R'lyeth Do'Urden is not the illithid as spoken of in numerous tales and adventures, the most vile creature in the

world, capable of destroying a man's psyche and his world. In fact, he's quite the opposite. His birth is one of the rarest occurrences, for he is not a pure illithid. Nay, he is the conception of a mind flayer and a human woman. However, what came as most surprising of his conception, however, was that Rlyeths mother was not killed in the process, and an extremely unusual version of ceremorphosis occurred, resulting in a live birth, rather than a transformation of person. For his mother, however, his birth was not a relief that she had gone on to live another day; rather, the idea that she had just given birth to spawn of a mind flayer was absolutely, soul-shatteringly terrifying. Rlyeth, her demonic child, was immediately handed over to the temple of Heironeous that his mother prayed within. Perhaps she brought him there wishing that the priests would drown this vile spawn in holy water, or kill it with some silver stake, and remove her of the vile sins that the creation of this terrible being would implicate. True, she was repented for her sins; however, Rlyeth was not slain like the many of his kind. The High Priest of Heironeous, Belamros, saw beyond his slimy, snake-like exterior, and felt no evidence of the aura that typically emerged from the darkness of an illithids soul. Rather, he saw the gaze of an innocent. One who must be protected. Throughout his early years, Belamros was one of the few who could tend to Rlyeth beyond a few other trusted individuals. As an infant (or perhaps tadpole would be more appropriate), he was rarely let out of his room in the cellar of the temple, watched over by Belamros and the few he trusted with Rlyeths well-being. Rlyeths existence was kept a secret, not only from the people of the nearby towns, but also to the majority of the church workers themselves, in fear that one of the more bigoted may take it upon themselves to rid the world of this vile creature. Every day, however, Belamros took to caring to Rlyeth whenever he had no other duties to fulfill, reading to him the scriptures of Heironeous. Very rarely, Belamros would bring Rlyeth out into the open, typically wrapped so much nothing but Rlyeths eyes could peek out, or during the night, where none could see his figure. Belamros was also forced upon the duty of feeding him. After some experimentation, and to Belamross slight disgust, brains seemed to be the only substance Rlyeth was capable of consuming at that age. Thankfully, the brains of lamb or cow proved sufficient. Gradually, Belamros grew more and more attached to Rlyeth, essentially becoming something of a father to him. At that early age, it was fairly easy to keep the existence of Rlyeth disclosed, but the looming shadow of doubt grew darker and darker as they days went on, and Rlyeth grew older and smarter. Rlyeth continued to grow, soon becoming the human equivalent of a small child, but with a profound amount more intelligence. He often asked Belamros simple, but very problematic questions. What am I? for example, a question Belamros could only answer A person, of course! These transparent answers, thankfully, satisfied Rlyeth at this age, and were often left without much more question. Belamros began to teach Rlyeth practical skills around this time: the basics of how to fight, reading, writing, the prayers of Heironeous, and the use of disguise. Rlyeth swiftly grew proficient in these areas, and was soon given access to the temples library, provided he constantly was kept in disguise. As he brought the books from the library to his humble dwelling and back, he began to grow more intelligent, thoughtful, and, to Belamross despair, he grew aware. By this

