Tales of Faerun

[Deleted6317247User]

Nawen listened to Maydiira's tale with a frown on her face. Only on very rare occasions she thought about how other drow live in the Underdark but she never imagined it like this... she also wondered how the House she was born into really was. Were they Eilistraeeians or simply good people like Maydiira's house or were they just as evil as Ginafae's?

"I wonder if they know where you are now." Nawen mumbled. "If our friends feel well enough to travel we should leave as soon as possible."

Her life as a ranger taught her to be cautious and whether this other drow and her allies knows about their whereabouts or not, Nawen wished to be at least one step ahead.

She noticed two other strangers entering the tavern but so far neither of them seemed hostile.

[nethgros]

Othos noticed one of the recently healed men he had seen from earlier making his way to the bar when he noticed a hooded figure from the group stand up and loudly voice his displeasure at the sight of Kowolj; it seemed that they might just have some trouble after all...

 

Kowolj was sitting there, watching Othos' movements as always when the figure stood up to yell out at the sight of him. He figured that this man must be as all the others in all the other taverns he and Othos had moved through in their journeys. Yet, something seemed different... and suddenly it clicked​, both figuratively for him, and literally in the case of this stranger. He had seen a few of these insect men in his time alone in the Shaar, and all the ones that actually saw him had the same reaction. Why?, he thought, Why can't I just rest in peace? I hope Othos knows what to do...

 

Othos could see that they were obviously outnumbered, so if these people were looking for a fight it wouldn't end very well for him or his Wemic comrade. He knew that he couldn't just let this man have his way; he had to speak up.

 

"Hey, you there, is there some sort of problem that you have with my friend there? Please, do tell!" he said from his place at the bar. He didn't need to speak too loudly, as he voice always carried much farther than most due to his Windsoul nature.

Edited March 22, 2013 by nethgros

[AurianaValoria1]

"I agree," Maydiira answered Nawen, "It is not wise to linger when one like Ginafae is around."

 

"It is good that you found us," Rhaine added, "I was worried you might be in trouble...I had a dream of you being tortured. We originally came here to pursue the Cult of the Dragon, and I feared that you had been captured by them."

 

May's face fell again, and she whispered, "I...I was. Rhaine...Sel Sreen'aur is gone. The Cult wiped it out...turned all of my fellows into zombies. They captured me...tortured me...trying to find out about you..."

 

"What?!" Rhaine exclaimed.

 

The winged drow nodded, and for the first time since she had escaped, tears flowed freely down her face, "There is a mighty dracolich named Valthanarax who leads them...he has Red Wizards on his side - wizards who turned away from Szass Tam. They spoke of one Ravenna...how she was going to help him face Tchazzar to gain the power of Tiamat. I only barely managed to escape them and find my way to Shadowdale where I ran into Ginafae."

[Flipout6]

Weyland groaned as Maydiira recounted her tale. "Schtlarn it...another slaver? Thought the housecat-uh, Sana..." He said, wondering how in the nine hells it was that another half-feline walked into the Teshford Arms just as he said that. "Anyway, I thought Sana was enough."

 

Amendale moved to stop Tak'We before any fighting began, rolling his eyes at another groan from Weyland at the shouting. And he wasn't even drunk yet. "Calm yourself, friend. Racial tensions do nothing but destroy. Unless this individual has wronged you specifically, why attack? The one who enslaved you, he was human, yet you don't mind any of the humans here. How is this any different?"

 

Weyland completely changed the topic. "I heard you all with your talk about being fools, and I actually agree with you. Although to be fair, the two of them seemed to just show up at the same time, they hated each other. Probably united only by a mutual hatred for me. Or maybe Arland."

Amendale rolled his eyes. "Want to make yourself useful, how about you help me defuse this?"

 

"Me? Diplomacy? Amendale, it'd turn into a bloodbath." Weyland downed a mouthful of whiskey.

