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All That Glitters...36


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#1 Guest_Tenebrous_*

Posted 21 July 2003 - 01:31 AM

After a long hiatus, it returns!

Picking up right where I left off, so if you have 1) no idea at all what I'm writing about, 2) completely forgotten about what happened in the previous chapters, or 3) just want to read the other chapters again, go to my section in the Cellar under Novellas. All previous 35 chapters are up (in a marathon of reformatting, wherein I cursed my frequent use of italics many times).

 

Chapter Thirty-Six


The next morning dawned with success on Yoshimo's part. Taras' tower stood in the city's Gem District, a heavily mercantile district of Athkatla, and a talkative merchant who kept him well supplied with Saerloonian firewine let his name slip after a few rounds of ale at a dockside tavern. From there it hadn't been hard to get directions.

The party had arrived at the tower prepared for a long fight. Wizards, especially ones who could afford towers, were no easy marks. Plus, they'd have to fight their way up a trap- and creature-filled tower while they were at it.

One look, however, dispelled those expectations. Taras' door lay blasted open, scorch marks all over the doorframe, the heavy iron door itself hanging by a hinge off to one side. Protective spells were cast anyway, and Kal still half-expected a magical trap to fire off as soon as he passed through the door, but there was nothing.

No traps, that was to say. The first floor was covered in shattered furniture, half-burned and splintered. The corpses of summoned creatures lay everywhere, and dried blood - all black now, though it had probably been several different colours before - crusted the ground. Black marks attested to the passage of fire and lightning, spotting the walls and floor in a chaotic mosaic.

"Quite a battle was fought here," Jaheira observed.

"And it looks like Taras lost," Kal said.

They hurried up the stairs, and the second floor was no better than the first. The second floor had held bookshelves and comfortable chairs, a receiving room for honoured guests, but was just as much a blasted ruin as the first floor. Shards of expensive serving ware littered the ground. Blood which hadn't yet fully dried soaked the expensive carpet to a uniform rust-red colour, and the stench of burned flesh hung in the air. The charred ruins of the bookshelves attested to the fire's scope, and the half-melted stones of the tower walls attested to its intensity.

"Quite a battle, indeed," Yoshimo murmured.

They found Taras on the top floor. What was left of him, anyway. Below his midriff, Taras' body was a frayed mass of tangled, bloody flesh, mixed with the blasted remains of his garments. He lay still and silent in the middle of his room, the most damaged of all of them. There was no recognizable furniture remaining in the room, and the walls were half-slagged down. Torch rings had melted into rust-red rivulets, trailing down the sides of the walls like streams of blood.

Everyone jumped when he drew a ragged breath.

His eyes flickered open, and he caught sight of Haer'Dalis. Taras coughed. "Ah, yes...the tiefling bard," he rasped.

Haer'Dalis knelt down beside him. "I came to kill you with my own hand," he said bluntly.

The mangled wizard raised an eyebrow weakly. "I can...hardly stop you. But...I would have your forgiveness, first, if you would....and I would warn you, as well...."

"What was this all for?" Haer'Dalis asked softly.

"They...they wanted my daughter. Took...her." Taras shook his head. "I am...sorry, sir tiefling. I am sorry that...I summoned you, and...and made you fight for me. I am sorry that...so many others died...for my daughter's sake. I am sorry...but I do not regret it. I...would do it again...without hesitation." Taras coughed, a wet-sounding cough, but there was little blood left in his body to cough out.

"But what you did was wrong!" Aerie burst out.

"Wrong and right...weren't part of it," Taras gasped. "I was a father...defending his family...there is no wrong or right...only what must be done. My only regret is...that it caused you...injury."

Haer'Dalis nodded seriously. "Aye. No man in all the Planes possessed of sound mind could fault you. Consider yourself...forgiven."

The dying man managed a weak nod. "Thank...you. And I must warn you...Athkatla is not...safe. They will find it...sooner or later. Leave the city!" A long, heaving cough. "As my apology to you...heed this warning...and save yourselves."

"Who is they? And what are they looking for?" Kal asked quickly. Taras didn't have long to live.

"I know not...who they are. They possess power enough...to deal with the likes of you...and when they find it they will not be stopped...not by all of the Cowled Wizards and knights in all of Amn...not by anyone...."

"But what are they looking for?" Jaheira demanded.

"Power, of course...what other goal do men have? Power...beyond dreams of power." Taras' eyes were glazing over as death fought to take him, but he stubbornly resisted for as long as he could. "They...told me this, as I lay here. One night..." he began, and gasped, the rattle of death growing ever louder. "One night...a radiant star rose toward the sky. A hand struck it... and it tumbled back down...a rain of sparkling jewels. They seek...the missing..."

His voice broke off, and Taras' last breath hissed out of his ruined body. The wizard's expression slackened, and his head rolled back on to the floor. Haer'Dalis respectfully closed Taras' eyes. Then, he rose to his feet, holding the crumpled shell of what had been a mighty wizard in his arms. "Come. We should find some place to lay him to rest."

"You were seeking his death ten minutes ago," Viconia commented.

"Yes," Haer'Dalis said in an untroubled tone. "And he is dead."

"So...so you're just going to...bury him?" Aerie asked.

"Yes," Haer'Dalis said, again. "I forgave him. ‘Tis something that many say is a good quality of Doomguard - we forgive easily. What does it matter, in the End? And in his position...I cannot say that I would do anything less. Now...let us find a place somewhere...preferably in a forest."

