@0    = ~I must thank you again for rescuing me from that sorcerous imprisonment. Although I confess it stings my pride to be rendered helpless in such a manner, Tempus has reminded me that all warriors need aid from comrades-in-arms occasionally.~
@1    = ~That's all right, Branwen. It was a pleasure.~
@2    = ~You wouldn't have been captured if you'd been stronger. I expect you to pull your own weight while you're in my party, so don't fall into that trap again while I'm around, understand?~
@3    = ~Not merely a pleasure on your part. Those scrolls are not dropped by every gibberling and goblin, and they are worth goodly coin besides. You have sacrificed for me, and I shall sacrifice of my blood and sweat for you.~
@4    = ~*she scowls angrily* I... *she pauses, her expression melting to one of resignation* Of course. I will redeem myself in Tempus' eyes and your own with rains of crimson.~
@5    = ~<CHARNAME>, I desire a moment with you, if you... um, please.~
@6    = ~Yes, Branwen?~
@7    = ~This whining tone of yours is uncharacteristic of you. I don't think I like it. How about you be quiet until you're back to normal?~
@8    = ~*growls* As you wish it.~
@9    = ~Tell me, have you ever felt... doubts... about your calling in life? Not as a regular occurrence, surely. 'Twould be foolish of me to ask such of you, who obviously have been blessed with great inborn confidence as befits a warrior!~
@10   = ~*But* I speak of small, very brief pinpricks of... uncertainty... that come and go as a snowflake in the warm sun's rays.~
@11   = ~No. My chosen course has been steadfast as the very ground beneath our feet, and I have never wavered from it.~
@12   = ~I can't really say. I guess I just don't think about things much. I prefer doing to brooding.~
@13   = ~I'm afraid I am all too often plagued by such things. Every waking moment I question my decisions - the ones I have made, the ones I have yet to make. I fear my own autonomy, for it is fuelled by imperfection of mind and heart. There are so many mistakes to be made, so very, very easily.~
@14   = ~Sometimes, yes.~
@15   = ~*she sighs faintly* I expected no less of you; your surety is as firm as the stone I once was. I envy you... a small amount... war leader...~
@16   = ~Oh. Very well then, I shall trouble you no more with such airish thoughts.~
@17   = ~By Tempus, are you truly riddled so within and without with holes of self-doubt? I had not expected it of you. For one so strong, it is odd that your perceptions be so frayed. I must say, somewhat in shame, that you cheer me by comparison, <CHARNAME>!~
@18   = ~I shall look on myself as more fortunate in the future, that my own doubts be only pins and not swords. Perhaps if you look to faith as have I, your soul will grow in stature.~
@19   = ~It relieves me somewhat to hear it from your lips. I confess I am not without my own "pins", as I find my heart is strong but not unyielding. I do not regret my choice, but oft when I look into the face of a dying foe, or tend to the repair of my weapons and armor, I feel as if it all seems somehow... without point or, or purpose.~
@20   = ~I have wondered now and again if such was normal, or was merely my lack of faith, a mark of shame that I should cut from my beating heart lest it disease me.~
@21   = ~It's a disease, alright. Those shards of doubt are small, but eat away into you like slivers of glass, smooth and sharp and impossible to pry out. They kill in the end. If there is to be hope for either of us, we must separate the wheat from the chaff within ourselves and purify our hearts and minds.~
@22   = ~Doubt is a perfectly healthy thing to have. Don't worry, Branwen. Just because you doubt sometimes doesn't mean that is the whole of you, or that you must give in to those doubts.~
@23   = ~It's not only normal, it's healthy. I'd be immensely worried about anyone who had no doubts. I mean, have you taken a look at Tiax lately?!~
@24   = ~It's not only normal, it's healthy. I'd be immensely worried about anyone who had no doubts. I mean, have you taken a look at Xzar lately?!~
@25   = ~In truth, I had feared as much. Together we shall tend to each other's wounds and remove the bloody shards before time cuts us short. Tempus willing, we may both live to see each other pure and whole, as we were when newborn babes.~
@26   = ~If you say it, friend, then I will hold your words to my bosom as truth. Indeed, now that you speak of it, 'tis in my mind remembrance that for all my thoughts my actions in faith have not wavered nor even hesitated when the moment of truth presented itself. Thank you, <CHARNAME>.~
@27   = ~Ha, indeed! Well said, friend. You have relieved my soul of a millstone, and I thank you most heartily.~
@28   = ~Tell me, Ajantis, could your broad and mighty shoulders not benefit from a gentler touch than the swipe of a foe's bastard sword?~
@29   = ~What do you mean, my lady?~
@30   = ~Perhaps a little loosening of your battered frame's tensions is in order? Tempus has granted me the skill to heal as well as harm... In many ways, that would doubtless surprise one such as you.~
@31   = ~My apologies, Branwen, but I have forsworn all such lower pleasures. I find that they distract me from a proper focus on my duty as a servant of righteousness.~
@32   = ~We have a saying where I come from, Ajantis...~
@33   = ~Yes?~
@34   = ~"Fight hard. Relax harder."~
@35   = ~Now the second part I can definitely agree with.~
@36   = ~Relax harder? *That* sounds good to me...~
@37   = ~If it does not offend, may I say that you seem to be skipping the second part... Have you nothing in life besides "righteousness"? Surely you get bored of it occasionally?~
@38   = ~Not really, priestess.~
