Kit Bellows

Ekitselle Baenre (born 27 Eleasis, 1392 DR), better known as Kit Bellows, was a Drow paladin who dwelt in Baldur's Gate during the late 15th century DR.
== Character History ==
==== Previously ====
Akordia beef with Minthara. Assaulted by Bhaal and fled from the shame. settled somewhere no one would know her.
==== Dead on Arrival (1392 DR) ====
Kit's childhood. Mom ko's herself. Kit is adopted in at _ owned by Irma Bellows.
==== In the Name of Justice ====
Spent a long time trying to quench their bloodlust through dispensing justice.
==== Trueborn Child ====
Approached by Bhaal cultists and taken in. Embraces evil at last. Slaughters Irma to prove worth. Slowly takes over cult. 
==== In the Name of Bloodshed ====
Orin and Gortash (maybe own section?)
== Baldur's Gate 3 (1492 DR) ==
=== Act 1 ===
==== Needn't Be Foes Today ====
The first thing Kit saw when they woke up was a Mind Flayer. They couldn't recall ever seeing one in person before, but the ugly tentacle face was unmistakable. It floated around the darkened room, almost gentle, and pulled something out of a vat in the center. The next thing they saw was a Githyanki, trapped in some kind of pod across from them. They watched as the illithid inserted the squirming thing they grabbed into the Gith's eye, and that's when Kit realized they themselves were stuck inside a pod too. Unobservant, perhaps, but there was a lot going on. They watched with confusion and horror as the Mind Flayer grabbed another one of those worms and let it wriggle deep into Kit's eye... the shock and the pain overwhelmed them, it was like a thousand nails being pummeled into their brain over and over and over again. It blocked out all else, and it forced them back into unconsciousness.
The next time they awoke everything was on fire. Kit managed to pry the lid off their pod and hop out, nearly falling over because their legs were so shaky. Everything ached, but they remembered... nothing. They had no memories before being on this accursed vessel. The Gith was gone, but another Drow was learning against a nearby wall, one with dark amethyst skin and almost glowing purple hair. Kit looked her up and down, sizing her up, which wasn't hard because she was completely naked. Not an inch of fabric to her name. They didn't want an ally, but the scope of the situation made going it alone seem impractical, so Kit gestured in Drow sign language. Needn't be foe's today, not in this hellish place. The other Drow didn't answer back right away, clearly working her way to the same conclusion Kit did, but finally came back with: For now. Her name was Juneaux apparently, and she was also suffering from memory loss. How both of them remembered sign language but not who they were was beyond them. They had their names and nothing more, and even those were hazy.
Together they stumbled their way around the ship, eventually finding a human strapped to a table. His brain was exposed, and their minds connected. Or rather, the parasites within their brains connected, and that's when Kit realized what the illithids had done to them: they were infected and would become illithid themselves in a few days time. Not just that but this exposed brain was alive, sentient, and a foreboding glimpse at their own futures. Juneaux dislodged the brain from the body and tried to cripple it so it'd be subservient and guide them, but instead it just scurried off angrily. A shame, for it was clearly linked to the hivemind that spread across every inch of the ship. It was then that the pair were confronted by the Githyanki woman that Kit recognized her from the pods before. She was ready to kill them both, but then their parasites connected too (honestly, who doesn't have a parasite at this point?), and it was glaringly obvious to Kit that they'd need to team up further to get out of this mess. Juneaux was ready to leave her behind but Kit knew how useful a Githyanki could be in battle. When asked where the ship even was, the Githyanki - named Lae'zel - said she didn't know but all that mattered was getting to the helm and steering it somewhere safe.
