The Symbol of His Faith, Around the Neck of the True Ruler.
"Lodo, when are we goin to rescue Lady Katla?" Thelvin stomped around the street in the early morning light.
"We aren't." Lodo said with a twinge of regret in his tone.
"Then I'll be doin it! She saved me life more than once. I'd still be a prisoner in Menzoberranzan if not fer her!"
Tharros grabbed onto Thelvin's shoulder to slow his pace. "Calm down, Thelvin. Solonund is the only one she has not rescued from dire circumstances at least once. She saved Lodo in Amn. He was nearly committed for illegal use of magic. She saved us numerous times. You think I would forget when she and Iasa saved me from Calimshite slavers when I was a small boy? We have to trust her on this. She is a lot tougher than she acts."
"And, we can't forget that Ty'Aero is in love with her. I can't believe he will harm her, in any permanent way at least. Come on. We need to meet Korko in the hall of the Veiled Knights."
Ty'Aero sat before the mirror in his bedchamber. Tears fell down his cheeks as he looked from his own face and back to Katla, still asleep in his bed. He smiled and toyed with the holy symbol of Corellon Larethian around his neck. "Corellon, you have finally forgiven me." He thought to himself.
Naurailoki had once been deeply devoted to the Seldarine, especially Corellon. He remembered Myth Drannor, the day his entire family was killed. He had not meant to do it. It was an accident, but no one saw it for what it was.
"Kinslayer! You have no right among our people! Go, and never come back!" His mentor had yelled. The symbol of Corellon was ripped from his neck as he was beaten nearly to death.
His god had abandoned him. He was shunned, and hated. He wandered for years. He tried to go to Evermeet, but they tossed him off of the island. He tried to make a home for himself among several elven settlements, only to be chased away. He finally retreated to what was left of his childhood home. The tower, transported from Netheril to the Plane of Shadow.
There he remained for hundreds of years, perfecting his magic in solitude. He grew power hungry and bitter.
The former headmaster of the Black Wizards pulled him through into Myth Fredaine while trying to create a stable dimensional gate to the Plane of Shadow. The experiment was a success, but the former headmaster never had the chance to revel in his accomplishment.
Naurailoki, stunned from the experience, lashed out and killed his predecessor, all of his guards, and the few postulates that happened to be in the room.
Kirisatt rewarded him for the slaughter. He gave Naurailoki the holy symbol of Corellon, as well as the station of headmaster and chief advisor to the Emperor.
Naurailoki stood and sat on the side of the bed. He ran his fingers through Katla's shoulder length hair.
Once he had gotten her to his tower at Myth Fredaine, he felt guilty for tricking her into the marriage.
He had offered to let her have the room next to his. She was his wife, but he cared enough not to want to force himself onto her.
He was shocked when she shed her gown and allowed him to consummate their union.
Katla was the reason he was no longer black. He noticed that there was still an aura of shadow around him, but it did not rule him like it had.
Katla stirred and opened her eyes, "Good Morning."
"I, I know what I did was wrong. I shouldn't have."
"Shh. Naurailoki. I understand. I did many wrong things myself."
"You do know the real reason why I married you, don't you?"
"You had more than one." She slowly at up and took his hand. "You wanted me, but felt too noble to just kidnap me outright. You tried to court me, to satisfy your lust, but found something more in your heart. You wanted to be forgiven for your sins against your people and the Seldarine, and knew I could help you. Lastly, and most importantly, you found out my secret. You know I am Kirisatt's cousin, and you wanted to be acknowledged as the ruler of this city."
"I did not realize I was that transparent."
"You aren't. I have a talent for seeing past people's transgressions. That is why my friends tolerate me." Katla stood and went to the small pouch that was hooked to her sword's sheath. She opened it, reached in and pulled out the blood scepter. "I always keep this with me in my pouch of holding. I lied to you. I was not responsible for his death, that was an accident. But, I can not say that I did not intend to kill Kirisatt."
"Gods! I thought that thing was a myth!"
"No, it is very real."
Naurailoki reached out to touch the scepter
"No!" Katla jerked it away from his reach. "It is ensorcelled. Any not of the blood of the Durothil will die if they touch it."
"Please, put the vile thing away!"
Katla did as he asked, turned and smiled sweetly to him. "You actually took steps to show your affection. Other than Iasa, most felt I was too good for them, or too difficult for them, and keep me at a safe distance."
"Who's Iasa?"
"I suppose you could say he was my husband."
Naurailoki gasped and tightened his grip on her hand, "You're already married!"
