Keptolo
It had been inevitable.
Keptolo had been weakened, and now his enemies were closing in for the kill.
He would have done the same in their situation.
Zinzerena had long been an enemy of The Willing Consort. She had achieved her apotheosis by stealing part of his divine power. She had mocked and degraded him, but had been unable to move against him while he was under Lolth's protection.
But Lolth was dead.
It was exactly what he would have done. She had begun by spreading anti-Lolth sentiment among the rabble of Erelhei-Cinlu, site of Keptolo's greatest temple and largest center of his worship. Of course, as Lolth's Consort, Keptolo was the sole surviving remnant of her divine power, a power many drow would rather see eliminated entirely. Erelhei-Cinlu had always been a city divided by religious tension. Unlike Menzoberranzan, Lolth had not gone unchallenged here, and people were more open to act against her will. It was not hard to draw upon the rage of the people and direct it toward her faithful consort, Keptolo.
Keptolo's faithful were well-trained in the arts of subtlety and betrayal, but they were also, in general, fine swordsmen. This was attested to by the fact that the temple had not yet fallen. Elegantly clad priests and laymen desperately crossed swords with angry forces intent on destroying their god's seat of power. They had little chance against such forces, barring Divine Intervention.
Yahiko was torn by the situation. Keptolo was his guest, under his protection. He was honor-bound to defend him. Yet, he had no desire to harm anyone, and had always made it a point to avoid meddling in the conflicts of other deities. It was an agonizing decision, but, in the end, he had no choice. Keptolo could not truly defend himself.
It was a matter of honor.
The temple's defenders had been pressed to the very threshold. Despite their skill, the superior numbers were overwhelming.
"People of Eralhei-Cinlu, hear me!" A powerful voice emanated from the darkness above the temple, a sound of great wings flapping. A monstrosity swept down over the crowd to turn and land upon the temple's roof. All but the most knowledgeable thought it a fiend, a bat-winged ogre with the head of a mind flayer. His abdomen was open and hollow from sternum to breeches, with thick intestines writhing like grotesque serpents. He brandished a longsword in a massive, taloned hand. "Leave this temple in peace, or suffer the consequences."
The fighting stopped immediately as both defender and attacker turned to look upon the horror crouching atop The temple of Keptolo like some hideous gargoyle. For a moment Bloodwing thought the crowd might actually disperse.
"It is merely a mortal beast!" A female voice called out from the crowd, "An ineffable horror! He cannot truly harm us!"
Bloodwing's red eyes narrowed. Zinzerena herself could be here. He was merely a proxy of a minor demigod, he might not be able to overcome any Charm spells she had cast upon the crowd.
The crowd, egged on by the female voice, surged forward, intent on destruction. "Burn it! Burn it away and wipe the memory of Lolth from the universe!" She cried.
"Go. Leave this place or die!" Bloodwing roared. The crowd ignored him. He silently cursed Zinzerena, he had wanted to avoid violence, but there was no choice, now.
The sound was deafening in the enclosed cavern that housed the great city. The droning of millions of wings, clattering mandibles and skittering feet. A solid mass flowed from around and above the temple, a great tidal wave of insects. Flying, crawling, leaping they swarmed around the faithful of Keptolo and into the crowd. Insects and arachnids of all kinds and sizes vied hungrily for flesh. Tiny ants and foot-long locusts fell upon the attackers, some stripping flesh from bone and others devouring the bones themselves. Bloodwing himself waded into the fray, sword flashing, tentacles latching onto unfortunate drow and draining the nourishing blood from their bodies. At least their deaths would not be a total waste.
The crowd quickly fled in panic. Bloodwing held back the swarm, too many lives had been lost in this foolishness already. He turned and began using his priestly power to Heal injured defenders, and prayed for the dead on both sides. How many lives had he taken to save these lives?
The stunned servants of Keptolo began to realize that they had been saved. Their master must have sent this powerful host to defend them. Bloodwing felt a bit sick as he heard them praising Keptolo for their deliverance. He could not blame them, they knew not where he came from. It was merely the bitter irony of it all. He hated Keptolo, that fawning, perverted little coward his master called a 'friend'. He would have gladly let Zinzerena kill the lying little parasite, but his master felt obligated to protect him. While he disagreed with his master, he was loyal and obeyed.
