A Cappella Part 3 : Desecration

Well, we're nearing the end of level one of the dungeon. I promise I have no intention of taking forever to get out of this part of the game.

"Imoen, we need to talk."

Imoen fidgeted, entwining a strand of hair through her fingers and looking anywhere but his eyes. "'Bout what?"

Jarran said as gently as he could, "About what you know about this place. You know more than you're telling." He glanced over to make sure that Jaheira was still occupied in pouring healing potions down Minsc's throat while the ranger rested on the bed. They had returned to the large bedroom after being attacked by a pair of clay golems.

"I... I don't know anything. I just remember things sometimes. It comes and goes."

Jarran knew that his own memories were only in bits and snatches, but there was something hooded about Imoen's eyes. Something dark lurking behind her falsely bright smile.

"Im... when we were in that round bedroom, you said this Irenicus told you about it. I don't remember him saying anything to me except prattle about releasing my potential. You remembered the jar room, too, and I don't. You said you had to watch him do things. Please tell me what you know about this monster. It will help you feel better, and it might make it easier to escape."

She stared down at the floor for a long moment. "I'm not lying. I only remember when something reminds me... but I remember him... doing things. He made me watch him while he cut people... I think some of the time it was you. There was blood and screams and smells... he made me watch someone die. It wasn't anyone I knew, but I remember his eyes staring at me, as if he wanted me to do something to stop it, but I couldn't. I couldn't." Tears started trickling down her face.

"Gods, Im, why did he do that? Did he tell you?"

She shook her head, wiping the back of her hand across her eyes and then under her nose. It was so endearingly childlike that Jarran almost smiled. "He acted as though he wanted me to learn something from it. He kept messing with my mind until I wasn't sure who I was anymore. It wasn't until you spoke to me in the cage room that things started falling back into place. I was so glad you were still alive."

"Me, too. I barely remember anything from the time we left Baldur's Gate until you woke me up, but I sure was happy to see you."

"I don't want to remember this stuff, Jarran. I don't want to, but... I'll try if it will help. I think... that portal we saw... I remember going through it. It leads to another part of his dungeon. I remember hearing voices once, and I think they were talking about a city above us. Maybe if we can get out of here we can get help from the authorities."

That depends on where we are. In some cities they would turn us back over to him. But I can't tell her that. He placed his hands on her shoulders. "Imoen, he treated you differently than he did me. As far as I can tell, he never tried to teach me anything, he just tortured me for some reason only he knows. Did he...did he... treat you differently any other way?"

"Di-di-differently?"

Jarran took a deep breath. "The dryads said they were his concubines, that he used them to try to recapture his emotions. They asked you if he had touched you like he touched them. Did they mean...." His mouth went dry, and he couldn't continue.

"I don't know. I'm not sure if he..." she whispered as she hid her face in her hands.

Jarran's heart sank. It wasn't the resounding denial he had prayed for. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. The others are waiting, we can go on."

"I wish I could be sure. I wish... I remember him looking down at me, but that might have been on a torture table... but there were a couple of times I woke up in my cell feeling dirty... I just don't know," she whimpered.

He tried to put his arms around her in comfort but she shied back. From nowhere Jaheira appeared, murmuring, "Come with me, child." She led Imoen back towards the dryad room, giving him a look over her shoulder that distinctly said 'do not follow us'.

Jarran stood there in stunned silence, staring off into space. Minsc said mournfully, "Boo does not like Imoen to be so sad. There is only so much that petting can do to cheer up an unhappy heart."

Slowly Jarran's face flushed red, then purple. With a scream of rage, he swung his sword around his head and charged towards the room's furnishings. Chairs, cabinets, tables, all became a mass of splintered wood and slashed fabric.

When Imoen and Jaheira returned, they were greeted by the sight of a room that looked like a whirlwind had destroyed it. Minsc was backed against the wall, eyes wide as he held Boo tightly to his chest. The women then turned their gaze to Jarran. With tears streaming down his face, he was hysterically hacking Irenicus' bed to pieces.

*Keanu Reeves voice* Whoa.

*normal voice again* This is pretty powerful stuff Silrana. You do a good job of re-evoking that whole "What did he do to us!?" feeling that I got the first time I played through Chapter 1 of BG2. Keep it up! I'm looking forward to the next part.

> Well, we're nearing the end of level one of the dungeon. I promise I have

> no intention of taking forever to get out of this part of the game.

Ha! Wish I could make the same promise. Gag. Oh well.

