Spider-Eye

Spider-Eye hated the drow. Not only were they hideous little bipeds, but they were treacherous backstabbers who worshiped a demoness that embodied all evil and corruption in The Underdark. And those Matron Mothers who demanded that he, a faithful servant of The Great Mother and a superior form of life, bow before them as they passed him in the streets! Arrogant insects. . . They did respect him, somewhat, due to his perfect configuration of eye-stalks. They resembled in shape and placement the limbs of a great spider. Some even thought him Lolth-touched! They doubtless meant it as a compliment, but it was a vile insult to compare his form and that of The Great Mother to that disgusting harlot.

So why was he making his way down the crowded streets of Menzoberranzan?

He wanted to purchase a slave, and didn't want the bother of hunting down and breaking a wild one.

His eyes took in many wretched creatures displayed for sale, but it was almost an hour before he found one that caught his eye. He was bound in magical chains, 12' feet of lean, jet-black muscle, claws, fangs. . . And horns? He had two red horns jutting out above luminescent green eyes. The creature had the nose and long limbs of a troll, yet he stood fully erect. And intelligence gleamed in those green eyes. . . What is he?

"A black troll." The mistress of the slave pen answered his unspoken question, "They are also called 'demon trolls'. They come from The Abyss." Spider-Eye set three eyes upon the diminutive female, "Fascinating. If not for the nose I'd swear he was a fiend." The orb's voice was deep and resonant. "Hence the name," The mistress replied, and moved forward, toward the slave. She stood about waist high to the troll, "But they are trolls, with all of the abilities of trolls." She swiftly drew a blade and buried it deep in the troll's abdomen. He grunted, more in helpless rage than pain, and glared hatefully at the drow even as the wound vanished. Spider-Eye gaped in shock for a moment, "Was that necessary?" The drow laughed, "Is that compassion in your voice, Eye Tyrant?" "Merely surprise that a merchant would so damage her merchandise." He responded swiftly. Any show of sympathy would make him appear weak, a dangerous position when surrounded by drow.

Krek glared at the slaver. If he could work his way free of his bonds, he'd rend her limb from limb, but powerful magic held him fast. The pain was nothing, but the indignity was infuriating. He had been slave to a Noble House, and when that House fell he was put on the market again. Because he was a troll, most believed him a mindless brute, but the trolls of The Abyss were markedly different from the pathetic, mindless creatures bred by the drow. He often used this to his advantage, here in Menzoberranzan, one had to use any edge they could to survive. He considered the beholder who was considering him. Slaves of beholders led charmed lives, literally, they were kept under Charm spells to ensure their loyalty to the paranoid orbs. The creature obviously wanted to purchase him, and there was the usual haggling over price. He sighed softly, it would likely be a better life with the beholder than with the drow.

Trolls would seem almost perfect as slaves, particularly guards, if one could control them. Trolls were typically large, strong and unintelligent. And they were able to survive and recover from what would be fatal injuries to other races, including decapitation. However, from what he Spider-Eye knew of 'common' trolls they had abominable hygiene and habits. According to the slaver, (whom he did not trust in the least), this one was well-trained in the concept of cleanliness.

At first glance Krek could be, and usually was, taken for a handsome, if long nosed, demon. His body was well-proportioned and his bone structure was as elegant as that of his drow masters. The tuft of black hair on his head was drawn back tightly and braided. His ragged britches were stained with blood, most of it his own. He wondered if he could strike down the slaver in the brief moment she transferred control to the beholder. He would prefer to prolong the agony, savor her suffering, but he would not have that kind of time. He would have to make do.

Spider-Eye opened his toothy maw and began feeling about inside his mouth with his massive tongue, finally drawing out a dripping, slimy leather bag of coin, relishing the look of disgust on the slaver's face. To his disappointment, she summoned a slave to handle the payment. She herself began a short series of spells to free the troll, from a safe distance, of course. "What's your name?" The beholder rumbled. "Krek, master." He replied, his voice was surprisingly smooth and slightly hushed, with a hint of an Abyssal accent. He doubted the beholder really cared what his name was, but who was to know?

To his disappointment, the beholder began leading him away before he could strike out at the mistress. He was still chained, though not as tightly. He looked at the orb, it was mottled red and black, with eight eye-stalks arranged in a manner reminiscent of a spider, and his massive central eye was actually a compound eye, like that of an insect. A strange trait, but then, the same could be said of his kind. Centuries of life in The Abyss, exposure to its chaotic energies, had transformed his ancestors from 'normal' trolls into a fiendish-looking, highly intelligent breed. The Beholder was about half his height in circumference, and always kept his eyes alert, a wise move in The City of The Spider Queen, "I am Spider-Eye." His new master said, "I will be fair with you if you prove yourself obedient." He didn't know what to make of that, "What languages do you speak?" "My native tongue is Abyssal, but I speak giant, undercommon and drow, master." The beholder noted that the troll's voice was smooth and pleasant, not the barking tone he had expected. "What deity do you serve?" Krek shrugged, "The gods of The Abyss are not pleasant. I have yet to choose, master." His clan had served the Demon Lord Graz'zt, but demons were notoriously untrustworthy, and Graz'zt had certainly not aided him against Lolth. Spider-Eye frowned, "My deity, The Great Mother, holds court in the Realm of A Million Eyes, on the 6th lair of The Abyss."

