The second part of the original split up one. So it's relatively short again.
Talek and Imoen walked over the path between the graves that were dug all around the imposing temple before entering it.. Talek looked around, clearly ill at ease. Imoen was walking behind him, now and then giving him an encouraging word. The priest, an old man whose strict and rigid posture belied his friendly eyes and expression. As the two from Candlekeep reached him he bowed his head slightly in greeting. “Good evening intrepid adventurers. What aid do you seek from the Watcher?”
“The Watcher? Our guards in Candlekeep are called...” Talek sounded confused.
“He means Helm, orc-brain.” Imoen whispered behind him.
“Well, why doesn’t he say so?”
“It’s a title. Never mind, just tell him of your problem.”
Talek nodded and turned to the priest. “I wonder if I’m nuts.”
Imoen slapped her forehead. The priest blinked. “I’m... sure we all have times like that.” he said carefully.
“Talek... do you mind if I explain?”
“Huh? No, go ahead.”
“Right.. euh... how to explain? Me, I’m Imoen by the way, and my friend Talek here have just been adventurers for a really short time and Talek has discovered he has a problem. Well... he had it for a while but it’s gotten worse.”
The priest nodded. “The life of an adventurer can do that.”
“See... the thing is... he isn’t evil. He really isn’t. A few days ago he had never killed anyone. But he...” She swallowed. “he...”
“I enjoy killing people.” Talek took over. “I don’t know how or why, but every time I killed someone, a human that is... it feels wonderful.” He inspected the priest’s face.
The priest’s eyes widened. “C...could it be? Boy, your sword? Where have you got it?
Talek looked in surprise as he answered. “This? The corpse of some Flaming Fist.”
“TALEK!” Imoen said in a panic. “This... this isn’t what it sounds like. He was being a totally unreasonable jerk and he thought we were bandits and...”
“Don’t worry child. The Flaming Fist are as known for being violent and arbitrary as much as our own Amnian braves are known for being lazy and corrupt.” He sighed. “Besides, with our countries heading towards war I don’t think the vice-commander would be very impressed with that even if I told him. I just wondered if the sword has anything to do with your little problem. We’ve had our own problem with the commander of the garrison going on a murderous rampage. He recently got a new sword and I thought this might have been some plot to hand out cursed swords.”
“Nah, the sword doesn’t have anything to do with it. It was like that before I got it.” Talek said.
“Hmm... perhaps if you... describe me this ’wonderful’ feeling?” Talek looked uncomfortable “Don’t worry. I’m not easily shocked. I lived in the City of Coin.”
Talek shrugged and started. “It’s like... for a very short moment, my blood is on fire. Or maybe like it’s boiling... something like that.”
“Sounds uncomfortable.”
“Yeah I guess.” Talek seemed lost in his description now. “But it feels... I don’t know... right. Like I was just being inactive before... like...” he looked at the sword in his belt. “Like I’m a sword that’s being used as a plowchair and finally gets put to use like it’s supposed to be. Like all the time I’m not killing I’m not actually... really... living I guess. Something like that.” He concluded.
The priest nodded solemnly. “I see why that would be a cause for worry. You have done the right thing in coming here.”
“So...” Imoen said worriedly “Do you have any idea what could be the cause of it?”
The cleric shook his head. “I can make some predictions, but these days there are many, many ways man can be twisted.” He frowned. “Evil spells, cursed items, punishments from dark gods, unnatural diseases and of course, plain old insanity. Sometimes one wonders why the people who HAVE a mind that is unspoiled insist on twisting it themselves.” He shrugged. “But that’s neither here nor there. If you don’t mind I’d like to investigate your mind directly.”
“My mind...? You mean... you’d know what I was thinking? My memories and all and stuff?” Talek sounded worried.
“Yes. Don’t worry though. I won’t tell anyone else of what ‘secret’ thoughts you’ve had about them. Especially not your charming companion.” The priest gave a short look at Imoen and gave Talek a conspiratory wink.
Talek just blinked. “Huh? I never thought anything bad about Imoen.”
“It’s... not like that. He’s like a brother to me.” Imoen said while blushing.
“Ah, forgive me. Helm help me, I’m starting to sound like a dirty old man. Regardless, do you feel up to it young man? Don’t worry, I have done this some times. And more then a few were completely mad.” He shuddered. “I don’t think one so young should have much to faze a veteran such as myself.”
Talek hesitated, looked a Imoen who nodded, and then slowly copied the nod. “Go right ahead then.”
“How much will it cost?” Imoen reached for her purse.
The priest took his holy symbol. “Just enough for my spell reagents, which for a simple mind divination spell comes down to... a smile and a ‘thank you’”
Imoen’s face brightened. “Thanks.”
“That’ll do. I give no guarantees for the cure though. With this iron crisis there are many poor, and I cannot afford to cure for free those who could pay for it. Now lad, just relax and look at the symbol of the Watcher.”
Talek looked at the symbol, frowning for a moment at the familiar symbol of the hand with the eye, then relaxed. The priest muttered some words, the eye on the symbol glowed briefly and the eyes of the cleric lost focus. Nothing else betrayed the magic at work. For about a minute they stood there in silence. Then the cleric blinked and rubbed his eyes.
“So... what’s the deal?” Talek asked.
The priest looked serious. “It’s not the most healthy mind I have sensed, but there’s nothing that explains your problem. Plenty of anger and spite in there against specific persons and the world in general, and some fresh burning hatred you might want to get rid off.”
Talek scowled. “I’ll get rid of it, after I got rid of the guy that killed my father.”
The priest didn’t seem to like the answer very much but shrugged. “It is your choice, though an unhealthy one. Still, I’ve known a boy your age with some of the same problems, and he is a priest of Helm that is applying for the Order of the Radiant Heart.”
“Me? Being like a bloody Helmite?” Talek managed to exclaim before Imoen slapped him in the back of the head with a mortified expression.
The priest smiled slightly. “Don’t worry, dear girl. I’ve seen his mind and I know there’s a lot of mistrust towards guards of all kinds, including the Vigilant One.”
“So... if my mind isn’t screwed up, why is it that I’m enjoying killing then?” Talek rubbed the back of his head.
The priests face became grim. “There’s two possibilities. Either whoever or whatever is affecting your mind is too subtle for me to notice. But I dare say that that isn’t too likely. The effect you described should have left clear traces in your mind.”
“And the other one?” Imoen sounded worried.
The priest scowled. “It might be that your mind is healthy, but something has happened to your soul.”
“My soul? Isn’t that the same?” Talek looked confused.
“A good question. And there’s plenty of debate among sages about the exact division. Let’s say for the cause of the argument that your mind is the tool, just as your hands and eyes, with which your soul makes decisions. The soul is the part of you that is actually feeling the emotions your mind causes you to feel. It IS you. And sadly, it can be manipulated as well.” He made a dirty face. “Usually by malevolent entities. It is the worst thing one can do to a person if you ask me. To reshape another person’s mind against his will is close to rape, but to tinker with his soul is akin to murder.”
Talek frowned. “So, you’re saying that there’s something bad about my soul?”
“It could be. Such manipulations are easy to detect however. The soul is a much too fragile thing for even the most powerful of mages to tinker at without leaving traces. Of course, I will have to ‘lay your soul bare’ quite literally. It’s something that’s usually done only to applicants of holy orders.” He fixed Talek with a serious expression. “I won’t lie to you. Considering the state of your mind, I don't expect your soul to be unsullied. It’s probably that which set off the ‘old cripple paladin idiot’ as you seem to remember him. After a life of hunting monsters, undead fiends and mages that are barely human throughout caves, mage-towers and battlefields, I guess they occasionally lose touch with how to handle plain ordinary humans with a less then perfect conscience.”
“What do you mean by that?” Talek asked suspiciously.
“I’m just warning you. I would hate to assist in the saving of your soul from outside influences only to have you lay it to waste yourself afterwards. But now we’re getting ahead of ourselves. If you don’t feel like it, I can’t blame you. Even the most experienced paladins, no, especially the most experienced paladins will confess that having their soul judged is one of the scariest moments in their career.”
Talek thought for a moment and then shrugged. “Feh, people have been making judgement calls about my soul for my entire life. Besides, it’s just to see if some bastard has been pulling stuff with it. Go for it, I’ve got nothing to hide.”
The cleric smiled and nodded. “Don’t worry. You are after all still young, and you shouldn't have been able to make any taints on your soul that would shock me. Now, empty your mind completely. This spell is slightly harder.”
Once again the cleric raised his holy symbol. This time the golden glow lasted longer, the eye on the hand glowing white in the centre. The face of the priest was filled with concentration. Suddenly however, his eyes widened, the blood seemed to leave his face and his hands started to shake.
His mouth moved as he whispered. “...can’t... be....”
“Hey... are you all right?” Imoen asked.
The priest’s face was twitching in effort. The muscles tensed as if he was trying to pull his hand back but was held. His eyes now clearly showed fear. Suddenly green glowing cracks started to appear on the edges of the symbol, interrupting the golden glow and quickly growing until they reached the white centre. Then there was a flash of light and there was only a handful of dust falling between the priest’s fingers.
