[Game Thread] Chapter Six: Be Careful What You Wish For

[Makenshi]

The new Hybrid, who has settled on the name Lekkar Alyyryk for now, has kept to himself over the next three days, having decided that, as an entirely new being, he must meditate on what it is he wishes to accomplish during his life before settling on what role he has in the Great Circle. Normally, it would be a Shaman that decided that, however only a Shaman that has known the Tyyrykan for at least a few years would be able to do so and there is no such shaman for Lekkar and he does not believe he has the time to waste waiting for a Shaman to get to know him in this fashion. He takes up residence in one of Vulcar's guest quarters - a different one to those Lekan had used - and is rarely seen outside of his rooms. While keeping himself apart, he would be willing to talk to those who visit him, although few do.

More surprisingly, knowledge of Kala and her being the daughter of Airis has spread, although there is a suspicious lack of any details about her father circulating. Most of the Church, already familiar with her, react positively to the news, although it is clear that the upper echelons of the Church dislike the sudden political power she has gained. This becomes even more extreme when it emerges that there was a large group of Airisians who had been praying to her, leading to the new Demi-Goddess becoming flooded with prayers and messages from them, which Zilira teaches her to organise and control. These followers, which include a good number of divine casters, quickly organise themselves and taking to the streets to spread the word. It seems that Malhas wasn't lying about having secretly encouraged support of Kala inside the church, although even he seems a little taken aback by how quickly word has begun to spread.

News has also already spread like wildfire about how Mask had struck in Halva again the night previous, this time having stolen a famous painting of Airis owned by Lord Lucius Ahilyeh. Some rumours even claim he left a different painting in exchange, although exactly what painting varies depending on who you talk to. The more popular rumours suggest a naked version of the stolen painting or a crude stick figure representation of the original painting. Whatever the truth of the matter, Lord Ahilyeh is in no rush to talk about it while the slums is practically alive with people cackling at the Lord's expense.

But all that was nothing compared to the news that woke them, via a telepathic message from Zilira. "The Drow delegation has arrived in Halvanna and are requesting a meeting. Vulcar has accepted and is calling a meeting of the Greater Council." Rather than her usual playful self, Zilira sounded pensive. Most of the representatives had remained in Halvanna for further talks on the next meeting in two weeks and due to the revelation of Wade's betrayal Queen Natria of Elern had decided to keep Marcell in Halvanna as their representative. With Alnei's 'return' Niafem had returned to Phare with Cajien Vash in order to cement order there in the wake of the assassinations.

The hall was just as it had been when they gathered before, only this time there were slightly fewer faces, including the absence of Jester, Theofan and the Segali twins, and two new faces.

The leader of the delegation, a about 6fttall Drow woman dressed in leathers and silks of black, dark red and white introduced herself as T'rissafay of Rilyn'und. She seemed only slightly discomforted by the light, although whether from practice or magic was unclear, and was perfectly polite and amiable to anyone who spoke to her.

And the other member of the delegation present, a Drow male who stood about half a foot shorter than the other, introduced himself as Tel'shar of Rilyn'und, the Bard they had heard so much about. His clothes even appeared to be of surface make, specifically Halvan in design, and he had a series of earrings throughout both ears. He seemed completely un-phased by the light, or the situation, even smiling friendlily to people if they approached and speaking to them in a friendly and familiar manner.

While most had arrived and been introduced, Zilira had yet to make an entrance despite having a seat next to Morgan waiting for her again. She responded to any enquiries as to her whereabouts by saying she 'wanted to make the right impression'.

OOC Right then, feel free to set things up, including introducing yourselves to one or both of them (although given what they know of Drow, only speaking to Tel'shar will likely be viewed as an insult to T'rissafay) if you want.

~MTWC

[SpatulaOdoom]

The lanky mage, again dressed in non-descript clothing, lounges in his chair, going so far as to put his feet up on the table.

For his own safety and the safety of those around him Morgan is more or less living at the palace these days. Unlike the last time he was here in this room Morgan has no grand proclomations or reams of information to spew out. Today he is here for two reasons, to be Zilira's moral support, and to satisfy his own curiosity about the drow. He doesn't expect too much of this initial meeting, just a lot of dancing back and forth as each side tries to feel the other out and establish themselves as someone to be taken seriously.

