What Happens in Waterdeep.

Cynthia watched the two young lovers asleep in each others arms. Admittedly, she had watched them for a good portion of the night and although her initial intentions weren't voyeuristic, that quickly shifted once she had attempted to reach out to Virgil and discovered what was transpiring. Cynthia needed to contact Virgil, it was important, but it could wait.

For what she was about to ask. It could wait.

The sly demigod impressed her influence upon him and his eyes snapped open.
"Morning, Handsome. Get some clothes on and let that poor girl recover." she mused as she lit a cigarillo while walking from the room and up the hall. "We need to talk." She loudly called back.

The smells of tobacco and cinnamon assailed him as he shot a glance back to the sleeping woman next to him.
Virgil had seen her awaken from less interruption than this and just assumed this too was Cynthia's work. Especially seeing that Stedd hadn't come bounding out of bed at the first sign of a strangers voice.

He swung his feet out of the covers and stood. throwing a loose shirt on and some breeches, clumsily splashing some water in his face from the wash basin nearby before heading down the hall.

Cynthia sat feet up on the table, a cup of steaming coffee in one hand, cigarillo in the other. Virgil took up a place opposite and poured himself a cup.

"What's going on?" Virgil asked, taking a sip of the hot liquid. It's bitter taste having the desired effect as he felt his senses sharpen.

"That cult you stirred up before you left," she began taking her feet off the table and leaning in. "Good job on that by the way." She complimented with an exhale of smoke, it's fragrance filling the room. Virgil nodded and let her continue.

"There has been a development on that front. Through your initial contact and my own investigation, I've determined that a few new powers are on the rise along the sword Coast. You need to come back with me to sort this uprising out and restore balance to Waterdeep's criminal and lawful element."

Virgil went to argue, his mouth opening but she raised a hand that literally stopped him from speaking.

"It's part of the gig, Virgil. You return to Waterdeep, solve this issue so that the others have a Waterdeep to return to."
She sat back, lowering her hand and taking a drink of her coffee. He felt his ability to speak return.

He felt the unease at this decision, felt the conflict within him. He also realised his opinion on this matter was moot.

"I'll leave a note." He said as Cynthia raised her hand again, this time it held a sealed envelope.

"Already done," she said flatly. "A lovely little note from myself explaining your requirement to return with me to Waterdeep so you may conduct your duties. Don't worry I'll get you back to them as soon as you're done." She confirmed in a sincere tone, slipping the sealed letter over the table. "Leave that with your dwarf companion, it'll have the desired effect should he happen upon it."

Virgil nodded, reluctantly taking the letter and moving back down the hall to the barracks he'd been provided for his companions.
All were present, save Mikarro who had taken a great interest in the workings of the ship they were all travelling on.

He left the letter standing on Ulfgar's belongings before heading back to his own quarters.

Obcaeco still slept soundly. He gathered his belongings and walked from his room, letting his eyes gaze upon her for a moment before moving back to the hall.

Cynthia stood at the end of the hall by the Red Door.

"You ready?" She asked, that wry smile still on her face."
Virgil nodded and she pressed her palm upon its ornate surface. Various locks and mechanisms could be heard responding to her touch. It swung open slowly revealing a long hall lit by sconces.

"Ladies first," Cynthia said, gesturing for Virgil to enter.

Shaking his head with a sigh, he crossed over the threshold leaving his companions behind.

One Night in Waterdeep.

Obcaeco and Virgil were shown from the palace walls after bringing the news of Agatha's brutal demise at Stedd's hands.

Darkness was in its full splendour as the lights of Waterdeep's nightlife dotted the skyline and soon they walked together amongst the bustling streets. A cool breeze surrounded them, bringing mostly pleasant scents of rich food and spices.

They had made their way quietly though the crowds for a few blocks, Virgil's eyes constantly darting here and there yet always finding themselves back to Obcaeco to linger. Obcaeco suddenly put a hand out in front of him, her honed agile form stopping him fast as a cart thundered past at a busy intersection narrowly missing a distracted Virgil.

"Your eyes see much," she said, not looking in his direction, her mouth curled up at the sides in that wry smile. "Yet they seem to be fixed upon me when they should be looking elsewhere."

"It's not my fault," he answered straightening his fine coat and recomposing himself as his eyes once again began their usual scan. "You distract me more than I care to admit."