Talek looked at the dust and then at the shaking cleric. “This isn’t good, is it?”
The priest looked up as if he had seen the youth for the first time. “W...what are you?”
“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?” Talek asked.
“Stay back.” The cleric stepped backwards, keeping one arm in front of Imoen. Talek’s face became annoyed.
“Hey, what’s the matter?” Imoen asked.
“I don’t know what manner of beast this is, or how he managed to hide it, but he isn’t human. His soul is not just tainted with evil, it IS evil. It tried to destroy me as soon as I laid eyes on it.”
“B...beast? What the hell...?” Talek was now angry, he made another menacing step forwards.
Quickly grabbing the necklace with the symbol of Helm on it with one hand, the priest grabbed some silver dust and spread it in a circle around the flabbergasted Imoen and him with the other. “Great Watcher, Your gaze is always upon us, guard us now from this evil, as we guard our fellow man.”
Taleks left hand shot towards the priest, intent on grabbing his collar as his right hand was brought back to strike. “Imoen doesn’t need guarding from me you old fart. And don’t call me.. AAAAH!” The hand was withdrawn quickly, as if it had touched a stove.
“Talek! What’s wrong?” Imoen asked.
Talek took off the gauntlet and looked at his hand. It was red as if he had stuck it into scalding water, contrasting starkly with his shocked face, that was going more white then the clerics had been. “....evil?” For a few seconds both he and Imoen stared the hand, then Talek looked at Imoen, who was still looking at the appendage in shock. The gauntlet dropped on the floor.
The cleric seemed encouraged by his success. Still clenching the holy symbol he spoke. “I don’t know what infernal plane you have come from, but I command you to leave this sacred place! Except for your doom, there is nothing for you here.” The words seemed to echo through the temple hall.
Talek’s face still hadn’t got farther then a shocked look. As the echo faded he made one step backwards, then another one, then turned around and ran out of the temple as fast as he could.
Imoen got out of her daze just as he left the temple. “TALEK!” She started to run, but the priest held her arm.
“No child, you must stay away from him. It is merely a demon with your friend’s appearance. That explains his lust for killing.”
“Let me go you jerk!” Imoen was close to tears. “He’s always been like that.”
“Then he was a monster deceiving you from the moment you met him. He’ll bring you nothing but suffering.”
“Get your hands off of me! You’ve hurt us enough already!” Imoen finally managed to free herself from the old priest’s grasp. She grabbed the fallen gauntlet, ran outside and saw all the people looking at the entrance. Talek’s exit had drawn their attention. Behind her she heard the priest coming outside as well.
She heard his voice yelling as she kept running. “Girl! He’s not human!”
She ignored it, feverishly looking around for Talek. She knew he could run pretty fast even in armour. She couldn’t hear the clanging of the plate anywhere. Fighting down tears of panic she ran towards the inn in the hope he had returned there.
With a shaky voice she yelled through the evening streets. People were looking funny at her as she yelled for her missing friend, but she didn’t see them.
“Talek... Talek, please don’t do anything stupid.”
About Blood 17
Started by
Guest_Rand Al'Tor_*
, Sep 09 2003 08:31 AM
13 replies to this topic
#2
Guest_Theodur_*
Guest_Theodur_*
-
- Guests
Posted 09 September 2003 - 01:38 PM
“It’s a title. Never mind, just tell him of your problem.”
Talek nodded and turned to the priest. “I wonder if I’m nuts.”
Hehe... strip that 'I wonder if' part of the sentence, Talek...
“See... the thing is... he isn’t evil. He really isn’t. A few days ago he had never killed anyone. But he...” She swallowed. “he...”
Err... I wish it was so easy to explain. The difficult part is that Talek doesn't see himself as evil and doesn't want to be evil. But then... what is evil?
“I enjoy killing people.” Talek took over. “I don’t know how or why, but every time I killed someone, a human that is... it feels wonderful.” He inspected the priest’s face.
Umm... that should send most people screaming and looking for cover. Rightly so.
“Don’t worry child. The Flaming Fist are as known for being violent and arbitrary as much as our own Amnian braves are known for being lazy and corrupt.” He sighed. “Besides, with our countries heading towards war I don’t think the vice-commander would be very impressed with that even if I told him. I just wondered if the sword has anything to do with your little problem. We’ve had our own problem with the commander of the garrison going on a murderous rampage. He recently got a new sword and I thought this might have been some plot to hand out cursed swords.”
Yeah, poor Brage. I wish it would be only the sword in Talek's case.
“Hmm... perhaps if you... describe me this ’wonderful’ feeling?” Talek looked uncomfortable “Don’t worry. I’m not easily shocked. I lived in the City of Coin.”
Yep, that would explain a lot. He seems to be a nice sort, the priest. For a Helmite, anyway...
The cleric shook his head. “I can make some predictions, but these days there are many, many ways man can be twisted.” He frowned. “Evil spells, cursed items, punishments from dark gods, unnatural diseases and of course, plain old insanity. Sometimes one wonders why the people who HAVE a mind that is unspoiled insist on twisting it themselves.” He shrugged. “But that’s neither here nor there. If you don’t mind I’d like to investigate your mind directly.”
He's a bit cynical, isn't he? Perhaps you should change the 'plain old insanity' to 'good old insanity' - it would suit this character rather well.
Talek just blinked. “Huh? I never thought anything bad about Imoen.”
“It’s... not like that. He’s like a brother to me.” Imoen said while blushing.
Strip that 'like' from that sentence, Immy. Oh, wait... she doesn't know yet.
The priest took his holy symbol. “Just enough for my spell reagents, which for a simple mind divination spell comes down to... a smile and a ‘thank you’”
Imoen’s face brightened. “Thanks.”
As I said, he seems to be of a fine sort.
The priest didn’t seem to like the answer very much but shrugged. “It is your choice, though an unhealthy one. Still, I’ve known a boy your age with some of the same problems, and he is a priest of Helm that is applying for the Order of the Radiant Heart.”
“Me? Being like a bloody Helmite?” Talek managed to exclaim before Imoen slapped him in the back of the head with a mortified expression.
Oh, yeah! And we all know that Ano has a lot of mental problems... can't wait for those two to meet, muahaha!
“A good question. And there’s plenty of debate among sages about the exact division. Let’s say for the cause of the argument that your mind is the tool, just as your hands and eyes, with which your soul makes decisions. The soul is the part of you that is actually feeling the emotions your mind causes you to feel. It IS you. And sadly, it can be manipulated as well.” He made a dirty face. “Usually by malevolent entities. It is the worst thing one can do to a person if you ask me. To reshape another person’s mind against his will is close to rape, but to tinker with his soul is akin to murder.”
Awww, this guy is so damn right... gods, Rand this was a very deep paragraph.
The cleric smiled and nodded. “Don’t worry. You are after all still young, and you shouldn't have been able to make any taints on your soul that would shock me. Now, empty your mind completely. This spell is slightly harder.”
Whoops, the poor guy is in for a shocker...
The priest’s face was twitching in effort. The muscles tensed as if he was trying to pull his hand back but was held. His eyes now clearly showed fear. Suddenly green glowing cracks started to appear on the edges of the symbol, interrupting the golden glow and quickly growing until they reached the white centre. Then there was a flash of light and there was only a handful of dust falling between the priest’s fingers.
Whoa, impressive!
“I don’t know what manner of beast this is, or how he managed to hide it, but he isn’t human. His soul is not just tainted with evil, it IS evil. It tried to destroy me as soon as I laid eyes on it.”
Geez... I am really sorry for the poor sod... him and Talek. Don't think he can help Talek in any way, though.
The cleric seemed encouraged by his success. Still clenching the holy symbol he spoke. “I don’t know what infernal plane you have come from, but I command you to leave this sacred place! Except for your doom, there is nothing for you here.” The words seemed to echo through the temple hall.
Awww. I guess it means that he won't give you reward for rescuing Brage.
“Then he was a monster deceiving you from the moment you met him. He’ll bring you nothing but suffering.”
“Get your hands off of me! You’ve hurt us enough already!” Imoen finally managed to free herself from the old priest’s grasp. She grabbed the fallen gauntlet, ran outside and saw all the people looking at the entrance. Talek’s exit had drawn their attention. Behind her she heard the priest coming outside as well.
She heard his voice yelling as she kept running. “Girl! He’s not human!”
I'm pretty sure that what the priest saw, warrants him to say these words... but then again - he would see the same looking in Theo's soul. On the other hand, Talek is the sort of Bhaalspawn who looks to be doomed to lose the fight with the taint.
With a shaky voice she yelled through the evening streets. People were looking funny at her as she yelled for her missing friend, but she didn’t see them.
“Talek... Talek, please don’t do anything stupid.”
Please don't kill *too* many people this time.
#3
Guest_Rand Al'Tor_*
Guest_Rand Al'Tor_*
-
- Guests
Posted 09 September 2003 - 02:09 PM
[quote][quote]
“It’s a title. Never mind, just tell him of your problem.”
[/quote]
[quote]
Talek nodded and turned to the priest. “I wonder if I’m nuts.”