The trio fought their way through the vessel, finding another captive along the way. When they came across her trying to escape a pod they knew what to do and didn't even question it: they kept walking. Fuck that bitch. They even found the necessary key to unlock her pod too but didn't bother backtracking. She'd either be fine on her own or she wouldn't, it wasn't their concern. They were more shocked when they reached the helm and saw that they were crashing in fucking Avernus of all places, but luckily managed to reconnect the ship's portal tentacles and transport it back to Faerûn. Just then a Githyanki dragon burst through the window and started breathing fire, forcing everyone backward as the ship teetered and span its way through dimensions. Kit was thrown around a few times, finally slamming against a wall next to a dying Mind Flayer. They locked eyes, but the creature's expression was unreadable. Kit was then sucked out the broken window and flung into the open air. The Nautiloid burned bright, lighting up the night sky like a miniature sun, and despite the flames Kit wished they were still on it.
Kit screamed the entire time they were freefalling, swearing at the universe for letting this happen to them. They didn't deserve to die while the mystery of their own identity loomed over them! It wasn't fair, and they wished they could blow up on impact to take some people out along with them. But just before they landed a burst of energy enveloped them, vibrating and purple and almost warm, and it stopped them from becoming a pancake on the beach. All Kit saw was the purple light, and then darkness took them once again.
==== Broken Promises ====
The only person on the beach other than Kit was Juneaux. Kit shook her awake and she jolted up, brushing sand off her exposed tits as she stood up. How she'd get it out of everything else was her problem. After glancing around Juneaux wondered aloud if they landed on the Sword Coast because it had a specific poor person taste to the air. There was nothing they could do but wander around the wreck site, weaving through burning pieces of Nautiloud in search of... something, anything, that could help them. A pale man jumped out of the bushes and tried to trick them into following him, but when that failed tackled Kit to the ground, pressing a knife to their throat. Kit was ready to kill the attacker and even managed to push him off, but the situation deescalated when their parasites connected. They learned the man's name, Astarion, and that he was also a victim of the Mind Flayers. He offered to join their party because clearly they all had similar goals in mind, and "you seem like useful people to know." Kit was still suspicious, but they'd lost the Gith and their need for allies was still present, so they let him live for the time being.
An unstable portal swirled and raged on a nearby ledge. A hand jetted out of it, flailing around and begging to be grabbed. When they approached Kit felt a dark feeling flood their mind. They imagined hacking the hand off instead of taking it, letting the blood and the screams soothe their mind. It was such a powerful image that they could almost smell the blood, but... they snapped out of whatever the fuck that was, and Kit felt it's absence. Juneaux clearly had the same idea and was reaching for a blade she'd swiped from the wreckage a while ago, but Kit stopped her and pulled the man through. It turned out to be the best choice because he was a wizard also infected by a parasite. The man, Gale, had a certain weakness to him that would serve them well in the troubles to come, and if it didn't... they shook the bloody thoughts from their mind, still not sure what to make of them.
The overgrown ruins were being searched by a raiding party when the group happened across it. They were meant to be looking for survivors of the Nautiloid but got distracted looting, and Juneaux threatened them to fuck off or else. They did and Kit was thankful it hadn't turned into a battle. Best to keep anyone looking for that ship far, far away from them. Plus, now they could loot the place themselves! After going through it room-by-room and swiping everything of value, Kit found a room full of bones and crypts, and an ancient book recording long-dead Gods. After tripping a hidden button along a wall panel and triggering a horde of undead guards, the group found a being entombed inside one of the crypts: Withers, while cryptic, offered to aid them on their adventures and meet them at their camp when the time was right. Kit wasn't sure taking help from a living skeleton was the best play, but who were they to say no? Beggars couldn't be choosers.
They found Lae'zel shortly after, held hostage by some nasty tieflings. They had her suspended in a cage and planned to kill her, but Kit wanted her on side. They drew their hammer and smashed it down on the two tieflings without hesitation or remorse, and it changed everything: It felt like a cord within them snapped, and Kit doubled over in pain. Their heart pounded, their chest thrummed, and all their strength sapped away. They stumbled forward, grabbing onto a rock for support, as something important inside them was lost. A blink, and Kit was no longer standing on the dirt path. They were in a black void, as a fiery knight stood imposingly before them.
"You have broken your oath, Paladin" the knight said.
"I'm a Paladin?" Kit asked, genuinely curious. This is the first real bit of information they've gotten on themselves. "A Paladin of what?"