There was a brief pause where the two just stood at the roadside as the city moved around them.
"Perhaps I can ease your distraction." Obcaeco said, grabbing his hand suddenly and leading him down a small alleyway off the main road and away from prying eyes.
Virgil's heart raced at this action, his imagination making several sensual conclusions before she suddenly stopped, releasing his hand and  flipping open a small pack she was carrying, extracting it's contents onto a nearby crate.

It was the outfit he had gifted to her so many months before.

"I believe some crime fighting is finally in order." She announced quietly and promptly began to disrobe behind an outcropping of old barrels stored there.
Virgil stood there stunned for a moment, before spinning about. Obcaeco's lack of modesty making his face flush.
A moment later he was tapped on the shoulder by the slender monk, adorned in the dark blue and silver lined outfit.

"Well I'm ready," she said, stepping from the shadows that offered her no seclusion from Virgil's magical eyes. "Your turn."

Virgil smiled before uttering the incantation that shrouded him in the illusion of Neifion.
He felt the shift in his mind also, the persona of this masked warden coming to the forefront, Virgil's voice and mannerisms stepping aside to allow Neifion to assume control.

Although Obcaeco could see through the illusion to a degree, she quietly marvelled at the physical transformation that took place when Virgil became shrouded in Neifion's mantle. His shoulders squared back, his heart beat slowed to a calm, cold rhythmic tempo. Even his gait changed when he walked. No longer was his right hand his preference, being able to change at will depending on the situation.
He seemed to stand taller, more ominous.

She felt within herself a sudden rise in heat from the pit of her stomach as she became aware of the change in her own heart rate and breathing. Imperceptible to anyone who may have been observing, but to her, it was like a drum being beaten as if to sound an alarm. She cleared her throat slightly, forcing her attentions elsewhere.
"Shall we?"

The two leapt up onto the kegs then sprang upon the roof of the building. The stars overhead providing a splendorous sight.
"Dock Ward?" She asked and Neifion nodded as they both sped across the rooftops and walls of the Castle Ward.
Obcaeco's speed and agility made her look like a darting shadow in the night. so graceful were her moments that if anyone caught sight of her, it would be mistaken for a trick of the eye or some other fleeting thing.

Neifion pursued the lithe woman's twisting form, his magical abilities allowing him to keep up with the nimble monk in front of him. Black thorny tendrils shot from his device, grasping into walls and propelling him from building to building, aided also by his magical boots that enhanced his jumping distance.

They arrived the shadow of the massive stone walls of the dock ward atop a large warehouse giving Neifion a view of the entire area. Obcaeco's brilliant yet shorter ranged senses honed on their immediate environment while Neifion scanned the docks.

It didn't take long before Neifion saw their first quarry of the night. A woman carrying a crying bundle desperately running into a gas lit warehouse district. Moments later followed by a half dozen men cackling and hooting.

"Let's go." Neifion calmly stated as he sprang down the side of the building.

The soot faced woman darted from building to building. Her breath now coming in ragged gasps. She desperately tried to quiet her hungry child, the babe having none of it.
She made a final turn into a long corridor of warehouses, each illuminated with a small  natural gas lanterns mounted atop steel poles.
The woman reached the end of the corridor, trying desperately to open a door, any door that would take her away from the gang fast approaching. No escape in sight.

The gang closed hooting and jeering the entire time, stopping under the light of two lamps twenty feet away from her.
"We just want the baby, love," sneered one of the men wielding a wickedly barbed knife. "He's promised to us, to our lord Asmodeus!" At the sound of the Arch Devil's name the others shouted unholy words and made gestures with their hands to the night sky. She recoiled, clutching her child closer drawing a dagger and holding it out towards them drawing more jeers from the gang, her babe continued it's shrill wail.

The three lines of lamps behind the cultists suddenly went out in rapid succession, then the lamps revealing the woman and her babe blinked out. The child's cries being the only thing left coming from the darkness.
The cultists spun, brandishing crude but dangerous weapons, their teeth gnashing at the void before them. "Don't interfere lest you be next!" Shouted the lead cultist as the last two lamps providing the only light above them suddenly changed to a green flickering flame, shrouding the entire area in an emerald hue.

"Asmodeus has no dominion within Waterdeep." Came a voice that seemed to come from all around the half dozen cultists, causing them to back into one another and turn on the spot frantically.  "Here, Neifion walks!"

The final lamps blinked out as the woman clutched her baby watched on as the area was lit up with a blast of  green flame here or a bright burst of light there, screams and sounds of metal against metal and fists chrunching faces sounded out, suddenly the lamps roared back back on flooding the area in an emerald glow.

