@0    = ~Stay away from me, darthiir!~
@1    = ~Feeble darthiir, you are not good enough to lick my boots.~
@2    = ~Stay away from me, darthiir~
@3    = ~Darthiiri make good sport...~
@4    = ~You are a dark hearted bitch!~
@5    = ~*smiles* For a bookworm you are well at ease outdoors, my young friend. I can see only the smallest indications that you are not accustomed to walking the beast's trails and sleeping under the dome adorned by stars.~
@6    = ~I might have been raised by a human, but my blood is no different than that of a forest lord.~
@7    = ~We are kin, elf. I am at home in the forest.~
@8    = ~They say one yearns for something one cannot have. I was cooped up in Candlekeep for what seemed like ages to me. Now I enjoy the freedom of the wide world beyond, forest and city alike.~
@9    = ~To tell you the truth, the only reason we did not make it to the closest inn is that I do not have enough coin to spare. Dome adorned by stars! How about a bedroll adorned by ants and other crawling things? I bet they traveled far and wide to assemble here...~
@10   = ~Hey, watch your tongue, pointy-eared beauty of the night. Next time you call me a bookworm, I'll boot you out!~
@11   = ~I am not as unversed in the ways of wilderness as you think I am. I have been beyond the library walls.~
@12   = ~I thought so, <CHARNAME>. But you are taking me for someone I am not. I am but a simple soldier, not a noble.~
@13   = ~Really? I am disappointed.~
@14   = ~It was only a guess.~
@15   = ~I was speaking figuratively. An old scroll I read once called elves "forest lords", and I liked it. Oh... I am afraid I am a hopeless bookworm, Kivan.~
@16   = ~We are akin then, and more than merely in appearance. You remind me of myself on my first ranging. I wonder if, like me, you feel that it is time for you to start living. And if I am not mistaken, you are quite pleased with this change.~
@17   = ~Both pleased and scared, to tell you the truth.~
@18   = ~Nay, it all went so terribly wrong, Kivan! Gorion is dead, I am on the road with chanced comrades, someone is after me... That might seem like living to you, for myself I have to say that I want no part of it. But I am afraid I have no choice in the matter.~
@19   = ~Of course I am pleased: I am finally on my way to glory! The bards will be singing of my valor all over the Sword Coast, you will see! Mayhaps even in Baldur's Gate! They might even mention some of my companions. Stick with me, elf, and we shall give this country a shake!~
@20   = ~You remind me of myself on my first ranging. I wonder if, like me, you feel that it is time for you to start living. And if I am not mistaken, you are quite pleased with that change.~
@21   = ~If you feel that way, you conceal it well. I hope that one day you will stop looking at the dirt and notice the stars.~
@22   = ~Angry words will not make you friends, and friends you need, <CHARNAME>.~
@23   = ~Of course you were. It is only that you remind me of myself on my first ranging. I wonder if, like me, you feel that it is time for you to start living. And if I am not mistaken, you are quite pleased with that change.~
@24   = ~Then you have the wrong attitude, <CHARNAME>. There are things more important than breeding for a road companion.~
@25   = ~I did not mean it that way, Kivan. I know little about you, and I filled the blank spots as best I could. And I was mistaken, which made me grunt.~
@26   = ~I did not mean it that way, Kivan. I know little about you, and I filled the blank spots as best I could. *blush* Call it romantic misconception, and do not begrudge it to me.~
@27   = ~I grow tired of your tone, Kivan. I had men wiser than you to teach me, and I am no child to listen to scolding.~
@28   = ~You surprised me, however. Maybe I ought to tell you more of myself later to satisfy your curiosity. But for now that is enough talking. It is to the night we should listen, not to our voices.~
@29   = ~Your valor is unquestionable, <CHARNAME>. I think you have read useful books, but it is time for you to start living. And if I am not mistaken, you are quite pleased with that change.~
@30   = ~Then you are much wiser than I was. But enough talking. It is to the night we should listen, not to our voices.~
@31   = ~I wish I could console you, <CHARNAME>, yet I cannot. I know the pain and the emptiness of a loss and the hopelessness all too well. However, we must keep going, if only to avenge those who were so mercilessly erased from the world.~
@32   = ~I envy you, my friend. Your dreams are the dreams of youth. I stay by your side, because I need help fulfilling my grim designs. It is not glory I seek, but revenge.~
@33   = ~No offense taken. You surprised me, that is all. Maybe I ought to tell you more of myself later. But for now that is enough talking. It is to the night we should listen, not to our voices.~
@34   = ~No offense taken. You surprised me, that is all. Maybe I ought to tell you more of myself later, to prevent further... romantic misconceptions. But for now that is enough talking. It is to the night we should listen, not to our voices.~
@35   = ~A wise man likes to learn, and a foolish man likes to teach. Which makes both of us fools, I suppose. Let us stop this conversation, afore the words become harsher.~
@36   = ~The stars are falling. A rare and precious sight, yet it fills my soul with sadness and longing.~
@37   = ~Kivan, is there a thing, person, or natural phenomenon that makes you feel joyous? I'd go to great lengths to find it! 'Cause, elf, your moodiness is unbearable.~
@38   = ~Hmm... falling stars? Yes, yes, very beautiful. Now, could you please stop gazing at the sky and start watching out for a foe in the darkness?~
@39   = ~The stars are falling. As we all may fall and die. Does that sadden you, Kivan?~
@40   = ~Why? Because melancholy suits you so well?~
@41   = ~Everything is a precious sight for you! Yesterday it was some half-dried stream, and three days before - morning dew, and I don't remember what you were at awe of last week...~
@42   = ~Oh, falling stars! I wrote a song about the stars once. Care to listen?~
@43   = ~Ed' i'ear ar' elenea! By the sea and stars! Do you not understand that you have promised me this thing already, <CHARNAME>?~
@44   = ~Tazok... but in the meantime, is there something else that would cheer you up?~
@45   = ~Tazok... but in the meantime, is there something else... that I can give you, so you could forget your sorrow for a moment?~
@46   = ~It is your enemy's head, is not it? Kivan, you scare me sometimes.~
@47   = ~I have spoken out of turn, it seems. Let us move onward.~
@48   = ~<CHARNAME>, when I was watching the falling stars, my heart reminded me of Daoine Teague Feer. But I felt naught but sorrow, recalling what once had been my greatest joy.~
@49   = ~What is Daoine Teague Feer?~
@50   = ~Nothing makes us more sorrowful than a memory of past happiness on a day of misery.~
@51   = ~Elf, quit it. I am not into wiping my companions' tears.~
@52   = ~The beauty of the world does not touch your heart? Then what does?~
@53   = ~Nothing. Kivan, we have no time for small talk.~
@54   = ~Fire. Death. Destruction.~
@55   = ~I love nature, Kivan, just not as... deeply as you do. Nevertheless, you are right: the falling stars are a precious sight. But why do you feel sad?~
@56   = ~Sorry for snapping at you... I am tired. You have an eye for beauty, Kivan, and I appreciate you sharing it with me. This star shower is magnificent indeed! But... but you still look sad...~
@57   = ~You know that I enjoy your singing, mellonamin.~
@58   = ~Here it is:
Drink for Ieriyn
The Sailor's Star
For fair Ieriyn
Who smiles from afar
Dream of Ieriyn,
Wed to the North
Sing to Ieriyn
Who leads us forth...~
@59   = ~On second thought... I'd rather not sing tonight. My sweet voice is going to break as a wave at the solemn cliff of your face. What is it, Kivan?~
@60   = ~<CHARNAME>, I just scared myself. When I was watching the falling stars, my heart reminded me of Daoine Teague Feer. But I felt naught but sorrow, recalling what once had been my greatest joy.~
@61   = ~Daoine Teague Feer is a celebration of Shilmista, and my people's love for it. There is a sacred hill we call Daione Dun - the Hill of the Stars. It raises high in the middle of the Forest of Shadows, and its top is so close to the sky that one can almost touch the stars from atop it.~
@62   = ~My people gather there sometimes on a starlit night, led by our liege, and we sing to Shilmista. When the song ends, the king showers us with the stardust and gives us his blessing. The world turns a-glitter and the voice of Shilmista whispers to every heart. It feels like standing under the fall of myriads of stars. It is the most beautiful memory I have, and yet I am disquieted by it.~
@63   = ~Some celebration! No wonder you are gloomy. I thought elves are supposed to have fun in life.~
@64   = ~It sounds so beautiful, Kivan. As for the sadness I hear in your voice - I have a name for it: nostalgia. You are homesick, that's all.~
@65   = ~I do not miss the place, <CHARNAME>. However, I do miss those whose shadows still linger there. My Deheriana, my brothers, my father... You have your own ghosts, though, <CHARNAME>, and you have no need to meet with mine.~
@66   = ~Khila amin - follow me, we should catch up with the rest.~
@67   = ~Such things fascinate you? Do you truly know your heart, my young friend? Wait until you become intimately familiar with them; maybe then you shall learn to be terrified by these words.~
@68   = ~Ieriyn will be Y'landrothiel in Elven tongue... Stars... There is a sacred hill in Shilmista - we call Daione Dun - the Hill of the Stars. It rises high in the middle of the Forest of Shadows, and its top is so close to the sky that one can almost touch the stars from atop  it.~
@69   = ~My people gather there sometimes on a starlit night, led by our liege, and we sing to Shilmista, celebrating Daoine Teague Feer. When the song ends, the king showers us with the stardust and gives us his blessing. The world turns a-glitter and the voice of Shilmista whispers to every heart. It feels like standing under the fall of myriads of stars. It is the most beautiful memory I have, and yet I am disquieted by it.~
@70   = ~I do not miss the place, <CHARNAME>. However, I do miss those whose shadows still linger there. My Deheriana, my brothers, my father... You have your own ghosts, though, <CHARNAME>, and you have no need to meet with mine. Khila amin - follow me, we should catch up with the rest.~
@71   = ~Can you hear the tune that the wind of <MONTHNAME> whistles to the dancing leaves?~
@72   = ~Now that you have mentioned it, indeed, it sounds like a tune. Beautiful.~
@73   = ~Must be Shaundakul singing for fair Aerdrie Faenya.~
@74   = ~Kivan, when I met you, I thought that you were the strong and *silent* type. First impressions can be so misleading!~
@75   = ~I think... I think I can repeat the tune... it's very... hummable... *hum quietly*~
@76   = ~Lle merna salk? Would you like to dance with the leaves?~
@77   = ~Never in my life!~
@78   = ~I would rather just watch.~
@79   = ~Would that not be a strange thing to do?~
@80   = ~*smiles* It has come to us from the times further removed than the Time of Troubles, when Shaundakul, the Lord of Wanderers, loved fair Aerdrie Faenya.~
@81   = ~Lle merna salk? Can I be so bold as to ask you if you would like to dance with the leaves?~
