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 Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2008 8:48 pm
The marketplace was as bustling as Valin remembered it, crossing through the more major part of Llurth Dreir as she had not done for many years, finally returning to her birth-city, which was also her mother's death-city, to begin a search for the man fitting the description she had gotten from Divintra. It was the first place in which she had begun looking for her mother's sword so long ago, so she figured it would be the right place to begin searching for the man who might be keeping her sword hidden. She was actually debating stopping by her House, not to answer her grand Matron's summons, but to ask her if she might know of someone fitting the description Valin now held trapped in her head.
Tall, domineering, wearing a long black cape over his right shoulder that completely hid the left half of his body but not the right, short dark grey hair with dark red streaks that was longer on the left side than the right, and luminously sharp red eyes that peered out of a face that could have been light enough to be white-nearing light grey but kept just under the illusion of dark grey by all of the dirt that was kept smeared upon it.It was those eyes that lit with interest and began to follow the Drowess Valin as she uncomfortably made her way through the crowded streets. Oh, she did not seem to like the crowds at all, a fact that let a small satisfactory smile appear on the lips of the owner of the eyes. His skin was darker now, hidden by more dirt, and his cape extended to cover his full back if it still only covered the left half of his front, now embroidered with dark red spiders dropping along the hem as if it were soaked in splattered blood. His plan would come to frutation soon...Valin continued to scrabble through the crowd, finally finding a quiet street to walk upon and gather her thoughts. Maybe it was even busier than she remembered. A frown nit her brows together and she continued her debate of attempting to find information at the House; she had vowed never to return, but this would not be returning exactly, just asking a question. She would not under any circumstances even think about considering accepting the position offered to her of Matronism. But still, information was information, and she desperately wished to know who it was who had killed her mother and stolen the sword.Little did she know the killer was close at hand. Too close, he thought, he could not be discovered yet, that part of the plan came after he delivered the sword to his daughter. Which reminded him, if he was to give it to her before luring Valin to the House he should better get to it. The dark Drow made certain to mark Valin's progress, and muttered a small tracking spell to let catch onto her, which would lead him back to her after his preparations were complete. With a sneer in her direction, he moved quickly back along the streets to his daughter's and what was once his own House. The faint glimmer of metal shimmered momentarily from under his cape at his long stride brushed it away from the slim cloth-wrapped bundle that was tied to his side.There were more people in the city than there had been before! Valin restrained herself from stamping a foot in frustration, knowing that without any connections to the city she was unlikely to find anything out by any means other than simple observation or retreating to her Matron's House. She sighed, still unwilling to do the latter until she was sure there was nothing for her to find in the open market. The House was only about a fifteen walk from where she was currently fighting for breathing space and attempting to quell her mists from suffocating those that dared to touch her as she passed.He reached the House as quickly as he had desired to, stealing quietly into a back hall and down the stairs to his daughter's quarters. There he pulled a note from his pocket and the sword from his side, setting the sword with the note on top of it upon his daughter's bed. The note read, 'This is the proof of Matronage that is passed down within the House of Piranor, if it is what you desire you should act soon, before your competition arrives'. With that he called to a servant, the usual one that he bribed to keep silent about his visits. He sent the servant to find his daughter and bring her to her room, warning the servant that if his daughter was not brought to her room immediately he would have to pay back his accepted bribes with his life. His plans for the House now set in motion, Simundrid Piranor left to draw his prey into the trap.Valin had finally made up her mind to simply go to the House and request her once-Matron to tell her what she might know of the murderer's description. Turning a corner to begin her way there she came face to face with a Drow who matched the description perfectly, the eyes standing out in her mind and now in front of her. It had to be him, she thought, supressing her urge to slam him up against a wall in a place where so many might stop her. Her mouth opened to address him and demand he answered some questions of hers when he sneered at her and ran. She turned hot with rage, her certainty that this was her mother's murderer sealed, and she gave chase.
Her mists were gathered to soak into his cloak, but to her surprise it seemed guarded against Elemental attack, rendering her first plan of attack and supression useless. Unphased, she turned to her second, her mists fighting to enter the Drow's lungs and suffocate him. This did her no good either, as he merely pulled his cape over his mouth and nose as he continued to run. She could only keep chasing him, unaware that each thought the other was their prey and determined not to let them escape, not unless the other was dead, of course. Her anger turned into surprise as he led her to the very House she had been avoiding, pausing at the main entrance to laugh at her before disappearing inside.His plan was working so far, Simundrid snickered to himself, retreating from Valin's sight to check on his daughter's progress. He heard the door slam behind his retreat and smiled to himself, the now hesitant footsteps of his would-be pursuer echoing in the empty stone entrance hall.
