Archon's Trap

[DM Arkanis]

Sitting with his back to the wall he could survey the entire room without having to move his head. His disguise was good, his grasp of the language was good, although magically augmented, and his purpose was clear. The information he had paid for was turning out to be extremely valuable as the humans had come, just as he had been told they would. In their arrogance they make no effort to hide their conversation and he has to conceal an evil grin as they conspire with their Drow counterparts; the priestess seems to be doing all the talking, which was good, and their covert operations will help to hide his own.
The caverns below the city were magically warded and guarded by all kinds of underdark creatures, most summoned or trapped there. The little gnome had squeaked all he knew about the artefact that Gond had made and then destroyed, and that the pieces were scattered throughout the world and lost to time before he gasped his last breath. "She" had subdued him though and took that knowledge and managed to coerce a balor to find them all, and now they were within his grasp. Once reunited the pieces would form the weapon he needed to keep the good elves, and their allies at bay forever; he could almost taste the power it was so near now. All he needed was someone to gather the pieces for him - too risky and dangerous to do it alone between the traps, the monsters, the balor, and "her". That's why these folks were going to be so useful to him. The fact that their goals and his were similar in many ways was pure irony. It would make things much easier for him in the end.
Standing, he walked over to the steward at the bar, and in a high pitched feminie voice he asked in perfect Drow, "Why is is do damned cold in here?" Without turning, he knew that all eyes in the room were on him and that someone would recognize him as the Matron Mother from House Devlin in the City of Szith, and that his plan was now in motion...