Pavel Knelt in the snow for evening prayers, relishing for a moment the divine pain that radiated from his left palm. Krigerseln and Evan had done a good job of wrapping the wound, he could feel no blood escaping the bandages. Kelestri's logic was unquestionable: 'your pain may serve a purpose monk, but leaving a trail of blood for the wolves to follow does not...'

He held his staff close and lowered his head to address the Crying God...

Broken One- I have asked much of you this day, so my evening prayer asks nothing more than you accept my thanks for so many things. As I kneel here with the end of our quest within our grasp, I find that I am overwhelmed with gratitude for all you have provided.

I thank you for your guidance. Shandakhul's Chair, as this temple is called, is but a short distance from here. Our entry to Mount Grimmerfang cannot be far beyond. I feel deep within me that preventing our enemies from using these tools will strike a grevious and unrecoverable wound to their evil plans.

I thank you for the acceptance of my offer of suffering and for all that I have learned through the grace and divine lenity you show me. I thank you for the glorious pain that cleanses me and burns away the doubt from my heart.

Pavel paused a minute, enjoying the sounds of his companions breaking their fast behind him. All of them speaking about their quest with resolve and conviction. All of them squabbling about their differences, all of them... still alive.

...but most of all, Broken One- I thank you for delivering me into such fine and excellent companions as these. Each is more gifted in mind, body and spirit than I could ever find proper words to describe completely.

Krigerseln is as compassionate and noble a being as I am likely to find on Toril. Each time a new avalanche of malevolence comes tumbling down upon the boy and I think that he might crumple like a dried leaf, he finds the strength somewhere within him to rise above it and thinks of only his friends and the quest with which he is charged. When I first met him, I was convinced that there was greatness within him- I could not have been more right.

Mithinu has continually amazed me with her resourcefullness and command of the art. One of my few regrets about losing my sight is that I cannot witness these wonders firsthand, but must hear about them from others. In several dire circumstances, when it looked like all was lost, she pulled some arcane magics from her inner self with no more fanfare than a smith would display when retrieving a hammer from his belt. I thank the gods that she was guided to us in Kurth.

Evan's wisdom and command over those trapped between the living world and the hereafter is awesome to behold. Seeing their evil shells turn to dust in Iroth is a sight I will not soon forget. His faith and resolve are above contestation and his mace is an extension of the Moon Goddesses' will. Of all my companions, he is one with whom I feel the most kinship. Our faith creates a bond that will endure for the rest of my days.

The young creature named Corim is passionate about his beliefs and has some anger within him, but instead of letting it consume him as so many others do, he focuses his aggression like a skilled archer aims a bow, and strikes unerringly at our foes. I knew this from the first day I met him, the first time I watched him drive his blade through an orc. Evil would be wise to remain hidden from his keen eyes.

Kelestri has a fire that burns inside her, a fire that may be as undying as Forge's Flame. And Much like the flame of legend, her passion for victory is undying- as constant as the journey of the sun, as forceful as the crashing waves, as steadfast as the Earthspurs. Only death would separate this beautiful warrior from our quest, and even that I cannot say with certainty. Tactical, judicious, analytical- her council has proved invaluable on many occasions when the lighthouse of her reason has guided us through the storm of our conflicting emotions.

I understand little of the mysterious creature called Slyl. There is much of him that remains hidden from view, thoughts and emotions that remain buried deep within him. What is apparent is his skill with a seemingly endless supply of blades. He is indeed the Deadly One. I pray he continues with us as an ally and ignores the dark whispers. He would be a formidable foe and I would be greatly saddened if our situation forced us to reconvene as enemies.

For these powerful allies in the battle for The Vast, and for those who remaining in Kurth and my brothers at the Monastery of the Yellow Rose, I thank you Broken One.

Truly I have been blessed.


The monk got to his feet and began following the sounds back to his friends. He felt something soft strike him in the chest as a plum-sized chunk of bread hit his tunic and fell to the snow. He could hear his friends chuckling softly.

"Keep practicing, monk," Kelestri laughed.