31 Ch31 - The talk
The morning comes and I begin breakfast as usual, I fry the sasauges, soft-boiled the eggs and slice the potatoes and fry them. I start humming a song as usual and begin dishing them out, one for me as well now.
I sit down in the log circle and start eating. It feels… weird eating, I forgot exactly how soft you have to chew something to before you actually swallow it. I could even see everyone looking at me, probably because I tried to place a chip into my mouth vertically. (fry for Americans)
"You guys okay? You've hardly touched your food, don't tell me I did it wrong again." I place my food on my lap and I start looking at everyone's plates, but I couldn't see anything unusual.
"Look there's something I think a lot of us have forgotten to ask you." Shadowheart started. I looked at her confused, but welcoming to the question.
"You've ran away from devils, stayed with hags and we're… we're concerned, are you okay?" She stammered over her words, I couldn't help but be distracted by Lae'zel taking the uneaten sausages from everyone's plates.
"Err yeah I'm okay, couldn't be happier there's a lot I want to do in and around Baldur's Gate after all. I went spider hunting last night and I think if I make something out of them, I could get a blessing maybe." I tell her my thoughts.
"Charles, I know gods more intimately than most, and I can tell you now that Lolth, goddess of spiders mind you, will despise whatever creation you make out of the corpses of spiders." Gale kindly chided me for my idea. Shit that's a fair point actually, I think I skipped a logic step when I made my plan.
I notice Jaheira, Halsin, Karlach, Isobel and Dame are all completely silent and curious. It's only those here that have known me the longest that seem to know of this.
"Darling, I can say this in full confidence, you've changed. I remember when you found out I was a vampire, you kept it secret as did I with your dissecting nature. But focusing the nature of your spells so that they don't physically damage the corpse is excessive even to me." Astarion chimed in now, successfully defending his breakfast from Lae'zel.
"Wait hold on, I didn't intentionally do tha-" I tried to defend myself but wasn't given the chance.
"I've seen many wizards take dark turns in my life Charles, they all started off as you did. 'Nothing is evil if it isn't used for evil', they would say, but they would only research evil. I think you need to focus away from the evil nature and try to learn something new." Gale calmly interrupted me with an alternative to my current path.
"Oh, I never saw it like that. I guess psychology is the only neutral or positive thing I have going for me… But the dark stuff is all I've had access to, damn near everything in Faerun is evil! What good aligned things are there that have been so apparently accessible?" It's true, illithids, necromacers, dark curses, hags, zombies and monsters has been all I've seen here.
"You do not truly believe that surely, if there was no good here, would you still be trying to save it?" Now Dame Aylin speaks.
"Well I see your point but… Look I use rituals, I need materials for that. Dark natured stuff makes me feel like I'm doing the world some good by repurposing some rotted wood into a powerful staff. But there is no strong good things that I just wouldn't feel bad for taking. If I cut down a beautiful tree, I'd feel bad for the birds taking residence, and I can't sacrifice the bird now can I?"
"Perhaps not, but you may ask some birds for their feathers can you not? Maybe a snake for their shedded skin, you could even use the natural fauna of this world. You have not been taking the moral route Charles, you have taken the easy route." I was stunned by her words, they all sounded so simple and yet so foreign. The thought of peacefully gaining materials hasn't occurred to me, it actually made me feel stupid, humiliated almost.
"As another fact to that, many animals and beasts leave waste products! Though dark rituals are not my forté, I imagine you could conjure up some 'essence of the bulette' with enough materials of that nature." A bit gross, but something worth thinking about
definitely.
"I see, thank you for this, all of you. Though I still plan to use the materials along the way, I will not be going out as much to violently collect them. And if any of you have any requests, then I can accommodate them. Donations are also absolutely appreciated as well." I didn't realise that I've become so unthinking in my path, I've been missing out on a new world entirely.
Stepping forwards, Dame Aylin spoke once again, "Then I hope you will sincere accept these then." She held out her hand revealing about 7 wilfully given feathers from her set of wings.
"I genuinely can't accept these, wilfully given feathers from an aasimar like you can be used to do great damage to you. I'm flattered, but I can't." I actually felt bad, she could've been plucking them whilst I was distracted.
