Skeletons in the Closet

[Larando]

The Family History

Rydell de'Kaun grew up a Thayan, did well at his studies, but never bothered trying to become a Red Wizard. He was far too happy-go-lucky for that. He met and married his wife, Harianna, then settled down and had two kids - Johr, their son and eldest and Mindiz, their lovely yet fiercely headstrong daughter. Harianna was a mild-mannered, self-respecting woman who tended her home and tried her hardest to keep her husband and two children in check. Rydell and Harianna both had a knack for spellcasting which they used for the family business. They would buy good quality, mundane clothing and items and imbue them with magic and turn them over for profit. There was much prosperity and happiness in the family.

Rydell soon learned through his dealings with shady customers that there were other ways to make even more money for those who had the stomach for it. He was, of course, a good guy and never hurt anyone at all. But, the money that could be made selling black-market items was enough to drive him into the darker corners of society. He was good at what he did. He could nab about anything that would fit in a small bag right out from under the owner's eyes.

It started out as a small-scale operation. A ring here and a bracelet there - but then greed started to seep through and managed to grasp onto Rydell's heart with a stranglehold. He started stealing magical items, rods and staves and the like. Eventually, he landed a bigger prize than he could ever have dreamed. He had pinched a scroll. This wasn't some simple spell scroll. This one had the smell of a great and powerful magic.

It didn't take long for word to get around of what Rydell had managed to do. And, Red Wizards being what Red Wizards are, they tend to have eyes and ears in many places including, if not especially, the darker circles. When a mage of any significant power has something stolen from them, they tend to expend a great many recourses to search out and retrieve their property (and many times the tax they decide on it).

After catching word of the impending doom to the de'Kaun family, Rydell and Harianna were forced to take flight with their family. They spent a couple of years ducking away here and there until finally the money they had saved up was almost spent up. They exhausted the last of their resources to get to Halruaa where they resettled and had their final child, a son named Larando.

[Larando]

Life in Halruaa

The years spent in Halruaa were prosperous for the de'Kaun family. Rydell was able to make a living that would support his family imbuing trinkets and items of various types, this time under an alias - Vundar. Harianna took only a small part in the business as she had absorbed much of her time wrangling her two teenage children and her newest child. Larando had his mother's heart wrapped around his finger. She saw him as sort of a token of a fresh start on a new life not plagued with brigands and hoods skulking about.

Johr, the oldest of the three children didn't seem to mind as he was coming of age to move out on his own, anyway. He stayed to his studies when he wasn't out with his friends or at his father's shop helping with the family business. Mindiz, the second oldest of the three and the only daughter, had a far different view on their new little brother. She found it to be too cumbersome to help her mother care for her ungrateful infant brother. In her eye he was sub-par because he wasn't born a Thayan. She still longed to be back in Thay with the friends she had grown up with. Like her mother, she also saw the new child as a token of a new life. Unlike her mother though, it was not a thing that found pleasure in her eyes.

It didn't take her long to realize that making a few "careless" mistakes while caring for the baby worked well to get her removed from that task altogether. She didn't, however, realize that this would work against her in that Harianna's time would become completely absorbed with the care of Larando. This became a cancer eating at her until she became as dark on the inside as the midnight darkness.

The years went by filled with constant squabbles between Mindiz and Larando stemming from the relentless torturing Mindiz would put her younger brother through. Johr had moved out and started a business of his own. And Rydell, now going by Vundar, was oblivious to the household goings-on of the siblings as his time was exhausted with providing a living for the family. Try as she might, Harianna had only limited success keeping the fighting to a minimum. When Larando was finally old enough to go out and play with his friends, it became a much quieter house as Mindiz had nobody to torture. Unfortunately, Mindiz never bothered to make new friends, so she was always available to start the squabblings anew when Larando would return from his day of playing.

[Larando]

Coming of Age

Mindiz left home in her late teens, but fell to a life of crime and drugs. She would come home from time to time, but never more than a couple of weeks before she would leave out again. There was much speculation as to how she survived, and much heartache over that speculation. Johr helped her as much as he could offering her work, but she was, by far, his most undependable employee.

On her stints at home, she would resume the torture of Larando as her despise of him never relinquished. The difference this time being that she had discovered her innate ability to use magic, and with only a minimal study, she was quite the master of it.

It was all Harianna could do to protect her son from Mindiz's relentless attacks. Rydell, or Vundar as he was known, had made some trinkets to protect his family for fear that Mindiz would eventually use spells that were actually dangerous. He made a ring for Harianna and a bracer for Larando. This seemed to work for a long time. Mindiz would get frustrated and give up quickly.