"Only so that the trees can use the nutrients of his body, of course," Jaheira said.

Haer'Dalis inclined his head. "If that is what you wish to believe." And with that, he started down the stairs.





They buried Taras outside Athkatla, in a small forest grove. No one said a word until they were well on their way back to the city. Kal was thinking, deeply, on the subject of Taras' enigmatic riddle.

"I cannot think of anything, either," Haer'Dalis said.

"Huh? Was I...?" Kal said.

Haer'Dalis smiled. "I knew of what you were thinking. The riddle makes no sense to me, though it may be my unfamiliarity with your Prime world that is the cause."

"I am surprised," Jaheira said. "You do not appear to be heeding his warning and leaving the city."

Haer'Dalis shrugged. "We cannot. After all, the path to rescuing Kalvorin's sister lies in this city, does it not?"

"Do you really care about that?" Jaheira asked.

"Why, such are how epic tales are begun. I shall not absent myself from it. And if the city should fall? When it is time for me, then it is time. I do not presume to tell Entropy how to go about its work."

"Hmph." Jaheira turned away.

Kal eventually decided that dropping everything and trying to solve Taras' puzzle was pointless, and it distracted them from other things that needed doing. Such as delivering the illithium to Jerlia, which they proceeded to do.

Jerlia wasn't happy. That wasn't to say that she was unhappy, but she found dealing with the thousand pounds of illithium that had suddenly been delivered rather overwhelming. "Well," she murmured, half to herself, "my cut was fifty. I think Galorg was intending to take four hundred fifty down to Calimport, and the remaining five of my colleagues were to take a hundred each. So there's five hundred pounds unclaimed, if you want it. I can arrange for the remaining four-fifty to get down to Calimport and into the right hands, so don't worry about that."

"Right. I think what's important is making sure that the families of your five colleagues are looked after," Kal said.

Jerlia nodded. "Well...three of them didn't have any family to speak of, but these two did," she said, pointing out two names on the list she had originally given the party.

"We need money to save Imoen, if you recall," Jaheira warned.

"I wasn't intending to use our money. I was just going to let the Helmite church know how it was that they ended up with enough illithium for Sarles. It's not quite my responsibility, but it certainly can be one that they can assume."

"But what are we going to do with five hundred pounds of this?" Aerie asked. "Sarles only wants two hundred."

"I'm sure Cromwell knows about something that can be done with it," Cel told her confidently. "Illithium is quasi-magic material, and better than even mithral in certain forms of construction."

The delivery of the illithium to the temple went off smoothly, and High Watcher Oisig promised to look after the families that Kal directed him to.

"One other thing," the High Watcher said. "Since you're here, I might as well inform you that the Order has finally assigned someone to the investigation of the cult of the Unseeing Eye. Is there a problem with you beginning tomorrow?"

"Not at all. We've more or less wrapped up everything we've needed to."

"Good. I'll see you here tomorrow, then."

"Certainly."

The party dropped off the remaining three hundred pounds of illithium at Cromwell's before they returned to the Flagons. Cromwell was quite surprised. "Illithium? Now this, this is rare. I get enough of everything else, but this is not something one sees every day."

"Anything you can do with it?" Cel asked.

"Well...not with what you've got currently. Check back here a few times, after you've recovered a few more things. Then we'll see."

Afterward, it was decided by mutual consent that the party should rest up for the day ahead. Haer'Dalis and Aerie headed for the playhouse again, dragging Minsc along once more. Kal dropped off Cel in his room and headed for the roof with Viconia to talk. This left Yoshimo and Jaheira.

They sat in silence for some time. Eventually, Jaheira asked, "Are you not going out to search once again? I had thought that the seedy establishments of drink were your natural habitat."

Yoshimo grinned. "What is there to search for? There is a clear and obvious goal before us, yes? And in my humble experience, eyeless people do not tend to frequent such establishments - and so I have no one to question."

Jaheira considered the words for a few moments, and, at length, shrugged. "Fair enough. What is it, then, that you do when you are not interrogating drunks?"

"Such bluntness of language," Yoshimo said in a faintly wounded tone. Then he grinned again. "I prefer to refer to my activities as the absorption of information from those too inebriated to have the sense to retain it. It carries a much more...pleasing tenor."

"Whatever you choose to call it," Jaheira said, shaking her head. "I am not one for pleasantries or flowery language. If interrogating drunks is what you do, that is what I will call it. I have no use for anything other than the blunt truth."

"So I have noticed. I mean not to pry, but is this the result of...recent events? It is truly a tragic fate for one to lose the appreciation of language. By this I speak not of my attempts at this language, which is in fact my third tongue, but anyone's. I have read some poetry since coming to this land, and some of it, I have found, can be quite enjoyable."

"You need not tiptoe around me so deftly, Yoshimo. No, Khalid's death has nothing to do with it," Jaheira said, finding she had to force the words out despite her statement. "I have always found all the beauty I need in nature, and never in any constructs of civilization."

Yoshimo nodded slowly. "Of which language is one. I see."

Jaheira seemed content to let the conversation die, but something struck her suddenly and she turned her gaze on Yoshimo again. "You speak sometimes of how you have come only recently to this part of the world. Was your profession the same in your homeland? I find tales of the lands of Kara-Tur lacking in descriptions of dockside taverns."