The knight vanished without answering, leaving Kit with more questions but at least one answer. It was a start. Juneaux asked what the fuck just happened and Kit shrugged. "Apparently I'm a Paladin." 
==== Players and Pawns on the Board ====
we fought our way into the grove/wyll
i punched that douchey human<3 and we found shadowheart. ethel tried to scam me and zevlor dished the t on the grove
juneaux lied to volo lol, and i let kagha kill a child :) i poked a bird to death and then we killed nettie too. found kagha's secret chest w/ notereference
i stole arabella's parents :) we let sazza out bc it was convenient and she can lead us to minthara. told us about gut too and said she'd meet us at moonhaven aka goblin camp. killed scratch and the owlbear's mom on the way.
A battle wasn't something Kit thought they'd walk into, but that's exactly what happened. A human man named Wyll was fighting a goblin horde gathered outside an ivy-covered gate, and before anyone could react flaming arrows were being pelted at them by the raging goblins. It would've been the smarter play to backtrack and escape, but they didn't react quick enough and the goblin ranks closed ranks around them. It wasn't a fight they were looking for but Kit felt their heart flutter at the chance to crack some more skulls. After the bloodshed they were let through the gate into a beautiful Druid Grove and were immediately pulled into a dispute between a tiefling man and a different human. Aradin was acting like a racist piece of shit toward Zevlor and while Kit didn't particually care, they'd take any excuse to punch someone in the face. They're enjoying learning things about themselves!
Wyll was a monster hunter on a mission chasing devils, and the fact he had a parasite too would make him a perfect addition to the team. He agreed to join their ever-growing party, and after Juneaux whispered that Kit better know what they're doing teaming up with so many potential threats. Good to see her Drow paranoia was still in-tact.
The Emerald Grove was so close to the crash site that there's no way they didn't feel it when it landed, and Reveran wondered what the people here thought happened. The grove truly was beautiful, with expansive greenery growing alongside an ancient temple. They wondered if their past self enjoyed beauty like this, or if it was something new. There was something exciting underneath the anxiety, something freeing about rediscovering yourself, but ultimately Reveran wished he could just remember. He was clearly middle-aged and lived a whole life he can't remember. Would the old him approve of what he's been doing? Would present him hate who he was? So many possibilities. Unfortunately the situation escalated too quickly for him to dwell because in the center of the Grove the druids were chanting, gathering magic for some kind of ritual. A sealing spell, they learned from a tiefling refugee named Zevlor, that would encase the entire Grove in vines to seal it from the outside world. It would protect everyone inside from the goblin forces, no one in and no one out, but the refugees were being threatened by the druids to leave in the next couple days before then. They'd been displaced ever since the descent of Elturel, and if they left the Grove they'd be killed by goblins before even reaching the forest. The druids de facto leader would hear none of their pleas. An archdruid named Halsin used to lead the Grove, but he'd been captured by goblins days prior and hadn't been seen since. It also happened that he was a master healer with a special interest in illithid parasites, and could very well be the solution to their ceremorphosis problem... but not if the Grove sealed itself off before they could find him.
They agreed to meet with the Grove's temporary leader to buy time, and on the way met a lot of interesting characters. There was an elderly human trader named Ethel, who was sweet as pie and as cute to boot, and Reveran decided to ask if she could help with the parasite (which Shadowheart hated) because of her potion knowledge. She said there may be a way and to find her at her home at a nearby swamp. After they convinced a sibling trio (Rolan, Cal and Lia) to stay in the grove and help fight. Wyll was helping Asharak teach the tiefling children to fight and he used that moment to approach him about joining the party. He wholeheartedly agreed and said he'd meet them at their camp after he was done the lesson.