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Posted: Wed Dec 10, 2008 2:56 pm
As she was the only descendant of the Matron living within the House, Scythra took liberties. They were small ones of course, as she was keen not to anger her grandmother against her. However, Scythra still carried herself with a cloak of arrogance wrapped about her. She had no challengers to her authority in the House except for her Grandmother herself. Scythra's devotion, not only to her magical arts, but the Goddess Lloth wrapped her in a deadly aura. Scythra was quite blunt and forward with her intentions and loyalties. She had declared none. Loyalties that is. Only to the Spider Queen herself.
When the servant dared to disturb her, Scythra was in the process of prepareing herself for a ritual sacrifice. It had been exactly eight days since she had last made a offering to the Goddess and it was time for her to make another. Scythra was obsessive in her preparations. One of the first steps she took was a ritualistic bath. She was the only one that could prepare the special bath, as the hot water was laced with various combinations of spider venom. After having three slaves sicken, and two die, Scythra concerned herself that she'd have them taken away due to her 'carelessness' with them. She already had recieved a talking to about the price of slaves after one too many had died from her enthusiastic ritual whipping.
Scythra was quite disgruntled about that really.
She had completed her bath, and was air drying her body when the slave interrupted her. She turned a baleful glare upon the slave, and made no motion to cover herself up. It was only a slave after all. She at first dismissed his request for her to return to her room. Blatantly ignoring him, she merely closed her eyes and remained standing with her arms held from her body and her head tilted back. However, as he again insisted that she had to return to her bedroom, Scythra dropped her arms and turned to level her displeased gaze on the unhappy slave.
Scythra flicked her left hand out and pointed to the corner of the bathroom. "Await me here." She hissed from her black lips. She took a small amount of pleasure in the dreading gaze he turned from her and to the floor when she passed him.
Yes. Scythra strode through the hall way as naked as the day she was born. Her head high, her arms swinging at her sides, her chest thrust forwards and her legs strideing long steps until she reached her bedroom to see what it was that was so bloody well important that her ritual had to be interrupted.
The sword upon her bed caught her gaze immediatly. Another gift from her mysterious benefactor it would seem? Plucking the letter from the bed, she wondered at the gift. Normally her benefactor had much better taste then this. What did she need a sword for? She had her spiders and they were far -far- more effective against any drow. After all, it was a death sentence and a possible cursing from the Goddess for another drow to kill a spider. It sort of made it very hard to fight off a spider attack when, to kill it, meant bringing all the city down upon you. Scythra was arrogant enough to believe she only needed her blessings to be effective.
It did seem the gift was indeed the sort her benefactor often left for her. As she glanced over the single sentence, a wickedly viscious smile cracked her lips. Scythra dropped the note to the bed and lifted a sheer spidersilk housecoat from a hook beside her bed. Wrapping the nearly transluscent material around her poison coated body, Scythra snatched up the sword and made haste to the Matrons throne room.
She had no idea whom this 'competition' may be. But Scythra had intentions of insuring that there would be no threat to her possible rule of House Piranor.
"Grandmother!" Scythra lifted her voice in a challengeing shout as she thrust open the doors and stalked into the throneroom un-announced and deamanded. "Grandmother, is this the heirloom for determining who shall inherit House Piranor?" She lifted the sword, holding it deflt in one hand as she approched the throne.
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Posted: Wed Dec 10, 2008 7:56 pm
(I leave the Matron in your control >D ) Valin approached the House warily, reluctant to let the murderer out of her sight, but also reluctant to fall into any sort of trap. Creeking the half-open door further into the entrance hall, her steps ringing softly off of the cold stone floor to echo about the hallway, her mists creeping along the floor ahead of her to scout out possible hiding places in the walls or floor. She straightened herself and began to walk the hall, looking for any signs that her prey had gone one way or the other.He arrived at his daughter's room to find it empty, the sword taken from its cloth and the bed, causing his grin to widen as he went about to find his daughter's current location. She was in the throne room he soon discovered, his plan working perfectly as he thought it would. Now it was up to Scythra to destroy the old Matron and Valin and secure her role as Matron. Then they would begin to bring the House of Piranor out of the gutter to which it had fallen and into the power he and his daughter deserved, though they never received that recognition from his sisters or mother.After travelling down the whole length of the hall, Valin was still clueless as to where the man had gone. Well, if he was here, then her search would be easier than she had thought, though she wasn't sure what she would, or could since he had proven her mists ineffective, do to him. She had to approach the situation with caution, no matter how much her rage boiled and seethed for her to let it out and try her song upon the murderer's ears. So forcing her thoughts and her clenched fists to compose themselves, she began to make her way to the Matron's chambers, figuring that as the most likely place to find answers. Her grand Matron either knew him or was no more in place and he was the one sending the summons after her. She had only one way to find out, much to her chagrine of the irony.His daughter was doing fine, she would kill the Matron as was in her nature to do, the only thing he had to worry about was making sure her 'competition' reached the throne room before his daughter became bored with her kill and wanderd off to assert her dominance over the House. Assuming that was one of the things she might do; his hope was that she took time to lounge about in the throne room in case he should run into complications bringing that filth of his sister's daughter into his daughter's wonderfully malevolent hands.
