Author's Note: 'Drow' may come from the elven word 'dhaerow', translated as face of shadows, traitor, or heart of night.
In game, Solaufein is lawful neutral and Haer'Dalis is chaotic neutral, so they remind me of the old show, The Odd Couple. Oh, and since Solaufein was never in Undrentide, I have my own take on how he came across the Reaper's Relic. Not that he's actually ever used it...yet.
2...Passage to the City of Splendors
Solaufein followed the bard to his room upstairs. Haer'Dalis laughed and lightly slapped his back. "The door is shut and barred but still you look as nervous as a maiden in a brothel."
"The innkeeper saw my face. Will he call the guard?"
"No, you are safe here." With that assurance, Solaufein dropped his pack and set aside his cloak. A curved sword in a battered sheath lay across one lean hip. His armor was almost as dark as his skin and was lovingly crafted, Haer'Dalis knew, from the flexible belly scales of the shadow dragon they'd killed three or four years ago. "What brings you to Athkatla? It has not, I fear, grown more tolerant since the last time you were here."
"So I gather," Solaufein said. Haer'Dalis raised a brow. "Several incidents during my travels here." Haer'Dalis waited but the drow did not elaborate. Instead he looked around the richly furnished sitting room. Through the open door behind his host, he could see a large platform bed, draped lavishly with gold silk. There was clutter everywhere. It appeared the bard had prospered.
"Make yourself at home," Haer'Dalis said.
"There is a bird that is said to collect shiny things. A magpie?"
Haer'Dalis grinned. "You are not the first to call me so. A magpie is a most intelligent bird."
"And vocal," Solaufein agreed blandly. "I am learning about surface creatures. I wasn't sure I'd find you here in Athkatla."
"After our return from the Abyss, I thought to settle for a while. I hold the deed to the playhouse downstairs. I thought it might amuse me to see what I could make of it."
"And has it amused you?"
"It has its moments. But tell me of yourself. What have you been doing since we parted? You talked of returning to Suldanesselar."
"I did so." Haer'Dalis watched Solaufein prowl around the room like a lean dark wolf in the soft-soled boots the innkeeper found so alarming. With a wave of his hand, he invited the drow to sit. He poured them both wine from a bottle on the side table.
"Drink," he said. "You make me restless. Getting words out of you is like squeezing water from a stone. Tell me of Suldanesselar. Tell me of the beauteous Queen Ellesime."
Solaufein spread his hands. "The queen treated me with kindness. She had her silversmith make this for me." He pulled the chain around his neck and showed Haer'Dalis his silver medallion. "This is Eilistraee. My goddess."
The bard admired the exquisite craftsmanship but he could not hide his skepticism. Solaufein just smiled. The tiefling followed no god and found the idea of worship rather silly. "My time in the Forest of Tethir was-instructive. I had suspected that much of what my people 'knew' of the surface world was lies but I was unprepared for the full extent of my ignorance." He gave a faint smile. "I find I do not enjoy my ignorance."
"And you were accepted there?" Haer'Dalis asked. "I still remember the reactions you got-"
Solaufein gave an amused huff of breath. "I was tolerated."
"Merely tolerated? After we saved their city from Irenicus?"
"I'm not sure any darthiir can truly accept one of my kind."
"Ah."
"I met with a better reception than any darthiir would find in my former home, I assure you, abbil. I was under Queen Ellesime's protection and that served well enough. But tell me, Haer'Dalis-the Bhaalspawn. Do you know where she is?"
Haer'Dalis' eyes widened. "You won't find her here. She is not in Amn. Last I heard, she traveled to Kara-Tur but that was two years ago."
"Kara-Tur?"
"A land far to the east. She went with Imoen and that devilish brother of hers."
"Sarevok?"
"Aye. Whether they are still there or plan to return, I do not know. I see this is unwelcome news."
"I need help. I had hoped-"
"Unless he's on a mission, you can find Sir Anomen at the Order of the Radiant Heart. He's the only one of our former company I know how to find." He leaned back in his chair. "I am, of course, at your service."
"I hoped you would say so." Solaufein also leaned back.
