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dnd400
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Life would be peace and calm and satisfaction in seeing to his master’s needs.He sighed and let down his guard before the great snake …He was the first of the slaves to cry out a warning as the black form of Guenhwyvar leaped atop that huge creature.Drizzt shrieked first in outrage and then again in surprise as he saw that the snake wasn’t a snake at all, but a fishlike, horrid looking thing, and how it screamed, both in an audible watery voice and in Drizzt’s mind—so brutally in his mind that it knocked him from his feet, to join Dahlia, Entreri, and the others on the wet floor.There was a giant snake, lying dead to the side, and this strange creature had taken its identity and place and image.But no more.Guenhwyvar’s attack had stripped away that illusion, leaving a creature that appeared far less formidable.Drizzt leaped up immediately and charged, pausing only long enough to knock Entreri aside and kick the staff from Dahlia’s hands, for he knew then that he was free, but did not know if the others had broken from their bonds.Certainly the six slaves who had accompanied this strange creature had not thrown aside their allegiance.A pair of humans scrambled and leaped for Guenhwyvar, who kicked out with a rear claw, driving them both away, cutting one grotesquely, chin to shoulder.The other four charged past to intercept Drizzt, who spun to his right, coming around to plant the pommel of a scimitar right on the nose of one pursuing man, dropping him in a heap.He didn’t want to kill this group, understanding that they did not act of their own will, but when a shade following that human leaped in with a deadly sword thrust, Drizzt’s instincts had him parrying and responding before he had even realized the instinctive riposte.He did shorten his strike, taking the shade under the ribs but not driving the blade home, but when that didn’t even slow the attacker, who apparently felt no pain in his possessed state, Drizzt had no choice but to strike again, harder and repeatedly.He had no time to dawdle, and down went the shade, and when the human stubbornly rose against him once more, the drow laid him low by cutting his legs out from under him with a great swipe of his scimitars.He tried not to dig in the blades too deeply, and winced with a bit of regret, but could do little more than that when he saw the blood spilling.Hoping that he had inflicted no permanent damage, Drizzt joined Guenhwyvar at the aboleth—for indeed, this was one of those strange and little-understood creatures, a young aboleth left behind by the Sovereignty as a sentry and scout for a place they had not abandoned forever.Drizzt struck hard and he struck fast, and even more so when he rolled around the fishlike beast and caught a glimpse back at his friends.Guenhwyvar’s attack had freed them, and the two of them worked brilliantly and ferociously against the remaining slaves.Drizzt tried to keep his focus on the creature before him.It was physically weak, true, but with the potential to fell him, or paralyze him at least, with one suggestion.He had to keep his mental guards up and had to drive his blades home quickly.He couldn’t help but grimace when Dahlia, flails spinning in perfect coordination, came face to face with one of the Shadovar slaves.He knew what was coming, and could only look away, renew his focus on the aboleth, as Dahlia’s deadly weapons cracked repeatedly against the slave’s skull, tearing skin and cracking bone, and bashing the shade’s brains to pulp.Entreri was no more merciful, reminding Drizzt keenly of the true disposition of this man he viewed as a link to his past, shattering any nostalgic notions floated before him by the reappearance of his old nemesis.The drow gasped audibly when Entreri’s sword came right through the torso of one human slave, stabbing out the man’s back.Entreri retracted the blade almost instantly, but fell into a sudden spin that brought it back around and down, across the falling man’s throat.Even with the threat defeated, the vicious Artemis Entreri could not resist that killing blow.Too many doubts pressed in on Drizzt then, doubts about his road and his companions, but he pushed them away, even told himself that these were mere implantations by the insidious psychic beast.He turned that disappointment, rage even, into more focused anger on his oppressor, the aboleth.Down came Twinkle with a smash, crunching bone, and down came a stabbing Icingdeath right behind, plunging through that opening to find the creature’s brain.Always the brain, the source of the beast’s strength.Drizzt leaped astride the struggling, flopping creature, alternately plunging his scimitars into the opening, and when one went in deep, the drow turned his wrist and slid it out to the side, left and right, severing the internal connections.He saw the remaining slave, a Shadovar, rushing at him in a last desperate attempt to save its beloved master.But too late.Guenhwyvar continued to tear and rend and Drizzt’s blades found their mark.The aboleth flopped to the stone fully, and lay deathly still.The approaching Shadovar skidded to a stop and stared at Drizzt in abject confusion, and the drow immediately wondered if he might have found an ally in their quest to get past Alegni’s defenses; he could well understand the profound sense of gratitude anyone in such a state of slavery might feel toward his rescuers.Before Drizzt could even explore that, though, before he could even further study the Shadovar’s face for hints, he was distracted by a form rushing up from behind the freed slave.“Dahlia, no!” he shouted, but between his words came the crack of Dahlia’s flail spinning in from the side to cave in the Shadovar’s skull.That powerful strike alone would likely have proven fatal, but Dahlia left little to doubt as she followed with a barrage of heavy blows.“Did you even pause to consider that he might have supplied us with important information?” Drizzt asked the elf.Dahlia seemed unimpressed.She looked down at the dead Shadovar and spat on him for effect.“He’s a Netherese dog,” she said, as if that explained everything.
|
Life would be peace and calm and satisfaction in seeing to his master’s needs.He sighed and let down his guard before the great snake …He was the first of the slaves to cry out a warning as the black form of Guenhwyvar leaped atop that huge creature.Drizzt shrieked first in outrage and then again in surprise as he saw that the snake wasn’t a snake at all, but a fishlike, horrid looking thing, and how it screamed, both in an audible watery voice and in Drizzt’s mind—so brutally in his mind that it knocked him from his feet, to join Dahlia, Entreri, and the others on the wet floor.There was a giant snake, lying dead to the side, and this strange creature had taken its identity and place and image.But no more.Guenhwyvar’s attack had stripped away that illusion, leaving a creature that appeared far less formidable.Drizzt leaped up immediately and charged, pausing only long enough to knock Entreri aside and kick the staff from Dahlia’s hands, for he knew then that he was free, but did not know if the others had broken from their bonds.Certainly the six slaves who had accompanied this strange creature had not thrown aside their allegiance.A pair of humans scrambled and leaped for Guenhwyvar, who kicked out with a rear claw, driving them both away, cutting one grotesquely, chin to shoulder.The other four charged past to intercept Drizzt, who spun to his right, coming around to plant the pommel of a scimitar right on the nose of one pursuing man, dropping him in a heap.He didn’t want to kill this group, understanding that they did not act of their own will, but when a shade following that human leaped in with a deadly sword thrust, Drizzt’s instincts had him parrying and responding before he had even realized the instinctive riposte.He did shorten his strike, taking the shade under the ribs but not driving the blade home, but when that didn’t even slow the attacker, who apparently felt no pain in his possessed state, Drizzt had no choice but to strike again, harder and repeatedly.He had no time to dawdle, and down went the shade, and when the human stubbornly rose against him once more, the drow laid him low by cutting his legs out from under him with a great swipe of his scimitars.He tried not to dig in the blades too deeply, and winced with a bit of regret, but could do little more than that when he saw the blood spilling.Hoping that he had inflicted no permanent damage, Drizzt joined Guenhwyvar at the aboleth—for indeed, this was one of those strange and little-understood creatures, a young aboleth left behind by the Sovereignty as a sentry and scout for a place they had not abandoned forever.Drizzt struck hard and he struck fast, and even more so when he rolled around the fishlike beast and caught a glimpse back at his friends.Guenhwyvar’s attack had freed them, and the two of them worked brilliantly and ferociously against the remaining slaves.Drizzt tried to keep his focus on the creature before him.It was physically weak, true, but with the potential to fell him, or paralyze him at least, with one suggestion.He had to keep his mental guards up and had to drive his blades home quickly.He couldn’t help but grimace when Dahlia, flails spinning in perfect coordination, came face to face with one of the Shadovar slaves.He knew what was coming, and could only look away, renew his focus on the aboleth, as Dahlia’s deadly weapons cracked repeatedly against the slave’s skull, tearing skin and cracking bone, and bashing the shade’s brains to pulp.Entreri was no more merciful, reminding Drizzt keenly of the true disposition of this man he viewed as a link to his past, shattering any nostalgic notions floated before him by the reappearance of his old nemesis.The drow gasped audibly when Entreri’s sword came right through the torso of one human slave, stabbing out the man’s back.Entreri retracted the blade almost instantly, but fell into a sudden spin that brought it back around and down, across the falling man’s throat.Even with the threat defeated, the vicious Artemis Entreri could not resist that killing blow.Too many doubts pressed in on Drizzt then, doubts about his road and his companions, but he pushed them away, even told himself that these were mere implantations by the insidious psychic beast.He turned that disappointment, rage even, into more focused anger on his oppressor, the aboleth.Down came Twinkle with a smash, crunching bone, and down came a stabbing Icingdeath right behind, plunging through that opening to find the creature’s brain.Always the brain, the source of the beast’s strength.Drizzt leaped astride the struggling, flopping creature, alternately plunging his scimitars into the opening, and when one went in deep, the drow turned his wrist and slid it out to the side, left and right, severing the internal connections.He saw the remaining slave, a Shadovar, rushing at him in a last desperate attempt to save its beloved master.But too late.Guenhwyvar continued to tear and rend and Drizzt’s blades found their mark.The aboleth flopped to the stone fully, and lay deathly still.The approaching Shadovar skidded to a stop and stared at Drizzt in abject confusion, and the drow immediately wondered if he might have found an ally in their quest to get past Alegni’s defenses; he could well understand the profound sense of gratitude anyone in such a state of slavery might feel toward his rescuers.Before Drizzt could even explore that, though, before he could even further study the Shadovar’s face for hints, he was distracted by a form rushing up from behind the freed slave.“Dahlia, no!” he shouted, but between his words came the crack of Dahlia’s flail spinning in from the side to cave in the Shadovar’s skull.That powerful strike alone would likely have proven fatal, but Dahlia left little to doubt as she followed with a barrage of heavy blows.“Did you even pause to consider that he might have supplied us with important information?” Drizzt asked the elf.Dahlia seemed unimpressed.She looked down at the dead Shadovar and spat on him for effect.“He’s a Netherese dog,” she said, as if that explained everything.
|
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dnd401
|
“He would have simply lied to us anyway.”“He might have known Alegni’s defenses,” Drizzt argued.“We do not know how long he was enslaved …”“What’s done is done,” Entreri said.When Drizzt and Dahlia glanced his way, he motioned to two of the humans, the one Drizzt had dropped and one other.They were both alive, though wounded, but neither injury appeared mortal.A third, too, seemed alive, though her wounds looked far more grievous.Drizzt pulled off his pack and rushed to the wounded woman first.He produced some bandages and a poultice of mixed and mashed herbs and quickly stemmed the blood flow.As soon as he had the bleeding under control, he looked to his companions, both staring at him incredulously.“Tend to the others!” he scolded.“They attacked us,” Dahlia reminded.“The … that creature attacked us, through them,” Drizzt retorted.“Tend to them!”Dahlia glanced at Entreri skeptically, and to Drizzt’s dismay, it seemed that Dahlia was being more stubborn and less merciful than Artemis Entreri.“Tend to them or we—or I—will remain with them,” Drizzt warned, and that broke the stalemate.He threw his pack to Entreri.Six individuals started along the tunnels a short while later, the two minimally wounded humans, a man and a woman, half-carrying, half-dragging their other female companion in a makeshift litter Drizzt had constructed from a cloak and the bones of the fishlike creature that had enslaved them.They were citizens of Neverwinter, or had been.“I was raised outside of Luskan,” the woman, Genevieve by name, explained to Drizzt as they walked.“My family farmed there.”She went on to describe the fall of that region, but Drizzt already knew the sad tale well.“Did you know a family Stuyles?” he asked.“Aye, the name sounds familiar,” Genevieve replied.“But ’twas a long time ago.I been here many years.Before the ruin.”“But you survived,” Drizzt said, and he looked to Entreri as he did, and the assassin wore an expression of interest, at least.“We all did,” the man on the other side of the litter replied.“Because of that thing back there.”“Aye, we been down here for years and years,” Genevieve added.She winced and seemed quite pained as she tried to sort it all out.“A couple of times after the ruin, we went up.To spy, I expect, though I hardly remember it.”“Seems like you’d make a fine spy, then,” Entreri said sarcastically.“Was the fish creature looking through us,” she explained.“Oh, but it could do that.It could do almost anything.”“Killed the great snake and controlled her brood with little trouble,” the man added.“They were babies, then,” Drizzt remarked, and he shuddered to think that Neverwinter’s sewer might soon be home to a thriving community of gigantic constrictors!He left the trio, then, to rejoin his companions at the lead.Drizzt wanted to speak with Entreri on that journey, to help him to recognize the intrusion for what it was, to learn from the dominance of the aboleth so that he might use those lessons as he tried to resist any such dominance from his old sword.
|
“He would have simply lied to us anyway.”“He might have known Alegni’s defenses,” Drizzt argued.“We do not know how long he was enslaved …”“What’s done is done,” Entreri said.When Drizzt and Dahlia glanced his way, he motioned to two of the humans, the one Drizzt had dropped and one other.They were both alive, though wounded, but neither injury appeared mortal.A third, too, seemed alive, though her wounds looked far more grievous.Drizzt pulled off his pack and rushed to the wounded woman first.He produced some bandages and a poultice of mixed and mashed herbs and quickly stemmed the blood flow.As soon as he had the bleeding under control, he looked to his companions, both staring at him incredulously.“Tend to the others!” he scolded.“They attacked us,” Dahlia reminded.“The … that creature attacked us, through them,” Drizzt retorted.“Tend to them!”Dahlia glanced at Entreri skeptically, and to Drizzt’s dismay, it seemed that Dahlia was being more stubborn and less merciful than Artemis Entreri.“Tend to them or we—or I—will remain with them,” Drizzt warned, and that broke the stalemate.He threw his pack to Entreri.Six individuals started along the tunnels a short while later, the two minimally wounded humans, a man and a woman, half-carrying, half-dragging their other female companion in a makeshift litter Drizzt had constructed from a cloak and the bones of the fishlike creature that had enslaved them.They were citizens of Neverwinter, or had been.“I was raised outside of Luskan,” the woman, Genevieve by name, explained to Drizzt as they walked.“My family farmed there.”She went on to describe the fall of that region, but Drizzt already knew the sad tale well.“Did you know a family Stuyles?” he asked.“Aye, the name sounds familiar,” Genevieve replied.“But ’twas a long time ago.I been here many years.Before the ruin.”“But you survived,” Drizzt said, and he looked to Entreri as he did, and the assassin wore an expression of interest, at least.“We all did,” the man on the other side of the litter replied.“Because of that thing back there.”“Aye, we been down here for years and years,” Genevieve added.She winced and seemed quite pained as she tried to sort it all out.“A couple of times after the ruin, we went up.To spy, I expect, though I hardly remember it.”“Seems like you’d make a fine spy, then,” Entreri said sarcastically.“Was the fish creature looking through us,” she explained.“Oh, but it could do that.It could do almost anything.”“Killed the great snake and controlled her brood with little trouble,” the man added.“They were babies, then,” Drizzt remarked, and he shuddered to think that Neverwinter’s sewer might soon be home to a thriving community of gigantic constrictors!He left the trio, then, to rejoin his companions at the lead.Drizzt wanted to speak with Entreri on that journey, to help him to recognize the intrusion for what it was, to learn from the dominance of the aboleth so that he might use those lessons as he tried to resist any such dominance from his old sword.
|
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dnd402
|
But the drow found that he couldn’t talk to the man at that time, or to Dahlia, and he quickly fell back, following the three wounded humans, helping them where he could, while Entreri and Dahlia led the way, the assassin once more holding half of Dahlia’s staff to ward against any unwanted intrusions.They didn’t need Twinkle’s glow any longer, for the sun was rising outside, and peeking in at enough junctures—through cracks up above, or grates—to provide enough light for the two, with their lowlight vision, to navigate.They chatted as they walked, and Drizzt could catch only bits and pieces of their conversation, which frustrated him even more.After only a few twists and turns in the sewer, even those pieces of conversation were lost to him, drowned out by the sound of flowing water, for they were then paralleling the river, very nearby.Still he watched them, feeling very distant to them, so suddenly.Feeling very lost.“Soon,” Entreri whispered to Dahlia, up in front of the others.Dahlia looked at him curiously, not quite understanding.Was he talking about them getting out of the sewers soon?Perhaps, but she suspected something more, particularly given the strange intermingling of personal secrets.Entreri nodded, and there was so much in that simple gesture, a recognition of things far deeper than the practical implications of the single word he had spoken.“Soon,” he was saying, meaning that Dahlia would find a proper resolution “soon.”“Soon,” he was saying, as if to indicate that some moment of peace was “soon” before her.“Soon.” He was hinting, Dahlia understood, that the resolution of her greatest tragedy and greatest moment …The elf warrior looked away, not willing to let him see the moisture in her blue eyes, not willing to let this stranger, this former, and perhaps still, adversary, look into her soul yet again.Or was it just shame?THE FOOTHOLDTHEY OWNED THE FORGE.That stunning notion hovered around Ravel Xorlarrin’s shoulders as he made his way to his scheduled meeting with his sisters and some of the other leaders of the expedition.They owned the forge.The other chambers they had taken since entering the Gauntlgrym complex had offered them hope, both in the joyous shock of realizing their destination in the first place and in coming to know that they could build some measure of security and defense against the stubborn ghostly guardians of the ancient dwarf homeland.But none of that would have mattered one bit without the grand prize.They owned the forge.Ravel had to hold back his elation as he entered that very room, the ancient forge of Gauntlgrym, to face the gathering.He met the eyes of each, starting with Berellip, who sat grim-faced, and moving quickly to Saribel, whose clear uneasiness showed the cracks in their meaner sister’s unrelenting glare.Saribel understood the gravity of this moment, and she understood, obviously, that the victory was Ravel’s most of all.The poor priestess didn’t seem to know how to react, and she was simply not as skilled as Berellip in covering everything up with anger.Emboldened by Saribel’s quandary, Ravel glanced at Tiago, who sat beside Jearth, and there he found allies.Tiago even nodded and smiled.If his sisters’ unease had bolstered him, the salute from House Baenre had him standing even taller.Behind the two weapons masters, the drider Yerrininae squatted on eight bent legs, and he, too, seemed eager—and why wouldn’t he be, for this was the promise to an existence with dignity and possibility.They owned the forge.Ravel paced slowly past the group, including the other House wizards and a few of the more important melee squad leaders, on his way to the nearest in the line of actual forges, a large firebrick oven, taller than Ravel.To the drow warrior, it looked like any other forge, but he had been told differently, and he understood now as he examined the oven.There was no place to load fuel to burn.Behind the forge loomed what seemed like a chimney, stretching floor to ceiling, of thick bricks, mortared with workmanship so amazing that the centuries seemed to not have touched them.After a cursory glance at the loading and cooling trays, Ravel found himself drawn to this chimney.He ran his hands along the stone, feeling the integrity.He looked down the length of the large chamber, the row of similar forges, the line of similar chimneys.“Untouched by the millennia,” he said, coming around to face the group once more.“They will need minor repairs, likely,” Yerrininae replied.“But yes.”“Where is Brack’thal?” Berellip interjected, her tone sharp, unyielding and prideful, as always.Ravel smiled, the look of a displacer beast as it closed in on its prey, and moved toward the group, looking to his fellow wizards.“Have you figured out the workings?” he asked.“We’ve found the source,” the spellspinner started to reply, but was cut short by Berellip.“Where is Brack’thal?” she demanded.“He is doing his job,” Ravel curtly replied.“He should be among us.”“The perimeter chambers must be secured before our work begins in earnest,” Ravel countered.“That is no small task.”“It is a task for that one,” Berellip replied, pointing to Jearth.“And his Baenre friend.And the driders—why are they even here?”Tiago laughed aloud at the priestess’s flustered pronouncements, and Ravel understood that he had done so for Ravel’s benefit.Yes, the Xorlarrin son had a powerful ally here, and one who would not blink before Berellip’s intimidating glare.“My dear sister, I am Xorlarrin,” Ravel replied.He looked to Jearth and bowed in what seemed like an apology as he finished, “I would not trust such a critical duty to a mere warrior.”For a moment, he thought Berellip might swallow her lips, so tight did her face become.“Nor would I trouble you and your priestesses, who have far more important duties in ensuring that this place, this city of Xorlarrin, will prove suitable to the goddess we all hold dear,” he added, looking more to Tiago, who nodded his approval.For the time being, Ravel had disarmed his sister.“We have much to do,” Jearth interjected.“My scouts have assured me that this complex is huge, even without the miles and miles of mines running beneath and beside it.There are other groups here in addition to our forces and the stubborn dwarf ghosts.
|
But the drow found that he couldn’t talk to the man at that time, or to Dahlia, and he quickly fell back, following the three wounded humans, helping them where he could, while Entreri and Dahlia led the way, the assassin once more holding half of Dahlia’s staff to ward against any unwanted intrusions.They didn’t need Twinkle’s glow any longer, for the sun was rising outside, and peeking in at enough junctures—through cracks up above, or grates—to provide enough light for the two, with their lowlight vision, to navigate.They chatted as they walked, and Drizzt could catch only bits and pieces of their conversation, which frustrated him even more.After only a few twists and turns in the sewer, even those pieces of conversation were lost to him, drowned out by the sound of flowing water, for they were then paralleling the river, very nearby.Still he watched them, feeling very distant to them, so suddenly.Feeling very lost.“Soon,” Entreri whispered to Dahlia, up in front of the others.Dahlia looked at him curiously, not quite understanding.Was he talking about them getting out of the sewers soon?Perhaps, but she suspected something more, particularly given the strange intermingling of personal secrets.Entreri nodded, and there was so much in that simple gesture, a recognition of things far deeper than the practical implications of the single word he had spoken.“Soon,” he was saying, meaning that Dahlia would find a proper resolution “soon.”“Soon,” he was saying, as if to indicate that some moment of peace was “soon” before her.“Soon.” He was hinting, Dahlia understood, that the resolution of her greatest tragedy and greatest moment …The elf warrior looked away, not willing to let him see the moisture in her blue eyes, not willing to let this stranger, this former, and perhaps still, adversary, look into her soul yet again.Or was it just shame?THE FOOTHOLDTHEY OWNED THE FORGE.That stunning notion hovered around Ravel Xorlarrin’s shoulders as he made his way to his scheduled meeting with his sisters and some of the other leaders of the expedition.They owned the forge.The other chambers they had taken since entering the Gauntlgrym complex had offered them hope, both in the joyous shock of realizing their destination in the first place and in coming to know that they could build some measure of security and defense against the stubborn ghostly guardians of the ancient dwarf homeland.But none of that would have mattered one bit without the grand prize.They owned the forge.Ravel had to hold back his elation as he entered that very room, the ancient forge of Gauntlgrym, to face the gathering.He met the eyes of each, starting with Berellip, who sat grim-faced, and moving quickly to Saribel, whose clear uneasiness showed the cracks in their meaner sister’s unrelenting glare.Saribel understood the gravity of this moment, and she understood, obviously, that the victory was Ravel’s most of all.The poor priestess didn’t seem to know how to react, and she was simply not as skilled as Berellip in covering everything up with anger.Emboldened by Saribel’s quandary, Ravel glanced at Tiago, who sat beside Jearth, and there he found allies.Tiago even nodded and smiled.If his sisters’ unease had bolstered him, the salute from House Baenre had him standing even taller.Behind the two weapons masters, the drider Yerrininae squatted on eight bent legs, and he, too, seemed eager—and why wouldn’t he be, for this was the promise to an existence with dignity and possibility.They owned the forge.Ravel paced slowly past the group, including the other House wizards and a few of the more important melee squad leaders, on his way to the nearest in the line of actual forges, a large firebrick oven, taller than Ravel.To the drow warrior, it looked like any other forge, but he had been told differently, and he understood now as he examined the oven.There was no place to load fuel to burn.Behind the forge loomed what seemed like a chimney, stretching floor to ceiling, of thick bricks, mortared with workmanship so amazing that the centuries seemed to not have touched them.After a cursory glance at the loading and cooling trays, Ravel found himself drawn to this chimney.He ran his hands along the stone, feeling the integrity.He looked down the length of the large chamber, the row of similar forges, the line of similar chimneys.“Untouched by the millennia,” he said, coming around to face the group once more.“They will need minor repairs, likely,” Yerrininae replied.“But yes.”“Where is Brack’thal?” Berellip interjected, her tone sharp, unyielding and prideful, as always.Ravel smiled, the look of a displacer beast as it closed in on its prey, and moved toward the group, looking to his fellow wizards.“Have you figured out the workings?” he asked.“We’ve found the source,” the spellspinner started to reply, but was cut short by Berellip.“Where is Brack’thal?” she demanded.“He is doing his job,” Ravel curtly replied.“He should be among us.”“The perimeter chambers must be secured before our work begins in earnest,” Ravel countered.“That is no small task.”“It is a task for that one,” Berellip replied, pointing to Jearth.“And his Baenre friend.And the driders—why are they even here?”Tiago laughed aloud at the priestess’s flustered pronouncements, and Ravel understood that he had done so for Ravel’s benefit.Yes, the Xorlarrin son had a powerful ally here, and one who would not blink before Berellip’s intimidating glare.“My dear sister, I am Xorlarrin,” Ravel replied.He looked to Jearth and bowed in what seemed like an apology as he finished, “I would not trust such a critical duty to a mere warrior.”For a moment, he thought Berellip might swallow her lips, so tight did her face become.“Nor would I trouble you and your priestesses, who have far more important duties in ensuring that this place, this city of Xorlarrin, will prove suitable to the goddess we all hold dear,” he added, looking more to Tiago, who nodded his approval.For the time being, Ravel had disarmed his sister.“We have much to do,” Jearth interjected.“My scouts have assured me that this complex is huge, even without the miles and miles of mines running beneath and beside it.There are other groups here in addition to our forces and the stubborn dwarf ghosts.
|
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dnd403
|
We have found dire corbies—they will need to be cleaned out.”“Seems a minor distraction,” said the usually quiet Saribel, and her look to Berellip as she spoke tipped Ravel off to her true purpose, that of pleasing their dominant sister.“Many of the interesting chambers we have discovered are unsound,” Jearth went on with hesitation, for he, like Ravel, had perfected the art of ignoring the annoying Saribel.“This place was wracked by the cataclysm of recent years.There may be untold treasures and secrets lying around, defenses we might put to our use, side chambers that will provide better quarters for the nobles.”Saribel moved as if to interject, but Jearth pressed on before her.“There may be a source for these bothersome ghosts, as well, a temple to a dwarf god, and that we cannot abide in any place House Xorlarrin might come to call home.”The younger of the Xorlarrin sisters slumped back at that remark.“We have much to do,” Jearth reiterated, and there would be no arguments coming forth in reply.“Yes, much,” Ravel agreed, and he glanced down the line of forges to the great and huge oven that centered the room’s rear wall.“And first we must discover how to fire these ovens.” He wore a sly look as he made the comment, hinting that he knew more than he was letting on, which, of course, he did.“The source is nearby,” Berellip said.“It must be, along with the fuel …”“The source is there,” Ravel said, pointing to the wall near the large forge, to an archway which they had not explored, as the passage it indicated had been bricked up and sealed.“How can you know?”“I am a spellspinner,” Ravel replied.“You do not believe that a pile of stones could block my way, do you?”He focused on Tiago, the most important one in his audience, and watched the young Baenre warrior, obviously intrigued, glance from the archway back to him and back again.“Are you to keep us waiting?” Berellip asked angrily after many heartbeats slipped past in silence.“To explain what lies beyond would not do it justice, I fear,” said Ravel.“Assemble a team of goblin diggers to clear the tunnel—it is not long—and let us travel together to better appreciate our good fortune.” He glanced at Jearth and nodded, and the weapons master moved off immediately to gather some slaves.As the informal meeting disbanded, Tiago found his way to Ravel’s side.“You have raised expectations,” he said quietly.“Do not disappoint, lest you return the upper hand to your sister.And that, we cannot have.”“Disappoint?” Ravel echoed incredulously.“Behind that wall lies a god.A trapped god.The power of Gauntlgrym.”Tiago grinned.“The fire beast?”“The primordial,” Ravel confirmed.“The fire beast my matron mother determined as the source of the cataclysm.Indeed it exists, right before us, trapped as it has been for millennia.” He paused as his grin widened even more.“So near the magical forge.”Tiago’s look, his responding smile as he stared at the distant archway, showed his appreciation of this moment.Across Faerûn, the weapons of ancient Gauntlgrym had remained legendary for their craftsmanship and imbued powers; even those who refused to admit the existence of this rumored dwarf homeland could only dispute the origin, and not the wonder, of those ancient artifacts.“I will have the first two master items created when the forges are re-fired,” Tiago said.“That was part of our deal, so you have informed me,” Ravel replied with only a hint of sarcasm.“Your servants have brought the needed materials, I assume.”Still looking at the archway, at the promise, the young Baenre nodded.
|
We have found dire corbies—they will need to be cleaned out.”“Seems a minor distraction,” said the usually quiet Saribel, and her look to Berellip as she spoke tipped Ravel off to her true purpose, that of pleasing their dominant sister.“Many of the interesting chambers we have discovered are unsound,” Jearth went on with hesitation, for he, like Ravel, had perfected the art of ignoring the annoying Saribel.“This place was wracked by the cataclysm of recent years.There may be untold treasures and secrets lying around, defenses we might put to our use, side chambers that will provide better quarters for the nobles.”Saribel moved as if to interject, but Jearth pressed on before her.“There may be a source for these bothersome ghosts, as well, a temple to a dwarf god, and that we cannot abide in any place House Xorlarrin might come to call home.”The younger of the Xorlarrin sisters slumped back at that remark.“We have much to do,” Jearth reiterated, and there would be no arguments coming forth in reply.“Yes, much,” Ravel agreed, and he glanced down the line of forges to the great and huge oven that centered the room’s rear wall.“And first we must discover how to fire these ovens.” He wore a sly look as he made the comment, hinting that he knew more than he was letting on, which, of course, he did.“The source is nearby,” Berellip said.“It must be, along with the fuel …”“The source is there,” Ravel said, pointing to the wall near the large forge, to an archway which they had not explored, as the passage it indicated had been bricked up and sealed.“How can you know?”“I am a spellspinner,” Ravel replied.“You do not believe that a pile of stones could block my way, do you?”He focused on Tiago, the most important one in his audience, and watched the young Baenre warrior, obviously intrigued, glance from the archway back to him and back again.“Are you to keep us waiting?” Berellip asked angrily after many heartbeats slipped past in silence.“To explain what lies beyond would not do it justice, I fear,” said Ravel.“Assemble a team of goblin diggers to clear the tunnel—it is not long—and let us travel together to better appreciate our good fortune.” He glanced at Jearth and nodded, and the weapons master moved off immediately to gather some slaves.As the informal meeting disbanded, Tiago found his way to Ravel’s side.“You have raised expectations,” he said quietly.“Do not disappoint, lest you return the upper hand to your sister.And that, we cannot have.”“Disappoint?” Ravel echoed incredulously.“Behind that wall lies a god.A trapped god.The power of Gauntlgrym.”Tiago grinned.“The fire beast?”“The primordial,” Ravel confirmed.“The fire beast my matron mother determined as the source of the cataclysm.Indeed it exists, right before us, trapped as it has been for millennia.” He paused as his grin widened even more.“So near the magical forge.”Tiago’s look, his responding smile as he stared at the distant archway, showed his appreciation of this moment.Across Faerûn, the weapons of ancient Gauntlgrym had remained legendary for their craftsmanship and imbued powers; even those who refused to admit the existence of this rumored dwarf homeland could only dispute the origin, and not the wonder, of those ancient artifacts.“I will have the first two master items created when the forges are re-fired,” Tiago said.“That was part of our deal, so you have informed me,” Ravel replied with only a hint of sarcasm.“Your servants have brought the needed materials, I assume.”Still looking at the archway, at the promise, the young Baenre nodded.
|
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dnd404
|
“If one would consider Gol’fanin a servant.”That had Ravel back on his heels!“Gol’fanin?”“You have traveled from Menzoberranzan to one of the most famed forges of the ancient world.Please do tell me that you, a mage of high reputation, are too intelligent to be surprised by this revelation.”Put that way, of course, Tiago was right.But Ravel found himself indeed surprised, more by the planning that had gone into this expedition from the Baenre side than by the secret accompaniment by one of Menzoberranzan’s most accomplished blacksmiths.Suddenly the spellspinner found himself doubting every detail of this expedition, even that it was an undertaking of House Xorlarrin.How much influence, how much subterfuge, had House Baenre exerted here?“You understand that this part of my bargain with you will come at a great cost to me,” Ravel said when he managed to properly compose himself.“With Jearth, I mean.”“You understand that I don’t care,” came the instant response, a reply surely worthy of a Baenre.The chamber thrummed with energy and waves of heat rose from the oblong pit that dominated the room.That heat was overwhelmed, however, by the mist in the air, and the low fog that clung to the stones.Standing at the edge of that pit, Ravel and the others could not but appreciate the sheer power of the beast below: a frothing, roiling, primordial power chewing stones into lava and burping gouts of heavy slag upward.But no less impressive was the containment of that volcanic monster, a cyclone of thick watery power spinning around the sides of the pit from the lip all the way down to the primordial.More water ran down continually from the high ceiling, thin lines, perhaps, but no doubt keeping the equilibrium of the room intact.“Elementals,” Brack’thal Xorlarrin breathed.“Scores of them.”Ravel looked at his older brother skeptically, but did not challenge his words.He knew better than to do so, for Brack’thal was a student of the old schools of magic, primarily engaged in summoning this very type of beast to his side.His powers had decreased tremendously with the Spellplague and the fall of Mystra’s Weave, but in his day, he had often been seen wandering the ways of Menzoberranzan, a watery or fiery companion at his side and leaving a trail of droplets or smoke through the streets.The younger spellspinner looked to his sister as Brack’thal finished, and Berellip merely nodded, seeming unsurprised.Only then did Ravel come to fully comprehend why Matron Zeerith had insisted that he take Brack’thal along on the expedition, and why Berellip had recalled him from his other duties as the tunnel to this room was being cleared by the goblin slaves.Once again, as with his last conversation with Tiago, the young spellspinner felt as if he were standing on sand rather than stone.So much of this expedition, his expedition, seemed to be comprised of people plotting around him and above him.Why hadn’t Matron Zeerith simply explained to him why she thought Brack’thal might prove to be a worthy addition?Why hadn’t Tiago Baenre simply explained to him the presence of Gol’fanin, so that the blacksmith might walk openly among the ranks, in a position of proper respect and station, instead of as a mere commoner?Ravel looked into the pit, down through the cyclonic watery turmoil to the fiery eye of the godlike beast, and laughed at his own foolishness.Why?Because they were drow, after all, and knowledge was power, and power was not, was never, to be willingly shared!“They are done,” he heard Berellip say, and when he looked up, he realized that she was speaking directly to him.She guided his gaze down to the right, where a stone bridge had once stood.With giant mushroom planks hauled along from the deeper Underdark, goblin and orc workers had already reconstructed a walkway across the pit.
|
“If one would consider Gol’fanin a servant.”That had Ravel back on his heels!“Gol’fanin?”“You have traveled from Menzoberranzan to one of the most famed forges of the ancient world.Please do tell me that you, a mage of high reputation, are too intelligent to be surprised by this revelation.”Put that way, of course, Tiago was right.But Ravel found himself indeed surprised, more by the planning that had gone into this expedition from the Baenre side than by the secret accompaniment by one of Menzoberranzan’s most accomplished blacksmiths.Suddenly the spellspinner found himself doubting every detail of this expedition, even that it was an undertaking of House Xorlarrin.How much influence, how much subterfuge, had House Baenre exerted here?“You understand that this part of my bargain with you will come at a great cost to me,” Ravel said when he managed to properly compose himself.“With Jearth, I mean.”“You understand that I don’t care,” came the instant response, a reply surely worthy of a Baenre.The chamber thrummed with energy and waves of heat rose from the oblong pit that dominated the room.That heat was overwhelmed, however, by the mist in the air, and the low fog that clung to the stones.Standing at the edge of that pit, Ravel and the others could not but appreciate the sheer power of the beast below: a frothing, roiling, primordial power chewing stones into lava and burping gouts of heavy slag upward.But no less impressive was the containment of that volcanic monster, a cyclone of thick watery power spinning around the sides of the pit from the lip all the way down to the primordial.More water ran down continually from the high ceiling, thin lines, perhaps, but no doubt keeping the equilibrium of the room intact.“Elementals,” Brack’thal Xorlarrin breathed.“Scores of them.”Ravel looked at his older brother skeptically, but did not challenge his words.He knew better than to do so, for Brack’thal was a student of the old schools of magic, primarily engaged in summoning this very type of beast to his side.His powers had decreased tremendously with the Spellplague and the fall of Mystra’s Weave, but in his day, he had often been seen wandering the ways of Menzoberranzan, a watery or fiery companion at his side and leaving a trail of droplets or smoke through the streets.The younger spellspinner looked to his sister as Brack’thal finished, and Berellip merely nodded, seeming unsurprised.Only then did Ravel come to fully comprehend why Matron Zeerith had insisted that he take Brack’thal along on the expedition, and why Berellip had recalled him from his other duties as the tunnel to this room was being cleared by the goblin slaves.Once again, as with his last conversation with Tiago, the young spellspinner felt as if he were standing on sand rather than stone.So much of this expedition, his expedition, seemed to be comprised of people plotting around him and above him.Why hadn’t Matron Zeerith simply explained to him why she thought Brack’thal might prove to be a worthy addition?Why hadn’t Tiago Baenre simply explained to him the presence of Gol’fanin, so that the blacksmith might walk openly among the ranks, in a position of proper respect and station, instead of as a mere commoner?Ravel looked into the pit, down through the cyclonic watery turmoil to the fiery eye of the godlike beast, and laughed at his own foolishness.Why?Because they were drow, after all, and knowledge was power, and power was not, was never, to be willingly shared!“They are done,” he heard Berellip say, and when he looked up, he realized that she was speaking directly to him.She guided his gaze down to the right, where a stone bridge had once stood.With giant mushroom planks hauled along from the deeper Underdark, goblin and orc workers had already reconstructed a walkway across the pit.
|
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dnd405
|
It was comprised only of four long and thick pieces, interlocked so that it was triple thick in the middle and singular at either end.Saribel had overseen the project, along with Jearth, and now the two prodded a group of heavy bugbears across the walkway, testing its integrity.It didn’t even bow.Tiago Baenre and one of his “servants,” who was, of course, really Gol’fanin, joined the Xorlarrins in their march across the way, to a low archway and a second, much smaller chamber set with a single large lever in its floor.Blood stains showed on the handle.“These are not so old,” Saribel said of the stains after casting a minor divination.“Someone put the primordial back in its hole,” Brack’thal announced, and all eyes turned his way.He peered back under the archway and pointed up toward the high ceiling over the fiery pit, where water continued to flow into the primordial chamber.Then he pointed back at the lever.“This released the elementals into their guardian position.”“You cannot know that,” Berellip said, but Brack’thal continued to nod against her doubts.“I have already seen the channels that bring them in, like great roots throughout the tunnels of Gauntlgrym,” the elder wizard replied.He pointed to the lever again.“The primordial is contained.Someone has completed our major task for us.”“Need we free the beast again to refire the forges, then?” asked Tiago.Five sets of Xorlarrin eyes stared at him incredulously, and even his “servant,” old Gol’fanin, dared a bit of a laugh at his expense.“If you intend to do so, then please alert me first,” Brack’thal said, “that I might be well on my way to Menzoberranzan to inform your Matron Mother Quenthel that we found Gauntlgrym, but you decided to blow it up.”Tiago straightened.Tiago was not amused.A sudden look of panic crossed Brack’thal Xorlarrin’s face, as he realized, as everyone around him realized, that he had gone too far in mocking the proud Baenre.“There will be another room, another control,” he stammered, “to channel power to the forges.For surely this beast is the source of their legendary powers—what else could it be?”“Then find it,” Tiago said evenly, and he didn’t blink.Had he leaped over then and lopped off Brack’thal’s head, no one in the small room would have been the least bit surprised.“Now,” he added when Brack’thal hesitated and dared look away from him to Berellip.Berellip wisely nodded, but Brack’thal was already moving anyway, out of the room and across the mushroom stalk bridge.Tiago followed soon after, motioning for Gol’fanin to follow, and casting a stern and threatening glance Ravel’s way as he went.“Cursed Baenres,” Saribel muttered with open contempt when he was out of the primordial chamber.In his thoughts, Ravel Xorlarrin felt the floor shift under his feet just a little bit more.They found the second room soon after, as Brack’thal had predicted, beneath a secret panel in the flooring of one of the forges in the line.This particular forge was not a forge at all, but a clever disguise to hide the sub-chamber.It didn’t take the skilled blacksmith, Gol’fanin, long to decipher the multitude of levers, cranks, and wheels in the steamy room.Each group of three led to one of the forges in the long line, and a combination of throwing a lever switch and turning the crank and wheel would determine how much of the primordial’s heat and sheer energy would be allowed into the respective forge.A double set of larger controls across from the others was obviously for the main forge.“Fire up the minor ovens first,” Gol’fanin advised Ravel, who joined him, Jearth and Tiago in the lower chamber.“One at a time and slowly.That will reveal to us how contained the primordial beast truly might be.”Ravel looked to Jearth first, his grin telling, and Jearth, after a brief shake of his head, could only return the look.“No,” the spellspinner said.“The main forge will be the first fired.”“We do not know if the chimney to that forge and through that forge is intact,” Gol’fanin argued.“It would be best to allow any escape of primordial power through a narrower chamber, would it not?”“In the short term, perhaps,” said Ravel.“But I prefer to gain an advantage where I find it.”“And if a substantial portion of primordial energy is released to wreak havoc?” Tiago asked.“We blame Brack’thal,” Ravel replied without hesitation.“He takes the blame, but you take the credit,” Tiago remarked.“As it should be,” said Ravel, and he started for the metal ladder leading back to the forge room.
|
It was comprised only of four long and thick pieces, interlocked so that it was triple thick in the middle and singular at either end.Saribel had overseen the project, along with Jearth, and now the two prodded a group of heavy bugbears across the walkway, testing its integrity.It didn’t even bow.Tiago Baenre and one of his “servants,” who was, of course, really Gol’fanin, joined the Xorlarrins in their march across the way, to a low archway and a second, much smaller chamber set with a single large lever in its floor.Blood stains showed on the handle.“These are not so old,” Saribel said of the stains after casting a minor divination.“Someone put the primordial back in its hole,” Brack’thal announced, and all eyes turned his way.He peered back under the archway and pointed up toward the high ceiling over the fiery pit, where water continued to flow into the primordial chamber.Then he pointed back at the lever.“This released the elementals into their guardian position.”“You cannot know that,” Berellip said, but Brack’thal continued to nod against her doubts.“I have already seen the channels that bring them in, like great roots throughout the tunnels of Gauntlgrym,” the elder wizard replied.He pointed to the lever again.“The primordial is contained.Someone has completed our major task for us.”“Need we free the beast again to refire the forges, then?” asked Tiago.Five sets of Xorlarrin eyes stared at him incredulously, and even his “servant,” old Gol’fanin, dared a bit of a laugh at his expense.“If you intend to do so, then please alert me first,” Brack’thal said, “that I might be well on my way to Menzoberranzan to inform your Matron Mother Quenthel that we found Gauntlgrym, but you decided to blow it up.”Tiago straightened.Tiago was not amused.A sudden look of panic crossed Brack’thal Xorlarrin’s face, as he realized, as everyone around him realized, that he had gone too far in mocking the proud Baenre.“There will be another room, another control,” he stammered, “to channel power to the forges.For surely this beast is the source of their legendary powers—what else could it be?”“Then find it,” Tiago said evenly, and he didn’t blink.Had he leaped over then and lopped off Brack’thal’s head, no one in the small room would have been the least bit surprised.“Now,” he added when Brack’thal hesitated and dared look away from him to Berellip.Berellip wisely nodded, but Brack’thal was already moving anyway, out of the room and across the mushroom stalk bridge.Tiago followed soon after, motioning for Gol’fanin to follow, and casting a stern and threatening glance Ravel’s way as he went.“Cursed Baenres,” Saribel muttered with open contempt when he was out of the primordial chamber.In his thoughts, Ravel Xorlarrin felt the floor shift under his feet just a little bit more.They found the second room soon after, as Brack’thal had predicted, beneath a secret panel in the flooring of one of the forges in the line.This particular forge was not a forge at all, but a clever disguise to hide the sub-chamber.It didn’t take the skilled blacksmith, Gol’fanin, long to decipher the multitude of levers, cranks, and wheels in the steamy room.Each group of three led to one of the forges in the long line, and a combination of throwing a lever switch and turning the crank and wheel would determine how much of the primordial’s heat and sheer energy would be allowed into the respective forge.A double set of larger controls across from the others was obviously for the main forge.“Fire up the minor ovens first,” Gol’fanin advised Ravel, who joined him, Jearth and Tiago in the lower chamber.“One at a time and slowly.That will reveal to us how contained the primordial beast truly might be.”Ravel looked to Jearth first, his grin telling, and Jearth, after a brief shake of his head, could only return the look.“No,” the spellspinner said.“The main forge will be the first fired.”“We do not know if the chimney to that forge and through that forge is intact,” Gol’fanin argued.“It would be best to allow any escape of primordial power through a narrower chamber, would it not?”“In the short term, perhaps,” said Ravel.“But I prefer to gain an advantage where I find it.”“And if a substantial portion of primordial energy is released to wreak havoc?” Tiago asked.“We blame Brack’thal,” Ravel replied without hesitation.“He takes the blame, but you take the credit,” Tiago remarked.“As it should be,” said Ravel, and he started for the metal ladder leading back to the forge room.
|
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dnd406
|
He paused before the first rung, though, and turned back on the others.“Not a word of this,” he said.“I like you more than I like Berellip, though that bar is, admittedly, low,” Tiago replied.“And I need the main forge,” Gol’fanin added.They all assembled in the forge room soon after, more than a hundred dark elves and even a few of the driders.Ravel nodded to Gol’fanin, having decided to let the blacksmith have the honors, though few knew the true identity of Tiago’s “servant.” The older drow stooped low, entered the oven of the false forge, and climbed down the ladder.Moments later, the forge room reverberated with a series of bangs and even small explosions, and the sound of heavy stones sliding across each other.A gasp beside Ravel turned his gaze to the main forge, and the sudden glow that shined deep in its thick recesses.The spellspinner licked his lips and moved closer as the flames within began to mount.He bent low, but stood up straight in surprise when he noted several small, impish creatures of pure fire begin dancing within the forge.And several became a score, and a score became a thousand, and all the room gasped loudly as the light and warmth poured forth, many drow shielding their sensitive eyes.And it was more than the light and the strength of the flames that had brought the response, for Ravel felt it clearly: There was magical energy in there.It wasn’t just a fire that needed no fuel, wasn’t just a hotter fire that could better melt all alloys.No, this fire was different.This fire was truly alive, magically alive, with a thousand elementals ready to lend their magical energies to any implements created within.Returned from the sub-chamber, Tiago Baenre came up beside the mesmerized spellspinner, Gol’fanin close behind.“Is it what you expected?” Ravel managed to ask Gol’fanin.“Beyond,” the old blacksmith breathed.“My weapons will be the envy of Menzoberranzan,” Tiago remarked, and Ravel glanced at him, then at Gol’fanin, whose awe-stricken expression showed that he did not disagree with that statement.Ravel instinctively glanced across the way, to Jearth, and wondered what price he might have to pay for his bargain with Tiago.“This is working as designed,” Gol’fanin said, drawing him back.“Quite ingenious and perfect in its simplicity.The primordial hungers to be free, and so it embraces these channels, these little specks of freedom.It gives a bit of its life to those pieces that escape to the forge oven, and look how they dance!”“And the lines are holding?” Ravel asked.Gol’fanin gave a noncommittal shrug.“The valves are open, though not fully.If the primordial could break free, it would do so—would likely have already done so.”“And the other forges,” Ravel prompted.“We must fire them.”“One at a time until we are certain of their integrity,” the blacksmith advised.“See to it,” Ravel answered.He waved Jearth over to join them.Brack’thal came, too, which Ravel did not question.Indeed, at that time and with what was before them, perhaps even his idiot brother might prove of some worth.“Explain to them what they might need do if any of the forges fail,” Ravel instructed Tiago, though both knew he was really addressing Gol’fanin, who seemed to understand what was going on better than anyone.Most of the drow and all of the driders were dismissed then, back to their work in the other halls, exploring, flushing out ghosts and other unwanted creatures, and fortifying the defenses, and throughout the rest of that long day, the forges of Gauntlgrym flickered to life, one after another.Only one of the two-score in the room had any problems initially, and a host of tiny elementals found their way into the room and caused quite a commotion, spitting stinging fireballs at any who ventured near and lighting lines of flame with sudden bursts as they ran this way and that.But the drow wizards controlled it quickly, and particularly effective was Brack’thal, once a master of elemental summoning and control.While Tiago and Jearth and their charges destroyed the nasty little creatures, Brack’thal brought them to himself, and controlled them, and willed them to merge, and by the time Ravel, Berellip, and Saribel came back into the forge room, their planning session interrupted by shouts of the commotion echoing down the halls, Brack’thal had quite a formidable fire elemental standing beside him.As expected, the stares of the two Xorlarrin spellspinners locked, and it occurred to Ravel that Brack’thal had gained a significant upper hand over him in that moment, just in that one moment.He pried his gaze away and noted particularly the wry grin on Berellip’s face, and knew that she agreed with that assessment, and seemed a bit too pleased with it for Ravel’s liking.“Destroy it,” Ravel ordered his brother.Brack’thal looked back at him skeptically.“Put it in the main forge, then!” Ravel demanded.“Yes, the main forge,” Brack’thal answered, and he turned to regard it.
|
He paused before the first rung, though, and turned back on the others.“Not a word of this,” he said.“I like you more than I like Berellip, though that bar is, admittedly, low,” Tiago replied.“And I need the main forge,” Gol’fanin added.They all assembled in the forge room soon after, more than a hundred dark elves and even a few of the driders.Ravel nodded to Gol’fanin, having decided to let the blacksmith have the honors, though few knew the true identity of Tiago’s “servant.” The older drow stooped low, entered the oven of the false forge, and climbed down the ladder.Moments later, the forge room reverberated with a series of bangs and even small explosions, and the sound of heavy stones sliding across each other.A gasp beside Ravel turned his gaze to the main forge, and the sudden glow that shined deep in its thick recesses.The spellspinner licked his lips and moved closer as the flames within began to mount.He bent low, but stood up straight in surprise when he noted several small, impish creatures of pure fire begin dancing within the forge.And several became a score, and a score became a thousand, and all the room gasped loudly as the light and warmth poured forth, many drow shielding their sensitive eyes.And it was more than the light and the strength of the flames that had brought the response, for Ravel felt it clearly: There was magical energy in there.It wasn’t just a fire that needed no fuel, wasn’t just a hotter fire that could better melt all alloys.No, this fire was different.This fire was truly alive, magically alive, with a thousand elementals ready to lend their magical energies to any implements created within.Returned from the sub-chamber, Tiago Baenre came up beside the mesmerized spellspinner, Gol’fanin close behind.“Is it what you expected?” Ravel managed to ask Gol’fanin.“Beyond,” the old blacksmith breathed.“My weapons will be the envy of Menzoberranzan,” Tiago remarked, and Ravel glanced at him, then at Gol’fanin, whose awe-stricken expression showed that he did not disagree with that statement.Ravel instinctively glanced across the way, to Jearth, and wondered what price he might have to pay for his bargain with Tiago.“This is working as designed,” Gol’fanin said, drawing him back.“Quite ingenious and perfect in its simplicity.The primordial hungers to be free, and so it embraces these channels, these little specks of freedom.It gives a bit of its life to those pieces that escape to the forge oven, and look how they dance!”“And the lines are holding?” Ravel asked.Gol’fanin gave a noncommittal shrug.“The valves are open, though not fully.If the primordial could break free, it would do so—would likely have already done so.”“And the other forges,” Ravel prompted.“We must fire them.”“One at a time until we are certain of their integrity,” the blacksmith advised.“See to it,” Ravel answered.He waved Jearth over to join them.Brack’thal came, too, which Ravel did not question.Indeed, at that time and with what was before them, perhaps even his idiot brother might prove of some worth.“Explain to them what they might need do if any of the forges fail,” Ravel instructed Tiago, though both knew he was really addressing Gol’fanin, who seemed to understand what was going on better than anyone.Most of the drow and all of the driders were dismissed then, back to their work in the other halls, exploring, flushing out ghosts and other unwanted creatures, and fortifying the defenses, and throughout the rest of that long day, the forges of Gauntlgrym flickered to life, one after another.Only one of the two-score in the room had any problems initially, and a host of tiny elementals found their way into the room and caused quite a commotion, spitting stinging fireballs at any who ventured near and lighting lines of flame with sudden bursts as they ran this way and that.But the drow wizards controlled it quickly, and particularly effective was Brack’thal, once a master of elemental summoning and control.While Tiago and Jearth and their charges destroyed the nasty little creatures, Brack’thal brought them to himself, and controlled them, and willed them to merge, and by the time Ravel, Berellip, and Saribel came back into the forge room, their planning session interrupted by shouts of the commotion echoing down the halls, Brack’thal had quite a formidable fire elemental standing beside him.As expected, the stares of the two Xorlarrin spellspinners locked, and it occurred to Ravel that Brack’thal had gained a significant upper hand over him in that moment, just in that one moment.He pried his gaze away and noted particularly the wry grin on Berellip’s face, and knew that she agreed with that assessment, and seemed a bit too pleased with it for Ravel’s liking.“Destroy it,” Ravel ordered his brother.Brack’thal looked back at him skeptically.“Put it in the main forge, then!” Ravel demanded.“Yes, the main forge,” Brack’thal answered, and he turned to regard it.
|
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dnd407
|
“I wonder what pets I might pull from there.”“Brother,” Berellip warned.Brack’thal turned back at the sound of Berellip’s voice.“It is an intriguing thought, you must admit,” he said, and he started to wave away his pet elemental, which stood as tall and twice as wide as he.But he stopped short.“No,” he said, looking back to Ravel.“I think I will keep this one for now.It will be of great service in my duties in the outer halls.”“Your duties are here now,” Ravel replied.“We have many more forges yet to light.”“Then perhaps when I am done, I will have an even larger escort to the outer halls,” Brack’thal said slyly, and he walked off toward the as yet unlit forges.“Do tell your lackey to continue, young Baenre,” he said.“All is under control.”Ravel’s eyes narrowed and he began whispering, as if in spellcasting, as if he meant to punish his obstinate brother then and there.But a look from Berellip dispelled that foolish notion.She wasn’t any more comfortable with Brack’thal playing with fire than Ravel was, the spellspinner understood, but he recognized, too, that Berellip was truly enjoying his discomfort.With a wicked little laugh, Berellip signaled Saribel and Ravel back to their private meeting.Ravel was the last of the three out of the room.He paused at the door to regard Brack’thal, to regard Brack’thal’s elemental.This day had been the pinnacle of his achievement to date, even greater than the initial discovery of Gauntlgrym.The promise of those forges, he knew, would stand as the cornerstone of House Xorlarrin’s plans, for they needed more than an empty dwarven complex if they truly wished to break free of the stifling ruling Houses of Menzoberranzan.They needed the magic of Gauntlgrym, the promise of magnificent arms and armor and implements.They needed Tiago to return to Menzoberranzan armed with swords that would make every drow warrior drool with envy.But they were playing with fire, and so this day had also been the scariest of the journey thus far.Much as he had done when the main forge had fired, Ravel licked his lips and went to his sister’s command.THE WALK OF BARRABUSHE IS DOWN THERE,” THE IMP TOLD ARUNIKA.“You’re certain?”The petulant little creature gave a great harrumph and crossed its deceptively skinny arms over its scrawny chest, its barbed tail whipping back and forth behind it like a cat waiting for a cornered mouse to emerge from under a bureau.“I know him,” the imp answered.“I smell him.”“Drizzt Do’Urden?”“In the sewers, moving to the bridge.Hunting Alegni, as I was hunting him, and where else, where else?”“With his two companions?”“The two the warlock hates, yes.”“And have you told Effron that Dahlia and Barrabus have returned to Neverwinter, my dear little untrusted slave?” The succubus saw a look of curiosity on the little one’s face then that comforted her greatly.Effron had compromised Invidoo, she knew for certain—the wretched little fellow had even admitted it to her.But this was not Invidoo, after all, despite the remarkable physical similarities.“I speak to you,” the imp said at length.“To you only in this world.I would be gone soon—poof!Now, I be gone, if you will let me.”“Not yet, but perhaps indeed soon, my little pet,” Arunika promised.
|
“I wonder what pets I might pull from there.”“Brother,” Berellip warned.Brack’thal turned back at the sound of Berellip’s voice.“It is an intriguing thought, you must admit,” he said, and he started to wave away his pet elemental, which stood as tall and twice as wide as he.But he stopped short.“No,” he said, looking back to Ravel.“I think I will keep this one for now.It will be of great service in my duties in the outer halls.”“Your duties are here now,” Ravel replied.“We have many more forges yet to light.”“Then perhaps when I am done, I will have an even larger escort to the outer halls,” Brack’thal said slyly, and he walked off toward the as yet unlit forges.“Do tell your lackey to continue, young Baenre,” he said.“All is under control.”Ravel’s eyes narrowed and he began whispering, as if in spellcasting, as if he meant to punish his obstinate brother then and there.But a look from Berellip dispelled that foolish notion.She wasn’t any more comfortable with Brack’thal playing with fire than Ravel was, the spellspinner understood, but he recognized, too, that Berellip was truly enjoying his discomfort.With a wicked little laugh, Berellip signaled Saribel and Ravel back to their private meeting.Ravel was the last of the three out of the room.He paused at the door to regard Brack’thal, to regard Brack’thal’s elemental.This day had been the pinnacle of his achievement to date, even greater than the initial discovery of Gauntlgrym.The promise of those forges, he knew, would stand as the cornerstone of House Xorlarrin’s plans, for they needed more than an empty dwarven complex if they truly wished to break free of the stifling ruling Houses of Menzoberranzan.They needed the magic of Gauntlgrym, the promise of magnificent arms and armor and implements.They needed Tiago to return to Menzoberranzan armed with swords that would make every drow warrior drool with envy.But they were playing with fire, and so this day had also been the scariest of the journey thus far.Much as he had done when the main forge had fired, Ravel licked his lips and went to his sister’s command.THE WALK OF BARRABUSHE IS DOWN THERE,” THE IMP TOLD ARUNIKA.“You’re certain?”The petulant little creature gave a great harrumph and crossed its deceptively skinny arms over its scrawny chest, its barbed tail whipping back and forth behind it like a cat waiting for a cornered mouse to emerge from under a bureau.“I know him,” the imp answered.“I smell him.”“Drizzt Do’Urden?”“In the sewers, moving to the bridge.Hunting Alegni, as I was hunting him, and where else, where else?”“With his two companions?”“The two the warlock hates, yes.”“And have you told Effron that Dahlia and Barrabus have returned to Neverwinter, my dear little untrusted slave?” The succubus saw a look of curiosity on the little one’s face then that comforted her greatly.Effron had compromised Invidoo, she knew for certain—the wretched little fellow had even admitted it to her.But this was not Invidoo, after all, despite the remarkable physical similarities.“I speak to you,” the imp said at length.“To you only in this world.I would be gone soon—poof!Now, I be gone, if you will let me.”“Not yet, but perhaps indeed soon, my little pet,” Arunika promised.
|
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dnd408
|
Her thoughts were spinning then.The trio had come for Alegni, as expected, and quite cleverly and efficiently, it would seem.And if they were heading for the bridge, they would probably find the tiefling warlord.He went there every morning, after all, and the sun was beginning to rise.Dare she hope that they would, perhaps, kill him?Then what?She, they, had to be quick.“Hide,” she instructed her minion.“Do not leave this room.I will return presently.” With that, Arunika grabbed her night coat and rushed out of her small cabin.She didn’t even worry about her disguise, spreading her devil wings and flying away with all speed, only folding them and taking her human disguise when she landed before the side doorway to the room of Brother Anthus’s in the large temple.She pushed through and roughly woke the man, blabbered out her plans immediately, and sent him on his way.And she went on hers, again taking to the night sky, and this time landing before the house of Jelvus Grinch.They had to be ready.This would be their one chance to break free, and Jelvus Grinch had to understand that.She paused before entering, though, and weighed again the possibilities, both if Alegni remained as lord of Neverwinter and if he was thrown down.The latter scenario proved more promising, and certainly would afford her more power.She had to warn Jelvus Grinch, and from him, to spread the word.He was the key.“What do you know?” Effron asked Alegni, his voice thick with suspicion as the hulking warlord drew his red-bladed sword and lifted it before his eyes, the glow of the face making Alegni appear even more diabolical than usual.“They are here,” Alegni informed him.Effron glanced all around, in near panic, as if he expected Barrabus and Drizzt and that most-hated Dahlia to spring from the shadows and throttle him at that very moment.“Clever,” Alegni remarked, and Effron realized that he was talking to the sword.Effron almost said something, but thought better of it.Eventually, Alegni turned back to him.“They saw our reinforcements, it would seem,” Alegni informed him.“And so our sneaky enemies evaded the wall entirely.” As he finished, he flipped the sword in his hand and plunged it down into the floorboards.Alegni was on the second story of the inn on the hill, and the mighty sword drove right through, cracking through the ceiling of the room below him, and drawing a gasp and cry from the occupants.“They could not come over the wall without being spied,” Alegni explained.“So they went under the wall.”Effron looked down at the floor, not quite sure of what the hulking tiefling was implying.“Under the city, where the waste drains to the river.”“The sewers?” Effron asked, and crinkled his face.“A fitting place for that traitor Barrabus, wouldn’t you say?And more fitting indeed for Dahlia; I cannot think of a better road for her to walk.”“Or a better place for her to die,” Effron replied, but Alegni shook his head.“No need.They have come for me.Barrabus knows where to find me.”“Here?”Alegni shook his head again.“They’ll not escape the sewers before dawn’s light,” he explained.“The bridge,” Effron breathed.“Go to our minions,” the tiefling warlord instructed.“Block every escape route from the bridge.”“You intend to meet them?” Effron asked.“I intend to enjoy this spectacle to the fullest,” Alegni replied.“They are three to one against you,” the warlock warned.“Are they?” Alegni asked with a wry grin as he pulled his sword out of the floor.
|
Her thoughts were spinning then.The trio had come for Alegni, as expected, and quite cleverly and efficiently, it would seem.And if they were heading for the bridge, they would probably find the tiefling warlord.He went there every morning, after all, and the sun was beginning to rise.Dare she hope that they would, perhaps, kill him?Then what?She, they, had to be quick.“Hide,” she instructed her minion.“Do not leave this room.I will return presently.” With that, Arunika grabbed her night coat and rushed out of her small cabin.She didn’t even worry about her disguise, spreading her devil wings and flying away with all speed, only folding them and taking her human disguise when she landed before the side doorway to the room of Brother Anthus’s in the large temple.She pushed through and roughly woke the man, blabbered out her plans immediately, and sent him on his way.And she went on hers, again taking to the night sky, and this time landing before the house of Jelvus Grinch.They had to be ready.This would be their one chance to break free, and Jelvus Grinch had to understand that.She paused before entering, though, and weighed again the possibilities, both if Alegni remained as lord of Neverwinter and if he was thrown down.The latter scenario proved more promising, and certainly would afford her more power.She had to warn Jelvus Grinch, and from him, to spread the word.He was the key.“What do you know?” Effron asked Alegni, his voice thick with suspicion as the hulking warlord drew his red-bladed sword and lifted it before his eyes, the glow of the face making Alegni appear even more diabolical than usual.“They are here,” Alegni informed him.Effron glanced all around, in near panic, as if he expected Barrabus and Drizzt and that most-hated Dahlia to spring from the shadows and throttle him at that very moment.“Clever,” Alegni remarked, and Effron realized that he was talking to the sword.Effron almost said something, but thought better of it.Eventually, Alegni turned back to him.“They saw our reinforcements, it would seem,” Alegni informed him.“And so our sneaky enemies evaded the wall entirely.” As he finished, he flipped the sword in his hand and plunged it down into the floorboards.Alegni was on the second story of the inn on the hill, and the mighty sword drove right through, cracking through the ceiling of the room below him, and drawing a gasp and cry from the occupants.“They could not come over the wall without being spied,” Alegni explained.“So they went under the wall.”Effron looked down at the floor, not quite sure of what the hulking tiefling was implying.“Under the city, where the waste drains to the river.”“The sewers?” Effron asked, and crinkled his face.“A fitting place for that traitor Barrabus, wouldn’t you say?And more fitting indeed for Dahlia; I cannot think of a better road for her to walk.”“Or a better place for her to die,” Effron replied, but Alegni shook his head.“No need.They have come for me.Barrabus knows where to find me.”“Here?”Alegni shook his head again.“They’ll not escape the sewers before dawn’s light,” he explained.“The bridge,” Effron breathed.“Go to our minions,” the tiefling warlord instructed.“Block every escape route from the bridge.”“You intend to meet them?” Effron asked.“I intend to enjoy this spectacle to the fullest,” Alegni replied.“They are three to one against you,” the warlock warned.“Are they?” Alegni asked with a wry grin as he pulled his sword out of the floor.
|
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dnd409
|
“Are they indeed?”“I would help you kill Dahlia!” Effron demanded, and even he was a bit surprised at the stridency in his tone.“I suppose that you have earned that,” Alegni replied, and Effron held his stern gaze, but was truly relieved, having feared that his outburst would get him punished yet again by the merciless brute.“But first, you will help me to get her companions under control.If we are careful, we might get Dahlia alive.”“She dies!” Effron insisted.The words surprised him, though, particularly the conviction he heard in his own voice.For a long time, he had been telling himself that he wanted to speak with this elf woman, wanted to ask her questions that only she could answer.But then, in the moment of truth, he had felt no sense of mercy.“Eventually,” Alegni replied.That thought, so obviously pleasant to Alegni, strangely had Effron off his guard.He wanted Dahlia to die—more than anything in the world, Effron wanted to be the one to deliver that killing blow—but now the notion of something more than simply killing her, of capturing her and torturing her …It should have been a pleasant thought to him, and yet, surprisingly, it was not.“Go!” Alegni said to him, and when he looked at the tiefling and considered the explosive tone, Effron realized that Alegni had repeated that command, likely several times.Effron ran from the room, almost tripping down the stairs and almost running over a trio on the first landing, a man and woman dressed in nightclothes and the owner of the inn.“Here now, is there trouble?” the innkeeper demanded.Effron glanced back up the stairs to Alegni’s door.“Go ask him,” he said, and he laughed.For he understood Alegni’s agitated state, for he shared Alegni’s agitated state, and he knew that if the innkeeper and these other two fools went up there to complain about the broken ceiling, Herzgo Alegni would cut them into pieces.The eastern sky was just beginning to lighten, but already it was promising to be a lovely and memorable day.“The sun is soon to rise,” Drizzt remarked from around the corner of the crawl tunnel he had entered.The others could barely hear him, for the sound of the rushing water echoed all around them.“He will be at his bridge, then,” Entreri said.“He is always at the bridge at sunrise.He faces the sea to the west and casts a long shadow upon the river.It probably makes him feel dominant over the city, or some other foolish symbolism.”Dahlia didn’t reply, didn’t even look at him, just started up to the tunnel, whose entrance was chest-high to her.To her obvious dismay, she had to back out immediately as Drizzt slid back to them.He came out feet-first, settling on the wider corridor beside them.“Do you think you can get him through?” the drow asked the three former aboleth slaves.The two bearing their badly-wounded companion looked doubtfully at each other.“They don’t need to,” Entreri interjected.“I remember this region now.If they just follow this wider tunnel, they will find an easy exit, farther along and near the city’s northern wall.”Drizzt looked at the assassin curiously, but Entreri didn’t wait to return that gaze and slipped up into the crawl tunnel.“We go with them, then,” the drow said.“There are other dangers down here—”“You go with them if you so choose,” said Entreri, who sat on the lip of the crawl tunnel, looking back.He offered his hand to Dahlia, who took it without a second thought, and sprang up without hesitation as Entreri pulled her into the small entrance beside him, even let her into the crawl tunnel before him.“This is our chance at Alegni,” he said.“Likely our only chance to find him without a powerful escort.”“We cannot leave them on their own.”“I can,” Entreri replied.“Dawn is coming.” He glanced down the tunnel, and indeed, even though he wasn’t around the bend, it was clearly lighter in there.
|
“Are they indeed?”“I would help you kill Dahlia!” Effron demanded, and even he was a bit surprised at the stridency in his tone.“I suppose that you have earned that,” Alegni replied, and Effron held his stern gaze, but was truly relieved, having feared that his outburst would get him punished yet again by the merciless brute.“But first, you will help me to get her companions under control.If we are careful, we might get Dahlia alive.”“She dies!” Effron insisted.The words surprised him, though, particularly the conviction he heard in his own voice.For a long time, he had been telling himself that he wanted to speak with this elf woman, wanted to ask her questions that only she could answer.But then, in the moment of truth, he had felt no sense of mercy.“Eventually,” Alegni replied.That thought, so obviously pleasant to Alegni, strangely had Effron off his guard.He wanted Dahlia to die—more than anything in the world, Effron wanted to be the one to deliver that killing blow—but now the notion of something more than simply killing her, of capturing her and torturing her …It should have been a pleasant thought to him, and yet, surprisingly, it was not.“Go!” Alegni said to him, and when he looked at the tiefling and considered the explosive tone, Effron realized that Alegni had repeated that command, likely several times.Effron ran from the room, almost tripping down the stairs and almost running over a trio on the first landing, a man and woman dressed in nightclothes and the owner of the inn.“Here now, is there trouble?” the innkeeper demanded.Effron glanced back up the stairs to Alegni’s door.“Go ask him,” he said, and he laughed.For he understood Alegni’s agitated state, for he shared Alegni’s agitated state, and he knew that if the innkeeper and these other two fools went up there to complain about the broken ceiling, Herzgo Alegni would cut them into pieces.The eastern sky was just beginning to lighten, but already it was promising to be a lovely and memorable day.“The sun is soon to rise,” Drizzt remarked from around the corner of the crawl tunnel he had entered.The others could barely hear him, for the sound of the rushing water echoed all around them.“He will be at his bridge, then,” Entreri said.“He is always at the bridge at sunrise.He faces the sea to the west and casts a long shadow upon the river.It probably makes him feel dominant over the city, or some other foolish symbolism.”Dahlia didn’t reply, didn’t even look at him, just started up to the tunnel, whose entrance was chest-high to her.To her obvious dismay, she had to back out immediately as Drizzt slid back to them.He came out feet-first, settling on the wider corridor beside them.“Do you think you can get him through?” the drow asked the three former aboleth slaves.The two bearing their badly-wounded companion looked doubtfully at each other.“They don’t need to,” Entreri interjected.“I remember this region now.If they just follow this wider tunnel, they will find an easy exit, farther along and near the city’s northern wall.”Drizzt looked at the assassin curiously, but Entreri didn’t wait to return that gaze and slipped up into the crawl tunnel.“We go with them, then,” the drow said.“There are other dangers down here—”“You go with them if you so choose,” said Entreri, who sat on the lip of the crawl tunnel, looking back.He offered his hand to Dahlia, who took it without a second thought, and sprang up without hesitation as Entreri pulled her into the small entrance beside him, even let her into the crawl tunnel before him.“This is our chance at Alegni,” he said.“Likely our only chance to find him without a powerful escort.”“We cannot leave them on their own.”“I can,” Entreri replied.“Dawn is coming.” He glanced down the tunnel, and indeed, even though he wasn’t around the bend, it was clearly lighter in there.
|
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dnd410
|
“And coming fast.Alegni will wait for it and then he will leave.We haven’t the time to travel underground all the way to the north wall and double back to catch him, nor could we exit up there and not draw the attention of a dozen Shadovar sentries.”“They have no weapons,” Drizzt complained.“Then give them yours,” Entreri growled back, and he started down the crawl tunnel after Dahlia.Drizzt looked to the three humans.“Go,” the man bade him.“Do what you must.You have done enough for us already, and know that we are grateful and will not forget.”“We’ll make it out,” Genevieve added.The drow rubbed his face and looked deep inside, seeking some alternative.Ultimately, though, he jumped up into the crawl tunnel and rushed along.Had he known that Entreri was lying, that the assassin had no idea of the layout of this region, including the wider tunnel along which he had just directed the three, Drizzt might have chosen differently.The crawl tunnel led to an old iron grate, with several of its bars torn out or twisted wide.“I came through this very grate,” Entreri whispered to the others, but loudly enough so that he was heard over the melodic and continual song of the river beyond, “on my escape from the volcano.” He tapped one of the bars with his long sword, pulled it free at the bottom, and yanked wide out to one side.“My doing.”“Apparently, the lava did more behind you,” Drizzt noted, for only a pair of the eight bars on the grate remained intact, and the one Entreri had indicated as his handiwork would not now allow the easiest passage.Black stone lay where once had been clear ground, narrowing the vertical height of the opening, and the river channel was tighter now because of that cooling lava rock, like natural levies, forcing the water up nearer the grate than in years past.Still, it was not hard for Drizzt to slip though, using the grate itself as a hand hold as he came onto the riverbank.The winged wyvern that marked Alegni’s bridge loomed above him and to his immediate right as he exited, the path to its entrance clear to see.A bit of brush along the bank provided ample cover for him to get to the base of the bridge unseen.Though she was the most anxious to get on with this confrontation, Dahlia was also the last out of the tunnel and onto the riverbank, and she did not press the others to move more quickly toward the bridge.This was the fight she had wanted for all of her adult life, the chance to truly repay this rapist and murderer.But now she found herself strangely ill at the mere thought of it, caught somewhere between the bile of hatred and the tears of memory, the longing to exact revenge and her unspoken fear, one she had barely admitted to herself, that the taste might not be sweet.And if that taste did not heal her broken heart, what might be left for Dahlia?It took all the elf warrior’s focus to carefully position herself as she hunched and crawled along the brush.It was not until Entreri tapped her on the shoulder and nodded his chin to direct her gaze that she even noticed the solitary hulking form standing at the center of the winged wyvern’s long expanse.Dahlia recoiled.Suddenly, she was once more a helpless child so easily pinned beneath the great bulk Herzgo Alegni.Her mother fell dead again before her mind’s eye.She held a baby in her arms, the wind in her face as the ravine opened wide before her …She had no idea how many heartbeats passed, then, but knew it to be many, for not only was Entreri prodding her but so was Drizzt, having come back from his lead position.Dahlia quickly lifted a hand to wipe the tears from her eyes.She could not hide them from these two, sitting so close, their gazes intent, expressions confused and sympathetic.The elf woman took a deep breath, a small growl escaping her lips.She sublimated her pain to her rage, and with a grim face, motioned for the two to move along.She had to stay behind them, she told herself, had to use them as a shield against the base outrage that threatened to launch her headlong at Alegni, and no doubt, headlong to her death.The city was mostly still asleep, most windows still dark and not a soul to be seen, other than the one figure standing at the rail at the center of the gently arcing bridge.The eastern sky glowed, the first rays of dawn soon to reach above the trees of Neverwinter Wood to cast long shadows at the nearby Sword Coast.Drizzt looked to Entreri, his fingers moving slowly and deliberately in the drow sign language as he silently asked the assassin if this kind of empty early morning was typical in Neverwinter.Entreri, with only rudimentary understanding of the language, shrugged noncommittally, and then became distracted as Dahlia crept up behind him.It seemed too easy to the cautious drow ranger, too pat.He regarded Entreri once more, and wondered if perhaps Dahlia’s desire for this fight had clouded both their judgments.Had Entreri led them into a trap?Drizzt shook the thought away almost as soon as it had come to him.The pain on Entreri’s face was all too real; the man wanted Herzgo Alegni dead almost as surely as Dahlia desired that outcome.Sometimes, indeed most of the time, things were as they seemed.The drow stepped out of the brush, standing to his full height, and walked onto the bridge.He drew Icingdeath in his right hand and dropped his left hand into his pouch.Entreri was beside him in a heartbeat, Dahlia scrambling out behind, and the three started their stalk.They were only a few steps onto the bridge when the tiefling warlord noticed them.He turned and straightened, staring at them.
|
“And coming fast.Alegni will wait for it and then he will leave.We haven’t the time to travel underground all the way to the north wall and double back to catch him, nor could we exit up there and not draw the attention of a dozen Shadovar sentries.”“They have no weapons,” Drizzt complained.“Then give them yours,” Entreri growled back, and he started down the crawl tunnel after Dahlia.Drizzt looked to the three humans.“Go,” the man bade him.“Do what you must.You have done enough for us already, and know that we are grateful and will not forget.”“We’ll make it out,” Genevieve added.The drow rubbed his face and looked deep inside, seeking some alternative.Ultimately, though, he jumped up into the crawl tunnel and rushed along.Had he known that Entreri was lying, that the assassin had no idea of the layout of this region, including the wider tunnel along which he had just directed the three, Drizzt might have chosen differently.The crawl tunnel led to an old iron grate, with several of its bars torn out or twisted wide.“I came through this very grate,” Entreri whispered to the others, but loudly enough so that he was heard over the melodic and continual song of the river beyond, “on my escape from the volcano.” He tapped one of the bars with his long sword, pulled it free at the bottom, and yanked wide out to one side.“My doing.”“Apparently, the lava did more behind you,” Drizzt noted, for only a pair of the eight bars on the grate remained intact, and the one Entreri had indicated as his handiwork would not now allow the easiest passage.Black stone lay where once had been clear ground, narrowing the vertical height of the opening, and the river channel was tighter now because of that cooling lava rock, like natural levies, forcing the water up nearer the grate than in years past.Still, it was not hard for Drizzt to slip though, using the grate itself as a hand hold as he came onto the riverbank.The winged wyvern that marked Alegni’s bridge loomed above him and to his immediate right as he exited, the path to its entrance clear to see.A bit of brush along the bank provided ample cover for him to get to the base of the bridge unseen.Though she was the most anxious to get on with this confrontation, Dahlia was also the last out of the tunnel and onto the riverbank, and she did not press the others to move more quickly toward the bridge.This was the fight she had wanted for all of her adult life, the chance to truly repay this rapist and murderer.But now she found herself strangely ill at the mere thought of it, caught somewhere between the bile of hatred and the tears of memory, the longing to exact revenge and her unspoken fear, one she had barely admitted to herself, that the taste might not be sweet.And if that taste did not heal her broken heart, what might be left for Dahlia?It took all the elf warrior’s focus to carefully position herself as she hunched and crawled along the brush.It was not until Entreri tapped her on the shoulder and nodded his chin to direct her gaze that she even noticed the solitary hulking form standing at the center of the winged wyvern’s long expanse.Dahlia recoiled.Suddenly, she was once more a helpless child so easily pinned beneath the great bulk Herzgo Alegni.Her mother fell dead again before her mind’s eye.She held a baby in her arms, the wind in her face as the ravine opened wide before her …She had no idea how many heartbeats passed, then, but knew it to be many, for not only was Entreri prodding her but so was Drizzt, having come back from his lead position.Dahlia quickly lifted a hand to wipe the tears from her eyes.She could not hide them from these two, sitting so close, their gazes intent, expressions confused and sympathetic.The elf woman took a deep breath, a small growl escaping her lips.She sublimated her pain to her rage, and with a grim face, motioned for the two to move along.She had to stay behind them, she told herself, had to use them as a shield against the base outrage that threatened to launch her headlong at Alegni, and no doubt, headlong to her death.The city was mostly still asleep, most windows still dark and not a soul to be seen, other than the one figure standing at the rail at the center of the gently arcing bridge.The eastern sky glowed, the first rays of dawn soon to reach above the trees of Neverwinter Wood to cast long shadows at the nearby Sword Coast.Drizzt looked to Entreri, his fingers moving slowly and deliberately in the drow sign language as he silently asked the assassin if this kind of empty early morning was typical in Neverwinter.Entreri, with only rudimentary understanding of the language, shrugged noncommittally, and then became distracted as Dahlia crept up behind him.It seemed too easy to the cautious drow ranger, too pat.He regarded Entreri once more, and wondered if perhaps Dahlia’s desire for this fight had clouded both their judgments.Had Entreri led them into a trap?Drizzt shook the thought away almost as soon as it had come to him.The pain on Entreri’s face was all too real; the man wanted Herzgo Alegni dead almost as surely as Dahlia desired that outcome.Sometimes, indeed most of the time, things were as they seemed.The drow stepped out of the brush, standing to his full height, and walked onto the bridge.He drew Icingdeath in his right hand and dropped his left hand into his pouch.Entreri was beside him in a heartbeat, Dahlia scrambling out behind, and the three started their stalk.They were only a few steps onto the bridge when the tiefling warlord noticed them.He turned and straightened, staring at them.
|
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dnd411
|
At that very moment, the first rays of dawn shot the length of the bridge, past the three intruders and shined upon the warlord as if it was intended for him alone.That glow revealed a strange grin on Alegni’s face, visible to them even though they were still thirty strides away.Alegni had been expecting them.No matter, Drizzt realized, and he paused and produced the onyx figurine as Entreri stopped beside him.Not Dahlia, though.She rushed between her two companions, knocking them both aside, her reassembled long staff carried like a javelin.She had left her hesitation and her tears back in the brush, it seemed.“Guenhwyvar, come to me!” Drizzt commanded, and as soon as that call was heard, he replaced the statue and brought forth his second blade, following Entreri into his charge.Up ahead, as Dahlia closed in, Herzgo Alegni calmly reached to his hip and drew out his huge red-bladed sword.But Dahlia didn’t slow, coming in furiously, with a powerful stab at the tiefling’s face.Across came Charon’s Claw, turning aside the weapon.Drizzt put his head down and called upon his magical anklets to speed him past Entreri and up to Dahlia.He had to get there, he could tell that his lover was too eager, and too forceful in her assault on the dangerous tiefling.Alegni would cut her down!He sprinted around Entreri, or almost did, until the assassin’s sword flashed out to the side, stabbing Drizzt hard in the left shoulder.The drow threw himself aside, nearly falling from his feet.He tried to turn and set a defense, but his left arm would barely rise and it was all he could do to prevent Twinkle from falling from his failing grasp.Artemis Entreri, Barrabus the Gray, was on him, sword and dagger flashing.It had been so easy!Herzgo Alegni could hardly contain his laughter as he watched this fool elf’s two companions battling halfway back to the bridge entrance.With a mere thought, his prized sword had once again defeated Barrabus, had turned the man against himself!For truly Alegni could sense that one’s hate toward him, toward the sword.And truly, Alegni understood, there was nothing Barrabus would ever be able to do about it.Barrabus already had the drow, this legendary ranger who had attached himself to Dahlia, under control, it seemed, and so Alegni, who of course had other allies lying in wait, was left to focus on this one.On pretty young Dahlia.She kept up her barrage of thrusts and wild swings, and Alegni didn’t even try to counter, instead blocking and misdirecting the blows, or dodging aside to prevent any solid strikes.He let her rage play out through many movements, then, as she seemed to be slowing, he added a new twist to the dance.Dahlia’s staff stabbed in at his midsection and across came Claw to drive it out harmlessly wide.But this time, the red-bladed sword trailed a line of ash, an opaque barrier.Alegni stepped back and to the side, and when the staff came back into view, predictably stabbing right back through the ash cloud, he took up Claw in both his hands and drove down hard, thinking to ruin the weapon.Except that the head of the staff dipped too quickly, and at an unexpected angle, and for a heartbeat, Alegni thought that the elf woman must have leaped up impossibly high to clear the ash barrier.When Dahlia herself exploded through that barrier, though, he understood—understood the unexpected movement of the staff head, if not the manner in which this transformation had occurred, for now the elf held in her hands not a single long staff, but a pair of exotic flails, spinning and crossing at every conceivable angle.Alegni fell back to regroup, but Dahlia was too close.The tiefling warrior flailed Charon’s Claw wildly side to side and straight ahead, to block, to drive her back, to score some hits, perhaps.He winced as a flying pole cracked hard against his shoulder.Only his thick horns saved his skull as Dahlia’s diagonal downstrike jarred and staggered him.Back he stumbled and on she came, her jaw locked in a mask of fury.She banged her sticks together as she pursued, sparks flying with every hit.Alegni saw his chance and thrust his blade out at her, knowing it would be slapped aside.In that parry, a blast of lightning energy shocked Claw, flowing from Dahlia’s weapon to Alegni’s blade and up to his hands.His left hand surely stung from that magical bite, but his right, gloved in the gauntlet that served as sister to Claw, accepted the blast easily.Dahlia came on; she thought her clever trick would defeat him, of course.As he had expected.Across came Claw in a brutal backhand slash, and Dahlia, obviously surprised that Alegni still gripped the blade with such strength, threw her hips back desperately.But still Claw tore her shirt and her flesh, a line of blood erupting across her belly, a flash of agony twisting her pretty face.Claw’s bite was more than that of a mere piece of sharpened steel.Claw’s bite was charged with the powers of the netherworld, the essence of death itself.Alegni continued his swing out wide to the right, even letting the blade turn him as it went.For he knew that Dahlia’s rage would outdo even that profound agony, knew that she would come right in at him despite the wound.He continued to turn, and as he went, he lifted his trailing right leg in a perfectly-timed kick.He felt Dahlia’s flails smacking around his hip and thigh, but more than that, he felt the whoosh of breath leaving Dahlia’s body as his heavy boot connected.He came around in a defensive posture, hardly hurt by the strikes, denying them with his sheer muscle and brawn.Dahlia wasn’t on him, though.His kick had thrown her back several long strides, where she sat upon the ground, clearly stunned and pained.“You think I will kill you?” he taunted as he stalked in.“You will soon enough pray for such an outcome, pretty girl.
|
At that very moment, the first rays of dawn shot the length of the bridge, past the three intruders and shined upon the warlord as if it was intended for him alone.That glow revealed a strange grin on Alegni’s face, visible to them even though they were still thirty strides away.Alegni had been expecting them.No matter, Drizzt realized, and he paused and produced the onyx figurine as Entreri stopped beside him.Not Dahlia, though.She rushed between her two companions, knocking them both aside, her reassembled long staff carried like a javelin.She had left her hesitation and her tears back in the brush, it seemed.“Guenhwyvar, come to me!” Drizzt commanded, and as soon as that call was heard, he replaced the statue and brought forth his second blade, following Entreri into his charge.Up ahead, as Dahlia closed in, Herzgo Alegni calmly reached to his hip and drew out his huge red-bladed sword.But Dahlia didn’t slow, coming in furiously, with a powerful stab at the tiefling’s face.Across came Charon’s Claw, turning aside the weapon.Drizzt put his head down and called upon his magical anklets to speed him past Entreri and up to Dahlia.He had to get there, he could tell that his lover was too eager, and too forceful in her assault on the dangerous tiefling.Alegni would cut her down!He sprinted around Entreri, or almost did, until the assassin’s sword flashed out to the side, stabbing Drizzt hard in the left shoulder.The drow threw himself aside, nearly falling from his feet.He tried to turn and set a defense, but his left arm would barely rise and it was all he could do to prevent Twinkle from falling from his failing grasp.Artemis Entreri, Barrabus the Gray, was on him, sword and dagger flashing.It had been so easy!Herzgo Alegni could hardly contain his laughter as he watched this fool elf’s two companions battling halfway back to the bridge entrance.With a mere thought, his prized sword had once again defeated Barrabus, had turned the man against himself!For truly Alegni could sense that one’s hate toward him, toward the sword.And truly, Alegni understood, there was nothing Barrabus would ever be able to do about it.Barrabus already had the drow, this legendary ranger who had attached himself to Dahlia, under control, it seemed, and so Alegni, who of course had other allies lying in wait, was left to focus on this one.On pretty young Dahlia.She kept up her barrage of thrusts and wild swings, and Alegni didn’t even try to counter, instead blocking and misdirecting the blows, or dodging aside to prevent any solid strikes.He let her rage play out through many movements, then, as she seemed to be slowing, he added a new twist to the dance.Dahlia’s staff stabbed in at his midsection and across came Claw to drive it out harmlessly wide.But this time, the red-bladed sword trailed a line of ash, an opaque barrier.Alegni stepped back and to the side, and when the staff came back into view, predictably stabbing right back through the ash cloud, he took up Claw in both his hands and drove down hard, thinking to ruin the weapon.Except that the head of the staff dipped too quickly, and at an unexpected angle, and for a heartbeat, Alegni thought that the elf woman must have leaped up impossibly high to clear the ash barrier.When Dahlia herself exploded through that barrier, though, he understood—understood the unexpected movement of the staff head, if not the manner in which this transformation had occurred, for now the elf held in her hands not a single long staff, but a pair of exotic flails, spinning and crossing at every conceivable angle.Alegni fell back to regroup, but Dahlia was too close.The tiefling warrior flailed Charon’s Claw wildly side to side and straight ahead, to block, to drive her back, to score some hits, perhaps.He winced as a flying pole cracked hard against his shoulder.Only his thick horns saved his skull as Dahlia’s diagonal downstrike jarred and staggered him.Back he stumbled and on she came, her jaw locked in a mask of fury.She banged her sticks together as she pursued, sparks flying with every hit.Alegni saw his chance and thrust his blade out at her, knowing it would be slapped aside.In that parry, a blast of lightning energy shocked Claw, flowing from Dahlia’s weapon to Alegni’s blade and up to his hands.His left hand surely stung from that magical bite, but his right, gloved in the gauntlet that served as sister to Claw, accepted the blast easily.Dahlia came on; she thought her clever trick would defeat him, of course.As he had expected.Across came Claw in a brutal backhand slash, and Dahlia, obviously surprised that Alegni still gripped the blade with such strength, threw her hips back desperately.But still Claw tore her shirt and her flesh, a line of blood erupting across her belly, a flash of agony twisting her pretty face.Claw’s bite was more than that of a mere piece of sharpened steel.Claw’s bite was charged with the powers of the netherworld, the essence of death itself.Alegni continued his swing out wide to the right, even letting the blade turn him as it went.For he knew that Dahlia’s rage would outdo even that profound agony, knew that she would come right in at him despite the wound.He continued to turn, and as he went, he lifted his trailing right leg in a perfectly-timed kick.He felt Dahlia’s flails smacking around his hip and thigh, but more than that, he felt the whoosh of breath leaving Dahlia’s body as his heavy boot connected.He came around in a defensive posture, hardly hurt by the strikes, denying them with his sheer muscle and brawn.Dahlia wasn’t on him, though.His kick had thrown her back several long strides, where she sat upon the ground, clearly stunned and pained.“You think I will kill you?” he taunted as he stalked in.“You will soon enough pray for such an outcome, pretty girl.
|
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dnd412
|
I will hurt you, oh indeed!And then I will tie you down for years to come, and fill you with my seed and tear from your loins my progeny!”“Fight it!” Drizzt implored Entreri, but he hardly got the words out as he twisted and turned and stumbled aside, dodging the assassin’s flashing blades.He managed to glance back along the bridge, to see the gray mist of Guenhwyvar beginning to take shape.If he could only hold out for a few heartbeats, Guen would free him of the crazed Entreri.And none too soon, he realized as he glanced ahead, just in time to see Dahlia flying backward and to the stone, to see the hulking form stalking in at her.“Guen!” Drizzt cried.He felt the blood rolling out of his burning shoulder, but he stubbornly tightened his left hand and fought the pain.Down went Icingdeath to pick off Entreri’s low thrust, then up again, swiftly and horizontally to force the assassin to cut short his clever dagger follow-up, thrusting, perhaps even thinking to throw the dirk into Drizzt’s face.A growl from the end of the bridge brought Drizzt little hope, for in that call of the great panther, he clearly heard pain.He worked around to the side, between Entreri and Dahlia, looking back the way they had come, looking back at Guenhwyvar.The panther spun and bit furiously as dark bolts filled the air around her.Wafts of smoke still trailed from her black form, though she was fully substantial now, the gray mist completely coagulated.Those awful bolts burned at her, Drizzt understood, and he followed them to their source: a twisted and malformed tiefling in purple and black robes, flicking a wand her way.As she had become corporeal, this one had intervened, assaulting her before she had even taken in the scene around her, distracting her and paining her greatly, so it seemed.As Guenhwyvar tried to go to Drizzt’s call, the tiefling warlock filled the area before her with a black, sizzling cloud, and the panther shrieked and snarled.“Kill your tormentor!” Drizzt ordered the panther.He couldn’t rely on Guen.Not then.He batted aside another strike, and slid one foot to the left, circling.He had to get to his fallen scimitar, had to deny the pain and the blood and fight with both hands against Artemis Entreri.There was no other way.He darted side to side, using his speed to keep the assassin from any straightforward attacks.Icingdeath spun out before him in tight circles, the blade humming as it gained momentum—but never too much momentum for Drizzt to interrupt the flow suddenly and stab it out, ahead or to either side, as he did often.Now he was facing Dahlia again, and to his relief, she was back to her feet, flails spinning.She leaped and somersaulted out to the side, landing lightly and charging right back in at the hulking figure.But then she retreated at once as the great red-bladed sword swept across.Drizzt sucked in his breath, and got stuck in the forearm for his distraction.This was Artemis Entreri he was facing, and the man had lost nothing of his skill in the decades since last they had battled!Drizzt told himself to focus, reminded himself repeatedly that he could be of no use to Dahlia if he could not first win out here.He moved Entreri out toward the right-hand rail of the wide bridge, away from the fallen scimitar.“Resist it,” he implored the assassin between parries.“Alegni will kill Dahlia.Resist the call of Claw.”In response, Entreri gritted his teeth and let out a cry of pain.His knuckles whitened as he grasped his weapons and he fell back a step.“Fight it!” Drizzt implored him, and indeed, Entreri seemed locked in some inner battle, some great torment.That was the moment for Drizzt to leap in and cut him down, a moment when the assassin could not defend.A stride forward, a single stab, and Drizzt could move to help Dahlia.She focused on the last moments of her mother’s life.That horrible image flitted through Dahlia’s thoughts again and again, alongside all the other painful memories.The thought of this beast atop her and inside her filled her with fury, but it worked against her, Dahlia realized almost immediately.For amid her rage at that ultimate violation, there remained too much guilt, too much vulnerability.
