Ithire Ce'thilen's lips curled into a wicked grin - how beautiful the
Spider Queen's plot had been, how chaotic - but what else could be expected
by the goddess of Chaos, Confusion and Disorder? Underneth her trundled
Nidraitza De'iytuh - or rather - what was left her. This once so promising
warrior, now she was a drider - an abomination.
But Ithire had nothing to complain about, why should she complain? A potential enemy had been crushed, and more would fall - all because of the sins commited by house De'iytuh in the past - now they would pay.
Ithire grinned once more and patted the former priestess whom she was using as a mount at the moment. The drider quickly moved through the city - those obsidian legs clicking faintly with every impact on the ground of the cave. The city of Athlar'Novis - once mighty and beautiful, but it had lost the favour of the Spider Queen. And with out the favour of their goddess - the city had quickly fallen to a svirneblin invasion.
The svirfneblins - nothing more but gnomes, but they had assaulted the drow city in quick and devastating raids - calling up ancient earth magic to defeat the slender drow soldiers and goblin slaves which the drow threw back at them. But without clerical magic - the battle was in vain. Major portions of the city had been ravaged - destroyed.
Little of what had been destroyed was re-built - but the surviving drow houses hid within their compounds - seeking redemption and the favour of the Spider Queen. Some had found it - others had not.
Ithire and her house had been promised redemption and the full glory of Lloth's favour - if she were to deal with the priestess of house De'iytuh. One had already fallen to her - one was left. And the thought of using Nidraitza to destroy the other priestess, Alie, seemed ever so appealing. House De'iytuh will fall - but by their own hand. Ithire mused to herself, almost purring at the thought.
Soon they approached the De'iytuh palace - although house De'iytuh was one of small power, they possessed one of the most intricate and beautiful palaces. Unlike the other palaces this one was not a part of a wall, it stood freely in the middle of a small cave.
Black spires and towers shot from the building, like tendrils of pure darkness. Thick at the bottom but growing thinner as the lengths of them soared up towards the cavern ceiling. They twined about each other, like vines as the lunged from side-to-side, dancing in an ever-moving eclipse of time. Amazed - as always - Ithire beheld the spectacle of house De'iytuh, their perhaps greatest accomplishment - the spires and towers of their palaces.
Skilfully crafted magic along with subtle use of gossamer strands of clerical devotion was what enabled the towers to move - in a never-ceasing resistance of time and reason. But only a building - a building soon to be razed, thought Ithire as she urged her steed to move up to the thick, adamantite gates of the palace. A large, silver spider decorated the gate, its eight legs sprayed open to as if to embrace the door. Gossamer cords of mithril stretched between the spider's legs, as if to portray spider silk.
She cast her gaze over to the door, then she turned her mind inwards - focusing every ounce of her faith on the door. "Wishya!" She cried out, her voice carrying the full potency of the Spider Queen's wrath. A loud, screeching sound erupted from the gate, quickly followed by a thumping sign as the gate was knocked of it hinges - the adamantite door seemed to implode upon itself, the edges turning in to embrace the heart of the door. "Wishya!" And before she had finished her second cry the door was bashed to the ground by some invisible force and the wrecked gate tumbled backwards and towards the palace.
Guards poured out through the main gate - eager to face what ever assailant had dared to attack the palace. But all dropped dead in their tracks as their eyes focused upon the drider and its rider, Ithire Ce'thilen, the High Priestess of Arach-Tinilith and the Matron Mother of house Ce'thilen - first house of Athlar'Novis.
"I will say this once - and once alone. Raise your weapons against me - and terrible doom will await you, perhaps you may even join your... lost sister." Ithire patted Nidraitza on the head lightly, her lips curled into a wicked grin as her gaze met her audience. "This will not take long - my presence will go un-noticed, and by tomorrow might house De'iytuh have regained some of its lost favour. Now stand back and let us pass."
But Ithire had nothing to complain about, why should she complain? A potential enemy had been crushed, and more would fall - all because of the sins commited by house De'iytuh in the past - now they would pay.
Ithire grinned once more and patted the former priestess whom she was using as a mount at the moment. The drider quickly moved through the city - those obsidian legs clicking faintly with every impact on the ground of the cave. The city of Athlar'Novis - once mighty and beautiful, but it had lost the favour of the Spider Queen. And with out the favour of their goddess - the city had quickly fallen to a svirneblin invasion.
The svirfneblins - nothing more but gnomes, but they had assaulted the drow city in quick and devastating raids - calling up ancient earth magic to defeat the slender drow soldiers and goblin slaves which the drow threw back at them. But without clerical magic - the battle was in vain. Major portions of the city had been ravaged - destroyed.
Little of what had been destroyed was re-built - but the surviving drow houses hid within their compounds - seeking redemption and the favour of the Spider Queen. Some had found it - others had not.
Ithire and her house had been promised redemption and the full glory of Lloth's favour - if she were to deal with the priestess of house De'iytuh. One had already fallen to her - one was left. And the thought of using Nidraitza to destroy the other priestess, Alie, seemed ever so appealing. House De'iytuh will fall - but by their own hand. Ithire mused to herself, almost purring at the thought.
Soon they approached the De'iytuh palace - although house De'iytuh was one of small power, they possessed one of the most intricate and beautiful palaces. Unlike the other palaces this one was not a part of a wall, it stood freely in the middle of a small cave.
Black spires and towers shot from the building, like tendrils of pure darkness. Thick at the bottom but growing thinner as the lengths of them soared up towards the cavern ceiling. They twined about each other, like vines as the lunged from side-to-side, dancing in an ever-moving eclipse of time. Amazed - as always - Ithire beheld the spectacle of house De'iytuh, their perhaps greatest accomplishment - the spires and towers of their palaces.
Skilfully crafted magic along with subtle use of gossamer strands of clerical devotion was what enabled the towers to move - in a never-ceasing resistance of time and reason. But only a building - a building soon to be razed, thought Ithire as she urged her steed to move up to the thick, adamantite gates of the palace. A large, silver spider decorated the gate, its eight legs sprayed open to as if to embrace the door. Gossamer cords of mithril stretched between the spider's legs, as if to portray spider silk.
She cast her gaze over to the door, then she turned her mind inwards - focusing every ounce of her faith on the door. "Wishya!" She cried out, her voice carrying the full potency of the Spider Queen's wrath. A loud, screeching sound erupted from the gate, quickly followed by a thumping sign as the gate was knocked of it hinges - the adamantite door seemed to implode upon itself, the edges turning in to embrace the heart of the door. "Wishya!" And before she had finished her second cry the door was bashed to the ground by some invisible force and the wrecked gate tumbled backwards and towards the palace.
Guards poured out through the main gate - eager to face what ever assailant had dared to attack the palace. But all dropped dead in their tracks as their eyes focused upon the drider and its rider, Ithire Ce'thilen, the High Priestess of Arach-Tinilith and the Matron Mother of house Ce'thilen - first house of Athlar'Novis.
"I will say this once - and once alone. Raise your weapons against me - and terrible doom will await you, perhaps you may even join your... lost sister." Ithire patted Nidraitza on the head lightly, her lips curled into a wicked grin as her gaze met her audience. "This will not take long - my presence will go un-noticed, and by tomorrow might house De'iytuh have regained some of its lost favour. Now stand back and let us pass."