When they found the druid leader, Kagha, she was about to execute a tiefling child. Reveran managed to talk her down, but that was all the ground she was willing to give. She flat out refused to stop the ritual when they asked and reaffirmed her hatred for the tiefling race (right to Reveran's face, how rude). Sensing the shifting tension in the room, Reveran instead applauded Kagha for her actions and that of course they'd convince Zevlor to leave. This deception gained them full unrestricted access to the Grove and they used it wisely. Or rather, they would have, had Gale not immediately used that moment to reveal he needs to consume magical items or die, or had Shadowheart not also taken that moment to explain she's cursed and sometimes it jolts her with pain. Timing, people.
They eventually found Nettie, a healer who worked under Halsin, and told her everything. She was ready to kill them when she learned of their parasites, but her scientific curiosity won out and she examined them instead, ultimately deciding to give them a poison strong enough to kill them should they feel the symptoms come on in any way. Reveran was disappointed she couldn't help them and for her initial deceptions, but he took the poison regardless. Whoever he is or was, neither wanted to become illithid.
On their way out they found a chest in Kagha's room that contained a secret letter confirming further correspondence at a nearby swamp. The same swamp Ethel lived in, how perfect, they could kill two birds with one stone.
==== Grabbing the Poker with Both Hands ====
then we stormed the swamp for kagha's chest. we found kagha's evidence and slaughtered the druids :) we told the tieflings they were safe now and we'd go and try finding halsin now (really just to help ourselves). we found karlach and recruited her with wyll. paladins of tyr. we didnt save waukeens rest, zentarim, alfira rip
saved barcus and found necromancy of thaY.
the absolute showed us the chosen on gobcamp bridge, artifact protected us. torture/killed liam, left volo, betrayed sazza and agreed to help minthara to get rid of her. we then saved halsin and when he couldnt help with our parasite, we mentally sided with minthara. then we killed gut and went to the underground selune outpost
==== Camaraderie in Bloodthirst ====
that night kit struggled with their morality and tried to cling to morality and retook my oath. astarion told me he's a vampire
morning we betrayed the grove :) astarion rejected me at the goblin party so i killed him. june and minty fucked, me and lae'zel fucked instead.
==== Immovable Objects ====
we betrayed those zhentarim boys. the dream visitor scene, same as the one on rev earlier
went to auntie ethel's and defeated her, but let her keep mayrina
we killed gandrel :)
==== At Each Other's Throats ====
dhourn's body told us about adamantine forge
arcane tower
me and lizard bitch fucked again
went to myconoid colony and met blury and ommeluum. boneclarks. thulla. talked to spaw, told us about duergar. baelen. sussur bark.
deurgar. instant fight. killed glut bc he's a cunt. spaw was chill and told us to kill nere. that night shart and lae'zel argued and shart tried to slit her throat. ya that scene.
==== Vengeance ====
juneaux pushed corsair into the sea then we went to grymforge. agreed to werk with brithvar to kill nere. philomeen. thrinn.
nere reached out to us. talked to barcus. lied and said we'd save gnomes. let nere kill them lol. then we let thrinn die. then we killed the duegar in a double cross. nere told us about ketheric at moonrise and to go meet spider bitch. then we burned nere alive :) 
halsin!!!!! showed up at camp that night and faced juneaux. screenshots!!!!!
did the forge and returned nere's head
way out of zhentarim found out florrick burned to death :)
voss tried to kill us like a cunt and we beat them and got the gith plate we'd neverseen b4
==== No Time For Ceremonies ====
blew up kobolds. we lockpicked the ceremonial game. went into the creche. juneaux killed that kid. juneaux zathisk. egg. inquistor and lady leader stuff. down to inqusitor and vlaakith.
inside we goooooooo. didn't kill emperor. went outside to face githyani/lae'zel crisis. fought way out. gave egg to esther. voss at camp. slaughtered the zhentarim :) 
blood of lanthander monastery go boom astarion big mad. elminster. camp + end of act 1.
elminster: juneaux asks if he knows about a cure for the parasites and when he says no she tells the old cunt to hurry up then bc the situation isnt about her. 