Things seemed to be smoothing out until Mindiz became powerful enough of a mage to surpass the magic on the items of protection worn by her mother and younger brother. Rydell, for the first time since he had left Thay, used some of his more powerful magic to subdue his daughter and with great pain, banished her from his home forever.

This obviously did not go well with Mindiz. But, for the first time in her memory, she saw the true power of her father and new that she had no choice but to leave. Johr, having heard of the happenings refused to allow her to work for him anymore. Mindiz disappeared for a long time.

Larando, on the other hand, blossomed without his sister around to frustrate him. Harianna spent a great deal of time teaching Larando what she new of magic. And when he reached his later teens, he would go and spend his days with Rydell crafting and imbuing trinkets, excelling in his mastery of minor spells and cantrips.

And so was the way of things for Larando. He would spend time studying with his mom, learn from helping his dad, and from time to time learn from his brother by helping him. Helping Johr turned out to be quite the treat for Larando as his brother had always seemed indifferent to him. They didn't really form a healthy relationship, but Johr tolerated Larando and took time to teach him new things. And, that was enough for Larando. His life was coming together nicely.

[Larando]

->To the City<-

There was a great to-do in the de'Kaun house the day Larando recieved word that he had been accepted to one of the schools In Halarahh. Learning with his parents had been great for him. They were both well versed in arcane arts and both had a mind for teaching. But, there comes a point where it takes long studied wizards to continue the education of a young pupil. It was some small surprise that Larando had been accepted, considering he had had no formal training. But, after an unannounced visit to Rydell's shop and some careful questions asked by an agent of the school, they decided he had had enough training to pick up where they began teaching.

Rydell couldn't be more excited or more proud of his son. Johr had never had any intentions of furthering his education. He was content with what he did. And Rydell was only slightly disappointed in that. Johr had always been the apple of his father's eye. But this monumentous moment for the de'Kaun family was a pinacle moment for Rydell.

Things were a little diferent for Harianna. Larando was her baby. She had spent more time and energy protecting him than she had anything else. But, all the same, she sent her best wishes with him. She knew Larando wanted to be more than just a trinket maker or shopkeep. And he was absorbed with his studies. Yes, she thought, He'll make a fine wizard some day.

With a few sad farewells to friends and family, Larando headed out to face the world. He moved to the capitol city of Halruaa, Halarahh. It wasn't a large city by any stretch. But having close to eight thousand people living there, it was larger than anything Larando had seen.

This is a wonderful city! He thought. He had never seen such sights of magic. There weer towers all about the place covered in beautiful coral (though he only learned what that was afterwards). One tower even seemed to be floating. He noticed large boats floating in the air as if they were floating in the water (he later learned that they were called skyships). Everything was lit up. It was a sight to behold. Even being such a small city, here was sure there was nothing like save for in Thay at least from how my parents describe it, he thought.

This was an exciting time for Larando. He would spend much of his time enjoying life in Halarahh, as it was an easy place to enjoy life. There seemed to always be a festival of some sort down at the Dockside Square. So, when he'd finish his studies (as he was a very dedicated pupil), he would wander out into the city to sight-see and visit with people, some total strangers. It was the kind of place that would make a person feel that comfortable.

[Larando]

->Affairs of the Heart<-

It was on one of his strolls through the Dockside Square that he stumbled into (literaly) a lovely young Bre'leahn (Bre for short). It was quite the comical encounter as they both ended up on the ground and laughing. It was an instant friendship. As fortune would have it, she was enrolling in the same school that Larando was in. So, it made it easy for them to become close. Their friendship quickly became a strong one. They would go for strolls through the city, go to festivals together and even take trips out to the countryside together. They were the best of friends overnight.

Of course, it didn't take long for them to fall in love. With the amount of time they would spend together, it would have been hard for them not to fall for one another. Bre had a great aptitude for the school of Illusion. Even in her other studies, she excelled beyond most of her class (even the class ahead of her). She had been a pupil at one of Halruua's better schools groing up, which served her natural aptitude very well. She was also good at explaining the diferent aspects that she understood about the arcane arts. This only worked to strengthen Larando's relationship with Bre as that part of the relationship mimicked that of his relationship with his mother and her tutelage.

After a year and a half of being nearly grafted at the hip and utterly inseparable, Larando asked Bre to marry him. She, of course, said yes. And the next six months were spent in wedding preparations and correspondence with family and friends. It was quite stressful for them (moreso for Larando), but they were determined and, more importantly, they were so deeply in love that they couldn't imagine life any other way. It helped that they were both dedicated to staying with their studies, also. They would both be powerful wizards (though Bre seemed as if she was going to be by far more powerful, which Larando didn't really mind).

A new chapter was about to unfold in Larando's life. One which included Bre and he was a very happy man for it.