@39   = ~If, if I may ask something of you, sir paladin...~
@40   = ~Ask away, my lady! These lips shall give only truth in reply.~
@41   = ~I am grateful for that. Tell me, Ajantis... What do you think of me?~
@42   = ~I think you are a brave and noble comrade in arms. Perhaps a little less merciful than is wise, and somewhat too quick to abandon words for weapons, but still you are a valiant travelling companion, and I have no regrets for battling beside you. What brings forth such a question?~
@43   = ~My thanks to you, Ajantis. I fear that... Well, I have not always been respected as such. In... other lands... not all deign to look with respect upon a woman who is called to be a servant of the Foehammer. The respect you grant me is a rare thing, and you have my gratitude for it.~
@44   = ~Aloraaaaa!~
@45   = ~Eep! *Alora tries to look innocent.*~
@46   = ~Shed no false tears in my direction, halfling. What did you do with my lucky pebble?!~
@47   = ~Oh, well, ya see, it just caught my eye and... uh, wait a flicker. Lucky pebble?~
@48   = ~YES! MY LUCKY PEBBLE. Hand it over *immediately*, and mayhap Tempus shall forgive your impertinence.~
@49   = ~Err, I haven't borrowed any pebble from you... Okay, one time maybe I tried to get a closer look at your funny little hammers, but my hands went right through them anyway...~
@50   = ~So, ya lost your lucky pebble, huh? Why's it lucky? There's a lot of pebbles around here... It'll take you a long time to find it. Maybe I can help!~
@51   = ~*flushes* Uh... nevermind.~
@52   = ~No, really, it's cute! I have a lucky rabbit's foot.~
@53   = ~'Tis surprising you don't feel sorry for the rabbit.~
@54   = ~Oh... well... *whispers* It's fake, but don't tell anyone, okay?~
@55   = ~*dryly* Your secret shall be held close to my heart, fear not.~
@56   = ~Stop trying to snatch my hammers in the middle of our frays, Alora.~
@57   = ~Awww... but they're so shiny and, and blue!~
@58   = ~Child, they have no substance to any other but their wielder and those who I deem worthy of pounding into a fine paste!~
@59   = ~Poo, that's no fun.~
@60   = ~*she smirks* 'Tis fun for ME!~
@61   = ~By the icicles of Auril, how did you ever become so quick of hand and heel?~
@62   = ~All part of being one of a blessed race, Branwen.~
@63   = ~'Tis true that your kind are known for such, but you seem to be somewhat more... gifted...~
@64   = ~What can I say? I ate right and got lots of fresh air and exercise when I was a child.~
@65   = ~Hm. 'Tis what I get for gorging on greasy meats in my youth, I suppose.~
@66   = ~I have a question for you... a somewhat awkward one, I shall admit... May we step a few paces back from the others for a moment, Dynaheir?~
@67   = ~Certainly. What is thy query, Branwen? Such hesitancy seems unlike ye.~
@68   = ~'Tis concerning your companion, Minsc. Why have you not tried to have his mind restored to him? You like that flea-bitten rat no more than I, surely.~
@69   = ~I have pondered it, but truly, Minsc seems happy enough as he is. Such ailments are oft difficult to cure unless the afflicted wishes it in his heart, which I have some reason to doubt 'tis the case.~
@70   = ~Thou wilt be kind to him, I hope, in spite of his childish delusions?~
@71   = ~Of course, Dynaheir. In truth, I shall handle him as gently as a wetnurse with her charge.~
@72   = ~*raises an eyebrow* Hmm...~
@73   = ~Do you never tire of slaying foes with the wiggling of your fingers? Yes, yes, there are flames and lightnings colored as rainbows and Tempus knows what else, but surely such things, grand as they appear, lack the sheer joy of crushing the ribs of your foe with your might until the shattered pieces pierce his heart...~
@74   = ~Minsc agrees that breaking ribs is fun, but Boo says wiggling fingers are probably just as good in many ways, if you are a witch!~
@75   = ~Dost thou never stop to consider the morbid images that wrap themselves 'round thy words as venomous serpents 'round a tree branch, Branwen? It troubles mine soul to see thy lack of recognition for the pains thou dost cause with such zest.~
@76   = ~No... In my homeland, we have no snakes that go aloft to the trees.~
@77   = ~By the Three, battle priestess, pretend not to miss the point! Thou dost understand me well enough.~
@78   = ~Mageling, about-~
@79   = ~Mageling, nothing! Am I some pimple-faced apprentice, to be addressed in such a manner? You may refer to me as Master Edwin, or simply Edwin if your fumbling tongue cannot bear the usage of proper titles.~
@80   = ~Very well, then... Edwin. About your fondness for calling up all manner of fell and loathsome beasts to aid us in battle... I would prefer that you cease it. It belittles a warrior to fight beside such as mere gnolls and hobgoblins.~
@81   = ~If you wish to aid in battle you would do much better to take up that hefty staff of yours and smite a skull or two.~
@82   = ~(Ugh, this one's lack of appreciation for rational tactics is only surpassed by her pungent body odor.) Don't be a fool, woman. Why should I dirty my hands with such menial tasks when the paws of the lesser will serve?~
@83   = ~'Tis my hope that you are not including myself in that category, wizard.~
@84   = ~You? Hardly. I would vastly prefer it if you kept yourself out of such petty frays entirely. One must take care of one's walking medical bag, after all.~
@85   = ~Bah! For that remark, 'twill be a fortnight at least before my hands deign to taint themselves by sealing up holes in your arrogant hide!~
@86   = ~Is your self split in twain, Edwin?~
@87   = ~What are you babbling on about now?~
