Baldur's Gate : The Sword Coast Chronicles : NWN2 Persistent World

A private meeting was held inside the En Dharasha Tavern the other day...

Tirion Silverleaf could be seen in En Dharasha Everae leading around a non-elven woman in the village who would be said to be called Adelaide, two days ago. The woman would stay close to Tirion and follow his instructions. She would wear an expression of awe as she looked around in the village with her friend. They shared wine in one of the treetop areas, speaking of various things. Before Tirion escorted Adelaide out, a letter was left for some other elves living there.

* Mendel reads the note Nai left for him. He curiously reads it then darts outside their tree house with the note at hand... just in time to see the dragon shaped druidess fly away. As she disappears on the horizon he shrugs lightly, then walks back into the house *

//Not /entirely/ sure I am posting this in the right place but was just hoping to contact the group!

A diminutive female adorned in black clothing and hood with a bow of similar color in hand can be seen traversing the Reaching Wood in search, of what or who is unknown readily. Perhaps the female is lost, perhaps she hopes to come upon someone else.

After returning from the Gate Kael, Ithilwen, Nai, Mendel and any elf around the village would enjoy a drink or two inside the Tel'Teukira tavern. The main point of the discussion is the victorious past couple of days where not only they had drow running around scared, but also killing them and those that help them.

At some point and after one too many glasses of wine, Mendel grabs a mandolin. Those with keen eyes, would notice the inscription "Lord Luke Darius" on it. Sitting comfortably in his chair he begins to tune the strings of the mandolin and begins to play and sing

"I hear the rumors a comin' rollin' around the bend
I aint seen my village, since i dont know when
I am stuck hunting drow and time keep dragging on
While some knights keep talking on and on"

he grins slightly and drinks some more wine before continue playing

"When I was just a baby, My mamma told me son,
Always be a good boy Dont ever play with drow
But i shot one in the Forest Just to watch it die
But when i saw all the blood flowing I hanged my head and cried"

He continues to play smiling, looking at those around him

"Weeeell I ll bet there are uptight knights eating, in some fancy shinny plate
Probably drinkin wine and rubbing each others back
Well I know I had it comin, I know i cant be there
But those people keep on lying and thats what tortures me"


Looks at Nai blowing her a kiss, then continues to hit the strings of the mandolin harder and sing louder

"Well if they freed me from this prison, if that knightly life was mine
Bet I wouldnt be spreading lies, nor mess with other lives
Far from their corrupt cities, thats where i long to stay
With my brothers and my sisters, I would sing my songs away"

"So...what now?"

The dark mage didn't reply. He just kept looking in the mirror, his mask on the ground at his feet, cowl lowered.

"That bad? Come now...a victory's a victory. And given the circumstances of the ambush, those Drow had the upper hand. You and your people had already killed a Balor, the Fire Giants' Chieftain and his armies...They must have been observing you for quite some time. It could have ended badly. You must know that."

Silence, once more. The wizard's emerald eyes fixed on his alabaster skin, the mirror offering his absent-minded reflection to his distant gaze.

"Well...at least one is dead and has been delivered to the Dukes. The other escaped, but so what?! Those who sent him are surely not happy with his failure...They might finish the job for you."

Without replying, he took his cloak off, then the gloves, before sitting on his favourite armchair, the one behind the lanceboard. Distractedly, he performed a sacrificial attack against the castled Black King, which in fact exposed it to a double attack leading to the capture of the Black Queen, resulting in a winning position for White due to overwhelming material superiority.

"Did you tell the others, yet?"

"Tell them what?" he replied without turning towards his interlocutor.

"That you are going to do some hunting of your own. That since they threatened those you love, you intend to considerably shorten their lifespans...to yesterday...?"

"Oh, they know. They know...." and as he replied to the spirit trapped in the gem atop the Staff of the Invoker, he could hear the elves of Kalinor calling him. Those who had first warned him about the darkness within.

Those he had been unable to save.

Kor'Vain....Kor'Vain...

Kor'vain....

"This time it will be very different. This time, I have no intention to exercise restraint...
I will simply do what I do best. I will kill them.
Everyone involved, everyone who meant to profit from it, and everyone who opens their eyes at me."