[/quote]
Hehe... strip that 'I wonder if' part of the sentence, Talek... [/quote]
Heh, he and Minsc wouldn't have much of a problem getting into Spellhold.
[quote] [quote]
“See... the thing is... he isn’t evil. He really isn’t. A few days ago he had never killed anyone. But he...” She swallowed. “he...”
[/quote]
Err... I wish it was so easy to explain. The difficult part is that Talek doesn't see himself as evil and doesn't want to be evil. But then... what is evil? [/quote]
Don't ask Talek. All he knows is that people say that he's evil and should therefor stay away from Imoen. So he doesnt wnat to be evil. And Imoen will of course support him in that.
[quote] [quote]
“I enjoy killing people.” Talek took over. “I don’t know how or why, but every time I killed someone, a human that is... it feels wonderful.” He inspected the priest’s face.
[/quote]
Umm... that should send most people screaming and looking for cover. Rightly so. [/quote]
Yep, but the result is that Talek has pretty few friends, and actively resents most people. Which allows the Taint to get a tighter hold, which worsesns the problem. Thing is, he knows he enjoys killng, but he'd cut his throat witha dull knife before he'd kill someone dear to him. But you try to tell Winthrop.
[quote] [quote]
“Don’t worry child. The Flaming Fist are as known for being violent and arbitrary as much as our own Amnian braves are known for being lazy and corrupt.” He sighed. “Besides, with our countries heading towards war I don’t think the vice-commander would be very impressed with that even if I told him. I just wondered if the sword has anything to do with your little problem. We’ve had our own problem with the commander of the garrison going on a murderous rampage. He recently got a new sword and I thought this might have been some plot to hand out cursed swords.”
[/quote]
Yeah, poor Brage. I wish it would be only the sword in Talek's case. [/quote]
The sword IS gonna play a role.
[quote] [quote]
“Hmm... perhaps if you... describe me this ’wonderful’ feeling?” Talek looked uncomfortable “Don’t worry. I’m not easily shocked. I lived in the City of Coin.”
[/quote]
Yep, that would explain a lot. He seems to be a nice sort, the priest. For a Helmite, anyway... [/quote]
Yeah, he sounds a bit more casual then in the game, but considering his care for Brage, I thought he'd be a good sort.
[quote] [quote]
The cleric shook his head. “I can make some predictions, but these days there are many, many ways man can be twisted.” He frowned. “Evil spells, cursed items, punishments from dark gods, unnatural diseases and of course, plain old insanity. Sometimes one wonders why the people who HAVE a mind that is unspoiled insist on twisting it themselves.” He shrugged. “But that’s neither here nor there. If you don’t mind I’d like to investigate your mind directly.”
[/quote]
He's a bit cynical, isn't he? Perhaps you should change the 'plain old insanity' to 'good old insanity' - it would suit this character rather well. [/quote]
More a fair bit of desperate. He's probably seen a LOT of mind curses in his lifetime.
[quote] [quote]
Talek just blinked. “Huh? I never thought anything bad about Imoen.”
[/quote]
[quote]
“It’s... not like that. He’s like a brother to me.” Imoen said while blushing.
[/quote]
Strip that 'like' from that sentence, Immy. Oh, wait... she doesn't know yet. [/quote]
Heh, I've got to stop myself from actually having them refer to each other as brother and sister. I may have them do that anyway.
[quote] [quote]
The priest took his holy symbol. “Just enough for my spell reagents, which for a simple mind divination spell comes down to... a smile and a ‘thank you’”
[/quote]
[quote]
Imoen’s face brightened. “Thanks.”
[/quote]
As I said, he seems to be of a fine sort. [/quote]
Even Talek starts to think so. Which makes what follows only worse.
[quote] [quote]
The priest didn’t seem to like the answer very much but shrugged. “It is your choice, though an unhealthy one. Still, I’ve known a boy your age with some of the same problems, and he is a priest of Helm that is applying for the Order of the Radiant Heart.”
[/quote]
[quote]
“Me? Being like a bloody Helmite?” Talek managed to exclaim before Imoen slapped him in the back of the head with a mortified expression.
[/quote]
Oh, yeah! And we all know that Ano has a lot of mental problems... can't wait for those two to meet, muahaha! [/quote]
Oh yeah... bu there's a lot of time and blood between here and there.
[quote] [quote]
“A good question. And there’s plenty of debate among sages about the exact division. Let’s say for the cause of the argument that your mind is the tool, just as your hands and eyes, with which your soul makes decisions. The soul is the part of you that is actually feeling the emotions your mind causes you to feel. It IS you. And sadly, it can be manipulated as well.” He made a dirty face. “Usually by malevolent entities. It is the worst thing one can do to a person if you ask me. To reshape another person’s mind against his will is close to rape, but to tinker with his soul is akin to murder.”
[/quote]
Awww, this guy is so damn right... gods, Rand this was a very deep paragraph. [/quote]
Thanks, I wondered if I was getting sidetracked too much there, but I'm happy you like it.
[quote] [quote]
The cleric smiled and nodded. “Don’t worry. You are after all still young, and you shouldn't have been able to make any taints on your soul that would shock me. Now, empty your mind completely. This spell is slightly harder.”
[/quote]
Whoops, the poor guy is in for a shocker... [/quote]
oooooh yes.
[quote] [quote]
The priest’s face was twitching in effort. The muscles tensed as if he was trying to pull his hand back but was held. His eyes now clearly showed fear. Suddenly green glowing cracks started to appear on the edges of the symbol, interrupting the golden glow and quickly growing until they reached the white centre. Then there was a flash of light and there was only a handful of dust falling between the priest’s fingers.
[/quote]
Whoa, impressive! [/quote]
ANd that was part of the special FX budget for THIS chapter.
[quote] [quote]
“I don’t know what manner of beast this is, or how he managed to hide it, but he isn’t human. His soul is not just tainted with evil, it IS evil. It tried to destroy me as soon as I laid eyes on it.”
[/quote]
Geez... I am really sorry for the poor sod... him and Talek. Don't think he can help Talek in any way, though. [/quote]
Nope... in fact, had Bhaal been alive, he'd have given the priest a big wet sloppy kiss right now.
[quote] [quoe]
The cleric seemed encouraged by his success. Still clenching the holy symbol he spoke. “I don’t know what infernal plane you have come from, but I command you to leave this sacred place! Except for your doom, there is nothing for you here.” The words seemed to echo through the temple hall.
[/quote]
Awww. I guess it means that he won't give you reward for rescuing Brage. [/quote]
Not if Talek is the one bringing im in, no.
[quote] [quote]
“Then he was a monster deceiving you from the moment you met him. He’ll bring you nothing but suffering.”
[/quote]
[quote]
“Get your hands off of me! You’ve hurt us enough already!” Imoen finally managed to free herself from the old priest’s grasp. She grabbed the fallen gauntlet, ran outside and saw all the people looking at the entrance. Talek’s exit had drawn their attention. Behind her she heard the priest coming outside as well.
[/quote]
[quote]
She heard his voice yelling as she kept running. “Girl! He’s not human!”
[/quote]
I'm pretty sure that what the priest saw, warrants him to say these words... but then again - he would see the same looking in Theo's soul. On the other hand, Talek is the sort of Bhaalspawn who looks to be doomed to lose the fight with the taint. [/quote]
True, he's been losing for the past 18-19 years. So Talek's soul looks in much worse condition then the average Bhaalspawn. If Talek had been born an elf things would have been very different. But when it comes to being corrupted by dark godlike beings, Boromir ain't got... anything on Talek.
[quote] [quote]
With a shaky voice she yelled through the evening streets. People were looking funny at her as she yelled for her missing friend, but she didn’t see them.
[/quote]
[quote]
“Talek... Talek, please don’t do anything stupid.”[/quote]
Please don't kill *too* many people this time.[/quote]
In his current mood? Well... you can hope. OImoen's mostly worried he'll get HIMSELF hurt though.
Thanks for reviewing.
“It’s a title. Never mind, just tell him of your problem.”
[/quote]
[quote]
Talek nodded and turned to the priest. “I wonder if I’m nuts.”
[/quote]
Hehe... strip that 'I wonder if' part of the sentence, Talek...
[/quote]Heh, he and Minsc wouldn't have much of a problem getting into Spellhold.
[quote] [quote]
“See... the thing is... he isn’t evil. He really isn’t. A few days ago he had never killed anyone. But he...” She swallowed. “he...”
[/quote]
Err... I wish it was so easy to explain. The difficult part is that Talek doesn't see himself as evil and doesn't want to be evil. But then... what is evil? [/quote]
Don't ask Talek. All he knows is that people say that he's evil and should therefor stay away from Imoen. So he doesnt wnat to be evil. And Imoen will of course support him in that.
[quote] [quote]
“I enjoy killing people.” Talek took over. “I don’t know how or why, but every time I killed someone, a human that is... it feels wonderful.” He inspected the priest’s face.