Yoshimo's eyes grew distant. "My profession was much different in my homeland. Much different, and...more enjoyable. I did not leave it willingly."

"I am sorry if I have ventured into forbidden ground," Jaheira said, noticing the expression on his face.

"No apology necessary, though I do not wish to discuss it. Everyone has...sensitive issues."

"I...suppose I agree."




One of those sensitive issues was, at that moment, being discussed on the rooftop.

"I...have considered your words carefully, Kal," Viconia said. "I...it is true that I have not been...not been particularly willing to understand. But it is true that...that Valas did see something of value other than power and...and I wish to learn of what it might have been." She sighed. "If only I had thought more about it while he was still...himself. While I still had that...relationship, to...to study. Or, at least...learn from."

"What was your relationship with Valas like?"

"When we were children..." she shrugged. "We talked. About many things. We would sneak around the house, tell each other stories."

"Did you...gain power by doing so?"

She rolled her eyes. "Do not be ridiculous."

"So weren't all those stories...useless?"

Viconia squirmed. "Well...yes, technically, I suppose."

"‘Technically'...well, there's an interesting qualifier."

"I know what you are trying to have me say," Viconia snapped. "Yes, they were ‘useless'...but I treasured them. Yes, and valued them. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"I think it's what you needed to hear," Kal replied. "You wanted to know what else there is in a relationship besides power...I think you know already. Friendship. Trust. Did you trust Valas?"

"Trust is for the foolish," she replied automatically.

"And that doesn't answer my question," Kal replied. "Did you trust him?"

"Yes..." she admitted grudgingly.

"Obviously, that was foolish...because he used that trust to betray you, right?"

"You are not humorous," Viconia said sourly.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I meant, he was going to betray you." Kal assumed a thoughtful pose. "Oh, but he sort of sacrificed himself to save your life first, didn't he?"

Viconia ground her teeth together. "Get to the point," she spat.

"Why don't you? Tell me why that trust was foolish. Oh, I grant you, some trust can be and will be foolish. But you're the one issuing the blanket statement - it's up to you."

"That is not important."

"I disagree. You brought up ‘trust is for the foolish'. So tell me why."

"It is because..." Viconia frowned. "Wait a moment."

"And if you're going to say that trust entails betrayal, well, that's only partially true. Yes, trusting allows one to be betrayed - but not everyone will betray their trust."

"In the Underdark...," Viconia began rebelliously.

"Where did you grow up with Valas? Some other Underdark?" Kal interrupted.

"Very...very well. I...I suppose there might be...exceptions. That it may occasionally be...harmless."

"Harmless, certainly. And something more, I should think. After all, there wasn't any reason for you to trust him, was there? Wasn't there something more to it? Or could you have stopped at any moment, without feeling anything?"

Viconia shifted uncomfortably again. "Well...no. There...there was value, there. I...it was a comfort, to be able to share stories with him, to...to trust him."

"So there you are. You didn't need him, and you don't need me, to tell you what value there is besides power. You already know. You just don't know the word for it. Tell me, what's the drow definition of trust?"

"The...condition which allows for betrayal," Viconia said.

"Not surprising. Well, let me teach you a different definition. Trust means having a friend you can talk to. Someone who can share your pains and sorrows, to make the burden of loss a little lighter. It's also having someone to share your successes, joys, and happiness with. It's a cold, dark, lonely world without trust. The drow think they like the darkness - but they've never seen what the light can do."

"Poetic but substanceless," Viconia sneered, though her expression was confused.

Kal shrugged. "Frilly, perhaps, but I know you're thinking about it."

"Perhaps," she allowed.

And that's as far as we're going today. Viconia likewise sensed that the conversation was at an end, and stood up to go inside without a word.

#2 Guest_Fantysm_*

Posted 21 July 2003 - 03:35 AM

Even though I still have to catch up, I liked this chapter very much. More please, Tenebrous!

#3 Guest_Tenebrous_*

Posted 21 July 2003 - 06:25 AM

Even though I still have to catch up, I liked this chapter very much. More please, Tenebrous!


Thanks! I'm really trying to put out chapters as fast as I can, but as many people know, I like to polish my work...a lot.

I'm polishing fast, though. Really!

#4 Guest_Theodur_*

Posted 21 July 2003 - 03:32 PM

Picking up right where I left off, so if you have 1) no idea at all what I'm writing about, 2) completely forgotten about what happened in the previous chapters, or 3) just want to read the other chapters again, go to my section in the Cellar under Novellas. All previous 35 chapters are up (in a marathon of reformatting, wherein I cursed my frequent use of italics many times).


Think, I've read them during my period of lurker-status, but I am currently refreshing my memory by reading them again. Enjoyable.

They found Taras on the top floor. What was left of him, anyway. Below his midriff, Taras' body was a frayed mass of tangled, bloody flesh, mixed with the blasted remains of his garments. He lay still and silent in the middle of his room, the most damaged of all of them. There was no recognizable furniture remaining in the room, and the walls were half-slagged down. Torch rings had melted into rust-red rivulets, trailing down the sides of the walls like streams of blood.


Yuck. Very vivid scenes of destruction... great descriptions.

"They...they wanted my daughter. Took...her." Taras shook his head. "I am...sorry, sir tiefling. I am sorry that...I summoned you, and...and made you fight for me. I am sorry that...so many others died...for my daughter's sake. I am sorry...but I do not regret it. I...would do it again...without hesitation." Taras coughed, a wet-sounding cough, but there was little blood left in his body to cough out.


