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[Arcalian]

Imoen sat on a grave outside in the sunlight, and began to speak.

Theoretically she was telling Drizzt what he needed to know, but in truth she was telling everyone the truth of Irenicus and Bhodi that she had gleaned from inheriting Bhodi's memories.

Given their confrontation with the Elves, Adrian had already begun to understand what drove Irenicus. Even as far back as the dungeon beneath the Promenade, the insights of Tree had enabled them to understand some of Irenicus' motivation concerning them.

The arguments with the elves leaving the Underdark had been in Adrian's mind for some time. The Elves had been mostly adamant about Viconia, but Adrian had remembered how they would not talk about their own feud with Irenicus. Viconia had known that his name meant "Shattered One." That had told them much. They had already gleaned, from all this, that Irenicus and Bhodi were exiles of some sort.

But when Imoen began to speak, Adrian felt himself shocked to his core.

Irenicus had been Joneleth, foremost of the mages of Suldanessalar, and the consort of the Queen. Bhodi had been Bhodiryyth, fearsome huntress, fiercest warrior, and leader of the Elven hunting parties. But it had not been enough. He and Bhodi had wanted more. Bhodiryyth, a pure sensualist, had wanted everything of this life she could take; Joneleth had become so obsessed with knowledge and power that he had thrown all else aside.

With Bhodi's help, Irenicus had tapped into the Tree of Life itself, and attempted to drain it's power to become a God. Bhodi would have been granted true, full immortality and been free to wreak havoc on Faerun while Irenicus tore through the Seldarine themselves.

But the Tree had caught fire. In a panic, the pair had helped the city put the fire out.

Queen Ellesime's patron, the god Rillifane, had demanded their links to the Elven Spirit be cut. Cursed to walk amongst mortals, the Queen had hoped they would learn humility. The Exiles were given their new names and cast out.

It hadn't worked. Bhodi had retained her lust and Irenicus his ambition, but all other emotions had faded from them. They became more determined in their revenge. Bhodi embraced vampirism, and Irenicus began research into soul extraction.

Bhodi found she could not cure the soulless curse with vampirism alone, and Irenicus found that the extraction of ordinary mortal souls only temporarily eased their pain.

The souls of Bhaalspawn, however, would not only sustain them, but give them the power they required to successfull steal the power of the Tree.

Aided by a mysterious woman with feathers in her hair who Bhodi's memories blurred over--almost as though the woman could protect herself in some way--they had laid their plans and watched the most powerful Bhaalspawn.

After Adrian had defeated Sarevok, it was only a matter of time.
----

Imoen was shaking and weeping by the time she was done. The others stared in silence as Adrian comforted his sister.

Adrian's face was grim. "I'm going to rip Irenicus apart. Personally."

This was no threat.

It was a promise.