Chapter 115 - Epilogue

Viconia de Vir grumbled as she reared her head from the thick grass she inexplicably found herself in, spitting out stems of grass and bits of wet soil that had somehow gotten into her mouth. A quick look around revealed that the solar had returned them to Abeir-Toril by dropping them right into a lush wheat field somewhere in the farmlands that surrounded Athkatla's walls. The farmer could be heard shouting somewhere beyond her immediate field of vision, but the man went silent soon after, perhaps upon seeing that the intruders into his wheat field were exceptionally well armed and dangerous looking.

Viconia slowly propelled herself to a sitting position, but found herself in no hurry to get back up to her feet, content with just sitting down to slowly process everything that had just happened. Nearby, the sad remains of the Flaming Fist and the Shadow Thieves had formed up and were slowly making their way towards the road leading back to the capital, the thieves to report back to Renal, the mercenaries most likely to book a sea passage back to Baldur's Gate. Shyressa and her vampires were nowhere to be seen, just like Viconia had expected, the Twisted Rune agents having seen things play out to their benefit no longer having any reason whatsoever to stick around, retreating back into the shadows to reap the fruits of their involvement.

Around her, Viconia could see the group slowly getting themselves back in shape. Jan was already busy talking someone's ears off. Sendai was dancing in the middle of the wheat field, the girl looking delighted and relieved at having escaped her grim destiny. Edwin was complaining bitterly about something to Aerie. Jaheira was sitting not too far away from her, looking mostly lost and confused. Minsc appeared as dumb-founded as usually, listening to the squeaking of his hamster, explaining the situation to the big lug. A little off to the side, Phaere was barking instructions to her remaining drow veterans. In every aspect, things appeared as normal as ever... with one clear exception. Leah was no longer with the group.

That simple truth filled her with strange and disconcerting feelings, Viconia had to admit to herself despite being fiercely proud of her fabled self-reliance. They had all looked to Leah for guidance and direction for so long, and the initial shock of it being taken away made her feel empty. There was also the unexpectedly nagging and somewhat painful realization of missing Leah's presence on an entirely different level, Viconia feeling surprised at how much the mere thought of not seeing Leah's smiling face, hearing her voice, being able to touch her, kiss and caress her lover actually hurt. I'll get over it, she told herself with steely resolution, eventually scrambling up to her feet. It's going to get easier with time. And we'll build a new relationship, Leah and I, a completely different one, but... I believe it will still be satisfying to be with her as the High Priestess of the new Lady of Murder.

"Well, I'm off then," Viconia's thoughts were interrupted by Jan's voice, the gnome looking up at her as if expecting the drow to react to his declaration. "No time for inspiring stories, I best get back to the Jansen household and let Lissa and Jaella know that I'm still in one magnificent piece. Maybe I'll check in with you lot later, though... you're going to stay at the house?" the gnome asked, his question catching Viconia a little off guard, especially when she noticed that all the others seemed to be looking in her direction, almost as if expecting her to speak for them.

What are you looking at me for? I'm not the leader of this sorry bunch! Viconia's first reaction was to shout out something similar, but the words never crossed her lips. "Yes, I was thinking that we could head back to the house and regroup, gnome," Viconia instead replied simply. "If you plan to visit, then I'll ask you to check your insipid stories at the doorstep," she added with a scowl.

"Damn it, drowsy, you're a much crueler leader than Leah ever was!" Jan chuckled, no doubt paying little heed to her words before turning around and letting his stumpy legs carry him out of the wheat field. "I'll see you later then!"

"Someone will have to make these decisions if the group is to stay together," Jaheira spoke up, still sitting on the ground nearby, probably having noticed Viconia's internal struggle reflecting in her scrunched up facial expression. "It might as well be you, Viconia, especially if you truly intend to follow the new Lady of Murder and carry out her will."

"I absolutely intend to do that, yes," Viconia muttered.

"As do I," Aerie nodded with steely certainty nearby. "I think we just need to give Leah a little more time to settle in amongst the gods before we bother her with our prayers. Also, I need to break up with Baervan... hopefully he won't be the worst jilted lover ever."

"I'm sure we can take care of whatever assassins a pathetic gnomish deity sends after you," Viconia snorted. "Let me just make it clear if I understand it right, Jaheira. A goody two shoes like you will follow the High Priestess of the Lady of Murder?"

"I swore an oath to Gorion that I would do anything to keep his adopted daughter safe," Jaheira replied with a shrug. "I could easily say that my oath is fulfilled with Leah's ascension, but... if there is a way for me to continue keeping Leah safe, continue helping her... then I feel it is the best I can make of my life. I strongly hope that the divine essence will not corrupt her, and as long as what she asks of us is something like scattering the cults of Bane or Cyric, I will have no issues with that. If any of that were to change, I promise that you will hear about it."

