Wake's defiance was swift...this was not the plan. "Phyrra, we're not here to serve as liberators. This was only a point on a journey. We don't have time to stop here."

"Analysis accurate. Time constraints critical." Maul was equally quick to follow up, seeing no purpose in liberating a group of constrained Duergar. Their aspirations, and rewards, fell on a much grander scale than earning the gratitude of some mining town.

Phyrra knew her position within the Syndicate however...and beyond that, she knew everyone else had that information as well. She was the only one capable of keeping any of them alive. While that hadn't been an issue during their hiding, the drow knew that the journey ahead of them would not be an easy one. "Then go ahead. Walk through Dolblunde, stumble your way to Guallidurth. I will be here, ensuring that Empyria doesn't have the resources they need to complete their project. I'm doing what the Underdark needs."

Lance shook his head, seeing reason in his brother's logic. "Phyrra...you saw how many guards were outside. We kill whoever is in the mines, but that only delays the problem. There's no saving these people. Empyria can just send more."

Shavvir was the next to join in. "Phyrra. I...I know where you're coming from. This is your home, and you want to protect it. I would want to do the same if it were the Shadowfell. However, they're right. You don't win this by killing the immediate threat. Remember the goal. We make Empyria pay, and you've saved Iltkazar. You try to fight them today, and they'll have the resources to make them even more miserable until we finish our mission. It's not worth it...it's just not."

"It might even make their lives better, in a few days." Wake pointed to the strange device next to the group. "They said they were making the Duergar obsolete. If this is able to mine for them, they might be set free."

Phyrra heard what the others were telling her...but she didn't care. In her mind, there was only one solution, and she intended to execute on it. "Or they slaughter each and every one of them. If they're developing tools to supplant the Duergar, they won't simply keep them around as pets. They'll all be dead before we get back from Guallidurth. I don't care if nobody is following me...I'm setting them free. If they have time to hide and escape elsewhere, they won't be under threat. I don't care whether you follow me or not, but good luck communing with Lolth without her loyal priestess by your side." The drow stormed off, lightning arcing vigorously across her javelin as she entered the mines.

Nobody followed immediately, simply watching her enter the mines. Shavvir was the first to speak up, Phyrra now solidly out of earshot. "I'm not following her. It's a waste of time, and these aren't my people. This isn't the first time she's tried to leverage us like this...I'm not yielding."

"So what, we walk forward? She's right. We can't even make it to Dolblunde without her, let alone Guallidurth. She's the only one that can get us there, and she knows that. Our only option is to follow her." Lance eyed the strange device curiously, continuing on. "Or, we destroy this. She is right to fear the purge of the Duergar...we all know Empyria's capable of it. Without this machine, however, they're at least safe until they build a replacement. It's temporary, but it might buy us the time we need. We'll have to leave through this way after we're done, so long as nothing goes awry. If anything goes wrong, we have a second chance to make things right."

The rogue's brother shook his head. "No. We don't owe these people anything, and bending to Phyrra's whims only delays the time we have to save our own lives. We get her out as soon as we can, and we leave. You haven't been around her, Lance. If it wasn't her homeworld, she wouldn't care."

"Then that only makes you as good as she is, Wake."

The archer sighed. "Right now...I'm okay with that. I'll be back with her soon." He stormed off towards the mines, bowstring taut in his hands as he went forward. The other four stood and waited, watching expectantly.

Zaelynir finally broke the silence. "Boy, you didn't have a bad idea with wrecking this thing. Might be good fun while we wait for the unhappy couple to settle their squabbles...or maybe just take out some anger. At the very least, it might make Empyria think twice." He smiled, looking at it...with the four of them that were left, they had all the tools they needed to reduce it to a pile of scrap. "What do you say?"

Lance simply looked at Maul...he was the only one the rogue believed capable of destroying it. "What's your analysis. If you think it's a positive action, I'll help you."

The warforged did the calculations...but there was little to consider. The machine cost Empyria resources and time to construct, and less time and resources were needed in its undoing. Its destruction would decrease their future efficiency...there were no benefits of keeping it alive. Maul never even considered the lives or happiness of the Duergar...that was not a factor worth considering. He simply raised his weapon, slamming it into the massive machine. The thunderous strike of the maul dented the outer shell, several more swings finally breaking the wooden carapace.

