Bethphel's Second Diary

I am starting a new journal. My old one was lost in the chaos of the final battle with Sarevok. It was returned to me later, but I will tell that tale in it's place. The only trophy I took from the battle was his Sword of Chaos, and I admit I am unwilling to wield it, our father's weapon. I suspect most of it's power faded with his passing anyway.

It was a near thing. A very near thing. Ah, brother, brother! If only you could have turned away, as Tamoko wanted! Alas, no. I can give life, but not to you. You died at the end of my own cold blade, collapsing slowly onto the symbol of our father. I backed away as the traps ripped you to pieces, your unholy essence scattering to the winds. My own wounds were grave, but fortunately none of them were near my belly, where I know my child grows.

At the end, Shar-Teel and Angelo chose their own side, fighting both us and Sarevok. They died, Shar-Teel falling across Angelo, lying still, an X of death.

Not far from them was the huge corpse of Tazok. Kivan was trapped under him! He nearly suffocated under it's weight. Somehow he lived, though his wounds were graver than mine. After we lifted him out, he said simply, "My vengeance is finished." He made his own way out. I doubt our paths will ever cross again.

Kagain too survived. He stays with me even now, but still does not speak. His amazing health has healed his own wounds, but the silent wounds of betrayal behind his eyes is still clear to see. Why then, does he stay with me?!?

Quayle was hit by some bizarre teleportation spell during the fight, and vanished, who knows where? Not I. But him, I will make an effort to find...

Alora is not dead, but neither does she move. The wounds she suffered in battle have sent her into a sleep from which she does not awaken. The healers have taken her to the High House of Gond, ironically the same place we helped her steal from. If they only knew! But there is no telling what will become of her.

Our return to the surface was long, slow and weary, but we arrived in early morning daylight, feted as heroes. Imoen was there, waiting for me, smiling. "I knew you could do it!" she told me. Minsc and Jaheira have retreated to the Friendly Arms. They will wait for us there. But she stays with me.

She joined us as we were honored by the surviving Grand Dukes. They understood our weariness, and the public triumph was short. We have retreated to the Elfsong to rest the night.

But we had scarcely arrived when another old comrade returned. Xzar apologized to me for the nature of our parting in the city. I told him I understood; both of us have suffered much since then. But he had news of my friends amongst his woe. Safana has betrayed him and the Zhentarim. She fled southwards, towards Amn. Edwin and Viconia had sought shelter amongst these agents of the Black Network, knowing no other safe harbor. They had volunteered to chase the seductive thief, all the way to Amn if needs be. They are gone. They too I must seek. But in the meantime, Xzar has volunteered his services. I readily agreed.

Then, finally, Dradeel arrived, carrying my blood-soaked old journal under one arm. He gave it over silently, telling me how he had arrived in the aftermath of the battle, fearing me dead. He told me he read the diary...the conern in his eyes told me much. There was love there. I did not know what to say! I didn't! And there is no way to tell what Kagain will make of this....

But so, with old friends around me, I must move on. Not to the Friendly Arm, not yet. I must go south, to find Edwin and Viconia, and with them to seek Quayle. but not yet. I'm not finished here. Something calls to me, I know not what.

Dradeel urges me to move soon. The Dukes will read Sarevok's own diary and find that I am, like him, a child of Murder. That will no doubt bring down my standing in the citadel considerably. I agree, but somehow I am not quite finished here yet. The morning will tell.

Yes, another day. One good night's sleep here, and then we shall see what the new day brings.

At Dradeel's suggestion, we left town by this route, a path we've not used before. The Black Dragon Gate leads, eventually, to Waterdeep. My destiny lies south, not north, I know. But still something calls to me here....

And it wasn't long before I found it. Or more properly, it found me.. A man, in blue and silver robes, with scant hair on his head. Like Sarevok, his eyes were a single color, without pupil or iris. Though in this case, the color was white, not yellow. A Wild Mage. And, I knew without being told, a Bhaalspawn. Like Sarevok. Like me.

He spoke no word, but looked at me, then slowly raised his hands. Kagain began to charge him, and Dradeel and Xzar likewise began their own incantations, when something happened that none of us expected, least of all our foe.

A loud trupeting roaring noise, the like of which I'd never heard before. It sounded like some Gnomish invention gone mad. Between us and the mage, a rectangular blue cabinet slowly began to form out of nothing, a blinking light atop it.

