The Dark Minstrel

[Tekill]

Malodia turned the page.
The next page or actually the entire leaf, had been roughly torn out of the book. The only bit remaining was a jagged sliver of paper attached to the binding of the book. Malodia ran a finger down the torn edge and sighed deeply.
On the next visible page, there contained a large rough charcoal sketch of a powerful winged and horned demon holding aloft a severed head of its foe. Malodia studied the face of the severed head for a few moments, a vague look of concern on her own face.
Taking her eyes off of the image, she noticed below this drawing, was a hastily written note. It read as follows:

Cling to this child's tale, seek desperately for purpose in its meaning. Hope that its lie will make you seem less afraid.
Well?!
What are you?
Are you the Mane, the Hezrou, the Marilith or the Balor?
It is a story meant to have one answer. Even the young-lings, this story was meant for, usually figure it out. We are, always The Balor!
Anything less is weakness.

Yet, while they choose the lie and try to become the mere Balor in the story, they will never wield the power you control!
For you are the one telling the tale, you control the narrative. You control the story itself, so rewrite the ending however you wish!

– Bae'qeshel.


Malodia The Great Teller of Tales –would do well to take heed of those words. Failure to do so will result in your soul being forfeit.
Weave your stories to attain your purpose so that in turn, you make your purpose to weave your stories.

[Tekill]

“You know what Gloura?!
In a world of chaos and hate it is not enough to just strive to be the balor!”

Gloura gives Malodia a withering stare.

“I will put it this way- serve your drinks to attain your coin so that you can in turn, make your coin serve the drinks!

Gloura places another glass of Azure wine in front of Malodia, “your tab is getting pretty high...”

Malodia chuckles.

Another explosion can be heard going off somewhere in Sshamath. No doubt, some hysterical mage risking his life in order to try and use his magic. The combination of the wizard's losing control of the weave and the priestesses losing their magic entirely, has made Malodia happier than she has ever been in her life. The Bae'Queshel has been comfortably enjoying the crippled Sshamath struggle, while holding up at Gloura's Tavern.

Grinning from ear to ear Malodia takes a drink from her glass and sighs a very self satisfied sigh.

Then leaning way back on her stool, she asks, “Hey Gloura, wanna hear a song?”

The duergar at the end of the bar groans at her suggestion.

Cheerfully, “Perhaps another time then. My music has been a bit off key lately, anyways. An ale for our charming member of the Shieldbreaker clan.”

Malodia spent the rest of the cycle and many cycles after that reveling and celebrating the City of Dark Weaving, during its period of turmoil. During this time, she became less the Bae'Queshel devoted to the supremacy of Lolth, and more a simple bard, with the chaos around her forcing her to live in the moment. In spite of the complaints of a surly Duergar, she sang many songs and told many tales, all the while heavily intoxicated on Azure wine.

[Tekill]

Malodia drinks the rest of her Azure wine in a couple gulps and then throws the empty bottle over her shoulder.
She looks around and sees the Marketplace of Sshamath being set ablaze by a fire spitting titanic sized spider so massive that it stands in judgment over the entire city. The spider systematically melts down every single citizen of Sshamath, wizards and merchant alike, as if in purification of their blasphemous ways.
The Time of Troubles is over- Malla Lolth has finally returned and is showing no mercy!
Malodia laughs a most deeply satisfying belly laugh. So delighted in the cities destruction she begins to do a little jig right there in the midst of all the havoc taking place around her.

CLEAR YOUR HEAD YOU DAFT IDIOT!