> When Imoen and Jaheira returned, they were greeted by the sight of a room

> that looked like a whirlwind had destroyed it. Minsc was backed against

> the wall, eyes wide as he held Boo tightly to his chest. The women then

> turned their gaze to Jarran. With tears streaming down his face, he was

> hysterically hacking Irenicus' bed to pieces.

Wow. He's an aggressive one.

Here's to aggression. I'm sure a lot of people who read the dryad dialogues would've liked to do the same.

-Nyx

Wow. That was really emotive and extremely well written. Your new series is shaping itself already, and you've only just started! I like the way you are establishing Jarran's character.

> That depends on where we are. In some cities they would turn us back over

> to him. But I can't tell her that. He placed his hands on her shoulders.

> "Imoen, he treated you differently than he did me. As far as I can

> tell, he never tried to teach me anything, he just tortured me for some

> reason only he knows. Did he...did he... treat you differently any other

> way?"

> "Di-di-differently?"

> Jarran took a deep breath. "The dryads said they were his concubines,

> that he used them to try to recapture his emotions. They asked you if he

> had touched you like he touched them. Did they mean...." His mouth

> went dry, and he couldn't continue.

> "I don't know. I'm not sure if he..." she whispered as she hid

> her face in her hands.

> Jarran's heart sank. It wasn't the resounding denial he had prayed for.

> "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. The others are

> waiting, we can go on."

> "I wish I could be sure. I wish... I remember him looking down at me,

> but that might have been on a torture table... but there were a couple of

> times I woke up in my cell feeling dirty... I just don't know," she

> whimpered.

Argh! It's so depressing, but it wouldn't suprise me if Irenicus *had* done such things to her. Irenicus always seems overly familiar when he's talking to or discussing Imoen, and I always got the impression from the dryads that he was using them for pleasure. I'm glad that you drew this out, its a hard theme to deal with, but I'm glad that addressed it.

> When Imoen and Jaheira returned, they were greeted by the sight of a room

> that looked like a whirlwind had destroyed it. Minsc was backed against

> the wall, eyes wide as he held Boo tightly to his chest. The women then

> turned their gaze to Jarran. With tears streaming down his face, he was

> hysterically hacking Irenicus' bed to pieces.

This image is so endearing, but frightening to. Gosh, it's hard to imagine Minsc afraid because someone else has gone into a berserk state. I don't know how Jaheira is going to be able to resist Jarran!

> *normal voice again* This is pretty powerful stuff Silrana. You do a good

> job of re-evoking that whole "What did he do to us!?" feeling

> that I got the first time I played through Chapter 1 of BG2. Keep it up!

> I'm looking forward to the next part.

Well, I'm playing it through again to refresh my memory of the details, because I don't trust my memory, and walkthroughs don't include a lot of stuff that we would care about here. They just include gameplay issues. But yeah, the first time through I was wondering 'just who is this weirdo, anyway?'

> Ha! Wish I could make the same promise. Gag. Oh well.

*g* Hey, everyone does things at their own pace. There are parts of the game I will go into with a lot more detail, but Jon-boy's dungeon is not exactly one of my favorites either. If it weren't for the Khalid part, I would have done like a lot of people and started it when Irenicus snatched Imoen.

> Wow. He's an aggressive one.

> Here's to aggression. I'm sure a lot of people who read the dryad

> dialogues would've liked to do the same.

> -Nyx

It was one of those things in the game that screamed in big letters 'your captor is not a nice guy'. It definitely kept me from being overly sympathetic later in the game when the stuff with the elves came out.

> Wow. That was really emotive and extremely well written. Your new series

> is shaping itself already, and you've only just started! I like the way

> you are establishing Jarran's character.

Let's just say he's a guy very much in touch with his emotions.

> Argh! It's so depressing, but it wouldn't suprise me if Irenicus *had*

> done such things to her. Irenicus always seems overly familiar when he's

> talking to or discussing Imoen, and I always got the impression from the

> dryads that he was using them for pleasure. I'm glad that you drew this

> out, its a hard theme to deal with, but I'm glad that addressed it.

Well, the dryads refer to themselves as concubines. That can have several meanings, depending on the culture, ranging from slave to low-level wife, but they all include sex. So if they refered to themselves as such, well to me there was no doubt that Irenicus was using them that way.

As for Imoen, the game left it vague and I decided I preferred to do the same. But I agree that Irenicus had a weird possessiveness about Imoen, like she belonged to him in a way that the PC didn't. Very, very creepy. I haven't decided yet if Imoen will remember enough to be sure later in the series. We'll see.