@82   = ~Never on my life!~
@83   = ~That was not an idle question, my lady. But I can see that you are indisposed to any conversation.~
@84   = ~*smiles* You have a good ear, my lady. I know this tune... Lle merna salk?~
@85   = ~Can I be so bold as to ask you if you would like to dance with the leaves?~
@86   = ~A pity.~
@87   = ~Are you sure? Come, I will show you how, if you want.~
@88   = ~Leave me be, Kivan.~
@89   = ~It is something... ahem... traditional?~
@90   = ~Strange? No, hardly. It is an ancient custom. I fear that you will need a sage to tell you the true meaning of it, but for me it was always consecrated to Khalreshaar, the Lady of the Forest.~
@91   = ~Only...only I have not talked to her for a long time. Lle merna salk? Would you honor me and share the dance?~
@92   = ~For the Lady of the Forest - anything! Lead on, ranger.~
@93   = ~If you insist...~
@94   = ~The answer is still no!~
@95   = ~Yes, it is an ancient custom. I fear that you will need a sage to tell you the true meaning of it, but for me it was always consecrated to Khalreshaar, the Lady of the Forest.~
@96   = ~Only...only I have not talked to her for a long time. Would you honor me and share the dance?~
@97   = ~For the Lady... Follow me and the leaves, <CHARNAME>.~
@98   = ~Follow me and the leaves, <CHARNAME>.~
@99   = ~Do you know what "Shilmista" means in Common tongue?~
@100  = ~Shilmista? That's where you hail from, right? Please, tell me what it means, Kivan.~
@101  = ~I don't know. It sounds like a rustle of leaves to my ear.~
@102  = ~The Forest of Shadows...~
@103  = ~I do not know, and I do not want to know.~
@104  = ~Yes. It is the name of my native land, mellonamin. It means the "Forest of Shadows". Lately I have been pondering...~
@105  = ~Kivan, please, ponder in silence!~
@106  = ~About the forest's name? Do you... do you see some hidden meaning in it?~
@107  = ~*sigh and wait patiently for the elf to continue*~
@108  = ~Yes it does. It means the "Forest of Shadows". That is where I was born and grew up, <CHARNAME>. Lately I have been pondering...~
@109  = ~Yes, it means the "Forest of Shadows". Of late I often think that for me it is indeed full of shadows.~
@110  = ~Small wonder! Every tree throws a shadow. I imagine that a whole forest would have a great many shadows.~
@111  = ~Hmmm?~
@112  = ~Shadows from the past?~
@113  = ~Is this yet another "weep along" session? A jolly wench without much remorse is what you need, elf. I'll buy one for ye.~
@114  = ~I lived long in solitude, and it seems that I am now prone to talking excessively. Forgive me, <CHARNAME>, I shall leave you to your privacy.~
@115  = ~There is no hidden meaning, rather... a personal one. For me it is indeed full of shadows.~
@116  = ~Yes, every tree casts a shadow. But Shilmista is also full of shadows of those whom I loved, and who are with me no more.~
@117  = ~Shadows come to dance, my Lord,
dance my Lord, dance my Lord,
shadows come to stay, my Lord,
stay, my Lord, stay, my Lord...~
@118  = ~Do you mean Deheriana, Kivan?~
@119  = ~*You sigh quietly, but do not interrupt the elf.*~
@120  = ~Oh, Kivan! *You take the elf's hand into yours and squeeze it gently.* I feel ever so sorry for the sufferings you have endured.~
@121  = ~Shilmista is a great forest, full of wondrous trees, and every one casts a shadow. It is also full of shadows of those whom I loved, and who are with me no more.~
@122  = ~*You sigh quietly but do not interrupt the elf.*~
@123  = ~Oh, Kivan! *You take elf's hand into yours and squeeze it gently.* I feel ever so sorry for the sufferings you have endured.~
@124  = ~You have a sensitive heart, <CHARNAME>. Indeed, Shilmista is full of shadows of those whom I loved, and who are with me no more.~
@125  = ~*You sigh quietly but do not interrupt the elf.*~
@126  = ~Oh, Kivan! *You take elf's hand into yours and squeeze it gently* I feel ever so sorry for the sufferings you have endured.~
@127  = ~Stop singing it! That is an ill song, and it forebodes evil things. My shadows are not ominous, <CHARNAME>. They belong to my brothers, who had fallen defending Shilmista against Orcish invasion, and to the woman I love. Yes, the shadow of my beautiful Deheriana waits for me there. I shall bring her the heart of her torturer and beg for forgiveness.~
@128  = ~I am sorry, Kivan. The song came to my lips against my will.~
@129  = ~Your brothers? Invasion of Shilmista? Would you tell me more about it, Kivan? I confess, I do not know much about your native land. And even less about you...~
@130  = ~*stifle a yawn* No singing, huh? Should we get moving?~
@131  = ~Wait, Kivan... you said you'd want to beg Deheriana for forgiveness?~
@132  = ~Yes, the shadow of my beautiful Deheriana waits for me there, perhaps. I shall bring her the heart of her torturer and beg for forgiveness. There are two more shadows walking lightly among the trees - they belong to my brothers, who had fallen defending Shilmista against Orcish invasion.~
@133  = ~*stifle a yawn* All this talk about shadows wears me out. Should we get moving?~
@134  = ~Deheriana, my beautiful Deheriana... The shadow of my beautiful Deheriana waits for me there, perhaps. I shall bring her the heart of her torturer and beg for forgiveness. There are two more shadows walking lightly among the trees - they belong to my brothers, who had fallen defending Shilmista against Orcish invasion.~
@135  = ~Nostaler... Kind one, do not feel for me, but for the one I failed. The shadow of my beautiful Deheriana waits for me there, perhaps. I shall bring her the heart of her torturer and beg for forgiveness. There are two more shadows walking lightly among the trees - they belong to my brothers, who had fallen defending Shilmista against Orcish invasion.~
@136  = ~When one is young, songs are ever so close, and their dark meaning is of little concern. I delayed us long enough with my memories, mellonamin... my friend. We shall move on and leave talking for later.~
@137  = ~There was a great war in Shilmista some years ago. A sect worshiping Talona, the human goddess who has deserved her title as the Lady of Poison, created a secret enclave in the Snowflake Mountains, bordering Shilmista.~
@138  = ~They were poised to conquer the whole region: the Elven forest of Shilmista, the human settlement of Carradoon, and Edificiant Library. We fought bravely the orcish host they assembled, and the attack was repelled... but, alas, the cost we paid for freeing our homeland was many lives.~
@139  = ~My father, Echtellion, and my two brothers - Tinuvil and Arenel - were among the fallen.~
@140  = ~My condolences, Kivan. Time and distance are the great healers of the heart's aches. Is that why you left Shilmista?~
@141  = ~It is sad, but they had fallen valiantly in battle. What about the rest of your family?~
@142  = ~Kivan, you also said you'd want to beg Deheriana for forgiveness?~
@143  = ~You look distressed, Kivan. I'd like to know more about you, but maybe it is better to leave it for another day. Shall we rejoin the rest of the group?~
@144  = ~Why do I get the feeling that if you had a sister she would have been kidnapped by demons, and if you had children they would have been cursed? You attract misery, Kivan, like honey attracts flies.~
@145  = ~<CHARNAME>, could we leave this talk for another day? After years of silence I feel strange talking about my past...~
@146  = ~As you wish.~
@147  = ~It must be painful for you. But whenever you need to talk - you have my ear.~
@148  = ~I am guilty, <CHARNAME>, and I was given my life back by Shevarash to correct the wrong I have done. Please, do not make me to talk about that now. I... I... cannot...~
@149  = ~I forgot what it means to have a friend... Thank you for your consideration. I shall explain everything to you one day. Somehow I feel that you are given the strange power to judge people and their deeds. I wish I knew what is the source of this power...~
@150  = ~One in three died in that war. We are but a small nation. I am different from others only in that I let my wife be taken away from me... I shall explain everything to you one day. Somehow I feel that you are given the strange power to judge people and their deeds. I wish I knew what is the source of that power.~
@151  = ~Amin hiraetha... I am sorry... I shall explain everything to you one day. Somehow I feel that you are given the strange power to judge people and their deeds. I wish I knew what is the source of this power...~
@152  = ~I have noticed that you are the only one who does not try to change the subject when I mention Deheriana.~
@153  = ~It might be because of that look on your face, Kivan. You... do not seem alive.~
@154  = ~I am your friend, Kivan, and it seems to me that there is something weighing heavily on you in connection with Deheriana. It is obvious that you loved her, yet you told me that you were feeling guilty. Why?~
@155  = ~I have been very patient, yes. But now I just have to tell you: SHUT UP.~
@156  = ~<CHARNAME>, I can never forget one thing. When the orcs had surrounded us, I had my dagger pressed against Deheriana's neck. But I hesitated, and I lost my chance to save her.~
@157  = ~Kivan! Listen to me. What if you had killed her, and then there was a chance for both of you to escape? Kivan, death is irreversible. You did the right thing by staying your hand!~
@158  = ~By all gods, Kivan... Why do you do this to yourself?~
@159  = ~I can call you a coward, or I can call you an idiot. You pick. What did she get instead, Kivan? Tortures? Was she raped?~
@160  = ~You are right, mellonamin. When the orcs had surrounded us, I had my dagger pressed against Deheriana's neck. But I hesitated, and I lost my chance to save her.~
@161  = ~Uuma dela. Do not worry. I shall not bother you any longer.~
@162  = ~<CHARNAME>, if I had another moment, she would have died by my hand, and I would have followed her. You know what happened, instead? She begged the beasts for mercy... to spare me.~
@163  = ~Tazok found it comical and ordered me beaten in front of Deheriana, and pretended that her pleas might touch his heart. If only she tried a little harder...~
@164  = ~But I was weak; at length I fainted. When I came back... When I came back...~
@165  = ~She was lying on the ground, or at least what once was her was lying there - a misshapen piece of flesh, torn, cut, burned... Tazok was wearing a fresh pair of elven ears on his necklace - he told me that it was a trophy for the one who takes the first turn...~
@166  = ~Kivan, please, stop it! STOP IT!~
@167  = ~*wait for the elf to continue*~
@168  = ~Kivan, that is terrible! Oh, gods, there is more to it?~
@169  = ~*You try to hold Kivan as you would a child. You wish that this was only over a scraped knee, but know that it is not. You stroke his hair in hopes that you are doing the right thing.*~
@170  = ~Sounds like fun!~
@171  = ~You want to know? Deheriana begged the beasts for mercy... to spare me.~
@172  = ~Tazok found it comical and ordered me beaten in front of Deheriana and pretended that her pleas might touch his heart. If only she tried a little harder...~
@173  = ~She was lying on the ground, or at least what once was her was lying there - a misshapen piece of flesh, torn, cut, burned... Tazok was wearing a fresh pair of elven ears on his necklace - he told me that it was a trophy for the one who takes the first turn...~