"But what you did was wrong!" Aerie burst out.


Still living in that black and white world, eh?

Truly, your Aerie was and is incredibly annoying, even if it takes a superhuman effort to make her even worse than in the game. Well done! :?

"Power, of course...what other goal do men have? Power...beyond dreams of power." Taras' eyes were glazing over as death fought to take him, but he stubbornly resisted for as long as he could. "They...told me this, as I lay here. One night..." he began, and gasped, the rattle of death growing ever louder. "One night...a radiant star rose toward the sky. A hand struck it... and it tumbled back down...a rain of sparkling jewels. They seek...the missing..."


Wow... quite a mystery you're building...

His voice broke off, and Taras' last breath hissed out of his ruined body. The wizard's expression slackened, and his head rolled back on to the floor. Haer'Dalis respectfully closed Taras' eyes. Then, he rose to his feet, holding the crumpled shell of what had been a mighty wizard in his arms. "Come. We should find some place to lay him to rest."


"You were seeking his death ten minutes ago," Viconia commented.


"Yes," Haer'Dalis said in an untroubled tone. "And he is dead."


"So...so you're just going to...bury him?" Aerie asked.


Er... that's what you do with the dead, right?

Btw, for all I despise Haer, your version of him is pretty tolerable (that's a huge compliment from me :() - at least his manner of speach is not as filled with ornitological references as it was in the game, blergh. And of course, he serves a great purpose for Kal to set him up with Airhead!

"Yes," Haer'Dalis said, again. "I forgave him. ‘Tis something that many say is a good quality of Doomguard - we forgive easily. What does it matter, in the End? And in his position...I cannot say that I would do anything less. Now...let us find a place somewhere...preferably in a forest."


"Only so that the trees can use the nutrients of his body, of course," Jaheira said.


I love her practicality! :D

"Why, such are how epic tales are begun. I shall not absent myself from it. And if the city should fall? When it is time for me, then it is time. I do not presume to tell Entropy how to go about its work."


"Hmph." Jaheira turned away.


She would not think highly of Haer's phylosophy, responsibility seems to be a term that he simply does not use.

"One other thing," the High Watcher said. "Since you're here, I might as well inform you that the Order has finally assigned someone to the investigation of the cult of the Unseeing Eye. Is there a problem with you beginning tomorrow?"


Ah, I think I will enjoy Kal's interactions with Keldorn... I assume you will be pivking him up? Quite a large party... I guess someone will leave soon, then...

"Well...not with what you've got currently. Check back here a few times, after you've recovered a few more things. Then we'll see."


Doesn't Cel want a shiny illithium coating? :roll:

Afterward, it was decided by mutual consent that the party should rest up for the day ahead. Haer'Dalis and Aerie headed for the playhouse again, dragging Minsc along once more. Kal dropped off Cel in his room and headed for the roof with Viconia to talk. This left Yoshimo and Jaheira.


Hmmm.

"You need not tiptoe around me so deftly, Yoshimo. No, Khalid's death has nothing to do with it," Jaheira said, finding she had to force the words out despite her statement. "I have always found all the beauty I need in nature, and never in any constructs of civilization."


Well... actually I think of Jaheira as a remarkably wel-spoken woman, with a large vocabulary. After all, she is an ex-noble, has that elf blood and has that high wisdom... and when she speaks of nature, she gets really poetic, I think. But, yes - sometimes she speaks like a sailor... :(

"No apology necessary, though I do not wish to discuss it. Everyone has...sensitive issues."


"I...suppose I agree."


Um... it's not wise to form any deeper attachments to Yoshi... it will hurt :)

"I...have considered your words carefully, Kal," Viconia said. "I...it is true that I have not been...not been particularly willing to understand. But it is true that...that Valas did see something of value other than power and...and I wish to learn of what it might have been." She sighed. "If only I had thought more about it while he was still...himself. While I still had that...relationship, to...to study. Or, at least...learn from."


I like your Vicky. She isn't the sex-obsessed, power-hungry slut that she pretends to be... some of that is of course Kal's influence, but I seem to remember that she was pretty tame from the moment she rejoined the party. I like her better this way. :)

And that's as far as we're going today. Viconia likewise sensed that the conversation was at an end, and stood up to go inside without a word.


Interesting conversation. Now I suspect that Kal and Vic are going to be an item - I think the fact that Cel has chosen Jaheira might have pushed him the other way. *sigh* Vic is a good choice, though not my favorite... :)

*crosses fingers that Jae doesn't end up lonesome and miserable*

#5 Guest_Tenebrous_*

Posted 21 July 2003 - 05:25 PM

Yuck. Very vivid scenes of destruction... great descriptions.


Thanks. I've been working on that. Previously, I was a little light on "visuals", so to speak, and I'm trying to increase that.

Truly, your Aerie was and is incredibly annoying, even if it takes a superhuman effort to make her even worse than in the game. Well done! :)


Well, I wasn't trying to present her as annoying, exactly, although she is that.

Wow... quite a mystery you're building...


Just tying up some loose threads.

Btw, for all I despise Haer, your version of him is pretty tolerable (that's a huge compliment from me :?) - at least his manner of speach is not as filled with ornitological references as it was in the game, blergh. And of course, he serves a great purpose for Kal to set him up with Airhead!