Lance joined in...he didn't have the blunt destructive power of the warforged, but attempting to destroy it was a timekiller nonetheless. He focused on its intricacies, finding strange and unknown gadgets only to break or separate them with his dagger, causing a cascading effect of problems as more mechanisms in the machine fell apart. It was complicated, as often was the work of gnomes...but it was equally brittle. Dwarven engineering offput that somewhat, but the dwarves knew strength...not complexity. Between the two of them, the device was little more than a pile of rubble in ten minutes. Zaelynir finished it off with several spells, torching what he could and warping the metal that remained.

It wasn't much later until Wake and Phyrra emerged, the drow with flecks of blood on her cheek, as well as gashes on her sides...arrows. "She's fine...just got caught by some - "

"What have you done?" Phyrra interrupted him, staring at the machine that was in shambles on the ground. "The Duergar will be punished for this...you've only set them back."

Maul shook his head. "Duergar vital to Empyrean operations. Punishment cannot exceed threshold before riots likely."

"I - it's too late now. We will discuss this later, but now is not the time. I will yield...I am too weak not to right now. Let us go. I will lead us to Dolblunde."

Wake followed directly behind Phyrra as she led them out of the city, not a single Duergar being seen above the mines...and only the two of them knew why. She'd seen what was down there, how bad the situation was...miners were stuck down there, forced to work with crossbows pointed at their heads the entire time. Minecarts were filled to the brim with stone, all getting ready to be hauled out soon based on what she'd seen...likely within a day or two. She hadn't made it far before she'd been spotted, however, only able to take out one guard before the rest had fired back. Several of the bolts had hit her directly...had Wake not shown up when he did, she doubted she'd still be alive, a fate she didn't expect to encounter from such mundane creatures. The Syndicate had felled cities together...and while she knew the entire time that they needed her, she only just came to the realization that she needed them.

The journey to Dolblunde was relatively silent, stopping for the first night only a half-day's journey away from Iltkazar. As soon as they'd left the city, any sign of Empyria's presence vanished...that gave Phyrra hope that she wouldn't have to see any of her other kin struggling under Empyrean oppression. The various races of the Underdark often tenuously cooperated during the best of times...but very rarely was the overworld a problem they had to fend off. Seeing Empyria down here made it matter not who they were, Duergar or Deep Gnome or Drow...they were all allies against the races of the surface. Before too long, they'd made camp for the first night, the rounds going through as they always had, each one just as silent as all the others. The following morning, they continued their trek for Dolblunde.

The simple caverns that they'd seen up to this point became more complicated the further down they went into the earth - several times, Phyrra pointed out the trails of a purple worm, the smooth-bore tunnels that they made distinctly different from the jagged and rocky terrain that they traversed. Every so often, they felt light rumblings beneath their feet - not enough to raise cause for alarm, but enough to offset the more panicked among them.

It was impossible to tell just how long they'd been down there...Lance was no stranger to abnormal hours, as Molag's work scarcely occurred during the daylight. However, even then, there was still the knowledge that it was at night...that there would be a day to come. The only indication of time here was the soreness in his legs, travelling endlessly through the tunnels and canyons of the Underdark, each one seemingly identical to the one before it.

"Phyrra...these purple worms. Just where do they usually live?" It had been on the rogue's mind for a day now...the warning she'd given them pressed deeper into his mind as she repeatedly pointed out the tunnels the towering creatures left, the light shaking of the ground each time they felt one go bye. It felt like it was only a matter of time until one might find them...but that very well could have just been his paranoia.

"It's rare they come to the Upperdark like this. I'm actually quite surprised we've felt them as much as we have, but they could be migrating. However, if we're going to see one, it's in the Middledark...that's often where I've seen travelers run into them."

"And what about the Lowerdark?" Zaelynir had only heard about the Lowerdark, never visited it, but knew enough to know that it was far more dangerous than the portions closer to the surface.

"They are known to make their home there, but the ground isn't suited to their needs. I'm not an expert on such matters however, and my travels to the Lowerdark are few and far between. Nothing good can be found down there, so we shouldn't have to worry about such things."

"And just what is in the Lowerdark?"

Phyrra narrowed her eyes as she continued, an act unnoticed by all in the darkness. "Many things, mind flayers the most notably. Only a few places are known in the Lowerdark, even by those that live here. There very well could be entire civilizations none have attempted to find."

"Description of mind flayers requested." Such a term was something Maul had never heard of...during his time with the Syndicate it had never come up, and it wasn't known from his homeland.