"Widowed. Most think of me as too dangerous to wed. I am under a spell, of sorts. Whether I like it or not, all of my serious lovers die. By doing so, you may have signed your own death sentence. "
"You are cursed? Oh, my love, I will do everything in my power to free you from it, for your sake. You have gifted me with forgiveness from the gods I thought had abandoned me. If I die, so be it, but I do not want to leave you in sorrow."
Naurailoki looked ant the silver symbol of Corellon around Katla's neck. He fingered it a few moments. He compared it to the one around his own neck.
"I see. You once worshipped Corellon, and not these evil city gods."
"I've never worshipped the city gods, or any god for that matter since I was cast out. For a very long time the only one I worshipped was myself. It was why I turned black."
"When I was very young, I was sent to a remote temple by my father. I was not liked. One evening the clerics upset me so much that I barricaded myself in the inner sanctum dedicated to Corellon. I stayed in there for nearly a week. I cried, slept and cried more until someone came in to comfort me, Corellon himself. He whispered to me, held me, kissed me, and comforted me. I believe, because he took my innocence, he sees me as his. He gets jealous."
Naurailoki took the symbol of Corellon from around his neck and put it around Katla's. "Well then, I hope I do not gain his ire by comforting you. Here, I want you to have my holy symbol. It is much nicer than yours. You deserve the best. I can never really compete with a god."
"We will trade. You take mine. Now. We have had enough talking. You look terrible. You need some comfort."
"As you wish."
Lodo, Tharros, Korko and Thelvin followed Walisra through the tunnel maze in the guild of the Veiled Knights.
"Are you sure you know where you are going?"
"Yes. It is the only clear tunnel into the Jagged Palace from outside the palace gates. Verien used it often. I used it when I needed to sneak in to see Lokteruost. I was always frightened I would take a wrong turn and end up in the cavern where the oubliettes are."
"You are positive that the four demons are in those oubliettes?"
"You have a problem trusting women, don't you Lodo."
Lodo furrowed his brow, crossed his arms and gritted his teeth.
Thelvin gave a hearty laugh. "That be the first time I've seen Lodo speechless in a great while."
Walisra felt along the wall until she found a group of unevenly set, smooth stones. She grabbed Korko's arm and took off the ring that identified him as the leader of the Veiled Knights.
"Memorize the stone that I move. The rest of them set off traps."
"Of course, this is the thieves guild." Korko smiled.
Walisra stood on her tip toes and grunted. She pushed in the third stone from the top left.
The stone rolled down inside a pocket of the wall. Behind where the stone had been was a depression in the shape of Korko's ring.
"Korko, let me stand on your knee. The spot is hard for me to reach."
Korko braced himself and allowed Walisra to place the ring in the depression. The stone in front of the ring rose again, the wall turned aside, a stone below the first slid away, revealing the ring.
"Lets go."
"Now that is what I call a puzzle door."
Korko retrieved the ring and pushed forward into the tunnel.
The tunnel smelled of dung and piss. Rats ran along the walls to escape the light.
"You need to push that smooth stone on the left to close the door."
"First a mouthy woman, now a sewer." Lodo grumbled.
"Stay close. There are more traps in here than there are in the maze. The good news is that the tunnel leads right to the dungeons in the Jagged Palace. There are no side tunnels until we get there."
The tunnel was not very long, but avoiding the myriad of traps made the trip last over an hour.
Lodo breathed a sigh of relief when the putrid air turned to plain, moldy damp air.
Walista took a key from a peg several paces from a large iron gate. She chose one of the keys and opened the gate. "After you, gentlemen."
Solonund woke still holding his son's hand. He wanted to help his friends. More so, he wanted to save Katla from Ty'Aero, yet he could not bring himself to leave Thelan.
Kunne sat down and gently put his hand on Solonund's shoulder. "If you wish to leave, Solonund, I will continue to watch him. I will even sing to him if you want me to."
"I let him out of my sight , twice in his entire life. The first time he was stolen from me, the second he was assaulted by an illithid. I am afraid he will die, without me."
"I will not let that happen. If anything changes, I will sent Tessirak after you. Just tell me where you are going."
"I need to see Lokteruost. After, I will go to the arena to see the coronation of the new Emperor this evening. If I can get a message to Katla, maybe it would help."
"Just don't try to go rescue her by yourself."
"I won't. I need to live to see my son open his eyes again."
Walisra clutched Korko's arm as she led them along the path to the deepest dungeon. They traveled through winding tunnels. The walls were filled with long dead corpses. The horrors of the way those that were tortured to death made Tharros shudder.
Large spider webs covered the ceilings. Thelvin looked up and pulled his axe.
"Do ye think them webs have big spiders in em?"
"I am not sure. Anything is possible."
A scratching sound was heard in a side corridor.
"Who's there!" Lodo yelled as he drew his sword.
