A Chance At Redemption

Eddick returned from the clan of the Broken Horn a little later than expected. He knew he would miss the normal meeting day, but he knew that no one who wasn't normally in Impresk was coming. Kaber was very busy trying to bring about a culture shift in the minotaur clan, that they would become more than they were, and it was a very noble quest, but like most dreams of that end, he found the going very tough. Eddick had talked a couple of nights with him about possible strategies, he eased the suffering of one dying mother, and even fought a challenge versus a clan member.

It had been a while since the last minotaur had challenged him. The last time was shortly after the siege of Evereska, and their first visit to the clan. They were all challenged then, except Ashara, who was female, and the reason why Elric received more challenges than Kaber did. He beat down every one, having much experience beating down minotaurs, or at least, that's what the other members of CoRD said. Eddick had one challenge then, and no more. It was probably because he made a big deal about it, and had the minotaur ripped apart by birds in full view of the clan. No one messed with him after that, until now. This challenge was not really more interesting, it was over about as quick, and he managed to leave the minotaur alive this time.

The other thing that took some time was that Eddick needed some things that he did not normally carry. Special incenses and some exotic plants. They were really expensive ones too, that is, if one did not know where they might be found. This old druid had been all over Faerun, and a few other places as well, so he did know, and that saved him a bit of gold.

He had done quite a bit of proselytizing in the last few years. Even after he found out that his spells were granted to him by Chauntea, he decided to continue on with the worship of "nature" as he liked to call her. The druids had grown in number again, and were actually much more numerous now than they were, with quite a few coming from the young people of Zezesspur, because of his instrumental saving of all of their lives and his close relationship with the King of Tethyr whom he had singlehandedly saved as well. But even he would admit he had never done anything this radical before.

He had come up with the idea for reform of an enemy a while back, and had gone over his motivations for doing so. He had not minded the alteration of his enemies before, but this was a whole new level. In a way it was similar to the killing of minotaurs to earn their respect, he surmised that a similar tactic against similarly evil people might result in a more enlightened view of the world.

Step one was completed, that being a show of force. Between growing a tree out of her and calling insects to strip her bones clean, there could be no doubt of nature's power over her. Now to go beyond. According to the religious studies he had received, she had either spent time in Kelemvor's Wall, or in one of the lower planes. Knowing the alternative intimately might cause a bit of motivation for change. If it did not, he had to resort to specific measures to keep her from her revenge. That is why he needed the incense.

He had already buried her bones, because the village wouldn't stand for them to just be lying out in the open. There would be a few little Everdawns playing with them in no time. Those kids had way too much energy.

He approached the site at night. He did not want people watching, particularly because what he was about to do would probably offend many people's sensibilities. He had brought along a straw man to do the dig up the bones, but he arranged them himself around the tree that had grown up through her body. He set up the incense and asked for nature's blessing before he even began.

The ceremony itself was short, but it would call the person back from the planes without fail, and grant them a new body to be housed in. The incense made it much more likely that the assassin would return as a dryad. Eddick knew that CoRD themselves had killed a "mad" dryad before he met them, so that made it even more likely that nature herself would listen to the request. Life does replenish itself, after all.

Eddick dismissed the straw man back to his post, and waited. He never cast this spell before, but he understood that it would be a few minutes until she came stumbling into the clearing, disorientated and likely perplexed.