Fandom Baldur's Gate: Cruel Dues [Closed]

[cleopat]

Gale’s comment made Marisol wonder if her family was looking for her. If they used their wealth to send out a search party to find their only child. If they decorated the city with posters asking for help in locating her.

She hoped for the chance to find that out sooner rather than later, as it only meant that they were in the city.

But Marisol didn’t get the chance to ponder on such thoughts for very long. A commotion ahead distracted them all.

“Stop your yelling! What’s going on?” shouted a man from above. No doubt the one in charge of who went in and out of the door.

“The goblins! They’re after us! You gotta let us in!” One of the people on the ground shouted with clear panic evident in his voice.

“Then you led them straight to us and our doom!”

Marisol already felt the tingle of electricity pulsing in her fingertips as she overheard the conversation. Goblins? That was never a good thing.

~~~

Of course the latest gossip amongst the servants and maids were of Myna returning, yet seemingly not knowing anything of her life, including her past relationship with Gortash.

Everyone who worked in the residence for Gortash knew of their secret affair, but no one ever dared to discuss it outside of those walls. While Myna never did anything towards them, they knew of her job. Of the whispers of what she’s done.

Hortense helped prepare the bath for Myna, as well as gather some towels, soaps, and oils for her, many of which she used in the past. Surely that meant she would still want them, right?

After Myna got in the bath, Hortense stood outside the bathroom, nearby in case she was in need of assistance for anything.

A little while later, the woman did need assistance with something, and she approached Myna, who left the bathroom. “Is there something I can help you with?”

 

[Lucyfer]

Goblins? Oh, that wasn’t good. “What’s all the yelling about?” Gale could see another tiefling on the wall.

“They led the goblins to us, sir,” another deferred.

“You idiot!” the red tiefling on the wall shouted down, “where is the druid?”

The man standing in front of the wall grabbed an arrow from out of a shield and pointed it up, as if that was somehow a threat, or a commanding gesture, “Please, there’s no—”

A war-horn sounded. No time, indeed.

“Well, perhaps this isn’t the best town to stop in,” Astarion chuckled, edging back before they could be seen.

Gale wrinkled his nose at that, and as the goblins with their worgs rounded the corner prepared to commit violence, Gale took a moment to act on their interest in the party at the wall and murmured, “Voco nubes,” and fog rolled around the goblins, blinding their sight of the party at the wall, and everything else.

Their screams of confusion could be heard immediately.

Astarion chuckled, “Oh, I like that,” it would make sneaking up on them much easier.

~***~

Muscle memory was an interesting thing. Myna remembered this location in feel, but not in mind, and her steps took her to a window. She could only frown, not understanding why she considered this an exit, before she turned back to find a maid, only to see one had followed her.

She didn’t know the maid.

“I…don’t remember the way out,” she felt like she should know the maid. She felt like the admittance was of an admittance of knowing she had known Gortash, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to be doing that. Even if these people here knew her history.

A history she didn’t.

By all the Gods (or perhaps just by Bhaal), it made her blood boil at the thought of all these things these people knew about her! Would they tell her, if she asked? Would she believe it anyways, coming from servants of Gortash?

“Would you show me? I need to leave,” before she killed someone. Perhaps it was his influence? Bane commanded. If Gortash wanted her to believe she was a murderer, he could command it. Perhaps he already had in some subliminal way. Was she already doomed even if she left?

‘Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up!’

 

[cleopat]

Chaos started almost immediately, and in the midst of Marisol debating on what they should do, Gale took the first action and blinded the goblins with a thick wall of fog.

She smiled. It seemed that they were joining the fight.

A movement of her hand, calling forth the Weave she had been familiar with since birth, she hurled forth a knife made of ice. It struck an unseeing and unsuspecting goblin and left an icy surface on the ground around him, causing a few other goblins to lose their footing and fall to the ground.

A few of the others looked over at the newcomers in mild surprise, including the red tiefling on top. But that surprise didn’t stay long before they joined the attack, determined to rid their community of the threat the goblins presented.

~~~

The rumors persisted of how Myna was different, and upon her declaration of not knowing the way out, Hortense felt immense sympathy for the woman. Being gone for so long, who knows what happened to her, to be brought back without a single memory of who anyone was in the place.