We were astonished by this; the enemy doubly so. He abandoned whatever spell he had planned and instead telported himself away hurriedly.

The box became fully solid; the light stopped flashing, and the noise ended in a heavy clunk. Then a door in the box opened, and a man stepped out.

He was wearing mage robes, of a strange sort, the color of which was not easy to tell; for the color changed as he moved. First deep blue, then chocolate brown, then bottle green. Beneath this was a white peasant's shirt (though obviously made of fine quality, like a nobleman's. Perhaps of silk?) , over which was a strange neck ribbon and matching silver vest. Tan pants completed the ensemble. He had long brown hair with red highlights, bright blue eyes, and high cheekbones.

This newcomer turned and saw the mage teleporting away, then turned back to us. Kagain stopped just short of him, staring up at him, axe still raised.

"So," he said, "You are the ones that defeated Sarevok. Which among you is the Bhaalspawn?"

He knew, this mad stranger, he already knew much of my tale. I waved Kagain aside, who did so, still eyeing the newcomer warily, axe held in guard position.

When I had identified myself to him he nodded. "Greetings, Bethphel, I am called the Doctor. I am a stranger to this world. I do not mean to intrude on your destiny. But circumstances have forced me to get involved. The mage you almost did battle with is a Bhaalspawn, as you are. His name is Xosoruq, and he has become involved with something not of Faerun, like me."

"Are you a walker of the planes?" asked Dradeel.

"All the planes you know of and many more besides," he assured us without a trace of ego.

So we set up camp where we stood, and this "Doctor" began to tell his tale.

The full tale, he said, would take longer than any of us had time for. Suffice it to say that he had been chasing this thing, this creature, a god of worlds we did not know, for a very long time. It had been deprived of most of it's followers, and was weakened by their lack. It had come to our world because it hoped to gain new followers here. It was called, in the tounge he knew, "Fenric". He had twice bested it, once banishing it to a shadow realm, once engineering the destruction of it's physical form. But now it's spirit had fled here, hoping to start anew, and here it could be destroyed.

There was something about him that I trusted. The others could feel it too, I could tell, even Xzar and Kagain. Imoen thought he was "cute", but beneath her flightiness I could tell that she too felt his earnestness, his kindness.

Fenric had landed here a few days ago, the Doctor said, and found Xosoruq, the Bhaalspawn Wild Mage. Xosoruq was not a mindless follower of our father as Sarevok had been, but he nevertheless hoped to steal his power, and eventually his Throne. He had heard of Sarevok and known him to be Bhaalspawn as soon as he'd heard of him, and had been on the way here to challenge him. He had heard of Sarevok's death, apparently, and known that only another Bhaalspawn could've been respondible. But before he could arrive in Baldur's Gate, he found Fenric....or more properly, Fenric had found him.

The Doctor does not know what sort of pact they had made, but it was safe to assume that Fenric hoped to use Xosoruq to draw new followers unto itself, and Xosoruq hopes to use Fenric in his own rise to power. The idea, he explained, would be to catch them seperately, and defeat them one at a time. If Fenric was destroyed here, he said, it would be finished for the final time, as it was too far away from it's spawning grounds.

We told the Doctor to wait a moment and held palaver.

Imoen said, "I don't know wether we should get involved, but I feel the Doctor speaks truth."

"I sense a form of kinship with him," replied Dradeel, "We should help him."

Kagain grunted. "I will follow your lead, Bethphel. Any other Bhaalspawn is a threat to us." Imoen looked uncomfortable as Kagain said this, but said nothing.

"I would very much like to kill a god," said Xzar, chuckling madly as always.

I made my decision; we would help the Doctor. He grinned at the news and said our help would be invaluable.

We made to camp for the night, but had barely settled down when a horde of Gnolls--and I do mean a horde, far more than I had ever faced when hunting Dynaheir for Edwin--came charging out of nowhere at us. There were just too many of them! We fought well, but their simple numbers meant that we would be overwhelmed....and then a high pitched whine filled the air.

It sent the Gnolls running away from us, howling in pain and fear. I saw the Doctor standing, holding some small metal wand high, which was making the noise. After all the Gnolls had fled, he shut it off. He called the wand his "sonic screwdriver" and explained that the Gnolls were especially sensitive to the noise it had made. He speculated that Xosoruq had summoned them.

"Why not this Fenric creature?" Dradeel wanted to know.