=== Act 2 ===
==== Creeping Around in the Dark ====
They stepped into a land of glowing darkness, which shouldn't make sense but that's still what they found. The darkness had a weight to it, almost making it too hard to breathe, and it swirled around them like a predator circling it's next meal. Twisted, knotted trees lined the road and the cold winds sounded like ghostly moans. It was like all life had been leached from the earth and the its corpse mutated beyond recognition. A goblin was waiting for them and she asked if they were the True Souls the convoy was waiting for and upon getting confirmation handed Juneaux a torch and told them to keep it close. The flames offered a reprieve from the effects of the curse. So it hated light, good to know. The goblin told them to follow the road and meet up with the convoy so they could set out.
Despite the torch, the shadow curse began to corrupt their minds and weaken them only minutes later, but it clearly didn't affect Shadowheart like everyone else. This pushed her further into her faith in Shar, because obviously a disciple of the goddess wouldn't be affected by a curse bearing her origin. If Kit wasn't actively choking on evil air they'd probably have rolled their eyes. The Gods may be full of shit but at least their religions made people more malleable. Astarion pulled out another torch from his pack and once again the curse danced away from them. He might've been more pretty than anything but sometimes he really put that one brain cell to work.
They followed the road until they saw a goblin playing a fucked up game of fetch with a hyena. He was tossing a bone into the shadows, just outside the torch's light, tempting it to it's own death. Kit and Juneaux watched as the mangy beast jumped into the dark and was ripped apart by something they couldn't see. Clearly they'd been very lucky on the walk here, and it made Kit want to hold their torch a little bit closer. The goblin noticed them edging closer and suddenly got all defensive, and it bothered Kit. It actually bothered them a lot. Kit laughed along with the banter but picked up another bone, tossing it into the dark. "Go fetch," they told the goblin, who didn't believe them at first. When it became very clear they were serious he hesitantly stepped out of the light. His screams of agony resonated with something deep inside Kit.
The leader of the convoy told Kit to summon their guide. When they showed hesitation they gestured to the Spider Lyre sitting on their back. So that's why Minthara and Nere had them, to get through the Shadow-Cursed Lands unscathed. The more you know. Kit withdrew the weapon and strummed a very basic tune. Music was never their thing, that much they can tell from their lackluster performance. They'd only kept the instrument because it was pretty.
A horrifying monstrosity came crawling out of the dark. He had pale skin stretched over his bony figure, and his limbs were replaced with that of a spider. His movements were jerky and his demeanor fanatic. He was obsessed with the Absolute and expected the same reverence from Kit and Juneaux. Kit tried to be nice by complimenting his abomination status but that he took that as an insult for some reason? It took a couple more attempts to finally get him relaxed again, and right when things seemed to be going their way another goblin got too cocky and sacrificed a hyena to the dark just as the other one did. Kar'niss flew off the handle and screamed that no one is to purposely feed the darkness, and then he crushed the goblin under his claws. Ignoring the blood now staining him, he pulled a bright white lantern out of his pack. It radiated around them, pushing the darkness even further away than the torches had. So that was how he travelled freely amongst the shadows, and now it was protecting them too.
They trekked down the road for a long time. Kar'niss cursed them out many times, usually whenever Juneaux fell too far behind. It wasn't her fault there were so many things to look through and loot and she was clearly getting frustrated at being told no. Kit found the whole thing amusing which helped pass the time. After a while there was a scuffling sound from the darkness which caused Kar'niss and his guards to stop moving and call out. Several arrows flew toward them and pelted Kar'niss in the chest, which wasn't enough to kill him but enough for all hell to break loose. A bunch of Harpers began mobilizing on a nearby building, shouting orders and enacting their plans. Of course Kit and Juneaux would happen to join the one convoy trip that ended in an ambush. There was a moment Kit considered betraying Kar'niss and stealing the lantern for themselves, but then they'd have to deal with the Harpers alone and frankly they preferred their odds with spiderboy on side. Plus losing their True Soul charade wasn't a move they wanted to make just yet.
With the Harpers all dead the convoy continued on their way. Juneaux, clearly loving the fact that she was covered in blood now, jokingly said she hoped that wasn't yet another impulsive decision that would come back to haunt them later, but Kit was sure it'd be fine. Mostly fine.
