'Oh, about the last time you were here,' the majordomo replied.
'But I've never been here before,' Khelben corrected.
Milo was puzzled. He never forgot a face, particularly one as famous as the Lord Mage of Water-deep himself. I know, the dwarf concluded, he doesn't want Vangerdahast to know that he's been here before. That must be it. I wonder why? Oh, but wizards are a strange sort anyway.
'I'm sorry Mister Arunsun,' Milo replied with a sly wink. 'I must have been mistaken.'
Khelben was now even more confused by the majordomo's subtle wink, but decided to let it pass.
'Gentlemen,' Milo announced, 'your table awaits.' He proceeded to hustle through the crowd to one of the prime tables that were always reserved for VIPs.
'First time, eh?' Vangerdahast whispered to his companion, having also caught Milo's subtle wink.
Khelben just harumphed a response.
The two mages were quietly enjoying the dwarf-tossing festivities over two tankards of ale, an elven ranger who did not seem to know his own strength had just sent a particularly rotund dwarf sailing out of the playing area, through the kitchen door, and out of the kitchen window into the backyard compost heap. Suddenly a great commotion ensued at the door.
'Khelben! Vangerdahast! Are they here?'
Milo was once again on the spot, greeting his rather boisterous and demanding, but also very important guests at the door.
'Mister Volo,' the dwarf attended, 'it is wonderful to see you again, but please calm down and observe the simple rules of common courtesy. This is a respectable establishment, after all.'
'Khelben and Vangerdahast,' the master traveler repeated, this time as a demand. 'Are they here?'
'They are at one of our special tables in the back,' Milo replied, studiously controlling his temper, as a good host is expected to. 'Would you like me to see if they will permit you to join them?'
Having received the answer to his question, Volo and his companions barged across the tavern floor toward the table where the two mages were sitting, despite the audible protestations from Milo whom they had left standing in their wake.
'What is the meaning of this intrusion?' Vangerdahast demanded, both he and Khelben standing up as the four travelers approached.
'Sorry for the intrusion, your eminence,' Volo apologized, 'but there is a grave matter we must discuss with you immediately.'
'You're Volo,' Khelben interrupted, 'that guide book author.'
'At your service, Lord Arunsun,' the master traveler replied with a bow, 'but there is a great deal of urgency to the matters at hand. A dark conspiracy is underfoot. It is based in your own Waterdeep, and it threatens the stability of all Toril.'
Khelben began to finger his beard, which Volo immediately realized meant that he was giving the matter serious consideration.
'Well, then,' the Lord Mage of Waterdeep replied, 'why don't you and your friends pull up a few chairs, and tell us just what seems to be going on?'
Volo immediately sat down and began to relate their story.
'My friend Passepout and I were having a good time here at the Dragon's Jaws Inn when a fellow who looked exactly like yourself accosted us…'
Volo told the tale as swiftly and efficiently as possible, with Curtis and Shurleen chiming in at various points in the story to allow the master traveler to catch his breath. No one noticed when Passepout withdrew from the table for a moment to pass a piece of paper to a messenger who was waiting by the bar.
'Get this to Lord Bleth immediately,' the thespian instructed.
The messenger left, and Passepout rejoined the group just in time to wrap up the tale of their adventure. '… so they busted me out of the jail at Baldur's Gate, which was for minor previous offenses for which I am truly sorry,' the master thespian rambled, 'and we hightailed our way here.'
'We have been aware of the insidious group known as the Unseen for quite a while,' Khelben said, 'but we were unaware that their influence was spreading and that their powers were on the rise.'
'If they succeed with their plans to establish teleporting gates throughout Toril, there will be no way to control their insidious infection of our social structure. You won't know whom to trust. Anyone, even yourself, Lord Mage, could be a doppelganger,' Volo concluded.
'Quite,' Khelben replied.
Vangerdahast put out his hand toward Passepout.
'I need one of these necromancer's gems so that I can neutralize the whole lot of them,' the mage said. 'Please hand one to me.'
Passepout reached into his pouch and felt nothing but air.
'Oh, no,' the thespian said. 'I must have dropped the last one on the way in here. What will we do?'
'I must have one of the gems in order to counteract the influence of the others,' the mage insisted. 'Without it, we are powerless.'
Shurleen reached into a hidden pocket in her belt.
'Here,' she said, passing a red gem to Vangerdahast, and then turning to the others in the group, added, 'I just thought I would keep a souvenir. I didn't mean anything by it. I guess we're lucky I did.'
Vangerdahast examined the red gem carefully, holding it up to the light.
'This isn't just any necromancer gem,' the mage announced. 'This is one of the legendary jewels of Verne. With just this one stone, I should be able to scry the locations of all the others.'
The mage stared into the facets of the red stone.
'I see a desert, a roadway, an ocean, Storm Silverhand's farm, some place very hot…'
'That's probably the volcano on Chult,' Passepout explained.
'That will do,' the mage announced, and taking Khelben's hand for added strength and magical support, he concentrated with great intensity, and squeezed the gem with all his might.
When he reopened his hand, the gem had disappeared.
'Now all of the gems will act as gates to that volcanic location on Chult,' he replied. 'It won't affect their locations on Hlaavin's map, though. He won't discover what we have done until he tries it out himself.'
A faint trace of a smile appeared on Khelben's lips. 'It will serve him right,' the Lord Mage of Waterdeep replied.
'Oh, and by the way,' Vangerdahast added, 'the magic that had bound the two of you together and restricted your movements has been removed, as has the buffer that has restricted your magical abilities, Volo.'
'Wonderful!' Passepout replied.
'Agreed,' said Volo, adding, 'not that I didn't enjoy your company and all.'
'I'm afraid that I won't be good company for much longer,' the thespian replied. 'Now that the crisis is over, I have sworn to turn myself in.'
'I don't think there will be any need for that,' Khelben volunteered. 'I have a few friends in the Baldur's Gate hierarchy. I think an amnesty is in order in lieu of the service you have provided for the security of all Faerun.'
'Wonderful!' the chubby thespian replied, for once without a trace of sarcasm.
'I'm sure that I can also arrange the release of your parents as well. It sounds like they've served their time.'
Turning to Volo, the thespian whispered, 'You know, I'm beginning to like some of these wizards.'
Volo just smiled.
Slam!
A messenger barged into the inn and made an announcement.
'I have here a message from Lord Gruen Bleth,' he proclaimed.
'Read it,' Passepout said thinking, Reward money, here I come!
The messenger read: 'Lord Bleth is pleased to hear of the rescue of Miss Shurleen Laduce, but feels that there is no need for a reward since a replacement for her services has already been secured.'
'A replacement for his daughter?' Passepout sputtered in disbelief.