@88   = ~I ask only because you are heard to speak to yourself so oft, and I have heard tales of men who do so that believe they are many in one body. Do you debate philosophy with yourself, perchance?~
@89   = ~Fool, I am a Red Wizard of Thay! You mock me at your peril!~
@90   = ~Your favorite color, is it pink in the dewy evenings and red in the morn? Or perchance one of you is a zoo keeper? 'Twould explain the constant mutterings of apes.~
@91   = ~Woman, I warn you one last time-~
@92   = ~Pray tell, when you rise from slumber and step left, are you a man, but a woman if your step is to the right side? These eyes cannot help but spy something of a feminine care for the beauty of the body in you...~
@93   = ~(Strange that one with no sense of hygiene would notice a normal concern with it in another. Perhaps she is merely pathetically lazy rather than merely pathetically oblivious.) Another word, and the next ones from my own lips shall be a fireball.~
@94   = ~Ah, but you have no appreciation of fine humor, Edwin!~
@95   = ~I have been pondering... 'tis truly fitting to your personality, these "special" arrows of yours, Eldoth...~
@96   = ~And why do you say that, my dear?~
@97   = ~They share much of your venom. Do not think I fail to see it, coated in honey though it be.~
@98   = ~How perceptive of you. But why the hostility? You and I are not unalike in beliefs, after all. We weed out the weak... You by strength of arm, myself by strength of wit and tongue. There is more than one way to strain out the chaff.~
@99   = ~I wonder, then, how you would feel if I challenged you to have us use each other's sorting methods on the other. Who do you think would win?~
@100  = ~Mysteries of life, battle priestess. Mysteries of life.~
@101  = ~One more glance like that my way, foolish bardling, and I shall drive a hammer down your gullet.~
@102  = ~Ah, yes, violence... Always the first resort of those too idiotic to think of something better to do with themselves. I don't suppose you can actually even *do* anything else, can you, Branwen?~
@103  = ~*flustered and outraged* That... That is not so! Tempus has graced me with MANY talents that I use every day... Such as... as...~
@104  = ~By all means, go on.~
@105  = ~*quieter* Such as...~
@106  = ~*yawns* I'm waiting.~
@107  = ~*suddenly turns and walks off, cursing under her breath*~
@108  = ~Must you always weep blood over things that bleed sap, woodsie girl? By Tempus, such things were put on this earth to be tools for all greater living things, from squirrels to man. Denying them their proper place in the cycle of things is foolishness.~
@109  = ~I like your tone even less than your rock-stupid demeanor, priestess. Go chant a hymn to your lord of fools and stop badgering me with your pathetic attempts at ministry.~
@110  = ~I see now why you protect the plants with such fervor; obviously you were birthed from within the brambles of a thorn bush.~
@111  = ~*Branwen stares calmly at Faldorn.*~
@112  = ~*Faldorn is staring back, with somewhat less calm and somewhat more distaste.*~
@113  = ~We could flip a coin, perhaps.~
@114  = ~I still prefer the idea of a weaponless duel.~
@115  = ~When you can change into a wolf?! By Tempus' sword and shield, I think not. Mayhap <CHARNAME> should decide which of us is to have a leave-taking and which is to stay.~
@116  = ~*calculatingly, eyes roaming upwards in a feigning of nonchalance* If I didn't know better, I would think you almost... frightened.~
@117  = ~You have the audacity to try to shovel coal in my mouth and tell me 'tis chocolate? I'll take you any time, anywhere, and hand your empty head to you. But only on equal terms.~
@118  = ~Dear minstrel, your strummings warm the hearts and soothe the souls of our band well, but I am not sure if the heat of battle is the place for them.~
@119  = ~But that's where it's needed most, isn't it? What place are souls more in need of reassuring words and hearts? And what better way to stir up a heart's fire than by melody?~
@120  = ~Whenever I play, there's a little grin on the lips of those who valiantly plunge into the fray, such as yourself!~
@121  = ~Perhaps, but I wager you would do more good still to let our egos tend to themselves and join in the fray with a shining blade of your own.~
@122  = ~I, uh, prefer to stay out of the action and record what goes on, you know? I am a lover, not a fighter, after all.~
@123  = ~Hah! With that attitude I doubt you're either.~
@124  = ~Ho, there, Garrick! Give us a song of valiant deeds and mighty heroes!~
@125  = ~Ah, as it happens I have just the sort of thing to suit your tastes, my lady. I've been working on it for some time now...~
@126  = ~"Hair of honey and lips of ruby
Soul of gold and skin silk
Her hammers right the world's wrongs
As they push themselves firmly into my heart..."~
@127  = ~*blushes and scowls* Don't be silly, Garrick! I ask for a battle hymn and you give me a love song? In any case, I prefer men with less... stringy musculatures. Oh, I'm sorry, 'twas not my intent to wound your feelings, dear bard.~
@128  = ~Oh. Well, I've got a, uh, battle hymn too! But it's not as, well, nice really.~
@129  = ~"Blood ran red that day, it did
And drowned the fields like tears
As the mighty scorned king slew
His ex-lovers without rue
And banished all his wrinkled fears
In a torrent of violence..."~
@130  = ~Very pleasant.~
@131  = ~Wow, thanks! I, uh, prefer the first one though...~
@132  = ~It is rare for me to find one more fleet of foot even than I, Imoen. I must admit, 'tis a pleasure merely to watch you move with all the grace of a hunting cat.~
@133  = ~Well, thanks. But it's kinda slim pickings for prey these days when you're always movin'... A kitty gets depressed like that, ya know?~