I'm glad you find this Haer'Dalis at least tolerable. I, myself, like him a lot, but feel that the game shortchanged him of just about all significant dialogue, with the result that he comes off as shallow. He's not, having put significant thought into his faction allegiance, but that only appears in cursory references throughout the game.

I love her practicality! :D


It's not her practicality. The comment's a jab at Haer'Dalis (and the Doomguard), because Jaheira still doesn't believe that Haer'Dalis can respect anyone, or rather, do anything out of any reason other than to further decay.

Ah, I think I will enjoy Kal's interactions with Keldorn... I assume you will be pivking him up? Quite a large party... I guess someone will leave soon, then...


I'm taking a Silranaish approach. Nearly everyone will find themselves in the party at one time or another, so yes, Keldorn will be picked up. As for someone leaving soon, you have no idea how right you are. Not that I feel particularly limited to the six-person rule; the party's been seven for the last ten chapters or so. It's just that making sure each person is present and significant is so much harder with more than about seven characters.

Doesn't Cel want a shiny illithium coating? :roll:


Hah! She's got all she can get. Magic weapons, even artifact-level ones, have their limits.

...and it occurs to me that I never released Cel's in-game stats after her upgrade. Oh well.

I like your Vicky. She isn't the sex-obsessed, power-hungry slut that she pretends to be... some of that is of course Kal's influence, but I seem to remember that she was pretty tame from the moment she rejoined the party. I like her better this way. :)


Quite frankly, the way she's written in BG2 is somewhat to very inconsistent with the idea of having met her in BG1 at all. Even though there were no banters in BG1, you can't assume there was no character development, and therefore you can't assume that she gets "reset" at the beginning of BG2. The way I wrote her, she was already struggling with the whole idea of living just for power (hence, no need for Kal to talk her down from it like in the romance dialogues), and that's been going on for a good thirty chapters.

Interesting conversation. Now I suspect that Kal and Vic are going to be an item - I think the fact that Cel has chosen Jaheira might have pushed him the other way. *sigh* Vic is a good choice, though not my favorite... :)

*crosses fingers that Jae doesn't end up lonesome and miserable*


I'm not saying a thing. Except, I'm going to point out that I'm not particularly addicted to happy endings.

#6 Guest_Oryx_*

Posted 22 July 2003 - 03:03 AM

After a long hiatus, it returns!


Glad to see you back! Well, I'm not a good one to say that, since I myself just took a 5-odd week hiatus that is supposedly now ending.

Picking up right where I left off, so if you have 1) no idea at all what I'm writing about, 2) completely forgotten about what happened in the previous chapters, or 3) just want to read the other chapters again, go to my section in the Cellar under Novellas. All previous 35 chapters are up (in a marathon of reformatting, wherein I cursed my frequent use of italics many times).


Ah yes. Actually, I think I remember where things were fairly well. So Kal's also a musican and writer? Don't suppose we'll be treated to him performing something for in-and-out-of-story audiences at some point?

 


Chapter Thirty-Six



"Quite a battle was fought here," Jaheira observed.


Ya think?

They found Taras on the top floor. What was left of him, anyway. Below his midriff, Taras' body was a frayed mass of tangled, bloody flesh, mixed with the blasted remains of his garments. He lay still and silent in the middle of his room, the most damaged of all of them. There was no recognizable furniture remaining in the room, and the walls were half-slagged down. Torch rings had melted into rust-red rivulets, trailing down the sides of the walls like streams of blood.


Lovely.

Everyone jumped when he drew a ragged breath.


It's ALIVE!

His eyes flickered open, and he caught sight of Haer'Dalis. Taras coughed. "Ah, yes...the tiefling bard," he rasped.


Haer'Dalis knelt down beside him. "I came to kill you with my own hand," he said bluntly.


Heh.

The mangled wizard raised an eyebrow weakly. "I can...hardly stop you. But...I would have your forgiveness, first, if you would....and I would warn you, as well...."


"What was this all for?" Haer'Dalis asked softly.


"They...they wanted my daughter. Took...her." Taras shook his head. "I am...sorry, sir tiefling. I am sorry that...I summoned you, and...and made you fight for me. I am sorry that...so many others died...for my daughter's sake. I am sorry...but I do not regret it. I...would do it again...without hesitation." Taras coughed, a wet-sounding cough, but there was little blood left in his body to cough out.


Interesting plot.

"But what you did was wrong!" Aerie burst out.


Yep.

"Wrong and right...weren't part of it," Taras gasped. "I was a father...defending his family...there is no wrong or right...only what must be done. My only regret is...that it caused you...injury."


Or as the Keymaker says, "We all do what we must."

"I know not...who they are. They possess power enough...to deal with the likes of you...and when they find it they will not be stopped...not by all of the Cowled Wizards and knights in all of Amn...not by anyone...."


haw haw

"But what are they looking for?" Jaheira demanded.


"Power, of course...what other goal do men have? Power...beyond dreams of power." Taras' eyes were glazing over as death fought to take him, but he stubbornly resisted for as long as he could. "They...told me this, as I lay here. One night..." he began, and gasped, the rattle of death growing ever louder. "One night...a radiant star rose toward the sky. A hand struck it... and it tumbled back down...a rain of sparkling jewels. They seek...the missing..."


