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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Wraithdrit" data-source="post: 1080996" data-attributes="member: 10820">Deep Inside the Cormanthor ForestMarpenoth 2, 1372A Few Hours Before DawnTelinal Yoonsharal shook his head, “You do not want to make this mistake. Vhaerun is fickle. I do not doubt for a moment whom he will favor in this matter.” The drow bladesinger stood with his arms crossed, watching the younger drow male stalk toward him.“Shut up! This is all your fault!” The youth’s face was a mask of fury, twisted in anger to a mockery of its normal beauty. Erania T’Val was not about to back down now, not in front of all of these, his peers. Word had reached the youth that his sister, the only female drow that had ever really cared for him, was dead. She had died in fierce fighting in the Underdark. “You convinced the council not to get involved! You! If it weren’t for you-““If it was not for me, then any that we had sent to their aid would be dead as well.” As the younger male stalked to within striking distance the bladesinger added softly, “Including you.”“At least it would have been an honorable death, fighting for our people, not out here hiding in the woods trying to create something that was never meant to be!” Erania was young and only newly added to the ranks of the drow living within Cormanthor. He still held ties to the Underdark that he refused to severe. Ties that were making him more and more unwilling to listen to reason. His mood seemed to match the turmoil beneath the earth. With each new tale from the Underdark, the young drow grew harder and harder to control. “We could have returned below as heroes!”Telinal had heard enough. He threw his head back and laughed out loud. His face lit up and he slapped his left hand on the young man’s shoulder. “Oh, Erania, that is rich. You should try your hand at the bard’s ways. Drama seems to be in your blood.” The younger drow growled and shrugged the hand off. He hissed at the slightly taller drow standing in front of him, “You know nothing of what runs in my blood. You are low born and nothing!” “Perhaps below, but here I am respected. You would do well to remember that.” Telinal glanced at the large throng of drow that had gathered to watch the confrontation. Mirroring the make up of the Cormanthor drow at large, most of them were male. The few female drow that watch did so from positions behind the males that owned them.Erania whirled away muttering, “We shall see…” Telinal frowned, watching as the younger drow planted his foot. The experienced bladesinger knew Erania was turning on him. He was, after all, ‘defenseless’; his sword was tucked away while Erania had his blade out.As expected Erania spun his blade leveled at Telinal’s neck. To many it seemed that the sword just appeared in the bladesinger’s hand. Others knew that Telinal was just that fast. He shifted to one side, drew his sword and parried the young angry drow’s strike with apparent ease.The sound of metal clanging on metal echoed through the hollowed trees and cleared ground. A murmuring whisper followed it as the crowd all began whispering to each other, voicing opinions on the matter at hand.Telinal knew a receptive audience when he saw one. He took a half step back and cocked his head to one side, still watching Erania. “Last chance youngster… drop your blade and I will make your death swift.” He was lying, and Erania knew it. The gauntlet had been thrown, the only thing throwing down his weapon would earn Erania was a longer tortured death in the name of the capricious and cruel god that all of these surface drow worshipped.Erania lashed out at Telinal with a quick thrust, testing the older drow’s defenses. Telinal did not even bring up his sword. He just leaned to one side and let the blade whiz past his ear. His reply was a swift dance to one side, a spinning slash that drove the younger drow back into a defensive posture. As Telinal danced his free hand wove strange arcane gestures in the air. A magic disk appeared in front of him, and the bladesinger guided its motion to deflect the quick stabs Erania used to try and keep the bladesinger at bay.Telinal lifted his blade in a mock salute, the blade burst into flames as the drow leapt forward at his backpedaling opponent. Attack after attack, spin after spin, and vault after vault the bladesinger pressed forward. Erania parried wildly backpedaling quickly. Each time the younger drow thought he saw an opening he blade was turned aside by the mystical shield that floated between the combatants. The shield did not seem to impede Telinal’s attacks in the slightest.Finally Erania ran out of room to back up. His foot scraped a large root and his back landed against the trunk of one of the massive Cormanthor trees as the drow stumbled backward. Telinal paused and smiled at the cornered youngster. His gaze glanced back, at the crowd watching the fight. There still seemed too many that where not sure whom to root for. Telinal decided quickly that he should draw the fight out a bit longer. He made a lunge at the younger drow, giving him ample room to get around him. The young drow was skilled enough to see an opening when it was offered and he leapt forward, rolling to his feet on the other side of Telinal. The bladesinger was taking his time turning around so Erania lunged at him, trying to catch him before he could bring his defenses to bear. It was another trap. Telinal easily spun from the strike and whirled around to lash downward at the young drow’s exposed weapon arm. The flaming blade left a trail of burning light in an arc behind it, so fast was the attack. The smell of scorched flesh and the scream of the young drow told the few drow that turned from the sight that they were right in averting their gaze. Erania’s sword, still clutched in his hand dropped to the ground. Telinal had completed severed the arm at the elbow. Erania fell to his knees clutching the stump of arm.Telinal muttered another quick enchantment as he stepped forward. His strength boosted he grabbed the younger drow around the neck and hauled him up to hold above him. “Your continued obedience to the ancient ways has grown tiresome. You grow tiresome. Your time here is done. Leave. Now.” He tossed the man back, Erania tried putting his feet down, but his balance was off with his wound and the drow ended up sprawling in the dusty earth. Telinal knew that he had to kill the youngster or face his wrath later. He was counting on the brash youth’s highborn superiority bristling at the order. Erania did not disappoint. Letting loose of the stump of his severed arm, the drow drew a dagger with his free hand and lunged at Telinal, screaming out in anger. The bladesinger easily blocked the blow. He let the man go sprawling past him, stumbling to the ground before he struck again. With an easy thrust he stabbed through the back of the drow’s knee into the ground, pinning the youngster to the dirt mercilessly. Erania threw his head back and howled in pain. His hand reached behind his back, trying to grab the blade that pinned him down. His hand closed on the blade before the fire engulfed it again, racing into the back of the drow’s knee, rolling over the hand, burning away flesh in multiple places. Telinal grabbed the youth by the hair and pulled his head back. “Impudent whelp. My hand alone allowed you here. You could have been part of something great, not some Matron’s lackey, and this how you repay me?” Telinal twisted the sword, just to drive the point home. Drow males of the Underdark grow up under the merciless lash of their matron’s whips. Each is taught at an early age to ignore pain, but the pain was becoming to much for even the likes of Erania to bear. He croaked out, “Just kill me then….”Telinal shook his head, “You are not good enough to waste the energy on.” He planted a foot in Erania’s back and kicked him prone. Stomping on the back of his thigh, Telinal wrenched the blade free. Erania managed to curl into a semi-fetal position. Telinal shook his head, “Pitiful.” He looked to the closest of his men. “Get rid of this spineless whelp. Stake him for the crows to eat.”As the bladesinger easily slid his blade back into its sheath he turned to regard those closest him. There seemed to be renewed respect, or fear, Telinal did not care which, in their eyes. “Well done Telinal.” The otherworldly woman’s voice that floated to Telinal made him spin quickly, his blade already back in his hand. The drow frowned at the sight of the cloaked figure that walked into the clearing. Several drow stepped into her way. When massive bat wings flipped up to their full wingspan, the drow muttered and backed away. The woman strode into the center of the clearing, placed a hand on the burning blade and gently lowered it, ignoring the flames rippling over her hand. “We should talk.” She lifted her free hand up and pulled her hood back.Telinal’s frown turned into a smirk, “Well, to what do I owe the honor, Tursa?”</blockquote>

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