@174  = ~What, you are not entertained by listening to my past any longer?~
@175  = ~How can you say that! I just... I cannot see you reliving this nightmare all over again. Please, Kivan, why are you doing this to yourself?~
@176  = ~I cannot listen, Kivan, it is too vile a tale.~
@177  = ~Yeah, I am bored.~
@178  = ~It became my only goal to not pass out and be entertaining enough as a victim. The world became a blur, but I forced myself on my feet after each hit; I screamed until my voice failed... but Tazok finally grew bored by the spectacle and ordered Deheriana killed. There were enough volunteers.~
@179  = ~As soon as I felt that she was dead, my spirit left me too. They left both of us for dead. But I did not die.~
@180  = ~Why did I not die with her?~
@181  = ~How would I know? Your survival skills are admirable for a flimsy elf. That's why I still tolerate you in the group.~
@182  = ~Kivan, I weep with you and for you. Yours is a cruel fate, and I do not know why it was bestowed upon you. All I can do is to fight by your side, and that I shall do!~
@183  = ~I think you know the answer, Kivan. Is not that why you are so devoted to Shevarash, the God of Vengeance?~
@184  = ~Maybe it was Deheriana's love that returned you to life? You have done what you could to protect her, ranger. Have your revenge, if you must, but I think that was not what Deheriana meant for you.~
@185  = ~*Kivan carefully frees himself from your embrace and touches your cheek.* I am sorry, <CHARNAME> - and thank you for being compassionate. There is little left to tell.~
@186  = ~It became my only goal then to keep awake and be entertaining enough as a victim. The world became a blur, but I was forcing myself on my feet after each hit, I was yelling while my lips were able to move... until Tazok was finally bored by the spectacle and ordered Deheriana killed. There were enough volunteers.~
@187  = ~As soon as I felt that she was dead, my spirit left me too. They left both of us for dead. But I did not die. Why did not I die with her?~
@188  = ~*turns very pale* Fun? I charge blood price for entertaining crowds in such a way!~
@189  = ~You will do me no kindness by making me return to my silent torture. Often when I close my eyes to reverie that day comes alive again. And I seek for the answer and I cannot find it. Will you listen to me?~
@190  = ~No, I have no desire to listen to this.~
@191  = ~I will... but what do you expect of me? An absolution?~
@192  = ~I... I understand. Go on, and gods have mercy on us.~
@193  = ~You think I live, because my body was stronger than the inflicted wounds? I am not so sure. I had betrayed the one I loved to the most horrifying end. But I did it unknowingly. I feel that Shevarash - the God of Vengeance, gave my life back to me so I might redeem myself by avenging my wife's death.~
@194  = ~I think what you have done cannot be forgiven, Kivan. Do not distract yourself with thoughts of redemption, elf. Live with what you have done... or have not done.~
@195  = ~It is plausible. Seek your vengeance, help me kill some evil monsters, and you will feel better. After all, you did not have much of a choice, and you have done what you could to protect your Deheriana, ranger.~
@196  = ~Maybe you are wrong? Maybe it was Deheriana's love that returned you to life, not the will of Shevarash? You have done what you could to protect her, ranger. Have your revenge, if you must, but I think that was not what Deheriana meant for you.~
@197  = ~Your obsession with revenge comes from some sinister and dark source, Kivan. Perhaps from Tazok himself, or from his masters. Maybe your torture is not over, and you are still their toy?~
@198  = ~Yes, I had betrayed the one I loved to the most horrifying end, and Shevarash gave my life back to me, so I might redeem myself and avenge my wife's death. That's what I think...~
@199  = ~What you have done cannot be forgiven, Kivan. Even if Shevarash gave you your life, it's only so you suffer for what you have done! Do not distract yourself with thoughts of redemption, elf.~
@200  = ~Your obsession with revenge comes from some sinister and dark source, Kivan. Perhaps from Tazok himself or from his masters. Maybe your torture is not over, and you are still their toy?~
@201  = ~Why would Deheriana want me to walk Toril without her by my side? Thank you, <CHARNAME>, for the sweet words, but if Deheriana forgave me my weakness, she would be waiting for me in Arvanaith even now, hoping, like me, that my duty to Shevarash will not take much longer. Shevarash will not let me depart until I redeem myself by avenging my wife.~
@202  = ~I do not seek absolution. I would like to know what another living being thought about my doom. That day... once I saw that Deheriana was left untouched while they concentrated their efforts on me, it became my only goal to keep awake and be entertaining enough as a victim.~
@203  = ~The world became a blur, but I was forcing myself on my feet after each hit, I was yelling until my lips would not move. When Tazok was finally bored by the spectacle, he ordered Deheriana killed. As soon as her lifeless body hit the ground, my spirit left me too. They left both of us for dead. But I did not die. Why?~
@204  = ~It is plausible. Seek your vengeance, help me kill some evil monsters, and you'll feel better. After all, you did not have much of a choice, and you have done what you could to protect your Deheriana, ranger.~
@205  = ~You words ring true, and they add up to the pain I ever feel in my heart. I am not sure if I can live with my guilt for much longer.~
@206  = ~Ranger... yes. A Ranger guides and protects, and yet I led the most precious traveler I knew to her death, and failed to protect her. I am surprised that you still place your trust in my skills.~
@207  = ~*turns very pale* If that is so, they will find out soon enough that I charge blood price for entertaining crowds in such a way.~
@208  = ~I wanted to ask you, <CHARNAME>... What are you thinking of, when you are watching sunsets? There was an emotion written on your face I did not quite understand.~
@209  = ~Sunsets fill me with strange foreboding. I see blood and the end of all things when I watch the sun go down in a phantasmagoria of scarlet and red and purple.~
@210  = ~I forget for a moment the trials we face, and I enjoy the warmth of colors. It is a bittersweet feeling.~
@211  = ~I see the sun setting and clouds turning pink... I am thinking that it is going to be dark soon, and we should be thinking of setting up a camp.~
@212  = ~Of killing nosey elves. As usual.~
@213  = ~Maybe you feel that way because of your recent loss, <CHARNAME>? You dread the most innocent and beautiful sight, thinking it to be an ill omen...~
@214  = ~It is not just Gorion's death. It is something deeper, something at the very core of my heart.~
@215  = ~How do you know what I feel, elf?~
@216  = ~Good old Kivan... always ready to lift my spirit, are ye not?~
@217  = ~You are luckier than I am, then. I see the sky smeared with blood... Deheriana's blood.~
@218  = ~Come, elf, the sun has set, and we are to face the night.~
@219  = ~We shall avenge Gorion's and your Deheriana's death. Maybe then the sunset will not be an ominous sight for you.~
@220  = ~I apologize for intruding.~
@221  = ~You do not need to explain to me how it feels. I knew the same pain and solitude after I parted with the soul of my soul.~
@222  = ~Sad and pathetic we both are...~
@223  = ~No, Kivan, I cannot explain it, but I simply *know* that it is something different...~
@224  = ~I knew the same pain and solitude after I parted with the soul of my soul.~
@225  = ~Being cheerful when your heart is weeping is a clever deception, but as with any deception, it will be over sooner or later. You will have to face your dread and find the root of it.~
@226  = ~Yes, the shadows are growing and the night is coming. The sky is smeared with blood, and so should our hands be. Let us hope that it will be blood of our enemies, not of our dying friends, whom we failed to protect and to heal.~
@227  = ~<CHARNAME>, I hope that such a day will come. Maybe we will stand together then, watching the sun set while dreaming of the dawn... as befits a happy person.~
@228  = ~Perhaps today, in the night, we are. But tomorrow, mayhaps, we shall stand together, watching the sunset and dreaming of the next morning's dawn as befits a happy person.~
@229  = ~Whatever it is, I hope that we shall stand together yet, watching the sunset and dreaming of the next morning's dawn as befits a happy person.~
@230  = ~Our elders often told us about monsters and prepared us to face evil sooner or later. Yet, I can hardly imagine that someone can be ready for the horror you have gone through. Sarevok, the man who killed your foster father and did everything to kill you as well, is your half-brother! Evil cannot come closer than that. Is that why you are so quiet and sad?~
@231  = ~My half-brother killed my foster father - which makes the whole thing a family matter, Kivan. I will not have the prying eyes of a stranger looking into it.~
@232  = ~Yes, it is disturbing. I lived for so long thinking myself an orphan and alone in the world...Now I've found out who my real father is, and that I have a stepbrother. Neither discovery cheered me up.~
@233  = ~And if it was only Sarevok... the letter mentioned that there are others. I probably have a very large family! All Bhaal's brood too. I feel that I am in for some more unpleasant surprises.~
@234  = ~I do not consider Sarevok to be my relative, Kivan. Moreover - my brother! We share some odd spiritual background, by the whim of a dead deity, that is all. I only want to avenge the death of my true father - Gorion.~
@235  = ~Evil can be closer, Kivan. Look at me. My own soul is a game board; the game started long ago, but I did not know that I was a player. My opponent knew, and he is a few turns ahead of me.~
@236  = ~I am happy to discover my true heritage, and I have no problems with my brother. I think we can get along just fine, as soon as I convince him to drop the absurd idea of killing me. We will... unlock the power of Bhaal or somethin'.~
@237  = ~Maybe you should try to discuss the matter with Sarevok then, <CHARNAME>.~
@238  = ~Great idea, Kivan! Sarevok was very talkative last time I met him.~
@239  = ~Kivan, I really do not want to talk about it.~
@240  = ~What do you want to hear? That I am exuberant to discover I'm some sort of an underdog demi-god? Or that I am terrified out of my wits? Or that I think it to be excellent news that I either have to be a kinslayer or fall victim to one?~
@241  = ~My friend, do not lose sight of hope. I lived long surrounded by family and then I lost... I lost them all. Yours is a better story: you are finding your family after many years of not knowing that you had any. Maybe you will find soul mates among the other Bhaalspawn? Someone you will be proud to call your brother or sister? You seem to be able to conquer your ominous heritage, why not the others?~
@242  = ~Erm... the encounter with Sarevok is not very encouraging, Kivan.~
@243  = ~Or maybe I can somehow influence their lives? You are right, Kivan. The Bhaal's blood does not mean that we must all be like him.~
@244  = ~I do not consider Sarevok or any other Bhaalspawn to be my relative, Kivan. We share some odd spiritual background, by the whim of a dead deity, that is all. My only family member is Gorion. All I want to do is to avenge his death.~
