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The Stepchildren of Fate (Updated 6/3)
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<blockquote data-quote="htetickrt" data-source="post: 1588700" data-attributes="member: 16534"><p style="text-align: center">Nocturnal Visitation</p><p></p><p>Kai’s eyes narrow dangerously as the letter falls slowly to the ground. "Silent goddess? You all pissed off Lolth and that's the reason you've been kicked out of your home? You're not telling us everything. What's this Maerimydra place? Is Lolth not talking to anyone, or is it just you people?"</p><p></p><p>Michelangelo glares at Kai. "Watch yourself, female."</p><p></p><p>Raphael gleefully relates to the group that Maerimydra is a great drow city in the Underdark, only a few days’ travel from Szith Morcane, and that the latter is an outpost for the former. “The city used to be run by the rothe-like followers of ‘She who holds no more power here,’ but without her accursed influence the priests were unable to hold the city against ogre, giant, and goblin rabble.”</p><p></p><p>After the other dominated drow holds back Michelangelo, the angry fighter says coldly, "And demons, fool. Don't forget the demons. And the betrayal. It was not your foolish cult that felled the city."</p><p></p><p>"You weren't even there; you were high born only of a colony."</p><p></p><p>Michelangelo’s eyes shine coldly in the brightly lit room.</p><p></p><p>Snicker, relieved to be out of danger for the time being, breaks the tension by flying happily over to the pile of loot to curl up atop it, adopting the pose of a much larger dragon upon his hoard. Quickly growing bored with that, he burrows snout first through the pile, coins falling around him like fallen leaves. Eventually he emerges with a rapier in his mouth, feinting with it toward Rhien as best he can. Kai coos words of praise at every opportunity. Eyeing two pairs of slippers of spider climbing speculatively, she offers, “What do you think? Do these go with Steve’ coat? They’ll certainly help him descend the web.”</p><p></p><p>Quid chuckles. “I like it. Pink is very in on the surface. Maybe we could put some ribbon on one of the drow symbols to add to his ensemble.”</p><p></p><p>Khail is not amused. “I am not amused.”</p><p></p><p>Kai giggles. “Aw, you’re never any fun. Anyone up for going back to sell some of this stuff?”</p><p></p><p>Quid nods. “’Twould be a shame if something should happen and the loot weren't properly recapitalized.”</p><p></p><p>Trella harrumphs, “Good shopping. We’ll be here in a defensible room until you get back.”</p><p></p><p>Kai turns back to Raphael. “So, you have demons working for you?”</p><p></p><p>"That army was not allied with our forces. We do have demons in our service, as any self-respecting drow house would, but we cannot claim an army of demons. Undead, on the other hand, send our enemies fleeing in mindless terror!" Raphael seems truly proud of this. Michelangelo gags.</p><p></p><p>Kai agrees and pushes for more. "With such a potent force as the quth-maren, you could surely take over wherever you wish. What's your interest in this sorry outpost?" She cuts off Michelangelo’s retort with a hard look. "And why not also take the town of Daggerdale, rather than settling for harassing the outlying farms?"</p><p></p><p>Raphael looks confused; it seems that the questioning is reaching the end of his knowledge. Nevertheless, he makes an attempt to answer. "Eventually the White Banshee will hold sway over all your surface lands, and this outpost will be provide a path to do so. For now we are commanded only to spread fear and chaos, for these are pleasing to her."</p><p></p><p>"Does she have priests? We have not seen any."</p><p></p><p>Rhien coughs delicately. Kai snaps semi-playfully, "Okay, then, just the one."</p><p></p><p>Raphael adds, "Only the most holy drow females can aspire to such grace." Michelangelo mimes retching.</p><p></p><p>Reaching a dead-end, she asks him flat out (after praising his knowledge) what is in the inverted tower level of this city.</p><p></p><p>He responds, "Mages. The tower houses the center for the study and practice of magic in the outpost. It's changed little since the heathens held it. The archmage and his apprentices are too self-absorbed to come to the outpost’s aid."</p><p></p><p>Michelango adds, "For once I can't disagree with him."</p><p></p><p>Kai runs a hand through her hair. "If the mages were so self-absorbed as not to care when the city changed hands, I'm guessing they haven't had much to do with any petty raids."</p><p></p><p>Raphael shakes his head negatively. "I think I gave you an incorrect impression earlier. Despite their self-absorption, the mages do wield great power, and do take part in the affairs of the outpost, whenever it suits them. They defend the outpost only when they perceive a real threat, and give just enough help to the ruling group to keep it off their backs. I myself once aspired to be one, before realizing that I was too good a warrior to ignore my spiked chain for dusty old tomes. I and a few others like me—but lesser—got placed guarding the twins, Velasta and Velina—you met the latter briefly—while a few others stay to guard the inverted tower." In response to Kai's silent question, Raphael answers, "It's called that because it gets wider as it goes up."