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My gnoll porters and I traveled through the dark passageways towards Ched Nasad. The tunnels twisted and turned, but I had no worry of getting lost. Runes that were visible only to trained eyes directed us towards our destination. Three days into the journey, I started to get an uneasy feeling. I could not explain it, I just new that something was wrong. My slave porters yipped to each other in their own language, one that I had never learned. I knew that the were talking either about me, or something to come. Either way, I was about to find out.

On day five it happened. We rounded a bend and the passageway opened up into a cavern. As I entered, the two gnolls stood at the opening and laughed their high pitched laughs as they drew their blades. I quickly dropped my pack and moved into the cavern. I glanced about and noted that their were multiple tunnels that opened up into the room. I could hear yips and barks coming from the tunnels. I was about to be seriously outnumbered. I uttered a curse and turned to face the two former porters. They walked towards me, long daggers in hand. I knew I had to work quickly to slay these two traitors, and prepare for the others. I readied a spell I had prayed for the night before and cast it at the gnolls.

Nothing happened. I knew the spell inside and out, and yet it fizzled and died. The gnolls kept coming, as if they knew they were in no danger. I tried another spell, with the same result. Vith, I thought. Something was seriously wrong. Desperate, I pulled my dagger and ran towards the two. I may have been a spell caster, but I was also drow, and there is not a single member of my race that did not know how to dispatch a few poorly trained gnolls. Startled, they hesitated. That was their fatal error. The first on made a clumsy swing, but too high. I ducked underneath the swing and slipped my blade up, splitting his stomach and pushing it up into his heart. Much time in my training was spent learning the intricacies of anatomy. The gnoll blinked as death claimed him.

The second gnoll was a bit quicker, but that did not save him. As the knife slipped from the hands of the dying gnoll I grabbed it and rolled towards the second creature. He snarled and barked as he tried to stab me with is own blade. It grazed my shoulder as I rolled towards him, the rough blade opening a ragged wound. I could feel the warm blood running down my arm as I jammed my blade into his foot, He howled in pain, grabbing at the foot and hopping back. I took advantage and stood, pushing my second blade into his throat. He gagged and fell to the floor. Rather pleased with myself, I turned, grinning slightly. That grin vanished completely, as I saw the other gnolls. At least ten stood in the cavern. Unlike their fellows I had dispatched, these were well armed and armored. I was in trouble.

I stepped back, nearly tripping over the gnolls I had just killed. I plucked the blade from the neck of the one and brandished it. I knew that death was about to claim me. Lolth had, for some reason denied me my spells. Had I failed her? Angered her? I pleaded with her but I received no response. I was on my own, and about to die. I straightened my self and looked at the gnolls, brandishing the bloodied blade. Instead of attacking, they parted and knelt to allow a dark cloaked figure to step forward. Ebon hued hands reached up and pulled back the cowl revealing herself. It was one of the priestesses from Arach-Tinilth! I stared, jaw agape. What was this? I was dumbfounded as she approached.

"Kneel before your mistress, male!" she ordered.

I instinctively dropped to my knees, looking up at her.

"What is this about, mistress?" I asked. "I do not understand!"

She laughed. "Foolish male. Lolth has had her fun, and now She is through with you. You were nothing. You were never meant to get as far as you did. You should be honored. You have seen things that no male has ever seen, or will ever see again. And now you will die a long and painful death. My pets will see to that."

She turned and walked away, leaving my to stare at her. She paused as she reached the biggest of the gnolls, stroking his furry head.

"Make sure he suffers greatly, my pet." she cooed.

"Yes mistress." he replied. "He will."

The others snickered and yipped as she disappeared into the dark passageways behind them. At a motion from the leader, a group of them sheathed their bladed weapons and drew clubs as they advanced. I fought them with the only weapons I had left, my fists, feet, and teeth. I punched, kicked and bit to no avail. Beaten and battered, I curled up and covered my head as best I could. Pain welled up as I felt bones break and blood run free. But pain was not the only thing growing within me. Anger. Fury. Rage. These things grew as well. I had been betrayed, and I wanted revenge. That's when something strange happened.

I felt something that I can describe only as pure energy coursing through my body. The pain from the beating lessened, nearly vanishing completely. I screamed, and then everything went black.

I have no idea how long I was unconscious. When I came to, the first thing that my senses was the smell of burnt flesh. I remained motionless as I tried to listen for any tell tale signs of life around me. I could hear nothing. Next I tested my limbs, to see if I was bound or held in any way. I was not. Finally, I risked opening my eyes. I was shocked at the scene before me. The gnolls were surrounding me still, but they were all laying on the ground, burned to death. The ones closest to me were almost unrecognizable, while the others were not as bad, but just as dead. Using a sword that was strangely untouched by fire to help me stand, I looked around a bit more. The walls were untouched by fire as well. As I looked around, I heard a sound.

I spun around, lifting the blade in a poor attempt at a defensive stance. Crawling into one of the tunnels was a singed gnoll. The pitiful creature looked over its shoulder at me, his eyes widening in fear.

"Please…no more." It begged. "I leave you alone. Just don't hurt me."

The gnoll groveled at my feet. No more what? I wondered. Did I cast some sort of fireball spell? That couldn't be. I lifted the blade and jammed it through the gnoll's head, pinning it to the ground. I then scavenged the bodies for anything I could find that would be useful. I found nothing, so I collected my pack and continued to Ched Nasad.