 

------------------------------------------------------------------

Arland, true to his word, looked around for a blacksmith's, finding none. He was distracted, the clashing thoughts of Weyland's sudden appearance and how the group would react to him occupying his mind. He'd be sticking with his brother through thick and thin now, if he could at all help it, but that winged woman-Rhaine- didn't even approve of vigilante justice, let alone killers like him. What if his sibling wanted to stick with them, and they turned on him?

He shook his head, wondering if he should come clean or keep it a secret. Amendale knew about it, Weyland knew about it, but even after all this time he knew that the latter wouldn't sell him out, but the moon elf might. And if he did, it was unlikely Arland would survive. Whether it be killed by the group directly or turned over to the guards and hung, he would die....

 

...at least if he told them within the county.

 

The thought wormed its way through Arland's head until it became the center of his internal debate. Perhaps if he told them in a place where he wasn't wanted by authorities... Rhaine disapproved of vigilante justice, and if the guards there didn't want him, he wouldn't be hung.

 

And he definitely would not be separated from his brother again. They'd have to physically force him. They wouldn't be able to pull any mind-control powers on him either, he was so dead-set on the task. (Arland, of course, didn't know about Xallistine, or else he'd be thinking quite the opposite.) and if they tried he'd fight back. So, that's what he would do. He'd take Rhaine aside when they were far away from here and let her know about it. The plan solidified in his head. That's what he would do personally. What Amendale did was the independent factor, the thing that the entire plan depended on.

 

He still couldn't find anywhere to buy himself a new sword, so he turned around and began walking back to the inn, suddenly wary that perhaps Ginafae could still be around. And he was weaker with only a single blade than he was with two.

[GrueMaster]

Tak'we gave an angry chatter of his mandibles when the unearthly softskin called out to him, banging his gythka against the floor hard enough to cause nearby tables to shake. "Wemics trespassed on Tak'we's clan'ss hunting groundss," he hissed, "and killed one of my clutchmatess when he tried to intervene!"

 

When Amendale stepped in front of him, the thri'kreen felt an urge to toss the pointy-ear aside and hurl a table at the man challenging him. The elf's words made him stop and come to his senses, though, and he began to calm down. You are better than this, Tak'we. The wemic isn't even old enough to have caused you any harm. *Tcktck!* "You're right, Amendale," he muttered quietly.

 

"Ssorry, wemic," Tak'we apologized, feeling a bit aggravated, but not about to go into a rage anytime soon. He yanked his gythka out of the flooring of the inn and started walking upstairs. "Tak'we will be upstairs if clutchmates need me."

[nethgros]

Just as the thri-kreen went upstairs the ales and meat finally arrived for Othos, who walked back to his seat next to Kowolj. "That could've turned quite ugly quite fast, luckily his friends aren't as hasty as he. I got the goods, you ready to relax?"

 

The whole thing had surprised him, but there was never a time where Kowolj was unwilling to accept some meat, "I'm always ready, you know that! Give it here!" he said with a large grin and a lustful look in his eye.

 

Othos passed him his haunch of raw meat and ale, while at the same time he took a swig of his own, placing both feet on the table.

[AurianaValoria1]

Rhaine could not believe her ears. She didn't notice half of what was going on around the tavern for reeling from Maydiira's news. On the one hand, she was happy that they'd finally found the path to the Cult. On the other hand, it grieved her to learn of the destruction of Sel Sreen'aur. From what she knew of May, it was the drow's greatest achievement - and now that the Doomguide knew of the fall of Maydiira's family, she realized it had been May's only hope of rebuilding her lost House.

 

"Maydiira," Rhaine said at last, "I'm so sorry."

 

May closed her eyes and wiped away her tears, shaking her head slowly, "No...don't be. It's over, now. The most we can do is avenge the deaths of my kin by striking back against that Cult...but I don't know if we are strong enough to do it."

 

"How many of these rogue Red Wizards are there?" the Doomguide asked.

 

The drow shrugged, "I don't know...enough to challenge a small army. From what I gathered, they want to take Thay for their own once they help Valthanarax achieve demi-godhood. I think they believe that the dracolich will assist them in destroying Szass Tam once they prove their loyalty."

