Disclaimer: dark themes
notes:
Kendris/Tremayne: no Sarevok in this chapter, but we'll see more of him (and the Candlekeep Bhaalspawn) soon.
Domi: I'll try to work on my tendancy to summarize/tell. I won't be revising old chapters soon, but probably will revamp later. Hopefully the Sarevok/Reiltar relationship will become clearer in later chapters.Heritage of Evil:Descent
Snow fell softly, and Shann looked up at the swirling flakes with joy. Soon the N'evarn colony would be completely isolated. Whenever a decent amount of snow fell, the two paths that led down the mountain became nearly impassable. The Drow had kept the paths narrow to make it hard for attackers to reach the colony, but the same defence would turn against them, now that an enemy was waiting to stalk the elves from within the valley.
It had taken Shann almost a year to reach the mountain valley. She spent more time learning how to track and kill enemies, than actually travelling. Shann practiced on any sentient creatures she came across, mostly human bandits, but some other races as well, including many of the monster breeds, such as orcs, goblins, and one ogre. Fear was the tactic she found worked best with all enemies. She had trained herself to use a bow, the perfect weapon for killing from a distance. Hide in the shadows, strike once, and then disappear. Have patience, the longer they wait for you to attack again, the better. No one can stay at full alert for days on end, without becoming tired and weak.
Footprints lay in the new-fallen snow, and Shann frowned when she saw them. She would have to be careful when invisible, and try not to walk where the snow was soft, or her tracks would betray her. A large part of her success as an assassin was due to her ability to become invisible, strike her opponent, and then disappear again. Shann's Father had been pleased with her actions when she left Baldur's Gate, and he had helped Shann improve her innate powers of invisibility. Not only was she undetectable by magical means when invisible, she could now become invisible three, sometimes four, times in between rest periods.
They will learn fear, Shann thought, and she smiled as she looked down at the buildings that housed her enemies. For over a month she had been waiting, observing the elves, and devising a plan of attack. She prepared for her first Drow kill carefully, and followed a lone hunter as he stalked and slew a mountain sheep. She waited until he knelt to examine the animal, and then attacked. The Drow was not wearing armour, and it took only one arrow, aimed perfectly at his heart, to end the hunter's life. Shann stood over him as he laboured to breathe in vain, and watched his life depart. The dark one died the same as any other creature. The masters are only mortal after all.
Now that the Drow were trapped in the valley, Shann began her campaign of terror. The hunter had been the first to die, but others soon followed him. She was careful to kill in secret, taking Drow who wandered away from their companions, and savaging the bodies to make it appear like some wild creature had attacked them. It was not long before the elves organized hunts that destroyed all the large predators in the valley, and Shann's kills were recognized as the act of an intelligent enemy.
The patrols grew more alert, and Shann stopped her attacks, content to let the Drow scurry about, trying to find the enemy in their midst. She trusted in Bhaal and Shevarash to keep Lloth's priestesses from divining her nature and location. Lloth's altar was bloody for days on end, the Drow commander, Mistress Sidhie, even allowed some valuable slaves to be sacrificed to the spider queen in a vain attempt to identify the predator in the valley. Lloth never answered the Drow's prayers, and Shann could walk freely in the colony, as long as she was invisible.
Shann kept quiet for half a month, letting the Drow think they had chased their killer away, but she was not going to let them relax. "Lloth cannot help you," Shann hissed into the sleeping Sidhie's ear one night. She laughed when the Drow awoke with a curse, calling for her guards, and asking Lloth for the power of truesight. Contemptuously, Shann slew the lesser priestess who had entered the room. For a moment, Shann was visible to the guards, who stared at her as though she was a demon, and then moved to attack her. Shann called on her invisibility just before Sidhie could cast a spell at her, and then slipped out of the room. The guards will tell the tale of the helpless high priestess, and all shall fear me now.
The colony was mobilized, all Drow and most slaves were sent to search every part of the grounds for signs of the intruder. Rather than try to escape through the myriad watchers, Shann walked to the slave quarters, and fell asleep in an empty corner. She woke when the slaves returned from the fruitless hunt, and was about to leave, when she spotted her grandmother, Berthild, talking to one of the other slaves. Shann waited until her grandmother turned away, to find an empty spot to sleep in, and then quietly walked over to her. Most of the slaves were already asleep, too exhausted to do anything else, and Shann was not noticed when she dropped her invisibility, and spoke to Berthild.
"Hello, Grandmother," she said quietly.
Berthild looked at her for a moment. "Shann?" she whispered, and tears formed in her eyes when Shann nodded. Berthild looked around, and then pulled Shann hastily into the shadows, fearful of being seen by unfriendly eyes. Tears streamed down Berthild's face, and Shann allowed her grandmother to hold her, but felt little emotion herself.
"I am glad you are still alive, but where have you been, and why have you come back?" Berthild whispered after she regained her composure.
"I was in the surfacer city of Baldur's Gate, and learned both magery, and warcraft," Shann said. "I have returned to kill them all."
"You mean the Drow?" Berthild said uneasily. "Is revenge all you think of?"
"They killed my Mother, your daughter, why should I not want vengeance?" Shann asked.
"Then you are who the Drow are searching for, the hidden one that kills in secret."
"Yes, was that not obvious?" Shann said, with a light laugh. "You should be happy, because, once the masters are all dead, the slaves will be free."