"Somehow I have no doubts about that," Viconia chuckled. "Well, I suppose I won't say no to all those who want to remain with the group. I think there's more I can accomplish with the aid of a group, and since I've already learned to tolerate all of you..."

"Little Viconia will make a great leader!" Minsc exclaimed, rushing the hapless drow, raising her up in the air before crushing the poor woman against his chest, finally putting her down to stand there dazed and wheezing, invoking a quick healing chant to heal her bruised ribs. "Boo says we're on the brink of a new and exciting adventure!" the addled ranger added.

"Whatever you guys want to do, I'll be sticking around for sure!" Sendai exclaimed cheerfully, clapping her hands excitedly before raising her arms and letting the pent up arcane energies escape her fingertips, forming a small and colorful discharge akin to fireworks. "I can't wait being able to start making up to Leah for getting me through that nightmare in one piece!"

"You will stay with the group as well, Edwin, won't you?" Aerie asked teasingly, rubbing the Red Wizard's shoulders as she stood behind the red robed mage.

"What? At this point I'm only concerned about recovering my planar sphere," Edwin fumed. "Damn that ungrateful wench for not returning my prized possession to me! (Also, I miss poor Chauncey. He must be feeling lost and lonely on the sphere.)"

"I honestly doubt that Leah cares about your damned sphere, wizard," Viconia snorted. "You probably shouldn't expect her bothering to return it to you."

"Where do you think it might be?" Sendai wondered. "Could it still be on the Throne of Blood?"

"I believe I saw it disappearing from sight when Leah caused the ground to fracture and collapse," Jaheira replied. "So I suspect that it might have crashed down to the surface of Khalas, or whatever the first layer of Gehenna was called."

"Bah!" Edwin cursed loudly. "Then I will just have to find my way back to Gehenna to reclaim it. (Whatever it might take, the precious sphere will be mine! All mine!)"

"But finding way to Gehenna will take time and resources, right?" Aerie whispered into the Red Wizard's ear. "You could stay with the group while searching. I could help you out with your research, and you could help us with your vast and incredible arcane knowledge... it could be mutually beneficial in so many ways," the avariel's hand slipped a little lower down Edwin's robes, making the Red Wizard's eyes go comically wide.

"Err... (She does bring up a very convincing point, yes, indeed...)" Edwin somehow managed.

"Well, then I suppose we almost have a functional group," Viconia remarked, feeling surprised how she hadn't even had to convince or manipulate anyone to remain. Minsc and Jaheira to take all the beating on the frontlines, Sendai and Edwin to rain death on our enemies, and I suppose I might even patch up some of them now and then, with Aerie's help. It's certainly a more preferable arrangement than putting together a new group and then discovering that I loathe them all so much more than this lot. "Well, let's make our way back to Athkatla, then," the drow gave her orders, only then noticing Phaere approaching them, her drow veterans obediently waiting for their leader at the side of the caravan road.

"I think we'll be on our way," Phaere announced loudly. "It's a long journey back to Suldanessellar, and I'm eager to be back with my people. Like I said before, I can't wait to feast for a week straight, doing nothing else but boozing and fucking Ellesime raw."

"I approve of the plan," Viconia smiled at the other drow, quickly getting pulled into a tight embrace with a dizzyingly long and deep kiss at the end of it.

"Don't remain a stranger, Viconia," Phaere winked at her. "Stop by Suldanessellar any time you want, and we'll have plenty of fun together, and that goes for all of you. When the life of adventuring is starting to get you down, just drop in for a visit, and I'll make sure that you're well taken care of at the pleasure chambers. Or maybe I'll add a more personal touch to your enjoyment, depending on my mood," she added with a loud guffaw.

"I don't plan to forget you, Phaere, and you can be sure that we will visit, but it would be so much more convenient if you didn't live in the middle of a blasted forest," Viconia rolled her eyes.

"Well... not to spoil anything, but I do have some plans about that," Phaere replied mysteriously, but elected to say no more, instead moving on to shake the hands of Minsc and Jaheira, the frontline warriors having developed deeper mutual respect for one another. Afterwards, Phaere stood in front of a slightly worried looking Sendai, the younger drow fidgeting nervously under the tall warlord's fierce gaze. "Eh, just come here, I guess I'm not really angry at you after all," Phaere chuckled, pulling a relieved looking Sendai into a hug. "I suppose I can understand why you kept all those secrets to yourself. I probably would have done the same in your place."

"I'm sorry, but I felt like I had to do that in order to survive," Sendai sobbed, smiling through the tears of relief. "I'll never forget everything you've done for me, Mistress Phaere. You'll always have a special place in my heart."

"I'm no longer your jabress, Sendai," Phaere smiled, lightly pinching the young drow's cheek. "Your path now lies with Viconia and these other worthy surfacers. Go and make the best of your life with mine and Eilistraee's blessings. Ilythirri vhaisse!"

"Ilythirri vhaisse!" Sendai echoed Phaere's words, smiling as she watched her former mistress turn around and walk away to rejoin her soldiers as they began their long trek back to the place they called home at least for the time being, Suldanessellar.