[/quote]
Umm... that should send most people screaming and looking for cover. Rightly so. [/quote]
Yep, but the result is that Talek has pretty few friends, and actively resents most people. Which allows the Taint to get a tighter hold, which worsesns the problem. Thing is, he knows he enjoys killng, but he'd cut his throat witha dull knife before he'd kill someone dear to him. But you try to tell Winthrop.
[quote] [quote]
“Don’t worry child. The Flaming Fist are as known for being violent and arbitrary as much as our own Amnian braves are known for being lazy and corrupt.” He sighed. “Besides, with our countries heading towards war I don’t think the vice-commander would be very impressed with that even if I told him. I just wondered if the sword has anything to do with your little problem. We’ve had our own problem with the commander of the garrison going on a murderous rampage. He recently got a new sword and I thought this might have been some plot to hand out cursed swords.”
[/quote]
Yeah, poor Brage. I wish it would be only the sword in Talek's case. [/quote]
The sword IS gonna play a role.
[quote] [quote]
“Hmm... perhaps if you... describe me this ’wonderful’ feeling?” Talek looked uncomfortable “Don’t worry. I’m not easily shocked. I lived in the City of Coin.”
[/quote]
Yep, that would explain a lot. He seems to be a nice sort, the priest. For a Helmite, anyway... [/quote]
Yeah, he sounds a bit more casual then in the game, but considering his care for Brage, I thought he'd be a good sort.
[quote] [quote]
The cleric shook his head. “I can make some predictions, but these days there are many, many ways man can be twisted.” He frowned. “Evil spells, cursed items, punishments from dark gods, unnatural diseases and of course, plain old insanity. Sometimes one wonders why the people who HAVE a mind that is unspoiled insist on twisting it themselves.” He shrugged. “But that’s neither here nor there. If you don’t mind I’d like to investigate your mind directly.”
[/quote]
He's a bit cynical, isn't he? Perhaps you should change the 'plain old insanity' to 'good old insanity' - it would suit this character rather well.
[/quote]More a fair bit of desperate. He's probably seen a LOT of mind curses in his lifetime.
[quote] [quote]
Talek just blinked. “Huh? I never thought anything bad about Imoen.”
[/quote]
[quote]
“It’s... not like that. He’s like a brother to me.” Imoen said while blushing.
[/quote]
Strip that 'like' from that sentence, Immy. Oh, wait... she doesn't know yet. [/quote]
Heh, I've got to stop myself from actually having them refer to each other as brother and sister. I may have them do that anyway.
[quote] [quote]
The priest took his holy symbol. “Just enough for my spell reagents, which for a simple mind divination spell comes down to... a smile and a ‘thank you’”
[/quote]
[quote]
Imoen’s face brightened. “Thanks.”
[/quote]
As I said, he seems to be of a fine sort. [/quote]
Even Talek starts to think so. Which makes what follows only worse.
[quote] [quote]
The priest didn’t seem to like the answer very much but shrugged. “It is your choice, though an unhealthy one. Still, I’ve known a boy your age with some of the same problems, and he is a priest of Helm that is applying for the Order of the Radiant Heart.”
[/quote]
[quote]
“Me? Being like a bloody Helmite?” Talek managed to exclaim before Imoen slapped him in the back of the head with a mortified expression.
[/quote]
Oh, yeah! And we all know that Ano has a lot of mental problems... can't wait for those two to meet, muahaha!
[/quote]Oh yeah... bu there's a lot of time and blood between here and there.
[quote] [quote]
“A good question. And there’s plenty of debate among sages about the exact division. Let’s say for the cause of the argument that your mind is the tool, just as your hands and eyes, with which your soul makes decisions. The soul is the part of you that is actually feeling the emotions your mind causes you to feel. It IS you. And sadly, it can be manipulated as well.” He made a dirty face. “Usually by malevolent entities. It is the worst thing one can do to a person if you ask me. To reshape another person’s mind against his will is close to rape, but to tinker with his soul is akin to murder.”
[/quote]
Awww, this guy is so damn right... gods, Rand this was a very deep paragraph.
[/quote]Thanks, I wondered if I was getting sidetracked too much there, but I'm happy you like it.
[quote] [quote]
The cleric smiled and nodded. “Don’t worry. You are after all still young, and you shouldn't have been able to make any taints on your soul that would shock me. Now, empty your mind completely. This spell is slightly harder.”
[/quote]
Whoops, the poor guy is in for a shocker... [/quote]
oooooh yes.
[quote] [quote]
The priest’s face was twitching in effort. The muscles tensed as if he was trying to pull his hand back but was held. His eyes now clearly showed fear. Suddenly green glowing cracks started to appear on the edges of the symbol, interrupting the golden glow and quickly growing until they reached the white centre. Then there was a flash of light and there was only a handful of dust falling between the priest’s fingers.
[/quote]
Whoa, impressive! [/quote]
ANd that was part of the special FX budget for THIS chapter.
[quote] [quote]
“I don’t know what manner of beast this is, or how he managed to hide it, but he isn’t human. His soul is not just tainted with evil, it IS evil. It tried to destroy me as soon as I laid eyes on it.”
[/quote]
Geez... I am really sorry for the poor sod... him and Talek. Don't think he can help Talek in any way, though. [/quote]
Nope... in fact, had Bhaal been alive, he'd have given the priest a big wet sloppy kiss right now.
[quote] [quoe]
The cleric seemed encouraged by his success. Still clenching the holy symbol he spoke. “I don’t know what infernal plane you have come from, but I command you to leave this sacred place! Except for your doom, there is nothing for you here.” The words seemed to echo through the temple hall.
[/quote]
Awww. I guess it means that he won't give you reward for rescuing Brage.
[/quote]Not if Talek is the one bringing im in, no.
[quote] [quote]
“Then he was a monster deceiving you from the moment you met him. He’ll bring you nothing but suffering.”
[/quote]
[quote]
“Get your hands off of me! You’ve hurt us enough already!” Imoen finally managed to free herself from the old priest’s grasp. She grabbed the fallen gauntlet, ran outside and saw all the people looking at the entrance. Talek’s exit had drawn their attention. Behind her she heard the priest coming outside as well.
[/quote]
[quote]
She heard his voice yelling as she kept running. “Girl! He’s not human!”
[/quote]
I'm pretty sure that what the priest saw, warrants him to say these words... but then again - he would see the same looking in Theo's soul. On the other hand, Talek is the sort of Bhaalspawn who looks to be doomed to lose the fight with the taint. [/quote]
True, he's been losing for the past 18-19 years. So Talek's soul looks in much worse condition then the average Bhaalspawn. If Talek had been born an elf things would have been very different. But when it comes to being corrupted by dark godlike beings, Boromir ain't got... anything on Talek.
[quote] [quote]
With a shaky voice she yelled through the evening streets. People were looking funny at her as she yelled for her missing friend, but she didn’t see them.
[/quote]
[quote]
“Talek... Talek, please don’t do anything stupid.”[/quote]
Please don't kill *too* many people this time.[/quote]
In his current mood? Well... you can hope. OImoen's mostly worried he'll get HIMSELF hurt though.
Thanks for reviewing.
#4
Guest_Bjorn_*
Guest_Bjorn_*
-
- Guests
Posted 09 September 2003 - 03:23 PM
“It’s a title. Never mind, just tell him of your problem.”
Talek nodded and turned to the priest. “I wonder if I’m nuts.”
LOL! Straight to the point.
“I enjoy killing people.” Talek took over. “I don’t know how or why, but every time I killed someone, a human that is... it feels wonderful.” He inspected the priest’s face.
The priest’s eyes widened. “C...could it be? Boy, your sword? Where have you got it?
Ah, of course, he's wondering if there's a connection to Brage. Talek's problem's more complicated than that, unfortunately.
“Yeah I guess.” Talek seemed lost in his description now. “But it feels... I don’t know... right. Like I was just being inactive before... like...” he looked at the sword in his belt. “Like I’m a sword that’s being used as a plowchair and finally gets put to use like it’s supposed to be. Like all the time I’m not killing I’m not actually... really... living I guess. Something like that.” He concluded.
That was a surprisingly eloquent description, coming from Talek. Guess he's been thinking a lot about this lately.
The priest nodded solemnly. “I see why that would be a cause for worry. You have done the right thing in coming here.”
This priest seems like a nice guy - maybe Talek will stop being quite so vehemently anti-Helm after talking with him.
“Yes. Don’t worry though. I won’t tell anyone else of what ‘secret’ thoughts you’ve had about them. Especially not your charming companion.” The priest gave a short look at Imoen and gave Talek a conspiratory wink.
Heh, he's got the wrong end of the stick there.
“Ah, forgive me. Helm help me, I’m starting to sound like a dirty old man. Regardless, do you feel up to it young man? Don’t worry, I have done this some times. And more then a few were completely mad.” He shuddered. “I don’t think one so young should have much to faze a veteran such as myself.”
You'd be surprised...
The priest took his holy symbol. “Just enough for my spell reagents, which for a simple mind divination spell comes down to... a smile and a ‘thank you’”
Aw, that's nice of him.
“That’ll do. I give no guarantees for the cure though. With this iron crisis there are many poor, and I cannot afford to cure for free those who could pay for it. Now lad, just relax and look at the symbol of the Watcher.”
