* The recognisable characters appearing in this story are © Wizards of the Coast, Inc., all rights reserved. They are used without permission and for entertainment purposes only. No profit is being made by the author for writing this story. No infringement upon nor challenge to the rights of the copyright holders is intended; nor should any be inferred.
Chapter 1 - The half-bred
It was a busy day in the city of spiders.
The bazzar was filled with merchants and craftsmen.
The older members of Melee-Magthere had just come back from a successful raid on an elven village.
Slaves and spoils were being dragged into the dark city.
He could hear the constant crack of the whip as drow slavers tortured the new arrivals, testing their resolve.
He could hear the mocking laugh of drow priestesses as they watched from a distance.
Choosing which slave would serve as a sacrifice to the Spider Queen, like one would choose the best looking fruits at the market.
Tightening the cloak around his face, the young man silently made his way towards the rich section of the city...the area occupied by most of the great houses that ruled over Menzoberranzan.
Blending in the shadows of the dark streets, he wisely avoided a trio of dark elves coming out from a tavern.
The three looked as though they had drunk more than a bit and seemed to be looking for a fight.
Swiftly crossing the street, he was relieved to see that they started picking on an orc slave.
He looked up to see the great houses of the city as they loomed over the poor section, like a great beast seeking to devour.
The great pillar of the city, Narbondel, shun brightly. A symbol of the arcane power contained in the great city and a reminder to all nobles
that house Baenre was far more powerful than all other houses in Menzoberranzan.
Spiders were rampant. Some large, some small, but all held as much importance in the eyes of Lolth and her followers.
Killing a spider resulted in a most unpleasant death, especially if the offender was a non-drow such as himself.
Walking through the great city, he came to a halt as he entered the huge gate that marked his house.
Several disaproving glares came his way, a constant reminder that he would never be accepted in drow society.
Barrison del`Armgo`s courtyard was immense. The great house ranking second in the city, sported a large number of priestesses, wizards and was reknown for the size and skill of its warriors.
Entering the main complex, the young man swallowed hard and knocked on a large door that featured countless spider engravings.
The house was full of them...
"Come in" said a loud voice coming from inside.
Opening the door, the young man faced a tall, angry looking drow...Uthegental Armgo. Clearly the tallest drow in the city, he was known for his volatile and violent temper.
"I hope for your sake the task is done" he said, his visage not showing a hint of kindness.
"Yes father, it is done." the young man said removing his cloak.
" Good...perhaps you will not turn out to be like the useless offal your mother was" came the harsh reply.
The young man did not even flinch at the insult. He was getting used to the demeaning insults...that was his lot in life it seems.
He was punished, even when he did not do anything wrong.
"Now go and rest while you can. Tonight you will be fighting Duedrin. He is an accomplished warrior and I think your ego can use a little more humiliation."
"Yes father" came the obedient reply.
Uthegental looked at his son with much hatred. However his hate was not as constant and strong as that of the priestesses.
They so enjoyed torturing him and insulting him. He was the opposite of everything they held dear and represented.
He was a mongrel, an abomination...he was half-drow.