He grinned at his so far going success and disappeared into the halls again. Valin was no longer in the entrance hall, where had she gone? Maybe to her old chambers, no she had had no chambers in her breif stay at the House and she was too young to know her mother's chambers, wasn't she? His eyes flickered thoughtfully as he pondered what her course of action might be. She seemed too straight forward in her wrath for him to allow herself to be distracted by nostalgia, though if she was lost in the House she might have no choice, which only forced Simundrid to flit along the halls until he found her wandering form.Valin had become lost, thinking she knew the way to the throne room from her last visit when she vowed not to return, but it appeared that her mind was a little more muddled than she would admit. A familiar sense prickled up her spine as her mists tugged her towards a room to her left. It was as if she had walked this hall long ago, a lot longer than merely her last visit when she could remember where it was she wandered. The door clicked softly as she opened it and her eyes were just about to catch a glimpse of the inside when her mists began to roil in alarm. She started and spun around to come face to face with the murderer."Hello there; little maidens should not intrude where they do not belong," he snarled through his grin, mocking her and bowing before darting off again through the halls, making sure she was able to give chase to him properly as he led her to the throne room.Only a strangled scream broke through Valin's lips as she quickly regained her bearings when the man sprinted off. Her rage was building even higher in her throat and in her mind, lending wings to her feet as she raced through the halls after him. She was finding it very clear that she wasn't in control of the situation and alarm bells were clammering in her head, but she refused to pay them heed, determined to find out what was happening and if her sword was in the presence of the murderer.She was keeping up well, he thought, picking up his pace until he reached the doors to the throne room. He paused to make sure they were closed properly before disappearing inside. His light feet and his quiet movements had been practiced to a deadly accuracy over the years as he had turned from mere cutthroat to assassin, and now he was positive his expertise would help him to complete his mission, his revenge, to be more precise. He had only to wait, to rely on his daughter and her deliciously deadly and crafty personality that she had inherited from Simundrid himself.Valin skidded to a halt in front of the large double doors. It seemed as if the climax of her pursuit would be reached inside, though nothing was certain. She had only to open the doors and meet who or whatever was inside with whatever power she could muster. An angry but soft and seductively caressing hum built in her throat, waiting until she would open her mouth and release the song that would tear into her tormentor's ears to visit upon him the pain he had caused her. Not exactly the same pain, as she was certain he had probably never cared for it, but the rage and frustration of having one's goals and dreams snatched away in their prime and youth before they had become fully developed and the sense of lost self that followed. Her hands gripped the handles, wet not only from her mists crowding about her but also from the sweat on her palms, she prepared to swing the doors open with all of her might to face what lay inside the throne room.
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Posted: Wed Dec 10, 2008 9:36 pm
As Scythra strode towards the throne, the older drowess upon it looked up from where she had been in discussion with some male of the house. Scythra only needed to glance at him to determin he was the male in charge of the common household affairs. She paid him no more mind then that, though he certainly paid Scythra a bit more attention.
As she approched the the throne, the sword held up, and her body nigh well exposed beneath the silken wrap of her robe, she took a great deal of delight in the manner the matrons eyes widened.
"Ah! Why...Yes! yes that is the House Piranor sword! Scythra where did you come by this!?"
Scythra came to a stop at the steps of the throne. Her chin lifting upwards with her normal air of self importance and arrogance.
"It was a gift. Tell me then, since I am the possessor, does this truly make me the Heir Grandmother?" Scythra eagerly pressed the older drowess. She watched as the Matron's face would turn into a faint frown, and her head would nod ever so slightly. This was all that Scythra particularly wished to wait for. Holding the sword still, she stepped forwards, and thrust. She doubted the matron, in her surprise at seeing the sword at all, would have anticipated the move from Scythra.
As she held the sword pressed into her grandmother's chest, and the blood seeped from the wound, Scythra closed the short distance between them. As the male looked on in utter shock and disbelief, Scythra pressed her lips to her grandmothers own, and jerked the sword from her torso. She held it still in her hand, but her free hand she lifted and she jammed three of her fingers into the stab wound she had just opened up. Spider poison from her bath coated her lips. Coated her fingers. It currently coated every bare centimeter of her body. Now though it was within the Matron's mouth, her tongue swelling instantly to choke off her throat and render her incapable of calling for aid, or even casting a prayer to heal herself. The poison upon her finger's mingled with the blood of the wound, and Scythra was pleased to feel her grandmother twitching under her lips. She pulled her head away, and smiled ever so sweetly at the wide glazed eyes of the matron.
