Zevlor: "You are going to leave my office and fix your mistake."

Aradin: "Actually, no, fuck you-- I'm not working for you anymore!"

Zevlor: "Oh, you aren't?"

There's a heavy thudding noise. (Gale cringes at it.)

Aradin leaves holding his jaw. "I wouldn't talk to him right now."

Cayden enters. "I heard a job opened up."

Zevlor looks deeply tired. Physically he is 6 foot and heavily armoured, spiritually he is a splinter of wood that's been sand papered into nothingness. "We would deeply appreciate someone rescuing Halsin, and would appreciate someone clearing the road even more.  But I wouldn't call it a job. A job implies we could pay you fairly."

"I'm happy to clear a road for a meal, a fire, and a drink. And I care about getting Halsin back as much as you do. What can you tell me about it? --Uh, I'm Cayden, I stab things. I don't remember if we were introduced."

"Zevlor. I think I'll count you driving the goblins from the wall as introduction enough, along with the Blade joining your company. I wish I could tell you more.  The whole region is crawling with goblins and drow and githyanki-- no offence to your present company-- and we keep losing scouts. We just lost more good soldiers yesterday. And now we're getting reports of mind flayer parasites, and I'll thank the gods that we aren't hip deep in mind flayers yet, but it raises questions about why victims aren't changing.

"To the Northwest is a major goblins encampment. According to Aradin, they scouted there,  and Halsin held the line to let most of them escape. If he isn't killed, he's been captured."

Oh, he had thought he was clearing the road of... rocks. Oops.

"I wouldn't say the Blade is joining my company. We just happened to be in the same room."

In the same room... with the same parasite? "I would be glad to assist in rescuing Halsin, if you would have my help."

Sorry, Cayden's party is a very elite group made up exclusively of people who don't annoy him for petty reasons.

"I'd be happy to have another sword."

"I would appreciate all of your help, but do not feel obligated."

"Unrelatedly, what's up with the druids?"

"Under Halsin, they were willing to shelter us in their grove, at least for awhile. Once he left, and made Kagha acting head, she almost immediately declared we were drawing too much attention, and she was going to perform a Rite to separate the Grove from the rest of the world. We'll be cast out." He leans on a table for support. "I wouldn't say we are guaranteed to die."

Well, he knew that like a quarter of druids are Evil.

"It's getting late. I'd appreciate some food and some booze and a place for my party members to sleep."

"We don't have much of those, but we have enough to share." He hates being pragmatic, but the advantage of people killed and missing is you don't have to feed them rations and can take their bedrolls.

Honestly, these are really weird druids. He didn't know that druids went in for like... groups. 

He arranges the logistics with Zevlor and then goes out to tell his party members.

Logistics are arranged! 

He finds that Gale has somehow been roped in to doing a magic show for the children. 

"So, are we also planning to rescue every kitten stuck in a tree between here and wherever there's a qualified healer?" 

"You are free to leave at any time."

"...and then fail to find a healer and turn into a squid monster? I'm wounded you would even suggest it," Astarion jokes. 

"Seriously, I'm not going to make you do anything, if you want to hang out here and not try to get Master Halsin back you can."

Right. He's a free man. He can do what he wants! ...it's still weird. "I guess I'll stick around so you don't try and rescue any panthers." 

"I intend to adopt only one beautiful, graceful, yet dangerous being that wants to kill me."

"Flatterer." He smiles.

It's dusk. Shadowheart is praying. 

It's convenient that many gods are prayed to then. Shar chose the time because it was when light turned to dark, but she also chose it a little as a way to blend in. 

Cayden is praying near her. (Not on purpose. There just aren't that many quiet places in the castle.)

He piles up five stones and then places on top a few pieces of grass that he's braided into a butterfly. 

Lady Luck, the Song of the Spheres, The Great Dreamer, Starsong, Desna, She who taught that the destiny of all mortal life is the stars--

Well. Here I am, in the stars. 

The gods here are strange to me. I don't know if anyone I'm used to worshipping can see me or hear me. But you, second-oldest of the gods, Traveler's Friend, have always taught that you're everywhere a traveler lays down his head. You have always been good to me and blessed me, Lady Luck. And I have carried out your teachings as best I could. I've helped other travelers I found on my way, and I have gone fearlessly into the parts of the map that speak of dragons, and I have drunk deep from life in every moment. And now I've made a shrine for you, simple as it is, in a place where as far as I know there never was one before.

I don't know what to do at all, Lady Luck, and a lot of people are depending on me. So please send me dream guidance or a prophetic vision or, like, put a conspicuous butterfly on people I shouldn't kill. Thank you. 

And then he prays--

Calistria, the Savored Sting, I have always sought to be free; guide my blade to take vengeance for those who can't right their own wrongs. Sarenrae, Dawnflower, I have battled a Spawn of Rovagug that nearly cost me my life, and I have tried to offer more mercy than I am naturally inclined to; show me how to heal those wounded in body and soul, to show evildoers a better path, to destroy those who can't be stopped from hurting others, and most of all help me tell those two groups apart because I'm bad at it. Arshea, Spirit of Abandon, I have tried to comfort and free the oppressed; help me do right by Lae'zel and Astarion and Shadowheart. Kofusachi, Laughing God, I haven't denied myself harmless pleasures and I have brought prosperity, admittedly mostly by spending money and killing monsters but I'm pretty sure that counts; show me how to bring happiness to Lae'zel and Astarion and Shadowheart and Gale, and prosperity to all the civilians in this land, especially the tieflings. Besmara, Pirate Queen, I have loved the sea; keep me safe if my travels take me to an ocean. Shelyn, Eternal Rose, I have paid for theater tickets even when I could sneak in and I always give money to buskers when I have any; I don't know that you can actually help much here but if you could keep an eye out I would appreciate it. Thank you. 

To whom it may concern: I don't really care if I turn into a mindflayer. I've had a good run and I like where I'm going. But please help me save Lae'zel and Astarion, who are very young, and who if they die now will wind up in the Lower Planes; and Shadowheart, if she's young or Evil as well. I really don't want to kill the mindflayer kids, I've had enough of that in my life so far, and I know this is for a better reason than I ever have before but I just keep thinking about all the souls in the Boneyard with my name on them and I don't want to add any more. But I don't think it's doing right by the tadpoles, either, to let them grow up if they don't have any way to live other than killing sapient beings. Please show me what I should do. If you help me, and also let me know who you are, I will donate some gold to your temple or other appropriate reward. Thank you. 

And then he prays like he does every night, except when he forgets. He prays to a vague concept in his head, of the world being better than it currently is, and figures that the gods are smarter than he is and know more theology and can send it to the right place:

I'm sorry about everyone I've hurt who didn't deserve it. (A memory of dozens and dozens of faces, mostly dead, and the far more numerous people he doesn't remember at all.) Please help me to be gentle, and merciful, and brave, and generous, and loyal; please help me remember that people around me are weak and I am strong; please help me be thoughtful of the effects my decisions have on others; and most of all please help me to be kind. Please make everyone in all the worlds happy and strong and safe and free. Thank you for giving me another day in the world. It's always more beautiful than I could have imagined.