|
I will hurt you, oh indeed!And then I will tie you down for years to come, and fill you with my seed and tear from your loins my progeny!”“Fight it!” Drizzt implored Entreri, but he hardly got the words out as he twisted and turned and stumbled aside, dodging the assassin’s flashing blades.He managed to glance back along the bridge, to see the gray mist of Guenhwyvar beginning to take shape.If he could only hold out for a few heartbeats, Guen would free him of the crazed Entreri.And none too soon, he realized as he glanced ahead, just in time to see Dahlia flying backward and to the stone, to see the hulking form stalking in at her.“Guen!” Drizzt cried.He felt the blood rolling out of his burning shoulder, but he stubbornly tightened his left hand and fought the pain.Down went Icingdeath to pick off Entreri’s low thrust, then up again, swiftly and horizontally to force the assassin to cut short his clever dagger follow-up, thrusting, perhaps even thinking to throw the dirk into Drizzt’s face.A growl from the end of the bridge brought Drizzt little hope, for in that call of the great panther, he clearly heard pain.He worked around to the side, between Entreri and Dahlia, looking back the way they had come, looking back at Guenhwyvar.The panther spun and bit furiously as dark bolts filled the air around her.Wafts of smoke still trailed from her black form, though she was fully substantial now, the gray mist completely coagulated.Those awful bolts burned at her, Drizzt understood, and he followed them to their source: a twisted and malformed tiefling in purple and black robes, flicking a wand her way.As she had become corporeal, this one had intervened, assaulting her before she had even taken in the scene around her, distracting her and paining her greatly, so it seemed.As Guenhwyvar tried to go to Drizzt’s call, the tiefling warlock filled the area before her with a black, sizzling cloud, and the panther shrieked and snarled.“Kill your tormentor!” Drizzt ordered the panther.He couldn’t rely on Guen.Not then.He batted aside another strike, and slid one foot to the left, circling.He had to get to his fallen scimitar, had to deny the pain and the blood and fight with both hands against Artemis Entreri.There was no other way.He darted side to side, using his speed to keep the assassin from any straightforward attacks.Icingdeath spun out before him in tight circles, the blade humming as it gained momentum—but never too much momentum for Drizzt to interrupt the flow suddenly and stab it out, ahead or to either side, as he did often.Now he was facing Dahlia again, and to his relief, she was back to her feet, flails spinning.She leaped and somersaulted out to the side, landing lightly and charging right back in at the hulking figure.But then she retreated at once as the great red-bladed sword swept across.Drizzt sucked in his breath, and got stuck in the forearm for his distraction.This was Artemis Entreri he was facing, and the man had lost nothing of his skill in the decades since last they had battled!Drizzt told himself to focus, reminded himself repeatedly that he could be of no use to Dahlia if he could not first win out here.He moved Entreri out toward the right-hand rail of the wide bridge, away from the fallen scimitar.“Resist it,” he implored the assassin between parries.“Alegni will kill Dahlia.Resist the call of Claw.”In response, Entreri gritted his teeth and let out a cry of pain.His knuckles whitened as he grasped his weapons and he fell back a step.“Fight it!” Drizzt implored him, and indeed, Entreri seemed locked in some inner battle, some great torment.That was the moment for Drizzt to leap in and cut him down, a moment when the assassin could not defend.A stride forward, a single stab, and Drizzt could move to help Dahlia.She focused on the last moments of her mother’s life.That horrible image flitted through Dahlia’s thoughts again and again, alongside all the other painful memories.The thought of this beast atop her and inside her filled her with fury, but it worked against her, Dahlia realized almost immediately.For amid her rage at that ultimate violation, there remained too much guilt, too much vulnerability.
|
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dnd413
|
If she let her mind take her back to those awful moments, she would paralyze herself.But she had no such conflicting emotions concerning the fate of her mother.Just rage.Pure rage.No guilt, no vulnerability, no fear.Just rage.Her belly burned from the poisonous cut of Claw, but Dahlia transformed that profound sting into energy, and yet more rage.She leaped and darted all around, keeping Alegni turning, his blade cutting the air only a finger’s breadth behind her—and yet, always a finger’s breadth behind her.Her flails always spun in too short to strike Alegni.And his smile showed that he knew it, and knew that Dahlia was expending far more energy than he, since she ran around while he merely turned in tune with her.She rushed away to the right, diving into a roll, came to her feet, planted her right foot, and turned in at him as he pursued.And in that clever move, Dahlia wiped the smile off Alegni’s face, for as she executed her roll, her hands worked independently, each contracting the respective flail into a singular four-foot length, and as she rose up, so did she connect those poles together as one, only for the blink of an eye before breaking Kozah’s Needle into two pieces again, this time joined by a length of magical cord.When Dahlia’s left hand snapped out at the trailing Alegni, it was not with a shortened flail, but with a much longer reach.The first pole snapped into place, the trailing free end whipping around, past the surprised tiefling’s defenses to crack him across the face, and Dahlia, of course, used that moment to let loose the lightning energy.Herzgo Alegni staggered backward, a black line of charred skin down the left side of his face, just beside his eye socket all the way to his chin.On came Dahlia, her staff reassembled to one piece, thrusting spearlike before her.She knew that she had stunned the tiefling; she could see it in his eyes.Those hateful eyes.Even dazed, even outraged, though, the warlord kept up his defenses, his sword slapping hard against each thrust of Kozah’s Needle.“Your drow friend is dead,” he remarked at one point, laughing, but even there, Dahlia saw the grimace of pain behind his fake grin.She hardly registered his words.She hardly cared.At that moment, all she cared about was her mother, about exacting revenge at long last.Her belly burned, her arms should have slumped from exhaustion, so furious had been her routines.But she fought on, ignoring the pain and oblivious to the weariness.The pain assaulted the panther’s senses, and worse, one of those black bolts had transported creatures within it, and now Guenhwyvar clawed furiously at a line of spiders burrowing under and crawling out of her skin.Maddened, she spun and rolled, and scratched that shoulder so hard with her rear claw that she tore open her own skin.“Guen!” she heard, plaintively, from far away.“Guen, I need you!”That call captured Guenhwyvar.That so familiar voice, that dear voice, brought her through her pain and confusion just enough so that she could see the next magic missile flying her way.Guenhwyvar charged at it, flew over it with a great and high leap, and descended from on high upon the source of her agony: the twisted necromancer.She was the essence of the panther, of the hunter, primal and pure, and she knew the look of her prey, the look of life at its end.This tiefling wore no such expression.As Guenhwyvar came down upon him, so did he descend, as if his form had become that of a wraith, to slide into the cracks between the cobblestones!Guenhwyvar landed hard, her great claws scratching on the stones.She spun around furiously to see the necromancer reforming some dozen strides away.How her legs spun on the hard stones, digging for traction as she propelled herself at him once more.Another stinging bolt came forth, drawing a roar from the panther in mid-air, and again, the wily necromancer slipped down through the stones just ahead of killing claws.Guenhwyvar’s claws screeched on the cobblestones, and she threw herself all around, seeking her prey.It took her too long to spot him this time, she knew, and she got hit harder, a more substantial dweomer.Maddened by the pain, the burn and the feeling of crawling things under her skin, the panther leaped away, driving the necromancer underground yet again.She heard a cry, distant and desperate, and knew it to be Drizzt.But Guenhwyvar couldn’t turn away from this magical threat.To do so would surely doom her beloved master.Much of her fur hung ragged now, but off she sprang yet again, landing on stone and scrabbling around, panting heavily, but ready to leap and charge once more.The opportunity was there, but Drizzt didn’t take the kill.He wasn’t sure why, wasn’t sure what instinct or subconscious plan, perhaps, stayed his hand.Dahlia needed him and all that stood between him and her was this old nemesis, Artemis Entreri, who had betrayed him once again here on this very bridge and in this very moment.His words had given the assassin pause, a moment to fight back against the intrusions of Claw, and in that pause came a moment of vulnerability.But Drizzt didn’t take the kill.He leaped aside instead, rolling low and scooping his fallen scimitar.He came back to his feet at the ready, but with his left arm hanging low, still burning, still bleeding.Yet the drow managed to defeat Entreri’s pursuing attack, sword and dirk, for the moment of hope had passed and Entreri had lost his struggle against Charon’s Claw.Now Artemis Entreri fought with fury, and so Drizzt growled and ignored the pain and returned the barrage, and heard again a song they both expected long lost: the continual ring of metal on metal as these two ferocious warriors played through their turning, twisting dance, as they had so many times before.She rotated her arms violently, and with both hands down low on Kozah’s Needle, the top few feet of length began to spin over and over.She wanted to lure Alegni into trying to keep up, and every so often stabbed out, the angle changed by the staff’s bend instead of by re-aligning her arms.Despite Alegni’s size advantage and the large sword he carried, Dahlia had a substantial reach and her remarkable quickness, and she needed to use both, she knew, to have any chance at all.Such tactics did not come easily to her at this time, not against this opponent.All she wanted to do was throw herself at him and tear him apart.She sated some of that hunger when one of her thrusts slipped past Alegni’s late block and jabbed him hard under the ribs, and the grimace on his face was a good thing, she thought.But then he responded, and no more did he even try to parry her staff, instead coming on wildly, that deadly sword flashing down and around like a pendulum to drive her weapon away, and every stride bringing him a bit closer to Dahlia, who was now frantically backing.She might hit him fifty times, she realized, and get hit in return but once.And still she would lose.Again the elf warrior suppressed her rage in lieu of tactics.Alegni was almost on her, his sword slashing across powerfully.Dahlia spun back just out of reach and darted ahead and to her left, and Alegni, of course, whipped Claw back the other way with a mighty backhand, either to cut her in half or at least to drive her back yet again.But Dahlia did not run out of reach, nor did she try to block the blow.As soon as she had passed Alegni’s flank, the elf planted her staff and threw herself up high in the air atop it, and as Alegni turned, his blade whipping through the air just short of her carefully planted pole, she came down from on high with a double kick, perfectly timed and perfectly aimed.She felt her foot crunch into the tiefling’s face, felt his nose crumble under the weight of that blow.Dahlia landed lightly, a wild and elated look coming upon her as she noted the splatter of blood on Alegni’s face.Hunger overtook her and she broke her staff in two, and two into four as she threw herself at the hulking tiefling, flails spinning with fury.But so too was Alegni full of fury and he countered with short, heavy cuts, more than willing to trade several hits of Dahlia’s weapon against one of his own.And Dahlia couldn’t accept that trade.Instinct alone overruled her rage, and she deftly turned aside right before they came together in the middle of the great expanse.She started to spring, felt the close pursuit, and daringly skidded to a fast stop, turning hard and throwing her elbow up high.If Alegni had been able to put his sword in line, Dahlia would have been skewered then and there—and she knew it—but her guess paid off, and instead of feeling the tip of that awful sword, she instead felt Alegni’s broken face once more, this time with her elbow.She expected that the tiefling had staggered back under the weight of that blow, and it was indeed a heavy strike, and so she turned, setting her weapons to spinning.Or started to.Herzgo Alegni, so powerful, had held his ground, and he swatted Dahlia with a backhanded slap, his free hand catching her under the shoulder as she started her turn.She was flying then, across the bridge and to the stones, and she rolled in hard against the metal railing.He was too strong, too powerful.She could not beat him.Not with pure rage and brute force, and not with tactics.So suddenly, Dahlia felt once more like a helpless little girl.Her mother’s lost voice cried out to her.It became a battle of guessing, and much like the one with Dahlia and Alegni, one had to guess correctly simply to survive, while the other, guessing wrongly, would merely be stung.
|
If she let her mind take her back to those awful moments, she would paralyze herself.But she had no such conflicting emotions concerning the fate of her mother.Just rage.Pure rage.No guilt, no vulnerability, no fear.Just rage.Her belly burned from the poisonous cut of Claw, but Dahlia transformed that profound sting into energy, and yet more rage.She leaped and darted all around, keeping Alegni turning, his blade cutting the air only a finger’s breadth behind her—and yet, always a finger’s breadth behind her.Her flails always spun in too short to strike Alegni.And his smile showed that he knew it, and knew that Dahlia was expending far more energy than he, since she ran around while he merely turned in tune with her.She rushed away to the right, diving into a roll, came to her feet, planted her right foot, and turned in at him as he pursued.And in that clever move, Dahlia wiped the smile off Alegni’s face, for as she executed her roll, her hands worked independently, each contracting the respective flail into a singular four-foot length, and as she rose up, so did she connect those poles together as one, only for the blink of an eye before breaking Kozah’s Needle into two pieces again, this time joined by a length of magical cord.When Dahlia’s left hand snapped out at the trailing Alegni, it was not with a shortened flail, but with a much longer reach.The first pole snapped into place, the trailing free end whipping around, past the surprised tiefling’s defenses to crack him across the face, and Dahlia, of course, used that moment to let loose the lightning energy.Herzgo Alegni staggered backward, a black line of charred skin down the left side of his face, just beside his eye socket all the way to his chin.On came Dahlia, her staff reassembled to one piece, thrusting spearlike before her.She knew that she had stunned the tiefling; she could see it in his eyes.Those hateful eyes.Even dazed, even outraged, though, the warlord kept up his defenses, his sword slapping hard against each thrust of Kozah’s Needle.“Your drow friend is dead,” he remarked at one point, laughing, but even there, Dahlia saw the grimace of pain behind his fake grin.She hardly registered his words.She hardly cared.At that moment, all she cared about was her mother, about exacting revenge at long last.Her belly burned, her arms should have slumped from exhaustion, so furious had been her routines.But she fought on, ignoring the pain and oblivious to the weariness.The pain assaulted the panther’s senses, and worse, one of those black bolts had transported creatures within it, and now Guenhwyvar clawed furiously at a line of spiders burrowing under and crawling out of her skin.Maddened, she spun and rolled, and scratched that shoulder so hard with her rear claw that she tore open her own skin.“Guen!” she heard, plaintively, from far away.“Guen, I need you!”That call captured Guenhwyvar.That so familiar voice, that dear voice, brought her through her pain and confusion just enough so that she could see the next magic missile flying her way.Guenhwyvar charged at it, flew over it with a great and high leap, and descended from on high upon the source of her agony: the twisted necromancer.She was the essence of the panther, of the hunter, primal and pure, and she knew the look of her prey, the look of life at its end.This tiefling wore no such expression.As Guenhwyvar came down upon him, so did he descend, as if his form had become that of a wraith, to slide into the cracks between the cobblestones!Guenhwyvar landed hard, her great claws scratching on the stones.She spun around furiously to see the necromancer reforming some dozen strides away.How her legs spun on the hard stones, digging for traction as she propelled herself at him once more.Another stinging bolt came forth, drawing a roar from the panther in mid-air, and again, the wily necromancer slipped down through the stones just ahead of killing claws.Guenhwyvar’s claws screeched on the cobblestones, and she threw herself all around, seeking her prey.It took her too long to spot him this time, she knew, and she got hit harder, a more substantial dweomer.Maddened by the pain, the burn and the feeling of crawling things under her skin, the panther leaped away, driving the necromancer underground yet again.She heard a cry, distant and desperate, and knew it to be Drizzt.But Guenhwyvar couldn’t turn away from this magical threat.To do so would surely doom her beloved master.Much of her fur hung ragged now, but off she sprang yet again, landing on stone and scrabbling around, panting heavily, but ready to leap and charge once more.The opportunity was there, but Drizzt didn’t take the kill.He wasn’t sure why, wasn’t sure what instinct or subconscious plan, perhaps, stayed his hand.Dahlia needed him and all that stood between him and her was this old nemesis, Artemis Entreri, who had betrayed him once again here on this very bridge and in this very moment.His words had given the assassin pause, a moment to fight back against the intrusions of Claw, and in that pause came a moment of vulnerability.But Drizzt didn’t take the kill.He leaped aside instead, rolling low and scooping his fallen scimitar.He came back to his feet at the ready, but with his left arm hanging low, still burning, still bleeding.Yet the drow managed to defeat Entreri’s pursuing attack, sword and dirk, for the moment of hope had passed and Entreri had lost his struggle against Charon’s Claw.Now Artemis Entreri fought with fury, and so Drizzt growled and ignored the pain and returned the barrage, and heard again a song they both expected long lost: the continual ring of metal on metal as these two ferocious warriors played through their turning, twisting dance, as they had so many times before.She rotated her arms violently, and with both hands down low on Kozah’s Needle, the top few feet of length began to spin over and over.She wanted to lure Alegni into trying to keep up, and every so often stabbed out, the angle changed by the staff’s bend instead of by re-aligning her arms.Despite Alegni’s size advantage and the large sword he carried, Dahlia had a substantial reach and her remarkable quickness, and she needed to use both, she knew, to have any chance at all.Such tactics did not come easily to her at this time, not against this opponent.All she wanted to do was throw herself at him and tear him apart.She sated some of that hunger when one of her thrusts slipped past Alegni’s late block and jabbed him hard under the ribs, and the grimace on his face was a good thing, she thought.But then he responded, and no more did he even try to parry her staff, instead coming on wildly, that deadly sword flashing down and around like a pendulum to drive her weapon away, and every stride bringing him a bit closer to Dahlia, who was now frantically backing.She might hit him fifty times, she realized, and get hit in return but once.And still she would lose.Again the elf warrior suppressed her rage in lieu of tactics.Alegni was almost on her, his sword slashing across powerfully.Dahlia spun back just out of reach and darted ahead and to her left, and Alegni, of course, whipped Claw back the other way with a mighty backhand, either to cut her in half or at least to drive her back yet again.But Dahlia did not run out of reach, nor did she try to block the blow.As soon as she had passed Alegni’s flank, the elf planted her staff and threw herself up high in the air atop it, and as Alegni turned, his blade whipping through the air just short of her carefully planted pole, she came down from on high with a double kick, perfectly timed and perfectly aimed.She felt her foot crunch into the tiefling’s face, felt his nose crumble under the weight of that blow.Dahlia landed lightly, a wild and elated look coming upon her as she noted the splatter of blood on Alegni’s face.Hunger overtook her and she broke her staff in two, and two into four as she threw herself at the hulking tiefling, flails spinning with fury.But so too was Alegni full of fury and he countered with short, heavy cuts, more than willing to trade several hits of Dahlia’s weapon against one of his own.And Dahlia couldn’t accept that trade.Instinct alone overruled her rage, and she deftly turned aside right before they came together in the middle of the great expanse.She started to spring, felt the close pursuit, and daringly skidded to a fast stop, turning hard and throwing her elbow up high.If Alegni had been able to put his sword in line, Dahlia would have been skewered then and there—and she knew it—but her guess paid off, and instead of feeling the tip of that awful sword, she instead felt Alegni’s broken face once more, this time with her elbow.She expected that the tiefling had staggered back under the weight of that blow, and it was indeed a heavy strike, and so she turned, setting her weapons to spinning.Or started to.Herzgo Alegni, so powerful, had held his ground, and he swatted Dahlia with a backhanded slap, his free hand catching her under the shoulder as she started her turn.She was flying then, across the bridge and to the stones, and she rolled in hard against the metal railing.He was too strong, too powerful.She could not beat him.Not with pure rage and brute force, and not with tactics.So suddenly, Dahlia felt once more like a helpless little girl.Her mother’s lost voice cried out to her.It became a battle of guessing, and much like the one with Dahlia and Alegni, one had to guess correctly simply to survive, while the other, guessing wrongly, would merely be stung.
|
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dnd414
|
Thus, the twisted tiefling necromancer held the temporary advantage, but Guenhwyvar understood the deeper matter.She was wearing his spell power down.She had taken the worst he could give and had survived it.He could continue to sting her, all day and longer, but if she managed to get to him just once, she would tear his head from his skinny neck.And so whenever Guenhwyvar landed from one futile leaping attack, she sprang away again, in a different direction.The necromancer couldn’t see such a leap from his underground travel, of course, and so only luck alone could keep him from reappearing right under her leap.Only luck alone could keep him alive and from her tearing claws.The panther tried to determine a pattern to the necromancer’s movements.He was trying to move her farther from the bridge and the other combatants.She went flying again, thirty feet with ease, glancing all around as she went.When, guessing wrong, she located the necromancer popping up from a crack in the cobblestones, she landed, re-directed and flew off again immediately.On one such spring, the tiefling came up not far to the side, and Guenhwyvar saw then that her tactics were indeed unnerving him, clearly saw the look of fear on his face.When she landed, barely two strides separated her from the necromancer, who didn’t even think to sting at her with one of his black energy bolts, but melted away at once.And Guenhwyvar was in the air again immediately, flying beyond his last position, but not so far.She suspected that her enemy would instinctively move straight back, or that he might even come right back up to his previous position with an expectation that she would have leaped beyond.He did go back, but to the side just a bit, and Guenhwyvar, with her shortened leap, was able to spring again without much scrabbling to reverse momentum, and by the time the necromancer reappeared fully, clever and deadly Guenhwyvar was already high in the air, descending upon that very spot.He favored his left arm with his attacks, but had no such luxury with his defenses, as Entreri, sensing the advantage, pressed him hard.In came the assassin’s sword for Drizzt’s left flank, a strike that called for an easy parry, center-out, of Twinkle.But Drizzt used his right hand instead, cutting Icingdeath all the way across to bash the slashing sword harmlessly wide.In came the assassin’s dagger from the other side, and instead of simply backhanding with Icingdeath to block, now Drizzt did use his left hand, Twinkle darting across in a movement that seemed a mirror image of his last parry.Against the lighter dagger, the block did not profoundly sting Drizzt’s wounded shoulder, and more than that, because of the shorter reach of the dagger, now Drizzt was closer as he turned.He reached up and over with his right hand, stabbing straight for the assassin’s face, and Entreri had to desperately throw himself back to avoid that cut.Drizzt felt as if he had been propelled back in time, to a place and mind of simpler truths.He was on the mountain ledge again outside of Mithral Hall!He was in the sewers of Calimport, battling Regis’s kidnapper!He couldn’t deny the exhilaration.Even with Guenhwyvar desperately struggling behind him and his lover in dire peril before him, this was the life Drizzt had known, the better life Drizzt had known, purer in morals and with a clear distinction of right and wrong.And this was the very man Drizzt had battled, so many times, in so many places.And Drizzt understood that this man, Artemis Entreri, was indeed a worthy foe.Predictably, the skilled assassin reversed and rushed right back upon him, right hand thrusting, sword reaching back for Drizzt’s face even as the drow retracted his own blade.Now he needed to use Twinkle, and met the thrust with a solid block, and how his shoulder ached for that effort!Entreri didn’t let up, launching into a spinning reverse circuit around to his right.Drizzt instinctively mirrored the move, and only halfway through his own turn did he realize his mistake.For as he came around, as Entreri came around, the assassin did not lead with a backhand of his dagger, as Drizzt might have done with his own leading, longer blade, but Entreri cut in tighter and quicker, bringing his sword to bear with a powerful forehand slash.Drizzt had no choice but to meet that with Twinkle, with his left arm, and the numbing wave of pain nearly toppled him with dizziness and nausea, and he nearly dropped his scimitar to the stone once more.On came Entreri aggressively, and Drizzt had to work furiously to counter, with both arms.He couldn’t keep up the pace for long, he recognized.“Fight it!” he implored the assassin as he managed to disengage for a heartbeat by jumping straight back.“You are no man’s slave!”He saw a hint of hesitation, just a hint, but Entreri growled through it and came on.“You are no weapon’s slave!” Drizzt insisted, but this time there was less in the way of a pause from Entreri, for this time, the heat of combat, the ring of metal, drowned out any reasonableness in the words.Suddenly Drizzt understood the opposing needs, realizing that this battle was feeding Entreri’s insanity.The instinctive and necessary aggressiveness of such a brutal fight made so much stronger the intrusions of Charon’s Claw.Drizzt jumped back, using his anklets to buy him some room, and called out to Artemis Entreri, “Do you remember when we two fought side by side beneath the chambers of the dwarven halls?”Entreri, fast in pursuit, stutter-stepped and seemed torn for just a moment.Drizzt didn’t back down, and met the assassin’s attacks with a series of blocks and deflections and dodges, and in the midst of that encounter, emphatically reiterated, “Do you remember when we two fought side by side beneath the chambers of the dwarven halls?”No hesitation at all by Entreri, no look of doubt in his eye.The heat of battle worked against Drizzt.In his own distraction as he considered this revelation, Drizzt suddenly found himself pressed hard.He thrust out Icingdeath, only to have Entreri roll his sword over it, drive it out wide to Drizzt’s right, then press forward with a thrust of that sword.Drizzt’s only block came with Twinkle, and the heavy collision of blades sent a shiver of agony through his torn shoulder.Entreri did not relent, and moved out to Drizzt’s left, forcing him to keep using that blade, that injured arm, to defeat blow after heavy blow.Drizzt stumbled and tried to turn even with the man, to bring Icingdeath more into play, but Entreri countered every movement and struck again, and again.Drizzt could hardly feel the scimitar in his left hand, and stubbornly told himself to hold on.
|
Thus, the twisted tiefling necromancer held the temporary advantage, but Guenhwyvar understood the deeper matter.She was wearing his spell power down.She had taken the worst he could give and had survived it.He could continue to sting her, all day and longer, but if she managed to get to him just once, she would tear his head from his skinny neck.And so whenever Guenhwyvar landed from one futile leaping attack, she sprang away again, in a different direction.The necromancer couldn’t see such a leap from his underground travel, of course, and so only luck alone could keep him from reappearing right under her leap.Only luck alone could keep him alive and from her tearing claws.The panther tried to determine a pattern to the necromancer’s movements.He was trying to move her farther from the bridge and the other combatants.She went flying again, thirty feet with ease, glancing all around as she went.When, guessing wrong, she located the necromancer popping up from a crack in the cobblestones, she landed, re-directed and flew off again immediately.On one such spring, the tiefling came up not far to the side, and Guenhwyvar saw then that her tactics were indeed unnerving him, clearly saw the look of fear on his face.When she landed, barely two strides separated her from the necromancer, who didn’t even think to sting at her with one of his black energy bolts, but melted away at once.And Guenhwyvar was in the air again immediately, flying beyond his last position, but not so far.She suspected that her enemy would instinctively move straight back, or that he might even come right back up to his previous position with an expectation that she would have leaped beyond.He did go back, but to the side just a bit, and Guenhwyvar, with her shortened leap, was able to spring again without much scrabbling to reverse momentum, and by the time the necromancer reappeared fully, clever and deadly Guenhwyvar was already high in the air, descending upon that very spot.He favored his left arm with his attacks, but had no such luxury with his defenses, as Entreri, sensing the advantage, pressed him hard.In came the assassin’s sword for Drizzt’s left flank, a strike that called for an easy parry, center-out, of Twinkle.But Drizzt used his right hand instead, cutting Icingdeath all the way across to bash the slashing sword harmlessly wide.In came the assassin’s dagger from the other side, and instead of simply backhanding with Icingdeath to block, now Drizzt did use his left hand, Twinkle darting across in a movement that seemed a mirror image of his last parry.Against the lighter dagger, the block did not profoundly sting Drizzt’s wounded shoulder, and more than that, because of the shorter reach of the dagger, now Drizzt was closer as he turned.He reached up and over with his right hand, stabbing straight for the assassin’s face, and Entreri had to desperately throw himself back to avoid that cut.Drizzt felt as if he had been propelled back in time, to a place and mind of simpler truths.He was on the mountain ledge again outside of Mithral Hall!He was in the sewers of Calimport, battling Regis’s kidnapper!He couldn’t deny the exhilaration.Even with Guenhwyvar desperately struggling behind him and his lover in dire peril before him, this was the life Drizzt had known, the better life Drizzt had known, purer in morals and with a clear distinction of right and wrong.And this was the very man Drizzt had battled, so many times, in so many places.And Drizzt understood that this man, Artemis Entreri, was indeed a worthy foe.Predictably, the skilled assassin reversed and rushed right back upon him, right hand thrusting, sword reaching back for Drizzt’s face even as the drow retracted his own blade.Now he needed to use Twinkle, and met the thrust with a solid block, and how his shoulder ached for that effort!Entreri didn’t let up, launching into a spinning reverse circuit around to his right.Drizzt instinctively mirrored the move, and only halfway through his own turn did he realize his mistake.For as he came around, as Entreri came around, the assassin did not lead with a backhand of his dagger, as Drizzt might have done with his own leading, longer blade, but Entreri cut in tighter and quicker, bringing his sword to bear with a powerful forehand slash.Drizzt had no choice but to meet that with Twinkle, with his left arm, and the numbing wave of pain nearly toppled him with dizziness and nausea, and he nearly dropped his scimitar to the stone once more.On came Entreri aggressively, and Drizzt had to work furiously to counter, with both arms.He couldn’t keep up the pace for long, he recognized.“Fight it!” he implored the assassin as he managed to disengage for a heartbeat by jumping straight back.“You are no man’s slave!”He saw a hint of hesitation, just a hint, but Entreri growled through it and came on.“You are no weapon’s slave!” Drizzt insisted, but this time there was less in the way of a pause from Entreri, for this time, the heat of combat, the ring of metal, drowned out any reasonableness in the words.Suddenly Drizzt understood the opposing needs, realizing that this battle was feeding Entreri’s insanity.The instinctive and necessary aggressiveness of such a brutal fight made so much stronger the intrusions of Charon’s Claw.Drizzt jumped back, using his anklets to buy him some room, and called out to Artemis Entreri, “Do you remember when we two fought side by side beneath the chambers of the dwarven halls?”Entreri, fast in pursuit, stutter-stepped and seemed torn for just a moment.Drizzt didn’t back down, and met the assassin’s attacks with a series of blocks and deflections and dodges, and in the midst of that encounter, emphatically reiterated, “Do you remember when we two fought side by side beneath the chambers of the dwarven halls?”No hesitation at all by Entreri, no look of doubt in his eye.The heat of battle worked against Drizzt.In his own distraction as he considered this revelation, Drizzt suddenly found himself pressed hard.He thrust out Icingdeath, only to have Entreri roll his sword over it, drive it out wide to Drizzt’s right, then press forward with a thrust of that sword.Drizzt’s only block came with Twinkle, and the heavy collision of blades sent a shiver of agony through his torn shoulder.Entreri did not relent, and moved out to Drizzt’s left, forcing him to keep using that blade, that injured arm, to defeat blow after heavy blow.Drizzt stumbled and tried to turn even with the man, to bring Icingdeath more into play, but Entreri countered every movement and struck again, and again.Drizzt could hardly feel the scimitar in his left hand, and stubbornly told himself to hold on.
|
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dnd415
|
Finally he got his right arm across enough to pick off that thrusting sword, but even as he took some satisfaction in the block, he came to realize that it, too, was a feint, that in that fleeting moment, Entreri managed to get his dirk up and under the upraised Twinkle.With a flick of his wrist, the assassin sent the blade flying from Drizzt’s hand.Now he pressed Drizzt ferociously, but the drow met him and more with Icingdeath.Surprisingly, freed of the blade, or more pointedly, freed from the pain of holding the blade, Drizzt tucked his left arm and found new energy, enough to beat back the assault, and even to work his remaining scimitar into strikes that put Entreri back on his heels.His elation proved short-lived, though, as he saw Dahlia go flying into the air before him.He glanced back to call for Guenhwyvar, only to discover that the panther was many, many strides away then, across the square at the end of the bridge.And worse, now other Shadovar loomed there, closing in!He couldn’t possibly defeat Entreri in time to get to Dahlia, if he could defeat Entreri at all, which he doubted, for the blood continued to flow from his shoulder and the pain continued to wear at him.He had found a temporary respite, and nothing more.And even if he somehow managed to beat Entreri, it would come far too late for Dahlia.He jumped back.“Are you Artemis Entreri or Barrabus the Gray?” he cried.The pursuing assassin straightened as if slapped.But again it was only a temporary reprieve.Drizzt leaped back again and sprinted away, and Entreri went in pursuit.He had bought the distance he needed, but now Drizzt needed to find the courage to execute his last hope.In that eye-blink of time, his mind whirled through all that he knew of Artemis Entreri, of the man’s capture of Catti-brie, of fighting against him and fighting beside him.In the end, though, it came down to the simple truth that Drizzt had no choice.For Dahlia’s sake, for Guenhwyvar’s sake, Drizzt had no choice.He dropped Icingdeath to the stone and held his arms out wide before the approaching killer.“Are you Artemis Entreri or Barrabus the Gray?” he yelled again.“Free man or slave?”The assassin kept coming.“Free man or slave?” Drizzt yelled, and it sounded almost like a cry of final despair in Drizzt’s ears as his tone turned to a near-shriek, as the assassin’s sword came in fast for his heart.Every swing of that red-bladed sword had Dahlia moving desperately, diving aside, ducking or leaping.He was laughing at her.Herzgo Alegni, her rapist, her mother’s murderer, laughed at her.She kept slapping her flails together between blocks, during dives and leaps, trying to build a powerful charge, trying to find something, anything, to bring this foul tiefling to his knees.The sword slashed down at her left, then up and over and down past her right side, and both cuts filled their path with a veil of black ash.Dahlia went forward, even managing a slight strike on Alegni by flicking her wrist and throwing one flail out straight before her.It hardly bothered him, though, and he rushed aside, his sword slashing every which way, bringing in veils of ash.“You are alone, little girl,” he taunted, and Dahlia understood that he was creating the ash fields not for any tactical advantage, but simply to add to her sense of despair.Was he giving her a chance, she wondered?Was he shaping the battlefield to better suit her advantages of speed and agility?She burst through a hanging sheet of ash, diving down low, then leaped up through a second one, and there Alegni stood before her, but not facing her directly.She rushed in, flails spinning, striking, one after another.But his single elbow jab as he turned weighed more heavily on Dahlia than her handful of strikes had inflicted on him, and once more she found herself bursting through sheets of hanging ash, but this time involuntarily, launched yet again through the air.She landed in a roll and came up once more right before the railing of the bridge, turning and setting herself for the incoming Alegni, preparing her stance to send her out to the right or left as needed.But she couldn’t see him behind the remaining ash walls.She took a deep breath, or started to until she felt the sharp pain that doubled her over.She knew then that she had a broken rib.She knew then, once more, that she could not win.Drizzt Do’Urden hardly dared to breathe.“Free man or slave?” he asked in a whisper, Entreri’s deadly sword touching his chest and with no way for him to prevent the assassin from plunging it into his heart.He saw the struggle on Entreri’s face.“Are you Artemis Entreri or Barrabus the Gray?” Drizzt asked.Entreri winced.“I know you.I remember you,” said Drizzt.“Deny the call of Herzgo Alegni.No mere sword can control you; no artifact can steal that which is yours.”“How long have I wanted to kill you,” the assassin stated, and Drizzt recognized that he was trying to justify that which the sword compelled him to do.“And yet you paused, because you know the truth,” Drizzt countered.“Is this how you would kill me?Is this what would satisfy Artemis Entreri?”The assassin grimaced.“Or would it, instead, perpetuate Barrabus the Gray?” Drizzt asked.Entreri spun away, and Drizzt nearly swooned with relief.And disbelief, for before him, shaking his head with every stride, Artemis Entreri walked up the bridge expanse, sword and dagger turning over in his hands, determinedly toward Herzgo Alegni and the maze of ash walls.The drow started to follow, and only then did he understand how badly he had been wounded, how badly that wound had drained him, for he stumbled down to one knee and had to fight hard to collect his balance.The warlock didn’t even fully materialize—to do so would have given Guenhwyvar the certain kill.He faded straight back into the stone and came up far away, running for the Shadovar reinforcements, flailing his good arm, his broken one swinging of its own accord, and crying out to Glorfathel to help him.Guenhwyvar had sprung away as soon as her claws screeched on the empty stones once more, and had leaped back the other way, toward the bridge.In mid-flight, she heard the warlock’s cries, far back the other way, and knew that she had guessed wrong.And now before her knelt Drizzt, wounded, and perhaps mortally, it seemed, for Artemis Entreri had left him there.To die?He thought of the days of his youth, running the streets of Calimport—running freely because he was respected, even feared.He was feared because of a reputation earned, because he was Artemis Entreri.That was before Barrabus, before the betrayal of Jarlaxle and the enslavement by Charon’s Claw.Rarely could Artemis Entreri recall those days now, particularly when he was around Alegni and that awful sword.
|
Finally he got his right arm across enough to pick off that thrusting sword, but even as he took some satisfaction in the block, he came to realize that it, too, was a feint, that in that fleeting moment, Entreri managed to get his dirk up and under the upraised Twinkle.With a flick of his wrist, the assassin sent the blade flying from Drizzt’s hand.Now he pressed Drizzt ferociously, but the drow met him and more with Icingdeath.Surprisingly, freed of the blade, or more pointedly, freed from the pain of holding the blade, Drizzt tucked his left arm and found new energy, enough to beat back the assault, and even to work his remaining scimitar into strikes that put Entreri back on his heels.His elation proved short-lived, though, as he saw Dahlia go flying into the air before him.He glanced back to call for Guenhwyvar, only to discover that the panther was many, many strides away then, across the square at the end of the bridge.And worse, now other Shadovar loomed there, closing in!He couldn’t possibly defeat Entreri in time to get to Dahlia, if he could defeat Entreri at all, which he doubted, for the blood continued to flow from his shoulder and the pain continued to wear at him.He had found a temporary respite, and nothing more.And even if he somehow managed to beat Entreri, it would come far too late for Dahlia.He jumped back.“Are you Artemis Entreri or Barrabus the Gray?” he cried.The pursuing assassin straightened as if slapped.But again it was only a temporary reprieve.Drizzt leaped back again and sprinted away, and Entreri went in pursuit.He had bought the distance he needed, but now Drizzt needed to find the courage to execute his last hope.In that eye-blink of time, his mind whirled through all that he knew of Artemis Entreri, of the man’s capture of Catti-brie, of fighting against him and fighting beside him.In the end, though, it came down to the simple truth that Drizzt had no choice.For Dahlia’s sake, for Guenhwyvar’s sake, Drizzt had no choice.He dropped Icingdeath to the stone and held his arms out wide before the approaching killer.“Are you Artemis Entreri or Barrabus the Gray?” he yelled again.“Free man or slave?”The assassin kept coming.“Free man or slave?” Drizzt yelled, and it sounded almost like a cry of final despair in Drizzt’s ears as his tone turned to a near-shriek, as the assassin’s sword came in fast for his heart.Every swing of that red-bladed sword had Dahlia moving desperately, diving aside, ducking or leaping.He was laughing at her.Herzgo Alegni, her rapist, her mother’s murderer, laughed at her.She kept slapping her flails together between blocks, during dives and leaps, trying to build a powerful charge, trying to find something, anything, to bring this foul tiefling to his knees.The sword slashed down at her left, then up and over and down past her right side, and both cuts filled their path with a veil of black ash.Dahlia went forward, even managing a slight strike on Alegni by flicking her wrist and throwing one flail out straight before her.It hardly bothered him, though, and he rushed aside, his sword slashing every which way, bringing in veils of ash.“You are alone, little girl,” he taunted, and Dahlia understood that he was creating the ash fields not for any tactical advantage, but simply to add to her sense of despair.Was he giving her a chance, she wondered?Was he shaping the battlefield to better suit her advantages of speed and agility?She burst through a hanging sheet of ash, diving down low, then leaped up through a second one, and there Alegni stood before her, but not facing her directly.She rushed in, flails spinning, striking, one after another.But his single elbow jab as he turned weighed more heavily on Dahlia than her handful of strikes had inflicted on him, and once more she found herself bursting through sheets of hanging ash, but this time involuntarily, launched yet again through the air.She landed in a roll and came up once more right before the railing of the bridge, turning and setting herself for the incoming Alegni, preparing her stance to send her out to the right or left as needed.But she couldn’t see him behind the remaining ash walls.She took a deep breath, or started to until she felt the sharp pain that doubled her over.She knew then that she had a broken rib.She knew then, once more, that she could not win.Drizzt Do’Urden hardly dared to breathe.“Free man or slave?” he asked in a whisper, Entreri’s deadly sword touching his chest and with no way for him to prevent the assassin from plunging it into his heart.He saw the struggle on Entreri’s face.“Are you Artemis Entreri or Barrabus the Gray?” Drizzt asked.Entreri winced.“I know you.I remember you,” said Drizzt.“Deny the call of Herzgo Alegni.No mere sword can control you; no artifact can steal that which is yours.”“How long have I wanted to kill you,” the assassin stated, and Drizzt recognized that he was trying to justify that which the sword compelled him to do.“And yet you paused, because you know the truth,” Drizzt countered.“Is this how you would kill me?Is this what would satisfy Artemis Entreri?”The assassin grimaced.“Or would it, instead, perpetuate Barrabus the Gray?” Drizzt asked.Entreri spun away, and Drizzt nearly swooned with relief.And disbelief, for before him, shaking his head with every stride, Artemis Entreri walked up the bridge expanse, sword and dagger turning over in his hands, determinedly toward Herzgo Alegni and the maze of ash walls.The drow started to follow, and only then did he understand how badly he had been wounded, how badly that wound had drained him, for he stumbled down to one knee and had to fight hard to collect his balance.The warlock didn’t even fully materialize—to do so would have given Guenhwyvar the certain kill.He faded straight back into the stone and came up far away, running for the Shadovar reinforcements, flailing his good arm, his broken one swinging of its own accord, and crying out to Glorfathel to help him.Guenhwyvar had sprung away as soon as her claws screeched on the empty stones once more, and had leaped back the other way, toward the bridge.In mid-flight, she heard the warlock’s cries, far back the other way, and knew that she had guessed wrong.And now before her knelt Drizzt, wounded, and perhaps mortally, it seemed, for Artemis Entreri had left him there.To die?He thought of the days of his youth, running the streets of Calimport—running freely because he was respected, even feared.He was feared because of a reputation earned, because he was Artemis Entreri.That was before Barrabus, before the betrayal of Jarlaxle and the enslavement by Charon’s Claw.Rarely could Artemis Entreri recall those days now, particularly when he was around Alegni and that awful sword.
|
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dnd416
|
Claw wouldn’t allow it.Claw had told him to kill Drizzt.Now Claw insisted that he turn around and kill Drizzt.His steps came more slowly.He couldn’t believe that he had denied the intrusion this long, but even pausing to be incredulous at that thought cost him ground.In a daring move, Entreri had allowed the citizens of Neverwinter to name this bridge “The Walk of Barrabus.” How that had infuriated Herzgo Alegni!And how Alegni had punished him for his insolence!Punished him through the sword.He remembered that pain keenly now.He used that memory of pure agony in a manner opposite its intent.The punishment had been to warn him, but now Entreri used it to reinforce his hatred of Claw and of Alegni, and most of all, to reinforce his ultimate hatred … of Barrabus the Gray.“The Walk of Barrabus,” he whispered aloud.“The Walk of Barrabus.”He transformed those four words into his litany, a reminder of the agony Alegni had inflicted upon him, and a reminder of the man he used to be.Claw screamed protests in his head.He shook with every step.But Artemis Entreri said, “The Walk of Barrabus,” and stubbornly put one foot in front of the other.He burst through the ash wall, sword stabbing and slashing with power and abandon, and had Dahlia not guessed perfectly, rolling aside at the last possible second, she surely would have been cut down.Alegni pursued, creating more visual barriers as he went, laughing at her, mocking her, certain that he was fast cornering her.Dahlia couldn’t disagree, particularly when she rolled through one ash wall to slam hard into the bridge rail, for she was closer to the edge than she had believed.Through the cloud of swirling blackness she had left behind, she noted the confident approach of Alegni.Too close!She glanced left and right, looking for an out, and on that turn to her left, the woman noted a curious sight.Her gaze apparently tipped off Alegni, as well, for as she rose to her feet, now looking back at the man, she saw that he, too, was glancing that way.“Barrabus?” he asked, and his voice showed a lack of confidence that Dahlia had not heard before.The elf leaped to her feet, thinking an opportunity before her, but Alegni turned on her immediately and rushed in.She couldn’t hope to dive out to the left, nor to the right, nor could Dahlia begin to parry or block the mighty tiefling with her back against the rail.So Dahlia took the only course remaining: she jumped over the rail.Alegni charged in and swept his blade across as Dahlia fell away, then growled in anger at his clean miss.The river was low, so late in the autumn season, the fall considerable, the jagged rocks plentiful, and her desperate escape would likely be the end of her, he knew.But that seemed an empty victory indeed, considering the pain and torture he had intended to inflict on Dahlia.Perhaps his minions might find her alive, he dared hope, and they could nurse her back to health enough for him to play with her.He dismissed all thoughts of Dahlia at that, and turned on Barrabus.Barrabus!No, not Barrabus the Gray, but Artemis Entreri, he realized as Claw informed him that the foolish man was somehow resisting.“Impressive,” he said loudly enough for the man to hear.Artemis Entreri did not acknowledge the words, but merely kept walking, head and gaze steady, his lips forming some words, some mantra, that Alegni could not quite catch.Herzgo Alegni reached to his belt and produced the tuning fork.“You should rethink your course,” he warned.Artemis Entreri roared and leaped forward in a sudden rush.Alegni banged the fork against the blade, the vibrations sending forth the bared power of Charon’s Claw.How close Entreri came!Barely a stride away, the wave hit him and stopped him, as if every muscle in his body was suddenly on fire.He staggered, he growled, he managed to spit “The Walk of Barrabus!” one last time before he found himself on his knees.“Oh, a pity,” Alegni teased, and he snarled and cracked the fork against the metal blade again.Entreri grimaced, veins standing clear on his forehead as he battled the disrupting energy.He almost fell to the stones—it seemed so much like that time when Alegni had heard of the bridge’s intended name!But he didn’t fall flat.Not this time.The waves would likely destroy him in his stubbornness, but he didn’t care.He knelt and he even managed to look up at Alegni, to let the man see his hate-filled eyes, to let the man know that he was not Barrabus!He was Artemis Entreri, and he was a slave no longer!Herzgo Alegni’s eyes went wide then as he considered the sight before him.Entreri could not break free of the physical pain prison enacted by Claw, perhaps, but the man had resisted the mental entrapment.The man had resisted.“Ah, you fool,” Alegni said, deep regret in his voice.“I can never trust in you again.Take heart, for you have found your freedom, and your death.”Herzgo Alegni knew that he was losing the best associate he had ever commanded, and it pained him greatly, but he knew, too, that Barra—Entreri, had at last found his way through the maze of Claw’s machinations.Indeed, he could never trust this one again.He stepped forward.Entreri tried to lift a sword against him, but Alegni easily kicked it from his grasp.Then he banged the tuning fork once more and the waves of agony knocked the dagger, too, from Entreri’s hand.Alegni grabbed Entreri by the hair and roughly pulled his head aside.Up went Claw.At the end of the bridge, Drizzt Do’Urden watched it all helplessly.
|
Claw wouldn’t allow it.Claw had told him to kill Drizzt.Now Claw insisted that he turn around and kill Drizzt.His steps came more slowly.He couldn’t believe that he had denied the intrusion this long, but even pausing to be incredulous at that thought cost him ground.In a daring move, Entreri had allowed the citizens of Neverwinter to name this bridge “The Walk of Barrabus.” How that had infuriated Herzgo Alegni!And how Alegni had punished him for his insolence!Punished him through the sword.He remembered that pain keenly now.He used that memory of pure agony in a manner opposite its intent.The punishment had been to warn him, but now Entreri used it to reinforce his hatred of Claw and of Alegni, and most of all, to reinforce his ultimate hatred … of Barrabus the Gray.“The Walk of Barrabus,” he whispered aloud.“The Walk of Barrabus.”He transformed those four words into his litany, a reminder of the agony Alegni had inflicted upon him, and a reminder of the man he used to be.Claw screamed protests in his head.He shook with every step.But Artemis Entreri said, “The Walk of Barrabus,” and stubbornly put one foot in front of the other.He burst through the ash wall, sword stabbing and slashing with power and abandon, and had Dahlia not guessed perfectly, rolling aside at the last possible second, she surely would have been cut down.Alegni pursued, creating more visual barriers as he went, laughing at her, mocking her, certain that he was fast cornering her.Dahlia couldn’t disagree, particularly when she rolled through one ash wall to slam hard into the bridge rail, for she was closer to the edge than she had believed.Through the cloud of swirling blackness she had left behind, she noted the confident approach of Alegni.Too close!She glanced left and right, looking for an out, and on that turn to her left, the woman noted a curious sight.Her gaze apparently tipped off Alegni, as well, for as she rose to her feet, now looking back at the man, she saw that he, too, was glancing that way.“Barrabus?” he asked, and his voice showed a lack of confidence that Dahlia had not heard before.The elf leaped to her feet, thinking an opportunity before her, but Alegni turned on her immediately and rushed in.She couldn’t hope to dive out to the left, nor to the right, nor could Dahlia begin to parry or block the mighty tiefling with her back against the rail.So Dahlia took the only course remaining: she jumped over the rail.Alegni charged in and swept his blade across as Dahlia fell away, then growled in anger at his clean miss.The river was low, so late in the autumn season, the fall considerable, the jagged rocks plentiful, and her desperate escape would likely be the end of her, he knew.But that seemed an empty victory indeed, considering the pain and torture he had intended to inflict on Dahlia.Perhaps his minions might find her alive, he dared hope, and they could nurse her back to health enough for him to play with her.He dismissed all thoughts of Dahlia at that, and turned on Barrabus.Barrabus!No, not Barrabus the Gray, but Artemis Entreri, he realized as Claw informed him that the foolish man was somehow resisting.“Impressive,” he said loudly enough for the man to hear.Artemis Entreri did not acknowledge the words, but merely kept walking, head and gaze steady, his lips forming some words, some mantra, that Alegni could not quite catch.Herzgo Alegni reached to his belt and produced the tuning fork.“You should rethink your course,” he warned.Artemis Entreri roared and leaped forward in a sudden rush.Alegni banged the fork against the blade, the vibrations sending forth the bared power of Charon’s Claw.How close Entreri came!Barely a stride away, the wave hit him and stopped him, as if every muscle in his body was suddenly on fire.He staggered, he growled, he managed to spit “The Walk of Barrabus!” one last time before he found himself on his knees.“Oh, a pity,” Alegni teased, and he snarled and cracked the fork against the metal blade again.Entreri grimaced, veins standing clear on his forehead as he battled the disrupting energy.He almost fell to the stones—it seemed so much like that time when Alegni had heard of the bridge’s intended name!But he didn’t fall flat.Not this time.The waves would likely destroy him in his stubbornness, but he didn’t care.He knelt and he even managed to look up at Alegni, to let the man see his hate-filled eyes, to let the man know that he was not Barrabus!He was Artemis Entreri, and he was a slave no longer!Herzgo Alegni’s eyes went wide then as he considered the sight before him.Entreri could not break free of the physical pain prison enacted by Claw, perhaps, but the man had resisted the mental entrapment.The man had resisted.“Ah, you fool,” Alegni said, deep regret in his voice.“I can never trust in you again.Take heart, for you have found your freedom, and your death.”Herzgo Alegni knew that he was losing the best associate he had ever commanded, and it pained him greatly, but he knew, too, that Barra—Entreri, had at last found his way through the maze of Claw’s machinations.Indeed, he could never trust this one again.He stepped forward.Entreri tried to lift a sword against him, but Alegni easily kicked it from his grasp.Then he banged the tuning fork once more and the waves of agony knocked the dagger, too, from Entreri’s hand.Alegni grabbed Entreri by the hair and roughly pulled his head aside.Up went Claw.At the end of the bridge, Drizzt Do’Urden watched it all helplessly.
|
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] |
dnd417
|
He did not know what had happened to Dahlia, only that she was gone, for his view had been obscured by walls of floating ash.But he could clearly see the end of Artemis Entreri as the red blade went up high.A strange sensation of deep regret came over Drizzt.He was alone again?No, not alone, he realized as Guenhwyvar, battered but still very animated and obviously angry, bounded up to him.“Go!” he yelled, pushing the cat along, and surely hope sprang anew within him, but when he turned back up the bridge, he knew that it was too late.“Kill the Shadovar!” he ordered.“Kill him, Guen!”The recognition that this would be mere vengeance, though, for surely Entreri was doomed and Dahlia nowhere to be seen, and likely already dead or gravely wounded, filled Drizzt with anger, and that rage brought strength back to the torn drow and he forced himself to stand.Herzgo Alegni saw the cat coming fast, but he kept his concentration—Entreri was too dangerous for distraction!He twisted the assassin’s head farther as Claw went up, opening an easy target, and down came the blade.Almost.A shadow appeared on the ground beneath them, and before Alegni could even register it, a great form crashed up against him, a giant raven, battering him with its wings and pecking him hard—right in the eye!—with its powerful beak.He staggered to the side and thrust his sword out before him to fend the beast, but then it was a beast no more, but an elf warrior.A young elf woman.And in her hands, Dahlia held not a long staff, and not flails, but a tri-staff, spinning and sparking with power, and before the hulking tiefling could properly orient himself, she was before him, then beside him, striking him hard across the fingers with the handle-pole of her weapon.The tri-staff swung down and under, then back up again with its third length, that last pole nearly clipping him in the face and forcing him even farther off balance.Dahlia didn’t pursue.She ran directly away from him and tugged with all of her strength, and the tri-staff unwound, Kozah’s Needle releasing its considerable lightning energy at that very moment, and the force of the twist and the blast tore Claw from Alegni’s grasp and sent the sword flying high over the far rail of the bridge.Herzgo Alegni roared in protest, and leaped upon her, catching her by her skinny throat and squeezing with all his strength.But then he felt a profound sting as a spinning dagger caught him in the gut, and he noted the betrayer, Entreri, picking his sword from the bridge stones.And past that formidable enemy came another, the panther, up in the air and flying down from on high.Alegni threw Dahlia down to the stone, but there was nowhere to run.So Herzgo Alegni didn’t run.He stepped instead.Shadow-stepped.Guenhwyvar hit him halfway through, and went with him through the gate into the Shadowfell.WHAT PRICE FREEDOM?WE SHOULD HAVE GONE IN EARLIER,” GLORFATHEL THE WIZARD LAMENTED as the battle on the bridge turned sour.He started forward, but a strong dwarf hand grabbed his shoulder.He turned to regard Ambergris.“Nay, it’s as I telled ye it’d be, and if ye went in, all ye’d’ve done is get us all killed to death,” Ambergris replied.“Townsfolk’re watchin’, don’t ye doubt!”Glorfathel glanced around, and indeed, most shutters around the area were open, a bit at least.“As I telled ye,” the dwarf said, and she pointed to a distant street corner, where some townsfolk—armed townsfolk—had gathered.“They’re smellin’ their freedom and coming to take it.”“Draygo Quick will not be pleased.”“Less pleased if ye lose half yer force.Lord Alegni choosed his own course, always.He demanded the fight and he got it.” The dwarf looked up the bridge just as the panther leaped upon Alegni.“Oo,” the dwarf groaned.“Aye, he got it!”Glorfathel considered his Cavus Dun cohort and nodded.Artemis Entreri straightened immediately, his pain gone, his enslavement broken.He staggered back from the receding mists of Alegni and Guenhwyvar, trying to sort it all out, trying to regain his composure.No such ambivalence slowed Dahlia.She leaped back from the bridge stones, ignoring the cuts and bruises, and threw herself with abandon at the spot where Alegni had been, thrashing the air with helpless fury, and crying out for the tiefling to “Die!”A cry of “Guenhwyvar!” from back down the bridge turned Entreri, to see Drizzt stumbling toward him, the onyx figurine in one hand.Entreri grew concerned—that Drizzt might come for him after his earlier betrayal.But any thoughts about the drow did not hold for the assassin, for the sight beyond Drizzt demanded his attention.“Dahlia,” he said somberly.“Dahlia, the fight isn’t over.”Beyond the bridge in the square stood Effron, his twisted form shaking with outrage.And next to him loomed the Shadovar forces, five-score and more.“Dahlia!” he said again, more insistently, and she at last paused in her furious outburst to notice him.“I will kill every one of them,” she promised under her breath.“Get your unicorn, drow,” Entreri remarked, and he produced the enchanted token that would bring his nightmare steed to his call.
|
He did not know what had happened to Dahlia, only that she was gone, for his view had been obscured by walls of floating ash.But he could clearly see the end of Artemis Entreri as the red blade went up high.A strange sensation of deep regret came over Drizzt.He was alone again?No, not alone, he realized as Guenhwyvar, battered but still very animated and obviously angry, bounded up to him.“Go!” he yelled, pushing the cat along, and surely hope sprang anew within him, but when he turned back up the bridge, he knew that it was too late.“Kill the Shadovar!” he ordered.“Kill him, Guen!”The recognition that this would be mere vengeance, though, for surely Entreri was doomed and Dahlia nowhere to be seen, and likely already dead or gravely wounded, filled Drizzt with anger, and that rage brought strength back to the torn drow and he forced himself to stand.Herzgo Alegni saw the cat coming fast, but he kept his concentration—Entreri was too dangerous for distraction!He twisted the assassin’s head farther as Claw went up, opening an easy target, and down came the blade.Almost.A shadow appeared on the ground beneath them, and before Alegni could even register it, a great form crashed up against him, a giant raven, battering him with its wings and pecking him hard—right in the eye!—with its powerful beak.He staggered to the side and thrust his sword out before him to fend the beast, but then it was a beast no more, but an elf warrior.A young elf woman.And in her hands, Dahlia held not a long staff, and not flails, but a tri-staff, spinning and sparking with power, and before the hulking tiefling could properly orient himself, she was before him, then beside him, striking him hard across the fingers with the handle-pole of her weapon.The tri-staff swung down and under, then back up again with its third length, that last pole nearly clipping him in the face and forcing him even farther off balance.Dahlia didn’t pursue.She ran directly away from him and tugged with all of her strength, and the tri-staff unwound, Kozah’s Needle releasing its considerable lightning energy at that very moment, and the force of the twist and the blast tore Claw from Alegni’s grasp and sent the sword flying high over the far rail of the bridge.Herzgo Alegni roared in protest, and leaped upon her, catching her by her skinny throat and squeezing with all his strength.But then he felt a profound sting as a spinning dagger caught him in the gut, and he noted the betrayer, Entreri, picking his sword from the bridge stones.And past that formidable enemy came another, the panther, up in the air and flying down from on high.Alegni threw Dahlia down to the stone, but there was nowhere to run.So Herzgo Alegni didn’t run.He stepped instead.Shadow-stepped.Guenhwyvar hit him halfway through, and went with him through the gate into the Shadowfell.WHAT PRICE FREEDOM?WE SHOULD HAVE GONE IN EARLIER,” GLORFATHEL THE WIZARD LAMENTED as the battle on the bridge turned sour.He started forward, but a strong dwarf hand grabbed his shoulder.He turned to regard Ambergris.“Nay, it’s as I telled ye it’d be, and if ye went in, all ye’d’ve done is get us all killed to death,” Ambergris replied.“Townsfolk’re watchin’, don’t ye doubt!”Glorfathel glanced around, and indeed, most shutters around the area were open, a bit at least.“As I telled ye,” the dwarf said, and she pointed to a distant street corner, where some townsfolk—armed townsfolk—had gathered.“They’re smellin’ their freedom and coming to take it.”“Draygo Quick will not be pleased.”“Less pleased if ye lose half yer force.Lord Alegni choosed his own course, always.He demanded the fight and he got it.” The dwarf looked up the bridge just as the panther leaped upon Alegni.“Oo,” the dwarf groaned.“Aye, he got it!”Glorfathel considered his Cavus Dun cohort and nodded.Artemis Entreri straightened immediately, his pain gone, his enslavement broken.He staggered back from the receding mists of Alegni and Guenhwyvar, trying to sort it all out, trying to regain his composure.No such ambivalence slowed Dahlia.She leaped back from the bridge stones, ignoring the cuts and bruises, and threw herself with abandon at the spot where Alegni had been, thrashing the air with helpless fury, and crying out for the tiefling to “Die!”A cry of “Guenhwyvar!” from back down the bridge turned Entreri, to see Drizzt stumbling toward him, the onyx figurine in one hand.Entreri grew concerned—that Drizzt might come for him after his earlier betrayal.But any thoughts about the drow did not hold for the assassin, for the sight beyond Drizzt demanded his attention.“Dahlia,” he said somberly.“Dahlia, the fight isn’t over.”Beyond the bridge in the square stood Effron, his twisted form shaking with outrage.And next to him loomed the Shadovar forces, five-score and more.“Dahlia!” he said again, more insistently, and she at last paused in her furious outburst to notice him.“I will kill every one of them,” she promised under her breath.“Get your unicorn, drow,” Entreri remarked, and he produced the enchanted token that would bring his nightmare steed to his call.
|
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dnd418
|
As Drizzt slowed to regard him, he pointed past the ranger.Drizzt looked over his shoulder, then back at Entreri, showing the man the onyx figurine.Truly Drizzt seemed a broken person in that moment, a flash of hopelessness evident against the mask of stoicism he typically wore.“We have to go,” Entreri said.Drizzt didn’t move, just looked at the statuette.“Later,” Entreri promised.Drizzt finally nodded and reached for his whistle, but paused and asked, “The sword?” and ran to the side of the bridge.“Take Dahlia with you!” he instructed.“I will meet you in Neverwinter Wood!”And with that, Drizzt sprinted along toward the far end of the bridge, then went over the rail and dropped from sight.“I will take myself,” Dahlia growled, and she threw her cape up over her head and became a giant raven, then issued a great cawing cry to those approaching Shadovar, a cackle of challenge.“Just flee, you idiot,” Entreri said to her, and he threw down his token and brought forth his nightmare steed.He gathered his sword and leaped onto the hell horse’s back.He reflexively looked for his dagger for just a moment, before taking satisfaction in the memory of his throw, in knowing that his dagger had gone to the Shadowfell with Alegni, had gone to the Shadowfell lodged in Herzgo Alegni’s gut.“Perhaps you should ride with me,” Dahlia the Crow said, her voice sharper and more brusque in tone in that bird form.As she spoke, she indicated the far end of the bridge, and the host of Shadovar gathering there, as well.“It would seem that Herzgo Alegni has ultimately trapped us and not the other way around.”Artemis Entreri ignored that last remark, considering his options.He could get into the river safely with the nightmare easing the fall, as it had done in leaping out of Sylora Salm’s treelike tower.Or he could indeed go with Dahlia—but did he trust that she would actually fly away?Her rage bordered on insanity.The way she had thrown herself at Alegni, the spittle in her every word now … there was something more here, some profound scar that Entreri had not yet deciphered.But one that seemed all too familiar to the man.He was about to dismiss his mount and fly off with Dahlia when the decision was made for him, for in the square back the way they had come, a great commotion arose, a blowing of horns and cries of battle.Both Entreri and Dahlia turned around to witness the spectacle, as on came the citizens of Neverwinter, Jelvus Grinch at their lead, weapons bared and fists pumping.“Revolt,” Entreri mouthed.He turned back to Dahlia, but she was already away, taking flight and soaring for the battle.Entreri kicked his nightmare into a gallop, fiery hooves clicking loudly on the bridge stones.Perhaps Herzgo Alegni’s final moments had escaped him, but more importantly, he had escaped Herzgo Alegni!Effron glanced around in shock as the folk of Neverwinter descended upon the square, tearing into the flanks of his force before they even understood that an enemy was upon them.How could the citizens have known of this moment?How could they have been so prepared to seize this unexpected opportunity?It made no sense to him.He surveyed the scene, trying to gauge whether he could lead the Shadovar to victory.Then he noted the approach of the crow—of Dahlia!—and with that dangerous assassin close behind.And there was that drow, standing on a stone in the low river, picking his way to the edge of the bridge abutment and carrying Alegni’s sword.Too many variables, he thought, shaking his head.Too much chaos and unpredictability.He looked at the giant crow, now descending his way, and he so badly wanted to lash out at her with his magic.But that wretched panther had taken so much out of him.Effron stepped into the shadows, back to the Shadowfell.The wizard Glorfathel glanced to the dwarf at his side.“Not worth the losses,” Ambergris said.“Draygo’ll be waiting to hear yer explaining.”Glorfathel agreed with a nod, then motioned to the other Shadovar nobles, the commanders of this force, offering his permission.Only Netherese nobles and warriors of high standing had been granted the shadowstep, but those who possessed the ability used it, and they were, invariably, the leaders of the various brigades, the commanders and the champions.The commoner shades left behind found themselves sorely outnumbered and disorganized—and battling a group of hardy folk who were fighting for their homes.And on came the man many knew as Barrabus, once their leading champion, and now cutting them down with abandon.And on came Dahlia, once their opposing champion, sometimes a ferocious giant crow, other times the elf warrior they had once and still so greatly feared.Had Alegni prevailed on the bridge, the city would be theirs.Had Effron and the others not fled, they might have had a chance.Glorfathel recalled Draygo Quick’s instructions, and the decision was not a difficult one.He didn’t shadowstep, as had Effron, but instead enacted a gate in the middle of the square, a purplish-black glowing door inviting his charges to flee the battle.“Meself’ll call ’em in,” Ambergris assured him.At that point, Glorfathel hardly seemed to care, and indeed, he was the first to use his dimensional gate.But certainly not the last.Many shades died, many fled through the gate or even out over the city’s walls, and many others, particularly those on the far side of the bridge, surrendered as the battle of Neverwinter quickly became a rout.Fighting on the side of the Neverwinter garrison was Amber Gristle O’Maul, of the Adbar O’Mauls, for with a simple roll of one of the black pearls on her enchanted string of pearls, the dwarf had turned the appearance of shadowstuff into the dirt of the road.She knew who would win, obviously, and Ambergris always preferred to be on the winning side.In the middle of the battle stood Arunika, sword in hand.
|
As Drizzt slowed to regard him, he pointed past the ranger.Drizzt looked over his shoulder, then back at Entreri, showing the man the onyx figurine.Truly Drizzt seemed a broken person in that moment, a flash of hopelessness evident against the mask of stoicism he typically wore.“We have to go,” Entreri said.Drizzt didn’t move, just looked at the statuette.“Later,” Entreri promised.Drizzt finally nodded and reached for his whistle, but paused and asked, “The sword?” and ran to the side of the bridge.“Take Dahlia with you!” he instructed.“I will meet you in Neverwinter Wood!”And with that, Drizzt sprinted along toward the far end of the bridge, then went over the rail and dropped from sight.“I will take myself,” Dahlia growled, and she threw her cape up over her head and became a giant raven, then issued a great cawing cry to those approaching Shadovar, a cackle of challenge.“Just flee, you idiot,” Entreri said to her, and he threw down his token and brought forth his nightmare steed.He gathered his sword and leaped onto the hell horse’s back.He reflexively looked for his dagger for just a moment, before taking satisfaction in the memory of his throw, in knowing that his dagger had gone to the Shadowfell with Alegni, had gone to the Shadowfell lodged in Herzgo Alegni’s gut.“Perhaps you should ride with me,” Dahlia the Crow said, her voice sharper and more brusque in tone in that bird form.As she spoke, she indicated the far end of the bridge, and the host of Shadovar gathering there, as well.“It would seem that Herzgo Alegni has ultimately trapped us and not the other way around.”Artemis Entreri ignored that last remark, considering his options.He could get into the river safely with the nightmare easing the fall, as it had done in leaping out of Sylora Salm’s treelike tower.Or he could indeed go with Dahlia—but did he trust that she would actually fly away?Her rage bordered on insanity.The way she had thrown herself at Alegni, the spittle in her every word now … there was something more here, some profound scar that Entreri had not yet deciphered.But one that seemed all too familiar to the man.He was about to dismiss his mount and fly off with Dahlia when the decision was made for him, for in the square back the way they had come, a great commotion arose, a blowing of horns and cries of battle.Both Entreri and Dahlia turned around to witness the spectacle, as on came the citizens of Neverwinter, Jelvus Grinch at their lead, weapons bared and fists pumping.“Revolt,” Entreri mouthed.He turned back to Dahlia, but she was already away, taking flight and soaring for the battle.Entreri kicked his nightmare into a gallop, fiery hooves clicking loudly on the bridge stones.Perhaps Herzgo Alegni’s final moments had escaped him, but more importantly, he had escaped Herzgo Alegni!Effron glanced around in shock as the folk of Neverwinter descended upon the square, tearing into the flanks of his force before they even understood that an enemy was upon them.How could the citizens have known of this moment?How could they have been so prepared to seize this unexpected opportunity?It made no sense to him.He surveyed the scene, trying to gauge whether he could lead the Shadovar to victory.Then he noted the approach of the crow—of Dahlia!—and with that dangerous assassin close behind.And there was that drow, standing on a stone in the low river, picking his way to the edge of the bridge abutment and carrying Alegni’s sword.Too many variables, he thought, shaking his head.Too much chaos and unpredictability.He looked at the giant crow, now descending his way, and he so badly wanted to lash out at her with his magic.But that wretched panther had taken so much out of him.Effron stepped into the shadows, back to the Shadowfell.The wizard Glorfathel glanced to the dwarf at his side.“Not worth the losses,” Ambergris said.“Draygo’ll be waiting to hear yer explaining.”Glorfathel agreed with a nod, then motioned to the other Shadovar nobles, the commanders of this force, offering his permission.Only Netherese nobles and warriors of high standing had been granted the shadowstep, but those who possessed the ability used it, and they were, invariably, the leaders of the various brigades, the commanders and the champions.The commoner shades left behind found themselves sorely outnumbered and disorganized—and battling a group of hardy folk who were fighting for their homes.And on came the man many knew as Barrabus, once their leading champion, and now cutting them down with abandon.And on came Dahlia, once their opposing champion, sometimes a ferocious giant crow, other times the elf warrior they had once and still so greatly feared.Had Alegni prevailed on the bridge, the city would be theirs.Had Effron and the others not fled, they might have had a chance.Glorfathel recalled Draygo Quick’s instructions, and the decision was not a difficult one.He didn’t shadowstep, as had Effron, but instead enacted a gate in the middle of the square, a purplish-black glowing door inviting his charges to flee the battle.“Meself’ll call ’em in,” Ambergris assured him.At that point, Glorfathel hardly seemed to care, and indeed, he was the first to use his dimensional gate.But certainly not the last.Many shades died, many fled through the gate or even out over the city’s walls, and many others, particularly those on the far side of the bridge, surrendered as the battle of Neverwinter quickly became a rout.Fighting on the side of the Neverwinter garrison was Amber Gristle O’Maul, of the Adbar O’Mauls, for with a simple roll of one of the black pearls on her enchanted string of pearls, the dwarf had turned the appearance of shadowstuff into the dirt of the road.She knew who would win, obviously, and Ambergris always preferred to be on the winning side.In the middle of the battle stood Arunika, sword in hand.
|
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dnd419
|
More than one Shadovar leaped at the unremarkable woman, thinking her an easy kill, only to fall dead a heartbeat later.As she watched the ranks of shades crumbling, the succubus knew that she had played this perfectly.The Thayan threat had been defeated, and now the Shadovar had been run off.It would not be long before the Sovereignty returned, or even if they did not, Arunika knew that she could find a place of dominance.Shaking, and surprisingly free of bloodstains, Brother Anthus stumbled up to her, tears streaking his cheeks.For a moment, Arunika looked him over, wondering if he had sustained some grievous wound.But no, these were tears of joy, she realized.“I was a fool to doubt you,” the monk sputtered.Arunika flashed him a cute smile, then knocked him from his feet with a heavy punch.“Never make that mistake again,” she warned.“Hear now, woman, haven’t we enough enemies to battle?” came a voice behind, and Arunika turned to see the approach of Jelvus Grinch.Unlike Anthus, this one had indeed seen battle this day—quite a bit of it, judging from the spattering of blood all around his form.“Neverwinter is free,” he said.“Because of you.”“Hardly,” Arunika answered, and she truly did not wish to be seen as the instigator of this revolt, or as a major player in the defeat of Alegni at all.The Netherese, after all, might well return in force!She glanced over toward the bridge, directing Jelvus Grinch’s gaze, to see Alegni’s former champion standing near the edge, with the drow ranger moving toward him and carrying Alegni’s mighty sword.As they watched, a giant crow swept down, reverting to the form of Dahlia.“Because of them,” Arunika corrected.In his right hand, Drizzt held the red-bladed sword by one neck of its decorative crosspiece, the metal thickly wrapped with bandages.In his other hand, the drow held the onyx panther figurine.He was still calling to Guenhwyvar when Entreri rode his hellish steed over to join him.Calling futilely for Guenhwyvar, the drow knew, for he could sense that the panther was beyond his reach, beyond the call of the figurine.Dahlia swooped down beside them and reverted to her elf form.She was not happy, clearly.Drizzt didn’t need to ask her why, for he understood that she had not seen the actual death of Herzgo Alegni.Worse, Drizzt wondered, Herzgo Alegni might have escaped their attack with his dematerialization.If that thought unsettled him, and it did, what might it be doing to Dahlia, whose hatred of Alegni was more profound than anything Drizzt had ever seen?“You should have left that thing in the river,” Entreri said, and he was shaking his head, obviously torn and obviously afraid.“Where a common citizen of Neverwinter might have happened upon it?” Drizzt asked.“The blade would be beyond him.”“The blade would eat him,” Drizzt said.“Or it would enslave him …” The drow cast a stern gaze at Entreri, letting his disappointment show.“You would so sacrifice an unwitting person?”“I would be free of that wretched sword, however I could!”“It wouldn’t let you go,” Drizzt countered.“Whatever other slaves Claw might find, it would come back to you, and would force you back to it.”“Then I should take it now and wield it?”Drizzt looked at him, but instinctively pulled the blade farther from him.He knew a bit about sentient weapons, artifacts of great power and great ego, and he understood that Entreri, after decades of enslavement, could not begin to control Charon’s Claw, whether he held the blade or not.Entreri knew it, too, Drizzt realized when the assassin laughed at his own absurd question.“Destroy it, then,” Dahlia offered.“And then I will be dust,” said Entreri, and with conviction.He gave another laugh, sad and resigned.“As I should have been half a century ago.”Dahlia looked alarmed at that, and her expression stung at Drizzt more than it should have.“Destroy it,” Entreri agreed.“You could not do me a greater service than to release me from the bondage of Charon’s Claw.”“There must be another way,” Dahlia said, almost frantically.“Destroy it,” said Entreri.“You presume that we can,” Drizzt reminded him.Powerful artifacts were not so easily gotten rid of.But even as he spoke the words, Drizzt found his answer.
|
More than one Shadovar leaped at the unremarkable woman, thinking her an easy kill, only to fall dead a heartbeat later.As she watched the ranks of shades crumbling, the succubus knew that she had played this perfectly.The Thayan threat had been defeated, and now the Shadovar had been run off.It would not be long before the Sovereignty returned, or even if they did not, Arunika knew that she could find a place of dominance.Shaking, and surprisingly free of bloodstains, Brother Anthus stumbled up to her, tears streaking his cheeks.For a moment, Arunika looked him over, wondering if he had sustained some grievous wound.But no, these were tears of joy, she realized.“I was a fool to doubt you,” the monk sputtered.Arunika flashed him a cute smile, then knocked him from his feet with a heavy punch.“Never make that mistake again,” she warned.“Hear now, woman, haven’t we enough enemies to battle?” came a voice behind, and Arunika turned to see the approach of Jelvus Grinch.Unlike Anthus, this one had indeed seen battle this day—quite a bit of it, judging from the spattering of blood all around his form.“Neverwinter is free,” he said.“Because of you.”“Hardly,” Arunika answered, and she truly did not wish to be seen as the instigator of this revolt, or as a major player in the defeat of Alegni at all.The Netherese, after all, might well return in force!She glanced over toward the bridge, directing Jelvus Grinch’s gaze, to see Alegni’s former champion standing near the edge, with the drow ranger moving toward him and carrying Alegni’s mighty sword.As they watched, a giant crow swept down, reverting to the form of Dahlia.“Because of them,” Arunika corrected.In his right hand, Drizzt held the red-bladed sword by one neck of its decorative crosspiece, the metal thickly wrapped with bandages.In his other hand, the drow held the onyx panther figurine.He was still calling to Guenhwyvar when Entreri rode his hellish steed over to join him.Calling futilely for Guenhwyvar, the drow knew, for he could sense that the panther was beyond his reach, beyond the call of the figurine.Dahlia swooped down beside them and reverted to her elf form.She was not happy, clearly.Drizzt didn’t need to ask her why, for he understood that she had not seen the actual death of Herzgo Alegni.Worse, Drizzt wondered, Herzgo Alegni might have escaped their attack with his dematerialization.If that thought unsettled him, and it did, what might it be doing to Dahlia, whose hatred of Alegni was more profound than anything Drizzt had ever seen?“You should have left that thing in the river,” Entreri said, and he was shaking his head, obviously torn and obviously afraid.“Where a common citizen of Neverwinter might have happened upon it?” Drizzt asked.“The blade would be beyond him.”“The blade would eat him,” Drizzt said.“Or it would enslave him …” The drow cast a stern gaze at Entreri, letting his disappointment show.“You would so sacrifice an unwitting person?”“I would be free of that wretched sword, however I could!”“It wouldn’t let you go,” Drizzt countered.“Whatever other slaves Claw might find, it would come back to you, and would force you back to it.”“Then I should take it now and wield it?”Drizzt looked at him, but instinctively pulled the blade farther from him.He knew a bit about sentient weapons, artifacts of great power and great ego, and he understood that Entreri, after decades of enslavement, could not begin to control Charon’s Claw, whether he held the blade or not.Entreri knew it, too, Drizzt realized when the assassin laughed at his own absurd question.“Destroy it, then,” Dahlia offered.“And then I will be dust,” said Entreri, and with conviction.He gave another laugh, sad and resigned.“As I should have been half a century ago.”Dahlia looked alarmed at that, and her expression stung at Drizzt more than it should have.“Destroy it,” Entreri agreed.“You could not do me a greater service than to release me from the bondage of Charon’s Claw.”“There must be another way,” Dahlia said, almost frantically.“Destroy it,” said Entreri.“You presume that we can,” Drizzt reminded him.Powerful artifacts were not so easily gotten rid of.But even as he spoke the words, Drizzt found his answer.
|
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dnd420
|
He looked at Dahlia and knew she understood it too.For she, like Drizzt, had witnessed a force more powerful than Charon’s Claw, with a magic and energy older and more primal than even the dweomers imbued upon this magnificent, evil blade.My thoughts slip past me, slithering snakes, winding and unwinding over each other, always just ahead, coiling and darting, just out of reach.Diving down into dark waters where I cannot follow.One of the most common truths of life is that we all take for granted things that simply are.Whether a spouse, a friend, a family, or a home, after enough time has passed, that person, place, or situation becomes the accepted norm of our lives.It is not until we confront the unexpected, not until the normal is no more, that we truly come to appreciate what once we had.I have said this, I have known this, I have felt this so many times …But I find myself off-balance again, and the snakes slide past, teasing me.I cannot catch them, cannot sort through their intertwined bodies.So it is with the ill person who suddenly must face mortality, when the paralyzing shackles of the concept of forever are sundered.As time diminishes, every moment crystallizes into one of importance.I have met several people in my travels who, when told by a cleric that they had not long to live, insisted to me that their disease was the greatest event of their existence, insisted that colors became more vivid, sounds more acute and meaningful and pleasurable, and friendships more endearing.The shattering of the normal routine brings life to this person, so paradoxically, considering that the catalyst is, after all, the imminence of death.But though we know, though we are seasoned, we cannot prepare.I felt this rippling of the serene lake that had become my life when Cattibrie became afflicted by the Spellplague, and then, even more profoundly, when she and Regis were taken from me.All of my sensibilities screamed at me; it wasn’t supposed to be like that.So many things had been sorted through hard work and trial, and we four remaining Companions of the Hall were ready for our due and just reward: adventures and leisure of our choosing.I don’t know that I took those two dear friends for granted, though losing them so unexpectedly and abruptly surely tore apart the serenity of calm waters I had found all about me.A lake full of tumultuous cross-currents and slithering snakes of discordant thought, sliding all about.I remember my confusion, my rage, helpless rage … I grabbed Jarlaxle because I needed something to hold, some solid object and solid hope to stop the current from sweeping me away.So too with the departure of Wulfgar, whose choice to leave us was not really unexpected.So too with Bruenor.We walked a road together that we knew would end as it ended.The only question was whether he or I would die first at the end of an enemy’s spear.I feel that I long ago properly insulated myself against this trap of simply accepting what was with the false belief that what was would always be.In almost every case.Almost, I see now.I speak of the Companions of the Hall as if we were five, then four when Wulfgar departed.Even now as I recognize my error, I found at my fingertips the same description when I penned, “we four.”We were not five in the early days, but six.We were not four when Wulfgar departed, but five.We were not two when Catti-brie and Regis were taken from us, but three.And the one whom I seldom consider, the one whom I fear I have too often taken for granted, is the one most joined to the heart of Drizzt Do’Urden.And now the snakes return, tenfold, twisting around my legs, just out of reach, and I stagger because the ground beneath my feet is not firm, because the sands buckle and roll beneath the crashing waves, because the balance I have known has been torn from me.I cannot summon Guenhwyvar.I do not understand—I have not lost hope!—but for the first time, with the onyx figurine in hand, the panther, my dear friend, will not come to my call, nor do I sense her presence, roaring back at me across the planescape.She went through to the Shadowfell with Herzgo Alegni, or went somewhere, disappearing into the black mist on the winged bridge of Neverwinter.I sensed the distance soon after, a vast expanse between us, too far to reach with the magic of the idol.I do not understand.Was Guenhwyvar not eternal?Was she not the essence of the panther?Such essence cannot be destroyed, surely!But I cannot summon her, cannot hear her, cannot feel her around me and in my thoughts.What road is this, then, that I find myself upon?I have followed a trail of vengeance beside Dahlia—nay, behind Dahlia, for little can I doubt that it is she who guides my strides.So do I cross the leagues to kill Sylora Salm, and I cannot consider that an illegitimate act, for it was she who freed the primordial and wreaked devastation on Neverwinter.Surely defeating Sylora was a just and worthy cause.And so back again have I traveled to Neverwinter to exact revenge upon this tiefling, Herzgo Alegni—and I know not the crime, even.Do I justify my battle with my knowledge of his enslavement of Artemis Entreri?In the same breath, can I justify freeing Artemis Entreri?Perhaps it is that his enslavement was really imprisonment, atonement for a life ill-lived.Was this Alegni then a gaoler tasked with controlling the assassin?How can I know?I shake my head as I consider the reality, that I have as my lover an elf I do not understand, and one who has no doubt committed acts beside which I would never willingly associate myself.
|
He looked at Dahlia and knew she understood it too.For she, like Drizzt, had witnessed a force more powerful than Charon’s Claw, with a magic and energy older and more primal than even the dweomers imbued upon this magnificent, evil blade.My thoughts slip past me, slithering snakes, winding and unwinding over each other, always just ahead, coiling and darting, just out of reach.Diving down into dark waters where I cannot follow.One of the most common truths of life is that we all take for granted things that simply are.Whether a spouse, a friend, a family, or a home, after enough time has passed, that person, place, or situation becomes the accepted norm of our lives.It is not until we confront the unexpected, not until the normal is no more, that we truly come to appreciate what once we had.I have said this, I have known this, I have felt this so many times …But I find myself off-balance again, and the snakes slide past, teasing me.I cannot catch them, cannot sort through their intertwined bodies.So it is with the ill person who suddenly must face mortality, when the paralyzing shackles of the concept of forever are sundered.As time diminishes, every moment crystallizes into one of importance.I have met several people in my travels who, when told by a cleric that they had not long to live, insisted to me that their disease was the greatest event of their existence, insisted that colors became more vivid, sounds more acute and meaningful and pleasurable, and friendships more endearing.The shattering of the normal routine brings life to this person, so paradoxically, considering that the catalyst is, after all, the imminence of death.But though we know, though we are seasoned, we cannot prepare.I felt this rippling of the serene lake that had become my life when Cattibrie became afflicted by the Spellplague, and then, even more profoundly, when she and Regis were taken from me.All of my sensibilities screamed at me; it wasn’t supposed to be like that.So many things had been sorted through hard work and trial, and we four remaining Companions of the Hall were ready for our due and just reward: adventures and leisure of our choosing.I don’t know that I took those two dear friends for granted, though losing them so unexpectedly and abruptly surely tore apart the serenity of calm waters I had found all about me.A lake full of tumultuous cross-currents and slithering snakes of discordant thought, sliding all about.I remember my confusion, my rage, helpless rage … I grabbed Jarlaxle because I needed something to hold, some solid object and solid hope to stop the current from sweeping me away.So too with the departure of Wulfgar, whose choice to leave us was not really unexpected.So too with Bruenor.We walked a road together that we knew would end as it ended.The only question was whether he or I would die first at the end of an enemy’s spear.I feel that I long ago properly insulated myself against this trap of simply accepting what was with the false belief that what was would always be.In almost every case.Almost, I see now.I speak of the Companions of the Hall as if we were five, then four when Wulfgar departed.Even now as I recognize my error, I found at my fingertips the same description when I penned, “we four.”We were not five in the early days, but six.We were not four when Wulfgar departed, but five.We were not two when Catti-brie and Regis were taken from us, but three.And the one whom I seldom consider, the one whom I fear I have too often taken for granted, is the one most joined to the heart of Drizzt Do’Urden.And now the snakes return, tenfold, twisting around my legs, just out of reach, and I stagger because the ground beneath my feet is not firm, because the sands buckle and roll beneath the crashing waves, because the balance I have known has been torn from me.I cannot summon Guenhwyvar.I do not understand—I have not lost hope!—but for the first time, with the onyx figurine in hand, the panther, my dear friend, will not come to my call, nor do I sense her presence, roaring back at me across the planescape.She went through to the Shadowfell with Herzgo Alegni, or went somewhere, disappearing into the black mist on the winged bridge of Neverwinter.I sensed the distance soon after, a vast expanse between us, too far to reach with the magic of the idol.I do not understand.Was Guenhwyvar not eternal?Was she not the essence of the panther?Such essence cannot be destroyed, surely!But I cannot summon her, cannot hear her, cannot feel her around me and in my thoughts.What road is this, then, that I find myself upon?I have followed a trail of vengeance beside Dahlia—nay, behind Dahlia, for little can I doubt that it is she who guides my strides.So do I cross the leagues to kill Sylora Salm, and I cannot consider that an illegitimate act, for it was she who freed the primordial and wreaked devastation on Neverwinter.Surely defeating Sylora was a just and worthy cause.And so back again have I traveled to Neverwinter to exact revenge upon this tiefling, Herzgo Alegni—and I know not the crime, even.Do I justify my battle with my knowledge of his enslavement of Artemis Entreri?In the same breath, can I justify freeing Artemis Entreri?Perhaps it is that his enslavement was really imprisonment, atonement for a life ill-lived.Was this Alegni then a gaoler tasked with controlling the assassin?How can I know?I shake my head as I consider the reality, that I have as my lover an elf I do not understand, and one who has no doubt committed acts beside which I would never willingly associate myself.
|
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dnd421
|
To delve into Dahlia’s past would reveal much, I fear—too much, and so I choose not to probe.So be it.And so it is true with Artemis Entreri, except that I have chosen simply to allow for his redemption, to accept what he was and who he was and hope that perhaps, by my side, he will make amends.There was always within him a code of honor, a sense of right and wrong, though horribly stilted through the prism of his pained eyes.Am I a fool, then?With Dahlia?With Entreri?A fool of convenience?A lonely heart adrift in waters too wide and too wild?An angry heart too scarred to linger on hopes I now know to be false?There’s the rub, and the most painful thought of all.These are the questions I would ask of Guenhwyvar.Of course she could not answer, and yet, of course she could.With her eyes, her simple glance, her honest scrutiny reminding me to look within my own heart with similar honesty.The ripples, the waves, the wild cross-currents, lift me and drop me and twist me all around, and I cannot set my feet and direction.I should fear that unexpected winding, these turns left and right to places not of my own choosing.I should, and yet I cannot deny the thrill of it all, of Dahlia, more wild than the road, and of Entreri, that tie to another life, it seems, in another world and time.The presence of Artemis Entreri surely complicates my life, and yet it brings me to a simpler time.I have heard their banter and seen their glances to each other.They are more alike, Entreri and Dahlia, than either to me.They share something I do not understand.My heart tells me that I should leave them.But it is a distant voice, as distant, perhaps, as Guenhwyvar.—Drizzt Do’UrdenARTIFACTSDRIZZT WINCED AND REFLEXIVELY PULLED AWAY.HE HADN’T BEEN EXPECTING Dahlia’s touch, particularly not on his wounded shoulder.Stripped to the waist, he sat on a stool in a room at the inn in Neverwinter.Outside Drizzt’s window, the sounds of battle could still be heard, though intermittently.The few remaining Shadovar in the city had been cornered.“It is a salve to clean the wound,” the elf explained.Perturbed by his inattentiveness, Dahlia grabbed Drizzt’s arm none too gently and straightened him where he sat.That had to hurt, she knew, but the drow didn’t flinch.She braced his shoulder then, keeping it still, and moved his arm out to the side and back, separating the wound, opening it wide.Still Drizzt didn’t blink.He sat staring at the onyx figurine set on the table before him, as if it were his long-lost lover.
|
To delve into Dahlia’s past would reveal much, I fear—too much, and so I choose not to probe.So be it.And so it is true with Artemis Entreri, except that I have chosen simply to allow for his redemption, to accept what he was and who he was and hope that perhaps, by my side, he will make amends.There was always within him a code of honor, a sense of right and wrong, though horribly stilted through the prism of his pained eyes.Am I a fool, then?With Dahlia?With Entreri?A fool of convenience?A lonely heart adrift in waters too wide and too wild?An angry heart too scarred to linger on hopes I now know to be false?There’s the rub, and the most painful thought of all.These are the questions I would ask of Guenhwyvar.Of course she could not answer, and yet, of course she could.With her eyes, her simple glance, her honest scrutiny reminding me to look within my own heart with similar honesty.The ripples, the waves, the wild cross-currents, lift me and drop me and twist me all around, and I cannot set my feet and direction.I should fear that unexpected winding, these turns left and right to places not of my own choosing.I should, and yet I cannot deny the thrill of it all, of Dahlia, more wild than the road, and of Entreri, that tie to another life, it seems, in another world and time.The presence of Artemis Entreri surely complicates my life, and yet it brings me to a simpler time.I have heard their banter and seen their glances to each other.They are more alike, Entreri and Dahlia, than either to me.They share something I do not understand.My heart tells me that I should leave them.But it is a distant voice, as distant, perhaps, as Guenhwyvar.—Drizzt Do’UrdenARTIFACTSDRIZZT WINCED AND REFLEXIVELY PULLED AWAY.HE HADN’T BEEN EXPECTING Dahlia’s touch, particularly not on his wounded shoulder.Stripped to the waist, he sat on a stool in a room at the inn in Neverwinter.Outside Drizzt’s window, the sounds of battle could still be heard, though intermittently.The few remaining Shadovar in the city had been cornered.“It is a salve to clean the wound,” the elf explained.Perturbed by his inattentiveness, Dahlia grabbed Drizzt’s arm none too gently and straightened him where he sat.That had to hurt, she knew, but the drow didn’t flinch.She braced his shoulder then, keeping it still, and moved his arm out to the side and back, separating the wound, opening it wide.Still Drizzt didn’t blink.He sat staring at the onyx figurine set on the table before him, as if it were his long-lost lover.
