Chapter 1

The hustle and bustle of the early morning activities of New Damara Docks were in full swing. The sailors were busy preparing to make weigh anchor and head out along the wide expanse of the sword coast. Those that plied their trade by fishing and bringing in the fresh catch were already since sun up out to sea casting their nets and making their hauls.

The traders and vendors were hawking their wares along the dockside to the various business owners and one particular owner had caught their attention as she strolled along with her sister Kaitlin Kaleen. Kaitlin was slender blond and very fragile looking with her delicate pale beauty a complimentary contrast to the exotic looking beauty at her side.

Where Kaitlin was pale, M'lar was golden brown, which was a part of her hybrid genetic scro make up. Kaitlin had deep china blue eyes that were set with intensity and compassion that exuded from her very nature, where M'lar was a child in a woman's body with emerald green eyes that flashed with excitement and fire and a passion for life. Jamie Kilgore once said looking upon these two you could see fire and ice in the making.

Where Kaitlin was fine boned and delicate with a figure most would envy, M'lar possessed a body that men lusted for and had thoughts of a more erotic nature. She carried her five-foot frame with confidence and brashness and sported cleavage that held her god's gift an ivory scroll blessed by Oghma giving her extra powers and gifts.

Most men that watched that tiny scroll lie between her breasts and could only wish they were that scroll. To hang around her neck and put their noses right in the deepest part of that cleavage. The problem was M'lar was unaware that she evoked such thoughts in the baser side of the human males or other species of males.

One particular Minotaur had become enamored of her and had pursued her to the point he was challenged and killed by another jealous rival. This had been much to the distress of M'lar. She had witnessed the killing blow and grown angry with the hopeful suitor. Her anger was so intense that her wrath had sent him scrambling off the island on the next available ship.

M'lar moved with a forcefulness that belied the delicate elven features that were now dominated by her scro nature as she strolled along the wharf holding onto Kait's arm. "I love the docks! Its so alive dear sister!" Kait nodded her assent allowing her gaze to shift over the area resting on the faces of many she knew and were aware of their situations.

"M'lar have you given thought to the fashion show we plan for the fundraiser of the orphanage?"

M'lar had become distracted as she moved to the Johnson's fish stand and made a purchase waiting for them to wrap the purchase and hand it over in a basket. "Yes Kait I have thought about and tried to not think any more about it. Why can't we have the fashion show in the park? Whey does it have to be at the Dice?"

M'lar turned to look around the docks seeing the large masted ships standing so regally tall and commanding as they came or exited the port always made her heart beat with excitement. Her imagination was filled with the exotic places they must be headed and she was a bit wistful that she was not a part of that adventure.

"Because the money is attracted to the gambling house." She spoke softly having heard the disagreeable tone in M'lar's voice as she made her own observations. "Do you want to attract a higher coin then we must compromise and have the fashion show at the Dice. You know Morgan will attract the high coin value for our cause."

M'lar snorted as she thought of Morgan Manshak and curbed a nasty shiver. "I think I would take the humble copper over the extravagant gold." Kait waited for her sister to make another purchase as she turned to make her own observations of the activities of the docks. M'lar moved to the end of one dock and stood and studied the continual roll of the ocean watching it make its perpetual movements trying to steal a little more from the shores only to leave its certain treasures upon its sandy shores.

Kait knew she had lost her attention for the one millionth time and waited patiently while she let her nature rejuvenated itself with the peace that was the water and the ocean. She knew her thoughts were to the calming waters and she smiled watching her with a very thoughtful look upon her face.

Scurrilous eyes watched the two council women making their mid morning stroll along the dockside. Most knew that lady Kaitlin was the intended of Lieutenant Thunderstryke. Orion was the right hand man of Marstoq who had now been appointed as Captain of the guard. He was also the adopted son of the young and vivacious M'lar who held most the attentions.

When one first looked upon her they were immediately struck by the fact she was what could not be. She was what Corellon Larethian and Gruumsh had forbidden to ever existing and that was a hybrid of both elven kind and orcs kind. M'lar stood all of five foot tall a tribute to the small bone structure of an elf with tiny pointed ears that hinted through her massive fall of luxurious auburn hair that cascaded down her back to brush at her hips.