It took a moment for the woman's eyes to readjust to the lanterns in the street before she made out the heaped bodies of the cultists, bloodied and battered, but breathing. She suddenly gasped as off to the side she saw a dark figure, cloaked head to toe, wreathed black flames. It stepped forward and she shied back from this seemingly new threat, still holding the dagger. The figure stopped at her reaction and the flames surrounding it disappeared, leaving only a well dressed figure in black finery and a wide brimmed hat with billowing cape in the still night. The lower half of his face covered by an ornate silver etched mask that glinted in the rekindled glow.

"You are safe," He said in a strange ethereal voice, raising a device to the sky and loosing two bolts of bright green energy. "The guards will be here soon. Go to the Sea Ward and find an Inn called The Dragon Hoard. Speak to a woman named Lillian and she will see you moved to a safer place to stay."
The figure turned to leave and the woman reached a hand out, "W-wait!" she stammered. "Who are you?"

The figure half turned, "A protector. I am Neifion, Warden of Waterdeep. Pray for my protection and I will hear your call."
The figure turned away and leapt upward into the shadow and the night.

Some time later Virgil opened a door to his sanctum before he and Obcaeco spilled in, both laughing and short of breath.

"Thanks for the spotlight after the fight, Ob." Virgil exclaimed, removing his jacket and hanging it upon a nearby hook at the door.

"I believe in what you're trying to achieve here," she stated matter of factually dropping her pack and stretching out her arms and back in the hallway. "It was only fitting that you use this moment to establish your goal."
He moved down the hall and into a room before quickly reemerging with two glasses and a bottle.
"Drink?" He asked, moving into his personal quarters, the fire roaring to life as he entered.
Obcaeco moved to follow him into the room as Virgil hastily poured a drink for them both and downed his, still frantically reprising the events of the night, his voice full of excitement. He didn't notice that Obcaeco had stopped in the doorway.

Virgil, suddenly realising he was the only one speaking looked up from his recounting and watched Obcaeco move into the room, slipping off parts of her garments as she edged ever closer, her veil the last part of her ensemble to hit the floor before she stood before him, dangerously close. Golden and Obsidian eyes locked and he witnessed the unbridled power within her. His breath caught, unable to move as she stood but inches from him. Her mouth so close to his.
"Show me what happens next, Virgil." she whispered on trembling lips.
Virgil paused, ever so briefly, before allowing  his lips to find hers. 

Then, for the final time that night, darkness engulfed them once more.

Cynthia - Interlude.

Virgil's book glowed the dark red that he'd come to despise. This woman in charge, Cynthia had come in and thrown her weight around, changing this and that, his lovely green flames now this vile crimson colour.

He stared at the cover, not wanting to open it. His reluctance came from a fear of what he might become if he was stripped of his powers. What if this new Neifion took from him the one thing that had turned his life to good?

Could he go back to being, Just Virgil?

Additionally, he hated that fucking red glow.

He stuffed the journal back into his satchel and sealed it away, before settling down for the night.
The campfire crackling lightly as Mikarro and Lirra took watch.

He tipped his hat over his face and settled back into his bedroll, sleep coming easily despite after the events of the last few days.

The dreams came again. A dream that was becoming more and more common. It was a welcomed dream.
Bodies writhing, sensations heightened. A distortion of light and reality.
His focus cleared, expecting to see the face of a the woman he longed for. To his surprise it was a face that took him a moment to recognise.
Cynthia!

"Do I have your attention now?" She cooed, a smirk on her face.

Virgil flung her from atop him and the scene shifted quickly and seamlessly, to a scenario of his sanctuary and the familiar crackle of the fireplace near the round table set with a deck of cards, two chairs aside it. Cynthia sat, feet upon the table a cigarillo between fingers. It's smoke permeated the room with a rich wooden tobacco scent.
She wore a short sleeved vest of shiny black material, buttoned across her chest save the top two, leaving nothing of her figure to the imagination. Her legs clad in a similar black material and long boots worn over them that were embossed with a tangle of thorns.
Her long brown hair fell across her shoulder onto her bare arms. the flickering light of the fire catching in the sheen from it.

"You don't call, you don't write." She said, taking the Cigarillo between her lips and drawing back the smoke, its red tip flaring.
"What is a girl meant to think?" she asked after a long exhale. The smoke wafting in his direction. Her voice carrying a overacted tone of incredulity.