"They feed on the thoughts and minds of others around them. If you know one is near, it's best to simply avoid direct thoughts and to act impulsively. The less you think about your actions, the more challenging it is for them to predict you. However, due to your design...I don't know if you would be protected from their effects or not. At the very least, they won't try to consume your brain." Phyrra fumbled with the ring on her finger...there was far more than she was letting on that she didn't want the rest to know about quite yet. She'd had far more encounters with mind flayers in the past, enough so that she took preventative measures to avoid them. However, that knowledge was best hidden away until it was crucial, if it ever would be.

"Acknowledged." Maul still didn't understand...a race that fed on abstract concepts such as thoughts didn't seem biologically possible, but there were many things he would have deemed illogical here that he had seen since leaving Acheron.

Just then, the ground shook beneath them, far more violently than it had previously. Phyrra called for everyone to fan out, each person pressing against the sides of the tunnel that they were in. The rumbling grew louder and louder, hands subconsciously slipping towards weapons as time went on. As the tremors reached their apex, a worm burst out from the ground just in front of them, a pillar of purple flesh flying past. Thankfully, it didn't seem to notice them, the purple worm thinning out as its tail trailed behind, eventually becoming completely hidden by the ground around them. Still, they all sat still, waiting and listening to the vibrations that slowly dwindled, eventually fading away...it was gone.

However, it posed a problem...the hole that it had made. They'd dealt with plenty of such holes at odd angles, but not one completely vertical. Lance was the first to make it across, taking his Immovable Rod and using it as a springboard to swing across, leaving it there for the others to utilize. They all did, each one traversing the pit that had been made, one where falling into it might as well have spelled their doom...without knowing how deep it was, it very well could have been. Once it was done Lance swung back across, rejoining them once more as he deftly released the Rod mid-swing.

They pressed on, making camp once more, now about a half-day's journey from Dolblunde. Since the purple worm, things had been silent, as was the night's watch. The next day they set out for Dolblunde, reaching it after only a few hours.

As opposed to the Duergar city, the Deep Gnomes of Dolblunde seemed to move about as if Empyria didn't exist. In truth, that could have been the case - word of the surface didn't travel fast in the Underdark if there were no couriers to relay the information. As soon as they entered, the gnomes all gave the Syndicate a look of surprise...and not just because of the odd smattering of races that made up the group. One such gnome walked up to them, dressed in a blacksmith's apron, a hammer clutching loosely in his hand. "How did you get here?" His attention was focused solely on Phyrra, the two half-elves close enough in blood to be untrusted, and the other three...foreign.

Phyrra turned back to the group...of all the questions she had expected, that wasn't one of them. "We've traveled here on foot from the surface. Has something happened?"

The man shook his head, several more gnomes gathering around. "No...but you're the first travelers we've seen in months. I assumed rockslides closed us off from the surface - has something happened?"

"Something did happen, just not that." Wake responded, stepping up beside the drow. "The surface now lives in one city, and they don't trust many. They've made their way to Iltkazar...I'll admit I'm not familiar with what you do here, but you very well could be approached by them soon. They're exploiting everyone around them...including Iltkazar."

"That explains it, then. We haven't a Duergar in weeks. Last time that happened, they'd had an accident in the mines. You're telling me they're being…" The gnome let the question hang, hoping someone would answer for him.

"Oppressed. Utilized. Enslaved." Phyrra said each word with deliberate intent, making it clear exactly her feelings on the situation. "If Empyria, this city, comes for you, you won't be able to stop them. There are a thousand times more of them than there are people here, and they have no enemies...except us. We see what they're doing. We know what they're capable of. We're trying to shut them down. In the meantime, what do you have that you believe they'd want?"

"We create machines - plenty of 'em, too. Trinkets, mostly. Nothing you can turn into a weapon."

Phyrra shook her head, thinking back to the device they'd just destroyed, one likely born from surface gnomes believing their inventions were harmless. "No...they'll come for those. I've seen what they do with 'trinkets'...they stop being just that."

At that, the man simply stopped for a moment. "Come with me. What you have to say...our leader, Tildu, needs to hear it. He can take an appropriate course of action."

"Take us there."

The man nodded, walking the Syndicate towards one of the larger structures in the relatively small town. All around, gnomes simply stared at them with disbelief - the town usually served as a bridge between Lower and Middledark, but Empyria's creation had unknowingly snatched that away from them. They entered a large room, the man explaining the situation. They briefed Tildu on everything they'd mentioned - Empyria, Iltkazar, and the chance that Empyria might spread its reach to Dolblunde.