@245  = ~Vengeance is the thing for someone who has nothing else left to live for, <CHARNAME>. Are you sure that you are ready to walk the path of revenge?~
@246  = ~I am sure, Kivan.~
@247  = ~Am I talking to Kivan the ranger? The Kivan who dreams only of revenge?~
@248  = ~Your soul is not a game board, <CHARNAME>. It is yours and only yours, no matter who planted the seed of which you sprouted into being.~
@249  = ~Of course. Yet I fear that I am mad at Gorion for not telling me about my heritage. I might have done some things differently.~
@250  = ~It matters! I am a demi-god, Kivan, and I am searching to explore my divinity. I wish to know the rules of the game, for it is the way to great power.~
@251  = ~Yes, but sometimes I fear that it can be changed inside me, go tainted or something like that...~
@252  = ~Shhh... let's not talk about *whispers very quietly* seeds... You know how Boo is.~
@253  = ~If you search to unlock the power which nests within you, do so carefully. It is a hellfire, <CHARNAME>, and it can burn those who are close to you, and those you do not even know.~
@254  = ~And here I was under the impression that it was his sword that did all the talking!~
@255  = ~Forgive me my insistence, then. I am worried about you, mellonamin.~
@256  = ~I want to hear whatever you wish to say. I am worried about you, mellonamin.~
@257  = ~The news disturbed me, Kivan. I lived for so long thinking myself an orphan and alone in the world... Now I've found out who my real father is, and that I have a stepbrother. Somehow neither discovery cheered me up.~
@258  = ~Right. You want to know what I think? Here it is. Sarevok is my brother, but that's not the worst of it! The letter mentioned that there are others. I probably have a very large family! All Bhaal's brood too. I feel that I am in for some more unpleasant surprises.~
@259  = ~Kivan, I do not consider Sarevok to be my relative. Moreover - my brother! We share some odd spiritual background, by the whim of a dead deity, that is all. I only want to avenge the death of my true father - Gorion.~
@260  = ~Evil can be closer, Kivan. Look at me. My own soul is a game board; the game started long ago, but I did not know that I was a player. My opponent knew and he is a few turns ahead of me.~
@261  = ~You have found an enemy instead of a brother. But... Thank the gods, <CHARNAME>, that we have enemies, for it means that we might also have friends.~
@262  = ~I recognize the sparkle of hope in your eyes, <CHARNAME>. I am glad that your melancholy passed.~
@263  = ~Then let the gods have mercy on you... on us. Let us not lose mercy ourselves. Walking through the dark requires bravery, strength and the love of light, lest the darkness consumes your soul.~
@264  = ~You are talking to me, yes. Why do you think I shall endorse someone's desire for revenge? I have walked this path for years, and I know all too well how destructive and painful it is, mellonamin.~
@265  = ~You suffer because of your loss. Once Deheriana is avenged...~
@266  = ~Kivan, I understand all that. And still I want to punish the one who killed my foster father.~
@267  = ~Shevarash does not smile upon you now.~
@268  = ~You have grown since I met you, <CHARNAME>, and faced many perils with dignity and bravery. For someone less sturdy and mature, a truth like that might have been overwhelming.~
@269  = ~Gorion loved you.~
@270  = ~He simply wished to give you a life as normal as possible, I am sure about that.~
@271  = ~Every one of us is in such danger. We all know temptations. Listen to your heart, be vigilant, <CHARNAME>, but do not be afraid of yourself.~
@272  = ~*smiles* Yes, he is one hungry hamster... it always surprises me that Boo does not grow bigger than Minsc.~
@273  = ~Then I shall finally do what I want the most - I will join Deheriana in Arvanaith. Yours is a different path, mellonamin. You have not tasted life and love yet. Remember that.~
@274  = ~Shevarash never smiles, <CHARNAME>. Five thousand years ago he swore a solemn vow not to smile until Lloth and her followers are destroyed. He is true to his word.~
@275  = ~'Quel undome, a'maelamin Deheriana. Good night, my beloved Deheriana.~
@276  = ~Every morning I hear you say "good morning" to your dead wife - and every night you bid her to have a good night. It makes me sad.~
@277  = ~You are a widower, elf! A WIDOWER! Denial is not going to help anything. Deheriana is dead, Kivan. Dead!~
@278  = ~Do I have a new person in the group? Who's Deheriana?~
@279  = ~'Quel undome, a'maelamin. Quel kaima, Kivan, lle anta esta. Good night, my beloved. Sleep well, Kivan, you need to rest. Shhh, Kivan. I am not teasing you... but I hear you tell her "good morning" every time the sun rises and "good night" every time you go to sleep. I wish it was answered at least once.~
@280  = ~You miss her so much, Kivan. I wish there could be something...~
@281  = ~Do not be saddened, my friend. Those are my beautiful moments. Once, I was looking for excuses to talk to Deheriana, and I would not sleep until she passed by, and I could bid her "good night", hear her voice and see her smile.~
@282  = ~Alright, alright. That is enough!~
@283  = ~All the time I have known you, Deheriana was a constant in your life. It is strange to hear that there were days when you were uncertain about her love.~
@284  = ~How did you meet her, Kivan? If you do not mind me asking about it...~
@285  = ~I am not in denial, <CHARNAME>. I know that she has departed, yet I think she might hear me... and we will be joined again as soon as Shevarash allows me to leave.~
@286  = ~Yes, yes, of course. Can we talk of something other than Deheriana? Or at least about something Deheriana-related, but happy? For one thing, can you tell me how you met her, Kivan?~
@287  = ~Sorry. I see your longing for her every day, and the fact that I am helpless to do anything about it makes me feel... well, helpless and frustrated. Kivan, I wish there could be something...~
@288  = ~And some people complain that I speak of Deheriana way too often! Deheriana is... was an elf from Shilmista... But she cannot join our group, <CHARNAME>. Deheriana was slain by Tazok and his cronies many years ago, and that is why I seek vengeance on Tazok, the half-ogre, and the brigands who served him.~
@289  = ~I know that you did not mean it as a cruel jape, <CHARNAME>. Your voice was kind - a reflection of the generosity of your heart... I listened and I thought that was something Deheriana might have done. Your friendship is the finest thing that happened to me since I was separated from Deheriana.~
@290  = ~If I might ask... how long has it been since Deheriana departed?~
@291  = ~*blush* I am only doing what I would have done for *any* friend...~
@292  = ~You will always have my friendship and my loyalty, Kivan. We are fighting the same battle, shoulder to shoulder. We have a common enemy. We...~
@293  = ~I... I... my heart... never mind my heart, elf. It is really a stolid thing... that heart of mine, and will make a poor subject for a conversation. Maybe you can tell me more of Deheriana instead? How did you meet?~
@294  = ~My gentle friend... you have done so much for me and so subtly already. Your friendship is the finest thing that happened to me since I was separated from Deheriana.~
@295  = ~And I value your frienship. Maybe we can talk awhile? You can tell me more of Deheriana... How did you meet her?~
@296  = ~I do sound and look sheepish, I guess. But so does almost anyone who is in love.~
@297  = ~Even the greatest river flowing wide across the plains is but a small trickle in its beginning. So is love. I thirst to drink from the trickle of the first tenderness as much as from the stream of passion in its full flood.~
@298  = ~Well, whatever. Try not to drown, elf. ~
@299  = ~Speaking of trickles... How did you meet Deheriana, Kivan? If you do not mind me asking.~
@300  = ~I met Deheriana during the war in Shilmista. Everyone then became a fighter, elders and children, nobles and commoners alike. She was among our spellcasters - a small group and vulnerable, but a lot of our hope was placed into their power.~
@301  = ~So a fighter's eyes were always on them to protect and to lend them cover... I saw Deheriana... it was hard not to notice her. In the moments of deepest despair, when all was but lost, I looked at her, and my spirit soared, and I cared not for hurts.~
@302  = ~Like a young birch tree, golden and green, she stood, and her voice was clear as morning dew, even as her chants brought death to our foes.~
@303  = ~And after the war was over...~
@304  = ~Now you are making me wish she was alive. I could have used another skilled person around here...~
@305  = ~Did not gazing at her divert you? From the battle, I mean.~
@306  = ~Fifteen years or close enough.~
@307  = ~Fift... Blast you, elf! Faerun is not a place for you! Get away from here! Go to Evermeet! Gods be good, I wish I could shake you or something!~
@308  = ~What are fifteen years for a long living elf... Time and distance heal any wounds.~
@309  = ~It seems like a very long mourning period, my friend. Have you not thought to start your life over? To love again?~
@310  = ~Do not believe in partings, comrade. They are but a dream, I swear. Keep faith in the road, it is the only thing which will not run out on you.~
@311  = ~I know, arwen en amin... my lady. You honor me with your friendship.~
@312  = ~Yes, that is all true, my lady. I am happy that it is you whom the fate decreed to be my ally that day you have passed through High Hedge.~
@313  = ~After the war was over we buried our dead with honors... My mother could not be consoled in her grief for my father and my brothers who had fallen.~
@314  = ~She convinced the rest of my kin to leave for Evermeet. I stayed behind, for after the freezing winter I saw the new spring coming, and Deheriana was smiling every time she met me, and I bid her to have a fair day.~
@315  = ~If Deheriana were alive, you would love her for more than her skill, <CHARNAME>.~
@316  = ~*smiles* The archer follows the same pattern in battle, <CHARNAME>. Notch. Draw. Loose. Of course, I had no time to steal a glance at her in the heat of battle, and more often than not she would be out of my sighting range... but sometimes I was lucky.~
@317  = ~<CHARNAME>, I do not understand how I managed to upset you so with my words. But indeed I was thinking of going on a journey after Tazok is dead.~
@318  = ~A year lasts as long for an elf as for a dwarf, a gnome, a halfling or a human, <CHARNAME>. Time and distance heal... yes, but only love revives.~
@319  = ~Love? Do you think you might love again?~
@320  = ~You sound like a person who has hope... I like that new tone in your voice.~
@321  = ~Of course. But we have no time to discuss it right now, Kivan.~
@322  = ~No, not "again". I have never stopped loving Deheriana, <CHARNAME>. I think that my life was given back to me by Shevarash to avenge Deheriana's death. After that's done... After I face Tazok in a battle, I shall return to my love.~
@323  = ~The roads are difficult, but life would be a hardship if there were no roads... I love this hymn to Shaundakul, as well. We are akin in many ways, <CHARNAME>.~
@324  = ~I have to thank you for giving me hope. Your skills and those of our friends make me feel that the battle is half-won already, and the time when I will see my dear Deheriana again is nigh.~
