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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ziona" data-source="post: 569487" data-attributes="member: 484">The Bazaar and BeyondBefore entering the bazaar of Szith Morcane, Belasco handed out Underdark traveling cloaks to each of the companions so that they would not attract any unwanted attention.  They followed the corridor and a short time later came upon the bazaar.   The huge natural cavern held a small cluster of creatures who had congregated near the southwest wall.  There were a few svirfneblin and several drow milling about. Traps gasped when he saw two large lizards, who were overloaded with packs, crates and goods.  Three duergar stood beside the lizards and were apparently selling their wares.  Their customers included a mind flayer, two drow, and a trio of kuo-toas.  As Belasco lead the companions closer, they could hear the two drow arguing with the duergar merchants about a faulty item.<img src="http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/cotsq_gallery/44430_6.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />“What’s this?  A family outing?” called one of the drow.“Keep quiet and let me handle this,” whispered Belasco to the group.  Then to the drow, “I have come seeking information on a slave that was sold here roughly a tenday ago.”“Slaves come and go,” replied the drow. “This slave belonged to my master,” bluffed Belasco.  “It was a half-elven, half-human bastard from the surface world.”“Ah, the green ranger,” scoffed the drow.  “He fetched a fine price here in the bazaar, but I do not see how this is a concern of yours.”“As I said, the ranger was a slave that belonged to my master,” Belasco said through gritted teeth.  “I have been sent recover the slave by any means necessary.  So how about telling me who purchased the bastard?”“I can give you that information for a price,” said another drow.  Belasco removed a pouch from his pack and shook it slightly.  The clink of coins could be heard like wind chimes on a breezy day on the surface.  The drow stepped forward and reached for the pouch.  Belasco tightened his grasp on the coins and smirked.“Information first, payment later.”“Very well,” frowned the drow.  “The surface dweller was purchased by a noble who lives deep within the Wastelands.”“His name?”“Yazston Hune.”Belasco released his grip on the pouch, which fell to the floor.  The gold coins scattered slightly and sent the drow sprawling onto the ground to retrieve them.  As Belasco lead the group away from the bazaar, they could still hear the duergar arguing with the drow about the broken item.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Belasco lead the way through the common drow areas of Szith Morcane.  The corridors and caverns they traveled glowed eerily green.  All about the floor and corners of the caverns grew odd fungus.  Occasionally the companions saw cottages that had been made out of giant toadstools.  Every once and awhile, dark figures could be seen passing by the windows, or wading through the fungus gardens.  “I don’t like it here,” whispered Traps. “I feel like we’re being watched.”“Ye better be leading us right,” grumbled Varr.  “I am leading you back to the web, dwarf,” said an irritated Belasco.  “From there we will be passing through House Morcane, unless I have to continue to suffer through your accusations.  Then I will be leaving you to find your own way through the Underdark.”“Ye wouldn’t be disappointen’ me!” snapped Varr.“Both of you, hold your tongues!” said Arden.  “You’ll attract the attention of the drow!”The shadowy movements among the fungus and within the drow homes made the companions uneasy. “Traps is right,” agreed Tark.  “I feel as though we are being watched as well.  It would be a most unlucky turn of events if we were ambushed.”“The cavern leading to the web is only a short distance away,” replied Belasco coolly.  “If we keep moving and do not stop along the way, we should be fine.”With that, the drow stepped forward and did not look back to see if the companions were following.  He was growing weary of the dwarf and halfling’s banter, and never understood why anyone would choose to travel among them.They continued in silence until they exited the area and came upon the web.  Here they climbed downward again until they found the last cavern along the wall.“Here we enter House Morcane,” said Belasco.  “I have heard rumors that the followers of Kiaransalee have taken over and destroyed most of the Lolthites.  Be on your guard.  