Malodia closes her eyes and shakes her head. When she opens them again she is no longer in a hellscape in the market place. Instead, she is standing at the end of a dank dirty alley in the Darkwoods.
There is a naked kobold slave hunched down a couple feet away. It is trying to kill a small spider with a spoon. With each stab the kobold takes, the spider with surprising speed zips out of the way darting in a different direction. The spoon makes a sound with each stab as it misses the spider, hitting the ground: click, clack, clack, clink.
For the first time in a long time Malodia has found her bearings and is aware of her surroundings; free from her intoxicated hallucinatory oblivion. This is fortunate, because she can now clearly see another kobold slowly backing away from her, with her prized Ancient Tome of The Bae'qeshel tightly clutched in its scaly arms.
Absolutely seething with rage now, Malodia begins singing a spell to create a powerful force of sound strong enough to smear the two kobalds (and the spider) across the entire alley. But instead of this kobald smearing shout, all that came out of her mouth at the end of the verse, was an annoying sounding squeak.
This gave the would be spider slaying naked kobold enough time to approach Malodia and attack her with his spoon. Having little fear of a spoon attack, Malodia did not try to avoid it, and instead reached out and tried to wrestle the book from the other kobold. Unfortunately the spoon had been apparently sharpened and the kobold drove it deep into Malodia's thigh. This gives the other kobold, the opportunity to start beating Malodia with her own book.

It's times like these....

Having a naked kobold try to pull a spoon out of your leg so that it can try and kill you with it, while another one beats you senseless with your own most prized possession, really helps shed some perspective on ones level of success at life.

A few moments later, while wiping blood off of her rapier, Malodia spies the spider the kobold was trying to kill. Both the spider and Malodia now stand there at the end of the alley. As odd as it sounds it appears as though they are both standing there, watching one other. After a long moment of this silent appraisal, Malodia quickly picks up the spider and then begins walking in the direction of the temple of Lolth.

You have won your freedom and yet still only serve one true master. These two, will be your audience!
Now all you simply have to do is survive them both.

[Tekill]

[Tekill]

[Tekill]

It was the end of The Time of Troubles, but for Malodia, it was the end of one big bender. She had spent the majority of that chaotic period, completely soused, under the hallucinogenic effects of a special brand of drow made Azure wine. Wild music, wild tales and even wilder drink lead Malodia on the 'Time of Troubles Tour of Sshamath', performing in such esteemed venues like: The Spiders Kiss, and Glaura's. But inevitably, like most wild benders that happen in the drow city of Sshamath, the destination of Malodia's booze and drug fuelled tour, ended up with her in the gutters of The Dark Woods. This time, with her covered in kobold blood.

Malodia had survived the Time of Troubles and as well, she has survived herself. A little worse for wear, she determined that embracing the life of pure hedonism was not her destiny. She new this was so because she had rescued a spider. Clearly this was a sign from The Queen of Spiders for Malodia to continue her servitude to her Dark Mother.

When she got to the Temple of Lolth she plucked her new eight legged ally from its resting place upon her head and placed it upon a bench near an alter. While she turned to begin to seek out the nearest Yathrin, she contemplated how pleased they would be to have a Bae'queshel of her reputation performing at their rituals. That was when she heard a whip crack, a snake hiss, and then great and tremendous pain course through her body.

“Well, well, well sisters, the deserter of house Zau'afin has deigned to grace us with her presence.”

Blind with pain- in a world of hurt, Malodia for some reason suddenly thought back her youth in Ched Nasad to the many times she had been whipped by the priestesses, for not performing to their standards. The whip cracked again and then she felt sharp teeth sink deep into her leg. The pain was unbearable, but somewhat nostalgic- almost comforting.

“She will be tested. But prepare the alter, she is certain to fail.”

Malodia struggled to open her eyes. Everything was blurry but she did spot her little eight legged pal. It was being swarmed by other spiders and slowly consumed.

Not a good sign.

[Tekill]

The Test.

Malla Lolth's goal is simple:Total domination.
Her plan to achieve this goal is not simple. It is an intricate web whose design is beyond the grasp of mortals. Even the most venerable, experienced and favoured of her Yathrin spend their entire lives in service studying this web, only to grasp a few strands, but never the web in its entirety.

We do know that Lolth expects perfection from her children and therefore, there are two strands of this web that are known to all drow. They are the expectations of The Dark Queen that drow never exhibit weakness and that they must also utterly devote themselves to her and her web.

The drow are tested in order to help filter out those that are less than perfect in Her eyes, and therefor a detriment to Her goal.

Now the Bae'qeshel generally do not necessarily have any more of a grasp of Lolth's web, than anyone else. But their songs and stories provide guidance to an audience that walk individual paths along this web. The strong and the loyal hear the whispers of Lolth and are given a chance to walk the correct path along the web. The weak and the disloyal are deaf....

