Vault Of The Drow | Taking A Prisoner >
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> The moment has come, and the Duergar watch as Aurora begins the incantation. They stand well back, worried a bit about potential backlash.
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> Above her, Aurora can almost feel the vast sea of water that waits to pour down on the cavern that she assumes is just down the tunnel ahead.
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> As the mighty magic starts to unfold about her, suddenly another magic seems to begin as well.
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> Lights in the shape of webs begin to stretch out from previously unseen stones ringing the tunnel heading down.
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> These lights reach out for Aurora, and before her amazing reflexes can react, she's entagled in the web of energy.
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> Unable to properly move to the magic she's creating... her ability to do so being critical to why she's key to casting the spell... it begins to fail
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> The Duregar, are caught flatfooted, and they react with astonishment
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> They have no idea what to do
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> As Aurora begins to fade from sight, they back up, realizing that, once again, they've been outdone by Drow magics...
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> Charity attempts to form a spell quickly to try to counter, but she, too is caught in the web.
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> The energy from the web spell backlashes on Charity's spell, and she's knocked completely senseless.
⚠ <p> * aurora 's tawny eyes widen, as her barely-furred limbs get caught in the webs, and she struggles mightily. She looks to be a medium-skinned human, except for the slight feline cast to her features and the tufted points to her ears, and other subtle cues that only one familiar with humans would recognize.
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> Then both Aurora and Charity pop out of existence in the tunnel. The Duergar run.
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> As Alba returns with her guards from a trip to one of the noble compounds, she notes a male Drow in the alley between her brothel, and the gambling house that stands next to it. He seems to be furiously painting something on the walls of her establishment.
⚠ <p> <Alba> "How dare you defile my walls, you worm?"
⚠ <p> * Rylfein is humming to himself, almost happily, splattering the paint in wide swipes with one hand and adding extra marks with the other. The script flows around the corner of the house. When you manage to get the whole of it into your view, your eyes begin to itch by just the slightest.
⚠ <p> * Rylfein looks behind his shoulder, one of his hands still painting.
⚠ <p> * Alba brandishes what appears to be an ancient length of dragon tail. She CRACKS it at the painter's hands, smiling as she does so.
⚠ <p> * Rylfein growls in pain and his back arcs out like a scared cat's. Even so, his trembling hands do not stop writing, though he shivers as he looks at Alba.
⚠ <p> <Rylfein> "A whip! Is a whip a chain?"
⚠ <p> <Rylfein> "Is a chain a whip?"
⚠ <p> * A_Destroyer is now known as Lxndr
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> A Mezzodaemon stops in the street to see what the commotion is about, and if anyone needs to be eaten.
⚠ <p> <Alba> "Seize him!" She indicates Rylfein.
⚠ <p> * Rylfein is just... about... to finish.
⚠ <p> <Alba> "Perhaps my torture chamber will improve your attitude towards your betters."
⚠ <p> * Rylfein blinks as if just out of a dream, and then looks around himself.
⚠ <p> <Rylfein> "Um."
⚠ <p> <Rylfein> "Demon!"
⚠ <p> * Rylfein points to the mezzodaemon and immediatelly begins running the other way.
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> The guards chase after him.
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> They manage to tackle him after he gives them quite the chase in the alley.
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> The guards bring him back to their mistress, and the leader says, "To the torture chamber, mistress?"
⚠ <p> <Rylfein> "Listen, listen, listen! You must listen!"
⚠ <p> <Rylfein> "Wait, what was that?"
⚠ <p> <Rylfein> "Your chains! I can see them! They are invisible!"
⚠ <p> <Rylfein> "Cut! Them Free!"
⚠ <p> <Alba> with a violent thrust she punches him in the mouth.
⚠ <p> * Rylfein tenses up with severe hatred, but then just slumps in the guards' grasp, whispering silently.
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> Guzara, her chief guard (a drow male with a massive physique), awaits her command as he holds Rylfein up.
⚠ <p> <Alba> "Guards unless you intend to join him I suggest you take him to the chamber immediately."
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> Guzara and his men drag him off immediately.
⚠ <p> <Alba> Alba examines the dripping paint on the walls.
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> It is difficult to discern the characters, but she manages to read "The Destroyer Comes."
⚠ <p> * Alba recalls a hazy dream... a beautiful widow spider webbing these very words...
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> From behind her, Alba hears a familiar voice, "So you can't even keep vagrants from marring my building."
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> It's Zevara, who owns most of the buildings in this area, a very rich woman.
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> Her white hair is done up with jewels.
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> Alba realizes that Zevara will probably use this moment to lean on her for cash.
⚠ <p> <Alba> "If you paid for competent guards, I could save my whip for paying custom."
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> Alba realizes that the Mezzodaemon that had stopped is the one that Zevara traffics with.