"Now then Grandmother, I think I shall claim my inheritance then. I really am no good at waiting for my presents you know..." A small choked sound beside her caused Scythra to turn her gaze to the male beside her. "Do you mind?" She icely spat at the male. "I am trying to say good bye to my grandmother."
The male turned, to her chill delight, and bolted for the other end of the throne room to bolt out the doors. Now that she could focus her attention upon the dieing drow, Scythra returned her smile to the nearly dead Matron. Smoothly Scythra turned about, and she seated herself in her grandmothers lap. She leaned back, her head tilting to rest upon her grandmothers shoulder as she closed her eyes and laid the bloody sword across her knees.
"Oh Grandmother, I can feel the faltering beats of your heart. Do you know how pleasent that is? You can't even move can you? The poison. Ah...yes...it's nearly done. Oh Grandmother. GOodbye...Goodbye and good riddance, you vapid old elg'cargess." Scythra sweetly spoke to the dieing, and then dead elf. She sat there upon the throne, beliving herself to be utterly alone and she sighed in content. "I think I am so happy with you that I simply must eat you...."
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Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2008 9:57 pm
Valin had been about to jerk the doors open when a terrified servant threw them open in her face and uttered a strangled scream in her direction before racing off into the recesses of the House. Her attention soon left the panicked Drow and settled on the scene before her, the dead Matron and the bloody sword drawing her gaze to them immediately, the words the female sitting upon her grand Matron spoke only ringing in her ears after she had gotten over the shock of finding her sword in the very last place she thought to look.
His daughter was perfection; Simundrid could not have done better himself in the death of his mother and former Matron. He was about to drop down and congratulate her, also making himself known as her father and benefactor, when he remembered there was still one more fly to be caught in his daughter's web. Valin had appeared at the door at the exact perfect moment. He really didn't know how his plans could have gone better had he total control over the timing himself.
"What, exactly, is going on here?" her voice rang icily through the throne room as she strode into it, her eyes not leaving the sight of her sword, "Who in the world are you?" She was trembling slightly and her mists were roiling quickly to filled the whole room except for the distance between Valin and Scythra. It was becoming increasingly hard for her to hold her mists, her song, and her own self, back from the sickening Drowess in front of her.
She reminded herself that she had no clue what the other was capable of and that she was not the murderer of her mother, the man who was responsible still lingering around in the halls somewhere, she was sure. Her grandmother was now murdered, and though Valin had no special connection or respect for her, she didn't like the thought that another of her relatives had been murdered while she was nearby. It was best to figure out what the situation was before letting herself go berserk.
Simundrid could go down now, could reveal himself and his whole plot to the obviously furious Drowess beneath him. But, with a sneering and delighted grin, he instead sat back to watch the scene unfold, his eyes untampered by the mists thanks to a spell he had had much hardship trying to track down. He would reveal all to her of course, in due time. First he would let his very capable daughter have her fun, and then, before she killed his sister's loathsome daughter, he would drop down from the ceiling and tell all. Only because he would so enjoy kicking her when she was already down.
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Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2008 11:25 am
Scythra closed her eyes so that she could inhale thepleasent aroma. That being of blood and murder. The sense of aqusition as she reveled in the knowledge the House was her's. The delightful sense of the body cooling beneath her. She would have to eat her soon if she wanted the body to still be warm and soft. It was quite intoxicating! Enough so that she was even determining what male would be the one she celebrated her ascention with. Ah! The servant that had interrupted her bath! Scythra's eyes cracked open as she heard a unfamilar female voice break the silence.
Peering through the lazy slits of her red eyes, Scythra pursed her lips in contemplation. She was not familar with this girl. Who was she? more importantly...who was she to feel bold enough to simply walk into the throne room without any permission? Scythra drew herself up stiff upon the dead elf's lap and lifted her chin a fraction.
"I am Matron Scythra Piranor, and what is going on is that you have quite rudely interrupted my farewell to my grandmother. Explain yourself girl before I summon the guards."
The girl seemed quite out of sorts. She noted the trembling of her limbs. But the strength of her voice betrayed that it was most likely anger and not fear. A pity that. Scythra would have been more inclined to leave the girl alive if she had been fearful. Her actions seemed to speak of perhaps a loyal servant of the now dead elf beneath her. A pity that, but it should be expected. Scythra assumed she'd be bleeding at least a dozen other elves before the night was through. She simply could not allow any drow to live that had been loyal to the previous matron. Though..she might play with the Wapons Master before sacrificing him. She was quite fond of the muscled warriors.