Malodia was loyal to a strength and freedom that being a Dark Minstrel gave her. A feedom that allowed her the choice to also be loyal and devout to Malla Lolth. Was that enough?
At the worst possible momment she began to doubt her faith.

Malodia, you have been prepared for this- you shall not fail

But Malodia knew that one does not just have to pass the test, one also had to survive it.

[Tekill]

HORROR and DREAD in its purest form.

There are some things mortals are not really supposed to bare witness to, during their brief time living.
The unholy terror of your deity's attention directly upon you, is one of those things.
Another is finding yourself at the same spot where all the evil and hatred of the universe ends up. It can be overwhelming for one to look into their own heart, seeing the hatred within. It is an entirely, head explodingly different experience to behold the source of all hatred in the universe, in one instant.
Malodia's hatred was but one tiny drop in a vast ocean of the toxic malice that mortals create. An ocean of hate, she was now drowning in.

This horror drove her instantly mad. And a deep sense of dread kept her from expressing it.
Normally a new found madness such as this would result in the typical shrieks, howls and unintelligible babbling common to a shattered psyche. But Malodia knew that such, would be a show of unacceptable weakness. So, for the sake of her soul, she feebly shoved that madness deep down inside of herself.
Yet, it was still all too much and her mind and soul were about to shatter into an infinite pieces and be forever soaked up into the horror around her. At the very moment she surrendered to this fate, she heard a voice say two simple words:

TELL EVERYONE.

Then she revived.
She was returned to her home in Sshamath. She may have been in shock for awhile afterwards, but somehow she did not feel overly surprised she had ultimately, survived the experience.
Come now, did you think The Dark Minstrel's fate was to have her soul devoured, or for her to end up as some freakish drider!?
Then again, Malodia just had a glimpse of what could very well be, a possible afterlife. Now she has to dedicate herself to figuring out a way to avoid such a grim destiny. She had survived pure Horror and Dread. It was but a mere moment of her life but it will stay with her for the rest of her existence.

So, like any proper Bae'Qeshel worth her service to the Dark Mother, she composed a song about it.

LOLTH
Mesmerized by your betrayal creation,
Enslaving my mind
A thousand eyes, reflecting endless lusts
Immortal goddess of the dark

Immaculate destiny a hateful mothergod,
Castrating to achieve its design
Emasculate to leave no trace of the male
Purify the race

Injecting acidic venom,
Tear the flaws out of my soul
Annihilate my esteem
Trample me forever

Swallow me, ruin me, destroy me, Queen
Burn me, devour me,
Forever my goddess

/Balrog (altered and translated from Abyssal by Malodia The Dark Minstrel)

[Tekill]

Malodia's favor with Lolth has been restored.
After the successful completion of her test, The Priestesses at the Temple, The Web of The Spider Queen, had even arranged a meeting for a position within House Sshamath.
The meeting went better than expected. She was given an offer to serve as a Whisperer of Lolth with the house, and was even allowed to retain some independence from the house, to serve Lolth as she sees fit. A measure of freedom gifted to her while she mastered the art of the Bae'Qeshel.
But, it was also made clear that this was a luxury not often afforded to new members of the house and that a longer leash meant harsher penalties for failing both House Sshamath and Lolth.

Still, things were beginning to look up for Malodia.

Malodia's faith in Lolth was reinforced by the whole experience.
The HORROR and DREAD she witnessed was after all, simply a source of the real and true power and control that Lolth maintains. Why would she worship anything less....?
A power unparalleled and a control that is absolute.
Praise be the infinite wisdom of our Dark Mother, she found herself repeating over and over again.

Malodia had witnessed in awe, the terrific macbre source of the creation of the drow- and it was beautiful.

The abyss gazed into The Dark Minstrel, now its time the The Dark Minstrel shows what she is made of and she stare back into the Abyss!

[Tekill]

Malodia is idly flipping through her song book, her mind, slowly sinking into reverie.

Tell everyone.

“Tell everyone what?”

You know the answer. The Storyteller knows her audience.

“You should know...I love music.”

A finely honed weapon of hatred. A dark, dangerous power to control.

“It also unbinds. It offers clarity.”

Then you also know, the spider is beauty and its freshly spun web, the path to freedom.

