The Heroes of Baldur's Gate... and Me

Part 1: An Introduction

How did this happen? Why am I here?

The day had started as a regular morning, with me waking at the crack of dawn, ready for another back-breaking day in the fields. For a brief moment, I considered not getting up.

Why should I?

But then I looked across the room to where my four year old daughter, Lyra, lay in her cot bed, her blonde curls spread across her pillow. That is why. My Lyra; she is my whole world.

I had left my home, after bidding farewell to Lyra and her grandmother, and began the walk up the dirt road to Old Marv's farm. I was almost there, my mind on whether I would be pulling potatoes or beetroots today, when I noticed it had fallen eerily silent and a large shadow had fallen over the farmland.

The next thing I remember was waking on that awful nautiloid, the pod I was in opening causing me to stumble out. My senses were accosted with the sounds of thunder, large groaning and what I could only think was a battle outside? The overwhelming smell of burnt flesh and brimstone, and something heavy and metallic that I could taste on my tongue. I looked around and saw myself in a fleshy alien chamber, other pods along the walls either open or smashed as fires broke out. A large hole was torn into the side of the ship, showing me what could only be the burning landscape of Avernus.

I was totally bewildered, my brain unable to process where I was. It was in that moment that Tav appeared. Her hand on my arm, steadying me. Her clear emerald eyes piercing my own. "Calm, you are safe now" she had said, "Follow me and we will get you off this ship". I had looked into that beautiful and determined face, her courage infectious, and I could not help but believe her.

A sharp pain behind my left eye, and I felt it squirm in my head. Images flooded my brain, a druid's circle, a white raven on a flag, then myself seen through Tav's eyes.
The tadpole. An image of that dreaded mindflayer, standing over me, the tadpole in its fingers getting closer to my face.

She had one too. It had connected us.

She quickly introduced herself. "I am Tavellier Janken of Neverwinter, but you can call me Tav."

"I'm ..I'm Tamara." I stuttered.

It was only then that I noticed, the two people standing a little way behind her. A half elf cleric, dark hair wound into a long braid down her back and a harsh fringe faming her delicate round face. Her eyes softening as she looked at me with what I can only assume was pity.
The other - a githyanki - stood with arms crossed, her eyes narrowed to slits as she assessed me. Aggression and disagreement radiated off her, making it clear she did not think much of me.

"Tsskk. We need to make it to the helm, not offer assistance to every helpless creature we come across. She will only slow us down" The githyanki spat at Tav, before marching ahead to the next area.

Determined to prove the gith wrong, I had pushed myself to keep pace with them, ignoring the protesting ache in my knees. I had taken the dagger the cleric handed me, and grasped it tightly as we navigated the ship. Not that I got much of a chance to use it, as at the first sight of danger, Tav pushed me behind her. She and the gith dispatched the flying imps with ease, their movements fluid and practiced. It was obvious they were skilled warriors.

The four of us had made it to the helm only to be faced with a devil and a mindflayer. "Get to the helm. Leave this one to me" A deep voice echoes in our heads, the Mindflayers orange eyes fixed on us before returning back to the devil.

My heart had dropped at the sight, seeing the control panel at the far side of the room, with a dozen imps and hell boars between us. But I need not have underestimated my companions. With a loud battle cry they threw themselves into the fray, slicing at the imps and sending the boars tumbling. I marvelled at the three of them; the gith's pure strength and ferociousness, the cleric's radiant magic shooting from her fingertips causing an imp to instantly burn to ash. And Tav; like a beacon in the chaos, her twin blades making short work of anything in her path. A confident half smile on her face.