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Hun'afin's Patron took the stench of sulfur and the agonized screams coming from the courtyard of the soon-to-be-fallen Third House as his cue to join in on the "festivities". Veldrin's hand went to his belt, drawing out a small black square of cloth cut from a funeral shroud. He began to chant the words of power as his hands traced the arcane symbols in the air; the shadows rose up and enveloped his entire body, transforming him briefly into a living shadow briefly.

Solaufein and the company of soldiers that accompanied him through the planar threshold rushed out onto the field of battle. The soulknife quickly drew upon his psionic talents, conjuring a blade of mental energy and molded it into the form of a longsword as he engaged the nearest enemy soldier. "SELVETARM!!!", he cried as he severed the surprised Aleanduian soldier's head.

The company of Hun'afin guardsmen split into several smaller units, dispersing to most effectively neutralize the clerics tending to Aleanduis' wounded soldiers.

Amidst the carnage on the battlefield, none noticed the shadowy figure streaking across the ground at breakneck speed. Veldrin phased through the large, heavy doors that were the entrance to the main keep, his body reverting to normal once inside.

"Very well then, our deal is finalized." Vincent pulled a scroll out of his robes.

A blast in the distance and the Aleanduis' troops were overcome, many assassins were saved by this shift in the battle. A drowess flowed with a group of brutes in a direct assault, her actions bespoke decades of mastery in battle.

Returning his attention to the scroll, "Draa tresk'rin x'khat uss lu' l' gulen d'lil drada revealed nintan 'zil phindaren lu' consumed l' silinrai d'lil ust thac'zil." Nine units of Aleanduis' soldiers, archers, and two sorcerers manifested from the plane of shadows. The mages stood atop the towers by the gate and hurled spells at the oncoming units. The archers took point on the wall wreaking terror with the bow upon forces in the courtyard. The soldiers grouped with the courtyard group and bolstered the defenses.

Returning his attention to Malag of House Hun'Afin and the drowess that had beautifully cut her way through the troops, "The troops are now seen. As for information, our matron and her family has abandoned us, any other ranking member of the house has vanished aside from me; you will find a fresh shipment of adamantine halberds in the armory." A troop dressed in leather attire carrying daggers and covered in fresh blood ran to Vincents side,

Scoutmaster NPC: Sir we are outnumbered what should I have the troops do? Without a thought Vincent turned to the man, touched his shoulder and drove his fist through the armor and straight out the mans back.

Licking the blood from his fingertips Vincent continued, "Also, I believe the now dead spymaster has up to date reports of the other houses activities as well as a list of all active moles in each house that have proven their loyalties to this house hidden in his desk concealed by a false board under the second drawer."

Vincent paused a moment something had disturbed him, "It would appear one of your kin has become undead by some odd magical device or spell, I can feel the coldness where once there was warmth." Vincent turned to the corpse of the spymaster and ripped off a pendant the man had been wearing; tossing it to Malag he commented, "Show that to the suspected moles and they will have a mark on their left hand that shall reveal their loyalties." With that Vincent turned to gas and flew offwards and upwards to some unknown location high on the ceiling of the world below leaving his former comrades to perish at the overpowered force...

Tagerion surged forth with all the momentum of charging calvary. The mystical trip had done nothing to quell the growing bloodlust and rage within the tormented man, and his savage cry as he exited the portal was whispered about in all corners of the cavernous city.

Disregarding the path of his fellow shock troopers and mistress, Tagerion's sights set squarely unto the chaotic priests and their dangerous phalanx. Seeing only the spears and shields of his target, Tagerion raged onwards, his gigantic strides closing the distance in remarkable time.Just before impact a sudden flash of light gave instance to Stormhold being held high in the air.

He collided with the first shield with such violent force that the plates of his shoulder smashed the admantium construct like tin foil and then into the torso of the female, whose body caved in a violent spray of blood and gore. His momentum brought him squarely through the first defender into the middle of the formation, where Stromhold slashed out , cleaving several of the clerics with the first blow. The free guantlet lashed out, crushing a skull and smashing armored plates into the organs of the beings they were created to protect, all the while in his esctasy of bloodlust and roaring.

