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Bruenor started to reply, but the words got caught in his throat Regis was standing on Bruenor’s left, and Bruenor had lost his left eye in a fight in Mithril Hall After the war between Mithril Hall and Menzoberranzan, one of thespells over Bruenor’s face, which was scarred froonally across the eye, to the left side of his jaw The wound was an old one by that point, and the cleric had predicted that his ould do little more than cosmetic repair Indeed, it took several months for a new eye to appear, deep within the folds of the scar, and sois pulled Bruenor closer Unexpectedly, the halfling covered Bruenor’s right eye with one hand, pointed a finger of his other hand, and jabbed it at the dwarfs left eye

Bruenor ju exclai hiht had returned in his left eye!

Several other patrons in the store watched the emotional outburst, and as soon as Bruenor became aware of their stares, and even worse, their shly back to the floor

Maboyo arrived then, his arms full with a coil of heavy rope "Will this meet your desires?" he asked

"It’s a start," Bruenor roared at hiain "I need another thousand feet"

Maboyo stared at hiet ons to keep me and me kin supplied for a hunnerd years!"

Maboyo stared a ave up and headed for his storeroom He had known the dwarf meant to clean him out of many items as soon as Bruenor had entered his store with a heavy purse Maboyo liked to dole out supplies slowly, over ti as hest bargainer this side of theback your vision didn’t do is reht

Bruenor winked at hiame, Rulad we’re back Doubles his business"

True enough, Regis understood With Bruenor and two hundred of Clan Battlehaest and best-stocked in all of Bryn Shander, in all of Ten-Towns-stood to do well

Of course, that meant Maboyo would have to put up with the surliest of custoht of the battles the shopkeeper and Bruenor would fight, just as it had been nearly a decade before, when the rocky valley just south of Kelvin’s Cairn chi while staring at Bruenor It was good to be home

Part 2

THE FOG OF FATE

We are the center In each of our ance, or selfishness-we are the center, and all the world moves about us, and for us, and because of us This is the paradox of community, the one and the whole, the desires of the one often in direct conflict with the needs of the whole Who a us has not wondered if all the world is no hts are arrogant or selfish It is simply a matter of perception; we can empathize with someone else, but we cannot truly see the world as another person sees it, or judge events as they affect the mind and the heart of another, even a friend

But we must try For the sake of all the world, we must try This is the test of altruisredient for society Therein lies the paradox, for ultiically, we each must care more about ourselves than about others, and yet, if, as rational beings we follow that logical course, we place our needs and desires above the needs of our society, and then there is no community

I come from Menzoberranzan, city of drow, city of self I have seen that way of selfishness I have seen it fail ence rules, then all the coains are left with nothing of any real value

Because everything of value that ill know in this life comes from our relationships with those around us Because there is nothing ibles of love and friendship

Thus, we must overcome that selfishness and wethe attack on Cap-

tain Deudermont in Waterdeep My first inclination was to believe that my past had precipitated the trouble, that ht pain to a friend I could not bear this thought I felt old and I felt tired Subsequently learning that the trouble was possibly brought on by Deuderave er to er to Deudermont, or to Catti-brie or any of the others about us

Yet nized and understood thenize that source, and take pride in it I have seen the failure of self-indulgence; I have run from such a world I would rather die because of Deudermont’s past than have him die because of my own I would suffer the physical pains, even the end of my life Better that than watch one I love suffer and die because of me I would rather have my physical heart torn from my chest, than have my heart of hearts, the essence of love, the eer than , these eic, how they overrule the most basic instincts Because, in the measure of tient instincts to be a weakness, we sense that the needs of the coh the desires of the one Only e adnize our weaknesses can we rise above theether