[Larando]

->A Chance Meeting<-

At almost two weeks until the weeding, Larando and Bre decided to take a small break from everything to just enjoy themselves and life. The stresses of arranging a wedding with two families that were from different places (and neither from Halarahh) had taken a toll on them. So, they took a short trip to a small cottage in the countryside just outside of town owned by one of the wizards that instructed at the school. The wizard offered a generous bargain price for the small excursion as she was quite fond of the couple.

This was just what the lovebirds needed: some time away from everything to relax and have fun. There was a small pond which Bre spent a great deal of her time fishing. While fishing wasn't so much Larando's thing, he would sit by the pond with Bre and study the different types of birds through an awkward, if efficient, looking glass that he'd picked up in Halarahh close to a year ago.

There was little time spent in the country cottage as there was so much to do out and around the place. Larando had tried his hand at splitting wood for the stove and fireplace. He was successful, but it told him that he'd never be able to live in a place like this. Oh, a visit is quite nice. But, I'll not be doing this daily, he thought as he rubbed the soreness out of his arms and shoulders. Although, once he complained about it and Bre began rubbing his arms, shoulders and back he thought, well, you know...it's not all bad. He also tried his hand at hunting (which made him even more appreciative of Bre's company as she was far more skilled than he even at hunting!).

Bre, being the adventurous person that she was, always bugged Larando about taking walks down through the countryside. Larando was content to stay within sight of the cottage as his sense of adventure paled in comparison to his fiancées roaming heart. But, he realized that these differences were what made them work so well together. And instead of fight it, he would cherish her and suffer the small things. Besides, he loved to watch her. He would often just stare at her when they would go on walks and wonder, Just what could she possibly see in me?

It was on one of these walks (a particularly long walk) that they stumbled across another cottage. Bre had never met a stranger. Larando mostly kept to himself, but she could talk to anyone, anytime. So, it was no surprise when she blurted out "Ooh, neighbors! Let's go see what kind of people live out here, Larando! Maybe some day I'll let you buy my a country cottage if we have nice neighbors!" She had a playful voice and loved to grate on his introversion. Upon his protest (which he knew was futile), she quickly urged him along with that wink and smile that always seemed to melt right through to the inner-most part of his being.

Larando, very uncomfortably, led the approach to the house. He scouted as much as he could looking for signs of angry residents and furthermore was really missing that looking glass that he left at their own cottage. It seemed a quiet place if not particularly well-kept. That brought an audible chuckle as he realized how absurd it would be to be terribly concerned what others thought of your yard way out here. Bre gave him a very questioning look to which he just waved a dismissive hand. They had made it all the way up to the back of the house and around to the front door without so much of a peep. Larando couldn't decide if this made him relieved or more nervous. Coincidently, not know whether to be more nervous or more relived only served to make him more nervous.

Standing there for what seemed an eternity, Larando finally knocked gently on the door. There was no sound from within. Resolved that he was going to knock one final time and leave, he reached up and just as he was about to gently knock on the door again, Bre pushed past him and rapped on the door with all the quietness of thunder. If the sudden loud noise wasn't enough to make Larando almost puke from nervousness, the fact that the door came ajar was. There he stood looking into the room of a cottage in which he had no business being at.

With that he turned to Bre (with her cheeks blazing red), and waved for them to be gone. She didn't seem as eager to stay as she had been to come here in the first place for she quickly turned and scurried to the corner of the house and rounded it. Larando was quick on her heels. When they rounded the back corner that lead to the trail back to their own cottage, the worst thing Larando could have imagined happening, did just that.

It all seemed to unravel before Larando could really process the information. He saw Bre spin to the side and almost as if she had split in two and fall in different directions. It took Larando to realize there was a second woman on the ground that had fallen the other direction. They had, apparently rounded the corner at the same time and collided. Bre was agile and quickly recovered. In fact, she was almost back to her feet when Larando pieced all the puzzle together. Which was a good thing, because when Larando's eyes met those of the newcomer, his knees almost buckled from underneath him. Bre managed to catch a semi-collapsing Larando as she started to offer an apology. But, she stopped as she realized the woman had an intense gaze locked on her fiancé.

"What are the odds that you would show up here...and in such timely fashion?" Mindiz's voice made Larando want to puke all over again. He knew this wasn't going to end well, but he was powerless to stop it, and speechless to offer any warning to Bre who had shifted her gaze to him and back to Mindiz. "I've been waiting a long time." Mindiz went on, her eyes never leaving Larando and never making an attempt to get up off the ground. "And I though I'd have to go all the way home for this!" She began to chuckle as she raised a hand and began muttering a spell.