@134  = ~Oh, don't worry. I'm sure the next ogre will drop some pretty baubles for you to wear as trophies or sell for better weaponry, as you please.~
@135  = ~*mutters quietly* Not the kinda prey I was talkin' about...~
@136  = ~I have spoken with the woodsie folk before, and you seem more martial than most of them, Jaheira. What brought you to the decision to be more forthright in battle rather than hide behind spells of tangling vines and animal companions like the rest of your order?~
@137  = ~Firstly, I find the contempt with which you view spellcasting somewhat mind-boggling, considering your own proficiency in that area.~
@138  = ~You c-cannot deny that, Br-Branwen...~
@139  = ~A tool is a tool, is it not? You use what tools are proper for the job at hand, no more. There are times when skin of bark or animal comrades will serve better than a sharp blade. But there are also times when the blade is necessary. The end is the same, and the means to it are equally valid paths.~
@140  = ~You limit your tools unwisely, and hypocritically complain of those who limit their own just as you do. Bah. Secondly, my motives for past decisions are my own to know, and I have no desire to share them with you.~
@141  = ~*shrugs* Methinks if the tools are as equal as you say, then you should not complain of the next mageling who uses the restless dead for allies.~
@142  = ~Jaheira, dear, I've noticed you've been limiting your choices of weaponry somewhat despite your obvious martial skill. Scimitars are cavalry weapons, and quarterstaves and clubs are cheap sticks for peasants. Why don't you purchase a nice solid mace at the next town?~
@143  = ~Don't be a fool, woman. My oaths as a druid restrict me from using such obviously man-made and technology-dependant weapons as *maces*.~
@144  = ~Your oaths haven't stopped you from wearing plate mail, I've noticed...~
@145  = ~That's... ah... completely different.~
@146  = ~You have such a gleam in your eye when the slain are being scavenged, greybeard, yet I see no such excitement in your heart when the battle is afoot and the corpses have yet to fall. Even with orcs... where is the bloodlust your kind are so renowned for against their bitter foes?~
@147  = ~'Twould be pleasant to behold your soul's fire lit by something other than the gleam of coin.~
@148  = ~Valour and courage stop at the edge o' my axe, priestess. If ya think I got into this life for the fun of it, then ye're denser than yer smell. It's hard on the bones, these scraps, and chopping down idiots over and over is work better suited to a lumberjack.~
@149  = ~I...~
@150  = ~But as they say, a fool and his money are soon parted, so I'll stick with it so long as I make a profit!~
@151  = ~Kagain, why do you complain over your aching bones so often? I have seen you prick your thumb and the puncture vanish completely by an hour's time later. Surely one with such a miraculous constitution need not worry about old age?~
@152  = ~Ehh. Ye can't regenerate from old age, woman. All this excitement only makes it worse, what with my high blood pressure and all.~
@153  = ~Hmm. A pity. I must admit, these weaknesses of yours do somewhat limit various... activities... I had in mind to relieve you of your self-pitying moaning. I find your robustness quite intriguing. However, if you can't take excitement, then I suppose there is nothing to be done.~
@154  = ~Oh, my!~
@155  = ~Now that was a little more forward than I had expected from you, Branwen...~
@156  = ~Hey now, wait a minute... I'm not THAT old and frail! Why, I be strong as an ox and as healthy as a horse!~
@157  = ~I am sure you are, greybeard. Let your words suit your actions and whine a little less frequently, hmm?~
@158  = ~Oh, shove it.~
@159  = ~The skill with which you wield your weapons brings a smile to my lips, elven one.~
@160  = ~Th-thank you, Branwen. In truth I am half-elven, as they often reminded me in C-Calimport; but I have no c-cause to be ashamed of either side of my heritage.~
@161  = ~Indeed, Tempus has surely blessed you with great natural ability. I trust you are thankful for your gifts?~
@162  = ~Why, yes, I am, Branwen. But not everything I p-possess is god-granted. As a youth in the C-Calimport militia, and even more so after my... illness, I have had to t-train my muscles and mind to work together in harmony.~
@163  = ~Natural ability has surely played a great p-part, or I would not have been able to regain my f-former skills, but so have many hours of hard work and d-determination. That's something no god gives out. *laugh, sigh*~
@164  = ~*smiles slightly* Your words speak truth, comrade. I confess that oft I focus on praise of my lord of battles too much, and forget that the efforts of those not divine count for much, as well. Thank you for reminding me.~
@165  = ~Khalid, you are a most valiant warrior.~
@166  = ~Why, th-thank you.~
@167  = ~I don't mean to pry. However...~
@168  = ~Why are you married to that harridan of a druid? You are fit, you are brave, intelligent, and kind as well. My apologies, but in my sight 'tis not fitting for you to be constantly badgered and ordered around by one so obviously your lesser.~
@169  = ~Your th-thought for me is kind, but I will th-thank you not to malign my beloved. I know Jaheira can be a little f-forceful at times, but she always d-does what she believes is best for the group, and acts so only because she c-cares.~
@170  = ~She sure has looked out for me and <CHARNAME> along our travels.~
@171  = ~Would it surprise you to hear that once when I was th-thought mortally ill, she spent more than a year of her life attending solely to my n-needs? It is by her gift that I am not now d-dead, crippled or screaming mad. While I d-don't expect you to agree with her on many matters, you should still treat her with a m-modicum of respect.~