The first thing he noticed was that there were only the two of them. He'd expected more of them. A bit of an entourage at least. He'd have to check and see if they'd scattered a few spies into the city to get the lay of the land.

He takes his time climbing to his feet, a calculated minor sleight, before introducing himself simply as Morgan Wainraith with a short bow and returning to his spot beside the empty chair.

[Blue]

After consulting Nehrahk, Nevh would have asked Lekkar if he'd perhaps be interested in coming along, thinking that perhaps he'd like the opportunity to exchange with another hybrid to better center himself on his situation. Nehrahk had experience, after all.
She'd leave with Nehrahk either way.

The days that followed gave the young dragon no peace. Her nights were filled with nightmares and getting any hours of good sleep was a challenge.
When news of the Drow delegation's arrival reached her she was a wreck. Skipping on that meeting was really tempting and each piece of clothing painfully put on made the desire louder. She forgot where she had put her necklaces and resigned to leave without them as she began to run out time.
She hurried out of the Rudaan embassy, another terrible source of concern that felt beyond her control. Although the reception rooms by the entrance looked fine, to her, Nevh's chambers looked like a battlefield. The middle section was also filled a small forest of treants that made moving around difficult. There was dirt all over the place, walls of stone barricading every window, holes and fog and gods knew what other obstacles she hadn't tripped in yet. If a new Quallish ambassador were to be chosen to replace Nevh he would surely get a stroke and there was no way she could make the place decent in time.
She tried to convince herself it wasn't her problem. After all, it really wasn't her fault.
But it was shaming for some reason and she expected she'd probably feel the consequences anyway when the blame would be shifted on Yesterwind if Nevh would be gone. Yet one more reason -not- to go back home.
Why is being irresponsible so difficult...

To avoid being late she returned to her dragon form to fly faster.
Once within the palace she'd drag herself to the Greater Council's meeting room and make herself appear human again, with a few touch-ups to mask her weariness.
She introduced herself to the Drows without thinking much of it. A well practiced ceremonious bow later and she was back on her seat and hoping she wouldn't have to think too much and perhaps even get a moment to rest. The chair was pretty darn comfortable.
Thinking it would really be embarrassing if she fell asleep, she tried to keep her posture straight and avoid melting into the cushion pads.

[SpatulaOdoom]

"So." Morgan says after everyone is seated and the silence begins to stretch.
"You're here. We're here. What does the First House have to say?" Or was this whole thing a fishing expedition?

[Makenshi]

OOC I didn't make this clear in the first post, but the Children (including Coiya) are not a part of the meeting here, although they were invited. Simply put, they have nothing to say to them that would be polite or constructive, so they're butting out for now. Also, this isn't the whole delegation, just the ones who arrived for the requested meeting.

Lekkar would have politely declined Nevh's invitation, stating that he needed to discover who he was before he delved into what he was.

The Drow seemed surprised at Morgan being the one to address them, although just as T'rissafay starts to speak a shadow grows from beside Morgan, stretching into the familiar shadow-clad figure of Zilira before the darkness recedes. She places a hand on Morgan's shoulder. "You weren't thinking of starting without me, were you?" She asks the mage with a sense of a wry amusement. "That is very unbecoming." She quickly turns her attention to T'rissafay, who looks more than a little confused at her arrival, obviously not recognising her. "T'rissafay Rilyn'und I presume?" She glances to the male. "And you must be Tel'shar." She grins, looking from one to the other. "I am Minloth Zilira, the Spider in the Dark, Mistress of the Night, Caller of Shadows and the Natural Born Daughter of the Demon Goddess and your very own Lolth."

Tel'shar looks shocked for a moment before composing himself and looking to T'rissafay, who quickly moves from incredulous to suspicious. "That is a rather...unusual claim. It was our understanding that you were killed shortly after the Demongate Wars. What proof do you offer of your claims beyond theatrics and boasts?"

~MTWC

[SpatulaOdoom]

Zilira's arrival prompts Morgan to hop up so he can hold her chair for her.
”Of course not darling, just trying to get the preliminaries out of the way.”

Originally Posted by T'rissafay

"That is a rather...unusual claim. It was our understanding that you were killed shortly after the Demongate Wars. What proof do you offer of your claims beyond theatrics and boasts?"

