The fear.
That was the main thing Dariza remembered of that fateful night fifteen years ago when house Do'Urden had attacked house DeVir. The sounds of screams and of the pounding of the Do'Urden soldiers boots still rang in Dariza's ears, even though she was far away from Menzoberranzan.
Dariza was only a commoner; she could not place an accusation against house Do'Urden. But she didn't want to. Dariza was thankful enough that she had escaped that night, besides, that was all behind her now.
Or so she had thought.
She shouldn't be feeling this way; after all, she was only five when DeVir had been attacked. She shouldn't remember anything.
But she remembered the fear.
Dariza shook her head and wandered out of the cave. She looked over the valley with its flowing stream and towering pines; this was the time of day when the valley looked most beautiful, sunrise. The pinks and oranges swam in the sky before her; dancing the same dance they did every morning to welcome the brilliant orb of fire that would grace the sky. No stone roof had stood over Dariza's head now for fifteen years, and she was thankful.
Dariza gathered up a rough cloth and a stone basin and headed down to the stream to wash. She climbed carefully down the side of the mountain watching out for any unsteady rocks that, with a single wrong step, could send her plummeting down fifty feet. But, as so many days before, Dariza made it down the mountain and waded into the cool waters of the stream. The morning breeze blew her thick white hair into her deep brown eyes. Dariza was uncommonly pretty for a drow, her slim soft figure highly resembled that of the surface elves and her skill with weapons certainly outmatched that of most of her people. And she was still young, scarcely twenty years of age when the average lifespan of the drow was seven centuries.
Dariza took a deep breath and dove head first into the icy water, she came up after a few moments sopping wet, cold and gasping for breath but with a silver fish grasped tightly in one hand.
The sweet smell of cooking fish drifted through Dariza small cave, the silver fish she had caught earlier that morning was almost finished, breakfast was almost ready. She slid the done fish out of the pan and onto a stone plate where Dariza began to rip it savagely apart with her teeth. She had not eaten since the previous day.
As she ate her meal a though came to Dariza that had not come to her in all of her fifteen years of living in the valley. Yet it was inevitable that the thought would come eventually. A thought caught Dariza's mind to venture beyond her sanctuary that was the valley and explore the land beyond. It was surprising that Dariza had not yet done this, that she had stayed for fifteen years in this valley with out once giving a thought to the land beyond it.
Dariza was well aware of the dangers that lay out side of her home, yet the thought of change and exploration proved to strong to resist. Dariza left her half eaten breakfast on the floor of the cave and, strapping her sword around her waist departed, for the last time from the cave she had called home for fifteen years.
It was noon before Dariza reached the boarders of her valley home, and was surprised to feel a pang of sadness at the thought of leaving it, but yet again the lure of exploration proved victorious. With out looking back, Dariza strode into the small woodland that surrounded her valley.
That was the main thing Dariza remembered of that fateful night fifteen years ago when house Do'Urden had attacked house DeVir. The sounds of screams and of the pounding of the Do'Urden soldiers boots still rang in Dariza's ears, even though she was far away from Menzoberranzan.
Dariza was only a commoner; she could not place an accusation against house Do'Urden. But she didn't want to. Dariza was thankful enough that she had escaped that night, besides, that was all behind her now.
Or so she had thought.
She shouldn't be feeling this way; after all, she was only five when DeVir had been attacked. She shouldn't remember anything.
But she remembered the fear.
Dariza shook her head and wandered out of the cave. She looked over the valley with its flowing stream and towering pines; this was the time of day when the valley looked most beautiful, sunrise. The pinks and oranges swam in the sky before her; dancing the same dance they did every morning to welcome the brilliant orb of fire that would grace the sky. No stone roof had stood over Dariza's head now for fifteen years, and she was thankful.
Dariza gathered up a rough cloth and a stone basin and headed down to the stream to wash. She climbed carefully down the side of the mountain watching out for any unsteady rocks that, with a single wrong step, could send her plummeting down fifty feet. But, as so many days before, Dariza made it down the mountain and waded into the cool waters of the stream. The morning breeze blew her thick white hair into her deep brown eyes. Dariza was uncommonly pretty for a drow, her slim soft figure highly resembled that of the surface elves and her skill with weapons certainly outmatched that of most of her people. And she was still young, scarcely twenty years of age when the average lifespan of the drow was seven centuries.
Dariza took a deep breath and dove head first into the icy water, she came up after a few moments sopping wet, cold and gasping for breath but with a silver fish grasped tightly in one hand.
The sweet smell of cooking fish drifted through Dariza small cave, the silver fish she had caught earlier that morning was almost finished, breakfast was almost ready. She slid the done fish out of the pan and onto a stone plate where Dariza began to rip it savagely apart with her teeth. She had not eaten since the previous day.
As she ate her meal a though came to Dariza that had not come to her in all of her fifteen years of living in the valley. Yet it was inevitable that the thought would come eventually. A thought caught Dariza's mind to venture beyond her sanctuary that was the valley and explore the land beyond. It was surprising that Dariza had not yet done this, that she had stayed for fifteen years in this valley with out once giving a thought to the land beyond it.
Dariza was well aware of the dangers that lay out side of her home, yet the thought of change and exploration proved to strong to resist. Dariza left her half eaten breakfast on the floor of the cave and, strapping her sword around her waist departed, for the last time from the cave she had called home for fifteen years.
It was noon before Dariza reached the boarders of her valley home, and was surprised to feel a pang of sadness at the thought of leaving it, but yet again the lure of exploration proved victorious. With out looking back, Dariza strode into the small woodland that surrounded her valley.