For the second time in as many minutes, everything happened much faster than Larando could process the information. He never saw it, just felt it. He was forced into the side of the house with a jar that took his breath away momentarily. He realized that it wasn't the dark orb that Mindiz had shot from her hand, but Bre who had shoved him one way while jumping the other. Mindiz even seemed shocked by how fast the events were unfolding. It was in this brief moment of everyone being stunned that Bre shone through like a beacon. She was already uttering her own spell lifting both hands towards Mindiz, who had looked towards Larando obviously planning to continue focusing her assault on him.

Larando only caught a part of the words Bre was spouting, but it was enough to know she was using color spray. Larando screamed as it hit him and he lost all sight. It was only a minor relief that Mindiz shrieked at the same time as he had. He heard the shuffling of paper and already, Bre was rattling off another spell. He knew this one was invisibility. It was with a rather sudden revelation that he managed to figure out what was going on. She must've had an invisibility scroll stuck away and had sense enough to use it. Larando came to his senses rather quickly and began to recite his own invisibility which he had learned just three weeks prior.

As the last word left his mouth, he felt Bre's hand grab his wrist and pull him to his feet. Larando stumbled not being able to keep his feet very well, but Bre managed to keep them both up and moving. They held each others hands to the point of bringing pain for fear that if they lost grip, they would lose each other because of the invisibility. It didn't take long for the blindness to wear off and they were well into the woods when it did so. But, they didn't bother stopping until they were back at their own cottage. And even then, they only stopped long enough to gather their things and leave for Halarahh.

But, before they had cleared Mindiz's cottage, Larando had heard the screeching voice of a woman gone mad from her own hatred yell, "I will find you, again! Of that you can be sure! I won't rest until I do! And I will pay back our mother and father, as well!"

[Larando]

((going back and editting for gramar and links and such. ))

[Larando]

The Long Road Home

The events of that day set into motion a spiral of chaos for Larando. He was torn between his plans of forming a new family and his fears of losing his old family. For three days, he was a complete mess and Bre did all she could to comfort him. But he had remembered the look of hatred in Mindiz's eyes and he knew she was serious.

On the forth day, Bre told Larando that he should go and warn his family. That the wedding would be put off until he was sure they were safe. Much to her dismay, he refused to let her come along. His claim was that he would be back in time for the weeding, and he wanted her to be ready. He was resolved not to let this interrupt his plans to be wed.

Bre, of course, protested all the way up until the time he was packed and walking out the door. But, Larando was adamant in his decision. He would make the trip, warn them, and be back in time to make her his wife in the time they'd planned. And with that, he climbed awkwardly atop his horse and left Halarahh headed for home.

When he arrived in town, all was not as it should be. Unbeknown to Larando, Mindiz had thought he'd bolt to his parents to warn him (something she cursed her hasty words over). So, she left out that day afoot to try and get there as soon as possible. She first visited Johr hoping to rally a little support from him and use that as leverage. Maybe I can talk them into turning over the lout for me to deal with, she thought. Then, I'll give father a little something to remember me by. And that'll be that. To her aggravation, Johr was uninterested in helping her as he had become quite the family man, himself. In fact, he seemed rather content on try to stop her. "Is there no Thayan blood left in you?" She shrieked at him before laying out a couple of handy spells that enabled her escape. And escape, she did.

Her next stop was Rydell's shop. Mindiz knew she was far more powerful than he was. He wasn't one for bettering his station in life since leaving the wonders of Thay. She would storm in and it would be a simple thing. He wouldn't expect her, and she could drop him before he knew it was her. No, she thought, he really should know it is me. She had gone beyond the thoughts of just paying back a little pain on her bruised ego from the years earlier. Now she wanted him dead. And that's how things tend to work for those who slip into madness.

When she stormed in, she saw something she wasn't expecting: there, rummaging through the wears was another mage (obviously notable by his clothing), and her father was nowhere to be seen. She stopped for a few seconds to reevaluate her situation. She ran through a couple of scenarios in her head before she noticed the man studying her very intently. Just then Rydell emerged around the corner from the back room with a scroll in his hand. He offered a brief smile her way before turning back to the mage. As he opened his mouth, he looked back to Mindiz with a great deal of shock creeping across his face. The mage shifted his gaze to Rydell for only the shortest of moments, and then back to Mindiz before he started waving his arms a bit.

The fact that he didn't recognize her at first only served to anger Mindiz immediately beyond the point of reason (which she was certainly not far from in the first place). As she prepared to unleash her arcane fury upon Rydell, she suddenly realized that the mage was casting a silent spell. It was all she could do to leap behind a table for safety from the fireball that he hurled her way. Mindiz was not always so nimble, but the life she had lived in the country had made her many things that she was not before.