@172  = ~*pauses for a long moment* You're... right... Khalid. Tempus forgive me, but I've allowed my personal animosity to color my sight of a woman who fights as bravely as you or I, and not only in the martial arenas. I will try to keep a closer watch over my tongue from now on.~
@173  = ~Then we shall have n-no quarrel.~
@174  = ~The winds whisper in mine ear that you seek blood out of more personal reasons than most warriors, Kivan. Would you care to clarify their mutterings?~
@175  = ~You know my purpose, Branwen. You do not need to know my reasons.~
@176  = ~Come now, noble ranger. Lend me your sorrows that we might purge them together in the glory of battle. Would it help if I offered the solace of my bosom?~
@177  = ~Your offer is not unkind, but I must decline. Have I mistaken a priestess of Sune for a priestess of Tempus?~
@178  = ~*narrows her eyes* This priestess offers her humble apologies if she has offended you. She meant the remark only in jest.~
@179  = ~I am unfair to you, m'lady. I do not take jests on the subject lightly, and if you must know why... I seek to avenge my wife, Branwen. We were beset by bandits, and Deheriana was slaughtered.~
@180  = ~Say no more, elfling! I understand your meaning well enough, there is no need to recount a memory that obviously pains you so. In pain your beloved was struck down... and for my part, I swear to it that in pain those who struck her down shall pay an equal return.~
@181  = ~Tempus always grants his might to those who would seek to avenge the defenseless, and whatever your spear sees fit to pierce in righteousness, my hammers will likewise crash down upon with the fury of all the slain who cry for justice.~
@182  = ~Thank you, Branwen. I seek no sympathy, but thank you. There is a simple and unyielding demeanor about you, but your heart is gentler than your looks.~
@183  = ~Mayhap you think my heart is as hard as the stone I once was? You yourself are cloaked in less than charitable expressions, Kivan. Let us recognize that all that is without is not all that is within, and be good to one another.~
@184  = ~So.~
@185  = ~Your eloquence is undeniably attractive, Branwen, but might I remind you that we are on the march? Please, say what you have to say, so we can be moving again.~
@186  = ~Would you... care for a ration? The jerky is... quite good.~
@187  = ~Thank you, Branwen. I've no need for food at the moment.~
@188  = ~Very well, more for me. *She starts gulping down various edibles noisily.*~
@189  = ~*smiles* It always fascinates me how such simple things give humans so much pleasure.~
@190  = ~Oh, I beg your pardon, Kivan. Do elvish stomachs not occasionally grumble for sustenance? *She tosses a strip of dried meat at him good-naturedly.* Eat, ranger. You need your strength for brooding.~
@191  = ~*returns the strip* I am not starving, Branwen. Elves do not require much to sustain themselves. *shrugs* Amin n'rangwa edanea... I do not understand those humans.~
@192  = ~Amin n'rangwa edanea... It would be amusing that this woman who glorifies pointless death cares so for sustaining your life, Kivan... if it was not so sad. *sighs* Humans...~
@193  = ~*whispers* Ah, Kivan, when will you learn that a jerky from the white hands of a beautiful maiden is a delicacy?~
@194  = ~*loudly* My lady Branwen, do you happen to have another piece of that wonderful jerky you are so graciously chewing? A weary traveler I am, and nearly *dead* of starvation.~
@195  = ~It's truly a wonderful sight to see you in combat, Minsc. You humble the rest of our companions with the courage with which you plunge into the fray. I heartily approve.~
@196  = ~Yes, Minsc is good at plunging and had wondered when someone would notice! Besides Boo, I mean. It is hard not to notice that Minsc is a good plunger when you are so near his muscular muscles all the time, after all.~
@197  = ~Oh, I'm sure. Perhaps you could use those muscles of yours to impress me in other ways sometime, hmm?~
@198  = ~I've ample "musculature" too, Branwen, should this lug be too thick to get yer hint...~
@199  = ~Other ways? Oh yes, certainly! Minsc is always up for a brisk game of thumb war! Back in Rashemen he was regional champion for a whole week, and that was WITHOUT Boo's coaching!~
@200  = ~*sigh* That's not what I... oh, neverMIND, Minsc.~
@201  = ~So, tell me, Master Montaron, is it pleasant being the toady of a madman?~
@202  = ~Aye, as pleasant as yer midnight snorin' be. Now swaller yer tongue, eh? I'm tired.~
@203  = ~What is it that troubles you?~
@204  = ~Well, I s'pose I was just wondering if ye could do me a little favor, priestess...~
@205  = ~Go on.~
@206  = ~...would ye mind not killin' 'em off so quick? One er two ought t' be wriggling 'n whining awhile 'afore they become deaders.~
@207  = ~Absolutely not! Have you no sense of honor, of, of respect?~
@208  = ~Oh, sure. I also got enough *plain* sense to ask them as we already met about whate'er lies ahead.~
@209  = ~You lie! Torture is an end - and a joy - to you in itself.~
@210  = ~You don't know nothin' 'bout them ends, 'cause you kills 'em all afore I gets 'em t' the point o' givin' straight answers.~
@211  = ~Truly, I am grateful for your company, Quayle.~
@212  = ~Oh? Of course you are! Why, without my expertise to lead your clubfooted path, primates such as yourself would surely blunder into some sort of humiliating doom much more often.~
@213  = ~Strangely enough, Quayle, I feel that your presence can only *add* to the impending doom already awaiting us...~
@214  = ~No, little one, actually I am gladdened for another reason.~
