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PART I -- THE ESCAPE

It wasn't his throbbing head, or the itchy, almost burning feeling on his entire skin that woke him up. It was the cold, the bitter chill that tortured not only his weakened body, but howled through his emptied mind as well. The iron bars surrounding him looked even firmer than last time, but last time they only looked so thin because they could not protect him from the outside; then again, there probably was no place to hide in this forsaken place from his merciless abductor. That.. mage, with his scarred face and protruding voice, who seemed to be so set on 'unlocking his potential'. Hollow words, no doubt. The potential mentioned could just as well mean unlocking more power for the mage himself.
As if he needs any. The mage's power seemed far greater than any he'd seen so far. If only he knew what had happened to his friends...

"Wake up! Wake up you!" The sudden voice from outside his cage startled the battered cleric of Helm. "It's me! Imoen!" With a sigh of relief, Two Feathers heaved himself to his feet. The girl in front of him was unmistakably Imoen, his longtime childhood friend from Candlekeep, with whom he had shared so many adventures in and around Baldur's Gate.
With a soft click the lock of his cage opened up, Imoen standing nervously, but triumphant, before him. The feeling of freedom washed over Two Feathers, gently forcing him to remember why he had chosen to become a cleric of Helm, the Watcher, in the first place. Isn't this what should be every person's god-given right?

Imoen took the cleric out his musings, back to reality, back to the cold, barren domain of his captor. "I already located our equipment, Two Feathers. It's in the room north-west of us. We should get out of here as soon as we can! Maybe Minsc and Jaheira could be of assistance as well, they're right behind you, locked in cages as well!" The young thief-mage looked nervously about, feeling the touch of her captor on her shoulders still.

Two Feathers slowly placed his hand on Imoen's shoulder, and he felt his soothing touch doing the right work immediately. "Easy, little one. I share your sentiments. We will get out of here as quickly as the gods will allow us. I won't let anything harm you. Ever."
Unwilling as he was to be captured once more, the two of them proceeded to the room Imoen had pointed out. Indeed, the room was filled with weaponry of all kind. In one shadowy corner, the dull eyes of a golem stared at them mindlessly. Not programmed to stop us, Two Feathers understood. They gathered as much as they needed for a party of four, because Two Feathers had made up his mind already. If they were to make it out of this hellhole alive, they needed all the strength and wits they could muster. Minsc and Jaheira were both a necessity and a welcome pair.

--

After freeing their two friends from their cells, the four adventurers started on their journey through the myriad of rooms that formed the domain of the mysterious mage. They fought their way past petty goblins, past guardian golems, and exotic mephits. They defeated the vicious duergar Ilyich and his comrads, who, apart from having sided with their captor, had stolen the acorns from a group of dryads as well. With every hour they remained in the dungeons, they felt the evil gripping a tighter hold of them. More and more, the four felt themselves akin with the poor creatures that led a half-life in the tubes, apparently forgotten by their Master.

"Take me away from this place, Two Feathers. As fast as you can," Imoen whispered in his ear, the tears audible on her trembling voice. "I don't want him to touch me ever again."

Silently, the cleric led his companions ahead, through the portal that would hopefully lead them to the outside world where their captor would meet justice under the gaze of the ever-watching Helm. Instead, the portal led them to another level of madness. They met a thief, Yoshimo, who was hesitantly added to their company. He proved his worth with valuable information, but failed to persuade Two Feathers of thinking of him other than a temporary helping hand.
The group fled on, encountering more and more mysteries on their way. Countless bodies they found, all black, all hooded, and further on the battle, or it seemed, was still raging.

Finally, after an exhausting journey they found the exit, a tunnel sloping upward into the welcome arms of daylight. Although their quest was far from over, Two Feathers vowed never to leave Jaheira, Minsc and Imoen alone. Jaheira, who had suffered so much with the loss of Khalid, and was such a kin spirit with her natural guidance and strive towards balance. Minsc, the mighty warrior who seemed so troubled, so confused, so vulnerable in his mind. And finally, Imoen, his saviour, his friend. More than anything Two Feathers wanted to protect her from harm, keep her safe from anything. His own words echoed on in his mind: "I won't let anything harm you. Ever."

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QUESTS DONE IN THIS EPISODE

- Freeing Minsc & Jaheira
- Freeing the Djinni from his flask (obtained the Sword of Chaos)
- Obtaining the Dryad Acorns from Ilyich
- Freeing Rielev
- Freeing Frennedan

[ 01-19-2006, 06:34 AM: Message edited by: Link ]