Evalt's Missing Brother

Evalt's Missing Brother is a side quest during Balduran's Final Voyage, one of the quest arches in the Tales of the Sword Coast expansion.
==Acquisition==
Gorion's Ward learns about "a witch" on the isle, the "Blue Lady", if listening to Evalt, one of the inhabitants from the village. Every fisherman there knows her singing, but Evalt's brother Evan seemed to be attracted to her the most.Evalt's dialogue, state 8: "Good people, there is a witch on this isle. My brother called her the Blue Lady and those of us who ply these waters have all heard her singing at one time or another. My brother, Evan, heard her more than most. I think that he went to find her. I think that he is under her spell. I must go and find him. This witch might kill him. He is strong but he is under her spell. I fear that she will kill him before he realizes what is happening. Can you find my brother?" Since Evan is missing for two nights nowEvalt's dialogue, state 6: "[…] My brother left village two nights ago and has not returned. […]", Evalt thinks his brother was charmed by the witch and fears for his life. The party can offerEvalt's dialogue, response 14: "Tell me where this witch is and I shall try to find her." to look for him.
==Walk-through==
When passing the northwestern lagoon of the northern part of the isle in search for the missing brother, a blue lady, holding a human body, will stop the party on the westernmost broadening of the sandy path and ask who gave them permission to approach her home. During this exchange and depending on the party's attitude towards the sirine queen and her deeds, she may explain herself or feel forced to use violence against them. The same is true for negotiating the delivery of that dead fisherman – Evan, the brother Evalt feared for.
If it comes to a fight, the queen will be backed by four of her kin, two of whom appear at the southern end of the path and two in its north.
In either case, the party will end up with the body in their inventory or be able to take it from the sirine queen's remains.
===Moral considerations===
The first question that arises would be to decide if "happy to oblige" and "benefit" for "both parties" can be considered true for a male being that was lured into the situation with magic – is this that much different from his own attempt to "force himself upon" the queen?ISLSIR.dlg, state 4: "I doubt that you would understand. Nevertheless, I will attempt to explain. I am a sirine, and as such must mate with a human male. My song lures them to me and the males are most happy to oblige. Normally, both parties will benefit from the exchange. It is my time to mate so I lured this fisherman to me. He attacked me and tried to force himself upon me. When my song no longer affected him, I took more drastic measures. This monster deserved to die. Perhaps even land-dwellers can understand that."
General interaction, point of view and behavior of sirines and "land-dwellers" towards each other could be considered, too. The whole conversation between the sirine queen and the party is heated, though she shows a little more patience towards them than sirines usually do. The majority of more or less derogative terms comes from the party, such as "your foul magic"ISLSIR.dlg, response 0, 19: "[…] We have come to retrieve a fisherman named Evan, whom you have lured here with your foul magic." or "blue-skinned wench",ISLSIR.dlg, response 7: "The evidence of your foul play lies on the rocks beside you, blue-skinned wench. You will pay for your crimes." together with general accusations of lying and murder – opposed to the claimed self-defense on the side of the queen, paired with calling Evan a "beast"ISLSIR.dlg, state 1: "You are not of his kind, why do you care about this beast?" and a "monster".ISLSIR.dlg, state 3: "You accuse me of foul play? I fought to defend myself from this monster. I will defend myself from you if need be."
Regarding alignment of involved parties: the sirine queen is true neutral, while Evalt – the brother of the dead fisherman and quest giver, the one on whose behalf this conversation happens at all – is a chaotic good character. Nothing, however, is known about Evan himself.
Some additional, minor details: Evalt's not interested in the way the party retrieved his brother's body (read: there is no dialogue option to tell him), and the sirine queen shows feelings of solitude after having killed her proposed mating partner.ISLSIR.dlg, state 2: "I will no longer consort with such as you. Leave me to my solitude." Also, while speaking with her, for each choice there are always two options that will end in a battle with the sirine, opposed to only one diplomatic option each. Finally, the sirine queen never reveals her status as a "queen" and describes herself simply as a "sirine".
===Practical considerations===
Regarding gained experience and material values, the difference between the two possible paths of solving this situation is quite big: 14,000 XP from defeating four sirines and their queen – together with , several weapons, arrows of biting, a number of pearls and a necklace made out of them –, opposed to solely 2,000 XP from retrieving the body diplomatically.
It's not possible to explain the chosen method to Evalt, so his reward will always be the same: 900 XP.
==Bugs==
In some versions of the game which infinitely duplicates the Sirine Queen, making the quest very difficult to complete.