</p><p></p><p>Kai's eyes suddenly widen in horror as questioning Raphael telepathically appears to remind her something. "Um, so," she begins as casually as possible, trying to keep the drow in a loquacious mood, "Do hunter-killer teams come from the, um, the tower?"</p><p></p><p>Raphael responds happily, "They're gathered from all over the outpost."</p><p></p><p>"That sure must be something. It sounds like quite a force." </p><p></p><p>Raphael nods. Prompted telepathically, he looks disturbed for a moment, seemingly fighting Kai's hold over him. His shoulders slump after failing to get free. "It varies, but usually such teams are built from a high-ranking priest, a powerful warrior, and a strong mage, supported by whatever is available. I'm sure anyone left alive from the earlier raiding party will want another crack at you as well. We consider retribution to be a virtue."</p><p></p><p>Kai sighs deeply and turns to the others. "So, they'll send this hunter-killer team after us once we are 'weakened or sleeping,' I believe the terms were. If we plan on spending the night down here, we'll need to be ready for this attack. If we leave, we need to take our four friends off their door-guarding duty while we're gone, or they'll be sitting ducks. We may want to send them back to Dagger Falls even if we stay, to prevent their being targeted out of sheer cruelty. I guess I lean toward taking the risk of staying here, but we'll need to be prepared for an attack. Ideally we should set alarms far enough away that we could get up and cast preparatory magic before the attack."</p><p></p><p>Quid doesn’t like the plan, but agrees to it. She withdraws an enchanted stone from her pack, instructing the group to affix it to a door so as to provide at least some warning of an intrusion. Khail leaves with the slippers to retrieve Steve and instruct the four people above to withdraw and hide. Kyree and Rhien help Kai gather the goods together before she and Quid teleport away.</p><p></p><p>Khail returns walking Steve—who is forced to lower his head as he traverses the passageways—about thirty minutes later. Once he is back, he and Trella enter the kitchen, guide the rest of the group inside, and finish creating a workable construct of shattered table pieces and chairs to block the door. Then the group sits down to wait, napping whenever possible.</p><p></p><p>***************************************</p><p></p><p>A figure indistinguishable from the deepest shadow slams his mailed fist upon the magically hardened mushroom he uses for a table. “They depopulated the barracks to the last drow!” he thunders. “Something must be done!”</p><p></p><p>“Do not forget your place, brother,” a pair of eyes hiss from an area darker still. The accent on the last word causes even the hardened warrior to recoil slightly.</p><p></p><p>“I have never,” the drow whispers, a hint of remembered pain coloring his tone.</p><p></p><p>“Good. They will be dealt with tonight. You will see to it personally. Take our cousins, and do not fail me.”</p><p></p><p>The blackened gauntlet grasps an evil-looking double-ended flail. “Have I ever?”</p><p></p><p>“See that you do not start now. I want no survivors. Mother’s work must not be interrupted.”</p><p></p><p>Boots echo across the level as the tall drow exits the chamber. He is not pleased.</p><p></p><p>************************************************</p><p></p><p>The rest of the day passes slowly, though without any hint of a retaliatory attack. Whether this is because the outpost is too weak to respond or the drow are simply waiting for an optimal time is anyone’s guess. Near dinner, Kai and Quid return. Tired from a day’s worth of walking and bartering, the pair quickly takes up positions on the floor while others distribute the purchases.</p><p></p><p>Quid instructs Dobi to set the stone of alarm on the door, before she begins to pray. An hour later Trella takes over for her, offering her own thoughts to Silvanus. After this, and a small dinner, the party prepares to turn in.</p><p></p><p>As she unties her bedroll, Kai jerks to attention. “We’re being scried upon,” she declares.</p><p></p><p>Trella shrugs and sits down to her watch. “Let them come. We’re ready.” Not everyone shares her confidence.</p><p></p><p>Several hours pass, and Rhien takes over for the druid with a smile. When Kyree relieves him two hours later, the daylong quiet has become almost eerie.</p><p></p><p>Midnight comes, and the archer looks forward to communing with Solonor Thelandira, pleased at the progression of his own faith over the past year. Such introspection is insufficient to cloud the elf’s sharp senses, however, and he clearly picks out the clomp of boots on stone relatively close by. Waking the rest of the group as quickly as he can manage, Kyree estimates there could be a dozen enemies closing in on the party’s position, and conveys this worrisome news to his comrades.