point he had grown to be an adolescent, but even at that point he had intelligence far beyond that of a human his age, and began to question Belamros. One particular piece of literature, a manual of the creatures and monsters of the land was the one that lit the unwanted fire in his mind. He perused the manual, reading of the history of elves and humans, the humorous cowardice of the kobolds, and even the strange rituals of the underwater Sauhuagin. Some he had heard of through the many stories and legends Belamros had told him as a youngster, while others he heard through cracks in the wall, or the times he went to gather novels from the library, of goblin raids or feral werewolves. However, so many of these races were completely unheard of to Rlyeth, and the knowledge of these new lands and races amazed Rlyeth. As he perused further and further into the pages, however, he eventually reached upon the races of the Underdark, those whose souls consist of pure evil and malice, those who rule the underground, and plan to rule the world. Those who murder, enslave, and destroy civilizations. The idea of these creatures brought a sort of pride into Rlyeth and he began to imagine himself in the future, a warrior of light and Heironeous, smiting them all and allowing good to prevail among the world! And he would be the one to do it! Then he saw his picture. The inscription of the mind flayer spoke volumes. A vile-looking, tentacled creature, posed with a hunch, and a decapitated human head in its thin, bony claws. The manual spoke of mind flayers in a horrid light, describing their every terrible feature in warning to the safety of all mankind. Every word of their description brought fear to Rlyeth. When their vile tentacles were described, he shivered against his own. The towering cities of rock, created by slaves that are slain immediately brought chills down his spine as his eyes began to shiver, reading faster and faster. After was described the mind flayers paralyzing words of Undercommon, as Rlyeth began to feel his tentacles undulate, creating words of a language he had never heard, fear filling his mind. Rlyeth read on and on, looking onward to a mirror before him, his descriptions fitting every single characteristic of this absolutely evil and horrific race, an insight that immediately forced him to fling the book at the mirror, creating a loud crash as its reflective glass shattered, and begin to shudder in the corner. Belamros, hearing the commotion from the cellar, entered the room to investigate, and saw Rlyeth, trembling in the corner of the stone walls. Belamros saw the manual out of the corner of his eye and quickly crouched down to comfort and reassure Rlyeth, but Rlyeth quickly turned, having realized why he had lived the way he had been for his entire life. They are afraid of me, arent they? He asked, to no one in particular, Ive been locked down in this church for my whole life because of the bigotry of man, have I not? The minute I step out there is the minute I die, is it not? Rlyeth stood, now taller than Belamros, his tentacles flared and his silken white eyes wild with anger. Rlyeth trembled with anger as Belamros attempted to grasp for words to calm him, I-I knew you were a special one, Rlyeth, I know you are good in your heart, y-you are nothing like your brethren.

Rlyeth began to scream in rage, You did not answer my question! The world is afraid of me, are they not? Belamros quickly cowered behind this sudden outburst, Yes! Yes! I raised you in this church because I was afraid that others would not understand! It was- It is- It will be very difficult to explain your case to those outside the church; none would understand who you are and why you are. Here, Belamros paused and gave a sigh. Ive been, Ive been trying to think of ways of how to get the world to see past your outside, but Its difficult. Ive been gradually telling the church about your real identity; its difficult to explain why a hooded man with white eyes has been given such access to our libraries for so long, without anyone knowing a clue of who he is and not permitted to speak to him. Rlyeth slumped down at this point, holding his head and calming himself, And How did they react? Belamros sat down on the stone floor with Rlyeth, Many of them already had suspicions that you were not one of us; not a human, and when I told them who you truly are, almost all of them went into either shock or rage. It was difficult to deal with. But with the help of a few others telling them your true story, they began to understand. Ive asked them not to try and talk to you until after I tell you, but I suppose you want that to change? Rlyeth pulled his head out of hands and looked at his slick, purple skin surrounding his fingers. How many of them know? All of them, replied Belmaros. Am I permitted to walk without disguise now? asked Rlyeth, staring at the ground. If you wish, said Belamros. There, Rlyeth sat, his eyes drawn back to the manual, I need to think. So Belamros left, and Rlyeth lay slumped on the floor. He grabbed the manual, and held it to his breast. And he thought. It is natural, when confronted with the unknown, to be initially afraid. Rlyeth took advantage of the new freedom he had within the church, and so whenever the church doors were shut to outsiders, he released the binds around his face and walked throughout the halls of the church; observing the moss that populated the cracks of the stonework, running his clawed hands along the rosewood of the pews that filled the churchs main chamber, looking among the many heroic and valiant scenes of Heironeous, painted within stain glass. He sat to pray in the altar of Heironeous, for the first time unmasked. He was far from being afraid of the unknown. In fact, he embraced it! But the rest of the clergy stayed hesitant to the illithids presence. They knew he was no harm, true, but the natural feelings of doubt remained in the air, and none wished to acknowledge his presence for an extensive time. Those who prayed near him often snuck away in silence in some sort of fear, while others grew terrified, unable to move, staring at Rlyeths figure until he turns and looks at them. This typically resulted in a scream and a sprint, and, in the case of one particular student, unconsciousness. Over time, however, they began to grow accustomed to Rlyeths presence, and some of the braver fellows even tried to converse with him, a feat that proved to be not so difficult. It was somewhat difficult for Rlyeth to adjust as well; he had almost no experience socializing and as such was something of a recluse.