|
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dnd422
|
A combination of disgust and anger filled Dahlia’s thoughts.“It’s just an artifact,” she muttered.She wore her hair in the bob now, her braid and the warrior woad were gone.She had become softer for the wounded Drizzt, and all he did was stare at that onyx figurine.Still, Dahlia couldn’t suppress some degree of sympathy as she examined the wound.Entreri’s sword had slipped under the short sleeve of the drow’s mithral shirt and had penetrated fairly deeply.With the blood now washed away and the arm tilted back, she could see right through the layers of flesh to the torn muscles within.Dahlia shook her head.“That you could even lift your weapon again after this cut is remarkable,” she said.“He betrayed us,” Drizzt said without turning to look at her.“I told you to kill him in the forest or to send him away at least,” Dahlia snapped back, more angrily than was called for, certainly.“And in the end, he saved us,” Drizzt said.“I wounded Alegni,” she said.“And I took his mighty sword.Even without Artemis Entreri on that bridge, Herzgo Alegni would have died.”Drizzt turned to look at Dahlia, and his expression, so full of sarcasm, made the elf want to thrust a finger into his open wound, just to bring him to his knees.Instead she roughly applied the salve-covered cloth, pressing it tight.When Drizzt didn’t wince, Dahlia pressed it more tightly, and finally, one lavender eye did narrow in pain.“The priests will be in presently,” Dahlia said, trying to cover her rough handling as a pragmatic matter.Drizzt wore his stoic expression again.“Where is Entreri?”“In the other room with that red-haired whore,” Dahlia said.The drow tilted his head and his expression turned sly, if somewhat annoyed.Her animosity toward this citizen, Arunika, was uncalled for, she knew.And yet, there it was, hanging in the air between them and worn clearly on her unblemished face.She tied off the bandage and let go of Drizzt’s arm, then reached for the onyx figurine.He caught her by the wrist.“Leave it.”Dahlia pulled back, but Drizzt would not let go.“Leave it,” he repeated, and then he released her.“I was only trying to learn if I might sense the cat,” she said.“I will sense the return of Guenhwyvar before any others,” Drizzt assured her, and he pulled the figurine in closer to him.Dahlia heaved a great sigh and turned her attention to the other artifact in the room, the red-bladed sword standing against the wall.“Is it a mighty weapon?” she asked, moving toward it.“Don’t touch it.”Dahlia stopped short and swung around to face the drow, cocking her head.“So you command?” she asked.“So I warn,” Drizzt corrected.“I’m no novice to sentient weapons,” said the wielder of Kozah’s Needle.“Charon’s Claw is different.”“You carried it from the river,” said Dahlia.“Did it steal your soul in that journey, or merely your humor?”That brought a smile to the drow’s face, albeit a small and brief one.Dahlia walked right beside the weapon, and even dared to touch the counterweight ball at the base of the pommel with one finger.“Do you think it still controls him?Entreri?” she asked, purposely acting quite pleased by that possibility.“I think that anyone who lifts that blade will be consumed by it.”“Unless they are strong enough, like Drizzt Do’Urden,” Dahlia added.The drow half-nodded and half-shrugged.“And even one strong enough not to be so consumed would invoke the wrath of Entreri.”“The sword controls him.”“Only if the wielder of the sword knows how to make the sword control him,” Drizzt warned.“If not, one who tries would likely be dead long before she learned how to make Entreri her puppet.”Dahlia laughed as if Drizzt’s reasoning were absurd, and most especially at his use of the female pronoun in his warning.But she did move away from the sword.A loud rap turned them both in time to see the door swing open and a dirty female dwarf march in.“Amber Gristle O’Maul, o’ the Adbar O’Mauls,” she said with a bow.“So you have told us every time you enter,” Dahlia replied dryly.“Good for ye to hear,” the dwarf answered with a laugh.“Folks know o’ Drizzt Do’Urden, and having me name tied to that one’s good for me own reputation, haha!” She grinned widely in response to Drizzt’s widening smile.The drow’s smile didn’t hold, though.“How does she fare?” he asked, and both Dahlia and the dwarf knew of whom he was speaking: the woman who had been dragged from the sewers on a litter.“Better!” Ambergris declared with a toothy grin.“Didn’t think it when first I seen her, still covered in sewer muck and dirty wounds, but she’s to live, don’t ye doubt!”Drizzt nodded, with obvious relief.“Got me a platter o’ healin’ spells for yer wound this day, ranger,” Ambergris said with an exaggerated wink.“We’ll get ye on the road soon enough, where’er that road’s to be!”“I have no wounds, you fool,” Entreri said to the red-haired woman who held a steaming mug of some medicinal tea or other herbal remedy.“You staggered from the bridge,” Arunika replied.
|
A combination of disgust and anger filled Dahlia’s thoughts.“It’s just an artifact,” she muttered.She wore her hair in the bob now, her braid and the warrior woad were gone.She had become softer for the wounded Drizzt, and all he did was stare at that onyx figurine.Still, Dahlia couldn’t suppress some degree of sympathy as she examined the wound.Entreri’s sword had slipped under the short sleeve of the drow’s mithral shirt and had penetrated fairly deeply.With the blood now washed away and the arm tilted back, she could see right through the layers of flesh to the torn muscles within.Dahlia shook her head.“That you could even lift your weapon again after this cut is remarkable,” she said.“He betrayed us,” Drizzt said without turning to look at her.“I told you to kill him in the forest or to send him away at least,” Dahlia snapped back, more angrily than was called for, certainly.“And in the end, he saved us,” Drizzt said.“I wounded Alegni,” she said.“And I took his mighty sword.Even without Artemis Entreri on that bridge, Herzgo Alegni would have died.”Drizzt turned to look at Dahlia, and his expression, so full of sarcasm, made the elf want to thrust a finger into his open wound, just to bring him to his knees.Instead she roughly applied the salve-covered cloth, pressing it tight.When Drizzt didn’t wince, Dahlia pressed it more tightly, and finally, one lavender eye did narrow in pain.“The priests will be in presently,” Dahlia said, trying to cover her rough handling as a pragmatic matter.Drizzt wore his stoic expression again.“Where is Entreri?”“In the other room with that red-haired whore,” Dahlia said.The drow tilted his head and his expression turned sly, if somewhat annoyed.Her animosity toward this citizen, Arunika, was uncalled for, she knew.And yet, there it was, hanging in the air between them and worn clearly on her unblemished face.She tied off the bandage and let go of Drizzt’s arm, then reached for the onyx figurine.He caught her by the wrist.“Leave it.”Dahlia pulled back, but Drizzt would not let go.“Leave it,” he repeated, and then he released her.“I was only trying to learn if I might sense the cat,” she said.“I will sense the return of Guenhwyvar before any others,” Drizzt assured her, and he pulled the figurine in closer to him.Dahlia heaved a great sigh and turned her attention to the other artifact in the room, the red-bladed sword standing against the wall.“Is it a mighty weapon?” she asked, moving toward it.“Don’t touch it.”Dahlia stopped short and swung around to face the drow, cocking her head.“So you command?” she asked.“So I warn,” Drizzt corrected.“I’m no novice to sentient weapons,” said the wielder of Kozah’s Needle.“Charon’s Claw is different.”“You carried it from the river,” said Dahlia.“Did it steal your soul in that journey, or merely your humor?”That brought a smile to the drow’s face, albeit a small and brief one.Dahlia walked right beside the weapon, and even dared to touch the counterweight ball at the base of the pommel with one finger.“Do you think it still controls him?Entreri?” she asked, purposely acting quite pleased by that possibility.“I think that anyone who lifts that blade will be consumed by it.”“Unless they are strong enough, like Drizzt Do’Urden,” Dahlia added.The drow half-nodded and half-shrugged.“And even one strong enough not to be so consumed would invoke the wrath of Entreri.”“The sword controls him.”“Only if the wielder of the sword knows how to make the sword control him,” Drizzt warned.“If not, one who tries would likely be dead long before she learned how to make Entreri her puppet.”Dahlia laughed as if Drizzt’s reasoning were absurd, and most especially at his use of the female pronoun in his warning.But she did move away from the sword.A loud rap turned them both in time to see the door swing open and a dirty female dwarf march in.“Amber Gristle O’Maul, o’ the Adbar O’Mauls,” she said with a bow.“So you have told us every time you enter,” Dahlia replied dryly.“Good for ye to hear,” the dwarf answered with a laugh.“Folks know o’ Drizzt Do’Urden, and having me name tied to that one’s good for me own reputation, haha!” She grinned widely in response to Drizzt’s widening smile.The drow’s smile didn’t hold, though.“How does she fare?” he asked, and both Dahlia and the dwarf knew of whom he was speaking: the woman who had been dragged from the sewers on a litter.“Better!” Ambergris declared with a toothy grin.“Didn’t think it when first I seen her, still covered in sewer muck and dirty wounds, but she’s to live, don’t ye doubt!”Drizzt nodded, with obvious relief.“Got me a platter o’ healin’ spells for yer wound this day, ranger,” Ambergris said with an exaggerated wink.“We’ll get ye on the road soon enough, where’er that road’s to be!”“I have no wounds, you fool,” Entreri said to the red-haired woman who held a steaming mug of some medicinal tea or other herbal remedy.“You staggered from the bridge,” Arunika replied.
|
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dnd423
|
“Herzgo Alegni wounded you greatly with that foul blade of his.”She presented the mug near to the man and he tried to push it away.But he might as well have been trying to shove a stone building aside, for Arunika’s arm did not budge in the least.“Drink it,” she ordered.“Do not act like a child.There is much still to be done.”“I owe this city nothing.”“Neverwinter owes you, and we know it,” Arunika replied.“That is why I am here with medicinal tea.That is why the healers come to tend to your friends, and to you, if necessary.”“Unnecessary.”The red-haired woman nodded, and nodded again when the stubborn man at last took the mug and began to drink.“Tell me of your story, Barrabus the Gray,” she prompted.“Truly I was surprised to see you betray Alegni—I had thought you his squire.”Entreri’s face grew tight.“His champion, then, if that description less wounds your foolish pride,” Arunika said with a laugh.“But do tell me of your travels and how you became such a champion of a Netherese lord, for you are no shade, though your skin is a shade too gray for your human heritage.”“Tell you?” Entreri echoed with a laugh.“You bring me tea and think yourself my ally?Did I ask for such allegiance?”“The best allies are often unexpected and uninvited.”Entreri considered those words in light of the two companions he found beside him on the bridge against Herzgo Alegni, and he chuckled yet again.“I need no allies, woman,” he said.“Alegni is gone and I am free for the first time in a long, long while.”“He was your ally,” the woman protested.Entreri glared at her.“What, then?” she asked.“I would know.”Artemis Entreri suddenly felt a compulsion to tell her all about his relationship with Herzgo Alegni.He almost started, but then recoiled, feeling much as he had on those many occasions when Charon’s Claw had invaded his thoughts.He looked at Arunika with more scrutiny, as he might consider a sorceress.“Herzgo Alegni swept into Neverwinter through your actions,” Arunika quickly replied.“He would never have found such a dominion here in the city had not Barrabus the Gray become a hero to the folk.” The timbre of her voice changed abruptly, evoking sympathy and making Entreri feel foolish for his suspicion.“And now Alegni is no more, and I’m tending your wounds at the behest of the leaders of the city,” Arunika went on.“I would be remiss, and betraying my duties to my fellow citizens if I did not ask—and why should we not know?”“He was my slaver and nothing less,” Entreri replied before he even realized that he was speaking the words.He looked curiously at Arunika, but just for a moment, before concluding that she was a trustworthy and sympathetic listener.“And now he is gone.For most of my life, my ally was me and me alone.I prefer that, and need no alliance with you or anyone else in this town.”He tried to sound defiant, but really didn’t.“Then not an ally,” Arunika said.She moved her face before Entreri’s and said in a suggestive tone, “A friend.”“I need no friends.”Arunika smiled and moved even closer.“What do you need, Barrabus the Gray?”Artemis Entreri wanted to assert that Barrabus the Gray was not his name.
|
“Herzgo Alegni wounded you greatly with that foul blade of his.”She presented the mug near to the man and he tried to push it away.But he might as well have been trying to shove a stone building aside, for Arunika’s arm did not budge in the least.“Drink it,” she ordered.“Do not act like a child.There is much still to be done.”“I owe this city nothing.”“Neverwinter owes you, and we know it,” Arunika replied.“That is why I am here with medicinal tea.That is why the healers come to tend to your friends, and to you, if necessary.”“Unnecessary.”The red-haired woman nodded, and nodded again when the stubborn man at last took the mug and began to drink.“Tell me of your story, Barrabus the Gray,” she prompted.“Truly I was surprised to see you betray Alegni—I had thought you his squire.”Entreri’s face grew tight.“His champion, then, if that description less wounds your foolish pride,” Arunika said with a laugh.“But do tell me of your travels and how you became such a champion of a Netherese lord, for you are no shade, though your skin is a shade too gray for your human heritage.”“Tell you?” Entreri echoed with a laugh.“You bring me tea and think yourself my ally?Did I ask for such allegiance?”“The best allies are often unexpected and uninvited.”Entreri considered those words in light of the two companions he found beside him on the bridge against Herzgo Alegni, and he chuckled yet again.“I need no allies, woman,” he said.“Alegni is gone and I am free for the first time in a long, long while.”“He was your ally,” the woman protested.Entreri glared at her.“What, then?” she asked.“I would know.”Artemis Entreri suddenly felt a compulsion to tell her all about his relationship with Herzgo Alegni.He almost started, but then recoiled, feeling much as he had on those many occasions when Charon’s Claw had invaded his thoughts.He looked at Arunika with more scrutiny, as he might consider a sorceress.“Herzgo Alegni swept into Neverwinter through your actions,” Arunika quickly replied.“He would never have found such a dominion here in the city had not Barrabus the Gray become a hero to the folk.” The timbre of her voice changed abruptly, evoking sympathy and making Entreri feel foolish for his suspicion.“And now Alegni is no more, and I’m tending your wounds at the behest of the leaders of the city,” Arunika went on.“I would be remiss, and betraying my duties to my fellow citizens if I did not ask—and why should we not know?”“He was my slaver and nothing less,” Entreri replied before he even realized that he was speaking the words.He looked curiously at Arunika, but just for a moment, before concluding that she was a trustworthy and sympathetic listener.“And now he is gone.For most of my life, my ally was me and me alone.I prefer that, and need no alliance with you or anyone else in this town.”He tried to sound defiant, but really didn’t.“Then not an ally,” Arunika said.She moved her face before Entreri’s and said in a suggestive tone, “A friend.”“I need no friends.”Arunika smiled and moved even closer.“What do you need, Barrabus the Gray?”Artemis Entreri wanted to assert that Barrabus the Gray was not his name.
|
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dnd424
|
He wanted to tell Arunika again that he didn’t need her.He wanted to move away even as she moved forward.He wanted to do a lot of things.Drizzt flexed his arm and stretched it upward as he moved to Entreri’s door.The healing salve and the visit by the cleric had helped, no doubt.Physically, at least.In his good hand, the drow still held the onyx figurine, and he still called out silently for his friend who would not answer.Entreri’s door opened before the drow reached it, and the red-haired woman called Arunika walked out.She paused and flashed a disarming smile at Drizzt, then threw a wink at Dahlia, who stood behind him.Drizzt caught Dahlia’s gaze with a questioning stare.“She is a strange one,” Dahlia remarked.“One of the leaders of Neverwinter, I believe.”Dahlia shrugged as if it did not matter and pushed past Drizzt and into Entreri’s room.The assassin stood at the room’s small bar, stripped to the waist and looking quite exhausted as he poured some fine brandy into a small glass.This had been Alegni’s room during his brief tenure as Neverwinter’s self-appointed lord, and the tiefling warlord had decorated it and stocked it quite well.Dahlia entered the room before Drizzt, and the drow was given pause by her sudden stop.She turned and looked back over her shoulder at the receding Arunika, then, barely muting her scowl, turned back on Entreri.Drizzt winced.“You are … healed?” the elf woman asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.“Ready for the road,” Entreri answered, and he downed the brandy in one swig.Drizzt moved to the bar and took a seat.Entreri poured himself another drink and slid the bottle Drizzt’s way, staring at the drow intently.That surprised Drizzt for just a moment, before he realized that Entreri wasn’t staring at him, but at the great sword strapped diagonally across his back, in a harness given him by a leatherworker of Neverwinter.Drizzt blocked the sliding bottle and left it sitting idle, but Dahlia was fast to the stool beside him, and quickly grabbed the brandy and another glass.“Ready for the road?” she echoed.“And what road does Artemis Entreri desire?”Entreri took a sip of his drink and nodded his chin toward the sword.“Gauntlgrym?” Dahlia asked.“Of course.”“You will be free?”“I will be dead, I am sure,” Entreri said.“So, yes.”Dahlia shook her head.“How can you know?”“I am tied to the sword,” Entreri answered.“My longevity is due to the sword—it alone has kept me in a state of perpetual youth … or middle age, perhaps.I have known this for a long, long while.”“And still you would destroy it?” Dahlia said.“I will find no peace until Charon’s Claw is no more.”“You will be dead!”“Better that than enslaved,” Entreri said.“It is long past time for me to be dead.” He looked past Dahlia to Drizzt and smiled wickedly.“You would agree, of course.”Drizzt didn’t respond in any way.He did not know whether he preferred such an outcome or not.Entreri was his tie to a past much missed.Just having Entreri around brought him a strange sense of peace, as if his friends were out there, waiting for him to return home.But was that enough?He knew Entreri’s deadly history, and expected that this killer’s reputation would remain well-earned going forward.It was the same dilemma Drizzt had faced with this particular man in the past, such as when they had walked out of the Underdark side by side.On more than one occasion, Drizzt could have killed Entreri, and never had he been confident that staying his blade had been the correct choice.What about Entreri’s victims, if there were such, after Drizzt’s acts of mercy, after all?
|
He wanted to tell Arunika again that he didn’t need her.He wanted to move away even as she moved forward.He wanted to do a lot of things.Drizzt flexed his arm and stretched it upward as he moved to Entreri’s door.The healing salve and the visit by the cleric had helped, no doubt.Physically, at least.In his good hand, the drow still held the onyx figurine, and he still called out silently for his friend who would not answer.Entreri’s door opened before the drow reached it, and the red-haired woman called Arunika walked out.She paused and flashed a disarming smile at Drizzt, then threw a wink at Dahlia, who stood behind him.Drizzt caught Dahlia’s gaze with a questioning stare.“She is a strange one,” Dahlia remarked.“One of the leaders of Neverwinter, I believe.”Dahlia shrugged as if it did not matter and pushed past Drizzt and into Entreri’s room.The assassin stood at the room’s small bar, stripped to the waist and looking quite exhausted as he poured some fine brandy into a small glass.This had been Alegni’s room during his brief tenure as Neverwinter’s self-appointed lord, and the tiefling warlord had decorated it and stocked it quite well.Dahlia entered the room before Drizzt, and the drow was given pause by her sudden stop.She turned and looked back over her shoulder at the receding Arunika, then, barely muting her scowl, turned back on Entreri.Drizzt winced.“You are … healed?” the elf woman asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.“Ready for the road,” Entreri answered, and he downed the brandy in one swig.Drizzt moved to the bar and took a seat.Entreri poured himself another drink and slid the bottle Drizzt’s way, staring at the drow intently.That surprised Drizzt for just a moment, before he realized that Entreri wasn’t staring at him, but at the great sword strapped diagonally across his back, in a harness given him by a leatherworker of Neverwinter.Drizzt blocked the sliding bottle and left it sitting idle, but Dahlia was fast to the stool beside him, and quickly grabbed the brandy and another glass.“Ready for the road?” she echoed.“And what road does Artemis Entreri desire?”Entreri took a sip of his drink and nodded his chin toward the sword.“Gauntlgrym?” Dahlia asked.“Of course.”“You will be free?”“I will be dead, I am sure,” Entreri said.“So, yes.”Dahlia shook her head.“How can you know?”“I am tied to the sword,” Entreri answered.“My longevity is due to the sword—it alone has kept me in a state of perpetual youth … or middle age, perhaps.I have known this for a long, long while.”“And still you would destroy it?” Dahlia said.“I will find no peace until Charon’s Claw is no more.”“You will be dead!”“Better that than enslaved,” Entreri said.“It is long past time for me to be dead.” He looked past Dahlia to Drizzt and smiled wickedly.“You would agree, of course.”Drizzt didn’t respond in any way.He did not know whether he preferred such an outcome or not.Entreri was his tie to a past much missed.Just having Entreri around brought him a strange sense of peace, as if his friends were out there, waiting for him to return home.But was that enough?He knew Entreri’s deadly history, and expected that this killer’s reputation would remain well-earned going forward.It was the same dilemma Drizzt had faced with this particular man in the past, such as when they had walked out of the Underdark side by side.On more than one occasion, Drizzt could have killed Entreri, and never had he been confident that staying his blade had been the correct choice.What about Entreri’s victims, if there were such, after Drizzt’s acts of mercy, after all?
|
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dnd425
|
Would they appreciate Drizzt’s eternal optimism, and his rather foolish hopes for redemption?“We do not know that the primordial will destroy it,” Dahlia warned.“At the least, we know that it will be someplace where no one can retrieve it,” Drizzt said.“Sentient weapons have a way of being found, and wielded,” said Dahlia.“The primordial will destroy it,” Entreri replied with conviction.“I sense the sword’s fear.”“Then we go, straightaway,” Drizzt said.“Are you so interested in killing this man, then?” Dahlia accused, turning sharply on Drizzt.The drow leaned back, caught off guard by the elf woman’s intensity.“I am,” Entreri interjected, and both turned to regard him.Entreri shrugged and drained his glass, then moved to retrieve the bottle.“There is a time for all of us to die,” Drizzt said, matter-of-factly, callously, even.“Sometimes, perhaps, past time.”“Your concern is touching,” Entreri remarked.“It is, of course, your choice to make,” Drizzt offered.He tried to keep the coldness out of his tone, but he couldn’t.Drizzt silently berated himself.He was angry and agitated about Guenhwyvar’s absence.And there was more to it than that, Drizzt knew deep in his heart, whenever he glanced at Dahlia, to find her staring at Entreri.He felt irrelevant, like there was some bond between these two greater than his own bond with Dahlia.And without Guenhwyvar, what did he have left other than his companionship with Dahlia?Drizzt took a deep breath.Entreri suddenly threw his glass against a wall across the room.The assassin scooped up the brandy bottle and took a long swallow.As surprising as that was, Drizzt surprised the others and himself even more when he stepped back from them and drew Charon’s Claw from off his back.The powerful sword bit at him immediately, releasing energy into his hands.The first concentrated attacks came at the core of the drow, at his heart and soul, as Charon’s Claw tried to utterly obliterate him—and it had the power to do that to most who tried to wield it, Drizzt understood without the slightest bit of doubt.But Drizzt Do’Urden was not so easily dominated or destroyed.Nor was he inexperienced in the ways of sentient weapons.The sword Khazid’hea, the famed Cutter, had once similarly attacked him, though not nearly as powerfully as this particular blade, he had to admit.And in the drow academy for warriors, Melee-Magthere, students spent many tendays studying the powers of sentient weapons and pitting their wills against dominating magical implements.The drow doubled down on his own concentration then and fought back, demanding fealty from the blade.The blade fought back.Gradually, Drizzt altered his counterattack, promising the sword a glorious joining.He would wield it well.Charon’s Claw teased him with power.It directed Drizzt’s thoughts to Artemis Entreri, who was now, the sword assured him, his slave.And indeed, when Entreri protested the drawn blade and took a step toward Drizzt, Charon’s Claw laid him low.Dahlia cried out and broke Kozah’s Needle into her flails, putting them into motion immediately.But Drizzt held up his left hand and motioned her to patience.He told the sword to free Entreri, and when it did not, he demanded that the painful vibrations cease.“Now!” he ordered aloud.Artemis Entreri staggered to the side and gradually straightened.He walked straight back from Drizzt, never taking his eyes from the drow, never blinking, though the pain had obviously ceased.He believed that this was a betrayal, Drizzt saw clearly from his angry expression.“Free him,” Drizzt told the sword.Charon’s Claw went at the drow’s soul again, even more ferociously, and Drizzt groaned and staggered once more.Images and thoughts of obliteration, of nothingness, filled his mind, as Charon’s Claw tried to use fear to weaken his resolve.Drizzt had lived too long, had been through too much, to give in to such despair.He won the fight, but only to a draw.Charon’s Claw would not release Artemis Entreri, and there was no way Drizzt would ever get through that angry wall.Perhaps Drizzt could prevent the sword from inflicting, or at least from sustaining, any torture upon the man, but he could make no progress past that point.He turned to the sword’s own tactics.Now the drow’s thoughts were back in Gauntlgrym, at the pit of the primordial.Entreri had said that he could sense the sword’s fear at such a prospect.Drizzt saw it, too, felt it keenly.He redoubled his concentration, picturing the sword dropping down, down to the waiting fiery maw of the godlike beast.This was no deception, and despite his desperate struggle, a smile widened on his face.
|
Would they appreciate Drizzt’s eternal optimism, and his rather foolish hopes for redemption?“We do not know that the primordial will destroy it,” Dahlia warned.“At the least, we know that it will be someplace where no one can retrieve it,” Drizzt said.“Sentient weapons have a way of being found, and wielded,” said Dahlia.“The primordial will destroy it,” Entreri replied with conviction.“I sense the sword’s fear.”“Then we go, straightaway,” Drizzt said.“Are you so interested in killing this man, then?” Dahlia accused, turning sharply on Drizzt.The drow leaned back, caught off guard by the elf woman’s intensity.“I am,” Entreri interjected, and both turned to regard him.Entreri shrugged and drained his glass, then moved to retrieve the bottle.“There is a time for all of us to die,” Drizzt said, matter-of-factly, callously, even.“Sometimes, perhaps, past time.”“Your concern is touching,” Entreri remarked.“It is, of course, your choice to make,” Drizzt offered.He tried to keep the coldness out of his tone, but he couldn’t.Drizzt silently berated himself.He was angry and agitated about Guenhwyvar’s absence.And there was more to it than that, Drizzt knew deep in his heart, whenever he glanced at Dahlia, to find her staring at Entreri.He felt irrelevant, like there was some bond between these two greater than his own bond with Dahlia.And without Guenhwyvar, what did he have left other than his companionship with Dahlia?Drizzt took a deep breath.Entreri suddenly threw his glass against a wall across the room.The assassin scooped up the brandy bottle and took a long swallow.As surprising as that was, Drizzt surprised the others and himself even more when he stepped back from them and drew Charon’s Claw from off his back.The powerful sword bit at him immediately, releasing energy into his hands.The first concentrated attacks came at the core of the drow, at his heart and soul, as Charon’s Claw tried to utterly obliterate him—and it had the power to do that to most who tried to wield it, Drizzt understood without the slightest bit of doubt.But Drizzt Do’Urden was not so easily dominated or destroyed.Nor was he inexperienced in the ways of sentient weapons.The sword Khazid’hea, the famed Cutter, had once similarly attacked him, though not nearly as powerfully as this particular blade, he had to admit.And in the drow academy for warriors, Melee-Magthere, students spent many tendays studying the powers of sentient weapons and pitting their wills against dominating magical implements.The drow doubled down on his own concentration then and fought back, demanding fealty from the blade.The blade fought back.Gradually, Drizzt altered his counterattack, promising the sword a glorious joining.He would wield it well.Charon’s Claw teased him with power.It directed Drizzt’s thoughts to Artemis Entreri, who was now, the sword assured him, his slave.And indeed, when Entreri protested the drawn blade and took a step toward Drizzt, Charon’s Claw laid him low.Dahlia cried out and broke Kozah’s Needle into her flails, putting them into motion immediately.But Drizzt held up his left hand and motioned her to patience.He told the sword to free Entreri, and when it did not, he demanded that the painful vibrations cease.“Now!” he ordered aloud.Artemis Entreri staggered to the side and gradually straightened.He walked straight back from Drizzt, never taking his eyes from the drow, never blinking, though the pain had obviously ceased.He believed that this was a betrayal, Drizzt saw clearly from his angry expression.“Free him,” Drizzt told the sword.Charon’s Claw went at the drow’s soul again, even more ferociously, and Drizzt groaned and staggered once more.Images and thoughts of obliteration, of nothingness, filled his mind, as Charon’s Claw tried to use fear to weaken his resolve.Drizzt had lived too long, had been through too much, to give in to such despair.He won the fight, but only to a draw.Charon’s Claw would not release Artemis Entreri, and there was no way Drizzt would ever get through that angry wall.Perhaps Drizzt could prevent the sword from inflicting, or at least from sustaining, any torture upon the man, but he could make no progress past that point.He turned to the sword’s own tactics.Now the drow’s thoughts were back in Gauntlgrym, at the pit of the primordial.Entreri had said that he could sense the sword’s fear at such a prospect.Drizzt saw it, too, felt it keenly.He redoubled his concentration, picturing the sword dropping down, down to the waiting fiery maw of the godlike beast.This was no deception, and despite his desperate struggle, a smile widened on his face.
|
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dnd426
|
Charon’s Claw was deathly afraid.Charon’s Claw recognized its doom.The sword went at him again, wildly.Drizzt changed the image in his mind to one of Entreri wielding Charon’s Claw once more, presenting the blade with a clear choice: the fire or Entreri.Charon’s Claw calmed immediately.Drizzt slid it away into its scabbard.He shook his head and looked back at his companions, and nearly fell to his knees from sudden weakness, thoroughly drained by the battle.“Are you mad?” Entreri growled at him.“Why would you do such a thing?” Dahlia added.“The sword fears our course,” Drizzt explained, and he cast a sly look at the assassin as he finished, “It would prefer your hand once more above a journey to the mouth of the primordial.”“You can control it,” Dahlia said breathlessly.Entreri never looked at her, his gaze fixed on Drizzt.“As I said, the choice is yours,” the drow said.“You would trust me beside you with that blade in hand?” Entreri asked.“No,” Drizzt said, even as Dahlia started to say yes.Entreri stared at the drow for a long, long while.“You wield it,” he said at length.“I cannot.”“Because you know it will turn on you,” Entreri reasoned.“You have not the accompanying glove, and cannot maintain your discipline indefinitely at so high a level.And that sword is relentless, I assure you.”“Then you cannot wield it, either,” the drow replied.Entreri started to drink from the brandy bottle, but just laughed helplessly and retrieved another glass from the bar, pouring himself a modest amount.He set the bottle down, held his glass aloft, and said, “To Gauntlgrym.”Drizzt nodded grimly.Dahlia’s chortle sounded more like a gasp.They heard their names called out ahead of them as they moved to the common hallway on the inn’s second floor, and from there to the stairs, and before the trio ever reached the exit, the cheering on the street outside began to mount.“Hailed as heroes,” Dahlia remarked.“They are truly pathetic,” Entreri was fast to respond.Drizzt studied the man, looking for a clue that perhaps he was enjoying this notoriety more than he would let on.But no, there was nothing to indicate any such thing, and when Drizzt considered Entreri in light of the man he had once known, he wasn’t really surprised.Neither Drizzt nor the assassin cared much for such accolades, but for very different reasons.Drizzt didn’t care because he understood that the community was stronger than the individual.In that same vein, he accepted the cheers in the knowledge that they would do the community well.Entreri, though, didn’t care because Entreri didn’t care—about applause or sneering, or anything else regarding his place in the world and the views of those around him.He simply didn’t care, and so the enthusiasm with which they were greeted when they exited the inn brought a scowl to Entreri’s face, one Drizzt knew to be sincere.Dahlia, though, seemed quite pleased.Drizzt didn’t know what to make of that.She had just exacted revenge—her most desperately wanted revenge—upon a tiefling who had apparently haunted her for most of her young life.Drizzt hardly understood the visceral level of hatred he had seen this elf woman exhibit, but truly that battle had meant quite a bit to her, and on a very deep and primal level.Even her obvious fears for Entreri’s impending demise now seemed to wash away as she basked in the excitement of the crowd.And indeed, the citizens of Neverwinter exuded excitement and joy at this time.Nearly the entire population of the settlers had gathered along the streets outside the inn, and among their front lines stood Genevieve and the man who had helped her drag their wounded companion from the sewers.That sight gave Drizzt profound peace.Perhaps the death of Alegni and the retreat of the Shadovar was a bigger gain for the future of Neverwinter, but personalizing such a victory to the level of the three saved aboleth slaves settled well on the shoulders of Drizzt Do’Urden.Weapons and fists lifted into the air defiantly, a cry of freedom regained.When Drizzt considered the recent history of this settlement, he came to understand and appreciate the exuberance.He had come through Neverwinter beside Bruenor not so long ago, before the revelation of the Thayan and Netherese presence even, and had found the citizens besieged by the strange, shriveled zombie victims of the cataclysmic volcano.They hadn’t known the source of the threat, of the Dread Ring then, and the nefarious powers behind the unsettling and dangerous events.But now it had played out and the Thayans were in disarray, perhaps even gone from the region.And Alegni and his Netherese had been driven from the city, the beast beheaded.Had the prospects for a new Neverwinter, post-apocalypse, ever looked any brighter?Perhaps they were laying that victory too much onto the shoulders of Drizzt and his two companions, the drow thought, for it was the work of these many folk that had really won the day.Drizzt and his companions had defeated Alegni and had kept that twisted necromancer at bay, but the bulk of the fighting had been done, and won, by the people now cheering.When Drizzt considered his own role in it all, mostly trying to simply stay alive against a possessed Artemis Entreri, it seemed laughable to him that he would be viewed on such a figurative pedestal.But to no harm, any of it, the drow knew from decades of similar experience.
|
Charon’s Claw was deathly afraid.Charon’s Claw recognized its doom.The sword went at him again, wildly.Drizzt changed the image in his mind to one of Entreri wielding Charon’s Claw once more, presenting the blade with a clear choice: the fire or Entreri.Charon’s Claw calmed immediately.Drizzt slid it away into its scabbard.He shook his head and looked back at his companions, and nearly fell to his knees from sudden weakness, thoroughly drained by the battle.“Are you mad?” Entreri growled at him.“Why would you do such a thing?” Dahlia added.“The sword fears our course,” Drizzt explained, and he cast a sly look at the assassin as he finished, “It would prefer your hand once more above a journey to the mouth of the primordial.”“You can control it,” Dahlia said breathlessly.Entreri never looked at her, his gaze fixed on Drizzt.“As I said, the choice is yours,” the drow said.“You would trust me beside you with that blade in hand?” Entreri asked.“No,” Drizzt said, even as Dahlia started to say yes.Entreri stared at the drow for a long, long while.“You wield it,” he said at length.“I cannot.”“Because you know it will turn on you,” Entreri reasoned.“You have not the accompanying glove, and cannot maintain your discipline indefinitely at so high a level.And that sword is relentless, I assure you.”“Then you cannot wield it, either,” the drow replied.Entreri started to drink from the brandy bottle, but just laughed helplessly and retrieved another glass from the bar, pouring himself a modest amount.He set the bottle down, held his glass aloft, and said, “To Gauntlgrym.”Drizzt nodded grimly.Dahlia’s chortle sounded more like a gasp.They heard their names called out ahead of them as they moved to the common hallway on the inn’s second floor, and from there to the stairs, and before the trio ever reached the exit, the cheering on the street outside began to mount.“Hailed as heroes,” Dahlia remarked.“They are truly pathetic,” Entreri was fast to respond.Drizzt studied the man, looking for a clue that perhaps he was enjoying this notoriety more than he would let on.But no, there was nothing to indicate any such thing, and when Drizzt considered Entreri in light of the man he had once known, he wasn’t really surprised.Neither Drizzt nor the assassin cared much for such accolades, but for very different reasons.Drizzt didn’t care because he understood that the community was stronger than the individual.In that same vein, he accepted the cheers in the knowledge that they would do the community well.Entreri, though, didn’t care because Entreri didn’t care—about applause or sneering, or anything else regarding his place in the world and the views of those around him.He simply didn’t care, and so the enthusiasm with which they were greeted when they exited the inn brought a scowl to Entreri’s face, one Drizzt knew to be sincere.Dahlia, though, seemed quite pleased.Drizzt didn’t know what to make of that.She had just exacted revenge—her most desperately wanted revenge—upon a tiefling who had apparently haunted her for most of her young life.Drizzt hardly understood the visceral level of hatred he had seen this elf woman exhibit, but truly that battle had meant quite a bit to her, and on a very deep and primal level.Even her obvious fears for Entreri’s impending demise now seemed to wash away as she basked in the excitement of the crowd.And indeed, the citizens of Neverwinter exuded excitement and joy at this time.Nearly the entire population of the settlers had gathered along the streets outside the inn, and among their front lines stood Genevieve and the man who had helped her drag their wounded companion from the sewers.That sight gave Drizzt profound peace.Perhaps the death of Alegni and the retreat of the Shadovar was a bigger gain for the future of Neverwinter, but personalizing such a victory to the level of the three saved aboleth slaves settled well on the shoulders of Drizzt Do’Urden.Weapons and fists lifted into the air defiantly, a cry of freedom regained.When Drizzt considered the recent history of this settlement, he came to understand and appreciate the exuberance.He had come through Neverwinter beside Bruenor not so long ago, before the revelation of the Thayan and Netherese presence even, and had found the citizens besieged by the strange, shriveled zombie victims of the cataclysmic volcano.They hadn’t known the source of the threat, of the Dread Ring then, and the nefarious powers behind the unsettling and dangerous events.But now it had played out and the Thayans were in disarray, perhaps even gone from the region.And Alegni and his Netherese had been driven from the city, the beast beheaded.Had the prospects for a new Neverwinter, post-apocalypse, ever looked any brighter?Perhaps they were laying that victory too much onto the shoulders of Drizzt and his two companions, the drow thought, for it was the work of these many folk that had really won the day.Drizzt and his companions had defeated Alegni and had kept that twisted necromancer at bay, but the bulk of the fighting had been done, and won, by the people now cheering.When Drizzt considered his own role in it all, mostly trying to simply stay alive against a possessed Artemis Entreri, it seemed laughable to him that he would be viewed on such a figurative pedestal.But to no harm, any of it, the drow knew from decades of similar experience.
|
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dnd427
|
He had seen this type of celebration in Ten-Towns, surely, and in Mithral Hall, and across the lands.It was a collective expression of relief and victory, and whatever symbols—Drizzt and his two companions, in this instance—were purely irrelevant to that needed emotional release.He looked directly at Genevieve and nodded, and her beaming smile back at him warmed him indeed.“Well met again, Drizzt Do’Urden,” Jelvus Grinch said, stepping out ahead of the crowd and moving right before the trio.“I trust your dwarf companion is well.”Drizzt didn’t wince at the reference to Bruenor, whom Jelvus Grinch had met briefly under an assumed name.For a moment, his reaction surprised him, and when he thought about it, his reaction pleased him.He missed Bruenor sorely, but he was indeed at peace about the dwarf.He merely nodded to Jelvus Grinch, not wishing to go into detail over something the man didn’t really care about anyway.“Once before, I asked you to stay with us,” Jelvus Grinch said.“Perhaps now you understand how great your value to Neverwinter might prove …”“We’re leaving,” Artemis Entreri coldly interrupted.Jelvus Grinch fell back and looked at the man curiously.“Now,” Entreri added.“We don’t know how far the Shadovar have retreated,” Jelvus Grinch pleaded.“Many went through the gates their wizards enacted—and perhaps they can come back through those same gates!”“Then you should remain vigilant,” Entreri replied.“Or leave.”“You know more about them than we do,” Jelvus Grinch shot back, now with a hint of anger in his tone.“I know nothing of them or of the dark place they call home,” Entreri spat back at him before he could gain any momentum.“They’re gone, Alegni is dead.That’s all I care about.”“And you have his sword,” Jelvus Grinch said, glancing over at the weapon strapped diagonally across Drizzt’s thin back.Artemis Entreri laughed, a condescending and mocking tone clearly telling the Neverwinter man that he couldn’t begin to understand the implications of his last words.“We must go,” Drizzt interjected calmly.“We have urgent business that cannot wait.Keep your guard strong, though I doubt the Netherese will return anytime soon.From what I have seen, they are obedient to strong leaders, and with Alegni gone, would any other Netherese lord deem to replace him in a place so dangerous and hostile as Neverwinter?”“We cannot know,” Jelvus Grinch said.Drizzt dropped a hand on the man’s strong shoulder.“Hold your faith in your fellow citizens,” Drizzt advised.“The region is full of dangers, as you knew when first you returned.”“And you’ll remain?” the man asked hopefully.“Not too far for now, I expect,” Drizzt assured him.“Then don’t remain a stranger to the folk of Neverwinter, I beg.You, all three, are ever welcome here.”A great cheer arose behind him, affirming the sentiment.The gathering followed the trio across the city, across the winged wyvern bridge.“We will name it again the Walk of Barrabus!” Jelvus Grinch proclaimed, and the cheering renewed.“Barrabus is dead,” Artemis Entreri replied, cutting Grinch’s grin off short.“I killed him.Don’t remind me of him with your foolish names.”It sounded as a clear threat to everyone who heard it, and Entreri followed it by staring hard at Jelvus Grinch, by silently letting the man know that if he named the bridge as he’d just promised, Entreri really would come back and kill him.Drizzt noted it all.He knew that look—frozen, utterly uncaring, uncompromisingly removed from sympathy—from a century before, and the poignant reminder of the truth of Artemis Entreri slapped the drow’s romantic nostalgia quite decidedly, and shook him profoundly in his current time and place.Drizzt looked to Jelvus Grinch to view his reaction, and the way the blood drained from the strong man’s face revealed that Artemis Entreri had lost none of his charm.The First Citizen of Neverwinter cleared his throat several times before mustering the courage to resume speaking, this time to Drizzt.
|
He had seen this type of celebration in Ten-Towns, surely, and in Mithral Hall, and across the lands.It was a collective expression of relief and victory, and whatever symbols—Drizzt and his two companions, in this instance—were purely irrelevant to that needed emotional release.He looked directly at Genevieve and nodded, and her beaming smile back at him warmed him indeed.“Well met again, Drizzt Do’Urden,” Jelvus Grinch said, stepping out ahead of the crowd and moving right before the trio.“I trust your dwarf companion is well.”Drizzt didn’t wince at the reference to Bruenor, whom Jelvus Grinch had met briefly under an assumed name.For a moment, his reaction surprised him, and when he thought about it, his reaction pleased him.He missed Bruenor sorely, but he was indeed at peace about the dwarf.He merely nodded to Jelvus Grinch, not wishing to go into detail over something the man didn’t really care about anyway.“Once before, I asked you to stay with us,” Jelvus Grinch said.“Perhaps now you understand how great your value to Neverwinter might prove …”“We’re leaving,” Artemis Entreri coldly interrupted.Jelvus Grinch fell back and looked at the man curiously.“Now,” Entreri added.“We don’t know how far the Shadovar have retreated,” Jelvus Grinch pleaded.“Many went through the gates their wizards enacted—and perhaps they can come back through those same gates!”“Then you should remain vigilant,” Entreri replied.“Or leave.”“You know more about them than we do,” Jelvus Grinch shot back, now with a hint of anger in his tone.“I know nothing of them or of the dark place they call home,” Entreri spat back at him before he could gain any momentum.“They’re gone, Alegni is dead.That’s all I care about.”“And you have his sword,” Jelvus Grinch said, glancing over at the weapon strapped diagonally across Drizzt’s thin back.Artemis Entreri laughed, a condescending and mocking tone clearly telling the Neverwinter man that he couldn’t begin to understand the implications of his last words.“We must go,” Drizzt interjected calmly.“We have urgent business that cannot wait.Keep your guard strong, though I doubt the Netherese will return anytime soon.From what I have seen, they are obedient to strong leaders, and with Alegni gone, would any other Netherese lord deem to replace him in a place so dangerous and hostile as Neverwinter?”“We cannot know,” Jelvus Grinch said.Drizzt dropped a hand on the man’s strong shoulder.“Hold your faith in your fellow citizens,” Drizzt advised.“The region is full of dangers, as you knew when first you returned.”“And you’ll remain?” the man asked hopefully.“Not too far for now, I expect,” Drizzt assured him.“Then don’t remain a stranger to the folk of Neverwinter, I beg.You, all three, are ever welcome here.”A great cheer arose behind him, affirming the sentiment.The gathering followed the trio across the city, across the winged wyvern bridge.“We will name it again the Walk of Barrabus!” Jelvus Grinch proclaimed, and the cheering renewed.“Barrabus is dead,” Artemis Entreri replied, cutting Grinch’s grin off short.“I killed him.Don’t remind me of him with your foolish names.”It sounded as a clear threat to everyone who heard it, and Entreri followed it by staring hard at Jelvus Grinch, by silently letting the man know that if he named the bridge as he’d just promised, Entreri really would come back and kill him.Drizzt noted it all.He knew that look—frozen, utterly uncaring, uncompromisingly removed from sympathy—from a century before, and the poignant reminder of the truth of Artemis Entreri slapped the drow’s romantic nostalgia quite decidedly, and shook him profoundly in his current time and place.Drizzt looked to Jelvus Grinch to view his reaction, and the way the blood drained from the strong man’s face revealed that Artemis Entreri had lost none of his charm.The First Citizen of Neverwinter cleared his throat several times before mustering the courage to resume speaking, this time to Drizzt.
|
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dnd428
|
“Have you found better fortune with your panther?”Drizzt shook his head.“I suggest you speak to Arunika,” said Jelvus Grinch.“She is investigating this, at my insistence.The woman is quite wise in the ways of magic, and knows the workings of the various planes.”Drizzt glanced at his companions, who offered no obvious opinion.“Where do I find her?” he asked.“We’re ready for the road,” Artemis Entreri remarked.“We can wait,” Dahlia said.“No, we can’t,” said Entreri.“If you wish to go and find the red-haired woman, then do so, but we’ll be on our way up the northern road.I trust you’ll ride hard to find us.”Drizzt turned to Jelvus Grinch, who indicated the inn behind him.“Arunika has been given a room there, that she could better tend to your companion.”The drow turned and regarded Entreri and Dahlia one last time, to see Entreri’s harsh expression and obvious agitation at the thought of any delays, and conversely, Dahlia’s almost frantically-darting eyes, as if looking for some way to forestall this expedition.Drizzt had never expected anything quite like that from Dahlia, whether she wore her hard-visage braid and woad, or the softer image she now painted upon her pretty face.Guenhwyvar’s plight was more important, and he rushed into the inn.He had barely said the name “Arunika,” before the innkeeper directed him to a room down the first floor hallway.Arunika opened the door before he had even knocked, and he understood the reception when he entered, for her room looked out on the gathering in the street and the window was open.Even as Drizzt noted that, Arunika moved over and closed it.“You believe that throwing the weapon into the mouth of the primordial will destroy it,” she said.“I came to speak of Guenhwyvar.”“That, too,” the red-haired woman agreed.Drizzt found himself quite at ease as he regarded her disarming smile … truly disarming, with freckled dimples and a sweetness that went beyond all reason.He determinedly shook that curious, and curiously stray, thought away.“I agree with your assessment of the sword,” Arunika said, and she eased back into a soft cushioned couch, casually tossing her long and soft red hair from in front of her face.“And our course?”“Artemis Entreri thinks that destroying the blade will destroy him.”“He does not fear …” Drizzt started to say, but he stopped short and stared hard at Arunika.How had she come to know Entreri’s real name?To everyone else in the city, save himself and Dahlia, the man was still known as Barrabus the Gray, and as far as he knew, none of them had uttered any hints of the assassin’s real identity.“Oh, he fears it, of course,” Arunika replied, apparently missing the drow’s shocked response—or ignoring it.“He just has too much hatred within him to admit it.Everyone fears death, ranger.Everyone.”“Then perhaps some simply fear living more.”Arunika shrugged as if it did not matter.“If you deign to destroy Charon’s Claw, your best path is to the primordial, I agree,” she went on.“Oh, there are better ways—surer ways … the breath of an ancient white dragon comes to mind—but I expect that time is not your ally.Charon’s Claw is a Netherese blade, and those unbearable despots will go to such lengths to protect and retrieve their artifacts that would impress any githyanki zealot.”Drizzt wasn’t quite sure of the analogy.He had heard of the githyanki.They were sometimes seen in Menzoberranzan and the few he had viewed did seem to possess unduly decorated armor and weapons.The reference seemed clear enough, though.“Since I know of no cooperative ancient white dragons in the area, my advice to you would be the primordial in Gauntlgrym.”“You seem to know quite a bit of quite a bit,” Drizzt replied.
|
“Have you found better fortune with your panther?”Drizzt shook his head.“I suggest you speak to Arunika,” said Jelvus Grinch.“She is investigating this, at my insistence.The woman is quite wise in the ways of magic, and knows the workings of the various planes.”Drizzt glanced at his companions, who offered no obvious opinion.“Where do I find her?” he asked.“We’re ready for the road,” Artemis Entreri remarked.“We can wait,” Dahlia said.“No, we can’t,” said Entreri.“If you wish to go and find the red-haired woman, then do so, but we’ll be on our way up the northern road.I trust you’ll ride hard to find us.”Drizzt turned to Jelvus Grinch, who indicated the inn behind him.“Arunika has been given a room there, that she could better tend to your companion.”The drow turned and regarded Entreri and Dahlia one last time, to see Entreri’s harsh expression and obvious agitation at the thought of any delays, and conversely, Dahlia’s almost frantically-darting eyes, as if looking for some way to forestall this expedition.Drizzt had never expected anything quite like that from Dahlia, whether she wore her hard-visage braid and woad, or the softer image she now painted upon her pretty face.Guenhwyvar’s plight was more important, and he rushed into the inn.He had barely said the name “Arunika,” before the innkeeper directed him to a room down the first floor hallway.Arunika opened the door before he had even knocked, and he understood the reception when he entered, for her room looked out on the gathering in the street and the window was open.Even as Drizzt noted that, Arunika moved over and closed it.“You believe that throwing the weapon into the mouth of the primordial will destroy it,” she said.“I came to speak of Guenhwyvar.”“That, too,” the red-haired woman agreed.Drizzt found himself quite at ease as he regarded her disarming smile … truly disarming, with freckled dimples and a sweetness that went beyond all reason.He determinedly shook that curious, and curiously stray, thought away.“I agree with your assessment of the sword,” Arunika said, and she eased back into a soft cushioned couch, casually tossing her long and soft red hair from in front of her face.“And our course?”“Artemis Entreri thinks that destroying the blade will destroy him.”“He does not fear …” Drizzt started to say, but he stopped short and stared hard at Arunika.How had she come to know Entreri’s real name?To everyone else in the city, save himself and Dahlia, the man was still known as Barrabus the Gray, and as far as he knew, none of them had uttered any hints of the assassin’s real identity.“Oh, he fears it, of course,” Arunika replied, apparently missing the drow’s shocked response—or ignoring it.“He just has too much hatred within him to admit it.Everyone fears death, ranger.Everyone.”“Then perhaps some simply fear living more.”Arunika shrugged as if it did not matter.“If you deign to destroy Charon’s Claw, your best path is to the primordial, I agree,” she went on.“Oh, there are better ways—surer ways … the breath of an ancient white dragon comes to mind—but I expect that time is not your ally.Charon’s Claw is a Netherese blade, and those unbearable despots will go to such lengths to protect and retrieve their artifacts that would impress any githyanki zealot.”Drizzt wasn’t quite sure of the analogy.He had heard of the githyanki.They were sometimes seen in Menzoberranzan and the few he had viewed did seem to possess unduly decorated armor and weapons.The reference seemed clear enough, though.“Since I know of no cooperative ancient white dragons in the area, my advice to you would be the primordial in Gauntlgrym.”“You seem to know quite a bit of quite a bit,” Drizzt replied.
|
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dnd429
|
“Charon’s Claw?Gauntlgrym?Even the assassin’s real name.I expect that little of that information is general throughout Neverwinter.”“I survive by being smarter than those around me,” Arunika replied.“And you have ways of seeing things others cannot discern, no doubt.”“No doubt,” the woman replied, and she patted the cushion beside her on the couch.Drizzt grabbed a wooden chair instead, and set it before her, drawing a cute—too cute—little laugh from Arunika as he did.“Does my insight, or perhaps, my other-sight, disappoint you?” she asked coyly.Drizzt considered that for a moment, and then answered, “Not if it aids me.”“Your beloved Guenhwyvar,” Arunika stated.“May I have the figurine?”Before he even considered the movement, Drizzt produced the onyx statuette and reached it out toward Arunika, hesitating only when she similarly stretched to retrieve it from him.Few had held this figurine, few would the drow trust to ever touch it, let alone take it from his grasp.Yet here he was, giving it to a curiously knowledgeable woman he hardly knew!His grip instinctively tightened.“If you wish my advice and insight, it would be better for you to allow me to study it properly,” the woman remarked, and Drizzt perked up as if coming out of a slumber and handed Guenhwyvar over.“It will take some time for me to properly inspect the aura around the magical statue,” Arunika explained, rolling it over in her hands before her sparkling, pretty eyes.Incredibly pretty, Drizzt thought, and it wasn’t until her words registered that he was able to get that thought out of his mind.“I have little time,” he said.“My friends have already departed Neverwinter, likely, and I will not leave without Guenhwyvar.”“Without the statue, you mean,” Arunika corrected, and the reality of that stung Drizzt profoundly.“You’re welcome to stay and watch,” the woman said.She rose from the couch and moved to a desk at the side of the room, pulling open the largest, lowest drawer and producing a satchel.She placed it on the table and rummaged through it, bringing forth assorted candles and powders, a silver bowl, a phial of clear liquid, and a silvery scroll tube.Drizzt watched from across the room and said not another word as Arunika set up her scrying table.She chanted under her breath as she lit the candles, spacing them appropriately around the bowl, then began a different incantation as she poured the liquid into the bowl, splashing it over the onyx figurine in the process.She set her hands on the table, palms up, tilted her head back, and let her eyes roll up as she began to chant louder and more insistently.It went on for a long, long while, and Drizzt constantly glanced out the window to try to gauge the passing hours.He knew that Dahlia and Entreri couldn’t go into Gauntlgrym without him—he had the sword, after all!But the thought of them out on the road alone bit at his sensibilities in no good way.The sun was low in the sky when Arunika abruptly stood up from her seat and rubbed her eyes.Casually, she tossed the onyx figurine back to Drizzt.“What do you know?” he asked, not liking that almost dismissive toss, or the resigned look on the woman’s face.“I sense no connection to the creature you call Guenhwyvar,” Arunika admitted.“What does that mean?” Drizzt asked, trying to keep the desperation out of his voice, though a primal scream was surely bubbling within him.The red-haired woman shrugged.“That the magic has been dispelled?” Drizzt demanded.“Or that the panth—or that Guenhwyvar has been destroyed?Is that even possible?”“Of course,” Arunika said, and Drizzt swallowed hard.“She is the astral essence of the panther, akin to a goddess,” Drizzt protested.“Even gods can be destroyed, Drizzt Do’Urden.Though we do not know that such is the case.Somehow, some way, the connection between the panther and the statuette has been severed—understand that they are not the same thing!Artemis Entreri carries the token of the nightmare, indeed you wear one of a unicorn, but these are magical creations affixed to magical implements.
|
“Charon’s Claw?Gauntlgrym?Even the assassin’s real name.I expect that little of that information is general throughout Neverwinter.”“I survive by being smarter than those around me,” Arunika replied.“And you have ways of seeing things others cannot discern, no doubt.”“No doubt,” the woman replied, and she patted the cushion beside her on the couch.Drizzt grabbed a wooden chair instead, and set it before her, drawing a cute—too cute—little laugh from Arunika as he did.“Does my insight, or perhaps, my other-sight, disappoint you?” she asked coyly.Drizzt considered that for a moment, and then answered, “Not if it aids me.”“Your beloved Guenhwyvar,” Arunika stated.“May I have the figurine?”Before he even considered the movement, Drizzt produced the onyx statuette and reached it out toward Arunika, hesitating only when she similarly stretched to retrieve it from him.Few had held this figurine, few would the drow trust to ever touch it, let alone take it from his grasp.Yet here he was, giving it to a curiously knowledgeable woman he hardly knew!His grip instinctively tightened.“If you wish my advice and insight, it would be better for you to allow me to study it properly,” the woman remarked, and Drizzt perked up as if coming out of a slumber and handed Guenhwyvar over.“It will take some time for me to properly inspect the aura around the magical statue,” Arunika explained, rolling it over in her hands before her sparkling, pretty eyes.Incredibly pretty, Drizzt thought, and it wasn’t until her words registered that he was able to get that thought out of his mind.“I have little time,” he said.“My friends have already departed Neverwinter, likely, and I will not leave without Guenhwyvar.”“Without the statue, you mean,” Arunika corrected, and the reality of that stung Drizzt profoundly.“You’re welcome to stay and watch,” the woman said.She rose from the couch and moved to a desk at the side of the room, pulling open the largest, lowest drawer and producing a satchel.She placed it on the table and rummaged through it, bringing forth assorted candles and powders, a silver bowl, a phial of clear liquid, and a silvery scroll tube.Drizzt watched from across the room and said not another word as Arunika set up her scrying table.She chanted under her breath as she lit the candles, spacing them appropriately around the bowl, then began a different incantation as she poured the liquid into the bowl, splashing it over the onyx figurine in the process.She set her hands on the table, palms up, tilted her head back, and let her eyes roll up as she began to chant louder and more insistently.It went on for a long, long while, and Drizzt constantly glanced out the window to try to gauge the passing hours.He knew that Dahlia and Entreri couldn’t go into Gauntlgrym without him—he had the sword, after all!But the thought of them out on the road alone bit at his sensibilities in no good way.The sun was low in the sky when Arunika abruptly stood up from her seat and rubbed her eyes.Casually, she tossed the onyx figurine back to Drizzt.“What do you know?” he asked, not liking that almost dismissive toss, or the resigned look on the woman’s face.“I sense no connection to the creature you call Guenhwyvar,” Arunika admitted.“What does that mean?” Drizzt asked, trying to keep the desperation out of his voice, though a primal scream was surely bubbling within him.The red-haired woman shrugged.“That the magic has been dispelled?” Drizzt demanded.“Or that the panth—or that Guenhwyvar has been destroyed?Is that even possible?”“Of course,” Arunika said, and Drizzt swallowed hard.“She is the astral essence of the panther, akin to a goddess,” Drizzt protested.“Even gods can be destroyed, Drizzt Do’Urden.Though we do not know that such is the case.Somehow, some way, the connection between the panther and the statuette has been severed—understand that they are not the same thing!Artemis Entreri carries the token of the nightmare, indeed you wear one of a unicorn, but these are magical creations affixed to magical implements.
|
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dnd430
|
Your whistle is your steed.To destroy the whistle would be to obliterate the magical construct you call Andahar.The same is true of Entreri’s mount.These are not life forms, but enchantments cleverly disguised as such.Without the disguise, you could ride your whistle across the leagues, though I doubt your sensibilities would find much comfort in that, to say nothing of your arse.”Drizzt could hardly keep up with her, given the enormity of the woman’s proclamation regarding Guenhwyvar.His blank stare brought Arunika over to him, where she dropped a comforting hand on his shoulder.“Guenhwyvar is different from your whistle,” she explained.“Different from Entreri’s hell steed.Guenhwyvar is a living, breathing creature of another dimension, an essence not captured by the statuette, but one called by the statuette.It is an old enchantment—one from the days of the great mythals, I expect!—and one not easily replicated by any living mage, not even Elminster himself.”“You think her dead,” Drizzt remarked.Arunika shrugged and patted his shoulder again.“I think we cannot know.What we, what I, know, is that there is no connection I can sense between your statuette and that creature, Guenhwyvar.Your figurine still radiates magic—that much I can easily see, but it is a beacon without a viewer.”Drizzt swallowed hard and slowly shook his head, not wanting to hear it.“I’m sorry, Drizzt Do’Urden,” Arunika said, and she went up to her tip-toes and kissed Drizzt on the cheek.He pulled back.“Keep looking!” He thought back to a fateful day in Mithral Hall, so long ago, when he had grabbed Jarlaxle by the collar and similarly implored him, only on that occasion, to find Catti-brie and Regis.Arunika just fixed him with that sympathetic, calming smile and nodded.Drizzt stumbled out of the room and the inn and back onto the street, where only a few folks milled around, all looking his way curiously.“He’s been to the red-headed one’s bed,” one woman snickered to her friend as they hustled by, clearly mistaking the drow’s wobbly gait.“Guenhwyvar,” he whispered, rolling the onyx statue over in his hand.A burst of rage came over him.He blew into his silver whistle, and leaped upon Andahar’s strong back as the unicorn thundered up to join him, then urged the mighty steed away at a full gallop.He needed the exertion; he sought exhaustion.Only in action could he find solace at that dark moment.He thundered out of Neverwinter’s main gate, Andahar’s hooves churning the northern road, the wind bringing moistness to the drow’s lavender eyes.Or maybe it wasn’t the wind.“I thought that I hated Alegni,” Entreri said, standing across the small cooking fire from Dahlia.Prudence dictated that they should have no such firelight out in the unsettled wilds of Neverwinter Wood, but these two didn’t often listen to such moderate voices; or perhaps it was that very voice that compelled the two troubled souls to light such a beacon, inviting danger and battle.“You did not?” the elf sarcastically replied.Entreri laughed.“Of course I did, with all of my heart, so I believed—until I measure my hatred of him to your own.”“Perhaps your heart is not as big as mine.”“Perhaps my heart is not as dark as yours.” The assassin managed a little grin as he uttered the quip, expecting a rejoinder from the quick-witted woman.To his surprise, though, Dahlia simply looked down at the fire and stirred it a bit with a stick she had retrieved.She poked and prodded at the embers, drawing bursts of small flames which made her eyes sparkle in their dancing and darting reflections.There was pain in Dahlia’s pretty eyes, along with a simmering anger—no, something more than anger, like the purest outrage crystallized into a sharp and stabbing point of light.Artemis Entreri recognized it, had felt the same, and when he, too, was very young.“You presume much,” Dahlia said.
|
Your whistle is your steed.To destroy the whistle would be to obliterate the magical construct you call Andahar.The same is true of Entreri’s mount.These are not life forms, but enchantments cleverly disguised as such.Without the disguise, you could ride your whistle across the leagues, though I doubt your sensibilities would find much comfort in that, to say nothing of your arse.”Drizzt could hardly keep up with her, given the enormity of the woman’s proclamation regarding Guenhwyvar.His blank stare brought Arunika over to him, where she dropped a comforting hand on his shoulder.“Guenhwyvar is different from your whistle,” she explained.“Different from Entreri’s hell steed.Guenhwyvar is a living, breathing creature of another dimension, an essence not captured by the statuette, but one called by the statuette.It is an old enchantment—one from the days of the great mythals, I expect!—and one not easily replicated by any living mage, not even Elminster himself.”“You think her dead,” Drizzt remarked.Arunika shrugged and patted his shoulder again.“I think we cannot know.What we, what I, know, is that there is no connection I can sense between your statuette and that creature, Guenhwyvar.Your figurine still radiates magic—that much I can easily see, but it is a beacon without a viewer.”Drizzt swallowed hard and slowly shook his head, not wanting to hear it.“I’m sorry, Drizzt Do’Urden,” Arunika said, and she went up to her tip-toes and kissed Drizzt on the cheek.He pulled back.“Keep looking!” He thought back to a fateful day in Mithral Hall, so long ago, when he had grabbed Jarlaxle by the collar and similarly implored him, only on that occasion, to find Catti-brie and Regis.Arunika just fixed him with that sympathetic, calming smile and nodded.Drizzt stumbled out of the room and the inn and back onto the street, where only a few folks milled around, all looking his way curiously.“He’s been to the red-headed one’s bed,” one woman snickered to her friend as they hustled by, clearly mistaking the drow’s wobbly gait.“Guenhwyvar,” he whispered, rolling the onyx statue over in his hand.A burst of rage came over him.He blew into his silver whistle, and leaped upon Andahar’s strong back as the unicorn thundered up to join him, then urged the mighty steed away at a full gallop.He needed the exertion; he sought exhaustion.Only in action could he find solace at that dark moment.He thundered out of Neverwinter’s main gate, Andahar’s hooves churning the northern road, the wind bringing moistness to the drow’s lavender eyes.Or maybe it wasn’t the wind.“I thought that I hated Alegni,” Entreri said, standing across the small cooking fire from Dahlia.Prudence dictated that they should have no such firelight out in the unsettled wilds of Neverwinter Wood, but these two didn’t often listen to such moderate voices; or perhaps it was that very voice that compelled the two troubled souls to light such a beacon, inviting danger and battle.“You did not?” the elf sarcastically replied.Entreri laughed.“Of course I did, with all of my heart, so I believed—until I measure my hatred of him to your own.”“Perhaps your heart is not as big as mine.”“Perhaps my heart is not as dark as yours.” The assassin managed a little grin as he uttered the quip, expecting a rejoinder from the quick-witted woman.To his surprise, though, Dahlia simply looked down at the fire and stirred it a bit with a stick she had retrieved.She poked and prodded at the embers, drawing bursts of small flames which made her eyes sparkle in their dancing and darting reflections.There was pain in Dahlia’s pretty eyes, along with a simmering anger—no, something more than anger, like the purest outrage crystallized into a sharp and stabbing point of light.Artemis Entreri recognized it, had felt the same, and when he, too, was very young.“You presume much,” Dahlia said.
|
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dnd431
|
“We went to kill Alegni, and so we did, and you attacked him no less than I.”This, too, this avoidance, Entreri knew well.“I had no choice.I had no escape from the man,” he said.“He carried the sword and the sword owned me.My choice was to fight—”“To die,” Dahlia interrupted.“Preferable to what came before.”The woman looked up, her eyes meeting his, but only for a heartbeat before she turned again to the safety of the distracting firelight.“This was the easier, and the safer path,” Entreri said.“A prisoner attempts to break free, or he accepts his servitude.But not so for you.Herzgo Alegni had no hold over Dahlia, yet you drove us there, to that bridge and to that fight.”“I pay back my debts.”“Indeed, and what a great debt this must have been, yes?”She glanced at him again, but this time, not in shared recognition, but with a warning scowl.And again, she returned her gaze to the firelight.“And when all seemed lost, Alegni’s army closing in around us, Drizzt downed by my own sword, and myself helpless beneath Alegni’s blade, Dahlia was free.”She did look up, then, and stared at him hard.“Free to fly away.”“What friend would I be …?” she started to ask, but Entreri’s quiet snicker mocked her.“I know you better than that,” he declared.“You know nothing,” she said, but without conviction, for as she stared at Entreri and he at her, the connection between them could not escape either.“You did not fly back onto the bridge out of loyalty, but out of something so deep within you and so dark inside that you could not leave.I said I would die before returning to my servitude, but Dahlia was no less captured than I. I by a sword, and you by …”Dahlia looked away abruptly, her gaze to the fire, where she kicked at it to send a rush of embers into the air, obviously needing the distraction, the change of subject, anything.“A memory,” Artemis Entreri finished, and Dahlia’s shoulders slumped so profoundly that she seemed as if she would simply topple over into the fire.And despite himself, despite everything he had spent nearly a century and a half perfecting, Artemis Entreri went to her, right beside her, and put his arm around her to hold her steady.Her tears streamed down her face and dropped to the ground below, but he did not wipe them away.She tensed, and inhaled deeply to steady herself.As she stood straight once more, Entreri took a step to the side.He looked at the fire, giving her this moment of privacy as she passed through the darkness.“You hated him more than I ever could,” Entreri admitted.“He’s dead,” Dahlia stated flatly.“And a pity that he fell through the dimensions as he breathed his last,” said Entreri.“I would have tied his corpse to my nightmare and dragged it through the streets of Neverwinter until the skin fell from his broken bones.”He felt Dahlia looking at him, though he did not return the stare.“For me?” she asked.“For both of us,” he replied.Given what he knew now about Dahlia, such an act might have brought him a deeper peace from a more profound scar—with Herzgo Alegni substituting for one who betrayed him so many decades before.Dahlia managed a little chuckle then, and said, “I would have liked watching that.”In the brush not so far away, Drizzt Do’Urden couldn’t make out many of the words the two exchanged.He had dismounted and dismissed Andahar far back, when first he had spotted the fire.Somehow, he knew that it would be the camp of Dahlia and Entreri.And still, Drizzt had not openly approached.He tried to tell himself that he wasn’t sneaking up on them.He had watched their discussion for some time, and could have moved closer without being detected, perhaps close enough to hear their words.But those words didn’t seem to matter.Drizzt found himself more interested in their movements, particularly the way they looked at each other, and more poignantly, how they looked away from each other.There was nothing sexual between them, no hint that Entreri had made a cuckold of him or anything of the sort.Strangely, Drizzt had a feeling that such a crude revelation might have stung less profoundly.For he knew now what he had long suspected: Artemis Entreri knew something of Dahlia, understood something of Dahlia, which he did not and could not.Some cord wound between them.In her tears and in her quiet chuckle, Dahlia had shared more with Artemis Entreri then she had with Drizzt in all their nights of lovemaking.How could it be that this quiet conversation about a campfire in the nighttime forest felt more intimate than making love?It made no sense.But there it was before him.WHERE THE SHADOWS NEVER ENDTHE WOUNDS WERE CONSIDERABLE,” THE SHADE PRIEST EXPLAINED.
|
“We went to kill Alegni, and so we did, and you attacked him no less than I.”This, too, this avoidance, Entreri knew well.“I had no choice.I had no escape from the man,” he said.“He carried the sword and the sword owned me.My choice was to fight—”“To die,” Dahlia interrupted.“Preferable to what came before.”The woman looked up, her eyes meeting his, but only for a heartbeat before she turned again to the safety of the distracting firelight.“This was the easier, and the safer path,” Entreri said.“A prisoner attempts to break free, or he accepts his servitude.But not so for you.Herzgo Alegni had no hold over Dahlia, yet you drove us there, to that bridge and to that fight.”“I pay back my debts.”“Indeed, and what a great debt this must have been, yes?”She glanced at him again, but this time, not in shared recognition, but with a warning scowl.And again, she returned her gaze to the firelight.“And when all seemed lost, Alegni’s army closing in around us, Drizzt downed by my own sword, and myself helpless beneath Alegni’s blade, Dahlia was free.”She did look up, then, and stared at him hard.“Free to fly away.”“What friend would I be …?” she started to ask, but Entreri’s quiet snicker mocked her.“I know you better than that,” he declared.“You know nothing,” she said, but without conviction, for as she stared at Entreri and he at her, the connection between them could not escape either.“You did not fly back onto the bridge out of loyalty, but out of something so deep within you and so dark inside that you could not leave.I said I would die before returning to my servitude, but Dahlia was no less captured than I. I by a sword, and you by …”Dahlia looked away abruptly, her gaze to the fire, where she kicked at it to send a rush of embers into the air, obviously needing the distraction, the change of subject, anything.“A memory,” Artemis Entreri finished, and Dahlia’s shoulders slumped so profoundly that she seemed as if she would simply topple over into the fire.And despite himself, despite everything he had spent nearly a century and a half perfecting, Artemis Entreri went to her, right beside her, and put his arm around her to hold her steady.Her tears streamed down her face and dropped to the ground below, but he did not wipe them away.She tensed, and inhaled deeply to steady herself.As she stood straight once more, Entreri took a step to the side.He looked at the fire, giving her this moment of privacy as she passed through the darkness.“You hated him more than I ever could,” Entreri admitted.“He’s dead,” Dahlia stated flatly.“And a pity that he fell through the dimensions as he breathed his last,” said Entreri.“I would have tied his corpse to my nightmare and dragged it through the streets of Neverwinter until the skin fell from his broken bones.”He felt Dahlia looking at him, though he did not return the stare.“For me?” she asked.“For both of us,” he replied.Given what he knew now about Dahlia, such an act might have brought him a deeper peace from a more profound scar—with Herzgo Alegni substituting for one who betrayed him so many decades before.Dahlia managed a little chuckle then, and said, “I would have liked watching that.”In the brush not so far away, Drizzt Do’Urden couldn’t make out many of the words the two exchanged.He had dismounted and dismissed Andahar far back, when first he had spotted the fire.Somehow, he knew that it would be the camp of Dahlia and Entreri.And still, Drizzt had not openly approached.He tried to tell himself that he wasn’t sneaking up on them.He had watched their discussion for some time, and could have moved closer without being detected, perhaps close enough to hear their words.But those words didn’t seem to matter.Drizzt found himself more interested in their movements, particularly the way they looked at each other, and more poignantly, how they looked away from each other.There was nothing sexual between them, no hint that Entreri had made a cuckold of him or anything of the sort.Strangely, Drizzt had a feeling that such a crude revelation might have stung less profoundly.For he knew now what he had long suspected: Artemis Entreri knew something of Dahlia, understood something of Dahlia, which he did not and could not.Some cord wound between them.In her tears and in her quiet chuckle, Dahlia had shared more with Artemis Entreri then she had with Drizzt in all their nights of lovemaking.How could it be that this quiet conversation about a campfire in the nighttime forest felt more intimate than making love?It made no sense.But there it was before him.WHERE THE SHADOWS NEVER ENDTHE WOUNDS WERE CONSIDERABLE,” THE SHADE PRIEST EXPLAINED.
|
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dnd432
|
“HE WILL be many tendays in repair.”“Then get more priests to tend him,” Draygo Quick answered sharply.“He does not have tendays.”The priest rocked back, surprised, obviously, at being treated so.He and his brethren had just pulled the tiefling from the very edge of the grave, after all.“Few had thought that Lord Alegni would survive, though your great action in destroying the vicious feline was brilliantly performed,” the priest replied, a stinging rebuttal, though one couched, prudently, with proper compliment to the powerful Netherese lord.The words were true enough—regarding Alegni at least, Draygo Quick had to admit.The tiefling’s skin had been hanging in tatters, after all, and one of his eyes had been plucked from its socket, left hanging by a cord on his cheek.And those had been the least of his wounds.“I need him, quickly,” Draygo Quick demanded.“He will live,” was all the priest could respond.“He must do more than live,” the warlock warned.“He must return to Faerûn in mere days to retrieve that which he has lost.”“The sword.”“Our sword,” the withered old warlock replied.“You could send others …”“It is not my responsibility.It is Herzgo Alegni’s.Summon other priests—as many as you can find.Mend every wound and stand him up.”The priest looked at him doubtfully.“For his own sake,” Draygo Quick answered that stare.“Now be gone.”The priest knew better than to argue with the likes of Draygo Quick, and he bowed curtly and hustled away.Draygo Quick took a wheezing breath.He had sponsored Herzgo Alegni to a position of great power in Netherese society.He was not responsible for the tiefling, of course, but Alegni’s actions—his victories and his failures—surely played upon the well-guarded reputation of Draygo Quick.Herzgo Alegni had lost a Netherese artifact, a powerful and prized sword, and one that Draygo Quick had given to him.Herzgo Alegni had to get it back.That would always be the case in Netherese custom and law, but it was even more poignant this time, Draygo Quick knew, for the recent history of Alegni had not been one of shining triumph.His expedition to the region known as Neverwinter should have been secured years before.True, the unexpected cataclysm of the volcanic eruption had occurred at a terrible time, but excuses could only carry one so far among the strict and demanding Netheril Empire.Now the loss of the sword seemed even more profound, because it had come at a time of even higher expectation and because it had not been the only loss.Despite Draygo Quick’s controversial decision to send scores of reinforcements to Alegni’s Neverwinter garrison, the city of Neverwinter itself had been lost to the Netherese.Even with the Thayans in disarray and on the run, the city had been lost.Draygo Quick had heard the whispers that morning, hints that he had given too much—in terms of gifts and responsibilities—to a failed leader.He had even overheard a pair of powerful nobles questioning his own abilities, wondering if perhaps age had dulled his mind, for would Draygo Quick had ever made such a terrible misjudgment in his earlier days?They had to get Herzgo Alegni on his feet, and Alegni had to go and retrieve that sword in short order.Neverwinter was lost to them, but so be it.The loss of Charon’s Claw was another matter entirely.The long room glowed with firelight and teemed with magical, primal energy, as two-score primordial-powered forges glowed with hot life.The sound of hammers rang clear, echoing about the stones.“Thinking in the past?” Tiago Baenre remarked when he caught up to Ravel, who stood with eyes closed, as if basking in the more subtle sensations.“Or considering the potential, perhaps?”“Both,” the spellspinner admitted.
|
“HE WILL be many tendays in repair.”“Then get more priests to tend him,” Draygo Quick answered sharply.“He does not have tendays.”The priest rocked back, surprised, obviously, at being treated so.He and his brethren had just pulled the tiefling from the very edge of the grave, after all.“Few had thought that Lord Alegni would survive, though your great action in destroying the vicious feline was brilliantly performed,” the priest replied, a stinging rebuttal, though one couched, prudently, with proper compliment to the powerful Netherese lord.The words were true enough—regarding Alegni at least, Draygo Quick had to admit.The tiefling’s skin had been hanging in tatters, after all, and one of his eyes had been plucked from its socket, left hanging by a cord on his cheek.And those had been the least of his wounds.“I need him, quickly,” Draygo Quick demanded.“He will live,” was all the priest could respond.“He must do more than live,” the warlock warned.“He must return to Faerûn in mere days to retrieve that which he has lost.”“The sword.”“Our sword,” the withered old warlock replied.“You could send others …”“It is not my responsibility.It is Herzgo Alegni’s.Summon other priests—as many as you can find.Mend every wound and stand him up.”The priest looked at him doubtfully.“For his own sake,” Draygo Quick answered that stare.“Now be gone.”The priest knew better than to argue with the likes of Draygo Quick, and he bowed curtly and hustled away.Draygo Quick took a wheezing breath.He had sponsored Herzgo Alegni to a position of great power in Netherese society.He was not responsible for the tiefling, of course, but Alegni’s actions—his victories and his failures—surely played upon the well-guarded reputation of Draygo Quick.Herzgo Alegni had lost a Netherese artifact, a powerful and prized sword, and one that Draygo Quick had given to him.Herzgo Alegni had to get it back.That would always be the case in Netherese custom and law, but it was even more poignant this time, Draygo Quick knew, for the recent history of Alegni had not been one of shining triumph.His expedition to the region known as Neverwinter should have been secured years before.True, the unexpected cataclysm of the volcanic eruption had occurred at a terrible time, but excuses could only carry one so far among the strict and demanding Netheril Empire.Now the loss of the sword seemed even more profound, because it had come at a time of even higher expectation and because it had not been the only loss.Despite Draygo Quick’s controversial decision to send scores of reinforcements to Alegni’s Neverwinter garrison, the city of Neverwinter itself had been lost to the Netherese.Even with the Thayans in disarray and on the run, the city had been lost.Draygo Quick had heard the whispers that morning, hints that he had given too much—in terms of gifts and responsibilities—to a failed leader.He had even overheard a pair of powerful nobles questioning his own abilities, wondering if perhaps age had dulled his mind, for would Draygo Quick had ever made such a terrible misjudgment in his earlier days?They had to get Herzgo Alegni on his feet, and Alegni had to go and retrieve that sword in short order.Neverwinter was lost to them, but so be it.The loss of Charon’s Claw was another matter entirely.The long room glowed with firelight and teemed with magical, primal energy, as two-score primordial-powered forges glowed with hot life.The sound of hammers rang clear, echoing about the stones.“Thinking in the past?” Tiago Baenre remarked when he caught up to Ravel, who stood with eyes closed, as if basking in the more subtle sensations.“Or considering the potential, perhaps?”“Both,” the spellspinner admitted.
|
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dnd433
|
“This is how Gauntlgrym must have sounded and smelled and seemed at the height of dwarven power.”“You approve of the height of dwarven power?” Tiago asked with sly grin.“I can appreciate it,” Ravel admitted.“Particularly now that said power works for me.”That drew an awkward look from Tiago, and he directed Ravel’s gaze to the main forge, the central oven, where a drow bent over a silvery blade lying on a table, a large backpack of ingredients—magical powders and elixirs—close at hand.Not far to the side rested a djinni bottle.Looking at it, Tiago couldn’t help but lick his lips eagerly.What blades might Gol’fanin create for him with such implements, and in such a forge as this magnificent creation?“Now that it works for House Xorlarrin,” Ravel corrected, but not correct enough for Tiago, who nodded again toward that particular drow, Gol’fanin, Tiago’s own assistant in this journey.“Perhaps I consider you an honorary member of my family,” the spellspinner offered.“Would that not be a tremendous step down?”Ravel’s smile disappeared in the blink of an eye, but Tiago’s laughter diffused the tension before it could truly begin to mount.“How goes the fight for the outer halls?” Ravel asked.“Your older brother and his pet elementals are proving quite effective,” Tiago answered.“They drive the critters, the corbies, and even the dwarf ghosts, before them.We have found a pocket of orcs, as well, and are … negotiating.”“Do we really need more slaves?”Tiago shrugged as if it did not matter.“The more hands who serve us, the more quickly the corridors will be bolstered and secured.” As he finished, he glanced over at the outer forges, both ends, where goblins and orcs and even bugbears worked the metal hard, building crude beam supports and thick iron doors, and most importantly, new rail lines and long pegs for the ore carts.Other slaves carried the finished products from the room to the appointed corridors and chambers.Nearer in toward the central forge, drow craftsmen worked the fires, creating the finer items necessary for refurbishing the infrastructure of the vast complex.Sensitive drow fingers sheared at hot metal to create intricate locks and delicate-looking but strong sections of stairway they could assemble in the larger chambers above, where the previous stairs had been destroyed by the rage of the rampaging primordial.Tiago’s words resonated with Ravel, the young Baenre could clearly see.It would take years to restore Gauntlgrym, and to secure the chambers, and that was assuming an ample supply of metal.The forges needed no fuel, and that was a tremendous advantage indeed, but the raw materials were not so easily found in tunnels teeming with dwarf ghosts or dire corbies or other untamed monsters.“Patience, my friend,” Tiago said.“You have exceeded even your own wildest hopes thus far.”“True enough,” Ravel admitted.“And now you have something to lose, and so you tremble,” Tiago said, and Ravel nodded.“Who trembles?” came another voice, and the pair turned to regard the approach of Berellip.“I was speaking figuratively, priestess,” said Tiago.Berellip gave Ravel a dismissive glance.“Were you?”Tiago laughed, but Ravel didn’t follow his lead.“We were discussing the slow work,” Tiago said.“The long process and road ahead for House Xorlarrin if you mean to proceed with your dreams of creating a city to rival Menzoberranzan.”“Why would we ever think to do such a thing?” Berellip replied with feigned surprise.“A rival city?That would not please Lolth.”“It would please Zeerith,” Tiago quipped, again purposely leaving off her title, daring either of the children of Xorlarrin to call him out on his indiscretion, which neither did, though Berellip narrowed her eyes and offered a quiet sneer.“You know why we journeyed here,” Ravel remarked.“Matron Mother Quenthel knows, as well, as does Archmage Gromph.”“Have you reservations now, young Baenre, since we have succeeded more than you could have imagined?” Berellip added.“Nay,” Tiago replied easily.“Quite the contrary.I am pleased by what I have learned and seen.
|
“This is how Gauntlgrym must have sounded and smelled and seemed at the height of dwarven power.”“You approve of the height of dwarven power?” Tiago asked with sly grin.“I can appreciate it,” Ravel admitted.“Particularly now that said power works for me.”That drew an awkward look from Tiago, and he directed Ravel’s gaze to the main forge, the central oven, where a drow bent over a silvery blade lying on a table, a large backpack of ingredients—magical powders and elixirs—close at hand.Not far to the side rested a djinni bottle.Looking at it, Tiago couldn’t help but lick his lips eagerly.What blades might Gol’fanin create for him with such implements, and in such a forge as this magnificent creation?“Now that it works for House Xorlarrin,” Ravel corrected, but not correct enough for Tiago, who nodded again toward that particular drow, Gol’fanin, Tiago’s own assistant in this journey.“Perhaps I consider you an honorary member of my family,” the spellspinner offered.“Would that not be a tremendous step down?”Ravel’s smile disappeared in the blink of an eye, but Tiago’s laughter diffused the tension before it could truly begin to mount.“How goes the fight for the outer halls?” Ravel asked.“Your older brother and his pet elementals are proving quite effective,” Tiago answered.“They drive the critters, the corbies, and even the dwarf ghosts, before them.We have found a pocket of orcs, as well, and are … negotiating.”“Do we really need more slaves?”Tiago shrugged as if it did not matter.“The more hands who serve us, the more quickly the corridors will be bolstered and secured.” As he finished, he glanced over at the outer forges, both ends, where goblins and orcs and even bugbears worked the metal hard, building crude beam supports and thick iron doors, and most importantly, new rail lines and long pegs for the ore carts.Other slaves carried the finished products from the room to the appointed corridors and chambers.Nearer in toward the central forge, drow craftsmen worked the fires, creating the finer items necessary for refurbishing the infrastructure of the vast complex.Sensitive drow fingers sheared at hot metal to create intricate locks and delicate-looking but strong sections of stairway they could assemble in the larger chambers above, where the previous stairs had been destroyed by the rage of the rampaging primordial.Tiago’s words resonated with Ravel, the young Baenre could clearly see.It would take years to restore Gauntlgrym, and to secure the chambers, and that was assuming an ample supply of metal.The forges needed no fuel, and that was a tremendous advantage indeed, but the raw materials were not so easily found in tunnels teeming with dwarf ghosts or dire corbies or other untamed monsters.“Patience, my friend,” Tiago said.“You have exceeded even your own wildest hopes thus far.”“True enough,” Ravel admitted.“And now you have something to lose, and so you tremble,” Tiago said, and Ravel nodded.“Who trembles?” came another voice, and the pair turned to regard the approach of Berellip.“I was speaking figuratively, priestess,” said Tiago.Berellip gave Ravel a dismissive glance.“Were you?”Tiago laughed, but Ravel didn’t follow his lead.“We were discussing the slow work,” Tiago said.“The long process and road ahead for House Xorlarrin if you mean to proceed with your dreams of creating a city to rival Menzoberranzan.”“Why would we ever think to do such a thing?” Berellip replied with feigned surprise.“A rival city?That would not please Lolth.”“It would please Zeerith,” Tiago quipped, again purposely leaving off her title, daring either of the children of Xorlarrin to call him out on his indiscretion, which neither did, though Berellip narrowed her eyes and offered a quiet sneer.“You know why we journeyed here,” Ravel remarked.“Matron Mother Quenthel knows, as well, as does Archmage Gromph.”“Have you reservations now, young Baenre, since we have succeeded more than you could have imagined?” Berellip added.“Nay,” Tiago replied easily.“Quite the contrary.I am pleased by what I have learned and seen.
|
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dnd434
|
Your progress has been remarkable, and this place—these forges, this source of power, the resonating strength of this complex—is beyond anything I would have imagined.You have the beginnings of a proper sister city.”Berellip stared at him and seemed unconvinced of his sincerity.“I would recommend that you send word back to Menzoberranzan,” Tiago added.“You will need more hands, and quickly.”“Baenre hands?” Berellip asked, her voice full of suspicion.“Will Matron Mother Quenthel send her legions to aid us?”Tiago laughed at her, thoroughly mocking her with his easy tone and manner, and Berellip stiffened even more.“You do understand that you’re here at Matron Baenre’s suffrage?” he asked.“If we were truly interested in establishing this place for ourselves, then why would we have allowed you to journey here so freely?Why would we not have sent our own expedition to this place?“Because we do not wish to dissuade House Xorlarrin of its ambitions,” he answered when the Xorlarrins did not.“Matron Mother Quenthel is willing to grant to you this place and your dreams, as we have made clear by our actions, and even more so by our inactions.With the advent of the Netheril Empire, the world has become too dangerous a place for the Houses of Menzoberranzan to so continue their incessant in-fighting, and House Xorlarrin is among the worst of those offenders, even you must admit.”Despite her stoic posturing, Berellip swallowed hard at that obvious truism.“And so we’ll allow you to migrate to the outskirts of Menzoberranzan’s domain and influence.”“As long as our city strengthens Menzoberranzan,” Ravel stated.“Of course.Were you to rival us instead of working in accordance with our needs, we would utterly destroy you,” Tiago said matter-of-factly, and he had said the same before in other words, of course.He had never made a secret of it to either of these two.“But you think we should call for more drow to bolster our ranks now,” Berellip remarked, as if seeing the contradiction.“I never said drow,” Tiago corrected.“The Clawrift could spare a few hundred kobolds, a thousand even.They are clever little wretches and surprisingly adept at mining and working metal.Such a gift from Menzoberranzan would help you greatly here and would hardly diminish Menzoberranzan, of course, since the rats breed like … well, rats, and they would quickly replenish their ranks in the corridors of the Clawrift.And driders!Indeed, you should ask for more driders, for I have no doubt that many in Menzoberranzan would be rid of the whole lot of them were we able!Such wretched things.“Bring them in to your side, I say, and grant them some outer sections to secure and call as their own home.”“Driders are driders for a reason,” Berellip dryly reminded.“The Spider Queen would not be pleased?” Tiago asked sarcastically.“Better to put them into service for her, would you not agree?”“That’s not the point,” Berellip argued.“It’s entirely the point,” Tiago said, and he dismissed all semblance of being reasonable.“That is the only point … to any of this!You’re here, in these halls, to serve the Spider Queen.
|
Your progress has been remarkable, and this place—these forges, this source of power, the resonating strength of this complex—is beyond anything I would have imagined.You have the beginnings of a proper sister city.”Berellip stared at him and seemed unconvinced of his sincerity.“I would recommend that you send word back to Menzoberranzan,” Tiago added.“You will need more hands, and quickly.”“Baenre hands?” Berellip asked, her voice full of suspicion.“Will Matron Mother Quenthel send her legions to aid us?”Tiago laughed at her, thoroughly mocking her with his easy tone and manner, and Berellip stiffened even more.“You do understand that you’re here at Matron Baenre’s suffrage?” he asked.“If we were truly interested in establishing this place for ourselves, then why would we have allowed you to journey here so freely?Why would we not have sent our own expedition to this place?“Because we do not wish to dissuade House Xorlarrin of its ambitions,” he answered when the Xorlarrins did not.“Matron Mother Quenthel is willing to grant to you this place and your dreams, as we have made clear by our actions, and even more so by our inactions.With the advent of the Netheril Empire, the world has become too dangerous a place for the Houses of Menzoberranzan to so continue their incessant in-fighting, and House Xorlarrin is among the worst of those offenders, even you must admit.”Despite her stoic posturing, Berellip swallowed hard at that obvious truism.“And so we’ll allow you to migrate to the outskirts of Menzoberranzan’s domain and influence.”“As long as our city strengthens Menzoberranzan,” Ravel stated.“Of course.Were you to rival us instead of working in accordance with our needs, we would utterly destroy you,” Tiago said matter-of-factly, and he had said the same before in other words, of course.He had never made a secret of it to either of these two.“But you think we should call for more drow to bolster our ranks now,” Berellip remarked, as if seeing the contradiction.“I never said drow,” Tiago corrected.“The Clawrift could spare a few hundred kobolds, a thousand even.They are clever little wretches and surprisingly adept at mining and working metal.Such a gift from Menzoberranzan would help you greatly here and would hardly diminish Menzoberranzan, of course, since the rats breed like … well, rats, and they would quickly replenish their ranks in the corridors of the Clawrift.And driders!Indeed, you should ask for more driders, for I have no doubt that many in Menzoberranzan would be rid of the whole lot of them were we able!Such wretched things.“Bring them in to your side, I say, and grant them some outer sections to secure and call as their own home.”“Driders are driders for a reason,” Berellip dryly reminded.“The Spider Queen would not be pleased?” Tiago asked sarcastically.“Better to put them into service for her, would you not agree?”“That’s not the point,” Berellip argued.“It’s entirely the point,” Tiago said, and he dismissed all semblance of being reasonable.“That is the only point … to any of this!You’re here, in these halls, to serve the Spider Queen.
|
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dnd435
|
You’ll be allowed to construct a sister city to Menzoberranzan, if you can succeed, for no purpose other than to serve the Spider Queen.Matron Mother Quenthel allows you this because she serves the Spider Queen.There is no other reason, there is no other purpose.Once you truly appreciate that, Berellip Xorlarrin, you will better understand my counsel, and only if you do come to truly appreciate that, Priestess Berellip, will you and your family have a chance of surviving this daring ‘escape’ from Menzoberranzan.I should not have to school a priestess of Lolth in these obvious truths.You disappoint me!”With that, Tiago took his abrupt leave, moving to join Gol’fanin, who had started the long task of creating the coveted blades.Herzgo Alegni stubbornly pulled himself out of the bed and stood to his full, imposing height.The many bandages he wore fought against him as he straightened, but the proud tiefling just pressed through their binding, obviously determined to show no weakness before the withered old warlock.Still, he stumbled a bit, disoriented by the fact that he no longer had a working right eye.“When will you be ready to return to the land of light?” Draygo Quick asked him curtly, and without even a casual hint that he cared about Alegni’s health in the least—which of course, he did not.“When I am ordered to do so,” Alegni replied.“Even this moment?”“I will leave at once, if you so desire.”Draygo Quick couldn’t suppress his smile.Alegni was a stubborn one.He could barely stand, his legs wobbly, his shoulders shaking from the strain as he tried to keep them squared.“You know that you must return, of course.”Alegni looked at him curiously.“You left something behind.”Still the tiefling seemed confused.Draygo Quick was not surprised by the reaction, doubting that Alegni remembered much of anything of the last moments of that brutal fight.When he’d come into the Shadowfell, so near to death, the great panther tearing at him and biting deep into his flesh, his every action had been reflexive and desperate, his every sound filled with the most profound timbre of agony.Suddenly Alegni’s one uncovered eye popped open wide and he glanced all around desperately.“Claw,” he muttered.“They have it.”Herzgo Alegni turned back to face his master, and his shoulders slumped.This was his failure, of course, and one that was typically accompanied by the most profound and extreme punishment.Netherese lords lived and died, the saying went, but weapons were eternal.They were supposed to be, at least.“They live?”“All three, yes.Indeed, they seem to be doing quite well among the grateful citizens of Neverwinter.”The tiefling screwed up his face.“Your soldiers failed!”“My warlord, Herzgo Alegni, failed me, so it would seem.”Alegni stiffened at that unavoidable truth.“They were three against one,” he explained.“Four against two,” Draygo Quick corrected.“By your prideful choice.”“And all of the Shadovar remained at bay!” the hulking warrior insisted.“Lord Alegni, you are not appealing when you whimper like a child,” Draygo Quick warned.“Your charges—your charges—acted as they had been ordered.You were certain that Barrabus the Gray would be brought under your control, and that your deception would put you alone with Dahlia for your long-desired victory.