”And it was our understanding that the drow people were killed by Fisali's war ending spell, yet here we are.” Morgan raises an eyebrow at her comment regarding theatrics and boasts. ”Admittedly a little reasonable doubt is probably a good attitude to have, but you may want to take a little more care in requesting proof of divinity. It could get messy.”

[Makenshi]

Zilira gives T'rissafay an entirely unconvincing, toothy, smile - the only polite way she can bear her teeth - before responding. "I was hoping you would ask me that, although as Morgan said, you would have been better served keeping your mouth shut." She places a hand on the table. "So make sure my mother is looking, because she is the only one who will be able to verify this." Zilira waits a few moments for T'rissafay to nod in understanding before looking down at her hand. "Now watch carefully, because if you see me doing this again then someone will be dying soon after."

Black lines snake out from under her hand. Two of them arc around to form a circle, while the other stretches towards it's centres, splitting and spreading into various patterns along the way. It was the symbol for summoning a Vestige. Once the pattern had formed Zilira looked back up at T'rissafay. "Lolth, Queen of Spiders, one of your children calls for you." Black strands appear in thin air above the symbol, although they never pass beyond it, even seemingly to stop in mid air. They quickly form an intricate pattern of their own, a web in which a face appears, shifting and moving as it settles its gaze on Zilira.

"And what would you do with me?" The voice, a woman's, has an exotic, lilting quality to it, spoken with a heavy yet unfamiliar accent.

"Teach a lesson to one who worships my mother, a pretender to your throne."

There is barely a pause before the face smiles. "Done." The strands and the symbol vanish while Minloth Zilira's torso and clothes seems to shift and swell for a moment before two more pairs of arms extend out underneath her originals. Zilira rolls her new wrists, flexing and cracking her new fingers, and looks towards a startled T'rissafay.

"And what does mother have to say about my identity now? Is she satisfied?"

There is a slight pause before T'rissafay responds. "She is...satisfied that you are who you say you are, Minloth."

Zilira's eyes narrow. "My name is Zilira, not Minloth. That much has not changed."

T'rissafay nods her head in response. "Very well. Perhaps we should return to the matter at hand then? We came here to reassure you that the Drow are not-"

"Think very carefully about your next words T'rissafay of Rilyn'und." Zilira interrupts. "I know my mother, I know the Drow, and we know where you live, so it won't be difficult for me to slip in and verify whatever laughable claims you came here with about the intentions of the Drow and the conditions within your realms, let alone if the likes of Theofan or Jester decide to look into it."

To her credit, the Drow delegate barely takes a pause this time. "As I was saying, we came here to reassure you that the Drow have no interest in the surface. Even now we are recovering from the losses we suffered during the Demongate Wars fighting alongside your ancestors. There are few full-blooded Drow left even now."

~MTWC

[SpatulaOdoom]

The mage's dark eyes grow cold.
”I think you may have misspoken. Did you mean to say “-no interest in the surface beyond it's use as a source of slaves?”

[Makenshi]

As it always did, the 's' word drew mutterings from the representatives gathered. It was some comfort that no matter how much humanity had fought amongst themselves and no matter how much the warring nations hated each other that there was that one line that few dared cross, and those few tended either not to live very long or they lived long enough to regret it. It was also one of the few subjects that. historically, had led to united action by two or more nations that might not get along or even be in conflict with one another.

It was obvious that T'rissafay that knew this by how carefully she chose her response. "I can not speak for every Drow House, but we do not require nor want people from the surface to serve us. If there are elements of Drow society that are doing this then we hope we will be able to do everything we can to put an end to such aggression."

~MTWC

[SpatulaOdoom]

”A moment ago you could speak for the Drow, now you do not. Let's be clear, who exactly are you here representing?”
The mage's gaze remains level and far from convinced.
”Our ancestors may have been allies after the drow changed sides, but that war is over and most of those people are long dead. Our concern is for what is happening now and in the future. It is probably best that we get through this early since it is likely to be the main bone of contention for many.