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Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2008 2:27 pm
The way the other Drow held herself as so proud of what she had done made Valin seeth even more. "I am Valin Piranor and the sword you are holding so carelessly in your hands to have murdered my grandmother is mine," she stated, her fists opening and spreading in front of her to beckon her mists forward. The mists lapped at the edges of the throne, but were wary of approaching the Drow seated upon it, wary of the toxic liquid that could mix with their own vapors.
Poison, Valin thought, her lip curling back at the realization. She only needed to keep from touching the murderer, Scythra, then. Her mists as well, or she wouldn't be able to come in contact with them herself without making sure that no drop of the vile liquid was left to contaminate it. A small, dangerous feeling, smile came to her lips and she mocked, "And what guards may you have? My grand Matron has already informed me of the state of the House and its lack of servants. It was one of the reasons she sent for me to return." Though she would not have returned without the question of the description to pose to the Matron.
Oh, his daughter was wonderful indeed, Simundrid grinned, resisting the urge to cackle at Valin's attempted command. She would not get far that way. If his daughter did not kill Valin then he would be waiting to finish off whatever was left, if Scythra did not try to save that for herself. He wondered if she would keep Valin as her very own torture slave. The thought warmed him; his sister's daughter, forever at the painful and capable hands of his own daughter, ripe for the killing whenever he should choose it. But of course he would make her suffer for a few years first. That is, this time he did cackle softly, if she lasted that long.
"How have you come by my sword?" Valin demanded, "It was to pass into my possession from my mother's hands before she fell to the blade at the hands of a theif. What is your connection to him?"
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Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 4:18 pm
Piranor? Scythra tilted her head minutely to one side as she took a keener note of this female before her. She was unaware of there being any other descendants of the family. Then again, Scythra had never really gone out of her way to learn anything about her family. She had known who the matron was, and that had been the extent of her interest. She supposed it could be possible she had cousins or nieces somewhere in the Underdark.
She supposed she unwillingly had to accept the fact she would need to look into this matter. She did not like the fact she could be challenged in rule of the House. it was hers now to do with what she wished. And ah! She had some grand plans for it!
There was some sort of odd mist that had gathered in the room, of which Scythra had taken note. It seemed to be keeping itself at a short distance from her, but she did not count on this remaining the case. Obviously this other female was a spell caster. Could she tell what she herself was? Mentally she could not determin if she had any sort of obvious markings but that did not mean the other female , She refused to think of her as Kin right now, did not have any inside knowledge.
Or perhaps she did not? As Valin tried to establish herself with information based on the House's position, Scythra's crimson lips parted into a very unfriendly and maliscious smile.
"I am Grand Matron and I most certainly have not informed you of any sort of lacking of servants in My House." Her words she formed with perfect pronunciation, so as to make them all the more sharp and cutting. Whatever knowledge the girl had about drow servants meant nothing at this point. Scythra had her own particular guardian's that she was quite confident would prove most effective if need be. Of course...the girl must be assumeing that the guards summoned would take her alive wasn't she? That smile on her lips grew a touch wider as she mentally searched and touched upon her lovely monsterouse spiders minds.
She then next placed her fingertips upon the flat of the bloody blade resting upon herknees. So then, the sword had come from the female here? That was rather curious. If the sword belonged to this girl. One who claimed to be of the Piranor bloodline, then it would have meant that she had been the intended heir.
Scythra would not be able to ignore this possible threat to her newly aquaired position. The smile that she had been indulging herself in faded slightly as she considered further complications. She could contend with her for the seat of Matronship. With the matron dead she could claim that she had already been proclaimed thus. All she'd have to do was get that single male to speak on her behalf. So then...Scythra would have to finish him off before she had a chance. Perhaps her messenger would be spared this night after all.
"This sword is a gift." Scythra carefully choose her words while she continued to turn over the information she was obtaining from the female. She said is was to pass into her possession. Which meant it had not. Which meant... Ah! So then by this reasoning, this female never obtained the sword, and thus never obtained the right to claim the House. Scythra felt a slightening of the tension in her shoulders. So then, while she -had- the possibility, she had never quite reached the reality of it. So then...her position was in fact secure.
The fingertips that she had placed upon the blade she purposefully stroked down the length of the blade, as if she were petting it, and slicked her fingertips through the cool and darkening blood on it's surface. "I have no connections to this supposed thief you claim stole the blade. I have no knowledge of any murder attached to it, nor do I know anything about how it came in it's way to make itself now my possession." Her red eyes slipped over the frame of the girl before her. Actually, she looked a bit older then herself, so perhaps she ought to refer to her as a woman. But...their age difference could not be that great.