The ensuing arcane brawl was quite the spectacle. It was seem that there were very nearly matched in spellcasting ability. Where the mage seemed to excel beyond her was his metamagic. That's the problem with wizards, she chuckled to herself, exhilarated by her most worthy opponent, they're not so often straightforward in their casting. Rydell had almost immediately sought shelter as he knew he was far outmatched here. And he'd learned that a little wisdom goes a long way in knowing when to fight and when to run.

The wizard became bold as he realized he had a slight edge. He thought boldness would increase that edge. And, that was his fatal mistake. He let loose magic missiles as he marched across the gallery. She saw this as her golden opportunity (of which she was sure not to get another with this mage). She mumbled her shield spell from behind the desk she was currently using as a refuge. As he began casting a second round of magic missiles, she sprung over the desk and next to him with agility that the wizard obviously wasn't ready for, as he stumbled back a step from his last missile and cursed at his absentmindedness. It was too late, though. Mindiz was already working on her greater fireburst.

She could feel the power leave her body as she watched the fire leave her body at the same time. This spell was among her favorites. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as she watched that same power that left her body engulf everything around her in scorching flames. She couldn't have kept herself from smiling at that moment if she'd had to. It was the pinnacle of joy. The wizard was well within range of this blaze of power, and she cherished every moment of watching him incinerate by her spell. It didn't take long for the flames to diminish and the charred body of a once powerful mage reach the floor with a healthy thud to which Mindiz began to laugh aloud.

The realization of an arcane bout of fire is that the arena in which it is fought (if it's wood), will almost assuredly catch fire. And the more fire that is used, the more that will catch fire. Mindiz found herself in quite the situation. She had no idea where Rydell had scurried off to and, by the looks of things, she wasn't going to have time to look for him. But, if luck was ever on her side, it was now. Rydell was under a lot of stress to leave the building now, sense he had not done so when he probably should have.

A smile crept across Mindiz's face once again as she prepared one final spell. As she heaved the last fireball at his back, she was forced to turn and bail through a window to escape a collapsing roof. She was unhappy at not being able to watch the fireball actually hit her father, but she knew her spell was true and that it would find it's target. She jumped to her feet and moved to the alley as people were beginning to come up to the shop. It was all she could do not to cackle with great glee while making her way to another part of the town.

[Larando]

A Fatal Error-Part 1
((I know it's long, but all three parts should be read together))

There was quite the commotion within the de'Kaun family. Rydell had only barely escaped an almost certain death when he ducked through a door that led out the back way just as a ball of fire whirled past him. But, that wasn't enough to get him out of the shop unharmed. The back door was blocked, and he had to make his way to a window to manage his escape. This proved a more difficult task than he had planned. By this time, sections of the roof were collapsing everywhere. To further complicate things, he was not so nimble as he once was.

As he made his way to the window, a large roofing plank swung down and caught his shoulder with a loud crack that he was sure had broken at least one bone. He scrabbled to the window and heaved himself up onto the seal with the last of his strength and let himself fall over the side of it. If not for two young men watching the shop ablaze that managed to get to and catch Rydell, he most assuredly would have cause himself more injury upon his impact with the ground. Rydell was taken to a temple infirmary where he stayed bed-ridden for some time. Harianna all but moved in with her husband. And Johr visited frequently with his family.

When Larando arrived in town, he was appalled to learn what had happened. He had arrived to Mindiz fulfilling her promise...a promise he had vowed to stop. It was all so very surreal to him. He had never seen his family in any real danger. Sure, Mindiz had gone on arcane rants before and caused a lot of grief. But, she was never powerful enough to cause this level of destruction and injury. It took some time for all of this to settle in on Larando's mind.

After some time catching up with the family and filling them in on his previous encounter with Mindiz, Larando decided he would go to Rydell and Harianna's home and try to get some sleep. Sleep on the road is next to pointless, so he was exhausted to say the least. It was a mixed reunion of sorts with his old house. It brought back some warm memories which were quickly overshadowed by painful memories. Which, in turn (mix with lack of sleep), sent Larando into a dreadful state of paranoia.

The sun was down by now, so there was a great deal of darkness to use. He crept into the house, casting light on a single coin careful not to look at it and lose what little ability to see in the dark that he did have. He tossed the coin across the room glancing to either side as the light of the coin raced along the walls. There was no movement. All the same, he remained motionless waiting. There was something tugging at the back of his mind. Something he couldn't quite put his finger on. Mix in the right amount of paranoia, and Larando was almost catatonic.

It took him some time to muster up the courage to enter the house. Upon entering, he cast alarm at the entryway before closing the door and going deeper into the house. Larando spent a great deal of time investigating to ensure his safety. He left a lit coin in every room, so there would be no shadows to hide in. His paranoia had kicked in so bad that at one point he had heard his name being called. This sent him into an almost frantic state. And again he heard it. He felt as if he were trying to breathe underwater. The air just wouldn't seem to fill him lungs.