“Am I to be both the Storyteller and the Spider?”

Malodia suddenly stops flipping through the pages. She recognized a particular song. A nearly forgotten earliest of memories, returning to haunt her in that way that only nostalgia can. It was a song her father used to sing to her when she was very young. This memory of her father singing – Lullaby.



The Spider Man's Lullaby.

On candy stripe legs the spiderman comes
Softly through the shadow of the evening sun
Stealing past the windows of the blissfully dead
Looking for the victim shivering in bed
Searching out fear in the gathering gloom and
Suddenly a movement in the corner of the room
And there is nothing I can do
When I realize with fright
That the spiderman is having me for dinner tonight
Quietly he laughs and shaking his head
Creeps closer now
Closer to the foot of the bed
And softer than shadow and quicker than flies
His arms are all around me and his tongue in my eyes
Be still be calm be quiet now my precious boy
Don't struggle like that or I will only love you more
For it's much too late to get away or turn on the light
The spiderman is having you for dinner tonight
And I feel like I'm being eaten
By a thousand million shivering furry holes
And I know that in the morning I will wake up
In the shivering cold
And the spiderman is always hungry

/The Spider Man ((The Cure))

[Tekill]

The Spider Man – L'Orbb Nesst.

As a child, Malodia's pet name for her father was L'Orbb Nesst, The Spider Man. She gave him the title after he started singing the song, 'Lullaby' to her. It was a foolish name, but it used to amuse Malodia greatly.

Malodia began wondering how her fathers song got into the ancient song book of the Bae'qeshel.
Her father was a renowned musical instrument artisan and a great musician in his own right, but a Whisperer of Lolth?!
Not likely.
It was more likely 'Lullaby', a rare and ancient song, was somehow discovered by her father.
A possible link suddenly presents herself between her father and her master, the previous owner of the Bae'qeshel songbook. If her father found the song in this songbook, it means they would have known and even consorted with each other. It could therefore also check out that her master could have likely been behind her fathers murder.

Taking it one step further, Malodia's father was murdered because he refused to give his daughter up to the Bae'Queshel of a noble house.

Malodia could care less about this discovery.
It was just an old conspiracy, involving players, long dead. Nothing Malodia could use as leverage at this point. Malodia had been framed for the murder of her old master, back in Ched Nesad. If she took this discovery back there, all it would do is prove that Malodia had motive for killing her master.

Malodia's father was murdered and she was later framed with the killing of his murderer. This was likely the truth. But there is only one truth; lies have more value.

Her father, was a common jaluk with no name worth mentioning. Among his many faults, the worst one of all, was his love for Malodia. In drow society, such weakness was not only considered the true cause of his death, but it would be considered the true crime.

Malodia's father protected her, instead of doing what it took to ensure she became stronger. He did so, knowing it would cost him his life and, preventing nothing.
The Spider Man knew he would be devoured and still, he only thought of his love for his child. This is why love is weakness!

The song said it all.

It is the Spider that is always hungry. The Spider Man was simply not hungry enough.

Malodia believed this to be true.
She also always believed she would be favored as long as she used her music to serve Lolth. But, just recently, she confessed to her love of her music....

[Tekill]

Malodia, troubled by her nostalgic, 'fond' memories of her long dead father, L'Orbb Nesst, made the discovery that her devotion to her music may have even become stronger than that of her devotion to Lolth.
Love for her music.
Love?!
It was the epitome of vulnerability, of weakness. And weakness to a servant of the Spider Queen, meant a likely fate far worse than that of death itself. How could the very thing that made her so strong, become her main weakness?
This would not do!
Since this realization, Malodia has spent much of her time lately, working with priestesses of Lolth at both House Sshamath and at the Sshamath's, Temple of Lolth. Under their 'guidance' she learned that her music was not love, but a weapon of The Spider Queen, gifted to Malodia to destroy the The Spider Queen's enemies and nothing else.

I told you this already Malodia - A finely honed weapon of hatred. A dark, dangerous power to control.

Malodia realized she had been a fool!
She misunderstood the favor she received from Lolth for mastering the power of the Bae'Queshel. Somehow she had mistaken the satisfaction of satiating her lust for power, with that of the love of creating music. It was always about wielding true power; not creating art!