"And what makes you say that? We are on good terms with the Duergar...should we be in danger, they surely would have warned us by now."

Phyrra sighed...he wasn't taking it as well as she'd hoped. "We walked through Iltkazar...the only Duergar there are trapped in the mines, and it looked like they hadn't left in days. Given what we've seen of them, the rest may have already been...disposed of."

Wake immediately followed up on this, seeing the look of disbelief in the man's eyes. "I was down there, sir. Every Duergar in those mines is in chains. They looked like they hadn't slept in days. On our way there, we walked past a camp of several hundred soldiers, only a couple dozen of which were in the mines. They have the manpower to spread out here, as well as any other nearby settlements. If you don't take preventative measures now, you may suffer the same fate."

"And so what do you suppose we do? Run? Leave? This is our home, and yet your words make it sound as if it can no longer be that. I will not have my people take such drastic measures based on the words of an overworlder and a drow."

Phyrra grimaced...she had believed the Drow were on better terms, but it seemed that had deteriorated in recent years. "I have seen the ingenuity of the Deep Gnomes. Empyria will to. Imagine what your designs can do if weaponized - they have tens of thousands of gnomes and dwarves, all building weapons of war. They're advancing technology at an unprecedented rate, but only using it to sow the seeds for war. If there's anything you believe they can use, you need to hide it from them. If all they see are various baubles, they might overlook you and the vast potential that is here. I'm not asking you to leave. I simply know the power that Empyria possesses."

Her lighter approach seemed to have struck a chord. "Very well. I will investigate our current projects, and ask our engineers to view their potential as weapons. We have a storage vault for obsolete projects that we can store them in. However, I must ask. Why do they only seek war? Do they not value other aspects of society beyond warfare?"

Phyrra shook her head. "I believe they do...but even for a city that large, there are things even they fear. I have been to the surface recently...they are still building the city. Once that is complete, then perhaps they will start looking into matters such as infrastructure. For now, however...they still aim to best their fears."

Tildu heard the words, looking at the group with a hint of caution. "And you? It is clear that you do not stand with Empyria. Are you to thank for the war machine that exists above the surface, one that now has the potential to threaten our way of life? Are you, or who you serve, what Empyria fears?"

Slowly...Phyrra shook her head, weaving a spell discreetly while doing so...one that would make it easier for Tildu to believe the blatant lie about to follow. "We stand against Empyria, but we are not the cause of its creation. There is something greater out there, something truly evil...but I know not what it is."

The gnome squinted, his mind trying to sift through the words that had been said, the added magic upon them making it even harder. "Very well then. If you seek respite during your travels, you may rest here. Otherwise, we will see you off...there are many preparations that need to begin promptly."

"We will accept that offer...many thanks." Wake responded...they'd been travelling for several days now, their minds weary from the late watches and long days. They had only traveled for a few hours today, but a good rest would do them all a service moving forward. Tildu took them to the local inn, the barkeep long since gone due to the lack of travelers that had come through. Still, the beds were made and warm, and food, not rations or wild-caught game, was available to them. They wound down for the night, each preparing for the journey to Guallidurth that was to come. The next morning, they departed from Dolblunde, Tildu once again thanking them for the warning that they had provided.

As they moved into the Middledark, the treacherous expanses of the Upperdark were only amplified. The tunnels of the purple worms were even more prevalent than before, the occasional tremor of the Upperdark now turning into several earth-shaking halts each day. They still had only seen the one from before, but it became increasingly obvious that a second encounter was almost inevitable.

Phyrra, however, wasn't worried about such things...she was thinking about what was ahead. It had been years since she'd been to Guallidurth, and even longer since she'd communed with Lolth directly. She knew she was still in Her good graces - the potent magic granted to her by the Spider Queen proof of that. However, she knew that asking for aid from a deity was not as simple as a conversation - there would be a price to pay, one that she knew she would have to be willing to accept no matter the cost.