@215  = ~Well, my talents ARE multifaceted and numerous to the point where even *I* can't remember quite all of them... Say, why don't you go ahead and remind me, which one of my many abilities has particular relevance at the moment?~
@216  = ~Your company is good for me, because we are nothing alike. Every instant I spend in your company, I think to myself: "Branwen, whatever your failings, at least you are not like HIM", and my heart is filled with joy.~
@217  = ~Oh. May it be some comfort to you that I feel *exactly* the same, my dear.~
@218  = ~Born with the pride of a giant and the stature of a shrub. It must be a hard life for you.~
@219  = ~Well, much easier than it is for women who are unaware of feminine hygiene products. Why, if I had a copper for every time you've had the fragrance of our aquatic friends wrapped about you like my scalp is around my well-tuned mental muscles, then I'd be richer than every noble in Baldur's Gate by now.~
@220  = ~...what?~
@221  = ~Sheesh, just try using some soap sometime, will you? Or at least, y'know, water.~
@222  = ~Your frame is a little flimsier than I'd expect from one so obviously interested in activities of a... ah, physical nature. Yet your fingers seem dextrous enough, and you are fleet of foot. Would you care for a friendly competition, Safana?~
@223  = ~Why, Branwen, I didn't know you had it in you. Go on, by all means.~
@224  = ~Let us find some poor lonely male in the next town, and each of us give him a proper relaxation of his shoulder and back muscles and then inquire as to which of us was the better at the deed. Fifty gold to the winner, shall we say?~
@225  = ~Oh, I'm always up for a little sport. But what brought your train of thought to this idea in the first place, Branwen dear?~
@226  = ~Is it not obvious? Surely eyes as perceptive as yours have noticed we are two mirror images in the sight of gods and men. I would like to see which of us is considered more attractive by the men... a frail, dainty slip of a girl who sweet talks all within reach, or a strong yet gentle woman who knows how to apply her strength of arm properly.~
@227  = ~What a delightful way to put it. I'm certain I'll enjoy... putting you in your place.~
@228  = ~A tie is *not* what I had in mind...~
@229  = ~You're, uh, more than welcome to try a second round on me, my fair ladies!~
@230  = ~Bah. I KNEW I should have made it a contest in wrestling. What say you, Safana? A hundred gold to the victor?~
@231  = ~Oh, no, thank you. The only wrestling I enjoy is... well, not for other women to participate in.~
@232  = ~Well, you know I'm always around, and *more* than happy to indulge in a little sport with you, Safana...~
@233  = ~What brought a girl such as yourself to the adventuring life, if your inheritance was so drowned in riches?~
@234  = ~Oh, it was so boring back in Calimport. I could just point my finger at something and I'd get it, but I could never *do* anything. It's the wanderers' life for me, the open road is my only home and the thrill of adventure makes the blood pound in my veins.~
@235  = ~Yes... I too prefer to be on the move. There is great misery to be had in stagnating, still and decaying within as a stilled babe in the mother's womb.~
@236  = ~Heh. You would know, eh?~
@237  = ~Hmph.~
@238  = ~Ho, Shar-Teel! What made you see fit to kick that stray mongrel?~
@239  = ~Isn't it obvious? It was a MALE dog, with its disgusting masculinity dangling offensively in my sight. Undoubtedly it ran off after the firm blow of my boot to go molest some poor, innocent female canine.~
@240  = ~I bet ye're the type to peel labels from glass bottles, Shar-Teel...~
@241  = ~Ah... Shar-Teel, dear... Make no mistake, your enthusiasm for the beauty of conflict is equalled by my own heart, but a wise warrior knows to pick her enemies with care. It was a mere stray, for Tempus' sake! Do you also go about shooting male birds from the sky and slaying male swine in their pens?~
@242  = ~When the mood strikes me. True, such things are far below the normal sights of ones such as you or I, but the occasional violent fun for the simple sake of it can greatly relax the soul you seem so fond of paying attention to.~
@243  = ~I must disagree. There is no point to a blow when the enemy cannot defend against it, or even perceive it.~
@244  = ~And so you show your true colors, a pansy at heart.~
@245  = ~Shar-Teel, while I find your valor in the face of the enemy most admirable, I must confess I find the disdain with which you view the men of our war party... less than pleasant. Are not all who fight well and bravely worthy of respect, regardless of chances of birth?~
@246  = ~You are a warrior, much like myself. Doubtless you've fought by the side of many male swine. Do they not irk you with their attentions, their sickening lusts, degradations, and condescensions?~
@247  = ~Rarely. But when such unpleasantness shows its ugly face, I think you will find I am amiable to beating the vileness out of them properly. There is a reason why I prefer blunt weapons over sharp: the foolish are more likely to flee and repent afterwards.~
@248  = ~Bah, men never truly change. The only fitting end for any of them is a good skewering.~
@249  = ~Oh, I really must disagree... I find a man can have quite delightful uses.~
@250  = ~While I prefer to reserve skewering for well-cooked slices of chicken. They are so much more kind to the gullet.~
@251  = ~I admire your courage and fearlessness, Shar-Teel, but I cannot understand your insistence on following the path of Loki. Honor in battle is as important as courage, and yet you embrace one while completely dismissing the other. Why would you travel such a hateful path?~