@325  = ~Yes, we shall go. This conversation makes me feel wonderfully alive, though.~
@326  = ~*moans* O, Seldarine... my head...~
@327  = ~Seldarine be merciful...~
@328  = ~It might be for the best for you to forget, but the rest of us are going to keep the fondest memories...~
@329  = ~Yes, it is for the best if you forget... and I would have both of you never touch a drop, if you are willing to continue on travelling together.~
@330  = ~Oh, no... I hope we did not... ahem... inconvenience the rest of you? Excessively?~
@331  = ~Nope, but I significantly expanded my Elven vocabulary. Say, Kivan, what does "llatarala menatira" mean? It sounds quite lovely and rolls of the tongue so pleasantly...~
@332  = ~Let's just say that a certain rumor about elves dancing in the moonlight proved to be true. We all very much enjoyed the show.~
@333  = ~Do not worry about that, Kivan. Let us move on.~
@334  = ~That wine was too strong, I am afraid. I hope we did not... ahem... inconvenience the rest of you? Excessively?~
@335  = ~Thank you, my friend. Xan, I am sorry.~
@336  = ~Would you... would you excuse me, <CHARNAME>? I require some privacy to collect my thoughts.~
@337  = ~*blushes deeply* You do not need to know this particular expression, trust me...~
@338  = ~Those are...~
@339  = ~I assure you-~
@340  = ~You two, shut up! Now!~
@341  = ~Monty, what have you gone and done again, you fuzzy-footed wonder?~
@342  = ~Kivan, you are quite right. Montaron, there is no place here for such filth. Either it goes, or you do.~
@343  = ~Kivan, ye are plain impossible. I will not have ye pestering my dear friend, Montaron!~
@344  = ~I-~
@345  = ~<CHARNAME>-~
@346  = ~Relax, Kiv. No harm done. The halfling has... peculiar tastes but he's not half bad... no pun intended.~
@347  = ~Don't ye <CHARNAME> me, elf. Ye are plain impossible. I will not have ye pestering my dear friend, Montaron!~
@348  = ~I trust you know what you are doing, and whom you granted refuge among us. I will not intervene again.~
@349  = ~Good.~
@350  = ~If that is how it stands, I shall denounce our allegiance. Beware the one you call your friend.~
@351  = ~Mani naa lle umien, Branwen? Branwen, what are you doing? Why are you putting vials into my pack?~
@352  = ~'Tis my opinion that you need a potion to help you sleep peacefully. Now it's handy.~
@353  = ~I rarely sleep, Branwen. Elves reverie instead...~
@354  = ~Whatever you do, 'tis no good if you moan.~
@355  = ~I dreamt a dream, Branwen, that is all. You need not worry about it.~
@356  = ~I thought elves do not sleep. How can you dream then?~
@357  = ~I can sleep if I choose to... The reverie is akin to sleep, but is quite unlike it.~
@358  = ~An elf relives his memories during the reverie. It is very life-like, very vivid. We need it to remember our past, our desires and those who have departed. But we can dream as well, mostly when we are truly asleep.~
@359  = ~Nevermind, just drink one of those before doing whatever you need to do to keep on going, and I am Auril, if you won't be better for it.~
@360  = ~It seems that we are to be treated with another recital. Oh, the joy of having a bard with us!~
@361  = ~Might be that this song will touch even your grim heart, ranger.~
@362  = ~I find that highly unlikely. Your repertoire is all made of love verses and drinking songs.~
@363  = ~Not nearly, you stubborn-headed elf. Listen, all! For our brave fighter I shall sing something different from the usual:~
@364  = ~Be you still, be you still, trembling heart;
Remember the wisdom out of the old days:
Him who trembles before the flame and the flood,
And... ahem... the winds... the winds that blow...~
@365  = ~Ahem, I think I cannot remember how it goes from here... It has been some time since I...~
@366  = ~Do not torture yourself so. It goes like this:~
@367  = ~And the winds that blow through the starry ways,
Let the starry winds and the flame and the flood
Cover over and hide, for he has no part
With the lonely, majestical multitude.~
@368  = ~Thank you, Garrick, that was a worthy song.~
@369  = ~I can see that you appreciate the art of poetry more than you care to admit, my secretive friend.~
@370  = ~I beg you not to take me for a connoisseur, bard.~
@371  = ~*smiles* M'lady Imoen, I have heard that it does not befit a human maiden to watch a male undress.~
@372  = ~Oh, well, yeah... sorry 'bout that, Kivan! I don't mean to intrude, or anything... but... um... what's that pendant on your neck?~
@373  = ~A ranger's insignia, Imoen.~
@374  = ~Uhm? What?~
@375  = ~*sighs* It is customary for a ranger to choose an animal to identify himself as he walks the land.~
@376  = ~I would carve or paint it as my mark to let others know my trail. This will help others to discover my fate if I become lost or will tell a weary traveler who had done him the kindness of equipping a road cabin with food and firewood.~
@377  = ~Interesting. Yours looks like an eagle to me.~
@378  = ~Falcon, to be more precise. It is not an unusual choice for a foolish youngster who dreams of valor and great feats.~
@379  = ~You think you were a bit of a dreamer in your youth? Anyhow, it looks pretty, this carving. Rogues should get one, too! Actually, I remember there was a legend of a thief who left an imprint of a crimson cloak as his signature!~
@380  = ~Hmm, what would I choose for a sigil? Oh, I know! Guess, Kivan, what will be my sign?~
@381  = ~A sly red fox?~
@382  = ~Well, Safana, my understanding is that you have found yourself in the harem of an awful Pasha Uzef, with no more than a wisp of silk on your body to shield you, and a terrifying eunuch guarded the doors, day and night.~
@383  = ~My windows opened up on the cliff wall, with a sheer drop of eighty feet. A waterfall was weeping at my fate, and I was nearly going mad, listening to its sorrow. There was a moment when I stood on the window sill and thought of taking my own life.~
@384  = ~And in that crucial moment you had one of those brilliant ideas which saved your life and the life of your lovers on numerous occasions.~
@385  = ~That's exactly what happened! Know what I did?~
@386  = ~I suspect that you pulled a few strings of silk from your flatteringly revealing gown, braided them together and strangled the seven-foot tall eunuch with it, when he came to escort you to the Pasha.~
@387  = ~However did you know? Anyway, then I took the eunuch's sword and shield and fought my way through the guards, and finally it was only Pasha Uzef who stood in my way.~
@388  = ~And he was a fearsome swordsman, and his eyes shone as two coals.~
@389  = ~Oh yes. It's almost as though you were there. We had been inflicting blows on each other to no avail for a long time, and then he dropped his sword a my feet and knelt. "Lady Safana," he told me, "my love for you is too strong for me to live without your favor."~
@390  = ~"Where is your dagger, my lady? I beg you to pierce my heart and end my suffering!"~
@391  = ~Ed' i'ear ar' elenea! By the sea and stars! Safana, you waste your talents. Were you a bard, people would pay dearly to listen to your tales.~
@392  = ~Shar-Teel, do stop this folly. *Kivan throws his sword on the ground.* A practice fight is a practice fight, but you are trying to hurt me. Your sword has an edge, and I do not believe that you forgot it.~
@393  = ~You know it has an edge! What are we, small children, to fight with blunted blades? Defend yourself, coward!~
@394  = ~I will not take a wound so you might exorcise your demons. My sword is on the ground, and I will not lift it. The practice is over.~
@395  = ~You might call yourself an elf, but you are just as full of it as a human man! *spits* You are afraid that a woman can beat you!~
@396  = ~That is not true. Shayleigh of Shilmista is a far better sword than I. My wife would put an arrow through mine in full flight. I have no problem with you being female; I have a problem with you treating me as a real enemy in a mock fight.~
@397  = ~Words, words and more words. I knew I should not have wasted my time on a flimsy elf. You cannot even put up decent resistance. It is true what they say of your kin: you have water in your veins, not blood!~
@398  = ~You must have suffered much, Shar-Teel, to become this bitter, but I am not kind enough to see beyond the rough façade and try to heal your soul. I pray that you meet someone who would.~
@399  = ~You know that you are insufferably stupid? Even for a man?~
@400  = ~Say what you want, Shar-Teel. I just do not care.~
@401  = ~Young knight, you spend a fair amount of time practicing your swordplay, but I have never seen you taking a shot at a mark. You have no love for archery?~
@402  = ~Aye, my good elf, arrows and bolts are not my favorite weaponry. Melee is a noble fight, and it gladdens my heart to advance my learning of it, but spitting arrows from afar is not much to my liking.~
@403  = ~I take it that you consider archery an occupation for the fainthearted?~
@404  = ~Nay, not for the craven. I am schooled enough in the arts of war to value each man, and I do not belittle my fellows for the way they choose to take down foes. But, Kivan, my blood boils when I charge in the midst of the enemy host. What a way to win a spectacular victory!~
@405  = ~Some battles can be won by stealth; some - by a few words on a piece of paper, and some by an arrow sent to hit the mark. Take my advice - train yourself in every possible way, Ajantis.~
@406  = ~Arrows, quills, and dusty scrolls... Ranger, you know nothing of a knight's honor. A paladin's cause is just, his blade is blessed, and he is sworn to die on the field of glory, not to scheme and hide, like a rogue.~
@407  = ~And many die nobly and valiantly, without advancing their cause a single step. I care not if it will be my sword or my arrow that will take Tazok's life. I care not if my name is unsung.~
@408  = ~What would you be doing with my sword, halfling lass?~
@409  = ~Huh, training, of course.~
@410  = ~Alora, the blade is what?... three inches taller than you? You will not be able to lift it, let alone wield it efficiently. If you are interested in weapons with a longer reach, I suggest that you try a light spear or a...~
@411  = ~But not a longsword? That's soooo unfair! Sooo unfair! *starts sobbing*~
@412  = ~Alora, I do not understand... How did I cause those tears? After all, for you, a short sword must feel just like greatsword to an elf... so in a way you do wield a longsword... Alora? Please, do not cry.~
@413  = ~Stop babying me! You are becoming just like my parents: "Alora, do not cry! Alora, do not go there! Alora do not touch this!" I am a woman grown, not some dull-witted child!~
@414  = ~I was not babying you, I was merely offering advice.~
@415  = ~You weren't? Oh, sweet! Now, can I look at the sword? It has those funny little letters on it and I thought it's Elvish. Like in a book. Huh, I've never read Elvish before on a sword. It's so much more fun!~
@416  = ~They are Elven runes, correct. They spell... Aiya, tampa! ALORA, DO NOT! You know, Alora, you can play with the blade, and I shall go scout around. I... I cannot watch.~
@417  = ~I cannot help but wonder how a woman grown could amuse herself by tickling someone with a blade of grass?~
@418  = ~Oh, that can be a very grown-up thing to do, Kivan.~
@419  = ~Care to explain?~