Her build was strong and sturdy as she moved with the grace of an elf. The only true feature that denoted her mixed blood was the slightly more wider than normal forehead and protrusive brow that held the delicate cut of her eyebrows and s small dimple that graced the center of her forehead that was usually covered by the sweep of her bangs.

Kait watched her as she moved to another vendor and made more purchases for the late dinner crowd that would surely be flocking to the Nest by sunset. She noted how the eyes were drawn to the large busted woman wearing that outlandish outfit. Kait had known she had been to the outer reaches of the town proper and had been wearing her priestly robes in the early morning hours and that the heat had always seem to force her dear adopted sister to want to wear less.

So one can imagine the surprise she had when one morning when M'lar tried to make her get up to run, that Kait was scandalized by the choice of clothing she now wore. M'lar had taken a pair of boys breeches and cut them off so that they were nothing more than short step ins or panties. She had taken a shirt and cut the sleeves out and had styled it so that it fit her like a tank top. The close fitting garment had accented every curve and outline the shape of her body so that it was not only near indecent but very distracting.

So now with her tromping along in her ankle leather booties to the stands she was attracting attention from a more undesirable type. M'lar had stepped away from the vendor she felt her arm captured by a rough hand that tugged her back. "Whar aye goin gerlie. Whu be the charge for aye services?"

M'lar had felt a moments irritation at being manhandled and then she relaxed. Looking down at the hand that held her forearm she smiled and looked the near toothless smelly sailor in the eye. "You want to keep that hand?"

The large man grinned and it was all M'lar could do to keep from cringing. He not only had not bathed in a months of Seventh Days he had lost his teeth to poor oral hygiene and she was not enraptured of his smelly body odor or his breath. "Whu ya gonna do about it gerl?" He grinned and before he knew what had happened, he found himself flying through the air to land unceremoniously in the drink by the wharf side docks.

Looking over to Kait M'lar smiled and winked. "Well another admirer down the drink. He really needed a bath!" She chuckled and moved with her now burgeoning basket of seafood to her sister. "Come on its time to head back to the Nest. I need to brush out Ebony and get this on today's lunch and in the cooler for tonight's supper." M'Lar turned on a well-balanced heel and started back down the docks.

She was headed to the wharf side business that faced the ocean and the docks. She stopped a moment to admire the structure that now stood as one of the most popular inns and tavern on the island. With a triumphant smile she was happy that her business was flourishing.

This so much so that it was to Morgan Manshak's great disappointment she had made her business more popular than his fest hall of painted expensive whores and gaming tables. Which when she thought about it was another reason she was not thrilled about participating in the fashion auction. She felt that patronizing the Golden Dice was putting a sign up saying she was no better than the whores that plied their trade there.

Her gaze shifted over the wharf front properties and found that she was content with what she and Kait had accomplished as the owners of the Crystal Crows Nest, which now had been shortened to 'The Nest' or the 'Crows Nest '.

It was a name that Kait and she had decided on and had found it appropriate. It represented them as the feminine side of a cutthroat business. Although she was sure that Morgan trying to shut them down and had contrived a lot of the fights and the damage that had done to her place in one form or another. Despite the many set backs she still prevailed and had shown a profit.

Even when the building had been nearly destroyed by an attack of sea creatures that was in the form of crab men. It had been an altercation that had lasted two hours of intense fighting and mayhem. After the fight was over she had an open front and damaged furniture. She was sure at that time she would be closed down for good.

The next morning when she arrived her heart was filled and tears burned her eyes. What stood before her was more volunteers that had stepped forward offering rebuilding her business making it stronger. Building it with materials that would allow it to stand against such attacks.

She stood remembering the night the sahuagin had come in. She had her daughter Gillian sleeping in a basket. The creature had moved to strike at the innocent babe in the basket and Kait had taken a large amount of damage throwing herself over the baby to protect her from being hurt.

M'lar had never know such fury and frustration as the sight of seeing her beautiful sister being stabbed with a trefoil as she lay across Gillian's body. Spurred on by her anger and impetus to send these creatures back to Umberlee's embrace she grabbed her staff and began to swing away.

Each strike she made she advanced further towards Kait to stand like the angry half scro she was. Feeling the rush of battle singing in her veins she parried, she tripped, and she broke bones and finally when the dust had settled and they were near exhaustion. She had watched dispassionately while the last of the dead sahuagin were carried to the bay and dumped. Sending them back to Umberlee with a soft curse about her damned children.