However, his natural curiosity and intelligence prevailed, and he quickly became a man of speech (he also discovered tentacles can be used for some impressive gestures). He became more and more accepted within the church and eventually, one would greet Rlyeth just as they would any other of their friends. Now that Rlyeth felt he was finally free of his heritages ill reputation (at least around his church), he began to train. Rlyeth never stopped in his lust for literature, even after his initial discovery of himself. He had already read every scripture Heironeous the church had available, and began to dictate his life to the Codes of Heironeous: Duty to the People, Duty to the Arch-Paladin (Heironeous himself), and (one he had some difficulty with) Duty to a Lady. He trained himself, both physically and mentally; re-reading the scriptures of Heironeous over and over, sharpening and honing the strengths of his body, as well as trying to continue honing his psionic abilities, something he had been trying to keep out of his mind ever since his incident. The goal to become a paladin of Heironeous had never left his mind, and he knew that eventually the time would come for him to prove himself. For now, for the first since his infancy, for the first time in his life, Rlyeth felt truly at peace with himself and who he was. That peace turned out to be very, very short-lived. It began one afternoon, nearly evening, as Rlyeth was praying at the churchs altar. The sky was a deep grey, and no light pierced through the blanket of clouds in the sky. Suddenly, the church bells began to ring, interrupting the skys peace. Rlyeth waited, perhaps he had lost track of time, and they were only ringing the hour? Wrong. The bell rang and rang. Rlyeth quickly finished his prayers and wrapped up his face and put on a cloak. He gathered up a suit of leather armor and a broadsword, as did a number of his comrades. Rlyeth turned around, and Belamros prepared behind him, a longsword hanging from his elderly hand. He would be staying to defend the church; the strong must defend the citizens. Rlyeth and the others ventured outside, the bells continuing on. Clanging and ringing on. The followers of Heironeous are not fickle folk. No, they are quite the opposite. The god of war, justice, and valor attracts the kind of folk who have fought, or are willing to fight. These folk have scars, they have calluses on the hands and feet, they have stories of war or they wish to be the ones to write those stories. They are willing to fight, and that is exactly what these folk are going to do. A messenger approached the walking horde of armed holy men and told them of what danger is soon to come: an orc horde had been spotted in the distance, rapidly approaching not only the church, but the nearby town of Helonshire. The men were advised to fortify themselves there at Helonshire, and to prepare for one hell of a fight. Rlyeth marched on to Helonshire with his fellow men and thoughts of the fray ahead began to fill his disguised head, as he looked onward as the orc horde began to approach the horizon, a raging, orange sun overhead. He looked at the quickly approaching horde with tremendous thrill as determination began to fill his body. Perhaps if we emerge victorious, he thought, perhaps everyone would see me in a new light; I wouldnt have to disguise myself anymore! I

would finally be free of this disguise Id never have to wear it again! He began to imagine the greatness that would be ahead of him after this battle, and the wonderful future he could have, protecting the weak and stereotyped. As he marched into the garrisons of the city walls, he imagined; he would save the good but the uncared for from the strong and the bigoted, he would prove good over evil, diplomacy over hate, love over rage! He would foreverBang. And a sense of dread fell upon Rlyeth. Through his shroud of fantasy, Rlyeth had neglected to notice the whispers of the guards and clergy around him; the orc horde appeared to have retreated from the horizon, resulting in an unease spreading among the ranks as the orcish horns of warfare still blared on in the distance. He had also neglected to notice the watchmen screaming out to the small army of men that the orcish horde was approaching the Church of Heironeous. He did notice when the mighty, barred doors of the church came crashing down and his fantasies quickly drained out of his mind as he turned his head. A billowing, gray cloud of dust and smoke had enveloped the front of the church, dark silhouettes of orcs surging through the door. The army was stunned and paused as they saw the orcs rampaging through the church; unsure whether to stay their ground and protect the town or to rush forward and save their holy place. Rlyeth was the first to make the decision. In his absolute panic, he leapt from the walls fortification, dropping nearly 50 feet and landing with a tremendous thump. Rlyeth forced himself up, the bindings around his head gradually loosening with every movement, and sprinted for the towns stable, sword and shield in hand as streams of white cloth came billowing from his head before the entire town. He leapt upon one of the towns few spare horses and rode heavily towards the church as more and more screams erupted from its interior, their voices all too familiar to Rlyeth. Some orcs exited the building, pulling screaming women and children out of the blessed walls, their axes already bloodied from the deaths of the churchs few defenders. As Rlyeth grew closer and closer, some of the orcs began to notice the lone, now visibly tentacled, figure furiously riding towards the church. A few looked at each other, fear in their eyes as rage built up in Rlyeths. A few began to whimper out screams as they saw the terrifying illithid approach, some grabbed their axes to fight, while other ran screaming into the church, grabbing their brethren and pointing to the rapidly approaching menace. The braver of the orcs grabbed their axes and blades and charged at Rlyeths enraged self. Perhaps they should have been afraid. Rlyeth approached the first orcs and he swung his scratched and scarred blade as he flew past them on his steed, slicing off the heads of one, two, three orcs in his path, a thick line of crimson on his trail. He continued onward, fury filled his eyes and his tentacles were flared, trampling onward and onward as fear began to fill his heart as well, as thoughts of

