Out of the Shadows, Part 11
"My employer?" you ask, as your small group navigates down the cramped, winding tunnel. "She's... a good girl, caught in a very bad situation. She asked me for help, and I want to do what I can to support her."
Verika looks surprised; it's clearly not the response she expected. "A bad situation?" she echoes, frowning. "What kind of trouble is she in?"
"She had to take over the family business at a young age," you explain. "It's in bad shape. And many of her employees don't like the changes she's trying to make. Not to mention that she has some very aggressive competition, just waiting for a chance to muscle in on her. Even if it means using violence."
"I didn't realize the courier trade was so cutthroat," Verika muses, raising an eyebrow.
"You'd be surprised," you reply. "But things are looking up. Once I complete the delivery she sent me here to pick up... it should be enough to make a difference for her. I really hope it does."
The ranger regards you, taking in what she's learned about your objectives and how that reflects on her opinion of you. Then she nods. "If there's anything I can do to help with that, after this is over, let me know," she offers. "I already owe you a damn sight more than that for saving Belan. Let alone for helping us with this. The least I can do is make sure that your mission is successful."
"I'll remember that," you say, with a tiny smile. "But we need to rescue your friends before we can do any of that. Do you have any plans yet for how we'll find them? Let alone get them out of wherever they're being kept?"
Verika sighs. "If they've been sent to the slave market like captives from the surface usually are, it won't be a problem," she says. "Their security is good... but not good enough to stop me. I'd be able to slip in and break them out."
It doesn't require your superhuman perception to detect the skepticism in her tone. "But since they were taken to be used against you..."
"...it means we aren't going to be that lucky," Verika agrees grimly. "So we'll need to learn where they are being held before we can attempt any rescue."
You pause, walking on in silence for a while before speaking up again. "Do you know who set this up?"
"Yes." Verika's reply is blunt and to the point. "But she won't be the only one we need to worry about. This is drow politics we're stepping into. Whenever anyone makes a move, her rivals will always be lurking around somewhere. Looking for ways to counter, or to exploit it to their own benefit."
"Who else do we need to watch out for?"
"The main players will be the high noble houses," Verika says. "The families whose bloodlines are eligible by Melca's decree to place their heirs on the throne of the Matriarch. That honor usually passes back and forth between them every few centuries, depending on how skilled the current Matriarch is at avoiding the assassin's blade."
"They sound like a pleasant bunch."
That draws a humorless laugh from Verika, before she continues. "The most aggressive of them are House Cendiath," she says. "They have strong ties to the army, and they've never forgiven the surface nations for beating back the Underworld forces at the end of the Twelfth Melcan Crusade. More than anything else, they want to retake Jexeva's Pass so they can have direct access to the surface again. Not just through the shadowgates."
Khaytala glances back at that. "I ran into them a couple times," she offers. "Spent some time with the garrison at the Twilight Fortress myself, after I did a stint guarding a caravan sent to deliver supplies up there. Helped fight off a few of their raiding parties trying to probe the fort's defenses."
Verika nods. "Their main rivals are House Thesolan," she says. "Their power base lies heavily in the priestess class, and most members of the house are fanatical devotees of Melca. The only consistent policy they have is to follow the whims of their goddess. And to stand as rabid enemies of whoever happens to be drawing her ire on any given day."
"And—while they're only minor nobility—House Eselvar has also accumulated a great deal of power. Possibly enough to rival the high nobles themselves, even if they'll never boast a Matriarch of their own. They like to keep a low profile, manipulating from behind the scenes... and they have a reputation for betraying their pawns the instant they're of no further use. Sometimes even before."
You ponder the information. "Interesting. So which of those families is the current Matriarch from?"
"None of them," replies Verika. "The current Matriarch is from the most decadent and corrupt family of them all. She's the eldest daughter of House Ravahorn."
"Ah." There's nothing more that needs to be said to that, really. You regard Verika Ravahorn as she walks resolutely down the tunnel. Her eyes locked straight ahead. Her face betraying no emotion. Of course, just the name wouldn't necessarily be significant on its own. Such dynastic houses can often be quite large, after all. She could easily have been some distantly removed cousin, nobody important.
But in light of recent events, you don't believe that for a moment.
"She's the one who sent the raiding party," Verika says. "But all the others will have their own schemes going as well. Whatever plan we come up with, we'll have to weave our way through the whole twisted spiderweb."
Then Verika does glance back at you. "And we'll have to think about who we want to be left standing at the end of this, and how to make that happen. Because even if we recover Syvel, Esile and Leati, the Matriarch won't just give up. Taking them was her declaration of war. And before I leave the Underworld... I intend to give her my answer."
That... could have drastic consequences. Consequences that could be either a detriment or a benefit to your own aims, affecting not just the Underworld but also the surface nations. Your mind is already racing, considering the different possibilities, how you might be able to subtly manipulate Verika's plan to Kovora's advantage. But until you get more concrete information it's mostly an exercise in speculation.
Soon you reach your destination, a small, well-hidden cave with a tiny stream running through it near the back. Verika moves a pile of rocks and pulls out a weathered bag. She opens it, revealing several rusted throwing knives, currency of multiple different kinds, and some very old, moldering hardtack. It seems this place was a bolt-hole set up a long time ago. A wise precaution to take, if one were involved in a game as bloody and uncertain as drow politics.
Verika isolates one of the currency types, counting through it before sweeping the coins up into her hand. Then she turns to the rest of you. "I need to get the lay of the land," she says. "Find out what has happened since I've been gone. There's a contact I know, an information broker in the slave quarter. If he's still around, even after all this time, I should be able to get something from him."
She glances down at the coins in her hand and winces slightly, but then looks back up. "For now, you should wait here. You're too noticeable to be walking around, attracting attention. I'll come back when I've learned as much as I can, and we can decide what to do for our next move."
Of course, she's right. You in particular would stand out quite a bit were you to stroll out in plain view. Except she doesn't know that you could become much less conspicuous if you wanted to.
If you judge it safe to reveal to her, you could either suggest accompanying her, which would allow you to back her up and possibly talk with her some more. Or you could suggest that you investigate a different target independently, in an attempt to cover the most ground possible. Either way, she would learn that your abilities are not just mysterious, but truly supernatural, in a way that ordinary tieflings don't naturally manifest.
That said, you don't technically need to tell her about your shapeshifting in order to do independent investigation. You could simply slip out after Verika leaves and look into whichever target you chose on your own initiative. Hopefully getting back before she does as well.
Or you could simply do as she suggests, and wait for her to return. That would allow you to talk with your allies without Verika listening in, perhaps preparing a few surprises to help in seducing her with their help.