Given the proximity of the village's portal the red haired elf known as Beladra leaves a warning with the rangers for anyone leaving.

"Devil's have currently over run Dragonspear castle and spread down to the area around the bridge. Anyone traveling south from the village should be careful."

Lyna wrote:Given the proximity of the village's portal the red haired elf known as Beladra leaves a warning with the rangers for anyone leaving.

"Devil's have currently over run Dragonspear castle and spread down to the area around the bridge. Anyone traveling south from the village should be careful."

A dark-robed Sun Elf would welcome her at the gate, his ivory skin and silver-blonde hair in stark contrast with his attire:

"My utmost gratitude for putting yourself at risk to warn us, cousin. We are aware of the problem, and are determined to take care of it. You are welcome to stop by for refreshments and resupply, if you so wish"

Djaimin makes it known to any she meets in the village that the Northern human female known as Grim or Grimhildyr or something is a probable Drow agent

She was attempting to have a badly injured Drow (gives a description of a female drow that may be identified as Israe) healed by the priest at Roaringshore. Djaimin with the aid of Dullinor and the Genasi Thalos and the human Persephone attempted to intervene. The human Grim assaulted Djaimin and was then shot and incapacitated by Dullinor. Djaimin and the others attempted to teleport with the drow but the drow resisted the teleport so was lost as a prisoner.

The human Grim made it plain by her words where her sympathies lay - announcing the drow was 'better than us' and had saved the humans life once.

"I am Arch-Necromancer Jys'Ssysynstra, Leader of House Sshamath, Terror of the Underdark and Scourge of the World Above."

The Drow female listed the impressive titles with the confidence of someone who wields a vast amount of power to back them up, and the quality of her obsidian black, rune-inscribed armor as well as the strength irradiating from the arcane wards enveloping her seemed to confirm it.

Yet, the dark-robed mage standing in front of her did not seem concerned at all. After a short silence, Jys'Ssysynstra spoke once more, seemingly amused:
"Aren't you going to introduce yourself?!"
"I am the greatest mage of all. And I need no introduction" her adversary replied, and this time it was his turn to be amused.
"Well then," she said, biting her lower lip and sighing in resignation "I see you take no pleasure in this. Let us begin...".

And the world exploded in a myriad of colors as they began to weave.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

He was beginning to tire. The thought slipped into his casting trance as the dark elf's force weave shattered a hastily erected magical barrier, right before she deftly slipped into etherealness to avoid his retaliation, flashing a wicked smile at him.

Despite the amount of power they both had drawn upon, a quantity that would have burned lesser mages to a cinder, she seemed rather fresh instead. Impossible. Unless... The sudden realization almost costed him grievously, as he dodged her unraveling weave at the very last moment. Astounding...

She was younger than him, had the magical reserves to outlast him and was better prepared and equipped than him, being able to tap fully into the arcane resources the City of Weavings had to offer to its prodigies.
Realizing time was the enemy - ...but then, hasn't that always been the case for me? - he attacked her with his full might, tearing down her defensive weaves but leaving himself open, in turn, to her incoming retaliation.

Tasting victory, Jys'Ssysynstra pressed her advantage and hurled a force spell of immense power at him. She was clearly experienced enough to know the attack was a lethal one. She was rightfully expecting him to die, as it would have been enough to destroy pretty much anybody else, in the same situation. Anybody but him, but of course, she could not know that.

The magical storm caused terrible damage, but not enough to kill or disable him...and now, he had his opening. And she knew. With a ferocious smile, Kael called upon his darkest powers to weave an imprisoning spell impossibly fast, trapping the Drow, who still could not believe he was still standing.

It was over. I have won. Moving in to end the duel while his spells tore down her wards one after the other, he barely noticed another Drow mage coming out of stealth and destroying his magical cage with impeccable timing and precision. Oh no...No, I didn't... Free from her bonds, Jys'Ssysynstra gazed upon him with the look of someone ready to finish the job. Now fully on the defensive, he barely had enough strength to deflect her attacks coming closer and closer to the mark, until she finally connected, bringing him closer to death than he had been in a long time.