Very shortly, the few survivors were fleeing for the wretched existances, and those who remained become horrid mockeries of once living bodies. Not even the wounded Aleanduian soldiers huddled in the middle of the group were given the slighteset mercy.

Runes glowing a brilliant blue and covered in gore, Tagerion paused for a just a moment to breath in the carnage and destruction he had sown, even as toxic darts plinked pathetically off of his massive frame.

Strangely, the human found himself begining to utter a short prayer to Lolth in gratitude for the chaos and servants she was putting in his path. Although alien to him, the straining pressure of a deity's eyes over this area was easily felt, and his skin almost squirmed underneath her gaze.

Snapping out of his daze, he violently smashed one of the enormous spiders scuttling amoungst the corpses and spit on its shattered body.

"The b***h be damned!" He roared at the diety for daring to taint his soul with her foul presence for even the slightest moment, and rushed off after Veldrin and Malag, taking the gigantic door of the house down as he passed and crushing and Aleanduians foolish enough to jump before the juggernaught as he sprinted down the corridors.

The were more followers of Lolth that must be punished for their Mistress' insult to the proud human's integrity, and following his master would surely lead to the greatest battles.

As Sy continued on in the fray, she felt the adrenaline rush as it made her heart pound in her ears. At first that was all the drowess could hear. The distant agonized screams, the clangs of metal, and her heart. In that moment, Sy found herself praying to Lolth deeply. Seeing her life in Undergaia flash before her eyes. All the houses that have ever been taken from her. Now here she was, taking one of the many houses that she had lost, back. It was her personal moment of revenge and glory.

She watched as her blades danced before her and swing in circles in her hands as her body slowly reacted and flowed to their movement. It was as though Valagh's first explosion upon Aleanduian troops and the stench of burned flesh was the awakening for Sy. It was when time sped up to the present. It was instinct that caused Sy to tumble to the side and look up after the explosion in full defensive stance.

Just then, another explosion rang out as the portal was opened and Valagh disappeared through it. Afterward the explosions came to a silence. Sy then took the awkward silence to her advantage as she launched an attack on the nearest enemy who had been distracted at the sudden explosions and silence.

The silence did not last for too long as the brutes followed after their Mistress to hit the nearest distracted enemy. As the battle raged on, another portal suddenly appeared and out of it came the reinforcements. It was at this time where the House was nearly won. When the reinforcements came, Sy felt almost disappointed. The battle would soon end and so would her fun.

It was just at that thought before an ambush attack suddenly launched onto Sy and her brutes. Mages, wizards, and archers had taken their positions on top of the towers and gate and started to form a line of attack. First was the rain of fire from the west, then it was the rain of arrows and darts from the east. Sy hollered at her troops to take cover. Most of them made it to the clutters of stalagmites or along the walls of the towers. The other brutes that had trimmed off from the rest the second time then regrouped. Sy wasn't close enough to run and take shelter on the side of the wall so she made sure to give out signs to the rest of her squad.

-The key is to take out the spell casters. I want eight men, the best archers there are on this team, I want them to stay in the stalagmites to remain in their positions and start fire the instant we start to move out. The rest of us have to get to the wall and climb up. Take out all enemies nearest to you.-

The message was relayed to the rest of the troops. Then few by few, squad by squad. Sy and her brutes then began to move out. Running from one stalagmite to the next. Bashing and hacking through. Using enemy flesh and rock formations as their only cover. As Sy and the majority of the troops stormed out, the eight best archers remained in their positions in the stalagmites and began to take out mage and wizard alike, one by one using their own poisoned darts.

With but a thought, Solaufein's longsword-shaped blade of psionic energy shifted and grew, morphing into a single edged broad blade equal in length to, and one-and-a-half times the width of a b*****d sword from the crossguard to the midpoint of the blade, where it flares out with a wicked hook-like barb to double width that tapered off to a pointed tip. Several crystalline channels wove their way through the Mind Blade to facilitate the flow of psychokinetic energy through the psionic weapon.