"I think we can finally go home without any more interruptions-..." Jaheira began, only to be interrupted by a sudden explosion of bright light on the far side of the wheat field, temporarily blinding them all. "By Silvanus, what..." the druidess cursed, daring to open her eyes again, and then noticing something... or rather, someone, lying prone in the grass just where the explosion of light had struck. Ever so slowly, the prone figure stretched and gingerly got up to their feet, revealing themselves as a fairly young looking drow male with delicate facial features, slightly timid physical stature under the deep blue robes with generous silver stitching. As the young drow looked around in utmost confusion, shielding his sensitive eyes from the bright sunlight, Jaheira suddenly noticed that Viconia had gone completely rigid from the sight of the man, the drow frozen like statue nearby.

"I... I can't believe it..." eventually Viconia recovered, whispering quietly. "So... so that's what she meant... that's the surprise... damn you, Leah, I love you so much... always and forever."

"What's going on, Viconia?" Sendai spoke up, also watching the young drow man with interest.

"You will understand in a moment..." the older drow replied, starting to walk towards the drow male, peering at the approaching stranger. "Valas! Valas... is that you?" she called out, the drow male looking as if he had just seen a ghost. "Do you recognize me? Do you recognize your Viconia?"

"V-V-Viconia?!" the young drow wizard stuttered in utmost shock and surprise. "Sister, is... is that really you? But… but how, how is this possible?"

"I'll tell you later, but right now... I just want to hold my brother..." Viconia just barely held herself together as she ran up to Valas and embraced him tightly, starting to cry as she felt her brother's arms encircling her, filling the drow with long sought feelings of peace and contentment.

Three Years Later

Leah, the Lady of Murder, opened her eyes and allowed a yawning purr to escape her lips as she stretched in the impossibly soft sheets of her wide palatial bed. As a deity, she obviously required neither sleep nor sustenance, but Leah still enjoyed all of those things simply for the pleasure of it, and as a way to remain in touch with her once mortal nature. And really, what's not to love about a relaxing nap after spending all that time looking after my godly affairs? Leah thought as she slowly rose up in the bed, letting the sheets fall by the wayside. And what's not to love about a hot cup of chocolate and some cream filled profiteroles after said nourishing nap?

Leah's feet met the pleasantly warm floor of her bedroom, the temperature maintained by the many steam vents and fumaroles under the palace from which she spread her rule and influence. For a moment, the Lady of Murder lingered, stuck simply admiring her own naked body in one of the large mirrors on the wall. Her shape was the perfection of supple athleticism, and yet despite some parts of her physique becoming slightly... enhanced compared to her mortal self, she still appeared perfectly recognizable to those who once knew her as a mortal, especially to those who had enjoyed the opportunity to explore her mortal body in a more intimate fashion. The skin of her once burned hands had been healed to a pristine state, but her entire body was crisscrossed by countless arcane tattoos, not because as a goddess she required extra protection, but mostly because of vanity, thinking them extremely sexy. The reaction that the tattoos had received suggested that she wasn't the only one to think them highly arousing.

Still nude, Leah stepped out onto the balcony of her bedroom and allowed her eyes to roam the countryside below. There was wild beauty about the desolate volcanic landscape of Khalas, and Leah found it far more appealing than simply having a floating island like realm, stranded somewhere above the layers of Gehenna in lonely nothingness. It had been one of her first acts as a goddess to strip the Throne of Blood of anything valuable and then let its remains crumble and collapse onto the surface of Gehenna below. The only feature of Bhaal's old realm that Leah had retained was the imposing looking Tower of Bone, with its countless empty alcoves of crumbling statues of the dead Bhaalspawn. The tower was now incorporated as the central feature in her new stronghold, around which a massive fortified palace had been erected. Leah was still pondering how to name her stronghold, fighting the insistence of her divine patroness, the evil deity Shar, to call it something appropriately evil, like Fort Dread or Blood Keep.

At the feet of her fortified palace, Leah had encouraged the growth of a sprawling city, despite settlements on the whole being something of a rarity on the more evil aligned planes of existence. It had been a hard sell to the inhabitants of Gehenna and the planar travelers making their way through the dangerous landscape, especially since as the Lady of Murder she could not well outlaw assassination, but she had done her best to convince everyone that increased traffic and slightly reduced murder rate would greatly boost the economy of Gehenna and bring increased prosperity to everyone. It seemed as if lately her words had been starting to get through, as the settlement had quickly grown into a strong city of almost eighty thousand, especially after she had managed to enforce a divine edict that the place would serve as a neutral ground for both demons and devils, seeking brief respite and relaxation from slaughtering one another in the Blood War.