Virgil noted the still reddish tinge of the firelight. The tint she had inflicted upon his sanctuary as part of showing off her new dominion over him and the others. 

She'd killed and clawed her way to a point where she'd amassed enough power to overthrow a greater denizen of the fey and usurp it's power for her own. 

Thankfully, he was clothed again, making this dream a little more bareable. He moved closer to the table and Cynthia's leg shifted, nudging the pushed-in chair back, allowing him to sit across from her. He did so, one hand reflexively falling to the deck of cards. He felt their weight, their shape, before beginning to shuffle the deck, not taking his eyes from hers.

"I was just doing what you asked," he began. "Keeping out of your way, doing my own thing."

He dealt two out each and placed four down in the centre between them, face down.

"I guess there's no point in actually playing, huh?" he asked. Taking a quick peek down at his cards before returning his eyes to the woman opposite her.
She kept her eyes on him taking a slow glance down at her cards before looking back to Virgil.
No twitches, no tells.

"Oh no," she replied keeping her eyes steeled on his. "This is your dream. I'm just visiting. And I wouldn't dare cheat."
Virgil left his cards where they were leaning in and dropping any pretence of playing the hand.

"You know what I'm working on right now, don't you?" He said. "You know what's at stake?"

Cynthia nodded as he spoke, taking in his words before she too leaned in, mimicking his movements.

"I didn't at first," she answered, "I was busy trying to overthrow an archaic and corrupt institution, so I was a little preoccupied."

Virgil scoff was cut short as she continued, raising her index finger as if to silence him.

"But! A short time after taking control, I took stock of what each Shade was dealing with and I've got to admit, You've got your work cut out for you."  she paused a moment to take a deep draw of her cigarillo before offering it to her reluctant charge. "I didn't expect someone in my order would be at the tip of the spear in an offensive to thwart The Cult of The Dragon."

Virgil reached out with a calm hand, taking the cigarillo from her before placing it between his own lips and drawing in the tobacco.

"You can keep that," She remarked, smoke coming out of her nose and mouth as a lithe hand reached into her jacket hanging from the she was seated on. A brief rummage later, Cynthia placed a small silver box on the table, producing another cigarillo from within.

"Alright," Virgil says exhaling sharply, "You've got my attention. What do you want?"

"I want to offer you, My dear Virgil, My full assistance." She states before adding quickly, "And assurance that I am not here to hinder your task."

"Good, you can start by changing the fucking fire in here and the colour of Thorne back to green." He says bluntly, allowing an heir of frustration within his voice to show.

"Done!" She says chuckling, waving her hand. as the familiar greenish tinge returned to the room. "That was not the first request that I was expecting," She admitted, still smiling that charming, perfect smile that Virgil couldn't deny was alluring.  He could taste something on his lips, left on the cigarillo that Cynthia had passed to him. Cinnamon?

"That's it." Virgil stated,  before his face became stern, "oh, and don't strip me of my powers. People are depending on me now. It's not just about me any more." It was then that Cynthia saw it for a moment, a crack in his perfectly unshakeable visage. His face had the intimidating coolness that he so often wore, but his eyes.
His eyes were pleading.

Cynthia kept her demeanour in check, not wanting to show that she'd seen Virgil's tell.
"Virgil," she began, her tone warm and assuring, "You and your predecessor are what I am looking to cultivate within our order." She kept her smile sincere, "You need not fear me, so long as you keep doing this good work."

He nodded, relieved to hear the words he needed to believe were true.
"Well in that case, would you mind letting me get back to sleep?" He asked, a wry smirk forming on his face. "Big day of 'hero stuff' tomorrow."

Cynthia let out a loud "Ha!" Before standing and drawing her jacket from the chair and swinging it across her shoulders.  "I interrupted quite the sweaty dream," She cooed again in that same tone he heard earlier in the night. "You had no intention of any restful sleep."

Virgil dropped his gaze and stood also, left without words to say.
Cynthia moved from the table towards the exit. "You should really make that dream a reality, she's cute, and so very strong." She added, stopping inches from Virgil's face. He could smell the cinnamon on her breath as she stood dangerously close.
"Unless you want to make ours a reality." She said, her seductive presence brought to bare. Virgil pointed  down the hall, keep his eyes on hers.

"Door's that way. Let yourself out."

Cynthia shrugged and nodded before walking past him down the hall.
"Well, if you ever change your mind, you know how to find me." She stopped at the door and opened it, looking back over her shoulder.
"There's perks to be had for bedding the boss."