The soulknife took a moment to focus the torrent of mental energy swirling around within his mind, channeling a portion of it into the freshly re-shaped blade of energy. He delivered a mighty battle cry before charging headlong into the fray, cleaving foes left and right while weaving through the tendrils of destruction being woven by the slave brutes and his own troops. A great, two handed slash had the blade's barb ripping the flesh of one Aleanduian soldier from hip to shoulder.

Solaufein allowed his momentum to carry him around nearly full circle to deliver an upward slice that hooked its target under his breastplate and hurled him nearly twenty feet in the air. The Selvetargtlin followed his quarry into mid-air with a mighty leap, rolling at the apex of his jump to bring his weapon to bear in a massive overhand chop where the blade nearly exploded with a burst of psychokinetic energy as it sheared through its victim's adamantine armor, along with his ribs, heart, lungs and spine.

One of the defending soldiers charged at the hulking warrior, hoping to catch him off guard after the brutal attack he just delivered. He was, unfortunately, not fast enough.

Solaufein managed to free the barb of his blade from the bone and stone that it had gotten caught in, and proceeded to hurl the sword at the charging Aleanduian, where it dissipated seconds after burying itself in the poor sap's skull.

Another member of the Aleanduis House Guard attempted to capitalize on Solaufein's apparent disarmed condition, only to find an identical blade had been manifested and buried repeatedly into his abdomen. The blade flickered out of existence for a brief moment, breaking into fragments and scattering around the battlefield where they left deep gashes in the surrounding cluster of soldiers before the blade reformed in the elite Hun'afin warrior's hand. "SELVETARM!" he bellowed once again, and for the briefest of instances, could have sworn that he, like Tagerion, felt the eyes of the gods upon him.

Large grappling hooks, about seventeen of them, the size of a large Deep Rothe's head launched with the help of mage spells and hooked tightly on the edges of Aleanduis' walls. Some hooks flew a little too far over the wall and caught some Aleanduians and dragged them to the wall to be stabbed through. Breaking their spines or spilling their guts on the already bloodied wall. Whether or not some of these scenes were accidents or intentional, one would very likely assume the latter. A chain was attached to the first few feet from the hook and the rest was sturdy cord. The chain disabled Aleanduian troops from cutting the cord that was further down. And to prevent less awkward weight, that's why the chain stops midway to be replaced by cord. Once the grappling hooks were in place and tightened, the brutes began to climb up the walls. As they reached the top, they relied on archers, from their side of the team, or their own agility to slide out their weapons and stall off the enemy till they could arrive without the chain in their hands and stably with both feet at the top.

Sy watched the progress of her men while hugging the walls. Occasionally she fought off the remaining Aleanduis grunts that scattered the field. But the main battle was at the top of the wall. Sy then ran over to the side, away from her brutes that were clashing from the front, and used her levitational powers once again to lift herself from the floor and up to the top of the wall. The moment her head overlooked the surface, she sneakily swiped her sword at three unsuspecting enemies. Slicing them cleanly with her sleek sword in a row. Then she jumped up and jumped from the mid waist wall into the mist of battle. The hacking, slicing, and slashing had returned. All that seemed to remain from the Aleanduis troops were ranged fighters. Arches, wizards, and mages. Occasionally an archer would pull out a sword or dagger but they were quickly brought down before they could begin to defend themselves. The mages and wizards valiantly tried to defend themselves with their staves and maces but they were brought down as well. No grunt, guard, or soldier was able to match the strength and lethality of Sy or her merciless brutes so neither would a spell caster with main knowledge on ranged attacks could begin to unsheath a weapon.

