The Birvuo once more found himself waking up in a prison. Runes had been carefully designed on the floor he stood on, and when he reached out a skeletal hand he felt a barrier as solid and cold as glass. No doubt it was much less brittle.

They had moved him from the courtroom, he noticed. He was by the Ripping Gates again. The towering gates arched over the heads of hundreds of Evincans. The men-at-arms studied him with cruel eyes, and one man stood at their forefront.

"Xezvimhi. Nice of you to join us." The man studied him with hazel eyes that mingled gold and green into a vibrantly piercing gaze. Grey hair framed his face. Xezvimhi recognized him from the trial. "I am Trechis Deufont, Lord Commander of the Aterim Campaign and High Lord of House Evinco. It seems we have a use for you yet.

"Silenti must be killed." The man studied the skeleton calmly.

The warlord wasn't sure if his lack of ears deceived him. Did the man just say kill Silenti? Xezvimhi began to chuckle.

"Humorous, is it? I thought you would find it so. We spent hours pouring over your writings after the trial, and something of particular importance was mentioned. You distinctly discuss the Hall of Souls, a corridor in Silenti's realm where the souls of the living are strung like threads. It's here the God of Death performs his fatal ritual and cuts the threads that represent our lives."

Xezvimhi only listened, empty sockets peering towards the Evincan Lord. His laughter had faded into respectful silence.

"You also mention.. particular aspirations. You mention a thread, in the Hall of Souls, which is supposedly the thread of Silenti. You... allude to the possibility that a mortal could cut this thread, killing Silenti himself. But only an Avatar of Death may enter the Hall of Souls."

"I am no avatar," Xezvimhi pointed out.

"No? You are born again. Resurrected, it would seem. We had Accersans study the sorcery which binds you to this world. It appears there is none. You are in fact an Avatar, if there ever was one."

The Birvuo laughed, a cold and humorless sound. "Silenti killed me for my aspirations. He will eagerly do it again. Besides, why do you want him dead? If you read my musings, you would know that Silenti is NOT death, he only represents and controls it. If Silenti dies, a worse creature may rise to fill his position."

"A creature like you? Yes.. We considered that."

"And? How am I supposed to kill the God of Death if he knows my every move? And what if I succeed, and some demon from the outer rims of Hell decides to lead the underworld?"

The Evincan Lord shrugged. "We have a plan. You have been inscribed with a series of runes. If you attempt to destroy or alter them, you will be killed instantly. These runes will bind you to Almedda. Should you succeed in your mission, you can activate them to return here. A shard of the Alerian ripping stone has been imbued into your skull, as has a shard of the Mystra-Amorian.

"Against our better judgement, we are willing to make a trade with you, Xezvimhi. There are two conditions. The first you already know - the death of Silenti. The second is the return of the Armband of Navitas. The last known sighting of the Armband was when you took it to Mystra-Amor to fuel the Aquilis Molior. We need this artifact returned."

So this was the root of their request. Almedda was dying. The Armband of Navitas was an amazing relic, arguably the single most powerful object that ever existed. People say the Lord of Creation made the world by doing battle with the darkness, then discarded his armor for the robes of the heavens when the battle was won. These pieces of armor were tossed to the earth, where they pulsed arcane energy - the source of all magic.

In Almedda, only one such artifact was ever found, and it is commenly accepted the Armband of Navitas is the only artifact that produces magic. When it was removed from Almedda, the source of all arcane energy in the realm was removed with it. As a result, the entire world was losing its magic. Arcane energy had become a sparse and valuable commodity.

They wanted him to bring their magic back, and in the meantime kill their most despised god.

He had to admit, he was intrigued.

"What do I get?" Xezvimhi asked as he studied the other man.

"Your freedom. In fact, if you slay Silenti and return the Armband, the Council is willing to overlook many of your crimes and allow you to return to Almedda as a proper citizen. A hero, even. Silenti has committed worse crimes than you, and your biggest crime was relinquishing the Armband to Mystra-Amor. If you can atone for these acts.."

"Very well, Evincan. I will do as you ask. But first I must find Maxim Redmont. He is the only one who knows where my corpse is buried... my real corpse."

"What purpose does a body have? You do not need to deal with Maxim."

"You don't understand.. The Birvuo body was created in magic. It has properties.. I must have it back, if I am going to ... kill Death. Besides, Maxim owes all Almeddans a debt for his deceit."

The warrior sighed. "It makes no difference. We will be sending you to Aleris, with Jasker Ellins and his force of three hundred Evincans. If you do any treachery, the Evincans have means of killing you instantly. Perhaps your god will save you and bring you back a second time, but you'd be wise not to test Silenti's mercy. If you try to return to Almedda while Silenti is still alive, the spell will kill you as well. Enjoy your trip, Xezvimhi."

The warlord was led through the ripping gate and back into Aleris. Three hundred Evincans followed.