|
You’ll be allowed to construct a sister city to Menzoberranzan, if you can succeed, for no purpose other than to serve the Spider Queen.Matron Mother Quenthel allows you this because she serves the Spider Queen.There is no other reason, there is no other purpose.Once you truly appreciate that, Berellip Xorlarrin, you will better understand my counsel, and only if you do come to truly appreciate that, Priestess Berellip, will you and your family have a chance of surviving this daring ‘escape’ from Menzoberranzan.I should not have to school a priestess of Lolth in these obvious truths.You disappoint me!”With that, Tiago took his abrupt leave, moving to join Gol’fanin, who had started the long task of creating the coveted blades.Herzgo Alegni stubbornly pulled himself out of the bed and stood to his full, imposing height.The many bandages he wore fought against him as he straightened, but the proud tiefling just pressed through their binding, obviously determined to show no weakness before the withered old warlock.Still, he stumbled a bit, disoriented by the fact that he no longer had a working right eye.“When will you be ready to return to the land of light?” Draygo Quick asked him curtly, and without even a casual hint that he cared about Alegni’s health in the least—which of course, he did not.“When I am ordered to do so,” Alegni replied.“Even this moment?”“I will leave at once, if you so desire.”Draygo Quick couldn’t suppress his smile.Alegni was a stubborn one.He could barely stand, his legs wobbly, his shoulders shaking from the strain as he tried to keep them squared.“You know that you must return, of course.”Alegni looked at him curiously.“You left something behind.”Still the tiefling seemed confused.Draygo Quick was not surprised by the reaction, doubting that Alegni remembered much of anything of the last moments of that brutal fight.When he’d come into the Shadowfell, so near to death, the great panther tearing at him and biting deep into his flesh, his every action had been reflexive and desperate, his every sound filled with the most profound timbre of agony.Suddenly Alegni’s one uncovered eye popped open wide and he glanced all around desperately.“Claw,” he muttered.“They have it.”Herzgo Alegni turned back to face his master, and his shoulders slumped.This was his failure, of course, and one that was typically accompanied by the most profound and extreme punishment.Netherese lords lived and died, the saying went, but weapons were eternal.They were supposed to be, at least.“They live?”“All three, yes.Indeed, they seem to be doing quite well among the grateful citizens of Neverwinter.”The tiefling screwed up his face.“Your soldiers failed!”“My warlord, Herzgo Alegni, failed me, so it would seem.”Alegni stiffened at that unavoidable truth.“They were three against one,” he explained.“Four against two,” Draygo Quick corrected.“By your prideful choice.”“And all of the Shadovar remained at bay!” the hulking warrior insisted.“Lord Alegni, you are not appealing when you whimper like a child,” Draygo Quick warned.“Your charges—your charges—acted as they had been ordered.You were certain that Barrabus the Gray would be brought under your control, and that your deception would put you alone with Dahlia for your long-desired victory.
|
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dnd436
|
It would appear that you were not quite correct.”“Three against one!” the tiefling insisted.“Four against two,” Draygo Quick again corrected.“Would you so easily forget the drow’s panther companion?Or Effron, who battled the beast for a long while as you played out your folly on the bridge?”Alegni’s face tightened at the mention of Effron.Alegni wanted to argue, to throw some insult or threat the twisted warlock’s way, Draygo Quick recognized, for how many times had he seen that look?“You have no one to blame but Herzgo Alegni,” the withered old warlock insisted.“Accept your responsibility.You know what must be done.”“I must retrieve the sword.”Draygo Quick nodded.“Back to your rest.The priests will be along, one after the other.Accept their healing and their nourishing spells, for you will face that dangerous trio again soon.”“I have learned from my mistakes.”“Good, then I’ll not have to tell you to take others along with you.”“I’ll need a new weapon …” Alegni said, or started to say, for Draygo Quick was done with him and the old warlock turned on his heel and simply walked away.He pulled the door closed as he left Alegni’s room, and quickly lifted his finger to his pursed lips, indicating that Effron, who had been waiting outside the room, should remain quiet until they were away from the room.“Will I accompany Lord Alegni to retrieve the sword?” Effron asked many steps later—a bit too eagerly for Draygo Quick’s liking.He stared at the young warlock.“I’ll go with him?” Effron asked again.“You will go … near him,” Draygo Quick corrected.“Herzgo Alegni likely walks to his death.” He started to go on, but paused, gauging Effron’s response.“How does that make you feel?” he asked.Effron gave one of his twisted, awkward shrugs, trying futilely to dismiss the notion as if he didn’t care—but of course, he most certainly did.“He’s reckless now,” Draygo Quick explained.“Because of the sword, the urgency in retrieving it,” Effron surmised.“Partly, but mostly because of Dahlia’s involvement.That, and the betrayal he feels at the hands of Barrabus the Gray.”“Artemis Entreri,” Effron corrected.Draygo Quick chortled at that, as if it hardly mattered.“The human was his slave for decades,” Effron said.“Surely Lord Alegni could have expected no fealty there!”“There’s always a strange dynamic at play between master and slave,” Draygo Quick explained.“An unexpected one, to be sure.Not unlike father and son.” He tilted his head in a curious manner at Effron as he spoke that thought.“So I’m to shadow his movements,” Effron said.“And?”“You are to retrieve Charon’s Claw,” Draygo Quick instructed.“Nothing else matters.”Effron nodded, but there remained something less than convincing in his expression.“Nothing else,” the old warlock reiterated.“Not the fate of Herzgo Alegni, nor that of Dahlia.”Effron swallowed hard.“Oh yes, I know how deeply you hate her, twisted one, but that is a battle for another day.One I will grant you, on my word—but not until Claw is safely back in Netherese hands.”“Likely I will have to destroy them to retrieve it,” Effron said.“Will you?”Now it was Effron’s turn to curiously regard the master.“We have a bargaining chip,” Draygo Quick explained.“One the drow will not readily ignore.” As he spoke, he reached into an extra-dimensional pocket in his voluminous robes and produced a small cage, one that easily fit in his palm, of glowing blue light.Inside it, in quarters too tight to pace, stood a tiny black panther, ears flattened, teeth bared.Despite the gravity of the situation and the dangerous road ahead, Effron laughed aloud.
|
It would appear that you were not quite correct.”“Three against one!” the tiefling insisted.“Four against two,” Draygo Quick again corrected.“Would you so easily forget the drow’s panther companion?Or Effron, who battled the beast for a long while as you played out your folly on the bridge?”Alegni’s face tightened at the mention of Effron.Alegni wanted to argue, to throw some insult or threat the twisted warlock’s way, Draygo Quick recognized, for how many times had he seen that look?“You have no one to blame but Herzgo Alegni,” the withered old warlock insisted.“Accept your responsibility.You know what must be done.”“I must retrieve the sword.”Draygo Quick nodded.“Back to your rest.The priests will be along, one after the other.Accept their healing and their nourishing spells, for you will face that dangerous trio again soon.”“I have learned from my mistakes.”“Good, then I’ll not have to tell you to take others along with you.”“I’ll need a new weapon …” Alegni said, or started to say, for Draygo Quick was done with him and the old warlock turned on his heel and simply walked away.He pulled the door closed as he left Alegni’s room, and quickly lifted his finger to his pursed lips, indicating that Effron, who had been waiting outside the room, should remain quiet until they were away from the room.“Will I accompany Lord Alegni to retrieve the sword?” Effron asked many steps later—a bit too eagerly for Draygo Quick’s liking.He stared at the young warlock.“I’ll go with him?” Effron asked again.“You will go … near him,” Draygo Quick corrected.“Herzgo Alegni likely walks to his death.” He started to go on, but paused, gauging Effron’s response.“How does that make you feel?” he asked.Effron gave one of his twisted, awkward shrugs, trying futilely to dismiss the notion as if he didn’t care—but of course, he most certainly did.“He’s reckless now,” Draygo Quick explained.“Because of the sword, the urgency in retrieving it,” Effron surmised.“Partly, but mostly because of Dahlia’s involvement.That, and the betrayal he feels at the hands of Barrabus the Gray.”“Artemis Entreri,” Effron corrected.Draygo Quick chortled at that, as if it hardly mattered.“The human was his slave for decades,” Effron said.“Surely Lord Alegni could have expected no fealty there!”“There’s always a strange dynamic at play between master and slave,” Draygo Quick explained.“An unexpected one, to be sure.Not unlike father and son.” He tilted his head in a curious manner at Effron as he spoke that thought.“So I’m to shadow his movements,” Effron said.“And?”“You are to retrieve Charon’s Claw,” Draygo Quick instructed.“Nothing else matters.”Effron nodded, but there remained something less than convincing in his expression.“Nothing else,” the old warlock reiterated.“Not the fate of Herzgo Alegni, nor that of Dahlia.”Effron swallowed hard.“Oh yes, I know how deeply you hate her, twisted one, but that is a battle for another day.One I will grant you, on my word—but not until Claw is safely back in Netherese hands.”“Likely I will have to destroy them to retrieve it,” Effron said.“Will you?”Now it was Effron’s turn to curiously regard the master.“We have a bargaining chip,” Draygo Quick explained.“One the drow will not readily ignore.” As he spoke, he reached into an extra-dimensional pocket in his voluminous robes and produced a small cage, one that easily fit in his palm, of glowing blue light.Inside it, in quarters too tight to pace, stood a tiny black panther, ears flattened, teeth bared.Despite the gravity of the situation and the dangerous road ahead, Effron laughed aloud.
|
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dnd437
|
“It was said that you destroyed the beast.”“Destroyed?Why would I destroy something as beautiful …” he paused and brought the cage up before his wrinkled face, and the cat’s ears flattened even more and she gave a tiny growl, “… something as valuable as this.”“I would truly love having such a companion as that,” Effron said, but he bit off the last word and swallowed hard when Draygo Quick flashed a hard stare at him.“You could never control this one, not even if you possessed the statuette the drow carries,” Draygo Quick assured him.“She is more than a magical familiar—much more.She is tied to that drow now, bound by a hundred years and a thousand adventures.She would no sooner serve you than she would the drow’s worst mortal enemy.”“Perhaps we are one and the same.”“Is that your answer for everything?Your unrelenting anger at any creature in your path?” Draygo Quick didn’t try to keep the disappointment out of his voice.“Am I to retrieve the sword or am I not?”Draygo Quick held up the panther once more for Effron to see.“Which is more valuable to the drow, do you suppose?”HUNTING SIDE BY SIDEYOUR STEP HAS BECOME HALTING,” ENTRERI WHISPERED TO DRIZZT, SO SOFTLY that Dahlia, who was only a couple of steps behind them, had to crane her neck to hear.“You sense it, too?” the drow asked.“Not as clearly as you do, obviously.”“Sense what?” Dahlia asked.“We’re being tracked,” Drizzt replied.“Or more fittingly, we’re being shadowed.”Dahlia straightened and looked all around.“And if they’re watching, they now know that we know,” Entreri said dryly and he looked at Dahlia and shook his head and sighed.“There is no one about,” the elf woman replied, rather loudly.Both Drizzt and Entreri stared at her, the drow shaking his head helplessly.He, too, heaved a sigh and moved off to the side, deeper into the forest brush.“You think there are Shadovar?Or Thayans?” Dahlia asked Entreri.“He thinks so,” the assassin replied, nodding his chin toward the drow, who was then crouched beside a bush inspecting the leaves and the ground.“Shadovar, it would seem.”“And you trust his judgment over your own?”“It’s not a competition,” Entreri replied.“And don’t underestimate the woodland skills of our companion.This is his domain—were we in a city, then I would take the lead.But out here in the forest—to answer your question—yes.” He finished as Drizzt came walking back over.“Someone was here not long ago,” the drow explained.He glanced back the way they had come, leading their eyes to a fairly clear vista of the trails and roads along the lower ground they had left behind.“Likely watching for our approach.”“Shadovar, Thayans, or someone else?”“Shadovar,” Drizzt answered without hesitation.“How could you know such a thing?” Dahlia asked, again with her voice full of obvious doubt.“I know that we are being trailed.”“Even so, have you seen our pursuers?”Drizzt shook his head, and as he did, he stared hard at Dahlia.“Yet you conclude that they are Shadovar,” Dahlia pressed.“Why would you believe such a thing?”Drizzt stared at her, seeming quite amused, for some time, before saying, “The sword told me.”Dahlia, a retort obviously at the ready on the tip of her tongue, started to reply, but gulped it back.“It’s excited,” Drizzt said to Entreri.“I feel it.”Entreri nodded, as if such a sensation from Charon’s Claw was not unknown or unexpected.“The young and twisted warlock, likely,” he said.“What do you know of him?” Drizzt asked.“I know that he is formidable, full of tricks and spells that cause grievous wounds.He does not panic when battle is upon him, and seems much wiser than his youth would indicate.
|
“It was said that you destroyed the beast.”“Destroyed?Why would I destroy something as beautiful …” he paused and brought the cage up before his wrinkled face, and the cat’s ears flattened even more and she gave a tiny growl, “… something as valuable as this.”“I would truly love having such a companion as that,” Effron said, but he bit off the last word and swallowed hard when Draygo Quick flashed a hard stare at him.“You could never control this one, not even if you possessed the statuette the drow carries,” Draygo Quick assured him.“She is more than a magical familiar—much more.She is tied to that drow now, bound by a hundred years and a thousand adventures.She would no sooner serve you than she would the drow’s worst mortal enemy.”“Perhaps we are one and the same.”“Is that your answer for everything?Your unrelenting anger at any creature in your path?” Draygo Quick didn’t try to keep the disappointment out of his voice.“Am I to retrieve the sword or am I not?”Draygo Quick held up the panther once more for Effron to see.“Which is more valuable to the drow, do you suppose?”HUNTING SIDE BY SIDEYOUR STEP HAS BECOME HALTING,” ENTRERI WHISPERED TO DRIZZT, SO SOFTLY that Dahlia, who was only a couple of steps behind them, had to crane her neck to hear.“You sense it, too?” the drow asked.“Not as clearly as you do, obviously.”“Sense what?” Dahlia asked.“We’re being tracked,” Drizzt replied.“Or more fittingly, we’re being shadowed.”Dahlia straightened and looked all around.“And if they’re watching, they now know that we know,” Entreri said dryly and he looked at Dahlia and shook his head and sighed.“There is no one about,” the elf woman replied, rather loudly.Both Drizzt and Entreri stared at her, the drow shaking his head helplessly.He, too, heaved a sigh and moved off to the side, deeper into the forest brush.“You think there are Shadovar?Or Thayans?” Dahlia asked Entreri.“He thinks so,” the assassin replied, nodding his chin toward the drow, who was then crouched beside a bush inspecting the leaves and the ground.“Shadovar, it would seem.”“And you trust his judgment over your own?”“It’s not a competition,” Entreri replied.“And don’t underestimate the woodland skills of our companion.This is his domain—were we in a city, then I would take the lead.But out here in the forest—to answer your question—yes.” He finished as Drizzt came walking back over.“Someone was here not long ago,” the drow explained.He glanced back the way they had come, leading their eyes to a fairly clear vista of the trails and roads along the lower ground they had left behind.“Likely watching for our approach.”“Shadovar, Thayans, or someone else?”“Shadovar,” Drizzt answered without hesitation.“How could you know such a thing?” Dahlia asked, again with her voice full of obvious doubt.“I know that we are being trailed.”“Even so, have you seen our pursuers?”Drizzt shook his head, and as he did, he stared hard at Dahlia.“Yet you conclude that they are Shadovar,” Dahlia pressed.“Why would you believe such a thing?”Drizzt stared at her, seeming quite amused, for some time, before saying, “The sword told me.”Dahlia, a retort obviously at the ready on the tip of her tongue, started to reply, but gulped it back.“It’s excited,” Drizzt said to Entreri.“I feel it.”Entreri nodded, as if such a sensation from Charon’s Claw was not unknown or unexpected.“The young and twisted warlock, likely,” he said.“What do you know of him?” Drizzt asked.“I know that he is formidable, full of tricks and spells that cause grievous wounds.He does not panic when battle is upon him, and seems much wiser than his youth would indicate.
|
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dnd438
|
He’s deadly, do not doubt, and doubly so from afar.Worse, if it is Effron shadowing us, then expect that he’s not alone.”“You seem to know much of him,” Dahlia remarked.“I hunted your Thayan friends beside him,” Entreri replied.“I killed your Thayan friends beside him.”Dahlia stiffened a bit at that remark, but relaxed quickly, for really, given her parting of the ways with Sylora, how could she truly be angered at such an admission?She, too, had killed many Thayans of late.“He was very close to Herzgo Alegni,” Entreri went on.“At times, it seemed as if he hated his fellow tiefling, but other times, they revealed a bond, and a deep one.”“A brother?” Drizzt wondered aloud.“An uncle?” Entreri replied with a shrug.“I know not, but I’m certain that Effron is not pleased at our treatment of Alegni.And he’s an opportunist—an ambitious one.”“Regaining the sword would be a great boon to his reputation,” Drizzt reasoned.“We don’t even know if it is him,” Dahlia remarked.“We don’t even know if there are Shadovar hunting us.We don’t even know if anyone is hunting us!”“If you keep speaking so loudly, we’ll likely find out soon enough,” Entreri replied.“Is that not a good thing?”Dahlia’s stubbornness drew another sigh from Drizzt, and a second from Entreri, as well.“We’ll find out,” Drizzt assured her.“But not on our hunter’s terms.We’ll find out in a place and time of our choosing.”He turned on his heel and walked off along the path, slowly scanning the forest left and right and ahead, searching for enemies, for ambush, and for a place where they might turn the pursuit.“Must we always play this game?” Effron asked, and though he tried to resist, he found himself spinning around to see the latest incarnation of this strange illusionist—or perhaps it was really her this time, he dared to hope.But the Shifter’s voice replied to him from behind, yet again.“It’s no game,” she assured him.“Many are my enemies.”“And many are your allies.”“Not so.”“Perhaps you would find more allies if you were not so cursedly annoying,” Effron offered.“Allies among people like yourself, who wish to employ my services?”“Is that so outrageous?”“But are these allies not also soon to be my enemies when I am employed by one opposed to them?” the Shifter asked, and as Effron turned, her voice turned with him, always remaining behind the flustered young tiefling.Effron lowered his gaze.“Perhaps both, then.”“Better neither,” the Shifter replied.“Now tell me why you have come.”“You cannot surmise?”“If you’re expecting that I will return to Faerûn to steal back Herzgo Alegni’s lost sword, then you are a fool.That realization would sadden me, for always have I thought your foolishness because of your age, and not a defect in your reasoning powers.”“You know of the sword?”“Everyone knows of the sword,” the Shifter replied casually, her tone almost mocking Effron’s seriousness.“Everyone who pays attention to such things, I mean.Herzgo Alegni lost it to those whom you hired Cavus Dun to hunt.Your failure led to his failure, so it would seem.”“My failure?” Effron asked incredulously.“Did I not send you, along with Cavus Dun—”“Your failure,” the Shifter interrupted.“It was your mission, designed by you, and with the hunting party selected by you.
|
He’s deadly, do not doubt, and doubly so from afar.Worse, if it is Effron shadowing us, then expect that he’s not alone.”“You seem to know much of him,” Dahlia remarked.“I hunted your Thayan friends beside him,” Entreri replied.“I killed your Thayan friends beside him.”Dahlia stiffened a bit at that remark, but relaxed quickly, for really, given her parting of the ways with Sylora, how could she truly be angered at such an admission?She, too, had killed many Thayans of late.“He was very close to Herzgo Alegni,” Entreri went on.“At times, it seemed as if he hated his fellow tiefling, but other times, they revealed a bond, and a deep one.”“A brother?” Drizzt wondered aloud.“An uncle?” Entreri replied with a shrug.“I know not, but I’m certain that Effron is not pleased at our treatment of Alegni.And he’s an opportunist—an ambitious one.”“Regaining the sword would be a great boon to his reputation,” Drizzt reasoned.“We don’t even know if it is him,” Dahlia remarked.“We don’t even know if there are Shadovar hunting us.We don’t even know if anyone is hunting us!”“If you keep speaking so loudly, we’ll likely find out soon enough,” Entreri replied.“Is that not a good thing?”Dahlia’s stubbornness drew another sigh from Drizzt, and a second from Entreri, as well.“We’ll find out,” Drizzt assured her.“But not on our hunter’s terms.We’ll find out in a place and time of our choosing.”He turned on his heel and walked off along the path, slowly scanning the forest left and right and ahead, searching for enemies, for ambush, and for a place where they might turn the pursuit.“Must we always play this game?” Effron asked, and though he tried to resist, he found himself spinning around to see the latest incarnation of this strange illusionist—or perhaps it was really her this time, he dared to hope.But the Shifter’s voice replied to him from behind, yet again.“It’s no game,” she assured him.“Many are my enemies.”“And many are your allies.”“Not so.”“Perhaps you would find more allies if you were not so cursedly annoying,” Effron offered.“Allies among people like yourself, who wish to employ my services?”“Is that so outrageous?”“But are these allies not also soon to be my enemies when I am employed by one opposed to them?” the Shifter asked, and as Effron turned, her voice turned with him, always remaining behind the flustered young tiefling.Effron lowered his gaze.“Perhaps both, then.”“Better neither,” the Shifter replied.“Now tell me why you have come.”“You cannot surmise?”“If you’re expecting that I will return to Faerûn to steal back Herzgo Alegni’s lost sword, then you are a fool.That realization would sadden me, for always have I thought your foolishness because of your age, and not a defect in your reasoning powers.”“You know of the sword?”“Everyone knows of the sword,” the Shifter replied casually, her tone almost mocking Effron’s seriousness.“Everyone who pays attention to such things, I mean.Herzgo Alegni lost it to those whom you hired Cavus Dun to hunt.Your failure led to his failure, so it would seem.”“My failure?” Effron asked incredulously.“Did I not send you, along with Cavus Dun—”“Your failure,” the Shifter interrupted.“It was your mission, designed by you, and with the hunting party selected by you.
|
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dnd439
|
That you did not properly prepare us, or did not send enough of us, rests heavily on the broken shoulders of Effron.”“You cannot—”“You would do well to simply acknowledge your mistake and move on, young tiefling.Cavus Dun lost valued members to this unusual trio.They have ordered no vengeance or recriminations upon you … yet.”Effron surely needed no trouble with the likes of Cavus Dun!He doubted the Shifter’s description of the ramifications, doubted that any among Cavus Dun’s hierarchy were holding him responsible—they had given their blessing for the hunt, after all, and had assured him that his money, no small amount, had been well spent.More likely, he knew, the Shifter was bargaining for a better position in whatever deal Effron might offer her, and was also acting under orders from Cavus Dun to keep him back on his heels, as she had done, so that no blame for the failures in Neverwinter, from the disastrous battle against Dahlia and her cohorts to the loss of Charon’s Claw to the near-death of Lord Alegni himself, could ever be whispered in their direction.“Let’s talk about future gains instead of past losses,” the tiefling offered.The Shifter’s laughter echoed all around him, as if without a point of origin.Just floating freely in the air—or was it even audible, he wondered?Might she be imparting the chortles telepathically?Effron looked down again, trying to find his sense of balance against this interminably aggravating associate.Many heartbeats passed before the laughter subsided, and many more in silence.“Talk of them, then,” the Shifter finally prompted.“What glory might we find if we regain the sword?” Effron asked slyly.“I don’t desire glory.Glory brings fame, and fame brings jealousy, and jealousy brings danger.What glory might you find, you mean.”“So be it,” Effron said.“And what treasures might you find?”“That’s a more interesting question.”“Five hundred pieces of gold,” Effron announced.The Shifter—the image of the Shifter—did not appear intrigued.“For a Netherese blade as powerful as Claw?” she scoffed.“You are not creating it, merely retrieving it.”“You forget that I have dealt with this trio of warriors before,” she said.“With powerful allies beside me, some of whom are dead, and none of whom would wish to return to face those three again.Yet you expect me to do so alone, and for a paltry sum.”“Not to face the three,” Effron corrected.“Just one.”“They are all formidable!”“While it pleases me to see you afraid, I am not asking you to do battle.Not against three, not against one.”“To simply steal a sentient sword?” Again her tone was incredulous, which made sense, of course, given such a proposed task as that!“To simply make a deal,” Effron corrected.He reached into his pouch and produced a small glowing cage of magical energy, one that fit in his palm, one that contained a tiny likeness of a panther the Shifter had seen before, right before she had fled the fight in the forest.“No, not a likeness,” the Shifter said aloud, and she leaned in to better inspect the living creature trapped within the force cage—and it was indeed her, Effron realized at that moment, and not an image.“Magnificent,” she whispered.“You cannot have her.”“Better her than the sword, I expect!”“Except that she is untamable,” Effron explained.“You are quite young and inexperienced to be proclaiming that so definitively.”“So said Draygo Quick.”The mention of the great warlock lord had the Shifter standing straight immediately, and staring hard, not at Guenhwyvar, but back at Effron.“You come to me with the imprimatur of Draygo Quick?”“At his insistence, and with his coin.”The Shifter swallowed hard, all semblance of that confident trickster flown away.“Why didn’t you tell me that when first you contacted me?”“Five hundred pieces of gold,” Effron stated.The Shifter disappeared, then reappeared beside him—only it was again an illusion, he suspected, as was confirmed when she answered from the other side as he turned to face her image.“To trade the panther back to the drow in exchange for the sword?”Effron nodded.“Herzgo Alegni has already taken his hunters after the blade,” the Shifter explained.Again Effron nodded, for he knew of Alegni’s departure for Neverwinter Wood, a posse of Shadovar beside him.He wasn’t too concerned about that, however, for Alegni had told him that they were merely going to pick up the trail.Herzgo Alegni was no fool, and after the beating he had received on his coveted bridge, one given despite his trickery with Artemis Entreri, he would not soon again take such a risk where Dahlia and her cohorts were involved—particularly not while they held Charon’s Claw.For more than a few, Draygo Quick included, had warned Alegni that the weapon might not so easily forgive his failure, and might even go over to the side of Artemis Entreri against him.Could Claw control Alegni the way it had tormented the man known as Barrabus the Gray?The thought proved not as amusing to Effron as he had suspected and so he pushed it away quickly, returning to the situation at hand.“The drow’s friends might not appreciate such an exchange, particularly Lord Alegni’s former slave,” the Shifter remarked.“If I thought they would, I would go to them myself,” Effron replied.
|
That you did not properly prepare us, or did not send enough of us, rests heavily on the broken shoulders of Effron.”“You cannot—”“You would do well to simply acknowledge your mistake and move on, young tiefling.Cavus Dun lost valued members to this unusual trio.They have ordered no vengeance or recriminations upon you … yet.”Effron surely needed no trouble with the likes of Cavus Dun!He doubted the Shifter’s description of the ramifications, doubted that any among Cavus Dun’s hierarchy were holding him responsible—they had given their blessing for the hunt, after all, and had assured him that his money, no small amount, had been well spent.More likely, he knew, the Shifter was bargaining for a better position in whatever deal Effron might offer her, and was also acting under orders from Cavus Dun to keep him back on his heels, as she had done, so that no blame for the failures in Neverwinter, from the disastrous battle against Dahlia and her cohorts to the loss of Charon’s Claw to the near-death of Lord Alegni himself, could ever be whispered in their direction.“Let’s talk about future gains instead of past losses,” the tiefling offered.The Shifter’s laughter echoed all around him, as if without a point of origin.Just floating freely in the air—or was it even audible, he wondered?Might she be imparting the chortles telepathically?Effron looked down again, trying to find his sense of balance against this interminably aggravating associate.Many heartbeats passed before the laughter subsided, and many more in silence.“Talk of them, then,” the Shifter finally prompted.“What glory might we find if we regain the sword?” Effron asked slyly.“I don’t desire glory.Glory brings fame, and fame brings jealousy, and jealousy brings danger.What glory might you find, you mean.”“So be it,” Effron said.“And what treasures might you find?”“That’s a more interesting question.”“Five hundred pieces of gold,” Effron announced.The Shifter—the image of the Shifter—did not appear intrigued.“For a Netherese blade as powerful as Claw?” she scoffed.“You are not creating it, merely retrieving it.”“You forget that I have dealt with this trio of warriors before,” she said.“With powerful allies beside me, some of whom are dead, and none of whom would wish to return to face those three again.Yet you expect me to do so alone, and for a paltry sum.”“Not to face the three,” Effron corrected.“Just one.”“They are all formidable!”“While it pleases me to see you afraid, I am not asking you to do battle.Not against three, not against one.”“To simply steal a sentient sword?” Again her tone was incredulous, which made sense, of course, given such a proposed task as that!“To simply make a deal,” Effron corrected.He reached into his pouch and produced a small glowing cage of magical energy, one that fit in his palm, one that contained a tiny likeness of a panther the Shifter had seen before, right before she had fled the fight in the forest.“No, not a likeness,” the Shifter said aloud, and she leaned in to better inspect the living creature trapped within the force cage—and it was indeed her, Effron realized at that moment, and not an image.“Magnificent,” she whispered.“You cannot have her.”“Better her than the sword, I expect!”“Except that she is untamable,” Effron explained.“You are quite young and inexperienced to be proclaiming that so definitively.”“So said Draygo Quick.”The mention of the great warlock lord had the Shifter standing straight immediately, and staring hard, not at Guenhwyvar, but back at Effron.“You come to me with the imprimatur of Draygo Quick?”“At his insistence, and with his coin.”The Shifter swallowed hard, all semblance of that confident trickster flown away.“Why didn’t you tell me that when first you contacted me?”“Five hundred pieces of gold,” Effron stated.The Shifter disappeared, then reappeared beside him—only it was again an illusion, he suspected, as was confirmed when she answered from the other side as he turned to face her image.“To trade the panther back to the drow in exchange for the sword?”Effron nodded.“Herzgo Alegni has already taken his hunters after the blade,” the Shifter explained.Again Effron nodded, for he knew of Alegni’s departure for Neverwinter Wood, a posse of Shadovar beside him.He wasn’t too concerned about that, however, for Alegni had told him that they were merely going to pick up the trail.Herzgo Alegni was no fool, and after the beating he had received on his coveted bridge, one given despite his trickery with Artemis Entreri, he would not soon again take such a risk where Dahlia and her cohorts were involved—particularly not while they held Charon’s Claw.For more than a few, Draygo Quick included, had warned Alegni that the weapon might not so easily forgive his failure, and might even go over to the side of Artemis Entreri against him.Could Claw control Alegni the way it had tormented the man known as Barrabus the Gray?The thought proved not as amusing to Effron as he had suspected and so he pushed it away quickly, returning to the situation at hand.“The drow’s friends might not appreciate such an exchange, particularly Lord Alegni’s former slave,” the Shifter remarked.“If I thought they would, I would go to them myself,” Effron replied.
|
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dnd440
|
“You are clever enough to find a way, and to get away if the need arises.”The Shifter, her image at least, seemed intrigued.Effron and others always thought that the current image’s expressions and posture matched that of the host, though, of course, none knew for certain.As she considered the information, a long while passed before she said, “One thousand gold if I return with the sword.”“Draygo Quick …” Effron started to reply.“Five hundred from him and five hundred from Herzgo Alegni,” the Shifter interrupted.“It’s worth at least that to him, is it not?”Effron didn’t blink.“Or did you think to exact that sum from him for yourself?” the Shifter asked slyly.“I have no desire for the coins.”“Then you are indeed a fool.”“So be it.”“So be it?That you are a fool, or that you agree to my terms?”“One thousand pieces of gold.”“And five hundred if I return without it, for my troubles.”“No.”The image of the Shifter faded away to nothingness.“One hundred,” Effron quickly said, trying hard, but futilely, to keep the desperation out of his voice.“If you return with the panther.”The image of the Shifter reappeared.“If you lose the panther, but do not regain the sword, then you will find no gold, but surely the wrath of Draygo Quick.”“And if I bring back both?” she asked.“The wrath of Draygo Quick, who desires no conflict with this or any other drow,” Effron said.“Make the deal.”“Ah, the ever-present wrath of Draygo Quick,” the Shifter said.“It seems that you have added a measure of danger to the bargain.” Her image suddenly grabbed the cage from Effron’s hand, but it did not appear in that image’s hand, but rather, seemed to simply disappear.“How, then, can I say no?”Effron nodded and watched the image melt away again to nothingness, and then he knew that he was alone.He collected his wits, always so scattered after dealing with this annoying creature, and started away, hoping that Herzgo Alegni would not claim the prize first.Because to Effron, Charon’s Claw was not the prize.He would procure it and use it to prompt Herzgo Alegni to the true victory, the one he and the tiefling warlord both badly wanted: Lady Dahlia, helpless before them, in all her shame, to answer for her crimes.Drizzt Do’Urden sat in the crook of a thick branch, tight against the trunk of a large tree, trying to make himself as small as possible.He pulled his ragged forest green cloak around him as tightly as possible, and told himself that he would need to replace this garment soon enough, perhaps with some elven cloak, or another drow piwafwi if he could find some way to procure one.That thought, of course, led him back to the last time he had seen Jarlaxle, when the drow had gone over the lip of the primordial’s pit after Athrogate, only to be obliterated, so it seemed, by the primordial’s subsequent eruption.Drizzt closed his eyes and forced himself to let it all go.Too many questions accompanied thoughts of Jarlaxle, as they did with Entreri.Too many inconsistencies and too many needed excuses.The world was much easier when viewed in black and white, and these two, Jarlaxle most poignantly and pointedly, surely injected areas of shadow into Drizzt’s view of the world as it should be.So did Dahlia, of course.Below Drizzt’s perch, Entreri and Dahlia went about their business, acting as if they were putting together a camp for the night.They moved half-heartedly, hardly playing their roles, as the time dragged along.Finally, Drizzt spotted some movement in the shadows a short distance behind them.No, not a movement in the shadows, he realized, but a movement of the shadows.Arunika’s warning about the Netherese and their fanatical grip on their artifacts rang clear in his mind.The drow gave a little whistle, a series of high-pitched notes like the song of a wren, the previously agreed-upon signal.Both Entreri and Dahlia glanced up toward him, and so, fearing that the Shadovar might be close enough to view any arm waving, he whistled again to confirm.While the two went back to the camp-building, more determinedly and convincingly this time, Drizzt quietly slipped the Heartseeker into position and set his magical quiver on a web of branches in easy reach.Even as the first arrow went to his bowstring, the drow picked out the advancing forms again, noting at least three of the gray-skinned pursuers.Their determined and clever movements told him that they knew of his companions at least.Drizzt whistled again, this time a longer chain of wren-song, to communicate this new observation, and ended with three short tweets to let the others know the enemy count.He tweeted a short fourth whistle, then a fifth and sixth, as more Shadovar, or at least, as more movement indicative of approaching Shadovar, came visible to him.The drow licked his lips, his eyes scanning intently.If these enemies meant to attack from afar, by spell or by missile, then he would provide the only warning and the only initial defense for Entreri and Dahlia.Behind the approaching shades and beside the magical gate that had brought them to this place, Herzgo Alegni paced anxiously.He badly wanted to lead this charge, but he had not yet fully recovered from the beating on the bridge.
|
“You are clever enough to find a way, and to get away if the need arises.”The Shifter, her image at least, seemed intrigued.Effron and others always thought that the current image’s expressions and posture matched that of the host, though, of course, none knew for certain.As she considered the information, a long while passed before she said, “One thousand gold if I return with the sword.”“Draygo Quick …” Effron started to reply.“Five hundred from him and five hundred from Herzgo Alegni,” the Shifter interrupted.“It’s worth at least that to him, is it not?”Effron didn’t blink.“Or did you think to exact that sum from him for yourself?” the Shifter asked slyly.“I have no desire for the coins.”“Then you are indeed a fool.”“So be it.”“So be it?That you are a fool, or that you agree to my terms?”“One thousand pieces of gold.”“And five hundred if I return without it, for my troubles.”“No.”The image of the Shifter faded away to nothingness.“One hundred,” Effron quickly said, trying hard, but futilely, to keep the desperation out of his voice.“If you return with the panther.”The image of the Shifter reappeared.“If you lose the panther, but do not regain the sword, then you will find no gold, but surely the wrath of Draygo Quick.”“And if I bring back both?” she asked.“The wrath of Draygo Quick, who desires no conflict with this or any other drow,” Effron said.“Make the deal.”“Ah, the ever-present wrath of Draygo Quick,” the Shifter said.“It seems that you have added a measure of danger to the bargain.” Her image suddenly grabbed the cage from Effron’s hand, but it did not appear in that image’s hand, but rather, seemed to simply disappear.“How, then, can I say no?”Effron nodded and watched the image melt away again to nothingness, and then he knew that he was alone.He collected his wits, always so scattered after dealing with this annoying creature, and started away, hoping that Herzgo Alegni would not claim the prize first.Because to Effron, Charon’s Claw was not the prize.He would procure it and use it to prompt Herzgo Alegni to the true victory, the one he and the tiefling warlord both badly wanted: Lady Dahlia, helpless before them, in all her shame, to answer for her crimes.Drizzt Do’Urden sat in the crook of a thick branch, tight against the trunk of a large tree, trying to make himself as small as possible.He pulled his ragged forest green cloak around him as tightly as possible, and told himself that he would need to replace this garment soon enough, perhaps with some elven cloak, or another drow piwafwi if he could find some way to procure one.That thought, of course, led him back to the last time he had seen Jarlaxle, when the drow had gone over the lip of the primordial’s pit after Athrogate, only to be obliterated, so it seemed, by the primordial’s subsequent eruption.Drizzt closed his eyes and forced himself to let it all go.Too many questions accompanied thoughts of Jarlaxle, as they did with Entreri.Too many inconsistencies and too many needed excuses.The world was much easier when viewed in black and white, and these two, Jarlaxle most poignantly and pointedly, surely injected areas of shadow into Drizzt’s view of the world as it should be.So did Dahlia, of course.Below Drizzt’s perch, Entreri and Dahlia went about their business, acting as if they were putting together a camp for the night.They moved half-heartedly, hardly playing their roles, as the time dragged along.Finally, Drizzt spotted some movement in the shadows a short distance behind them.No, not a movement in the shadows, he realized, but a movement of the shadows.Arunika’s warning about the Netherese and their fanatical grip on their artifacts rang clear in his mind.The drow gave a little whistle, a series of high-pitched notes like the song of a wren, the previously agreed-upon signal.Both Entreri and Dahlia glanced up toward him, and so, fearing that the Shadovar might be close enough to view any arm waving, he whistled again to confirm.While the two went back to the camp-building, more determinedly and convincingly this time, Drizzt quietly slipped the Heartseeker into position and set his magical quiver on a web of branches in easy reach.Even as the first arrow went to his bowstring, the drow picked out the advancing forms again, noting at least three of the gray-skinned pursuers.Their determined and clever movements told him that they knew of his companions at least.Drizzt whistled again, this time a longer chain of wren-song, to communicate this new observation, and ended with three short tweets to let the others know the enemy count.He tweeted a short fourth whistle, then a fifth and sixth, as more Shadovar, or at least, as more movement indicative of approaching Shadovar, came visible to him.The drow licked his lips, his eyes scanning intently.If these enemies meant to attack from afar, by spell or by missile, then he would provide the only warning and the only initial defense for Entreri and Dahlia.Behind the approaching shades and beside the magical gate that had brought them to this place, Herzgo Alegni paced anxiously.He badly wanted to lead this charge, but he had not yet fully recovered from the beating on the bridge.
|
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dnd441
|
He could not lift his left arm, and he knew no healer with the power to restore his right eye.He wore an eye patch over that broken orb now.Another trio of shades came through the gate, and Alegni directed them forward—and it took all of his willpower not to rush off after them.How he hated these enemies!How he hated Dahlia and her heinous betrayal!How he hated Barrabus and his treachery!He hoped that those two would be captured alive, so he could torture them until they begged for the sweet release of death.Another shade came through, a wizard, and one very loyal to Effron, Alegni knew.With a curt and almost dismissive nod to the tiefling warlord, he hustled away to join the impending battle.A low growl escaped Alegni’s lips.He needed to get the many priests working harder, needed to be back in the fight, back in command, in short order.Out of stubbornness, he tried to lift his arm, and growled louder through his grimace.He looked to the distant hillock, atop which his enemies prepared their camp, and muttered, “Soon, Dahlia, very soon,” and then again, substituting the name of Barrabus.The first shades burst into the opening, two charging in with leveled spears, the third with an axe spinning up above his head.But the elf and human were not unprepared.As the shades had appeared, both turned, weapons in hand, to meet the charge.From up above, Drizzt watched as Entreri swept aside the spears with a sudden rush across from Dahlia’s left to her right, and Dahlia waded in behind him expertly, her flails smacking at the weapons, so that the spear-wielders had to retreat a step and reorient.As her spinning weapons drove the blades out wider with backhanded movements, the elf warrior spun them around and over, then in fast figure-eights before her to hold the axe-wielder at bay.Drizzt lowered his bow, looking for a clear shot to take out the woman holding the spear to Dahlia’s unprotected left flank, but he pulled up fast when he saw movement from a bush not far away.It was just the flicker of a hand that had come visible, but a telling one.It was a spellcaster, he realized, and up came Taulmaril and off went a silver-streaking arrow, then another, and more in rapid succession, each burrowing through the brush like a lightning strike, leaving wisps of smoke, even small fires on the branches as they drove through.Sparks exploded from behind, for the spellcaster had obviously enacted some magical wards against such attacks.But Drizzt kept up the barrage, confident that Taulmaril would prove the stronger.More missiles whipped through, and the spellcaster staggered out backward, coming into clearer view.Other shouts rose up around him, and Drizzt knew that he’d be facing arrows and spells as well soon enough.But he kept up his devastating rain of lightning arrows, and the sparks came fewer and the mage’s screams came louder.He staggered back, now with wisps of smoke rising from his robes, and tried to turn and run off, clutching at his belly, clutching at his burning leg.Drizzt’s next arrow caught him just under the ear and lifted him from the ground, throwing him down on his face in the dirt, where he lay very still.The drow rolled around to the other side of the tree trunk, and just in time to avoid a line of magical fire from a second sorcerer.He came up shooting again, but not in a concentrated manner this time, for he could not afford that, as shade archers and spearmen began to launch their missiles his way.In the heat of battle, his own situation worsening by the heartbeat, Drizzt still managed to glance down at his companions.One spearman was down, writhing on the ground with blood spilling from his side, but two other shades had joined the battle.Entreri, in particular, seemed hard-pressed.Drizzt started to lower his bow for a shot at one of the shades below.But he didn’t, and focused instead on the distant enemies.Their precision and coordinated movements had only grown in the days since the fight at the bridge in Neverwinter, with both of these fine warriors coming to understand each other better, both physically and emotionally.Artemis Entreri knew when he went spinning across to defeat the initial spear thrusts that Dahlia would be ready to step into the void left in his wake, and ready to take full advantage of their off-balance opponents.And so she had, driving back the axe-wielder and ably keeping the spearwoman over to the left fully engaged.That left Entreri one-against-one with the other spearman.He drove the spear out to his right even farther with a backhand slash of his sword.His opponent did well to hold on, and even to cleverly reverse his momentum, lifting his leading left hand up over his shoulder and punching out with the right down low in an attempt to butt Entreri hard with the back end of the spear.It would have worked, too, except that Entreri’s dagger came across right behind the sword’s backhand to catch the spear’s shaft down low, and with Entreri’s arm at such an angle to hold his opponent’s weapon firmly in place.Entreri looked the shade straight in the eye, then pressed upward with the dagger.The shade should have leaped back to disengage, and likely would have had he understood the skill of his opponent, but he stubbornly pressed on, even trying to reverse once more and bring the spear tip slashing down from on high.But Entreri had it securely locked with his dagger, rolling the blade deftly to prevent the disengage, and turning it to use the shade’s momentum to his own favor, driving the spear up slightly.Enough so that he was able to slip the tip of his sword under the butt of the weapon.Still staring into the shade’s eyes, Entreri put on just the hint of a wicked grin and thrust his sword upward, catching the shade just under the ribs.The shade let go of the spear with one hand, trying desperately to spin away, but the assassin’s sword dug in, tearing through flesh and into a lung.The shade fell away—and Entreri smiled wider when Dahlia, deep into her spinning dance and keeping the other two engaged, managed to crack the fool across the head as he tumbled, just for good measure.Entreri understood the level of satisfaction the elf woman took in delivering that blow.Though he noted two more enemies charging in, he crossed by Dahlia, sword slashing in a wide angle to drive the axe-wielder back a few steps, then crossing down hard to crack into the shaft of the thrusting spear, catching it just below the tip and nearly shearing that blade off.Dahlia responded perfectly, intercepting the two newcomers with a barrage of spinning flails that surely defeated their momentum—and likely their appetite for this fight.Entreri noted that, and marveled at it, and silently congratulated the woman for the clever move.The magical bolt, green energy smoking with anger, whipped in at Drizzt too quickly for him to duck aside.He took it in the shoulder and his grip wavered, but only for a moment.Then he responded back at the mage with a new stream of lightning arrows.
|
He could not lift his left arm, and he knew no healer with the power to restore his right eye.He wore an eye patch over that broken orb now.Another trio of shades came through the gate, and Alegni directed them forward—and it took all of his willpower not to rush off after them.How he hated these enemies!How he hated Dahlia and her heinous betrayal!How he hated Barrabus and his treachery!He hoped that those two would be captured alive, so he could torture them until they begged for the sweet release of death.Another shade came through, a wizard, and one very loyal to Effron, Alegni knew.With a curt and almost dismissive nod to the tiefling warlord, he hustled away to join the impending battle.A low growl escaped Alegni’s lips.He needed to get the many priests working harder, needed to be back in the fight, back in command, in short order.Out of stubbornness, he tried to lift his arm, and growled louder through his grimace.He looked to the distant hillock, atop which his enemies prepared their camp, and muttered, “Soon, Dahlia, very soon,” and then again, substituting the name of Barrabus.The first shades burst into the opening, two charging in with leveled spears, the third with an axe spinning up above his head.But the elf and human were not unprepared.As the shades had appeared, both turned, weapons in hand, to meet the charge.From up above, Drizzt watched as Entreri swept aside the spears with a sudden rush across from Dahlia’s left to her right, and Dahlia waded in behind him expertly, her flails smacking at the weapons, so that the spear-wielders had to retreat a step and reorient.As her spinning weapons drove the blades out wider with backhanded movements, the elf warrior spun them around and over, then in fast figure-eights before her to hold the axe-wielder at bay.Drizzt lowered his bow, looking for a clear shot to take out the woman holding the spear to Dahlia’s unprotected left flank, but he pulled up fast when he saw movement from a bush not far away.It was just the flicker of a hand that had come visible, but a telling one.It was a spellcaster, he realized, and up came Taulmaril and off went a silver-streaking arrow, then another, and more in rapid succession, each burrowing through the brush like a lightning strike, leaving wisps of smoke, even small fires on the branches as they drove through.Sparks exploded from behind, for the spellcaster had obviously enacted some magical wards against such attacks.But Drizzt kept up the barrage, confident that Taulmaril would prove the stronger.More missiles whipped through, and the spellcaster staggered out backward, coming into clearer view.Other shouts rose up around him, and Drizzt knew that he’d be facing arrows and spells as well soon enough.But he kept up his devastating rain of lightning arrows, and the sparks came fewer and the mage’s screams came louder.He staggered back, now with wisps of smoke rising from his robes, and tried to turn and run off, clutching at his belly, clutching at his burning leg.Drizzt’s next arrow caught him just under the ear and lifted him from the ground, throwing him down on his face in the dirt, where he lay very still.The drow rolled around to the other side of the tree trunk, and just in time to avoid a line of magical fire from a second sorcerer.He came up shooting again, but not in a concentrated manner this time, for he could not afford that, as shade archers and spearmen began to launch their missiles his way.In the heat of battle, his own situation worsening by the heartbeat, Drizzt still managed to glance down at his companions.One spearman was down, writhing on the ground with blood spilling from his side, but two other shades had joined the battle.Entreri, in particular, seemed hard-pressed.Drizzt started to lower his bow for a shot at one of the shades below.But he didn’t, and focused instead on the distant enemies.Their precision and coordinated movements had only grown in the days since the fight at the bridge in Neverwinter, with both of these fine warriors coming to understand each other better, both physically and emotionally.Artemis Entreri knew when he went spinning across to defeat the initial spear thrusts that Dahlia would be ready to step into the void left in his wake, and ready to take full advantage of their off-balance opponents.And so she had, driving back the axe-wielder and ably keeping the spearwoman over to the left fully engaged.That left Entreri one-against-one with the other spearman.He drove the spear out to his right even farther with a backhand slash of his sword.His opponent did well to hold on, and even to cleverly reverse his momentum, lifting his leading left hand up over his shoulder and punching out with the right down low in an attempt to butt Entreri hard with the back end of the spear.It would have worked, too, except that Entreri’s dagger came across right behind the sword’s backhand to catch the spear’s shaft down low, and with Entreri’s arm at such an angle to hold his opponent’s weapon firmly in place.Entreri looked the shade straight in the eye, then pressed upward with the dagger.The shade should have leaped back to disengage, and likely would have had he understood the skill of his opponent, but he stubbornly pressed on, even trying to reverse once more and bring the spear tip slashing down from on high.But Entreri had it securely locked with his dagger, rolling the blade deftly to prevent the disengage, and turning it to use the shade’s momentum to his own favor, driving the spear up slightly.Enough so that he was able to slip the tip of his sword under the butt of the weapon.Still staring into the shade’s eyes, Entreri put on just the hint of a wicked grin and thrust his sword upward, catching the shade just under the ribs.The shade let go of the spear with one hand, trying desperately to spin away, but the assassin’s sword dug in, tearing through flesh and into a lung.The shade fell away—and Entreri smiled wider when Dahlia, deep into her spinning dance and keeping the other two engaged, managed to crack the fool across the head as he tumbled, just for good measure.Entreri understood the level of satisfaction the elf woman took in delivering that blow.Though he noted two more enemies charging in, he crossed by Dahlia, sword slashing in a wide angle to drive the axe-wielder back a few steps, then crossing down hard to crack into the shaft of the thrusting spear, catching it just below the tip and nearly shearing that blade off.Dahlia responded perfectly, intercepting the two newcomers with a barrage of spinning flails that surely defeated their momentum—and likely their appetite for this fight.Entreri noted that, and marveled at it, and silently congratulated the woman for the clever move.The magical bolt, green energy smoking with anger, whipped in at Drizzt too quickly for him to duck aside.He took it in the shoulder and his grip wavered, but only for a moment.Then he responded back at the mage with a new stream of lightning arrows.
|
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dnd442
|
One after another, they blasted into the tree behind which the mage had dived, chipping bark and cracking into the hardwood.Drizzt grimaced against the burning pain running through his arm, but he stubbornly held on and kept up the barrage, telling himself that if he let up, the mage would come out and lash at him again.A slight movement to the side caught his attention and he swiveled the bow reflexively and let fly.Good fortune more than skill aided him in that moment, he silently admitted, for his arrow flew true, throwing a shade archer to the ground, a line of smoke rising from the hole in her chest.Back toward the mage went the bow, more arrows flashing away, thundering into and all around the tree, throwing sparks and wood chips.An arrow clipped the tree very near to Drizzt’s face.He hadn’t even seen it coming, and from the angle of the shot, he recognized that he was vulnerable.He let up on the mage and turned quickly to the new threat, down and to the side and just past the continuing fight on the ground below him.Another arrow whipped in, missing badly, and Drizzt spotted the archer.Off went the silvery flash of Taulmaril’s next arrow, exploding into a large stone.Up from behind that stone appeared not one, but two archers, both ready to let fly at Drizzt.But he beat them to it, skipping his next shot off the stone between them, the flash stealing their eyesight, the resounding retort stealing their nerves.One never even got off her shot before she yelped and ducked, and the second missed so wildly that his arrow didn’t even cross within the wide reach of the tree’s branches.Drizzt couldn’t count that as a victory, though, not with the wizard likely crawling out from behind his tree barricade and preparing the next magical assault.He started to turn, thinking to unleash another volley that way, but paused.Down below he noted the fight, noted the back of Artemis Entreri, open and inviting.He could lower the Heartseeker but a finger’s breadth and let fly and be rid of Entreri once and for all.It would be so easy.And wouldn’t the world be a better place without this murderer?How many lives, perhaps innocent lives, might Drizzt save with just that one shot?He had actually started to draw back on the bowstring when the magical bolt struck him hard in the side, blasting the breath from him and nearly knocking him from the tree.And up came the two archers behind the stone, both letting fly.Drizzt, eyes hardly open as he squinted against the pain, pumped his arm repeatedly, sending a near-solid line of lightning their way.He scored one hit, he believed, from the pitch of the ensuing cry, but he knew not how solid.He expected that he would die up there, then, in the nook in this tree.But couldn’t he take Artemis Entreri along with him?And wouldn’t the world be a better place if he did?More enemies appeared.Between parries, Entreri managed to glance at Dahlia and mouth, “Go.”The elf was already moving, with her hands at first, turning flails into four-foot bo sticks, then, as she rushed forward, deftly striking with them to align them properly for a full joining.Her long staff returned, Dahlia continued her charge, then abruptly planted the end and leaped over the surprised shades, landing lightly behind the pair and sprinting off into the thicker brush.Reflexively, stupidly, the shades spun around and followed—or one followed, as the other stumbled, Entreri’s belt knife driving deep into his kidney.The pursuer, apparently oblivious to her companion’s fate, kept running, until the end of Dahlia’s staff appeared, lined up perfectly just below her chin.She couldn’t stop, and Dahlia had reversed direction and was coming at her anyway, and the combined momentum drove the long staff spearlike against the soft skin of the shade’s neck.Her legs flew out from under her as she tried futilely to recoil, and she landed hard on her back, gagging and choking and gulping for air that would not come.She flailed pathetically, but Dahlia just leaped past her, back toward Entreri.None of this was lost on the two Entreri battled.The swordsman to the left of the assassin motioned for his companion to hold back Dahlia.He should have kept his focus on the assassin instead, for as his friend turned, Entreri charged in at him.Obviously startled by the sudden boldness of the move, the shade leaped and scrambled back.But Entreri veered and caught the turning shade instead, and that axe man heard him coming and whipped around with a mighty sidelong swing.One that went high as Entreri skidded low to his knees, his sword disemboweling the shade.The remaining swordsman leaped for the vulnerable assassin, and caught instead a furious Dahlia, now with flails once more, spinning and cracking him all around the head.He got pummeled a dozen times in that flashing moment, but really only felt the first burst of fiery pain as his skull shattered.Dahlia hardly slowed as she ran past, moving through the camp and out the back side, as Entreri used his sword to drop the axe man off to the right, between him and the new group just coming through the brush.He sprinted almost directly opposite Dahlia, to where she had gone after her vault, bending, not pausing, only to yank his belt knife from the wounded Shadovar male.He crashed through the brush in a full run, turning left as he knew—just knew—that Dahlia would spin right, that they could link up once more deeper into the woods.More arrows flew off from Taulmaril.Drizzt scored a hit, a kill, and then a second kill in rapid order as the companion of his first victim tried to get up and run off.Still the drow grimaced in pain, his muscles clenching against the burns of the two magical bolts, but at least he had lessened the missiles flying in at him.
|
One after another, they blasted into the tree behind which the mage had dived, chipping bark and cracking into the hardwood.Drizzt grimaced against the burning pain running through his arm, but he stubbornly held on and kept up the barrage, telling himself that if he let up, the mage would come out and lash at him again.A slight movement to the side caught his attention and he swiveled the bow reflexively and let fly.Good fortune more than skill aided him in that moment, he silently admitted, for his arrow flew true, throwing a shade archer to the ground, a line of smoke rising from the hole in her chest.Back toward the mage went the bow, more arrows flashing away, thundering into and all around the tree, throwing sparks and wood chips.An arrow clipped the tree very near to Drizzt’s face.He hadn’t even seen it coming, and from the angle of the shot, he recognized that he was vulnerable.He let up on the mage and turned quickly to the new threat, down and to the side and just past the continuing fight on the ground below him.Another arrow whipped in, missing badly, and Drizzt spotted the archer.Off went the silvery flash of Taulmaril’s next arrow, exploding into a large stone.Up from behind that stone appeared not one, but two archers, both ready to let fly at Drizzt.But he beat them to it, skipping his next shot off the stone between them, the flash stealing their eyesight, the resounding retort stealing their nerves.One never even got off her shot before she yelped and ducked, and the second missed so wildly that his arrow didn’t even cross within the wide reach of the tree’s branches.Drizzt couldn’t count that as a victory, though, not with the wizard likely crawling out from behind his tree barricade and preparing the next magical assault.He started to turn, thinking to unleash another volley that way, but paused.Down below he noted the fight, noted the back of Artemis Entreri, open and inviting.He could lower the Heartseeker but a finger’s breadth and let fly and be rid of Entreri once and for all.It would be so easy.And wouldn’t the world be a better place without this murderer?How many lives, perhaps innocent lives, might Drizzt save with just that one shot?He had actually started to draw back on the bowstring when the magical bolt struck him hard in the side, blasting the breath from him and nearly knocking him from the tree.And up came the two archers behind the stone, both letting fly.Drizzt, eyes hardly open as he squinted against the pain, pumped his arm repeatedly, sending a near-solid line of lightning their way.He scored one hit, he believed, from the pitch of the ensuing cry, but he knew not how solid.He expected that he would die up there, then, in the nook in this tree.But couldn’t he take Artemis Entreri along with him?And wouldn’t the world be a better place if he did?More enemies appeared.Between parries, Entreri managed to glance at Dahlia and mouth, “Go.”The elf was already moving, with her hands at first, turning flails into four-foot bo sticks, then, as she rushed forward, deftly striking with them to align them properly for a full joining.Her long staff returned, Dahlia continued her charge, then abruptly planted the end and leaped over the surprised shades, landing lightly behind the pair and sprinting off into the thicker brush.Reflexively, stupidly, the shades spun around and followed—or one followed, as the other stumbled, Entreri’s belt knife driving deep into his kidney.The pursuer, apparently oblivious to her companion’s fate, kept running, until the end of Dahlia’s staff appeared, lined up perfectly just below her chin.She couldn’t stop, and Dahlia had reversed direction and was coming at her anyway, and the combined momentum drove the long staff spearlike against the soft skin of the shade’s neck.Her legs flew out from under her as she tried futilely to recoil, and she landed hard on her back, gagging and choking and gulping for air that would not come.She flailed pathetically, but Dahlia just leaped past her, back toward Entreri.None of this was lost on the two Entreri battled.The swordsman to the left of the assassin motioned for his companion to hold back Dahlia.He should have kept his focus on the assassin instead, for as his friend turned, Entreri charged in at him.Obviously startled by the sudden boldness of the move, the shade leaped and scrambled back.But Entreri veered and caught the turning shade instead, and that axe man heard him coming and whipped around with a mighty sidelong swing.One that went high as Entreri skidded low to his knees, his sword disemboweling the shade.The remaining swordsman leaped for the vulnerable assassin, and caught instead a furious Dahlia, now with flails once more, spinning and cracking him all around the head.He got pummeled a dozen times in that flashing moment, but really only felt the first burst of fiery pain as his skull shattered.Dahlia hardly slowed as she ran past, moving through the camp and out the back side, as Entreri used his sword to drop the axe man off to the right, between him and the new group just coming through the brush.He sprinted almost directly opposite Dahlia, to where she had gone after her vault, bending, not pausing, only to yank his belt knife from the wounded Shadovar male.He crashed through the brush in a full run, turning left as he knew—just knew—that Dahlia would spin right, that they could link up once more deeper into the woods.More arrows flew off from Taulmaril.Drizzt scored a hit, a kill, and then a second kill in rapid order as the companion of his first victim tried to get up and run off.Still the drow grimaced in pain, his muscles clenching against the burns of the two magical bolts, but at least he had lessened the missiles flying in at him.
|
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dnd443
|
Below him the fight intensified.Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Dahlia springing away.Which would leave Entreri even more vulnerable to him, he realized.Another arrow skipped through the branches, narrowly missing Drizzt’s face, and stealing all thoughts of the battle below.He wheeled around to spot the archer, who was diving behind a fallen log, and drew back, but out of the corner of his eye, Drizzt noted the pesky sorcerer, casting yet another spell.Before he could train his bow on the shade, a pea of flame left the mage’s hand, soaring his way.Drizzt knew all too well what that foretold.He let fly the arrow, missing badly, for he was already moving, scrambling up from his perch, as he let go of the bowstring.In truth, he let fly the arrow as much to clear it from the bow as anything else.He rushed out along the branch, nimbly balancing as he flipped the magical quiver and then the bow over his shoulders, and by the time he got out on the limb, the thinner wood beginning to bend under his weight, he had his scimitars in hand.The tree exploded behind him, the mage’s fireball turning twilight into noontime.It was not a concussive blast, though Drizzt wished it had been, for the air around him instantly began to simmer and sting with licks of flame.Now he used the elasticity of the branch, springing up and away with abandon.Only his magical anklets had saved him from grievous wounds from the intensity of the blast—no novice, this mage!Without the magic speeding his steps, that fireball would have caught him fully, to no good end.Though he had escaped the bulk of that blast, he found himself more than twenty feet in the air, flying free and clear of the branches, with nothing to grasp and only the hard ground to cushion his fall.He took some comfort, or enjoyment, in the look of horror upon the mage’s face as he descended from on high.He noted the terrain, and took heart that it was mostly clear before him.The drow turned himself over in mid-air, landing in a forward roll, coming up with a desperate swing as he passed by the mage before going into another forward roll, and a third to absorb the momentum.He crashed through some brush, painfully, but managed to come up to his feet relatively unscathed.The same could not be said of the mage, who spun around in circles with blood spurting from the gash Drizzt’s scimitar had sliced across his throat.Drizzt tried to orient himself, to figure out where his companions might be.An image of his blades diving in at Entreri’s back flashed in his mind, and brought forth a surprising amount of anger—rage he quickly focused on the situation at hand.He charged off at full speed, moving from cover to cover, from tree to brush to boulder, then even up into the lower branches of another tree.Shouts rang up all around him as the enemy tried to get a bead on him, tried to coordinate against him.He reversed his course, then cut out again, springing from the tree branch to a clearing behind some underbrush, then speeding through at full speed to surprise a pair of Shadovar who were still pointing at the tree he had climbed, yelling out directions.They almost got their weapons up to block.Drizzt ran on, leaving the two writhing on the ground.Anger grew with his speed, fueled by images of Entreri and Dahlia sharing that intimate moment.He heard a cry from in front and knew he had been spotted, knew that those ahead would put up a better defense—against his scimitars, at least.So he sheathed the blades as he sprinted and drew out his bow, and burst into sight of the trio.One, two, three went his arrows, blowing one shade away, lifting him into the air, cutting a second down with a glancing blow that still opened her skin from shoulder to shoulder, and sending the third diving away in panic.Drizzt rushed through, crossing their position and disappearing into the brush so quickly that the unwounded shade wasn’t even sure where he had gone.“We cannot catch him,” the Netheril commoner admitted to Lord Alegni when he rejoined the tiefling at the magical gate.“He moves like a ghost—into the trees as quickly as we run along the ground.”“You have sorcerers,” Alegni replied, and he looked past the soldier to a few other shades now approaching, more than one of them glancing back over his shoulder with clear alarm.“Two are dead, slain by the drow!” the shade replied, and as his voice rose, he could barely suppress his terror.“What of the other two?” Alegni asked—asked all of them as the others came scurrying up.“Tell me that you fools have killed Dahlia or Barrabus!”It was all bluster, for Herzgo Alegni didn’t believe any such thing, nor did he desire any such thing.Not here, in this time or place or manner.The tiefling found himself a bit surprised by his feelings concerning this obvious abject failure.The lords of Netheril, after all, were never easy or merciful regarding failure.“Nay, my lord,” the commoner admitted.
|
Below him the fight intensified.Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Dahlia springing away.Which would leave Entreri even more vulnerable to him, he realized.Another arrow skipped through the branches, narrowly missing Drizzt’s face, and stealing all thoughts of the battle below.He wheeled around to spot the archer, who was diving behind a fallen log, and drew back, but out of the corner of his eye, Drizzt noted the pesky sorcerer, casting yet another spell.Before he could train his bow on the shade, a pea of flame left the mage’s hand, soaring his way.Drizzt knew all too well what that foretold.He let fly the arrow, missing badly, for he was already moving, scrambling up from his perch, as he let go of the bowstring.In truth, he let fly the arrow as much to clear it from the bow as anything else.He rushed out along the branch, nimbly balancing as he flipped the magical quiver and then the bow over his shoulders, and by the time he got out on the limb, the thinner wood beginning to bend under his weight, he had his scimitars in hand.The tree exploded behind him, the mage’s fireball turning twilight into noontime.It was not a concussive blast, though Drizzt wished it had been, for the air around him instantly began to simmer and sting with licks of flame.Now he used the elasticity of the branch, springing up and away with abandon.Only his magical anklets had saved him from grievous wounds from the intensity of the blast—no novice, this mage!Without the magic speeding his steps, that fireball would have caught him fully, to no good end.Though he had escaped the bulk of that blast, he found himself more than twenty feet in the air, flying free and clear of the branches, with nothing to grasp and only the hard ground to cushion his fall.He took some comfort, or enjoyment, in the look of horror upon the mage’s face as he descended from on high.He noted the terrain, and took heart that it was mostly clear before him.The drow turned himself over in mid-air, landing in a forward roll, coming up with a desperate swing as he passed by the mage before going into another forward roll, and a third to absorb the momentum.He crashed through some brush, painfully, but managed to come up to his feet relatively unscathed.The same could not be said of the mage, who spun around in circles with blood spurting from the gash Drizzt’s scimitar had sliced across his throat.Drizzt tried to orient himself, to figure out where his companions might be.An image of his blades diving in at Entreri’s back flashed in his mind, and brought forth a surprising amount of anger—rage he quickly focused on the situation at hand.He charged off at full speed, moving from cover to cover, from tree to brush to boulder, then even up into the lower branches of another tree.Shouts rang up all around him as the enemy tried to get a bead on him, tried to coordinate against him.He reversed his course, then cut out again, springing from the tree branch to a clearing behind some underbrush, then speeding through at full speed to surprise a pair of Shadovar who were still pointing at the tree he had climbed, yelling out directions.They almost got their weapons up to block.Drizzt ran on, leaving the two writhing on the ground.Anger grew with his speed, fueled by images of Entreri and Dahlia sharing that intimate moment.He heard a cry from in front and knew he had been spotted, knew that those ahead would put up a better defense—against his scimitars, at least.So he sheathed the blades as he sprinted and drew out his bow, and burst into sight of the trio.One, two, three went his arrows, blowing one shade away, lifting him into the air, cutting a second down with a glancing blow that still opened her skin from shoulder to shoulder, and sending the third diving away in panic.Drizzt rushed through, crossing their position and disappearing into the brush so quickly that the unwounded shade wasn’t even sure where he had gone.“We cannot catch him,” the Netheril commoner admitted to Lord Alegni when he rejoined the tiefling at the magical gate.“He moves like a ghost—into the trees as quickly as we run along the ground.”“You have sorcerers,” Alegni replied, and he looked past the soldier to a few other shades now approaching, more than one of them glancing back over his shoulder with clear alarm.“Two are dead, slain by the drow!” the shade replied, and as his voice rose, he could barely suppress his terror.“What of the other two?” Alegni asked—asked all of them as the others came scurrying up.“Tell me that you fools have killed Dahlia or Barrabus!”It was all bluster, for Herzgo Alegni didn’t believe any such thing, nor did he desire any such thing.Not here, in this time or place or manner.The tiefling found himself a bit surprised by his feelings concerning this obvious abject failure.The lords of Netheril, after all, were never easy or merciful regarding failure.“Nay, my lord,” the commoner admitted.
|
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dnd444
|
“I fear they have eluded us.”“The sword,” Alegni asked.“Did Barrabus wield my sword?”The commoner considered that for a moment.“The drow carried it, but on his back.He fought with smaller blades.”Alegni didn’t quite know what to make of that.Why had the trio fled into the wilds?He looked to the northeast, toward a broken mountain, the same one that had blown up and buried the old city of Neverwinter a decade earlier.“Where are you going?” he quietly asked the empty air.“My lord?” the commoner asked.Alegni waved him to the portal.There was no use in trying to turn the Shadovar around for another futile fight.They had failed.But this wasn’t his failure.He had argued loudly against this course of action, begging Draygo Quick and some others that they would do well to wait until he had recovered enough to personally see to this.He had argued, more subtly, that he would need many times this number, and in a place more of his choosing.He would likely be admonished for this failure, certainly, but not in any way that would damage his designs.He would still be the one tasked with retrieving the sword, and he felt confident that he could convince Draygo Quick to let him do it his own way.As these ragged and defeated shades returned to the magical portal empty-handed, other than their dead comrades they couldn’t simply leave behind, Draygo Quick would find himself enmeshed in what had been wholly perceived as Herzgo Alegni’s failure.Yes, the tiefling wasn’t upset as the rest of the defeated band returned to him, and he had to work hard to keep any measure of sarcasm or enjoyment out of his voice when he ordered them to return through the gate.But he was worried, quite so, when he thought of that broken mountain and the beast he knew lurked beneath its battered slopes.He felt a silent call on an unseen breeze, as if Claw was reaching out to him, pleading with him.He didn’t know if that was actually the case, or if it was simply his imagination, but he suspected the former.Claw was calling to him, because Claw was afraid.With a last look to the north, the forest where Dahlia, Barrabus, and the drow had once again escaped, Herzgo Alegni, too, returned to the Shadowfell.Taulmaril in hand, Drizzt rushed around a thick briar patch, cutting back between two wide-spreading elms.He knew that the shade fled before him, he could hear the panting, could smell the woman’s desperation.Confident that she would not turn back in ambush, Drizzt sprinted on almost recklessly, his focus purely on covering ground.He crossed through a pair of large, half-buried boulders, like stone sentinels framing the entrance to a great building, that structure being a grassy ridge line.A great leap brought him atop that ridge, where he at last spotted his quarry.He leveled the Heartseeker, his arms turning slowly to just lead her movement as she scrambled along, running and falling and crawling on all fours until she could regain her footing.She moved up the side of a hill and when Drizzt let his gaze move out to anticipate her course, he understood her route, for there sat a shimmering black sphere, lined in magical purple—a gate, he knew, and he could guess easily enough where it would lead.Drizzt lowered Taulmaril, forgetting about the shade woman and staring at that portal.Guenhwyvar had traveled through such a gate, and had then been lost to him.Might he go through?And if he did, would that re-establish the connection between the panther and the figurine?Could he do it?Enemies would await him, in droves, likely.But might he rush through, summon Guen, and return at once with her at his side?He was startled from his contemplations as the shade woman rushed into view, then was gone, diving through the shadow gate.It was worth a chance, Drizzt decided, and he dropped a hand reflexively to the pouch that held the figurine and sprinted off for the hill.
|
“I fear they have eluded us.”“The sword,” Alegni asked.“Did Barrabus wield my sword?”The commoner considered that for a moment.“The drow carried it, but on his back.He fought with smaller blades.”Alegni didn’t quite know what to make of that.Why had the trio fled into the wilds?He looked to the northeast, toward a broken mountain, the same one that had blown up and buried the old city of Neverwinter a decade earlier.“Where are you going?” he quietly asked the empty air.“My lord?” the commoner asked.Alegni waved him to the portal.There was no use in trying to turn the Shadovar around for another futile fight.They had failed.But this wasn’t his failure.He had argued loudly against this course of action, begging Draygo Quick and some others that they would do well to wait until he had recovered enough to personally see to this.He had argued, more subtly, that he would need many times this number, and in a place more of his choosing.He would likely be admonished for this failure, certainly, but not in any way that would damage his designs.He would still be the one tasked with retrieving the sword, and he felt confident that he could convince Draygo Quick to let him do it his own way.As these ragged and defeated shades returned to the magical portal empty-handed, other than their dead comrades they couldn’t simply leave behind, Draygo Quick would find himself enmeshed in what had been wholly perceived as Herzgo Alegni’s failure.Yes, the tiefling wasn’t upset as the rest of the defeated band returned to him, and he had to work hard to keep any measure of sarcasm or enjoyment out of his voice when he ordered them to return through the gate.But he was worried, quite so, when he thought of that broken mountain and the beast he knew lurked beneath its battered slopes.He felt a silent call on an unseen breeze, as if Claw was reaching out to him, pleading with him.He didn’t know if that was actually the case, or if it was simply his imagination, but he suspected the former.Claw was calling to him, because Claw was afraid.With a last look to the north, the forest where Dahlia, Barrabus, and the drow had once again escaped, Herzgo Alegni, too, returned to the Shadowfell.Taulmaril in hand, Drizzt rushed around a thick briar patch, cutting back between two wide-spreading elms.He knew that the shade fled before him, he could hear the panting, could smell the woman’s desperation.Confident that she would not turn back in ambush, Drizzt sprinted on almost recklessly, his focus purely on covering ground.He crossed through a pair of large, half-buried boulders, like stone sentinels framing the entrance to a great building, that structure being a grassy ridge line.A great leap brought him atop that ridge, where he at last spotted his quarry.He leveled the Heartseeker, his arms turning slowly to just lead her movement as she scrambled along, running and falling and crawling on all fours until she could regain her footing.She moved up the side of a hill and when Drizzt let his gaze move out to anticipate her course, he understood her route, for there sat a shimmering black sphere, lined in magical purple—a gate, he knew, and he could guess easily enough where it would lead.Drizzt lowered Taulmaril, forgetting about the shade woman and staring at that portal.Guenhwyvar had traveled through such a gate, and had then been lost to him.Might he go through?And if he did, would that re-establish the connection between the panther and the figurine?Could he do it?Enemies would await him, in droves, likely.But might he rush through, summon Guen, and return at once with her at his side?He was startled from his contemplations as the shade woman rushed into view, then was gone, diving through the shadow gate.It was worth a chance, Drizzt decided, and he dropped a hand reflexively to the pouch that held the figurine and sprinted off for the hill.
|
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dnd445
|
He had barely gone ten strides, though, when he pulled up, for he had lost sight of the gate.He stood there and glanced all around, wondering if the angle had changed.But no, he recognized the tree beneath which the shadow gate had been.He ran to the side to change his viewpoint, but there was nothing to be seen.He was too late—the gate had closed.With a resigned groan, Drizzt closed his eyes and steadied himself, then started back the way he had come, glancing over his shoulder every few steps.His resolve to go through such a gate if one could be found again only grew as he continued on his way.If Guenhwyvar couldn’t come to him, he would go to her.Would she do any less for him if the situation was reversed?The words of Arunika rang in his ear, though.The red-haired clairvoyant had thought Guenhwyvar dead.Drizzt glanced back one last time, staring up to where he had seen the magical gate.If he went through and there remained no connection to Guenhwyvar, then what?Perhaps he wouldn’t go through.Drizzt stopped and paused at that errant thought, and wound up laughing at himself.He had played such a fool’s game once before, when he was out in the wilds around Mithral Hall, not daring to return to the dwarf homeland because he was nearly certain that his friends had been killed in the collapse of a tower.He would not make such a mistake ever again.He picked up his pace, returning back near the tree where he had been perched.Smoke still poured from several spots along its blackened trunk, and orange embers glowed in more than one recess.He heard voices and moved slowly through the fake encampment, and silently through the first bit of brush.He recognized Entreri’s voice, speaking quietly, and he moved up beside a tree and peered around.There stood the assassin, his back to Drizzt, Dahlia beyond him and to the side.Drizzt clutched Taulmaril, his other hand going to an arrow in the magical quiver.An easy shot, and one he could explain.All he need do was draw out that arrow and aim true.One shot, and Artemis Entreri would be no more, and the world would be a better place, and Dahlia …Drizzt shook it all away, surprised by how his mind had wandered—yet again.If he meant to kill Entreri, then would it not be more honorable to challenge the man openly and be done with it?He imagined that—and it was not an unpleasant thought—but as the battle played out in his mind’s eye, Dahlia intervened … on behalf of Entreri.Drizzt grabbed an arrow and nearly drew it.“Drizzt!” Dahlia called, noting him.Artemis Entreri turned around and motioned to him, and the assassin and Dahlia walked over.“A few less Shadovar to trouble the world,” Dahlia said with grim satisfaction.“And a few more will follow,” Entreri added.“They will return.They want the sword.”“Perhaps next time, we will see them before they see us,” said Drizzt, and that brought a puzzled look to both his companions.“We did,” Entreri said.“I mean, before they are even on our trail,” Drizzt said.“That we might learn their point of entry.”Still the two looked confused.“A shadow gate,” the drow explained.“I almost got to it, but it dissipated.”“A door to the Shadowfell?” Entreri asked skeptically.“Why would …?”Drizzt held up his hand, in no mood to explain.Dahlia came over to him, then, and gently touched the wound in his side.“Come,” she said, taking his hand.“Let’s tend to those.”“Wizards,” Entreri muttered, shaking his head.They set their camp not far from that point.Drizzt and Dahlia sat off to the side, across the low-burning, shielded fire from Entreri, and behind some brush as well.
|
He had barely gone ten strides, though, when he pulled up, for he had lost sight of the gate.He stood there and glanced all around, wondering if the angle had changed.But no, he recognized the tree beneath which the shadow gate had been.He ran to the side to change his viewpoint, but there was nothing to be seen.He was too late—the gate had closed.With a resigned groan, Drizzt closed his eyes and steadied himself, then started back the way he had come, glancing over his shoulder every few steps.His resolve to go through such a gate if one could be found again only grew as he continued on his way.If Guenhwyvar couldn’t come to him, he would go to her.Would she do any less for him if the situation was reversed?The words of Arunika rang in his ear, though.The red-haired clairvoyant had thought Guenhwyvar dead.Drizzt glanced back one last time, staring up to where he had seen the magical gate.If he went through and there remained no connection to Guenhwyvar, then what?Perhaps he wouldn’t go through.Drizzt stopped and paused at that errant thought, and wound up laughing at himself.He had played such a fool’s game once before, when he was out in the wilds around Mithral Hall, not daring to return to the dwarf homeland because he was nearly certain that his friends had been killed in the collapse of a tower.He would not make such a mistake ever again.He picked up his pace, returning back near the tree where he had been perched.Smoke still poured from several spots along its blackened trunk, and orange embers glowed in more than one recess.He heard voices and moved slowly through the fake encampment, and silently through the first bit of brush.He recognized Entreri’s voice, speaking quietly, and he moved up beside a tree and peered around.There stood the assassin, his back to Drizzt, Dahlia beyond him and to the side.Drizzt clutched Taulmaril, his other hand going to an arrow in the magical quiver.An easy shot, and one he could explain.All he need do was draw out that arrow and aim true.One shot, and Artemis Entreri would be no more, and the world would be a better place, and Dahlia …Drizzt shook it all away, surprised by how his mind had wandered—yet again.If he meant to kill Entreri, then would it not be more honorable to challenge the man openly and be done with it?He imagined that—and it was not an unpleasant thought—but as the battle played out in his mind’s eye, Dahlia intervened … on behalf of Entreri.Drizzt grabbed an arrow and nearly drew it.“Drizzt!” Dahlia called, noting him.Artemis Entreri turned around and motioned to him, and the assassin and Dahlia walked over.“A few less Shadovar to trouble the world,” Dahlia said with grim satisfaction.“And a few more will follow,” Entreri added.“They will return.They want the sword.”“Perhaps next time, we will see them before they see us,” said Drizzt, and that brought a puzzled look to both his companions.“We did,” Entreri said.“I mean, before they are even on our trail,” Drizzt said.“That we might learn their point of entry.”Still the two looked confused.“A shadow gate,” the drow explained.“I almost got to it, but it dissipated.”“A door to the Shadowfell?” Entreri asked skeptically.“Why would …?”Drizzt held up his hand, in no mood to explain.Dahlia came over to him, then, and gently touched the wound in his side.“Come,” she said, taking his hand.“Let’s tend to those.”“Wizards,” Entreri muttered, shaking his head.They set their camp not far from that point.Drizzt and Dahlia sat off to the side, across the low-burning, shielded fire from Entreri, and behind some brush as well.
|
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dnd446
|
The drow was stripped to the waist, Dahlia tending his several wounds with a cloth dampened with water and a healing salve.Soon enough, the stars glittering above them, Entreri snoring from across the way, her touches became more intimate and suggestive.Drizzt looked into her pretty eyes, trying to measure her emotions.She still wore her hair in the soft shoulder cut, her face still clear of the woad.Even in the fight, she had remained in this guise.But even wearing her softer appearance, Drizzt recognized something in his heart, and his eyes only confirmed it.She was not looking at him with the warmth of love, but with the heat of passion.Would she have been any less aggressive with any attractive partner, he wondered?Did it matter that it was him?Was there more of a bond here than the satisfaction of physical needs?He felt himself a plaything at that moment.That bothered him, but what bothered him even more was that he felt Dahlia a plaything, as well, as if he was using her for her obvious charms.She bit him on the neck then, lightly, then leaned back and stared at him, smiling mischievously.He noticed that her white shirt was unfastened, quite low and revealing.Drizzt pushed her out to arms’ length.He tried to say something, to explain his feelings, his confusion and fears.But all he could do was shake his head.Dahlia looked at him curiously at first, then with disbelief as she pulled back from his grasp with a clear edge of anger.“When I caught up to you outside of Neverwinter, you were engaged in a serious conversation with Entreri,” Drizzt said, glad to move along to some other issue, one likely related to his emotions, but still removed from the immediate sense of rejection.“What were you talking about?”Dahlia stepped back even farther, out of his reach, staring at him incredulously, and asked, “What?” sounding as if she had just been slapped.Drizzt swallowed hard but knew that he had to press on.“I came out from Neverwinter to your camp, and from the brush, witnessed your discussion with Entreri.”“You were spying on us?Did you expect me to throw him on the ground and ravish him?”“No,” the exasperated drow replied, his thoughts spinning as he tried to figure out how to better communicate the turmoil within him.“I didn’t even want him along!” Dahlia snapped at him, harshly and loudly, and across the way, Entreri’s snoring broke cadence as if her words had disturbed his slumber.She paused for just a moment, waiting for the rhythmic breathing to resume, but never let her glower leave her face.“You invited him, and then accepted him back again after he deserted us—and for all we know, he betrayed us in his time away.”Drizzt shook his head.“How do you know?” Dahlia asked skeptically.“He was gone and suddenly we were found.”“And he returned to aid us when we needed it,” Drizzt reminded.“Or he set the whole thing up so he could become a hero to us.”She was deflecting him, he realized, and he shook his head forcefully and waved his arms before him, at last silencing her.“We were beaten by Alegni on the bridge,” he stated flatly.“It was not deception that brought Artemis Entreri back to us, but his own hatred of Herzgo Alegni.”His mention of the tiefling, his reminder of the tiefling’s demise, seemed to calm Dahlia down a bit.She looked at Drizzt slyly, as if it had been her intent all along to bring him around in this circle.“Now you defend him?” she asked.The simple question made Drizzt’s initial statements—accusations?—toward Dahlia seem rather idiotic.He brought his hands up to his face and took a deep and slow, steadying breath, feeling very much off guard.Entreri’s snoring distracted him.
|
The drow was stripped to the waist, Dahlia tending his several wounds with a cloth dampened with water and a healing salve.Soon enough, the stars glittering above them, Entreri snoring from across the way, her touches became more intimate and suggestive.Drizzt looked into her pretty eyes, trying to measure her emotions.She still wore her hair in the soft shoulder cut, her face still clear of the woad.Even in the fight, she had remained in this guise.But even wearing her softer appearance, Drizzt recognized something in his heart, and his eyes only confirmed it.She was not looking at him with the warmth of love, but with the heat of passion.Would she have been any less aggressive with any attractive partner, he wondered?Did it matter that it was him?Was there more of a bond here than the satisfaction of physical needs?He felt himself a plaything at that moment.That bothered him, but what bothered him even more was that he felt Dahlia a plaything, as well, as if he was using her for her obvious charms.She bit him on the neck then, lightly, then leaned back and stared at him, smiling mischievously.He noticed that her white shirt was unfastened, quite low and revealing.Drizzt pushed her out to arms’ length.He tried to say something, to explain his feelings, his confusion and fears.But all he could do was shake his head.Dahlia looked at him curiously at first, then with disbelief as she pulled back from his grasp with a clear edge of anger.“When I caught up to you outside of Neverwinter, you were engaged in a serious conversation with Entreri,” Drizzt said, glad to move along to some other issue, one likely related to his emotions, but still removed from the immediate sense of rejection.“What were you talking about?”Dahlia stepped back even farther, out of his reach, staring at him incredulously, and asked, “What?” sounding as if she had just been slapped.Drizzt swallowed hard but knew that he had to press on.“I came out from Neverwinter to your camp, and from the brush, witnessed your discussion with Entreri.”“You were spying on us?Did you expect me to throw him on the ground and ravish him?”“No,” the exasperated drow replied, his thoughts spinning as he tried to figure out how to better communicate the turmoil within him.“I didn’t even want him along!” Dahlia snapped at him, harshly and loudly, and across the way, Entreri’s snoring broke cadence as if her words had disturbed his slumber.She paused for just a moment, waiting for the rhythmic breathing to resume, but never let her glower leave her face.“You invited him, and then accepted him back again after he deserted us—and for all we know, he betrayed us in his time away.”Drizzt shook his head.“How do you know?” Dahlia asked skeptically.“He was gone and suddenly we were found.”“And he returned to aid us when we needed it,” Drizzt reminded.“Or he set the whole thing up so he could become a hero to us.”She was deflecting him, he realized, and he shook his head forcefully and waved his arms before him, at last silencing her.“We were beaten by Alegni on the bridge,” he stated flatly.“It was not deception that brought Artemis Entreri back to us, but his own hatred of Herzgo Alegni.”His mention of the tiefling, his reminder of the tiefling’s demise, seemed to calm Dahlia down a bit.She looked at Drizzt slyly, as if it had been her intent all along to bring him around in this circle.“Now you defend him?” she asked.The simple question made Drizzt’s initial statements—accusations?—toward Dahlia seem rather idiotic.He brought his hands up to his face and took a deep and slow, steadying breath, feeling very much off guard.Entreri’s snoring distracted him.
|
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dnd447
|
It occurred to him that if he crossed the camp and hacked the assassin to death in his sleep all of his concerns here would be resolved.Yes, a dozen strides and a single swing, and he and Dahlia could go along their way without a worry, without the need to return to Gauntlgrym, the tomb of Drizzt’s dearest friend, a place he did not wish to go.A single swing—perhaps with Entreri’s own sword!He shook the thoughts away and refocused on Dahlia, to see her refastening her shirt, her expression showing many shifting emotions, but surely nothing amorous.“You had a serious conversation with a very dangerous man,” Drizzt pressed anyway.“I would like to know about it.”“Be very careful not to press too far into places that are none of your concern,” Dahlia replied, and walked away.Drizzt stood there in the dark for a long while, watching Dahlia as she moved near to the low fire and settled, half-sitting, half-reclining against a log.She lowered her wide-brimmed black hat over her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.What was it between them, Drizzt wondered?When they entwined, was it lovemaking or recreation?And if it was not lovemaking, then why did he care so much about her seemingly intimate conversation with Artemis Entreri?Because it was Entreri?Perhaps Drizzt’s nostalgia for what once had been could carry him only so far in his dealings with the assassin.Perhaps their long battle, the taking of Regis’s fingers by Entreri’s dagger so long ago, the many innocents Drizzt knew Entreri had wounded and killed … perhaps all of that dark past of Artemis Entreri was now invading on that wistful nostalgia, reminding Drizzt that, while his personal circle might have been greater in the time that had been a hundred years before, the world at large was not so kind a place.Once again, it occurred to Drizzt that he might be doing an act of great good for the world if he crossed the encampment and put an end to Artemis Entreri.Once again, his desire for such violence surprised him and revolted him.But there it remained, hovering within his consciousness.HOPE FROM THE DAYS OF OLDTHE BALL OF LIVING FIRE CHARGED AT THE TRIO OF GOBLINS, KNOCKING ONE of the creatures flat and rolling over him, muffling his screams with the crackle of biting flames.The other two goblins shrieked and fell back.One threw its arms up in front of its face and the sleeve of its shirt burst into flame.Cries echoed through the great forge area, and heightened when more of the little elementals appeared.The first came off the goblin, unfolding, and rose upright, standing about half the height of the scrambling goblins, but with wide, flaming shoulders and arms that left a trail of flames in the air whenever it swung around.It focused on one of the standing goblins and charged, and with a scream, the goblin rushed away.The elemental left a line of fire in its wake as it glided across the stone floor, angry little living and yapping flames sparking and biting at the air.Other elementals crisscrossed the path, creating a pattern of burning lines.Goblins ran every which way and drow nimbly leaped atop the various forges, reacting far more calmly and reasonably in the face of this otherworldly threat.For this was not the first time over the last few days that such outbursts of raging, free-running elementals had swarmed the forge area.It was expected—this was the power of a primordial, after all, and the forges and supporting lines were old and often in need of repair, in ways that visual inspections could not reveal.The breaches revealed them, but only when pipes and joints had deteriorated enough to let the little beasts free.And in those instances, the elementals poured forth in a frenzy.The thing’s chaotic power strenuously resisted any attempts to harness it.From that fiery chaos of primordial belching came forth these pseudo-elementals, these fire-kin, unthinking, raging little expressions of freed fire.“Spellspinners!” more than one drow craftsman yelled.These artisans were all more than capable of defending themselves, and whenever a fire-kin ventured too near, it was swatted away with a finely crafted, heavily enchanted weapon.But the artisans didn’t prefer such tactics, for those elemental-kin were a part of the magic and pure energy of the primordial beast, and to strike at them was to assault the essence of creation itself.“Spellspinners!” The call echoed throughout the large hall and down the myriad nearby tunnels and the main drow camps.In one such camp, farther into the Underdark the way the expedition had come, Ravel Xorlarrin took note.“Not again,” he muttered.“Again,” Jearth remarked, coming up beside him.“Where is Tiago?”“In the upper halls, pressing to the top level.”Ravel didn’t hide his disappointment in that news, giving a harsh snort and slapping a fist against the side of his leg.When he composed himself and regarded Jearth, and the weapons master’s amused grin, he realized that he was showing a bit too much petulance.“I will need the two of you beside me to resolve this,” he explained.“They are elementals, and stinging fiery little wretches,” Jearth replied.“More a play for the spellspinners than warriors.”“For mages, you mean,” Ravel replied with obvious, unhidden frustration, and he let his sour expression remain for some time, that the other spellspinners, too, could view it.They all understood the truth of it anyway: The breakdown of the forges and the multitude of dangerous elementals running free had come as a blessing for Elderboy Brack’thal, whose pre-Spellplague techniques were proving far more effective in dealing with the fire creatures than anything Ravel and his spellspinners could offer.Berellip was taking note, they all knew, and Ravel, particularly, knew.“I have put my trust in you and in Tiago,” Ravel remarked.Jearth shrugged noncommittally.Ravel’s expression became more sly as he continued to look at this drow he considered a friend, as he reminded himself that while Jearth might be exactly that, he was also drow, and also a weapons master.Jearth’s primary concern was Jearth, of course, else he would have long ago felt the bite of a drow blade as some younger warrior tried to steal his position in the House hierarchy.Among the Xorlarrin, spellspinners were held in higher regard than warriors, many higher even than the weapons master, but they were all merely males.The priestesses, the sisters of Xorlarrin, still were held in the highest regard.So if Brack’thal climbed above Ravel in Berellip’s eyes, would it not follow that Jearth would make a new friend in Brack’thal at the earliest opportunity?The thought unsettled Ravel for just a moment, then reminded him of who he was and to what he aspired.Brack’thal’s outdated magical repertoire had served Ravel’s rise in status quite well, but Brack’thal was the Elderboy of House Xorlarrin, the first-born son of Matron Zeerith, and it was said that in the days before the Spellplague, he was held in highest regard throughout Menzoberranzan, even in the eyes of Archmage Gromph.If Brack’thal could prove valuable, even heroic, along this most important mission, what might that mean for Ravel?Nothing good.“You cannot do it,” Jearth said, and Ravel looked at him with confusion.“Goad your brother into an open battle,” Jearth clarified.“You cannot do it.