@252  = ~I have no time for such idiocy. I am a warrior, and the warrior's duty is to kill without hesitation or remorse. Useless baggage like honor is for brainless male paladins and other such fools more concerned with polishing their armor than slaying their enemies.~
@253  = ~Foul harlot! I could name a dozen paladins far more adept at battle than you! Honor is the path of truth, the path of Helm. To forsake it is to embrace damnation.~
@254  = ~Such evil thoughts! Boo almost begs to claw at the evil woman's eyeballs! If not for <CHARNAME>, Minsc and Boo would be forced to defend the name of good and virtue with a solid butt-kicking!~
@255  = ~Silence yourself, male! This is a discussion between your superiors, and neither of us invited you to speak. Should we desire a kitten to be rescued from a tree, we'll consult you and your "honor". Until then, let those of us with spines continue our discussion in peace.~
@256  = ~A warrior without honor is nothing more than a murdering animal. Should you ever see the folly of your views, Tempus will gladly accept you into his service, but until then you are more butcher than champion. I shall pray that you understand before it is too late...~
@257  = ~Don't waste your time. I understand the only thing there is to understand: the strong survive, the weak die.~
@258  = ~I shall tolerate no philosophy which might slow my blade at a critical moment. Anyone who gets in my way, whether man, woman, or child, shall be cut down without mercy. Such is the way of the true warrior, unfettered by foolish ideals.~
@259  = ~Skie, no offense is meant, but would you stop being so... so...~
@260  = ~So what?~
@261  = ~So... disgustingly PRANCY? This is a mission for blood and valour, after all, not a mere picnic in the woods.~
@262  = ~Be nice, Branwen! I think it's, uh, nice that Skie is so feminine...~
@263  = ~Oh, but I know, and that's what makes it so much fun, Branwen! The blood... and the valour... and all the exciting combat and such... It's just such a wonderful adventure!~
@264  = ~Ugh. Cease, you make me sick with your foolishness.~
@265  = ~Why is your skin always so soft and smelling of flowers?~
@266  = ~Oh, just a lotion I used to get regularly from one of the higher class merchants. I'm running out of my supply though... Darn it, and I don't have the money to buy any more vials! I guess being an adventurer has downsides after all.~
@267  = ~Um... lo... shun? What is this strange potion you speak of? I have not heard of such things before.~
@268  = ~Really? Well, I can see I have a *lot* to teach you, Branwen.~
@269  = ~I'd suggest you move slowly with it, Skie, the big ape's not even managed to master soap so far...~
@270  = ~Yes, yes, tell me once again of the "glory" of Cyric and yourself. By all means...~
@271  = ~I need no invitation from one so lowly as you to do such, cow-faced one. But your enthusiasm is noted and will be remembered when Tiax rules all.~
@272  = ~Ugh, by the frost of Auril. 'Twas meant in mockery, you pint-sized fool.~
@273  = ~Branwen, a gnome's height is not a matter to mock- the fact that we, or at least I, represent the pinnacle of evolution should suggest that our height is the ideal one, as I have often stated to be the case.~
@274  = ~Besides, there are thousands of things about this mental reprobate that the trained mind *instantly* spots to be used as insults! Why, the miniscule size of his nose for a start...~
@275  = ~Pint-sized, is it?! When Cyric thrusts me o'er the horizon to the star-spangled depths of the sky, I shall loom over you as a-~
@276  = ~*presses her hands to her ears and begins singing, albeit badly* Lalalalala, a hymn to Tempus this is, lalalalalala, may he cause your nethers to freeze, lalalalala, and then fall off bit by bit...~
@277  = ~*shouting, so as to be heard over the song* AND YOUR INCOMPETENT ATTEMPT AT BARDING IS A SIN UNTO TIAX'S EARS!~
@278  = ~Typically, <CHARNAME>, when the warriors of Tempus meet the foul servants of Cyric, the Cyricists are inevitably butchered. There is no honorable way to deal with their wickedness save battle, for any other relations will merely lead to your betrayal. This is a lesson you would do well to learn.~
@279  = ~Do you think Tiax is a fool!? He understands perfectly who you are referring to, and will have your blasphemous head on a plate for the insult when he rules! You tempt fate with your heresy, oh ye fool, for CYRIC alone is destined to rule all things with Tiax at his side!~
@280  = ~Silence, madman! Your presence is an eyesore, and will inevitably lead to disaster for us all. The sooner <CHARNAME> allows me to purge you from the group, the better.~
@281  = ~Bah! Tiax shall NEVER be purged; he shall do the purging! Who do you think <CHARNAME> shall side with: <PRO_HISHER> meal ticket to celestial dominance over all things, or an obnoxious amazon with a distaste for shaving her armpits?~
@282  = ~Actually, I think even *I* would choose this sorry excuse of a gnome over Branwen's armpits... I mean, really, a gnome of my stature shouldn't have to put up with such an offensive sight and smell.~
@283  = ~If not for <CHARNAME>, I would throttle the life out of you! By Tempus, but I'm tempted to do so anyway! Stay away from me, or I swear we shall come to blows.~
@284  = ~Hey, would your thinly-veiled threat be directed at me, or the loon here?~
@285  = ~*Both* of you...~
@286  = ~Viconia, why does a priestess of such an infamously martial race sink to begging for help from wandering strangers, no better than a fairytale princess trapped in a tower? Have you no ability to defend yourself? No self-respect?~
@287  = ~I admire your bravado almost as much as I despise your hypocrisy, foolish priestess. Need I remind you that were it not for the aid of those selfsame wandering strangers, you would be no more than a hunk of rock?~