> This image is so endearing, but frightening to. Gosh, it's hard to imagine

> Minsc afraid because someone else has gone into a berserk state. I don't

> know how Jaheira is going to be able to resist Jarran!

Well, it wasn't a true berserker fit like Minsc has, it was more pure temper. A real berserker can't control himself and will even attack friends when they are in a fit. I pictured Minsc as being not so much frightened by the violence, but by the 'why'. He knows that Imoen is sad, but I didn't think why she was sad would sink in, especially since it was never said straight out. So he is having trouble understanding why Jarran would freak out.

> Jarran took a deep breath. "The dryads said they were his concubines,

> that he used them to try to recapture his emotions. They asked you if he

> had touched you like he touched them. Did they mean...." His mouth

> went dry, and he couldn't continue.

> "I don't know. I'm not sure if he..." she whispered as she hid

> her face in her hands.

> Jarran's heart sank. It wasn't the resounding denial he had prayed for.

> "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. The others are

> waiting, we can go on."

Ack! This part is just so heartbreaking! Poor Imoen:(

> When Imoen and Jaheira returned, they were greeted by the sight of a room

> that looked like a whirlwind had destroyed it. Minsc was backed against

> the wall, eyes wide as he held Boo tightly to his chest. The women then

> turned their gaze to Jarran. With tears streaming down his face, he was

> hysterically hacking Irenicus' bed to pieces.

Attacking Irenicus' belongings when he can't reach the bastard himself. Very believable reaction I think.

As usual, it's great. Cool you made Jarran a skald, btw. They rock!

S_G

> Let's just say he's a guy very much in touch with his emotions.

Is that a bad thing?

> As for Imoen, the game left it vague and I decided I preferred to do the

> same. But I agree that Irenicus had a weird possessiveness about Imoen,

> like she belonged to him in a way that the PC didn't. Very, very creepy. I

> haven't decided yet if Imoen will remember enough to be sure later in the

> series. We'll see.

Ok, first: eeeewwww. Second: You, missy, just gave me an idea!! Well... I got it from another story... IIRC Flarn's. But whatever. All I know is that if I did write it, Ryan would kill me

> Ok, first: eeeewwww. Second: You, missy, just gave me an idea!! Well... I

> got it from another story... IIRC Flarn's. But whatever. All I know is

> that if I did write it, Ryan would kill me

Well, if you do write it, I just hope Ryan doesn't come after me and Flarn for inspiring it after he's done with you!

> Ack! This part is just so heartbreaking! Poor Imoen:(

Poor Imoen indeed! The poor thing is a whipping girl through the whole game.

> Attacking Irenicus' belongings when he can't reach the bastard himself.

> Very believable reaction I think.

Well, it would have been aggravated by the fact that they were in his bedroom. I'm sure a lot of ugly thoughts were in Jarran's head while he was hacking up that bed.

> As usual, it's great. Cool you made Jarran a skald, btw. They rock!

> S_G

They did seem to have some fun potential. I've never played a bard before, so I thought I would give it a try.

> Well, the dryads refer to themselves as concubines. That can have several

> meanings, depending on the culture, ranging from slave to low-level wife,

> but they all include sex. So if they refered to themselves as such, well

> to me there was no doubt that Irenicus was using them that way.

But why go to the trouble of geting dryads? That was my first clue that something was very wrong with this guy's ability to feel emotion, because that's what dryads do: create emotion in their victims, typically lust/love. Which was the line of thinking that took me to my next conclusion....

> As for Imoen, the game left it vague and I decided I preferred to do the

> same.

I remember hitting that dialog and thinking the dryads meant imprisonment/experimentation. It never crossed my mind they might have been talking about Irenicus using Imoen for sex, because I immediately took "Your charms don't work on him anymore" to mean he couldn't.

> I pictured Minsc as being not so much frightened by the violence, but by

> the 'why'. He knows that Imoen is sad, but I didn't think why she was sad

> would sink in, especially since it was never said straight out. So he is

> having trouble understanding why Jarran would freak out.

Especially when Jarran goes berserk just to attack furniture. All the effort that goes into triggering a berserk, and the exhaustion that follows, is wasted on a bed.

> Ok, first: eeeewwww. Second: You, missy, just gave me an idea!! Well... I

> got it from another story... IIRC Flarn's. But whatever. All I know is

> that if I did write it, Ryan would kill me

*Jeala steps between Ryan and Lara*

Go ahead, Lara. It wouldn't be the first time she's stood between someone and a paladin with murder in his eyes.