|
It occurred to him that if he crossed the camp and hacked the assassin to death in his sleep all of his concerns here would be resolved.Yes, a dozen strides and a single swing, and he and Dahlia could go along their way without a worry, without the need to return to Gauntlgrym, the tomb of Drizzt’s dearest friend, a place he did not wish to go.A single swing—perhaps with Entreri’s own sword!He shook the thoughts away and refocused on Dahlia, to see her refastening her shirt, her expression showing many shifting emotions, but surely nothing amorous.“You had a serious conversation with a very dangerous man,” Drizzt pressed anyway.“I would like to know about it.”“Be very careful not to press too far into places that are none of your concern,” Dahlia replied, and walked away.Drizzt stood there in the dark for a long while, watching Dahlia as she moved near to the low fire and settled, half-sitting, half-reclining against a log.She lowered her wide-brimmed black hat over her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.What was it between them, Drizzt wondered?When they entwined, was it lovemaking or recreation?And if it was not lovemaking, then why did he care so much about her seemingly intimate conversation with Artemis Entreri?Because it was Entreri?Perhaps Drizzt’s nostalgia for what once had been could carry him only so far in his dealings with the assassin.Perhaps their long battle, the taking of Regis’s fingers by Entreri’s dagger so long ago, the many innocents Drizzt knew Entreri had wounded and killed … perhaps all of that dark past of Artemis Entreri was now invading on that wistful nostalgia, reminding Drizzt that, while his personal circle might have been greater in the time that had been a hundred years before, the world at large was not so kind a place.Once again, it occurred to Drizzt that he might be doing an act of great good for the world if he crossed the encampment and put an end to Artemis Entreri.Once again, his desire for such violence surprised him and revolted him.But there it remained, hovering within his consciousness.HOPE FROM THE DAYS OF OLDTHE BALL OF LIVING FIRE CHARGED AT THE TRIO OF GOBLINS, KNOCKING ONE of the creatures flat and rolling over him, muffling his screams with the crackle of biting flames.The other two goblins shrieked and fell back.One threw its arms up in front of its face and the sleeve of its shirt burst into flame.Cries echoed through the great forge area, and heightened when more of the little elementals appeared.The first came off the goblin, unfolding, and rose upright, standing about half the height of the scrambling goblins, but with wide, flaming shoulders and arms that left a trail of flames in the air whenever it swung around.It focused on one of the standing goblins and charged, and with a scream, the goblin rushed away.The elemental left a line of fire in its wake as it glided across the stone floor, angry little living and yapping flames sparking and biting at the air.Other elementals crisscrossed the path, creating a pattern of burning lines.Goblins ran every which way and drow nimbly leaped atop the various forges, reacting far more calmly and reasonably in the face of this otherworldly threat.For this was not the first time over the last few days that such outbursts of raging, free-running elementals had swarmed the forge area.It was expected—this was the power of a primordial, after all, and the forges and supporting lines were old and often in need of repair, in ways that visual inspections could not reveal.The breaches revealed them, but only when pipes and joints had deteriorated enough to let the little beasts free.And in those instances, the elementals poured forth in a frenzy.The thing’s chaotic power strenuously resisted any attempts to harness it.From that fiery chaos of primordial belching came forth these pseudo-elementals, these fire-kin, unthinking, raging little expressions of freed fire.“Spellspinners!” more than one drow craftsman yelled.These artisans were all more than capable of defending themselves, and whenever a fire-kin ventured too near, it was swatted away with a finely crafted, heavily enchanted weapon.But the artisans didn’t prefer such tactics, for those elemental-kin were a part of the magic and pure energy of the primordial beast, and to strike at them was to assault the essence of creation itself.“Spellspinners!” The call echoed throughout the large hall and down the myriad nearby tunnels and the main drow camps.In one such camp, farther into the Underdark the way the expedition had come, Ravel Xorlarrin took note.“Not again,” he muttered.“Again,” Jearth remarked, coming up beside him.“Where is Tiago?”“In the upper halls, pressing to the top level.”Ravel didn’t hide his disappointment in that news, giving a harsh snort and slapping a fist against the side of his leg.When he composed himself and regarded Jearth, and the weapons master’s amused grin, he realized that he was showing a bit too much petulance.“I will need the two of you beside me to resolve this,” he explained.“They are elementals, and stinging fiery little wretches,” Jearth replied.“More a play for the spellspinners than warriors.”“For mages, you mean,” Ravel replied with obvious, unhidden frustration, and he let his sour expression remain for some time, that the other spellspinners, too, could view it.They all understood the truth of it anyway: The breakdown of the forges and the multitude of dangerous elementals running free had come as a blessing for Elderboy Brack’thal, whose pre-Spellplague techniques were proving far more effective in dealing with the fire creatures than anything Ravel and his spellspinners could offer.Berellip was taking note, they all knew, and Ravel, particularly, knew.“I have put my trust in you and in Tiago,” Ravel remarked.Jearth shrugged noncommittally.Ravel’s expression became more sly as he continued to look at this drow he considered a friend, as he reminded himself that while Jearth might be exactly that, he was also drow, and also a weapons master.Jearth’s primary concern was Jearth, of course, else he would have long ago felt the bite of a drow blade as some younger warrior tried to steal his position in the House hierarchy.Among the Xorlarrin, spellspinners were held in higher regard than warriors, many higher even than the weapons master, but they were all merely males.The priestesses, the sisters of Xorlarrin, still were held in the highest regard.So if Brack’thal climbed above Ravel in Berellip’s eyes, would it not follow that Jearth would make a new friend in Brack’thal at the earliest opportunity?The thought unsettled Ravel for just a moment, then reminded him of who he was and to what he aspired.Brack’thal’s outdated magical repertoire had served Ravel’s rise in status quite well, but Brack’thal was the Elderboy of House Xorlarrin, the first-born son of Matron Zeerith, and it was said that in the days before the Spellplague, he was held in highest regard throughout Menzoberranzan, even in the eyes of Archmage Gromph.If Brack’thal could prove valuable, even heroic, along this most important mission, what might that mean for Ravel?Nothing good.“You cannot do it,” Jearth said, and Ravel looked at him with confusion.“Goad your brother into an open battle,” Jearth clarified.“You cannot do it.
|
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dnd448
|
Berellip would not tolerate it.”“Berellip walks with great care around me,” the spellspinner countered.“She knows that I have the allegiance of Tiago Baenre.She understands the power of House Baenre.”Jearth’s annoying chuckle scraped at Ravel’s sensibilities.“You doubt …?” Ravel started to ask.“Sometimes I doubt that you understand the play,” Jearth interrupted.“Tiago is your ally because he sees you as in the favor of Matron Zeerith, even though you are not in the favor of Berellip or Saribel.”Ravel puffed up a bit at that spoken truth.“Do not believe for a heartbeat that it follows, therefore, that Matron Zeerith favors you over either of the females, or above your other sisters.I have seen that folly many times within Menzoberranzan.”“You just said—”“In favoring you, Matron Zeerith irks her daughters,” Jearth explained.“They are older, and remember well the glory of Brack’thal, and the glory he and his minions brought to House Xorlarrin.Most of those minions died in the Spellplague, that is true, but if you’re not careful, and thus give Berellip—particularly that one!—the kindling she needs to brighten Brack’thal’s fire in the eyes of Matron Zeerith, you will find the fleeting truth regarding the loyalty of your people.”“This is my expedition, and so far it has been successful beyond all expectations,” Ravel argued.“We have restarted the forges.We have harnessed the power of the primordial, as has not been done since the days of Gauntlgrym!”“For the glory of Matron Zeerith and the hopes of House Xorlarrin,” Jearth reminded.“Not for the glory and hopes of Ravel Xorlarrin.If Brack’thal proves the better play going forward, your sister, with your mother’s blessing, will use that play and quickly discard Ravel, do not doubt.”“Because of me, Gol’fanin brings forth and executes the ancient recipes, long regarded as artifacts of a lost age.”“Because of Brack’thal, he can continue his work,” Jearth quickly countered.“Which do you suppose is more important to those who would cast you aside at this time, your initial contributions or those current actions that move the dreams of House Xorlarrin forward?”Ravel licked his lips and nervously stepped from foot to foot.“Tiago Baenre has made of me his ally, and works House Baenre’s desires here through me.”“You are more important to Tiago Baenre than those weapons Gol’fanin now crafts for him?” Jearth asked, his knowing grin revealing the sarcasm masked within the rhetorical question.“He has already bought the simmering anger of Berellip,” Ravel replied.“While he twines with her, and she, willingly and often, with him,” came the response.“Imagine were she to become thick with Tiago’s child.”The thought hit Ravel so powerfully that the wind from a small bellows would have knocked him from his unsteady feet!He wanted to lash out at Jearth then, to scream at the warrior and even strike at him.But he calmed, wisely telling himself that Jearth had done him a great service by starkly reminding him of the true nature of kin and kind.“Abbil,” he said, the drow word for friend, though in drow culture, that concept of friendship typically meant little more than an affirmation of a temporary alliance, as Jearth had just reminded him regarding Tiago.“We need to make a plan,” Jearth said quietly.“Brack’thal grows more powerful with every breach of the forges, with the appearance of every fiery elemental,” Ravel agreed.“I cannot deny his proficiency in dealing with the creatures.”“It is a lost art rediscovered, like Gol’fanin’s recipes.”“What else might be rediscovered along with it?” Ravel remarked, referring to his brother’s former status among the Xorlarrin clan.By the time they, leading Ravel’s loyal spellspinners, reached the forge room, a huge and hulking beast of living fire stood back from the main forge.It appeared quite agitated, armlike appendages out wide as if wanting to engulf someone or something, anyone or anything, and with clawing fingers of fire clenching repeatedly, little bursts of flame puffing out of either side.Several drow near the beast, however, revealed the truth of the moment.They milled around, ducking low and peering behind this forge or that in search of more of the smaller fiery creatures.This large elemental was fully under control—under Brack’thal’s control.Ravel understood at once that this monstrosity was a creation of his older brother.
|
Berellip would not tolerate it.”“Berellip walks with great care around me,” the spellspinner countered.“She knows that I have the allegiance of Tiago Baenre.She understands the power of House Baenre.”Jearth’s annoying chuckle scraped at Ravel’s sensibilities.“You doubt …?” Ravel started to ask.“Sometimes I doubt that you understand the play,” Jearth interrupted.“Tiago is your ally because he sees you as in the favor of Matron Zeerith, even though you are not in the favor of Berellip or Saribel.”Ravel puffed up a bit at that spoken truth.“Do not believe for a heartbeat that it follows, therefore, that Matron Zeerith favors you over either of the females, or above your other sisters.I have seen that folly many times within Menzoberranzan.”“You just said—”“In favoring you, Matron Zeerith irks her daughters,” Jearth explained.“They are older, and remember well the glory of Brack’thal, and the glory he and his minions brought to House Xorlarrin.Most of those minions died in the Spellplague, that is true, but if you’re not careful, and thus give Berellip—particularly that one!—the kindling she needs to brighten Brack’thal’s fire in the eyes of Matron Zeerith, you will find the fleeting truth regarding the loyalty of your people.”“This is my expedition, and so far it has been successful beyond all expectations,” Ravel argued.“We have restarted the forges.We have harnessed the power of the primordial, as has not been done since the days of Gauntlgrym!”“For the glory of Matron Zeerith and the hopes of House Xorlarrin,” Jearth reminded.“Not for the glory and hopes of Ravel Xorlarrin.If Brack’thal proves the better play going forward, your sister, with your mother’s blessing, will use that play and quickly discard Ravel, do not doubt.”“Because of me, Gol’fanin brings forth and executes the ancient recipes, long regarded as artifacts of a lost age.”“Because of Brack’thal, he can continue his work,” Jearth quickly countered.“Which do you suppose is more important to those who would cast you aside at this time, your initial contributions or those current actions that move the dreams of House Xorlarrin forward?”Ravel licked his lips and nervously stepped from foot to foot.“Tiago Baenre has made of me his ally, and works House Baenre’s desires here through me.”“You are more important to Tiago Baenre than those weapons Gol’fanin now crafts for him?” Jearth asked, his knowing grin revealing the sarcasm masked within the rhetorical question.“He has already bought the simmering anger of Berellip,” Ravel replied.“While he twines with her, and she, willingly and often, with him,” came the response.“Imagine were she to become thick with Tiago’s child.”The thought hit Ravel so powerfully that the wind from a small bellows would have knocked him from his unsteady feet!He wanted to lash out at Jearth then, to scream at the warrior and even strike at him.But he calmed, wisely telling himself that Jearth had done him a great service by starkly reminding him of the true nature of kin and kind.“Abbil,” he said, the drow word for friend, though in drow culture, that concept of friendship typically meant little more than an affirmation of a temporary alliance, as Jearth had just reminded him regarding Tiago.“We need to make a plan,” Jearth said quietly.“Brack’thal grows more powerful with every breach of the forges, with the appearance of every fiery elemental,” Ravel agreed.“I cannot deny his proficiency in dealing with the creatures.”“It is a lost art rediscovered, like Gol’fanin’s recipes.”“What else might be rediscovered along with it?” Ravel remarked, referring to his brother’s former status among the Xorlarrin clan.By the time they, leading Ravel’s loyal spellspinners, reached the forge room, a huge and hulking beast of living fire stood back from the main forge.It appeared quite agitated, armlike appendages out wide as if wanting to engulf someone or something, anyone or anything, and with clawing fingers of fire clenching repeatedly, little bursts of flame puffing out of either side.Several drow near the beast, however, revealed the truth of the moment.They milled around, ducking low and peering behind this forge or that in search of more of the smaller fiery creatures.This large elemental was fully under control—under Brack’thal’s control.Ravel understood at once that this monstrosity was a creation of his older brother.
|
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dnd449
|
As Ravel watched with concern, Brack’thal flushed out another of the smaller fire creatures and sent it rushing toward his behemoth.A line of fire burned behind the speeding creature, and like a wizard’s fireworks lifting into a night sky, the small elemental sprang away, flying up, throwing itself into the torso of Brack’thal’s monster.Great fiery arms closed around the smaller creature, engulfing it, hugging it, absorbing it.Then it was gone, and Brack’thal’s elemental stood a little taller and a bit wider.Ravel looked over at Jearth, who could only hold up his hands, unable, obviously, to deny the beauty of the magical display.Ravel, though, was not so resigned.He stared at his brother.He knew of the old spells, even though he had not mastered them—what would be the point of that painstaking practice, after all, given the reduction of their power?Yet in this particular endeavor, with this particular challenge, Brack’thal seemed to be not reduced in the least.Confident and smooth in his movements, almost casual in his mannerisms as he contained yet another of these increasingly frequent breaches, the mage soon enough swept out of the room, heading for his assigned corner of the complex, and now with a formidable fire elemental in tow to help him in clearing the pesky previous inhabitants aside.For rats and goblins alike, and even the annoying dwarf ghosts, were not faring well against Brack’thal’s continuing assortment of pets.Ravel watched him depart, and the light in the room diminished greatly as soon as the drow mage and his pet had gone, which was a good thing for the sensitive drow eyes.Ravel swung his gaze back to see his sisters Berellip and Saribel standing side by side, both looking at him with obvious scrutiny and obvious judgment.“Shut down the outer four forges on either end,” Ravel said to Jearth.Jearth looked at him with surprise.“That will slow our progress.Many doors must be created, and blockades and stairwells and locking bolts, to say nothing of the armor and arms.”“We lose more time and workers with these disruptions,” Ravel added, motioning with his chin toward a trio of dead goblins lying on the floor, their clothing still smoking.“Let us proceed more cautiously for a while, until we can properly understand and repair the feed systems that fire the forge.”As Ravel looked away, he heard Jearth’s knowing chuckle.Ravel wasn’t trying to reduce the interruptions or the minor inconvenience of a few dead slaves.His order was meant to slow the momentum of Brack’thal’s ascent.“Your sisters will not be fooled,” the weapons master quietly warned as he walked by to execute Ravel’s order.True enough, the spellspinner knew, but he had to do something to buy some time until he could figure out Brack’thal’s secret.Brack’thal hustled down the corridor in the halls above the forge room, the region brightening because of the presence of the mage’s new pet.The large fire elemental eagerly followed the mage, hungered by Brack’thal’s promise that it would find fuel, living fuel, for its hungry fires.The wizard had a lot on his mind.He knew that he was caught in a desperate game.His brother had been forced to bring him along on this expedition, but Brack’thal held no illusions about the level of control his sisters, or even Matron Zeerith, could hold over the young spellspinner.Ravel had no intention of allowing Brack’thal to survive this journey.But good fortune was on Brack’thal’s side, in the form of an item he possessed from that time before the Spellplague.On his finger, he wore a ruby band, a ring that allowed him to communicate with, and exert tremendous influence over, the very creatures spawned by the power of the primordial.That item, a ring controlling fire elementals, more than anything in his own spell repertoire, had given him the edge now—a critical edge if he hoped to outmaneuver and survive his dangerous younger brother.The mage slowed his pace, noting a decrepit doorway on the right side of the hallway, another of many he had investigated over the last few days.Brack’thal waved his hands and whispered a spell, summoning a floating orb, a wizardly eye, which he sent toward the door with merely a thought.He saw through that eye as it came up on the broken door, peering through openings of missing, rotted planks.In the room beyond the door, he noted a movement.The chamber beyond wasn’t very wide, but it went deep into the stone.
|
As Ravel watched with concern, Brack’thal flushed out another of the smaller fire creatures and sent it rushing toward his behemoth.A line of fire burned behind the speeding creature, and like a wizard’s fireworks lifting into a night sky, the small elemental sprang away, flying up, throwing itself into the torso of Brack’thal’s monster.Great fiery arms closed around the smaller creature, engulfing it, hugging it, absorbing it.Then it was gone, and Brack’thal’s elemental stood a little taller and a bit wider.Ravel looked over at Jearth, who could only hold up his hands, unable, obviously, to deny the beauty of the magical display.Ravel, though, was not so resigned.He stared at his brother.He knew of the old spells, even though he had not mastered them—what would be the point of that painstaking practice, after all, given the reduction of their power?Yet in this particular endeavor, with this particular challenge, Brack’thal seemed to be not reduced in the least.Confident and smooth in his movements, almost casual in his mannerisms as he contained yet another of these increasingly frequent breaches, the mage soon enough swept out of the room, heading for his assigned corner of the complex, and now with a formidable fire elemental in tow to help him in clearing the pesky previous inhabitants aside.For rats and goblins alike, and even the annoying dwarf ghosts, were not faring well against Brack’thal’s continuing assortment of pets.Ravel watched him depart, and the light in the room diminished greatly as soon as the drow mage and his pet had gone, which was a good thing for the sensitive drow eyes.Ravel swung his gaze back to see his sisters Berellip and Saribel standing side by side, both looking at him with obvious scrutiny and obvious judgment.“Shut down the outer four forges on either end,” Ravel said to Jearth.Jearth looked at him with surprise.“That will slow our progress.Many doors must be created, and blockades and stairwells and locking bolts, to say nothing of the armor and arms.”“We lose more time and workers with these disruptions,” Ravel added, motioning with his chin toward a trio of dead goblins lying on the floor, their clothing still smoking.“Let us proceed more cautiously for a while, until we can properly understand and repair the feed systems that fire the forge.”As Ravel looked away, he heard Jearth’s knowing chuckle.Ravel wasn’t trying to reduce the interruptions or the minor inconvenience of a few dead slaves.His order was meant to slow the momentum of Brack’thal’s ascent.“Your sisters will not be fooled,” the weapons master quietly warned as he walked by to execute Ravel’s order.True enough, the spellspinner knew, but he had to do something to buy some time until he could figure out Brack’thal’s secret.Brack’thal hustled down the corridor in the halls above the forge room, the region brightening because of the presence of the mage’s new pet.The large fire elemental eagerly followed the mage, hungered by Brack’thal’s promise that it would find fuel, living fuel, for its hungry fires.The wizard had a lot on his mind.He knew that he was caught in a desperate game.His brother had been forced to bring him along on this expedition, but Brack’thal held no illusions about the level of control his sisters, or even Matron Zeerith, could hold over the young spellspinner.Ravel had no intention of allowing Brack’thal to survive this journey.But good fortune was on Brack’thal’s side, in the form of an item he possessed from that time before the Spellplague.On his finger, he wore a ruby band, a ring that allowed him to communicate with, and exert tremendous influence over, the very creatures spawned by the power of the primordial.That item, a ring controlling fire elementals, more than anything in his own spell repertoire, had given him the edge now—a critical edge if he hoped to outmaneuver and survive his dangerous younger brother.The mage slowed his pace, noting a decrepit doorway on the right side of the hallway, another of many he had investigated over the last few days.Brack’thal waved his hands and whispered a spell, summoning a floating orb, a wizardly eye, which he sent toward the door with merely a thought.He saw through that eye as it came up on the broken door, peering through openings of missing, rotted planks.In the room beyond the door, he noted a movement.The chamber beyond wasn’t very wide, but it went deep into the stone.
|
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dnd450
|
The first part was crafted with smooth walls and bricks still tightly mortared as a testament to dwarven crafting.The back half, though, seemed a more natural cavern, and it occurred to Brack’thal that the tumult here in Gauntlgrym, the earthquakes and eruptions caused by the primordial, might have toppled the chamber’s back wall, thus connecting it to a natural cavern beyond.He had seen this before in this part of the complex, and this only reinforced his respect for the primordial.A second movement caught his eye, a smallish humanoid scrambling behind some makeshift barrier.“Kobolds,” he whispered, and he wondered whether he should try to enslave this group—the notion of creating his own counter army flashed in his mind—or whether he should simply obliterate them.The magical eye moved through the broken doorway but it dissipated almost immediately, and Brack’thal recognized that he had waited too long while pondering the possibilities.He focused on his magical ring instead and sent forth the elemental.Eagerly, it swept down the corridor and blasted through the flimsy doorway, sending splinters of burning wood and embers flying all around.An instant later came a second cacophony, this time one of kobolds crying out in alarm before the obvious power of this mighty foe.Brack’thal began rolling his fingers, deliberately sorting through the verbal component of a dweomer he believed might soon prove important.Pragmatism told him to abandon the attempt, to simply use the fiery evocation his ring could bring forth to protect him if need be.The mage overruled that commonsense notion, for in his gut he felt up to the task at hand without the aid of the ring.In the room, the sounds of battle grew: flames sweeping over the kobold barricades; kobolds screeching as deadly fires bit at them; crashing stones and other missiles as the diminutive kobolds tried to battle the mighty creature of fire; footfalls, so many rushing footfalls!Predictably, a bevy of kobolds scrambled out of the destroyed portal, tumbling into the hall, falling all over each other in a desperate effort to get away.Some charged toward the mage, others ran the opposite way.Brack’thal lifted a small metal bar before him and completed the spell, trying to remain confident that something, some magical energy would come forth.The lightning bolt filled the hall with a blinding burst of white light, and Brack’thal, surprised by the intensity, surprised even that he had accomplished the evocation, fell back with a shriek of his own.He composed himself quickly, but kept shaking his head, for the level of power that had flowed through him in that spellcasting reminded him of a time long lost.Was it his work with the ring, he wondered?As his eyes readjusted to the darkness, Brack’thal noted the image of the corridor before him, and mostly, the stillness of that hallway.More than a dozen kobolds lay dead before him, not a writhe or whimper to be found among them.He had thrown a lightning bolt that would have made him proud in the days before the Spellplague, a burst of magic that had fully overwhelmed the kobolds, taking their lives instantly.Another pair of the creatures came out into the hall, and a quick glance had them fleeing the other way down the corridor.A third emerged and similarly ran away.Brack’thal, too intrigued by his surprising show of magical strength, paid them no heed.It wasn’t until the fire elemental returned, until he sensed the beast’s wild and unsatisfied hunger, that the mage realized he would do well to put his thoughts aside and focus on the situation at hand.Indeed, the beast was advancing toward him, ill intent clear in its brightening, excited flaming coat.Brack’thal reached through the ring, calmly reminding the beast that it was better served with him as its ally, and when that line of thought showed only a moderate slowing of the charging fiery humanoid, the mage got more insistent and demanding, willing the creature to stop, willing it to turn around that they could resume their hunt.The mage constantly reminded himself to focus on the task at hand, to keep a tight hold on his dangerous companion as they moved deeper into the unexplored reaches of the vast complex.The fire elemental demanded no less than that level of attention, even with the powerful ring aiding him.It proved a difficult task, though, for Brack’thal could not ignore the implications of his lightning bolt, perhaps the most powerful evocation of magic he had achieved since the Spellplague a century before.He tempered his elation, rightly so.He had thrown lightning bolts, magic of the old and diminished schools, in the last decades, of course, and had sometimes surprised himself by the intensity of other dweomers he had achieved.The fall of magic as they had known it was not complete, nor was it consistent.This lightning bolt in this corridor might well be no more than a result of Brack’thal’s elevated state of urgency, or of his repeated usage of the ring, itself an artifact from another time.How grand would it be if that were not the case.How wonderful if the mage’s lost powers returned to him.In that event, Brack’thal would be rid of his troublesome little brother in short order.HE KNEWTHREE OF THE SHADES DID NOT RETURN THROUGH THE PORTAL WITH HERZGO Alegni.From a hilltop not so far away, Glorfathel stood before a scrying pool, the dwarf Ambergris and the monk Afafrenfere flanking him on either side.Neither dwarf nor monk looked much like denizens of the Shadowfell at that time, though, due to the magical dweomers of Ambergris’s black pearl necklace.“They are formidable,” Glorfathel remarked.“Aye, I telled ye as much,” said the dwarf.“I will kill the drow,” Afafrenfere vowed.“I’m thinkin’ ye better find him sleeping,” Ambergris replied, and Glorfathel joined the dwarf in a bit of laughter at the monk’s expense.“You were right,” Glorfathel admitted to the dwarf.“I would have expected them to remain in Neverwinter, or travel the open road, were they headed north or south.”“The drow is a ranger,” Afafrenfere offered.“He likely thinks himself safer in the forest.”“Still, they could be all the way to Port Llast by now, if that is their destination.”“It ain’t,” Ambergris assured them both, and with seeming certainty.
|
The first part was crafted with smooth walls and bricks still tightly mortared as a testament to dwarven crafting.The back half, though, seemed a more natural cavern, and it occurred to Brack’thal that the tumult here in Gauntlgrym, the earthquakes and eruptions caused by the primordial, might have toppled the chamber’s back wall, thus connecting it to a natural cavern beyond.He had seen this before in this part of the complex, and this only reinforced his respect for the primordial.A second movement caught his eye, a smallish humanoid scrambling behind some makeshift barrier.“Kobolds,” he whispered, and he wondered whether he should try to enslave this group—the notion of creating his own counter army flashed in his mind—or whether he should simply obliterate them.The magical eye moved through the broken doorway but it dissipated almost immediately, and Brack’thal recognized that he had waited too long while pondering the possibilities.He focused on his magical ring instead and sent forth the elemental.Eagerly, it swept down the corridor and blasted through the flimsy doorway, sending splinters of burning wood and embers flying all around.An instant later came a second cacophony, this time one of kobolds crying out in alarm before the obvious power of this mighty foe.Brack’thal began rolling his fingers, deliberately sorting through the verbal component of a dweomer he believed might soon prove important.Pragmatism told him to abandon the attempt, to simply use the fiery evocation his ring could bring forth to protect him if need be.The mage overruled that commonsense notion, for in his gut he felt up to the task at hand without the aid of the ring.In the room, the sounds of battle grew: flames sweeping over the kobold barricades; kobolds screeching as deadly fires bit at them; crashing stones and other missiles as the diminutive kobolds tried to battle the mighty creature of fire; footfalls, so many rushing footfalls!Predictably, a bevy of kobolds scrambled out of the destroyed portal, tumbling into the hall, falling all over each other in a desperate effort to get away.Some charged toward the mage, others ran the opposite way.Brack’thal lifted a small metal bar before him and completed the spell, trying to remain confident that something, some magical energy would come forth.The lightning bolt filled the hall with a blinding burst of white light, and Brack’thal, surprised by the intensity, surprised even that he had accomplished the evocation, fell back with a shriek of his own.He composed himself quickly, but kept shaking his head, for the level of power that had flowed through him in that spellcasting reminded him of a time long lost.Was it his work with the ring, he wondered?As his eyes readjusted to the darkness, Brack’thal noted the image of the corridor before him, and mostly, the stillness of that hallway.More than a dozen kobolds lay dead before him, not a writhe or whimper to be found among them.He had thrown a lightning bolt that would have made him proud in the days before the Spellplague, a burst of magic that had fully overwhelmed the kobolds, taking their lives instantly.Another pair of the creatures came out into the hall, and a quick glance had them fleeing the other way down the corridor.A third emerged and similarly ran away.Brack’thal, too intrigued by his surprising show of magical strength, paid them no heed.It wasn’t until the fire elemental returned, until he sensed the beast’s wild and unsatisfied hunger, that the mage realized he would do well to put his thoughts aside and focus on the situation at hand.Indeed, the beast was advancing toward him, ill intent clear in its brightening, excited flaming coat.Brack’thal reached through the ring, calmly reminding the beast that it was better served with him as its ally, and when that line of thought showed only a moderate slowing of the charging fiery humanoid, the mage got more insistent and demanding, willing the creature to stop, willing it to turn around that they could resume their hunt.The mage constantly reminded himself to focus on the task at hand, to keep a tight hold on his dangerous companion as they moved deeper into the unexplored reaches of the vast complex.The fire elemental demanded no less than that level of attention, even with the powerful ring aiding him.It proved a difficult task, though, for Brack’thal could not ignore the implications of his lightning bolt, perhaps the most powerful evocation of magic he had achieved since the Spellplague a century before.He tempered his elation, rightly so.He had thrown lightning bolts, magic of the old and diminished schools, in the last decades, of course, and had sometimes surprised himself by the intensity of other dweomers he had achieved.The fall of magic as they had known it was not complete, nor was it consistent.This lightning bolt in this corridor might well be no more than a result of Brack’thal’s elevated state of urgency, or of his repeated usage of the ring, itself an artifact from another time.How grand would it be if that were not the case.How wonderful if the mage’s lost powers returned to him.In that event, Brack’thal would be rid of his troublesome little brother in short order.HE KNEWTHREE OF THE SHADES DID NOT RETURN THROUGH THE PORTAL WITH HERZGO Alegni.From a hilltop not so far away, Glorfathel stood before a scrying pool, the dwarf Ambergris and the monk Afafrenfere flanking him on either side.Neither dwarf nor monk looked much like denizens of the Shadowfell at that time, though, due to the magical dweomers of Ambergris’s black pearl necklace.“They are formidable,” Glorfathel remarked.“Aye, I telled ye as much,” said the dwarf.“I will kill the drow,” Afafrenfere vowed.“I’m thinkin’ ye better find him sleeping,” Ambergris replied, and Glorfathel joined the dwarf in a bit of laughter at the monk’s expense.“You were right,” Glorfathel admitted to the dwarf.“I would have expected them to remain in Neverwinter, or travel the open road, were they headed north or south.”“The drow is a ranger,” Afafrenfere offered.“He likely thinks himself safer in the forest.”“Still, they could be all the way to Port Llast by now, if that is their destination.”“It ain’t,” Ambergris assured them both, and with seeming certainty.
|
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dnd451
|
With stares from both of her companions upon her, Ambergris added, “And why’d anyone be wantin’ to go to that pit of Umberlee monsters?They’re makin’ for Gauntlgrym.”“For what?” Afafrenfere asked, but Glorfathel, more familiar with the recent history of the region, spoke over him.“Why would you believe that?” the elf asked.“Because I’m knowin’ o’ this Drizzt the ranger,” Ambergris said.“He’s got a problem.His friends’ got a bigger problem.Sword’s the problem, so he’s off to be rid o’ the sword.”“To hide it in this place, Gauntlgrym?” Afafrenfere asked.But Ambergris turned to face Glorfathel as she answered.“To hide it, yeah,” the dwarf said, her sarcasm showing that she had a different understanding of what that might mean.“To hide it where it canno’ be found.”“Follow them,” Glorfathel commanded, his tone turning grim as he caught on to Ambergris’s meaning.“I will check in with you often.” He stepped to the side, where another black portal to the Shadowfell lingered.“Herzgo Alegni will pay well to know their location.No doubt he is even angrier now, and Draygo Quick will grant him all that he needs to finish this task and retrieve the sword.”He started into the portal, but paused and looked back one last time, focusing his gaze on Afafrenfere.“Make no move against them,” he warned.“Not now,” Ambergris agreed.“But ye make sure that when Alegni’s catching them, me and me monk friend here’ll be beside him.”“I will kill the drow,” Afafrenfere vowed again.“We’ll be there,” Glorfathel assured them.“I’ve already secured payment from Effron, that we might aid in the final battle.”With a nod, he disappeared, and the portal thinned then dissipated behind him.“If we take them and get the sword, we will be hailed as heroes,” Afafrenfere said as soon as they were alone.Ambergris put her hands on hips, shook her head, and snorted.“Ye just don’t understand, do ye?” she asked.Afafrenfere crossed his strong, slender arms over his chest.Ambergris just laughed and started away.“To the hunt?” the eager monk asked.“To see what we might find o’ worth on the dead shades,” the dwarf corrected.“And might be when ye see how many dead shades’re lyin’ about that ye’ll finally understand.”“Understand what?”“Understand that I ain’t hoping to be lying dead beside any o’ them anytime soon,” said the dwarf as she stomped away.Drizzt, Dahlia, and Entreri came above a ridge line, looking down a long and steep descent to a region of stone and boulders.Drizzt and Dahlia knew the place well—they had charged down that very slope into a battle with the Thayan forces of Sylora Salm.“We’re not far,” Drizzt remarked, and pointed down to the left.“Not far from the outer tunnels,” Dahlia corrected.“We’ll hike for hours more to get to the entryway of Gauntlgrym, if it even remains.”Her tone was combative, and Drizzt gave her an appropriately disconcerting look—one Dahlia returned tenfold.“Better to be underground, out of the exposure of the open road,” Drizzt said.“Do you fear another fight with the Netherese?” Dahlia shot back.“Better to be done with all of this,” Entreri muttered, and started moving, without looking back.Drizzt felt like a fool—he could only assume that Dahlia held similar feelings—for Entreri had just diminished their lovers’ spat in all of its ridiculousness.The animosity and argument between Drizzt and Dahlia was obviously the by-product of some other issue between them, and given the gravity of their mission as they neared their goal, Entreri’s poignant mockery had silenced them both.They were near to Gauntlgrym, thus near to the primordial, thus near to destroying Charon’s Claw, an act that would mark the end of Artemis Entreri’s enslavement at the price of his very life.Next to that, how petty did Drizzt and Dahlia’s jealousy and quarreling seem?Humbled, Drizzt started off after the assassin.He had gone many steps before Dahlia followed, far back in his wake.They found the tunnel entrance easily enough and moved deliberately and silently along the darkened pathway toward the grand cavern that housed the entryway to Gauntlgrym.
|
With stares from both of her companions upon her, Ambergris added, “And why’d anyone be wantin’ to go to that pit of Umberlee monsters?They’re makin’ for Gauntlgrym.”“For what?” Afafrenfere asked, but Glorfathel, more familiar with the recent history of the region, spoke over him.“Why would you believe that?” the elf asked.“Because I’m knowin’ o’ this Drizzt the ranger,” Ambergris said.“He’s got a problem.His friends’ got a bigger problem.Sword’s the problem, so he’s off to be rid o’ the sword.”“To hide it in this place, Gauntlgrym?” Afafrenfere asked.But Ambergris turned to face Glorfathel as she answered.“To hide it, yeah,” the dwarf said, her sarcasm showing that she had a different understanding of what that might mean.“To hide it where it canno’ be found.”“Follow them,” Glorfathel commanded, his tone turning grim as he caught on to Ambergris’s meaning.“I will check in with you often.” He stepped to the side, where another black portal to the Shadowfell lingered.“Herzgo Alegni will pay well to know their location.No doubt he is even angrier now, and Draygo Quick will grant him all that he needs to finish this task and retrieve the sword.”He started into the portal, but paused and looked back one last time, focusing his gaze on Afafrenfere.“Make no move against them,” he warned.“Not now,” Ambergris agreed.“But ye make sure that when Alegni’s catching them, me and me monk friend here’ll be beside him.”“I will kill the drow,” Afafrenfere vowed again.“We’ll be there,” Glorfathel assured them.“I’ve already secured payment from Effron, that we might aid in the final battle.”With a nod, he disappeared, and the portal thinned then dissipated behind him.“If we take them and get the sword, we will be hailed as heroes,” Afafrenfere said as soon as they were alone.Ambergris put her hands on hips, shook her head, and snorted.“Ye just don’t understand, do ye?” she asked.Afafrenfere crossed his strong, slender arms over his chest.Ambergris just laughed and started away.“To the hunt?” the eager monk asked.“To see what we might find o’ worth on the dead shades,” the dwarf corrected.“And might be when ye see how many dead shades’re lyin’ about that ye’ll finally understand.”“Understand what?”“Understand that I ain’t hoping to be lying dead beside any o’ them anytime soon,” said the dwarf as she stomped away.Drizzt, Dahlia, and Entreri came above a ridge line, looking down a long and steep descent to a region of stone and boulders.Drizzt and Dahlia knew the place well—they had charged down that very slope into a battle with the Thayan forces of Sylora Salm.“We’re not far,” Drizzt remarked, and pointed down to the left.“Not far from the outer tunnels,” Dahlia corrected.“We’ll hike for hours more to get to the entryway of Gauntlgrym, if it even remains.”Her tone was combative, and Drizzt gave her an appropriately disconcerting look—one Dahlia returned tenfold.“Better to be underground, out of the exposure of the open road,” Drizzt said.“Do you fear another fight with the Netherese?” Dahlia shot back.“Better to be done with all of this,” Entreri muttered, and started moving, without looking back.Drizzt felt like a fool—he could only assume that Dahlia held similar feelings—for Entreri had just diminished their lovers’ spat in all of its ridiculousness.The animosity and argument between Drizzt and Dahlia was obviously the by-product of some other issue between them, and given the gravity of their mission as they neared their goal, Entreri’s poignant mockery had silenced them both.They were near to Gauntlgrym, thus near to the primordial, thus near to destroying Charon’s Claw, an act that would mark the end of Artemis Entreri’s enslavement at the price of his very life.Next to that, how petty did Drizzt and Dahlia’s jealousy and quarreling seem?Humbled, Drizzt started off after the assassin.He had gone many steps before Dahlia followed, far back in his wake.They found the tunnel entrance easily enough and moved deliberately and silently along the darkened pathway toward the grand cavern that housed the entryway to Gauntlgrym.
|
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dnd452
|
All three marched with practiced steps, not a footfall to be heard among them, and with equal skill and experience, all they needed to guide them through the corridors was the meager light of Drizzt’s scimitar, Twinkle.That soft blue-white glow illuminated a very small area before the drow, who took up the lead, and no doubt it marked them, him at least, as a target for any monsters or goblinkin that might be lurking in the area.That proved to be of little concern, though, for all three of the companions itched for a fight, any fight.To Drizzt’s thinking, if they didn’t soon find a common enemy, they would probably be battling each other.Once again, images of cutting down Artemis Entreri flitted through his mind, along with the reminder of that intimate conversation between the assassin and Dahlia.They shared something, Drizzt knew, something deeper than the bond between himself and Dahlia.He imagined making a fatal blow—one made, curiously, with a red-bladed sword.“How near are we?” Entreri asked a long while later, jarring Drizzt from his thoughts in the quiet of the tunnels, an eerie hush broken only occasionally by the distant sound of dripping water, or the harsh crack of something hard against the stone.Drizzt stopped and turned around, waiting as Entreri and Dahlia closed up behind him.He looked to Dahlia for an answer, but the elf shrugged, her memories apparently as hazy as his own.“Halfway, I would guess,” Drizzt replied.“Perhaps less.”“Then let’s set a guard and rest,” said Entreri.“I thought you were eager to die,” Dahlia snapped at him.“I’m eager to be rid of the sword,” he answered without hesitation.“But I’m not eager to engage more Shadovar when my legs are weak from the long hike.”Dahlia started to respond, to argue, but Drizzt beat her to it.“I agree,” he said, ending the debate, though his siding with Entreri brought him a scowl from Dahlia that likely signaled the start of another debate, he knew.“We must be on our best guard when we enter Gauntlgrym.We don’t know what we’ll encounter in her dark and broken halls.“You suggested it,” he said to Entreri.“So I suspect that you’ve discovered a place you think suitable for a camp—or do you propose that we just pause in the middle of the tunnel?”Entreri turned to look over his left shoulder and pointed up at the top of the cavern wall, right where it rounded into a ceiling.Following that lead, Drizzt moved over and held Twinkle up high.The scimitar’s glow revealed a small tunnel winding up and to the side of the corridor.“There was a second one back a few dozen paces,” Entreri explained, “running up the other way.I expect they join.”“If either is even passable,” Dahlia remarked sourly.Drizzt sheathed his blade and leaped up, catching the lip of the smaller tunnel.He pulled himself up to peer into it and paused there, allowing his eyes to adjust to the absence of any substantial light.His drow heritage helped him, greatly so, as the shapes within became clearer.The drow wriggled his way in and crawled along, coming to a landing of sorts, a level and open area large enough to hold all three comfortably.He found two other exits from that small chamber, one rising higher and the other winding back down the other way—likely the opening Entreri had noted earlier in the corridor.To make certain, the drow went down that way, and soon came to the tunnel exit, just above the corridor he and his friends had already traversed.He rolled himself out of the crawl tunnel, back to the main corridor, and rushed back to rejoin Entreri and Dahlia.“Suitable,” he said.Dahlia started to argue against breaking their march at that point, but Entreri moved right to the wall and leaped up, catching a hold and disappearing into the crawl tunnel without a glance back.“He acts as if it’s his expedition, and we’re just minions to do his bidding,” Dahlia said to Drizzt.“He has the largest stake in this journey,” the drow reminded.Dahlia snorted and looked away.“You wish to turn away, that he will not be killed,” Drizzt whispered.“I wish to be done with this and be away from here.”“Not true,” Drizzt replied.
|
All three marched with practiced steps, not a footfall to be heard among them, and with equal skill and experience, all they needed to guide them through the corridors was the meager light of Drizzt’s scimitar, Twinkle.That soft blue-white glow illuminated a very small area before the drow, who took up the lead, and no doubt it marked them, him at least, as a target for any monsters or goblinkin that might be lurking in the area.That proved to be of little concern, though, for all three of the companions itched for a fight, any fight.To Drizzt’s thinking, if they didn’t soon find a common enemy, they would probably be battling each other.Once again, images of cutting down Artemis Entreri flitted through his mind, along with the reminder of that intimate conversation between the assassin and Dahlia.They shared something, Drizzt knew, something deeper than the bond between himself and Dahlia.He imagined making a fatal blow—one made, curiously, with a red-bladed sword.“How near are we?” Entreri asked a long while later, jarring Drizzt from his thoughts in the quiet of the tunnels, an eerie hush broken only occasionally by the distant sound of dripping water, or the harsh crack of something hard against the stone.Drizzt stopped and turned around, waiting as Entreri and Dahlia closed up behind him.He looked to Dahlia for an answer, but the elf shrugged, her memories apparently as hazy as his own.“Halfway, I would guess,” Drizzt replied.“Perhaps less.”“Then let’s set a guard and rest,” said Entreri.“I thought you were eager to die,” Dahlia snapped at him.“I’m eager to be rid of the sword,” he answered without hesitation.“But I’m not eager to engage more Shadovar when my legs are weak from the long hike.”Dahlia started to respond, to argue, but Drizzt beat her to it.“I agree,” he said, ending the debate, though his siding with Entreri brought him a scowl from Dahlia that likely signaled the start of another debate, he knew.“We must be on our best guard when we enter Gauntlgrym.We don’t know what we’ll encounter in her dark and broken halls.“You suggested it,” he said to Entreri.“So I suspect that you’ve discovered a place you think suitable for a camp—or do you propose that we just pause in the middle of the tunnel?”Entreri turned to look over his left shoulder and pointed up at the top of the cavern wall, right where it rounded into a ceiling.Following that lead, Drizzt moved over and held Twinkle up high.The scimitar’s glow revealed a small tunnel winding up and to the side of the corridor.“There was a second one back a few dozen paces,” Entreri explained, “running up the other way.I expect they join.”“If either is even passable,” Dahlia remarked sourly.Drizzt sheathed his blade and leaped up, catching the lip of the smaller tunnel.He pulled himself up to peer into it and paused there, allowing his eyes to adjust to the absence of any substantial light.His drow heritage helped him, greatly so, as the shapes within became clearer.The drow wriggled his way in and crawled along, coming to a landing of sorts, a level and open area large enough to hold all three comfortably.He found two other exits from that small chamber, one rising higher and the other winding back down the other way—likely the opening Entreri had noted earlier in the corridor.To make certain, the drow went down that way, and soon came to the tunnel exit, just above the corridor he and his friends had already traversed.He rolled himself out of the crawl tunnel, back to the main corridor, and rushed back to rejoin Entreri and Dahlia.“Suitable,” he said.Dahlia started to argue against breaking their march at that point, but Entreri moved right to the wall and leaped up, catching a hold and disappearing into the crawl tunnel without a glance back.“He acts as if it’s his expedition, and we’re just minions to do his bidding,” Dahlia said to Drizzt.“He has the largest stake in this journey,” the drow reminded.Dahlia snorted and looked away.“You wish to turn away, that he will not be killed,” Drizzt whispered.“I wish to be done with this and be away from here.”“Not true,” Drizzt replied.
|
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dnd453
|
“You wish to be away, but now, before we confront the primordial, before we destroy the sword, and so, before the sword destroys this man who so intrigues you.”Dahlia looked at him for a long while, quietly laughing, and shaking her head slowly, as if in disbelief.She spun around and leaped up along the wall, following Entreri into the crawl tunnel.Drizzt leaped up right behind her and caught her by the ankle, forcing her to glance back.“I go to scout, before us and behind,” he whispered.“To ensure that we weren’t followed or seen.”He dropped back down and started off, back the way they had come, intending to double back quickly many yards to search for any sign that they had been trailed.A few dozen paces back along the corridor, it occurred to him to climb up into the second tunnel, to crawl in silently that he could spy on these two.Then he might know the extent of their bond, after all.Then he might know of Dahlia’s deceit and infidelity.Then he might kill Entreri, or kill them both, with a clear conscience.The line of thinking jarred Drizzt as he hustled past that second opening to the upper chamber.He increased his pace even more, wanting to put this area far behind him, wanting to put those angry impulses far behind him.Dahlia crawled into the low chamber at the apex of the two entry tunnels.Like the other tunnels and many of the Underdark corridors, this one was quietly lit by various lichens.She could see only half of Entreri, as he was standing up into the third opening, the tunnel climbing up from the chamber.He soon crouched back down and fell into a sitting position beneath the opening.“Impassible,” he explained.“The way up is blocked by some rocks.”“So if our enemies assemble around the two lower exits, we’re trapped,” Dahlia replied, and with much sarcasm, added, “Wonderful planning.” She made sure to reflect that sarcasm fully in her inflection, for she knew that Entreri couldn’t make out much of her features in this dark place.“They won’t find us,” Entreri countered.“Because there are so many places for us to hide in these few narrow tunnels?” Dahlia asked, her sarcasm unrelenting.And quite boring, she had to admit, even to herself.Artemis Entreri shook his head and turned his gaze away from her.“Where’s Drizzt?”“He backtracked to ensure that we weren’t followed,” she replied, and Entreri nodded his agreement with that course.“Perhaps he’s already been captured by the Shadovar and tortured into revealing our position, if it would take even that.”Entreri swung his head back to regard the woman.She met his stare with a glower, but he didn’t give in to that apparent challenge, and merely continued to look at her, as if measuring her emotions.“Have you hated for so long that you don’t know how to not hate?” he asked with a wry grin.Dahlia stared at him, at first angrily, but then with a bit of confusion.“You got your revenge on Herzgo Alegni,” Entreri pointed out.“Yet your mood is fouler now than before we met him on that Neverwinter bridge.”Dahlia didn’t blink.“Might it be that revenge tasted not as sweet as you expected?” Entreri posed.“Was the anticipation of revenge a more calming meal, perhaps?”“And you’re the assassin-philosopher?” Dahlia asked.“You’ve been running from it for all of your life,” he said.“From it?”“From whatever it was that Alegni did to you.”“You don’t know anything.”“I know that my words have you shifting in your seat.”“Because it is a stupid seat in a stupid hold-out,” she spat back.“Were we to be found here, how would we even defend ourselves?You can’t even stand up in this hole unless you stick your head into the chimney!I thought I was traveling beside capable warriors, and I find myself put in this compromised position?”She kept ranting, and Artemis Entreri kept grinning at her, which, of course, only had Dahlia growing more and more agitated.“You killed your own excuse,” Entreri said.Dahlia looked at him with obvious confusion.She tried to reply but sputtered, just staring at him.“Your excuse for anger,” the assassin explained.
|
“You wish to be away, but now, before we confront the primordial, before we destroy the sword, and so, before the sword destroys this man who so intrigues you.”Dahlia looked at him for a long while, quietly laughing, and shaking her head slowly, as if in disbelief.She spun around and leaped up along the wall, following Entreri into the crawl tunnel.Drizzt leaped up right behind her and caught her by the ankle, forcing her to glance back.“I go to scout, before us and behind,” he whispered.“To ensure that we weren’t followed or seen.”He dropped back down and started off, back the way they had come, intending to double back quickly many yards to search for any sign that they had been trailed.A few dozen paces back along the corridor, it occurred to him to climb up into the second tunnel, to crawl in silently that he could spy on these two.Then he might know the extent of their bond, after all.Then he might know of Dahlia’s deceit and infidelity.Then he might kill Entreri, or kill them both, with a clear conscience.The line of thinking jarred Drizzt as he hustled past that second opening to the upper chamber.He increased his pace even more, wanting to put this area far behind him, wanting to put those angry impulses far behind him.Dahlia crawled into the low chamber at the apex of the two entry tunnels.Like the other tunnels and many of the Underdark corridors, this one was quietly lit by various lichens.She could see only half of Entreri, as he was standing up into the third opening, the tunnel climbing up from the chamber.He soon crouched back down and fell into a sitting position beneath the opening.“Impassible,” he explained.“The way up is blocked by some rocks.”“So if our enemies assemble around the two lower exits, we’re trapped,” Dahlia replied, and with much sarcasm, added, “Wonderful planning.” She made sure to reflect that sarcasm fully in her inflection, for she knew that Entreri couldn’t make out much of her features in this dark place.“They won’t find us,” Entreri countered.“Because there are so many places for us to hide in these few narrow tunnels?” Dahlia asked, her sarcasm unrelenting.And quite boring, she had to admit, even to herself.Artemis Entreri shook his head and turned his gaze away from her.“Where’s Drizzt?”“He backtracked to ensure that we weren’t followed,” she replied, and Entreri nodded his agreement with that course.“Perhaps he’s already been captured by the Shadovar and tortured into revealing our position, if it would take even that.”Entreri swung his head back to regard the woman.She met his stare with a glower, but he didn’t give in to that apparent challenge, and merely continued to look at her, as if measuring her emotions.“Have you hated for so long that you don’t know how to not hate?” he asked with a wry grin.Dahlia stared at him, at first angrily, but then with a bit of confusion.“You got your revenge on Herzgo Alegni,” Entreri pointed out.“Yet your mood is fouler now than before we met him on that Neverwinter bridge.”Dahlia didn’t blink.“Might it be that revenge tasted not as sweet as you expected?” Entreri posed.“Was the anticipation of revenge a more calming meal, perhaps?”“And you’re the assassin-philosopher?” Dahlia asked.“You’ve been running from it for all of your life,” he said.“From it?”“From whatever it was that Alegni did to you.”“You don’t know anything.”“I know that my words have you shifting in your seat.”“Because it is a stupid seat in a stupid hold-out,” she spat back.“Were we to be found here, how would we even defend ourselves?You can’t even stand up in this hole unless you stick your head into the chimney!I thought I was traveling beside capable warriors, and I find myself put in this compromised position?”She kept ranting, and Artemis Entreri kept grinning at her, which, of course, only had Dahlia growing more and more agitated.“You killed your own excuse,” Entreri said.Dahlia looked at him with obvious confusion.She tried to reply but sputtered, just staring at him.“Your excuse for anger,” the assassin explained.
|
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dnd454
|
“You got your revenge, yet your mood has soured.Because you’re lost now.You’ve lived your life acting out in your anger, and does dear Dahlia have anything to be angry about now?”She looked away.“Are you afraid to take responsibility for your actions?”“Are you truly the assassin-philosopher?” she retorted, turning around to glare at him.Entreri’s shrug was the only response he would offer, so Dahlia looked away once more.An uncomfortable silence followed, for a long while.“What about you?” Dahlia finally asked, her voice startling Entreri from private contemplations.“What about me?” he echoed.“What sustains your anger?”“Who claims that I’m angry?”“I know of your recent past,” Dahlia argued.“I fought against you.I witnessed your work against the Thayans.Those were not the actions of a contented man.”“I was a slave,” Entreri replied.“Can you blame me?”Dahlia tried to argue, but again fell short.“How did you get past it?” Dahlia asked quietly many heartbeats later.“The anger, the betrayal?How did you find your calm?”“I helped you kill Herzgo Alegni.”“Not that betrayal,” Dahlia said bluntly.Entreri rocked back against the wall.He glanced around, this way and that, and for many heartbeats seemed truly at a loss.“By caring not a damn,” Entreri replied at length.“I don’t believe that.”“Believe it.”“No,” she said quietly, staring at Entreri until he at last had to return the look.“It was my uncle,” he admitted for the first time in his life, “and my mother.”Dahlia’s expression revealed her confusion.“He … he stole from me, and she sold me into slavery—to others who wished to … steal from me,” Entreri explained.“Your mother?” Dahlia clearly seemed at a loss.“You loved your mother, as I, once, loved mine,” Entreri reasoned.“She was murdered, beheaded by Herzgo Alegni after …” Her voice trailed away and her gaze fell to the floor between her boots.“After he stole from you,” Entreri said, and Dahlia looked at him sharply.“You know nothing about it!”“But you know that I do,” Entreri replied.“And you are the first person to whom I’ve ever admitted any of this.”Her expression softened at that revelation.Entreri laughed.“Perhaps I have to kill you now, to keep my secret.”“Try it,” Dahlia replied, bringing a wider smile to Entreri’s face, for he knew by her tone that his trust in her had lifted a great weight from her shoulders.“I have enough anger left in me to defeat the likes of you.”Artemis Entreri rolled up to his knees, to the side, so that his face was very near the woman.“Well, do it quickly,” he said, and pointed back down the tunnel Dahlia had climbed to get into this hide-out.“For that way lies Gauntlgrym, not so far, and there resides the beast of fire and the end of Charon’s Claw, and the end of Artemis Entreri.”Dahlia slapped him across the face, surprising them both.Entreri laughed at her, so she slapped him again, or tried to, but he caught her by the wrist and held her off.They stared at each other, their faces barely a finger’s breadth apart.Entreri nodded and managed a smile, while Dahlia shook her head, her eyes moistening.“It is time,” Entreri said to her.“Trust me in this.It is long past time.”A thousand questions chased Drizzt Do’Urden back along the corridors, paramount among them the continuing lack of purpose for his present course.Why was he even there?He had no answers, though, and so he kept pushing the doubts aside, and took care not to revel too deeply in the continuing stream of images of Artemis Entreri dead at his feet, pleasant as they were.While these surroundings weren’t fresh in his thoughts, they were familiar, and they brought him back to his previous journey here, the good parts.He remembered Bruenor’s face when first they had glanced upon the entrance of Gauntlgrym, the high stone wall, like that of a castle, except that it was tightly encased within a subterranean cavern.He thought of the throne, just within the great entry hall, and again recalled Bruenor’s beaming face.“I found it, elf,” Drizzt whispered in the dark corridor, just to hear the sound of those words once more, for they, more than anything Drizzt had ever heard, sounded like sweet victory.His mood brightened as he moved farther from his encamped companions.
|
“You got your revenge, yet your mood has soured.Because you’re lost now.You’ve lived your life acting out in your anger, and does dear Dahlia have anything to be angry about now?”She looked away.“Are you afraid to take responsibility for your actions?”“Are you truly the assassin-philosopher?” she retorted, turning around to glare at him.Entreri’s shrug was the only response he would offer, so Dahlia looked away once more.An uncomfortable silence followed, for a long while.“What about you?” Dahlia finally asked, her voice startling Entreri from private contemplations.“What about me?” he echoed.“What sustains your anger?”“Who claims that I’m angry?”“I know of your recent past,” Dahlia argued.“I fought against you.I witnessed your work against the Thayans.Those were not the actions of a contented man.”“I was a slave,” Entreri replied.“Can you blame me?”Dahlia tried to argue, but again fell short.“How did you get past it?” Dahlia asked quietly many heartbeats later.“The anger, the betrayal?How did you find your calm?”“I helped you kill Herzgo Alegni.”“Not that betrayal,” Dahlia said bluntly.Entreri rocked back against the wall.He glanced around, this way and that, and for many heartbeats seemed truly at a loss.“By caring not a damn,” Entreri replied at length.“I don’t believe that.”“Believe it.”“No,” she said quietly, staring at Entreri until he at last had to return the look.“It was my uncle,” he admitted for the first time in his life, “and my mother.”Dahlia’s expression revealed her confusion.“He … he stole from me, and she sold me into slavery—to others who wished to … steal from me,” Entreri explained.“Your mother?” Dahlia clearly seemed at a loss.“You loved your mother, as I, once, loved mine,” Entreri reasoned.“She was murdered, beheaded by Herzgo Alegni after …” Her voice trailed away and her gaze fell to the floor between her boots.“After he stole from you,” Entreri said, and Dahlia looked at him sharply.“You know nothing about it!”“But you know that I do,” Entreri replied.“And you are the first person to whom I’ve ever admitted any of this.”Her expression softened at that revelation.Entreri laughed.“Perhaps I have to kill you now, to keep my secret.”“Try it,” Dahlia replied, bringing a wider smile to Entreri’s face, for he knew by her tone that his trust in her had lifted a great weight from her shoulders.“I have enough anger left in me to defeat the likes of you.”Artemis Entreri rolled up to his knees, to the side, so that his face was very near the woman.“Well, do it quickly,” he said, and pointed back down the tunnel Dahlia had climbed to get into this hide-out.“For that way lies Gauntlgrym, not so far, and there resides the beast of fire and the end of Charon’s Claw, and the end of Artemis Entreri.”Dahlia slapped him across the face, surprising them both.Entreri laughed at her, so she slapped him again, or tried to, but he caught her by the wrist and held her off.They stared at each other, their faces barely a finger’s breadth apart.Entreri nodded and managed a smile, while Dahlia shook her head, her eyes moistening.“It is time,” Entreri said to her.“Trust me in this.It is long past time.”A thousand questions chased Drizzt Do’Urden back along the corridors, paramount among them the continuing lack of purpose for his present course.Why was he even there?He had no answers, though, and so he kept pushing the doubts aside, and took care not to revel too deeply in the continuing stream of images of Artemis Entreri dead at his feet, pleasant as they were.While these surroundings weren’t fresh in his thoughts, they were familiar, and they brought him back to his previous journey here, the good parts.He remembered Bruenor’s face when first they had glanced upon the entrance of Gauntlgrym, the high stone wall, like that of a castle, except that it was tightly encased within a subterranean cavern.He thought of the throne, just within the great entry hall, and again recalled Bruenor’s beaming face.“I found it, elf,” Drizzt whispered in the dark corridor, just to hear the sound of those words once more, for they, more than anything Drizzt had ever heard, sounded like sweet victory.His mood brightened as he moved farther from his encamped companions.
|
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dnd455
|
How could it not, with the ghost, the memory, of Bruenor Battlehammer so near?“Is your heart heavy, Drizzt Do’Urden?” an unexpected, unfamiliar voice, a woman’s voice, asked of him from the darkness.Drizzt immediately fell into a crouch, moving closer to one corridor wall for the cover it provided.He glanced all around, his hands near to his scimitars, which he did not dare draw for fear that Twinkle’s light would more fully expose him.“I knew I would find you alone,” the woman continued, her accent strong, biting off her consonants so abruptly that it jarred the drow.He did not know her.He did not even know of her possible origins.“It is not hard to find Drizzt Do’Urden alone in these times, is it?”Thinking he had located the source, the direction at least, Drizzt edged out a bit, putting himself in line for a charge if necessary.“Be at ease,” the woman said, as if reading his mind.The voice came from a completely different area of the darkened corridor than the previous remarks, and there was no way anyone could have moved between those particular points without him hearing or seeing it.Perhaps it was a matter of cloaking spells, like invisibility, but more likely, she was utilizing magical ventriloquism.A sorceress, then, Drizzt thought, and he knew that he needed to be doubly careful.“I have not come to do battle,” she explained.“Nor to harm you in any way.”“Who are you, then?Thayan or Shadovar?”Her laughter started behind him, but quickly came from the original spot, before him.“Need it be one or the other?”“Those seem to be the people most interested in me of late,” he said.She laughed again.“I am from the Shadowfell,” she admitted.“Sent by one who is not your enemy, though you have something he wants.”Drizzt straightened.Given Arunika’s warning, he knew where this was leading.“The sword,” he stated.“It is a Netherese blade.”“A vile one.”“That is not my judgment to offer.We would like it back.”“You cannot have it.”“Are you sure?”The question struck him curiously and put him a bit off balance.“Does it mean so much to you?” the woman asked, and she was behind him again, and given his last response, he was fast to turn and set himself defensively.Could she move quickly enough to steal Charon’s Claw from its scabbard on his back?“Do you have such loyalty to the man you call Artemis Entreri?”“Do you ask me to return a sword, or a slave?” Drizzt retorted.“Does it matter?”“Of course.”“This is your friend, then, this Artemis Entreri?” the woman asked, and her voice came from an entirely different place then, farther along the corridor back the other way.“A loyal companion, like a brother to you?”Her tone, even more than her curious words, made it clear that she was mocking him, or at least mocking the notion that he and Artemis Entreri might be the best of friends.“Would he have to be any such thing for me to know what is right and what is wrong?” Drizzt countered, fighting hard to suppress his antagonism toward Entreri.“Right and wrong?” she asked, her voice going from behind him to back in front of him between the words.“Black and white?Are you so simplistic as to believe that there is only one answer to such a question?”“Which question?” Drizzt shot back.“That seems to be all you offer: questions.”“Nay, my friend,” she replied immediately.
|
How could it not, with the ghost, the memory, of Bruenor Battlehammer so near?“Is your heart heavy, Drizzt Do’Urden?” an unexpected, unfamiliar voice, a woman’s voice, asked of him from the darkness.Drizzt immediately fell into a crouch, moving closer to one corridor wall for the cover it provided.He glanced all around, his hands near to his scimitars, which he did not dare draw for fear that Twinkle’s light would more fully expose him.“I knew I would find you alone,” the woman continued, her accent strong, biting off her consonants so abruptly that it jarred the drow.He did not know her.He did not even know of her possible origins.“It is not hard to find Drizzt Do’Urden alone in these times, is it?”Thinking he had located the source, the direction at least, Drizzt edged out a bit, putting himself in line for a charge if necessary.“Be at ease,” the woman said, as if reading his mind.The voice came from a completely different area of the darkened corridor than the previous remarks, and there was no way anyone could have moved between those particular points without him hearing or seeing it.Perhaps it was a matter of cloaking spells, like invisibility, but more likely, she was utilizing magical ventriloquism.A sorceress, then, Drizzt thought, and he knew that he needed to be doubly careful.“I have not come to do battle,” she explained.“Nor to harm you in any way.”“Who are you, then?Thayan or Shadovar?”Her laughter started behind him, but quickly came from the original spot, before him.“Need it be one or the other?”“Those seem to be the people most interested in me of late,” he said.She laughed again.“I am from the Shadowfell,” she admitted.“Sent by one who is not your enemy, though you have something he wants.”Drizzt straightened.Given Arunika’s warning, he knew where this was leading.“The sword,” he stated.“It is a Netherese blade.”“A vile one.”“That is not my judgment to offer.We would like it back.”“You cannot have it.”“Are you sure?”The question struck him curiously and put him a bit off balance.“Does it mean so much to you?” the woman asked, and she was behind him again, and given his last response, he was fast to turn and set himself defensively.Could she move quickly enough to steal Charon’s Claw from its scabbard on his back?“Do you have such loyalty to the man you call Artemis Entreri?”“Do you ask me to return a sword, or a slave?” Drizzt retorted.“Does it matter?”“Of course.”“This is your friend, then, this Artemis Entreri?” the woman asked, and her voice came from an entirely different place then, farther along the corridor back the other way.“A loyal companion, like a brother to you?”Her tone, even more than her curious words, made it clear that she was mocking him, or at least mocking the notion that he and Artemis Entreri might be the best of friends.“Would he have to be any such thing for me to know what is right and what is wrong?” Drizzt countered, fighting hard to suppress his antagonism toward Entreri.“Right and wrong?” she asked, her voice going from behind him to back in front of him between the words.“Black and white?Are you so simplistic as to believe that there is only one answer to such a question?”“Which question?” Drizzt shot back.“That seems to be all you offer: questions.”“Nay, my friend,” she replied immediately.
|
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dnd456
|
“Had I nothing to offer, I would not be here.” As she finished, she came out of the shadows—or simply materialized in the corridor, Drizzt could not be sure—and slowly approached him.“You have nothing to offer against the clear morality of such a choice,” Drizzt insisted.“Are you sure?” Her smile, so confident, so knowing, unnerved him.She stopped only a few strides from him and said simply, “I want the sword.”“You cannot have it.”Her hand came up slowly, palm facing upward and holding a curious item.For a moment, Drizzt didn’t understand the movement or the item, and his hands went fast to his scimitar hilts, the blades coming out just a bit.He wondered if she was casting a spell of some sort, or if this item, a very small box lined with glowing blue lines of energy and magic, would strike out at him with some unknown force.After a moment, the item in her hand shifted.No, he realized, something contained inside the item had shifted, something inside the small cage she held had moved around.Drizzt peered more closely as the reality began to dawn on him.He felt the strength drain from his legs, felt his heart pounding in his chest.Guenhwyvar.Dahlia kept one eye cracked open, and stared out the corner of it at her companion.Entreri was sitting, his legs tucked up tight against him, his head back against the wall, eyes closed.She doubted that he was asleep at that point, and she didn’t want Entreri noticing that she was staring at him.Staring at him and measuring him.The woman felt naked before this man.It seemed to Dahlia that he knew more about her emotional turmoil than she did.But what did that mean for her?Entreri was sympathetic to her pains.He knew her trauma—not the specifics, perhaps, though that, too, was possible, she realized, since he had been with Herzgo Alegni for so many years.Certainly he had recognized the scars, because he shared those scars, or so he’d strongly hinted.But did he, truly?It screamed out in Dahlia’s thoughts that Entreri might be using her dark secret as a cynical way to gain some level of control over her, or to gain her trust for his own eventual gain.That he could speak to her so intimately, as if he was a kindred spirit, certainly forced her to let down some of her ever-present guards.To what end?Dahlia closed her eyes and tried to shake the unsettling notion away.Perhaps he wasn’t manipulating her, she reminded herself.Within a couple of heartbeats, she found herself looking at him again, her cynicism thinning.He understood.That notion stung her and warmed her at the same time, embarrassed her because no one should know this about her.And the thought brought a grimace to her face, because even though Entreri had come to understand a part of her scar, it was only that, a part, a fraction of the shame that haunted Dahlia.He had a notion of Alegni’s violation, that much was clear, but how far would his sympathy carry her with him if he knew the rest of the story, if he knew …?Dahlia sighed and settled back with closed eyes once more, and though she was in a stuffy and tight cave, she felt the wind on her face, felt as if she was standing atop a cliff, a baby in her arms.Dahlia’s breathing came in rasps, and she opened her eyes and glared at Entreri, silently cursing him for reminding her of that dark past.And yet, even that anger could not gain any lasting hold over her as she watched her quiet companion.Entreri scared her, rightly so, and Dahlia continually told herself to be wary of him.But she couldn’t deny that he also intrigued her on several very deep and very personal levels.He knew.He knew, and he hadn’t turned away from her.He knew, and instead of disgust, he had reached out to her.Did she want that?Did she deserve that?Dahlia couldn’t sort through the jarring contradictions in her thoughts and in her heart.She thought of killing him.She thought of making love to him.Both seemed so sweet.Drizzt’s hand snapped up to grab the small cage, but he grasped only air as the image of the woman faded to nothingness in the dimly lit cavern.He leaped around, eyes darting, and found her again to the other side.“What trick is this?”“No trick,” she answered.
|
“Had I nothing to offer, I would not be here.” As she finished, she came out of the shadows—or simply materialized in the corridor, Drizzt could not be sure—and slowly approached him.“You have nothing to offer against the clear morality of such a choice,” Drizzt insisted.“Are you sure?” Her smile, so confident, so knowing, unnerved him.She stopped only a few strides from him and said simply, “I want the sword.”“You cannot have it.”Her hand came up slowly, palm facing upward and holding a curious item.For a moment, Drizzt didn’t understand the movement or the item, and his hands went fast to his scimitar hilts, the blades coming out just a bit.He wondered if she was casting a spell of some sort, or if this item, a very small box lined with glowing blue lines of energy and magic, would strike out at him with some unknown force.After a moment, the item in her hand shifted.No, he realized, something contained inside the item had shifted, something inside the small cage she held had moved around.Drizzt peered more closely as the reality began to dawn on him.He felt the strength drain from his legs, felt his heart pounding in his chest.Guenhwyvar.Dahlia kept one eye cracked open, and stared out the corner of it at her companion.Entreri was sitting, his legs tucked up tight against him, his head back against the wall, eyes closed.She doubted that he was asleep at that point, and she didn’t want Entreri noticing that she was staring at him.Staring at him and measuring him.The woman felt naked before this man.It seemed to Dahlia that he knew more about her emotional turmoil than she did.But what did that mean for her?Entreri was sympathetic to her pains.He knew her trauma—not the specifics, perhaps, though that, too, was possible, she realized, since he had been with Herzgo Alegni for so many years.Certainly he had recognized the scars, because he shared those scars, or so he’d strongly hinted.But did he, truly?It screamed out in Dahlia’s thoughts that Entreri might be using her dark secret as a cynical way to gain some level of control over her, or to gain her trust for his own eventual gain.That he could speak to her so intimately, as if he was a kindred spirit, certainly forced her to let down some of her ever-present guards.To what end?Dahlia closed her eyes and tried to shake the unsettling notion away.Perhaps he wasn’t manipulating her, she reminded herself.Within a couple of heartbeats, she found herself looking at him again, her cynicism thinning.He understood.That notion stung her and warmed her at the same time, embarrassed her because no one should know this about her.And the thought brought a grimace to her face, because even though Entreri had come to understand a part of her scar, it was only that, a part, a fraction of the shame that haunted Dahlia.He had a notion of Alegni’s violation, that much was clear, but how far would his sympathy carry her with him if he knew the rest of the story, if he knew …?Dahlia sighed and settled back with closed eyes once more, and though she was in a stuffy and tight cave, she felt the wind on her face, felt as if she was standing atop a cliff, a baby in her arms.Dahlia’s breathing came in rasps, and she opened her eyes and glared at Entreri, silently cursing him for reminding her of that dark past.And yet, even that anger could not gain any lasting hold over her as she watched her quiet companion.Entreri scared her, rightly so, and Dahlia continually told herself to be wary of him.But she couldn’t deny that he also intrigued her on several very deep and very personal levels.He knew.He knew, and he hadn’t turned away from her.He knew, and instead of disgust, he had reached out to her.Did she want that?Did she deserve that?Dahlia couldn’t sort through the jarring contradictions in her thoughts and in her heart.She thought of killing him.She thought of making love to him.Both seemed so sweet.Drizzt’s hand snapped up to grab the small cage, but he grasped only air as the image of the woman faded to nothingness in the dimly lit cavern.He leaped around, eyes darting, and found her again to the other side.“What trick is this?”“No trick,” she answered.
|
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dnd457
|
“In my hand, I have a magical cage, and in that cage is the companion you hold most dear.”“Give her to me!” Drizzt demanded, but as he took a single step toward the woman, she disappeared again, only to reappear farther down the corridor.“The panther came through the shadowgate with Lord Alegni,” the woman explained.“Lord Alegni does not yet know that we have the cat, but he will surely make her pay dearly for the scars she dug into his body.”So entranced was Drizzt with the possibility of getting Guen back, with the idea that she might not be lost to him after all, that it took him many heartbeats to even register the reality that Herzgo Alegni might not be dead.His expression grew curious and he stared at the woman, at this latest image of the woman.“Alegni is dead.”The woman shrugged.“He should be, perhaps,” she replied.“And surely would be had he not arrived back to loving, clerical arms.”Drizzt didn’t know how to respond.“You will learn the truth of my words soon enough, I expect,” the woman added.“He will find you, if you remain with your companions.Did you think your battle out in the forest a mere coincidence?”“Why are you here?Why are you telling me this?Are you Alegni’s enemy?”She shook her head.“I am neither enemy nor friend.I am merely employed, by another.”“Another Netherese?”She smiled as if that should be obvious.“Who sent you here to taunt me?”“Taunt?I have done no such thing.”“You dangle before me that which I most desire.”“Such a companion is quite desirable, indeed, and by more than you.”“I have the figurine,” the drow argued.“You cannot have her.You cannot control her!Even were you to kill me and take the statuette which summons Guenhwyvar, she would not serve you.”“The Netherese are not impotent in the way of magic, even ancient magic, nor in the ways of planar travel,” she replied.“We don’t need your magical item to summon Guenhwyvar, nor will you, for all of your efforts, recall her to your side from out of the cage we have built for her.Do not doubt that.”“So you taunt me.”“No.”“But you hold her before me, with me helpless to free her.”“Helpless?Nay, Drizzt Do’Urden, you can have her.”Drizzt swallowed hard at that remark.“What do you want?”“It is quite simple,” she replied.And the drow wasn’t surprised when she added, “As I already told you, you have something that belongs to us.”Drizzt rubbed his hand over his face.“Give me the sword and I will free your feline companion,” the woman promised.
|
“In my hand, I have a magical cage, and in that cage is the companion you hold most dear.”“Give her to me!” Drizzt demanded, but as he took a single step toward the woman, she disappeared again, only to reappear farther down the corridor.“The panther came through the shadowgate with Lord Alegni,” the woman explained.“Lord Alegni does not yet know that we have the cat, but he will surely make her pay dearly for the scars she dug into his body.”So entranced was Drizzt with the possibility of getting Guen back, with the idea that she might not be lost to him after all, that it took him many heartbeats to even register the reality that Herzgo Alegni might not be dead.His expression grew curious and he stared at the woman, at this latest image of the woman.“Alegni is dead.”The woman shrugged.“He should be, perhaps,” she replied.“And surely would be had he not arrived back to loving, clerical arms.”Drizzt didn’t know how to respond.“You will learn the truth of my words soon enough, I expect,” the woman added.“He will find you, if you remain with your companions.Did you think your battle out in the forest a mere coincidence?”“Why are you here?Why are you telling me this?Are you Alegni’s enemy?”She shook her head.“I am neither enemy nor friend.I am merely employed, by another.”“Another Netherese?”She smiled as if that should be obvious.“Who sent you here to taunt me?”“Taunt?I have done no such thing.”“You dangle before me that which I most desire.”“Such a companion is quite desirable, indeed, and by more than you.”“I have the figurine,” the drow argued.“You cannot have her.You cannot control her!Even were you to kill me and take the statuette which summons Guenhwyvar, she would not serve you.”“The Netherese are not impotent in the way of magic, even ancient magic, nor in the ways of planar travel,” she replied.“We don’t need your magical item to summon Guenhwyvar, nor will you, for all of your efforts, recall her to your side from out of the cage we have built for her.Do not doubt that.”“So you taunt me.”“No.”“But you hold her before me, with me helpless to free her.”“Helpless?Nay, Drizzt Do’Urden, you can have her.”Drizzt swallowed hard at that remark.“What do you want?”“It is quite simple,” she replied.And the drow wasn’t surprised when she added, “As I already told you, you have something that belongs to us.”Drizzt rubbed his hand over his face.“Give me the sword and I will free your feline companion,” the woman promised.
|
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dnd458
|
“A fair deal, from an honorable broker.”“You would claim such.”“Why would I lie?We do know the truth of your words.The cat, beautiful as she is, is useless to us.She will never serve us.Her heart is yours.So take her back and return to us, to me, the Netherese sword you carry on your back.”“So you can use it to kill me?” Drizzt blurted, and he thought the words ridiculous as they left his mouth, for he was merely lashing out in frustration.“The Empire of Netheril cares nothing about you, Drizzt Do’Urden.”“Herzgo Alegni might not agree.”She shrugged as if that hardly mattered.“You were a pawn in a wider game.Do not think yourself so important in this battle, to him or to us.” She reached her free hand forward and beckoned to him.“Give me the sword and take your cat, and be gone from here.These events do not concern you.”Drizzt licked his lips as he stared at that cage, its glowing bars shimmering with energy.His gaze focused more clearly and he made out those familiar eyes from behind the bars, and noted the pacing of the miniaturized panther.It was Guenhwyvar.He knew it in his heart that this was no deception.His hand went over his shoulder and hovered near the hilt of Charon’s Claw.What did he care about this sword or about Artemis Entreri, after all?Wasn’t the life of Guenhwyvar worth those of a thousand Entreris?He owed the man nothing!Could he say the same about Guenhwyvar?“Give her back to me and I will be gone from the fight,” he started to respond, as his hand started to close around the wrapped hilt of Charon’s Claw, but the words choked him up as he tried to speak them.He thought of Dahlia.He would have to extricate her from this battle as well, of course.But would she even go?Would she leave Artemis Entreri?Drizzt winced as he thought of a goblin he had met so long ago, in a place so far removed from here.
|
“A fair deal, from an honorable broker.”“You would claim such.”“Why would I lie?We do know the truth of your words.The cat, beautiful as she is, is useless to us.She will never serve us.Her heart is yours.So take her back and return to us, to me, the Netherese sword you carry on your back.”“So you can use it to kill me?” Drizzt blurted, and he thought the words ridiculous as they left his mouth, for he was merely lashing out in frustration.“The Empire of Netheril cares nothing about you, Drizzt Do’Urden.”“Herzgo Alegni might not agree.”She shrugged as if that hardly mattered.“You were a pawn in a wider game.Do not think yourself so important in this battle, to him or to us.” She reached her free hand forward and beckoned to him.“Give me the sword and take your cat, and be gone from here.These events do not concern you.”Drizzt licked his lips as he stared at that cage, its glowing bars shimmering with energy.His gaze focused more clearly and he made out those familiar eyes from behind the bars, and noted the pacing of the miniaturized panther.It was Guenhwyvar.He knew it in his heart that this was no deception.His hand went over his shoulder and hovered near the hilt of Charon’s Claw.What did he care about this sword or about Artemis Entreri, after all?Wasn’t the life of Guenhwyvar worth those of a thousand Entreris?He owed the man nothing!Could he say the same about Guenhwyvar?“Give her back to me and I will be gone from the fight,” he started to respond, as his hand started to close around the wrapped hilt of Charon’s Claw, but the words choked him up as he tried to speak them.He thought of Dahlia.He would have to extricate her from this battle as well, of course.But would she even go?Would she leave Artemis Entreri?Drizzt winced as he thought of a goblin he had met so long ago, in a place so far removed from here.
|
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dnd459
|
A runaway slave, a goblin not of typical weal, a goblin akin to himself, in truth, in its desire to be away from its dishonorable people.He had failed that goblin, and that goblin had been hanged.A slave.Artemis Entreri had been a slave to Alegni, a slave to Charon’s Claw.Could Drizzt really offer him back to that circumstance, whatever his desires and whatever his gain?And yet, did Guenhwyvar deserve this, deserve to pace in tight circles in a tiny cage?“I warn you that my masters are not benevolent,” the woman said, noting his hesitation.“Your precious Guenhwyvar is not immortal in her current state, chained in a pit in the Shadowfell, surrounded by shadow mastiffs eager to tear her apart.Will they get to her before Herzgo Alegni, who is fast recovering from his wounds?”Drizzt tried to respond.A large part of him wanted to draw out Charon’s Claw and throw it on the ground before him.What did he owe Artemis Entreri?And yet, he could not do it.He could not return the man to slavery.He could not offer one life in exchange for another.He stood there, motionless, except that he slowly shook his head.“You play the part of the fool,” the woman said quietly.“You hold to a moral standard that Barrabus the Gray does not deserve, and at the expense of your precious Guenhwyvar.What a miserable friend is Drizzt Do’Urden!”“Just give her to me,” Drizzt heard himself saying, quietly.“Consider your decision,” the woman replied.“Sleep with it, if you can.Sleep with dreams of Guenhwyvar, staked in a pit, hungry hounds tearing her flesh and pulling her limbs off.Will you hear her shrieks of agony, Drizzt Do’Urden?Will the tortured death of Guenhwyvar haunt you for the rest of your miserable life?I think it will.”Drizzt felt as if he was shrinking, as if he was diminishing, the floor rushing up all around him to swallow him—and in that awful moment, he wished that it would!“We will speak again, perhaps,” the woman said.“I will return to you, if I find the opportunity before your Guenhwyvar is destroyed.Or perhaps Lord Alegni will find you three and take back his sword.I am sure that he will not kill you until he allows you to witness the death of Guenhwyvar.”With that, she vanished, and Drizzt sensed that he was truly alone.He danced all around, agitated, his gaze darting to every shadow.How could he have done this?
|
A runaway slave, a goblin not of typical weal, a goblin akin to himself, in truth, in its desire to be away from its dishonorable people.He had failed that goblin, and that goblin had been hanged.A slave.Artemis Entreri had been a slave to Alegni, a slave to Charon’s Claw.Could Drizzt really offer him back to that circumstance, whatever his desires and whatever his gain?And yet, did Guenhwyvar deserve this, deserve to pace in tight circles in a tiny cage?“I warn you that my masters are not benevolent,” the woman said, noting his hesitation.“Your precious Guenhwyvar is not immortal in her current state, chained in a pit in the Shadowfell, surrounded by shadow mastiffs eager to tear her apart.Will they get to her before Herzgo Alegni, who is fast recovering from his wounds?”Drizzt tried to respond.A large part of him wanted to draw out Charon’s Claw and throw it on the ground before him.What did he owe Artemis Entreri?And yet, he could not do it.He could not return the man to slavery.He could not offer one life in exchange for another.He stood there, motionless, except that he slowly shook his head.“You play the part of the fool,” the woman said quietly.“You hold to a moral standard that Barrabus the Gray does not deserve, and at the expense of your precious Guenhwyvar.What a miserable friend is Drizzt Do’Urden!”“Just give her to me,” Drizzt heard himself saying, quietly.“Consider your decision,” the woman replied.“Sleep with it, if you can.Sleep with dreams of Guenhwyvar, staked in a pit, hungry hounds tearing her flesh and pulling her limbs off.Will you hear her shrieks of agony, Drizzt Do’Urden?Will the tortured death of Guenhwyvar haunt you for the rest of your miserable life?I think it will.”Drizzt felt as if he was shrinking, as if he was diminishing, the floor rushing up all around him to swallow him—and in that awful moment, he wished that it would!“We will speak again, perhaps,” the woman said.“I will return to you, if I find the opportunity before your Guenhwyvar is destroyed.Or perhaps Lord Alegni will find you three and take back his sword.I am sure that he will not kill you until he allows you to witness the death of Guenhwyvar.”With that, she vanished, and Drizzt sensed that he was truly alone.He danced all around, agitated, his gaze darting to every shadow.How could he have done this?
|
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dnd460
|
How could he have chosen the sword, chosen Artemis Entreri, over his beloved Guenhwyvar?What a miserable friend indeed was Drizzt Do’Urden!THE WEB OF DROWRAVEL MOVED WITH ALL SPEED, EAGER TO SEE THE COMPLETION OF THIS GREAT achievement.They had found a dividing chamber between the main regions of the forge and lower Gauntlgrym and the still-unexplored upper levels.Several nobles had utilized their House insignias to levitate up to the ceiling and had discerned that this place was indeed the key area of division between the two sections of the vast complex, but the long circular iron staircase that had allowed access had been destroyed, and recently, it seemed, likely in the cataclysmic eruption.The first reports had claimed that it was beyond repair, and some of the craftsmen had estimated that it would take months to build another suitable stair.Drow ingenuity and clever ideas combined with a bit of magic had solved the riddle, though.Ravel at last came into the chamber, and it was indeed vast, a series of crisscrossing stone walkways going off beyond his vision in every direction and with a ceiling so high that it was out of sight, even though the light was ample, relatively speaking.With Tiago Baenre and Jearth in tow, Ravel moved out from the entrance toward a group of drow settled behind an army of goblins and orcs.Not far behind him came his sisters and many others.It occurred to Ravel that almost the entirety of his expedition was now there, in that chamber, with only Gol’fanin and a few other craftsmen back in the forge room.That notion unsettled him more than a little.As he neared the group, Ravel noted the circular stair, climbing from the floor.Beyond it, lines of orcs and bugbears, as well as Yerrininae’s drider forces, pulled hard on ropes that had been hung over pulleys fastened in the ceiling, hoisting a long section of curving stairs high into the air.“We were able to salvage more of the original stair than we believed,” Brack’thal explained, and Ravel started to nod to his older brother, until he realized that the mage was addressing Berellip, who was standing behind him, and not him.“Finally,” Ravel intervened, with a tone reflecting as much disgust as relief.He knew that this, like the battles with the elementals in the forge room, would serve his brother’s reputation dangerously well, and so he wanted to establish himself as the leader here, and not let Brack’thal and Berellip speak around him.Brack’thal stared at him incredulously and started to respond—some impertinent insult, no doubt—when a brilliant flash to the side caught the attention of all, and a resounding retort shook the stones beneath their feet.Following that came a cacophony of avian shrieks of the type one might hear when trying to steal from the nest of a crow.“The spellspinners engage the dire corbies,” Ravel said, glad that his clique was proving valuable, when indeed much of the stair’s repair had to be credited to the efforts and magic of Brack’thal.“Now!” Brack’thal cried out, demanding the attention of all, as across the way, bugbears swung heavy axes at the ropes.Magical lights appeared far above, illuminating the ceiling of the great chamber, and showing the suspended section of stairs clearly as its supports broke free.With worker goblins clambering all around it, down it fell a few feet into the waiting arms of the highest reconstructed section.The momentum of the fall drove the stairwell perfectly into place, pushing the joining pins in solidly and deep.With a great groan, it set there and toppled forward, where the hooked tip of its high end slammed in with a resounding thud and found a secure grasp on the ledge above.Dust and stones fell down from on high, spattering the wide floor, and for a moment, all held their collective breath, fearing that the whole of the top landing would collapse.But it did not and the stairwell held.A great cheer arose from below, from drow and goblins and bugbears alike.The poor goblins riding the stair bounced all around, some flipping over the side to grab on desperately or to pitch over and tumble down to their deaths.Those splattering goblins, too, were cheered, just for the joy of the gruesome spectacle.“And now we can travel in force to the higher complex,” Brack’thal announced with a victorious bow.“And enemies can come down from above,” Ravel remarked.“Not so,” said Brack’thal.“The stair is hinged.We can retract it, by half, and raise it back as needed.”Another flash off to the side showed that the battle with the dire corbies was hardly at its end.“How many?” Ravel asked, nodding that way and desperately wanting to change the subject before his clever brother gained too much of an upper hand.“They are thick in the tunnels,” one of the other nearby drow answered.Ravel paused to consider that, and behind him, Berellip warned, “If we press on too far and too quickly, we will invite them and other monsters around this complex to slide in behind us and cut our forces in two.”The spellspinner turned an unappreciative glare on her, and her warning only prompted him to push along more boldly, out of spite if not good tactics.“Take a sizable force—six hands,” Ravel instructed Jearth, a “hand” being a patrol of five dark elves, “and half of Yerrininae’s driders, Yerrininae included, and go up to map the higher chambers.”“Spellspinners?” Jearth asked.“One for every hand,” Ravel replied.He looked to Berellip and Saribel as he added, “And a priestess for every two hands—Saribel will surely enjoy the adventure.”“As will I,” Brack’thal put in.Ravel didn’t turn to look at him, but kept staring at his sisters, measuring their intent and curious as to whether Berellip would try to overrule him so openly.“Since I was instrumental in repairing the staircase,” Brack’thal added.Ravel turned on him sharply.“You will return to the forge,” he instructed.Brack’thal’s eyes narrowed, full of hate.“Any craftsman commoner could have overseen the repair of the stairwell,” Ravel stated.“Your singular talent lies in your strange affinity to these fire elementals, and so the forge, and the forge alone, is where you are needed.”For a moment, all about Ravel, his sisters, Brack’thal, Tiago and even the other drow, who surely were not as attuned to the power struggles, but obviously understood that something was amiss, stood tense, most hands shifting nearer to weapons or magical implements.“And what of the iblith?” Jearth said.Ravel appreciated that reminder of the fodder they had brought along—for himself and mostly for those who would oppose him.
|
How could he have chosen the sword, chosen Artemis Entreri, over his beloved Guenhwyvar?What a miserable friend indeed was Drizzt Do’Urden!THE WEB OF DROWRAVEL MOVED WITH ALL SPEED, EAGER TO SEE THE COMPLETION OF THIS GREAT achievement.They had found a dividing chamber between the main regions of the forge and lower Gauntlgrym and the still-unexplored upper levels.Several nobles had utilized their House insignias to levitate up to the ceiling and had discerned that this place was indeed the key area of division between the two sections of the vast complex, but the long circular iron staircase that had allowed access had been destroyed, and recently, it seemed, likely in the cataclysmic eruption.The first reports had claimed that it was beyond repair, and some of the craftsmen had estimated that it would take months to build another suitable stair.Drow ingenuity and clever ideas combined with a bit of magic had solved the riddle, though.Ravel at last came into the chamber, and it was indeed vast, a series of crisscrossing stone walkways going off beyond his vision in every direction and with a ceiling so high that it was out of sight, even though the light was ample, relatively speaking.With Tiago Baenre and Jearth in tow, Ravel moved out from the entrance toward a group of drow settled behind an army of goblins and orcs.Not far behind him came his sisters and many others.It occurred to Ravel that almost the entirety of his expedition was now there, in that chamber, with only Gol’fanin and a few other craftsmen back in the forge room.That notion unsettled him more than a little.As he neared the group, Ravel noted the circular stair, climbing from the floor.Beyond it, lines of orcs and bugbears, as well as Yerrininae’s drider forces, pulled hard on ropes that had been hung over pulleys fastened in the ceiling, hoisting a long section of curving stairs high into the air.“We were able to salvage more of the original stair than we believed,” Brack’thal explained, and Ravel started to nod to his older brother, until he realized that the mage was addressing Berellip, who was standing behind him, and not him.“Finally,” Ravel intervened, with a tone reflecting as much disgust as relief.He knew that this, like the battles with the elementals in the forge room, would serve his brother’s reputation dangerously well, and so he wanted to establish himself as the leader here, and not let Brack’thal and Berellip speak around him.Brack’thal stared at him incredulously and started to respond—some impertinent insult, no doubt—when a brilliant flash to the side caught the attention of all, and a resounding retort shook the stones beneath their feet.Following that came a cacophony of avian shrieks of the type one might hear when trying to steal from the nest of a crow.“The spellspinners engage the dire corbies,” Ravel said, glad that his clique was proving valuable, when indeed much of the stair’s repair had to be credited to the efforts and magic of Brack’thal.“Now!” Brack’thal cried out, demanding the attention of all, as across the way, bugbears swung heavy axes at the ropes.Magical lights appeared far above, illuminating the ceiling of the great chamber, and showing the suspended section of stairs clearly as its supports broke free.With worker goblins clambering all around it, down it fell a few feet into the waiting arms of the highest reconstructed section.The momentum of the fall drove the stairwell perfectly into place, pushing the joining pins in solidly and deep.With a great groan, it set there and toppled forward, where the hooked tip of its high end slammed in with a resounding thud and found a secure grasp on the ledge above.Dust and stones fell down from on high, spattering the wide floor, and for a moment, all held their collective breath, fearing that the whole of the top landing would collapse.But it did not and the stairwell held.A great cheer arose from below, from drow and goblins and bugbears alike.The poor goblins riding the stair bounced all around, some flipping over the side to grab on desperately or to pitch over and tumble down to their deaths.Those splattering goblins, too, were cheered, just for the joy of the gruesome spectacle.“And now we can travel in force to the higher complex,” Brack’thal announced with a victorious bow.“And enemies can come down from above,” Ravel remarked.“Not so,” said Brack’thal.“The stair is hinged.We can retract it, by half, and raise it back as needed.”Another flash off to the side showed that the battle with the dire corbies was hardly at its end.“How many?” Ravel asked, nodding that way and desperately wanting to change the subject before his clever brother gained too much of an upper hand.“They are thick in the tunnels,” one of the other nearby drow answered.Ravel paused to consider that, and behind him, Berellip warned, “If we press on too far and too quickly, we will invite them and other monsters around this complex to slide in behind us and cut our forces in two.”The spellspinner turned an unappreciative glare on her, and her warning only prompted him to push along more boldly, out of spite if not good tactics.“Take a sizable force—six hands,” Ravel instructed Jearth, a “hand” being a patrol of five dark elves, “and half of Yerrininae’s driders, Yerrininae included, and go up to map the higher chambers.”“Spellspinners?” Jearth asked.“One for every hand,” Ravel replied.He looked to Berellip and Saribel as he added, “And a priestess for every two hands—Saribel will surely enjoy the adventure.”“As will I,” Brack’thal put in.Ravel didn’t turn to look at him, but kept staring at his sisters, measuring their intent and curious as to whether Berellip would try to overrule him so openly.“Since I was instrumental in repairing the staircase,” Brack’thal added.Ravel turned on him sharply.“You will return to the forge,” he instructed.Brack’thal’s eyes narrowed, full of hate.“Any craftsman commoner could have overseen the repair of the 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|
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dnd461
|
For more than any dark elves, more than any dark elven power, in this chamber loomed the hulking specter of the slave multitude, so thick in rank.Ravel controlled them, as Jearth had just subtly, and wisely, reminded them all.“Take as many goblins and orcs as you deem necessary,” the spellspinner offered.“Bugbears would move more stealthily through the upper tunnels,” Jearth countered.“They remain here, to secure the stairwell.”Jearth nodded and looked to Tiago.“I believe that I will stand beside Ravel for now,” the Baenre answered that look, and his words resonated on many levels.Ravel was glad for that, for he understood the argument that awaited him back in the forge area when he returned to face Berellip and Brack’thal.The open hatred with which his brother now stared at him promised at least that.I did not think you would come, Jearth’s fingers flashed to Saribel Xorlarrin sometime later in the higher tunnels.Saribel regarded him contemptuously and did not reply.You could have sent lesser priestesses, Jearth’s hand flashed.Surely you know the danger here.No more than the danger below, Saribel hastily flashed back.Her fingers continued, but she clamped her fist shut, shutting down the communication.“Do you think I fear battle?” she asked aloud, her voice seeming absurdly loud in the dull silence of the dusty chambers, the volume drawing looks of alarm from Jearth and others nearby.It is not wise to … the weapons master started to reply with fingers emphatically waggling.“Enough, Jearth,” Saribel demanded.“If there are enemies to be found, then let us find them and be done with them.”Jearth motioned for the others to move past and he motioned Saribel aside into a small and broken chamber, one that might have served as an antechamber for a chapel, for through a second, low archway, one nearly crumbled, it connected to a large room that had what appeared to be the remains of an altar at its far end.Glancing through it, Jearth watched a patrol of goblins scurrying along.He turned to the priestess.“If you’re so afraid …” she started to say, but he cut her short with an upraised hand.“Of course I’m not,” he replied quietly.“I wish nothing more than to find some enemy blood to wet my blades.But I wish our conversation private.”“Plotting?” she asked slyly.“You see the coming battle as clearly as I.”“I hope to, indeed.”“Ravel will win out.”Saribel scoffed at that.“You don’t believe it, or you do not wish it?”“The latter,” Saribel replied with a grin, “and so, doubtlessly, the former will follow.”Jearth understood her clearly enough.Berellip preferred Brack’thal.The weapons master shook his head, slowly and deliberately.“You doubt the priestesses of Lolth?” Saribel asked incredulously.I do not doubt at all that Berellip could find victory for whichever side she chose.Jearth went back to the silent hand signals, for he sensed someone just beyond the archway and wanted this critical exchange to be truly private.But why would Saribel follow?Saribel’s superior expression turned to one of confusion, and Jearth knew that he was on very dangerous ground.His fingers moved slowly.If Berellip chooses Brack’thal, Berellip chooses wrongly.Saribel’s eyes widened and Jearth added, Tiago Baenre stands with Ravel.Then Tiago Baenre … she started to reply, but Jearth emphatically interrupted her.If Tiago does not return to Matron Mother Quenthel, House Baenre will wage war on House Xorlarrin, he explained.There is no exception to be found.If Tiago is killed by a corbie or a cave-in, or smitten dead by Berellip, it matters not at all.Matron Mother Quenthel Baenre has assured me of this.It was her way of ensuring that Tiago’s choice would, by necessity, be our choice.Saribel’s shoulders slumped visibly, dropping under the undeniable weight of House Baenre.Tiago has made his choice and will not be dissuaded.He stands with Ravel.Berellip does not, Saribel’s fingers replied.