How should she handle her? She supposed she could insist the female kneel to her and swear her loyalties to her as matron...but Scythra had little desire to forge such a alliance with one that shared her blood and a possible claim to her House. She should find some way to dispatch her, lest she decided to plot against her or gather allies to remove her from her conquest...
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Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2009 6:37 pm
Simundrid forced himself further into silence, determined to enjoy the show his daughter and the object of his intense hatred were about to put on. Oh, he thought, this was going to be fun!
Valin did not like the amount of thought the other Drow was putting into her words. Her mists could make no move as of yet and she herself did not know what sort of attack to suspect, which made it hard for her to progress in the forward direction she would have liked in the conversation.
At the other's first statement Valin did not know whether to blanch or roll her eyes. There was too much hubris in Scythra's words, and it gave Valin want to tear her off of the throne and shove her into the dirt she deemed she was worthy of. But such actions would be against her mother's teachings, such thoughts would be against her mother's teachings, though they were currently too tempting to resist.
The only image Valin desired at the moment was the crushing defeat of the theif who had murdered her mother, and if that meant this female in front of her would have to go down as well then it was the better. Valin didn't like murder of any sort, not her mother's especially, so she could not stand idle at the forced death of her grandmother. But her thoughts conflicted, telling her that she was no avenger of the just either.
It was normal, no, natural, in the world of Drow to murder and deceive, and Valin had told herself this many times. She didn't like nor understand it any better, but she knew that didn't make it any less true.
Her thoughts were beginning to jumble at the situation. She shook her head, eyeing the female in front of her again. Poison was her obvious weapon, so she was probably a Shebali, which gave Valin the more reason to despise her. But in the world of deception there was probably more to the other's way of attacking.
Valin especially didn't take a liking to the smile the other wore on her face as she spoke of the lack of servants. The other definitely had something up her very thin robe's sleeve, and the fingertips that were stroking her blade, Valin's mother's blade, Valin's blade, were making it harder for Valin to resist falling for whatever trap she was setting.
She forced herself to calm down and speak with a clear voice, knowing there was probably no easy end to the situation but trying to find one anyways. Her mother's teachings told her as much to try. If she couldn't hold her thoughts to it, the least could do was hold her actions in line, however difficult that might actually prove.
"And I have deep connections with that sword you have so carelessly stained," she breathed, attempting to calm the taunting remarks that threatened to slip from her tongue, "I have no desire to hold any claim towards Matronage or the House, my only wish is to reacquire possession of my mother's sword. If you would so kindly relinquish it to me I would be disinclined to bother upon your doorstep ever again."
Her teeth were grinding at her words and she had to swallow back the spit that she wanted so much to splat upon the ground. But she had said it, she had tried what she thought would be her mother's method. And if it didn't work then Valin would have little choice or will to hold back from Scythra's supposed trap.
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Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2009 3:22 pm
Scythra recieved a tingleing sense upon the outer edge of her mind. Her spider had heard her call and was creeping along the outside of the House. Good... Inwardly she gave the spider the impression it was to merely sit and wait. The three foot creature hunkered itself down outside one of the windows, well out of glimpseing sight. It would be safe and un-noticeable until Scythra called for it... if she called for it.
Outwardly she gave no signs of her mental sendings to the spider. It was as detectable as having a inner dialog conversation with ones own mind. Just as easy to conceal as well.
"Carelessly?" Scythra echoed Valin's words with a hint of surprise. Her eyebrows arching even as she ceased stroking the sword and brought herself to her feet. "Why! Are you suggesting that my actions were...careless" Scythra turned to the empty room, one blood stained hand sweeping to her side and gestureing behind her, all as she gracefully slipped to one side of the throne.
"Grandmother! Did you hear? Carelessly!" She spoke to the vacantly staring corpse on the throne. Amid her mocking, Scythra kept one red eye upon Valin. One very careful and obvious eye on the mysterious cousin who still had strange mist encircling her throne. She still held the sword in her right hand, closest to where Valin stood. As Scythra continued to keep her eye on the female below, she swung the blade up in a sweeping cut. She swung her body counter to the arc of the sword, so as to put a bit more force into it's cut, and Scythra was rewarded with a very satisfying 'Tha-Kunk' sound that was coupled with a jarring halt.
The dead matrons head rolled from her shoulders, slowly spilling cool blood down the neck and torso as the head topped into the lap. The sword's point stuck into the wood of the thrones back by a good two inches. Scythra uncurled her fingers from the handle and allowed her hand to fall, as she partly knelt by the foot of the throne, to the detached head. There...she pet the stained hair as if it were some darling little pet. "Was that 'careless' of me too Cousin? I'm pretty certain I made it obvious I had intentionally done it this time."
