About Eclavdra
(chuckles)
Actually, here's the story, and feel free to spread this around:
I was so busy on the roster, then so busy trying to help save the IR after the crisis, that I had little enough time to play!
And when time finally did arrive, so did the IRL crisis.
Do not assume that I am allied with anyone. That is a mistake.
Once upon a time, I was playing Federation and Empire. I talked the Lyrans and Kzinti into allying (if you know anything about Star Fleet Battles, those two races hate each other as much as the elves and drow) and allying with the Hydrans, my power.
Then, we planned on nuking the Klingons from all directions: me from the southwest (Hydrans), Lyrans from the west, Kzinti from the north, and Federation from the east.
The Gorn and Federation would destroy the Romulans in the meanwhile.
Meantime ...
I cut a deal with the ROMULANS to exchange Hellbores and Phaser-Gs for their Plasma Torpedos and Cloaking Devices, and with the Federation for their Photon torpedoes and SWATs.
Of course, this exchange had to pass through Klingon space.
So, even as I amassed a fleet of 100 ships to attack the Klingons, I was busy negotiating sending shuttles through with the technology.
And the Klingons agreed, not knowing my Fleets of Retribution lay in waiting afterwards.
Of course, the Gorn betrayed us, and told the Romulans about my plot.
The Romulans REFUSED to tell the KLINGONS (their own friends) about the plot, but instead blackmailed me (to give them free technology, so they would not tell the Klingons.)
That was fine with me. Me, the Lyrans, and the Kzintis readied our attack, and the Federation prepared a massive strike against the Romulans AND the treasonous Gorn.
Then the Federation panicked and declared neutrality, then the Federation and the Klingons allied, then the Romulans declared they were sending ALL their fleets against the Lyrans (their former friends) the Federation declared it was sending ALL it's fleets against me, the Kzinti declared war on the Federation and the Gorn, and ...
(chuckles)
Kinda like an IR, no?
- - -
Now ...
Eclavdra is chaotic evil.
What does that mean?
Hmmm ...
That means Eclavdra is anti-social, unpredictable, capricious, wild, impetuous, dashing, impulsive, and just about every word in the book you can think of.
It also means she is cruel, sadistic, violent, and revels in Darkness and in Evil (just plain good ole Evil, for the sake of delighting in pure, fun, EVIL. Sorta like one of the Ravers from Thomas Covenant, actually, but with a little more restraint. (If you don't know what the ravers are like, ask William. What he will have to say will make you shudder.
))
But ...
Eclavdra has this one little problem: damnation.
If she fails Lolth, she'll burn in the deepest pit of the Abyss for all eternity. And if the drow are destroyed in the current crisis, Lolth will count that a failure. You know who will be blamed first and foremost!
On the other hand, if she pulls the drow through, she can look forward (really!) to paradise at Lolth's side for all eternity after her death.
Now, that's motivation! ('Perhaps I can find new ways to motivate them ...')
If Eclavdra's behavior seems very non Chaotic Evil, there's your reason why. Because she knows the penalty for failing Lolth in this. And Lolth, doesn't take very well to excuses, either!
Anyways, Eclavdra is not me, understand.
I know that a public alliance would be bad for the drow, and for Nyrond.
But Eclavdra does not know this, or if she does she doesn't care.
Eclavdra just sorta does ... Eclavdra's thing, as it were. Perhaps she believes the League of Athyr and the Baklunish will back Nyrond anyways, even if they ally with the drow.
Perhaps, Eclavdra is announcing the drow are allied with Nyrond, and expect no alliance back!
Who knows? What you can reasonable expect is that Eclavdra is conniving, scheming, plotting, nastily evil and naughty and wild, and that she will do what it takes to see the drow survive, and - ultimately - prevail.
If Nyrond refuses to acknowledge the alliance, I the player will understand. You, OOC, appreciate the problems of an IC alliance between Nyrond and the drow.
But don't try to predict what Eclavdra will do! I must rp her as her, and she is totally unlike me! Or, at least, I hope she is!
Besides, you forget: Nyrond is a neutral power. Neutral is just that, and Eclavdra knows it. Equally likely to swing for good ... or for evil. A neutral-evil alliance is entirely plausible.
Of course, Eclavdra hasn't formed any full alliances yet ... that would be difficult, considering that until quite recently I the player wasn't sure who was playing ... and I'm still unsure about Thomas now.
-
If King Rhynnon wishes an informal alliance, then ok, Eclavdra will go for it.
And she'll agree to discount whatever Rhynnon says publicly.
And yes, Eclavdra WILL agree to the magical compulsions necessary for an informal alliance - again, she is following her own personal agenda, and that agenda allows for such compulsions, at this time.
How did Eclavdra unite the drow cities?
It's on my roster, and public information.
A combination of religious fervor and terror (it's the Will of Lolth: do it and succeed, or we're damned!), enforcer tactics (think of Le Femme Nikita, with Eclavdra as a wily Operations) and the building of a military machine (think of the Soviet Union during World War II.)
There's plenty of terror there. The drow, mad dogs that they are, do not know anything about the words duty, honor, family, society, or loyalty.
And also there are the artifacts. With the three artifacts of Lordly Might, Eclavdra has given herself the aura and public speaking power of a diety. So, those she talks to tend to follow her orders as if a diety had come and given the orders.