"In your dreams, perhaps." Virgil retorted. "Not mine."

Before We Go.

The portal stood before them. A circular glyph of arcane scrawling.

Virgil halted a few feet before walking into the teleportation ring, Turning turning to face his companions.

"Guys, wait a moment," he said, holding up a hand. "I've got no idea what is beyond that portal, but I just wanted to say that traveling with you all has made me feel like we can achieve the impossible."
The faces look back on him all read differently.
Ulfgar's proud knowing face. The voice of reason, the rock of conscience.
Stedd wore his grim demeanour, eyes darting here and there watching for any slight movement or imminent danger. Virgil could see the weight of decision and consequence upon his face. He knew Stedd was fighting a guilt from a decision that had nearly cost the lives of his friends.
Lirra, leaned against her great spear, calm and relaxed. The confidence she showed, it empowered them. Virgil knew this to be fact.
Virgil looked to Obcaeco. The girl blinded literally by her faith and lineage. Half angel, half human. The one who sees much, and sees no more. 
She smiled when Virgil's gaze fell upon her. It was a kind, warm smile. A smile of one who is fighting a battle within, yet shows none of it to those around them.

"Ulfgar," Virgil said breaking from his inner thoughts. "How about a prayer before we leave?

Virgil took a knee in front of the armoured dwarf.
Stedd was first to kneel with Virgil, then Obcaeco, and Lirra as Ulfgar looked upon those before him for the briefest moment before he began. 

"Family comes to us in times of need," his words and tone fatherly and warm. "It is not the family of lineage, but the family that is forged in times of strife and struggle." Ulfgar closed his eyes, a hand hovering above the heads of these brave folk before him. 

"Mother Truesilver, I call to you now. 

To look upon us in this time of strife.

Let this family be forever watched over. 

Let their faith in each other strengthen them. 

Let their courage be bolstered in times of fear.

Let no force break their bonds to one another."

There was a pause. Only the dripping of the water in the adjacent caverns could be heard. 

"Ye can stand up now," Ulfgar chuckled. "We got work to do."

 

Together they rose, as Virgil took a deep, steadying breath.

"Alright," He said, drawing Thorn giving it a customary look over. The cool green crystal housed within the core of the device pulsed slowly at his touch, reassuring him of it's readiness.

"Let's get this done."

All In

Books, Lots of Books.

Virgil took a moment to reflect on the feat he had achieved. He currently stood in an ornate library, within a hidden castle, surrounded by an enemy force that he now controlled.

He couldn't help but grin at this.
With but a few augmented words he had turned ally against ally and overthrown a major enemy stronghold.

The powers that Neifion had given him felt godlike and for the first time he could remember, he felt like he was doing good. Something that his parents would be proud of.

Deception, gambling and exploitation were all things he used for personal gain. Never for a moment did he think his talents could be used in this way.

He had killed. Again. As the grin evaporated from his face, he recounted the fight against the commander of this castle, the cold calculating elf and his cultist guards. He had almost discounted it considering the whirl of events that followed.
He'd also sent his enemies into a trap, a trap in the form of dozens of lizard folk spears and teeth, to be torn apart in an ambush.
Virgil put the books down he was stacking onto a nearby pile and took out his own journal and lay it atop a chest high column of invaluable volumes of what appeared to contain information about the stars. "Henry's gonna have kittens when he sees these." He mused before focusing back to the blank page of the magical tome.

Castle Neyartar is under our control.
Coerced local lizard folk tribe to turn against current cultist regime and assist in coup.
Lizard folk still believe that we are cultists. We have taken no prisoners to ensure our cover remains in tact. Using this to our advantage.
Cultist presence in castle has been removed. Dispatched majority of Cultist forces through deception, ambush and confusion.

He lowered his pen, allowing the words to seep into his magical journal, before adding.

Was this the correct course of action?

This last question wasn't an easy one to write.
He understood Neifion was concerned with bringing balance, restoring the natural order of things but had he achieved this here?

He thought back further to the chain of events to date. He turned his memory to what these cultists were capable of in Greenest. People slaughtered on the streets. Families torn apart. He'd seen dozens die that night. He'd witnessed the power they would bring to bare against defenceless folk.

Grim faced and resolute, Virgil closed the journal and returned it to his satchel before a reply even arrived.

Yes, he was doing the right thing.
The balance will be restored.