I'm afraid so. A long tale in the telling, and there are a few steps between my affairs in Waterdeep and the business that brought me to Baldur's Gate— the city I was visiting before finding myself here. Astarion, as well. We started out as allies of convenience in this venture, I suppose.

[There's a wry quirk to his smile, and he only briefly glances at the little display that tells him how far they've gone on the elevator. There's still several floors left to go, but he hardly minds answering her questions. He asks plenty of his own, and he's always been fond of talking.]

We both found ourselves among a number of people who had been taken captive and afflicted with a particular— condition. Not to worry! Nothing contagious, nor anything anyone here need worry about. [He hopes.] We were closing in on what we'd hoped would be a cure.