==== Keeping Up Appearances ====
The party finally made it into Moonrise Towers (describe them later). There was a lot of commotion in the foyer as cultists chatted and traded, but the real noise came from the throne room just beyond. Reveran peaked through the door and saw Minthara being interrogated by Ketheric Thorm himself. She begged and pleaded for her life, swearing her failure to capture the Artifact wasn't her fault but rather faulty goblin servants. Reveran felt bad for her in that moment, but he wasn't really really sure why. She was by all accounts a monster, but her actions at the grove were forced by the parasites. It was the same feeling he had when facing Kagha for the last time, that special brand of pity that made him foolish enough to want to help them. Following this feeling he reached into Z'rell's mind and forced her to be reasonable when judging Minthara, and it actually worked. Instead of killing her outright Z'rell blamed the goblins, and Ketheric had Minthara taken to the jail to kill later. Still not great, but at least she was alive.
He nearly went pale when Ketheric turned his attention to him and the party still lingering in the door. The man asked what he thought should happen to the goblins since they were taking the blame. Reveran had no choice but to act like a True Soul would and said just to kill them. He would've tried to spare them too but there wasn't any more grace to give in this throne room. The goblin Drenn was so infuriated that she picked up an axe and lodged it straight into Ketheric's chest. He slumped in his seat, dead, but only for a moment. He ripped the blade from his own chest, dropped it at her feet, and commanded her to try again. She did, slicing halfway through his neck, but he survived this attack too... and then he smashed Drenn to death with his bare fists. Some of her blood splatter got on Reveran's face and he discretely wiped it off with his sleeve. Ketheric said Reveran could do as he saw fit with the rest of them and departed, leaving his servant Z'rell to watch the punishment to follow. He wasn't sure what to do, but that didn't matter because he felt the urge well up inside him. It was riled up at the chance to kill, like a starved animal in front of food. He couldn't resist it even if he tried. He used the parasite's powers to strangle the life from their goblin bodies, and as they died he felt the urge whisper to him about Ketheric. It said that whatever was done to him, Ketheric was behind it. Still high from the kill, he found himself listening.
Z'rell connected to his mind did some weird psychic flirting. To buy keep her trust he showed her memories of slaughtering goblins and other violent things he'd done, and she showed him how she could murder someone with only a thought. It was a power bestowed upon her by the Absolute herself. She then assigned a mission: go to the Thorm family mausoleum and find Balthazar. He'd been sent to retrieve the source of Ketheric's immortality before it fell into enemy hands, but so far he'd failed. Their arrival would serve as either the kick in the ass he needed or they'd get the Nightsong themselves, it didn't matter so long as it was returned to the towers.
Once free to roam, they wandered around and got to know the layout of the towers and the cult's operation within it. They snuck into Balthazar's workshop and read through his notes. The Nightsong was what was making Ketheric immune to death, whatever that meant. gale and the moonlantern In Ketheric's bedroom they found information on his family and a book describing Gortash's involvement with the Absolute. It had details about the Crown of Karsus too, but Reveran didn't know what that was. Maybe he would've once upon a time, but not now.
continued to moonrise (guard recognized kit) and shopped, and alexx got some people killed lol. defended astarion's honor from araj. kit wanted to make him do it but wanted revenge for rejection even more. june killed cat and ya we were here. minthara and ketheric: convinced z'rell to show mercy with tadpole. ketheric and the goblins and i killed the rest :) june dazzled z'rell with her sparkling personality lol raided balthazar and ketheric's rooms.
