Prologue

I found myself in a smoky den. Beings of all sorts drank and smoked and caroused around me. In one corner, what looked like an Elven Warrior in a Sky Blue Cloak sat drinking wine out of a crystal goblet. At another table, a Halfling in a Green and Yellow Tunic with a Cornucopia Emblazoned on it sat near a Gnome smoking a pipe with a grand mustache and striped pantaloons. A leather-armored Dwarf was sitting at a bar counter as a gold bracer-clad arm lifted a Tankard of some kind of ale to lips obscured by a flowing black beard. A Woman with a fiery mane of curly red hair in a flowing white robe sipped a fiery red wine while a muscular human Warrior with reddish-gold hair that shined like fire sipped a beer. Across the room, a Blindfolded, One-Handed, Older Warrior with a flowing white beard was playing darts with a younger Human Warrior in Purple-Hued Plate Armor. Somehow the Blind Man was keeping up with his younger companion. If anything, the Younger Man was behind in the game. In the corner sat a bald Man in bloody bandages who winced every time he hefted his flagon of mead to his lips.

On the opposite side of the room, an Old, Balding, Sage with a Flaring Beard and Violet eyes puffed on a pipe near a pair of women, one a Green Clad elf with a bow slung over her shoulder and the other a Plump Human with vines in her hair. Both were sipping from wine glasses, while a nearby, Dark-Haired, Robed, Human, Woman sat reading a book, occasionally taking a drink from a glass of ale or a puff from a pipe. At the other end of the bar, a Silver-Haired, Dusky-Skinned, Human Woman sat talking with a Black-Skinned, White-Haired, Drow, Woman with long, ankle-length, hair that covered her as surely as a full-body cloak would. The pair were sharing wine from a green-glassed bottle.

"Good, you're here." Came a bubbly voice.

I turned to see a Slender, Petite, Short-Haired, Woman in a short white satin gold-trimmed tunic and high brown leather boots. She grinned at me and I felt like I was missing something. Was I supposed to be here? Where was here anyway? I asked those questions and her grin only widened in response.

"You're exactly where you need to be. Come with me." She nodded, holding out her hand.

I took it and she led me to a back room of the smoky den of odd beings. The whole place had the aura of something you'd see at a LARP or Rennaisance Fair. I didn't recall how I'd gotten here, but I knew that I wasn't at either of those. No LARP or Fair was currently going, I would know.

"I know you've got questions, but we don't have a lot of time. I had to engage a few friends to help me give you an edge." Insisted the Woman.

She led me into a room with two other women in it. The First was an Elven Woman with two Butterfly Wings that seemed to have a pattern to them that seemed to appear like the cosmos. The second was a dark-skinned, African-looking, Eight-Armed, Woman with diamond-patterned clothing.

"These are Desna and Nana Anadi, the ones outside that you saw were Moradin, Corellon Larethian, Elistraee, Chauntea, Deneir, Garl Glittergold, Ilmater, Lathander, Mielikki, Mystra, Selune, Sune, Torm, Tyr, and Yondalla. Can you guess who I am?" Questioned the Woman.

"Tymora. You're Tymora., Faerunian Goddess of Luck" I breathed, suddenly realizing what was going on.

"I am, among other things." Confirmed the Woman, Tymora.

"I'm not on Earth right now, am I?" I queried.

"No, you're not." Confirmed Tymora.

"So what do you need and why me?" I asked.

"Well, I'm sure you know about the Bhallspawn, yes? And about multiple timelines?" Questioned Tymora.

"I do. What's about them?" I queried.

"As it was explained to me, his old Master, Bane has been playing the margins via the timelines from inside the skin of his son Iyachtu Xvim while preparing to return to Faerun after he was supposedly slain by Cyric." Informed Nana Anadi.

"And when timelines and Gods are involved, the potential for reversals of what is supposed to happen is there." Added Desna.

"Correct. Bane can't exert too much power while gestating in his Son's Body or he'll jeopardize his rebirth. Normally, Gods affect all timelines equally, but Bane has been playing with one specific timeline, directing the various Cults of Bhaal to take other actions. In most Timelines, the Bhaalspawn that emerges victorious is Abdel Adrian, however, in this specific timeline, Abdel Adrian was not who the Cult of Bhaal in the Sword Coast Region brought about, thanks to Bane's influence. Instead, they kidnapped a Woman from Shou Lung in Kara-Tur, the Wife of a Silk Trader who had traveled to Baldur's Gate for trade. She was taken as they traveled overland to Beregost for further trade." Continued Tymora.