Moving she quickly she called upon her god's gifts to heal Kait and the others that had stood so bravely at her side. They had fought for the right to live on this island and they were not going to back down for nothing. That was also the night she had decided that until Gillian could defend herself she would have to go away and live off plane with her dear friend and dragon rider Olorian.

With much gratitude and a heavy heart that was breaking watched with a great deal of ambivalence while Gillian was loaded onto the back of the great gold dragon Sharaska and was taken to dragon world to live out her life in peace and safe keeping. All this was done with the direction of Lord Dendron known to M'lar as Olorian.

M'lar found herself once again alone but for her adult adopted children and her sister in an unfriendly and sometimes very unaccepting world filled with hate and prejudice. A time of turmoil and unrest that had always seemed to be directed at her or her businesses. It was a time of frustration and anger for the hybrid female. She felt each day was a struggle to just survive in this strange new world she had adopted as her new home.

Kait watched her dear sister as she stood observing their business and moved to her side, "Copper for your thoughts."

M'lar allowed the slow easy smile edge her full lips. "I was just thinking of what we have accomplished here Kait. Look at our business, its mid day and we are already filled to capacity for our rooms and the place is busy with customers drinking and eating."

Kait slid her arm around her sister's slender waist. "Yes you did this my sweet sister, you are the reason we thrive here."

M'lar laid her head against Kait's "No we thrive and its because of us Kait. You and me we make a great team and you fill the void that is a part of my life that is missing. Who would have ever thought a half breed and a human could make such a great team?"

She turned with a quirky grin for her sis and there she saw for a moment the hesitation and the uncertainty that Kait had always managed to keep hidden from M'lar. Seeing that shadow flit across her near perfect features she asked softly. "What? Why are you in such distress my dear sweet sister?"

"Not distressed. I am worried about you my dear. I would hope you would find a man and settle down."

M'lar laughed. "Sis, why would I want to give up all this for a life of drudgery and servitude to a man? I have temple, I have this business, I am building one of the largest libraries that this island has ever seen in the name of my god, why would I want to seek something that could tear at the fabric of who and what I am. Which is true to myself."

Kait felt her arm being disengaged from M'lar's waist as she moved on towards the Nest and up to the front porch and the door. Kait stood back and watched and waited, then it came.

As M'lar opened the door she paused in the door way and her gaze shifted to the drow tender behind the bar and she shouted, "HI HONEY I'm HOME!"

Kait smiled this always evoked a wry grin and the typical rolling of the eyes from Baloq the drow tender that had been a part of M'lar's life since her days of managing the Hoch for Marstoq.

Baloq looked at his boss and sighed folding his big muscled arms across his chest he studied the woman that had evoked a lot of emotion from a lot of people but none more so than the woman that stood poised in the doorway.

"About time you got back, cook wants the fresh catch so she can start on the mid day meal patrons."

M'lar sighed and tromped into the common room of the comfortably arranged tavern part of her and Kait's inn. She knew when coming through the door that the room was divided by the off set of swinging doors that lead to the kitchen. There were two large windows to her right and then one large window to her left.

Seven round tables were arranged in front of the windows and the bar ran the length of the room with a small extension that blocked one end of the bar. There were several chairs and stools and various stools that would accommodate most of the different species that would patronize their establishment.

From the reinforced chairs to accommodate the larger than life patrons to the smaller more accommodating step up stools that would allow a dwarf or Halfling access to the bar and the tender.

She turned to peer at a smaller more elegantly dressed room off the main common room, which she called the private dining room that shared a two-sided fireplace. Then to the right of the private dinning room was a set of stairs. That led to the overhead rooms, which were a part of the inn.

She had known at one time this had been an old warehouse that had been converted to a bar with storage upstairs. So she had made sure that a dancehall had been included next to the kitchen area in the rear of the Tavern Inn and that as such she could entreat the bards to come in and play and make a little money and provide some entertainment for those that wished it.

She and Kait had easily designed and saw their dream full filled with the building of bedrooms over head and thus this was one reason her place had become so popular with the locals and those traveling through. It was the simple fact that they could find a comfortable bed that was clean with access to laundry service and bathing chambers near their room.