Their wandering is how they happened across the prison in the basement, and everyone trapped in it. Two questioners were using their powers to rip Minthara's mind apart, erasing her in order to rebuild a better soldier. One that would never fail the cult. Reveran lied and said he'd been ordered to handle her himself, and they hesitantly stepped aside and watched as he entered her mind. Inside he found chaos as the pieces of her being disintegrated. He pushed deeper into her mind, through the fog and the parasite's influence, until he found the real Minthara at the center of it all. He convinced her to break through the madness and fight for her freedom, and she did, snapping out of the fog and coming back to herself. Together they killed the questioners and the guards outside her cell, leaving the bodies buried under hay to buy them more time. The party didn't understand why he was putting so much effort into saving a villain, but he didn't have an answer for them. Not really. He'd been much more ruthless to people less horrid than Minthara so saving her felt off brand for him.
rescured minthara the only way they could and those 2 small wet sluts shamed minty for fucking june. saving her is a strategic move, we're lacking numbers. she makes minty feign being a dumb bitch just to see her squirm while saving her lol.
==== Dying Light ====
There was a dome of pale light surrounding a large building in the distance. It seemed to be keeping the curse at bay, and Kit surmised this to be base of those Harpers they killed on the road, and tucked the moonlantern into their bag, opting for a regular torch once again. Best not let anyone know of their involvement, especially since there we no survivors to rat them out. After crossing the bridge and passing through the barrier, a druid named Jaheira introduced herself by ensnaring the party in vines and interrogating them. Kit decided that (mostly) being honest was the best play but she still didn't believe them, and that only got worse when she held up a bottled parasite and watched it react to the psychic field from the party's own little wrigglers. A battle was definitely going to happen and despite being severely outnumbered, Kit was sure they could win, but it ended up not mattering because a man approached and vouched for the group. He claimed to know them, and even though Kit didn't have the memories to know him back, they could tell he was full of shit and once their parasites connected they were proved right. He was a True Soul and recognized them as such, but whatever this rouse was seemed to work on Jaheira because she finally asked how the Absolute hadn't brainwashed them. Despite her wanting to kill them a second ago they still show her the Artifact (which caused her little alarm parasite to explode in the jar) and explained how it protected them and returned their free will. She was clearly still hesitant but admitted she had no reason not to trust them anymore, at least enough to come inside the inn and share their resources.
However once inside she went back to her trickery, offering Juneaux a chalice of wine that barely hid the truth agents she'd snuck inside it. Juneaux politely (as polite as she can be anyway, which isn't much) declined, and Kit respected the attempt but they wouldn't have drank it either. Jaheira chugged her own and then asked if the parasite was changing them. Kit poked Juneaux in the back to remind them of their plan, to keep playing both sides and not impulsively rip people apart. Juneaux smiled, and said yes. Also added that she welcomed the powers it brought. That stupid bitch. Jaheira pressed further and really laid on the guilt, and Kit stared daggers into the back of Juneaux's head. If she fucked this up... well, she may not be useful going forward. Kit didn't want to get rid of her per se, she's a good fighter and okay company, but if she stops helping...
Jaheira gave a brief rundown on Ketheric Thorm, and it was nice to get some insight on the man: how he originally was a Selûnite that turned to Shar after his family died and rose an army of Dark Justiciars in her name and conquered the region. Jaheira, along with the Harpers and druids from the Emerald Grove (including Halsin) banded together to kill Ketheric. It was only after his death that Ketheric's ultimate plan was activated, and the shadow curse fell upon the land. It stole life, it twisted souls, and it was unstoppable. Despite the lasting fallout they all thought the fight was over, until recently when the Absolutists began appearing with Ketheric leading them. He had somehow returned after a century. She also revealed him to be immortal now too, which Kit and Juneaux already knew. She had tried to kill him herself but he just pulled the arrow right out of his eye and kept going. She praised Juneaux and the party for being smart enough to use their parasites to spy on the cult. Finally someone that appreciated the art of playing both sides! June could learn something from her.
Jaheira's interview ended with her them about Isobel, a cleric of Selûne living upstairs. She was the one protecting the inn with her magic.
Free to roam around, they did some shopping and encountered the Strange Ox again. Juneaux tried speaking to him but that flopped. A hundred year old Flaming Fist was laying on a bed, covered in sweat and mumbling about some child. He'd apparently been taken by the curse, wandering in the darkness for all that time, his body unharmed but mind taken. They'd found him while making their way to the inn with Jaheira and Florrick.
