I started the first verbal attack in the negotiation.
"I don't see what you have to negotiate with," I said to Rieltar. "If you don't come with us, you're going to be killed. Sarevok knows your capabilities and has prepared enough forces to murder you all."
"Assassins depend on catching their targets unaware. Now that we are, I should think our doom is not so assured," Rieltar said with a grin. "Still, I admit I would like to have some assurance. A band of mercenaries standing between me and the doppelgangers would be most welcome."
"You must be mad to think we would protect you!" Jaheira exclaimed. "You may not be responsible for Gorion's death, but the souls who died in the bandit raids and those imprisoned in Cloakwood scream for justice!"
"But you are under orders to bring us to Baldur's Gate to be interviewed by Duke Eltan. That would necessitate protecting us from harm, would it not?" Rieltar countered.
Jaheira gnashed her teeth, but had no answer.
"So you all agree to come with us peacefully then? How joyous! I'd say that settles our negotiations quite nicely," I said with a smile.
"Not in chains,' Rieltar fired back. "Considering our past grievances, I'll not put my safety solely in your hands. We'll want to be able to defend ourselves as well."
"Ha! So you can stab us in the back while we are defending you from doppelgangers? I think not," I shot back. "If you don't return with us to defend yourself before Duke Eltan, your entire operation in the Sword Coast in jeopardy. Will your superiors in Sembia tolerate such failure?"
Rieltar crossed his arms. "I'll defend myself on my own terms. I'll not willingly step into your trap you've laid out for me."
"Sarevok's trap, not mine. Try defending yourself from both us and the doppelgangers as soon as you've step out of Candlekeep. Perhaps I'll sit back and watch first you all fend of the doppelgangers first, then swoop in once you're weakened. You can't make me step out of Candlekeep before you."
"Oooh, I like the sound of that," Neera said with a smile.
Rieltar scowled, as did Brunos and the Knights of the Shield. Their hands moved for their weapons again, but Rieltar gestured for them to hold.
Again, that's the gesture for 'Hold' or 'wait' or 'not yet'. Not the gesture for 'no'.
"You can't make me step out of Candlekeep either," Rieltar countered. "Sarevok will happily run the Iron Throne without me. Where will that leave you?"
"It'll leave me with dead leaders of the Iron Throne and the Knights of the Shield, kudos to the Sarevok's assassins," I said. "One threat to the realms down. The Iron Throne is already going down, Sarevok has nothing to offer the Dukes."
Rieltar gave a sinister smile.
What was there to smile about at this point? Honestly, his confidence was unnerving me, but I was trying not to let is show.
"That's where you are wrong. I know Sarevok quite well, so while I have failed to anticipate his coup, I know what his next action is. I would do the same in his shoes," Rieltar said. "You didn't think bringing down the Iron Throne would end Sarevok's machinations, did you? I'm needed to hold the Iron Throne together. If he wants me dead, he has no more use for it. The Iron Throne is merely a chess piece he can sacrifice to promote himself to royalty."
What? Is that how it went?
I sat back down to consider, my mind racing. In the original story, Rieltar and company are killed, then Sarevok takes over the Iron Throne. He doesn't run it well though, and instead of taking profits he fuels the fires for war with Amn. He does so after being promoted to Grand Duke in replacement of Duke Entar Silvershield who he had assassinated.
So what would he do this time around, with the Iron Throne implicated as being responsible for the iron crisis?
My eyes widened. "Sarevok would testify that the Iron Throne leaders were working for Amn in a plot to weaken Baldur's Gate by precipitating the iron crisis. He'd say that Amn would have the Iron Throne supply polluted iron in the city's time of need."
Rieltar smiled wider, somehow. "Now you get it. Sarevok will serve the Iron Throne to Dukes as a scapegoat, along with the Iron Throne's secret allies. That's your party by the way. And then he'll offer the Iron Throne's real iron supplies for cheap so that Baldur's Gate can defend itself from Amn."
My party gasped.
"No, he can't...," Imoen said, her voice trailing off.
But he very well could. That was the remaining move Sarevok had left, and he was damn well going to use it.
Oh crap. Total crap basket. At that point, Sarevok will be crowned as Grand Duke. And our party, which according to Sarevok's testimony has been working for the Iron Throne behind the scenes, will be considered criminals all over again just like in the original story.
"So you see, you need me alive to refute Sarevok and not implicate you as our co-conspirators, after all. Your lot can't allow me to be killed by doppelgangers. If you want us to co-operate, you have to bring us back on our terms," Rieltar said, smug. "Don't feel bad about it. You've been driven into a corner."