T'rissafay Rilyn'und, second daughter to Matron Mother Myr'delith Rilyn'und, of the Ruling House of Che'eldelorbben and by extension the lesser communities as well.” Morgan's words are a warning, that he knew quite a bit more about her and her people than she seemed to think at this point. ”You imply that house Rilyn'und owns no slaves, but you never explicitly state it. Does it? Does house Rilyn'und who, by your own words, doesn't want or need surfacers to serve them, own slaves? Not surfacers specifically, but just slaves. It's a yes or no question.” Her weasel words had side stepped the question, seeming to answer it but not actually doing so. Not a direct lie, so it might get past truth telling magic.
”And what of the other houses? Not all of them obviously, but I'm sure you know whether the second through say sixth houses have slaves. It would be unwise not to keep an eye on your closest rivals after all.”

[Makenshi]

T'rissafay returns to her more polite and diplomatic tone, seemingly having regained her composure. "I am here representing the Drow city states, but that does not mean that I can personally vouch for everything that every family or city gets up to. While Rilyn'und is the First House, that is not the same as your royalty. Simply put, we do not govern ourselves in the same way as you. I would like to stress, however, that Lolth herself will guarantee any terms agreed here. While my House's power might not extend far enough, her power is absolute among the Drow."

On the upfront matter of slaves, it is clear that T'rissafay barely even considers trying to lie or be evasive. "We have what you would call slaves, yes, as do many but not all ruling Houses. Common Drow and most merchant Drow do not however, and those merchants that do almost exclusively use Trolls or the like."

"That implies that the Houses do not exclusively use Trolls." Vulcar points out.

"Not exclusively no, though they do make up a majority of labour, guards and other physical roles."

"And when you need a more...delicate touch? Or a pretty face perhaps?"

T'rissfay's mouth becomes tight. Not quite a frown, but enough to show her displeasure at the manner of the question, if politely so. "If you have a question then ask it Your Highness."

"Do you keep Human slaves?"

"We have 'slaves' descended from Humans from the Demongate Wars, yes, as do most Houses. They mostly work, as you say, in matters requiring a 'delicate touch', although also in occupations where intelligence, training or leadership is required, such as overseeing Trolls or teaching others."

~MTWC

[Blue]

Mrith was silent for a moment, greatly attentive but had no intention of butting into a conversation that didn't really involve her.
On the matter of human slave roles, some of the telepathic whispers sent to her by Nevh changed that.
"But some are also sent to the pits to fight, isn't it? Some Drow breed their own but others are fresh from the surface."

[SpatulaOdoom]

Morgan's lips compress into a thin line.
”Teaching. Such as the human slave that taught you the psionic arts, correct? I'm given to understand that not all of your slaves are born under the earth, that you periodically raid the surface to replenish your 'stock.'”
To Morgan it didn't matter whether they were captured surface dwellers or those born into slavery. One was no better than the other, just a slightly different flavor of oppression. What did matter was working out how much of what Xu had told him was correct and how much of it was altered by his perceptions.
”Tell me, what would you say is the percentage of your human and mostly human population that are not slaves?”
He was right about one thing. We should be killing them, not talking to them.
The though comes unbidden to his mind. As much as the idea of sweeping the drow clean with sword and fire and freeing the slaves appeals, the truth is it's a pipe dream and unworthy. Perhaps there was a better way. One could always search and hope.

[Makenshi]

T'rissafay chuckles slightly at talk of the arena fights. "You are grossly misinformed. Even skilled Drow jump at a chance to fight in the arenas due to the wealth and prestige afforded the winners. Fighting to the death is an incredible waste of life and resources. We even have Clerics on hand to heal or revive as necessary."

On the matter of raids she seems more annoyed than amused, although she maintains her polite tone. "Some do that, yes, however it is done by criminal elements and outlying Houses. For reasons that I hope would be obvious for a people who value their privacy we do not encourage 'trips' to the surface for any reason, let alone kidnapping. As for my tutor, he is no slave and was more than willing to teach me. You can ask him yourself if you want, as he accompanied us to the surface."

T'rissafay thinks for a moment before answering Morgan's percentage question. "That depends on what you define as a 'Human' population. If you mean full-blooded Humans, then 5% or so in our own city. I wouldn't be able to say with any great surety in the others, but I'd expect it is around the same. My own aunt had a human mate for example, a sorcerer of remarkable skill who, before you ask, was born in the Underdark."

~MTWC

[Blue]

Mrith had caught on to the idea of answers that do not really answer.
"Not talking about Drow volunteers. There are no human slaves sent to fight in the arenas?"