Minus the artifacts, and even Eclavdra could not have united the chaotic drow.
Even with the artifacts, Eclavdra barely keeps them united.
After all, Eclavdra is having to full Lolth's shoes - Lolth kept the drow united up til now, but Lolth is gone - and those are big shoes for a mortal to fill!
Yes, Eclavdra has approached the good and lawful powers first.
For a very good reason.
Who knows evil and chaos better than ... evil and chaos? Eclavdra is Chaotic Evil, and she knows her own.
She knows the Illithid, the Great Kingdom, the Solistarim, and the others, cannot be trusted as allies. They could turn on her immediately.
So who could the drow - threatened by EVERYONE - turn to?
Paradoxically, the good and lawful powers could be trusted. If they made agreements and signed them, or swore oaths, or laid magical compulsions, or whatever, they might actually stand with the drow and ward off ... extinction of the drow.
In this, Eclavdra is thinking only in terms of survival. Good, evil, law, and chaos are irrelevant. It's a simple matter of realpolitik, survival, and victory, for Eclavdra.
Eclavdra would ally with St. Cuthbert if that was what it took to achieve survival.
Contrarily, Eclavdra will never ally with Vecna because the only thing she is certain he will do is try to destroy her people (well, ok, she might pretend to ally with Vecna ... )
TRUST me when I say Eclavdra HAS a long term plan and agenda, and her alliance (or proposed alliance) with Nyrond is a big part of it.
Whether that agenda will be good for Nyrond? ... who knows? Perhaps. In a situation as unpredictable as the one in this IR, it could mean great things for Nyrond. Or disaster. I leave it in your hands to decide, or have King Rhynnon decide, which it would be.
To answer you question again, yes, Eclavdra views this whole thing as a test.
Even if Lolth IS gone and not of her own will, this will end up being a test - Lolth will perceive it so when she returns.
And whether Lolth is gone or not gone, if Eclavdra is KILLED - her spirit will immediately go BEFORE Lolth and face judgement. Eclavdra hopes for a kindly judgement from Lolth ...
What is a mind flayer paragon?
Yes, every gift has a price.
Eclavdra views the devils as eternal, mortal enemies.
And she views accepting their gifts as the proverbial Deal with the Devil (that is, she loses.)
Also, dealing with the devils is treason to Lolth, who is a demon, and thus an eternal enemy of the devils.
Thus, the drow are out of the technological arms race beyond 1800 and the magical arms race period, unless they can find alternate ways to do either (and no, William's Al'Akbar wouldn't cooperate on that one ...)
Heh. A weakness, a drawback, of my chosen character. If she uses the gift of the devils, Lolth is sure to damn her, victory or not! (being a priestess of Lolth has it's drawbacks ... (chuckles) )
Eclavdra does not think she has judged prematurely. But that is simply her personal take. Now that she's taken that stance, she's not likely to budge from it.
She thinks EVERYONE ELSE is being UTTERLY stupid, accepting the gifts of the devils. She would say: you can't deal with devils and win. (chuckles - of all the people to say that, ironic that it would come from a chaotic evil drow priestess of Lolth, no?) She would say: this gift was designed to destroy the world.
She would even say: the Way of Lolth involves endless strife, but not world destruction. Why not the world (elves included - especially the elves) turn to the Way of Lolth, and renounce this foolish gift giving from those devils (Lolth, by the way, does secretly wish for the worship of surface elves, and has shared this secret with Eclavdra. So, Eclavdra desires this too ... to gain the worship of the surface elves for Lolth, not to destroy the surface elves.)
Again, as William probably told you, Al'Akbar refused to aid the drow in the Technological Arms Race.
Why?
Well ... he wasn't exactly comfortable aiding and abetting Eclavdra, the infamous high priestess of Lolth, when he is lawful good and opposed to just about everything she stands for ... (wry look, for she DID try with Al'Akbar, real hard. Perhaps King Rhynnon could persuade him to change his mind? A demipower's help on things like this is always useful ...)
But really, the drow are just as likely to ally with the Baklunish and Nyrond as they are with the Illithid and the Vampires. Both groups hate the drow, bitterly. The drow hate both groups bitterly (but, of course, the drow hate each other even more yet.) The drow hate everyone.
Look at it from the light of Eclavdra's view: if the drow don't survive, she burns forever in the Abyss. If the drow win, she cuddles with Lolth for eternity. So, the wily, dark hearted, ruthless drow woman is going to do what it takes - WHATEVER IT TAKES - to see her people survive.
And she is smart enough to know just how unlikely survival is, considering how many enemies her people face, and the kind of POWER implied in those gifts of the devils.
Again, feel free to hand this around. It might amuse some players. It isn't entirely public knowledge, but I'm sure most of the IC powers can figure it out.
There is ONE thing NOBODY can now do: scry on Eclavdra.
Using multiple Wishes, other spells, a Periaph of Proof Against Detection and Location, and the combined power of 3 artifacts, she has warded herself against this.
Why?
Simple: Let's say Eclavdra = 5 Epic PL. So ... her enemies gather 15 Epic PL and they teleport in. Squish. Finis Eclavdra, priestess of Lolth!
(I just made up my mind: I'm posting this publicly. Ok, all you IR players, read it and enjoy ...
)
Terry
)
![:]](http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png "Devious :]")
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