"Because then," the Doctor had said quietly, "They would've been undead."

Camping outside was not safe, the Doctor said. So he lead us inside his blue cabinet....into another world entirely.

It was larger inside than out....much larger. It looked like a vast library, bookshelves, armchairs, and a strange construction made of wood and metal, brass and glass in the middle, surrounded by iron arches that looped over it and into it's top.

The Doctor told us this was his conveyance, his TARDIS. how he moved between the planes. It seemed to me to be his own personal plane.

So here we rest for the night, as I write this journal entry under the light of the Doctor's everlasting candles, knowing the next day would bring battle.

But then, when has it ever not, for me?

At first my dreams in the strange Doctor's craft were peaceful, but towards the end I received another of those powerful dreams that I know is significant. I think this was a premonition of the future...I was trapped in a cage, and another mad mage was performing bizarre, painful experiments on me. He babbled on about my potential, while inflicting savage torture upon my person. Feelings of violation and loathing filled me! I knew that others were trapped nearby....people I know? But the dream ended, and I woke up.

I found both Dradeel and Kagain pacing outside my door; apparently I had slept late. But there was no blame; they all had. The Doctor's craft seemed to encourage peaceful meditation, and all of us were refreshed and invigorated, even me, despite my nightmare.

The Doctor fed us tea and some strange sort of small cakes for breakfast, then led us out into the world again. He said he could use his craft to detect that Fenric was in the general area, but since he couldn't trace Fenric exactly and didn't know where Xosoruq was, it would be better to trace them on foot.

Dradeel and Xzar consulted with the Doctor. They agreed that it was unlikely that Xosoruq would go to the Gate--too much attention, and now that Sarevok was dead, no point. Also, Fenric would want someplace quiet, but at the same time, would be easily accessible to followers. They decided, then, that Ulgoth's Beard was a likely target, the fact that Aec'lectec had used it as his own base fairly recently being the best reason I could think of.

It apparead that their instincts were correct, for we were heading in that direction when Xosoruq appeared before us again. He ignored the Doctor, indeed the entire party, and focused on me.

"So, you are the one that killed Sarevok," he said in a hollow, echoing voice. "I shall destroy you and give your Bhaal-essence to Fenric."

"And just how will that benefit your rise to power?" The Doctor asked him in a flippant tone.

Xosoruq seemed to glance at him--it was hard to tell, with those blank eyes--and said "So, you are the Doctor. Fenric will be pleased to learn of your death."

He did not waste any more time with speech, but began to cast a spell of his own.

Xzar did not give him the time he needed--a bolt of lightning pierced Xosoruq, and he staggered back. Kagain and I began to charge, weapons drawn.

But Xosoruq was not badly hurt--the powes of Bhaal manifested in him, it appeared, by giving his slight mage frame much more endurance than would normally be the case. He cast again, faster this time, and some strange surge accompanied his powers, which apparently sometimes happens with Wild Mages.

A shockwave of white energy burst from him in a halo, and spread in all directions. It struck both myself and Kagain, and knocked us back. Gods, the heat of it...our armor was sizzling! We yelped and leaped and hopped and tried to get our armor off.

Dradeel was next to try to cast, but Xosoruq merely twitched a finger, and he and Xzar were trapped in globs of green, like and yet unlike the old spells Jaheria used to cast.

Imoen's response was to blast Xosoruq with a line of flame, and this finally unsettled him; while it did not do him much harm, it set his robes afire, and he began to emulate Kagain and myself, leaping around, pulling them off.

But then the Doctor stepped forward, and somehow made Xosoruq lock eyes with him. Xosoruq stopped moving--ignoring his burning robes, and merely stared back at the Doctor. It was though the two of them were locked in some childish staring contest, but I knew it must be more than that; a battle of wills, of minds. The air between them seemed to shimmer and ripple, like a heat haze, and I could feel a weight in the air, heavy and oppressive, as two titanic mental forces clashed.

After about three minutes of this Xosoruq shouted, wailed, and fell over, unconscious. Kagain and I gave him no time to recover; we charged forward. I ran him through with my sword, and Kagain chopped his head off. It made me uncomfortable to finish off someone helpless, but we had no choice.

The dispersal of his Bhaal essence was not like that of Sarevok; it came out in a single, golden flash, accompanied by a concussive BOOM that knocked us back, almost rendering us unconscious. His body was little more than ashen bones.