He felt a twinge of disgust as a tall, elegant male drow appeared upon the temple steps in a shaft of purple light. With his foes vanquished, Keptolo had decided to come and gloat. His worshipers turned and knelt in reverence.
Bloodwing caught a glimmer from the corner of eye. . .
Keptolo smiled in satisfaction as his servants praised him. His only regret was that Yahiko's soft-hearted proxy had allowed most of the crowd to escape. It mattered little, after today's massacre the people would not dare attack his temple again. He was impressed by Yahiko's sheer destructive power. For a god of Tolerance and Kindness, he could be ruthless when his quaint but fortuitous sense of honor demanded it.
He would have to be careful to stay on his good side.
His eyes widened in amazement as Bloodwing suddenly loomed before him, as if to strike. His hand instinctively went to his rapier. The ineffable horror fell to his knees as Keptolo heard the unmistakable sound of an bolt striking flesh. The massive creature rose, grasped him tightly and fled into the temple.
Zinzerena cursed angrily. That creature had driven off her army, and now he had taken a bolt for Keptolo! It was beyond her comprehension that anyone would do such a thing. She had heard that the demigod protecting Keptolo valued 'honor', a foreign concept, to be sure. . . But the creature would pay dearly for his interference. As for her, she would try again. Soon.
As she fled across the rooftops, she heard an ominous droning sound. The swarm was following her!
Keptolo was in shock. He had come very close to death, and he wasn't used to physical danger. He cursed Zinzerena to The Nine Hells. "Thank you, Bloodwing," He began, regaining his composure, "It would appear that I owe you my. . ." Bloodwing collapsed within the temple, a sharp agony piercing through his body. Poison. The Willing Consort knelt beside the proxy, pulled out the bolt and began frantically casting Healing spells. Yahiko appeared almost instantly and joined in him in trying to save his proxy. "It is a poison called The Bile of Juiblex. It is extremely virulent and highly resistant to Healing spells. I know, I've used it myself."
"Hold on, Bloodwing. You're too strong to fall like this." Yahiko said soothingly.
Zinzerena opened a Portal, but it closed instantly. The air behind her was thick with insects, and their vengeful master was intent on feeding them her flesh. She leaped down into the crowded streets, knowing that Yahiko would not endanger innocents by sending his swarm into the crowd. She was both right and wrong. A two-headed fly the size of a man's head swooped down, hooked its powerful claws into her shoulders, lifted her above the crowd and into the swarm itself. . .
The screams were heard even in the temple, over three blocks away. "I take it that was our assassin?" Yahiko finally pulled back, helping Bloodwing onto a luxurious couch. The poison was purged from his system, but he would be weak for some time. "Yes." He said finally, "Zinzerena herself." Keptolo could barely restrain his glee, but would wait until he thought it appropriate to celebrate. Kuromitsu, Yahiko's bizarre fly familiar, flew into the temple, bearing The Cloak of Shadow's Embrace, one of the two divine items the cursed wench had stolen from him. The creature deposited it at the god's feet before taking his spot on his master's shoulder. "Beware," Yahiko's voice was grave, "She is a master of poison and illusion, the cloak may hide more than shadows." "I am well aware of drow treachery. I will have it magically examined, and thoroughly cleansed, before I don it again."
Yahiko had found Kuromitsu in the realm of Obox-Ob, Demon Lord of Vermin, on the 663rd layer of the Abyss. Keptolo had found it disgusting, but he was grateful for it now. It had retrieved his rightful property from Zinzerena. If she was truly dead, he could claim her Portfolio, Yahiko certainly would not want it. Unfortunately, she had no realm of her own. It was a step up in the world nonetheless.
Bloodwing had saved Keptolo's life. He wasn't sure he'd ever be able to forgive himself. Still, his lord had wanted the drow protected, and he had returned the favor. He fervently hoped he'd made the right decision.
But he doubted it.
The End.
Kuromitsu - Shining Black