"You are not thinking of the slaves, do not try to fool me," Berthild admonished, and her voice was sad. "You are drawing this out for your own amusement, you enjoy the fear you create."
"What makes you say that?" Shann asked in a harsh tone. "I cannot face them all at once. I must weaken the Drow somehow, and fear is the best means of keeping them off balance."
"Nonsense," Berthild snapped. "You had the chance to destroy Mistress Sidhie, and did not take it. The loss of the commander would have led to a power struggle among the lesser Drow; that would have unsettled them more than they are now."
"I know what I am doing," Shann said angrily.
"Yes, you are listening to the base urges of your tainted blood. You did not come here to help the slaves. You only want to make the masters suffer."
"Perhaps I am enjoying myself. What does it matter? The end will be the same, the slaves will be free because of me."
"It matters, Shann," Berthild said quietly. "Violence is not the answer, and it is even worse if you enjoy the carnage you create."
"Then what is the answer, old woman?" Shann said dismissively. "To accept your lot in life, and submit to those in power? Pray to Ilmater, if you wish, and hope that when you die he will reward you. I have the power to get what I want in this life."
"Ilmater's way is not one of weakness, or submission, child," Berthild sighed. "I thought we taught you better, but it is not too late. Let go of your hatred, and allow me ..."
"Forget it, I have no interest in your foolish beliefs. Goodbye, Grandmother," Shann said as she faded out of view. She stopped at the door, and glanced back at Berthild, who had hidden her face in her hands. For a moment, Shann looked as though she would go back, but her fists clenched, and she continued on her way. Almost without thought, Shann slit the throat of the outermost guard as she left the colony.
A few days later, two shadowy figures left the colony. They were completely covered in hooded white cloaks, and headed for the closest path down the mountain. "Accursed sun," the younger one muttered.
"Hush fool, the hidden one strikes at night," the other whispered back in a breathless voice. "It will be safer if we travel during the day. We have no choice if we wish to survive. Lloth has abandoned Mistress Sidhie, and she will die like all the rest who stay in this doomed place. The road is difficult in winter, but not impossible to navigate. I will gain prestige by reporting Sidhie's failure to the Matron Mother."
"Or not," Shann said as she stepped out to greet the fleeing Drow. "I move freely in the day, as well as the night. What is this I see? Two baby spiders, all alone."
"Halt! The power of Lloth is with me, you cannot stand against us," said the elder girl. Her words were proud, but a tremor in her voice betrayed her fear.
Shann laughed; the Drow were young, little more than children, and posed no threat to her. "Poor little mistresses, near blinded by the sun," she said in a sing-song voice. "I have half a mind to let you go." The younger girl looked hopeful, but the elder's face grew grim, as she gripped her mace inexpertly, and prepared to fight. Shann saw the weak gesture of defiance, and a feral look appeared in her eyes. She was smiling when she walked away, leaving two small, bloodied bodies in the snow.
The fleeing youths were the last Drow to leave themselves open to attack. Sidhie and the nine surviving elves barricaded themselves in the central building, and set wards at all the entrances. The higher ranking slaves were used to keep order among the lesser slaves, and see to it that the Drow did not lack for anything. Shann killed a few of the slaves, but there were always new ones to take their place, and she was getting bored. Time to finish this, she resolved. Grandmother should be pleased, I will destroy them all at once, and end this game.
The mines were being carelessly maintained, as the absence of the Drow meant the slaves were no longer driven by fear. The overseers still maintained control, but were too busy quelling the pockets of resistance that kept breaking out, to keep the mines operating in their usual brutally efficient manner. Shann found it a simple matter to appropriate a few of the delayed blast explosive spells that were manufactured for use in clearing new tunnels. The trickiest part of this plan, will be adjusting the spell delays properly. It was nice of the Drow to barricade themselves in one place.
The wards of protection were placed around the doors that led to the building, but the walls and foundations were not shielded. Shann went around the circular building, directing the spell explosions inward. She chanted the activation words softly, and walked away, counting to herself, when all the blast spells were in place. She tensed when one of the guards went on patrol around the building, but the first blast occurred before he could spot the faint marks Shann's activities had left in the snow. The spell was followed in quick succession by four more, and a deafening roar filled the air. I mistimed one, Shann thought calmly, and then nodded as the final explosion added its fiery glow to the others.
She saw the guard get thrown backwards, the flames were directed away from him, but the force of the blast threw him violently across the courtyard, and it was clear that his neck had been broken. The building crumbled as the walls were blown inwards, and the heavy stone roof collapsed. She shifted to night vision, and tried to see if any humanoid shapes were moving in the demolished structure.
"Maris!" a voice cried out. "Maris was in there, please we have to find him. Help me!"
Shann saw an elderly human woman being held back from the still-flaming rubble by an orcish youth. Other slaves were starting to gather around the pit, most looked stunned, but a few had started fire brigades, worried that the flames would ignite the nearby buildings, most of which were made of wood, not stone.
"There is no life there," a weary slave, a priest of Tymora, said. "The spells show no one is alive."
"No, you're wrong! My wife ..." a man said angrily as he moved to strike the priest. The priest merely shook his head, and held the man gently when he broke down, weeping.
Shann watched it all, and marvelled at the foolishness of the slaves. The Drow were dead, that was all that mattered. Why weep for the slaves who died? They served the Drow, and deserved no better. I have destroyed my enemies, just as Father promised.