"How may I help?"
"I must get to Waterdeep as quickly as possible."
"Simple enough. Ships leave for the City of Splendors regularly."
"I had hoped so but finding a ship is not so simple for one of my race. I cannot move about freely here."
"A good point. I would hope a shipmaster would be less, ahem, provincial than the citizens of this fair town but that is by no means certain. I will inquire in the morning and book passage if I find a suitable ship."
"I would be grateful."
Haer'Dalis waved his hand. "Do not thank me for so trivial a service. I hope you will also accept my hospitality for the length of your stay in Athkatla. As you can see, I have plenty of room."
"My thanks again."
"The pleasure is mine. What takes you to Waterdeep? A matter of some urgency, hmm?" Solaufein hesitated. Haer'Dalis knew that look. "Ah, my raven, is there a story here?"
"You may think me mad," the drow said.
"A most promising start to your tale."
Solaufein laughed. "You would certainly think so, abbil. I will tell you then. I have had dreams. Strange dreams that demand action."
Solaufein waited with what patience he could muster in Haer'Dalis' stifling rooms. He shook out the tension in his shoulders when he heard the bard's whistle and quick step in the corridor. He unbarred the door at his light knock. Haer'Dalis had a thick package under one arm and his eyes were bright.
"Are you prepared to leave immediately, my raven?"
"You have found me a ship."
"Aye and she sails with the afternoon tide." Without waiting for Solaufein's reaction, he went into his bedchamber and dropped the package on the bed. "Travel supplies," was his cryptic remark. From an ornate wardrobe he pulled out the worn pack Solaufein remembered from their shared adventuring days. Working quickly, he tossed several changes of clothes onto the bed and finally an exquisite chain shirt that Solaufein remembered very well indeed.
"What's this?" Solaufein asked.
"I'm coming with you, of course." Haer'Dalis tossed him a quick grin. "If you wished confirmation of your dreams, let me tell you of today's hot news from Waterdeep. The city is overrun by monsters and the Masked Lords have put out a call for adventurers. They offer a princely sum to anyone who can stop the attacks on their city."
"It was not I who needed confirmation. When one's goddess speaks, the heart knows the truth of it. Or so it is for us from this world, planes-walker."
"I know little of your gods and I cannot help being a skeptic, my friend. 'In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe and enough shadows to blind those who don't.' But come, let us not tarry. Foul unnatural beasts emerge from the depths of Undermountain to stalk the streets of Waterdeep. It is feared that they are driven out by something worse."
"I know not of this Undermountain."
"I know but little myself. Undermountain is a huge warren of caverns that lie beneath Mount Waterdeep and the City of Splendors, and is the stronghold of a wizard of great power named Halaster Blackcloak. He is also called the Mad Mage. There are some who say he rivals Elminster in both age and power."
"I've had enough of mad mages to last me a lifetime."
"As have I." But the bard's eyes sparkled and his languid moves of last night were now vigorous.
"Eilistraee did not warn me of a wizard but of a conqueror who has arisen from the drow. Could this mage be in her service?"
"From what I hear of Halaster, he serves no one but himself." Haer'Dalis finished packing and closed the ties on his pack. "But if he is mad, who can say? This may prove to be an interesting challenge, my friend."
An interesting challenge? Those words echoed in Solaufein's ear like a curse.
Haer'Dalis entered the dark cabin and found Solaufein still lying in his hammock. "Are you going to sleep the day away?"
"I hope so."
"Not still seasick, are you?"
"Nau, but I am sick of the sea. And of the sun. And of the rocking of this wretched vessel. I say nothing of the foul odor."
"Then you will be pleased to learn that we land tonight. Come up on deck. You can view Mount Waterdeep with the captain's spyglass."
"When I look up at the sky, it makes my head spin. I'll see this mountain tonight by moonlight without the need of the captain's spyglass."
"There's no moon tonight."
"Even better." Solaufein touched the silver medallion of Eilistraee that lay warm against his chest. He muttered, "Forgive me, Lady Silverhair, I do not hate your beloved moon. Sometimes it blinds me."