*thinks*

His voice broke off, and Taras' last breath hissed out of his ruined body. The wizard's expression slackened, and his head rolled back on to the floor. Haer'Dalis respectfully closed Taras' eyes. Then, he rose to his feet, holding the crumpled shell of what had been a mighty wizard in his arms. "Come. We should find some place to lay him to rest."


Wow. I wouldn't have thought Haer had it in him.

"You were seeking his death ten minutes ago," Viconia commented.


"Yes," Haer'Dalis said in an untroubled tone. "And he is dead."


Nice.

"So...so you're just going to...bury him?" Aerie asked.


"Yes," Haer'Dalis said, again. "I forgave him. ‘Tis something that many say is a good quality of Doomguard - we forgive easily. What does it matter, in the End? And in his position...I cannot say that I would do anything less. Now...let us find a place somewhere...preferably in a forest."


"Only so that the trees can use the nutrients of his body, of course," Jaheira said.


heehee

Haer'Dalis inclined his head. "If that is what you wish to believe." And with that, he started down the stairs.







They buried Taras outside Athkatla, in a small forest grove. No one said a word until they were well on their way back to the city. Kal was thinking, deeply, on the subject of Taras' enigmatic riddle.


That's nice. A peaceful ending.

"Right. I think what's important is making sure that the families of your five colleagues are looked after," Kal said.


...and philanthropist.

"I'm sure Cromwell knows about something that can be done with it," Cel told her confidently. "Illithium is quasi-magic material, and better than even mithral in certain forms of construction."


Yay! Custom items!

"You need not tiptoe around me so deftly, Yoshimo. No, Khalid's death has nothing to do with it," Jaheira said, finding she had to force the words out despite her statement. "I have always found all the beauty I need in nature, and never in any constructs of civilization."


Yoshimo nodded slowly. "Of which language is one. I see."


nice

One of those sensitive issues was, at that moment, being discussed on the rooftop.


heehee...nice prose

"Why don't you? Tell me why that trust was foolish. Oh, I grant you, some trust can be and will be foolish. But you're the one issuing the blanket statement - it's up to you."


Excellent.

"The...condition which allows for betrayal," Viconia said.


Aw, you can be betrayed by people you don't already trust! And if you can't, then it's pure semantics of the word 'betrayal.' People you don't trust can still surprise you in negative ways.

"Not surprising. Well, let me teach you a different definition. Trust means having a friend you can talk to. Someone who can share your pains and sorrows, to make the burden of loss a little lighter. It's also having someone to share your successes, joys, and happiness with. It's a cold, dark, lonely world without trust. The drow think they like the darkness - but they've never seen what the light can do."


They're 'in the dark', so to speak.

And that's as far as we're going today. Viconia likewise sensed that the conversation was at an end, and stood up to go inside without a word.


Nice chapter.

#7 Guest_Tenebrous_*

Posted 22 July 2003 - 03:49 AM

Ah yes. Actually, I think I remember where things were fairly well. So Kal's also a musican and writer? Don't suppose we'll be treated to him performing something for in-and-out-of-story audiences at some point?


Chapter eleven or so revealed that he played the piano. As to whether you'll see him performing, well, I really don't know.

*thinks*


Just like a lot of people, I'd imagine :roll: It doesn't make sense right away.

Wow. I wouldn't have thought Haer had it in him.


Neither does Jaheira, but my point here is that he still retains his basic, well, that quality which we have labeled "humanity" (though Haer is not human).

Aw, you can be betrayed by people you don't already trust! And if you can't, then it's pure semantics of the word 'betrayal.' People you don't trust can still surprise you in negative ways.


Yeah. The drow aren't big fans of defining the word trust in a way that gives it any possible chance of being considered a good thing.

Naturally, Viconia realizes this. She's too smart not to. Which is one among many reasons why she's slowly changing.

#8 Laufey

Posted 22 July 2003 - 05:02 PM

After a long hiatus, it returns!


Picking up right where I left off, so if you have 1) no idea at all what I'm writing about, 2) completely forgotten about what happened in the previous chapters, or 3) just want to read the other chapters again, go to my section in the Cellar under Novellas. All previous 35 chapters are up (in a marathon of reformatting, wherein I cursed my frequent use of italics many times).


Welcome back! :D And boy, do I ever know what you mean about italics... :P


No traps, that was to say. The first floor was covered in shattered furniture, half-burned and splintered. The corpses of summoned creatures lay everywhere, and dried blood - all black now, though it had probably been several different colours before - crusted the ground. Black marks attested to the passage of fire and lightning, spotting the walls and floor in a chaotic mosaic.


Gruesome, and a nicely detailed description here!


They found Taras on the top floor. What was left of him, anyway. Below his midriff, Taras' body was a frayed mass of tangled, bloody flesh, mixed with the blasted remains of his garments. He lay still and silent in the middle of his room, the most damaged of all of them. There was no recognizable furniture remaining in the room, and the walls were half-slagged down. Torch rings had melted into rust-red rivulets, trailing down the sides of the walls like streams of blood.


Everyone jumped when he drew a ragged breath.


I'm pretty surprised myself...


"Yes," Haer'Dalis said, again. "I forgave him. ‘Tis something that many say is a good quality of Doomguard - we forgive easily. What does it matter, in the End? And in his position...I cannot say that I would do anything less. Now...let us find a place somewhere...preferably in a forest."


