Maelthra in the Dark

Yath’taller Shyntra commands a jalil sargltin to prove her devotion to Lloth. She is tasked with traveling into the dark, facing what the Queen of Spiders wills and returning to the rack-shamble of a camp.

The dark holds many secrets.

This cycle, the dark comes bearing gifts.

Standing midway across a natural stone bridge stands a male figure covered in thick layers of unknown faern. The creature’s voice is strange, distorted, unfitting the shape presented. The jalil demands to know what it is, as the duergar who was commanded to come with her steps before her on the bridge, offering his armor, his flesh, his blood as a shield for her use against the outsider. The duergar is a proud servant of her house, rothe’d’lil Que’llar.

Shielding their eyes against the painful green light, duergar and jalil stand their ground as the enchanted figure speaks his will. He tells of his knowledge of Maerimydra’s fall to the undead and the Ilythiiri’s banishment to this ‘refugee’ camp. He states his desire to destroy all things undead. He offers his help to retake the city.

He comes bearing gifts.

Commanding the duergar to stand his ground, the jalil d’Dabel’kith steps back from the bridge and out of the painful green light. With an air of authority she says for all to hear, that if this creature from the blighted lands of the sky fire takes but one step forward, he is to be killed by the Qu’ellar servant and the two Ilythiiri guards.

The duergar smiles, pulling upon his people’s natural faern from within, and shifting to become a giant for his kind, and now blocking the bridge that leads into the refugee camp.

This visitor, who calls himself Huzante, stands comfortably, not moving forward, not stepping back, and the two wait for the jalil’s return.

Ah’sha Dabel’kith goes back into the camp, there to find the Yath'taller, and the matron of the first house, her Illharess Lidtichi Dabel'kith . . .

// This event involved many players, and I will leave the rest of it’s telling to their accounts central 'actors' within the event (Ka’avan’nal, Thor, Shyntra and Lidtichi). Though it was not a DM run event, I would ask that if you were not a central player in the occurrence to please withhold your comments until after their stories have been told. Thank you //

Driven by madness or just pure rage at the surface Ka stood upon the bridge, staring into the darkness as the Drow female ran to grab a superior. Moments later two more appeared, a small smile appeared under his guise as he saw the one named Shyntra before him and another one that has the attitude of a raging bull that may have hit his head one too many times.

Purely demands to beg and worship were the first things. These were expected and Ka declined but offered a gift instead. He hoped his present would be seen as a gift of trust; unfortunately it only brought more anger. How did these drow work exactly? He had to know; so he continued his speakings. He rused them into a sense of false pretenses and finally one asked to see his normal form. In which Ka replied... "So be it..." And poof. There standing on the bridge was no longer Ka but Huzante, the Albino red dragon. In mind Ka has been forced back and now what was once a pillar of diplomatic fortitude now only stood a lustful red dragon, lust for gems mind you.

And of course...this seemed to bare even more distrust and such came to the point of conflict. Ka had tried but the only thing remembered before all went black and Huzante took over completely was the buzz of some horrible noise. Such to the point that spells could not even be incanted correctly...it hurt much more than any piercing or slashing pain...It hurt his heart to hear such foul music....

The middle-aged Duergar ran his fingers through the hairs of his beard, grooming carefully, before he starts recanting the event with Huzante.

"Well, in all two hundred an' thirty years of m' life, I don' think ah've ever had to wield a weapon against a Dragon. Usually, people run, no matter how tough they think they are, and fer good reason.

It all started when ah was asked t' patrol with the Yath'abban. We came t' th' bridge and right smack dab in th' middle of it was a surface elf. After a bit o' small talk, Th' Yath'tallar and the Ilharess arrived. The Elf taunted an' jeered them, and so Shyntra initiated Battle.

The Elf then turned into a Dragon, about th' size of Troll if'n it was crawlin' on it's hands an' knees. I gripped m' Darksteel Halberd tightly, then uttered a prayer t' Laduguer. When the Yath'tallar gave the word to attack, I charged. As I approached th' bridge, ah narrowly avoided two huge flamin' rocks. Ah looked back an' saw a couple poor sods crushed underneath 'em.

When I stepped onto th' bridge, I heard what sounded like someone takin' a piss on m' armour. I looked up and saw, what them surfacers call, rain and immediately after th' Ilharess an' myself were smote by Talos. The pain was rather intense an' it stopped me in m' tracks.

The Ilharess composed herself quickly an' rushed down th' bridge. I, However, felt this strong wind blowin' about me feet, an' before ah could react, I was swept up in a gust o' wind. The storm hurled men int' th' wall, and before ah hit the ground, ah saw the Ilharess put th' dragon into th' dirt....

...And tha's all ah remember. I hit m' head pretty hard."

He frowned a bit at his forgetfulness and stood up to stretch out. With a smile to those gathered at the Campfire, he tugs on his red hood and wanders off on patrol, wielding his fancy, ornate Darksteel Halberd.

*after defeting the dragon ilharess dabelkith confers with yath'tellar shytra about the fat of the creatue. they agree it is to dangerous to accept its aid in the task of clearing the city, reguardless of how powerful it is. She sends it back to the surface with its tail between its legs*

*drow flock to her after her victory, and her house increases in numbers and power as the news spreads through the darkwebs*