A drider with the body of a wrinkled, old, drow male, ambled out of the alcove. His spider body was gray, and pot marked with signs of advanced age. The drider looked around and felt along the wall. It groaned and mumbled as it crossed the hall. "Who's there?" It asked with a raspy voice.
Lodo growled and stood before it.
"Oh, there you are. Is my sentence through?"
"Who are you?"
"Please execute me. I am old and blind. Is it enough that I was made into this horrible thing? I am too feeble to continue my duty."
"Chaszmyr Khalazza." Walisra said. "Don't worry. You will be free soon. Just a little longer."
"Lady Walisra? Have you gotten lost again?"
"No. I am taking these warriors to question the demons. The time of freedom is at hand. Go ahead of us and keep the spider kind from attacking us, please."
"For you, sweet lady, anything. You are the only one who ever bothered to visit and talk to me."
Chaszmyr made chattering sounds as he led them down the web filled corridor.
From time to time, Thelvin looked into the webbing . He saw dozens of shining eyes peering through. Lodo put his hand on Thelvin's shoulder, to steady his nerves.
"I doona trust that spider."
"I don't like the idea of fighting those things in the webs. We have little choice."
Chaszmyr stopped at the end of the hallway. "I will wait here for when you wish to return. I do not go near the demons. They frighten me."
Beyond the tunnel was a huge cavern. Stalactites lined the walls and the ceiling.
"The evil in this room is immense. I am not sure it is entirely caused by the demons. " Tharros wove a protection spell to keep himself from shaking.
Lodo looked along one of the walls. Almost completely covered by a stalactite that crept along the wall was the remains of an altar. Lodo noticed the faint etching on the stone. "This was once part of the underdark. This chamber is the remains of a temple to Lloth or Selvetarm."
"You are correct. Long ago, drow twisted this sanctuary. This was once a hidden temple to the forbidden gods of Myth Fredaine." came a feminine voice echoing through the room.
"Where are you?"
"If you care to see us, our prisons are in the floor, twenty paces beyond that altar, Lodo BenArris Celestide."
"How do you know who I am?"
"We four know everything that goes on in this place. We steal his power, as is our right. We need to pass the time somehow, don't we?"
"I suppose." Lodo and the others went to a large grate in the floor.
"You had best make this quick, you will miss the announcement of the new rulers. On the other hand, you know exactly who it is, so why bother. Although your stomach is growling, You forget to eat, Celestide?"
"Quit mocking me."
"Oh, but you are the only one in this room worth mocking. It is so easy to get a rise out of you."
"Who are you?"
"I am called Nakvar. I am a balor, formerly in the service of Graz'zt. The other three are Calyx, Grimshai, and Japak. Don't bother trying to speak to them. I ripped out their vocal chords long before we were sent here."
"I thought balors could teleport easily out of a prison."
"Not this one. The wards around this prison, and the power of the mythal itself are very powerful. You should know that. You have not been able to teleport outside of the mythal. On top of that , this room is warded. If you tried to teleport out of this room, you would end up in one of the oubliettes."
Thelvin started laughing loudly. "Tha Demon Prince sent ye into a trap! Ain't that precious!"
"Lord Graz'zt sent us here to destroy this place! A group of stupid clerics of Corellon and stupid Elven wizards captured us. They concentrated all their efforts on us and ignored the drow who invaded their walls. After we were imprisoned, the new regime used us for their experiments. My only satisfaction is binding one of the ones who put us here to begin with."
Walisra gasped and screamed out. "You realize that unless he is unbound, you will continue to be imprisoned."
"Who cares."
"This mythal can not be destroyed unless he is freed."
"Are you sure of that were-orc? Then free him if you dare. Once I have my hand back, and this place is destroyed, I will enjoy chewing on your dead bones. I am sure an orcish dire were-bear would make a decent meal."
"Enough," Lodo shouted. "Lets get out of here."
Solonund tried repeatedly to get onto the grounds of the Jagged Palace, with no luck. It was under very tight guard by Black Wizards and the few remaining gold golems. No one was allowed in, under Ty'Aero's orders.
.Solonund finally gave up. He grabbed a bite to eat from one of the street vendors and headed to the arena.
He was surprised to find that he, and the rest of Katla's friends, had seating reserved for the ceremony. They were honored guests, and were seated in the spaces next to Katla herself.
"It will be a while before your seat is ready sir. The workers are not finished with the platform yet." A portly human woman said as she sat in the ticket cage.
"How soon?"
"Within a half an hour."
"Is there any way I can get an audience with the new ruler before the ceremony starts?"
"No, I am afraid that is not possible. But, there is a message for you attached to your pass."
Solonund snatched the note from the woman and read it quickly.