"Only so that the trees can use the nutrients of his body, of course," Jaheira said.


Haer'Dalis inclined his head. "If that is what you wish to believe." And with that, he started down the stairs.


I liked this little exchange, I enjoy seeing the characters exchange philosophies.


"I...have considered your words carefully, Kal," Viconia said. "I...it is true that I have not been...not been particularly willing to understand. But it is true that...that Valas did see something of value other than power and...and I wish to learn of what it might have been." She sighed. "If only I had thought more about it while he was still...himself. While I still had that...relationship, to...to study. Or, at least...learn from."


And I loved the chat between Viconia and Kal. He is a very wise man indeed, and he did a fine job of making her come to her own conclusions about things. :D
Rogues do it from behind.

#9 Guest_Hunter_*

Posted 22 July 2003 - 05:18 PM

[quote]After a long hiatus, it returns!
[/quote]

[quote]
Picking up right where I left off, so if you have 1) no idea at all what I'm writing about, 2) completely forgotten about what happened in the previous chapters,

I remember, in the last chapter kal was arguing with cel because she was trying to make him pay more attention to jaheira, and ignore viconia.

[quote]
"Quite a battle was fought here," Jaheira observed.
[/quote]

Quite obvious.

[quote]
They found Taras on the top floor. What was left of him, anyway. Below his midriff, Taras' body was a frayed mass of tangled, bloody flesh, mixed with the blasted remains of his garments. He lay still and silent in the middle of his room, the most damaged of all of them. There was no recognizable furniture remaining in the room, and the walls were half-slagged down. Torch rings had melted into rust-red rivulets, trailing down the sides of the walls like streams of blood.
[/quote]

seems like he wen't down fighting.

[quote]
Everyone jumped when he drew a ragged breath.
[/quote]

What?

[quote]
His eyes flickered open, and he caught sight of Haer'Dalis. Taras coughed. "Ah, yes...the tiefling bard," he rasped.
[/quote]

he's not dead?

[quote]
Jaheira considered the words for a few moments, and, at length, shrugged. "Fair enough. What is it, then, that you do when you are not interrogating drunks?"
[/quote]

"liberating" their money perhaps.

[quote]
"I...have considered your words carefully, Kal," Viconia said. "I...it is true that I have not been...not been particularly willing to understand. But it is true that...that Valas did see something of value other than power and...and I wish to learn of what it might have been." She sighed. "If only I had thought more about it while he was still...himself. While I still had that...relationship, to...to study. Or, at least...learn from."
[/quote]

Poor woman.

[quote]
"I know what you are trying to have me say," Viconia snapped. "Yes, they were ‘useless'...but I treasured them. Yes, and valued them. Is that what you wanted to hear?"
[/quote]

He can be a little annoying sometimes.

[quote]
"I think it's what you needed to hear," Kal replied. "You wanted to know what else there is in a relationship besides power...I think you know already. Friendship. Trust. Did you trust Valas?"
[/quote]

[quote]
"Trust is for the foolish," she replied automatically.
[/quote]

She has an answering machine built into her brain.

[quote]
"Obviously, that was foolish...because he used that trust to betray you, right?"
[/quote]

He's taking it a bit too far.

[quote]
And that's as far as we're going today. Viconia likewise sensed that the conversation was at an end, and stood up to go inside without a word.[/quote]

good story

Hunter

#10 Guest_Dorotea_*

Posted 22 July 2003 - 05:25 PM

I am soo glad you are back. And I quite enjoyed the whloe Haer-Dalis missing quest story and the 'intelligent' Viconia romance. Now, that is the funny part - but I think she would appreciate logic more than emotions up to some point. Ah! Tis rare jewel when a man is speaking with his potential beau in this manner. :D

Cheers!

#11 Guest_Tenebrous_*

Posted 22 July 2003 - 06:32 PM

Welcome back! :twisted: And boy, do I ever know what you mean about italics... :wink:


What was really aggravating was that I've already retagged each of those chapters at least twice each already. Nothing like feeling repetitive. *sigh*

I liked this little exchange, I enjoy seeing the characters exchange philosophies.


Thanks. Just trying to get as much Haer'Dalis in as I can before the axe falls (figuratively).

And I loved the chat between Viconia and Kal. He is a very wise man indeed, and he did a fine job of making her come to her own conclusions about things. :twisted:


Kal's wise...for some things. For some other things, esp. Aerie, he's absolutely not.

As for this dialogue, I always wondered why Viconia had to be so stubborn and talked into just about everything. I always thought she was smart enough to come up with it on her own, given the right kind of prompting. And so....

#12 Guest_Tenebrous_*

Posted 22 July 2003 - 06:35 PM

I remember, in the last chapter kal was arguing with cel because she was trying to make him pay more attention to jaheira, and ignore viconia.


That was chapter 31. Close, but not quite :twisted:

he's not dead?


It can take a lot to kill some wizards. OTOH, he could have been deliberately not killed. Taras gave his unknown opponents quite the hard time, and a bit of revenge is almost never out of the question for people like them.

She has an answering machine built into her brain.


Quite. You hear this a lot in the Viconia dialogues, so I said, why not write it in?

Thanks for reading!