Certainly, demons still made up the largest faction of her new city, but there was a steady population of devils and other fiends, and small communities of other creatures also began to develop. There was even a community of mortals from the Prime Material Plane, a various bunch of individuals, exiled criminals, powerful wizards seeking to study other planes and their inhabitants, thrill seeking adventurers and many others, coming to Gehenna for a myriad of reasons. Just as with her fortress, Leah was still pondering how to name the city, but she had already heard many of its inhabitants referring to it as Leantium, and she was growing fonder of the name by the day.

Having gazed for a while upon the bustling city below, the Lady of Murder turned on her heel and walked back inside, standing at the mirror and then willing herself to be dressed again. Her outfit had very little practical purpose whatsoever, since as a goddess she was practically invulnerable and immortal, and required no additional protection from armor. As such, Shar had insisted that she chose an outfit that best suited her portfolio of murder, though it seemed that according to the Mistress of the Night it meant that Leah was supposed to wear something that could barely constitute as a leather thong.

So, Leah had designed her own outfit, one that she hoped would still meet the Dark Lady's approval. The black knee high boots were the only item of her wardrobe to sport sharp spikes, an element she had far less fondness than her sire, Bhaal. The short black skirt she wore did a barely adequate job at hiding the twin daggers hidden underneath, and an even poorer job at hiding her black leather underwear. The only purpose of the skimpy leather vest with straps she wore was to push up her already very impressive cleavage and show her divinely sculpted abdominal muscles, a feature she could have never attained as a mortal, mostly because after overeating on cake, she simply could not have... wished her excess weight to just go away. Plenty of skull and bone themed jewelry, a pair of short and fingerless gloves, and perhaps the most protection-offering item of the wardrobe, a luscious diadem of skulls completed the overly sexualized outfit, not that Leah particularly minded it. In fact, she rather enjoyed showing off her divine assets, especially when going out in town to mingle and socialize with the inhabitants of the city that had grown to surround her fortified stronghold.

Fully dressed, if her outfit could meet the qualifications of the term 'dressed', Leah left her divine bedroom and proceeded into the gloomy hallways of her thematically designed fortress. Paintings of torture and grizzly sacrifices lined the walls of the corridors, illuminated by a magical reddish light from skull shaped sconces. Blood red carpets lined the floor and ominous organ music began to play seemingly out of nowhere as soon as she began walking down the hallway, leading towards the central hall of the fortress, the base of the Throne of Bones.

Leah had not made it even halfway, when she spotted a grotesquely shaped shadow approaching her from an intersecting corridor just ahead of her. Bracing herself, Leah stepped into the cross-section of the hallways, and moments later someone bounced and crashed right into her, the giggling creature wrapping an arm around her waist in a familiar fashion. "Done sleeping, you sleepyhead of a goddess?" the cheerful newcomer chirped. "I've got your favorite treat waiting for us at the office, hot chocolate with molten lava cakes!"

"Wonderful, thank you as always, Immy," Leah chuckled, regarding her companion with great fondness. "Let's go and have some evil cake. Evilly," she added, the pair laughing as they proceeded down the hallway towards Leah's divine office, built into the Throne of Bone by uniting some of the alcoves together to form a larger work space.

Of course, the 'Immy' in question was not the same Imoen she had grown up with in Candlekeep, just like the new Lady of Murder was no longer the same Leah of Candlekeep. Still, this was the best that Leah had been able to do to bring her best friend back from the dead. With the whole of Bhaal essence at her disposal to shape and mold as she wished, Leah had worked desperately hard to extract and refine the drops of essence that had once belonged to Imoen, shaping them back into something that could once more fuel the physical body of her old friend. Hoping that the resurrected Imoen would not be mad about the liberties she was taking, Leah had decided to mold the new shape of Imoen as something that would better fit this new realm of existence rather than the young human girl she had once been. So... the resurrected Imoen had become a succubus, with large leathery wings that now spread to enfold them both as they walked, a long barbed tail, and cute little red horns sprouting from her forehead.

Leah knew that the resurrection had been successful simply from how the new Imoen took the changes to her body in stride, even more so, she absolutely loved her new alluring self. With a body shaped to entice and seduce, Imoen also began to dress appropriately, wearing thigh high red boots, leather bikini of matching color covered by a see-through camisole, elbow length red gloves covering her sharp-nailed hands. Her hair was a long cascade of red, flowing down her back in-between the leathery wings, necklace of blood red pearls around the white skin of succubus Imoen neck.

"Ah, this is wonderful," a while later, Leah sighed in delight as she leaned back in the skull adorned chair at her office work desk, savoring the taste of a molten lava cake, melting on her tongue and leaving behind the exquisite taste of chocolate gooeyness, together with the sweetness of powdered sugar and the freshness of sharp lemon zest. "Mhm, I could just eat this cake from now on until the end of time..."

"We probably could do that," Imoen laughed, sitting perched on the edge of the table, wings folded on her back. "But that meanie Shar probably wouldn't let us have all the fun, huh?"