You are feeling very sleepy...
“A good question. And there’s plenty of debate among sages about the exact division. Let’s say for the cause of the argument that your mind is the tool, just as your hands and eyes, with which your soul makes decisions. The soul is the part of you that is actually feeling the emotions your mind causes you to feel. It IS you. And sadly, it can be manipulated as well.” He made a dirty face. “Usually by malevolent entities. It is the worst thing one can do to a person if you ask me. To reshape another person’s mind against his will is close to rape, but to tinker with his soul is akin to murder.”
I like this priest - he doesn't try to show off by going all philosophical or anything, he just explains things so that Talek will be able to understand them.
And a good way to slip in your interpretation of the whole soul/taint thing, as well.
Talek frowned. “So, you’re saying that there’s something bad about my soul?”
Talek thought for a moment and then shrugged. “Feh, people have been making judgement calls about my soul for my entire life. Besides, it’s just to see if some bastard has been pulling stuff with it. Go for it, I’ve got nothing to hide.”
Think he's probably better off not having this done. No one will be able to do anything about his problem anyway.“Stay back.” The cleric stepped backwards, keeping one arm in front of Imoen. Talek’s face became annoyed.
Poor Talek.“I don’t know what manner of beast this is, or how he managed to hide it, but he isn’t human. His soul is not just tainted with evil, it IS evil. It tried to destroy me as soon as I laid eyes on it.”
Guess you can't really blame the priest - since he probably doesn't know anything about Bhaalspawn, it's natural for him to assume that Talek's claims of ignorance are just a deception. Wish he could have been a bit more open minded, though, for Talek's sake.
She heard his voice yelling as she kept running. “Girl! He’s not human!”
It's a good job Immy ran before the priest thought to examine her soul as well.
“Talek... Talek, please don’t do anything stupid.”
Hope Immy finds him before he has the chance to.Great chapter - I really liked the way you used the priest to explain how the whole tainted soul thing works.
#5
Guest_Rand Al'Tor_*
Guest_Rand Al'Tor_*
-
- Guests
Posted 09 September 2003 - 04:04 PM
“It’s a title. Never mind, just tell him of your problem.”Talek nodded and turned to the priest. “I wonder if I’m nuts.”
LOL! Straight to the point.
bluntness, thy name is Talek.
“I enjoy killing people.” Talek took over. “I don’t know how or why, but every time I killed someone, a human that is... it feels wonderful.” He inspected the priest’s face.The priest’s eyes widened. “C...could it be? Boy, your sword? Where have you got it?
Ah, of course, he's wondering if there's a connection to Brage. Talek's problem's more complicated than that, unfortunately.
Talek's curse if of a much more... troublesome nature.
“Yeah I guess.” Talek seemed lost in his description now. “But it feels... I don’t know... right. Like I was just being inactive before... like...” he looked at the sword in his belt. “Like I’m a sword that’s being used as a plowchair and finally gets put to use like it’s supposed to be. Like all the time I’m not killing I’m not actually... really... living I guess. Something like that.” He concluded.
That was a surprisingly eloquent description, coming from Talek. Guess he's been thinking a lot about this lately.
Yeah, and Talek can be eloquent, when talking about swords.
The priest nodded solemnly. “I see why that would be a cause for worry. You have done the right thing in coming here.”
This priest seems like a nice guy - maybe Talek will stop being quite so vehemently anti-Helm after talking with him.
Heh.. if the priest would have continued like that.
“Yes. Don’t worry though. I won’t tell anyone else of what ‘secret’ thoughts you’ve had about them. Especially not your charming companion.” The priest gave a short look at Imoen and gave Talek a conspiratory wink.
Heh, he's got the wrong end of the stick there.
Everyone seems to think they're an item.
“Ah, forgive me. Helm help me, I’m starting to sound like a dirty old man. Regardless, do you feel up to it young man? Don’t worry, I have done this some times. And more then a few were completely mad.” He shuddered. “I don’t think one so young should have much to faze a veteran such as myself.”
You'd be surprised...
Yes, and we find oiut too.
The priest took his holy symbol. “Just enough for my spell reagents, which for a simple mind divination spell comes down to... a smile and a ‘thank you’”
Aw, that's nice of him.
Not always the not-nice people that do the wrong things.
“That’ll do. I give no guarantees for the cure though. With this iron crisis there are many poor, and I cannot afford to cure for free those who could pay for it. Now lad, just relax and look at the symbol of the Watcher.”
You are feeling very sleepy...
“A good question. And there’s plenty of debate among sages about the exact division. Let’s say for the cause of the argument that your mind is the tool, just as your hands and eyes, with which your soul makes decisions. The soul is the part of you that is actually feeling the emotions your mind causes you to feel. It IS you. And sadly, it can be manipulated as well.” He made a dirty face. “Usually by malevolent entities. It is the worst thing one can do to a person if you ask me. To reshape another person’s mind against his will is close to rape, but to tinker with his soul is akin to murder.”
I like this priest - he doesn't try to show off by going all philosophical or anything, he just explains things so that Talek will be able to understand them.
And a good way to slip in your interpretation of the whole soul/taint thing, as well.
Yep, mono-sylabbic words are definaely the way to go for Talek.
Talek frowned. “So, you’re saying that there’s something bad about my soul?”Talek thought for a moment and then shrugged. “Feh, people have been making judgement calls about my soul for my entire life. Besides, it’s just to see if some bastard has been pulling stuff with it. Go for it, I’ve got nothing to hide.”
Yep. Problem is, to know WHY you can't heal him, you have to look. As I said before, had Gorion TOLD Talek and/or Khalid and Jaheira that Talek is a Bhaalspawn, things would be different. Not necessarely better given Taleks lack of talent for keeping secrets and the general distrust towards Bhaalspawn.
“Stay back.” The cleric stepped backwards, keeping one arm in front of Imoen. Talek’s face became annoyed.
Yeah, this isn't what he imagine dat all.
“I don’t know what manner of beast this is, or how he managed to hide it, but he isn’t human. His soul is not just tainted with evil, it IS evil. It tried to destroy me as soon as I laid eyes on it.”
Guess you can't really blame the priest - since he probably doesn't know anything about Bhaalspawn, it's natural for him to assume that Talek's claims of ignorance are just a deception. Wish he could have been a bit more open minded, though, for Talek's sake.
So does Imoen.
She heard his voice yelling as she kept running. “Girl! He’s not human!”
It's a good job Immy ran before the priest thought to examine her soul as well.
Yep, although Imoen would probably be not as bad as Talek. She's got a much smaller part, and her own soul is pretty pure, so she keeps the taint in check much more then Talek.
“Talek... Talek, please don’t do anything stupid.”
In talek's current mental state that could be pretty soon.
Great chapter - I really liked the way you used the priest to explain how the whole tainted soul thing works.
Thanks. I have NO idea whether I'm following FR canon with the whole mind/soul thingy, but I decided to wing it.
#6
Guest_Helseth_*
Guest_Helseth_*
-
- Guests
Posted 09 September 2003 - 06:40 PM
The priest, an old man whose strict and rigid posture belied his friendly eyes and expression.
Maybe this phrase is unfinished?
“The Watcher? Our guards in Candlekeep are called...” Talek sounded confused.
“He means Helm, orc-brain.” Imoen whispered behind him.
“Well, why doesn’t he say so?”
LOL!
Talek nodded and turned to the priest. “I wonder if I’m nuts.”
At least it saves long explanations...The priest’s eyes widened. “C...could it be? Boy, your sword? Where have you got it?
Talek looked in surprise as he answered. “This? The corpse of some Flaming Fist.”
“TALEK!” Imoen said in a panic. “This... this isn’t what it sounds like. He was being a totally unreasonable jerk and he thought we were bandits and...”
Hey, that's Amn! They might give him a medal
“My mind...? You mean... you’d know what I was thinking? My memories and all and stuff?” Talek sounded worried.
“Yes. Don’t worry though. I won’t tell anyone else of what ‘secret’ thoughts you’ve had about them. Especially not your charming companion.” The priest gave a short look at Imoen and gave
Talek a conspiratory wink.
An understandable mistake.
Talek hesitated, looked a Imoen who nodded, and then slowly copied the nod. “Go right ahead then.”
That's "looked at Imoen"?
“How much will it cost?” Imoen reached for her purse.
The priest took his holy symbol. “Just enough for my spell reagents, which for a simple mind divination spell comes down to... a smile and a ‘thank you’”
Sounds like quite a nice man.
The priest didn’t seem to like the answer very much but shrugged. “It is your choice, though an unhealthy one. Still, I’ve known a boy your age with some of the same problems, and he is a priest of Helm that is applying for the Order of the Radiant Heart.”
Oh? He means Ano? Meaning that Ano is prone to revenge or that he wanted some specific revenge, like Talek?
“Me? Being like a bloody Helmite?” Talek managed to exclaim before Imoen slapped him in the back of the head with a mortified expression.
LOL!