Haer'Dalis sat on the floor and rested his chin on his knees. "You do not seem pleased that we approach your goal. If I called you surly as a cambion, I would not be far off the mark. Is it the seasickness that makes you dour? Or do you have second thoughts?"
"At the prospect of returning to the Underdark?" Solaufein stared up at the ceiling. His hammock swayed. "I thought I had escaped. Now I must return, outcast, with no House and no place."
"Your heart holds no thrill at the prospect of adventure?"
"I am no madman. Unlike you, abbil."
Haer'Dalis lifted his head and smiled. "I am not convinced," he said. "Why, then, are you on this ship?"
"Eilistraee asks. I obey."
"You are compelled?"
"Nau. But She asks this of me."
"And you must answer?"
Solaufein stirred. The hammock rocked. "I am not certain I wish to be one who will not answer the call of his goddess. Even if I do not know how I can accomplish Her will."
"This is where you lose me, raven. Could you not continue to secrete yourself away in your forest and let another answer the call?"
"I did not secrete myself. I was there to learn."
"Ah. I stand corrected."
"I was not hiding." Haer'Dalis leaned back and gave Solaufein one of his knowing smiles. Solaufein narrowed his eyes. "Do you think it is easy for a drow to live on the surface?"
"I am not unfamiliar with the prejudice you face," the tiefling said.
"Our cases are not the same."
"I did not say they were."
Solaufein gave him a dissatisfied look. "Haer'Dalis, I have been meaning to ask you something."
"Ask away, my raven." The tiefling reached out a hand for his pack and started to dig through it.
"The captain and sailors are friendlier than I expected when they learned I was drow," he said. "And as I converse with them, it seems some have formed the impression that I am Drizzt Do'Urden traveling under a false name."
"Fancy that."
The look of mischief on the bard's face made his heart sink. "Fancy that indeed," Solaufein said. "We've met him. We fought beside him in Athkatla. Do I look like Do'Urden?"
"You are much more handsome, abbil."
Solaufein made a face. "Am I a ranger? Do I carry his famous weapons? Unlike you and he, I am no expert in the style of two swords."
"The draa velve," Haer'Dalis muttered with relish, proud of his language skills.
"Should he learn of these lies, he'll track me down and kick my ass from here to the Underdark."
"You accuse me of telling lies? You wound me. I am a bard, my friend, and a champion of the truth." He ignored Solaufein's snort. "If the fact passed my lips that my reticent companion was a famed swordsman and hero, a master of the curved blade, where is the lie in that?" His eyes crinkled. "It is no fault of mine if the uninformed leap to false conclusions. Besides, Do'Urden liked you."
"He didn't like me that much. When Drizzt Do'Urden kicks my ass, I'm going to turn and kick yours."
"If you think you can." Haer'Dalis grinned. "Tell me, my contentious raven, do you have a whetstone handy? I seem to have misplaced mine."
"In my pack on the right side, there is a packet of tools." After a moment of small rustles, Solaufein turned to watch the tiefling. "Shall I fetch it out? I do not wish you to turn my pack into a rat's nest like your own."
Haer'Dalis grimaced and yanked out his hand. "Faugh, what foul thing is this?"
"What do you mean? I don't smell anything."
"How can you not? 'Tis a devilish stench."
Solaufein rolled out of the hammock and padded over on bare feet. "Are you making game of me, tiefling?"
"This leather bundle-what is inside? I tell you true, when my fingers brushed it, my very flesh crawled." Haer'Dalis gave a dramatic shiver.
"Oh, that." Solaufein pulled out the bundle and peeled back the calfskin to show a glint of gold. "'Tis my luck charm. Don't you remember when I won it from the gambler we met in Watcher's Keep?"
"Do you speak of Aesgareth, the cambion?"
"Xa. I won the charm from him in a game of chance and at that moment, my luck changed. Immediately afterwards I won from him the blade I use today. I tell you true, Do'Urden has no finer scimitar. The cambion named it the Spectral Brand."
"I admit your blade is fine although I submit there is something fey and uncanny about it. But this charm is beyond uncanny. I did not sense this fetid power three or four years ago when we traveled together. How can you bear to have it near you? Do you truly feel nothing when you touch it?"
