Anoroth stood in Sereph's training room in the city of Shar'ill'orbb'aress, looking over the weapons and the trinkets in the room as he waited for the elderboy of the De'Faeror family to finish his training kata and address the adopted mage. He wore robes of black and purple, common for mages that wanted to keep up the appearance of fealty to the Spider Queen, though they had no cowl or hood, which was odd for any magic practitioner. The sleeves were tight about his arms, allowing minimal interference in his spell casting but also taking away the advantage of at hand spell ingredients because he had no pockets there. Everything about him seemed to be small, especially his head and face, though not in proportion to the rest of his body. He often said he did it to himself, so that his enemies would underestimate him. He kept his hair cut short in the back, and long enough in the front to push back and come to the end of his hair growth.
He had once been part of House Nizzberan, which had been eradicated in its attempt to destroy the second house. As one of the few survivors, his identity was hidden and changed and he was brought into the first family by the Matron mother Tallil De'Faeror. He quickly made it clear he was a superior mage compared to his new "brothers" and was appointed to the elderboy and weapons master as his personal tutor in the ways of the Weave.
He was trying to decipher some runes on a long sword that appeared to be made of obsidian. The design of the runes was somewhat comparable to drow glyphs, but when he translated it to drow it came out as nothing but gibberish. Moving over to a glass case, he saw something that looked completely out of place in the room, a small stringed instrument.
It was undeniably beautiful, though to a drow such beauty was useless. The body and neck were made from a dark red colored wood, and even though it was unlaquered the wood shone with a luster worthy of a dueragar breastplate. The entire instrument appeared to be made of one piece of wood, even the turning pegs showed no evidence of having ever not been a part of the rest. That, added to the whispyness of every edge and ending, especially the tuners, and the intricate carvings of vines throughout the wood, coming into bloom as they neared the neck.
As Anoroth stared at it, wondering what its purpose might be, he heard a voice telling him to take it. Quickly determining it was telepathic, he didn't bother looking around for the source, simply scrutinized the instrument more. Perhaps Sereph was playing with him; it was well known he dabbled in all sorts of magic already, including the magic of the mind. The calling continued, and the pull that came with it suddenly intensified as a burst of energy from the glass case made him realize the true source of the voice and he took a quick step back and murmured to himself, "An imprisoned demon? In an instrument from the surface?"
"Ingenious, isn't it? I rather like the idea of an entity of evil residing in a symbol of goodness from the realm of light."
Anoroth turned quickly and bowed to the elderboy of the De'Faeror's, who continued his lecture without notice of the ritual. As he spoke, he touched the glass with one of rings and the demonic calling stopped.
"The demon feeds off of the Weave through users of it. Nasty little beast for your kind, it required the archmage of the city and half the masters of the fighters school to capture it. And it is not an imprisonment spell, it is a maze. The creature may escape by himself at any moment."
"Isn't that a bit reckless?" Anoroth said, as intrigued as he was afraid. Before he could continue his thought, Sereph's foot hit him hard in the stomach, hard enough to throw the mage to the ground and completely use up his physical defense spell.
"No blood? Oh of course, you mages and your spells. Do not forget who you are talking to, or you will find your own 'recklessness' much more severely punished."
Stunned, Anoroth realized what he had just said to Sereph De'Faeror. Implying that a member of the ruling family was careless! He must be going insane. Before he had regained enough wits to flip over to his stomach, laying himself prostrate at Sereph's feet, the fighter was already talking again.
"Of course, it would do no good to keep the thing if I could not use it, so I had this made." Sereph pulled a stick about the length of his upper arm out of a drawer underneath the instrument. This was much more drow like in its design and material, adamantine from the look of it, and had a curious string running across its inner surface. On the outer edge was a wicked looking blade, the perfect size for the weapon master's preferences, from what Anoroth had heard.
"This is what the accursed surface elves call a 'bow.' I have named it Invoker. You draw it across the string of the violin, the instrument, to release the music, and in this case the demon as well." Anoroth had stood and was admiring the piece of work from a respectful distance by this time. "I had it made and then enchanted with a freedom spell, and can use it to release the demon. My idea, of course." He replaced Invoker in the drawer and turned to the dishelved mage. "Now you are?"
Anoroth could not his look of surprise. It was odd enough for a drow to so fully explain the workings of their personal magic objects with your abbill, much less a complete stranger. Regaining his control as only a mage could, he replied steadily, "I am Anoroth De'Faeror, top wizard of the first house of Shar'ill Orbb'Aress,"
"Yes, yes yes. Spare me the pleasantries 'brother," he said the last word with a twisted smile and dripping sarcasm, "believe me when I say you have all the respect I owe you, and your position in our house." Anoroth noted the insult but ignored the expected reaction. "Now why are you here?"
"I am to be your personal tutor in the ways of the Weave, as assigned by your Mother," Anoroth replied to the impatient elderboy.
"She is the Matron Mother, and you will address her as such, "Sereph retorted, back handing the mage to accentuate the point. "Now if you are done reeling, we must cut this first lesson short as I have other training later on. You have three hours, make good use of them. I expect improvement daily," Sereph finished as he removed his chainmail, swords, and other armaments that would stop him from manipulating the Weave.