"I have the holy symbol. Meet me at the gardens in the Noble's ward after the ceremony. I am fine. Everything is going well. Katla."
Solonund sighed with relief as soon as he walked into the safe house.
The announcement and coronation ceremony had been beautiful, but dull.
Katla made a stunning Empress, but she always had been beautiful.
The only thing that was interesting about the event was the change in Ty'Aero, now Emperor Naurailoki's, appearance.
"Solonund. Kunne told me that you went to try and contact Katla. You shouldn't have gone alone."
"Calm down Lodo. It's alright. Although, she was really upset you did not attend her coronation."
"So?"
"So, she wants us to meet her in the gardens of the noble's ward. I suspect she is already waiting."
"Alright, you pick up the artifacts and lets go."
"I am staying here with my son, Lodo. Carry it yourself."
"Fine, I will go by myyself."
Lodo sighed as he looked at the Solonund looking at Thelan. "I wonder what my son looks like now? " He could not stop himself from smiling.
Katla tapped her fingers on the arm of the bench as she waited for her friends. Naurailoki was with her, but she urged him to stay at another bench hidden in the bushy trees.
The gardens were actually a huge greenhouse. The air inside was constantly filtered to keep the acrid smog from killing the plants. A spell on the roof made the garden look like it was outdoors under a sunny, blue filled sky.
"Your Majesty! Have you been waiting long?"
"No, Lodo, we have not waited very long. I see you have another artifact."
"Sort of. We found several sword sheaths, but we are unable to tell which one is the right one. Since you have the scepter."
"Lay them on the grass."
Naurailoki slowly crept from his hiding place as Katla touched the sheath with the scepter. The group of sheathes slowly came together until only one sheath was left.
Naurailoki screamed and fell to the ground. His head was splitting and the blood ran from his nose.
"Who is that?"
Katla dropped the scepter. "Naurailoki! Naurailoki! What happened? Here let me help you."
"That is Ty'Aero! What the hell is he doing here?"
"He is my husband, Lodo. He has every right to be here. Just sit up and breathe, you are going to be alright."
"Do you mean to tell me that you married this ass of your own free will!"
"Formally, no, informally, yes."
"Come on Katla. Lets get out of here. It is time I got you back to your father. He will not be happy to know you share your bed with a shadow wizard." Lodo grabbed onto Katla's arm and tried to drag her away.
"Get your hands off of her!" Ty'Aero loosed a spell. A stream of blue light hit Lodo squarely in the chest and threw him away from Katla."
"So that is the way you want to play it. Fine by me! I have not had a decent battle with another wizard in some time."
"I will not allow you to touch my wife!"
"Both of you! Stop!"
"You brought this on yourself, Katla."
"Please!"
"I will chase this ingrate off, my love. Stay there. I don't want you to get hurt."
The wizards were evenly matched. Fireballs, ice storms and every manner of deadly spell flew back and forth from their hands.
Katla hid beneath a stone table as the two warred back and forth, literally destroying the gardens.
A crowd formed around the perimeter outside the windows. People from all over Myth Fredaine were shouting and making bets on the outcome of the fight.
Katla did not know what to do. She knew if she stopped one of them, the other one would die.
Tharros, Thelvin and Tessirak tried to rush in to help Lodo, but were held back by the crowd.
Katla saw as Ty'Aero fought off the onslaught from Lodo, he came closer to stepping on the blood scepter. She screamed and dove for the artifact.
Katla inched her way back to place under the table. She clutched the blood scepter to her chest. the motion allowed the chain of the holy symbol around her neck to wrap around the scepter.
Ty'Aero paused and screamed, allowing Lodo to issue the killing blow from his spell sword.
Katla unwrapped the chain from the scepter and placed it back into its pouch. She walked over to Ty'Aero and held his bloody body in her arms.
"Do not let him take you where you don't want to go."
"Naurailoki. I'm sorry. I am so sorry."
"Don't cry, my love. You saved me from the blackness. I told you. I would willingly die for you. I love you. Thank you, for everything." He let out a gurgling sound and fell limp.
Lodo walked over to where Ty'Aero's crown had fallen. He picked it up and put it on his own head. "I guess this means that I am the new emperor."
"Shut up and get out of here, Lodo."
"Katla?"
"I said leave!"
Thelvin rushed in, knelt down and pulled Katla to his chest. "Go on and cry. I'm here for ye. I sholdna let that hothead come by himself. I'll stay with ye. It'll be alright, Empress."
"Thank you , Thelvin."
"Come on, Lodo. Thelvin will take care of her. Lets all go get some rest. We can take the artifacts where they belong later."
"He doesn't want to be consumed by an ooze. We should burn his body, before the priests get to him."
"I'll help ye, Katla. Count on me."
Please Review