|
For more than any dark elves, more than any dark elven power, in this chamber loomed the hulking specter of the slave multitude, so thick in rank.Ravel controlled them, as Jearth had just subtly, and wisely, reminded them all.“Take as many goblins and orcs as you deem necessary,” the spellspinner offered.“Bugbears would move more stealthily through the upper tunnels,” Jearth countered.“They remain here, to secure the stairwell.”Jearth nodded and looked to Tiago.“I believe that I will stand beside Ravel for now,” the Baenre answered that look, and his words resonated on many levels.Ravel was glad for that, for he understood the argument that awaited him back in the forge area when he returned to face Berellip and Brack’thal.The open hatred with which his brother now stared at him promised at least that.I did not think you would come, Jearth’s fingers flashed to Saribel Xorlarrin sometime later in the higher tunnels.Saribel regarded him contemptuously and did not reply.You could have sent lesser priestesses, Jearth’s hand flashed.Surely you know the danger here.No more than the danger below, Saribel hastily flashed back.Her fingers continued, but she clamped her fist shut, shutting down the communication.“Do you think I fear battle?” she asked aloud, her voice seeming absurdly loud in the dull silence of the dusty chambers, the volume drawing looks of alarm from Jearth and others nearby.It is not wise to … the weapons master started to reply with fingers emphatically waggling.“Enough, Jearth,” Saribel demanded.“If there are enemies to be found, then let us find them and be done with them.”Jearth motioned for the others to move past and he motioned Saribel aside into a small and broken chamber, one that might have served as an antechamber for a chapel, for through a second, low archway, one nearly crumbled, it connected to a large room that had what appeared to be the remains of an altar at its far end.Glancing through it, Jearth watched a patrol of goblins scurrying along.He turned to the priestess.“If you’re so afraid …” she started to say, but he cut her short with an upraised hand.“Of course I’m not,” he replied quietly.“I wish nothing more than to find some enemy blood to wet my blades.But I wish our conversation private.”“Plotting?” she asked slyly.“You see the coming battle as clearly as I.”“I hope to, indeed.”“Ravel will win out.”Saribel scoffed at that.“You don’t believe it, or you do not wish it?”“The latter,” Saribel replied with a grin, “and so, doubtlessly, the former will follow.”Jearth understood her clearly enough.Berellip preferred Brack’thal.The weapons master shook his head, slowly and deliberately.“You doubt the priestesses of Lolth?” Saribel asked incredulously.I do not doubt at all that Berellip could find victory for whichever side she chose.Jearth went back to the silent hand signals, for he sensed someone just beyond the archway and wanted this critical exchange to be truly private.But why would Saribel follow?Saribel’s superior expression turned to one of confusion, and Jearth knew that he was on very dangerous ground.His fingers moved slowly.If Berellip chooses Brack’thal, Berellip chooses wrongly.Saribel’s eyes widened and Jearth added, Tiago Baenre stands with Ravel.Then Tiago Baenre … she started to reply, but Jearth emphatically interrupted her.If Tiago does not return to Matron Mother Quenthel, House Baenre will wage war on House Xorlarrin, he explained.There is no exception to be found.If Tiago is killed by a corbie or a cave-in, or smitten dead by Berellip, it matters not at all.Matron Mother Quenthel Baenre has assured me of this.It was her way of ensuring that Tiago’s choice would, by necessity, be our choice.Saribel’s shoulders slumped visibly, dropping under the undeniable weight of House Baenre.Tiago has made his choice and will not be dissuaded.He stands with Ravel.Berellip does not, Saribel’s fingers replied.
|
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dnd462
|
I must go to her.She started to turn, but Jearth caught her by the arm, and when she turned back, outraged that he had dared touch her, he smiled to calm her.“Why?” he asked aloud.Saribel looked at him without any sign of comprehension.How had this dolt ever climbed so high among the priestesses of the House?Could it be more clearly spoken?He was offering Saribel ascension.If Berellip sided with Brack’thal, but he and Saribel turned against her, the battle would be short-lived indeed.For all of Berellip’s power, and all of Brack’thal’s newfound prowess, Ravel commanded the spellspinners and had Tiago at his side.Surely you can justify your decision to Matron Zeerith, knowing that Berellip’s course would have set House Baenre upon us, he dared signal.So there it was, out in the open.As his hands stopped communicating, Jearth brought them near to his weapons.He could defeat this priestess, he believed, but only if he was quick and his aim true.For a long while, Saribel’s expression remained impassive.“If our mission here is successful, it might well create a new hierarchy in House Xorlarrin,” Jearth stated.“Certainly Ravel would be elevated above the stature of Brack’thal,” Saribel replied, her words sounding as sweet music in Jearth’s ears.“Formally, I mean, for already it is clear that the Secondboy has the favor of Matron Zeerith above the Elderboy.”“Lolth blesses this expedition, and will heap rewards and stature upon her priestesses who facilitated it, either by the Spider Queen’s side in a place of honor in death, or within House Xorlarrin for those who return,” Jearth said with a wry grin, one that was soon reflected on Saribel’s face.A cry from somewhere ahead of them told them that battle had been joined.“For the glory of House Xorlarrin,” Saribel said, and she started away.“For the glory of the city of Xorlarrin,” Jearth offered, and Saribel glanced back and nodded.Jearth remained behind just long enough to take a deep breath, and once again he found himself quietly admiring Ravel.For this division of the sisters had been Ravel’s scheme, of course, all planned beforehand with both Tiago and Jearth.It wasn’t always possible to plot steps ahead of drow females, but it was never very hard to get them to stab each other in the back.Jearth drew his weapons and started away, now paying attention to these most interesting chambers and corridors around him.This had been the residence region of ancient Gauntlgrym, so who knew what treasures they might find?It wasn’t often that Berellip Xorlarrin was left speechless, and Tiago Baenre was quite proud of himself for accomplishing that feat.“There is more to Saribel than you assumed,” he said lightheartedly, to convey that this Xorlarrin intrigue was quite amusing to him.He had just assured her that her sister would not stand beside her against Ravel in the probable duel with Brack’thal, executing the second part of Ravel’s clever plan.Jearth divided the sisters and Tiago happily relayed that truth to the one separated.“You presume that I will let Ravel and his spellspinners kill my brother?” she said.“You believe I have no choice or say in the matter?”“I think the consequences give you pause.I think you’re quite intelligent.”Berellip swept past him, out of the room and down the corridor to the forge area, which was glowing brightly in the distance.When they entered, they found that the anticipated fight might be farther along than they had expected, for Brack’thal stood in the center of the room, a gigantic fire elemental at his side, and several other smaller ones dancing in a circle around him.Across the way, leaning easily on the cooling pool of an unfired forge, Ravel stood with his arms crossed over his thin chest, an amused expression clear on his face.“Don’t you feel it, Secondboy?” Brack’thal called with obvious delight.“Of course you do, but you don’t want to admit it.You feel it and you fear it!”None of the craftsmen, not goblin, bugbear, nor drow, were working, all eyes focused on these two principals in a conflict long-expected.Berellip glanced around the room, and noted that more than a few of the blacksmiths weren’t craftsmen at all, but were Ravel’s spellspinners, strategically placed.Her young brother had planned well.
|
I must go to her.She started to turn, but Jearth caught her by the arm, and when she turned back, outraged that he had dared touch her, he smiled to calm her.“Why?” he asked aloud.Saribel looked at him without any sign of comprehension.How had this dolt ever climbed so high among the priestesses of the House?Could it be more clearly spoken?He was offering Saribel ascension.If Berellip sided with Brack’thal, but he and Saribel turned against her, the battle would be short-lived indeed.For all of Berellip’s power, and all of Brack’thal’s newfound prowess, Ravel commanded the spellspinners and had Tiago at his side.Surely you can justify your decision to Matron Zeerith, knowing that Berellip’s course would have set House Baenre upon us, he dared signal.So there it was, out in the open.As his hands stopped communicating, Jearth brought them near to his weapons.He could defeat this priestess, he believed, but only if he was quick and his aim true.For a long while, Saribel’s expression remained impassive.“If our mission here is successful, it might well create a new hierarchy in House Xorlarrin,” Jearth stated.“Certainly Ravel would be elevated above the stature of Brack’thal,” Saribel replied, her words sounding as sweet music in Jearth’s ears.“Formally, I mean, for already it is clear that the Secondboy has the favor of Matron Zeerith above the Elderboy.”“Lolth blesses this expedition, and will heap rewards and stature upon her priestesses who facilitated it, either by the Spider Queen’s side in a place of honor in death, or within House Xorlarrin for those who return,” Jearth said with a wry grin, one that was soon reflected on Saribel’s face.A cry from somewhere ahead of them told them that battle had been joined.“For the glory of House Xorlarrin,” Saribel said, and she started away.“For the glory of the city of Xorlarrin,” Jearth offered, and Saribel glanced back and nodded.Jearth remained behind just long enough to take a deep breath, and once again he found himself quietly admiring Ravel.For this division of the sisters had been Ravel’s scheme, of course, all planned beforehand with both Tiago and Jearth.It wasn’t always possible to plot steps ahead of drow females, but it was never very hard to get them to stab each other in the back.Jearth drew his weapons and started away, now paying attention to these most interesting chambers and corridors around him.This had been the residence region of ancient Gauntlgrym, so who knew what treasures they might find?It wasn’t often that Berellip Xorlarrin was left speechless, and Tiago Baenre was quite proud of himself for accomplishing that feat.“There is more to Saribel than you assumed,” he said lightheartedly, to convey that this Xorlarrin intrigue was quite amusing to him.He had just assured her that her sister would not stand beside her against Ravel in the probable duel with Brack’thal, executing the second part of Ravel’s clever plan.Jearth divided the sisters and Tiago happily relayed that truth to the one separated.“You presume that I will let Ravel and his spellspinners kill my brother?” she said.“You believe I have no choice or say in the matter?”“I think the consequences give you pause.I think you’re quite intelligent.”Berellip swept past him, out of the room and down the corridor to the forge area, which was glowing brightly in the distance.When they entered, they found that the anticipated fight might be farther along than they had expected, for Brack’thal stood in the center of the room, a gigantic fire elemental at his side, and several other smaller ones dancing in a circle around him.Across the way, leaning easily on the cooling pool of an unfired forge, Ravel stood with his arms crossed over his thin chest, an amused expression clear on his face.“Don’t you feel it, Secondboy?” Brack’thal called with obvious delight.“Of course you do, but you don’t want to admit it.You feel it and you fear it!”None of the craftsmen, not goblin, bugbear, nor drow, were working, all eyes focused on these two principals in a conflict long-expected.Berellip glanced around the room, and noted that more than a few of the blacksmiths weren’t craftsmen at all, but were Ravel’s spellspinners, strategically placed.Her young brother had planned well.
|
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dnd463
|
He had seen this coming—likely had incited it—in a time and place of his own choosing.But perhaps he had erred, it occurred to her as she noted another elemental burning a line out of a forge and rushing to Brack’thal’s side, for there was no denying that the older Xorlarrin son was finding impressive amounts of power and control.Just then, as if sensing her attention, Brack’thal turned to regard her and Tiago.“He feels it!” Brack’thal explained.“And he knows what it is.Don’t you, spellspinner?” he shouted, turning sharply back on Ravel.“I feel that you have left your better judgment behind,” Ravel answered flippantly.“My powers grow ascendant once more!” Brack’thal said.“Where will you be then, spellspinner?” He waved his arms and looked all around, focusing on Ravel’s spies.“Where will all of you be in that event?”“Alive, at least,” Ravel replied, a clear threat.Which was more than Brack’thal would be able to say, Berellip knew, for despite his fiery servants, she expected that Ravel and the others would make short work of him.She wondered how to proceed, for it didn’t seem like Brack’thal would listen to any reasoning, and she hated the thought of his demise at that time, both because of the implications to Ravel’s standing and because, on a practical level, Brack’thal’s work with the elementals, however the fool was managing it, was proving quite valuable here at the all-important forge.Tiago Baenre stepped past her.“Would that not be a wondrous thing?” he said loudly, commanding attention.“Ah, Ravel’s rothé makes his appearance,” Brack’thal shouted back.Tiago laughed it off, resisting the urge to fling his sword into the mage’s forehead—and it would not have been a difficult throw.He walked steadily toward Brack’thal.As he neared, so that only Brack’thal could hear, he whispered, “You cannot win.”Brack’thal puffed his chest out defiantly.“Berellip stands with Ravel,” Tiago said, and the mage deflated almost instantly.He looked past Tiago to Berellip, who, understanding what Tiago had just related, nodded solemnly to confirm it.Brack’thal’s eye twitched, and he licked his lips as he turned his gaze from Berellip to Tiago and then to Ravel, who was slowly approaching, a smile slowly widening.Ravel nodded left and nodded right, and from the shadows came the spellspinners, staves and wands in hand, fingers rolling eagerly around them.“Not one of those you thought your ally will stand with you against Berellip,” Tiago quietly informed Brack’thal.The mage spun on Berellip.“Sister!” he implored her.“Dismiss your pets back to the forges,” she ordered.“We have much work to do.”“Sister!”“It is ended!” Berellip roared at him, and she came forward forcefully, even throwing a spell before her, one that smote a minor elemental with a burst of water, and the creature dissipated into a blast of fog with an angry hiss.“Eight legs?” she asked Brack’thal, and the blood drained from his face, for that particular reference loomed as the worst curse any drow might hear.Berellip had just informed the mage that his fate lay among Yerrininae’s band!Brack’thal, clearly caught and overwhelmed by the turn of events, held up his hands unthreateningly and began complying, dismissing his pets to the various forges.By the time Berellip and Ravel reached him, only the largest remained.Brack’thal looked to it, then back to Berellip, and fell on his knees before her.“Kill me, I beg,” he said.“It will not be quick,” she promised wickedly, and he accepted that with an eager nod, for better to be tortured to death than to be transformed into a wretched drider!“Sister,” Ravel intervened, and Berellip, Brack’thal, and Tiago all turned to regard him curiously.“Spare him, I beg of you.”It seemed like every creature in the room held its breath.“He is valuable.His work here has been beyond reproach,” Ravel explained to Berellip’s stunned expression.“Such weakness,” she whispered back, hardly believing her ears.“You would show mercy?”“Only if Brack’thal declares allegiance to me,” Ravel stated, and he struck a superior pose, towering over his kneeling brother.“Only if this is ended, by decree, by surrender, and I am named here and now the Elderboy of House Xorlarrin, with Brack’thal afforded all rights as Secondboy.”“I would rather die,” Brack’thal replied.“Would you rather sprout six extra legs?” Tiago remarked.“Would you?” Ravel asked, referring to Brack’thal’s claim and not Tiago’s threat.“Then your claim of your powers returning rings hollow in your own ears.”He said it loudly, so that all around could hear, so that those spellspinners he knew had recently come to consider siding with Brack’thal would hear.Berellip silently congratulated Ravel.
|
He had seen this coming—likely had incited it—in a time and place of his own choosing.But perhaps he had erred, it occurred to her as she noted another elemental burning a line out of a forge and rushing to Brack’thal’s side, for there was no denying that the older Xorlarrin son was finding impressive amounts of power and control.Just then, as if sensing her attention, Brack’thal turned to regard her and Tiago.“He feels it!” Brack’thal explained.“And he knows what it is.Don’t you, spellspinner?” he shouted, turning sharply back on Ravel.“I feel that you have left your better judgment behind,” Ravel answered flippantly.“My powers grow ascendant once more!” Brack’thal said.“Where will you be then, spellspinner?” He waved his arms and looked all around, focusing on Ravel’s spies.“Where will all of you be in that event?”“Alive, at least,” Ravel replied, a clear threat.Which was more than Brack’thal would be able to say, Berellip knew, for despite his fiery servants, she expected that Ravel and the others would make short work of him.She wondered how to proceed, for it didn’t seem like Brack’thal would listen to any reasoning, and she hated the thought of his demise at that time, both because of the implications to Ravel’s standing and because, on a practical level, Brack’thal’s work with the elementals, however the fool was managing it, was proving quite valuable here at the all-important forge.Tiago Baenre stepped past her.“Would that not be a wondrous thing?” he said loudly, commanding attention.“Ah, Ravel’s rothé makes his appearance,” Brack’thal shouted back.Tiago laughed it off, resisting the urge to fling his sword into the mage’s forehead—and it would not have been a difficult throw.He walked steadily toward Brack’thal.As he neared, so that only Brack’thal could hear, he whispered, “You cannot win.”Brack’thal puffed his chest out defiantly.“Berellip stands with Ravel,” Tiago said, and the mage deflated almost instantly.He looked past Tiago to Berellip, who, understanding what Tiago had just related, nodded solemnly to confirm it.Brack’thal’s eye twitched, and he licked his lips as he turned his gaze from Berellip to Tiago and then to Ravel, who was slowly approaching, a smile slowly widening.Ravel nodded left and nodded right, and from the shadows came the spellspinners, staves and wands in hand, fingers rolling eagerly around them.“Not one of those you thought your ally will stand with you against Berellip,” Tiago quietly informed Brack’thal.The mage spun on Berellip.“Sister!” he implored her.“Dismiss your pets back to the forges,” she ordered.“We have much work to do.”“Sister!”“It is ended!” Berellip roared at him, and she came forward forcefully, even throwing a spell before her, one that smote a minor elemental with a burst of water, and the creature dissipated into a blast of fog with an angry hiss.“Eight legs?” she asked Brack’thal, and the blood drained from his face, for that particular reference loomed as the worst curse any drow might hear.Berellip had just informed the mage that his fate lay among Yerrininae’s band!Brack’thal, clearly caught and overwhelmed by the turn of events, held up his hands unthreateningly and began complying, dismissing his pets to the various forges.By the time Berellip and Ravel reached him, only the largest remained.Brack’thal looked to it, then back to Berellip, and fell on his knees before her.“Kill me, I beg,” he said.“It will not be quick,” she promised wickedly, and he accepted that with an eager nod, for better to be tortured to death than to be transformed into a wretched drider!“Sister,” Ravel intervened, and Berellip, Brack’thal, and Tiago all turned to regard him curiously.“Spare him, I beg of you.”It seemed like every creature in the room held its breath.“He is valuable.His work here has been beyond reproach,” Ravel explained to Berellip’s stunned expression.“Such weakness,” she whispered back, hardly believing her ears.“You would show mercy?”“Only if Brack’thal declares allegiance to me,” Ravel stated, and he struck a superior pose, towering over his kneeling brother.“Only if this is ended, by decree, by surrender, and I am named here and now the Elderboy of House Xorlarrin, with Brack’thal afforded all rights as Secondboy.”“I would rather die,” Brack’thal replied.“Would you rather sprout six extra legs?” Tiago remarked.“Would you?” Ravel asked, referring to Brack’thal’s claim and not Tiago’s threat.“Then your claim of your powers returning rings hollow in your own ears.”He said it loudly, so that all around could hear, so that those spellspinners he knew had recently come to consider siding with Brack’thal would hear.Berellip silently congratulated Ravel.
|
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dnd464
|
He had played this perfectly, for either way, Brack’thal was caught.If he didn’t agree and was thus killed, he would be admitting that his claims were false, and so Ravel would secure the spellspinners in his entourage once more.And if he did agree, he would be bound by his words.It was not often that drow males flipped their titles, as Ravel had demanded, but it was not unprecedented, and such a pact was surely binding.If Brack’thal agreed, any future action he took against Ravel would be construed as an affront to House Xorlarrin, invoking the wrath of Matron Zeerith.“Well?” Berellip prompted.“So be it,” the defeated mage replied, lowering his gaze.Ravel was to his side in an eye-blink, grabbing him under the shoulder and hoisting him to his feet.“You are a noble of House Xorlarrin,” the young spellspinner quietly said.Brack’thal stared at him hatefully.“Go back to the tunnels with your pet,” Ravel ordered.“Continue your important work.”The mage was more than happy to comply, and he hustled away, and as Berellip and Ravel swept the room with their stares, drow and goblins and bugbears fell all over each other to get back to their tasks.“Follow,” Berellip demanded of the two males beside her.She led them into the chambers she had taken as her own, and closed the door behind them as they entered, before grabbing Ravel by the arm and spinning him around.“I have had enough of your subterfuge,” she said.“I am drow,” he replied with a grin.Berellip didn’t blink.“This is ended,” Ravel told her.“And know that I am as weary of looking over my shoulder for you as you are for me.” He turned for the door and Berellip shifted to block his egress.Now Ravel didn’t blink, and after a few heartbeats, Berellip let him leave.“He is always full of surprises, that one,” Tiago remarked.“And you support him.”“Matron Zeerith supports him,” Tiago corrected.“And Matron Mother Quenthel does so, out of respect for your mother.” When Berellip didn’t immediately reply, Tiago added, “This is ended, and know that I am the weariest of all.”He stepped past Berellip for the door.“Mercy,” Berellip said with a disgusted chortle.“He granted Brack’thal mercy, and mercy undeserved.”“Do not think him weak,” was all that Tiago bothered to reply as he left the room.He glanced back as he stepped through the door.“All of this intrigue has excited me,” he informed her.“I will return to you in short order.”“And if I refuse?”“You’re a priestess of Lolth,” Tiago said with a bow.“If you refuse, I will leave.”“And if I do not refuse, you will be indebted to me,” Berellip said, and Tiago could see the traps being set behind her glowing red eyes.He thought about it for just a moment, then nodded, and with a knowing smile bowed again and was gone.For indeed, Tiago understood the task Berellip had in mind.Ravel had shown uncharacteristic mercy.Now that she knew of her younger sister’s treachery, Berellip would not.The Baenre noble caught up to Ravel just beyond the forge area, the young spellspinner sitting by a small table lifting a glass of Slow Spout, a Duergan brew so named because after it swirled around inside the imbiber for some time, it inevitably put the fool on his hands and knees, “spouting” it back up.The thick and bitter ale was more commonly shared among the goblins and kobolds of Menzoberranzan than among the drow, whose tastes and sensibilities were more usually attuned to the finer liqueurs, like Feywine or brandy.There was no doubt that Slow Spout could accomplish the task, though, if that task was to dull the senses.“A strange choice of celebratory drink,” Tiago remarked, holding his hand out to refuse Ravel’s offer of a cup.So as not to be rude, the young Baenre drew a small flask from under his coat, unscrewed the top, and took a small swig.“Why did I let him live?” Ravel asked before Tiago could.“That is the question most formed by drow fingers at this time, yes,” Tiago replied.Ravel looked aside, his expression very somber and very sober, despite the libations.Tiago caught the significance of that look and suppressed the burning urge to prompt the spellspinner as his own curiosity began to bubble.“Brack’thal’s claims,” Ravel said, shaking his head.“What of them?”Ravel looked his Baenre friend directly in the eye.
|
He had played this perfectly, for either way, Brack’thal was caught.If he didn’t agree and was thus killed, he would be admitting that his claims were false, and so Ravel would secure the spellspinners in his entourage once more.And if he did agree, he would be bound by his words.It was not often that drow males flipped their titles, as Ravel had demanded, but it was not unprecedented, and such a pact was surely binding.If Brack’thal agreed, any future action he took against Ravel would be construed as an affront to House Xorlarrin, invoking the wrath of Matron Zeerith.“Well?” Berellip prompted.“So be it,” the defeated mage replied, lowering his gaze.Ravel was to his side in an eye-blink, grabbing him under the shoulder and hoisting him to his feet.“You are a noble of House Xorlarrin,” the young spellspinner quietly said.Brack’thal stared at him hatefully.“Go back to the tunnels with your pet,” Ravel ordered.“Continue your important work.”The mage was more than happy to comply, and he hustled away, and as Berellip and Ravel swept the room with their stares, drow and goblins and bugbears fell all over each other to get back to their tasks.“Follow,” Berellip demanded of the two males beside her.She led them into the chambers she had taken as her own, and closed the door behind them as they entered, before grabbing Ravel by the arm and spinning him around.“I have had enough of your subterfuge,” she said.“I am drow,” he replied with a grin.Berellip didn’t blink.“This is ended,” Ravel told her.“And know that I am as weary of looking over my shoulder for you as you are for me.” He turned for the door and Berellip shifted to block his egress.Now Ravel didn’t blink, and after a few heartbeats, Berellip let him leave.“He is always full of surprises, that one,” Tiago remarked.“And you support him.”“Matron Zeerith supports him,” Tiago corrected.“And Matron Mother Quenthel does so, out of respect for your mother.” When Berellip didn’t immediately reply, Tiago added, “This is ended, and know that I am the weariest of all.”He stepped past Berellip for the door.“Mercy,” Berellip said with a disgusted chortle.“He granted Brack’thal mercy, and mercy undeserved.”“Do not think him weak,” was all that Tiago bothered to reply as he left the room.He glanced back as he stepped through the door.“All of this intrigue has excited me,” he informed her.“I will return to you in short order.”“And if I refuse?”“You’re a priestess of Lolth,” Tiago said with a bow.“If you refuse, I will leave.”“And if I do not refuse, you will be indebted to me,” Berellip said, and Tiago could see the traps being set behind her glowing red eyes.He thought about it for just a moment, then nodded, and with a knowing smile bowed again and was gone.For indeed, Tiago understood the task Berellip had in mind.Ravel had shown uncharacteristic mercy.Now that she knew of her younger sister’s treachery, Berellip would not.The Baenre noble caught up to Ravel just beyond the forge area, the young spellspinner sitting by a small table lifting a glass of Slow Spout, a Duergan brew so named because after it swirled around inside the imbiber for some time, it inevitably put the fool on his hands and knees, “spouting” it back up.The thick and bitter ale was more commonly shared among the goblins and kobolds of Menzoberranzan than among the drow, whose tastes and sensibilities were more usually attuned to the finer liqueurs, like Feywine or brandy.There was no doubt that Slow Spout could accomplish the task, though, if that task was to dull the senses.“A strange choice of celebratory drink,” Tiago remarked, holding his hand out to refuse Ravel’s offer of a cup.So as not to be rude, the young Baenre drew a small flask from under his coat, unscrewed the top, and took a small swig.“Why did I let him live?” Ravel asked before Tiago could.“That is the question most formed by drow fingers at this time, yes,” Tiago replied.Ravel looked aside, his expression very somber and very sober, despite the libations.Tiago caught the significance of that look and suppressed the burning urge to prompt the spellspinner as his own curiosity began to bubble.“Brack’thal’s claims,” Ravel said, shaking his head.“What of them?”Ravel looked his Baenre friend directly in the eye.
|
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dnd465
|
“He was not wrong.”Tiago tried hard not to reveal his shock, but still he fell back a step.“I feel it,” Ravel explained.Tiago shook his head, too emphatically, perhaps.“There is some trick at play here with Brack’thal, some secret item or one old spell returned.His work with the elementals …”“Impressive work,” Ravel said.“And you’re fooled by it.”Ravel took another gulp of Slow Spout.“Let us hope that is the case,” the spellspinner said, and he sounded less than convinced.A COMPANION’S TRUSTHERZGO ALEGNI STEPPED THROUGH THE SHADOW GATE, ARRIVING IN A SMALL chamber built into a stalactite hanging above a vast underground cavern.It had been only two days since the disastrous fight in the forest, but the tiefling warlord was feeling much better.He had used Draygo Quick’s failure to force the withered old warlock into redoubling the efforts to heal him, and to give him more reinforcements.Herzgo Alegni knew they couldn’t fail again.Not now.Not here.Too much was at stake, and this time, failure would mean the end of his coveted sword and the end of his reputation.Effron was already in the portal chamber, staring out a small window beside the chamber’s one exit, an open door leading to a landing and a circular stair that ran around the rock mound.Alegni walked up beside the twisted warlock and pushed him aside.Effron stuck his face into the window opening and tried to hide his surprise.There before Alegni, across a dark underground pool, loomed the front wall of the ancient dwarven complex of Gauntlgrym, like the façade of a surface fortress, but tucked into the back of the cavern, the castle wall coming up right near to the ceiling.There were parapets up there, Alegni could see; that wall, this whole cavern, including the stalactite in which he stood, had been prepared for defense of the complex.“Directly below,” Effron said, and Alegni leaned out and looked down, to see another landing just below his position, an ancient war engine set upon it.“Ballista?” he asked, not quite sure of what he was viewing.It looked like a great mounted crossbow, a ballista, except that it was covered on top with a large fanlike box.A pair of Shadovar moved around down there, working on the contraption.“An unusual design,” Effron explained.“They are set all around the cavern.Balogoth the historian called them volley guns.”Alegni looked back from Effron to the ballista, and held up his hand as Effron started to explain what he had meant by that title.For there was no need—the name alone described the purpose of that fanlike box all too well.“Will it throw?” he called down to the Shadovar on the ledge below.The pair looked up and fell back a step at the unexpected sight of their warlord.“Will it throw?” Alegni demanded again when neither answered.“We do not know, my Lord Alegni,” one replied.“We have replaced the bowstring, but the arms are so ancient, they likely have little tension left in them.”“Attempt it.”The two looked at each other, then scrambled to a crate lying nearby—one they had brought from the Shadowfell—and began pulling forth long arrows.One by one, they loaded the fanlike box, sliding the bolts in from behind.Then one shade grabbed the huge crank and slowly pulled back the string.The throw arms creaked in protest.“It won’t work,” Effron said, but Alegni didn’t even bother to glance back to look at him.When the crank was set, the second shade took hold of a lever.This one didn’t move easily, and it took him a long while of trying before he looked to his companion helplessly, and obviously desperately afraid.They wouldn’t want to fail their warlord, Herzgo Alegni understood, and he liked that show of fear.After much tinkering, with one shade even crawling under the edge of the box and digging at the wooden catches with a small blade, they finally managed to ease the cartridge into place.Herzgo Alegni held back a mocking chuckle when they fired the ballista, for only one side, one throwing arm, moved with the release.
|
“He was not wrong.”Tiago tried hard not to reveal his shock, but still he fell back a step.“I feel it,” Ravel explained.Tiago shook his head, too emphatically, perhaps.“There is some trick at play here with Brack’thal, some secret item or one old spell returned.His work with the elementals …”“Impressive work,” Ravel said.“And you’re fooled by it.”Ravel took another gulp of Slow Spout.“Let us hope that is the case,” the spellspinner said, and he sounded less than convinced.A COMPANION’S TRUSTHERZGO ALEGNI STEPPED THROUGH THE SHADOW GATE, ARRIVING IN A SMALL chamber built into a stalactite hanging above a vast underground cavern.It had been only two days since the disastrous fight in the forest, but the tiefling warlord was feeling much better.He had used Draygo Quick’s failure to force the withered old warlock into redoubling the efforts to heal him, and to give him more reinforcements.Herzgo Alegni knew they couldn’t fail again.Not now.Not here.Too much was at stake, and this time, failure would mean the end of his coveted sword and the end of his reputation.Effron was already in the portal chamber, staring out a small window beside the chamber’s one exit, an open door leading to a landing and a circular stair that ran around the rock mound.Alegni walked up beside the twisted warlock and pushed him aside.Effron stuck his face into the window opening and tried to hide his surprise.There before Alegni, across a dark underground pool, loomed the front wall of the ancient dwarven complex of Gauntlgrym, like the façade of a surface fortress, but tucked into the back of the cavern, the castle wall coming up right near to the ceiling.There were parapets up there, Alegni could see; that wall, this whole cavern, including the stalactite in which he stood, had been prepared for defense of the complex.“Directly below,” Effron said, and Alegni leaned out and looked down, to see another landing just below his position, an ancient war engine set upon it.“Ballista?” he asked, not quite sure of what he was viewing.It looked like a great mounted crossbow, a ballista, except that it was covered on top with a large fanlike box.A pair of Shadovar moved around down there, working on the contraption.“An unusual design,” Effron explained.“They are set all around the cavern.Balogoth the historian called them volley guns.”Alegni looked back from Effron to the ballista, and held up his hand as Effron started to explain what he had meant by that title.For there was no need—the name alone described the purpose of that fanlike box all too well.“Will it throw?” he called down to the Shadovar on the ledge below.The pair looked up and fell back a step at the unexpected sight of their warlord.“Will it throw?” Alegni demanded again when neither answered.“We do not know, my Lord Alegni,” one replied.“We have replaced the bowstring, but the arms are so ancient, they likely have little tension left in them.”“Attempt it.”The two looked at each other, then scrambled to a crate lying nearby—one they had brought from the Shadowfell—and began pulling forth long arrows.One by one, they loaded the fanlike box, sliding the bolts in from behind.Then one shade grabbed the huge crank and slowly pulled back the string.The throw arms creaked in protest.“It won’t work,” Effron said, but Alegni didn’t even bother to glance back to look at him.When the crank was set, the second shade took hold of a lever.This one didn’t move easily, and it took him a long while of trying before he looked to his companion helplessly, and obviously desperately afraid.They wouldn’t want to fail their warlord, Herzgo Alegni understood, and he liked that show of fear.After much tinkering, with one shade even crawling under the edge of the box and digging at the wooden catches with a small blade, they finally managed to ease the cartridge into place.Herzgo Alegni held back a mocking chuckle when they fired the ballista, for only one side, one throwing arm, moved with the release.
|
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dnd466
|
Out the front came the arrows, barely thrown, more falling off to tumble straight down than actually flying free.And those that did come forth barely cleared the stalactite—the shades could have hand-thrown them farther.Down below on the cavern floor came a couple of curses and shouts of protest.“The wood is too old,” Effron said.“I know that,” Alegni replied.“It is an interesting design.”“In their day, the many ballistae set in these towers could have filled the air with swarms of arrows,” Effron explained.“It is a design worth copying, I believe, as does Balogoth, who is hard at work in diagramming the crossbows and those curious hoppers.”Herzgo Alegni swept his gaze around the cavern.“We do not have enough soldiers,” he surmised.“It is too large, and too filled with cover.They will slip through our ranks.”“There is only one door, as far as we can determine,” Effron replied.Alegni looked to the vast wall and the single opening in its center.Rails came through that door and a couple of carts, ore carts likely, lay discarded in the sand before the cavern pool.“As far as we can determine,” he echoed.“Dahlia and her drow companion have been here before, have been inside the complex.If there are other entries, they will know of them.”“I sent only a single patrol inside the door for that reason,” Effron replied.“Should our enemies get to the door, they will be held by our warriors that we can catch them from behind.The rest of the forces are scattering out among the cavern, trying to cover every angle of approach.”Effron paused for just a moment as Alegni stared out the window, but there was something remaining, the warlord knew, and so he turned back on the twisted warlock.“If they are even coming here,” Effron said.“They are,” Alegni said without hesitation.He knew it to be true, and feared it to be true, for he knew, too, what primordial beast lurked in that ancient complex across the dark pond.“Do you doubt your own hirelings?”Effron could only shrug at that, for indeed it had been Glorfathel, acting on information from Ambergris, who had informed Herzgo Alegni of the trio’s destination.The Shifter had confirmed to Effron that the three were in the outer tunnels of this region just a short while before, immediately after her failure to barter the panther for the sword, though that bit of information had not been disclosed to the warlord.Herzgo Alegni scanned the vast cavern, picking out groups of his forces here or there setting positions for the ambush.He noted that all of them were on the near side of the dark pool, though, opposite Gauntlgrym’s wall.The tiefling licked his lips.It seemed a solid enough plan, for even if the trio managed to get through to the lake, how would they cross and get into the complex before pursuit, in the form of javelins and arrows and magical spells, caught up to them?Still, the thought of them doing just that nagged at Alegni.He had underestimated these three before, to a disastrous outcome.“Send more into the complex,” he said.“We can barely keep watch over the cavern approaches with our forces out here now,” Effron replied.“If we thin the ranks further.…”“If they get in ahead of us, or enter through another door we have not discovered, will we ever find them?” Alegni replied.“How many?” Effron asked.“What is inside the door?”“A large audience hall with several tunnels, some to the mines far below, it would appear, for they have rails as if for ore carts.
|
Out the front came the arrows, barely thrown, more falling off to tumble straight down than actually flying free.And those that did come forth barely cleared the stalactite—the shades could have hand-thrown them farther.Down below on the cavern floor came a couple of curses and shouts of protest.“The wood is too old,” Effron said.“I know that,” Alegni replied.“It is an interesting design.”“In their day, the many ballistae set in these towers could have filled the air with swarms of arrows,” Effron explained.“It is a design worth copying, I believe, as does Balogoth, who is hard at work in diagramming the crossbows and those curious hoppers.”Herzgo Alegni swept his gaze around the cavern.“We do not have enough soldiers,” he surmised.“It is too large, and too filled with cover.They will slip through our ranks.”“There is only one door, as far as we can determine,” Effron replied.Alegni looked to the vast wall and the single opening in its center.Rails came through that door and a couple of carts, ore carts likely, lay discarded in the sand before the cavern pool.“As far as we can determine,” he echoed.“Dahlia and her drow companion have been here before, have been inside the complex.If there are other entries, they will know of them.”“I sent only a single patrol inside the door for that reason,” Effron replied.“Should our enemies get to the door, they will be held by our warriors that we can catch them from behind.The rest of the forces are scattering out among the cavern, trying to cover every angle of approach.”Effron paused for just a moment as Alegni stared out the window, but there was something remaining, the warlord knew, and so he turned back on the twisted warlock.“If they are even coming here,” Effron said.“They are,” Alegni said without hesitation.He knew it to be true, and feared it to be true, for he knew, too, what primordial beast lurked in that ancient complex across the dark pond.“Do you doubt your own hirelings?”Effron could only shrug at that, for indeed it had been Glorfathel, acting on information from Ambergris, who had informed Herzgo Alegni of the trio’s destination.The Shifter had confirmed to Effron that the three were in the outer tunnels of this region just a short while before, immediately after her failure to barter the panther for the sword, though that bit of information had not been disclosed to the warlord.Herzgo Alegni scanned the vast cavern, picking out groups of his forces here or there setting positions for the ambush.He noted that all of them were on the near side of the dark pool, though, opposite Gauntlgrym’s wall.The tiefling licked his lips.It seemed a solid enough plan, for even if the trio managed to get through to the lake, how would they cross and get into the complex before pursuit, in the form of javelins and arrows and magical spells, caught up to them?Still, the thought of them doing just that nagged at Alegni.He had underestimated these three before, to a disastrous outcome.“Send more into the complex,” he said.“We can barely keep watch over the cavern approaches with our forces out here now,” Effron replied.“If we thin the ranks further.…”“If they get in ahead of us, or enter through another door we have not discovered, will we ever find them?” Alegni replied.“How many?” Effron asked.“What is inside the door?”“A large audience hall with several tunnels, some to the mines far below, it would appear, for they have rails as if for ore carts.
|
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30
] |
dnd467
|
And some to the upper levels.We have not explored them in any depth.”“Why not?” the aggravated tiefling demanded.“My lord, we have been here for only a short while.”Herzgo Alegni glared at the twisted little tiefling warlock.Effron was correct, of course, and Alegni had to admit that the fact that they had even located this place and had now spread out to put some semblance of an ambush posture into place was indeed impressive.He had to admit it, indeed, but not openly, and never to Effron.“From where will they enter?”“There are at least four entry tunnels opposite the wall,” Effron replied.Alegni’s eyes widened and his nostrils flared, his balled fists clenching at his sides.“I have dispatched patrols along all four!” Effron quickly added, and he seemed to shrink before the specter of Alegni.“We are trying to discern which of them might lead to the surface.”“Trying?”Effron didn’t seem to know what to say, or how to react.He held his good hand up plaintively before him, then dropped it and shrugged and shook his head.“I am not surprised,” Alegni said, turning away.“And I have not forgotten your failure on the bridge in Neverwinter, I assure you.”“I battled the cat,” the twisted warlock replied, but softly, his voice lost as he tried to maintain some semblance of steady breathing.“I am used to you disappointing me,” Alegni went on, ignoring his reply.He moved for the door to exit the chamber, but stopped just outside and turned back on Effron, just long enough to add, “You have disappointed me since the day I first saw you.”Effron fell back as Alegni exited the chamber and, mercifully, moved out of sight—mercifully, because wouldn’t the hulking tiefling have driven his point home even more cruelly had he noted the moisture gathering around Effron’s curiously unmatched eyes?The hand of Shadovar hunters moved with practiced precision, leap-frogging their way along the lichen-lit corridor.One strong young tiefling huntress rushed up to a jag in the wall, fell flat against it, and peered around and ahead, then held up her fingers—one, two, three—signaling the others.Zingrawf Bourdadine, a burly male of considerable reputation, glided past her silently into the next position, followed closely by a sorcerer and another fighter, a halfling shade.As they got into their respective positions, they signaled back to the huntress, who held up her fourth finger, clearing the way for the last of the hand, another female tiefling, to move past her.The huntress eagerly leaned out a bit more, waiting for her companions to call her into the lead.They weren’t ready for her yet, as the last of the band had barely caught up to the next position in line.She stood straighter once more, leaned back, and took a deep breath, preparing for her next dash.It wasn’t until she put her head back that she realized that something was unusual, that this section of wall wasn’t quite what it had seemed, for it wasn’t just a jut in the wall, but an alcove behind it, one she hadn’t really noticed because it was … occupied.A hand reached around her and slapped against her mouth.A second came around from the other side, holding a knife that went fast against, and across, her throat.Artemis Entreri eased her down without a sound.Alfwin the sorcerer crouched lower and peered ahead more intently, cursing the near absence of light.He had thought the next stretch of corridor clear, and had signaled as such, but now something had the hair on the back of his neck standing.He focused his senses.Had he heard a slight sound?Had he caught a tiny flash of movement?His upraised hand became a fist, the signal to hold, but it was too late, for the last of this leapfrog cycle, the second tiefling female, was already too near to him, and without cover other than the rubble he had taken as his position.She crawled up beside him and followed his gaze ahead, to where the corridor bent slightly to the left.A few heartbeats passed.The woman pointed to the left-hand wall, right where it curved, and a low overhang that might provide her with some cover.With practiced ease and perfect silence, the skilled warrior moved to that point, and the sorcerer came out behind her, easing along the right-hand wall, trying to get a view beyond his companion.All seemed clear and quiet.He motioned for her to continue.She crept beneath the overhang and turned the corner.A movement farther to the left had her standing faster and turning to defend, but too late as the spinning weapon cracked her against the side of her head and sent her staggering into the middle of the corridor.Alfwin called out for his trailing companions and stepped forward, wand extended.He tried to sort out the blur of shadowy movement before him, two forms of similar size entangled and crossing the corridor left to right.He was about to shoot into that tangle, hoping he would hit the right target, when a third option showed, a bit farther along.As he let fly, so too did his opponent, countering the warlock’s black bolt with a lightning strike.No, not a bolt of lightning, but a missile sizzling with lightning energy, the sorcerer realized as the streaking arrow burrowed clear through his shoulder to explode against the wall behind him.He yelped in pain and shock and leveled the wand again.Then he was blind.The sorcerer’s fiery bolt had stung him, bubbling the skin of his leading forearm, but Drizzt held his ground without flinching and called on his innate drow powers, a remnant of magic from the emanations of the deep Underdark, to fill the corridor before him, the region around the warlock, with a globe of absolute darkness.
|
And some to the upper levels.We have not explored them in any depth.”“Why not?” the aggravated tiefling demanded.“My lord, we have been here for only a short while.”Herzgo Alegni glared at the twisted little tiefling warlock.Effron was correct, of course, and Alegni had to admit that the fact that they had even located this place and had now spread out to put some semblance of an ambush posture into place was indeed impressive.He had to admit it, indeed, but not openly, and never to Effron.“From where will they enter?”“There are at least four entry tunnels opposite the wall,” Effron replied.Alegni’s eyes widened and his nostrils flared, his balled fists clenching at his sides.“I have dispatched patrols along all four!” Effron quickly added, and he seemed to shrink before the specter of Alegni.“We are trying to discern which of them might lead to the surface.”“Trying?”Effron didn’t seem to know what to say, or how to react.He held his good hand up plaintively before him, then dropped it and shrugged and shook his head.“I am not surprised,” Alegni said, turning away.“And I have not forgotten your failure on the bridge in Neverwinter, I assure you.”“I battled the cat,” the twisted warlock replied, but softly, his voice lost as he tried to maintain some semblance of steady breathing.“I am used to you disappointing me,” Alegni went on, ignoring his reply.He moved for the door to exit the chamber, but stopped just outside and turned back on Effron, just long enough to add, “You have disappointed me since the day I first saw you.”Effron fell back as Alegni exited the chamber and, mercifully, moved out of sight—mercifully, because wouldn’t the hulking tiefling have driven his point home even more cruelly had he noted the moisture gathering around Effron’s curiously unmatched eyes?The hand of Shadovar hunters moved with practiced precision, leap-frogging their way along the lichen-lit corridor.One strong young tiefling huntress rushed up to a jag in the wall, fell flat against it, and peered around and ahead, then held up her fingers—one, two, three—signaling the others.Zingrawf Bourdadine, a burly male of considerable reputation, glided past her silently into the next position, followed closely by a sorcerer and another fighter, a halfling shade.As they got into their respective positions, they signaled back to the huntress, who held up her fourth finger, clearing the way for the last of the hand, another female tiefling, to move past her.The huntress eagerly leaned out a bit more, waiting for her companions to call her into the lead.They weren’t ready for her yet, as the last of the band had barely caught up to the next position in line.She stood straighter once more, leaned back, and took a deep breath, preparing for her next dash.It wasn’t until she put her head back that she realized that something was unusual, that this section of wall wasn’t quite what it had seemed, for it wasn’t just a jut in the wall, but an alcove behind it, one she hadn’t really noticed because it was … occupied.A hand reached around her and slapped against her mouth.A second came around from the other side, holding a knife that went fast against, and across, her throat.Artemis Entreri eased her down without a sound.Alfwin the sorcerer crouched lower and peered ahead more intently, cursing the near absence of light.He had thought the next stretch of corridor clear, and had signaled as such, but now something had the hair on the back of his neck standing.He focused his senses.Had he heard a slight sound?Had he caught a tiny flash of movement?His upraised hand became a fist, the signal to hold, but it was too late, for the last of this leapfrog cycle, the second tiefling female, was already too near to him, and without cover other than the rubble he had taken as his position.She crawled up beside him and followed his gaze ahead, to where the corridor bent slightly to the left.A few heartbeats passed.The woman pointed to the left-hand wall, right where it curved, and a low overhang that might provide her with some cover.With practiced ease and perfect silence, the skilled warrior moved to that point, and the sorcerer came out behind her, easing along the right-hand wall, trying to get a view beyond his companion.All seemed clear and quiet.He motioned for her to continue.She crept beneath the overhang and turned the corner.A movement farther to the left had her standing faster and turning to defend, but too late as the spinning weapon cracked her against the side of her head and sent her staggering into the middle of the corridor.Alfwin called out for his trailing companions and stepped forward, wand extended.He tried to sort out the blur of shadowy movement before him, two forms of similar size entangled and crossing the corridor left to right.He was about to shoot into that tangle, hoping he would hit the right target, when a third option showed, a bit farther along.As he let fly, so too did his opponent, countering the warlock’s black bolt with a lightning strike.No, not a bolt of lightning, but a missile sizzling with lightning energy, the sorcerer realized as the streaking arrow burrowed clear through his shoulder to explode against the wall behind him.He yelped in pain and shock and leveled the wand again.Then he was blind.The sorcerer’s fiery bolt had stung him, bubbling the skin of his leading forearm, but Drizzt held his ground without flinching and called on his innate drow powers, a remnant of magic from the emanations of the deep Underdark, to fill the corridor before him, the region around the warlock, with a globe of absolute darkness.
|
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dnd468
|
He kept Taulmaril level, methodically setting a second arrow and letting fly, the glowing arrow seeming to blink out of existence as it disappeared into the darkness.He had to win, and he had to win fast, he knew, for these tight confines could surely favor a wizard.His enemy might fill the whole of the corridor with a wall of biting flames, or send forth a plague of insects.Drizzt wouldn’t give him the chance.He drew back and fired again.When the fighting broke out up ahead, Zingrawf and his halfling companion signaled back and called back for the tiefling huntress, then turned and advanced, seeing the form fast approaching.They had no idea that the form was not their female companion, for she lay dead in an alcove.Entreri rushed to catch up, and he, unlike the burly tiefling in front of him, didn’t hesitate when the corridor brightened suddenly in a flash of lightning.The halfling warrior separated then, running ahead to join the duo up front, and almost caught up to the spellcaster when they both disappeared into absolute blackness.Again the burly trailing tiefling stopped, and again Entreri did not, for he knew well the tricks of Drizzt Do’Urden and had seen similar globes of darkness many times in his battles beside and against the drow.He could have simply skewered the bulky fighter with his sword then, but he saw little fun in that.“Well met,” he said instead.The burly male froze for a third heartbeat, then, finally figuring it out, it seemed, and spun around fiercely, sweeping the breadth of the corridor with his large battle-axe.Entreri, far too clever to be caught by such a clumsy and obvious move, let the weapon harmlessly pass, then waded in behind and thrust his sword into the tiefling’s shoulder.Mocking the lumbering brute with laughter, the assassin easily stepped back to avoid the backhand slash.Entreri could have gone in again—so many openings presented themselves in the tiefling’s awkward posture—but a streak of silver flashed over the tiefling’s shoulder and had Entreri ducking for his life.He started to call out for Drizzt to cease, but another arrow cracked against the stone, showering Entreri and the tiefling in sparks.Entreri dived to the far side desperately, and knew he was vulnerable to the tiefling now, to that heavy axe.But his opponent seemed no longer interested.The brute lurched forward and half-turned, showing Entreri a smoking hole in his back where an arrow had struck.From the darkness globe came the other warrior, backstepping, arms up defensively, and futilely, before him.A lightning arrow blew right through him and flew on to drive into the chest of the burly tiefling.Drizzt’s right hand moved in a near-perfect circle, reaching back over his shoulder, accepting an arrow from his enchanted quiver, and coming around to nock, pull, and fire, before beginning its circuit anew.A line of arrows streamed out, Drizzt swaying the bow, left to right and back again, shooting low and shooting high.He glanced only once at Dahlia, who crouched atop the warrior she had felled.An image flashed in Drizzt’s head then, of Dahlia reclining with Artemis Entreri, of Dahlia entwined with Artemis Entreri, locked in passionate play.Drizzt’s face, so calm and determined until that moment, struck an angry grimace and he stepped forward.“He is done,” he heard Dahlia say, but he kept firing.The elf reached up to grab at his arm, but Drizzt pushed past her and increased the barrage, skipping arrows off the stone, left and right, and off the ceiling as well.“He is done!” Dahlia insisted, but she was speaking of the sorcerer, and Drizzt was aiming past the sorcerer, to the other Shadovar enemies behind his darkness globe, and at a companion he knew to be there.The corridor flashed like a raging thunderstorm, stone smoking and cracking, the air sizzling with lightning energy.The burly tiefling warrior somehow continued to stand, though likely more because the repeated blows were holding him aloft than out of any sense of balance or even consciousness.Against the wall, Entreri called out for Drizzt to stop, but his words seemed thin indeed against the thundering cacophony of the barrage.The stone right before his face fractured as an arrow skipped past, shards stinging his eyes.He rolled out from the wall and swept the feet out from under the tiefling, then flattened out, accepting the crashing weight as the brute fell atop him.But could even this burly blanket stop a shot from that devastating bow?“Heavily enchanted,” Glorfathel warned as Ambergris edged toward the magnificent, gem-studded throne on the tiled stone dais.“Cast protections, then,” Afafrenfere said, eyeing those marvelous baubles hungrily.Glorfathel laughed at the monk.“No mage in the Shadowfell or on Toril would be foolish enough to touch that throne.It is imbued with the power—”“Of dwarf gods,” Ambergris finished for him, and she was very near to the throne.She glanced past it, to a small graveyard of cairns.A curious sight indeed, for who would put such monuments so near to such a throne in the middle of an audience hall?Two of the cairns were larger than the others, and as she focused on the grandest of them, Ambergris realized yet another mystery: these were new.They hadn’t been placed in the last tenday, perhaps, but the graves were certainly not nearly as ancient as everything else they had seen in the complex.“What secrets might ye be keepin’ here, Clangeddin?” she asked softly.“And what powers, mighty Moradin?” She reached her hand out tentatively.“Dare not,” the elf warned, and Afafrenfere swallowed hard.Ambergris stiffened immediately as her thick fingers touched the burnished arm of the great chair, as if some bolt of power had shot down her spine.She sucked in her breath and held the pose for a long while, the other two staring on incredulously.They could not begin to understand the rush of power traveling through the dwarf at that time.She saw flashes of the last disciple of the dwarf gods who had touched this throne, and then a clear image of him sitting there.She noted his red beard and one-horned crown, and her lips moved to form the name of “King Bruenor?”She held on a bit longer, but the energy proved too great.She focused on the vision, as if trying desperately to convince this famous dwarf king that she, too, was of Delzoun heritage, that she truly was of the Adbar O’Mauls!But Ambergris carried no royal blood, and so the throne rejected her, but kindly, energy building until she could hold on no longer.The dwarf staggered backward.“It canno’ be,” she mumbled, but she knew that it had been, indeed.This was no deception.“What?” Afafrenfere asked, stepping up beside her.His arm slipped out toward the throne.“It’ll eat ye,” Ambergris warned.Afafrenfere turned on her.
|
He kept Taulmaril level, methodically setting a second arrow and letting fly, the glowing arrow seeming to blink out of existence as it disappeared into the darkness.He had to win, and he had to win fast, he knew, for these tight confines could surely favor a wizard.His enemy might fill the whole of the corridor with a wall of biting flames, or send forth a plague of insects.Drizzt wouldn’t give him the chance.He drew back and fired again.When the fighting broke out up ahead, Zingrawf and his halfling companion signaled back and called back for the tiefling huntress, then turned and advanced, seeing the form fast approaching.They had no idea that the form was not their female companion, for she lay dead in an alcove.Entreri rushed to catch up, and he, unlike the burly tiefling in front of him, didn’t hesitate when the corridor brightened suddenly in a flash of lightning.The halfling warrior separated then, running ahead to join the duo up front, and almost caught up to the spellcaster when they both disappeared into absolute blackness.Again the burly trailing tiefling stopped, and again Entreri did not, for he knew well the tricks of Drizzt Do’Urden and had seen similar globes of darkness many times in his battles beside and against the drow.He could have simply skewered the bulky fighter with his sword then, but he saw little fun in that.“Well met,” he said instead.The burly male froze for a third heartbeat, then, finally figuring it out, it seemed, and spun around fiercely, sweeping the breadth of the corridor with his large battle-axe.Entreri, far too clever to be caught by such a clumsy and obvious move, let the weapon harmlessly pass, then waded in behind and thrust his sword into the tiefling’s shoulder.Mocking the lumbering brute with laughter, the assassin easily stepped back to avoid the backhand slash.Entreri could have gone in again—so many openings presented themselves in the tiefling’s awkward posture—but a streak of silver flashed over the tiefling’s shoulder and had Entreri ducking for his life.He started to call out for Drizzt to cease, but another arrow cracked against the stone, showering Entreri and the tiefling in sparks.Entreri dived to the far side desperately, and knew he was vulnerable to the tiefling now, to that heavy axe.But his opponent seemed no longer interested.The brute lurched forward and half-turned, showing Entreri a smoking hole in his back where an arrow had struck.From the darkness globe came the other warrior, backstepping, arms up defensively, and futilely, before him.A lightning arrow blew right through him and flew on to drive into the chest of the burly tiefling.Drizzt’s right hand moved in a near-perfect circle, reaching back over his shoulder, accepting an arrow from his enchanted quiver, and coming around to nock, pull, and fire, before beginning its circuit anew.A line of arrows streamed out, Drizzt swaying the bow, left to right and back again, shooting low and shooting high.He glanced only once at Dahlia, who crouched atop the warrior she had felled.An image flashed in Drizzt’s head then, of Dahlia reclining with Artemis Entreri, of Dahlia entwined with Artemis Entreri, locked in passionate play.Drizzt’s face, so calm and determined until that moment, struck an angry grimace and he stepped forward.“He is done,” he heard Dahlia say, but he kept firing.The elf reached up to grab at his arm, but Drizzt pushed past her and increased the barrage, skipping arrows off the stone, left and right, and off the ceiling as well.“He is done!” Dahlia insisted, but she was speaking of the sorcerer, and Drizzt was aiming past the sorcerer, to the other Shadovar enemies behind his darkness globe, and at a companion he knew to be there.The corridor flashed like a raging thunderstorm, stone smoking and cracking, the air sizzling with lightning energy.The burly tiefling warrior somehow continued to stand, though likely more because the repeated blows were holding him aloft than out of any sense of balance or even consciousness.Against the wall, Entreri called out for Drizzt to stop, but his words seemed thin indeed against the thundering cacophony of the barrage.The stone right before his face fractured as an arrow skipped past, shards stinging his eyes.He rolled out from the wall and swept the feet out from under the tiefling, then flattened out, accepting the crashing weight as the brute fell atop him.But could even this burly blanket stop a shot from that devastating bow?“Heavily enchanted,” Glorfathel warned as Ambergris edged toward the magnificent, gem-studded throne on the tiled stone dais.“Cast protections, then,” Afafrenfere said, eyeing those marvelous baubles hungrily.Glorfathel laughed at the monk.“No mage in the Shadowfell or on Toril would be foolish enough to touch that throne.It is imbued with the power—”“Of dwarf gods,” Ambergris finished for him, and she was very near to the throne.She glanced past it, to a small graveyard of cairns.A curious sight indeed, for who would put such monuments so near to such a throne in the middle of an audience hall?Two of the cairns were larger than the others, and as she focused on the grandest of them, Ambergris realized yet another mystery: these were new.They hadn’t been placed in the last tenday, perhaps, but the graves were certainly not nearly as ancient as everything else they had seen in the complex.“What secrets might ye be keepin’ here, Clangeddin?” she asked softly.“And what powers, mighty Moradin?” She reached her hand out tentatively.“Dare not,” the elf warned, and Afafrenfere swallowed hard.Ambergris stiffened immediately as her thick fingers touched the burnished arm of the great chair, as if some bolt of power had shot down her spine.She sucked in her breath and held the pose for a long while, the other two staring on incredulously.They could not begin to understand the rush of power traveling through the dwarf at that time.She saw flashes of the last disciple of the dwarf gods who had touched this throne, and then a clear image of him sitting there.She noted his red beard and one-horned crown, and her lips moved to form the name of “King Bruenor?”She held on a bit longer, but the energy proved too great.She focused on the vision, as if trying desperately to convince this famous dwarf king that she, too, was of Delzoun heritage, that she truly was of the Adbar O’Mauls!But Ambergris carried no royal blood, and so the throne rejected her, but kindly, energy building until she could hold on no longer.The dwarf staggered backward.“It canno’ be,” she mumbled, but she knew that it had been, indeed.This was no deception.“What?” Afafrenfere asked, stepping up beside her.His arm slipped out toward the throne.“It’ll eat ye,” Ambergris warned.Afafrenfere turned on her.
|
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dnd469
|
“Then you do it,” he said.“Pluck a gem or two!”Ambergris stared incredulously, then laughed at him.“Not in ten elf generations,” she said.“I’d rather be pluckin’ a gem from betwixt a red dragon’s back teeth.”“Well, what are we to do with it, then?” the exasperated monk asked.“It’s a king’s treasure and more.”“Much more,” said Ambergris.“We’re to leave it alone,” Glorfathel said.“As anyone who’s ever been here has left it alone, or suffered deadly consequences, no doubt.”Not everyone, Ambergris thought, but did not say.“The graves, then,” the monk suggested.“Touch a stone and I’ll be making another one for yerself,” Ambergris said, without leaving a hint that she was interested in any debate.Her nostrils flared and her eyes widened, almost maniacally, and Afafrenfere backed down.“You can never take the pride from a dwarf,” Glorfathel said with a laugh.“No matter how much you might darken her skin.”Ambergris nodded, glad that the elf had justified her level of rage.As Glorfathel led the way to the tunnel they had been tasked with guarding, Ambergris let her stare linger on that wondrous throne, and once more she pictured a red-bearded dwarf sitting there, king of kings.Her last look before they left was back to the graves, to the grandest of the group, for she figured who might be buried there.She managed a slight and inconspicuous bow as she departed.“Drizzt!” Dahlia yelled, and grabbed at the drow’s arm.“It’s over!”He shoved her away and began anew, the image of her coupling with Entreri burning in his thoughts.He would sweep clear this corridor all the way to Gauntlgrym!An arrow flew free, but its lightning glow was stolen even as it left Taulmaril.A second went similarly dark, and even a third before Drizzt even realized it, even noted Dahlia, crouched to the side with her magical staff extended, the energy of Kozah’s Needle absorbing the magic of Taulmaril with each release.She was protecting him!Drizzt’s eyes widened with rage.Instead of reaching for another arrow, he took up the bow as a club, thinking to bash Dahlia aside.The darkness dissipated then, and both paused and looked to the corridor.The sorcerer sat awkwardly against the wall, legs and arms splayed wide, chin on his chest and wafts of smoke, even a bit of flame, rising from several holes in his torso.Taulmaril, the Heartseeker, had lived up to its name.Beside, curled into a defensive ball, lay the smoking husk of a halfling shade, and a larger form lay very still farther along.The walls were pitted with holes, smoke rising from them, and shards of broken stone lay all around.“What have you done?” Dahlia demanded, rising up.Sobered by the scene, confused indeed, Drizzt lowered Taulmaril and stepped past her, peering into the quiet, smoky corridor.He almost set another arrow and let fly when the third body in line shifted suddenly, but he had no time as out from under it came Artemis Entreri, a knife flying before him, and blades drawn in a desperate charge.Drizzt deflected that thrown knife by dropping Taulmaril in its path, and out came his scimitars to meet that charge.Entreri barreled in, sword thrusting once and again, leading him into a turn that brought his dagger around from on high, chopping down at the drow.But Drizzt, too, rolled, and opposite the assassin, outpacing that dagger.The drow came around with a sidelong swipe of Twinkle, which Entreri expectedly parried.Drizzt stopped in mid-turn and burst forward, thrusting Icingdeath, and had Entreri simply executed a block on Twinkle, the drow would have found a clear opening.But the assassin was too clever for that, and had fought this particular opponent before.Instead of merely meeting the leading slash with a block and bat to drive it out wide, the parry had rolled Entreri’s blade over the scimitar.Entreri let Drizzt’s momentum carry Twinkle out harmlessly wide, disengaging his blade and coming forward with a thrust of his own.Both could have scored a killing blow, but to do so would have meant accepting a similar fate.So both crossed to block instead, sword and scimitar meeting with a heavy crash and locking tight between them.“Stop!” Dahlia yelled out, her voice strained and teeth chattering for some reason that neither combatant understood, or cared to even notice.Entreri’s dagger stabbed for Drizzt’s throat.Drizzt’s free scimitar flashed across to block, then the drow punched straight out at Entreri’s face.The assassin ducked the blow and the two went into a clench, arms tangled.So Entreri found another weapon and head-butted.As did Drizzt, their foreheads cracking together between them, and both fell back a couple of staggering steps.And both meant to leap right back in and be done with this.But a long metallic staff knifed between them like a blocking bar, its tip slamming into the far wall, and with that impact, Dahlia released the energy of three of Taulmaril’s enchanted arrows, and a bit from the staff as well, lighting the corridor with a stinging, explosive blast.Nearly blinded, the woman still caught the motion as the two leaped away, two who seemed as one warrior leaping back from a mirror.Both half-twisted in the air, executing a barrel roll, turning and diving into a headlong roll then coming back to their feet at exactly the same moment and in exactly the same turn to spin around to face each other once more, at the ready, feet wide, blades leveled.“Are you brothers, then?” the stunned Dahlia asked.“He would have me dead!” Entreri yelled at her.“I will,” Drizzt replied.“I will join against he who makes the first move,” Dahlia warned.“First move was his,” Entreri accused.“Last move will be mine, as well,” Drizzt promised.“Desist!” Dahlia demanded.“No!” they both shouted back.Dahlia leaped between them more directly, looking from one to the other with clear confusion.“You need him!” she implored Entreri.
|
“Then you do it,” he said.“Pluck a gem or two!”Ambergris stared incredulously, then laughed at him.“Not in ten elf generations,” she said.“I’d rather be pluckin’ a gem from betwixt a red dragon’s back teeth.”“Well, what are we to do with it, then?” the exasperated monk asked.“It’s a king’s treasure and more.”“Much more,” said Ambergris.“We’re to leave it alone,” Glorfathel said.“As anyone who’s ever been here has left it alone, or suffered deadly consequences, no doubt.”Not everyone, Ambergris thought, but did not say.“The graves, then,” the monk suggested.“Touch a stone and I’ll be making another one for yerself,” Ambergris said, without leaving a hint that she was interested in any debate.Her nostrils flared and her eyes widened, almost maniacally, and Afafrenfere backed down.“You can never take the pride from a dwarf,” Glorfathel said with a laugh.“No matter how much you might darken her skin.”Ambergris nodded, glad that the elf had justified her level of rage.As Glorfathel led the way to the tunnel they had been tasked with guarding, Ambergris let her stare linger on that wondrous throne, and once more she pictured a red-bearded dwarf sitting there, king of kings.Her last look before they left was back to the graves, to the grandest of the group, for she figured who might be buried there.She managed a slight and inconspicuous bow as she departed.“Drizzt!” Dahlia yelled, and grabbed at the drow’s arm.“It’s over!”He shoved her away and began anew, the image of her coupling with Entreri burning in his thoughts.He would sweep clear this corridor all the way to Gauntlgrym!An arrow flew free, but its lightning glow was stolen even as it left Taulmaril.A second went similarly dark, and even a third before Drizzt even realized it, even noted Dahlia, crouched to the side with her magical staff extended, the energy of Kozah’s Needle absorbing the magic of Taulmaril with each release.She was protecting him!Drizzt’s eyes widened with rage.Instead of reaching for another arrow, he took up the bow as a club, thinking to bash Dahlia aside.The darkness dissipated then, and both paused and looked to the corridor.The sorcerer sat awkwardly against the wall, legs and arms splayed wide, chin on his chest and wafts of smoke, even a bit of flame, rising from several holes in his torso.Taulmaril, the Heartseeker, had lived up to its name.Beside, curled into a defensive ball, lay the smoking husk of a halfling shade, and a larger form lay very still farther along.The walls were pitted with holes, smoke rising from them, and shards of broken stone lay all around.“What have you done?” Dahlia demanded, rising up.Sobered by the scene, confused indeed, Drizzt lowered Taulmaril and stepped past her, peering into the quiet, smoky corridor.He almost set another arrow and let fly when the third body in line shifted suddenly, but he had no time as out from under it came Artemis Entreri, a knife flying before him, and blades drawn in a desperate charge.Drizzt deflected that thrown knife by dropping Taulmaril in its path, and out came his scimitars to meet that charge.Entreri barreled in, sword thrusting once and again, leading him into a turn that brought his dagger around from on high, chopping down at the drow.But Drizzt, too, rolled, and opposite the assassin, outpacing that dagger.The drow came around with a sidelong swipe of Twinkle, which Entreri expectedly parried.Drizzt stopped in mid-turn and burst forward, thrusting Icingdeath, and had Entreri simply executed a block on Twinkle, the drow would have found a clear opening.But the assassin was too clever for that, and had fought this particular opponent before.Instead of merely meeting the leading slash with a block and bat to drive it out wide, the parry had rolled Entreri’s blade over the scimitar.Entreri let Drizzt’s momentum carry Twinkle out harmlessly wide, disengaging his blade and coming forward with a thrust of his own.Both could have scored a killing blow, but to do so would have meant accepting a similar fate.So both crossed to block instead, sword and scimitar meeting with a heavy crash and locking tight between them.“Stop!” Dahlia yelled out, her voice strained and teeth chattering for some reason that neither combatant understood, or cared to even notice.Entreri’s dagger stabbed for Drizzt’s throat.Drizzt’s free scimitar flashed across to block, then the drow punched straight out at Entreri’s face.The assassin ducked the blow and the two went into a clench, arms tangled.So Entreri found another weapon and head-butted.As did Drizzt, their foreheads cracking together between them, and both fell back a couple of staggering steps.And both meant to leap right back in and be done with this.But a long metallic staff knifed between them like a blocking bar, its tip slamming into the far wall, and with that impact, Dahlia released the energy of three of Taulmaril’s enchanted arrows, and a bit from the staff as well, lighting the corridor with a stinging, explosive blast.Nearly blinded, the woman still caught the motion as the two leaped away, two who seemed as one warrior leaping back from a mirror.Both half-twisted in the air, executing a barrel roll, turning and diving into a headlong roll then coming back to their feet at exactly the same moment and in exactly the same turn to spin around to face each other once more, at the ready, feet wide, blades leveled.“Are you brothers, then?” the stunned Dahlia asked.“He would have me dead!” Entreri yelled at her.“I will,” Drizzt replied.“I will join against he who makes the first move,” Dahlia warned.“First move was his,” Entreri accused.“Last move will be mine, as well,” Drizzt promised.“Desist!” Dahlia demanded.“No!” they both shouted back.Dahlia leaped between them more directly, looking from one to the other with clear confusion.“You need him!” she implored Entreri.
|
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dnd470
|
“That you might be rid of the sword!”The assassin backed and straightened, and so did Drizzt.“The sword?” they both said together.A horrified Drizzt threw his scimitars to the ground and reached over his left shoulder, drawing forth Charon’s Claw and taking it up before him in both hands.“The sword,” he said again, figuring it all out.All of it.The suspicions, the images of Entreri and Dahlia locked in passion, the urge to kill Artemis Entreri.…With a growl, the drow leaped to the side.He started to yell and didn’t stop as he repeatedly bashed Charon’s Claw against the corridor wall.“Drizzt,” Dahlia gasped and started to go to him, but Entreri came up and held his arm before her to block her in place.“The sword is telling him to kill me,” Entreri quietly explained.Drizzt played out his energy, his rage, scraping and chipping stone but not marring the fabulous red blade of Charon’s Claw at all.Still, he was making his point to the sentient and wicked weapon: He was the master, Charon’s Claw the servant.Finally, he stopped, and with a last look of disgust at the sword, he slid it back into its scabbard across his back.He retrieved his scimitars and similarly slid them away, then looked to his companions, looked past his companions, to the carnage in the corridor, a trio of bodies that could easily have been four.He let a few heartbeats pass, to let the tension dissipate a bit, before meeting the gaze of Artemis Entreri.He didn’t apologize—what would be the point?—but he offered a nod to assure the man that he, and not Charon’s Claw, was back in control.Artemis Entreri returned his sword and dagger to their holsters.Behind Drizzt, the woman warrior whom Dahlia had overwhelmed groaned and rolled, and even tried to prop herself up on her elbows.Dahlia was there at once, delivering a strong kick to the shade’s side, and as the woman tried to curl up, Dahlia stomped down hard on the back of her neck, pinning her in place.“If you move again, I will shatter your neck,” the deadly elf warned.Drizzt came up beside and grabbed Dahlia by the arm, trying to pull her away.She resisted at first, but the drow looked at her plaintively and tugged more insistently.As soon as Dahlia lifted her foot from the woman’s neck and stepped back, and before Drizzt could reach down to assist the captive shade, Entreri shoved past him and grabbed the warrior by the hair and arm, and roughly yanked her from the floor.“Your sword?” he asked, noting her gaze, for indeed, her long sword lay on the floor not far away.“Yes, do retrieve it, that I might finish what should already have been done.” With that, the assassin shoved the shade to the side and back to the ground, near her weapon.She looked at the weapon, then back to Entreri, who had drawn his weapons once more and stood waiting, and beckoning.Drizzt watched the spectacle in dismay, a telling reminder to him of who this man, Entreri, was, or he had been at least.Lost in the nostalgia of better days, had he deceived himself?Had he allowed that which he wanted so badly, a return to a time and place, to blind him to the reality of Artemis Entreri?He glanced the other way, to his other companion, who watched eagerly, and with a grin.And Drizzt understood that expression; Dahlia wanted to see this fight, wanted to see Entreri cut the shade to pieces.Drizzt swallowed hard and reminded himself that Dahlia had good reason to hate the shades, and that these were his sworn enemies—they had been in the tunnel looking for him and the sword, no doubt.“Pick it up,” Entreri said to the shade.“Pick it up and stand.My companions will stay to the side.You against me, and if you win, perhaps they will let you go.”“Hardly,” Dahlia remarked, drawing a smirk from Entreri.Drizzt caught the silent exchange between the two.They were of like mind, and following desires that he did not, could not, share.Once again, an image of Entreri and Dahlia in an embrace, a passionate kiss, flashed through his mind, but he growled it away and answered Charon’s Claw with a wave of anger and an image of his own: a deep pit, its sides swirling with the rush of powerful water elementals, its bottom the fiery maw of the primordial.“I know you, Barrabus the Gray,” the shade said, still on the floor and propped again on her elbows.“I will not fight you.”“Coward.”The shade shrugged.“I know you.I once fought beside you.”Entreri tilted his head, regarding the woman more closely, but Drizzt saw no flash of recognition there.“As I know this elf, Dahlia, champion of the Thayans.”“Then you know that you will die here,” Dahlia replied, and Drizzt winced once more.He almost wished that Entreri would just step over and end this torment, for the shade and for him.He stepped over instead, between Entreri and the shade, and he reached his hand to her.
|
“That you might be rid of the sword!”The assassin backed and straightened, and so did Drizzt.“The sword?” they both said together.A horrified Drizzt threw his scimitars to the ground and reached over his left shoulder, drawing forth Charon’s Claw and taking it up before him in both hands.“The sword,” he said again, figuring it all out.All of it.The suspicions, the images of Entreri and Dahlia locked in passion, the urge to kill Artemis Entreri.…With a growl, the drow leaped to the side.He started to yell and didn’t stop as he repeatedly bashed Charon’s Claw against the corridor wall.“Drizzt,” Dahlia gasped and started to go to him, but Entreri came up and held his arm before her to block her in place.“The sword is telling him to kill me,” Entreri quietly explained.Drizzt played out his energy, his rage, scraping and chipping stone but not marring the fabulous red blade of Charon’s Claw at all.Still, he was making his point to the sentient and wicked weapon: He was the master, Charon’s Claw the servant.Finally, he stopped, and with a last look of disgust at the sword, he slid it back into its scabbard across his back.He retrieved his scimitars and similarly slid them away, then looked to his companions, looked past his companions, to the carnage in the corridor, a trio of bodies that could easily have been four.He let a few heartbeats pass, to let the tension dissipate a bit, before meeting the gaze of Artemis Entreri.He didn’t apologize—what would be the point?—but he offered a nod to assure the man that he, and not Charon’s Claw, was back in control.Artemis Entreri returned his sword and dagger to their holsters.Behind Drizzt, the woman warrior whom Dahlia had overwhelmed groaned and rolled, and even tried to prop herself up on her elbows.Dahlia was there at once, delivering a strong kick to the shade’s side, and as the woman tried to curl up, Dahlia stomped down hard on the back of her neck, pinning her in place.“If you move again, I will shatter your neck,” the deadly elf warned.Drizzt came up beside and grabbed Dahlia by the arm, trying to pull her away.She resisted at first, but the drow looked at her plaintively and tugged more insistently.As soon as Dahlia lifted her foot from the woman’s neck and stepped back, and before Drizzt could reach down to assist the captive shade, Entreri shoved past him and grabbed the warrior by the hair and arm, and roughly yanked her from the floor.“Your sword?” he asked, noting her gaze, for indeed, her long sword lay on the floor not far away.“Yes, do retrieve it, that I might finish what should already have been done.” With that, the assassin shoved the shade to the side and back to the ground, near her weapon.She looked at the weapon, then back to Entreri, who had drawn his weapons once more and stood waiting, and beckoning.Drizzt watched the spectacle in dismay, a telling reminder to him of who this man, Entreri, was, or he had been at least.Lost in the nostalgia of better days, had he deceived himself?Had he allowed that which he wanted so badly, a return to a time and place, to blind him to the reality of Artemis Entreri?He glanced the other way, to his other companion, who watched eagerly, and with a grin.And Drizzt understood that expression; Dahlia wanted to see this fight, wanted to see Entreri cut the shade to pieces.Drizzt swallowed hard and reminded himself that Dahlia had good reason to hate the shades, and that these were his sworn enemies—they had been in the tunnel looking for him and the sword, no doubt.“Pick it up,” Entreri said to the shade.“Pick it up and stand.My companions will stay to the side.You against me, and if you win, perhaps they will let you go.”“Hardly,” Dahlia remarked, drawing a smirk from Entreri.Drizzt caught the silent exchange between the two.They were of like mind, and following desires that he did not, could not, share.Once again, an image of Entreri and Dahlia in an embrace, a passionate kiss, flashed through his mind, but he growled it away and answered Charon’s Claw with a wave of anger and an image of his own: a deep pit, its sides swirling with the rush of powerful water elementals, its bottom the fiery maw of the primordial.“I know you, Barrabus the Gray,” the shade said, still on the floor and propped again on her elbows.“I will not fight you.”“Coward.”The shade shrugged.“I know you.I once fought beside you.”Entreri tilted his head, regarding the woman more closely, but Drizzt saw no flash of recognition there.“As I know this elf, Dahlia, champion of the Thayans.”“Then you know that you will die here,” Dahlia replied, and Drizzt winced once more.He almost wished that Entreri would just step over and end this torment, for the shade and for him.He stepped over instead, between Entreri and the shade, and he reached his hand to her.
|
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dnd471
|
When she took it, he helped her to her feet, her weapon still on the ground.“Your patrol came looking for us,” Drizzt said.“No,” the shade said, and shook her head.“Do not lie to me or I will let my companions have you.Answer my questions and—”“And what?” the shade and Entreri asked together.“And Drizzt will let her go,” Dahlia said with a mocking chortle.“Will he, then?” asked Entreri.“I will,” Drizzt said to the shade directly.“Answer my questions and run away the way you were going, the way from which we came.”The shade glanced past Drizzt to Entreri, then to Dahlia.“I do not believe you,” she said, looking back directly into Drizzt’s lavender eyes.“It’s all you have,” he calmly answered.“And it’s not so difficult a question.Your friends are in the entry cavern to Gauntlgrym, it would seem.I would know their numbers.”“You ask me to betray Herzgo Alegni, as Barrabus betrayed him!” the woman snapped.“Alegni is dead!” Dahlia declared, and the woman looked at her curiously, as if her statement was purely ridiculous.“Speak that name again and I will bash in your skull,” Dahlia promised, and spat at the shade’s feet.Strangely, that threat seemed to bolster the shade.She stood taller, as if accepting her fate, and so, no longer afraid.Drizzt had seen this before, indeed had felt such feelings of his own in times past, and so he understood that his moment to garner any useful information was fast passing.“You cannot escape,” the shade said to him.“They’re in the cavern,” Drizzt replied.The shade smiled and nodded.“They’re waiting for you, and if you don’t come to them, they will find you.And kill you.”Her smile was sincere, Drizzt understood, for she had gone past the point of fear and fully into acceptance.His thoughts spun—he recalled the cavern, the stalagmites and hanging pillars, so much like Menzoberranzan.He considered the layout of the place, the shallow underground pond and the beach before the great wall of Gauntlgrym.“Go, then,” Drizzt said, stepping aside and motioning back down the tunnel, not toward the surface as he had first indicated, but back the way the Shadovar patrol had come.“Go back to your dark friends and deliver my word.They will not find us.They will not retrieve this foul sword.There are many tunnels in the Underdark.They are the ways of the drow, not the Netherese.”The shade stared at him.He could feel Entreri’s glare burning into his back.“You will not do this,” Dahlia said.Drizzt turned a stern look her way, a silent warning.“Go,” he said to the shade, though he didn’t look back at her.
|
When she took it, he helped her to her feet, her weapon still on the ground.“Your patrol came looking for us,” Drizzt said.“No,” the shade said, and shook her head.“Do not lie to me or I will let my companions have you.Answer my questions and—”“And what?” the shade and Entreri asked together.“And Drizzt will let her go,” Dahlia said with a mocking chortle.“Will he, then?” asked Entreri.“I will,” Drizzt said to the shade directly.“Answer my questions and run away the way you were going, the way from which we came.”The shade glanced past Drizzt to Entreri, then to Dahlia.“I do not believe you,” she said, looking back directly into Drizzt’s lavender eyes.“It’s all you have,” he calmly answered.“And it’s not so difficult a question.Your friends are in the entry cavern to Gauntlgrym, it would seem.I would know their numbers.”“You ask me to betray Herzgo Alegni, as Barrabus betrayed him!” the woman snapped.“Alegni is dead!” Dahlia declared, and the woman looked at her curiously, as if her statement was purely ridiculous.“Speak that name again and I will bash in your skull,” Dahlia promised, and spat at the shade’s feet.Strangely, that threat seemed to bolster the shade.She stood taller, as if accepting her fate, and so, no longer afraid.Drizzt had seen this before, indeed had felt such feelings of his own in times past, and so he understood that his moment to garner any useful information was fast passing.“You cannot escape,” the shade said to him.“They’re in the cavern,” Drizzt replied.The shade smiled and nodded.“They’re waiting for you, and if you don’t come to them, they will find you.And kill you.”Her smile was sincere, Drizzt understood, for she had gone past the point of fear and fully into acceptance.His thoughts spun—he recalled the cavern, the stalagmites and hanging pillars, so much like Menzoberranzan.He considered the layout of the place, the shallow underground pond and the beach before the great wall of Gauntlgrym.“Go, then,” Drizzt said, stepping aside and motioning back down the tunnel, not toward the surface as he had first indicated, but back the way the Shadovar patrol had come.“Go back to your dark friends and deliver my word.They will not find us.They will not retrieve this foul sword.There are many tunnels in the Underdark.They are the ways of the drow, not the Netherese.”The shade stared at him.He could feel Entreri’s glare burning into his back.“You will not do this,” Dahlia said.Drizzt turned a stern look her way, a silent warning.“Go,” he said to the shade, though he didn’t look back at her.
|
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dnd472
|
“I will not offer again.”The shade started tentatively, looking around at the three, not knowing from which would come the killing blow.She eased past Drizzt, who turned to stare at Entreri, then sidled past the assassin.Entreri moved to the side a step, turning as the shade passed, and Drizzt pointedly moved up as well, putting himself between the assassin and the shade.She broke into a run, nearly tripping over the corpse of one of her companions.“I have witnessed many stupid things from you, drow,” Entreri remarked, moving around behind Drizzt and bumping him as he did, “but nothing more foolish than this.”Drizzt slowly turned, first to see Dahlia, who stared at him hatefully, as if he had just betrayed her, then, as he came around to see Entreri … Entreri, who had retrieved Taulmaril from the floor, and who had only bumped into Drizzt to cover the fact that he had taken an arrow from the quiver on Drizzt’s back!The assassin drew back on the bowstring, leveling the shot at the shade, who was still in easy range.And Drizzt couldn’t get to him in time.“Entreri, no!” the drow said, and he was pleading as much as commanding.Entreri did pause at that, at the curious timbre in Drizzt’s voice, likely, and he glanced over.“Do not, I beg,” said Drizzt.“That she will go and warn her allies of our approach?” The assassin ended with a growl and set his sights on the fleeing shade woman once more.“Kill her,” Dahlia agreed.“That she will go and tell them we discovered their ambush,” Drizzt replied.Entreri did let fly, and Drizzt winced, but the assassin had turned the bow a bit, and the lightning arrow flashed in the corridor, cracking into stone with a solid retort, and the uninjured shade yelped in surprise and scrambled along.Artemis Entreri stood straight and stared at Drizzt, recognizing that the drow had something in mind, some plan that would use the fleeing shade to their advantage.He tossed the bow back to Drizzt, never blinking, never unlocking his stare from that of Drizzt.More passed between the pair in that moment than the potential practicality of sending the shade on her way.Drizzt saw something else in Entreri’s eye.And Drizzt understood something quite profound: Artemis Entreri had trusted him.CAUGHT BETWEEN A SHADE AND A DARK PLACETHE TUNNEL RAN SMOOTHLY FOR A LONG WAY, THEN CAME TO A DEEP DROP, but fortunately, the fleeing shade hadn’t bothered to remove the dangling rope that her hunting party had set.Down went the three companions, moving swiftly and silently, trailing the female.Soon enough, the tunnel opened onto a ledge that ran perpendicular, angling down toward the cavern below.The view below was not open to them.A wall of about chest height blocked the edge of the perpendicular walkway.Drizzt and Dahlia both knew they had come to the right place, though, surely recognizing the hanging stalactite towers.The three crept up to the wall, exiting the tunnel.“She delivered your message,” Entreri remarked, peering over the edge.Down below, the cavern buzzed with activity.Shades came out from many of the stalagmite mounds, gathering into ranks and battle groups.Some were already moving for the base of the walkway on which the companions stood.Across the large cavern loomed Gauntlgrym’s wall, the underground pond still and dark before it, except for a pair of small rowboats shuttling a handful of shades toward the beach.“Be quick,” Drizzt said, and he sprinted off, crouching low and close to the walkway’s outer wall, Entreri and Dahlia close behind.As they neared the bottom, now with enemy soldiers not far away, Drizzt stopped, looked to Entreri, and nodded.As Drizzt reached for his whistle, the assassin drew out his obsidian figurine.“How deep is the lake?” Entreri mouthed, and Drizzt could only shrug.He didn’t know, though it was a good question, but what choice did they have?Again they exchanged looks and nodded.Drizzt blew his call for Andahar as Entreri dropped the statuette to the ground, summoning his nightmare steed.Surprised cries erupted almost immediately.Entreri’s hellish mount came into shape right before him with a burst of flame and smoke, and Andahar materialized in the cavern beyond the walkway, galloping hard for Drizzt.The unicorn skidded to a stop and the drow grabbed the white mane, glistening even in the low lichen light of the large cavern, and pulled himself astride.He turned as he settled, reaching a hand out for Dahlia, but she was already on her way, vaulting nimbly to her seat behind him.Entreri came by first, thundering out into the cavern, sword waving as he bore down on the nearest Netherese.“Give me the bow!” Dahlia cried, grabbing at it.“No!” Drizzt yelled back before he could even consider the response.The vehemence of that reply shocked him and confused him, for it had come unbidden, a sudden reaction to the notion of Dahlia taking Taulmaril—to the notion of Dahlia wielding Catti-brie’s weapon.Drizzt bent low and urged mighty Andahar on, the unicorn’s hooves cracking hard against the stone.Before them, Shadovar scattered from Entreri, who veered left around a stalagmite mound.Drizzt went right around the same one, and steered Andahar even farther to the right.
|
“I will not offer again.”The shade started tentatively, looking around at the three, not knowing from which would come the killing blow.She eased past Drizzt, who turned to stare at Entreri, then sidled past the assassin.Entreri moved to the side a step, turning as the shade passed, and Drizzt pointedly moved up as well, putting himself between the assassin and the shade.She broke into a run, nearly tripping over the corpse of one of her companions.“I have witnessed many stupid things from you, drow,” Entreri remarked, moving around behind Drizzt and bumping him as he did, “but nothing more foolish than this.”Drizzt slowly turned, first to see Dahlia, who stared at him hatefully, as if he had just betrayed her, then, as he came around to see Entreri … Entreri, who had retrieved Taulmaril from the floor, and who had only bumped into Drizzt to cover the fact that he had taken an arrow from the quiver on Drizzt’s back!The assassin drew back on the bowstring, leveling the shot at the shade, who was still in easy range.And Drizzt couldn’t get to him in time.“Entreri, no!” the drow said, and he was pleading as much as commanding.Entreri did pause at that, at the curious timbre in Drizzt’s voice, likely, and he glanced over.“Do not, I beg,” said Drizzt.“That she will go and warn her allies of our approach?” The assassin ended with a growl and set his sights on the fleeing shade woman once more.“Kill her,” Dahlia agreed.“That she will go and tell them we discovered their ambush,” Drizzt replied.Entreri did let fly, and Drizzt winced, but the assassin had turned the bow a bit, and the lightning arrow flashed in the corridor, cracking into stone with a solid retort, and the uninjured shade yelped in surprise and scrambled along.Artemis Entreri stood straight and stared at Drizzt, recognizing that the drow had something in mind, some plan that would use the fleeing shade to their advantage.He tossed the bow back to Drizzt, never blinking, never unlocking his stare from that of Drizzt.More passed between the pair in that moment than the potential practicality of sending the shade on her way.Drizzt saw something else in Entreri’s eye.And Drizzt understood something quite profound: Artemis Entreri had trusted him.CAUGHT BETWEEN A SHADE AND A DARK PLACETHE TUNNEL RAN SMOOTHLY FOR A LONG WAY, THEN CAME TO A DEEP DROP, but fortunately, the fleeing shade hadn’t bothered to remove the dangling rope that her hunting party had set.Down went the three companions, moving swiftly and silently, trailing the female.Soon enough, the tunnel opened onto a ledge that ran perpendicular, angling down toward the cavern below.The view below was not open to them.A wall of about chest height blocked the edge of the perpendicular walkway.Drizzt and Dahlia both knew they had come to the right place, though, surely recognizing the hanging stalactite towers.The three crept up to the wall, exiting the tunnel.“She delivered your message,” Entreri remarked, peering over the edge.Down below, the cavern buzzed with activity.Shades came out from many of the stalagmite mounds, gathering into ranks and battle groups.Some were already moving for the base of the walkway on which the companions stood.Across the large cavern loomed Gauntlgrym’s wall, the underground pond still and dark before it, except for a pair of small rowboats shuttling a handful of shades toward the beach.“Be quick,” Drizzt said, and he sprinted off, crouching low and close to the walkway’s outer wall, Entreri and Dahlia close behind.As they neared the bottom, now with enemy soldiers not far away, Drizzt stopped, looked to Entreri, and nodded.As Drizzt reached for his whistle, the assassin drew out his obsidian figurine.“How deep is the lake?” Entreri mouthed, and Drizzt could only shrug.He didn’t know, though it was a good question, but what choice did they have?Again they exchanged looks and nodded.Drizzt blew his call for Andahar as Entreri dropped the statuette to the ground, summoning his nightmare steed.Surprised cries erupted almost immediately.Entreri’s hellish mount came into shape right before him with a burst of flame and smoke, and Andahar materialized in the cavern beyond the walkway, galloping hard for Drizzt.The unicorn skidded to a stop and the drow grabbed the white mane, glistening even in the low lichen light of the large cavern, and pulled himself astride.He turned as he settled, reaching a hand out for Dahlia, but she was already on her way, vaulting nimbly to her seat behind him.Entreri came by first, thundering out into the cavern, sword waving as he bore down on the nearest Netherese.“Give me the bow!” Dahlia cried, grabbing at it.“No!” Drizzt yelled back before he could even consider the response.The vehemence of that reply shocked him and confused him, for it had come unbidden, a sudden reaction to the notion of Dahlia taking Taulmaril—to the notion of Dahlia wielding Catti-brie’s weapon.Drizzt bent low and urged mighty Andahar on, the unicorn’s hooves cracking hard against the stone.Before them, Shadovar scattered from Entreri, who veered left around a stalagmite mound.Drizzt went right around the same one, and steered Andahar even farther to the right.
|
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dnd473
|
Confusion was their ally, he knew, and so better to split the focus of their determined enemies.Both steeds ran on, winding paths around the many mounds, leaping the rails for ore carts whenever they crossed.Drizzt didn’t even draw his blades, letting Dahlia with her long staff prod and swipe at any enemies who ventured, or were caught, too close.Javelins and arrows reached out at them.Drizzt bent low and kept his course anything but straight.All around him, he heard shades calling out for others to take intercepting angles to cut them off.Few ever got near to them, though.Their mounts were too swift and too agile, their surprise too complete.One poor shade rushed out in front of Andahar, apparently not even realizing that he was in the unicorn’s path.He got run over, the sure-footed unicorn not slowing or tripping in the least as it trampled him.Even with their distracting zigzagging and enemies scrambling all around, all three made it to the pond in short order, coming in almost side by side.The dark water hissed in protest as the fiery hooves of Entreri’s nightmare splashed in.Drizzt leaped Andahar high and long, the unicorn splashing down hard some ten strides from the shore and running on.“How deep is it?” Entreri asked again of his companions, who were now before him.Dahlia glanced back and shrugged.When she had first come through here, she had utilized magic.The water quickly rose to the top of Andahar’s legs, slowing the run dramatically; Dahlia tucked her legs up under her to try to keep her high black boots dry.Suddenly their progress seemed so dangerously slow!“We’ll be swimming,” Dahlia called to Drizzt, leaning in close.“Then we swim,” he replied.“They have archers,” Dahlia argued.“Should I stop, then, so we might—” He ended abruptly, an arrow reaching out at him from the far bank.Andahar reared and kicked at it, but it slipped through and dug hard into the unicorn’s breast.Had the steed not so reared, Drizzt surely would have taken the bolt.As they splashed back down, Drizzt tightened his legs around his mount and pulled Taulmaril free from his shoulder.More arrows reached out at him—to the side, he heard Entreri’s mount shriek, an unsettling, otherworldly howl, and knew that the nightmare had been hit.It would take more than an arrow to bring down that hell steed, of course, but what of its rider?More arrows came forth, but Drizzt responded with his own magical bolts, launching them out at the nearing bank.He could hardly get a good shot, aiming straight ahead while mounted, but he sprayed off many arrows in succession, trying to at least keep those archers dodging around and unable to take careful aim.“Come on,” he called to Andahar and at the pond as they slogged through.It wasn’t getting any deeper, at least.“Boat!” Entreri called from Drizzt’s left, and the assassin fell back a bit as Drizzt turned.Indeed, the drow saw not one, but two boats full of Shadovar rowing in from the side, angling to intercept.A shade in the prow of the trailing craft held a bow.But now Drizzt was shooting across his body, and Andahar’s bobbing head was not obstructing him at all.His first arrow took that archer, lifted him into the air, and dropped him off the back of the boat.Then the drow concentrated on the nearer craft and sent a stream of lightning its way.The three shades on the craft ducked and dodged.One’s head exploded with the impact of a bolt and the other two, apparently having seen enough, jumped into the dark, brackish water.Drizzt shifted for the second craft, but he paused in curiosity, for behind the boat, what seemed like a wind-whipped silvery spray danced across the top of the water.But there was no wind in the cavern.Unable to sort the mystery, the drow focused again on the task at hand, sending an arrow at the remaining manned boat, and some other missiles back toward the shore for good measure.