But right when she could muster the power for a final blow, she noticed the crowd of adventurers that had gathered all around them were done hacking her Undead minions to pieces, and seemed now eager to try the same with her. Special mention for Captain Mealir Ostirel, whose brave, deft blade tried to stab the Drow repeatedly, mostly finding enchanted plates and being turned away by her formidable defenses. Flashing her adversary a last grin, she and her companion teleported away, disappearing in a brilliant white light.

Oddly enough, despite the tiredness and the wounds, he felt alive...young, even!

Wait...did I just grin back at her?

*Nai leaves an important note for the Village*

After helping to recover and heal the bodies of the first group of adventurers that fell to the overwhelming power of the Devils in Dragonspear, Nai headeds into the Misty Forest Grove to inform the Elders of the danger.

Elder Endrain Nar'arael sayed...... "That's very disturbing news.. Nai. Don't go back there. We'll have rangers focus on southern border of the forest to warn us against any fiends coming in. If what you're saying is true- we cannot be hasty, we must prepare. Safety of our people comes first. We must ensure our borders are strengthened first, before we push to any sort of attacks. I will bring this information to other Elders. You should rest and heal."

Nai rested for a bit then went back out to find Mendel.. but what I seen when i come out the portal was NUTS! Them adventurers No listened to Nai about the dangers... I see'ed many many more adventurer try to go in there... there was bodies everywhere! Only few survived'ed. So Nai flew in and checked for any more .. this time they listened.

(( Thanks to DM Soulcatcher for the RP.

A chill in the air announced her arrival moments before she came through his chambers' entrance, her steps so light she was almost inaudible, even for his keen senses. He continued writing as she made her way in, stopping right behind his chair. He continued even as she spoke, her voice a cool mountain spring:

"What you did was utterly illogical, senseless even by a young race's standard." Straight to the point. How typical.... Her tone was blank, but he did not need any further indication to perceive the quivering rage within her, the kind of fury only love and fear combined can generate.

"You are just back after an almost uninterrupted absence of two years.
You did not rest enough, you did not equip suitably and did not prepare properly, yet you deemed it a viable plan to just go ahead and accept a challenge to a duel from a Drow mage." Strangely enough for him, he had nothing to say. No clever remark, no "Kael's golden tongue to the rescue", none of his typical, defiant retorts. The stretching silence did nothing to diminish her anger. Shocker...

"And not just any Drow mage, which would have been dangerous enough already, but the Head of House Sshamath, a ruthless Lolthite Arch-Necromancer who scourged the whole Coast for months, creating an infamous reputation for herself. If you were any less powerful than you claim to be, you'd be dead by now. Not to mention the likelihood of it being a trap was exceptionally high...yet you managed to ignore even that." He opened his mouth to reply, but at the last moment, he thought better of it, tiredly letting the air out slowly in a sigh as he wrote a last sentence, subsequently putting the quill down.

"I find it remarkable you succeed in being incredibly long-winded in the most inappropriate circumstances, and yet right now you have nothing to say." He slowly stood, turning and walking towards her. "Where are y-" his bloodless lips touched hers, a thin layer of frost immediately forming on them as his gloved hands gently took hers in them.

When he walked away, she lowered her puzzled eyes on the crumpled parchment he left in her hand. The ink was still fresh on it, so it must have been what he had been writing all along:

Traveled the world, by land and sea
Everywhere I look, you're all I see.
Dark vault within, and you are the key
to the fading memory of whom I used to be

Now Shadows obey me, and Hell's my domain,
The Void inside knows no bounds, no chain.
And even though I'd never hurt a friend,
Should it surprise to be shunned, condemned?

Facing it alone is like Night chasing Day,
No matter how eager, the fight is in vain.
Light in the dark, your love shows the way,
A song of solace in a cathedral of pain.

As she read, the dark wizard walked out without looking back.

He didn't need to.

He knew she was smiling.

Music Dulinnor enters the village his midnight blue cloak stained with thick blotches of deep red. Over his shoulder the lifeless body of a drow female.

"Guard have you seen of the elders about or perhaps Kael or Mendel. I have had a successful hunt and a corpse to show for it."

The Arcane Archer in training sits cross-legged next to the body and busy himself cleaning is blood caked gear. A gentle tune can be herd as the wind dances through the trees.