Which is why Duke Eltan sent us to grab Rieltar and Brunos. With Sarevok's testimony in place, ironically we'll be depending on them to testify against Sarevok.
I thought long and hard on this. What to do...
The rest of the party looked uncertainly at each other.
Neera reached out, put a hand on my shoulder. "Sonny..."
I don't know what prompted me to, but I put a hand on hers. "I think we have an agreement. As agreed, we will be taking you all back to Baldur's Gate safely. I guarantee it, as long as-"
My party balked. "What? But Sonny-"
I put a finger to my mouth to silence them. "As I was saying, I guarantee your safety as long as you co-operate. Please do not resist arrest and we shall form a shield for you from harm."
Rieltar's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean by 'arrest'? You mean you will have us unarmed and in chains?"
"Rope, really. Chain is too expensive."
"What, don't you care what we will testify before the Dukes?" Rieltar shouted. His whole face was red.
Finally! I was wondering when I'd be able to provoke him enough. I gestured to Imoen, who quietly opened the door and beckoned Ulraunt and Tethorial in.
"I do care. But I can't trust any of you to do that for us once you are in Baldur's Gate. Moreover, I can't trust you not to attack us either along the way. Submit to arrest, or we'll just let the doppelgangers attack you first," I said. "I'm patient. I can wait."
I had to to this conclusion by putting myself in Rieltar's shoes. Considering the investigation going on, knowing that Thaldorn may have confessed and Sarevok may have testified to screw him over, would Rieltar want to go back to Baldur's Gate to be prosecuted by the Dukes? No way. He wanted to run. To do that, he would need us to help him survive the doppelgangers, then stab us in the back at the opportune time.
"I'll not have you wait for us to strike when we're vulnerable, fool!" Rieltar screamed. "You die right now!"
At once, Rieltar, Brunos and the two Knights of the drew weapons, just as Ulraunt and Tethoril walked in, just in time to hear Rieltar's pronouncement.
"You first," I said, and tugged on a wire, while ducking down. Imoen tugged on a wire and ducked as well. My whole party ducked.
The wires triggered the bolt launchers in the backpacks I and Imoen had placed on the cabinet earlier, and crossbow bolts burst towards Rieltar and company.
---
Rieltar, Brunos and the two Knights of the Shield are formidable foes. Kind of.
Rieltar is a surprisingly only a level 6 mage (36 hp) who opens with Improved Invisibility spell, then casts up to four Lightning Bolts (6d6 each).
Brunos is a level 9 fighter with 95hp, AC -1. He attacks with a Monrning Star +1 at Thac0 8, APR 2.5.
The two Knights of the Shield were Tuth and Kestor.
Tuth is a level 9 figher with 101 hp, AC0. He attacks with a Longsword+1 at Thac0 8, APR 2.5
Kestor is a level 8 thief with 47 hp, AC 3. He attacks with DARTS OF STUNNING with Thac0 13, APR 3. That was the biggest problem, in my opinion.
---
With only 36hp, Rieltar went down to the onslaught of crossbow bolts. The rest were injured badly, with Kestor the least hurt as he was out of the main line of fire. Branwen was next to Kestor however, so he couldn't throw his darts. Funnily enough, Kestor had no melee weapon so he had to rely on his fists to fend of Branwen.
Jaheira, wearing the Girdle of Bluntness (+4 AC vs crushing), faced Brunos's Morning Star+1.
Khalid, wearing the Golden Girdle (+4 Ac vs slashing), faced Tuth's Longsword +1.
Supporting fire from me, Neera and Imoen helped bring down Tuth, then Brunos quickly. With just Kestor left, we the party trounced him together.
As Rieltar lay bleeding on the ground, I pointed at them. "Your ambitions for riches and power ends here," I said, and turned my thumb down. "Your backstabbing step-son will be joining you soon."
In spite of his pain, Rieltar smiled cruelly. "I'll look forward to it."
And his eyes closed, never to open again.
Loot from Rieltar's gang:
Long Sword +1, Morning Star +1, Dart of Stunning (×16),
Chain mail +1, Plate Mail, 2x Medium Shield +1,
Potion of Genius, Potion of Clarity (very rare!), Potion of Frost Giant Strength
(Loot on 3rd floor: Mage scrolls of Luck, Identify, Shield)
---
"You said it negotiations could lead to agreement. Not violence!" Ulraunt said accusingly.
"Emphasis on the word could. I did try, but they were too stubborn," I replied. I looked to both he and Tethoril. "You heard Rieltar threaten us, right? Were you expecting us to let ourselves be killed and not defend ourselves?"
In spite of his best efforts, Ulraunt could not really find fault with us given the situation. What happened next sealed the deal, thankfully.