@288  = ~I WISH people would stop speaking of that singularly unfortunate incident!~
@289  = ~And likewise, I wish that you had remained a rock for the vermin to perch on, and lay their eggs in your crevices, for all eternity. Life is cruel, is it not?~
@290  = ~I can't help but notice your sword arm is a little... lacking, Viconia. Would you like me to train you in the more intensive arts of battle?~
@291  = ~The only thing I have need of training in is how to keep unhygienic stinking surfacers like you at a greater distance.~
@292  = ~Of all the bookworms, you are surely the least useful of the lot, Xan! Even the others can at least give us the mighty roar of flames. You are good for nothing more than the dishonorable, useless clouding of minds and I will make no secret of it that the sooner you are gone from my sight, the better.~
@293  = ~*mutters an incantation under his breath*~
@294  = ~Eh? What was that? Why are you whispering so... oh. Oh my. Look at that most handsome toad sitting there on the rock!~
@295  = ~Hey, that's no way to talk about <CHARNAME>!~
@296  = ~Uh, just joking, <CHARNAME>, y'know?~
@297  = ~I'm usually disgusted by them, but for some reason the scales and bumps seem less like slimy pimples with this one, and so much more like dignified ridges of emerald... Oh, wait, come back, little toadling! I will not hurt you, I just wish to hug you to my breast and treat you with the respect that such a glorious specimen of toad-dom such as yourself deserves...~
@298  = ~*mutters to himself* Dishonorable? Perhaps. But I'll wager when the cantrip wears off, she'll be less willing to discount my skills as useless. Though in the end it doesn't really matter...~
@299  = ~Why do you persist in being so morose, mageling? Draw up those floppy robes of yours and give us a merry jig on the corpses of our enemies! You've nothing to be gloomy about.~
@300  = ~Thus says the grasshopper to the ant: "Keep your mind on your task and you will be happier and not starve, come the winter." I'll leave your jigs to you. By all means, break a leg.~
@301  = ~I'd much rather break another's, thank you.~
@302  = ~It's a figure of speech.~
@303  = ~Oh, yes, of course, I was just, ah, jesting in return, naturally.~
@304  = ~Pardon me, mageli-~
@305  = ~EEEP! DON'T DO THAT!~
@306  = ~*She starts slightly in surprise.* By the gods, man, I merely tapped your shoulder!~
@307  = ~Don't touch me with your filthy hands! I saw you touching the others, slattern priestess! I want no part of your disgusting little... BACK RUBS... and MASSAGES.~
@308  = ~Um. I did not mean to trouble you, mageling. I weren't aware that you... ah... preferred the company of your own kind. *mutters to herself* Though I suppose that does explain about Montaron... *louder* But in any case, I wasn't intending to offer. I reserve those for rewards for a select few of noble stance.~
@309  = ~Then what is it you want?~
@310  = ~I merely wondered why you are so much less stringy about the arms and legs than most of your profession. Did you have cause to lift especially heavy books as an apprentice?~
@311  = ~*sickly-sweet tone* Why, my old tutor, now preserved... uh, dead... deceased, I mean... gave his apprentices many healthful tasks. Ahhh, you should have seen me - just a wee tad of a boy, carrying a leg bigger than myself about his mortu... uh, laboratory.~
@312  = ~*shudders* Mayhap the others shall remind me not to ask you anything. Ever again.~
@313  = ~Methinks you enjoy my use of the slain for allies somewhat too well, necromancer. Would it kill *you* to stop salivating quite so freely?~
@314  = ~Ah, a request for moderation from the berserker priestess. Now I have noted that you occasionally do call for help from the odd rotting, or quite fresh, as the case may be, corpse and...~
@315  = ~But only when absolutely necessary! 'Tis their just punishment to serve after their rightful defeat on the field of battle, but from the way you regard such acts, I think you would not mind treating all the dead the same, whether innocent or sinful!~
@316  = ~Oh, damn your justifications, bitch! Uh... I mean, I couldn't help wondering... well... HOW DO YOU DO IT?~
@317  = ~I see. Are you prepared to abandon your vile ways - and your equally vile masters - in order to learn the adoration of my Lord Tempus?~
@318  = ~Don't be silly. I just need a general... uh... hint... or two. I can work out the details quite well afterwards by myself.~
@319  = ~Very well. Clear your mind of all distraction. Then open your heart to the spirit of Tempus, that it may be strong in the next affray. Then, with a battle as yet undecided, focus the will of Tempus upon the slain and pray for their revivification upon the side of right...~
@320  = ~Bah! Ask a perfectly sensible question and get a totally daft answer. As well ask dear Monty how to make fish fly. In fact... you know... I think I will!~
@321  = ~Ho, dwarven one! Ten gold that I get the next four hobgoblins we spy.~
@322  = ~Make it twenty and an ale, and the next six, and you've got yourself a bet.~
@323  = ~Done and done, Yeslick. 'Twill be a pleasure to down a brew at your expense.~
@324  = ~Need a little help there, comrade? You look a little wheezy; perhaps your age has finally caught up with you. Stand down, and I will double for myself and you as well in the next few battles.~
@325  = ~Hah, not likely! A brief whisper in Clangeddin's ear and I'll be right as rain again, and more fit to crush skulls than you ever have been.~
@326  = ~*smirks teasingly* Such large words from such a person of small stature. Let's just see you back them up.~