what may have happened to the church filled his minds, thoughts of what could have happened to the altar, thoughts of what could have happened to BelamNo, he needed to focus, he needed to continue onward with the calmness and resolve of Heironeous, he needed toThunk. A large, heavy rock went careening off of Rlyeths forehead. He dropped the sword he had raised, ready to swing, and he gradually fell off his steed, plopping down on the ground completely inanimate, as his horse continued trotting onwards, into the carnage, a thick cloud of dust and smoke rising from the church. Rlyeths eyes groaned open, a gradually clearing haze filling his vision. The dull, gray sky still lay above him. So he was still alive. The anger had dissipated from his mind and altogether his mind felt much more clear. Thick winds blew leaves over his body as he lay there, the sounds of rustling and wind all around him. It seemed as if the fights had stopped completely; there was no sound of steel, no screams, no crashing or slashing or bashing or anything. Just wind remained. Rlyeth lay on the ground as he tried to gather his thoughts, he distinctly remembered the rock quickly coming to his vision, but what was he doing before that? Something of a fight, but he couldnt quite gather for what. He remembered the sight of crimson, deep warmth in his skin, the dryness of smoke. He remembered the church. A familiar voice beckoned out. Hail, Rlyeth. Rlyeths eyes grew wide and his body leapt off the ground as he rapidly searched for the origin of the sound. Before him there was Belamros, alone. The bald man had grown old in his days of caring for Rlyeth, the remaining scraps of his hair having turned lackluster and gray. His skin was wrinkled and his fingers calloused, he looked at Rlyeth with a smile. Rlyeth fell upon his knees, weeping, as the sight of Belamros grew apparent in his vision. Father! I- I thought you had died! He yelled between sobs, I thought the orcs had killed you, I-I Im sorry I didnt believe in you, Father! I tried to come- I tried to save the church, the family, the-the- Rlyeth grasped for words, tears streaming down from his silken, white eyes down to the tips of his face. He pounded his fist into the muddying dirt and looked up at Belamros. All he looked up to was an amused face, Oh, stop it, Rlyeth. I didnt raise you to be this weak-willed of a man, did I? N-No! Of course not! He forced himself up, clenching his fists and hardening his face, I am a follower of Heironeous! A paladin of Heironeous, Rlyeth, said Belamros. A A what? said Rlyeth, his resolve beginning to weaken again. A paladin, you did not mishear me, said Belamros, Your first real battle and you went straight into the fray. You didnt care about what could happen to you, you only cared about what would happen to us, to the church. That, Rlyeth, is exactly what Heironeous

looks for within his servants, and you have proven yourself to him. You are a paladin of Heironeous, Rlyeth. Do not flaunt the title too greatly. Rlyeth fell to one knee, bowing his head, trying to keep his face as hardened as possible, I will not, Father. I I accept the title. I will spread the justice and good of Heironeous throughout this world. I will forever follow the codes of Heironeous, and never stray from the path of good. I Rlyeth paused, and looked up to Belamros, Father A drip of crimson fell from the inside of Belamross robe. This isnt real, said Rlyeth, a wetness beginning to build within his silken eyes once again. I am gone, Rlyeth. But you have received your quest, have you not? A quest straight from Heironeous himself, said Belamros, his voice gradually growing distant, Ive had a great life, my son, and I expect you to make the lives of others equally great. May you bring the will of Heironeous with you wherever you go. Now, I shall go to sleep. Goodnight. Love you. Wait, wait, where are you-no, no no, no, no, no dont go! NO NO NO

NO NO

NO NONO

NO

NO!

