#illmater

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This one.

He KNEW this one. Though he did not wear the same face that Ketheric recognized, he still knew it. He knew the stench of Bhaalspawn and the blood that coated their hands. There was a familiarity there, be it from the many years of planning that had correlated in his own Chosen of Bhaal being cast aside for the Choice of his Sister, as was their ritual and their right.

But he knew that smell. That sick, blood splattered smell, like newly smelt iron or the air right after a lightning strike. He had been in its company long enough that reflecting on it was but second nature. He had seen the disgusting things that the hands of Bhaal's Chosen had done under the direction of Gortash. Even with his connection to Myrkul weakened, what remained was strong enough that he could feel the throb of it just under the surface.

"You're just the Scooper I wanted to see. I wanted to congratulate you on your stellar performance! Everyone loves the new Tiger Trail ice cream from the man with the tiger-y, stripey tattoo!"

"That said, I did want to ask you one thing. I noticed you have this... unfortunate habit of clutching your forehead and groaning at work? Would you mind telling me what that's all about?"

ethos had not thought about khyber since his circle's departure from it. and now, well. now there's a familiar oily scent, and the even more familiar unease that settles in one's bones at the sound of skittering meat.

instincts take over, swiftly reaching for the homing rock in his pocket before he readies it for a nasty throw. an intellect devourer. in the flesh.

the only thing stopping him in his tracks is not a thing, but a tall stranger running after the vermin.

“ why, ” he starts, taking a step back as he eyes the creature and connects the dots. “ is that thing not on a leash. ”

the throw is still at the ready, however.

he's been watching this man for a while, trailing him from the rooftops. since finding himself in a strange city, balduran had decided that he could just use it as another place to do what he did best- find adventure, charm people, and steal things. he'd made a name for himself as a merchant, but had never told anyone where he found the greater majority of the things he traded or sold. because he wasn't really a proper merchant. balduran had taken what he knew from the merchants he traveled with, and then he'd turned to piracy.

if he had the looks and the charm, what was the downside?

⎛ getting caught, obviously, but there hadn't been a situation that he wasn't able to charm, lie, or cheat his way out of, yet. ⎠

a wiser man would've picked someone else to follow and observe. balduran often ignored wisdom for thrill, and what he did get was the sense that this man would be thrilling. or, maybe this was just a giant red flag.

balduran's green eyes go wide when he sees the man kill with ease. as if it was as simple as breathing. in his surprise, he manages to take a tumble from his rooftop perch, rolling as not to injure himself beyond a few scrapes- ❝ oh, hells- ❞

pirates stole. they lied and cheated and plundered. some pirates killed. balduran had never been fond of that- he was never the sort to be out for blood. he sailed the seas of toril in search of riches, and even when there was that little voice in the back of his mind that told him that stealing was wrong, he always countered it with 'at least i'm not killing.'

he's never faced someone with this sort of bloodlust before. not that he hasn't faced dark things- there were plenty of those on his travels ⎛ hells, umberlee herself fell into that category, and it was a miracle that he and his crew continued to survive stormy seas ⎠

❝ gods, you might as well have just made an offering to bhaal with that one- ❞

In Faerun, the ballet of The Swan’s Kingdom focuses on the story of Seraphine. She is a princess who has been cursed along with her kingdom to become birds (herself a swan) on all days except the full moon. Seraphine sets out to break the spell afflicting her people. Along the way, she meets Ambrose, the son of the sorcerer who cursed her kingdom. He is looking for his father to sever life-stealing hex that his sorcerer father is using to maintain his immortality (Ambrose is current in a long line of children bred for this purpose). Initially they tentative allies trying to track down the same person. Slowly, they fall in love... Until it is revealed that to break the curse, the lifeblood of the Sorcerer must be spilled. However, the Sorcerer is immortal as long as Ambrose remains alive, and there is no severing the life-stealing hex. Seraphine has only one choice, as her people depend on her for their freedom.

The Swan's Kingdom Act III Scene V, Ambrose.

1.) Reader is the child of Raphael. It writes itself folks! Maybe Enver managed to escape because he stole one of her books about the Nine Hells? Potential witty banter about her wanting her book back!

2.) Reader is a cleric/paladin/warlock of Cyric, the God of lies, trickery, and strife. Cyric and Bane have a bitter hatred for each other due to Cyric occasionally stealing Bane's domains, and their followers tend to have a kill on sight policy for each other.