Disclaimer: No copyright infringement or other such nonsense intended, only good, clean, die-hard fan obsession.
A/N: Many thanks to my reviewers. Also, I'd like to apologize in advance for this chapter. I was seriously lacking in information on the planes and so if I made any extremely huge mistakes feel free to tell me. I'll fix them based on what information I can get and repost if applicable.
CH II: The Living Dead
Calazzesla raced across the planes as fast as she, a mere succubus, could. She knew she shouldn't care so much about a child, a male drow child at that. However, Calazzesla was still female. Somewhere in her she still felt some semblance of the needs every woman has, including that to have children. What seemed like eons earlier in her life she had been allowed to keep a child she had borne. Calazzesla had subsequently been yearning for that feeling since the time that her first child, a female, had grown into maturity.
Once where she needed to be, Calazzesla looked about. Here the souls of the dead had gathered, waiting to be taken to be with their chosen deity. But what of a babe who had chosen no member of the pantheon? she wondered. The soul of the child would still have to arrive here, and souls could not simply be destroyed (though it had certainly been done before, and would doubtlessly be done again) immediately.
She scanned the area around her, not even noticing the horrified stares she was given by the followers of the gods of good. One area in particular caught her eye, that of new souls arriving and being helped to stand in the plane after death, a disorienting experience indeed. Calazzesla floated to that area, tapping one of the creatures on the shoulder.
The tiefling turned around, jumping a little in surprise. "Ah...many greetings creature of the Abyss," he greeted in Calazzesla's native tongue.
"I look for a child, newly arrived," the succubus stated, cutting straight to the point. The tiefling bit back the sarcastic retort on his tongue.
"If you could be a bit more specific..."
"A male drow child. A Baenre, at that." Recognition seemed to dawn on the male's face and he waved his hand at a female tiefling across the way. She came over, a babe in her arms.
"Wruz'roos," the female stated in relation to the child. He was naught more than a spirit, a dark grey mass with barely distinguishable features. "Shall I resurrect him?"
"No!" Calazzesla answered, mayhap a bit too quickly. The two tieflings looked at her curiously and she glared. She hissed, "Just give me the child!" She reached for him, sharp fingernails poking at the less than corporeal mass. The female tiefling hid a shudder, turning the baby over to Calazzesla. Then in a flash the succubus was gone.
Lolth looked displeased when Calazzesla finally arrived. "You took ages," she said flatly. Calazzesla looked at her feet and presented Wruz'roos to the lady. Lolth scrunched up her nose and took the child. She couldn't rightly make out his features aside from pointed ears and dark crimson eyes. Returning the child to Calazzesla, Lolth pricked her finger, a drop of blood falling on the grey fuzz that was the child. Where the blood fell skin could be seen. The goddess began to chant, the blood spreading over Wruz'roos' form. Slowly he began to reform, screaming when finally his lungs returned to existence, the new organs stretching for the first time. The layers on his body continued to reform, bones, muscles, organs and skin.
Finally the chanting stopped. Lolth looked down at the crying babe, holding him by his ankle. She carelessly flung the child to Calazzesla. The succubus scrambled to catch him, falling ungracefully on her rump but managing to grab the child before he hit the rocky ground. Stark white hair fell in front of his chubby face and crimson eyes. The succubus pushed back the hair causing the baby to giggle.
Lolth rolled her eyes.
"Be gone from me," the goddess ordered curtly. Calazzesla hurried to her feet, turning to go but pausing.
"Might I rename him, my lady?" she asked.
Lolth growled, "As you will, providing that you leave this meeting in possession of your life." Calazzesla took the hint and rushed off as quickly as she could.
Once far, far away from the now irritated goddess, Calazzesla stopped to look at the child. "Wruz'roos," she said, making a face of obvious distaste. "It doesn't fit you." She paused a moment longer, rocking the infant back and forth in her arms. He cooed and giggled, batting at the female's long hair.
Calazzesla sighed, as happy as a succubus (of all creatures) could be. "Jarlaxle," she said finally. Jarlaxle, charmed ally. The babe squealed happily, apparently liking the name. It fit him well.
With that Calazzesla continued back to her demon lord, the newly named Jarlaxle in her arms.