One-and-Many: Heya, those of you who know my E-mail address may wonder what "Arachna Tong" means. It is supposed to mean "Spider Assassin". The following story is about Kojiro.

Race: Drow, Class: Cleric/Assassin, Chosen Deity: Ghaunadaur, Gender: Male, Alignment: Chaotic Evil

Ghaunadaur is a chaotic-evil lesser deity, his domains are slime, evil, chaos, and drow. He is also known as "that which lurks" or "the elder eye". His (un)holy symbol is an eye upon a purple background, in a circle of black and grey. His clergy wear red, purple, or black during official business. Getting back to Kojiro, Kojiro is a renegade drow. His family was slain during a house war. He was also supposed to have been slain, but had not been present during the attack and (barely) slipped past the patrols and escaped from the city into the underdark. While in the endless corridors of the underdark, he stumbled across Tarquin, a troglodyte cleric of Ghaunadaur. Kojiro lived with Tarquin for a period of time. He forswore Lolth in favor of That Which Lurks, and became a powerful cleric, as well as an assassin. At the end of his training, Kojiro sacrificed Tarquin to Ghaunadaur, and headed to subvert Menzoberranzan, and carve a new name for himself out of the backsides of those who people wanted "Dispatched". 'these are thoughts'

* * * * * * * * * * *

'Damn it's cold here' thought Jafaad Vel'kun to himself. 'After all the trouble my family and I went through to contact him, he had better show up'. Jafaad stomped around a bit, trying to keep his feet from going numb. 'Evil bastard probably knows I'm here and is imagining my discomfort with that ever-present smirk plastered on his face.'

"Why Jafaad, my friend, why would I ever do a thing like that?"

Jafaad froze in place. 'Oh crap, did I say that out loud?'

"Not at all my friend, I just have this knack" Kojiro smirked, as he so often did.

'No doubt some magic trinket, sneaky bastard. Never did trust assassins' thought Jafaad angrily.

Kojiro stood and grinned smugly at Jafaad for a bit before asking "My payment?"

"You'll get your payment assassin, AFTER you have dispatched my mistresses little 'problem'" said Jafaad.

All traces of cheerfulness left Kojiro's face, replaced by a look colder and harder than an adamantine dagger. "See that it does elder-boy, else I may pay an uninvited visit to your house" warned Kojiro dangerously. Jafaad couldn't stifle the shudder that rolled down his spine as those two icy eyes bored into his mind threatening, no, PROMISING death to those who dared betray him. Kojiro then stepped back, and threw something at the ground. A bright flash went off, and by the time Jafaad's eyes recovered, he was all alone. He shuddered as he left, 'I believe mother may have made a mistake by crossing this one' he thought, then banished the thought from his mind, in case the spider assassin was still listening.

Unbeknownst to Jafaad, Kojiro watched his retreat from a nearby roof-top. "I had better receive my payment, or house Vel'kun shall meet the same fate as that of house Neften'uss." Kojiro headed towards his lair to prepare for this nights events. As he walked he saw one of the city's ever-present spiders scuttle in front of him. Kojiro checked around him. After ensuring that no one was there to see, he violently stomped on it, and continued on, his trademark smirk on his face, and a bounce in his step.

* * * * * * * * * * *

One-and-Many: I know this was short, but it was just a prologue. The following chapters will be MUCH longer. In the meantime, I would like to say some things. First, I am sick and tired of stories about good drow, so this one will center on drow in their natural state, i.e. EVIL. Second, Ghaunadaur is an actual god from Forgotten Realms. Third and final, I may take quite a bit of time between updates, I am juggling four stories now.