</p><p></p><p>As all wipe the sleep from their eyes, there is a sudden pounding on the door. The wood holds for the time being, but acid from the fists of the undead pounding on it is already eating through, and will render the barricade moot within seconds. Kyree draws his bow and says ominously, “It appears the hunter-killer team has arrived.”</p><p></p><p><em>To Be Continued....</em></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="htetickrt, post: 1588700, member: 16534"] [CENTER]Nocturnal Visitation[/CENTER] Kai’s eyes narrow dangerously as the letter falls slowly to the ground. "Silent goddess? You all pissed off Lolth and that's the reason you've been kicked out of your home? You're not telling us everything. What's this Maerimydra place? Is Lolth not talking to anyone, or is it just you people?" Michelangelo glares at Kai. "Watch yourself, female." Raphael gleefully relates to the group that Maerimydra is a great drow city in the Underdark, only a few days’ travel from Szith Morcane, and that the latter is an outpost for the former. “The city used to be run by the rothe-like followers of ‘She who holds no more power here,’ but without her accursed influence the priests were unable to hold the city against ogre, giant, and goblin rabble.” After the other dominated drow holds back Michelangelo, the angry fighter says coldly, "And demons, fool. Don't forget the demons. And the betrayal. It was not your foolish cult that felled the city." "You weren't even there; you were high born only of a colony." Michelangelo’s eyes shine coldly in the brightly lit room. Snicker, relieved to be out of danger for the time being, breaks the tension by flying happily over to the pile of loot to curl up atop it, adopting the pose of a much larger dragon upon his hoard. Quickly growing bored with that, he burrows snout first through the pile, coins falling around him like fallen leaves. Eventually he emerges with a rapier in his mouth, feinting with it toward Rhien as best he can. Kai coos words of praise at every opportunity. Eyeing two pairs of slippers of spider climbing speculatively, she offers, “What do you think? Do these go with Steve’ coat? They’ll certainly help him descend the web.” Quid chuckles. “I like it. Pink is very in on the surface. Maybe we could put some ribbon on one of the drow symbols to add to his ensemble.” Khail is not amused. “I am not amused.” Kai giggles. “Aw, you’re never any fun. Anyone up for going back to sell some of this stuff?” Quid nods. “’Twould be a shame if something should happen and the loot weren't properly recapitalized.” Trella harrumphs, “Good shopping. We’ll be here in a defensible room until you get back.” Kai turns back to Raphael. “So, you have demons working for you?” "That army was not allied with our forces. We do have demons in our service, as any self-respecting drow house would, but we cannot claim an army of demons. Undead, on the other hand, send our enemies fleeing in mindless terror!" Raphael seems truly proud of this. Michelangelo gags. Kai agrees and pushes for more. "With such a potent force as the quth-maren, you could surely take over wherever you wish. What's your interest in this sorry outpost?" She cuts off Michelangelo’s retort with a hard look. "And why not also take the town of Daggerdale, rather than settling for harassing the outlying farms?" Raphael looks confused; it seems that the questioning is reaching the end of his knowledge. Nevertheless, he makes an attempt to answer. "Eventually the White Banshee will hold sway over all your surface lands, and this outpost will be provide a path to do so. For now we are commanded only to spread fear and chaos, for these are pleasing to her." "Does she have priests? We have not seen any." Rhien coughs delicately. Kai snaps semi-playfully, "Okay, then, just the one." Raphael adds, "Only the most holy drow females can aspire to such grace." Michelangelo mimes retching. Reaching a dead-end, she asks him flat out (after praising his knowledge) what is in the inverted tower level of this city. He responds, "Mages. The tower houses the center for the study and practice of magic in the outpost. It's changed little since the heathens held it. The archmage and his apprentices are too self-absorbed to come to the outpost’s aid." Michelango adds, "For once I can't disagree with him." Kai runs a hand through her hair. "If the mages were so self-absorbed as not to care when the city changed hands, I'm guessing they haven't had much to do with any petty raids." Raphael shakes his head negatively. "I think I gave you an incorrect impression earlier. Despite their self-absorption, the mages do wield great power, and do take part in the affairs of the outpost, whenever it suits them. They defend the outpost only when they perceive a real threat, and give just enough help to the ruling group to keep it off their backs. I myself once aspired to be one, before realizing that I was too good a warrior to ignore my spiked chain for dusty old tomes. I and a few others like me—but lesser—got placed guarding the twins, Velasta and Velina—you met the latter briefly—while a few others stay to guard the inverted tower." In response