That had been how she'd become one of Lolth's trusted - she'd passed Lolth's Trial, a trial known to all clerics within Lolth's orders. It was the same for everyone, and perfectly exemplified Lolth's deviant nature. She spoke to someone - someone high up in the order, but one that had fallen out of Lolth's favor in recent times. She told them that they'd been chosen, and that all they'd have to do to become trusted by Lolth was to kill someone in combat - often a friend or relative of the one Lolth truly cared about. For Phyrra, that had been her sister. The true chosen was supposed to win the fight, often pitted against someone stronger than them. She'd only narrowly been able to save her sister's life, her aggressor far different than the rest. She'd seen it happen dozens of times, but hers was the only instance in which the aggressor never relented from their task, allowing Phyrra free reign to kill them. Her sister was hale and hardy...and yet, she'd only barely survived. Such a twist was Lolth's usual ploy - nothing was ever straightforward, the task presented never truly Her end goal. She relied on her followers to be as crafty and cunning as She was, often requiring them to deduce Her true intentions. The penalties were steep - far worse if you didn't accomplish the task she had presented, but still present if you failed to understand her true intentions. To many of Lolth's followers, it was a frustration, a constantly evolving image that never was clear. For Phyrra, it was a puzzle, a challenge to attempt to outwit a deity, to understand Lolth's intentions as true as possible in order to hone her own intellect...and she was often successful.

She could only assume that was why Lolth favored her over Her other adherents - Phyrra was the only one to embrace the twisted web of the Spider Queen's plans and emerge clean, producing consistent and impressive results. She'd done tasks for Lolth that she would balk at if it were for any other entity on the Planes...but when it was Lolth, that didn't matter. Murder, thievery, impersonation, all of it was a game for Phyrra, one to discern just what her true mission was. Her path was stained with far more blood than one should ever have to look back on...and yet the drow cared not.

They settled down for the third night, the usual watches beginning as always. A few hours later, Phyrra was woken up by Lance, the boy certainly having to fit himself into the group for the week that he'd been alive. The drow moved to stand near Maul, the warforged having become nearly useless for these watches due to his lack of low-light vision. Still, Phyrra tolerated him - the two were almost polar opposites in many fashions, and yet she could not find it in her to despise the machine. The two sat in silence, watching...waiting.

About ten minutes later, they felt a rumble beneath their feet, the telltale signs of a purple worm once again. This time, however, it continued to grow more potent, the vibrations turning into tremors so loud as to be deafening. Phyrra turned around, barking to the sleeping group to wake up, should the worst come to happen. Shavvir and Lance, still awake after having just finished their watch, were the first to rise. Only a few moments later, and Wake had joined them...Zaelynir continued on dead to the world...not even the risk of his own life could save the incubus.

The creature emerged only a few seconds later, mere inches from Maul. The creature rocketed through the earth, disappearing only a few seconds later as the tremors died down...but only momentarily. Phyrra felt them return, growing stronger once again.

"It wishes to feed. Purple worms do not actively hunt unless necessary. Be prepared to fight - it will not run." Phyrra clutched her necklace, a black onyx jewel hewn in the shape of Lolth's symbol, a spider. The amulet flared with power, a massive spider appearing just beside her. Phyrra did not have many ways to fight directly, often relying on others for that - Lolth had seen that, and given her the amulet as a reward for her selflessness.

The worm appeared once more, this time mere inches from the drow's head. The spider lashed out at it, injecting its searing venom into its veins. The worm was large enough that one dose wouldn't be enough...but it was a start. The other members attacked it as well, an arrow flying at it from afar. As soon as it appeared, it was gone

The third time, it did not miss. Wake was swallowed whole as it barreled through the ground, hungry maw fully consuming the archer. It stopped afterwards...the worm struggled to move while digesting.

"Act quick...he doesn't have long."

"He'll be fine. Just make sure it can't get anyone else." Lance's body looked hideous, the odd link between him and Wake duplicating his brother's wounds. Much like his brother, he was being digested...externally. He soared through the air in the blink of an eye, his dagger lodging itself in the worm's hide. Behind him, Maul slammed his weapon into it, shield ready in one hand to defend against the worm's attacks. It was slowed now, trying to finish off Wake as soon as it could in order to continue feeding. It lashed about in pain, however, the Syndicate's retribution swift.

After only a couple seconds, Wake appeared next to Phyrra, drenched in the slimes and ichors of the worm's interior. Phyrra gave him a look of concern - she knew he could move through the Ethereal plane, but it was almost unheard of to survive being ingested by a purple worm, no matter how strong you were. "I'm fine...just get rid of it." He launched an arrow, phasing further away as he attacked.

Phyrra nodded...while they were fierce, purple worms weren't smart. It likely still thought it was digesting something, meaning it wouldn't be going anywhere...nor trying to eat anything else until then. Phyrra brought down a bolt of radiant light, the spider she'd conjured biting into the worm once more. The others continued their assault as maul, sword, arrow, and dagger never ending.