Rlyeths eyes opened. He was on a bed, sure enough. The gray sky was no longer his ceiling; one of a dull, brown oak had taken its place. Stinging cries erupted from his head as he lay there, trying to gather his thoughts of his vision, his heart showing denial with every beat. His masterhis father was gone. He had seen it. Rlyeths face remained forlorn, his heart trembling as groans erupted from his tentacles. He closed his eyes in an attempt to clear his mind of the pain and began to tenderly feel his forehead with his clawed hands. He immediately felt soft linen; it covered his entire head above his white eyes. Prodding at his head, he touched the point of impact where the rock had struck him, sending a surge of pain through his body. Rlyeths arm immediately fell. He sat in his bed, unsure of what action to take as fervors of pain attempted to interrupt his every thought. He turned his head to survey the rest of the room: to his side there was a window and even from his angle he could tell he was on the second, maybe third story; there were numerous furnishings in the room: a cabinet, a table, chairs, a lamp, the typical furniture of an inn, although he had no memory of this particular one; he also noticed some of his belongings strewn about: his cloak lay on the ground, as well as his armor and a majority of his clothing (he had barely realized he had nothing covering his upper body), and at the end of the room lie a dark mahogany door, clashing with the light elm of the walls and floor. The stings of his mind began to temporarily subside, and he began to hear shouts, or at least furious conversation, in the floor below him. No doubt of the siege Perhaps they were also of him. He began to sit up, his muscles aching, when the sound of footsteps began to approach his dark door.

Rlyeth could do little to react as the door creaked open on its black, iron hinges. The one who walked in was one he recognized; a nurse that had been living in the clergy long before he had been born. The frail, old lady quietly walked in, and she just as quietly closed the door, hardly noticing Rlyeths presence. She slowly turned around to face Rlyeths bed and the wrinkles on her face pulled back, showing the slightest hint of her eyes. She stood for a moment and blinked her tiny eyes and a great grin grew over he grizzled and wrinkled face, Rilly! Youve already gotten better! My, my, at least one good sight in this damn day! she said, jaunting over to Rlyeth and giving him a great hug. Rlyeths pounding head gained no respite from this forced movement, but if he had a mouth he would have smiled, Illithids heal quickly, Velerie. said Rlyeth, a remark that made Velerie prematurely end her prodigious hug. Oh, dear, said Velerie, I wouldnt mention that once you get down Youve made an awful lot of commotion, you know. An awful amount indeed! Rlyeth paused for a moment, Where am I right now? This building definitely isnt a part of the church. said Rlyeth, slowing down as his mind began to focus once again. Right now? Were in one of the Helonshire inns- my, oh my, you can hear the commotion from up ere, cant you? The entire town saw you go at that church- everyone saw your real face said Velerie, anxiously. Rlyeth groaned, his tentacles shambling about, Oh lord They must- Wait. Rlyeth raised his clawed hand, pointing indirectly at Velerie, Why didnt they kill me? If they know Im a mind flayer, why havent they killed me yet? And if not them, how did the orcs not get me? Ah, well, you see, you had a very big part in that battle, extremely big in fact! exclaimed Velerie. Rlyeth looked confused, How did I have an impact? I barely took down any of them before I was knocked unconscious and- Rlyeth stopped for a moment, Em, go on. See, after you went ridin on in there and got bonked on your head, the orcs stopped destroyin the church, and started runnin! Even before the rest of us got there! I figure that a mind flayer flyin straight out of nowhere and slayin three of their folk before goin down scared them right down to their feet! I have a feelin that maybe they thought there were more of you coming, so they packed up and went a-runnin! Makes sense, didnt think Id see a bunch of orcs seein any sense though! she explained, a smile on her old face, but then she leaned in and quietly spoke a few more words in her raspy voice, But a lotta the Helonshire folk think that you used your mind and told em all to get up and get goin! Thosere the same folk that want you dead! They think youll do that to em! Now, I know you cant, but Id still be mighty worried about em. They were courteous enough to let you res up here, though. At least theyve got a lil good bit of a soul in em! Rlyeth waited for a few moments after Velerie finished speaking, trying to hear through the thick elm floorboards with no success, and so asked, What are they saying about me now? They dont think I was there to try and destroy the town, do they? O, o, some of em do. In all honesty I dont believe theyre all that bright! All of us ave been arguin for you, sayin you dont ave any sort of mind powers and are just like one of us, but they wont take a word we say. They think that weve just been brain-washed by you! Thats ludicrous! said an offended Rlyeth.