In his fit, he went to Rydell's scroll stash and began to rifle through them. Again, he thought he heard his name. His paranoia was getting the best of him, he though. Stop, he told himself,you're being ridiculous. With those words of wisdom and a couple of long, deep, relaxing breaths, he seemed to be regaining control. At least to the point the voices in his head stopped. Better doesn't always mean good. All of that still didn't serve to pull him away from that scroll box, which had never been any big secret before. Although, Larando thought to himself after having been into the box for some time, I don't remember this box ever without a lock on it. He could feel the paranoia rising up again. What if she was here, but is gone now? What if she knew where to find the scroll box? He quickly discarded that train of thought to the house now being empty save Rydell and Harianna. He did come across a ring that must've been crafted by Rydell and placed in the box for safe keeping which he placed in his pocket.

As he searched, though, another thought crossed his mind: Father said he had a scroll of great power that he came here from Thay with. What if she found it? Would she be able to use it? If not...would I be able to use it if I found it? That last question seemed to have a profound effect on the way Larando thought about using a spell of great power against his sister.

***

Mindiz watched from the cover of the bushes as the cloaked figure moved cautiously to the house. That has to be Larando, she thought as she watched him. She had been crouched in the bushes since the sun had gone down, which hadn't been long at this point. The person, she was almost certain was Larando now, moved to the door and opened it slowly. Then he cast light on something small enough that it almost must be a coin and toss it across the room. Witty, she thought, but a terrible waste of money.

He stood there for what seemed hours as she watched patiently. There was an urge driving her to obliterate him on the spot that she could barely control. Fortunate for her, there was a stronger urge that wanted to drive the young man out of his mind first. She bid her time, if somewhat impatiently.

Finally, he began to cast what she thought was alarm at the doorway before going in. How thoughtful of you, young wizard, she thought almost aloud. She had chalked their previous encounter up solely to dumb luck. Had they not unlegged me, they would both be dead. And that girl of his. She's a witty one. But, she slowly gaining some respect for him, now. He was thoughtful. And she should approach him with caution.

But, as for caution, that only went so far. Mindiz began casting a spell she'd been waiting so long to torment her brother with. She recited the words to whispering wind and sent the single word "Larando" in a soft, yet haunting tone. She almost doubled over stifling the would be cackle that welled up inside her. She waited for some time, then cast the spell again. She drifted into though about what madness must be in the young wizard's head by now. After another stretch of time, she cast it again. This time not so successful at suppressing the laughter. Though, it was hardly loud enough that anyone would hear.

[Larando]

A Fatal Error-Part 2
((I know it's long, but all three parts should be read together))

That's it! Larando thought snatching a loose paper from the box. There it was indeed. Larando had stumbled across the spell that had sparked this whole spiral so many years ago. He, of course, only knew a small amount of the lore behind the de'Kaun's hasty flight from the clutches of the Thayan wizard. He had no knowledge that his father had actually stolen. Only that he had acquired it just before they left Thay. He looked over the page, but the words didn't make much sense to him. He kept it close, all the same.

***

Mindiz waited for a long time (what seemed an eternity to her) before she tried anything else. This whispering wind spell was among her favorites for this sort of endeavor, so she stayed with it. Simple spells are simple spells. But, simple spells that work, are spells that work, she often applauded herself for such witty thoughts. But tonight there were far more important affairs at hand. She put all other thoughts aside save those that involved the utter emotional and physical destruction of the wizard who had plagued her existence since he was in swaddlings. With that, she began to cast whispering wind, again.

***

Larando lay in bed sweating and clutching the loose piece of paper tightly through most of the sleepless night. In his paranoia, he had convinced himself that Mindiz must be in the house. He kept hearing her voice in his head. Once, he heard her ask how their father was doing. So, there he lay with the door shut. His light spell had faded, and he couldn't concentrate enough to cast it. It was for this reason that he clung to a scroll so tightly. When Mindiz walks through the door (and he was absolutely convinced she would at some point), he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to cast a spell to save his life. He could read the words, though.
She'll come, he thought, she's likely in the next room, toying with me.

***

Mindiz had waited and tormented him as long as she cared to. It was time to finish this bane once and for all. As she began to rise, she noticed a figure coming up the road. Mindiz immediately scrabbled back to her cover with a muttered curse. She watched as the cloaked figure approach and even turn up the walkway to the de'Kaun house. Thoughts of curiosity and aggravation swarmed Mindiz's mind. She was unwilling to let another one of her plans be spoiled. So, as it would be, the newcomer would have to suffer the same fate as Larando. The newcomer walked up to the door and peered into it. after offering a light knock, the newcomer entered. Mindiz wondered if they might be Johr, and frowned at that thought. She was fond of her elder brother despite his recent abandonment of her cause. Frail as Johr was, it still seemed hard to match him to this figure, though. The newcomer seemed an almost wiry chap.