"Nau." But Haer'Dalis caught his frown.
"You do feel something."
"I said I do not." He wrapped the charm back in the leather and thrust it deep into his pack. "But I used to wear it as an amulet. Now I just keep it near. While I was in Suldanesselar, Elhan-you remember him?"
"The elven warlord?"
"Xa. He offered to try to rid me of my curse, as he called it. His reaction was not so different from yours."
"I have no difficulty in believing that this charm is cursed. It feels very wrong. Dangerously wrong."
"I didn't believe him and I don't believe you. It brings me luck, I tell you. Perhaps Elhan coveted the charm for himself."
"Why would he trick you in such a way? You were one of the saviors of his city."
"Why wouldn't he trick a drow, if I had something he wanted? I knew he did not like or trust me."
"No doubt the feeling was mutual."
"Xa."
"Despite the fact that we fought side by side against Jon Irenicus."
"There are many I have fought side by side with that I do not trust. I am drow. To trust is-what is the word-aberrant."
Solaufein wrinkled his nose at the fish-stench of the docks while Haer'Dalis spoke to the captain. Even in the middle of the night, the wharves were a cacophony of shouts and the rumble of cartwheels. There was a shifting crowd of dock workers, sailors, and others whose role was less discernible. They weren't all human either; Solaufein saw dwarves and elves and more than one hulking half-orc.
The high cliffs that protected the seaward side of the city seemed to create a strong defense, with Mount Waterdeep looming overhead. The sailors told him to listen for mermen singing in the harbor but he'd neither heard nor glimpsed them. Possibly the sailors were playing him for a fool.
There were lights high up on the mountain. A watch tower, the captain had told them, with an aerie to house the griffon steeds used by aerial patrol squads. That would be something to see, Solaufen thought. He wondered if they flew at night.
He could see little of the huge Trollwall that surrounded the city, only the guard towers, but he was prepared to be impressed. He was less than impressed by the slovenly wooden buildings here in the Dock Ward.
"I wish I could spare you an escort," the captain told Haer'Dalis. "But the Yawning Portal is not far from here. Take my advice and don't stray from the main streets. Look, you can see Fish Street from here. Take it, turn left onto Snail Street and watch for Rainrun. The inn's a big stone building with a slate roof. You can't miss it."
"What of these wandering monsters I've heard tell of?" Haer'Dalis asked. "Should we be wary?"
"You should be wary but stray monsters are the least of your problems." The captain grinned. "Any monster that wanders into the docks had best bring a lot of friends and hold onto his coin purse. I suggest you gentlemen do the same."
The rare street lamps cast pools of light that were swallowed by the darkness of the evening. Solaufein watched Haer'Dalis swivel his head about in the curious bird-like manner he remembered from their traveling days. His eyes were dark and wide. Solaufein knew the tiefling couldn't see in complete darkness but in the dim light he did very well, for a surfacer. The drow needed a quick stride to keep up with his long-legged companion but it felt good to stretch his legs after being confined on the ship for half a ten-day. They walked in silence but Solaufein saw no sign of the muggers or alley-bashers the captain had warned them about. In fact, after the confusion at the docks, the streets seemed curiously empty.
The Yawning Portal had a solid look to it at odds with the ramshackle buildings they'd passed in Dock Ward. When they stepped into the common room, the fug of crowded bodies, cooking smells and smoke hit Solaufein like a smothering blanket. Where the streets had been empty, the tavern was packed. The roar of voices abated somewhat when they entered, making Solaufein feel unpleasantly self-conscious. He pulled his hood closer around his face.
Haer'Dalis brightened as he scanned the room. "Let us see if we can find this Durnan, who is organizing the assault on Undermountain."
He pushed his way to the bar, a reluctant Solaufein in his wake, and signaled for the busy barkeep's attention. All the seats were occupied. Almost everyone was human. Haer'Dalis squeezed near the bar beside a white-haired old lady who sat straight-backed on her barstool as if it were a throne. She gave the tiefling a sharp and unwelcoming look. Haer'Dalis affected not to notice but Solaufein caught his sideways glance and the twitch of his mouth. His pointed ears, blue hair and prominent facial scars were no novelty in Athkatla, where he was well-known but here they marked him as an outsider.