|
Confusion was their ally, he knew, and so better to split the focus of their determined enemies.Both steeds ran on, winding paths around the many mounds, leaping the rails for ore carts whenever they crossed.Drizzt didn’t even draw his blades, letting Dahlia with her long staff prod and swipe at any enemies who ventured, or were caught, too close.Javelins and arrows reached out at them.Drizzt bent low and kept his course anything but straight.All around him, he heard shades calling out for others to take intercepting angles to cut them off.Few ever got near to them, though.Their mounts were too swift and too agile, their surprise too complete.One poor shade rushed out in front of Andahar, apparently not even realizing that he was in the unicorn’s path.He got run over, the sure-footed unicorn not slowing or tripping in the least as it trampled him.Even with their distracting zigzagging and enemies scrambling all around, all three made it to the pond in short order, coming in almost side by side.The dark water hissed in protest as the fiery hooves of Entreri’s nightmare splashed in.Drizzt leaped Andahar high and long, the unicorn splashing down hard some ten strides from the shore and running on.“How deep is it?” Entreri asked again of his companions, who were now before him.Dahlia glanced back and shrugged.When she had first come through here, she had utilized magic.The water quickly rose to the top of Andahar’s legs, slowing the run dramatically; Dahlia tucked her legs up under her to try to keep her high black boots dry.Suddenly their progress seemed so dangerously slow!“We’ll be swimming,” Dahlia called to Drizzt, leaning in close.“Then we swim,” he replied.“They have archers,” Dahlia argued.“Should I stop, then, so we might—” He ended abruptly, an arrow reaching out at him from the far bank.Andahar reared and kicked at it, but it slipped through and dug hard into the unicorn’s breast.Had the steed not so reared, Drizzt surely would have taken the bolt.As they splashed back down, Drizzt tightened his legs around his mount and pulled Taulmaril free from his shoulder.More arrows reached out at him—to the side, he heard Entreri’s mount shriek, an unsettling, otherworldly howl, and knew that the nightmare had been hit.It would take more than an arrow to bring down that hell steed, of course, but what of its rider?More arrows came forth, but Drizzt responded with his own magical bolts, launching them out at the nearing bank.He could hardly get a good shot, aiming straight ahead while mounted, but he sprayed off many arrows in succession, trying to at least keep those archers dodging around and unable to take careful aim.“Come on,” he called to Andahar and at the pond as they slogged through.It wasn’t getting any deeper, at least.“Boat!” Entreri called from Drizzt’s left, and the assassin fell back a bit as Drizzt turned.Indeed, the drow saw not one, but two boats full of Shadovar rowing in from the side, angling to intercept.A shade in the prow of the trailing craft held a bow.But now Drizzt was shooting across his body, and Andahar’s bobbing head was not obstructing him at all.His first arrow took that archer, lifted him into the air, and dropped him off the back of the boat.Then the drow concentrated on the nearer craft and sent a stream of lightning its way.The three shades on the craft ducked and dodged.One’s head exploded with the impact of a bolt and the other two, apparently having seen enough, jumped into the dark, brackish water.Drizzt shifted for the second craft, but he paused in curiosity, for behind the boat, what seemed like a wind-whipped silvery spray danced across the top of the water.But there was no wind in the cavern.Unable to sort the mystery, the drow focused again on the task at hand, sending an arrow at the remaining manned boat, and some other missiles back toward the shore for good measure.
|
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dnd474
|
His first shot skipped in low, purposely so, and exploded against the hull, splintering planks.“Those are fish, not ripples,” he heard Dahlia say behind him, and prompted by that, he turned back to aim for a second shot at the remaining threat.The shades within the craft had ducked out of sight, though, and splashed frantically at the water threatening to swamp them.It wasn’t until Drizzt regarded the “wave” of fish again, and considered the sudden screams, that he understood their sudden desperation.The fish had swept over the pair of shades in the water, leaping all around them and biting at them voraciously.In this light, Drizzt couldn’t make out the changing hue, but he knew from the horrible and desperate sounds that Shadovar blood was fast mixing with the dark water.Screams came from the second boat, too, as those vicious little fish made their way in through the splinter, the boat’s open wound, that Taulmaril had caused.“Faster!Oh, faster!” Dahlia begged him, for though most of the fish had stopped to feast, another leaping wave swept their way.Drizzt held Taulmaril up, bowstring drawn, and motioned to the woman.“What?”“Catch it!” the drow implored her.Dahlia stared at him in puzzlement for just a heartbeat, then held Kozah’s Needle out near the tip of the arrow.Drizzt let fly and the staff swallowed the lightning energy.Andahar whinnied loudly, in obvious pain.Beside them, Entreri and his steed cried out.Dahlia plunged her staff into the water and released the lightning energy, and how both horses and all three riders yelped at that painful sting.But they pressed on, silver fish now floating all around them, dead or stunned.More were coming, though, but Drizzt ignored them.For the water had become shallower, and the drow drove Andahar on, and all of his shots were aimed before them as he swept the beach with magical lightning.Entreri’s steed charged across the wet sand first, steam flowing from its black, glistening mane.Straight for the doorway they ran, Drizzt and Dahlia riding close behind.The assassin rolled down and dismissed his mount immediately, that he might retrieve the obsidian statuette, but Drizzt did not similarly send Andahar away as he and Dahlia leaped down to the ground.Instead, the unicorn reared and turned and thundered off at the nearest enemies, lowering his ivory horn.The three companions scrambled through the narrow entry tunnel and burst into the large audience hall beyond, to be met by a line of shade warriors.Drizzt and Entreri entered first, side by side, their blades working ferociously to drive back the stabbing pikes.One polearm thrust in between them and Drizzt sprang upon it, driving it to the ground, then jumped away, crossing before Entreri, who side-flipped the other way, back behind the drow, a perfect somersault that landed him on his feet, blades still working in harmony.As he had gone across, Drizzt took a trio of pikes with him, tying up the line and forcing the shades to fall back.In that one instant of respite, Drizzt glanced down to his right, to the magnificent throne, and he imagined, but could not see, the grave of his dearest friend just beyond.The enemies before him proved to be a skilled and well-practiced team, and their short retreat formed them into a defensive, blocking semi-circle around the entry tunnel.And from the other side of that tunnel came the sounds of pursuit, and one voice in particular, a voice too familiar to the companions, particularly to Entreri, lifted above the others.“Hold them!” a tiefling warlord screamed.“He lives!” Dahlia cried in denial, in horror, in anger, as she skidded into the chamber behind her two companions.“No time,” Drizzt started to yell back, for he expected that Dahlia would simply turn around and go after that most hated tiefling.Drizzt understood that desire well!Alegni had indeed survived and had taken Guenhwyvar, as that strange Shadovar woman had claimed.The drow’s mind spun wildly.He wondered if Alegni might have his beloved companion in tow.In the middle of his fighting, he managed to brush a hand across his belt pouch, silently calling for the panther, hoping against hope that perhaps Alegni had erred in bringing the cat, Drizzt’s cat, who was more than a magical creation, who was a loyal friend.He shook it all away when a pike nearly skewered him.He continued to silently beckon for Guenhwyvar, but again called to Dahlia to fight forward and not turn around.But no need, for Dahlia had already rushed past behind him, moving to the side.She planted her staff and vaulted up high, clearing the Shadovar line, pikes coming up behind her as the warriors tried to turn around to meet the threat.Entreri, understanding Dahlia’s tactics, was already moving, though.He too swept behind Drizzt, coming in hard against the shades, driving them and turning them and cutting them down, tying up that corner of the defensive formation.Drizzt rushed beside him, then behind him, moving along the wall away from the tunnel mouth—and just in time, as some burst of black magical energy soared in through the opening, an aimed cloud of burning, biting smoke.
|
His first shot skipped in low, purposely so, and exploded against the hull, splintering planks.“Those are fish, not ripples,” he heard Dahlia say behind him, and prompted by that, he turned back to aim for a second shot at the remaining threat.The shades within the craft had ducked out of sight, though, and splashed frantically at the water threatening to swamp them.It wasn’t until Drizzt regarded the “wave” of fish again, and considered the sudden screams, that he understood their sudden desperation.The fish had swept over the pair of shades in the water, leaping all around them and biting at them voraciously.In this light, Drizzt couldn’t make out the changing hue, but he knew from the horrible and desperate sounds that Shadovar blood was fast mixing with the dark water.Screams came from the second boat, too, as those vicious little fish made their way in through the splinter, the boat’s open wound, that Taulmaril had caused.“Faster!Oh, faster!” Dahlia begged him, for though most of the fish had stopped to feast, another leaping wave swept their way.Drizzt held Taulmaril up, bowstring drawn, and motioned to the woman.“What?”“Catch it!” the drow implored her.Dahlia stared at him in puzzlement for just a heartbeat, then held Kozah’s Needle out near the tip of the arrow.Drizzt let fly and the staff swallowed the lightning energy.Andahar whinnied loudly, in obvious pain.Beside them, Entreri and his steed cried out.Dahlia plunged her staff into the water and released the lightning energy, and how both horses and all three riders yelped at that painful sting.But they pressed on, silver fish now floating all around them, dead or stunned.More were coming, though, but Drizzt ignored them.For the water had become shallower, and the drow drove Andahar on, and all of his shots were aimed before them as he swept the beach with magical lightning.Entreri’s steed charged across the wet sand first, steam flowing from its black, glistening mane.Straight for the doorway they ran, Drizzt and Dahlia riding close behind.The assassin rolled down and dismissed his mount immediately, that he might retrieve the obsidian statuette, but Drizzt did not similarly send Andahar away as he and Dahlia leaped down to the ground.Instead, the unicorn reared and turned and thundered off at the nearest enemies, lowering his ivory horn.The three companions scrambled through the narrow entry tunnel and burst into the large audience hall beyond, to be met by a line of shade warriors.Drizzt and Entreri entered first, side by side, their blades working ferociously to drive back the stabbing pikes.One polearm thrust in between them and Drizzt sprang upon it, driving it to the ground, then jumped away, crossing before Entreri, who side-flipped the other way, back behind the drow, a perfect somersault that landed him on his feet, blades still working in harmony.As he had gone across, Drizzt took a trio of pikes with him, tying up the line and forcing the shades to fall back.In that one instant of respite, Drizzt glanced down to his right, to the magnificent throne, and he imagined, but could not see, the grave of his dearest friend just beyond.The enemies before him proved to be a skilled and well-practiced team, and their short retreat formed them into a defensive, blocking semi-circle around the entry tunnel.And from the other side of that tunnel came the sounds of pursuit, and one voice in particular, a voice too familiar to the companions, particularly to Entreri, lifted above the others.“Hold them!” a tiefling warlord screamed.“He lives!” Dahlia cried in denial, in horror, in anger, as she skidded into the chamber behind her two companions.“No time,” Drizzt started to yell back, for he expected that Dahlia would simply turn around and go after that most hated tiefling.Drizzt understood that desire well!Alegni had indeed survived and had taken Guenhwyvar, as that strange Shadovar woman had claimed.The drow’s mind spun wildly.He wondered if Alegni might have his beloved companion in tow.In the middle of his fighting, he managed to brush a hand across his belt pouch, silently calling for the panther, hoping against hope that perhaps Alegni had erred in bringing the cat, Drizzt’s cat, who was more than a magical creation, who was a loyal friend.He shook it all away when a pike nearly skewered him.He continued to silently beckon for Guenhwyvar, but again called to Dahlia to fight forward and not turn around.But no need, for Dahlia had already rushed past behind him, moving to the side.She planted her staff and vaulted up high, clearing the Shadovar line, pikes coming up behind her as the warriors tried to turn around to meet the threat.Entreri, understanding Dahlia’s tactics, was already moving, though.He too swept behind Drizzt, coming in hard against the shades, driving them and turning them and cutting them down, tying up that corner of the defensive formation.Drizzt rushed beside him, then behind him, moving along the wall away from the tunnel mouth—and just in time, as some burst of black magical energy soared in through the opening, an aimed cloud of burning, biting smoke.
|
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] |
dnd475
|
It split the shade line in two, those in the middle of the formation falling back and falling away, flailing in pain.As he came free behind the assassin, Drizzt again called upon his dark elf powers, and reached forth at the enemy battling Dahlia.Purplish flames erupted around the shade, outlining him in dancing faerielike fire.Caught by surprise, the Shadovar nearly dropped his pike, and did drop his guard.He recovered almost immediately, trying to realign his weapon.Too late.Dahlia’s flail swiped across and shattered his jawbone, and as he lurched, the elf warrior turned a circuit, bringing her second spinning weapon around in a powerful backhand.This one cracked the back of the fighter’s skull and launched him head over heels in a flip that left him on his back on the stone floor, twitching and shuddering uncontrollably.Again, Drizzt called on his innate magical powers, the powers wrought of his deep Underdark homeland, bringing forth a globe of impenetrable darkness right before the entry tunnel, and right in front of those enemies coming in pursuit.“Go, go!” he yelled at Entreri, coming up on the man’s left and adding his spinning scimitars to the fray.Entreri rolled behind him and came around clear of the tangled flank, and sprinted after Dahlia in a dead run across the vast hall, and Drizzt, with his magical anklets speeding his every step, disengaged from the pikemen and went in swift pursuit.The three easily outran the more heavily encumbered Shadovar, making a straight line for an exit tunnel ahead and to the right.But more shades came in from the side, and once again, arrows and javelins flew their way.With speed and acrobatics and more than a bit of luck, they all got into the cover of that tunnel, and ran along, Drizzt and Dahlia both trying to sort out their way to the lower levels, Entreri just keeping pace.They went around a corner and Drizzt pulled up short, motioning for the other two to continue.He went down low to one knee and slipped back around the corner with his bow in hand, and he mowed down the incoming shades with a line of deadly missiles.“Here!” he heard Dahlia call for him, and he ran off, thinking he had bought them some time, at least.But not much time, he realized as a powerful explosion wracked the corridor behind him.He glanced back to see sparks arcing along the walls of the corner where he had just been kneeling, and heard the renewed pursuit.They passed through a series of chambers, guessing more than knowing which doors to burst through.They turned another corner, and another beyond that, speeding for a heavy, partially ajar metal doorway.Entreri shouldered it, crashing through, Drizzt and Dahlia close behind, and as the large room opened into view before them, all three saw and heard a similar door opposite them slam shut.Entreri made for it with all speed, Dahlia close behind, as Drizzt slammed the door behind him.He looked for a locking bar, but none was to be found.But some furniture still remained, including a heavy stone chair frame, so he pulled it into place before the door and propped it at an angle to somewhat secure the portal.Across the room, Entreri tugged at the other door and banged on it, but whoever had exited had already secured it.“Now where?” Dahlia asked, leaping around and scanning for other doors.But there were none to be seen.“Now where?” she asked again, more insistently.“Now we fight,” Entreri replied.“That was Alegni’s voice,” he added, and spat on the floor.“Kill him, at least, before we die, then,” Dahlia said, and Entreri nodded grimly.“Whatever you do, Drizzt, get me to him,” Entreri said.“I will salute you with my final moments of life, for whatever that might be worth to you.”Drizzt regarded the two, standing so easily beside each other, both seeming perfectly comfortable with their fate—as long as they could get to Herzgo Alegni.He couldn’t imagine the hatred that drove them, and once again he was reminded of their unspoken bond, their sharing of something deeper, something he couldn’t comprehend, let alone partake.Drizzt did recognize that either of them would die happy if that death came after the killing blow upon Herzgo Alegni.How could someone hate another so much, he wondered?What had happened, what violation, what violent betrayal or continued torture, to facilitate such venom?A thunderous retort hit the door behind him, and Drizzt scrambled to set the chair frame back in place.He heard the report as a hail of missiles hit the door, and heard too the calls for pursuit and the multitude of footsteps.He turned to view his friends, equally doomed, but found himself looking behind them, at the other door, which had silently opened.Dahlia grunted, looked curiously at Drizzt, then collapsed to the ground.A bolt of lightning hit the door behind Drizzt, crackling as it climbed around the metal and once more throwing the chair aside.Drizzt started for Dahlia; he turned for the door.Then he was blinded.The drow had come.“BREGAN D’AERTHE!”DRIZZT KNEW.HE FELT THE STING OF A CROSSBOW BOLT, AND ANOTHER AND a third, and the ensuing, almost immediate burn of drow poison, familiar from so long ago, coursing through his veins.He knew.He heard the thunder of the approaching Shadovar.There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.He wanted to fight at least, to offer some last and fitting expression of Drizzt Do’Urden.
|
It split the shade line in two, those in the middle of the formation falling back and falling away, flailing in pain.As he came free behind the assassin, Drizzt again called upon his dark elf powers, and reached forth at the enemy battling Dahlia.Purplish flames erupted around the shade, outlining him in dancing faerielike fire.Caught by surprise, the Shadovar nearly dropped his pike, and did drop his guard.He recovered almost immediately, trying to realign his weapon.Too late.Dahlia’s flail swiped across and shattered his jawbone, and as he lurched, the elf warrior turned a circuit, bringing her second spinning weapon around in a powerful backhand.This one cracked the back of the fighter’s skull and launched him head over heels in a flip that left him on his back on the stone floor, twitching and shuddering uncontrollably.Again, Drizzt called on his innate magical powers, the powers wrought of his deep Underdark homeland, bringing forth a globe of impenetrable darkness right before the entry tunnel, and right in front of those enemies coming in pursuit.“Go, go!” he yelled at Entreri, coming up on the man’s left and adding his spinning scimitars to the fray.Entreri rolled behind him and came around clear of the tangled flank, and sprinted after Dahlia in a dead run across the vast hall, and Drizzt, with his magical anklets speeding his every step, disengaged from the pikemen and went in swift pursuit.The three easily outran the more heavily encumbered Shadovar, making a straight line for an exit tunnel ahead and to the right.But more shades came in from the side, and once again, arrows and javelins flew their way.With speed and acrobatics and more than a bit of luck, they all got into the cover of that tunnel, and ran along, Drizzt and Dahlia both trying to sort out their way to the lower levels, Entreri just keeping pace.They went around a corner and Drizzt pulled up short, motioning for the other two to continue.He went down low to one knee and slipped back around the corner with his bow in hand, and he mowed down the incoming shades with a line of deadly missiles.“Here!” he heard Dahlia call for him, and he ran off, thinking he had bought them some time, at least.But not much time, he realized as a powerful explosion wracked the corridor behind him.He glanced back to see sparks arcing along the walls of the corner where he had just been kneeling, and heard the renewed pursuit.They passed through a series of chambers, guessing more than knowing which doors to burst through.They turned another corner, and another beyond that, speeding for a heavy, partially ajar metal doorway.Entreri shouldered it, crashing through, Drizzt and Dahlia close behind, and as the large room opened into view before them, all three saw and heard a similar door opposite them slam shut.Entreri made for it with all speed, Dahlia close behind, as Drizzt slammed the door behind him.He looked for a locking bar, but none was to be found.But some furniture still remained, including a heavy stone chair frame, so he pulled it into place before the door and propped it at an angle to somewhat secure the portal.Across the room, Entreri tugged at the other door and banged on it, but whoever had exited had already secured it.“Now where?” Dahlia asked, leaping around and scanning for other doors.But there were none to be seen.“Now where?” she asked again, more insistently.“Now we fight,” Entreri replied.“That was Alegni’s voice,” he added, and spat on the floor.“Kill him, at least, before we die, then,” Dahlia said, and Entreri nodded grimly.“Whatever you do, Drizzt, get me to him,” Entreri said.“I will salute you with my final moments of life, for whatever that might be worth to you.”Drizzt regarded the two, standing so easily beside each other, both seeming perfectly comfortable with their fate—as long as they could get to Herzgo Alegni.He couldn’t imagine the hatred that drove them, and once again he was reminded of their unspoken bond, their sharing of something deeper, something he couldn’t comprehend, let alone partake.Drizzt did recognize that either of them would die happy if that death came after the killing blow upon Herzgo Alegni.How could someone hate another so much, he wondered?What had happened, what violation, what violent betrayal or continued torture, to facilitate such venom?A thunderous retort hit the door behind him, and Drizzt scrambled to set the chair frame back in place.He heard the report as a hail of missiles hit the door, and heard too the calls for pursuit and the multitude of footsteps.He turned to view his friends, equally doomed, but found himself looking behind them, at the other door, which had silently opened.Dahlia grunted, looked curiously at Drizzt, then collapsed to the ground.A bolt of lightning hit the door behind Drizzt, crackling as it climbed around the metal and once more throwing the chair aside.Drizzt started for Dahlia; he turned for the door.Then he was blinded.The drow had come.“BREGAN D’AERTHE!”DRIZZT KNEW.HE FELT THE STING OF A CROSSBOW BOLT, AND ANOTHER AND a third, and the ensuing, almost immediate burn of drow poison, familiar from so long ago, coursing through his veins.He knew.He heard the thunder of the approaching Shadovar.There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.He wanted to fight at least, to offer some last and fitting expression of Drizzt Do’Urden.
|
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dnd476
|
If this was his end, as surely he believed it to be, then it should match the way he lived his life.He wondered about the afterlife, and hoped there was one, and a just one.One where he would find again his friends lost, find his love, Catti-brie, and he even managed a grin in the magical darkness as the strength left his knees, as the scimitars fell from his grasp, in imagining the meeting between Catti-brie and Dahlia.The grin was gone before it even began.Catti-brie and Dahlia … and Drizzt.He hoped he would find Catti-brie, for the thought of spending eternity beside Dahlia …He was on the ground then, though he felt nothing.He resisted the drow poison enough to remain awake and somewhat cogent, but his physical abilities were absent, and not to soon return.“Bregan D’aerthe!” he heard Artemis Entreri cry, and Drizzt hoped that perhaps this was Jarlaxle’s band, that perhaps they might survive.Entreri clarified, “We’re agents of Bregan D’aerthe!”Clever, Drizzt thought.Ever was Artemis Entreri clever—that is what made him doubly dangerous.He sensed forms passing by him, moving over him, but he could not lash out at them, and thought that he should not lash out at them.The irony of a drow rescue was not lost on the groggy and fast-sinking dark elf ranger, nor was the notion that it would indeed be a very short reprieve.The room’s door burst open under the weight of ranks of Shadovar pressing forward.A wall of poisoned crossbow bolts came at them.The room blackened before them.A second magical darkness engulfed their front ranks, and a third magical darkness hit the throng behind that one.And in that confused frenzy, a fireball erupted, biting flames curling Shadovar skin, blistering Shadovar hands as they tried to hold to metal weapons.Turning and thrashing, disoriented in the darkness, tripping over the bodies of their front ranks lying helpless on the ground under the spell of drow poison, the charge abruptly halted.“Press on!” Herzgo Alegni screamed from the back when he recognized the stall.“Drow!” came the responding shouts.“The dark elves have come!”“Effron!” Herzgo Alegni shouted.He hardly knew what to make of that, and certainly he didn’t want a battle with a drow force.But neither would he let that sword, or his hated enemies, Entreri and the wretched Dahlia, escape!He spotted the twisted warlock by the entrance to the tunnel in the room ahead of him.“Fill the room with deadly magic!” Alegni yelled at the warlock.“There are Shadovar in that room, my lord!” a shade lieutenant near to Alegni dared to argue.Hardly thinking of the movement, hardly even registering his own reaction to the lieutenant’s words, Alegni punched the shade in the jaw, and the shade dropped to the floor in a heap.“I will have them!” Alegni bellowed, and all around him cowered under the power of his voice and the very real threat behind his demands.“I will have that sword!” He regarded the shade he had hit.Normally, the warlord refrained from such public corporeal punishment of his charges, other than his open torment of Barrabus the Gray, of course.He put a hand out to help hoist the shade back to his feet, but when the lieutenant hesitated, staring at him suspiciously, Alegni retracted the hand and quietly warned, “The next time you so openly oppose my orders, I will answer with my sword.”He moved forward to find Effron and his magic-wielding forces filling the room at the far end of the corridor with blazing lightning, clouds of acid, balls of fire, and bubbling poisonous ooze.Prodded by a continually yelling Alegni, their barrage of deadly magic went on and on, shaking the stones of Gauntlgrym.They could see none of it, of course, as the drow darkness lingered, and finally as both barrage and darkness began to thin, the Shadovar forces pressed on.To find an empty room, with not a body to be seen and the back door closed and sealed once more.“They could not all have escaped,” Effron remarked when Alegni entered the scarred battlefield.“Some of our enemies were slain here, I am certain.”“You’re guessing,” Alegni growled back at him.“Reasoning.None could have withstood our concentrated assault.”“You know little of the drow, I see.”Effron shrugged, that curious motion with one of his shoulders always behind him.“So some were killed,” Alegni mused.“Dahlia, do you think?”Effron swallowed hard.“You would not wish such a thing, would you, twisted boy?” Alegni teased.“To think her dead, but gone from you.
|
If this was his end, as surely he believed it to be, then it should match the way he lived his life.He wondered about the afterlife, and hoped there was one, and a just one.One where he would find again his friends lost, find his love, Catti-brie, and he even managed a grin in the magical darkness as the strength left his knees, as the scimitars fell from his grasp, in imagining the meeting between Catti-brie and Dahlia.The grin was gone before it even began.Catti-brie and Dahlia … and Drizzt.He hoped he would find Catti-brie, for the thought of spending eternity beside Dahlia …He was on the ground then, though he felt nothing.He resisted the drow poison enough to remain awake and somewhat cogent, but his physical abilities were absent, and not to soon return.“Bregan D’aerthe!” he heard Artemis Entreri cry, and Drizzt hoped that perhaps this was Jarlaxle’s band, that perhaps they might survive.Entreri clarified, “We’re agents of Bregan D’aerthe!”Clever, Drizzt thought.Ever was Artemis Entreri clever—that is what made him doubly dangerous.He sensed forms passing by him, moving over him, but he could not lash out at them, and thought that he should not lash out at them.The irony of a drow rescue was not lost on the groggy and fast-sinking dark elf ranger, nor was the notion that it would indeed be a very short reprieve.The room’s door burst open under the weight of ranks of Shadovar pressing forward.A wall of poisoned crossbow bolts came at them.The room blackened before them.A second magical darkness engulfed their front ranks, and a third magical darkness hit the throng behind that one.And in that confused frenzy, a fireball erupted, biting flames curling Shadovar skin, blistering Shadovar hands as they tried to hold to metal weapons.Turning and thrashing, disoriented in the darkness, tripping over the bodies of their front ranks lying helpless on the ground under the spell of drow poison, the charge abruptly halted.“Press on!” Herzgo Alegni screamed from the back when he recognized the stall.“Drow!” came the responding shouts.“The dark elves have come!”“Effron!” Herzgo Alegni shouted.He hardly knew what to make of that, and certainly he didn’t want a battle with a drow force.But neither would he let that sword, or his hated enemies, Entreri and the wretched Dahlia, escape!He spotted the twisted warlock by the entrance to the tunnel in the room ahead of him.“Fill the room with deadly magic!” Alegni yelled at the warlock.“There are Shadovar in that room, my lord!” a shade lieutenant near to Alegni dared to argue.Hardly thinking of the movement, hardly even registering his own reaction to the lieutenant’s words, Alegni punched the shade in the jaw, and the shade dropped to the floor in a heap.“I will have them!” Alegni bellowed, and all around him cowered under the power of his voice and the very real threat behind his demands.“I will have that sword!” He regarded the shade he had hit.Normally, the warlord refrained from such public corporeal punishment of his charges, other than his open torment of Barrabus the Gray, of course.He put a hand out to help hoist the shade back to his feet, but when the lieutenant hesitated, staring at him suspiciously, Alegni retracted the hand and quietly warned, “The next time you so openly oppose my orders, I will answer with my sword.”He moved forward to find Effron and his magic-wielding forces filling the room at the far end of the corridor with blazing lightning, clouds of acid, balls of fire, and bubbling poisonous ooze.Prodded by a continually yelling Alegni, their barrage of deadly magic went on and on, shaking the stones of Gauntlgrym.They could see none of it, of course, as the drow darkness lingered, and finally as both barrage and darkness began to thin, the Shadovar forces pressed on.To find an empty room, with not a body to be seen and the back door closed and sealed once more.“They could not all have escaped,” Effron remarked when Alegni entered the scarred battlefield.“Some of our enemies were slain here, I am certain.”“You’re guessing,” Alegni growled back at him.“Reasoning.None could have withstood our concentrated assault.”“You know little of the drow, I see.”Effron shrugged, that curious motion with one of his shoulders always behind him.“So some were killed,” Alegni mused.“Dahlia, do you think?”Effron swallowed hard.“You would not wish such a thing, would you, twisted boy?” Alegni teased.“To think her dead, but gone from you.
|
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dnd477
|
To think her dead without you being able to witness the last light leaving her blue eyes.That would hurt most of all, wouldn’t it?”Effron stared at him hatefully, not blinking.“Do you speak for me or for yourself?”“If she is dead, then so be it,” Alegni said as convincingly as he could manage.“And Barra—Artemis Entreri?”“If he is dead, I will take up Charon’s Claw and bring him back, that I might torment him for another decade to repay him for his insolence and treachery.”“He resisted the sword before.Could you ever trust him, or in your ability to control him, even with Claw back in your grasp?”Alegni smiled at that, but didn’t really have an answer.In any case, both Dahlia and Entreri were gone, either still fleeing or dead.Or captured, Alegni mused, and under the control of these dark elves that had so suddenly appeared before his forces.The tiefling warlord couldn’t hold to his smile, for the arrival of a sizable drow force, if it was indeed that, certainly complicated his quest.“If they’re alive, and these were their allies, then they continue toward the primordial beast,” Alegni said to Effron and all of those nearby.“That is the worst potential, so continue our march.Fill these tunnels with Shadovar.Find that beast!”“If they are dead and the drow have taken the sword, they will likely bargain its return,” Effron remarked quietly as the forces organized and set out once more.Alegni nodded.“But we prepare for the more immediate potential.”“We have lines of warriors strung out far ahead in the corridors,” Effron assured him.“We have found the main stair to the lower levels.”“Send word of this new enemy, then,” Alegni ordered.“We do not know them to be an enemy,” Effron reasoned.That rang as curious in Alegni’s ears—hadn’t they just fought a vicious and quick exchange, after all?—but as he considered the suddenness with which the two alert and powerful forces had met, perhaps there was some truth to Effron’s claim.Perhaps the drow had inadvertently happened in the way of the Shadovar advance, and had reacted to force with force, as Alegni surely would have done.Perhaps, but the desperate tiefling wasn’t about to take any chances.“Get us to the primordial,” he told Effron, “with all haste and without mercy for any who stand in our way.”Drizzt still had his scimitars and still had his bow, but they wouldn’t do him any good, even though his physical senses and abilities were beginning to return.Magical tentacles had grown out of the stone and grabbed him—and Entreri and Dahlia, who were seated back to back with him—fully immobilizing them all.He heard Dahlia groan, only then beginning to awaken.Entreri was perfectly conscious, and Drizzt doubted that any of the bolts had even struck him.“Bregan D’aerthe?” a finely dressed drow warrior standing before Drizzt remarked, his voice clearly full of doubt.“What’s your name?”He was speaking in the high tongue of Menzoberranzan, a language Drizzt had not heard in a long, long time, but one that he recognized, and one that returned to him with amazing speed and clarity.“Masoj,” Drizzt answered without hesitation, pulling out a name from his distant past.The drow, a warrior noble if his dress and fine swords were to be believed, looked at him curiously.“Masoj?” he asked.“Of what House?”“Of no House he will admit,” Artemis Entreri put in, also speaking perfect Drow.A soldier beside the noble drow stiffened and moved as if to punish the man for daring to speak out, but the noble held him back.“Do continue,” he prompted Entreri.“Masoj, of a House that offended the Spider Queen,” Entreri explained.“None will admit it, save Kimmuriel, who leads Bregan D’aerthe.”“You are of House Oblodra?” the warrior noble asked Drizzt, bending low to look Drizzt in the eye.In the lavender eye, Drizzt knew, and he feared that his reputation and strange eyes might precede him and ruin everything.Drizzt shook his head.“I will admit no such thing,” he said, the proper response.“You are related to Kimmuriel, then?” the warrior noble pressed.“Distantly,” Drizzt answered.“Jearth,” came a female voice from the side, “the Netherese flank us.We have no time to tarry.”“Kill them and be done with it?” Jearth, the warrior noble, replied.“It would seem prudent.”“They are of Bregan D’aerthe, they claim,” Jearth replied.
|
To think her dead without you being able to witness the last light leaving her blue eyes.That would hurt most of all, wouldn’t it?”Effron stared at him hatefully, not blinking.“Do you speak for me or for yourself?”“If she is dead, then so be it,” Alegni said as convincingly as he could manage.“And Barra—Artemis Entreri?”“If he is dead, I will take up Charon’s Claw and bring him back, that I might torment him for another decade to repay him for his insolence and treachery.”“He resisted the sword before.Could you ever trust him, or in your ability to control him, even with Claw back in your grasp?”Alegni smiled at that, but didn’t really have an answer.In any case, both Dahlia and Entreri were gone, either still fleeing or dead.Or captured, Alegni mused, and under the control of these dark elves that had so suddenly appeared before his forces.The tiefling warlord couldn’t hold to his smile, for the arrival of a sizable drow force, if it was indeed that, certainly complicated his quest.“If they’re alive, and these were their allies, then they continue toward the primordial beast,” Alegni said to Effron and all of those nearby.“That is the worst potential, so continue our march.Fill these tunnels with Shadovar.Find that beast!”“If they are dead and the drow have taken the sword, they will likely bargain its return,” Effron remarked quietly as the forces organized and set out once more.Alegni nodded.“But we prepare for the more immediate potential.”“We have lines of warriors strung out far ahead in the corridors,” Effron assured him.“We have found the main stair to the lower levels.”“Send word of this new enemy, then,” Alegni ordered.“We do not know them to be an enemy,” Effron reasoned.That rang as curious in Alegni’s ears—hadn’t they just fought a vicious and quick exchange, after all?—but as he considered the suddenness with which the two alert and powerful forces had met, perhaps there was some truth to Effron’s claim.Perhaps the drow had inadvertently happened in the way of the Shadovar advance, and had reacted to force with force, as Alegni surely would have done.Perhaps, but the desperate tiefling wasn’t about to take any chances.“Get us to the primordial,” he told Effron, “with all haste and without mercy for any who stand in our way.”Drizzt still had his scimitars and still had his bow, but they wouldn’t do him any good, even though his physical senses and abilities were beginning to return.Magical tentacles had grown out of the stone and grabbed him—and Entreri and Dahlia, who were seated back to back with him—fully immobilizing them all.He heard Dahlia groan, only then beginning to awaken.Entreri was perfectly conscious, and Drizzt doubted that any of the bolts had even struck him.“Bregan D’aerthe?” a finely dressed drow warrior standing before Drizzt remarked, his voice clearly full of doubt.“What’s your name?”He was speaking in the high tongue of Menzoberranzan, a language Drizzt had not heard in a long, long time, but one that he recognized, and one that returned to him with amazing speed and clarity.“Masoj,” Drizzt answered without hesitation, pulling out a name from his distant past.The drow, a warrior noble if his dress and fine swords were to be believed, looked at him curiously.“Masoj?” he asked.“Of what House?”“Of no House he will admit,” Artemis Entreri put in, also speaking perfect Drow.A soldier beside the noble drow stiffened and moved as if to punish the man for daring to speak out, but the noble held him back.“Do continue,” he prompted Entreri.“Masoj, of a House that offended the Spider Queen,” Entreri explained.“None will admit it, save Kimmuriel, who leads Bregan D’aerthe.”“You are of House Oblodra?” the warrior noble asked Drizzt, bending low to look Drizzt in the eye.In the lavender eye, Drizzt knew, and he feared that his reputation and strange eyes might precede him and ruin everything.Drizzt shook his head.“I will admit no such thing,” he said, the proper response.“You are related to Kimmuriel, then?” the warrior noble pressed.“Distantly,” Drizzt answered.“Jearth,” came a female voice from the side, “the Netherese flank us.We have no time to tarry.”“Kill them and be done with it?” Jearth, the warrior noble, replied.“It would seem prudent.”“They are of Bregan D’aerthe, they claim,” Jearth replied.
|
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dnd478
|
“If Kimmuriel’s forces are around, I would have them on our side, would you agree?It should be easy enough to facilitate their aid, particularly with Tiago Baenre among our ranks.”Drizzt’s thoughts whirled as he tried to place the names.Jearth sounded somewhat familiar to him, but he knew of Tiago not at all.But Baenre!Of course, the mere mention of that powerful House sent Drizzt’s memories spinning back to his decades in Menzoberranzan.“Bregan D’aerthe?” the female echoed incredulously.She started around to Drizzt’s left.“A drow, an elf …” She paused just long enough to spit upon Dahlia, and Drizzt winced, considering what might soon happen to poor Dahlia, given her heritage and the hatred between the elf races.“And a human,” the female continued as she walked, but she bit off that last word, and Drizzt craned his neck enough to see her, to notice the surprised expression on her face as she looked over Artemis Entreri.“Priestess,” Entreri said to her with proper deference.The female continued to stare at him with obvious curiosity.“I know you,” she said quietly, and seemed unsure and tentative.“I have been to Menzoberranzan,” Entreri replied to that look.“Before the Spellplague, beside Jarlaxle.”Drizzt held his breath, for Entreri had left Menzoberranzan beside him, and after they had wrought great damage.Reminding this priestess of that time might also remind her of the escape, and the identity of Entreri’s companions during that escape!“You would be long dead then, human.”“And yet I’m not,” Entreri replied.“There’s magic in the world, it would seem.”“Do you know him?” the noble warrior asked the priestess.“Do you know me, human?” she asked.“Do you know Berellip Xorlarrin?”There came a long pause.Drizzt craned his neck even farther, catching a glimpse of Entreri as the seated man studied the drow priestess before him.Drizzt knew the name, the surname at least, and it brought him little comfort.For House Xorlarrin had been among the greatest of Menzoberranzan, potent with magic and formidable.Drizzt swallowed hard yet again, for he recalled then this warrior noble, Jearth Xorlarrin, who had been through Melee-Magthere, the drow academy, not long before him.He considered it great luck indeed that Jearth had apparently not recognized him, for though a century and more had elapsed, few dark elves had eyes the color of Drizzt’s.This whole thing seemed so perfectly absurd to Drizzt—until, of course, he considered that Jarlaxle had been involved.Whenever Jarlaxle was involved, absurdity was soon to follow.“I do,” Entreri replied to the priestess, and Drizzt just sighed helplessly.“Where, then?” the female demanded.“On a ledge on the edge of the Clawrift,” Entreri answered without hesitation, though there was a bit of a question in his voice, as if he wasn’t completely sure and was afraid—rightly so!—to get it wrong.Berellip began to laugh.“How could I ever forget?” Entreri asked with more confidence.“Did you not use your powers to dangle me over the abyss in the moment of my ecstasy?”“It was about pleasing me, human,” she answered.“Your discomfort mattered not at all.”“As it must be,” Entreri replied.“Berellip?” asked the incredulous warrior noble, who was clearly more flummoxed even than Drizzt.“You know him?”“If he is who he claims to be, he was my first colnbluth lover,” Berellip answered, using the drow word for anyone who was not drow.
|
“If Kimmuriel’s forces are around, I would have them on our side, would you agree?It should be easy enough to facilitate their aid, particularly with Tiago Baenre among our ranks.”Drizzt’s thoughts whirled as he tried to place the names.Jearth sounded somewhat familiar to him, but he knew of Tiago not at all.But Baenre!Of course, the mere mention of that powerful House sent Drizzt’s memories spinning back to his decades in Menzoberranzan.“Bregan D’aerthe?” the female echoed incredulously.She started around to Drizzt’s left.“A drow, an elf …” She paused just long enough to spit upon Dahlia, and Drizzt winced, considering what might soon happen to poor Dahlia, given her heritage and the hatred between the elf races.“And a human,” the female continued as she walked, but she bit off that last word, and Drizzt craned his neck enough to see her, to notice the surprised expression on her face as she looked over Artemis Entreri.“Priestess,” Entreri said to her with proper deference.The female continued to stare at him with obvious curiosity.“I know you,” she said quietly, and seemed unsure and tentative.“I have been to Menzoberranzan,” Entreri replied to that look.“Before the Spellplague, beside Jarlaxle.”Drizzt held his breath, for Entreri had left Menzoberranzan beside him, and after they had wrought great damage.Reminding this priestess of that time might also remind her of the escape, and the identity of Entreri’s companions during that escape!“You would be long dead then, human.”“And yet I’m not,” Entreri replied.“There’s magic in the world, it would seem.”“Do you know him?” the noble warrior asked the priestess.“Do you know me, human?” she asked.“Do you know Berellip Xorlarrin?”There came a long pause.Drizzt craned his neck even farther, catching a glimpse of Entreri as the seated man studied the drow priestess before him.Drizzt knew the name, the surname at least, and it brought him little comfort.For House Xorlarrin had been among the greatest of Menzoberranzan, potent with magic and formidable.Drizzt swallowed hard yet again, for he recalled then this warrior noble, Jearth Xorlarrin, who had been through Melee-Magthere, the drow academy, not long before him.He considered it great luck indeed that Jearth had apparently not recognized him, for though a century and more had elapsed, few dark elves had eyes the color of Drizzt’s.This whole thing seemed so perfectly absurd to Drizzt—until, of course, he considered that Jarlaxle had been involved.Whenever Jarlaxle was involved, absurdity was soon to follow.“I do,” Entreri replied to the priestess, and Drizzt just sighed helplessly.“Where, then?” the female demanded.“On a ledge on the edge of the Clawrift,” Entreri answered without hesitation, though there was a bit of a question in his voice, as if he wasn’t completely sure and was afraid—rightly so!—to get it wrong.Berellip began to laugh.“How could I ever forget?” Entreri asked with more confidence.“Did you not use your powers to dangle me over the abyss in the moment of my ecstasy?”“It was about pleasing me, human,” she answered.“Your discomfort mattered not at all.”“As it must be,” Entreri replied.“Berellip?” asked the incredulous warrior noble, who was clearly more flummoxed even than Drizzt.“You know him?”“If he is who he claims to be, he was my first colnbluth lover,” Berellip answered, using the drow word for anyone who was not drow.
|
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dnd479
|
She laughed.“My only human lover.And quite skilled, if I recall correctly, which is why I didn’t drop him into the Clawrift.”“I was there to please you,” Entreri said.Drizzt could hardly believe what he was hearing, but he resisted shaking his head or wearing a stupefied expression and being obvious—if he was to be taken seriously as a member of Bregan D’aerthe, after all, then such news should not be so shocking to him.“He was brought to Menzoberranzan by Jarlaxle,” Berellip explained to Jearth.“And graciously put at the disposal of those among us who were curious about the prowess of a human.”“He is who you believe him to be?” the warrior asked skeptically.“On the edge of the Clawrift, indeed,” Berellip said, and her voice revealed that it had probably been a pleasant experience—at least from her perspective.Drizzt didn’t know whether to laugh out loud or scream at the absurdity of it all.He chose—wisely—to remain silent.Once again, images of his escape from Menzoberranzan, Entreri beside him, had him holding his breath.If Berellip or Jearth put the pieces together, if they had learned that Entreri had fled Menzoberranzan beside Drizzt Do’Urden, the result would be catastrophic indeed.“They’re Bregan D’aerthe, then,” Jearth declared.“So it would seem,” Berellip answered, and Drizzt breathed just a little bit easier.“An elf?” Jearth asked incredulously.“I would not suffer her to live.”“Take her as you will,” Berellip started to answer, but Entreri interrupted.“She is Jarlaxle’s consort,” Entreri blurted to Drizzt’s continuing surprise.“His most valuable spy, as you can imagine, for she navigates the villages of the elves and Eladrin with ease.”Simply in looking at Jearth, Drizzt realized that his assassin companion had just saved Dahlia from a certain fate of rape, torture, and ultimately, murder.“You let iblith speak for you?” Berellip asked Drizzt, moving around to stand before him.Drizzt held his breath yet again.She had recognized Entreri—what might happen if she recognized him?Certainly she was old enough to know the stories of Drizzt Do’Urden, traitor to his people.“He is Jarlaxle’s colnbluth,” Drizzt explained at length.“I serve Kimmuriel.”“And which leads Bregan D’aerthe?” Berellip asked.“Kimmuriel,” Drizzt said without hesitation, though he was flailing blindly, for he had no idea of what he was talking about, and had even less of an idea of what Berellip and Jearth might know of the inner workings of Jarlaxle’s band.“Then why do you allow him to speak?”“In deference to Jarlaxle,” Drizzt replied.“That is our edict from Kimmuriel.All deference to Jarlaxle.I am here to serve as Kimmuriel’s eyes, as Jarlaxle’s colnbluth and his elf consort scout out this most curious place.”“Weapons master,” came a voice from the back of the room, out of Drizzt’s sight.“The Shadovar move to flank us.We must move at once.”Jearth looked to Berellip.“Free them,” the priestess said.“We will need their blades.Put them in a tunnel where the fighting will be especially fierce.My memory is that Jarlaxle’s toy was exceptionally fine with the blade, as well as his spear.”She leaned in close to Entreri and said quietly.
|
She laughed.“My only human lover.And quite skilled, if I recall correctly, which is why I didn’t drop him into the Clawrift.”“I was there to please you,” Entreri said.Drizzt could hardly believe what he was hearing, but he resisted shaking his head or wearing a stupefied expression and being obvious—if he was to be taken seriously as a member of Bregan D’aerthe, after all, then such news should not be so shocking to him.“He was brought to Menzoberranzan by Jarlaxle,” Berellip explained to Jearth.“And graciously put at the disposal of those among us who were curious about the prowess of a human.”“He is who you believe him to be?” the warrior asked skeptically.“On the edge of the Clawrift, indeed,” Berellip said, and her voice revealed that it had probably been a pleasant experience—at least from her perspective.Drizzt didn’t know whether to laugh out loud or scream at the absurdity of it all.He chose—wisely—to remain silent.Once again, images of his escape from Menzoberranzan, Entreri beside him, had him holding his breath.If Berellip or Jearth put the pieces together, if they had learned that Entreri had fled Menzoberranzan beside Drizzt Do’Urden, the result would be catastrophic indeed.“They’re Bregan D’aerthe, then,” Jearth declared.“So it would seem,” Berellip answered, and Drizzt breathed just a little bit easier.“An elf?” Jearth asked incredulously.“I would not suffer her to live.”“Take her as you will,” Berellip started to answer, but Entreri interrupted.“She is Jarlaxle’s consort,” Entreri blurted to Drizzt’s continuing surprise.“His most valuable spy, as you can imagine, for she navigates the villages of the elves and Eladrin with ease.”Simply in looking at Jearth, Drizzt realized that his assassin companion had just saved Dahlia from a certain fate of rape, torture, and ultimately, murder.“You let iblith speak for you?” Berellip asked Drizzt, moving around to stand before him.Drizzt held his breath yet again.She had recognized Entreri—what might happen if she recognized him?Certainly she was old enough to know the stories of Drizzt Do’Urden, traitor to his people.“He is Jarlaxle’s colnbluth,” Drizzt explained at length.“I serve Kimmuriel.”“And which leads Bregan D’aerthe?” Berellip asked.“Kimmuriel,” Drizzt said without hesitation, though he was flailing blindly, for he had no idea of what he was talking about, and had even less of an idea of what Berellip and Jearth might know of the inner workings of Jarlaxle’s band.“Then why do you allow him to speak?”“In deference to Jarlaxle,” Drizzt replied.“That is our edict from Kimmuriel.All deference to Jarlaxle.I am here to serve as Kimmuriel’s eyes, as Jarlaxle’s colnbluth and his elf consort scout out this most curious place.”“Weapons master,” came a voice from the back of the room, out of Drizzt’s sight.“The Shadovar move to flank us.We must move at once.”Jearth looked to Berellip.“Free them,” the priestess said.“We will need their blades.Put them in a tunnel where the fighting will be especially fierce.My memory is that Jarlaxle’s toy was exceptionally fine with the blade, as well as his spear.”She leaned in close to Entreri and said quietly.
|
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dnd480
|
“If you fight well, you may survive, and if you do, I will allow you to please me once more.”To that point, the groggy Dahlia had been perfectly still and perfectly silent, but she gave a little gasp at that remark, Drizzt noted with more than a passing interest.“She must have been an amazing lover for you to remember her after all of these decades,” Dahlia said to Entreri when the three were moving together and alone a short while later.“I don’t remember her at all,” Entreri replied.“But … you mentioned the incident,” Dahlia protested.“This Claw …?” She held up her hands helplessly.“The Clawrift,” Drizzt explained.“A chasm in the drow city.”“And he remembered it, and the encounter with her beside it,” Dahlia said.Drizzt didn’t look at her, figuring that it would only confirm the intrigue he clearly heard in Dahlia’s voice.Again came those flashes, images of Dahlia and Entreri entwined in passion.But now Drizzt understood the source of them—partly, at least—and so he pushed them away and silently warned Charon’s Claw to shut up.If it was Charon’s Claw, and that was the rub.For in his heart, Drizzt understood that the sentient sword was not planting the whole of his feelings regarding Dahlia and Artemis Entreri.The sword had sensed some jealousy within him and was fueling it, likely, but Drizzt would be lying to himself to pretend that he was not honestly bothered by the level of intimacy between Entreri and Dahlia, a level that far exceeded his own with this elf woman who was his lover.“Not at all,” Entreri said.“I heard you!” Dahlia protested.“That was the chosen place,” said Entreri.“For all of the noble priestesses who were curious about the prowess of a human.”“You said she magically dangled you over the ledge,” Dahlia protested.“They all did.”Both Dahlia and Drizzt stopped and stared at him.“Lovely ladies, these priestesses of Lolth,” Entreri mouthed dryly.“Not very imaginative, but …” He just shrugged and moved along.Drizzt thought back to those long-ago days, when Jarlaxle had taken Artemis Entreri to Menzoberranzan, and there the assassin had been like a slave—not necessarily to Jarlaxle, but to any and all of the drow who deemed to use him as they would.Drizzt had learned of some of Entreri’s trials in those days, for Drizzt, too, had gone to Menzoberranzan at that time to surrender, and had been promptly imprisoned there until a dear friend had come to get him.He had left the city beside Artemis Entreri, a daring escape.Beside Entreri and Catti-brie.She had come for him, daring the deep Underdark, defying the power of the drow, risking everything for the sake of a foolish Drizzt, who truly hadn’t appreciated the value and responsibility of friendship.Would Dahlia have come for him, he couldn’t help but wonder?He had to let it go, he scolded himself.Now was not the time to consider the past, or the reliability of his present companions.They could fight, and fight well, and now, with the tunnels full of deadly enemies, that was enough.Indeed, in short order, the three companions found themselves alone and hard-pressed once more, for the Shadovar were all about the upper levels of the complex, like a creeping and pervasive darkness.“We have to get down below quickly,” Drizzt explained as he hustled beside Entreri, Dahlia just behind them, along a corridor lined by many rooms on either side.These had been dwarven living quarters in ancient times, obviously, the residences of Gauntlgrym.“There is only one descent that I know of,” Dahlia agreed.“Alegni will move to block it.”“If he even knows of it,” said Drizzt.As he spoke, he noted that a door ahead of Entreri on the right-hand side of the corridor was slightly ajar, and it seemed to him as if the cracked opening had just shifted slightly.Drizzt called upon his magical anklets to speed his movements.He darted across in front of Entreri, barreling into the door full speed, bursting it wide and charging into the side room.A group of four shades awaited him, or more accurately, had planned to spring out at him and his companions.The first fell away, slammed by the door.The second instinctively reached for his tumbling companion, then spun back and threw his arms up to defend, but too late as Drizzt’s scimitar cut across his throat, the drow rushing past.“Right!” he heard Dahlia cry as he engaged the remaining two, and he understood that this ambush had been coordinated from more than one room.No matter, though, his task lay before him.He batted down a pointing stave with a backhand right, and the flummoxed sorcerer couldn’t even finish his spell.
|
“If you fight well, you may survive, and if you do, I will allow you to please me once more.”To that point, the groggy Dahlia had been perfectly still and perfectly silent, but she gave a little gasp at that remark, Drizzt noted with more than a passing interest.“She must have been an amazing lover for you to remember her after all of these decades,” Dahlia said to Entreri when the three were moving together and alone a short while later.“I don’t remember her at all,” Entreri replied.“But … you mentioned the incident,” Dahlia protested.“This Claw …?” She held up her hands helplessly.“The Clawrift,” Drizzt explained.“A chasm in the drow city.”“And he remembered it, and the encounter with her beside it,” Dahlia said.Drizzt didn’t look at her, figuring that it would only confirm the intrigue he clearly heard in Dahlia’s voice.Again came those flashes, images of Dahlia and Entreri entwined in passion.But now Drizzt understood the source of them—partly, at least—and so he pushed them away and silently warned Charon’s Claw to shut up.If it was Charon’s Claw, and that was the rub.For in his heart, Drizzt understood that the sentient sword was not planting the whole of his feelings regarding Dahlia and Artemis Entreri.The sword had sensed some jealousy within him and was fueling it, likely, but Drizzt would be lying to himself to pretend that he was not honestly bothered by the level of intimacy between Entreri and Dahlia, a level that far exceeded his own with this elf woman who was his lover.“Not at all,” Entreri said.“I heard you!” Dahlia protested.“That was the chosen place,” said Entreri.“For all of the noble priestesses who were curious about the prowess of a human.”“You said she magically dangled you over the ledge,” Dahlia protested.“They all did.”Both Dahlia and Drizzt stopped and stared at him.“Lovely ladies, these priestesses of Lolth,” Entreri mouthed dryly.“Not very imaginative, but …” He just shrugged and moved along.Drizzt thought back to those long-ago days, when Jarlaxle had taken Artemis Entreri to Menzoberranzan, and there the assassin had been like a slave—not necessarily to Jarlaxle, but to any and all of the drow who deemed to use him as they would.Drizzt had learned of some of Entreri’s trials in those days, for Drizzt, too, had gone to Menzoberranzan at that time to surrender, and had been promptly imprisoned there until a dear friend had come to get him.He had left the city beside Artemis Entreri, a daring escape.Beside Entreri and Catti-brie.She had come for him, daring the deep Underdark, defying the power of the drow, risking everything for the sake of a foolish Drizzt, who truly hadn’t appreciated the value and responsibility of friendship.Would Dahlia have come for him, he couldn’t help but wonder?He had to let it go, he scolded himself.Now was not the time to consider the past, or the reliability of his present companions.They could fight, and fight well, and now, with the tunnels full of deadly enemies, that was enough.Indeed, in short order, the three companions found themselves alone and hard-pressed once more, for the Shadovar were all about the upper levels of the complex, like a creeping and pervasive darkness.“We have to get down below quickly,” Drizzt explained as he hustled beside Entreri, Dahlia just behind them, along a corridor lined by many rooms on either side.These had been dwarven living quarters in ancient times, obviously, the residences of Gauntlgrym.“There is only one descent that I know of,” Dahlia agreed.“Alegni will move to block it.”“If he even knows of it,” said Drizzt.As he spoke, he noted that a door ahead of Entreri on the right-hand side of the corridor was slightly ajar, and it seemed to him as if the cracked opening had just shifted slightly.Drizzt called upon his magical anklets to speed his movements.He darted across in front of Entreri, barreling into the door full speed, bursting it wide and charging into the side room.A group of four shades awaited him, or more accurately, had planned to spring out at him and his companions.The first fell away, slammed by the door.The second instinctively reached for his tumbling companion, then spun back and threw his arms up to defend, but too late as Drizzt’s scimitar cut across his throat, the drow rushing past.“Right!” he heard Dahlia cry as he engaged the remaining two, and he understood that this ambush had been coordinated from more than one room.No matter, though, his task lay before him.He batted down a pointing stave with a backhand right, and the flummoxed sorcerer couldn’t even finish his spell.
|
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dnd481
|
Drizzt’s left scimitar went across the other way, batting aside a thrusting sword.Without even turning his hips, the drow deftly rolled his weapon over that sword and came back in the other way, neatly parrying a thrust of the attacker’s second sword.Only then, in recognizing the two-handed fighting style, did Drizzt come to understand, too, that this shade was of elf heritage, perhaps even dark elf heritage.Again, no matter, for he hadn’t the time to ask a question.He stabbed out with that left hand, forcing the shade back, then retreated himself a few fast steps.He reversed his grip on Icingdeath in his right hand and stabbed it out behind him, perfectly timing the strike to halt the charge of the shade who had been slammed by the door.Axe up high for an overhead, two-handed chop and coming in fast, the fool had no defense.He couldn’t turn, couldn’t stop, couldn’t dodge, and couldn’t get his weapon or even an arm down for a block.He took the stab in his gut, the curving blade working upward, through his diaphragm and into his lung.The shade staggered back, the blade sliding out, and he gasped and tried to find his balance.But Drizzt turned even as he retracted the blade, a spinning circuit that gave him a forehand slash with Twinkle that chopped the shade to the ground.As he came around, Drizzt darted out and leaped high, crashing down atop the mage, who was again trying to enact some spell.Drizzt yelled in his face, trying to disorient him, and unleashed a barrage of blows, left and right, tearing at the mage’s robes, bashing him around the skull.He hit the shade a dozen times or more in the heartbeats he had before the swordsman leaped at him, and then he had to hope it would be enough as he found himself engaged with the skilled warrior.The very skilled warrior, Drizzt realized almost immediately, as those swords came in at him from a multitude of angles, seemingly all at once, so fast and perfect was the execution of the elf shade.Entreri started into the room right behind Drizzt, but on Dahlia’s call, the assassin leaped into the air and turned sidelong.He planted his feet against the door jamb and launched himself back the other way, falling to the ground in a roll and coming back up right beside the opening right-hand door.He flipped his dagger into his right hand as he went, and stabbed out hard behind his hip, catching a shade in the gut as it crossed the threshold into the corridor.Even as the dagger plunged in, Entreri flipped his grip on the hilt and ripped it back out, then rolled his arm up and over, stabbing behind over his right shoulder, this time plunging the small blade into the lurching shade’s eye.As that one fell, more poured out.“Drow, we need you!” Entreri yelled.“Drizzt!” Dahlia foolishly added.Even Entreri was too engaged, however, to understand the possible implications of shouting out that particular name in these tunnels.The second shade out the door, heavily armored and with sword and shield, came at him fiercely, driving him back.And he heard another door, one at least, opening behind him.The shade had gained the advantage at the start of the fight and showed no intention of letting it dissipate, working his blades ferociously and with deadly precision, keeping Drizzt on his heels, his scimitars spinning to block and deflect.He tried to come up even, but the shade pressed harder.Drizzt began to see the patterns in his opponent’s movements.His warrior instincts took over, his vast experience led him to more careful and controlled parries, and soon enough he was managing a counter with almost every block.Eventually he would fight himself back to even footing, and then, he knew, he could soon enough gain the upper hand on this lesser, though very good, fighter.A cry from the hallway told him that “soon” was likely too long, and his pause nearly cost him as the shade pressed wildly.Twinkle and Icingdeath caught the thrusts and turned them out, and blocked the heavy slash, but Drizzt understood that it would take him many back-and-forth exchanges to even get back to where he was before Dahlia had cried out.He managed a glance to the side as he turned his opponent, circling to his right to face the door, and that quick glance told him that Entreri and Dahlia—and he, stuck in this room—were surely in trouble.The hallway was filling with enemies.A third shade rushed out of the room—or tried to until Dahlia stabbed the woman hard in the face with the end of her staff.Entreri noted it and started to call out to her, for he knew the enemies were entering the hall behind him, and the armored shade before him pressed him hard.Dahlia didn’t need his prompt, though, understanding well the dilemma.She quick-stepped forward and prodded ahead with Kozah’s Needle, thrusting it into the lower back of Entreri’s opponent.There, too, the shade was armored, and Dahlia hit a metal plate.So she let loose a burst of lightning energy from her magical quarterstaff.The arcing energy leaped across the metal plates, curling and biting at the warrior, coming together from either side in a blinding and bursting dance across the bars of his full-faced helmet.His next swing came awkwardly, as the lightning crawled around him like an angry swarm of biting insects, and Entreri easily dodged, rolling under the blade.As the nimble assassin came around, stepping behind the lurching sword and passing on the shade’s right, he managed to bash his sword across that faceplate, stunning the armored warrior.Entreri rushed past the open doorway, where another shade loomed, and past the door to Drizzt’s room, catching a quick glance as he went.Reflexively, Entreri tossed his dagger into the air and swept his left hand across and back again past his belt buckle, extending it out as he crossed Drizzt’s room.“Drow, be quick!” he called to Drizzt, and he caught his dagger and fell into another roll to avoid a sweep of a Netherese axe.He turned as he rolled over, coming up beside Dahlia.“Drow!” they yelled together.Drizzt heard their summons, and he surely understood, but again, had no idea how he might extricate himself—until his opponent lurched strangely and turned stiffly to keep up with the dancing drow.And Drizzt understood from that look of pain on his enemy’s face, that Entreri had thrown his belt knife into the elf shade’s side.The shade’s right arm drooped.He fought to keep his defenses in place, but the spasms of pain denied him.Drizzt winced as the shade winced.
|
Drizzt’s left scimitar went across the other way, batting aside a thrusting sword.Without even turning his hips, the drow deftly rolled his weapon over that sword and came back in the other way, neatly parrying a thrust of the attacker’s second sword.Only then, in recognizing the two-handed fighting style, did Drizzt come to understand, too, that this shade was of elf heritage, perhaps even dark elf heritage.Again, no matter, for he hadn’t the time to ask a question.He stabbed out with that left hand, forcing the shade back, then retreated himself a few fast steps.He reversed his grip on Icingdeath in his right hand and stabbed it out behind him, perfectly timing the strike to halt the charge of the shade who had been slammed by the door.Axe up high for an overhead, two-handed chop and coming in fast, the fool had no defense.He couldn’t turn, couldn’t stop, couldn’t dodge, and couldn’t get his weapon or even an arm down for a block.He took the stab in his gut, the curving blade working upward, through his diaphragm and into his lung.The shade staggered back, the blade sliding out, and he gasped and tried to find his balance.But Drizzt turned even as he retracted the blade, a spinning circuit that gave him a forehand slash with Twinkle that chopped the shade to the ground.As he came around, Drizzt darted out and leaped high, crashing down atop the mage, who was again trying to enact some spell.Drizzt yelled in his face, trying to disorient him, and unleashed a barrage of blows, left and right, tearing at the mage’s robes, bashing him around the skull.He hit the shade a dozen times or more in the heartbeats he had before the swordsman leaped at him, and then he had to hope it would be enough as he found himself engaged with the skilled warrior.The very skilled warrior, Drizzt realized almost immediately, as those swords came in at him from a multitude of angles, seemingly all at once, so fast and perfect was the execution of the elf shade.Entreri started into the room right behind Drizzt, but on Dahlia’s call, the assassin leaped into the air and turned sidelong.He planted his feet against the door jamb and launched himself back the other way, falling to the ground in a roll and coming back up right beside the opening right-hand door.He flipped his dagger into his right hand as he went, and stabbed out hard behind his hip, catching a shade in the gut as it crossed the threshold into the corridor.Even as the dagger plunged in, Entreri flipped his grip on the hilt and ripped it back out, then rolled his arm up and over, stabbing behind over his right shoulder, this time plunging the small blade into the lurching shade’s eye.As that one fell, more poured out.“Drow, we need you!” Entreri yelled.“Drizzt!” Dahlia foolishly added.Even Entreri was too engaged, however, to understand the possible implications of shouting out that particular name in these tunnels.The second shade out the door, heavily armored and with sword and shield, came at him fiercely, driving him back.And he heard another door, one at least, opening behind him.The shade had gained the advantage at the start of the fight and showed no intention of letting it dissipate, working his blades ferociously and with deadly precision, keeping Drizzt on his heels, his scimitars spinning to block and deflect.He tried to come up even, but the shade pressed harder.Drizzt began to see the patterns in his opponent’s movements.His warrior instincts took over, his vast experience led him to more careful and controlled parries, and soon enough he was managing a counter with almost every block.Eventually he would fight himself back to even footing, and then, he knew, he could soon enough gain the upper hand on this lesser, though very good, fighter.A cry from the hallway told him that “soon” was likely too long, and his pause nearly cost him as the shade pressed wildly.Twinkle and Icingdeath caught the thrusts and turned them out, and blocked the heavy slash, but Drizzt understood that it would take him many back-and-forth exchanges to even get back to where he was before Dahlia had cried out.He managed a glance to the side as he turned his opponent, circling to his right to face the door, and that quick glance told him that Entreri and Dahlia—and he, stuck in this room—were surely in trouble.The hallway was filling with enemies.A third shade rushed out of the room—or tried to until Dahlia stabbed the woman hard in the face with the end of her staff.Entreri noted it and started to call out to her, for he knew the enemies were entering the hall behind him, and the armored shade before him pressed him hard.Dahlia didn’t need his prompt, though, understanding well the dilemma.She quick-stepped forward and prodded ahead with Kozah’s Needle, thrusting it into the lower back of Entreri’s opponent.There, too, the shade was armored, and Dahlia hit a metal plate.So she let loose a burst of lightning energy from her magical quarterstaff.The arcing energy leaped across the metal plates, curling and biting at the warrior, coming together from either side in a blinding and bursting dance across the bars of his full-faced helmet.His next swing came awkwardly, as the lightning crawled around him like an angry swarm of biting insects, and Entreri easily dodged, rolling under the blade.As the nimble assassin came around, stepping behind the lurching sword and passing on the shade’s right, he managed to bash his sword across that faceplate, stunning the armored warrior.Entreri rushed past the open doorway, where another shade loomed, and past the door to Drizzt’s room, catching a quick glance as he went.Reflexively, Entreri tossed his dagger into the air and swept his left hand across and back again past his belt buckle, extending it out as he crossed Drizzt’s room.“Drow, be quick!” he called to Drizzt, and he caught his dagger and fell into another roll to avoid a sweep of a Netherese axe.He turned as he rolled over, coming up beside Dahlia.“Drow!” they yelled together.Drizzt heard their summons, and he surely understood, but again, had no idea how he might extricate himself—until his opponent lurched strangely and turned stiffly to keep up with the dancing drow.And Drizzt understood from that look of pain on his enemy’s face, that Entreri had thrown his belt knife into the elf shade’s side.The shade’s right arm drooped.He fought to keep his defenses in place, but the spasms of pain denied him.Drizzt winced as the shade winced.
|
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dnd482
|
His sense of honor screamed out at him that this was not a fair fight, and against a truly worthy opponent.Only for a moment, though, as he realized the foolishness of such a lament, particularly given that he had gone in there one against four.He worked his scimitars more furiously, mostly down-angled for his parries, for he noted that the lower angle brought more pain to his opponent.The ring of metal on metal and a surge of movement in the hall reminded him that he needed to be quick, and so he fell back with his left foot, inviting a thrust from the shade’s injured right, and when that blade came forward, instead of picking it off with Twinkle, Drizzt swept Icingdeath across and under, coming back fast after hooking the sword and driving it with his own blade back across to his right.He stepped left as he did, dodging his hips to avoid the stab of the shade’s left-hand blade until Icingdeath and the hooked sword could fully intercept the thrust.Which cleared the opening for Drizzt’s left hand, and Twinkle struck hard and true, and the shade fell away, throwing his swords as he went, hands reaching for a torn throat.“Drizzt!” Dahlia yelled.“We can’t hold the door!” Entreri added, and then more quietly asked Dahlia, “Will you quit calling his name?” He barely got the warning out and expected no reply, for the press was too great, with too many enemies blocking the corridor before them.Entreri’s words to Drizzt rang true, for they had to retreat.Both started to call out again, and both gasped in surprise as a bolt of lightning exited Drizzt’s room and slammed into the shade facing Entreri.Not a lightning bolt, they both realized, but a lightning enchanted arrow, and it drove right through that shade and burrowed into the one in front of Dahlia.Before that pair had even fallen away, another arrow exploded into the side of the first one’s head.Dahlia stabbed her staff into the face of the mortally wounded shade still standing before her, driving him back and to the ground.“More!” she cried, and on cue, a third lightning arrow screamed out into the corridor.And simply disappeared.And then came a fourth, and Dahlia’s teeth started chattering and her thick braid began to writhe with energy as if it was a living serpent.“Hold!” Entreri cried as the third came out to be absorbed.He rushed across the body of the fallen shade, driving hard into the next rank, forcing them back with a flurry of stabs and thrusts.Dahlia leaped past him as he cleared the immediate corridor, and thrust her staff down against the stone floor, releasing the pent up lightning energy.The whole of the corridor seemed to leap under the power of that retort, shades twisting and falling, staggering aside in shock, mental and physical.“Go!Go!” Entreri yelled, grabbing her and spinning her around and pushing her back the way they had come.He moved right behind her, Drizzt coming fast on his heels.The drow didn’t continue, though, spinning around and falling low and letting fly a stream of lightning arrows at the confused enemies.“Forward!” the drow ordered to his companions, turning them around.The shades scattered and fled, the trio in close pursuit—until they crossed a side passage that rang out as familiar to Drizzt and Dahlia, one they both believed would take them to the lower chambers.Off they ran, Drizzt sealing the end with a globe of magical darkness.Then he paused as Entreri and Dahlia spread out beyond, seeking the proper routes.The drow held perfectly still, craning his neck in concentration.He heard the slightest of footfalls, and sent a line of arrows into and through the magical darkness.He ducked out of sight around a corner, and not a heartbeat too soon as a Shadovar wizard responded with a stream of magic missiles, and a second mage added a line of biting fire.On charged the shades, and Drizzt leaned out and drove them back once more, the Heartseeker’s arrows cutting holes through rank after rank, three shades dropping with the first shot alone.Drizzt ran off.Only a heartbeat later, the area where he had been crouching exploded in a fireball, then a second and third.“Keep running,” he warned Entreri and Dahlia as he crossed by them, and he tossed something at Entreri.The assassin caught it: his buckle knife.On they ran.THE SHIFTING WEB OF ALLIES AND ENEMIESBRACK’THAL STOOD IN THE ORANGE-GLOWING CHAMBER, STARING DOWN past the swirling water elementals to the bubbling lava maw of the primordial beast.The mage rubbed his thumb across the ruby band on his index finger, for through that ring, he could hear the call of the primordial, and could understand it.Parts of it, at least, for this being was truly beyond Brack’thal’s comprehension, even with the assistance of the ring.This was a most ancient power, a god beast.Though it was quite above him, its primary call carried a simple enough message: the beast wanted to be freed.Brack’thal looked down to his right, to the narrow mushroom stalk bridge that had been put in place to cross the pit.His gaze moved out through the continual mist across the pit to the archway, barely visible through the fog, and the small antechamber beyond.He pictured the lever, and spoke the word for it—not in the drow tongue or in the common tongue of Faerûn, but in a language he knew from his ring, the language of creatures of the primal plane of fire.The primordial roiled hopefully, far below.Ambergris hustled to the door ahead of the rest of her hunting band.This portal opened into the main corridor, she knew, and knew, too, that her band of Shadovar hunters had arrived in time to intercept the trio.She didn’t waste any time, sprinkling some powdery substance down on the floor and drawing it into specific shapes as she quietly chanted her spell.“What is it?” Afafrenfere said, coming in through the room’s other door.“Keep yerself back,” the dwarf warned, holding up one hand.“There be a powerful ward placed on this portal.”By the time she rose and turned around, several others had entered, including the sorcerer who had been designated as the patrol’s leader.“Glyphed,” Ambergris explained, moving toward them.The shade wizard looked at her curiously.“This one, you check?” he asked suspiciously, for they had come through a dozen such doors.“I been checking most,” Ambergris replied, to a doubtful look.“Check for yerself then, fool,” the dwarf said.“Meself’s looking for another way about.”“Go to the door,” the wizard ordered Afafrenfere.“Don’t ye move,” Ambergris remarked, drawing the wizard’s icy stare.The dwarf returned that with a grin, and looked knowingly to Afafrenfere, who indeed was making no movement toward the portal.The others didn’t know about Ambergris and Afafrenfere’s allegiance to Cavus Dun, but Afafrenfere had not forgotten it, nor the fact that such affiliation superseded any orders he might be given here, other than those coming directly from Lord Alegni himself.“Dwarf says it’s glyphed,” the monk replied, crossing his arms over his chest.“Do not delay!” the wizard commanded, turning all around.
|
His sense of honor screamed out at him that this was not a fair fight, and against a truly worthy opponent.Only for a moment, though, as he realized the foolishness of such a lament, particularly given that he had gone in there one against four.He worked his scimitars more furiously, mostly down-angled for his parries, for he noted that the lower angle brought more pain to his opponent.The ring of metal on metal and a surge of movement in the hall reminded him that he needed to be quick, and so he fell back with his left foot, inviting a thrust from the shade’s injured right, and when that blade came forward, instead of picking it off with Twinkle, Drizzt swept Icingdeath across and under, coming back fast after hooking the sword and driving it with his own blade back across to his right.He stepped left as he did, dodging his hips to avoid the stab of the shade’s left-hand blade until Icingdeath and the hooked sword could fully intercept the thrust.Which cleared the opening for Drizzt’s left hand, and Twinkle struck hard and true, and the shade fell away, throwing his swords as he went, hands reaching for a torn throat.“Drizzt!” Dahlia yelled.“We can’t hold the door!” Entreri added, and then more quietly asked Dahlia, “Will you quit calling his name?” He barely got the warning out and expected no reply, for the press was too great, with too many enemies blocking the corridor before them.Entreri’s words to Drizzt rang true, for they had to retreat.Both started to call out again, and both gasped in surprise as a bolt of lightning exited Drizzt’s room and slammed into the shade facing Entreri.Not a lightning bolt, they both realized, but a lightning enchanted arrow, and it drove right through that shade and burrowed into the one in front of Dahlia.Before that pair had even fallen away, another arrow exploded into the side of the first one’s head.Dahlia stabbed her staff into the face of the mortally wounded shade still standing before her, driving him back and to the ground.“More!” she cried, and on cue, a third lightning arrow screamed out into the corridor.And simply disappeared.And then came a fourth, and Dahlia’s teeth started chattering and her thick braid began to writhe with energy as if it was a living serpent.“Hold!” Entreri cried as the third came out to be absorbed.He rushed across the body of the fallen shade, driving hard into the next rank, forcing them back with a flurry of stabs and thrusts.Dahlia leaped past him as he cleared the immediate corridor, and thrust her staff down against the stone floor, releasing the pent up lightning energy.The whole of the corridor seemed to leap under the power of that retort, shades twisting and falling, staggering aside in shock, mental and physical.“Go!Go!” Entreri yelled, grabbing her and spinning her around and pushing her back the way they had come.He moved right behind her, Drizzt coming fast on his heels.The drow didn’t continue, though, spinning around and falling low and letting fly a stream of lightning arrows at the confused enemies.“Forward!” the drow ordered to his companions, turning them around.The shades scattered and fled, the trio in close pursuit—until they crossed a side passage that rang out as familiar to Drizzt and Dahlia, one they both believed would take them to the lower chambers.Off they ran, Drizzt sealing the end with a globe of magical darkness.Then he paused as Entreri and Dahlia spread out beyond, seeking the proper routes.The drow held perfectly still, craning his neck in concentration.He heard the slightest of footfalls, and sent a line of arrows into and through the magical darkness.He ducked out of sight around a corner, and not a heartbeat too soon as a Shadovar wizard responded with a stream of magic missiles, and a second mage added a line of biting fire.On charged the shades, and Drizzt leaned out and drove them back once more, the Heartseeker’s arrows cutting holes through rank after rank, three shades dropping with the first shot alone.Drizzt ran off.Only a heartbeat later, the area where he had been crouching exploded in a fireball, then a second and third.“Keep running,” he warned Entreri and Dahlia as he crossed by them, and he tossed something at Entreri.The assassin caught it: his buckle knife.On they ran.THE SHIFTING WEB OF ALLIES AND ENEMIESBRACK’THAL STOOD IN THE ORANGE-GLOWING CHAMBER, STARING DOWN past the swirling water elementals to the bubbling lava maw of the primordial beast.The mage rubbed his thumb across the ruby band on his index finger, for through that ring, he could hear the call of the primordial, and could understand it.Parts of it, at least, for this being was truly beyond Brack’thal’s comprehension, even with the assistance of the ring.This was a most ancient power, a god beast.Though it was quite above him, its primary call carried a simple enough message: the beast wanted to be freed.Brack’thal looked down to his right, to the narrow mushroom stalk bridge that had been put in place to cross the pit.His gaze moved out through the continual mist across the pit to the archway, barely visible through the fog, and the small antechamber beyond.He pictured the lever, and spoke the word for it—not in the drow tongue or in the common tongue of Faerûn, but in a language he knew from his ring, the language of creatures of the primal plane of fire.The primordial roiled hopefully, far below.Ambergris hustled to the door ahead of the rest of her hunting band.This portal opened into the main corridor, she knew, and knew, too, that her band of Shadovar hunters had arrived in time to intercept the trio.She didn’t waste any time, sprinkling some powdery substance down on the floor and drawing it into specific shapes as she quietly chanted her spell.“What is it?” Afafrenfere said, coming in through the room’s other door.“Keep yerself back,” the dwarf warned, holding up one hand.“There be a powerful ward placed on this portal.”By the time she rose and turned around, several others had entered, including the sorcerer who had been designated as the patrol’s leader.“Glyphed,” Ambergris explained, moving toward them.The shade wizard looked at her curiously.“This one, you check?” he asked suspiciously, for they had come through a dozen such doors.“I been checking most,” Ambergris replied, to a doubtful look.“Check for yerself then, fool,” the dwarf said.“Meself’s looking for another way about.”“Go to the door,” the wizard ordered Afafrenfere.“Don’t ye move,” Ambergris remarked, drawing the wizard’s icy stare.The dwarf returned that with a grin, and looked knowingly to Afafrenfere, who indeed was making no movement toward the portal.The others didn’t know about Ambergris and Afafrenfere’s allegiance to Cavus Dun, but Afafrenfere had not forgotten it, nor the fact that such affiliation superseded any orders he might be given here, other than those coming directly from Lord Alegni himself.“Dwarf says it’s glyphed,” the monk replied, crossing his arms over his chest.“Do not delay!” the wizard commanded, turning all around.
|
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dnd483
|
He focused on another of the shades, a female standing beside him, and threw the woman forward.“Go!Go!Before they pass us by!”The woman glanced at Ambergris only momentarily before easing toward the door.She neared tentatively, sliding one foot before the other.She almost made it, and was even reaching for the door handle, when the glyph of lightning exploded, throwing the poor shade through the air, the thunderous retort shaking the floor and walls.“Well done!” Ambergris congratulated the sorcerer, and the others fell back, except for the poor victim, of course, who went crashing aside, her hair dancing, her teeth chattering, blood running from her eyes.The sorcerer stared at the dwarf hatefully.“Our enemies know we’re here now, I’m guessing,” the dwarf taunted.“But if ye’re not sure, ye might want to set off another alarm or two.”“Now we go through!” the sorcerer demanded.Ambergris huffed at that.“Another glyph or two remaining,” she warned with a shake of her hairy head, and she walked past the sorcerer, muttering, “Idiot,” as she went.That proved more than he could tolerate, and he reached out and shoved the dwarf … who didn’t budge.Ambergris did move, though, sweeping her large mace across and swatting the sorcerer aside.The shocked mage grunted as he slammed into the side wall, then groaned and slumped to the floor.“Gather the idiot,” Ambergris instructed Afafrenfere and one other.“We got to backtrack and with all speed if we’re hoping to catch them three afore they get on much more.”Ambergris, of course, was hoping for no such thing.She turned to another pair of shades.“The two o’ ye bring her along,” she ordered, pointing to the lightning-wounded woman.“Might be that I can save her.Might not.”The three companions heard the thunderous report and moved with as much caution as they could muster.They soon slipped past the lightning-scarred door, then rushed away, Drizzt in the back, the Heartseeker trained on the hallway in case any enemies might come forth behind them.Soon after, though, the drow took up the lead once more.“This way,” Drizzt instructed, for he recognized the area clearly, and knew they were nearing the great stairwell to the lower levels.Indeed, a short while later, they entered the last expanse, the door that would take them to the stairwell landing visible down the corridor before them.As they approached, the door swung open, and Drizzt almost let fly an arrow—until he recognized a fellow drow coming through.At the same time, movement from behind had the trio looking back over their shoulders, to see more dark elves moving toward them.And not just any drow, Drizzt understood as he regarded the male leading the small cavalry patrol, for this one rode astride a powerful lizard, and it and he were armored in the finest of drow materials and craftsmanship.This was no commoner drow, but a House noble, and likely from one of the greater Houses.A second rider followed close behind, and Drizzt recognized Jearth as Jearth called out to him.“Where are your forces, Masoj?” Jearth demanded, riding up beside his mounted companion.“Where is Kimmuriel, or Jarlaxle, at least?”“These are the agents of Bregan D’aerthe?” the other rider asked, and he looked doubtfully at Drizzt, and became even more skeptical as he regarded Entreri, and nearly spat on the floor when his gaze fell over Dahlia.“They are,” Jearth replied.The other rider could barely contain a laugh.He focused on Drizzt once more, and looked at the drow curiously—so much so that Drizzt lowered his gaze.
|
He focused on another of the shades, a female standing beside him, and threw the woman forward.“Go!Go!Before they pass us by!”The woman glanced at Ambergris only momentarily before easing toward the door.She neared tentatively, sliding one foot before the other.She almost made it, and was even reaching for the door handle, when the glyph of lightning exploded, throwing the poor shade through the air, the thunderous retort shaking the floor and walls.“Well done!” Ambergris congratulated the sorcerer, and the others fell back, except for the poor victim, of course, who went crashing aside, her hair dancing, her teeth chattering, blood running from her eyes.The sorcerer stared at the dwarf hatefully.“Our enemies know we’re here now, I’m guessing,” the dwarf taunted.“But if ye’re not sure, ye might want to set off another alarm or two.”“Now we go through!” the sorcerer demanded.Ambergris huffed at that.“Another glyph or two remaining,” she warned with a shake of her hairy head, and she walked past the sorcerer, muttering, “Idiot,” as she went.That proved more than he could tolerate, and he reached out and shoved the dwarf … who didn’t budge.Ambergris did move, though, sweeping her large mace across and swatting the sorcerer aside.The shocked mage grunted as he slammed into the side wall, then groaned and slumped to the floor.“Gather the idiot,” Ambergris instructed Afafrenfere and one other.“We got to backtrack and with all speed if we’re hoping to catch them three afore they get on much more.”Ambergris, of course, was hoping for no such thing.She turned to another pair of shades.“The two o’ ye bring her along,” she ordered, pointing to the lightning-wounded woman.“Might be that I can save her.Might not.”The three companions heard the thunderous report and moved with as much caution as they could muster.They soon slipped past the lightning-scarred door, then rushed away, Drizzt in the back, the Heartseeker trained on the hallway in case any enemies might come forth behind them.Soon after, though, the drow took up the lead once more.“This way,” Drizzt instructed, for he recognized the area clearly, and knew they were nearing the great stairwell to the lower levels.Indeed, a short while later, they entered the last expanse, the door that would take them to the stairwell landing visible down the corridor before them.As they approached, the door swung open, and Drizzt almost let fly an arrow—until he recognized a fellow drow coming through.At the same time, movement from behind had the trio looking back over their shoulders, to see more dark elves moving toward them.And not just any drow, Drizzt understood as he regarded the male leading the small cavalry patrol, for this one rode astride a powerful lizard, and it and he were armored in the finest of drow materials and craftsmanship.This was no commoner drow, but a House noble, and likely from one of the greater Houses.A second rider followed close behind, and Drizzt recognized Jearth as Jearth called out to him.“Where are your forces, Masoj?” Jearth demanded, riding up beside his mounted companion.“Where is Kimmuriel, or Jarlaxle, at least?”“These are the agents of Bregan D’aerthe?” the other rider asked, and he looked doubtfully at Drizzt, and became even more skeptical as he regarded Entreri, and nearly spat on the floor when his gaze fell over Dahlia.“They are,” Jearth replied.The other rider could barely contain a laugh.He focused on Drizzt once more, and looked at the drow curiously—so much so that Drizzt lowered his gaze.
|
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dnd484
|
“Tell Jarlaxle that House Baenre wishes to speak with him,” he said, and he walked his strong lizard through the trio, forcing them aside and nearly trampling Dahlia.And when Byok, his lizard, tried to bite at the woman, the Baenre noble only barely held it back.Other riders rumbled past in his wake, some taking their sticky-footed mounts up on the walls.“Ride with me,” Jearth instructed Drizzt.Drizzt looked at him curiously.“The stairwell has been dropped to prevent the shades from getting below,” Jearth explained.“I will take you down.”“What of my companions?”Dahlia, who could not understand the drow language, slapped Entreri on the shoulder, and he leaned in, translating quietly.“Iblith,” the weapons master said with a dismissive wave.“No proper mount would accept such a rider.Come along, we haven’t much time.”Drizzt was shaking his head before he had even formulated a proper response.“Jarlaxle’s consort,” he said at last, motioning to Dahlia.“He will not be pleased if I abandon them.”“That is Jarlaxle’s problem.”“And mine,” said Drizzt.“I am tasked with protecting them.”“They cannot get down through this route.”“If Bregan D’aerthe arrives, it will be up here, in any case,” said Drizzt.“We can avoid the shades, and we will strike at them as they advance.”Jearth looked at him incredulously, then stared at Dahlia and Entreri.“They are iblith,” he said with obvious disgust.Drizzt shrugged sheepishly and reiterated, “Jarlaxle’s consort.”Jearth shook his head, apparently accepting that reasoning as sound, which, of course, it would be to anyone who knew Jarlaxle.The weapons master of House Xorlarrin started off after the others, passing through the door and going over the lip of the landing without missing a stride.“We can’t stay up here,” Entreri remarked as soon as the three were alone.He noticed that Drizzt was hardly listening, and prompted him, “Drizzt?”“We saw him die,” Drizzt said to Dahlia.“Down below, in the primordial’s chamber.”She looked at him curiously before asking, “Jarlaxle?”Drizzt nodded.“Twice now, we have spoken his name openly to these dark elves, as if Jarlaxle was still alive.”“Word has not reached other drow,” Dahlia reasoned.“It hasn’t been that long a time.”“That first rider who passed you was a noble of House Baenre,” Drizzt said, and he shook his head to indicate that he couldn’t quite sort this out.“If Jarlaxle had fallen, House Baenre would certainly know.”“We don’t have the time to discuss this,” Entreri warned.He looked back the way they had come, drawing the gazes of the other two.“We’re supposed to hide up here?We have to get from this tunnel and into some side chambers, then.”“Of course not,” said Drizzt.“The primordial is below, so we need to get below.
|
“Tell Jarlaxle that House Baenre wishes to speak with him,” he said, and he walked his strong lizard through the trio, forcing them aside and nearly trampling Dahlia.And when Byok, his lizard, tried to bite at the woman, the Baenre noble only barely held it back.Other riders rumbled past in his wake, some taking their sticky-footed mounts up on the walls.“Ride with me,” Jearth instructed Drizzt.Drizzt looked at him curiously.“The stairwell has been dropped to prevent the shades from getting below,” Jearth explained.“I will take you down.”“What of my companions?”Dahlia, who could not understand the drow language, slapped Entreri on the shoulder, and he leaned in, translating quietly.“Iblith,” the weapons master said with a dismissive wave.“No proper mount would accept such a rider.Come along, we haven’t much time.”Drizzt was shaking his head before he had even formulated a proper response.“Jarlaxle’s consort,” he said at last, motioning to Dahlia.“He will not be pleased if I abandon them.”“That is Jarlaxle’s problem.”“And mine,” said Drizzt.“I am tasked with protecting them.”“They cannot get down through this route.”“If Bregan D’aerthe arrives, it will be up here, in any case,” said Drizzt.“We can avoid the shades, and we will strike at them as they advance.”Jearth looked at him incredulously, then stared at Dahlia and Entreri.“They are iblith,” he said with obvious disgust.Drizzt shrugged sheepishly and reiterated, “Jarlaxle’s consort.”Jearth shook his head, apparently accepting that reasoning as sound, which, of course, it would be to anyone who knew Jarlaxle.The weapons master of House Xorlarrin started off after the others, passing through the door and going over the lip of the landing without missing a stride.“We can’t stay up here,” Entreri remarked as soon as the three were alone.He noticed that Drizzt was hardly listening, and prompted him, “Drizzt?”“We saw him die,” Drizzt said to Dahlia.“Down below, in the primordial’s chamber.”She looked at him curiously before asking, “Jarlaxle?”Drizzt nodded.“Twice now, we have spoken his name openly to these dark elves, as if Jarlaxle was still alive.”“Word has not reached other drow,” Dahlia reasoned.“It hasn’t been that long a time.”“That first rider who passed you was a noble of House Baenre,” Drizzt said, and he shook his head to indicate that he couldn’t quite sort this out.“If Jarlaxle had fallen, House Baenre would certainly know.”“We don’t have the time to discuss this,” Entreri warned.He looked back the way they had come, drawing the gazes of the other two.“We’re supposed to hide up here?We have to get from this tunnel and into some side chambers, then.”“Of course not,” said Drizzt.“The primordial is below, so we need to get below.
|
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dnd485
|
Let the drow clear out from the large chamber and we will descend.”“They said that the stairwell to the lower level is broken.Do you know another way?”“Dahlia the Crow can get us down,” Drizzt replied, but he said it absently, and was hardly thinking of that at the time, despite their precarious position.House Baenre surely would know if Jarlaxle had met his demise.“Do as I say,” Berellip said to her obstinate younger brother.“It is my expedition,” Ravel countered.Berellip slapped him so hard across the face that his legs nearly buckled beneath him.He staggered to the side a step, and came up staring not at Berellip, but at Tiago and Jearth, who had just returned from the upper levels.“How long do we have?” Berellip asked Tiago, and not Ravel.“They will find another way down, if they haven’t already,” Tiago replied.“The Shadovar have sorcerers among their ranks and will not be deterred by the absence of a stairway.And sorcerers can surely sense the magic of the primordial.They will find the forge in short order, I would expect.”“We must defend the forge,” Ravel insisted, coming back to stand before his sister.“No open battles,” Berellip declared.“I’ll not lose Xorlarrin drow to the likes of the Netherese.Why are we even fighting the minions of the Shadowfell?”“Mostly we have been running, not fighting,” Tiago remarked.“It’s possible that Bregan D’aerthe is hovering about,” Jearth interjected.“Kimmuriel’s scouting party came into Gauntlgrym ahead of the Shadovar, it would seem.”“They would be a great asset,” Berellip remarked.“But at what cost?”“Who can know?” Tiago asked, and started away.“I am off to the forge.Do I organize a defense or a retreat?”“We don’t know how many of the Netherese have come,” Jearth warned before Berellip could decide.“Both,” the priestess demanded of Tiago, at the same moment that Ravel said, “Defense.”Ravel looked past Berellip as he spoke, though, to see Jearth shaking his head at Ravel, warning him to back down.“Shut down the forges and prepare a retreat,” Berellip then added, staring hatefully at Ravel the whole while.“The narrow and dark tunnels will favor us, should we need to continue any fighting with the Shadovar,” Jearth put in.“We would err in standing against this unexpected enemy in pitched battle.”“We have ample fodder for that,” said Ravel.“Do we?” Jearth replied before Berellip could chime in.“The Shadovar ranks include many wizards—not to match the power of your spellspinners, likely,” he quickly added, seeing Ravel’s scowl.“But enough to wipe out our goblinkin allies, and we’ll need them to secure the complex when the Netherese depart or are dispatched.”“And Menzoberranzan won’t send us any more of the vermin anytime soon,” Berellip added evenly, and undeniably threateningly, Ravel understood.Ravel rubbed his eyes, trying to sort it all out.What had brought this new force to Gauntlgrym, and why now, at this precise moment?He had been so close to his ultimate triumph!The whole of Gauntlgrym was soon to be his, a city for House Xorlarrin, blessed by House Baenre.Matron Zeerith would hold him in highest standard and no more would Berellip or Saribel or any of his other sisters dare lift a snake whip his way.Berellip had moved away by this time, no doubt confident that Tiago Baenre would heed her command and not his, Ravel realized.And he didn’t disagree with that conclusion, for in truth, Berellip’s order to stand down was by far the wiser course.