Even now as she moved to the kitchen she knew she was at capacity and had to refer some patrons to the Storm Inn. Kait followed her at a more sedate move into the bar and behind her sister to take a seat at the bar. "Baloq may I have a cold ruet bier?"

Baloq smiled his white teeth slashing a wide white grin across his ebon features. Moving to the crate he dumped a tankard into the barrel and pulled out a dark heady fragrant drink and with a cantrip he chilled it to perfection for her. "Thar aye go Malady. Enjoy."

He wiped the tankard off and sat it in front of Kait. Smiling her thanks she glanced over at the nearly full room and looked at the sky. It was easy another three hours from mid day meal and the place was thriving. She could hear M'lar in the kitchen speaking with cook and Kait knew that M'lar could not leave her hands from cooks pots and could hear cook fussing at her to leave her stove alone.

M'lar made a hasty retreat from the kitchen with a sheepish grin on her face as she bustled over to Baloq. "So, how are things going you handling things ok?"

Baloq once again with an over indulgent look of either a patient husband or a father gave her a sideways glance. "Don cha have a book to bind or a class to give?"

M'Lar smiled and winked at Kait and sighed. "Yes, of course. I suppose I could take Kait and we could go to the park for a bit she wants to nag me about the fashion show."

Kait rolled her eyes and then looked down at the drink that sat in front of her. "Yes dear I do. Why not change and I will allow you to put me on the back of that beast you call a horse and we can go to the park."

M'lar could feel the heat of the day beginning to make its crawl down her spine in the form of a bead of sweat that soaked against her skin and stuck to her clothing. "Why don't I get cook to throw us together a small picnic and I will go get that ridiculous bathing costume you make me wear so I can swim in the lake, you can bring your needle work and we can in between swims and needlepointing discuss your silly fashion show."

Once again Kait let out a long protracted sigh as she looked with patient indulgence at her sister. "Go change sister dear and I will wait for you here."

M'lar looked at the long dress and the layers of clothing she must have on under that dress and shuddered at the thought of burning up and becoming irritable with the heat if it were her. Turning she half skipped and half bounced over to the stairs up them and to her office where she disappeared behind closed doors. Calling over her shoulder, "I am not wearing that many clothes when we ride to the park sister, so don't get your hopes up!"

Kait moved to the rocking chair by the raised hearth of the the unlit fireplace. There had been no need for a fire due to extreme heat they were experiencing. Lifting her bag of needlework she stood and waited watching out the front windows of the inn. She was for the most part semi content and this fashion show had seemed such a good idea for them to garner some coin to help with the local orphanage.

They needed so much for those poor children. Usually she knew M'lar was always about helping the under privilege and those in need and especially when it came to children she had a softer spot than usual. Why she was fighting her on this fashion show she had no idea. Of one thing was for sure without M'lar in the show they would not make as much as they could.

Kait was constantly amazed at the number of potential suitors that M'lar had showing up on her door. She had become the island's most eligible and had gained a reputation for being the golden girl to conquered and harnessed and for a moment Kait had to admit to do so would crush her spirit and she would no longer be M'lar but someone's trophy.

M'lar was in her right her own woman and at least deserved to be held in that right to make her life as she saw fit and to be herself. To do otherwise would change her and she was not one for change. She like most that was afraid of change fought it tooth and nail.

She had enough problems with the elven male population that wanted to pay court to her but her sense of ethics would not permit her to allow them to put their arvandor at risk. For her dream Kait knew was that she could be in the great Library in the sky next to her god Oghma. That is why she would let no elf loose his chance for arvandor no matter their passionate pleas to her to take them and lay with them.

A slight frown filtered across the natural beauty's face that was Kait when she thought of a darker element that had tried to claim M'lar and crush her under its powerful evil. The affects of that relationship had culminated in the birth of Gillian that now was not allowed to be near her mother for her own safety. Oh that sweet lovely child she would have gladly a thousand times had laid her life down to protect that child.

She was certainly glad M'lar had enlisted the aid of Olorian to take Gillian into the shelter of Dragon World and protect her. A soft sigh escaped her as she heard the inquisitive voice of her sister behind her. "Copper for them."

A soft chuckle came with a warm breath to her ear and she turned seeing M'lar was now wearing her bathing costume under her cut off breeches and that horrid top. "Not worth a copper come along we can go to the park and I can try to persuade you to my way of thinking if you will at least hear me out."