"Ok, so what does that have to do with me?" I asked.

"The resulting child, Mei, was likewise taken in by Gorion. However, she will require help to overcome the challenges that Abdel Adrian did. The game has been changed somewhat, so to speak. Several of the other Bhaalspawn have been altered by Bane's meddling including Sarevok." Explained Tymora.

"For one thing, he is now a Blackguard." Responded Desna.

"For another, he has developed a suite of Bhaalspawn Abilities that he did not have in the original timeline." Chipped in Nana Anadi.

"Something Similar was done to Gromnir Il-Khan and Yaga-Shura. Even if Mei should survive Sarevok, it is unlikely she will survive the Bhaalspawn War. All predictions that have been made say she dies in Tethyr if she does not die in Baldur's Gate against Sarevok." Offered Tymora.

"And because of how Gods work, changes in one timeline will ripple out through others. Mei dying in Tethyr inevitably results in Yaga-Shura being victorious and the re-emergence of Bhaal due to his actions, which will cause a domino effect across all timelines whereby Bhaal returns to Faerun even as Abdel Adrian is victorious in the primary timeline." Pressed Nana Anadi.

"Which in turn, allows Bane to speed up his plans for his return with the aid of his former lackey. And with Bane and Bhaal back, things will take a dark turn for Faerun." Piped up Desna.

"Indeed, however, Bane and Bhaal are not the only gods who can stack the deck." Smirked Tymora.

"Which is where I come in, I assume?" I questioned.

"Just so. Unfortunately, Tymora giving you extra powers will not be enough. That is why she has called in favors with the two of us." Nodded Nana Anadi.

"You're Goddesses from Golarion, which I'm assuming means that you will be giving me powers more akin to Pathfinder?" I queried.

"We will. You will have the powers of a Bard and Swashbuckler. Both together." Affirmed Desna.

"Which, of course, means that I will be the one to remake your body to be more suited to such things." Finished Tymora.

"I see. What does that sort of process entail?" I asked.

"Well, firstly, I'll be de-aging you physically to around twenty years old or so. Next, I'll be reshaping your body. Getting rid of fat, adding muscle, removing genetic defects and health problems, that sort of thing." Informed Tymora.

"You'll be moderately better off than the average Bard/Swashbuckler." Insisted Desna.

"It will hurt, however, so I'd advise you to brace yourself." Frowned Nana Anadi.

"Here, this will help. Drink it down and then brace yourself." Intoned Tymora, handing me a flask.

With a shrug, I uncapped the silvery metal flask and drank the thick, black, liquid inside. It tasted like purse spice and burned going down before settling in my belly like a hot coal. I wanted to gag, but I kept drinking as Tymora bade. By the time I finished the whole thing, I was panting.

"What. . .was that?" I demanded.

"That was Chessentan Firewine. It's strong stuff if you can handle the burn. Give it a second and it should start working." Informed Tymora.

I did as she asked and gave the stuff a moment and before too long, the burning settled down, transforming into a pleasant warmth that then spread throughout my whole body and took the edge of sensation off. I felt buzzed from just one drink, so this definitely worked as intended. I handed the flask back to Tymora and braced myself for whatever she was going to do to turn me from a fat thirty-seven-year-old to a lean, mean, twenty-year-old in the prime of his life.

"I'm ready." I remarked.

"We'll see." Huffed Tymora, with a smirk.

Then her eyes glowed and she laid a hand on me and suddenly my skin was on fire and no amount of Chessentan Firewine and bracing myself could have prepared me for the pain. As I looked down, I saw that I was limned in golden flames. Not only that, but the fat flowed off me in rivulets, coming up out of my skin as muscles began building underneath. I couldn't help it, I screamed. Loudly and in an extended fashion. As the fires reached my head, the pain intensified as it cooked my various mental issues out of my brain. I didn't know how long I was screaming for, it could have been minutes, it could have been days, and the pain of the body horror all seemed to flow together. Mercifully, I wasn't conscious for the whole process.

Darkness claimed me before all the Goddesses had finished. . .

XXXX

When I woke up, I found myself no longer in the smoke-lit tavern of the Gods, but instead in an alleyway between two buildings. I stood up and clutched the alleyway for support as my vision swam at the sudden movement. Looking down, I saw my reflection in a puddle and knew that I had been changed. My hair and beard were a more vibrant red, and my hair was longer. I was also wearing what looked like brownish-red studded leather armor over a deep blue shirt of thick cotton. I had a longsword with a bronzed hilt sheathed at my side. In addition, lying on the ground at my feet was what was recognizably an acoustic guitar. A red and dark blue-striped wool traveling cloak was also in the alleyway sat atop a barrel, along with a pouch of coins, a silver cloak pin worked in the shape of Tymora's Coin, a haversack, and a note.