The Doctor explained, as Dradeel healed us, that it was not a true psionic battle in the fashion of mind flayers, but nevertheless a battle of wills...and Xosoruq had lost. I saw Kagain eyeing him with new respect, and I understood; Xosoruq had obviously been a strong-willed, focused individual. The Doctor was more powerful than he appared, even if he was not a mage in the traditional sense.

We shall proceed to Ulgoth's Beard tomorrow, where it is likely that Fenric is hiding. After hearing more of our tale, the Doctor thinks it likely that Fenric is using Aec'lectec's old temple, as I thought. And if not, we will probably find clues there.

I am sitting here in the Ulgoth's Beard Inn, healed but still badly scarred, wondering that any of us have survived the debacle that was our battle with Fenric. We survived and he...it...did not, but that is cold comfort.

We entered Ulgoth's Beard and found that many of the people were hiding in fear; for there were a number of strange undead about. The Doctor called them Haemovores; a type of vampire, or so he said. They looked more like zombies than bloodsuckers; no fangs, blue skin, and strange circular indentations on the hands, which they used to draw blood from their victims. Aquatic apparently; as they rested in the river and lake rather than in coffins buried in the ground. Fenric must've risen the dead of the town and turned them into these things. We had to hack them to pieces, one by one. It was a trying effort. Dradeel tried to turn them, with only limited success. But eventually they fell.

Then, slowly and carefully, we went down through the general store into Aec'Lectec's old temple, and sure enough, Fenric was there.

The quill shakes in my hand even now as I try to describe it. Imoen screamed when she saw it, and who can blame her? Xzar stared until his eyes bulged out.

It had a nebulous central body, partly bluish bulk and partly mist. Ropy tentacles with suckers not unlike those of the Haemovores lashed around this central form. Glowing green eyes stared at us from the mist.

"So, this is your true form," said the Doctor. "Lackluster, for one of the Great Old Ones."

((Your aesthetics, if such than can be called, are irrelevant, Doctor,)) Fenric answered him, a shivery cold voice in the mind. ((This is our final battle. This is your ending.))

"Yes, the Doctor agreed calmly, his voice firm. "And we've already destroyed your pet Bhaalspawn."

((I know, I felt him die. He would've made an excellent vessel for my essence, but I see you have brought a fitting replacement.))

At this, the Doctor's eyes went wide. "Bethphel, down!" he shouted.

I dived for the floor without asking for an explanation. A blue-green lightning bolt arced from Fenric through the air where I had been, just missing me. A hiss of frustration eminated from Fenric. I knew, instantly, that such was his attempt to take me as his own.

"What's the matter, Fenric?!?" the Doctor taunted it. "Can't try to take another body for a while, hmmm? And you're vulnerable in that form!"

All of us took that cue. Dradeel, Xzar, and Imoen all cast magic missle simultaneously; the red globes struck the main body of the creature, causing it great pain. Kagain and I dashed forward again, wielding our weapons.

A tentacle lashed out and wrapped itself around Kagain's face, lifting him off the ground. I choped through the tentacle with my sword, but another wrapped itself around my armor and lifted me, squeeing me painfully tight inside. It slowly lifted me over it's main mass.

((If i cannot posess you, I will consume you,)) it said coldly into my mind.

But an acid arrow from Imoen cut through the tentacle holding me, and I fell heavily into the mass of Fenric. It chuckled greedily and tried to pull me in, but Kagain and the Doctor grabbed my legs and pulled me back.

"Keep it busy!" the Doctor called to us as he dashed back, going into a huddle with Dradeel and Xzar. He had a plan, I knew it, so myself, Kagain and Imoen went after Fenric with all we had.

It seemed an endless time of slashing and hacking, and every so often Imoen would warn us back as she dropped some powerful spell onto it, one particular fireball causing noticeable damage and Fenric to howl in pain. But while we were hurting it, we weren't hurting it *enough*. We would run out of spells and stamina before it ran out of strength.

But then three voices began to chant strange syllables in unison. I turned, and saw the Doctor, Dradeel, and Xzar with their hands linked and heads bowed, speaking this strange unknown language.

((What...no....stop that! STOP THAT DO YOU HEAR ME! DAMN YOU, TIME LORD, THEY ARE MINE TO CONTROL!))

Kagain and I stepped back from Fenric as the Doctor and our mages began to do...whatever it was they were doing.

