Finder closed his eyes. In less than two heartbeats, they flew open again. 'She's leaking like a sieve,' he said in a shocked voice.
Selune nodded. 'Something has pierced the very source of her power. She can no longer control its release. Every time she uses her power, her control weakens so that more spills out of her. When she was casting her blessing on Jasmine, the power burst out. Whatever or whoever is siphoning her energy away was unprepared to absorb the surge. Some of the power went into the land, so the land quaked.'
'So it wouldn't have happened if she hadn't tried to cure me,' Jas said.
Selune leaned back on her heels and looked up at Jas. 'The guilt is not your own, Jasmine. Do not rush to claim it,' the older goddess said curtly. 'Only another god would have the power to cause such damage. Had Tymora not attempted to cure you, we might not have discovered the drain until it was far too late.'
Jas's body stiffened, and the feathers on her wings quivered until Selune looked back down at Tymora. The winged woman tilted her head in puzzlement. 'You look like someone I knew a long time ago,' she said softly.
'No,' Selune replied without looking up at Jas again. 'Someone you knew a long time ago looked like me.' She stroked Tymora's forehead and said, 'We must find a way to stop this drain and restore Tymora's ability to control her power.'
'Tymora believed Beshaba was behind this,' Winnie said.
'Please, who is Beshaba?' Emilo asked, stepping up beside the elderly goddess.
Selune turned toward the kender, and a look of surprise crossed her face. Perhaps she was surprised the kender had addressed her so directly, but Joel was left with the unmistakable impression that the goddess had not sensed the kender before.
'Beshaba, like Tymora,' the goddess explained, 'arose from the corrupted form of Tyche. Once Tymora came forth, all that was tainted by Moander coalesced and stepped out as the goddess of ill fortune, Beshaba. Beshaba was lovely to behold, but her heart was malicious and spiteful. She is called Tymora's sister only because they shared the same origin. Beshaba and Tymora hay one another instantly and tried to destroy each other. Fortunately other powerful gods were present at the time and helped separate the battling sisters. Beshaba fled to live on the dark planes, which were more suited to her spirit.'
'We must discover out how Beshaba is draining my lady and stop her somehow,' Winnie said.
Selune nodded. 'Before we begin to investigate Beshaba, we need to take certain precautions. We can slow the drain from spells that Tymora grants to her priests. Winnie, as circumspectly as possible, you will have to spread word to Tymora's churches that Finder and I will grant their spells for now. The drain from adventurers who call on Lady Luck will be more difficult to control. It is already causing problems in Faerun, the sort of problems that could soon spread throughout the Realms. Tymora has always been generous. Even in her unconscious state, she's still sending good fortune to those she favors. Too much luck is disrupting their lives as assuredly as bad luck would.'
'Can we stop that?' Finder asked.
'We must find a way,' Selune said. 'Or the consequences will be horrible.'
'How can too much good luck be a bad thing?' Emilo asked.
'In more ways than you can imagine, but mostly it's a case of flood or famine,' Selune replied. 'Think a minute. When the good luck is all gone, what will be left?'
'Nothing but bad luck,' Jas said, beginning to sense what the regal goddess was driving at.
'Perhaps another power could conceal from Tymora's senses any adventurers who call on her,' Finder suggested. 'That should help to control her releases of power.'
Selune nodded. 'Lathander might be able to do that. I will speak with him. Wait here.' The goddess vanished.
Joel went to Finder's side. 'Will you be going to investigate Beshaba?' he asked softly.
Winnie flashed a look of utter disbelief at Joel. 'He really is one of the clueless, isn't he?' the halfling priestess asked Finder.
'What's that supposed to mean?' Jas snapped, glaring at Winnie.
'Easy, Jasmine,' Finder warned. 'No,' he said to Joel, 'I will do everything I can for Tymora, but I don't dare approach Beshaba's realm. She would detect another power in an instant. For another god to enter her realm without invitation would be tantamount to a declaration of war. And Beshaba is Tymora's equal in power. In a fight with her, I wouldn't stand a chance.'
'But Selune is more powerful than Beshaba, isn't she?' Joel asked.
'Selune will do what she can to avoid a war with another power,' Finder replied. 'It's a messy business.'
'We'll have to send in a discreet party on a reconnaissance mission,' Winnie explained. 'They'll have to take care not to set off any magical alarms that Beshaba may have cast upon her realm. If they cannot stop whatever it is that is draining my lady's power, if they find there is nothing to be done short of warring with Beshaba, then Selune may act.'
'I can go on your behalf,' Joel said to Finder.
Finder smiled sadly at his priest. 'I know you would do anything for me, but you don't realize the dangers you would be facing. Beshaba's realm is in the Abyss, a place of infinite evil, cruelty, and bloody war. Moreover, the nature of the realm will weaken your ability to cast your priestly spells.'
'If Beshaba has set up magical alarms, it will be to warn her of the arrival of the minions of Tymora or Selune, mighty warriors and powerful mages. What could be more harmless than the priest of a god she has no reason to fear?' Joel insisted. 'I can at least spy out the territory.'
'He has a point,' Winnie said.
Finder shot Winnie a withering glare.
Joel set a hand on his god's arm and said, 'When you were forced to trade the Hand of Bane in return for your power, you let me make the decision. You trusted me to make the right one for all involved. I know your heart, Finder. Let me help.'
'I'll go with Joel,' Jas said. 'I'll keep him out of trouble.'
Finder looked at Jas with surprise. It was unlike the winged woman to volunteer for anything dangerous. 'Why?' Finder asked.
Jas threw up her hands. 'You heard Selune. If we don't stop this, the Realms will run out of good luck. Everyone will be at Beshaba's mercy. I've been away for ten years, but Toril is still my home.' She shrugged. 'Besides, Tymora tried to help me.'
'Is this the same Abyss where the Queen of Darkness reigns?' Emilo asked.
'Who?' Joel asked.
Finder sighed. 'On Emilo's world,' the god explained, 'all the Lower Planes are referred to as the Abyss. The Queen of Darkness inhabits a realm in a lower plane we refer to as Baator. When we speak of the Abyss, we mean a completely different plane.'
'Then I'll go with them,' Emilo said. 'I've never been to that Abyss. I should take a look around.'
'Perhaps you haven't been paying careful attention, Mr. Haversack,' Winnie said sternly. 'The Abyss is an evil, horrible place. No one goes there to 'take a look around.' Take my word for it.'
'Have you been there?' Emilo asked.
'Once, which was one time too many,' Winnie retorted.
'So you couldn't resist either,' Emilo noted.
'Resist?' Winnie squeaked. 'It had nothing to do with-' Finder put up his hand to silence the priestess. 'Forget it, Winnie. A kender's curiosity can't be quenched with tales of horror. They're completely fearless. I think Mr. Haversack will make an excellent addition to the party. Joel and Jas could use someone older and wiser.'
Winnie sighed. 'Very well.'
'The sooner we go, the better,' Joel suggested.
'Wait here while I fetch some things you'll need,' Winnie said. Once again she left them alone in the garden.
Finder pulled out half of the finder's stone. He sang a single note, and a blue light burst about his hand, then seeped into the stone. He handed the stone to Joel. 'Take this,' he said. 'I've imbued it with enough power so it can serve you as a power key for a few days, at least.'