"I guess they weren't kidding. I wonder where I am?" I questioned under my breath.

Looking around, I saw that the buildings on either side of me were half-timber structures with whitewashed walls and wooden roof shingles that reminded me of nothing quite so much as Tudor Architecture. Looking around out of the Alleymouth only showed me that it was foggy out, and the breeze wafted the stench of fish and salt along with it. I was near the sea, it seemed.

"This could be anywhere. Maybe the note will let me know?" I mused.

I pinned on my cloak, hefted the pouch of coins, belted on the haversack, slung my guitar over my shoulder, and grabbed the note. Unfolding the parchment paper, I read the words inked on the parchment by Tymora. It seemed that somehow, something had gone awry with my entry into Faerun, though my reforming into my current body and mental class skill download went well enough. I was currently in the town of Caer Jannath, a Town of some two-thousand-five-hundred people on the Isle of Cadfael, the second largest of the three isles of the Jannath Isles. Caer Jannath was the largest town on the Jannath Isles and the de facto capital of the small archipelago. It was also an entire year before the Bhaalspawn would wind up going on her journey, Thirteen-sixty-seven DR. Mind you, Tymora didn't say exactly what happened to throw off her aim, but that's deities for you. Don't admit you were wrong to the Mortals.

"No time like the present to take a look around, I suppose." I muttered.

With that, I stepped out onto the streets. In this part of town, the street was built on wooden planking as stilts out over the water. It seems that Caer Jannath was partially built onto the ocean, and that created an effect where there were sort of pseudo-canals running through parts of the town on which a number of fishing boats lay. Most of the houses were made primarily of timber, daub, and wattle to avoid the weight becoming an issue, though I spotted a few bits of stone construction, they were few and far between and almost always as an addition to an existing timber, daub, and wattle, structure.

Looking to my left, I spotted that the more solid ground parts of town tended to be the more well-to-do areas, with stone buildings and market plazas. Furthermore, Caer Jannath seemed to be surrounded on one side by the ocean and on three others by steep hills. If the hills had gotten more room to grow, I'd suspect they'd turn into mountains, but the islands of Jannath's Tears weren't large enough for that sort of thing. In the distance, I saw that the hills rose into bluffs overlooking the town and the ocean, on which a walkway led from the well-to-do part of town to a castle that looked out over the ocean as a redoubt in case of attack.

"That makes sense. Three-hundred-fifteen years ago, the High King of the Moonshae Isles tried to conquer this place but got pushed back by an alliance of the locals and a fleet from Baldur's Gate. It figures they'd have built a castle just in case they came back." I remarked.

Wait, how did I know that? Wracking my brain, I came up with the fact that such was something you'd get with a Bardic Knowledge Check. That must mean that at the very least, the class infusion went right, even if the placement in Faerun didn't. That was good, especially as it was likely I'd need to fight sooner or later.

"I guess I should try and find a tavern, then." I decided, looking around.

It took me only maybe five minutes before I spotted a Tavern. The Selkie's Lament was a place that looked like it catered to sailors and travelers. The sign showed a beautiful woman with a Seal's nose and a tear in her eye done in paint on wood. It looked like exactly the sort of place you should go if you wanted a quest or to hear about any rumors. That made it perfect for my purposes.

I entered and spotted a Halfling Woman behind the bar polishing a tankard with a bored expression on her face. She wore a teal jerkin, feathered cap, and blue and white-striped pantaloons looking over the bar. She flagged me down as she did and sauntered over. I noticed her curly brown hair was cut short under her cap and she had an easy grin that crept over her face as she spotted a customer.

"Hey, welcome to the Selkie's Lament! I'm Janessa Goodharbor, what can I get you?" She grinned.

"What do you have?" I queried.

"Lots of stuff, Golden Sands from Calimport, Conyberry Stout from Neverwinter, Amnwater from Amn, Blackroot Beer from Tethyr, of course with that nation's instability we've had to raise the price of that. You never know when the next shipment will be, after all. We've also got Shadowdark Ale from Waterdeep, Elfsong Cider, which is a new big hit from Baldur's Gate. If you feel like wine, we have a bunch of those, Marsember Blush and Suzailian Sweet from Cormyr are our big sellers. If you're looking for more exotic fare, we've even got things like Rum from the Colonies in Maztica, Belbuck made in-house by my father, Chultan Fireswill from Chult, and even Braehg from the Ten Towns, though I wouldn't recommend that." Listed off Janessa.