***

Larando heard the ringing in his head. Mindiz had sprung his alarm spell. If she wasn't here before, she is now! He went into an absolutely frantic state of mind. Not much was making sense, anymore. The hallucinations from being awake so long and not getting good rest the past days were beginning to bog his mind down. Maybe that was her leaving! Maybe she's had enough. Then the words she screamed at him some days past echoed in his head: "I will find you, again! Of that you can be sure! I won't rest until I do! And I will pay back our mother and father, as well!"

She's not just here to give me a hard time. No. No, she hasn't left. What trickery is she up to? his mind raced. Then he heard the thumping sound. He couldn't quite place his finger on it, but it seemed as if she was tapping on the wall. She aims to drive me mad and then kill me! He quickly fumbled the ring he had found out of his pocket and placed in on his finger not sure what it would do, but hoped it would help.He held the paper with both hands and looked at it realizing he understood the words now. Of course, the ring! Larando prepared to recite the scroll as he also tried to simultaneously stare at the door.

***

Mindiz acknowledged the faint light easing the darkness from the horizon as she crept to the house. I must be about this quickly. Soon there will be too much light. With that, she peered into the house. The cloaked figure was there, moving ever so cautiously through the house. This one doesn't even carry a torch or light of any kind. A peculiar one, indeed. Mindiz was careful on entering the house that she only step down when the newcomer did so. There was a certain amount of creaking to the wood floor. Not enough that most people would notice on a casual day. But this was far from a casual day (or night, as it were). And Mindiz was sure that anyone in that house at that time was most certainly alert to noise.

***

It was hard to hear the floor creaking over the cacophony of his own heart beating. He had been reading over the scroll in the faint light that came though the window (as his last lit coin had died some time ago) and watching the door as simultaneously as he could. Somewhere in the state of heightened alertness and delusion from lack of sleep and rampant paranoia, it came to Larando what he held in his hands. Just as he acquired this now invaluable piece of information, the bedroom door opened slowly and a hooded head peeked through. Larando's throat closed up so that he couldn't even breathe. His heart, he was sure, was about to leave his chest. His mind lost all thought except saving his own life.

That's when the figure burst through the door and removed their hood. The faint light revealed only that they were somewhat frail and had log ratty hair. That's all the information Larando needed to identify Mindiz. He began reciting from the scroll. It was short and sweet. It came out as fast as if he'd been casting the spell himself. Only the fasted and most prepared of wizards would have been able to prevent him finishing. As the last words left his mouth, her body fell lifeless. And the scroll of finger of death vanished from his hands.

[Larando]

A Fatal Error-Part 3
((I know it's long, but all three parts should be read together))

Bre had watched Larando barge off; half in anger and half in fear. She didn'tblame him for his anger or his fear. Certainly she knew the importance of protecting family. It was hard to watch him leave Halarahh. It was even harder knowing he needed her help. And besides, soon enough that would be her family as well.

Soon enough, she had herself talked into catching up with him whether he liked it or not. She managed to gather her belongings and leave town a half-day behind him. She knew the way to his home town well enough. So, she set out. When she arrived a few days later, it was late. Past dusk, in fact. She stopped by an inn and it turns out, Rydell was a popular enough name among the locals. It would seem his shop been toasted by some mage battle earlier that day. Rydell would be alright, it seemed. He was recovering at the temple. But, nobody really knew much about the two mages. Or perhaps it was two bullies that got into it and started using rods and wands to fight each other. Or perhaps Rydell had a wand capable of casting on its own. That's how rumors go. And Bre needed facts.

It was a simple thing to get directions to the de'Kaun house. The town was small enough that almost anyone would know a prevalent shopkeep. So, she ventured through the town seeking her new destination. She kept the thought of Mindiz lurking about in her head to keep her alert. She knew that the woman would be capable of anything should they cross paths again. So, in lieu of a torch or spell that would attract unwanted attention, she cast low-light vision and continued on able to see better.

It didn't take her long to find the house. As she rounded the corner and saw the house, she also though she saw something move out of the corner of her eye that must have been some 15 yards from the house. She watched the area intently with her eyes never letting her head move turn from her path. There was no more movement.