While they waited for service, Solaufein asked, "Who is this Durnan we are here to meet?"
"He is the owner of this inn," Haer'Dalis said.
"An innkeeper is leading the city's defense?" Haer'Dalis gave a graceful shrug. "Why?" Solaufein continued. "Could they not find a warrior or someone better qualified-"
"Perhaps, stranger, you are unaware that Durnan knows Undermountain better than anyone in this city," the old lady said. She turned on her seat. Solaufein feared her gimlet eyes could penetrate the cover of his hood. "When you and that fiendish companion of yours-aye, I know what you are," she said when Haer'Dalis stiffened. "I could smell the stench of your demonic blood when you entered the room." She glared at them both. "When you have spent half the time in the dark places under the earth as Durnan and survived them, then you may criticize him. Until then, keep your ill-informed mouths shut in my hearing."
Solaufein's derisive snort was quiet but audible. For a moment Haer'Dalis, alarmed, thought the woman was going to strike him. He could sense unwelcome attention from the drinkers around them. "Easy, mistress," Haer'Dalis said. "We meant no offense."
"Save your soft words and easy smiles, demon. These are dark times and we need those who will bring light to them, not mischief makers and fools." With a final scowl and an air of royalty withdrawing, she swept out of the room.
"You put your foot in it, mate," the barkeep said. His voice was casual but his eyes were hard. "That there was Mhaere, paladin of Tyr. She don't like your kind."
"Ah," Haer'Dalis said. "That explains-"
"And she's Durnan's wife. We're all a bit touchy here these days, mate. Durnan was due back hours ago, which don't help nothing."
"Where is he?"
"If we knew that, she wouldn't be fretting now, would she? Prolly just got caught out by the curfew but with Durnan, hard to say. Don't have the sense to know he's too old to still be adventuring now, do he?" He leaned over the bar and dropped his voice. "Suggest you two leg it on out of here now, curfew or naught. If Mistress Mhaere don't like you, there ain't a soul in this place going to like you."
"Now what?" Solaufein asked, once they were back on Rainrun Street.
"Find another inn for starts," Haer'Dalis said. "Damned unfortunate, that. The inn is built over an opening to Undermountain and we need that portal. WeI didn't even get the chance to see it. I'm sorry, Solaufein, that my blood-"
"Your demon blood, my black skin-I'm not sure why either of us should apologize for what we are. But what of this curfew? What does it mean?"
"Must be new since the captain knew nothing of it. I suppose it means the City Watch will arrest us if they see us on the streets."
"Then they won't see us. So where are we going? We passed a number of inns on the way here."
"Do you wish to listen to the offkey songs of sailors and smell fish guts all night?" Haer'Dalis asked. "I don't. The better inns are on the north side of the city, or so I am told."
"Then let us head north."
"And if we should catch some of the sights, I would not take it amiss. This Castle Waterdeep on the hill before us is a marvel, I am sure, but I would like to see more of the city. If we should happen to pass New Olamn, I would be pleased."
"A festhall?" Solaufein guessed.
"Nay, my cynical raven, New Olamn is the famous bard college of Waterdeep. Had I a letter of introduction, I might try their hospitality even at this late hour. Despite what that harridan of Tyr claimed, I am sure there are others with knowledge of Undermountain who could aid us. But let us find an inn first and see what the morrow brings."
"Is there no way to the Underdark than through Undermountain? That feels like a mere diversion to me. My dream-" Solaufein stopped and drew back his hood. His sensitive ears swiveled. Wait, he signaled in the drow hand speech. The tiefling's long ears also pricked forward. He thought he heard the distant sound of the clash of arms.
"A duergar battle cry," the drow said. Solaufein ran forward, silent and swift as death itself.
abbil-friend
darthiir-surface elf
draa velve-drow fighting style using two blades, requires great training and physical ability
nau-no
xa-yes (slang for xas)