"Probably not," Leah winked at her horned succubus friend and companion. "Speaking of Shar, do we have any new requests from the Dark Lady?"

"Nothing so far," Imoen shrugged. "In fact, you have nothing on your immediate agenda, boss-lady. Aside from having more cake, that is!"

"That means Shar is still in her fascination phase with Loviatar," Leah chuckled. "I don't envy the poor whip-girl. Shar can get pretty demanding when she becomes taken with someone, but fortunately... or unfortunately, depending on your point of view, these obsessive spells don't last too long."

"Let's just hope that she moves on to Talona next and not to you," Imoen added wistfully. "Or to Beshaba. When she wants you all to herself, you're never around for us to get into all sorts of mischief and adventures together."

"Very true," Leah nodded. "Still, we have free reign for now, so we can be as lazy as we please. Although, I suppose I should from time to time check in on how my clergy is flourishing..." she added, her attention briefly stolen by a small imp floating past the office and muttering something about a 'new entry into the log'. "Hmm, that reminds me... it's been a while since we've checked in on our once mortal friends, hasn't it?"

"Guess so!" Imoen shrugged. "Time seems to flow differently here, so it's hard to remember when we checked the book last. Wanna go take a peek?"

"Sure thing," Leah replied with a nod, rising from her seat of power. The book in question was an actual large tome in which Leah kept records about everyone whose life had touched hers during her time as a mortal on Abeir-Toril. Knowing that she could not rely on continuously remembering everything about her former life, Leah had employed a team of imps to keep records about select individuals, or even whole families and organizations that had once been important to her.

"Shoo! Shoo!" Leah waved her arms, chasing away some of the imps who had begun to flap about excitedly upon her and Imoen entering the small library, just like the work office created by connecting some of the tower's alcoves. "Away with you, imps! Go clean the attic or something!" she growled at the chattering nuisances as they quickly fled the library.

"Poor imps," Imoen snickered. "I do like them, though. Worthless Idiot is still my favorite."

"Sorry, but Nemnok is and will remain boss of the imps," Leah grinned at her succubus friend. "Anyway, let's see what's new in the book... or maybe I should just go through it all, really. It's frightening how little I think of my old friends anymore, but at least it all starts to come back as soon as we start reading the tome."

"It's the same for me," Imoen nodded. "Though of course I don't remember some of the friends you met after... well, that whole unpleasantness with me getting abducted and killed!"

"I seem to remember we gave your murderer a good killing... some female vampire, I think?" Leah frowned, unable to recall, then flipping the tome over and starting to read the first entry. "Well, at least I'm in no danger of forgetting Viconia," she said with a smile on her lips. The link she shared with her High Priestess was as strong and vibrant as ever, trusting Viconia to guide the faith of Lady of Murder in Faerun.

Following Leah's ascension, Viconia had taken charge of the part of the group that had decided to remain together, shortly afterwards starting to direct her prayers to the new Lady of Murder, together with Aerie. In the roles of the High Priestess and her Exalted Acolyte, these two powerful missionaries of the new faith had crossed the realms thrice over, spreading the good word of rise of the Lady of Murder, establishing temples and monasteries, crushing the clergies of rival gods, most notably those of Cyric and Bane. Minsc, Sendai and Viconia's resurrected brother formed the core of the group that had remained together over the years, while Jaheira and Edwin had both left the group some time ago.

Jaheira's departure had at first saddened Leah when she had read about it, but once she learned more details about Jaheira's decision to leave, she actually felt happy for her old friend. The simple truth was that no matter how strong Jaheira's feelings for her were, pursuing agenda of the Lady of Murder by crushing the followers of largely vile and despicable deities was simply not where Jaheira's heart was, and over time the druidess became more and more disillusioned with her role in the group, even if she had grown very fond of her companions.

Viconia, observant as ever, had noticed the increasing unhappiness of the druid, and had devised a creative solution. While crossing the lands of Amn, she had made sure that their path would lead through the town of Trademeet, where the drow arranged a formal dinner at Lord Coprith's manor, the amicable and more importantly unmarried man still serving in the role of city's beloved mayor. Using all her skills as a matchmaker, Viconia had easily achieved her goal, and when the group left Trademeet a week later, Jaheira was no longer traveling with them. A few months later, her deepening involvement with Lord Coprith was formalized in marriage, and the druidess finally put her adventuring career to rest, settling down for good. In the following months and years, Viconia made sure to regularly stop at Trademeet for a week or so, with surprise having realized how much she had gotten used to Jaheira's company and their regular bickering and butting of heads, the rest of their friends always happy to visit the beautiful city and catch up with their old friend, now the mayor's wife.

"Looks like Viconia is visiting Trademeet again," Imoen chuckled, reading the imp's last entry in the book. "Staying at the mayor's manor, but she doesn't seem to be using the guest bedroom."

"Well, isn't that usually the case?" Leah grinned. "I guess they enjoy catching up in more than one way."

