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 Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2006 1:07 am
The drow looked at his hands, making sure that his gauntlets were one and concealing his fingers. he checked to make sure they were functioning correctly, which they were. He looked at his ripped cloak and made a mental note to get it fixed. He liked this cloak.
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Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2006 1:10 am
Malik nodded lightly.
"Didn't think so. might be with the drow, but not the rest. well time to lecture Zahara about her behavior. Damned woman."
So downstairs, after restrapping on Malvolence, mostly just to irk Zahara, and once downstairs..and saw Tarathiel..he walked over, glancing at Zahara, and back at Tarathiel, before attempting to hit him across the face.
"You...arrogant, self righteous, foolish drow! Do you have any idea what the hell you were doing?! or what you just so conviently handed over to Dimitri!"
And a glare at Zahara.
"And you...bringing him here...in your own pride, you are just as bad. You nearly get butchered by a sphinx and then you run off to mess with a Mind flayer as bait? what do you think your made of, adamantite!?"
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Fractured Moonlight Captain
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Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2006 1:18 am
About to retort to Zahara and look who decided to make an appearance. Oh there it was...so...she was in a room full of drow, and none of them liked each other at all...and if they did it was on the lowest of levels and in the barest definitions. And of course Malik had to give the spark that lit the fire...he had his reasons to, she'd give him that...but still. Good thing she'd kind of been expecting this. Well...she knew she couldn't brace the floodgates, so she wouldn't try this time...Piper just crossed her arms and picked a wall to lean against.
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Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2006 1:22 am
Tarathiel's head turned with the force of the blow, and then back to Malik, "Aella killed Dimitri."
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Picking Up Stars Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2006 1:22 am
"Speak of the devil..." Zahara raised an eyebrow, "I survived didn't I? I'm not that fragile Malik and you have absolutely no right to go and tell me what to do. None. You don't own me or have any claim on me or what I do. If I choose to walk out of this manor I can." She ignored the fact that Malik had just smacked the son of Lolth right across the face just as she ignored the fact she wore a collar that could be yanked at anytime. She noticed he had Malevolence and quickly guarded her thoughts. He wouldn't be reading hers anytime soon.
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Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2006 1:29 am
Ugh, drow. They just had the ability to get under each other's skin now didn't they? But she had really already decided this...she knew she couldn't stop them all from getting into it and frankly she was tired of playing referee. Some things just didn't change...one of those being the temper and hosility drow possessed. "Well...I'll let you all fight among yourselves...you don't need a surface elf here..." Of course said with a slight edge from her agitation as she walked out to leave them to whatever confrontation they could find with each other.
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Fractured Moonlight Captain
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Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2006 1:38 am
Malik looked at Tarathiel. and back to Zahara. then back to Tarathiel.
"Dimitri is the Lich's name. his mortal one, being the half brother to Ton, the first Mage, adn the first Oracle's husband. he's a demi-god, and you went and took but one cleric into a conflict that cost you several lives, which is how I know about it. the dead can still speak to those who can hear them or commune with them. and there are still drow unaccounted for. do you know what happened to them? do you know if they survived? or were they made into Souless things, giving our mutual enemy troops trained in the arts of warfare by Drow?!"
Then back to Zahara.
"You live here, you are under my province. that also makes you my responsibility. and lets not forget that Piper actually does enjoy your company, and wouldn't like to see you killed becuase you did something stupid. you both are reckless."
and back to Tarathiel.
"And not to long ago my home was attacked by a beholder leading some kind of insectoid and extra planar force. which very well coudl have been a backlash from your actions, as Beholders are known as solitary creatures. You and I both want the lich destroyed, you to portect your oracle pet, and me to protect my home. But you acting without any real knowledge of your enemy in such a haphazard manner is only going to get you and those around you killed."
Running his hand through his hair.
"Kimmuriel, I don't doubt your prowess in combat. you are a drow, and drow are the most dealy of fighters. but your out of even your league here. your facing a demi-god who has literally had centuries to plan and learn all manner of magics, and if probably far stronger in them due to his bloodline. and he has seen who knows how much of the future thanks to the abduction of the Oracle."
Then another thought.
"In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the abduction was preplanned for your involvement. it was You who led me to beleive that you were going to arrange the fleet of deep water to come after me, which led me to call on the oracle's favor and get her dragon to come to my aid, as I have no ships of my own. which left the oracle defenseless. He might have very well counted on your involvement, and used you like a pawn in the same way you use yours."