 

Rhaine's brow furrowed, "I don't think that will happen...if anything, the dracolich will turn on his former supporters as soon as he achieves what he wants. It's simply the nature of the beast. What kind of dracolich is this Valthanarax? How old?"

 

May thought a moment, "I think he's a Red Dragon...very old. His skeleton is gargantuan."

 

The Doomguide glanced at Kalin, "Then we'll certainly need protection against fire. Is there anything else in these caves besides the dracolich and the Red Wizards?"

 

Maydiira nodded, "Cultists. Priests, priestesses, and mercenaries. They probably number as many as the wizards."

 

Rhaine whistled. This could, in fact, be the most difficult battle they would ever face...worse, even, than the confrontation with Ravenna had been. The more she thought about it, the more obvious it was that they all needed to prepare...training, additional scrolls, potions, extra weapons, better armor...the list went on and on.

[GrueMaster]

Kalin gave a sigh of relief; he'd seen Tak'we when the thri'kreen was in a frenzy and he wasn't looking forward to seeing it again. He turned his thoughts back to the discussion of Valthanarax, disliking what he was hearing. A Red dracolich... that will be a daunting task. The elan felt a little nervous inside when Rhaine glanced at him talking about about fire protection, but she was just talking about tactics, so he relaxed.

 

With all of the details Maydiira kept giving them, Kalin's frown grew deep and his face contemplative. "We going to need a lot preparation for this endeavor, Rhaine. Better gear, supplies," He looked at the state of Weyland's armor and added: "And better armor for some of us." He gave a grim smile. "So, when do we start?"

[mythicdawnmaster]

Xallistine thought over the observations of both chosen, their two great minds coming to a sensible conclusion, but he decided it time to break his silence, and speak up. "The Red Wizards will prove to be a difficult obstacle... But we shan't have to worry about facing anything on par with the Zulkirs... I should hope."

 

"But you are right- we shall need better supplies. I shall create us a new stockpile of scrolls if you can provide me with the necessary parchment, and should weapons be running low on enchantments, i can be of assistance in that Arena also- I must ask you revoke the claim of leaving here quickly, we need time to prepare, although too much time would surely damage our chances."

 

The recent influx of new faces and the drama regarding Weylands injuries had not phased the Ulitharid- his mind was in far off places to be thinking of such trivialities as saying hello to newcomers, and he knew and trusted Rhain's healing abilities- which had saved the life of the reckless young man.

 

The talk of this Drow Matron did concern him slightly however, the evil of their kind were known for their cruel tricks and there ingenious methods of sabotage- He imagined she'd do whatever it took to get to Maydiira now, which also meant the Favoured Soul was both a blessing and a huge burden wrapped into one white-winged package.

Edited March 23, 2013 by mythicdawnmaster

[josh900]

Coming back with an ale Tannin overheard the talk of the dracolich and an army. "A red dragon and an army." He said before taking a drink. "Now THAT... Brings back good memories. Red dragons can be real nasty work. Especially if they get off the ground, Then you're in for a fight." He took a sip before continuing. " If you want.. and know where they're located AND it's nearby.. I could put an old talent to use and check out where they're staying. Possibly infiltrate their ranks and get an estimate of their numbers. Possibly make a map of the place. Whatever is needed really." He said casually. Infiltrating dangerous locations was nothing new to him. Was something of a hobby of his at one point. He prided himself on being able to enter and fit into any location. Whether or not that was hyperbole was yet to be seen.

"Just an idea, it's certainly not as dangerous as rushing through their front door unaware of what's on the inside that's for sure."

He then looked to Maydiira. "And you, lady Maydiira have my sympathies. Loss of a family's tough and I've been there many a times. Not a pleasant experience and certainly not one that many walk away from. Good to see you can still smile though, too many get dreary and unlikable after a tragedy." Realizing how much he had been prattling on he apologized and silenced himself with his ale.