True to Jaheira's word, Isobel was upstairs on her balcony, but before they could approach her Marcus stepped in her way. He praised them for showing Jaheira the Artifact and being so truthful because it bought her trust, and if he wasn't so smarmy-looking Kit might've basked in the validation. He assumed Ketheric had sent them there to aid him and they just let him keep on thinking that, but Kit knew almost immediately he'd have to die. Especially because his plans involved kidnapping Isobel (alive, that was very important for some reason) and letting the Inn die off. While not opposed to that thought, it makes the voices hum inside their head, keeping the Inn around is more important right now. They need the traders and the resources and maybe even the backup, should the tides turn.
When Marcus and the party stepped onto the balcony, Isobel introduced herself to the party. Immediately Juneaux said that Marcus was a True Soul and he was there to kill her, and she didn't believe them at first, but only for a moment. She turned to Marcus, who screamed that the Absolute would still forgive Kit and Juneaux if they helped him, but they just smiled and drew their weapons. This was the proudest Kit had ever been of June, she actually listened! Clearly from the way she was grinding her teeth and glaring it'd taken everything in her not to give into chaos, but she'd still done it! She got all the brownie points. Marcus summoned a horde of winged horrors which began attacking the entire Inn, and the battle began.
As thanks for their warning, Isobel blessed them with a temporary Selûnite magic charm to protect them from the curse. The entire time she was talking the urge within Kit and Juneaux both was calling out. It wanted their attention, wanted them to kill Isobel and her bitch magic, but Kit managed to push it down. For now. Isobel and everything she stood for was worth keeping alive, at least for now. The darkness inside them may resent restraint, but Kit was more than the darkness. Not much more, but still more. Juneaux had a harder time, her fingers twitched by her blade, but she too held back. Whatever evil compelled them wasn't winning today. Jaheira tasked the party with finding the source of Ketheric's invulnerability so it could be destroyed, because another attack on the inn was definitely coming sooner or later, and knowing how easy it was for the cult to surprise them unnerved everyone there. Well, everyone else there.
==== Don't Venture Forth ====
At camp that night Kit caught Astarion trying to read a bunch of scars carved into his back with a mirror. It wasn't going very well, he couldn't even tell what language it was written in. Not that Kit did either, but the scars weren't on their back. They offered to take a look which he didn't appreciate at first, but did relent knowing he wasn't getting anywhere on his own. Kit traced them with their finger, and ultimately drew them in the dirt for him to see. Apparently his former master carved them onto him and he'd always assumed it was a dumb poem, but now... Kit was curious, and finding answers was clearly important to Astarion, so they promised to help him find them. Whether they would or not, who knew. It really didn't matter, at least in the grand scheme of their adventure.
Meanwhile Junaeux decided to be a three timing whore and was flirting with Minthara, Shadowheart, and Lae'zel. Kit spent the rest of their night watching their friend juggle three women flawlessly. They'd be jealous, if they didn't know they could still have Lae'zel if they wanted to. But Juneaux could have their sloppy seconds if that's what she wanted.
The dream visitor appeared in their dreams wearing a slutty, skimpy purple dress. Despite serving looks he admitted he was getting tired. The attacks on him were unrelenting, and apparently the order for the party's transformation into Mind Flayers was given many times already. He'd worked hard to avoid their deaths, over and over. The source of the order was coming from Moonrise but he couldn't pinpoint where within it, or whether it came from Ketheric or something else. The dream finished with him hoping his powers last long enough to get them through this mess.
They needed to go to deal with Balthazar and cut directly through Reithwin Town to do it. They had to go into the old tollhouse and were confronted by a gold-plated monstrosity named Gerringothe Thorm. Thorm? Just how many of Ketheric's fucked up relatives were stuck in this curse? She demanded gold. All their gold. Her twisted mind hadn't ever stopped collecting the toll, not since the curse fell upon her. Kit straight up told her everyone she knew was dead and the gold was hers now and that she could flee, but she rejected the idea and exploded herself instead. Okay.
lae'zel is horny for june