It tried to put up a fight, but was thwarted at every turn. Maul was ever-vigilant, presenting his greatshield every time it lunged at someone nearby, the rows of jagged teeth slamming into the wooden wall. Eventually, it tried to run, realizing that it had met its match...Phyrra wasn't about to let that happen. She'd seen this before. It never left for good, simply remaining close to you, moving slowly enough so as to not attract attention, waiting until it could strike you unawares once more. No, it had to die now...before it struck once more.

She called upon Lolth's power, conjuring a pillar of flame on the worm. It burned at the flesh with holy fire, purifying the beast in front of the rest. It writhed and squealed, an unholy wail coming from the massive beast as it was scorched. As the blast ended, it fell, defeated...it would not be bothering them anymore.

Phyrra turned around towards the camp...Zaelynir simply stood there, watching. "I was going to help, truly...but you shouldn't mess with art."

Phyrra glared at the incubus...she wouldn't complain if he was never seen again. "We're all awake. Let's move."

The rest of the journey was peaceful, the worm that they had fought seeming to have circled them for days...the tremors they had faced previously were all but extinct. As they went, the Underdark continued to flourish and bloom all around them, phosphorescent plants common enough to illuminate their way unaided. Soon, they stopped for the third night, and then the fourth. By the end of the next day, they would be in Guallidurth.

Phyrra was unusually quiet as she approached the gates of her home, the deep canyons of the Middledark stretching out into a rare expanse. That was what made Guallidurth a truly unique place amongst all of the Underdark - the terrain. Whereas many other cities were built on flattened terraces with little room for impressive monuments, Guallidurth was on flat ground. As such, the temple of Lolth in the center was one of the largest structures in all of the Underdark, befitting of the deity it was built for. Soon, they reached the outer gates, two drow standing near the entrance. They recognized Phyrra at once - all that passed the Trials of Lolth were highly respected amongst the community.

"Phyrra...you've returned to us. What business brings you back to your home?"

Phyrra smiled, gesturing to the group behind her. "The surface world is a vastly different place than what anyone here has seen. I must speak to Lolth...directly."

The guard turned her head back to the central temple, glittering with lights. "That...I will see if such a request is possible."

"And why would it not be?" It had been a while since she'd returned, Lolth's recent requests having put Phyrra on the surface for decades now. She hadn't had a chance to return during that time, much to her chagrin.

"The drider have taken refuge in the lower ruins of the town, by the old shrines. They have taken one of the keys to the altar...it has been years since we've been able to hear Lolth's words."

Phyrra grimaced...drider. The half-man, half-spider hybrids were what happened if one failed the Trial of Lolth. Should the one the aggressor was told to kill actually be slain, the one Lolth was testing was condemned, cursed to live their lives out as a drider. No drow would ever be caught dead associating with one, the implications of such an action inexcusable...especially when the drow involved had passed the trials. The drider were failures, drow unfit to speak Lolth's name...and yet, they possessed the keys to Lolth. They'd gone this far...they'd been in the Underdark for over a week now, almost ten percent of the time they estimated they had...turning around now empty-handed wasn't an option.

"Where is the other key?" Phyrra was steadfast in her question...it was a necessary sacrifice. Her position amongst the drow might never be the same afterwards, but that wasn't her concern at the moment. Her life was in danger...and this was the only way to save it. The altar to communicate with Lolth required two keys...she could only hope the other was still in drow hands.

"It's by the altar itself, guarded. Don't tell me you're - "

Phyrra cut the drow off. "This is a matter of grave importance. I will obtain the key. I must speak with her."

The two guards looked at each other with a look of shock and disgust. "You intend to…"

"Steal it, if possible."

That seemed to put them at ease, but there was still a hint of doubt in the back of their minds - the very thought that a priestess of Lolth would dare be in the presence of drider was blasphemous. However, they respected Phyrra and the work they'd done for Lolth...a respect that was about to be tested. "Very well then. Welcome home, Phyrra."

Phyrra simply fell silent - she could sense their distrust. The group followed her in, seeing the spectacle of Guallidurth for their own eyes, many of them for the first time. It was a massive complex home to thousands of drow, the entire city built around the temple in the center. It was layered, each layer growing smaller and higher than the last. Phyrra was one of the few drow in the city allowed to walk to the very top, a place reserved for only Lolth's most faithful. The others wouldn't even be allowed to set foot in the temple unless they pledged themselves to Lolth. Phyrra laughed in her head, merely the thought of Shavvir forsaking the Raven Queen and swearing fealty to a true deity too alien to even envision. Phyrra led them near the base of the temple, turning around. "Wait here. I'll be back."

