THAT DOESN'T SUIT YOUR NARROW VISIONS OF GOOD AND EVIL?!"

"DYNAHEIR!" the drow continued, but a little gentler, "stop feeling so damn guilty about your vampirism. That wasn't you."

After this oasis of rest, she continued at full force. "KORGAN! YOU SMELL LIKE A SKUNK! TAKE A BATH AND STOP SWINGING THAT AXE AROUND EVERYWHERE YOU GO!"

"OY!"

"AND JAN!" Viconia snarled. "For the love of the gods, PLEASE SHUT UP ONCE IN A WHILE!"

"Mazzy!" Viconia snarled. "You... you... MIDGET!"

"What?!" Mazzy gasped.

"AND YOU!" Viconia pointed at a surprised Rose walking in from the kitchen. "I have... nothing nasty to say about you and I HATE THAT!"

"AND I DON'T KNOW YOU!" Viconia snarled and pointed to a startled man at the door. "BUT I'm sure you're a JERK!"

"I... I'm just the mail-man, madam," the startled man spoke.

Ignoring the flabbergasted stares of her friends, Viconia slowly walked away, finally having fallen silent. Slowly, she lowered herself on the couch, where Khittix was already waiting for her. She bent forward, cradling her head in her hands and tossing her white hair about. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice trembling with emotion, "I... love you all."

"Even me?" the mail-man dared to ask.

"Sod off!" Laska snarled at him as she and her friends walked towards the stricken Drow, leaving Valygar and Mazzy sitting at the table, wondering what had just happened.

"Laska," Viconia said, still with trembling voice, as her friends gathered around her with concern, "can you... miss your cleric during this adventure? I'd like Keldorn and me to visit the temple of Tymora."

"Of course," Laska said. "We're in town for this adventure. We can miss you for a while... But do come back soon."

"I promise," Viconia smiled. "I'm afraid you'll have to do this quest without me by your side to keep you grounded. Try not to blow up the city."

"I'll try," Laska chuckled, indeed realizing this was the first time she would adventure without her long-time Drow friend by her side. She hoped it would not be permanent.