@420  = ~Take, for example, a very sad guy who has as much fun in his life as a basilisk watching itself in a looking glass. So if somebody puts a smile on that guy's face, that would be a mature thing to do, no?~
@421  = ~Indeed. Do continue.~
@422  = ~And that's where tickling kicks in! Nobody can resist smiling if...~
@423  = ~You do not understand, lass. Smiles do not come that easy sometimes.~
@424  = ~*quietly* I pray that you will never understand it, Alora.~
@425  = ~I have not traveled North, my lady Branwen, yet I have heard word of the harsh beauty of your native land.~
@426  = ~'Twas truth you have heard. Northeim Isles rise from the cold sea, as castles here in the South, pink and gray and speckled with shining crystals.~
@427  = ~And the sea breaks against the cliffs... a magnificent sight indeed.~
@428  = ~The cliffs are as unyielding as the warriors of my land. They sail the sea in longboats, their prows and sails painted red, the color of blood and honor.~
@429  = ~And the dark blue waters of the deepest fiords - color the eyes of the daughters of Norheim?~
@430  = ~Perchance you have heard songs of the Northerners?~
@431  = ~No, it was only a guess.~
@432  = ~It lightens my heart to see you with the child, Coran.~
@433  = ~A woman finally captured my heart for the rest of my life, Kivan! I should be crying my eyes out, but instead I feel... almost jubilant.~
@434  = ~I am glad to hear that, mellonamin.~
@435  = ~You are smiling, Kivan. Albeit sadly, but still - smiling. I hope you are not gloating at me becoming a mother hen all of a sudden.~
@436  = ~No, of course not. I find joy in seeing you attain the peace of mind, Coran.~
@437  = ~If Namara takes after me, and I find quite a resemblance already, my future would be anything but peaceful, I am afraid.~
@438  = ~I can already imagine walking guard around my little cabin and shooting an arrow or two in the air to shoo away the most eager suitors...~
@439  = ~Tell me, Coran, why will not you stay with Brielbara? I had noticed that you were not completely untouched by her charms, and if I erred in this, why did you not do it for the child's sake?~
@440  = ~Ranger, Brielbara would have cursed me if I had stayed. Maybe not the first day or the first month, but eventually she would have.~
@441  = ~What happened to you, that you think so poorly of yourself?~
@442  = ~A rogue like me has more freedom than anybody else - yet something has to give. One cannot build life-long happiness with a tumbleweed for a husband.~
@443  = ~You sound almost sad, Coran. Perhaps you will reconsider one day and return. I advise you to do it sooner, rather than later.~
@444  = ~Once I was foolish enough to put "I'll be back soon" into all my letters. I even believed it. But she came to her senses and settled with someone of her own feather... and didn't even know how helpless I felt, crumpling her last note in my hand.~
@445  = ~"Be free, be happy and be loved," it said. I've smartened up since. I never write letters, and I never return.~
@446  = ~May I give you a word of advice, Coran? If someone captures your wandering soul, and you will fall in love truly and deeply - do not part with her. It goes against elven tradition - but do not part with the one you love.~
@447  = ~It is your sword hand that protects her, not a promise of a future meeting and words sent from afar.~
@448  = ~Coran, you are my kin, and for that I shall disregard your remark, and trouble me no more with fool's talk. I have no interest in your affairs.~
@449  = ~Oh, by the Golden Rose! You do not want to listen about Berta, well do not then! But why bristle like a hedgehog that lost a mushroom? I am sure you went wenching yourself. How good is that if you keep it a secret? Relax, tell me a story or two!~
@450  = ~*grinding his teeth* I had a wench once, who was bitten bloody by five bandits, and still she continued to plead them to spare my life. Is that enough? Or do you want more stories about me wenching?~
@451  = ~That's rather grim. No wonder you are such a grouch. *shrugs* But the past is the past. Gotta move on, Kivan.~
@452  = ~What?~
@453  = ~You are talking of that dead girl of yours. Now, the memory is all nice and good, but it makes me shiver to think that you are into her still.~
@454  = ~*quietly* Deheriana is the most beautiful, the most noble, the most intelligent...~
@455  = ~And the most dead. Nay, give me a living, warm girl, laughing and smelling of good wine and sweet perfume over some bloody ghost any time...~
@456  = ~Can you kindly shut up?~
@457  = ~Long is the way from Rashemen to Baldur's Gate.~
@458  = ~What thou wish to inquire about is my purpose in coming here.~
@459  = ~True.~
@460  = ~My purpose is knowledge. In that I am no different than anyone else. The Great Othlor gave me a glimpse of words of a truth-seer, and I seek more knowledge about it.~
@461  = ~Prophecy... are you following some prophecy, Dynaheir? You show a curious interest in young <CHARNAME> - do you think that-~
@462  = ~I know not yet. The word is dark, and clear it is not.~
@463  = ~You have to tell <CHARNAME> of your suspicions.~
@464  = ~To what end? Suspicion only clouds minds, and plays tricks with observations. <CHARNAME> has eyes to see. I desire not to dim the light to anyone with an incautious word.~
@465  = ~It is something ominous then? I have come to like our young friend. You are on <CHARNAME>'s side, are you not?~
@466  = ~Thou know that I am on the side that does justice and peace.~
@467  = ~That I never doubted, Dynaheir.~
@468  = ~It is something ominous then? Your words may bring <CHARNAME> to think of the way <PRO_HESHE> directs <PRO_HISHER> companions. I disagree with <PRO_HISHER> choices as of late.~
@469  = ~So do I, Kivan. Still, a mere suspicion wilst not do. I dread that the day may come when someone whom <CHARNAME> loves more than I will reveal the prophecy to <PRO_HIMHER> without caution.~
@470  = ~We shall see.~
@471  = ~Edwin, the color of your garment is exceptionally bright. I suggest that you cover it with a dark cloak, before every foe in this forest is informed of our arrival.~
@472  = ~A Red Wizard of Thay wears his robes proudly and cannot be persuaded to obscure them. (Must I explain everything to some elfling?)~
@473  = ~Even if they endanger the Red Wizard and his company?~
@474  = ~I am only in danger of being annoyed to death by your stupidity, elf. This forest contains no foes that I cannot take down with my awesomely powerful magic. As for the company - I have not yet traveled with a less fitting band of sidekicks and dull-wits.~
@475  = ~I do not give a fig if you live or die.~
@476  = ~Is that so? Edwin, I erred. Of course you should have your red robes as visible as possible. Such an intricate design, such cut!~
@477  = ~May I suggest that you walk in front of the group? Then all of us will have a chance to enjoy the view and to witness the display of your arts, should a pack of wolves or a group of bandits come our way.~
@478  = ~That won't be necessary. (What an idiot! But eating out of my palm. Hmm, I should invent some answer so not to appear a coward, and of course I am NOT a coward...) Humble as you all are compared to me, I do not wish to subject you to an excessive display of my greatness.~
@479  = ~I will fight along side with the rest.~
@480  = ~I feel honored. And a good thing it is that your robes are so... outstanding.~
@481  = ~Edwin, you are completely devoid of ethics and morals. You display all the sins ascribed to my kin, combined with those of the human race: lust for power, arrogance developed from fear of your own imperfection, the cowardice of an ephemeral creature, a tongue which spouts lies.~
@482  = ~You should keep your views to yourself, Kivan. Maybe then people will start taking you seriously instead of pitying you.~
@483  = ~I loathe your company, wizard... and my eyes are too sensitive to stand your presence. Was it in a crow's nest that you acquired your taste for bright colors and glimmering golden trinkets?~
@484  = ~Fool elf, my look and style are perfect. I am sure that you have no clue. Just look at those colors you are wearing! Mud with dust. And you dare to suggest an imbalance in my ensemble?~
@485  = ~Imbalance? Have you been befriending druids, perchance, Edwin?~
@486  = ~You do not suggest seriously that I might pay attention to anything the tree-hugging rabble has to say?~
@487  = ~Oh, forgive me, Edwin. Indeed, you are the sort who listens to his own voice exclusively. Then you must have come up with a concept of the world's balance on your own.~
@488  = ~I have an intelligent concept of the world's balance. (Do I even dare to hope that someone can understand a scheme so perfectly devised?)~
@489  = ~With yourself as the Supreme Ruler of the World?~
@490  = ~Well, this simple yet insightful supposition from your part leads me to believe you are not as hopelessly foolish as I originally thought.~
@491  = ~Shall we continue this conversation another day, perhaps? I am in no mood for jokes right now.~
@492  = ~Look, it is an almarol cedar. Seedling, how did you come to grow so far from home? Do you mark the grave of a lonely traveler like me?~
@493  = ~Dare not touch that branch, elf! If you are in need to break anything, break your arm!~
@494  = ~I think it will take you slightly beyond your field of expertise, however.~
@495  = ~I do not mind that, elf. I know that the fair folk's perception of nature is different than that of other races. I expect a twist.~
@496  = ~Faldorn, your cunning in protecting all things living is commendable, but it is misdirected. I am but enjoying the scent of the plant, which is common in my homeland, and is rare outside it.~
@497  = ~Whatever, just don't you harm it!~
@498  = ~*dreamily* I once cut a branch of it to put it in the betrothal wreath for my bride.~
@499  = ~*snorts* How typical! To hurt a plant for a moment's need, and then cast it away after it dried.~
@500  = ~The wreath I made, the wreath of Shilmista, does not wither, Faldorn, for as long as the lovers who made it are true to each other.~
@501  = ~I found it, Faldorn, after I returned... returned to where Deheriana and I were captured by the bandits. It was still green and fresh when I set it to the river waters, saying my farewells to her...~
@502  = ~How may I assist you, Imoen?~
@503  = ~Uhm? Oh, no, it's nothing. Only... only I caught a glimpse of your hands when you were shooting the bow. Wanted to see the elven technique and all.~
@504  = ~I would gladly train you, Imoen.~
@505  = ~Thanks. But I was thinking about those scars you have. That must have hurt so...~
@506  = ~An adventurer's road is a dangerous one, Imoen. You will receive wounds yourself sooner or later and once they heal there will be scars.~
@507  = ~You think I will have scars? I thought magical healing removes all traces. There are salves and potions...~
@508  = ~Imoen, any wound leaves a trace. *Kivan flexes his fingers.* I thought that I would never be able to shoot a bow, not the way my wrists were smashed, and my arms were burned by Tazok's men.~
@509  = ~I saw my own blackened bones... an ugly sight. Yet I can, though my fingers lost their former agility.~
@510  = ~Ewww... Kivan, I am sorry, I did not want to remind you...~
@511  = ~The memory is ever with me, Imoen. The body heals, but the deepest wounds, they will not close.~
@512  = ~*quietly* You mean the wounds inflicted onto a person's soul?~
@513  = ~Yes.~
@514  = ~Be careful, child. It is slippery here.~