Phyrra walked the rest of the way alone, two drow nodding at her and parting, allowing her up the grand staircase of the temple. She was home here, many of the drow she walked past people she recognized from when she lived here. She'd been stuck at these levels once before, but she'd worked her way up. Lolth was a chaotic deity, and yet much of the structure around her followed a strict sense of order. She climbed her way to the very top, reaching the apex of the temple.

Here, she was alone, save for the elder that watched over the altar, Leilia. She'd been her for as long as Phyrra had been born, ever vigilant in her watch. As soon as she saw the young drow, her eyes lit up with joy. "Ah, Phyrra. I have prayed many nights that you would come...Lolth has answered me. Welcome back."

Phyrra couldn't help but smile...Leilia had taught her almost everything she knew about Lolth. "I wish I could be back on better terms, but I'm afraid I am not. I need to speak with Her...I have heard that one of the keys has been taken. I have allies with me that can retrieve it, but it will help them to know what to search for. If you would be so kind...I would like to carry it for a short time, and no longer."

Leilia nodded. "Yes...it was always your duty to carry the keys after me. Here...may you find strength within it." The elder handed Phyrra a key. It was about the size of her forearm, fit for the massive altar that it fit into. Intricate patterns ran along its length, a unique cut that was nigh impossible to replicate without an expert stonemason. Even then, the magic within it was of Lolth's own making, the keys a gift to the drow such that they, and they alone, could communicate with her.

Phyrra took the key gratefully, bowing low in a rare display of humility. "Many thanks, Leilia. I hope to have it with its twin soon."

The elder watched Phyrra turn around, giving one last word of caution. "The drider hold it with an iron grip. I do not know what plan you have to obtain it, but be warned...they will put up fierce resistance."

"Thank you, Leilia. I will convey that."

Phyrra descended the temple once again, returning to the other members of the Syndicate. She held out the key for the others. "We are searching for this. The lower city is infested with drider...we have kept them pressed down for as long as we could, but they are a plague that refuses to die out."

Shavvir thought back to the conversation with the guards, responding. "And just what are your plans? It sounds like even talking to these drider is heresy."

She nodded. "It is...which is why I would like you to make me undetectable. I cannot put into words the hatred drow have for the drider...they are filth, fit only to eat the dirt they walk upon. I cannot be seen with them...they cannot know I am there."

"Do you not trust us to find the key for you?"

Phyrra shook her head. "The elder priestess warned me that they have become aggressive. Should we have to fight them...I would like to be there to enjoy myself. Should we not, however, then I will simply wait, silently."

Shavvir nodded. "Very well. Lead us to where we have to go." The shadar-kai performed the spell, the Raven Queen's power flowing through her as Phyrra vanished from sight.

"Good. Now, let's go." Phyrra grabbed Wake's wrist, leading him around the proud city, eventually finding a barricaded staircase leading down. The group followed their invisible leader forward, entering into what felt like an entirely different city, the new Guallidurth built upon the ruins of the old one.

"The city down contains many shrines to Lolth...all of them wrong. This was where the peasants used to live. Lolth took one look here and swept them all away into drider...it's ruins now. Be on your guard...they do not like company." Phyrra continued onwards, navigating the streets. She'd lived here, once before...as did her sister. Phyrra had been spared the plight of becoming a drow by earning Lolth's favor...her sister had not. Initially, she had blamed Lolth for what had happened, but over time she came to accept that her sister had simply lacked the conviction necessary to continue. She'd fled Guallidurth long ago, seeking a life elsewhere in the Underdark.

Phyrra heard movements around the corner, letting go of Wake and looking around. She was practically nonexistent within the darkness, her movements silent and her body undetectable. She continued, seeing drider huddled in corners...they were little more than skin and bones. As they should be...wretches like them deserved nothing more. These looked too weak to even consider putting up a fight, and so she circled back to the group, leading them through the underground city.

They passed by more empty households, more dilapidated shrines to Lolth that made Phyrra reel in disgust. They were wrong - misguided attempts at worship that insulted Lolth's holy name. She was shocked by the lack of presence from the drider, especially given the warning she'd been given. She had a guess where they'd be...the only place they'd keep something of the drow.

