Turbulent Tides, Calm Waters

Apparently death isn’t as permanent as I thought. Or at the very least it’s not permanent when it comes to Darius. The man’s alive and up walking around as if nothing’s happened, although after what I’ve seen I’m not entirely sure that’s the case.
 
The White Baron is a strange and powerful man. I don’t trust him but I couldn’t deny what I was seeing with my own eyes. Darius had been brought back from the dead, although his body was frozen and he could only move his eyeballs at first. We were told that he would thaw and be much more amiable in the morning so everyone decided to go to bed (although Mimz was very adamant about taking a walk with everybody, lad sure likes to go for strolls at the strangest of times). I couldn’t leave Darius alone like that, not alone in the dark after being pulled back from the abyss, so I took my leave and crept back down to the crypt. It wasn’t hard to get past the guards but before I could get close I was interrupted by a horrible sight.
 
There was a… thing standing over Darius. A cloaked creature, hooded and tall and terrible and terrifying, wielding a scythe with some sort of bird on it. It was talking to Darius, telling him he “will not fail”, and asking him if his friends were “making you weak or strong”. Darius, of course, couldn’t respond, so the creature zapped him with powerful lightning. The screams Darius let out still ring in my ears, along with the cold, creeping voice that kept demanding answers of him. Once it was finished it turned its face to me and searched the room with blind eyes. How I escaped this horrible thing’s notice is beyond me but I am forever thankful that I did.
 
As soon as it left I made my way to Darius, who was no longer looking around. The egg was glowing though so I sat it next to him in the hopes that maybe it would help. I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew Talion was trying to steer me back to our room. There was no way I was leaving Darius to face that thing alone again, not when we had just gotten him back from the dark abyss, so I ended up spending the night in the storage closet, still nearby but a little more secure. As far as closets go it really wasn’t that bad, if a little lonely.
 
When I stumbled out of the closet the next morning the rest of the crew was there, and as a group we checked on Darius again. At first it seemed as if the zappy lightning creature had done him in and wiped his memory, but then the roar of delight and the headlock he stuck me in proved that no, Darius was back to his usual self and yes, he was still mighty powerful and strong. Nearly took my head off….
 
By that point I was ready to go before that horrible thing came back but we had to endure breakfast first. Mimz kept asking eight hundred billion questions of the Baron and pissing him off, to which I responded by kicking the daylights out of Mimz’s shins, but the lad just would not relent. Something really got under his sticky skin. I don’t blame him for being fidgety, what with the Baron being all mysterious and creepy (also I guess he was married to the Right Big Red Headed Problem at some point, but he hates her just as much if not more than we do, so it’s all right). Eventually we were excused and ready to leave, although I had unfinished business with Ra’Zeed first.
 
Earlier in our stay I had found Ra’Zeed hanging around outside by some sort of small monument, busy placing leaves around a pile of small stones with a cross stuck in it. He told me that Gloria had erected it in memory of all the lost souls the Baron had slain. She had taken it upon herself to remember and recite the names of everyone before she slept each night, to pray for their souls so they don’t succumb to the dark. Now Ra’Zeed has taken up the mantle to keep the prayers alive.
 
I don’t put much stock in prayer, never have. But maybe I can start reciting names and thinking about those that have been lost because of me. I hope it’s not too late for them. Maybe if I start thinking of them now I can pull their souls back towards the light, or at least provide them a light to guide their way to better waters.
 
I’ll miss Ra’Zeed. He gave me some stuff that makes his tail more special (although apparently Gloria was the only one who could bestow the all important title of ‘special tail’ upon a tabaxi), so I’ll have to try that out sometime and see what it does. In return I gave him a letter detailing how to find Rosie and her crew, along with a note from me vouching for his character in case he ever decides to get away from this place and sail the seas.
 