Soon we found out what.

The Haemovores, Fenric's own undead servants, were tromping down the stairs into the cult basement in a long steady line. There weren't many of them left, after we had fought them previously; but these had apparently been further away, and had not arrived until after we came down here. Kagain and I raised our weapons, but they ignored us, and headed for their master, clawed hands raised.

((NO....I AM YOUR MASTER! YOU SERVE ME! I COMMAND YOU! NO!))

Unheeding Fenric's words, they began to tear into it with their claws, Fenric's commands became wordless screams; it's tentacles lashed around, attacking the Haemovores ineffectually. It was managing to destroy them, but not nearly fast enough.

The Doctor had stopped chanting, and called Imoen over to join the other mages. Kagain and I caught the hint and likewise stepped back.

Fenric was finally managing to gain the upper hand, after being sorely wounded. Two Haemovores left, the one, then none. Fenric was very badly hurt, first by us and then by the Haemovores, but it was still alive.

((Not this time Doctor,)) it hissed. ((This time I overcome you turning my own servants against me.))

"Yes," said the Doctor, "And no. Goodbye, Fenric."

((What--))

The Doctor turned to the others. "Now."

Dradeel's lightning bolt turned Fenric's question into a warbling scream. Then Imoen fireballed it, and as it was whimpering from that, Xzar dropped a skull trap onto it. The shattering bone fragments were the final, fatal blow.

There was a sound like a great wind rushing through a canyon, and Fenric's body collapsed into slimy water. The tentacles fell and began to rot; the mist dispersed and the eyes flashed out of existence.

The Doctor drew in a shaky breath. "It's over."

He lead us back up to the surface and to this inn, where Dradeel tended our wounds. He explained that the chant he had improvised combined his own knowledge of Fenric, Dradeel's clerical skills and Xzar's Necromantic knowledge to turn the Haemovoers against their master. Between the wounds we and they did to it, the mages were then able to finish it.

"All according to your plan?" I asked.

The Doctor shook his head. "Most of it I improvised. And I certainly had no idea it would try to posess you. I should've guessed that's what it wanted a Bhaalspawn for. If it had taken your or Xosoruq's body as it's own, all I could do was banish it again for a time. I'm sorry."

"We won," said Kagain heavily. "That's what matters."

"Why didn't it possess Xasoruq while it had the chance?" Dradeel asked.

"It wanted him to gather more followers for it first, to increase it's power. But with his death, Fenric knew he was running out of time and options."

And so now we rest for the night. Tomorrow it will be time to move on....and to decide who's coming with me.

It was no surprise to me this morning when the Doctor thanked me, shook my hand, and left. He is not truly of our world, after all. I still have many unanswered questions about him; I suppose I always will.

Dradeel was next to go. I could still see the affection in his eyes, but he said he had business to attend to elsewhere. Something to do with a fellow called Golodon the Unmanned. He assured me that we would meet again, and soon. I don't know wether I love him or not, but I do care for him.

Kagain...he too still cares for me, deeply, in that strange way of his.. But he's finally had enough. The battle with Fenric showed him what his limits are. He will return to his business in Beregost, and if I want anything of him he can find me there. I didn't know what to say. I still don't. But he is gone.

Xzar too must go, to report back to his Zhentarim masters. But he tells me he may follow after, for he too wishes to journey southwards. He also has a feeling his superiors will tell him to do what I already am going to; follow Edwin and Viconia. He left when we did, but headed west to the Gate.

So it's just me and Imoen again; just as when this madness begain when Sarevok killed my father. Yes, Gorion is the only father I shall truly have. Imoen stays with me from now on; our long separation, then reunion, has taught me to value those close to me better

We are camping tonight on the cobblestone road; not far from where the ruined bandit camp remains lie, in fact. Tomorrow we shall reach the Friendly Arm, and reunite with Minsc and Jaheria. They will go with me, I know, south, all the way to Amn if needs must. I must find Edwin and Viconia, and then Quayle. I hope Edwin and Minsc can tolerate eachother. I, at least, have learned to put bad blood aside. Even Sarevok has paid the full price for his crimes, may the deep hell be gentle on his soul.

Now at last the first major event of my new life has closed. I feel another is about to begin. I face whatever new challenge that will come with eyes open. I may not enjoy the darker aspects of my life, but I shall endure them as best I can.