No, her song was not one of love. It was a song of WAR!



War Spiders
Generals gathered in their masses
Just like witches at black masses
Evil minds that plot destruction
Sorcerer of death's construction
In the caverns, the bodies burning
As the war machine keeps turning
Death and hatred so refined
Poisoning their brainwashed minds
Oh Lolth, yeah!
Politicians hide themselves away
They only started the war
Why should they go out to fight?
They leave that role to the poor, yeah
Time will tell on their power minds
Making war just for fun
Treating people just like pawns in chess
Wait till their judgement day comes, yeah!
Now in darkness, world stops turning
Ashes where their bodies burning
Now war spiders have the power
Hand of Lolth has struck the hour
Day of judgement, Dark Mother's calling
On their knees, war spiders crawling
Begging mercy for their sins
Lolth is laughing, spinning her web

Oh Lolth, yeah!

((War Pigs by 'Black Sabbath' Legendary Bae'Qeshel, and performed by T Pain))

[Tekill]

*Located in the Ancient book of the Bae'Queshel there are two versions of the same fable. The following version is the one Malodia decided to tell to a congregation at Lolth's temple, The Web of The Spider Queen. *

OOO

It so happens that one day the Llolth the Weaver of Destiny, is strolling alone on the shore of a nearly frozen, fetid, acidic pond in the Demonweb Pits. All the spiders scampering around the frosty edges of the the pond appeared as globes of the blackest black and seem, to be swarming some rotting bloated souls, called manes. They feasted on the manes, tearing into them and causing an indescribably horrid odor to issues forth abidingly over the adjacent area. Day is just dawning in the abyss.

In due course, The Queen of Darkness and Chaos, pauses at the edge of the pond and beholds an unexpected sight between the many spider legs skittering about, veiling the water's surface. Directly below the surface of this pond, is a portal to the very depths of Hell. A link directly below the spider infested pond of the Demonweb Pits and a vast open frozen salt sea, dotted with icebergs. A bridge between the Abyss and the level of hell known as Stygia, seen through the pond water just as if looking through a window, submerged just under the water.

Then, the single figure of a male drow, Kandata by name, squirming there in the depths of Hell along with other sinners, comes into the Spider Queens gaze. This Jaluk, Kandata is a murderer, an arsonist, and a master thief with numerous robberies to his credit. His real crime though was his not being a true believer, of our Dark Mother. Yet, the Spider Queen recalls that he had performed a single deed worth recognizing. That is to say, once when Kandata was travelling through the middle of a small cavern, when he came upon a spider crawling along the the path. Thereupon, he immediately raised his foot and was about to trample it to death. But, he suddenly reconsidered, saying, "Nay, nay, small though this spider be, there is no doubt that it too is a representation of my people. Somehow or other it seems a shame to take its life for no reason." In the end he spared the spider rather than killing it. While observing the situation in Hell, the Queen of the Drow, remembers that this Kandata had spared the spider. And she decides that in return for having done just that one deed, she would, if she could, try to rescue this male from Hell. Luckily, she sees nearby a spider, spinning a beautiful silver web, cocooning a feebly struggling mane. Lolth, takes the spider's thread gently into her hand and lowers it between the spiders swarming around the ponds edges, straight into the distant depths of Hell.

This is Stygia, in the depths of Hell, and along with other sinners Kandata is floating up to the surface of the freezing waters and sinking back down over and over. No matter what direction one looks it is completely dark. And when one notices out there in that cold and darkness the glow from a lightning strike come, seeing only desolation surrounding them, the feeling of helplessness is beyond description. Moreover, the surroundings are perfectly still, like the inside of a tomb. If a sound is to be heard, it is merely the faint sigh of some sinner. The sighs are faint because anyone who has fallen to this level of Hell is already so exhausted by the tortures of the other Hells that he or she no longer has even enough strength to cry out. Therefore, as one might expect, the master thief Kandata himself is unable to do anything but writhe, exactly like a frog caught in the throes of death, as he chokes and perpetually drowns.