She came up to the house and looked inside. There was no sign of anyone awake inside. She knocked ever so gently on the door so as not to wake anyone that may be resting. If Larando were asleep, he certainly needed his rest. She slipped in quietly and inspected the house. The first thing she noticed was the creaking floor. She lightened her step considerably and advanced into the house. At one point she thought she heard something behind her and glanced around, but saw nothing. As she came to the only closed door inside the house, she decided that if Larando was here, he must be in that room.

She walked to the room and eased the door open enough to squeeze her head in. There is sat, cross-legged on the bed with a piece of paper in his hand. Emotions of joy filled her body as she now knew her one true love to be safe from danger. She was so excited that she threw the door open and burst into the room removing her hood.

He began frantically reciting from the paper. This all seemed suddenly so wrong. Bre wasn't sure what was going on. She began to say something to stop him. But, as she opened her mouth, the words failed her. There was no longer enough air in her lungs. There was a moment of revelation at what was happening. And then, as he finished reciting the page, there was nothing...

***

Mindiz watched as the cloaked figure glanced back in her direction, but must have missed seeing her. There was great anticipations as Mindiz watched. She prepared to begin the arcane rampage that she had rehearsed. The figure moved to the door, opened it and stuck their head. When the figure moved in and there was immediately mumbling by Larando. Mindiz knew already what was happening. The young wizard was attacking someone who was likely his ally. The amusement crossed Mindiz's face as she watched the body crumple to the ground.

Her amusement turned to gleeful shock when she saw who this newcomer was that had just died at the hands of her little brother. Mindiz had her own low-light vision spell on. Before even thinking of the implications of revealing herself, Mindiz blurted out "You've just slain that girl you were with!" She wasn't able to contain the satisfaction from her voice. Then she cast light over the body.

***

After the body fell to the floor, there was a small movement. The silence was broken by the words of his sister. They came out as almost a slur "You've just slain that girl you were with!" The first shock was that he had heard his sister speak after he was sure he'd just killed her. The second and far greater shock was the realization that Bre was dead as Mindiz cast a light over her body. But, the most devastating shock was in the fact that he had just killed the woman he planned to marry...

[Larando]

Dark Corners of the World

The last thing Larando remembered hearing as he ran from the house as fast as he could was Mindiz spouting in a mocking tone "Oh, there is Thayan blood in your veins, little brother." He never really understood why she didn't finish what she had come to do while she had the chance. It would have been easy for her in the shape that he was in. But she didn't. And he ran. Ran as far as he could.

What Larando didn't understand at the time was how Mindiz's mind worked. Her first thought was to finish her pest of a brother while he was still in shock and before he produced another one of those scrolls. But, it didn't take more than a second's time to realize he didn't have another one. And then the thought crept into her head, I could kill him now, easy enough. Or I could watch him destroy himself for a while before I finished this task. The latter of the ideas won out and she stood watching her brother as he fell apart right before her eye. If not respect, she at least had a new appreciation for him. He was, in fact, willing to kill, Even if it was meant to be me. As he jumped up and darted toward the door, she said the first thing that came to mind that she knew would eat at him.

In the days to ahead, Larando wrestled many inner demons. Some would say he lost that battle. But, others would say he won it. There was a great deal torn from his mind, his body, and his soul. Most any time this much is ripped from a person, they will fill the gap with something or the emptiness will drive them to end their own life.

For Larando, the filling part happened more by chance than him purposefully doing anything. He carried a heavy burden that drove between him and his family. The guilt of what he'd done drove him to the very edges of sanity. And from there, it was a small jaunt over the jaunt to the other side.

The youngest de'Kaun managed to completely seperate himself from his family, his friends, and even his studies. He spent a great deal of time visiting the Bre's tomb at the graveyard her parents had her burried. The not spent there was spent scavaging the small town for food. He had sold everything he owned to survive. Everything included a certain ring that he had kept from his father's stash (which he sold at far less than its worth). And that money didn't go far. It would seem that sometimes principles can be lowered if the situation gets dire enough. He even used pages from his spellbook as firestarter for small stacks of wood he could gather up on cool nights. Larando withdrew on himself more and more each day.

He also learned that there was a different element to life than the one he'd always known. During his frequent visits to the graveyard, Larando noticed there were certain people who would venture into the graveyard for long periods of time. Somtimes they would perform rituals before dispursing. He never got close enough to be able to tell exactly what they were up to or even who they were. Everone has their secrets, I suppose, is all he thought of it.

No, Larando would just sit at Bre's monument and read the inscription. It was in an old language, but he knew what it said. It was a title of a story carried down by Bre's familiy's tribal roots about a golden heart stolen and melted down for money by a crafty bandit. It was more an everlasting reminder of how they felt. They openly blamed Larando directly for Bre's death further pushing him over the edge of dispair.

[Allielliot]

wow man..i thought that my history for Sain had been long....kudos to you...