The battle was nearly won. Blood soaked the floors as bodies started stacking up. Once the top of the wall was cleared, Sy rushed over to one of the doors that would lead her down into the House. Using her foot she stomped the door in and hollered at her troops. She pointed her teifling sword in the now smashed in door and let out a war cry as she started rushing into the House. The brutes caught her gesture, ushered their own battle cries, and began rushing into the House after her. The sound of storming feet, clanging metal, and roars sounded within the echoing corridors as the remaining squad rushed through their pikes and spears pointing directly in front of them, sword fighters maneuvering on the side for openings into different hallways that might have defending guards pop out unexpectedly, and shields on their backs at the end of the rushing group. Together they had made a living tank that clashed the halls, brought havoc, surprised their enemies, and pretty much ran and stabbed any who tread their path. Bodies started stacking on some of the spears as though they were shish kabobs. Some of the brutes used their pikes to help slide them off as they continued their run.

Towards the end, the squad marched. Tired and exhausted from the battle beforehand and now from rushing the corridors which appeared to be nearly vacant. For what seemed like hours of constant twisting corridors, the navigators in the group had finally figured out the pattern and found the right way into the entrance hall. But the sudden brightness of the hall made everyone in the squad avert their eyes. It was in that moment of distraction where a line of fire met the first and second layer of the squad. More archers and spell casters had lined the upper staircase that lead further into the House. The first and second line from Sy's squad dropped to their knees and died from where they were standing. The female cursed under her breath as she yelled at her team to run ahead. But the spell casters atop of the stairs turned out to be the least of their worries. Another form of Aleanduian defense was found. Skilled elite guards ambushed from the sides of the opening of the hall and at the back in the corridors. They had been following Sy's group the entire time and eventually lead them to their deaths in the main entrance hall. Sy watched as her team dropped like flies on every side of her. Even though elites met her on the bottom of the stairs, she knew she had to reach the staircase and kill off the spell casters to prevent the elites from being healed and to prevent attacks from above. She rushed the stairs with the help of a handful of brutes. They hacked and slashed and knocked them over the rails. Protecting their Mistress at all costs. By the time they reached the top of the stairs, the spell casters had started running into the main corridors of the house and the elites blocked the entrance. Sy had no choice but to take the chance and reign carnage on top of the stairs. Once again a massacre was on the scene. Brutes on the bottom of the stairs, on the stairs, and at top of the staircase fought with intensity. But Sy knew that the brutes were no match against skilled elites even without the aid of spell casters. Her numbers were dropping fast. Soon she would be the only skilled fighter on the floor. But even her skill was not matched against twenty or so elite guards.

Sy cursed and prayed to Lolth.

The Spider

The eyes of the gods were indeed upon this field of battle...well, one god, anyway.

High above the compound of Qu'ellar Aleanduis, between the bases of a pair of stalactites, lurked a floating orb of absolute darkness...one of but a myriad of ways that the bloodthirsty god of war, Selvetarm, made his presence known (or felt, should he deign to involve himself in the carnage below) on the material plane.

The Spider That Waits laid his eyes eagerly upon the scene of carnage, listening intently to the screams of agony and his name being cried out in the heat of battle. His attention remained focused upon one of his favorite worshippers, the Soulknife, Solaufein.

The fierce warrior piqued Selvetarm's interest with his rare ability to manifest blades of psychic energy. Only one other drow has possessed this ability within the past 500 years. That was one of his most devout Judicators, Drizal Oblodra.

The small, floating orb of utter darkness dissipated and reformed in the midst of the battlefield, hovering in the midst of the huddled Aleanduian soldiers for several moments before expanding into a 15-foot wide globe. The globe exploded into a swirling maelstrom of blades, slicing everything in its area to ribbons.

The manifestation of Selvetarm's avatar disappeared soon thereafter, and the only lingering evidence of its presence was the gory mass that consisted of the shredded remains of the Aleanduis House Guard, and a pair of black metal gauntlets, each bearing a silvery crystalline object set in the back of the hand, that appeared on Solaufein's hands.

"Go forth and slaughter in my name! Make the streets run crimson with blood, my chosen!"