One day, however, something happens. Kandata happens to raise his head to the surface and spies in the sky above Stygia, a silvery spider's thread, a thin line shimmering in the silent darkness, gently descending toward him from the distant, distant firmament as though it were afraid to be seen by the eyes of men. Upon seeing it Kandata involuntarily claps his hands for joy. He knew what a spider thread likely meant but if he were to cling to this thread and climb it to its end, he would surely be able to escape from Hell. No, if all went well, he would even have a chance to prove himself worthy, offering his soul to the afterlife of his people. And were this to come to pass, he would never ever have to freeze and drown again and again, forever in the salt sea's of Stygia.

Having thought thusly, Kandata quickly takes firm hold of that spider's thread with both hands and using all his might begins climbing up and up hand-over-hand. From long ago Kandata has been completely used to doing this sort of thing since he is a former master thief.
But because the distance between Hell and this strange portal is some tens of thousands of feet, try though he might, he is not able to ascend to the top easily. After climbing for a while, even Kandata finally tires; he is unable to continue for even one more pull on the thread. Having no other choice, he intends first to take a short rest. While hanging onto the thread he looks down on the distance below.
He sees that thanks to the efforts he spent climbing, where he had just recently been, is now already hidden at the bottom of the darkness. He also sees that the faint glow of the terrifying Stygian 'cold fire' just is below him. With new found inspiration, if he were to continue at this pace, the escape from Hell just might not be as difficult as he had expected. Wrapping his hand around the spider's thread, Kandata laughs in a voice unused during his years in Hell, "I'm saved! I'm saved at last!" Then he suddenly notices that below him on the spider's thread, just like a line of ants, a countless number of sinners are following him, climbing up and up for all they are worth. When Kandata sees this, he momentarily freezes from shock and fear, his mouth agape and his eyes rolling in his head like an idiot. How could it be that this slender spider's thread, seemingly strained even under the weight of just him alone, is able to support the weight of that many?

By some chance were the thread to break, he, the egotistical Kandata who at great pains had climbed this far, and everyone else would plummet headlong back into Hell. For that to happen would be a disaster. But, even as he says this, sinners, not by the hundreds, nor even by the thousands, but in swarms, continue to crawl up from the bottom of the pitch dark Stygian waters, and climb up the thin luminous spider's thread in single file. If he doesn't do something right away, the thread will break in two at the centre and he will surely fall. At this point, Kandata yells in a loud voice, "Hey you sinners. This spider's thread is mine. Who the hell asked you to climb it? Get down! Get off it!"

As he screams at the other sinners climbing up the spider's thread, which till then had had nothing wrong with it, he twists his feet around the thread just below him causing it to strain and stretch, and suddenly breaks with a snap inches below where Kandata is hanging. Without even time to cry the sinners goes flying through the air spinning like tops and in the wink of an eye plunges headfirst into the dark depths of Hell.
Afterwards, only the shortened spider's thread from The Demonweb Pits dangles there, glittering dimly in a sky void of both moon and stars. Kandata clinging desperately continues his climb.

The Spider Queen stands on the shore The Demonweb Pits, having taken in everything from start to finish. Kandata finally climbs through the portal and flops down at the edge of the pond. Seen through divine eyes, the The Spider Queen thought the wretched Kandatas actions would be best suited falling back into Hell as a just punishment.
The many spiders gathering around the pond of The Demonweb Pits, however, are not concerned in the least about what has happened. Those multitude of varying sized globes of the blackest black gather around the divine feet of the The Dark Mother and then commence to swarm Kandata tearing into him, devouring him bit by bite. An indescribably foul odour issues forth, as he is torn apart abidingly over the adjacent area. Noon draws near in The Demonweb Pits.
Instead of providing a glorious feast of a multitude of souls, for her spiders, and finally proving himself worthy to enter her kingdowm, so, Kandata, too, is doomed.



Akutagawa Ryûnosuke's "The Spider Thread": Translation and Commentary By Timothy M. Kelly
Terribly Plagiarized and corrupted by Malodia of House Sshamath

https://web.archive.org/web/20160331140 ... pider.html

The Spider's Thread (蜘蛛の糸, Kumo no Ito) is a 1918 short story by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, first published in the children's magazine Akai Tori

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Spider%27s_Thread

[Tekill]