Hortense and Myna had encountered one another several times in the past.

But should she show Myna the way out? Let a clueless woman wander the city by herself?

The way Myna pleaded crumbled any resolve Hortense had to say ‘no.’

“Okay.” If Gortash found out she was the one to help Myna leave, would he be angry? She could claim ignorance. It wouldn’t be far from the truth! “The nearest exit is just right this way.” Hortense would lead the woman down the hallway and down a flight of stairs, bringing her to a door that would lead out onto the streets.

She hesitated, but said one last thing before leaving Myna, “Please stay safe out there, miss.”

 

[Lucyfer]

Astarion slipped into the fog, which didn’t surprise Gale. He couldn’t make out much, but he grinned as he heard the sound of the ice knife strike a target and heard the shuffling and thudding within.

The wargs burst out, but they were filled with arrows quickly, as other combatants came to the top of the wall.

A scream alerted them to Astarion doing something, and Gale opted to play with the fog and work on clearing holes to seek out the goblins so that they could be filled with holes while surrounded by confusion.

It was a strategy that worked, even though some found their way out of the fog on their own.

Astarion got the last one as it burst out, staff in hand, by slitting its throat and dropping it to the ground.

Gale waved away the fog as Astarion approached the door. “Now then, as you all were saying?” Astarion’s haughty arrogance shown through.

“Open the gate,” the red tiefling declared, and the three who had been trying to get in relaxed, relieved, though it didn’t last. Tension built back in the one who was likely the leader as he stormed ahead of even Astarion.

Astarion merely waited for the other two to join him.

“Nice work with your manipulation of ice,” Gale commended Marisol as he did indeed walk forward, Tara following at his heels. “And a nice, um, use of the cloak of fog, Astarion.”

“You’re welcome,” he said, grinning, “though we may not want to linger long, this place is likely to be overrun.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that. I think we got all of them. No one will be heading back to tell the goblins this place is here.”

Although perhaps that was in question, given the raised voices of the tiefling and the man who had been outside.

~***~

The maid did not hesitate in agreeing to show her, and Myna followed, glancing around, trying to look for anything that might ring familiar. Anything, perhaps, that she could commit to new memories. Lasting thoughts. Would she forget everything if she fell asleep? Terror lingered that each thought could be made in vain, lost again.

For the moment, though, freedom was offered with a door, and a comment on safety.

So normal.

“Thank you,” she wasn’t sure she would be safe. People hunted her thinking she was a devil. Someone – Orin – did this to her. Who knew how many other enemies she had. Still, Myna was determined to find someone else who knew her, and she was certain that meant finding a tavern or a bar – somewhere bards played.

Someone would know her.

Someone would tell her a different story from Gortash.

‘Both could be true.’

The rain had abated, but the streets were still wet. Night. The moon glowed from between the clouds, and as Myna left behind the riches of Gortash’s neighborhood, she began to hear and see the ruckus of Baldur’s Gate’s crowds, people haggling last minute, or preparing to start a celebration. A bar shaped as a ship caught her eye, and she intended to head that way, before a woman did instead.

Or rather, a flare of fire, and then the realization a tiefling was speaking with a blacksmith – almost begging, really.

‘You’re a tiefling, not a devil.’

Though a woman flaring up like that might be a devil.

“—said I’m closing up shop. Come back—”

“Excuse me?” Myna approached, and she watched the blacksmith’s eyes widen in surprise. Recognition. Okay, she could use that.

“Myna! I—I haven’t seen you around in weeks, girl! Is this a friend of yours?”

Myna glanced at the tiefling. She had no idea who the tiefling was, but she needed help – so she nodded. “Yes, she is. Do you have just a few minutes? I know she wouldn’t be hassling you if it wasn’t important,” she had no idea whatsoever, but it was good to help, right?

 

[cleopat]

Marisol shouldn’t have been surprised by Astarion’s ease through the fog and silently killing their opponents. Not after their surprising introductions.

And she wasn’t. She merely raised a brow at the elf as he left the cloud of fog at the end of their little skirmish, but said nothing. She wasn’t even judging him, but realized that if he wanted to kill her back there, he would’ve.