> *Jeala steps between Ryan and Lara*

> Go ahead, Lara. It wouldn't be the first time she's stood between someone

> and a paladin with murder in his eyes.

*sigh* Hehe, well, I actually don't have much of an idea for it, just that one thing. plus, it's not something I write about. If someone else needs an idea you can have it... I got enough on my hands

> But why go to the trouble of geting dryads? That was my first clue that

> something was very wrong with this guy's ability to feel emotion, because

> that's what dryads do: create emotion in their victims, typically

> lust/love. Which was the line of thinking that took me to my next

> conclusion....

> I remember hitting that dialog and thinking the dryads meant

> imprisonment/experimentation. It never crossed my mind they might have

> been talking about Irenicus using Imoen for sex, because I immediately

> took "Your charms don't work on him anymore" to mean he

> couldn't.

Well, maybe I had a nastier mind, because that same line made me think if Imoen knew that, it might mean he had moved on to trying other things, like say, a Bhaalspawn instead of dryads. One of Irenicus' major cracks seemed to be that he thought that Bhaalspawn could do whatever they wanted since they were half-gods, and that was why he was so obsessed with them. It didn't seem impossible that he might have thought Imoen could do what the dryads couldn't. Of course, at that point in the game we don't know she is, but there was just something very creepy about that scene that raised my internal weirdness radar and gave me a big 'Hmmmmm'. That was when I started suspected there was something a bit different about Imoen if Irenicus was paying her such special attention.

> Well, maybe I had a nastier mind, because that same line made me think if

> Imoen knew that, it might mean he had moved on to trying other things,

> like say, a Bhaalspawn instead of dryads.

The question of just how Imoen knew that never really wormed its way into my forebrain. He'd apparently made her watch a number of different activities....

> It didn't seem impossible that he might have

> thought Imoen could do what the dryads couldn't.

Of course, the image of him making the attempt, and Imoen proving of no more use than the dryads, is now dancing through my head.

*shaking head violently in an attempt to clear that out*

> Of course, at that point in the game we don't know

> she is, but there was just something very creepy about that scene that

> raised my internal weirdness radar and gave me a big 'Hmmmmm'. That was

> when I started suspected there was something a bit different about Imoen

> if Irenicus was paying her such special attention.

Everything about that dungeon creeped me out, and, to be honest, I never thought of Imoen's ordeal as special attention. Not once I heard Minsc talk about Dynaheir's death, anyway. It was more like "First Dynaheir, now Imoen, and oh, he'll get to Jaheira after Imoen's too broken to play with. Oh, yeah, he probably knows Imoen and the PC grew up together, so I wonder how he planned to use Imoen's suffering against the PC."

Before we were out of the first room, I already had him pegged as "casually brutal", and any other revelations simply got filed under that heading.

Very good stuff, Silrana, this and the last part (finally getting around to it). I like what you're doing with Imoen, a lot. Now to find out what Jaheira had in mind.

> *sigh* Hehe, well, I actually don't have much of an idea for it, just that

> one thing. plus, it's not something I write about. If someone else needs

> an idea you can have it... I got enough on my hands

What's this? A dark idea for a story with Imoen and Irenicus? Already tried it... heh *is too slow a writer* It's definitely my cup of tea, though.

Sally

> Well, we're nearing the end of level one of the dungeon. I promise I have

> no intention of taking forever to get out of this part of the game.

Wouldn't mind if you did, I'm enjoying this so much. Actually, maybe enjoying is the wrong word - "finding quite disturbing, but in a really good way" might be more appropriate

My memory's probably failing me here, but I think this is the first story I've seen here to directly address the Irenicus/Imoen issue, instead of making allusions. Very well handled, especially Jarran's burst of rage at the end, definitely believable behaviour.

Irenicus always seemed to have a bizarre obsession with Imoen. My theory is it was maybe something to do with her axed story line, like her bizarre behaviour in the first dungeon. I remember thinking "Uh-oh, she's gonna lose it" - which was probably the effect they originally wanted to create, if she was supposed to become the Ravager. Irenicus being obsessed with her would make sense in that context (wanting to turn her into something else), but since the plotline was cut, the fascination becomes even more sordid and disturbing.

Ramble over. Keep the good work going...and I'm still dreading the Khalid scene!

> Ok, first: eeeewwww. Second: You, missy, just gave me an idea!! Well... I

> got it from another story... IIRC Flarn's. But whatever. All I know is

> that if I did write it, Ryan would kill me

*sighes*

*Takes out bottle of red ink and uses quill to cross out another fragment from story outline.*