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Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2006 1:42 am
"I didn't do anything stupid!" she protested. "In case you've forgotten where I used to live, women were the ones who protected the city and fought in the battles. I'm not helpless and I'm tired of you treating me like I am. I went out for a little while and yes I ran into some trouble. But I didn't purposely tangle with that Sphinx, she came after me!" No Zahara wasn't happy. She hated being treated like a child, "And as for that Mind Flayer, Kimmuriel saved my life so I had to repay him. He asked me to be bait and I agreed. As you can see, I'm fine. A little scratched but I'm not dead and I didn't lose any limbs. I can take care of myself!"
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Picking Up Stars Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2006 1:56 am
"Zahara, you learned from your battle, you now know what it is like to fight a creature that takes control over other creatures and uses them in a game, perhaps to break into a certain keep were a certain perticular, and rare, type of food is." Kimmuriel said with a very calm voice. "Yes, you can take care of yourself."
"Malik, I hope you asked Lloth's permission to talk to her souls, she tends to take offence to that, usually through external means, like leading beholders to Illithids, and Illithids to rare food."
"The Demi-lich is not as powerful as you suggest. My battle with him only failed because I left all of my magical support behind." The drow tapped his forehead, "So he has a few hundred drow soldiers at his disposle. I have been fighting long enough to know that you should be more worried about the lich than any single or multiple of his units. They don't matter. His minions are as difficult to kill as your minions, which I guess did not fare so well since you are so upset over a triffle with eyes."
"Actually, I was going to use you to sink Dimitri's fleet, until a certian someone told me that if you die, it unmakes the universe. That kinda threw a wrench into my plans. If you die, I die. And I don't want to die just yet."
"And you were the one who required the aid of the dragon, Malik. If Dimitri was your enemy, and the only thing protecting you was your conceal location, perhaps you should have invested into some navel defense. In essence, you just told me your own ineptitude caused Meilikki to be kidnapped."
"Are you thinking about the consequences of your own actions? Speaking of Meilikki, she has been complaining more frequently about the planar rift caused by the movement of materials through planes. Do you have any idea why that is?"
"One last point before your onslought of rebuttles, When are you going to get around to using your lovely new toy to kill that Lich?"
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Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2006 2:21 am
Malik listened, and crossed his arms.
"So your theory is Lloth actted in rebuttle for my necromancers communicating with teh dead drow you lead into a battle. I can buy that. as for the dragon, my plan was to use the dragon to sink the fleet before it got here. without thier watch tower of wizards and mystical toys, there woudl be little way to verify anything abuot to fleet until far too late to do anything about it. which was to assist by them being more hesitant in action becuase they didn't know if thier fleet had suceeded or not."
"The militant force of the lich do matter. and not becuase of training, but becuase of unique gifts. I've had my necromancers experiment on the Souless I aquired. when they steal and consume souls, the newly created souless is the liches pet. which means they exponetially increase thier forces. one drow woman made souless coudl lead to a whole house of souless. they can infect and spread like cancer."
The rift thing got his attention, though.
"Kieran and Fianna, Piper's parents, have agreed to a cross planar trade route. this allows for the transportation of underdark specific items in exchange for surface specific. I am well aware of the shortages in food in Deepwater. famine has a tendancy to spread, and I was looking to not only keep my lands well fed, but use the abundant food as bartering chips with Deepwater."
Another moment of consideration.
"When I know exactly what is going on. something is not adding up. some of the puzzle peices don't seem to fit, but from what I've learned they have to have some connection else they woudln't be bothered with. I understand the dislike or vengeful need against Roarke and the oracle..but I don't yet understand how that weakling wizard or Bode fit into this picture. Find out the thread that links this group together, that puts them at the apparent top of the hitlist, so to speak, you fidn the key to destroying this Lich in the most direct manner. Ebony is blessed by his mother, and should do the job of destroying a corpreal form. but a master of necromancy may have a back up plan for that event, which might be a reason he didn't kill the oracle or Roarke..nto to metion the wizard when he had ample time and opportunity."
looking back at Tarathiel.
"Surely you have wondered about it. why did he give the oracle up to you, when he coudl have killed her out of hand? why give you the opportunity to learn what he might have found out, or the benifit to add her clairvoyance to plans being laid?"
"And Roarke is a powerful mage, and runs an academy to train future wizards. Why did he suffer him to live after the discovery of his 'corn fields' when Roarke is obviously a fairly powerful caster, to give the location of hsi center of operation to others? something doesn't add up. it's like he's baiting everyone to try and take him down."