"Lucky mayor," Imoen laughed, then becoming a little more serious. "Jaheira seems happy these days, but I've always wondered why you returned Valas to Viconia, but didn't do the same with Khalid for Jaheira and Dynaheir for Minsc."

"I couldn't, really, not without seriously upsetting some of the gods, and that would have been just too risky at the time," Leah shrugged. "Besides, Khalid's spirit was quite happy in Nobanion's realm, and the same went for Dynaheir in Azuth's bosom. It just didn't feel right to rip them out of their eternal peace and happiness and thrust them back into the world of mortals. Valas was a special case... he had rejected the worship of Lolth, but hadn't selected a new patron deity at the time of his death, so he was technically one of the Faithless. I just had to ask Kelemvor nicely, and he was only too happy to grant me a favor by plucking Valas' soul out of the Wall."

"Makes sense, I suppose," Imoen nodded, appearing satisfied with the explanation. "I certainly think that Viconia and the others have earned some time off, after leaving Zhentil Keep in complete ruin and disarray."

"Agreed, and that's what the Zhentarim deserve for trying to persecute my loyal cultists," Leah replied proudly before flipping the page over to the next entry detailing the adventures of her Exalted Acolyte, one certain avariel. "Well, she has certainly done better than I could ever imagine," the Lady of Murder remarked. "In many ways, she's a lot more zealous about enforcing my faith than my High Priestess."

"I guess that's good, as long as she doesn't decide that she would make a more deserving High Priestess and doesn't try to backstab Viconia," Imoen rolled her eyes.

"Well, my official creed would actually encourage that sort of attitude, but... I think Aerie looks up to Viconia too much to ever do something like that," Leah smiled. "But our little avariel has definitely done us proud. When Edwin tried to coerce her into joining him in retrieving the planar sphere from Gehenna, forcing her to decide between him and her faith, she just dumped him right there and then. I wish I could have seen the look on Edwin's face, I don't think he ever expected it to go that way."

"I don't think that Edwin has a very good understanding of the nature of faith and how strong it can be," Imoen nodded, urging Leah to flip the page to Jaheira's entry, and then over to the next, when the imps hadn't written anything new about the druidess. "So, your replacement me," the succubus commented impishly upon revealing the entry for Sendai. "Hey, I don't blame you for trying to replace me, for I am, after all, incredibly awesome. Besides, if I had the chance to meet Sendai, I'm pretty confident we would have gotten along marvelously."

"Absolutely," Leah chuckled. "You both would have gotten into so much trouble that it would have ripped and destroyed the time and space continuum."

"Anyway, she seems pretty happy just sticking with the group," Imoen remarked.

"Well, especially once she and Valas got married," Leah smiled. "Not that it took them long to get together, maybe a couple of weeks or so. And it's for the best, too, because I can't think of anyone else Viconia would have approved of for her brother."

"And what about Minsc, my favorite gentle giant," Imoen asked as she took charge to flip over to the next page, one with only a few entries, most of which focused on Boo's diet. "I guess that as long as he gets to kick evil cultist ass, he's not going to be bothered about much else, right?"

"The perfect enforcer, really," Leah nodded in approval, turning the next page and frowning. "Ah yes, Edwin Odesseiron. Well, I guess I never expected him to stay with the group, but at this point he's probably wishing he had."

"Hey, he did succeed at getting his sphere back from Gehenna, you have to give him credit for that at least," Imoen chuckled. "Of course, he lost it almost immediately to that ancient vampire lady."

"Yes, what was her name... oh right, here it is, Shyressa of the Twisted Rune," Leah nodded, tracing the relevant entry in the book with her index finger. "Well, at least she left Edwin with his life. The ability to access the sphere's systems was tied to the Corthala bloodline, and it seems that Shyressa's ability to control undead was far more powerful than Chauncey's loyalty to Edwin… who knew? I guess Edwin is still plotting his revenge back in Thay?"

Imoen peered at the bottom of the page, detailing all the latest scuffles involving Edwin Odesseiron. "Yep, he's pretty much gone back to being Edwin. Also, trying to get back into Aerie's good graces, but she's clearly not interested any longer," Imoen chuckled.

"Good on her," Leah remarked, turning the next page and rolling her eyes when she saw just how much information had been entered about one of her former friends, the imps having glued parchment over parchment just to cover everything that had allegedly happened in the life of Jan Jansen. "I think our stupid imps are falling for Jan's stories, thinking they're real," she sighed having checked some of the entries.

"They are pretty fun, even if they're fiction," Imoen laughed. "There's enough material here for a book, I'm sure!"

"Yes, I think one of the few true stories about Jan here is the one about him writing a book about my adventures and getting filthy rich from the sales," Leah shook her head. "Ah well, I guess I won't begrudge him that."

"I think I would have gotten along well with this Jan character," Imoen said thoughtfully.

