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[bhaalist]

Too much, and not enough.

Your party has yet to reach Baldur's Gate, you said? How much would you want to know?

Bearing in mind that there are differences in our past, of course. Not all that is true for me may be so for you.

[corporeity]

Quite right.

Let us restrict this to her role in Faerûn, as we both know it. She’s the Chosen of Bhaal, is she not?

[bhaalist]

[ not anymore. though, as far as gale's concerned... ]

Yes. And a shapeshifter, with doppelgängers under her command.

In my version of things, she infected me directly. She's also the one who took Minthara and her army, and put them to work.

She was waiting for us when we reached the city. Almost at once she infiltrated our camp and took Lae'zel captive. I came here directly after killing her and taking her netherstone, so you can imagine my thrill at finding her alive and well here.

[corporeity]

Infected you with the tadpole?

[ my, that seems — personal. perhaps that explains why tilanus was so open to minthara, despite her apparent cruelty. ]

I see. That complicates things. Do you know if she recalls this herself?
Trapped as we are in a place death cannot touch, I don't think retribution a viable path. I would rather aim for peace, however tenuous it may be.

[bhaalist]

Yes. Most of what I know of it comes from discovery. Her attack also destroyed most of my memories.

Believe me, if I could kill her again here I would have already. Or she would have killed me. Anyone I care about might equally attract her interest.

Neither you nor Astarion remember me, but she does. If she knows that I care for you...and she may.

She's from earlier than me, but her infiltration of the camp may have happened already. I'm not sure when it started. The two of you should watch out for each other. Though I am sure you would have done so anyway.

[corporeity]

[ that i care for you, still such a odd, painful thing to hear from a stranger. what sorrow, to forget and and be forgotten. empathetic as he is, gale's heart aches in turn. i'm sorry on his tongue yet again. ]

I've taken the room adjoining Astarion's and set wards already. If any should seek him, Orin included, they'll not find him alone.

As a sorcerer, I'm sure you'll have done the same, but if I can assist you, tell me how and it shall be done. She is not the only danger in this place.

[bhaalist]

She is not, though she's the one who will actively hunt me. I feel it's time I did the same to her.

I am glad you seem to be well.

But I must ask - your orb. Is it stable here? The resurrections I've heard tell of seem to take a week or more.

[corporeity]

[ hunting people..............

as for the orb, it's something few have ever known about. tara, his companions — now armand and this man. he bristles, just a touch, before settling. the question is surely asked out of that aforementioned care. ]

Not stable enough to weather my death, which I made clear to Orin, for all our sakes.

To what end will you hunt her?

[bhaalist]

[ not stable enough.

what would the power behind this place do about that, he wonders. ]

And she believed you, she stopped?

[ that's about the most reasonable thing he's ever heard of her doing. ]

I'm glad of it.

She and I have business that is unfinished, for all that I thought it was. I don't know what resolution we can find here. We'll see.

[corporeity]

She did. We had a lively discussion of the divergences between our gods. [ “lively discussion” = “talking while gale was bleeding” ] It’s not everyday one meets the Chosen of another. I suspect I intrigue her, to a degree.

[ and she intrigues him in turn. an admission he keeps to himself, when he’s well-aware where such curiosity landed him last. ]

I hope you can reach an accord, regardless. We know not what we face here, as yet.

[bhaalist]

[ he'd tell most other people who said something like that to him where they could stow it.

but this is gale. ]

That is so.

You would counsel caution, then, despite the worm she put inside me?

[corporeity]

Unequivocally, yes. One Professor Volkarin is investigating the affects of death and resurrection here. You may yet destabilise or empower Orin further, if you enact violence before we know of the consequences.

I’m told many returned at a party held mere weeks ago with strange abilities. We do not know what sort of magic we touch with bloodshed.

Take Bhaal himself, for instance. Killing is worship for his followers, yes, but it also strengthens their god. And there are all manner of necromantic traditions that require such sacrifices.

[ mansplaining bhaal to his chosen ✔️ ]

[bhaalist]

[ gale of waterdeep, at his absolute finest.

it's unreasonable that this should make him feel warm, but it does. gale of waterdeep indeed. ]

So I've heard.

[ lol ]

Admittedly, it's difficult to imagine the Lord of Murder's hand in a place like this. His temple in the city was so very different. And, I should imagine, it would be difficult for him to gain power from a death that doesn't stick.

It does concern me. I won't pretend otherwise. Have you given much thought to the boundaries of this place? Tried to leave?

[corporeity]

My efforts to leave have ended in failure, as I’m told all do.

This place has great and powerful magic, to be sure. I intend to plumb its libraries and learn all I can from those who arrived before me. Few problems can’t be solved by quality research.

[bhaalist]

Yes I've heard that, too. I wouldn't rob the vaults of Sorcerous Sundries for just anyone, you know.

How does the library here compare, have you found anything of use?

[ hopefully you were not expecting a sorcerer to have done any of the reading... ]

[corporeity]

[ another reference to their time together that gale has yet to — well, in his case, may never — experience. an uncomfortable twinge, at the thought. he wants to ask more (why would they rob a most esteemed establishment), but it’s best not to, in the end. it wasn’t gale that did it.

the reminder will only wound one who appears amenable to heeding his advice and learnings. ]

It’s well stocked, if nothing else. Young Koby has aided me in acquiring the essentials of this world’s history — a place thought to be without magic, it seems, though we know better.

[bhaalist]

[ ah, koby. he spoke to him, read his welcome package. it had been helpful, even if there was no explanation to anything within. ]

The dead rise as a matter of course, and they thought it without magic.

I spoke to a woman who wanted to try and open a portal out of here. Not that she had any idea of how to do so, or any indication of how to reach any of our worlds from here. If we found more direction, there might be merit to the idea.

[ if. it's a very big if. ]

[corporeity]

I agree. I intend to focus my efforts on studying the magic of this place, for the moment, before I go about toying with it as Agathe suggests. A hard-won lesson.

[ given his presently fatal affliction. ]

Have you read through Silco’s discussion of leadership? What do you make of the Balfours?

[bhaalist]

That they've given the impression they aren't in control of their home.

[ which is not to say he's taken that as read. ]

There was also some strong opposition to Agathe's idea of interrogating them. It's possible they're prisoners here as much as the rest of us, though that could be a ruse. Did you happen to encounter Auntie Ethel on your travels?

[ she'd played innocent, too. ]

[corporeity]

We did. Appearances deceive, indeed.

I believe interrogation is unlikely to be effective, regardless, if they’re prone to hysterics. More flies with honey, as they say.

[bhaalist]

I believe lashing out at them would be unwise, at least for now. I can't say I trust them, but it sometimes pays to be patient. I agree with you.

[ about this, anyway. orin is another story. ]

[corporeity]

Good. I’ll keep you informed of what I learn.

[ a beat. ]

Thank you for asking after me, Tilanus.

[ for caring. ]

[bhaalist]

[ he's wary of pushing too much, assuming too much. especially after talking to astarion. it's strange to be strangers again. ]

You're welcome.

Gale, if there is anything you need, you need only ask.

[corporeity]

An exceedingly kind offer. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me, either.

As I said before, I would like to know one who knows so much of me. Or a version of me, at any rate.

[bhaalist]

I know.

It was no lie when I said I recall little of my past. When I woke on the Nautiloid I knew nothing but my name, and I met you not long after.

[ what he had discovered, he had discovered with gale, and the wizard had not turned from him then. would this version feel differently?

it is a strange thing to be concerned about. there are few people whose opinion would matter to him. ]

Would you take a drink with me? I would rather speak of this in person.