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Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2006 9:02 am
Diamond had been well liked amoung his peers, a good friend to Wart and O'Konner. Wrapped in a balnket, they held a small procession with the remaining townsfolk. Somehow, the old Lostagrace had managed to pick and dry the flowers that bloomed, so Diamond's last march through the city was under a shower of dried flower petals. In the center of town, where an old fountian had laid broken and dry, they made for Diamond a tomb. Flat and rectangualr, they would later place a monument over top, and the surroudning area would become the village green, or at least as much green as the underdark could manage.
In a broken and bleeding town, Diamond had become the light. And the people marked his death as a celebration. Their lives were worth the singualar greatness of a hero, and they would treat his memory with the respect such a hero deserved. Diamon's body was laid to rest, and preperations to restore Honoursfield began immidiatly.
O'Konner, Wart and his siter beside him, Laid a hand on the cold stone of the tomb. "Well freind, looks like we did it. I'll make sure to come and visit. Maybe the ranch will relocate to the forest behind the town. We'll bring prosperity to this place."
But while preperations had began, there was still a mass of people behind O'Konner, waiting for something. They held their hands behind their backs, some digging their tows into the dirt. One approached O'Konner. "Wee've basicleh c** to a consensus, Sah. O'Konnah, Sah. Ye've lead us to proseriteh. Wee've much to owe ya for tha. But wee're still in need of a leadah." He held out what loked like a very old crown, made of metal one could guess, but so covered in dust and grime that none could tell what it was. It was from the odler days.
"I'll tell you what," said O'Konner, tkaing the crown but not placing it on his own head. "I'm a smple cattle rustler. And I'll always stay a cattle rustler. But I do know a fine young lad who would lead you as well as I or Diamond ever could." He handed the crown to Wart, patting the youth on the shoulder. "Thaink you can handle it, son?"
"I..." he was of course, shocked.
"You can do this. You've shown your valour with us men, and made youself out equal. You'll do splended."
Wart nodded, although he didn't place the crown on his head. "It's made 'o' mithril. We could sell this, and make 'o' lot 'o' moneh, ta rebuild."
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Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2006 9:06 am
When the breakers finally wrenched the giant crate open, they would find the inside rather crowded. Some very strange creatures tumbled out. Somewhat humanoid in appearnce, looking as though they would be just as comfortable ontwo legs as four, and some very odd colours. A blue jhereg, a white otter, a blue and cream tiger dog, a grey fox, a bright blue wingless dragon, a white and black sphinx, and two pale chimera. They did not fight amoungst themselves, and they seemed to be waiting for soem kind of instruction.
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Picking Up Stars Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2006 10:25 am
Zahra simply sat there listening. She didn't have a clue what had been going on in other areas of Labyrinth, after all Llothian cities are concerned with one thing and one thing only, themselves. Potential enemies may be discussed but certainly not in front of a learning cleric. She listened fascinated as Tarathiel and Malik bantered back and forth of plans and options and marveled at the force they'd make if they chose to work together instead of snipping and trying to best the other. Of course for both of them to do such a thing, pride would have to be put aside and she knew herself just how hard that was to do.
A soft smile full of genuine happiness when Tarathiel gave her a bit of praise. Was that so much to ask for every once in a while? But no, Malik was very much into the lecturing and treating her like a child, she may be young but she certainly wasn't that young. Her thoughts drifted as more names and places she'd heard about but didn't really recognize came into the conversation. She could slip away right now and neither Drow would probably notice. Where was Piper anyway? She was probably furious with her. That was another soul that would need to be soothed. But she was prepared to take Piper's anger, she was actually concerned for someone she called a friend. Malik's interest was entirely paternal and a good excuse to lecture her.
Yes this conversation was beginning to move into areas she just didn't want to listen to. And it seemed that Malik was caught up with Tarathiel at the moment so maybe she'd get away with just that three sentence mini lecture he'd given. Maybe. She slowly pushed back from the table and inched away from the other two Drow, slipping upstairs and heading to her room. She needed to change her clothes and clean up a little bit. Ordering a bath, she waited while it was prepared and then slipped in the water letting it wash away all the blood and smear of th fight from earlier. She took a quick bath, dunking her head and washing her hair and body then slipped out. Now a matter of clothes. The only other clothes she had was her official Priestess garb, she'd been wearing when she escaped. That would have to do. Purple leather slipped on and she moved out into the hallway and knocked on Piper and Malik's bedroom door. She was either in her room or out with the Zephyr's and it shouldn't take long to figure out which one it truly was.
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Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2006 10:44 am
"Before I even begin to respond to your own ignorance of the weak planar bindings that enables this universe to maintain its' hold on reality, I would like you to consider two things about the situation with Dimitri."