"I'm sure of it," Leah replied. "He's... surprisingly likable, despite doing his best to drive you crazy with his inane stories and dangerous inventions. His demeanor is kind of a mask, anyway. There's a more genuine person underneath, someone who really cares about his family and his friends. That's why I don't mind him profiting from our adventures, I know he'll use his wealth to do well by his wife and adopted child, and his whole insanely large family clan."

"Seems like he has become quite the big mover and shaker in Athkatla's underworld as well," Imoen read one of the entries. "A shadowy operator, working to erode the established power structures of Athkatla."

"Good," Leah nodded. "They're all corrupt to the bone. I read that his activities have also disrupted the Shadow Thieves, but I don't really care about them. They used to be my allies, but they haven't really embraced worshipping me as much as I had hoped. That stupid Mask is still their favorite for some reason," the freshly minted goddess complained. "If Renal doesn't realize in time that their decline is partly because they're not paying due respect to the new Lady of Murder, well, then I have no sympathy for their downfall."

"Well, to be honest, the start of their decline could be traced back to that time when you got most of their best operatives killed while fighting Melissan and her fiendish summons," Imoen winked at her best friend.

"Details, details..." Leah winked back at the lush succubus. "Anyway, that's enough about Jan Jansen, let's see who's next," she said, flipping a page over. "Ah yes, Skie Silvershield."

"I still can't believe that petulant little Skie could become the Grand Duchess of Baldur's Gate," Imoen laughed. "Shows how good a character judge I am! Although, I do remember that she almost got deposed..."

"Yes, some people got a little upset about her lending me such a strong Flaming Fist force, and me wasting nearly all of them," Leah sighed. "People's revolt almost forced Skie to abdicate from her position, but it's a good thing I asked Viconia to look into the matter, and she quickly found out that the people's revolt would have never happened without some certain nobles pulling strings behind the scenes. A few select and targeted assassinations of the revolt's funders quickly put a stop to all the unrest and solidified Skie's position."

"Yep, because the others became mortally afraid of her when they saw her opponents dropping like flies!" Imoen exclaimed. "Oh well, I guess whatever works, right? You've got to look out for your friends."

"Exactly," Leah smiled, turning over another page, her smile broadening upon reading the entry. "Ah yes, Phaere Despana..." she sighed dreamily. "You know, having sex as a goddess feels divine, but that time with Phaere and Viconia... still beats everything I've ever experienced."

"Maybe you need to go for one of those drow deities," Imoen winked at Leah.

"No, thank you. I mean, Eilistraee is the only one worth considering, and I don't think she likes me that much," Leah rolled her eyes. "Anyway, it seems like Phaere and her drow are doing well in their new stronghold. And her relationship with Ellesime is still enduring... which is quite remarkable."

Soon after the Bhaalspawn Wars had ended, Phaere had immersed herself into finding a more sustainable stronghold for her people on the surface, also because the Shadow Thieves had stopped their supply shipments, no longer pressed by Leah to maintain them. With the civil war in Tethyr coming to an end and Queen Zaranda solidifying her rule, Phaere decided to send a diplomatic envoy to Darromar in the shape of Ellesime, to discuss possible coexistence with the people of Tethyr, already with a prepared enticing offer for the queen, knowing that the surfacers would always treat them with fear and suspicion if not for some event that would trigger a massive surge of goodwill for the drow.

So, in the end, Ellesime made Queen Zaranda an offer she could not refuse. The drow would clean up the ruins of Shoonach in return for the right to establish their enclave there, and open up diplomatic and trade relations with Tethyr, essentially becoming a part of the empire, but with extended autonomic rights. The ruins of Shoonach were considered one of the most dangerous places in Western Faerun, the seat of power of the ancient Shoon Imperium, still infested by lingering remnants of old and powerful magic, swarming with monstrous undead creatures, liches, skeleton kings, death tyrants and even a shadow dragon. The ruins had been a teeming source of evil that nobody had cared to venture to in centuries, and the offer to remove this festering sore from the face of Tethyr appealed greatly to Queen Zaranda, who accepted Ellesime's offer most eagerly.

Over the course of the next year and a half, the drow led a tremendously costly and bloody assault on the ruins of Shoonach. Inch by inch, feet by feet, yard by yard, they slowly and gradually reclaimed the ground from the powerful undead, despite suffering tremendous losses. Phaere's armies might have well been exhausted completely against the hordes of the undead, if not for the word of what she was attempting spreading to some of the other enclaves of drow refugees to the surface, who quickly came to their aid and reinforced Phaere's army with steady numbers. In the end, Shoonach stood conquered, even though a few times during the bloody conquest, Phaere herself had felt that defeat had become inevitable.