“It could be. Such manipulations are easy to detect however. The soul is a much too fragile thing for even the most powerful of mages to tinker at without leaving traces. Of course, I will have to ‘lay your soul bare’ quite literally. It’s something that’s usually done only to applicants of holy orders.” He fixed Talek with a serious expression. “I won’t lie to you. Considering the state of your mind, I don't expect your soul to be unsullied. It’s probably that which set off the ‘old cripple paladin idiot’ as you seem to remember him. After a life of hunting monsters, undead fiends and mages that are barely human throughout caves, mage-towers and battlefields, I guess they occasionally lose touch with how to handle plain ordinary humans with a less then perfect conscience.”
I always wondered: what is this "evil" the paladines detect? Evil thoughts and emotions or past evil deeds? Is, for example, an assassin of the type "nothing personal - it's just my work" going to glow red?
Talek thought for a moment and then shrugged. “Feh, people have been making judgement calls about my soul for my entire life. Besides, it’s just to see if some bastard has been pulling stuff with it. Go for it, I’ve got nothing to hide.”
Interesting. He is much more readily agrees for the soul inspection than for the mind inspection. Maybe for Talek that whole soul thing is just some stupid abstraction from boring teology lessons?
The priest’s face was twitching in effort. The muscles tensed as if he was trying to pull his hand back but was held. His eyes now clearly showed fear. Suddenly green glowing cracks started to appear on the edges of the symbol, interrupting the golden glow and quickly growing until they reached the white centre. Then there was a flash of light and there was only a handful of dust falling between the priest’s fingers.
Hmm... I just had a thought while reading this: what if Talek's hatred to all things Helmish stems from some divine quarrels? After the Time of Troubles Helm probably isn't the most popular guy at divine parties
“Stay back.” The cleric stepped backwards, keeping one arm in front of Imoen. Talek’s face became annoyed.
Uh-oh...
The cleric seemed encouraged by his success. Still clenching the holy symbol he spoke. “I don’t know what infernal plane you have come from, but I command you to leave this sacred place! Except for your doom, there is nothing for you here.” The words seemed to echo through the temple hall.
Once again, an understandable mistake.“Talek... Talek, please don’t do anything stupid.”
That is sad... And Imoen is unquestionably loyal.And soon there will be the first dream...
Good chapter. How will Talek handles all this?..
#7
Guest_Rand Al'Tor_*
Guest_Rand Al'Tor_*
-
- Guests
Posted 09 September 2003 - 07:13 PM
[quote][quote]The priest, an old man whose strict and rigid posture belied his friendly eyes and expression.[/quote]
Maybe this phrase is unfinished? [/quote]
Yes it is. *groan* and I did read over it before sending it in. I'll need to proofread more carefully.
[quote]“The Watcher? Our guards in Candlekeep are called...” Talek sounded confused.
“He means Helm, orc-brain.” Imoen whispered behind him.
“Well, why doesn’t he say so?”[/quote]
LOL! [/quote]
Talek has problems fitting the right God with the right portfollio, so for the gods' sake DON'T confuse him with titles.
[quote] [quote] Talek nodded and turned to the priest. “I wonder if I’m nuts.”[/quote]
At least it saves long explanations... [/quote]
Well, a long explanation still IS in order probably.
[quote] [quote] The priest’s eyes widened. “C...could it be? Boy, your sword? Where have you got it?
Talek looked in surprise as he answered. “This? The corpse of some Flaming Fist.”
“TALEK!” Imoen said in a panic. “This... this isn’t what it sounds like. He was being a totally unreasonable jerk and he thought we were bandits and...”[/quote]
Hey, that's Amn! They might give him a medal [/quote]
[quote] [quote] “My mind...? You mean... you’d know what I was thinking? My memories and all and stuff?” Talek sounded worried.
“Yes. Don’t worry though. I won’t tell anyone else of what ‘secret’ thoughts you’ve had about them. Especially not your charming companion.” The priest gave a short look at Imoen and gave
Talek a conspiratory wink.[/quote]
An understandable mistake. [/quote]
Of course, Montaron and Jaheira all made it.
[quote]T [quote] alek hesitated, looked a Imoen who nodded, and then slowly copied the nod. “Go right ahead then.”[/quote]
That's "looked at Imoen"?
[quote]“How much will it cost?” Imoen reached for her purse.
The priest took his holy symbol. “Just enough for my spell reagents, which for a simple mind divination spell comes down to... a smile and a ‘thank you’”[/quote]
Sounds like quite a nice man. [/quote]
Yes he is, but nice has limits.
[quote] [quote] The priest didn’t seem to like the answer very much but shrugged. “It is your choice, though an unhealthy one. Still, I’ve known a boy your age with some of the same problems, and he is a priest of Helm that is applying for the Order of the Radiant Heart.”[/quote]
Oh? He means Ano? Meaning that Ano is prone to revenge or that he wanted some specific revenge, like Talek? [/quote]
More in the sense that Anomen too has a lot of anger and spite holding back, against his father, the other squires mocking him, etc. and the only one he feels he can count on his sister. And Anomen has a pretty dark streak as well.
[quote] [quote] “Me? Being like a bloody Helmite?” Talek managed to exclaim before Imoen slapped him in the back of the head with a mortified expression.[/quote]
LOL! [/quote]
Master of diplomacy...
[quote] [quote] “It could be. Such manipulations are easy to detect however. The soul is a much too fragile thing for even the most powerful of mages to tinker at without leaving traces. Of course, I will have to ‘lay your soul bare’ quite literally. It’s something that’s usually done only to applicants of holy orders.” He fixed Talek with a serious expression. “I won’t lie to you. Considering the state of your mind, I don't expect your soul to be unsullied. It’s probably that which set off the ‘old cripple paladin idiot’ as you seem to remember him. After a life of hunting monsters, undead fiends and mages that are barely human throughout caves, mage-towers and battlefields, I guess they occasionally lose touch with how to handle plain ordinary humans with a less then perfect conscience.”[/quote]
I always wondered: what is this "evil" the paladines detect? Evil thoughts and emotions or past evil deeds? Is, for example, an assassin of the type "nothing personal - it's just my work" going to glow red? [/quote]
I would say (and I'll have it be like that here) that if someone willingly causes harm to another beyond acceptable defence of another, through careful planning of in the throes of passion, it'll leave marks a paladin can detect. Good deeds can clean it away a bit. So a Paladin would sorta get a view of how you lived up till now.
Note that an assassin 'just doing his job' is just as evil, perhaps moreso, as someone killing for the sheer joy of it. 'just my job' is what caused the holocaust after all. Good and Evil care little about 'jobs'
[quote] [quote] Talek thought for a moment and then shrugged. “Feh, people have been making judgement calls about my soul for my entire life. Besides, it’s just to see if some bastard has been pulling stuff with it. Go for it, I’ve got nothing to hide.”[/quote]
Interesting. He is much more readily agrees for the soul inspection than for the mind inspection. Maybe for Talek that whole soul thing is just some stupid abstraction from boring teology lessons? [/quote]
Yeah... knowing Talek's most secret thoughts is pretty dangerous to him. But finding out exactly how 'pure' he is? Pah...
[quote] [quote] The priest’s face was twitching in effort. The muscles tensed as if he was trying to pull his hand back but was held. His eyes now clearly showed fear. Suddenly green glowing cracks started to appear on the edges of the symbol, interrupting the golden glow and quickly growing until they reached the white centre. Then there was a flash of light and there was only a handful of dust falling between the priest’s fingers.[/quote]
Hmm... I just had a thought while reading this: what if Talek's hatred to all things Helmish stems from some divine quarrels? After the Time of Troubles Helm probably isn't the most popular guy at divine parties [/quote]
Nah... the Gatewarden was a Helmite, and Helm is the god of vigilance and guards, and Talek had nothing but bad experiences with guards.
[quote] [quote] “Stay back.” The cleric stepped backwards, keeping one arm in front of Imoen. Talek’s face became annoyed.[/quote]
Uh-oh... [/quote]
uh-oh indeed.
[quote] [quote] The cleric seemed encouraged by his success. Still clenching the holy symbol he spoke. “I don’t know what infernal plane you have come from, but I command you to leave this sacred place! Except for your doom, there is nothing for you here.” The words seemed to echo through the temple hall.[/quote]
Once again, an understandable mistake. [/quote]
But Talek is bad at understanding people.
[quote] [quote] “Talek... Talek, please don’t do anything stupid.”[/quote]
That is sad... And Imoen is unquestionably loyal.
And soon there will be the first dream...[/quote]
Yep, Talek's mood is gonna hit rock bottom soon...
[quote] Good chapter. How will Talek handles all this?..[/quote]
Heh, I'm already pretty far in the next chapter.
Maybe this phrase is unfinished? [/quote]
Yes it is. *groan* and I did read over it before sending it in. I'll need to proofread more carefully.
[quote]“The Watcher? Our guards in Candlekeep are called...” Talek sounded confused.
“He means Helm, orc-brain.” Imoen whispered behind him.
“Well, why doesn’t he say so?”[/quote]
LOL! [/quote]
Talek has problems fitting the right God with the right portfollio, so for the gods' sake DON'T confuse him with titles.
