Free Baldur's Gate II Throne of Bhaal by Drew Karpyshyn

each recurrence of the vivid nightmare, Bhaal’s Anointed had to relive once more the torment of the ritual that had changed the favored worshiper of the
    Lord of Murder from mere follower to Bhaal’s Anointed, to serve as guardian of the terrible ceremonies that could lead to a dead god’s rebirth.
    The Anointed One let out a shuddering breath but otherwise stayed motionless as the terrible dream slowly faded back into the mists of repressed trauma. Those who slept or stood guard nearby, the fools who had no idea of the true identity of the dark figure within their midst, had not noticed their companion’s reaction.
    Bhaal was dead, his followers lost and scattered, or swallowed up into the ranks of Cyric’s rapidly expanding flock. Though the Lord of Murder was dead, Bhaal’s Anointed knew he was also very much still alive in the world. Soon the ritual of ascension would begin, and the Lord of Murder would be born anew. And all Faerun would pay for the suffering Bhaal’s Anointed had been forced to endure.
    The early years after Bhaal’s demise had been the most difficult. Hunted by the fanatical followers of mad Cyric, the mortal who had supplanted the dead god’s position in the pantheon, those still faithful to Bhaal had been forced to flee. Their own servants and followers turned on them, throwing their allegiance behind Cyric in a pathetic attempt to save their own lives and salvage their positions within the new order. Bereft of allies, Bhaal’s Anointed and the rest of the faithful were forced to abandon their castles and slaves and live like fugitives as the might and power of Bhaal’s worshipers was obliterated from the face of Faerun.
    Many went into hiding, reinventing their identities as a shield against their god’s numerous enemies. Clerics who once counted on the protection and might of the priestly magic granted by their dark god were forced to turn to other methods for their survival. Even though Bhaal’s worshipers could no longer call down the wrath of their god upon their enemies, the worshipers were not without power.
    The true believers had learned much at Bhaal’s feet. They knew how to survive. They studied the arts of sorcery, replacing divine spells with arcane magics. They sought out the leaders and rulers of the Southlands under false pretenses, sowing the seeds of future alliances. Always working from within the shadows, the faithful cultivated their own political power by learning the darkest secrets of the influential few who shaped the events of Faerun, then using those secrets without conscience to further their own goals.
    None were so skilled in these dark lessons as Bhaal’s Anointed. Deception. Lies. Manipulation. Ruthless cunning. In many ways these abilities surpassed that which had been lost: the fierce power of a dark god’s unholy magic.
    Inevitably, the fortunes of Bhaal’s Anointed had risen once more—though few, if any, knew the true identity of the Anointed One. During this time the fortunes of the Bhaalspawn also rose. Driven by the divine essence within, the Bhaalspawn began to rise to prominence up and down the Sword Coast. They attained positions of power and influence in Amn and Tethyr. They attracted followers throughout Calimshan. The first step of Bhaal’s return had begun.
    The Anointed One shivered as the terror sweat of the nightmare was cooled by an invisible draft. The dreams of the anointing were more frequent now, just one more sign that the time of ascension was approaching. Soon Bhaal’s Anointed would receive the ultimate reward for years of faithful service.
    It had fallen to Bhaal’s Anointed to identify the most powerful of the immortal offspring and approach them one by one in an effort to recruit them to the cause. Promises of the immortal gratitude that would follow in the wake of Bhaal’s resurrection inevitably brought visions of incomprehensible wealth and power, and those Bhaalspawn the Anointed One approached were always quick to