TALON

Talon's Shadow
by Betandor Battlebard of the Starry Quill.

After an evening of adventure and song in the Realms, I had made my way into the city of Waterdeep, to a dangerous sounding inn called the Dripping Dagger. My own daggers had been dripping for quite some time, and I was tired and hungry, so I entered the barroom and pulled a chair into a corner, then leaned my back against the wall to wait for a bowl of stew to warm my bones. I wasn't waiting long, when the shadows of the bar lengthened and seemed to whisper in my mind with the movement of a stealthy figure. Snapping my wrist quickly, I pinned a dark sleeve to the table in front of me, and removed my purse from the grip of a thin grey haired man. With a scar above his right eye, and the piercing look he gave, I could see he'd been in this business for a while, and not been caught often. That scar was a ritualistic mark, something dealing with a high ranking in Mask's following, if I knew anything about tattoos and scars.

Glancing around the room, I noticed that none were paying too much attention to us, so I hissed between my teeth, "The Battlebard of the Starry Quill does not take kindly to giving to temples without his knowledge. If ye have knowledge I seek, perhaps we might work out a deal of sorts, though if ye haven't, I'm sure the paladins of Tyr's justice will deal with you quickly enough." I had no intention of turning him in of course, I had another task in mind for this one. Seems the rumors of demise for one called Talon placed him in the grip of shadows, and I wanted the story, and whatever magical knowledge I could drag out of the glaring man in front of me. "Unless."

"Unless what? I give you a week's work before you slit my throat in a back alley, you young pup. Don't know a damn thing about robbing folks, not you. You also don't know what true service is." That remark earned him a glare cold enough to freeze an oasis in Calimshan, and a quick song to the Lady of Magic. As I felt the magical energy course through my fingers, I saw him wince slightly. "Errr..okay.so maybe you do know a bit about service." Grinning slightly, I invited him to sit, and share the large bowl of stew that had just been placed on the table. He nodded, called for an ale, then we set to talking. It would have been his first move to disappear when I let him loose, so I kept my dagger pinned to the table, through the sleeve of his shirt. He could eat with the other hand.

As he ate, I began to question him about what he knew. I asked first of Talon. He'd been a slight acquaintance, who had the cockiness of youth. I had tried, at one time, to teach him proper respect for the gods, but he apparently hadn't learned the lesson. The old thief in front of me told a story, which, knowing Talon, made a lot more sense than anything else I had heard of the rumor trail I'd been following. I had taken the search at the request of Talthalia, who had once loved Talon, though for the life of me, I couldn't understand that relationship. But love was never something meant to be understood.

"That little twit. Honestly thought he could double-talk the god in intrigue himself. I've heard this from those who know, and that's not many, though the stealthy one would have his whole network know of the dangers of crossing him. As it happened, Talon was trying to steal some of the secrets of the shadows. As any who are smart know, a good thief uses shadows to his advantage, and most often, with the blessing of the shadowlord, he gets away with whatever trinket tickles his fancy. That young mite, though, he bit off more than he could chew."

"He'd walked into the thieves guild and thought to walk out with the role of the network. In order to do that, he needed to pray to the god of thievery himself in order to gain enough power to sneak past those who were trained to be silent and deadly, while noticing those who had the same training. As he was in the midst of his prayers, promising devoted service to Mask from the position of power such a theft would earn him, the shadows closed around him. Suddenly, the shadows lifted, and Talon was no longer praying to an image representing the god of shadows, but the god himself!"

"Young fool that he was, he didn't even acknowledge the fact that his liege lord had taken him. Instead, he stood up, and prepared to fade into the shadows, in preparation for his mission. Seeing someone who appeared to be a young thief apprentice staring at him, Talon snapped a dagger from his sleeve and tossed it with an underhanded motion. He didn't want any witnesses to his theft, figuring if any knew, they would betray him. The dagger stopped in mid-air, halfway between Talon's outstretched hand, and the chest of the 'apprentice'. With a throaty laugh, the apprentice shifted form, and plucked the dagger out of the air. 'Know you now that you have twice betrayed the lord of shadows. First by planning to steal the tables of our guild, the cutthroats and footpads who have been my worshippers since before you were a rise if your father's breeches. This betrayal shows courage, and would earn you honor, even had you failed. You had been praying for the coming of shadows, as is proper when performing a dangerous task.

The second betrayal has earned my displeasure. The shift of the shadows should have told one of my faithful, which you claim to be, that his lord was near. Instead of kneeling and asking pardon of one who was surrounded by shadow, you tried to assassinate him-kill ME! This earns your death.' With that, the form shifted to the masked figure most associated with the god of thieves. The red glowing eyes peered out from under a cloth of black, and his glare caused the reaction which should have been the first thing Talon had done. He dropped to his knees, and begged forgiveness. It is uncertain the reasoning for what happened next. Mask had promised both reward and death. So perhaps this was his way of fulfilling both. The shadows enveloped Talon, and the screaming pleas of loyalty and devotion were swallowed by a blanket of darkness. When the shadows withdrew, a pile of dark clothing and armor remained on the floor. Of Talon, there was no sign. The shadowy blanket stopped its retreat at a glance from the shadowlord, and a familiar voice could be heard echoing from the depths. "Your servant, Master," the shadow whispered. Talon had been rewarded, and punished. Rewarded for his deeds, and punished for his insolence, by becoming a servant shadow."

As the thief finished, I nodded. He made as though to release himself from my dagger through his sleeve, and I shook my head. "You're not done yet. My Lady would have something from your Master as well. And if he cares for those of you thieves who serve so well in shadow, he'd not forbid me checking your story by asking my own Lady at her temple. You, fine Sir, are coming with me."

Turning slightly pale at this suggestion, he nodded slowly, as I drew length of rope from my packs and tied his hands together quickly. Holding the rope in my right hand, I walked out with him into the streets of Waterdeep, as though we were two friends who had too much to drink and were staggering home for the evening. When we reached the Tower of Wonders, I dropped the rope, as the priestess who was in residence glanced at the thief. With a slight look of distaste across her features, listened to my explanation of what had occurred, and then gave a small smile. "Perhaps we might make use of this one. Seems if we don't turn him in to the authorities, we would have a small favor coming from his lord for our Lady. This might be worth asking her advice."

I nodded, knowing that Mystra and Mask had worked together in the past, though as a rule, she mistrusted him. I had been searching for knowledge of magic, as was my duty as the leader of the Starry Quill, but had not unearthed any sources which were not catalogued in a library somewhere. Perhaps, if she had a favor from Mask, she might gain spells which had been lost, or hidden from her. This was my purpose for bringing the thief to her priestess, though I hadn't really thought of pulling a favor out of the god of thieves. I knew paying for that favor might take more than I was willing to give. Unless my goddess could turn the presence of one of his pawns in for some information. My duty was done, except for the asking that she do what she would. If she commanded I let the thief loose, I would do so. If she commanded I send him to Tyr's paladins, I would do that as well. The choice was hers, and I prayed for her guidance and wisdom as I watched the thief estimate his chances of escape. With a gesture, the priestess barred the door, and we sat down to wait for the judgement of the Lady of Mysteries.