Oh, Lolth, he cursed silently. He had just made a potentially fatal mistake.. He had no idea that beholders had a deity, much less that she dwelled in The Abyss. If his new master thought he had insulted his goddess, he was going to suffer for it. "Don't worry. You doubtless had no way of knowing. Graz'zt's realm is far removed from The Great Mother's." He sighed deeply, grateful for the reprieve. Trolls, as a rule, have no fear of death or pain, but trolls living under the drow learn quickly that pain can exceed even their remarkable resistance.

"And please stop calling me 'master'. It's becoming rather tedious." Spider-Eye added. Unlike other so-called 'beholders', Spider-Eye found adulation and groveling incredibly annoying. "You may refer to me as 'The Great and Majestic Spider-Eye, Scourge of The Underdark, Lord of Eyes and True Child of The Great Mother.' The beholder turned and gave a toothy smile, "Or simply call me Spider-Eye.'" Krek laughed politely. So, his new master had a sense of humor. That could be a good thing, or a very, very bad thing.

Spider-Eye bought some clean clothing for Krek, a difficult feat considering his size, and then made haste to leave the accursed city. Krek deduced the beholder was no more fond of Menzoberranzan than he was. As soon as they reached the outskirts of the city, he opened a Portal and the two vanished.

Krek's chains clattered to the floor of the sparse cavern, and he rubbed his wrists gratefully. He was not yet Charmed, as far as he could tell, though why the beholder would take such a risk with a dangerous and unknown slave was beyond him. Perhaps this creature held far more power than it seemed. Or it was testing him.

He took in his surroundings warily. It was a fair-sized side chamber with a small fire pit in the center, a pile of animal hides and a few empty niches on the wall. "This is your room, though I doubt you'll use the fire pit. Feel free to fill it with whatever you like." He led the troll down huge tunnels into various galleries, most having little or nothing inside. He showed him how and where to dispose of waste, where the small pool of drinking water was, and the locations of the few traps he had created to guard this near-empty abode. Among his few 'treasures' was a fine wizard's robe, "If I am robbed, then the fools will likely take this robe. But I'll get them back. It's a Robe of Vermin." He gave a disconcerting, thundering laugh, "Once they put it on, the parasites will attack them, and they won't be able to remove it!" Spider-Eye, it seemed, had planned a number of nasty surprises for any thieves and murderers who infiltrated his home. Most of the coin and all of the handful of gems were under a curse only he could lift. Apparently, the curse would cause all of the thieves to desire the gems for themselves. They would eventually turn upon one another, with amusingly violent results.

"There is one more thing I want you to see. It is my. . . Our hunting ground." The orb lead the troll down a short, bright corridor that seemed to open into a vast cavern. But what Krek stepped out into was no cavern. Several hundred feet beneath him was a massive expanse of thick green plants, and above him, nothing but a bright, endless void.

"I know that it is bright, but this is actually their dark cycle. It is best for us to hunt and work at this time, and sleep during the heat and light. This is also the time when most animals are active, making for better hunting." Spider-Eye explained that a small group of druids lived in the forest below, and their influence with the nature deities required that they tread carefully. More importantly to them, personally, there was a balance to the forest. If they took too much prey and damaged that balance, they would have to work far harder to find food, and eventually the valley would be emptied.

As the light began to grow brighter and brighter, Spider-Eye retreated to his personal chamber to rest. After several hours, Krek snuck into the chamber. Even as the beholder slept, his eye-stalks continued moving about as though he was still watching his surroundings. Perhaps he was. Krek had briefly considered killing his master and taking his freedom, but he could not do it. For one thing, he had no idea how to survive on the surface, for another, he simply could not bring himself to do it. He seemed a generous master and surprisingly enjoyable company. Spheres of Many Eyes rarely, if ever, treated others as anything more than slaves or vermin. He was, technically, a slave, but he had much more freedom and better treatment than he had under the drow.

There was also the fact he was unsure how to kill a beholder.

He decided to wait and see which would be the best course of action for himself.

To be continued. . .

Notes:

Spider-Eye

Race - Beholder (Eye of Flame)

Class -

Alignment - Lawful Evil

Patron Deity - The Great Mother

Circumference - 6'6"

Weight - ?

Spider-Eye is a faithful servant of The Great Mother, more reverent than most beholders, but not a cleric. He prefers to avoid contact with others, though he recognizes the need for a good servant. Unlike most beholders, he lives simply, gathering only what treasure he needs to buy essentials. He is new to owning a slave, generally avoiding the scum that sell them, (even though he just bought one!). His massive, compound eye creates a wider anti-magic field than most. His ten eye-stalks are segmented and set in a pattern roughly corresponding to a spider's legs and pedipalps.

Krek

Race - Black/Demon Troll

Sex - Male

Class - Fighter/Tracker

Alignment - Neutral Evil (Chaotic Tendencies)

Patron Deity - Currently None

Height - 12' 7"

Weight - 826 Lbs

Weapon of Choice - Spear

Krek is the descendent of trolls who lived in and were altered by The Abyss. He behaves because it's in his best interests, not because it's in his nature. He can be loyal to those that treat him well, but mostly he's looking out for himself. He's very intelligent and charming, and never raises his voice, even if enraged. He prefers to let his actions speak for him. He's actually very handsome, long nose aside, and people invariably find it hard to believe that he could be a troll. He can naturally use the spells Teleport Without Error, (useful for traveling to and from his master's cave), Summon Monsters and Chain Lightning. He could simply Teleport away to freedom at any time, but he has nowhere to go and he's got a good thing going where he is.

Black Trolls first appeared in Dragon Magazine #141 in an article by Michael J. Szarmachi.

The name Lolth is used as a profanity by Krek.