Once we are through, we head for Maerimydra.”The allies readied their weapons and continued to follow Belasco.  He lead them through a hole that opened into a well-crafted room with smooth walls and floors.  The far end of the room seemed to open into an octagonal shape, and had two passages that lead outward.  Dangling from the ceiling was a ladder that resembled a spiders web.  The shimmering strands lead to a narrow tunnel in the ceiling that formed another exit from the room.  As they approached the passage on the left, Varr and Belasco stopped suddenly.“Should we not go this way?” asked Arden turning to the dwarf and drow.“Something is preventing us from entering,” Belasco said.“Something evil,” agreed Varr.  “It feels rotten to the core!”Tark closed his eyes and began to pray.  As the words escaped his lips, Belasco and Varr found their way was no longer impeded, and they followed their companions along the corridor.  As they entered the next room, they found another spider-sewn ladder leading to a tunnel in the ceiling.  “We should climb the ladder and see where it takes us!” suggested Traps, who was already making his way along the spider web.  Luckily, Tark was there and plucked the halfling from the ladder and set him on the ground.  “Do not be so hasty, Traps,” he chided.  “It seems we have business here first.”In the corner of the room were two sets of manacles.  One hung emptily along the wall, while the other held a female drow.  She hung limply, her arms twisted awkwardly above her head.“Is she dead?” asked Varr.“Death would be too good for her,” mumbled Belasco.Arden approached the drow woman, who managed to lift her head slightly.“She lives,” said Arden.“Now you know how it feels to be held and tortured!” spat Belasco.Arden stood up, eyeing Belasco.  “You know this woman?”“I know her kind,” said Belasco.  Tark knelt before the drow woman and looked her over.“She seems to be sickly,” he concluded.  “Look at the wounds upon her neck.”“Those wounds sting far less than the snake-headed whips she prefers to use on drow men!” barked Belasco with anger in his eyes.“What has gotten into you?” asked Arden.  “You say you do not know this woman, yet you take comfort in her torture.  She may have information we need, and you wish her dead.  Be rational, Belasco.”Belasco shot Arden a foul look.  “You may have some knowledge of the lives of the drow, surface elf, but you know nothing of the torture endured or the hell that is life in the Underdark.”Tark, still kneeling beside the drow, healed her somewhat.  The woman looked at him with parched lips and choked.“Get her some water so that she may speak,” said Tark.Arden took out her waterskin and dribbled some water into the woman’s mouth and waited to hear what she had to say.“I am the last…they have destroyed us…”Belasco turned his back and smirked.“They beat me daily…they draw my blood…”“Draw blood?  For what purpose?” asked Tark.“They’re evil,” chortled Varr.  “Evil needs no purpose.”“Traps,” called Arden.  “open her manacles.”At this Belasco turned back around, the smile leaving his face.“What are you doing?”“We cannot leave her here to die,” said Arden.“Fool!  She would see you dead!” barked Belasco.“The manacles, Traps,” said Arden ignoring Belasco.Traps went to work on the manacles, and Belasco’s blood began to boil.“You are making a mistake,” he mumbled.  “Mark my words…if you set her free she will sound the alarm and set every drow in Underdark upon us.”Arden looked down at the drow woman, who seemed too frail and withered to pick herself up from the ground.“Know this woman,” said Arden forcefully.  “If you plot against us or alert others to our presence, you won’t have to worry about the followers of Kiaransalee, for we will hunt you down and destroy you ourselves.”The drow looked up into Arden’s eyes.  She held her tongue, but thought about the quick death she would “reward” them with for setting her free, if only she had the strength.  Instead, she nodded weakly as Traps set her free.“Leave this place and do not turn back,” said Tark.Belasco turned to the woman, who was now leaning against the wall, rubbing her wrists.“If we find you again, I will see you on the end of my blades, Lolthite,” he threatened in Undercommon.The drow woman looked bitterly at Belasco, then stumbled off.  As she fled, she smiled to herself.  She may not have had the strength to rip the life from them, but her vampiric captors would surely bring death upon them.The Adventure Continues…</blockquote>

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