It would be nice to have him on their side.

Marisol smiled at Gale’s positive comments towards their fighting style. She wasn’t terribly used to trying to protect her own life like that…but it felt right under the use of her magic.

But the end of the battle didn’t bring about peace for everyone. Arguing could be heard soon after the entered through the gate. Marisol hurried forward and briefly overheard what the argument was about.

“-and you could’ve brought the entire goblin horde on our doorstep!” the red tiefling yelled.

“What is going on here?” she asked, hands raised. “The goblins were defeated, and it didn’t look like any were following behind. This location should be safe.”

~~~

Karlach was not having a good evening. She just wanted to ask this blacksmith a question about her damned infernal engine for a heart, and he wouldn’t even hear her! Apparently she was too late, and he was closing up. Which, was fair, but couldn’t he just hear her question first so she knew coming back the next day was worth it?

“Ugh!” she grunted in frustration before becoming aware of someone new coming up to them.

She turned around to see who joined them, and Karlach tensed in apprehension at the face she hadn’t seen in ages. Gortash’s close associate.

But she claimed they were friends, which they were definitely not.

Karlach crossed her arms, faltering slightly when the blacksmith seemed to be reconsidering things. While she saw Myna as an enemy, thanks to her proximity to Gortash, this blacksmith thought otherwise. He only knew her as the friendly, outgoing bard famous around Baldur’s Gate.

“I…I guess I have a few minutes I can spare,” the blacksmith conceded, rubbing the back of his neck.

Karlach sighed in relief. “I just want to know if you can help me and my infernal engine problem.” She tapped on her chest for good measure.

 

[Lucyfer]

The tiefling shot a glare at Marisol for intruding, though it softened a touch at recognizing her as one who helped fight the goblins. “That's not all there is to it–”

“The druid made his own decision,” the human fighter shot back quickly, “if he gives up the grove, that's on him.”

“And Liam?” The tiefling demanded, “do you have any idea the lives you've endangered?” The stress was obvious. More was going on.

Astarion sighed, “I take it that means we won't be rewarded for our heroics,” he shifted his weight, looking as bored as he did annoyed. “I always knew it didn't pay to be a hero.”

The human fighter snorted, but added, “Look. We know the goblin hoard is at the temple. You're some sort of paladin, aren't you? Go take them by surprise,” the human stepped back, lifting his hands in a gesture not of surrender, but expressing how done he was with all of this, “either way, they're right, no goblin survived to report back, so no damage done.”

“Unless one was invisible,” Gale couldn't help it, however as the other human left he quickly corrected, “I'm sure that's not the case, and we apologize. We don't mean to get involved, but we do have some pressing matters to attend to, namely of the needing a healer kind.”

The tiefling looked them over.

None of them looked injured.

~***~

Infernal engine was nothing Myna had heard of, and by the looks of the blacksmith, it wasn't something he was familiar with, either. However, he stepped closer, and took a look down into the steam vents on the tiefling’s chest, before shaking his head.

“Sorry lass. I don't deal with much outside of weapons and armor. This metal isn't anything I've seen before, and the way it's moving…I wouldn't know where to begin. Might want to find an ironhand gnome or a gondian. I hear some are in the employ of the Steelwatch facility.”

Steelwatch.

Gortash was involved in that. Would Myna be able to get access? It seemed worth a shot. She was desperate to prove she wasn't a murderer. Helping this person seemed one way to do that. “Oh! I can get you in to see someone,” probably.

Hopefully.

“I don't know quite remember where it is, I, er, don't get out that way often.”

Maybe?

“It's out by the docks, near the Sea Bitch’s Temple,” he said, not seeming surprised. Perhaps the proximity of the…. “The Steelwatch is new, since you've been…well, where were you Myna? We all missed you in the Mermaid.”

‘I don't know.’

“I went to Rashemen for a stay. Family.” Why Rashemen? Why did that seem familiar? Had she been there? Why did it fill her with fear?

The blacksmith nodded as if it were a perfectly acceptable answer, “Give warning next time, eh?”

“Mm,” Myna managed an agreeable hum, distracted by her own lie and where it came from as she looked to the other tiefling to see if she'd follow.

Was she just trying to get her alone to murder? ‘Stop it!’

 

[cleopat]

Marisol shot Gale a look, wanting to hit him for suggesting that there was an invisible goblin somewhere going back to report the camp on its findings. That wasn't the stress anyone needed right now.

“He’s right, we do need a healer. There is this, um, condition we have that we’re desperate to get rid of,” Marisol further explained.

The red tiefling sighed. “Well, Halsin is one of the best healers around, but he’s imprisoned at the goblin camp. I wish I could help, but we’re dealing with our own crisis here.”

Marisol frowned, curious to know more. “What crisis?”

“There are many refugees in this grove for protection, but the druid Kagha and others have decided to perform a rite that will close off the grove to anyone but them. This will leave the tieflings on the road, and most of them are children.” He sighed with the evidence of many lives weighing heavily on his shoulders.

Marisol felt angry on this tiefling’s behalf. Children being forced onto the treacherous roads, ridiculous! “Why are they doing this?”

He shook his head. “They believe we’re the reason for many enemies coming up to their doorsteps and threatening the grove.”