@515  = ~Child! Me? Child? Hmmmph! I can't be so much younger than you! How old are you, anyway?~
@516  = ~I have seen two hundred and twenty four summers, Imoen.~
@517  = ~Two hundred... Wow, you ARE old!~
@518  = ~Now, that is music to my ears.~
@519  = ~Huh? Oh, well. Anyway, I am already twenty. Well, I will be on my next name day. That's in Kythorn... very soon. At least Gorion thought I might have been born in Kythorn.~
@520  = ~It is very fitting for a fair maiden to be born in the Time of Flowers.~
@521  = ~Jaheira, I have been wrong about you, and I want to apologize. Amin hiraetha... I'm sorry. I thought the criticism you bestow on everyone is a sign of bad temper. Then I noticed that you do it out of the love you have for your friends.~
@522  = ~Take <CHARNAME>... I have seen you exhibit almost motherly tenderness, yet it is also <CHARNAME> who gets the most of your... ahem... advice.~
@523  = ~I speak my mind freely, and I care for my friends. If someone is unhappy with that... well, that's their problem, not mine.~
@524  = ~Indeed. I guess what I wanted to say is that <CHARNAME> is lucky to have such a considerate guardian.~
@525  = ~Khalid and I had been entrusted with the care of <CHARNAME> long ago by Gorion, a man whom I respected deeply. We will never back away from our promise to him.~
@526  = ~<CHARNAME>'s own qualities are exceptional, but the child requires guidance, and that we are willing to give.~
@527  = ~You called <CHARNAME> a child. Why? I believe <PRO_HESHE> has come of age.~
@528  = ~Indeed. Yet I still remember <CHARNAME>, bursting into the Friendly Arm Inn, seeking out Khalid and I. An inexperienced novice, lost and scared... rather different than now, I must admit. Proper tutelage does wonders.~
@529  = ~However, old habits die hard, and now and then I do forget that the child is grown.~
@530  = ~It is an understandable slip of the tongue. Especially since <CHARNAME> grew up so rapidly and so irreversibly.~
@531  = ~*sighs* Shilmista is the most beautiful place in the world...~
@532  = ~Elf, all the forests are equally beautiful.~
@533  = ~You are right, of course, Jaheira, but my homeland... my homeland feels different. After travelling far and wide I shall consider a blade of grass from Shilmista a thing of wonder. There are true miracles in Shilmista, as well.~
@534  = ~By miracles do you mean that dandelions grow in the Forest of Shadows, as well as grass?~
@535  = ~No, that is not what I meant, Jaheira.~
@536  = ~Have you ever heard of Syldritch Trea, Jaheira? The sentinel grove of Shilmista?~
@537  = ~No, but I think that I am about to hear about it. What specimens of trees compose that grove?~
@538  = ~Ancient oaks, Jaheira. When my people are in danger, they can be wakened and then they fight alongside elves.~
@539  = ~It is... very interesting.~
@540  = ~King Elbereth and his human friend, priest Cadderly, called the trees to our side, when we fought an invading army of orcs and goblins led by evil Talona followers.~
@541  = ~You have witnessed this?~
@542  = ~Yes, I have fought alongside with the trees of my forest, Jaheira. I will never forget it, no matter how far I am from home.~
@543  = ~Why must we emulate the ways of the dwarven folk by crawling about these warrens?~
@544  = ~'Cause it's better than crawling under trees, like some pointy-eared worms.~
@545  = ~What does a blind mole know of a forest?~
@546  = ~Look, the slanted-eyed boy is cranky! Run to your wet nurse, elf.~
@547  = ~Dwarf, with a face like yours it is not surprising that your kin hides from the sunlight. Woe is me, for I have night vision, and I am obliged to see your ugliness even now.~
@548  = ~That can be fixed. I will be all too happy to rip your eyes out, tree-hugging scum!~
@549  = ~Lle naa belegohtar... you are a mighty warrior, Khalid.~
@550  = ~Oh, Kivan, thank you, but... that is not t-true. I am not a mighty warrior, really. I... I am still trying to cope... to cope...~
@551  = ~I know what you are going through, mellonamin, for I had been broken once myself. You will heal in time.~
@552  = ~As for your skills, allow me to judge for myself. I have seen you in battle, and I do not doubt your prowess. I wish you would put aside your doubts.~
@553  = ~I am d-doing what I can, that's all. My hand was once s-steadier. Perhaps I am f-finally gaining back some of m-my former ability.~
@554  = ~Lle ume quel, Khalid. You do well, Khalid.~
@555  = ~Th-thank you!~
@556  = ~Minsc, who was your mentor, when you started on your pass as a ranger?~
@557  = ~Minsc doesn't remember much of his training. Boo says it was a tiny person who taught him, but a great man at that.~
@558  = ~Compared to you, most humans and elves are small in stature, and compared to Boo, they are all great.~
@559  = ~True! Minsc is large and strong! But my mentor was really small... Boo says he was a gnome.~
@560  = ~That would be the first gnome among rangers I hear of. Was he a Rashemi? Do you remember his name?~
@561  = ~Name? It slipped my mind. Maybe Boo remembers it? But he was a great ranger, he could fire his longbow while riding downhill on his horse, while wielding his sharp longsword called Dragon Tooth.~
@562  = ~If he is a gnome, than he has amazing stamina.~
@563  = ~That's how he was, Kivan, that's how he was. Boo can vouch for my every word.~
@564  = ~Quayle, I need some silence. It would be very kind of you to...~
@565  = ~Silence is a gift, true. I remember my mentor, Gifos, used to tell me that to gift a man with a wise word is like giving him a silver coin, but to gift him with silence is to give him a gold piece.~
@566  = ~You mentor was a wise man.~
@567  = ~You think so? Well, he was just an uneducated oaf compared to me. That's why we had to part. I was overshadowing him, the apprentice who outgrew his master and all that... What were we talking about?~
@568  = ~About silence being a precious commodity. I am starting to suspect that its value increases threefold with you around, gnome.~
@569  = ~Oh, silence, yes. I once wrote a manuscript on silence. Do you want to hear an extract? Of course you want to... let me find it. It is somewhere in my pack.~
@570  = ~Do you have a flask of air, perchance, in your pack, as well?~
@571  = ~A flask of air? Why have you a need of air? I mean, even a person of not such high intelligence as I can figure out that there is a great deal of air all around us...~
@572  = ~I calculated that at the rate you are using up the air with your unstoppable chattering, we will have to lock some away for breathing purposes in three days.~
@573  = ~In three days? Are you sure? I will need to recheck those calculations of yours. What equation did you use? Are you sure that storing air will solve the problem?~
@574  = ~Oh, I think there is a far easier way to solve this puzzle.~
@575  = ~May I inquire why are you giggling, m'lady?~
@576  = ~I thought... oh, never mind... You will laugh...~
@577  = ~Ranger's honor, I will not.~
@578  = ~I thought that you... you might be Shaundakul's avatar. You are tall, and handsome, and dark-haired. You are dressed in the plain leather, and you step lightly...~
@579  = ~And my tattered cloak swirls around me, as if I am standing on the crossroad where the Twelve Winds meet. Do I look blurry, Skie?~
@580  = ~No, not really. You look very much flesh and blood to me. *blushes*~
@581  = ~I am glad to hear that. People often call me a ghost as of late.~
@582  = ~Skie? What do you think you are doing?~
@583  = ~Why, Eldoth dear, I am talking to Kivan.~
@584  = ~Eldoth, I dislike the tone you are using.~
@585  = ~Dislike what you want, wood elf! Come along, Skie, lest you acquire this barbarian's stench.~
@586  = ~Oh, Eldoth, you are jealous! That's so sweet... Please, stop being a grouch. You know that I love you and only you!~
@587  = ~You have to learn to appreciate how lucky you are to have me, Skie. Or one day you might lose me.~
@588  = ~I do know, please, believe me! I am so happy with you!~
@589  = ~*quietly* It is not my place to intervene.~
@590  = ~My Lady Silvershield, may I offer you a word of practical advice?~
@591  = ~*giggles* It's about Eldoth, isn't it? Everybody is so very generous with advice about Eldoth. Why, I will need a Bag of Holding soon to carry it 'round.~
@592  = ~No, it is not about Eldoth, it is about your cloak, my lady. Its cut-~
@593  = ~*blushes* -is soooo last year. You have a sharp eye, elf. But you see, I had no time at all to pack with <CHARNAME> and Eldoth coming rushing in through the doors like a thunderstorm to rescue me... Oh, so exciting!~
@594  = ~I meant that its cut is not suitable for a person on the road. It is too short to protect you from rain, and it is too thin to ward off cold. While we are in the city, maybe you can acquire a cloak of good stout wool.~
@595  = ~Oh, I saw those ones. But they all are so... brown.~
@596  = ~*smiles privately* I am sure, that if you asked, m'lady, they would have shown you some in "adventurer's brown", "Cormanthyr green" and "road mud brown"~
@597  = ~Hmmm... "adventurer's brown" sounds interesting. Maybe I'll take another look.~
@598  = ~I wonder, Tiax, if you are familiar with the history of the drow nation?~
@599  = ~Great Tiax is familiar with every piece of lore on Faerun.~
@600  = ~Then you should have noticed that you have an ambition similar to those of the Tel'gothrim.~
@601  = ~Drow are nothing! Great Tiax spits on the drow! They will bow to Tiax when their turn comes!~
@602  = ~Yingil, should you meet a drow, you won't live to tell the tale. I only keep you alive, for I have never seen a fool wearing motley with such readiness. Beware the moment I tire of your japes.~
@603  = ~Tiax, drow are bred to lust for power and are shy of no means to achieve it. Yet all Tel'gothrim achieved over the course of thousands of years is the existence in the bowels of Toril. What gives you hope that you shall succeed?~
@604  = ~Cyric will grant mighty Tiax all the world, once the time is right!~
@605  = ~What can Cyric offer that Lloth cannot?~
@606  = ~Silence! Do not argue with the Great Tiax! All traitors! All conspire against the greatness that is Tiax!~
@607  = ~Ah, I see... madness. Lle naa haran e' nausalle nogoth... You are a King in your imagination, gnome.~
@608  = ~Your devotion to Cyric makes me doubt your trustworthiness.~
@609  = ~Blind fool! Can you not see that to forsake Cyric is to invite your own destruction!? When Tiax rules, the land shall be covered with the graves of those who would not repent of their false deities!~
@610  = ~Nay, Tiax shall not even allow them graves, for their stupidity would contaminate the earth itself! The unfaithful shall be torn limb from limb and cremated before the eyes of Tiax's loyal slaves, that they might learn the cost of rebellion!~
@611  = ~That you share your god's insanity makes you all the more pitiful. Keep your distance from me, for though <CHARNAME> may wish to have dealings with you, I do not.~
@612  = ~Tiax has noted your disobedience. When Tiax rules, you shall be dragged behind his chariot as a trophy of his victory! All hail Tiax, for none shall live save those who serve him! That, oh ye pointy-eared fool, does *not* include YOU!~
@613  = ~You cannot even talk like a creature of light, Viconia. Foul words, threats and a snake's hiss - that's all you can produce. Funny it is that once I questioned my mentor if an Elven race can possibly walk the ways so different than the rest of the Corellon Larethian's children.~
