"Imoen, watch out!"
Beneath the Binding Hall's jade-white stone pillars, Aaron seized Imoen's little hand and pulled her behind him. His grip was so strong that her palm hurt, and her face went pale with pain.
But Imoen was still Imoen. Even in pain, she endured it. Her eyes held not only fear, but curiosity and a faint, barely perceptible excitement.
Three Bhaalspawn Deathstalkers surrounded Aaron and Imoen from three directions. They flung back their cloaks, revealing over a dozen different weapons hidden beneath their Monk Oghma robes: short knives, short swords, daggers, poisoned spikes, and scimitars. Wreathed in the bloody aura unique to the Lord of Murder's divine power, they attacked Aaron from three sides.
A fine ambush!
The thought passed calmly through Aaron's mind. He had sensed something wrong long before this.
Candlekeep belonged to Oghma, the God of Knowledge. An absolutely neutral deity, Oghma stayed out of worldly conflicts and cared only for knowledge and learning. Aside from the fallen Phantom Goddess Leira, who had been fiercely hostile toward him, the God of Tyranny, Bane, was the only other deity who could truly be called his enemy-and Bane had already fallen. Beyond his poor relations with the Dark Sun, Cyric, who had inherited Bane's divine portfolio, and Mask, the God of Thieves, Oghma had few enemies among the gods of the Realms.
The God of Knowledge's monks would never speak that way. The Bhaalspawn Deathstalkers had simply applied the logic of Zhentarim scholars and Bane's followers to Candlekeep's monks.
"One hundred and fifty gold per book is Candlekeep's rule for copying books. Take it or leave it! If you don't like it, don't come."-Typical lawful evil logic.
"One hundred and fifty gold per book is the standard jointly established by Candlekeep's guardians. Whether you need our services