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> Zevara is taken aback somewhat by Alba's retort. But only for a moment.
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> "You will show respect to your betters," she glares at Alba, "or you WILL be eaten."
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> She gestures at her demon friend.
⚠ <p> <Alba> "I think I would trouble his digestion, Zevara. I wouldn't want you to have to find another demon."
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> "You know, I have somebody else that might want your space for themselves, Alba," she says. "I'll tell you what... you make a gift for me, and I'll forget your insolence. If not, then I may decide to move somebody else in."
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> She finishes her bit, and turns to leave.
⚠ <p> <Alba> "Forgive my impertinence. I have yet to indulge my less... martial talents today, and it has left me a little... unbalanced." She smiles. "May I offer you the gift of the perpetrator of this very crime? I have him captive."
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> She looks down at Alba (even though not taller) with disdain, "You can do better than that. I'll be at my villa when you have figured out a more suitable gift."
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> She turns again and begins to walk off.
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> The street hums with sounds from the nearby establishments, and a massive trader wagon rolls by as Alba heads into her brothel. One of her girls greets her at the door. "Welcome back, Mistress."
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> Izzdaer has been summoned to a ritual in the dark place beneath the streets of the city where his cult gathers to worship their goddess. He's unaware of the purpose of the ritual, but everyone is chanting, and he is expected to chant along.
⚠ <p> <Izzdaer> Nothing is visible in the enchanted darkness, so Izzdaer cannot even know who's hand he takes as he takes up the chant.
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> The chanting goes on for a bit, rising higher and higher in pitch and fervor.
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> There is a sudden flash, which manages to break the darkness spell momentarily, but then is gone, leaving nothing visible once more.
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> Aurora is in complete darkness, unable to see anything about her.
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> The ritual comes to an abrupt stop, and Izzdaer is left in silence as well as darkness for a moment.
⚠ <p> * aurora tries to reach for her sword, but the webs entangling her will not let her. Caught between fear and fury, her breath hisses between her teeth as she tries desperately to discern where she is and exactly who her foes are
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> Somebody comes by Aurora, and disarms her, "You won't be needing that."
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> "We have your friend," it says. "Come along nicely, kitty-cat, and she won't be hurt."
⚠ <p> <aurora> "No!" She growls, redoubling her efforts to free herself. "Give it back, it's mine!"
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> "It will be returned to you, when the time is right," he says.
⚠ <p> * aurora sighs. /not again!/ "I /hate/ the Underdark," she mutters, and tries to listen for Charity.
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> A voice whispers to Izzdaer, "Your priest tasks you with a mission important to our cause, one that will please the Goddess. You must take this that we have captured, and take it to the house of Alba, in the red district."
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> "Do you accept?"
⚠ <p> <Izzdaer> "I do this for she who is Chaos, for the legs of the spider must be broken."
⚠ <p> * Izzdaer gives assent in the ritual words, the seditious language still causing him to tremble.
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> "Excellent," he says. "Tell Alba that this one should be put into the cell nearest the pit."
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> Aurora can feel that she's being handed to somebody.
⚠ <p> <aurora> If it had been just her, she would have tried to fight - she may be bound but her fingers were still free enough to make the Sign... but they had Charity, too. And she'd grown inexplicably fond of the crazy woman.
⚠ <p> <aurora> And so it is that she makes only the smallest gestures of defiance, not dragging her feet but walking (as well as she can) proudly as if she had chosen to be there, and her captors were simply her escorts.
⚠ <p> <Izzdaer> Uncertain how to handle the woman, uncertain who she is and what she's for, uncertain of so much, Izzdaer effects a mild push on the captive's left shoulder.
⚠ <p> <aurora> "Stop that," she says in what she thinks of as a haughty manner. "I walk on my own. Lead and I will follow." She is pleased that her voice does not tremble. She was getting good at this.
⚠ <p> <Mike_Holmes> They emerge from the darkness in an alley-way that's below the level of the street, a ramp here leading up to it.
⚠ <p> * Izzdaer is slightly taken aback to hear drow from this.. individual... and his esteem for her increases accordingly. Also increasing is his trepidation.
⚠ <p> <Izzdaer> In any case, he consents, and simply allows her to follow him...
⚠ <p> <aurora> She does as she had said she would, her eyes darting about the city now that the darkness allows vision again and trying to find her bearings. No sense in running without a place to run TO as she had discovered before.
⚠ <p> <aurora> Now that Izzdaer can see her, he can see that she is a tall human, with coppery skin and tawny green-gold eyes that reflect what little light there is in a strange manner. Her movements are utterly graceful and confident, her body well-muscled and strong. There is something unsettling about her features, in that, they have a slight feline cast to them. Her nose is a little too flat. Her eyes, oddly shaped. Her teeth a hint too sharp. But then again, she's no drow.
Stryck Wiki