~~~

Karlach wanted to remain hopeful that this blacksmith could help her in any way, but she sighed in defeat as he admitted he didn’t know what to do. To perhaps check out the Steelwatch facility.

No the fuck she wouldn’t.

But Myna was…willing to help her? And acting strange. Karlach shot the woman a confused look, suspicion building within her hot chest.

She didn’t want to follow Myna, but for some reason, she did, though as soon as the blacksmith was out of earshot, she finally spoke up. “You know I don’t associate with any friends of Gortash.” A traitorous little weasel. “And last I checked, you had no positive feelings about me either. What are you doing?”

 

[Lucyfer]

“Well, it wasn’t as if you planned to stay here forever, was it?” Astarion asked the tiefling, though he knew it wasn’t the polite thing. Honestly! They were likely freeloading on this community. Astarion didn’t care about the druids either, but what did the tieflings expect? To get away with this for years without end? “Sounds like it’s time to move on, unless you all want to become druids.”

“We weren’t!” The tiefling all but shouted at Astarion, “but when we arrived here, we found the roads overrun with goblins, and several towns already overrun with them! We couldn’t pass through with our children!”

“Hold on, hold on,” Gale interjected, “towns?” Gale almost scoffed, but the sheer audacity of that suggest held it back, as Tara took a seat at his feet and began to groom herself, “Goblins aren’t organized enough to take towns. In fact, they shouldn’t be organized enough to be causing this degree of trouble.”

“It’s not just goblins,” the tiefling sighed, dejected, “we don’t understand it, but there seem to be drow leading them, and they’re going on and on about some new deity – the Absolute.”

“The Absolute?” Gale shook his head, baffled, “I’ve never heard of that one, and I know a lot about the divine.”

“So do I,” the tiefling seemed almost challenged by that, and Gale wondered at the reaction, but didn’t press it as the tiefling sighed, “Kagha isn’t the head druid. If Halsin were here, he’d never allow this.”

“That’s why you were so upset he was gone….”

The tiefling nodded.

~***~

‘Do I know you?’

It sounded like Karlach knew Myna, and in a way the others didn’t. She knew the connection to Gortash, and it seemed she didn’t approve at all. And that Myna should know this. Why should she know this? Had she done something to Karlach?

‘Damnit, remember!’

But her mind remained blank as she answered, “You don’t mean anything at all to me,” and then she recognized that sounded vaguely threatening so she paused and looked up at Karlach, trying, willing memory to come back, as she added, “Neither does Gortash. I don’t remember anything since this evening when I woke up covered in my own blood, with two people yelling at me for being a literal devil.”

Most tieflings could relate to that.

Unfortunately.

“And trying to kill me. Everything before that is gone, but—”

Something in her head reeled forward and latched. There wasn’t pain, just an uncomfortable pressure as she staggered forward and put a hand on her head, unable to stop the connection suddenly made with the red woman.

The unknown intruder in her head, decided to try and speak to its own compatriot in the head of the other tiefling, to share, quite against Myna’s will, that unfortunate beginning – but mostly to share that genuine confusion and terror from the start of this new life.