[quote] [quote] Talek nodded and turned to the priest. “I wonder if I’m nuts.”[/quote]
At least it saves long explanations... [/quote]Well, a long explanation still IS in order probably.
[quote] [quote] The priest’s eyes widened. “C...could it be? Boy, your sword? Where have you got it?
Talek looked in surprise as he answered. “This? The corpse of some Flaming Fist.”
“TALEK!” Imoen said in a panic. “This... this isn’t what it sounds like. He was being a totally unreasonable jerk and he thought we were bandits and...”[/quote]
Hey, that's Amn! They might give him a medal
[/quote] [quote] [quote] “My mind...? You mean... you’d know what I was thinking? My memories and all and stuff?” Talek sounded worried.
“Yes. Don’t worry though. I won’t tell anyone else of what ‘secret’ thoughts you’ve had about them. Especially not your charming companion.” The priest gave a short look at Imoen and gave
Talek a conspiratory wink.[/quote]
An understandable mistake.
[/quote]Of course, Montaron and Jaheira all made it.
[quote]T [quote] alek hesitated, looked a Imoen who nodded, and then slowly copied the nod. “Go right ahead then.”[/quote]
That's "looked at Imoen"?
[quote]“How much will it cost?” Imoen reached for her purse.
The priest took his holy symbol. “Just enough for my spell reagents, which for a simple mind divination spell comes down to... a smile and a ‘thank you’”[/quote]
Sounds like quite a nice man. [/quote]
Yes he is, but nice has limits.
[quote] [quote] The priest didn’t seem to like the answer very much but shrugged. “It is your choice, though an unhealthy one. Still, I’ve known a boy your age with some of the same problems, and he is a priest of Helm that is applying for the Order of the Radiant Heart.”[/quote]
Oh? He means Ano? Meaning that Ano is prone to revenge or that he wanted some specific revenge, like Talek? [/quote]
More in the sense that Anomen too has a lot of anger and spite holding back, against his father, the other squires mocking him, etc. and the only one he feels he can count on his sister. And Anomen has a pretty dark streak as well.
[quote] [quote] “Me? Being like a bloody Helmite?” Talek managed to exclaim before Imoen slapped him in the back of the head with a mortified expression.[/quote]
LOL! [/quote]
Master of diplomacy...
[quote] [quote] “It could be. Such manipulations are easy to detect however. The soul is a much too fragile thing for even the most powerful of mages to tinker at without leaving traces. Of course, I will have to ‘lay your soul bare’ quite literally. It’s something that’s usually done only to applicants of holy orders.” He fixed Talek with a serious expression. “I won’t lie to you. Considering the state of your mind, I don't expect your soul to be unsullied. It’s probably that which set off the ‘old cripple paladin idiot’ as you seem to remember him. After a life of hunting monsters, undead fiends and mages that are barely human throughout caves, mage-towers and battlefields, I guess they occasionally lose touch with how to handle plain ordinary humans with a less then perfect conscience.”[/quote]
I always wondered: what is this "evil" the paladines detect? Evil thoughts and emotions or past evil deeds? Is, for example, an assassin of the type "nothing personal - it's just my work" going to glow red? [/quote]
I would say (and I'll have it be like that here) that if someone willingly causes harm to another beyond acceptable defence of another, through careful planning of in the throes of passion, it'll leave marks a paladin can detect. Good deeds can clean it away a bit. So a Paladin would sorta get a view of how you lived up till now.
Note that an assassin 'just doing his job' is just as evil, perhaps moreso, as someone killing for the sheer joy of it. 'just my job' is what caused the holocaust after all. Good and Evil care little about 'jobs'
[quote] [quote] Talek thought for a moment and then shrugged. “Feh, people have been making judgement calls about my soul for my entire life. Besides, it’s just to see if some bastard has been pulling stuff with it. Go for it, I’ve got nothing to hide.”[/quote]
Interesting. He is much more readily agrees for the soul inspection than for the mind inspection. Maybe for Talek that whole soul thing is just some stupid abstraction from boring teology lessons?
[/quote]Yeah... knowing Talek's most secret thoughts is pretty dangerous to him. But finding out exactly how 'pure' he is? Pah...
[quote] [quote] The priest’s face was twitching in effort. The muscles tensed as if he was trying to pull his hand back but was held. His eyes now clearly showed fear. Suddenly green glowing cracks started to appear on the edges of the symbol, interrupting the golden glow and quickly growing until they reached the white centre. Then there was a flash of light and there was only a handful of dust falling between the priest’s fingers.[/quote]
Hmm... I just had a thought while reading this: what if Talek's hatred to all things Helmish stems from some divine quarrels? After the Time of Troubles Helm probably isn't the most popular guy at divine parties
[/quote]Nah... the Gatewarden was a Helmite, and Helm is the god of vigilance and guards, and Talek had nothing but bad experiences with guards.
[quote] [quote] “Stay back.” The cleric stepped backwards, keeping one arm in front of Imoen. Talek’s face became annoyed.[/quote]
Uh-oh... [/quote]
uh-oh indeed.
[quote] [quote] The cleric seemed encouraged by his success. Still clenching the holy symbol he spoke. “I don’t know what infernal plane you have come from, but I command you to leave this sacred place! Except for your doom, there is nothing for you here.” The words seemed to echo through the temple hall.[/quote]
Once again, an understandable mistake. [/quote]But Talek is bad at understanding people.
[quote] [quote] “Talek... Talek, please don’t do anything stupid.”[/quote]
That is sad... And Imoen is unquestionably loyal.And soon there will be the first dream...[/quote]
Yep, Talek's mood is gonna hit rock bottom soon...
[quote] Good chapter. How will Talek handles all this?..[/quote]
Heh, I'm already pretty far in the next chapter.
#10
Guest_Hunter_*
Guest_Hunter_*
-
- Guests
Posted 10 September 2003 - 05:32 AM
Imoen slapped her forehead. The priest blinked. “I’m... sure we all have times like that.” he said carefully.
Diagnosis confirmed.
The priest took his holy symbol. “Just enough for my spell reagents, which for a simple mind divination spell comes down to... a smile and a ‘thank you’”
Notice that he didn't mentioned the actual price.
The priest didn’t seem to like the answer very much but shrugged. “It is your choice, though an unhealthy one. Still, I’ve known a boy your age with some of the same problems, and he is a priest of Helm that is applying for the Order of the Radiant Heart.”
“Me? Being like a bloody Helmite?” Talek managed to exclaim before Imoen slapped him in the back of the head with a mortified expression.
He is dumb.
The priests face became grim. “There’s two possibilities. Either whoever or whatever is affecting your mind is too subtle for me to notice. But I dare say that that isn’t too likely. The effect you described should have left clear traces in your mind.”
“And the other one?” Imoen sounded worried.
The priest scowled. “It might be that your mind is healthy, but something has happened to your soul.”
I think both must apply.
“Talek... Talek, please don’t do anything stupid.”
A futile wish
Hunter
#11
Guest_Rand Al'Tor_*
Guest_Rand Al'Tor_*
-
- Guests
Posted 10 September 2003 - 08:44 AM
Imoen slapped her forehead. The priest blinked. “I’m... sure we all have times like that.” he said carefully.
Diagnosis confirmed.
The priest took his holy symbol. “Just enough for my spell reagents, which for a simple mind divination spell comes down to... a smile and a ‘thank you’”
Notice that he didn't mentioned the actual price.
Huh? He did, didn't he? The spell didn't use any reagents at all so it costs nothing?
The priest didn’t seem to like the answer very much but shrugged. “It is your choice, though an unhealthy one. Still, I’ve known a boy your age with some of the same problems, and he is a priest of Helm that is applying for the Order of the Radiant Heart.”“Me? Being like a bloody Helmite?” Talek managed to exclaim before Imoen slapped him in the back of the head with a mortified expression.
He is dumb.
So you've noticed.
The priests face became grim. “There’s two possibilities. Either whoever or whatever is affecting your mind is too subtle for me to notice. But I dare say that that isn’t too likely. The effect you described should have left clear traces in your mind.”“And the other one?” Imoen sounded worried.
The priest scowled. “It might be that your mind is healthy, but something has happened to your soul.”
I think both must apply.
More like the bad stuff in his soul can easily take advantadge of the human 'issues' in his mind.
“Talek... Talek, please don’t do anything stupid.”
A futile wish
Hunter
Heh, why do you think she's close to tears.
#12
Guest_Helseth_*
Guest_Helseth_*
-
- Guests
Posted 10 September 2003 - 06:20 PM
I always wondered: what is this "evil" the paladines detect? Evil thoughts and emotions or past evil deeds? Is, for example, an assassin of the type "nothing personal - it's just my work" going to glow red?
I would say (and I'll have it be like that here) that if someone willingly causes harm to another beyond acceptable defence of another, through
careful planning of in the throes of passion, it'll leave marks a paladin can detect. Good deeds can clean it away a bit. So a Paladin would sorta get a view of how you lived up till now.
Hmm... So good deeds (exact definition of "good" nonwithstanding) are sort of add to some moral "bank account", and evil deeds are withdraw? And paladin is kinda bank teller?