Would Valin act this time? Scythra was uncertain. The female seemed a bit on edge. Though she did not know the whole story. Murderers and thieves aside... Scythra had her own reason's for purposefully attempting to provoke the female demanding the sword from her.
"Child." Scythra continued. Though it was obvious that she and Valin were quite close in age. She flexed her knee's beneath her and tensed her legs. "There is nothing 'Kindly' in this whole world of ours. What would ever disillusion you to think that I would be a exception?" Upon finishing her words Scythra leapt upwards and out. Her robe, as it had been untied, billowed open in the front. Though her naked leap would take on a grotesque twisting mid-jump.
Scythra's legs and arms split. Ripping apart at the very bone, they become spindly and sharp edged. Her body flattened and thickened, the smooth black skin took on a hard and shineing appearance. At the angle she was descending, Valin would clearly see blue bands crossing her spiders torso. Her head retracted back against the body and flattened, her hair seemed to flicker and vanish like a dispelled illusion. Large viscious looking mandibles baring dangerouse looking dagger like points were opened wide and pointed at Valin. Most distincly though, were her front legs. The final segments of her legs split, in the manner a crabs claws could part. Save the claws that Scythra sported looked more like a pair of serrated swords on each leg. She was still equal in size to her drow form, meaning she appeared to be roughly five and a half feet in length. She landed at the bottom of the thrones steps with a heavy thudding, which betrayed the weight behind her form. Her sheer robe hung in tatters to her back, her mandible forelegs having torn the slender sleeves as easily as the spider silk it was woven of. Scythra, in her Sword Spider form, hissed a maliscious screeing sound at Valin and her legs gathered under her body again.
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Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2009 7:26 pm
Her mouth opening to reply heatedly to Scythra's initial response, Valin closed it when her cousin continued to speak, this time adressing their deceased grandmother. She could only watch with her doe eyes as wide as they could have possibly been as Scythra beheaded the former Matron. The blood that flowed down the old Drow's lifeless front drew Valin's gaze until it finally rested on the head at the same moment Scythra patted it, a cold shiver going up her spine and making her hair stand on end.
Scythra was mad, Valin thought at first, simply mad. Then her wide eyes lifted to study her cousin's face when her mouth began to spew her scathing words. Valin certainly seemed as a child at the moment, her face a mask of confusion and her eyes simply begging the question 'Why?'.
Why did this all have to happen again? Scythra was the same as her mother's killer, took the same pleasure in dealing out her traitorous deed, the same mad pleasure that gave not a second thought to the deaths of Tarien and Valin's mother. But Scythra had to be the same age as Valin, or near about. That would make her a child just as Valin was when the incident occured.
Was it happening again?
Both her thoughts and her searching gaze stopped when her cousin jumped from the throne, frozen as the Spider Elementalist's body seemed to transform in slow motion until it was fully the horrifying creature that landed on the ground a few feet in front of Valin. All of the questions and connections that had been trying to run themselves through her mind vanished before they could ever hope to be completed.
She opened her mouth, to sing, to scream, to cry, anything. Nothing came out. Tears formed in her eyes as the images of her mother's death flashed in front of them again. She was helpless, she was powerless. Her mother and Tarien dead while all she could do was hide next to the axes, barely breathing, barely thinking until the tall, bloodsoaked figure walked past and exited the smithy.
A monster sat before her, waiting to swallow her up until she was as dead and cruelly torn apart as her mother had been. It was as if all of the fear and hatred and thoughts of revenge from that day had manefested themselves into the figure before her. And all she could do was stand there with her mouth silently screaming and tears forming in her eyes, the same as that time.
Simundrid was in frozen as well; only he was frozen with glee at his daughter's spidery form, knowing that Lloth's blessing had to have been bestowed upon his revenge for his daughter to be so powerful as to be able to become like one of the Spider Queen's very own.
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Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2009 8:11 pm
The damn fool of a girl hadn't so much as moved since she had completed her transformation. Reaching up and back with one of her sword claws, Scythra tore the remains of her robe from her spiders form. By now Valin still had not moved still. Of course, this was all happening in mere seconds. Obviously the female was more genteel words and lacked any truth combat skills...
Scythra lunged again. her large spiders body hurled upwards as she sought to latch her mandibles about Valin's neck. Sadistically she imagined catching hold and squeezeinguntil her head popped off and rolled much the same way the beheaded matrons had. but no...she had a far better idea! She intended to knock Valin down upon her back with her large spiders body, and to bite into her neck deeply with her mandibles, so as to inject her poison into the girls system. The immediate effect of which would be a sudden sensation of weakness as her strength would be taken away. If untreated, in hours she'd be paralysed temporarily by the poison. By then Scythra intended to be finished with her play thing of a Cousin though....