"That's quite a selection." I mused.

"We also were supposed to have a shipment of Luskan Stout, but it's been seized by the Customs Office. Something about the ship it was on not paying proper harbor fees. It was seized in payment by Harbormaster Daffyd. He took the cargo from the ship and then sent them back out of port to Luskan. It's caused a stink and Lord Cadfael called him up to his castle to discuss the situation. Apparently, the Luskan Ship sailed away swearing revenge." Sighed Janessa.

"Is that why it looks so dead in here? Because the ship that swore revenge was carrying Stout that was supposed to come here? That doesn't seem logical." I mused.

"It's not, but then, since when are people strictly logical all the time?" Shrugged Janessa.

"Well, maybe I can get that Stout out of lock-up for you." I offered.

"Good luck with that. Harbormaster Daffyd still sicced his chief Harbor Warden on Guard Duty. Arnuth's a tough customer, as tough as they come around these parts. The only way in would be through the old sewer tunnels under the consignment warehouse and those have been pretty well boarded up ever since a few months ago." Grumbled Janessa.

"What happened a few months ago?" I asked.

"A bunch of Bullywugs showed up in the Old Sewers, a float of them got swept in on the tide and now there's a whole pond down there. They've been known to pull night raids on the docks, but nothing too expensive ever got taken and no one but the odd sailor or traveler got killed so it hasn't reached the point yet where Lord Cadfael thinks he needs to do anything about it." Explained Janessa.

"Sounds like you've looked into trying to use the Old Sewer Tunnels yourself." I pointed out.

"I have. I'm a sorcerer, myself, but I can't handle Twenty Bullywugs on my own." Groused Janessa.

"Well, what if you didn't have to do it yourself? I'm pretty decent in a fight myself." I offered.

"I don't even know your name." Insisted Janessa.

"Robar, they Call me Robar the Red." I introduced, using the name of an Old Character I once played.

"That's a Northlander name, right? Well, Robar, what can you do?" Questioned Janessa.

"I'm a Bard and I also have been known to Buckle Swash on occasion." I grinned.

"A Bard and a Swashbuckler, huh? You know, that might actually work. We might need one more for frontline duty, but I could see that working." Mused Janessa.

"Do you know anyone like that?" I queried.

"Actually yes. A Northlander like you named Grimnir owes me a favor after losing a dice game that he didn't have the money to be playing in. He's decent in a fight and he owes me." Nodded Janessa.

"Well, then it sounds like we have our team. When do you want to do this?" I asked.

"Tonight after dark. Give me some time to get Grimnir ready to go." Responded Janessa.

"Good, in the meantime, I'll take Shadowdark Ale." I grinned.

It looked like I had my first quest. That was good because I was aiming to get as high a level as I could in the year or so I had before things with the Bhaalspawn kicked off. As Janessa poured me an ale, I reached for the Coin Pouch that I'd been given. Looking inside, I realized that Tymora had given me about fifty Gold Moonshae Crowns, roughly half what I'd need for a Chain Shirt. It was more than enough for a Mug of Shadowdark Ale. Even so, Janessa waved me off.

"You're helping us out, so this one's on the house." She insisted.

Of course, the next one wasn't, nor was any of the food. We still had a few hours to go before sunset, after all. Luckily, I had more than enough to eat and drink all day and not even spend a whole gold piece if I didn't want to. By the time that Grimnir Arrived, I would be more than full and I'd still be getting change from the single Gold Crown I'd spent. I would likely be getting even more treasure from the Bullywugs to boot.

All told, I'd come out well ahead in this transaction, I would just have to stay alive through the upcoming adventure to collect. . .

XXXX

AN: New Story, this one is a bit of a concept rework from an older one, though I will be doing a lot more of my own stuff here instead of strictly following the stations of Canon. Those of you who know Baldur's Gate might realize that I'm not using the Game's rules even for the non-Pathfinder stuff. That is because I am using Three-point-five rules for this story, which is making the world a little more compatible with the Pathfinder stuff that Robar has.

At any rate, the next chapter will be the meeting with Grimnir and the start of the adventure. I will also be putting up Pictures and Character Sheets shortly.

Stay tuned. . .