@614  = ~You were taught lies, darthiir. My nation was unjustly persecuted by your self-righteous kin. Lloth gave us the escape we needed, and a life in the world far gentler than your accursed surface.~
@615  = ~You were taught lies, Drow. Your people got corrupted into a race of merciless killers.~
@616  = ~Is that so, iblith? When I walk the surface openly, I am chased everywhere. The only reason they cry for my blood is that I am a black elf, and you call *me* a merciless killer?~
@617  = ~Yes, and I have my reasons. But I will not speak of it now, Viconia. We have already kept the rest waiting for far too long. I wish not for someone to suspect that I have befriended such scum as you.~
@618  = ~*quietly* I have seen a small settlement, savaged by drow once. I saw a girl no older than ten years, clutching a stuffed doll, her throat opened by a drow's blade.~
@619  = ~A female is a formidable opponent, no matter how old. Do you ask a goblin if he is fully grown before thrusting your spear through its heart?~
@620  = ~There was a drow soldier, laying by her side, his armor and cruel weapons turned to dust by the rays of the noon sun. He was killed by a single thrust of a dagger through the back of his neck, a dagger which had also turned to dust.~
@621  = ~My captain told me that it was not unusual for a drow to murder his own out of envy or to promote himself.~
@622  = ~You do not understand the ways of my people, Kivan, and no amount of explanation on my part will make it clear. Kivan, among the drow, there is a powerful drive to gain glory through the favor of the Spider Queen... Nothing has greater precedence in their thought ~
@623  = ~Custom cannot change an evil thing into a good one. Viconia, you could have been in the party that destroyed the village I am talking about, could you not?~
@624  = ~*hisses* Foolish iblith! I was of the House DeVir, the Fourth House of Menzoberranzan and I am jalil: a female. I would not have *been* in the raiding party! If anything I would have *lead* it!~
@625  = ~Then do not say that you are persecuted unjustly by the surfacers, Viconia.~
@626  = ~Drow, I am not pleased by you standing so close to me. Move away.~
@627  = ~So, the elf male is rude! Were we in Menzoberranzan, I'd beat you to death for a tenth of this insult. No, I'd cut out your tongue first, and make you eat it, piece by piece, choking on your own blood and flesh.~
@628  = ~*chuckles* I would have liked very much to see that.~
@629  = ~But you would not dare even look at me there, let alone speak to me in such a manner. You would crawl by my feet and beg for my attention!~
@630  = ~We are not in Menzoberranzan. And I have no desire-~
@631  = ~Ha! Do you even know what desire is? The longer I watch you, the firmer my conviction becomes that you are no man's friend and no woman's lover. Fury and emptiness you are, and nothing more.~
@632  = ~Think what you want, vile beast. I questioned once <CHARNAME>'s decision to accept you as a companion, and I will question it again, once given the chance.~
@633  = ~You forget yourself, Kivan. Is it your place to *question* your leader's decisions? I'll make sure that <CHARNAME> learns of this and then-~
@634  = ~And then <CHARNAME> would torture me to death... were we in Menzoberranzan. But we are not in the Underdark, Viconia, and <CHARNAME> is no Matron Mother.~
@635  = ~So shut your teeth! If you wish to keep your life, you will restrain yourself from further approaching me. I have no love for your kind, and Shevarash would bless me if I freed the world of your existence.~
@636  = ~I went to the Flaming Fist quarters the other day, Viconia.~
@637  = ~One as mindless as you should easily find employment with them. Perhaps they will even make you a captain?~
@638  = ~It is not for my sake that I went there.~
@639  = ~Then that would be the first thing, darthiir, that you've done for someone other than yourself, your dead wife, or your foolish god. Don't tell me you, too, have adopted that tedious surface habit of "caring".~
@640  = ~*quietly* Viconia, you cannot be further from the truth. I learned that you stand accused of a murder... That is why the Flaming Fist was after you. You cannot ignore it! You have to confess your crime or prove your innocence to the authorities.~
@641  = ~Pah! And for a moment I thought you spoke of something serious. You dare berate me, a jalil, for the sake of some petty human... and a jaluk at that!~
@642  = ~So you did kill him!~
@643  = ~What makes you so sure? Me being a drow? Drop your eyes, jaluk, whatever you believe! Are you going to run back to the mercenaries, then? Am I to be brought to your "justice", Kivan? You know that <CHARNAME> will be considered my accomplice.~
@644  = ~Have you no honor at all? Would you point at <CHARNAME> who gave you shelter, witch?~
@645  = ~Ha! To think that the same ancient blood flows in our veins, darthiir...~
@646  = ~The thought that we share the same ancient blood makes me want to open my veins, Viconia, and purge my body...~
@647  = ~Oh, but that would be a mortal sin for a darthiir, if I'm not mistaken. Death... if that's what you want, I'd be glad to be of assistance...~
@648  = ~Do not think I cannot see what you are trying to do, drow? You say you do not serve Lloth, but the tenets you are setting are of her design.~
@649  = ~Mind your own business, jaluk.~
@650  = ~What lies are you telling our companions?~
@651  = ~I tell no lies! Not all are as narrow minded as you, darthiir. I wish to learn more of the surfacers, and so I speak to those who would listen.~
@652  = ~You learned enough of the surfacers, Viconia. You learned that they have mercy and they pity those whom they think a victim of unfair persecution. Not that you yourself understand what that is, but you are using it quite well to your own ends.~
@653  = ~Is it so? Am I not hunted by the surfacers? Do they not wish to kill me?~
@654  = ~You are not innocent, drow.~
@655  = ~Why would not you strike me then? Or kill me? Why won't you do to me what those bandits did to your wife? Did Deheriana anger them too somehow? Did they dislike her manners?~
@656  = ~Stop it! Do not... do not sully her name! If you only try to use our companion's trust to harm anyone...~
@657  = ~I tire from your pathetic threats, darthiir. *spits* Empty threats.~
@658  = ~It is overcast, and it seems that the world is mourning my lost Deheriana with me.~
@659  = ~It is mourning our unhappy prospects. A shadow lies on my heart, Kivan, and I have a foreboding that we will not live to see another sunrise. Then you will rejoin with Deheriana in Arvandor, and I shall pass without trace into the night - in the best case, that is.~
@660  = ~Melancholy cloaks you tightly, mellonamin. Can I offer you a sip from my wineskin to lift your spirit somewhat? I am in need of that myself tonight, to be honest. It is certainly not Elverquisst, but it has a pleasant enough taste and does the job.~
@661  = ~There are worse things one can do afore his death than drink in a good company. Let us try that elixir of yours.~
@662  = ~They say it is not good to drink in silence. What do you think about this, Xan?~
@663  = ~I was pondering if I should be buried with a wine stain on my tunic. An uneasy thought. Another sip, perhaps?~
@664  = ~Let me tell you, Xan, that wine stain on your tunic... it is not... not going to be lonely... in your burial mound! *laughs*~
@665  = ~Seems that it... it got a litt'le friend! He-he. But I am not going to give them pleasure, and die tomorrow. Oh, no! I am so much smarter than this! I am gonna live for another century! Kivan, how did that wineskin get so light of a sudden?~
@666  = ~I think... it is a good plan, Xan. What is the point to die tomorrow, when there are so many pleasures yet... ? You know... girls... songs... wine...~
@667  = ~You got it right, mellonamin. How did it go? Live fast... die young... and something about good-looking corpse... I can make a good-looking corpse... once I die of the ripe age, that is...~
@668  = ~Kivan, what you say we... we quit that aimless roaming in the woods and ride ahead? Two carefree men, a sword in hand, a song on our lips... mayhap some wench to bed...~
@669  = ~Jolly good idea, Xan! Only about the girl... I do not know... I do not think... I should... You do not happen to remember? Am I married, or something?~
@670  = ~Xzar, what you say is generally devoid of meaning, but if you take to mumbling as well, then you cannot hope to convey your ideas at all.~
@671  = ~Eh? Did I say that? No, you misunderstood. It is another question altogether I have for you.~
@672  = ~I am listening.~
@673  = ~You know! You know what I want to say! You are one of them, elves!~
@674  = ~I am an elf, correct.~
@675  = ~Mystra... Mystra does not stand between the elves and the Magic Weave... Elves take what magic they want. How, Kivan, how?~
@676  = ~I cannot offer you an opinion on the subject, Xzar. I am not proficient in the Arts.~
@677  = ~Bah! Can't weave, doesn't sing, and cares not a whit for squirrels! I *do* hope that the next elf we catch is a more typical specimen.~
@678  = ~I am afraid that your concept of elvenkind is at odds with reality.~
@679  = ~Ooh! I think I am about to die. Strange, death is so close, and it does not scare me a single bit. No, it is not death... Kivan? Kivan, are you trying to pretend to be a *gray* elf? *tries to laugh* Ooooh!~
@680  = ~Mellonamin, my complexion is the last thing that I am worried about right now... I am more concerned about my ability to fight.~
@681  = ~*moans* Do I still remember my spells? Ooooh! Does not matter... my magic only delays the inevitable destruction of this group.~
@682  = ~I think you were looking through your spellbook, Xan, but I cannot be sure... I cannot remember much from the last night, and I suspect it is for the best.~
@683  = ~Elves! Bah! Went all queasy after a glass of wine. Heh! A single sip of dwarven ale and you'd be dead. Hah!~
@684  = ~'Tis strange that ye had such a strong reaction to the wine. I've drunk more wine than that and not got tipsy. When I really want to drink, I go fer dwarven ale!~
@685  = ~*moans* Oh, no...~
@686  = ~That is certainly not... possible.~
@687  = ~Me tools o' trade, ranger. Ye go 'bout yer business 'n' leave me ta mine.~
@688  = ~What sort of being are you to own tools invented by dark minds to inflict pain on the unfortunate?~
@689  = ~Pfeh! They was last used in th' 'peelin' o' taters fer dinner last night. So don't fret yerself; ye'd make such a sorry, sour meal, I would nay wanna dull the edge on ye.~
@690  = ~I am not unfamiliar with the feeling of these tools against my body.~
@691  = ~And still yappin' so? Not *these* tools, then.~
@692  = ~All this is going into the fire, and I am going to keep a very close eye on you...~
@693  = ~No, ye don't! Ye'll be at the fires first yerself, elf!~
@694  = ~<CHARNAME>, wake up! The halfling keeps a set of torture tools. Are you blind, or are you devoid of morals?~
@695  = ~Stow it, <CHARNAME>! Yer new 'friend' here be takin' a sickly interest in me gear.~
@696  = ~Nought more nor other 'n' what I been doin'. Yer elf be havin' a fit fer hisself, though.~
@697  = ~You are a fair commander, <CHARNAME>.~
@698  = ~Elf disease be catchin', I see. C'mon, Xzar. Let's go afore we starts huggin' trees 'n' shovin' dinner up our arses like these here.~