"The first consideration, is that when I arrived, Dimitri had an army. You had not destroyed it yet. This does not bode well for your abilities as a cunning Drow soldier, it did not even appear that you had even successfully raided Dimitri's castle once. What on this slowly disintigrating plane of existance did you do for all that time when you were being hunting, sat around drinking tea talking about how nice and dark it is outside these windowed walls?"
"The Second, Why did Dimitri still have ships? Why didn't you destroy the only thing that would enable him to strike out against you? Its not like it takes a great deal of effort to sink a vessel that has long out lived its usefullness."
"You do not have the compacity to actually lead effectively. If there were more drow around here, I would not be surprised if one of them accidently destroyed us all by killing you to increase the overall effectiveness of your opperations. Dead as it would make us all, at least your little enclave would have decent leadership for that brief moment of Malik-less enterprise."
"If you cannot figure out the answer to any of the questions you have about the Demi-Lich's plans, you are diminishing your reputation for cunning by a ten fold. The fact that you are wasting time trying to solve the hunger problem when you should be more worried about the march of an expontential army against you shows that your priorities are not a clearly cut as they should be. Your personal feelings and relationships are interfering with effective leadership."
"Not to mention that the smell of blood is thick in the air. Maybe you should stop your femine habitual torture for a while and air out your keep. But then agian, you never know what creatures might be attracted by that smell. Say, beholders or umberhulks, or any other canivorious thing."
"Oh, Malik. You have the gull to approach me, and contemplate fighting me, but you lack the skills and abilities of capable leadership. You truly are nothing more than a bully forcing his wieght about the world as though anyone could truly care what you think. You squander your time doing nothing of importance, sue you can end world hunger by leeching food from another plane, and obviously take a tactical advantage by hireing mercenaries from that plane, or even expanding your arms to include things that may be unique to yourself. But in the end, the whole empire you create will collapse around you because you lack the bravery and intelligance to effectively govern. Look around you, you make your 'loyal' servents wear magical collars designed to chock them when you wish. Loyalty from fear like that usually ends with a knife in the back, or your front gates opened for an enemy who might resque them from your tyranny."
"I am sorry your life gets to be SO comfortable, that you can even walk around your home wearing nothing more than a few pieces of silk tied together with the souls of an army of inferior beings, probably made by the children of people you conquered, and look at this table, nice and useless for any practical purpose. You have DOORS! How nice a peaceful it must always be around here if you have DOORS between your rooms."
"OH, am I boring you with my complaints about your stupidity and your lack of leadership, and your comfortable life? I am sorry, I might actually have real concerns, like, I don't know, crushing an evil lich's dreams of what ever the undead dream about. Unlike you, necro, I do not relish with the undead. They displease me. The thought of them existing is an afront to my warrior senses."
"Why would that be? Oh that right, I actually have to live my life. I don't get all your free rides, and your safe havens. OH, look at Malik, the big Drow, strutting his weight around so long as the danger is far away, and unable to hit him, oh look how great he is protected in his safe home, always doing nothing but sleeping with little girls and making trade agreements with her foolish parents. Unmaking the universe a little more with each item he sends through his gate, and each item that comes back does twelve times as much damage. Yes, we listen to the Oracle and her warnings in this Silly, Weak fortress."
"Weak, oh don't even try to argue that you are strong. You can't even march out to meet the Lich, because you lack the leadership and the ability to do so. Cowerdly hide behind your lack of thinking, your inability to piece together a ruse. 'Oh,' the BRAVE Malik thinks, 'He must be plotting something because he isn't behaving like a drow and killing his enemies at every oppertunit, Oh' Malik exclaims, 'this is giving me a head ache, I think I'll make the weapon to destory him and sit around waiting for his army to come and crush me and everyone I love.' Yes Malik, your planing is great. Just sit here and watch the Lich increase his powers with each passing moment, because we BOTH don't know that he grows his minions on trees."
"The less you attribute Drow intelligence onto non-drow creatures, the easier you will find it to deal with them. Take your expert manipulatiing of your pet surface elf. She actually thinks you love her. Obviously that isn't true, because you are too cowardly to protect your home from the one thing that will truly cause her any trouble in the future."
"Then again, I might just be angry because I don't have the arms to kill the bloody thing myself and must rely on you and YOUR might weapon to do it for me."
"Then again, everything I say is a lie and can not be taken at face value." The drow tapped his forehead again. "The funny thing with psychics is that it works both ways, if you know which button to press."
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