Its what theyre thinkin! Now, I figure that the favor is ours, but I dont really know. Mebbe if you go down there, they might be convinced. said Velerie, but then she looked at the ground for a moment; Then again, they might just take their spears and throw em at you. If youre real afraid of em, if you can make it out of that window, you might get a good chance out of here; the streets are practically empty what with whats been goin on. But its your choice, Rilly, you got the final word. Rlyeth stood, closing his eyes and breathing deeply. Velerie, can you get me my clothes? Something to cover up my head, too. Rlyeths eyes opened, I will face them. Rlyeth opened the door of the room, a cloak and armor now decorating his figure. No weapon was present in the room, but his shield remained and hanged at his back. The bandages stayed wound around his head, and a satchel hung down to his waist. He walked out of the room, Velerie behind him. Here, near the stairs, the sound of the arguing grew louder and louder. Rlyeth stood still and turned to Velerie, If they brandish their weapons like you say, I will not make it out. I want to say goodbye, Velerie, and that Belamros is well. I have seen him. Velerie stood agape at this as Rlyeth approached the stairs, Y-Youve seen him? But es dead! Rlyeths hand gripped the banister and he turned his head, I know, and continued onward, into the foyer. The voices grew vehement as he slowly progressed down the stairs. He recognized many, the ones that were somewhat quieter, more determined, but with an obviously waning calmness. They were followers of Heironeous. The others, he could hear, were loud, disbelieving, but also afraid. How can you trust an illithid, of all the demons in the world? heard Rlyeth as he slowly, slowly descended. For the last time, hes only half of an illithid! What difference does that make? Its still got the blood of one in him! That things- The man was leaning over a table, yelling at one of the pastors, when he glanced for half an instant off of him, seeing Rlyeth at the front of the stairs. He glanced back, mouth agape, and stood frozen at the table. Others began to notice where his stare was directed, and the foyer grew quiet, Rlyeth standing at the front, the attention of them all. Rlyeths stance wavered as he stood there, his hand tightly gripping the banister to his side. The room stayed quiet as they watched him, all waiting for a word, a movement, something. So he spoke. I will speak, and I wish you all will have the courtesy not to interrupt. Rlyeth cleared his throat, a rumble travelling through his tentacles. He pushed himself off the banister and slowly walked forward, stepping down from the final steps of the staircase, I am Rlyeth DoUrden, a strange name to be sure. Derived from the language of Undercommon, these are the words of those who speak under the earth. I am half-illithid, half-man. I have had a childhood of isolation, of fear; an entire life of isolation and fear. Not just my own fear, but the fears of others. Men grow afraid of that which they do not

wish to understand, and if a man grows afraid, they grow a hate. A hate that leads to destruction. But I was put under the care of a man who understood all. You have all met him. You have all prayed under him. He protected me from those who did not understand, and taught me not to grow wary of them, but to fight for them, to understand them, for I am one of them. I pray in your churches, I eat your food, I read your scriptures, I fight for your lives. I am one who understands, I am one who believes in the good of the world. I will only pray that you all do the same. I will not force anyone to believe that which they cannot; it is impossible. I will only pray. I fight for you, I fight for good, and I pray for all of you. I do not know if you all do the same for me. I do not expect you to. I only wish for understanding, and for all to try and understand beyond that which they already know. An illithid is a terrifying thing. Creatures that kill, destroy, and enslave. Yet, as you can see, it is not universal. I stand here before you, praying for all of your well-being and understanding, something almost none of my kind will do. So this is why I ask you to understand. Look beyond your prejudices to see the few that are good. Look upon all races and try to see this: orcs, gnolls, kobolds, drow, all races. Look, and perhaps you will find a creature like me. Good is there everywhere in the world, its just difficult to find in certain places. If you do not believe that there can be good in the world, go ahead. I will prove you wrong. I have met Heironeous and he has taught me what I can do for this world, and I will do it. I am a paladin of Heironeous. If you will not believe that an illithid can be given such a holy role, so be it. Stay yourself, or stay me. I have seen God, I have seen my father. Their wills are mine, and I shall carry them onward until the day I die. Rlyeth stood and paused. The foyer remained quiet. He walked forward as the crowd split in front of him, all their eyes trapped upon him. He walked to the doors and his hand rested upon the handle before he began to speak once more, Here, I say farewell. I know some of you still fear me, despite what I say, and so I will promise you this: That I will not return to Helonshire. I have a will to protect this place, but I know that there are many other lands that require assistance from us, the disciples of Heironeous. Perhaps he will guide me back some day. I doubt that. My path has been set, and I am the one who will travel down it. May Heironeous bless you all. Rlyeth opened the doors. The gray skies lay above him, reflecting in his silken eyes. And he left.