#13 Guest_Tenebrous_*

Posted 22 July 2003 - 06:46 PM

I am soo glad you are back. And I quite enjoyed the whloe Haer-Dalis missing quest story and the 'intelligent' Viconia romance. Now, that is the funny part - but I think she would appreciate logic more than emotions up to some point. Ah! Tis rare jewel when a man is speaking with his potential beau in this manner. :twisted:


How can you say you've enjoyed the whole Haer'Dalis missing quest story when I haven't even told you all of it yet? :twisted: There's much more to it, and to all the other things I've left dangling so far. Stay tuned.

As for the Viconia romance...what can I say? I like writing smart people. And it's true that Viconia can't connect on a purely emotional level...yet. The future holds many surprises. Mwa ha ha!

#14 Guest_Rose of Jericho_*

Posted 22 July 2003 - 11:31 PM

Looks like I have some catching up to do.

You have marvelous characterization with the NPCs. You've taken them from the game and added another dimension to them that makes them more lifelike. Haer'Dalis, for example, was spot-on, and very believable. Nice.

I've been lurking around this series for awhile and watched it progress. I can see that you're gaining more and more confidence as you go, because your writing flows. It's quite vivid, and grown more sophisticated since the first few chapters (hope you don't mind me saying so). Glad to see it continuing Kal's adventure.

Rose of Jericho

#15 Guest_Tenebrous_*

Posted 23 July 2003 - 02:00 AM

I've been lurking around this series for awhile and watched it progress. I can see that you're gaining more and more confidence as you go, because your writing flows. It's quite vivid, and grown more sophisticated since the first few chapters (hope you don't mind me saying so). Glad to see it continuing Kal's adventure.


Oh, I don't mind at all. While reformatting them to put them up in Novellas, I recently reread my early chapters and they do look decidedly weak. I actually wrote up a draft or three aimed at improving them, but it's rather too late now and the effort's better spent on new stuff. I'm glad you like the direction it's going. Thanks for reading!

#16 Red Viking

Posted 23 July 2003 - 08:51 AM

I've been following this story for awhile now. I was afraid that it had been discontinued! I'm glad that it's all archived so I don't have to hunt through past quizzes like I used to. :D

Anyway, I'm very fond of this story. The characterization is absolutely superb, especially Aerie's. Now, I take it from her portrayal that she's not your...favorite...party member of all time, but what I applaud you for is not completely bashing her character. Instead, you're portraying her in a way that I have never seen in any other fic, yet is totally believable and true to her in-game personality. I always found it strange that she was still portrayed as innocent after all she went through with the slavers and her wings, so it makes sense that this is just a facade to win over Kal. Her experience in the past would make anyone pity her. But it also makes her believe that she's entitled to whatever she wants. It's just like you said in a previous chapter: There's a big difference between being innocent and being naive. But she's both naive AND (slighty) jaded. Interesting combination. I really don't want to be in Kal's shoes when Aerie realizes she won't be getting her way.

And I have to admit, when I first found out that Kal was a half-dragon, I was worried that he would be another uninteresting, over-powered character who could destroy Ao in a blink of an eye. Boy, was I wrong. :D Sorry about that. Anyway, Kal is a surprisingly deep and philosophical character whom I enjoy very much. (I love stories that make me think.)

It also looks like Kal and Vic will be hooking up soon, which is a huge plus for me. Viconia is my favorite character aside from Minsc (and Boo). And I enjoy the intellectual route you're taking. Like you said, Viconia's not stupid. (Her wisdom is 18 for Pete's sake) And I'm very curious what you have in store since you mentioned that you don't like happy endings. Afterall, the Viconia romance did not have the "and they all lived happily ever after" ending, (Damn you, Lolth!) so it makes me wonder what else you have in store.

And I think I speak for everyone here when I say that Cel is the coolest talking sword ever. :lol:

#17 Guest_Tenebrous_*

Posted 23 July 2003 - 02:17 PM

I've been following this story for awhile now. I was afraid that it had been discontinued! I'm glad that it's all archived so I don't have to hunt through past quizzes like I used to. :lol:


Actually, it's been archived twice - once, just before we switched to the new Attic format, so it ended up on a page no one could access. Grrrrr.

Her experience in the past would make anyone pity her. But it also makes her believe that she's entitled to whatever she wants. It's just like you said in a previous chapter: There's a big difference between being innocent and being naive. But she's both naive AND (slighty) jaded. Interesting combination. I really don't want to be in Kal's shoes when Aerie realizes she won't be getting her way.


That comes...much, much later. But yes, I never wanted to "bash" Aerie, just show that she has problems that Kal frankly can't deal with. He cannot solve all the problems of the universe, and Aerie in particular is one of those.

Anyway, Kal is a surprisingly deep and philosophical character whom I enjoy very much. (I love stories that make me think.)


I like stories that make me think too, which is why I make an effort to write them.

And I'm very curious what you have in store since you mentioned that you don't like happy endings. Afterall, the Viconia romance did not have the "and they all lived happily ever after" ending, (Damn you, Lolth!) so it makes me wonder what else you have in store.


It's not that I don't like happy endings, it's just that I don't feel obligated to end everything happily, as my recent chapter of A Flower On the West Wind shows. There are a number of things which will have happy endings. It's just that a number of things...won't.

And I think I speak for everyone here when I say that Cel is the coolest talking sword ever. :)


Intelligent sword. At least, that's what Cel would say. If she were reading. ;)

#18 Guest_argan_*

Posted 27 July 2003 - 06:23 PM

Finally! :)

Great chapter




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