"Oh have no fear, these were pulled out naturally on my reunion night with Isobel." Dame received a quick playful punch to the arm from Isobel for that. Suddenly I feel a lot less bad about accepting them.
"Well thank you then, I know exactly what to do with them, no one can go wrong with a new short-bow right?" If I split or cut up the feathers just right then I could use them with the spiders and the webs to make some good quality bows. No one objected to the idea and I set up a much more public ritual circle just off the corner of camp. Everyone wanted to watch as I carved an arrow head shape into the centre of the circle, I threw in 4 giant wolf spider corpses, an ettercap and a strand of Dame's feather.
Clapping my hands together, I started chanting in elvish, beseeching Solonar for his blessing in this ritual. Unfortunately, just like all the other times, no one comes to bless the ritual. I always do it though, just in case. A minute passes and the glow fades, revealing a chitinous bow with a glowing yellow string.
[Holy spider slayer -
A ritual crafted short bow. Created through the corpses of the arachnid and the willingly departed offering of Dame Aylin, the bow will function perfectly, especially against certain enemies.
4 giant wolf spiders - Grants advantage against beings with more eyes than you.
1 Ettercap - 'Sticky string', can stick multiple arrows onto the bow.
7/10 Aasimar feather (willing) - Damage is doubled, yet the extra damage dealt is radiant. (Toggled on).]
I made this bow 7 more times, with Astarion and Durge left. For these two I used two claws of a wyvern, 4 giant spiders, 4 ettercaps, half a wyvern stinger and the 7/10 of Dame's feather each. Once again I beseeched Solonar and for the next two minutes made jagged chitinous bows.
[Tainted holy long bow -
A ritual crafted long bow. A new variant to 'Charles' bows' with a draconic twist. Feel honoured by the difference.
4 ettercaps and spiders - Grants advantage on monstrosity type enemies.
2 wyvern claws - All shots may cause gaping wounds.
1/2 wyvern stinger - extra 3 points of poison damage.
7/10 Aasimar feather (willing) - Damage is doubled, yet the extra damage dealt is radiant. (Toggled on).]
"I have to say, these are gonna be the best bows to keep you company for a very long time." I offer the bows to Durge and Astarion. I figured they use the bows most so they should get the best use out of them.
They both looked at their new longbows with appreciation apparent, "Oh my, this will certainly see some use" Astarion grinned. "I will see that it becomes tainted in the blood of our enemies." Contrarily, Durge became serious upon receiving it.
Walking forwards and placing a hand on my shoulder, she asked out of curiosity "And what of the last part of my feathers?"
Looking up at her I smiled, "I'm not going to lie to anyone here, I'm technically naked. If I wasn't using a spell to appear clothed then I would be naked. I want to use the feather with some other stuff to make myself an outfit that can ideally change shape with me." It's a tall order for myself, but with enough doppelgängers and ectoplasm, it would be possible. I should probably harvest ectoplasm from my crypt chanters, I guess I could make a farm out of them really.
"Helloooo, earth to Charles?… Oh he's back with us everyone, no need to fear." Gale started by waving in my face and called out to everyone, "You just completely blanked there didn't you? Entrenched in your own thoughts, trust me I get it." He patted my shoulder like I was some sort of comrade-in-arms.
"Ah sorry, I didn't realise. Anyway, now that everyone has a new bow and we've had our talks, shall we head into the city then? They might let us pass this time." I smile and look around, finally baldur's gate, for real this time. We walk towards the gate, it's the same sleep-deprived guard from last time, he looked at us, nodded and opened the gates.
His dreary mood almost ruined the full reveal of Rivington, almost. We've been teased by the smell of fresh trade and bakeries through the gate and we can now finally join in. Stepping forwards onto the smooth cobbled path, we were assaulted by the unfiltered city view. Everywhere there were advertisements and entertainment of some kind, it was truly beautiful and chaotic. Karlach nearly ran us down shouting, "THE CIRCUS IS HERE!", with just that she bolted down the path and veered off to the left.