Not bad scheme at all, I think, rather nice and logical, and easy to apply. (I would probably put greater weight on good/evil thoughts and intentions, but that's just me.)Note that an assassin 'just doing his job' is just as evil, perhaps moreso, as someone killing for the sheer joy of it. 'just my job' is what
caused the holocaust after all. Good and Evil care little about 'jobs'
Concerning "just job", this idea stemmed from Ravenloft. In that demiplane every evil deed has a chance of attracting attention of certain Dark Powers and eventually of Descent, i.e., perpetrator losing humanity (quite literally). By the Ravenloft rules, crimes of passion have a greater chance of Descent then cold-blooded ones.
The idea, as I understand it, is that cold-blooded villain, while maybe doing more "objective" harm, in the same time has less corrupted soul than his "passionate" counterpart and so can keep his humanity a bit longer. (But in the end they both still get the Descent.)
Of course, this is just one of many possible conceptions.
#13
Laufey
-
- Moderators
-
- 18306 posts
Transcendant
Posted 11 September 2003 - 04:04 AM
Talek and Imoen walked over the path between the graves that were dug all around the imposing temple before entering it.. Talek looked around, clearly ill at ease. Imoen was walking behind him, now and then giving him an encouraging word. The priest, an old man whose strict and rigid posture belied his friendly eyes and expression. As the two from Candlekeep reached him he bowed his head slightly in greeting. “Good evening intrepid adventurers. What aid do you seek from the Watcher?”
“The Watcher? Our guards in Candlekeep are called...” Talek sounded confused.
“He means Helm, orc-brain.” Imoen whispered behind him.
Doh!
I guess Talek wasn't too keen on doing his homework. Talek nodded and turned to the priest. “I wonder if I’m nuts.”
Imoen slapped her forehead. The priest blinked. “I’m... sure we all have times like that.” he said carefully.
LOL!
Talek looked in surprise as he answered. “This? The corpse of some Flaming Fist.”
“TALEK!” Imoen said in a panic. “This... this isn’t what it sounds like. He was being a totally unreasonable jerk and he thought we were bandits and...”
Talek isn't exactly the most diplomatic of people.
Talek just blinked. “Huh? I never thought anything bad about Imoen.”
Oh Talek...
“Ah, forgive me. Helm help me, I’m starting to sound like a dirty old man. Regardless, do you feel up to it young man? Don’t worry, I have done this some times. And more then a few were completely mad.” He shuddered. “I don’t think one so young should have much to faze a veteran such as myself.”
Right...
The priest didn’t seem to like the answer very much but shrugged. “It is your choice, though an unhealthy one. Still, I’ve known a boy your age with some of the same problems, and he is a priest of Helm that is applying for the Order of the Radiant Heart.”
“Me? Being like a bloody Helmite?” Talek managed to exclaim before Imoen slapped him in the back of the head with a mortified expression.
LOL! Like I said, not too good at diplomacy.
“A good question. And there’s plenty of debate among sages about the exact division. Let’s say for the cause of the argument that your mind is the tool, just as your hands and eyes, with which your soul makes decisions. The soul is the part of you that is actually feeling the emotions your mind causes you to feel. It IS you. And sadly, it can be manipulated as well.” He made a dirty face. “Usually by malevolent entities. It is the worst thing one can do to a person if you ask me. To reshape another person’s mind against his will is close to rape, but to tinker with his soul is akin to murder.”
I'm not sure if 'made a dirty face' is the correct phrase. Unless I'm mistaken, it should be 'an ugly face' or it sounds like he's literally dirty.
Talek thought for a moment and then shrugged. “Feh, people have been making judgement calls about my soul for my entire life. Besides, it’s just to see if some bastard has been pulling stuff with it. Go for it, I’ve got nothing to hide.”
Oh the irony...
The priest’s face was twitching in effort. The muscles tensed as if he was trying to pull his hand back but was held. His eyes now clearly showed fear. Suddenly green glowing cracks started to appear on the edges of the symbol, interrupting the golden glow and quickly growing until they reached the white centre. Then there was a flash of light and there was only a handful of dust falling between the priest’s fingers.
Talek looked at the dust and then at the shaking cleric. “This isn’t good, is it?”
The priest looked up as if he had seen the youth for the first time. “W...what are you?”
Oh no...
She heard his voice yelling as she kept running. “Girl! He’s not human!”
She ignored it, feverishly looking around for Talek. She knew he could run pretty fast even in armour. She couldn’t hear the clanging of the plate anywhere. Fighting down tears of panic she ran towards the inn in the hope he had returned there.
With a shaky voice she yelled through the evening streets. People were looking funny at her as she yelled for her missing friend, but she didn’t see them.
“Talek... Talek, please don’t do anything stupid.”
I'm afraid there's a rather high risk that he will.
Rogues do it from behind.
#14
Guest_Rand Al'Tor_*
Guest_Rand Al'Tor_*
-
- Guests
Posted 11 September 2003 - 08:58 AM
Talek and Imoen walked over the path between the graves that were dug all around the imposing temple before entering it.. Talek looked around, clearly ill at ease. Imoen was walking behind him, now and then giving him an encouraging word. The priest, an old man whose strict and rigid posture belied his friendly eyes and expression. As the two from Candlekeep reached him he bowed his head slightly in greeting. “Good evening intrepid adventurers. What aid do you seek from the Watcher?”“The Watcher? Our guards in Candlekeep are called...” Talek sounded confused.
“He means Helm, orc-brain.” Imoen whispered behind him.
Doh!
Unless that homework involves swords or drawing... indeed.
Talek nodded and turned to the priest. “I wonder if I’m nuts.”Imoen slapped her forehead. The priest blinked. “I’m... sure we all have times like that.” he said carefully.
LOL!
Heh, Minsc and Talek both have the talent to make people go 'huh?'
Talek looked in surprise as he answered. “This? The corpse of some Flaming Fist.”“TALEK!” Imoen said in a panic. “This... this isn’t what it sounds like. He was being a totally unreasonable jerk and he thought we were bandits and...”
Talek isn't exactly the most diplomatic of people.
He's positively Thayvian in diplomacy!
Talek just blinked. “Huh? I never thought anything bad about Imoen.”
Oh Talek...
Talek is bad with understanding plain things, if people are gonna start with double-meanings.
“Ah, forgive me. Helm help me, I’m starting to sound like a dirty old man. Regardless, do you feel up to it young man? Don’t worry, I have done this some times. And more then a few were completely mad.” He shuddered. “I don’t think one so young should have much to faze a veteran such as myself.”
Right...
Wrong...
The priest didn’t seem to like the answer very much but shrugged. “It is your choice, though an unhealthy one. Still, I’ve known a boy your age with some of the same problems, and he is a priest of Helm that is applying for the Order of the Radiant Heart.”“Me? Being like a bloody Helmite?” Talek managed to exclaim before Imoen slapped him in the back of the head with a mortified expression.
LOL! Like I said, not too good at diplomacy.
He could get an Ilmater priest to cuss him out.
“A good question. And there’s plenty of debate among sages about the exact division. Let’s say for the cause of the argument that your mind is the tool, just as your hands and eyes, with which your soul makes decisions. The soul is the part of you that is actually feeling the emotions your mind causes you to feel. It IS you. And sadly, it can be manipulated as well.” He made a dirty face. “Usually by malevolent entities. It is the worst thing one can do to a person if you ask me. To reshape another person’s mind against his will is close to rape, but to tinker with his soul is akin to murder.”
I'm not sure if 'made a dirty face' is the correct phrase. Unless I'm mistaken, it should be 'an ugly face' or it sounds like he's literally dirty.
Hmmm, dang... and I've been using that a lot.
Talek thought for a moment and then shrugged. “Feh, people have been making judgement calls about my soul for my entire life. Besides, it’s just to see if some bastard has been pulling stuff with it. Go for it, I’ve got nothing to hide.”
Oh the irony...
yeah... the worst blows always come unexpected.
The priest’s face was twitching in effort. The muscles tensed as if he was trying to pull his hand back but was held. His eyes now clearly showed fear. Suddenly green glowing cracks started to appear on the edges of the symbol, interrupting the golden glow and quickly growing until they reached the white centre. Then there was a flash of light and there was only a handful of dust falling between the priest’s fingers.Talek looked at the dust and then at the shaking cleric. “This isn’t good, is it?”
The priest looked up as if he had seen the youth for the first time. “W...what are you?”
Oh no...
Yes
Bhaal's job is made easier for him onc eagain.
She heard his voice yelling as she kept running. “Girl! He’s not human!”She ignored it, feverishly looking around for Talek. She knew he could run pretty fast even in armour. She couldn’t hear the clanging of the plate anywhere. Fighting down tears of panic she ran towards the inn in the hope he had returned there.
With a shaky voice she yelled through the evening streets. People were looking funny at her as she yelled for her missing friend, but she didn’t see them.
“Talek... Talek, please don’t do anything stupid.”
I'm afraid there's a rather high risk that he will.
Yeah.. Talek is prone to stupid actions in the best circumstances, and he's had a VERY bad week.
0 user(s) are reading this topic
0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users