I’ll also miss Talion. His business is done with us for now, he has his own life to attend to, but despite all the annoyances and flipping each other off we really have come to understand one another. I told him about my name and how I ended up on shore, along with the situation with Rosie, and he offered to help out by talking to dad about some things. Not sure how it’ll work out but Talion is one of the strongest willed people I know so if anyone’s going to find out answers it’ll most likely be him. He also has a ghostie twin sister spirit that hangs out around him, which is strange, but she seems like a nice lass so I’m sure mum and dad won’t mind when they both turn up at their doorstep. I also sent some money and a letter with him to give to them to make up for the fact that I stole dad’s stuff when I left.
 
We took a teleportation circle thing to Durr and promptly wound up inside a closet. For the life of me I don’t know what’s with the closets but as soon as we exited we ran into a mimic. Well, Darius kicked the ever loving life out of a mimic that was pretending to be a door. Honestly don’t blame the mimic for taking offense, Darius seems to have a personal grudge against doors. Which reminds me, I need to learn how to properly kick down a door, his entrances are very impressive and I could use that for myself sometime.
 
So instead of fighting the mimic door Mimzy stepped in and started… conversing with it? He stood there for a while, argued with Darius, freaked out a bunch, then we went through the door without much fuss. A strange sight but not nearly as strange as what followed.
 
Turns out that our very own Mimzy is also a mimic. A mimic disguised as a mannequin. Honestly… when I first set eyes upon Mimz I thought he was an abomination of sorts but after spending ten minutes talking to him he’s obviously not a bad fellow. A little strange, very inexperienced in the ways of the world, but he’s clearly got a soul that’s determined to make the most out of life. Being a mimic is just a part of him and isn’t something to be stabbing him over. Now, if he tries to take my diamond again we might be having a different conversation, but for the time being he’s still just Mimz. I've been mateys with stranger characters.
 
Makes me really wonder what Dax sees in him. It isn’t my business but she’s got a very special way of viewing the world if she can take Mimz in all his squishy, sticky, many eyeballed, toothy glory and still be taking a shine to him. Maybe it’s the same sort of thing that makes Brauka call me ‘wuvy’, although I personally ensured that she would have an unforgettable time with me so maybe it’s not the same, who knows.
 
We ended up at the Pickled Boar tavern, which I guess belongs to Darius but is currently being run by… M something. A lady who can throw a man clear out the window. To be fair I got completely obliterated by the first drink I had and can’t remember much about the rest of the evening, but what I do remember is that I pulled off a very impressive door kick that made Darius proud. Good stuff.
 
I vaguely remember there being a lady who looked a lot like Dax that was giving Mimz the what for. Did Dax cut her hair? I can’t remember, it’s too foggy. Going to have to sort that out sooner than later.
 
I spent the night in Darius’s room in case that zappy spectre of Death decided to show up again. Thankfully it did not. When I woke up Darius seemed to be in good spirits, which was good, and we had a bit of a heart to heart, which was also good. I got a lot of stuff off my chest that I had meant to tell him before he died- sorry, was ‘living impaired’- and having him know about my situation has put my mind a bit at ease. And learning more about him has made me more determined to keep him from falling into the abyss again. Once was enough.
 
Not sure how much I can help but I’ll do what I can. For now it seems we’re preparing to go to some sort of ball at the capital, which means I got to get all fancy again (good opportunity to use that stuff that Ra’Zeed gave me), and there’ll probably be some sort of fight. We have yet to roll into a town without getting arrested, chased out or attacked so it’s best to just assume the worst and be surprised by the best.
 
Right now I have more important stuff to focus on. Ra’Zeed told me that as a new father it’s my duty to name mine and Brauka’s child. No parent can ever be truly prepared for such a responsibility, and especially not me, not with my own unfortunate name, but after talking to Darius I think I’m ready to start thinking about it. The name itself shouldn’t be too hard to think of, especially since my name was dad’s and his father’s before him and so forth, so I should continue the tradition and pass it on. Makes it easy.
 
Whether or not I like it this kid is going to be mine. I won’t be a permanently absent father if I can help it. Maybe a not so present father in the day to day doings, but I can at least try to be somewhat involved. Maybe… maybe this kid can take my name and do better things with it than I ever have.