|
Let the drow clear out from the large chamber and we will descend.”“They said that the stairwell to the lower level is broken.Do you know another way?”“Dahlia the Crow can get us down,” Drizzt replied, but he said it absently, and was hardly thinking of that at the time, despite their precarious position.House Baenre surely would know if Jarlaxle had met his demise.“Do as I say,” Berellip said to her obstinate younger brother.“It is my expedition,” Ravel countered.Berellip slapped him so hard across the face that his legs nearly buckled beneath him.He staggered to the side a step, and came up staring not at Berellip, but at Tiago and Jearth, who had just returned from the upper levels.“How long do we have?” Berellip asked Tiago, and not Ravel.“They will find another way down, if they haven’t already,” Tiago replied.“The Shadovar have sorcerers among their ranks and will not be deterred by the absence of a stairway.And sorcerers can surely sense the magic of the primordial.They will find the forge in short order, I would expect.”“We must defend the forge,” Ravel insisted, coming back to stand before his sister.“No open battles,” Berellip declared.“I’ll not lose Xorlarrin drow to the likes of the Netherese.Why are we even fighting the minions of the Shadowfell?”“Mostly we have been running, not fighting,” Tiago remarked.“It’s possible that Bregan D’aerthe is hovering about,” Jearth interjected.“Kimmuriel’s scouting party came into Gauntlgrym ahead of the Shadovar, it would seem.”“They would be a great asset,” Berellip remarked.“But at what cost?”“Who can know?” Tiago asked, and started away.“I am off to the forge.Do I organize a defense or a retreat?”“We don’t know how many of the Netherese have come,” Jearth warned before Berellip could decide.“Both,” the priestess demanded of Tiago, at the same moment that Ravel said, “Defense.”Ravel looked past Berellip as he spoke, though, to see Jearth shaking his head at Ravel, warning him to back down.“Shut down the forges and prepare a retreat,” Berellip then added, staring hatefully at Ravel the whole while.“The narrow and dark tunnels will favor us, should we need to continue any fighting with the Shadovar,” Jearth put in.“We would err in standing against this unexpected enemy in pitched battle.”“We have ample fodder for that,” said Ravel.“Do we?” Jearth replied before Berellip could chime in.“The Shadovar ranks include many wizards—not to match the power of your spellspinners, likely,” he quickly added, seeing Ravel’s scowl.“But enough to wipe out our goblinkin allies, and we’ll need them to secure the complex when the Netherese depart or are dispatched.”“And Menzoberranzan won’t send us any more of the vermin anytime soon,” Berellip added evenly, and undeniably threateningly, Ravel understood.Ravel rubbed his eyes, trying to sort it all out.What had brought this new force to Gauntlgrym, and why now, at this precise moment?He had been so close to his ultimate triumph!The whole of Gauntlgrym was soon to be his, a city for House Xorlarrin, blessed by House Baenre.Matron Zeerith would hold him in highest standard and no more would Berellip or Saribel or any of his other sisters dare lift a snake whip his way.Berellip had moved away by this time, no doubt confident that Tiago Baenre would heed her command and not his, Ravel realized.And he didn’t disagree with that conclusion, for in truth, Berellip’s order to stand down was by far the wiser course.
|
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dnd486
|
Let the Shadovar move forward.Lead them down the long tunnels of the Underdark, the haunt of the drow.And why were they fighting against the Netherese, anyway, he wondered?Perhaps there was no love between the denizens of the Shadowfell and those of the Underdark, but neither, to Ravel’s knowledge, were there any avowed hostilities.“We must discern why they have come, and why they are attacking us,” he said, drawing the attention of Berellip and Jearth and the others in the room, including Tiago, who hadn’t yet departed and was watching the play quite attentively.Ravel looked to Jearth and asked, “Who started the fighting in the upper halls?”“When two such forces come together unexpectedly in a dark and dangerous place.…” Jearth remarked, as if that should explain everything.“And it appears that the Shadovar were already engaged against Kimmuriel’s scouting band, in any case.”“Perhaps they’re our enemies, then,” Ravel said.“Perhaps not.”Berellip took a step toward him.“In either case, we’ll not share Gauntlgrym,” the Xorlarrin spellspinner decreed.“This is our complex now, and the Shadovar will accept that, or they will feel the sting of drow metal.”“Should we assemble in the great stair cavern for your magnificent battle, then?” Berellip asked with dripping sarcasm.Ravel knew better than to take that bait.“No, dear sister,” he said.“You were correct in your assessment.Forgive me my anger, but understand it in the context that we are so close to that which our family has wanted for millennia.It is not so easy for me to give it away.”Berellip scowled and Ravel quickly added, “Even temporarily.But indeed, you are correct.Let us stretch their lines into corridors of our choosing.If they are foolish enough to pursue, let us fight them with proper drow tactics, on proper drow battlefields.”Berellip stared at him for a while longer, then nodded slightly—and it seemed to Ravel as if she and he had made some progress in resolving their unspoken rivalry.He wanted to lash out at her for publicly slapping him, of course, for ever had he been a prideful male.But no, he would do no such thing.He needed her, more now than ever.“Go to Yerrininae,” he instructed Jearth.“The fierce driders will be hungry for battle, but I’ll not lose them, even if it meant a hundred dead Shadovar for every slain drider.”“Let the goblins engage them as we stretch back our lines?” he asked, and pointedly did not instruct, Berellip.She slowly shook her head.Not even the fodder.Ravel’s face brightened suddenly with an idea.“Brack’thal, then,” he said.“Let our brother strike at the invaders with his fiery pets.
|
Let the Shadovar move forward.Lead them down the long tunnels of the Underdark, the haunt of the drow.And why were they fighting against the Netherese, anyway, he wondered?Perhaps there was no love between the denizens of the Shadowfell and those of the Underdark, but neither, to Ravel’s knowledge, were there any avowed hostilities.“We must discern why they have come, and why they are attacking us,” he said, drawing the attention of Berellip and Jearth and the others in the room, including Tiago, who hadn’t yet departed and was watching the play quite attentively.Ravel looked to Jearth and asked, “Who started the fighting in the upper halls?”“When two such forces come together unexpectedly in a dark and dangerous place.…” Jearth remarked, as if that should explain everything.“And it appears that the Shadovar were already engaged against Kimmuriel’s scouting band, in any case.”“Perhaps they’re our enemies, then,” Ravel said.“Perhaps not.”Berellip took a step toward him.“In either case, we’ll not share Gauntlgrym,” the Xorlarrin spellspinner decreed.“This is our complex now, and the Shadovar will accept that, or they will feel the sting of drow metal.”“Should we assemble in the great stair cavern for your magnificent battle, then?” Berellip asked with dripping sarcasm.Ravel knew better than to take that bait.“No, dear sister,” he said.“You were correct in your assessment.Forgive me my anger, but understand it in the context that we are so close to that which our family has wanted for millennia.It is not so easy for me to give it away.”Berellip scowled and Ravel quickly added, “Even temporarily.But indeed, you are correct.Let us stretch their lines into corridors of our choosing.If they are foolish enough to pursue, let us fight them with proper drow tactics, on proper drow battlefields.”Berellip stared at him for a while longer, then nodded slightly—and it seemed to Ravel as if she and he had made some progress in resolving their unspoken rivalry.He wanted to lash out at her for publicly slapping him, of course, for ever had he been a prideful male.But no, he would do no such thing.He needed her, more now than ever.“Go to Yerrininae,” he instructed Jearth.“The fierce driders will be hungry for battle, but I’ll not lose them, even if it meant a hundred dead Shadovar for every slain drider.”“Let the goblins engage them as we stretch back our lines?” he asked, and pointedly did not instruct, Berellip.She slowly shook her head.Not even the fodder.Ravel’s face brightened suddenly with an idea.“Brack’thal, then,” he said.“Let our brother strike at the invaders with his fiery pets.
|
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dnd487
|
Surely the Shadovar will not even be able to place the blame upon us should we come to negotiations, given the current lord of these halls.”Berellip stared hard for many heartbeats, but eventually she nodded her agreement, and even managed a congratulatory smile for her brother.“I will instruct him,” Tiago said, and with a nod, he jumped astride Byok and headed for the forge.Ravel watched him go suspiciously.He alone knew of the treasure Tiago sought in the forge, the sword and shield Gol’fanin was even then creating, and he wondered if the Baenre would be patient enough to surrender the forge to the Netherese, even temporarily.He shook the thought away, though, for wasn’t Ravel’s own stake here at least as great?When he turned back to Berellip, he was glad of his sister’s expression indeed, but whatever gains in understanding he and Berellip had made to diminish their personal squabbling seemed a minor victory next to the new threat that had interrupted their plans.This was to be Xorlarrin’s city.They were not about to let a group of Shadovar chase them off … for long.“So they came here to join in with the drow’s friends,” Glorfathel remarked glumly, shaking his head.“Our task just got much more difficult.”“Nah,” Ambergris replied, but Alegni’s voice spoke over her.“The drow risk war with Netheril, then,” he said.“Do they understand that?”“We cannot know, but perhaps a parley,” Glorfathel started to answer, but Ambergris interrupted.“Ain’t no drow friend o’ Drizzt Do’Urden,” she said.“If they runned into a drow patrol, then that one’s likely dead already.”“How do you know that?” Alegni asked suspiciously.“Amber Gristle O’Maul, o’ the Adbar O’Mauls,” Ambergris answered with a bow.“The name o’ Drizzt Do’Urden’s well known in Citadel Adbar, don’t ye doubt.And he ain’t no friend of his kin.They come to catch him afore.They started a war about him.Nah, Warlord, if Drizzt runned into them drow, and them drow figured out ’twas Drizzt, then Drizzt is caught or dead, don’t ye doubt.”“Then the other drow might not even know what they have,” Glorfathel offered.“Perhaps there is hope for a parley.”“We don’t even know if they have him, or the sword,” Effron argued.Herzgo Alegni closed his eyes and listened for that silent call once more, listened for the telepathic voice of Claw, his beloved sword.“They may still be in the upper levels,” Effron went on, speaking to him directly and drawing him from his contemplations.The warlord shook his head confidently.“It does not matter,” he said.“If we wish to catch them …” Effron started.“We wish to stop them first,” Alegni declared, and all four looked at him curiously.“They seek the primordial,” he explained.“They look to destroy Claw.That is why they have come,” he added, looking at Ambergris, who had first posited such an opinion.“You cannot know that,” Effron replied, even as Ambergris nodded her agreement with Alegni.Alegni’s glare came as a clear warning to the twisted warlock.“The sword calls to me.Press on with all speed.
|
Surely the Shadovar will not even be able to place the blame upon us should we come to negotiations, given the current lord of these halls.”Berellip stared hard for many heartbeats, but eventually she nodded her agreement, and even managed a congratulatory smile for her brother.“I will instruct him,” Tiago said, and with a nod, he jumped astride Byok and headed for the forge.Ravel watched him go suspiciously.He alone knew of the treasure Tiago sought in the forge, the sword and shield Gol’fanin was even then creating, and he wondered if the Baenre would be patient enough to surrender the forge to the Netherese, even temporarily.He shook the thought away, though, for wasn’t Ravel’s own stake here at least as great?When he turned back to Berellip, he was glad of his sister’s expression indeed, but whatever gains in understanding he and Berellip had made to diminish their personal squabbling seemed a minor victory next to the new threat that had interrupted their plans.This was to be Xorlarrin’s city.They were not about to let a group of Shadovar chase them off … for long.“So they came here to join in with the drow’s friends,” Glorfathel remarked glumly, shaking his head.“Our task just got much more difficult.”“Nah,” Ambergris replied, but Alegni’s voice spoke over her.“The drow risk war with Netheril, then,” he said.“Do they understand that?”“We cannot know, but perhaps a parley,” Glorfathel started to answer, but Ambergris interrupted.“Ain’t no drow friend o’ Drizzt Do’Urden,” she said.“If they runned into a drow patrol, then that one’s likely dead already.”“How do you know that?” Alegni asked suspiciously.“Amber Gristle O’Maul, o’ the Adbar O’Mauls,” Ambergris answered with a bow.“The name o’ Drizzt Do’Urden’s well known in Citadel Adbar, don’t ye doubt.And he ain’t no friend of his kin.They come to catch him afore.They started a war about him.Nah, Warlord, if Drizzt runned into them drow, and them drow figured out ’twas Drizzt, then Drizzt is caught or dead, don’t ye doubt.”“Then the other drow might not even know what they have,” Glorfathel offered.“Perhaps there is hope for a parley.”“We don’t even know if they have him, or the sword,” Effron argued.Herzgo Alegni closed his eyes and listened for that silent call once more, listened for the telepathic voice of Claw, his beloved sword.“They may still be in the upper levels,” Effron went on, speaking to him directly and drawing him from his contemplations.The warlord shook his head confidently.“It does not matter,” he said.“If we wish to catch them …” Effron started.“We wish to stop them first,” Alegni declared, and all four looked at him curiously.“They seek the primordial,” he explained.“They look to destroy Claw.That is why they have come,” he added, looking at Ambergris, who had first posited such an opinion.“You cannot know that,” Effron replied, even as Ambergris nodded her agreement with Alegni.Alegni’s glare came as a clear warning to the twisted warlock.“The sword calls to me.Press on with all speed.
|
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dnd488
|
We must find the beast quickly and secure the area around it.They will come to us, or they will flee and the threat to the sword will be diminished.”“There are other drow about,” Glorfathel reminded him.“If we encounter them, and they have captured or allied with our enemies, let us tell them what they have and who they have,” Alegni replied.“If they cooperate, then the fighting in the tunnels above will be forgiven.If not, then let us pay them back for those we lost.In the aftermath of such a battle, so will be declared war between Netheril and the drow, and the Empire will send us an endless line of soldiers.”“I can find the primordial,” Glorfathel assured him.“Its magic resonates all around us.”Alegni nodded and motioned to his nearby commanders to tighten up the ranks, that they could press on with all speed.The giant crow swooped down from on high, one end of a fine elven rope in her beak.She alighted atop the highest remaining stair, near the hinge that had allowed the clever denizens below to fold half the stairwell down over the lower half.It was a marvelous design, but Dahlia had no time to consider it at length then.She reverted to her elf form and tied off the rope as tightly as she could, then waited as the two up on the landing pulled it even tighter and tied it securely above.Drizzt went first, sliding down under the line, a leather belt pouch looped over the cord as a makeshift handle.Entreri came close behind, and even as he started, and before Drizzt had set down on the stairs, Dahlia became a crow again and flew back up.She understood Entreri’s impatience when she arrived at the landing, given the unmistakable sounds of an approaching force.She didn’t even revert from the crow form, using her beak to pull free the knots.And quickly she was gone, swooping again from on high, soaring past her two friends as they scrambled along the stair, and down to the bottom to ensure that the large chamber was indeed empty.The three companions entered the tunnels quickly and made for the forge, and for the pit of the great beast.Dahlia couldn’t help but notice that Drizzt grew quite agitated.He kept dropping his hand into his belt pouch—where he kept the panther figurine, she knew.“What is it?” she quietly asked him as Entreri moved out ahead.He looked at her curiously, but she grabbed his wrist, for his hand was again in that pouch.Drizzt winced, his expression full of anger.“She is worth the lives of fifty Artemis Entreris,” he stated.“What?”He muttered something undecipherable and pushed past her to catch up to the assassin.Hustling to be done with Entreri, once and for all, Dahlia presumed, and it struck her then how greatly, how viciously, her drow lover wanted Entreri to die.Perhaps it was the call of the sword again, or maybe, she mused, Drizzt simply hated Entreri that much.FIRE GODBRACK’THAL BREATHED A SIGH OF RELIEF THAT HIS INVISIBILITY SPELL LASTED long enough for him to get through the small tunnel from the forge room and into the primordial’s chamber.He had lost his elemental pet, sending it down a corridor after some Shadovar, he believed, though he had not seen them.Without it, the drow wizard felt naked indeed.So he had quietly slipped back to the forge room, and had entered invisibly, but to his dismay, had found no ongoing breaches, no little fiery creatures rushing around.The one forge that had not yet been repaired had been fully shut down.Even worse, during his invisible creeping around, Brack’thal overheard Tiago Baenre telling his blacksmith friend that all of the drow would be retreating from the forge and into the deeper tunnels in light of the Netherese advance.They would surrender this hall and the primordial, and Brack’thal couldn’t allow that.This was his source of power.Through his ruby ring, the wizard felt the primal murmurs of ancient magic resonating powerfully within him.It was not a sensation he was about to let lapse.He stood on the edge of the deep pit, cursing the water elementals swirling around its sides, trapping this godly creature of such beautiful power.
|
We must find the beast quickly and secure the area around it.They will come to us, or they will flee and the threat to the sword will be diminished.”“There are other drow about,” Glorfathel reminded him.“If we encounter them, and they have captured or allied with our enemies, let us tell them what they have and who they have,” Alegni replied.“If they cooperate, then the fighting in the tunnels above will be forgiven.If not, then let us pay them back for those we lost.In the aftermath of such a battle, so will be declared war between Netheril and the drow, and the Empire will send us an endless line of soldiers.”“I can find the primordial,” Glorfathel assured him.“Its magic resonates all around us.”Alegni nodded and motioned to his nearby commanders to tighten up the ranks, that they could press on with all speed.The giant crow swooped down from on high, one end of a fine elven rope in her beak.She alighted atop the highest remaining stair, near the hinge that had allowed the clever denizens below to fold half the stairwell down over the lower half.It was a marvelous design, but Dahlia had no time to consider it at length then.She reverted to her elf form and tied off the rope as tightly as she could, then waited as the two up on the landing pulled it even tighter and tied it securely above.Drizzt went first, sliding down under the line, a leather belt pouch looped over the cord as a makeshift handle.Entreri came close behind, and even as he started, and before Drizzt had set down on the stairs, Dahlia became a crow again and flew back up.She understood Entreri’s impatience when she arrived at the landing, given the unmistakable sounds of an approaching force.She didn’t even revert from the crow form, using her beak to pull free the knots.And quickly she was gone, swooping again from on high, soaring past her two friends as they scrambled along the stair, and down to the bottom to ensure that the large chamber was indeed empty.The three companions entered the tunnels quickly and made for the forge, and for the pit of the great beast.Dahlia couldn’t help but notice that Drizzt grew quite agitated.He kept dropping his hand into his belt pouch—where he kept the panther figurine, she knew.“What is it?” she quietly asked him as Entreri moved out ahead.He looked at her curiously, but she grabbed his wrist, for his hand was again in that pouch.Drizzt winced, his expression full of anger.“She is worth the lives of fifty Artemis Entreris,” he stated.“What?”He muttered something undecipherable and pushed past her to catch up to the assassin.Hustling to be done with Entreri, once and for all, Dahlia presumed, and it struck her then how greatly, how viciously, her drow lover wanted Entreri to die.Perhaps it was the call of the sword again, or maybe, she mused, Drizzt simply hated Entreri that much.FIRE GODBRACK’THAL BREATHED A SIGH OF RELIEF THAT HIS INVISIBILITY SPELL LASTED long enough for him to get through the small tunnel from the forge room and into the primordial’s chamber.He had lost his elemental pet, sending it down a corridor after some Shadovar, he believed, though he had not seen them.Without it, the drow wizard felt naked indeed.So he had quietly slipped back to the forge room, and had entered invisibly, but to his dismay, had found no ongoing breaches, no little fiery creatures rushing around.The one forge that had not yet been repaired had been fully shut down.Even worse, during his invisible creeping around, Brack’thal overheard Tiago Baenre telling his blacksmith friend that all of the drow would be retreating from the forge and into the deeper tunnels in light of the Netherese advance.They would surrender this hall and the primordial, and Brack’thal couldn’t allow that.This was his source of power.Through his ruby ring, the wizard felt the primal murmurs of ancient magic resonating powerfully within him.It was not a sensation he was about to let lapse.He stood on the edge of the deep pit, cursing the water elementals swirling around its sides, trapping this godly creature of such beautiful power.
|
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dnd489
|
He couldn’t dismiss those water elementals.His magic couldn’t touch them in any effective way.Because of his affinity with the Plane of Fire, those creatures from the Plane of Water were even farther from his influence, and even more dangerous foes to him.Brack’thal could hear the beast below.Its whispers flitted around his mind, promising him all that he had lost and more.He had been formidable in the tunnels against the corbies and dwarf ghosts, formidable in his work on the stairwell, and formidable in his dealings with his wretched little brother.All because of this godlike primordial.The old drow mage heard the call clearly.The primordial demanded release.But Ravel and his band had properly secured the mechanisms for controlled releases only, allowing a bit of the primordial to fire the furnaces.The ancient traps would keep the beast under control.The primordial wanted release.Brack’thal could hear that lament most clearly of all.And in that release, Brack’thal alone among his kin would find any gain, would rise in power above Ravel.Brack’thal crossed the mushroom-stalk bridge to the anteroom and stood before the lever.This was the key, he believed, and if he pulled it, the primordial would be free.On a different and more pragmatic emotional level, the wizard surely understood the danger in such a scenario.Would he even be able to survive and escape the cataclysm sure to follow?The voice through his ring told him to trust, and he found himself reaching for the lever.His hand didn’t quite get there, though, for a multitude of images came to him then—imparted from the primordial, he knew.He saw a glittering throne set with magnificent gems, a dwarven throne for dwarf kings.Only a dwarf could pull this lever, Brack’thal understood then, and only one who had sat on that throne.This was a typical failsafe for dwarves, as it was for the drow, for both races elevated their own above all others.Only a Delzoun dwarf could pull this lever, and only one who sat on that powerfully enchanted throne, thus, only one of royal lineage.With a growl, Brack’thal grasped the lever anyway and began to tug.When it wouldn’t budge, the wizard moved behind it and put his shoulder to it, pushing with all of his strength.When it still wouldn’t move at all, Brack’thal cast a spell of strength upon himself, his thin arms bulging with magical muscle.He might as well have been trying to move a mountain.Sometime later, the mage stood on the edge of the pit back across the bridge once more, but he didn’t look down to the primordial any longer, his eyes focused back on the narrow hallway that had led him there.His mind’s eye was looking past that corridor, too, to a forge that was not really a forge.Perhaps there was another way.Tiago Baenre’s eyes sparkled in fiery reflections and in clear intrigue as he looked at the strange items lying on the tray before Gol’fanin.
|
He couldn’t dismiss those water elementals.His magic couldn’t touch them in any effective way.Because of his affinity with the Plane of Fire, those creatures from the Plane of Water were even farther from his influence, and even more dangerous foes to him.Brack’thal could hear the beast below.Its whispers flitted around his mind, promising him all that he had lost and more.He had been formidable in the tunnels against the corbies and dwarf ghosts, formidable in his work on the stairwell, and formidable in his dealings with his wretched little brother.All because of this godlike primordial.The old drow mage heard the call clearly.The primordial demanded release.But Ravel and his band had properly secured the mechanisms for controlled releases only, allowing a bit of the primordial to fire the furnaces.The ancient traps would keep the beast under control.The primordial wanted release.Brack’thal could hear that lament most clearly of all.And in that release, Brack’thal alone among his kin would find any gain, would rise in power above Ravel.Brack’thal crossed the mushroom-stalk bridge to the anteroom and stood before the lever.This was the key, he believed, and if he pulled it, the primordial would be free.On a different and more pragmatic emotional level, the wizard surely understood the danger in such a scenario.Would he even be able to survive and escape the cataclysm sure to follow?The voice through his ring told him to trust, and he found himself reaching for the lever.His hand didn’t quite get there, though, for a multitude of images came to him then—imparted from the primordial, he knew.He saw a glittering throne set with magnificent gems, a dwarven throne for dwarf kings.Only a dwarf could pull this lever, Brack’thal understood then, and only one who had sat on that throne.This was a typical failsafe for dwarves, as it was for the drow, for both races elevated their own above all others.Only a Delzoun dwarf could pull this lever, and only one who sat on that powerfully enchanted throne, thus, only one of royal lineage.With a growl, Brack’thal grasped the lever anyway and began to tug.When it wouldn’t budge, the wizard moved behind it and put his shoulder to it, pushing with all of his strength.When it still wouldn’t move at all, Brack’thal cast a spell of strength upon himself, his thin arms bulging with magical muscle.He might as well have been trying to move a mountain.Sometime later, the mage stood on the edge of the pit back across the bridge once more, but he didn’t look down to the primordial any longer, his eyes focused back on the narrow hallway that had led him there.His mind’s eye was looking past that corridor, too, to a forge that was not really a forge.Perhaps there was another way.Tiago Baenre’s eyes sparkled in fiery reflections and in clear intrigue as he looked at the strange items lying on the tray before Gol’fanin.
|
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dnd490
|
He focused first on the delicate and narrow sword blade that seemed as much the stuff of magic as metal, silvery but nearly translucent, and with shining little points of light sparkling back at him from within their glow.“Diamond dust,” he whispered.“Mingled with the glassteel,” Gol’fanin confirmed.“Both creations are thick with the stuff, lending the metal its hardness and edge.You’ll not break this sword, nor dull its deadly cut, and that shield will deflect the cudgel of a mountain giant.”“Magnificent,” Tiago breathed.His gaze moved lower on the sword, to the unfinished hilt and the quillon and guard, and truly they were nothing like Tiago had ever seen before, a conical cage of black metal crisscrossing into the likeness of a spider web and fanning out away from the blade to cover the wielder’s hand.“If that was the extent of their powers, I’d agree,” the blacksmith replied, and he was grinning slyly when Tiago glanced at him.“How strong?” Tiago asked, indicating the sword’s seemingly delicate quillon.“Strong enough to block the blow of a giant’s cudgel,” Gol’fanin assured him.“And to defeat a considerable amount of magical energy thrown your way.A lightning bolt striking the blade will dissipate into a shower of harmless sparks when it runs across that quillon.If one even gets near the blade, for that shield can easily defeat such magic.”Tiago almost giggled at that point.He had known that these would be exceptional implements, but now that he saw them in person, the extent of their magnificence was just beginning to dawn on him.He looked from the sword and shield to the side of the tray, where the sword grip and matching shield grip and straps waited for the blacksmith’s expert hands.They, too, were black, gleaming like polished onyx.Each was shaped like an arachnid, with its legs pulled in tight, creating ridges to better secure grasping fingers.Gol’fanin picked the sword grip up and handed it to Tiago, who grasped it as if the weapon was attached.Never had he felt such a secure grip on any sword!It seemed to him as if the handles were grabbing back, tightening and securing his hold.He brought the item up before his eyes, marveling at the fine detail, for indeed it seemed the perfect likeness of a beautiful spider, the pommel resembling the arachnid’s head and set with a pair of dull emeralds, little spider eyes.The other two for the shield were identical, except that their eyes were blue sapphires.“How long?” the eager young warrior asked.“There is much yet to do,” Gol’fanin replied, and he took the handle back and gently replaced it on the tray.“More enchantments and more hardening, and then I must, of course, properly attach the handles.”“How long?” Tiago asked more insistently.“Another tenday.”The Baenre warrior slumped at that news.A tenday if they remained in the forge, but alas, it was not to be.“Could you finish your work in Menzoberranzan?” Tiago had to ask.Gol’fanin looked at him incredulously, his expression full of horror, and that alone provided all the answer the young Baenre needed.He looked over his shoulder to the room’s main exit, trying to formulate some defensive plans to secure and hold this particular room that would convince the Xorlarrins to stand their ground.But it was a fool’s errand, he knew.The room was too open.It would favor their enemies if those enemies managed to get in.The losses would prove too great to the drow expedition, even if they ultimately held the forge.Tiago looked back to the implements, the sword and shield that would make him the envy of every weapons master in Menzoberranzan.
|
He focused first on the delicate and narrow sword blade that seemed as much the stuff of magic as metal, silvery but nearly translucent, and with shining little points of light sparkling back at him from within their glow.“Diamond dust,” he whispered.“Mingled with the glassteel,” Gol’fanin confirmed.“Both creations are thick with the stuff, lending the metal its hardness and edge.You’ll not break this sword, nor dull its deadly cut, and that shield will deflect the cudgel of a mountain giant.”“Magnificent,” Tiago breathed.His gaze moved lower on the sword, to the unfinished hilt and the quillon and guard, and truly they were nothing like Tiago had ever seen before, a conical cage of black metal crisscrossing into the likeness of a spider web and fanning out away from the blade to cover the wielder’s hand.“If that was the extent of their powers, I’d agree,” the blacksmith replied, and he was grinning slyly when Tiago glanced at him.“How strong?” Tiago asked, indicating the sword’s seemingly delicate quillon.“Strong enough to block the blow of a giant’s cudgel,” Gol’fanin assured him.“And to defeat a considerable amount of magical energy thrown your way.A lightning bolt striking the blade will dissipate into a shower of harmless sparks when it runs across that quillon.If one even gets near the blade, for that shield can easily defeat such magic.”Tiago almost giggled at that point.He had known that these would be exceptional implements, but now that he saw them in person, the extent of their magnificence was just beginning to dawn on him.He looked from the sword and shield to the side of the tray, where the sword grip and matching shield grip and straps waited for the blacksmith’s expert hands.They, too, were black, gleaming like polished onyx.Each was shaped like an arachnid, with its legs pulled in tight, creating ridges to better secure grasping fingers.Gol’fanin picked the sword grip up and handed it to Tiago, who grasped it as if the weapon was attached.Never had he felt such a secure grip on any sword!It seemed to him as if the handles were grabbing back, tightening and securing his hold.He brought the item up before his eyes, marveling at the fine detail, for indeed it seemed the perfect likeness of a beautiful spider, the pommel resembling the arachnid’s head and set with a pair of dull emeralds, little spider eyes.The other two for the shield were identical, except that their eyes were blue sapphires.“How long?” the eager young warrior asked.“There is much yet to do,” Gol’fanin replied, and he took the handle back and gently replaced it on the tray.“More enchantments and more hardening, and then I must, of course, properly attach the handles.”“How long?” Tiago asked more insistently.“Another tenday.”The Baenre warrior slumped at that news.A tenday if they remained in the forge, but alas, it was not to be.“Could you finish your work in Menzoberranzan?” Tiago had to ask.Gol’fanin looked at him incredulously, his expression full of horror, and that alone provided all the answer the young Baenre needed.He looked over his shoulder to the room’s main exit, trying to formulate some defensive plans to secure and hold this particular room that would convince the Xorlarrins to stand their ground.But it was a fool’s errand, he knew.The room was too open.It would favor their enemies if those enemies managed to get in.The losses would prove too great to the drow expedition, even if they ultimately held the forge.Tiago looked back to the implements, the sword and shield that would make him the envy of every weapons master in Menzoberranzan.
|
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dnd491
|
Items that would strike terror into the heart of Andzrel, the pretender who held that coveted rank within the hierarchy of House Baenre.Tiago would replace him.With these weapons in his hands, he would cast Andzrel aside and take his rightful place.But not quite yet.Gol’fanin smiled at him and took up a handle.With a grin, he moved for the sword blade.Brack’thal couldn’t begin to sort out the many valves and blocking pins and pipes lining the small chamber beneath the false forge.“Dwarven idiocy,” he muttered, trying to follow this line or that, trying to figure out which piping might lead him to the one furnace that had been shut down because the goblins hadn’t yet repaired the feeds.He moved to a wall where a throng of pipes exited through the stone, the image making him think of a great organ lying sideways.Which forge in line was the broken one, he asked himself?“Which forge?”The mage tried to envision the room above him, counting back to the broken forge … or should he be counting forward?He did not know whether the top pipe or the bottom connected to the next forge in line.He couldn’t even remember which forge in the line he had just climbed through to get there!“The script,” he said, growing desperate, and he found some lettering—ancient Dwarvish lettering.He couldn’t begin to decipher it, but there were spells for such things.Brack’thal stepped back and took a deep breath, trying to recall the spell for comprehending such languages.A heartbeat later, he gave a little whimper as he realized that he had not memorized that particular dweomer this day, nor did he have any such scrolls in his possession.“By the gods,” the frustrated wizard said, and he slapped his hand against the pipe in pure exasperation.And the fire within the pipe began to talk to him.He held his hand in place, staring at the ruby band, his connection to the Plane of Fire, and to the primordial godlike being in the nearby pit.He didn’t need to understand the ancient Dwarvish language, he realized, and he didn’t need to count the pipes.For the god-beast understood the design, its living fiery tendrils weaving their way through the maze.Now it spoke to Brack’thal.Now it showed him the controls, the valves, the plugs … the plug sealing off the broken forge.He saw it all, so clearly, all the channels and controls, all the valves to dampen the flow of pure fiery power.He rushed around, spinning those valves wide, freeing the beast!So giddy with power was he that Brack’thal sang as he danced, and laughed as he twirled the valves.He could feel the energy mounting all around, the primal scream of a primal god.The pipes clanged and banged as if tiny gnomes were within them, rapping metal hammers.Valves groaned and hissed in protest as too much energy pressed at their huge screw mechanisms.And the building roar of the flames sounded to Brack’thal as a chant to the greatness that was magic before the Spellplague.Pure magic.Unblemished magic.Power.The pipes glowed angrily, bluish metal turning orange, but Brack’thal did not remove his hands from them.Had he not been wearing his ring, the skin would have melted from his fingers and palms, would have dripped to the floor as melted goo.But this god-beast would not harm him.He understood and could trust in this most ancient power.He felt the energy growing.
|
Items that would strike terror into the heart of Andzrel, the pretender who held that coveted rank within the hierarchy of House Baenre.Tiago would replace him.With these weapons in his hands, he would cast Andzrel aside and take his rightful place.But not quite yet.Gol’fanin smiled at him and took up a handle.With a grin, he moved for the sword blade.Brack’thal couldn’t begin to sort out the many valves and blocking pins and pipes lining the small chamber beneath the false forge.“Dwarven idiocy,” he muttered, trying to follow this line or that, trying to figure out which piping might lead him to the one furnace that had been shut down because the goblins hadn’t yet repaired the feeds.He moved to a wall where a throng of pipes exited through the stone, the image making him think of a great organ lying sideways.Which forge in line was the broken one, he asked himself?“Which forge?”The mage tried to envision the room above him, counting back to the broken forge … or should he be counting forward?He did not know whether the top pipe or the bottom connected to the next forge in line.He couldn’t even remember which forge in the line he had just climbed through to get there!“The script,” he said, growing desperate, and he found some lettering—ancient Dwarvish lettering.He couldn’t begin to decipher it, but there were spells for such things.Brack’thal stepped back and took a deep breath, trying to recall the spell for comprehending such languages.A heartbeat later, he gave a little whimper as he realized that he had not memorized that particular dweomer this day, nor did he have any such scrolls in his possession.“By the gods,” the frustrated wizard said, and he slapped his hand against the pipe in pure exasperation.And the fire within the pipe began to talk to him.He held his hand in place, staring at the ruby band, his connection to the Plane of Fire, and to the primordial godlike being in the nearby pit.He didn’t need to understand the ancient Dwarvish language, he realized, and he didn’t need to count the pipes.For the god-beast understood the design, its living fiery tendrils weaving their way through the maze.Now it spoke to Brack’thal.Now it showed him the controls, the valves, the plugs … the plug sealing off the broken forge.He saw it all, so clearly, all the channels and controls, all the valves to dampen the flow of pure fiery power.He rushed around, spinning those valves wide, freeing the beast!So giddy with power was he that Brack’thal sang as he danced, and laughed as he twirled the valves.He could feel the energy mounting all around, the primal scream of a primal god.The pipes clanged and banged as if tiny gnomes were within them, rapping metal hammers.Valves groaned and hissed in protest as too much energy pressed at their huge screw mechanisms.And the building roar of the flames sounded to Brack’thal as a chant to the greatness that was magic before the Spellplague.Pure magic.Unblemished magic.Power.The pipes glowed angrily, bluish metal turning orange, but Brack’thal did not remove his hands from them.Had he not been wearing his ring, the skin would have melted from his fingers and palms, would have dripped to the floor as melted goo.But this god-beast would not harm him.He understood and could trust in this most ancient power.He felt the energy growing.
|
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dnd492
|
Deeper along the channels, past the wall, a great roar began to mount, preternatural, like the scream of a world being born in fire.“Be easy,” Gol’fanin warned.“It is not yet properly set.”As he lifted the scimitar, Tiago Baenre hardly heard the blacksmith.The handle was loose but the grip superb, and even though it was not yet solidly set, Tiago could feel the perfect balance—perfect balance because it seemed to him that no blade was attached to the handle!He could see the translucent lines of the glowing scimitar, the sparkles of the diamond dust, but if he closed his eyes, his mind would tell him that he held an empty metal hilt and nothing more.With a slight twist of his wrist, the blade changed its angle, a wake of silvery blur behind it, and it took all the discipline Tiago could manage to stop from swinging it around—which would have likely launched the blade from the handle to fly across the room.“What magic?” he asked.“That remains to be seen,” said the blacksmith.“The djinni will imbue them.”“You must know more than that!”“Vidrinath,” Gol’fanin said, nodding to the weapon Tiago held, the one with the emerald eyes.He looked to the shield.“Orbbcress.”Tiago rolled Vidrinath over in his hand and spoke the name, the drow word for the songs priestesses would sing to the young students at the Academy when they went into their Reverie repose.He understood then the power of this blade, so akin to that of the hand crossbow bolts, and spoke the name again, “Lullaby.”And for the shield, “Spiderweb.”He considered the potential.He let his mind wander down the paths hinted at by those particular names—names hardly chosen at random, he knew.“Tell me more,” he bade Gol’fanin, or started to, for his words were lost in a rumbling deep within the cavern stone, and a cacophony of sharp metallic rapping sounds.Tiago looked curiously at the blacksmith, who could only shrug.Together, they turned back to the main forge.Inside the oven, the fires danced wildly, forming angry faces and spitting sparks at them.For a moment, the young Baenre wondered if this was expected, but Gol’fanin’s expression dispelled that notion.“What is it?” he asked.A half-dozen structures down to their left sat the darkened forge, the forge of the last breach which had not yet been repaired or refired, and from that oven came a tremendous bang.Suddenly, it teemed with fire, so fully that an angry orange glow emanated from its stones.Other dark elves cried out in warning, goblins scrambled, falling all over each other.Tiago and Gol’fanin ducked behind the main forge for protection.The broken forge exploded, a giant fireball reaching across the cavern.Spurts of lava and lines of fire blasted from the wreckage of the forge.Amid the rubble, where the oven used to be, stood a mighty fire elemental, roaring and crackling and swinging its torchlike arms all around.Other forges, too thick with primordial fuel, began to vomit, spewing forth jets of white-hot flames, and from those flames leaped more elementals, smaller ones, darting in frenzy, chasing down goblins and biting at them, dragging them down and swarming over them, lighting their clothes and hair aflame, shriveling their pallid green skin.Screams mixed with the roaring flames and the continued throaty rumbling within the stones, and above that symphony of insanity, Tiago could not be heard.He shouted anyway, “Flee!
|
Deeper along the channels, past the wall, a great roar began to mount, preternatural, like the scream of a world being born in fire.“Be easy,” Gol’fanin warned.“It is not yet properly set.”As he lifted the scimitar, Tiago Baenre hardly heard the blacksmith.The handle was loose but the grip superb, and even though it was not yet solidly set, Tiago could feel the perfect balance—perfect balance because it seemed to him that no blade was attached to the handle!He could see the translucent lines of the glowing scimitar, the sparkles of the diamond dust, but if he closed his eyes, his mind would tell him that he held an empty metal hilt and nothing more.With a slight twist of his wrist, the blade changed its angle, a wake of silvery blur behind it, and it took all the discipline Tiago could manage to stop from swinging it around—which would have likely launched the blade from the handle to fly across the room.“What magic?” he asked.“That remains to be seen,” said the blacksmith.“The djinni will imbue them.”“You must know more than that!”“Vidrinath,” Gol’fanin said, nodding to the weapon Tiago held, the one with the emerald eyes.He looked to the shield.“Orbbcress.”Tiago rolled Vidrinath over in his hand and spoke the name, the drow word for the songs priestesses would sing to the young students at the Academy when they went into their Reverie repose.He understood then the power of this blade, so akin to that of the hand crossbow bolts, and spoke the name again, “Lullaby.”And for the shield, “Spiderweb.”He considered the potential.He let his mind wander down the paths hinted at by those particular names—names hardly chosen at random, he knew.“Tell me more,” he bade Gol’fanin, or started to, for his words were lost in a rumbling deep within the cavern stone, and a cacophony of sharp metallic rapping sounds.Tiago looked curiously at the blacksmith, who could only shrug.Together, they turned back to the main forge.Inside the oven, the fires danced wildly, forming angry faces and spitting sparks at them.For a moment, the young Baenre wondered if this was expected, but Gol’fanin’s expression dispelled that notion.“What is it?” he asked.A half-dozen structures down to their left sat the darkened forge, the forge of the last breach which had not yet been repaired or refired, and from that oven came a tremendous bang.Suddenly, it teemed with fire, so fully that an angry orange glow emanated from its stones.Other dark elves cried out in warning, goblins scrambled, falling all over each other.Tiago and Gol’fanin ducked behind the main forge for protection.The broken forge exploded, a giant fireball reaching across the cavern.Spurts of lava and lines of fire blasted from the wreckage of the forge.Amid the rubble, where the oven used to be, stood a mighty fire elemental, roaring and crackling and swinging its torchlike arms all around.Other forges, too thick with primordial fuel, began to vomit, spewing forth jets of white-hot flames, and from those flames leaped more elementals, smaller ones, darting in frenzy, chasing down goblins and biting at them, dragging them down and swarming over them, lighting their clothes and hair aflame, shriveling their pallid green skin.Screams mixed with the roaring flames and the continued throaty rumbling within the stones, and above that symphony of insanity, Tiago could not be heard.He shouted anyway, “Flee!
|
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dnd493
|
Flee!” for the room was lost, the fight over before it had even begun.They could do nothing before the bared might of the primordial.Nothing but burn.A barrage of fire and lava came forth from the main forge, tossing aside the trays and the unfinished shield, and the implements: the tools, the scroll tube, the djinni bottle.Tiago’s eyes widened with horror and he started forward.“Orbbcress,” he whispered as if he was speaking of his child.Gol’fanin tried to hold him back, but he broke free and rushed amid the flames, ignoring the heat and the stings.He would not lose these items, even at the cost of his own life.He came out of the sub-chamber unafraid of the firestorm engulfing the forge room.Torrents of flames whipped around, elementals leaping to and fro, consuming the flesh of those creatures, goblinkin and drow alike, who had not escaped the conflagration.Brack’thal did not care.The smell of burning flesh hung thick around him, but that only meant that his god-beast was feasting well this day.The wizard stepped right through the deep fires, his ring protecting him fully.Even more, he heard the song of the elementals, reveling in their freedom and calling to him, who had freed them.He imagined himself as the Chosen of this primordial—did these ancient god-beasts even have such minions?He could be the first, a being of great power, with deadly fire at his easy disposal, ever ready to smite his enemies.Or to melt his brother.He continued across the room, moving for the small tunnel to the primordial pit.It was calling him, then, he believed, likely to congratulate him.Brack’thal slowed his steps as the primordial voice rang out loudly, and once again, the room began to resonate with elemental power.The forge of Gauntlgrym was not merely a dwarven contraption, was not simply a clever clockwork of levers and pins and valves and piping.It was a magical construct, full of energy as old as the fabled Hosttower of the Arcane of Luskan.And as such and given its role in containing such a beast as a primordial of fire, it had been carefully imbued with magical contingencies.Brack’thal started again for the tunnel at a swift pace, then a trot, then a sprint.Just before he reached the entrance, though, his nostrils filled with a new odor, salty and pungent.“Brine?” he asked, puzzled.He looked up at the corner where the wall met the ceiling, to those curious green rootlike tendrils running like veins through the lower complex.Small knots, like tiny corks, popped from a thousand places at once, and water sprayed like rain across the room.Salt water.Brack’thal couldn’t begin to sort it out, for he did not understand that those tendrils ran to the harbor in distant Luskan, out into the dark and cold waters of the Sword Coast.The fire elementals roared and fought back, reaching up to throw flames at the tendrils, and so great and pure was their fury that it seemed to Brack’thal as if they would surely win out against the clever irrigation.But a greater rumbling came forth again, from the primordial’s room.Knowing that it wasn’t his god-beast speaking, knowing the sound to be ominous, the wizard ran again for the small archway.But he fell back with a cry as the river rushed forth from that corridor, pouring into the forge room.And no normal river this, for as it spread into the room, giant humanoid forms broke free of it and charged to challenge the fire elementals.The water elementals fearlessly attacked their foes, extinguishing the small fiery mites with a single splashing stomp.Brack’thal watched as one great water elemental faced a gigantic fire beast.
|
Flee!” for the room was lost, the fight over before it had even begun.They could do nothing before the bared might of the primordial.Nothing but burn.A barrage of fire and lava came forth from the main forge, tossing aside the trays and the unfinished shield, and the implements: the tools, the scroll tube, the djinni bottle.Tiago’s eyes widened with horror and he started forward.“Orbbcress,” he whispered as if he was speaking of his child.Gol’fanin tried to hold him back, but he broke free and rushed amid the flames, ignoring the heat and the stings.He would not lose these items, even at the cost of his own life.He came out of the sub-chamber unafraid of the firestorm engulfing the forge room.Torrents of flames whipped around, elementals leaping to and fro, consuming the flesh of those creatures, goblinkin and drow alike, who had not escaped the conflagration.Brack’thal did not care.The smell of burning flesh hung thick around him, but that only meant that his god-beast was feasting well this day.The wizard stepped right through the deep fires, his ring protecting him fully.Even more, he heard the song of the elementals, reveling in their freedom and calling to him, who had freed them.He imagined himself as the Chosen of this primordial—did these ancient god-beasts even have such minions?He could be the first, a being of great power, with deadly fire at his easy disposal, ever ready to smite his enemies.Or to melt his brother.He continued across the room, moving for the small tunnel to the primordial pit.It was calling him, then, he believed, likely to congratulate him.Brack’thal slowed his steps as the primordial voice rang out loudly, and once again, the room began to resonate with elemental power.The forge of Gauntlgrym was not merely a dwarven contraption, was not simply a clever clockwork of levers and pins and valves and piping.It was a magical construct, full of energy as old as the fabled Hosttower of the Arcane of Luskan.And as such and given its role in containing such a beast as a primordial of fire, it had been carefully imbued with magical contingencies.Brack’thal started again for the tunnel at a swift pace, then a trot, then a sprint.Just before he reached the entrance, though, his nostrils filled with a new odor, salty and pungent.“Brine?” he asked, puzzled.He looked up at the corner where the wall met the ceiling, to those curious green rootlike tendrils running like veins through the lower complex.Small knots, like tiny corks, popped from a thousand places at once, and water sprayed like rain across the room.Salt water.Brack’thal couldn’t begin to sort it out, for he did not understand that those tendrils ran to the harbor in distant Luskan, out into the dark and cold waters of the Sword Coast.The fire elementals roared and fought back, reaching up to throw flames at the tendrils, and so great and pure was their fury that it seemed to Brack’thal as if they would surely win out against the clever irrigation.But a greater rumbling came forth again, from the primordial’s room.Knowing that it wasn’t his god-beast speaking, knowing the sound to be ominous, the wizard ran again for the small archway.But he fell back with a cry as the river rushed forth from that corridor, pouring into the forge room.And no normal river this, for as it spread into the room, giant humanoid forms broke free of it and charged to challenge the fire elementals.The water elementals fearlessly attacked their foes, extinguishing the small fiery mites with a single splashing stomp.Brack’thal watched as one great water elemental faced a gigantic fire beast.
|
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dnd494
|
Without fear or hesitation, the watery beast threw itself against the creature of fire, which roared in protest—Brack’thal felt its agony clearly.A tremendous burst of steam replaced them both, the two bodies mingling to disastrous results.More so for the fire elemental, the wizard realized.The joining wrought steam, and from the steam would come anew the magic of the Plane of Water.Brack’thal cried out and threw himself against the wall just beside the archway.More and more watery beasts came forth, sloshing and splashing and rushing into the fire.Finally it let up, the battle raging throughout the forge room, and Brack’thal heard again the voice of his god-beast, and this time it was a cry of pain.The wizard ran into the corridor and stumbled out into the chamber beyond, right to the edge of the primordial’s pit.He noted immediately that the swirl of water around the sides of that deep well had diminished greatly, and he glanced back to the forge room, understanding then that many of the elementals previously holding back the primordial had come forth to meet the great challenge.Water poured down from the ceiling above, raining into the pit, and steam obscured his view.“Now,” he bade the primordial.“You must come forth now.”He reached his thoughts through his ruby band, sending them to the primordial, bidding it to leap from its captivity.He heard the bubbling below, and he fell back with a cry, and just in time, for the primordial leaped, or tried to, as the remaining elementals reached their watery limbs out to block it.A small burst of rock and lava got through, lifting up over the edge of the pit to splash down on the floor right where Brack’thal had been standing.For a few heartbeats, the wizard believed he had been betrayed.His ring might have protected him from the heat of that stony vomit, but the weight of it would surely have crushed him.Had this god-beast spat at him to pound the life out of him?His confusion became curiosity a moment later, though, when that splattered lava reformed and regrouped, and stood up on thick rock legs, thrice his height.The drow wizard’s eyes sparkled in reflections of the monstrosity, the lava elemental, a creature of tremendous strength and magical power.It stalked over to stand towering above the wizard, and how small and vulnerable Brack’thal felt at that terrifying moment.He sucked in his breath, fearing it to be the last he would ever draw.Tiago and Gol’fanin sat against the corridor wall many twists and turns away from the forge room.Other drow milled around, most gasping for breath, or grimacing against the sting of multiple burns.Tiago pulled back the hood of his piwafwi, a very powerful cloak indeed, as it had been enchanted in the magical chambers of House Baenre.The young Baenre had not a mark on him, and thanks to his quick actions and the blacksmith’s own enchanted garments, Gol’fanin had come through unscathed, as well.More important to both of them, Orbbcress and Vidrinath, the scroll, and the djinni bottle had survived and now lay at Gol’fanin’s side, covered in a thick blanket“We were to abandon the forge anyway,” he said to his companion.“Let the Shadovar deal with this new intrusion.”“If the primordial has broken free, the entire power of Netheril will not put it back,” the old crafter replied.“The forge of Gauntlgrym is lost to us.”Calls of “Steam!” filled the area, echoing from the corridors leading back to the forge room.“Perhaps Gauntlgrym has awakened to the threat,” Gol’fanin offered, and he and Tiago stood up and started away.“What has happened?” came a cry from the other way, from Berellip Xorlarrin as she and the other House nobles rushed down the hallway, many other drow beside them, and a few of Yerrininae’s driders marching in rear guard behind them.“A major breach,” Tiago replied.“The forge room was overwhelmed by flames and lava and creatures of the Plane of Fire.”Jearth rode his lizard right past the young Baenre and down the corridor leading back to the forge room, rushing out of sight.“Where is Brack’thal?” Ravel asked, and the look he tossed at Tiago made it clear that he hoped his brother was still in the room, preferably dead.“You tell me,” Tiago replied, his voice thick with intrigue, for all of them were surely thinking that Brack’thal, broken and angry, might have had a hand in this disaster.“I’ve not seen him.”“Find him!” Berellip snapped at the nearby commoner drow, and they nearly fell over each other as they started scrambling away.“We lost a small group of bugbears, all of the goblins in the room, and a few drow as well, I fear,” said the young Baenre, but his casual tone belied his claim that he feared any such thing.In fact, he didn’t care.Gol’fanin had survived, the recipe had survived, and all the pieces and ingredients needed to finish Lullaby and Spiderweb had survived.Did anything else really matter?All eyes turned back behind the Xorlarrin nobles, where Yerrininae moved past his drider rear guard and up to join the conversation.“The Shadovar approach in great numbers,” he warned.Berellip nodded and started to speak, but Ravel beat her to it.“Let us fade back to the deeper tunnels,” he said.“Let them deal with the danger in the forge room, and then deal with our magic and our blades as we see fit.”“And our negotiations,” Berellip said.“It would not do well for House Xorlarrin to begin a war between Menzoberranzan and the Netherese Empire,” Tiago warned in support of the priestess.Berellip gave him a quick glance and a nod—a nod of appreciation for his support, Tiago realized.Nothing could eliminate drow infighting quicker than an external enemy.Ravel took the lead then, ordering and arranging his forces so they could begin their quick retreat from the area.
|
Without fear or hesitation, the watery beast threw itself against the creature of fire, which roared in protest—Brack’thal felt its agony clearly.A tremendous burst of steam replaced them both, the two bodies mingling to disastrous results.More so for the fire elemental, the wizard realized.The joining wrought steam, and from the steam would come anew the magic of the Plane of Water.Brack’thal cried out and threw himself against the wall just beside the archway.More and more watery beasts came forth, sloshing and splashing and rushing into the fire.Finally it let up, the battle raging throughout the forge room, and Brack’thal heard again the voice of his god-beast, and this time it was a cry of pain.The wizard ran into the corridor and stumbled out into the chamber beyond, right to the edge of the primordial’s pit.He noted immediately that the swirl of water around the sides of that deep well had diminished greatly, and he glanced back to the forge room, understanding then that many of the elementals previously holding back the primordial had come forth to meet the great challenge.Water poured down from the ceiling above, raining into the pit, and steam obscured his view.“Now,” he bade the primordial.“You must come forth now.”He reached his thoughts through his ruby band, sending them to the primordial, bidding it to leap from its captivity.He heard the bubbling below, and he fell back with a cry, and just in time, for the primordial leaped, or tried to, as the remaining elementals reached their watery limbs out to block it.A small burst of rock and lava got through, lifting up over the edge of the pit to splash down on the floor right where Brack’thal had been standing.For a few heartbeats, the wizard believed he had been betrayed.His ring might have protected him from the heat of that stony vomit, but the weight of it would surely have crushed him.Had this god-beast spat at him to pound the life out of him?His confusion became curiosity a moment later, though, when that splattered lava reformed and regrouped, and stood up on thick rock legs, thrice his height.The drow wizard’s eyes sparkled in reflections of the monstrosity, the lava elemental, a creature of tremendous strength and magical power.It stalked over to stand towering above the wizard, and how small and vulnerable Brack’thal felt at that terrifying moment.He sucked in his breath, fearing it to be the last he would ever draw.Tiago and Gol’fanin sat against the corridor wall many twists and turns away from the forge room.Other drow milled around, most gasping for breath, or grimacing against the sting of multiple burns.Tiago pulled back the hood of his piwafwi, a very powerful cloak indeed, as it had been enchanted in the magical chambers of House Baenre.The young Baenre had not a mark on him, and thanks to his quick actions and the blacksmith’s own enchanted garments, Gol’fanin had come through unscathed, as well.More important to both of them, Orbbcress and Vidrinath, the scroll, and the djinni bottle had survived and now lay at Gol’fanin’s side, covered in a thick blanket“We were to abandon the forge anyway,” he said to his companion.“Let the Shadovar deal with this new intrusion.”“If the primordial has broken free, the entire power of Netheril will not put it back,” the old crafter replied.“The forge of Gauntlgrym is lost to us.”Calls of “Steam!” filled the area, echoing from the corridors leading back to the forge room.“Perhaps Gauntlgrym has awakened to the threat,” Gol’fanin offered, and he and Tiago stood up and started away.“What has happened?” came a cry from the other way, from Berellip Xorlarrin as she and the other House nobles rushed down the hallway, many other drow beside them, and a few of Yerrininae’s driders marching in rear guard behind them.“A major breach,” Tiago replied.“The forge room was overwhelmed by flames and lava and creatures of the Plane of Fire.”Jearth rode his lizard right past the young Baenre and down the corridor leading back to the forge room, rushing out of sight.“Where is Brack’thal?” Ravel asked, and the look he tossed at Tiago made it clear that he hoped his brother was still in the room, preferably dead.“You tell me,” Tiago replied, his voice thick with intrigue, for all of them were surely thinking that Brack’thal, broken and angry, might have had a hand in this disaster.“I’ve not seen him.”“Find him!” Berellip snapped at the nearby commoner drow, and they nearly fell over each other as they started scrambling away.“We lost a small group of bugbears, all of the goblins in the room, and a few drow as well, I fear,” said the young Baenre, but his casual tone belied his claim that he feared any such thing.In fact, he didn’t care.Gol’fanin had survived, the recipe had survived, and all the pieces and ingredients needed to finish Lullaby and Spiderweb had survived.Did anything else really matter?All eyes turned back behind the Xorlarrin nobles, where Yerrininae moved past his drider rear guard and up to join the conversation.“The Shadovar approach in great numbers,” he warned.Berellip nodded and started to speak, but Ravel beat her to it.“Let us fade back to the deeper tunnels,” he said.“Let them deal with the danger in the forge room, and then deal with our magic and our blades as we see fit.”“And our negotiations,” Berellip said.“It would not do well for House Xorlarrin to begin a war between Menzoberranzan and the Netherese Empire,” Tiago warned in support of the priestess.Berellip gave him a quick glance and a nod—a nod of appreciation for his support, Tiago realized.Nothing could eliminate drow infighting quicker than an external enemy.Ravel took the lead then, ordering and arranging his forces so they could begin their quick retreat from the area.
|
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dnd495
|
As that ensued, Berellip moved near to Tiago, and she had just reached him when Jearth returned with news that a great battle was underway in the forge room, water against fire.“This is a most marvelous design,” Ravel declared loudly.“Do not underestimate the skill of dwarves and the ancient magic their allies employed.”He reminds us that it was he who led us to this place we will soon call our home, Berellip’s fingers flashed to Tiago.Tiago’s hand subtly replied with a single question: Saribel?Berellip looked at her sister—at her sister who had schemed against her.Saribel was hard at work issuing commands to those around her, seemingly oblivious to Berellip’s hateful glare.Tiago saw the sting on Berellip’s face, and understood where the necessity of the desperate situation was forcing her even before she answered, Stand down.She couldn’t let Tiago kill Saribel at that time, not until they knew the extent of Brack’thal’s role in this great breach.Saribel had double-crossed Berellip with her intent to side with Ravel over Brack’thal, but if their suspicions about the Xorlarrin Elderboy proved true and Matron Zeerith learned of Brack’thal’s ultimate treachery, how strong would Berellip’s claim against Saribel sound?Indeed, given the victory by Ravel, Tiago had held no intention of killing Saribel in any case, not that he would have told Berellip that little truth.Besides, Berellip might be the more important priestess, but Saribel was by far the better lover.A minor detail in the greater scheme of things, perhaps, but those minor details often allowed Tiago greater enjoyment in life, and to him, that, after all, was the whole point of … everything.Brack’thal instinctively tried to make himself smaller, curling down and defensively bringing his arms in tightly.He almost laughed at that reflexive movement, for it would do him little good when this mighty elemental decided to crush him into a smoldering pile of gore.The blow did not fall.Gradually, Brack’thal summoned the courage to peek out at the beast, which stood towering above him, very near.But it made no move against him, and so the mage slowly unwound himself to stand up straight before it.Only then did he hear the voice of the lava beast, calling him through the power of his ring.“Master.”The primordial had given this gift to him, the mage thought, and he nearly squealed with glee.His giddiness proved short-lived, though, as a rumble from without, from the forge room, told him that the creatures of water had won out and were now fast returning.At that same time, a huge spray of water began from above the primordial pit, the magical tendrils bringing even more water into the complex in response to the primordial’s attempt to break free.And among that falling water came more than one new water elemental, diving into the pit and once more strengthening the swirl of containing waters around its walls.Brack’thal looked through the mounting steam toward the room across the way, where the lever remained fully engaged.He could never free his god-beast as long as that lever kept open the connection between Gauntlgrym’s devices and the power of the sea.He had to find a way to throw that lever!He would need a dwarf …A rush of water in the corridor to the forge room broke him from his contemplation, and he realized that he had to get out of that chamber at once.And as he realized it, so too did his lava elemental.The mighty creature moved with incredible grace, the joints of its rocky appendages molten and fluid.It rushed to the wall beside the corridor, and there it seemed to flatten and widen as it pressed into the stone.Whether it was some powerful magic, like the dweomer known as passwall, or simply the intense heat, or perhaps a bit of both, Brack’thal could not tell, but the stone hissed and melted.Even as the returning water elementals began to pour in from the other corridor, the lava elemental departed, burrowing through the stone as easily as Brack’thal might move through water.Lava streamed behind the beast and dripped all around, and the stone seemed to simply part, leaving a sizable glowing corridor in its wake.Given the protective magic of his ring, the dripping molten stone would not bother him, and so the mage ran off after his pet, winding its way from the room in a tunnel of its own making.INTERSECTIONDRIZZT STARTED AROUND THE CORNER, BUT FELL BACK ABRUPTLY AND TURNED to his companions, his expression one of concern and surprise.“What?” asked Entreri, who was growing more impatient and agitated with every step.Even as he finished the question, though, he and Dahlia both understood the drow’s hesitance, for a wall of steamy fog rolled along the perpendicular corridor.The temperature in the area climbed dramatically, the air growing so humid that the greenish tendrils of the Hosttower above began to sweat and drip almost immediately.“It is passable,” Drizzt informed them.“Then go,” Entreri snapped back.Drizzt continued to hold his position.He glanced around the corner again, and when he turned back, beads of sweat showed on his face.“This tunnel continues to bend around the forge room,” Drizzt replied.“Perhaps there would be an easier way in.”“Or a less obvious advance than the main corridor,” Dahlia agreed.Entreri started to argue, clearly wanting to be done with all of this, wanting to be done with everything, but when Drizzt held up his hand, the assassin went quiet, for he, too, had heard a distant rumble.On Drizzt’s motion, they backtracked quickly the way they had come, taking up a mostly concealed position some twenty strides back.The unmistakable sound of an approaching force grew around them, then rumbled down the corridor against the rolling steam.
|
As that ensued, Berellip moved near to Tiago, and she had just reached him when Jearth returned with news that a great battle was underway in the forge room, water against fire.“This is a most marvelous design,” Ravel declared loudly.“Do not underestimate the skill of dwarves and the ancient magic their allies employed.”He reminds us that it was he who led us to this place we will soon call our home, Berellip’s fingers flashed to Tiago.Tiago’s hand subtly replied with a single question: Saribel?Berellip looked at her sister—at her sister who had schemed against her.Saribel was hard at work issuing commands to those around her, seemingly oblivious to Berellip’s hateful glare.Tiago saw the sting on Berellip’s face, and understood where the necessity of the desperate situation was forcing her even before she answered, Stand down.She couldn’t let Tiago kill Saribel at that time, not until they knew the extent of Brack’thal’s role in this great breach.Saribel had double-crossed Berellip with her intent to side with Ravel over Brack’thal, but if their suspicions about the Xorlarrin Elderboy proved true and Matron Zeerith learned of Brack’thal’s ultimate treachery, how strong would Berellip’s claim against Saribel sound?Indeed, given the victory by Ravel, Tiago had held no intention of killing Saribel in any case, not that he would have told Berellip that little truth.Besides, Berellip might be the more important priestess, but Saribel was by far the better lover.A minor detail in the greater scheme of things, perhaps, but those minor details often allowed Tiago greater enjoyment in life, and to him, that, after all, was the whole point of … everything.Brack’thal instinctively tried to make himself smaller, curling down and defensively bringing his arms in tightly.He almost laughed at that reflexive movement, for it would do him little good when this mighty elemental decided to crush him into a smoldering pile of gore.The blow did not fall.Gradually, Brack’thal summoned the courage to peek out at the beast, which stood towering above him, very near.But it made no move against him, and so the mage slowly unwound himself to stand up straight before it.Only then did he hear the voice of the lava beast, calling him through the power of his ring.“Master.”The primordial had given this gift to him, the mage thought, and he nearly squealed with glee.His giddiness proved short-lived, though, as a rumble from without, from the forge room, told him that the creatures of water had won out and were now fast returning.At that same time, a huge spray of water began from above the primordial pit, the magical tendrils bringing even more water into the complex in response to the primordial’s attempt to break free.And among that falling water came more than one new water elemental, diving into the pit and once more strengthening the swirl of containing waters around its walls.Brack’thal looked through the mounting steam toward the room across the way, where the lever remained fully engaged.He could never free his god-beast as long as that lever kept open the connection between Gauntlgrym’s devices and the power of the sea.He had to find a way to throw that lever!He would need a dwarf …A rush of water in the corridor to the forge room broke him from his contemplation, and he realized that he had to get out of that chamber at once.And as he realized it, so too did his lava elemental.The mighty creature moved with incredible grace, the joints of its rocky appendages molten and fluid.It rushed to the wall beside the corridor, and there it seemed to flatten and widen as it pressed into the stone.Whether it was some powerful magic, like the dweomer known as passwall, or simply the intense heat, or perhaps a bit of both, Brack’thal could not tell, but the stone hissed and melted.Even as the returning water elementals began to pour in from the other corridor, the lava elemental departed, burrowing through the stone as easily as Brack’thal might move through water.Lava streamed behind the beast and dripped all around, and the stone seemed to simply part, leaving a sizable glowing corridor in its wake.Given the protective magic of his ring, the dripping molten stone would not bother him, and so the mage ran off after his pet, winding its way from the room in a tunnel of its own making.INTERSECTIONDRIZZT STARTED AROUND THE CORNER, BUT FELL BACK ABRUPTLY AND TURNED to his companions, his expression one of concern and surprise.“What?” asked Entreri, who was growing more impatient and agitated with every step.Even as he finished the question, though, he and Dahlia both understood the drow’s hesitance, for a wall of steamy fog rolled along the perpendicular corridor.The temperature in the area climbed dramatically, the air growing so humid that the greenish tendrils of the Hosttower above began to sweat and drip almost immediately.“It is passable,” Drizzt informed them.“Then go,” Entreri snapped back.Drizzt continued to hold his position.He glanced around the corner again, and when he turned back, beads of sweat showed on his face.“This tunnel continues to bend around the forge room,” Drizzt replied.“Perhaps there would be an easier way in.”“Or a less obvious advance than the main corridor,” Dahlia agreed.Entreri started to argue, clearly wanting to be done with all of this, wanting to be done with everything, but when Drizzt held up his hand, the assassin went quiet, for he, too, had heard a distant rumble.On Drizzt’s motion, they backtracked quickly the way they had come, taking up a mostly concealed position some twenty strides back.The unmistakable sound of an approaching force grew around them, then rumbled down the corridor against the rolling steam.
|
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dnd496
|
The first forms, ghostly in the fog, crossed the corridor.Even before a couple happened out into their side tunnel, in clear view, the three companions understood the composition of the force.These were Shadovar, making directly for the forge room.“We could have gone in before them,” Entreri whispered, his jaw clenched, the veins standing out on his forehead.But both Drizzt and Dahlia, who knew the layout of the forge room, knew of the small archway and single tunnel leading to the primordial pit, understood the futility of that argument.Had they gone in, they would have had to flee immediately out another exit of the forge room, or would have surely found themselves trapped in the primordial chamber.“We go in behind them, then,” Entreri said.“We would never make it to the archway,” Dahlia replied, and though he didn’t know the specifics of what she might be talking about, her point was clearly made.“What, then?” he asked.“We go past the steam corridor,” Drizzt suggested.“Let us learn the layout of this entire region, and learn it well.We’ll find our way in, but we can’t rush in there behind the shade forces and hold any hope of getting to our goal, to say nothing of getting back out.”Even though that last part of the statement seemed to hold little persuasion to Entreri, Drizzt noted, the assassin didn’t argue.If they went in there and were stopped by the multitude of shades, Entreri would find himself right back in the position of Barrabus the Gray, or worse.They had to wait a long while for the Shadovar forces to pass by, then they moved quickly, crossing the steamy corridor and moving with all prudent speed.Drizzt again took the lead, opening a wide distance between himself and his two companions.He dropped his hand into his belt pouch and quietly called out for Guenhwyvar again and again, hoping against hope that the Netherese forces had been foolish enough to bring her along, and that she would hear his call and appear to him.He thought of the strange woman he had met, with her enticing offer.Nay, not enticing, for in truth, Drizzt could not put a man, any man, even Artemis Entreri, back into slavery again, whatever his gain.He simply couldn’t do it.And in his heart, Drizzt knew that he wouldn’t get Guenhwyvar back that way, anyway.The trickster would never have willingly given the magnificent panther to him.He could not bargain in good faith with the Netherese.He thought of the shadow gate he had seen in the forest.His answer lay there, he believed.He would have to go to the Shadowfell when he was done with this ugly business, when Charon’s Claw—and Artemis Entreri—was destroyed.Flanked by Effron and Glorfathel, Herzgo Alegni glimpsed the forge room through a thick cloud of steam.Fires burned all around the place as the battle of the opposing elemental monsters raged.“Destroy them,” he instructed his spellcasters.“Not easily done,” said Effron.“A slow process,” Glorfathel agreed.“Bah, but I’ll be turnin’ the tide for ye,” said Ambergris from behind, and she pushed her way through the trio, even daring to shove past Alegni himself.He looked at her curiously, too surprised to lash out, and more curiously still when he saw what the cleric held: a small jug of curious design.It seemed to be polished from one piece of wood, its thick neck offset from center, and stoppered with a large cork fastened to the decanter with a gold link chain.Circles and triangles of red and green ran around the circumference of the jug in a repeating, but hardly perfect, pattern, as if this item had been crafted by some village woman in a remote jungle.Ambergris whispered something under her breath, talking to her magic item, it seemed, and she pulled out the cork with a loud popping sound.A few more words and a stream of water poured forth, splashing the floors before her.“What is that?” Effron asked before Alegni could.Glorfathel just laughed, having no definitive answer.“Always full of surprises is that one,” he explained.“It is why Cavus Dun so quickly accepted her.”Ambergris continued to walk out from the doorway, her magical decanter spraying in wide sweeps before her.The others watching from just outside the room all gasped in unison as a large fire elemental rushed through the steam to meet her, reaching at her with flaming limbs.The dwarf laughed at it.
|
The first forms, ghostly in the fog, crossed the corridor.Even before a couple happened out into their side tunnel, in clear view, the three companions understood the composition of the force.These were Shadovar, making directly for the forge room.“We could have gone in before them,” Entreri whispered, his jaw clenched, the veins standing out on his forehead.But both Drizzt and Dahlia, who knew the layout of the forge room, knew of the small archway and single tunnel leading to the primordial pit, understood the futility of that argument.Had they gone in, they would have had to flee immediately out another exit of the forge room, or would have surely found themselves trapped in the primordial chamber.“We go in behind them, then,” Entreri said.“We would never make it to the archway,” Dahlia replied, and though he didn’t know the specifics of what she might be talking about, her point was clearly made.“What, then?” he asked.“We go past the steam corridor,” Drizzt suggested.“Let us learn the layout of this entire region, and learn it well.We’ll find our way in, but we can’t rush in there behind the shade forces and hold any hope of getting to our goal, to say nothing of getting back out.”Even though that last part of the statement seemed to hold little persuasion to Entreri, Drizzt noted, the assassin didn’t argue.If they went in there and were stopped by the multitude of shades, Entreri would find himself right back in the position of Barrabus the Gray, or worse.They had to wait a long while for the Shadovar forces to pass by, then they moved quickly, crossing the steamy corridor and moving with all prudent speed.Drizzt again took the lead, opening a wide distance between himself and his two companions.He dropped his hand into his belt pouch and quietly called out for Guenhwyvar again and again, hoping against hope that the Netherese forces had been foolish enough to bring her along, and that she would hear his call and appear to him.He thought of the strange woman he had met, with her enticing offer.Nay, not enticing, for in truth, Drizzt could not put a man, any man, even Artemis Entreri, back into slavery again, whatever his gain.He simply couldn’t do it.And in his heart, Drizzt knew that he wouldn’t get Guenhwyvar back that way, anyway.The trickster would never have willingly given the magnificent panther to him.He could not bargain in good faith with the Netherese.He thought of the shadow gate he had seen in the forest.His answer lay there, he believed.He would have to go to the Shadowfell when he was done with this ugly business, when Charon’s Claw—and Artemis Entreri—was destroyed.Flanked by Effron and Glorfathel, Herzgo Alegni glimpsed the forge room through a thick cloud of steam.Fires burned all around the place as the battle of the opposing elemental monsters raged.“Destroy them,” he instructed his spellcasters.“Not easily done,” said Effron.“A slow process,” Glorfathel agreed.“Bah, but I’ll be turnin’ the tide for ye,” said Ambergris from behind, and she pushed her way through the trio, even daring to shove past Alegni himself.He looked at her curiously, too surprised to lash out, and more curiously still when he saw what the cleric held: a small jug of curious design.It seemed to be polished from one piece of wood, its thick neck offset from center, and stoppered with a large cork fastened to the decanter with a gold link chain.Circles and triangles of red and green ran around the circumference of the jug in a repeating, but hardly perfect, pattern, as if this item had been crafted by some village woman in a remote jungle.Ambergris whispered something under her breath, talking to her magic item, it seemed, and she pulled out the cork with a loud popping sound.A few more words and a stream of water poured forth, splashing the floors before her.“What is that?” Effron asked before Alegni could.Glorfathel just laughed, having no definitive answer.“Always full of surprises is that one,” he explained.“It is why Cavus Dun so quickly accepted her.”Ambergris continued to walk out from the doorway, her magical decanter spraying in wide sweeps before her.The others watching from just outside the room all gasped in unison as a large fire elemental rushed through the steam to meet her, reaching at her with flaming limbs.The dwarf laughed at it.
|
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dnd497
|
She had already fortified herself with resistance spells, and when the stream of water became a geyser, the weapon she carried proved effective.Ambergris staggered back a step just trying to control the powerful flow.The elemental, too, staggered back, diminishing before their eyes as the geyser assailed its fiery core, cooling it, shrinking it.The dwarf laughed all the louder.“Where is the primordial?” Herzgo Alegni asked.“Nearby, surely,” said Glorfathel.“Get me to it,” Alegni ordered.“Let’s hope we’re not too late,” Effron said.Herzgo Alegni closed his eyes and opened his mind, and heard again the whisper of Claw, of the sword that was still very much intact.“We’re not,” he stated with confidence.Thanks to the magical sprinklers of the curious tendrils above, the remaining water elementals, and the dwarf with her perpetual decanter of water, the Shadovar secured the forge room in short order.They couldn’t stop the occasional outbursts from the forges, or the appearance of fire beasts now and again, for they knew nothing of the sub-chamber that controlled the flow of primordial power.They found the small corridor and the primordial pit, and soon enough, there stood Herzgo Alegni, Effron, and the trio from Cavus Dun.Like all who had entered this place, they lingered at the side of the pit, staring in awe at the swirling water and the rumbling of the godlike primordial from far below.Other concerns did not allow them to linger, however, for they noted the second exit from the room, a small tunnel still glowing with streaks and puddles of red lava.“Newly cut,” Glorfathel remarked.“The work of the primordial, I would guess.”“What happened here?” Alegni asked.“Did the dark elves do this as they retreated?”“Perhaps this is why they fled,” said Effron.“They could not control this power.”“But did they take the sword with them?” Glorfathel asked, and no one had an answer.“Set a perimeter around the room,” Alegni ordered as he stared down this curious tunnel.It looked as if a ball of fire had just rolled through the stone, melting and disintegrating it as it went.“Secure the halls and corridors, and determine proper emissaries to send to find these unexpected dark elves.Let us determine their intent.”“Ye’d bargain with drows?” Ambergris asked skeptically.“If they have Claw, they will return it for a price, likely,” the warlord replied.“The drow don’t want war with us.”“A hefty price,” said the dwarf.Alegni stared hard at her and for a moment almost gave in to the urge to strike the annoying dwarf.But he calmed and let it go.She was speaking the truth, likely.“Cross that small bridge,” Alegni told Afafrenfere.“Ensure that these are the only two exits from the chamber.I’ll take this room as my own for now, and you four shall remain with me.” He turned to Glorfathel and Effron.“Find other warlocks or sorcerers or some type of wizard who can help to secure the pit.”“Secure it how?” Glorfathel asked.“There is a beast below beyond all of our power, Lord Alegni.”“Secure its edge,” the warlord explained.“I’ll not have our enemies throw the sword over the side.”“We mustn’t let them get near to the pit in the first place,” the elf insisted.“I know of a few potentially helpful dweomers against such an attempt, but we cannot secure it as you would demand, certainly.”“Send scouts along this tunnel, then,” Alegni replied.
|
She had already fortified herself with resistance spells, and when the stream of water became a geyser, the weapon she carried proved effective.Ambergris staggered back a step just trying to control the powerful flow.The elemental, too, staggered back, diminishing before their eyes as the geyser assailed its fiery core, cooling it, shrinking it.The dwarf laughed all the louder.“Where is the primordial?” Herzgo Alegni asked.“Nearby, surely,” said Glorfathel.“Get me to it,” Alegni ordered.“Let’s hope we’re not too late,” Effron said.Herzgo Alegni closed his eyes and opened his mind, and heard again the whisper of Claw, of the sword that was still very much intact.“We’re not,” he stated with confidence.Thanks to the magical sprinklers of the curious tendrils above, the remaining water elementals, and the dwarf with her perpetual decanter of water, the Shadovar secured the forge room in short order.They couldn’t stop the occasional outbursts from the forges, or the appearance of fire beasts now and again, for they knew nothing of the sub-chamber that controlled the flow of primordial power.They found the small corridor and the primordial pit, and soon enough, there stood Herzgo Alegni, Effron, and the trio from Cavus Dun.Like all who had entered this place, they lingered at the side of the pit, staring in awe at the swirling water and the rumbling of the godlike primordial from far below.Other concerns did not allow them to linger, however, for they noted the second exit from the room, a small tunnel still glowing with streaks and puddles of red lava.“Newly cut,” Glorfathel remarked.“The work of the primordial, I would guess.”“What happened here?” Alegni asked.“Did the dark elves do this as they retreated?”“Perhaps this is why they fled,” said Effron.“They could not control this power.”“But did they take the sword with them?” Glorfathel asked, and no one had an answer.“Set a perimeter around the room,” Alegni ordered as he stared down this curious tunnel.It looked as if a ball of fire had just rolled through the stone, melting and disintegrating it as it went.“Secure the halls and corridors, and determine proper emissaries to send to find these unexpected dark elves.Let us determine their intent.”“Ye’d bargain with drows?” Ambergris asked skeptically.“If they have Claw, they will return it for a price, likely,” the warlord replied.“The drow don’t want war with us.”“A hefty price,” said the dwarf.Alegni stared hard at her and for a moment almost gave in to the urge to strike the annoying dwarf.But he calmed and let it go.She was speaking the truth, likely.“Cross that small bridge,” Alegni told Afafrenfere.“Ensure that these are the only two exits from the chamber.I’ll take this room as my own for now, and you four shall remain with me.” He turned to Glorfathel and Effron.“Find other warlocks or sorcerers or some type of wizard who can help to secure the pit.”“Secure it how?” Glorfathel asked.“There is a beast below beyond all of our power, Lord Alegni.”“Secure its edge,” the warlord explained.“I’ll not have our enemies throw the sword over the side.”“We mustn’t let them get near to the pit in the first place,” the elf insisted.“I know of a few potentially helpful dweomers against such an attempt, but we cannot secure it as you would demand, certainly.”“Send scouts along this tunnel, then,” Alegni replied.
|
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dnd498
|
“And we’ll make our camp right here, before the pit and the primordial.Let them come to us and let us be done with them.”He would take all precautions, but Herzgo Alegni truly doubted that his enemies would come to him in that place.They had joined with, or been taken by, these other drow.Likely the latter, for these dark elves had been in this place for some time, judging by the work Alegni and his minions had seen in their charge through the lower levels.The expertly crafted and repaired, and purposely dropped stairwell alone showed that Alegni and his force had stumbled upon a determined dark elf settlement.Had this curious ranger, Drizzt, known about that, he wondered, and not for the first time?Had Drizzt led the other two here to find reinforcements?He turned to the dwarf as he considered the pressing question, for she had insisted that could not be the case.She claimed to know of Drizzt, quite a bit of his history, actually, since he had settled in a dwarven citadel near to her own place of birth.Drizzt would not willingly fall in with others of his race, she had assured Alegni.He was a rogue, an outcast, and his head would be a greater trophy than Claw even, in the eyes of the Spider Queen’s followers.In that case, the dark elves, not Drizzt and his two companions, likely now had the blade, and likely had the three Alegni pursued, as well, either dead or wishing they were.He hoped that was not the case, even if he could bargain to get back the sword and the three living prisoners.He wanted more than that.He wanted a fight.He wanted to pay back the traitor Barrabus, and most of all, he wanted to defeat Dahlia yet again, to pull her into his grasp, battered and terrified.Oh, that one he would pay back most dearly, he fantasized, and he looked at Effron as he did, crystallizing his hatred.Drizzt, Dahlia, and Entreri moved quietly and cautiously, but with all considerable speed, for time was against them, they knew.The Shadovar force had entered the forge room, and so the shades controlled the small tunnel to the primordial chamber, and it was a force the three of them couldn’t hope to fight their way through.Perhaps the Menzoberranyr would return to battle the Shadovar, perhaps not.To Drizzt, that point was almost moot in any case.They had fooled the dark elves for the time being, but it would not hold, he feared.And what might happen to him and his companions if those dark elves learned of his true identity?To Drizzt’s thinking, then, they would follow this corridor around the forge room and see if they might have a way to slip in and quickly be done with the sword.He didn’t think it likely, for though he hadn’t fully explored the region the last time he was there, he was fairly confident that there were no secret tunnels that he and the dwarves of Icewind Dale had missed.What, then?They would leave, and with all speed.Entreri would have to wait for his freedom from Charon’s Claw.Perhaps they would travel to Waterdeep to find better guardians for the weapon.Perhaps they would learn of another way to be rid of it—maybe they would ride a merchant ship far off the Sword Coast and drop it deep into the cold ocean.Perhaps they would leave this place and return at a later date for a second try at the primordial—though, given the arrival of the drow in force, and now the advent of the Shadovar in Gauntlgrym, Drizzt didn’t see how that might happen without an army marching beside them.The ranger put it all out of his mind.He had to focus on the immediate situation if they hoped to survive.That situation changed abruptly as Drizzt rounded a steamy corner to find an unexpected intersecting tunnel, one crossing both left and right.
|
“And we’ll make our camp right here, before the pit and the primordial.Let them come to us and let us be done with them.”He would take all precautions, but Herzgo Alegni truly doubted that his enemies would come to him in that place.They had joined with, or been taken by, these other drow.Likely the latter, for these dark elves had been in this place for some time, judging by the work Alegni and his minions had seen in their charge through the lower levels.The expertly crafted and repaired, and purposely dropped stairwell alone showed that Alegni and his force had stumbled upon a determined dark elf settlement.Had this curious ranger, Drizzt, known about that, he wondered, and not for the first time?Had Drizzt led the other two here to find reinforcements?He turned to the dwarf as he considered the pressing question, for she had insisted that could not be the case.She claimed to know of Drizzt, quite a bit of his history, actually, since he had settled in a dwarven citadel near to her own place of birth.Drizzt would not willingly fall in with others of his race, she had assured Alegni.He was a rogue, an outcast, and his head would be a greater trophy than Claw even, in the eyes of the Spider Queen’s followers.In that case, the dark elves, not Drizzt and his two companions, likely now had the blade, and likely had the three Alegni pursued, as well, either dead or wishing they were.He hoped that was not the case, even if he could bargain to get back the sword and the three living prisoners.He wanted more than that.He wanted a fight.He wanted to pay back the traitor Barrabus, and most of all, he wanted to defeat Dahlia yet again, to pull her into his grasp, battered and terrified.Oh, that one he would pay back most dearly, he fantasized, and he looked at Effron as he did, crystallizing his hatred.Drizzt, Dahlia, and Entreri moved quietly and cautiously, but with all considerable speed, for time was against them, they knew.The Shadovar force had entered the forge room, and so the shades controlled the small tunnel to the primordial chamber, and it was a force the three of them couldn’t hope to fight their way through.Perhaps the Menzoberranyr would return to battle the Shadovar, perhaps not.To Drizzt, that point was almost moot in any case.They had fooled the dark elves for the time being, but it would not hold, he feared.And what might happen to him and his companions if those dark elves learned of his true identity?To Drizzt’s thinking, then, they would follow this corridor around the forge room and see if they might have a way to slip in and quickly be done with the sword.He didn’t think it likely, for though he hadn’t fully explored the region the last time he was there, he was fairly confident that there were no secret tunnels that he and the dwarves of Icewind Dale had missed.What, then?They would leave, and with all speed.Entreri would have to wait for his freedom from Charon’s Claw.Perhaps they would travel to Waterdeep to find better guardians for the weapon.Perhaps they would learn of another way to be rid of it—maybe they would ride a merchant ship far off the Sword Coast and drop it deep into the cold ocean.Perhaps they would leave this place and return at a later date for a second try at the primordial—though, given the arrival of the drow in force, and now the advent of the Shadovar in Gauntlgrym, Drizzt didn’t see how that might happen without an army marching beside them.The ranger put it all out of his mind.He had to focus on the immediate situation if they hoped to survive.That situation changed abruptly as Drizzt rounded a steamy corner to find an unexpected intersecting tunnel, one crossing both left and right.
|
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dnd499
|
He stopped and looked both ways, trying to make sense of it, for this was no ordinary corridor, nor was it of any conventional construction, nor was it very old.Dahlia and Entreri caught up to him, and both seemed equally at a loss as they stared into the red-veined tunnel, which seemed as if it had just been melted through the stone.“Could it be the beast?” Dahlia asked.“It’s some mighty magic, and some fire,” Entreri replied.“A small side eruption?” Drizzt asked, for surely he noted lava among the darker stone.One orange pool of it glowed brightly not far away, and even as the three looked on, it cooled to black.“We caught a bit of luck,” Entreri said, and he started in to the right, which seemed the logical direction heading back toward the primordial.Drizzt grabbed him by the shoulder almost immediately, though, and held him back.“The floor won’t be consistent or safe.Let me lead.My sword will protect me if my foot breaks through a cooling crust and into the molten lava.” He rolled Icingdeath in his hand and put its blade into the nearby lava, which cooled all the faster as the frost brand stole its heat energy.“The other way,” Dahlia whispered behind them, and both turned, and both figured that the elf had lost her direction sense in the dark tunnels.But Dahlia wasn’t talking about their course to the primordial chamber, she was warning them of movement in the other direction.Far down the tunnel there came a flash of light.It seemed as if the fiery creature digging the tunnel had swerved back to the other side to flicker into view.Drizzt sheathed Twinkle, but held Icingdeath as he started off, quick-stepping all around to find the most solid footing for his following friends.More than once, his foot broke through thin crust and tapped into still-hot lava, but Icingdeath protected him and he quickly readjusted to mark out a path for his less-protected companions.He feared that they were wasting too much time, and almost told his companions to go back to the intersection and wait for him to scout out the movement up ahead.Almost.He picked up his pace as the corridor swung a bit to the right, then slowed greatly when he came back to the left, and saw the tunneler, a fiery monstrosity that appeared as if some wizard had conjured a fire and earth elemental to the same spot, joining them as one melded monster.And there was the wizard, a drow, moving along right behind the beast.Drizzt put an arrow to Taulmaril, unsure of how to proceed.Dahlia and Entreri came up beside him.“Go back the other way,” Entreri whispered.“Bregan D’aerthe?” Drizzt whispered back.Perhaps they had found a powerful ally, or at least someone who could better inform them of the path ahead of them.Drizzt stepped out from the wall and gave a short whistle.The drow ahead stopped and spun around, and Drizzt held up his hand and flashed the signal of alliance.But to his surprise, the wizard cried out and fell away, and waved frantically for his companion elemental to turn back and attack.“Bregan D’aerthe!” Drizzt called out, but it hardly seemed to matter.“Wonderful,” Entreri remarked.Drizzt growled against the cynicism and stepped out, drew back, and let a lightning arrow fly into the chest of the approaching monstrosity.The creature staggered just a bit, but then came on.Drizzt fired again and again, but he had no idea of whether his enchanted arrows were having much of an effect on this fiery stone beast.“Run,” Entreri said.But Drizzt didn’t.He kept up his line of arrows, and when he heard the wizard behind the beast beginning the chanting of a spell, he angled his bow and began skipping arrows off the side walls.A line of fire appeared from behind the elemental, rushed right through the beast, and swept down at Drizzt and his companions.“Run!” Entreri called more frantically from behind, and this time, Drizzt heeded the assassin—but not in the direction Entreri had intended.Icingdeath in hand even as he held his bow, trusting in the frost magic to protect him from the bulk of the fire and minimize the flames as they passed him by, for the sake of his companions, Drizzt charged.He got off one more arrow, aiming for the elemental’s face, trying to blind it or distract it, then flung the bow and his quiver back toward Entreri and Dahlia.In the same motion, he drew out his second scimitar, and sped on even faster, closing the ground quickly and, at the last instant, cutting right to the wall and flattening out to shinny past the beast.It swung out at him with a heavy and glowing limb, and Icingdeath slashed at it and bit at it hard—and not just with its fine diamond edge, but with its magic, its enchanted hatred of creatures of fire.The elemental roared, like boulders against boulders, and thrashed around as the powerful scimitar grabbed at its very life essence, and Drizzt had to resist the urge to charge in closer and strike again and again to bring the elemental down.He went past it instead, still using the wall of fire to cover his movements, and burst free at the mage.He came through the end of the fire just strides from the drow, who shrieked in surprise and lifted his hands, thumbs touching, and sprayed forth a fan of fire.This, too, Icingdeath minimized.Those fires stung Drizzt, but they did not truly hurt him, nor did they slow him, and he raced past and the mage ducked aside.
|
He stopped and looked both ways, trying to make sense of it, for this was no ordinary corridor, nor was it of any conventional construction, nor was it very old.Dahlia and Entreri caught up to him, and both seemed equally at a loss as they stared into the red-veined tunnel, which seemed as if it had just been melted through the stone.“Could it be the beast?” Dahlia asked.“It’s some mighty magic, and some fire,” Entreri replied.“A small side eruption?” Drizzt asked, for surely he noted lava among the darker stone.One orange pool of it glowed brightly not far away, and even as the three looked on, it cooled to black.“We caught a bit of luck,” Entreri said, and he started in to the right, which seemed the logical direction heading back toward the primordial.Drizzt grabbed him by the shoulder almost immediately, though, and held him back.“The floor won’t be consistent or safe.Let me lead.My sword will protect me if my foot breaks through a cooling crust and into the molten lava.” He rolled Icingdeath in his hand and put its blade into the nearby lava, which cooled all the faster as the frost brand stole its heat energy.“The other way,” Dahlia whispered behind them, and both turned, and both figured that the elf had lost her direction sense in the dark tunnels.But Dahlia wasn’t talking about their course to the primordial chamber, she was warning them of movement in the other direction.Far down the tunnel there came a flash of light.It seemed as if the fiery creature digging the tunnel had swerved back to the other side to flicker into view.Drizzt sheathed Twinkle, but held Icingdeath as he started off, quick-stepping all around to find the most solid footing for his following friends.More than once, his foot broke through thin crust and tapped into still-hot lava, but Icingdeath protected him and he quickly readjusted to mark out a path for his less-protected companions.He feared that they were wasting too much time, and almost told his companions to go back to the intersection and wait for him to scout out the movement up ahead.Almost.He picked up his pace as the corridor swung a bit to the right, then slowed greatly when he came back to the left, and saw the tunneler, a fiery monstrosity that appeared as if some wizard had conjured a fire and earth elemental to the same spot, joining them as one melded monster.And there was the wizard, a drow, moving along right behind the beast.Drizzt put an arrow to Taulmaril, unsure of how to proceed.Dahlia and Entreri came up beside him.“Go back the other way,” Entreri whispered.“Bregan D’aerthe?” Drizzt whispered back.Perhaps they had found a powerful ally, or at least someone who could better inform them of the path ahead of them.Drizzt stepped out from the wall and gave a short whistle.The drow ahead stopped and spun around, and Drizzt held up his hand and flashed the signal of alliance.But to his surprise, the wizard cried out and fell away, and waved frantically for his companion elemental to turn back and attack.“Bregan D’aerthe!” Drizzt called out, but it hardly seemed to matter.“Wonderful,” Entreri remarked.Drizzt growled against the cynicism and stepped out, drew back, and let a lightning arrow fly into the chest of the approaching monstrosity.The creature staggered just a bit, but then came on.Drizzt fired again and again, but he had no idea of whether his enchanted arrows were having much of an effect on this fiery stone beast.“Run,” Entreri said.But Drizzt didn’t.He kept up his line of arrows, and when he heard the wizard behind the beast beginning the chanting of a spell, he angled his bow and began skipping arrows off the side walls.A line of fire appeared from behind the elemental, rushed right through the beast, and swept down at Drizzt and his companions.“Run!” Entreri called more frantically from behind, and this time, Drizzt heeded the assassin—but not in the direction Entreri had intended.Icingdeath in hand even as he held his bow, trusting in the frost magic to protect him from the bulk of the fire and minimize the flames as they passed him by, for the sake of his companions, Drizzt charged.He got off one more arrow, aiming for the elemental’s face, trying to blind it or distract it, then flung the bow and his quiver back toward Entreri and Dahlia.In the same motion, he drew out his second scimitar, and sped on even faster, closing the ground quickly and, at the last instant, cutting right to the wall and flattening out to shinny past the beast.It swung out at him with a heavy and glowing limb, and Icingdeath slashed at it and bit at it hard—and not just with its fine diamond edge, but with its magic, its enchanted hatred of creatures of fire.The elemental roared, like boulders against boulders, and thrashed around as the powerful scimitar grabbed at its very life essence, and Drizzt had to resist the urge to charge in closer and strike again and again to bring the elemental down.He went past it instead, still using the wall of fire to cover his movements, and burst free at the mage.He came through the end of the fire just strides from the drow, who shrieked in surprise and lifted his hands, thumbs touching, and sprayed forth a fan of fire.This, too, Icingdeath minimized.Those fires stung Drizzt, but they did not truly hurt him, nor did they slow him, and he raced past and the mage ducked aside.
|
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