to Kai's silent question, Raphael answers, "It's called that because it gets wider as it goes up." Kai's eyes suddenly widen in horror as questioning Raphael telepathically appears to remind her something. "Um, so," she begins as casually as possible, trying to keep the drow in a loquacious mood, "Do hunter-killer teams come from the, um, the tower?" Raphael responds happily, "They're gathered from all over the outpost." "That sure must be something. It sounds like quite a force." Raphael nods. Prompted telepathically, he looks disturbed for a moment, seemingly fighting Kai's hold over him. His shoulders slump after failing to get free. "It varies, but usually such teams are built from a high-ranking priest, a powerful warrior, and a strong mage, supported by whatever is available. I'm sure anyone left alive from the earlier raiding party will want another crack at you as well. We consider retribution to be a virtue." Kai sighs deeply and turns to the others. "So, they'll send this hunter-killer team after us once we are 'weakened or sleeping,' I believe the terms were. If we plan on spending the night down here, we'll need to be ready for this attack. If we leave, we need to take our four friends off their door-guarding duty while we're gone, or they'll be sitting ducks. We may want to send them back to Dagger Falls even if we stay, to prevent their being targeted out of sheer cruelty. I guess I lean toward taking the risk of staying here, but we'll need to be prepared for an attack. Ideally we should set alarms far enough away that we could get up and cast preparatory magic before the attack." Quid doesn’t like the plan, but agrees to it. She withdraws an enchanted stone from her pack, instructing the group to affix it to a door so as to provide at least some warning of an intrusion. Khail leaves with the slippers to retrieve Steve and instruct the four people above to withdraw and hide. Kyree and Rhien help Kai gather the goods together before she and Quid teleport away. Khail returns walking Steve—who is forced to lower his head as he traverses the passageways—about thirty minutes later. Once he is back, he and Trella enter the kitchen, guide the rest of the group inside, and finish creating a workable construct of shattered table pieces and chairs to block the door. Then the group sits down to wait, napping whenever possible. *************************************** A figure indistinguishable from the deepest shadow slams his mailed fist upon the magically hardened mushroom he uses for a table. “They depopulated the barracks to the last drow!” he thunders. “Something must be done!” “Do not forget your place, brother,” a pair of eyes hiss from an area darker still. The accent on the last word causes even the hardened warrior to recoil slightly. “I have never,” the drow whispers, a hint of remembered pain coloring his tone. “Good. They will be dealt with tonight. You will see to it personally. Take our cousins, and do not fail me.” The blackened gauntlet grasps an evil-looking double-ended flail. “Have I ever?” “See that you do not start now. I want no survivors. Mother’s work must not be interrupted.” Boots echo across the level as the tall drow exits the chamber. He is not pleased. ************************************************ The rest of the day passes slowly, though without any hint of a retaliatory attack. Whether this is because the outpost is too weak to respond or the drow are simply waiting for an optimal time is anyone’s guess. Near dinner, Kai and Quid return. Tired from a day’s worth of walking and bartering, the pair quickly takes up positions on the floor while others distribute the purchases. Quid instructs Dobi to set the stone of alarm on the door, before she begins to pray. An hour later Trella takes over for her, offering her own thoughts to Silvanus. After this, and a small dinner, the party prepares to turn in. As she unties her bedroll, Kai jerks to attention. “We’re being scried upon,” she declares. Trella shrugs and sits down to her watch. “Let them come. We’re ready.” Not everyone shares her confidence. Several hours pass, and Rhien takes over for the druid with a smile. When Kyree relieves him two hours later, the daylong quiet has become almost eerie. Midnight comes, and the archer looks forward to communing with Solonor Thelandira, pleased at the progression of his own faith over the past year. Such introspection is insufficient to cloud the elf’s sharp senses, however, and he clearly picks out the clomp of boots on stone relatively close by. Waking the rest of the group as quickly as he can manage, Kyree estimates there could be a dozen enemies closing in on the party’s position, and conveys this worrisome news to his comrades. As all wipe the sleep from their eyes, there is a sudden pounding on the door. The wood holds for the time being, but acid from the fists of the undead pounding on it is already eating through, and will render the barricade moot within seconds. Kyree draws his bow and says ominously, “It appears the hunter-killer team has arrived.” [I]To Be Continued....[/I] [/QUOTE]
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