Queen Zaranda stayed true to her word. The drow were allowed to stay and to resettle and rebuild Shoonach, a task they jumped to with great vigor and efficiency. Over the course of the next year, more and more drow refugees flocked to the growing enclave, and by the time the last entry describing events in Phaere's life had been made, the number of inhabitants in Shoonach had for the first time exceeded ten thousand. Admittedly, they were not all drow, but also quite a few local Tethyrians also coming to live and trade amongst the drow, now that they had proved their worth. The public opinion of the drow had turned quickly as the word of their achievement had spread, and the grandiose triumph that Zaranda had organized for Phaere in Darromar had also helped, the drow general being granted the prestigious title of Knight of the Realm.

"Oh... it's that girl," Imoen frowned, having turned the page to find entries for Firecam family, one member of the family outlined in particular. "Squire Leona Firecam. I don't get why you just don't have her killed, you could easily arrange it."

"Nah, I don't feel like it," Leah shrugged. "I think I got her father killed or something like that, which explains why she's so angry with me."

"I guess, but to enlist into the order and training to become a knight just so that she had the moral high-ground to persecute your entire faith?" Imoen shrugged. "I still say she's kind of a bitch."

"Maybe..." Leah mused. "Still, I guess I admire her dedication. She seemed completely vain and shallow when I met her, but it seems like losing her father actually gave her life a focus, a cause she could dedicate herself to. Sure, she's zealously hunting and killing as many of my followers as she can find, but really, if you think about it, she serves the same purpose that a predator serves in nature. She weeds out the weak amongst my subjects. No, I'm fine with squire, soon to become a knight, Leona Firecam hunting my cultists."

"Until she hunts down and kills Aerie or Viconia and then you're going to curse yourself for not intervening," Imoen spoke warningly.

"Hah, like that's ever going to happen," Leah laughed. "For Leona's own sake, I hope she doesn't try that because it won't go well for her."

"Well, nothing new about these two," Imoen said, having flipped over to the next page, empty piece of parchment save only for the two names written at the top of it, Anomen and Reyna.

"Yes, my reach does not extend to Ansalon and the world of Krynn," Leah shrugged. "But I'm sure they are doing just fine, and so is their child. Hah, they probably have had another by now."

"Anyway, we're getting into less important people that I never got to meet, so this is starting to get a little boring," Imoen winked her. "Shall we do something more fun?"

"Well, I don't have anything on my divine schedule at the moment, so I'm up for anything," Leah shrugged. "Do you want to go and mess with some of the self-proclaimed good and noble deities? Shall we steal Lathander's precious purple pajamas again?"

"Eh, I was thinking about something more mundane, really," Imoen smiled. "Like dropping down to the city and seeing if there's anything interesting going on. I've heard there's a band of handsome incubi who recently arrived in the city, so... I figure maybe we could stop by and introduce ourselves. Well... alright, I guess the incubi are only of interest to me, but I know you have your own reasons for wanting to stop by the festhall."

"How kind of you to keep my interests close to heart," Leah rolled her eyes. "But yes, I had planned to stop by a little later and see if a certain extraordinarily beautiful, aloof, enchanting blonde temptress might be more amenable to my charms today."

"Only you could have the terrible luck of falling for the only succubus in existence who's not interested in sex," Imoen shook her head, then giving the desponded looking goddess a comforting hug. "I'm sure Grace will come around sooner or later."

"Well, at least she did promise to allow me to conquer her physically once I had managed to best her intellectually," Leah chuckled. "I think this might just be my lucky day, because I'm feeling particularly smrt today."

"Hah!" Imoen laughed. "I don't know, Gracie is incredibly wise and intelligent, and she's seen some crazy things. I hope you succeed, but if I were you, I'd consider cheating."

"How... you can't fake intelligence," Leah sighed. "I don't know how to fake that convincingly, especially to someone like her. No, I'll just have to stay patient and chip away at her ice armor bit by bit. And it's working, too, last time she actually smiled and kissed me on the cheek upon meeting, so there's been some serious progress."

"Uh-huh..." Imoen snorted as the two headed for the exit, playfully bumping into each other. "You just keep working for your big prize, then. I'll just have my incubi shaped treats in the meantime. Say, Leah?" Imoen asked as she stopped on the doorstep, making the Lady of Murder halt as well.

"What is it, Immy?" Leah replied curiously.

"When you read about your old mortal friends like that," Imoen began. "Do you... do you ever think of what would have happened if you had chosen to stay behind?"

"I... remember I used to agonize about it, yes," Leah replied after a moment of thought. "Especially before I found a way to bring you back to my side. Before that, it was really rather lonely up here, so I often thought maybe I should have chosen a mortal life and allowed Sendai to ascend. But the more my humanity fades away and my divinity takes over, the less I remember of my old life, and consequently, the less I miss it. Reading about my old friends and companions doing well, and knowing that I have the power to aid them should the need arise... it helps, too."

"So, what you are saying is... no regrets?" Imoen winked.

"No regrets," Leah shook her head firmly. "Now come, I can hear the hustle and bustle of the city below calling us," she smiled, grabbing her friend's hand and pulling her along the corridor. "Booze, mischief and luscious succubi await us!"

THE END