Phyrra navigated the drow towards the old temple of Lolth, built long before the one upstairs had been written. She could only assume it had been utterly defiled, the drider's hatred of Lolth far surpassing the drow's hate of the drider. They blamed Her for everything that had happened, rather than themselves. They would almost certainly keep the key there, within that house of debauchery.

Phyrra's hunch had been correct, the skitters of spiderlike legs much louder as they approached. Phyrra tucker herself within the group, not wanting to accidentally bump into one and reveal her position. "We're here for the key. Nothing more." Phyrra knew she could locate it, her rich drow blood capable of detecting the presence of magic. However, doing so would drop the invisibility Shavvir had given her...she couldn't be seen down here, and she wasn't willing to accept two spells from the Raven Queen in such quick succession. Not while in the presence of Lolth.

Wake walked autonomously at this point, entering the old temple. Drider were all around them now like a horde, hungry eyes staring at them. None of them were armed, their stance and movement making it seem as if they were feral creatures, something the archer had plenty of experience with.

Soon, he saw it - the key. It was trapped high in the air, a symbol of Lolth shattered by the key being thrust into its center. Beside him, he heard Phyrra growl in anger. A drider, one seemingly more intelligent than the rest, looked at the group intently.

"Begone, travelersss. You have no busssinesss with usss." Her voice was insectile, a blade in her hands angled straight towards the archer. She noticed Wake's eyes flick up towards the key, looking back at him with even greater interest. "You cannot have it. The key is oursss now." All around them, more drow circled, hungrily staring at the party.

"Why do you need it? She is your enemy. It serves you no purpose."

"Yesss...but the drow...it ssservesss them. We will not relinquisssh it. We cannot. Why do you want it? There are no drow among you."

Lance responded. "Yours is not the only key we're after. We already have the other key...we're just making sure that the drow can never get their hands on either again. Should they be desperate, they would come down here...but if they are hidden on the surface, then - "

"Ssshow usss. Ssshow usss the key."

Phyrra discreetly moved towards him, key held in her hands, tapping Lance on the shoulder. She traced along to his back where she pressed the key against him gently - she was willing to follow this plan. The drider hated Lolth above all else, and Lance was promising to make it harder for the drow to communicate with her - this ploy would work if done correctly.

Lance grabbed the key as Phyrra let go of it, the artifact appearing in his hands. He held it out in front of him, an exact duplicate of the one embedded in the wall. "As you requested."

The drider stared intently at it, narrowing her eyes while looking back at its twin in the wall. "Very well...it isss yoursss. Take it to the sssurface...hide it." She scuttled back and ascended the wall, releasing the key from its makeshift prison. She walked back to Lance, handing it to him. "Now go. Essscape with your livesss. There isss no place for you here."

"We will not disappoint you." Lance turned around, away from the old temple. It was still clear that they weren't trusted here, hungry eyes watching them, but letting them past nonetheless. Phyrra stayed hidden amongst the Syndicate's ranks, managing to slip out undetected.

The group made it safely back to upper Guallidurth, Phyrra dismissing the invisibility after she was sure that she had not been seen. Lance handed both keys to her. "Now go. Talk to your Queen."

Phyrra looked back to the temple with both keys in hand, ascending the steps once more. At the top, she held out both keys, Leilia actually looking shocked. "I see your companions were successful...we are all in your debt."

Phyrra smiled. "Nonsense...however, onto more pressing matters. Will you allow me to speak with Her privately? I have a...delicate topic at hand."

Leilia nodded. "Yes, of course." The elder stepped away, descending the steps back down to the rest of the town.

Phyrra walked towards the portal, a massive ring easily fifteen feet tall. Phyrra inserted one key into its lock, the arcane device humming with power, a power that grew tenfold after the second key was inserted. She turned both of them at once, the ring filling with a black void of swirling energy, one Phyrra had seen a scant few times before, but one that filled her with more excitement each time. Within seconds, the black void stilled, the sound of spiders skittering about.

"Phyrra?" The drow heard the booming voice of her deity, her heart skipping a beat.

A hand was the first to reach out...and then another. Silver hair ten feet long poured from the portal, Lolth's divine face looking down at her. She was embroidered with golden jewelry that glimmered within the lights of the temple, lights made solely to make Her look even more divine. Milky white eyes, eyes that didn't rely on light nor benefited from it, were intensely trained on the expectant drow.

"Yes, my Queen?"

Lolth smiled. "I've been expecting you."

Word Count: 7689

Total Word Count: 29307

I was struggling to get through this chapter, but I think I've gotten over the slump. Stay tuned for more.