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Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2009 8:26 pm
The spider creature's attack caught Valin still unawares, and by the time she realized what was happening she had already been knocked to the ground with the creature's madnibles beginning to sink into the base of her neck. If she had had any air left in her lungs she would have screamed then for sure, her arms and legs kicking unbidden into action as they reacted from the pain, a slow gasping noise filling Valin's chest as it fought for the breath she had forgotten to take in.
Finally breathing in, all of Valin's air rushed out again as she felt the poison from Scythra's bite enter into her body, searing pain flowing through her limbs and tearing away their strength until they could manage only a feeble pounding at the creature's abdomen and legs, her scream that was dying to be unleashed ripping from her throat to fill the room with its painfilled echo. It reverberated in Valin's ears as she watched her mists vanish with her body's power, feeling her hope drain with it as the venom took it's course.
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Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2009 8:59 pm
With her mandibles deep in Valin's throat, Scythra felt the heat of her poison injecting into her body. So close to her neck she was certain that her cousin would feel the effects in mere seconds. A high pitched chittering sound, that would strangely echo like laughter, would come fromher after she had pulled her mandibles free. Looking down upon Valin with her multitude of eyes she felt a terrible sense of glee and victory.
She simply couldn't resist it...she was going to eat her! A chittering of greedy excitement cave from Scythra at that moment. Useing four of her legs to stagger her body over Valin's weakly fighting form, she reached down with her other two legs and sword like mandibles. If she just happened to cut her up doing this all the better! She'd rather like to see the cocoon stained with blood... That is what she was planning to do now after all...picking Valin's struggling form up, she pulled her close to her underside, and she began to spin webbing. Like a moth in a web, Scythra would mean to spin Valin into a tight coating of webbing that would leave only her shoulders and up free. After that?
Well..what was she really going to do? Continue screaming she hoped! If she had been successful thus far, Valin would feel Scythra settle her large form on top of her cocoon, pressing it down to the floor so she might reclaim her grip back on Valins neck. This time Scythra had no intention of injecting her with more poison. Rather..she wanted to stab hre mandibles back into the soft flesh of her neck, not too deeply! She didn't want to tear her throat out or rip her neck wide open... No no..what Scythra wanted to do was drink...drawing the blood fluids from her body in a very slow manner so she would feel each pull of her suck. Feel each gluttonus swallow of the blood down into her gulllet...feel as her own cousin fed to her contentment upon her very life!
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Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2009 9:32 pm
Valin's scream ended and she gasped for breathe when Scythra's mandibles finally left her flesh, the laughter-like sound coming from the creature making the pain in her eyes take on an air of fear. Then anger filled them and she screamed again, angry now, as she knew that it was too late for her to do anything towards escaping her current fate. The Scythra-creature was on top of her, her sharp appendages cutting into Valin's arms and back as she was picked up and twirled about.
Aside from becoming dizzy by the spinning, the poison not helping in the least to keep her from losing her lunch had she had any, she could feel the movement in her legs and arms constrict even more. Her head bobbed to look down, or rather sideways, at her legs and she had to blink the fuzziness from her eyes to realize that she was being tied up in some type of sticky substance.
Once she was coated up to her shoulders, Valin groaned, feeling the creature settle on top of her heavily, making it harder yet to take in the needed oxygen and keep her already far faded wits about her. No doubt the creature was going to eat her, she thought vaguely. Eat her and gobble her up and that would be the end of her.
But it wasn't. No, it could not be quick and painless, no, instead of her death stealing upon her quickly Valin could only shudder as new pain entered her throat and she screamed again. Her blood was pouring out of her neck, and it was doing so so very slowly. Once again Valin found herself as if time had slowed, only able to watch as her blood was drank by the creature, only able to release her pain through small whimpers that clogged her airway and made her vision blurry.
She felt as if the creature was stealing away her very soul with each drop of blood that was pulled from the wound. Her strength was gone, all she wanted to do was sleep. Sleep and wait for death to come. Her vision began to fade and she was about to become thankfully unaware of the fate she had been trapped with when all of a sudden she was snapped back into wakefullness, the pain biting at her mind afresh and she screamed again, cursing Lloth that she wasn't even allowed the blissful releif of unconsiousness.
During all of this Simundrid was cackling gleefully, pulling out one of the many tricks he usually kept up his sleeve to cast at Valin. Oh, she would feel all of this, he thought as his eyes gleamed. Her face was going slack, as if she were to pass out, and he couldn't have that, no he couldn't. He cast the spell quickly, bringing Valin's senses back to full reality of their pain. And he watched as her screams renewed upon his daughter's feasting.
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