Dark Nights

[VamprissX]

Greetings friends and family. Here is a storyline that I have been working on for a day or two. I have a friend at Wizards of the Coast that has been hounding me to try my hand at a Forgotten Realms story every since my Sci-Fi thingy fell through, so I finally mapped one out and will be submitting it eventually. I figured I could just post the parts here as I get the bugs worked out.

Feel free to comment/suggest if you like. My feelings do not get hurt when it comes to my writings. If someone is truly unhappy then I figure they can just stop reading and start writing themselves!

PS - for you true Forgotten Realms fans, some of this is not within the realm of hardcore D&D rules...as a matter of fact, the two races discussed in the story are relatively unexplored. Of course, no one would have dreamed of a dark elven ranger until Salvatore penned it.

Dark Nights

Carrose stood on the ledge above the grand cavern, observing a thousand dwarves below. Preperations had begun only hours earlier for the upcoming assault, yet they were almost complete with the first phase already. Everywhere the commander looked, his men and women labored tirelessly to complete his orders. To say he was proud would have been an understatement.

Flanking the commander were two starkly different dwarves. Ongella Tunsorte' wore the customary robes of the high preists in their clan. She was as stout and burly as any of her clanspeople, yet carried herself with a confidence and arrogance usually reserved for the warrior-types. Her superiors seemed to have great disdain for the relatively young priestess, yet Carrose had found her to be the most capable battle cleric he had ever seen in his eight centuries.

Beside the cleric stood a dwarf clad in dusty black armor covering his body below the neck. His greyish bald head was accented by a thick strip of braided white hair that ran down the center of his skull and stretched to the middle of his back. Even someone inexperienced in the trials of battle could tell at first glance that this was a seasoned veteran of many skirmishes and a dwarf of little patience. Most disturbing were the eyes, black empty globes showing no emotion yet full understanding of every move around him. Such were the signs of knights who served the Dark One. Meurdark considered himself among the masters most faithful.

"Sir, our scouts report no movement through the surrounding caverns." stated Ongella after giving the commander several moments to observe the operations below. "By all accounts, we have remained undetected. I have them positioned along the path to the gnome fortress. Each will join the war party as we pass thier position."

Shifting his weight as he turned, Carrose faced his two leuitenants, noting that each had already dressed for battle. He peered up at Meurdark for a moment. The dark knights' size was uncommon amongst the dwarven race and always seemed to take some getting use to each time they met face to face. Even with his armor on, the general barely reached Meurdarks shoulders.

"'Tis a good thing madame Tunsorte," Carrose replied as he scanned the back wall of the immense cavern. The preparation site was only a days travel from their home city of S'hajj, a long since abandoned mine from two centuries before that saw very little traffic, save for the occassional lost kobold or goblin.

"The information is only as good as the dwarf relaying it though." interjected Meurdark in a low even tone. "Seeing as how we rely on thieves to tell us the truth, I would feel much more comfortable if you would allow my men scry the area magically."

Ongella stiffened her jaw as she prepared to respond. The dark knight always seemed to find folly with her operations. No matter that Carrose had given her a force three times the size of his legion of knights to command, nor the fact that she had managed to rise to equal power in half the time he had. He was jealous, plain and ..... The priest stopped in mid-thought, noting that she had grown flush with her silent anger. Meurdark was mistrusting by nature...and had to be. His voice never held any intonation that reflected incompetence on her part. She chided herself silently for allowing her emotions to take hold of the situation.

"We have a hundred eyes watching these walls and passages. Each loyal to our cause, along with the gold that now lines their pockets." Ongella stated as evenly as she could. She managed a smile as she turned to the Knight, "And they prefer the term "Scouts", my old friend. At least for the moment."

"Hmmrrf" chuckled the armor clad knight loudly as he turned to face Carrose. "I have positioned my men at the exit. They await our caravan as we speak. Ongella's warriors will take up position in front. The knights will flank the party as we travel."

Carrose smiled inwardly, quite proud of his luietnenants. The assualt was moving along ahead of schedule. Soon they would be on the march for Albastior, the gnomish stronghold that had held the armies of S'hadjj at bay for countless centuries. Where their ancestors had failed, his army would succeed in squeezing the life from the citadal and opening the gates to the Underdark beyond.

Meeting the gaze of both dwarves with a smile, Carrose nodded and turned to overlook the busy cavern below once more. Effortlessly he slung the heavy axe from his back, bringing the flatside of the silver weapon's twin blades to rest in his off hand. Ongella whispered a spell to amplify the generals voice as he began to speak.

"Brothers and sisters!" Carrose began, the words thundering through the cavern. "Stretch yer legs and sharpen yer axes! We shall be waist deep in gnome corpses within the tenday! Blood will stain the streets of Albastior as we cleave our way into the next era of Clan Voraff's legacy!!"

*****


The movement was subtle. Too subtle for even the eyes and ears of the dark dwarves to catch. A chance look at the far wall of the cavern might have caught the white eyes of the intruder, but luck seemed to be with him. He would have bet good money that the head dwarf had seen him though, having spent all that time staring directly in his direction. Luckily... no "skillfully" he corrected, he had avoided detection. Luck certainly served it's role in Aqua's life, but he had spent too many hours practicing his silent arts to attribute every success to Lady Luck.

The surprising words from the dwarf on top of the cliffs had been loud enough, but the battlecries of the crowd below was literally deafening. Fighting to remain hidden while covering his ears at the same time, Aqua questioned..not for the first time..his reason for being in this place. The gnomes pay was, to put it mildly, extremely generous and he had to admit that the idea of exploring the underdark had certainly been a major factor in his acceptance of the job.

"Tin pennies and crooked dice!" cursed Aqua as he chanced a glance over the edge of the cliff, surveying the massive gathering of thousands of dwarves below. He recalled the magistrate of Albastior's statement, "small party of dwarves". Apparently the subterranean gnomes shared the same talent for understatement as their surface cousins.

Shaking himself from the fantasy of strangling the head gnome upon his return to the fortress, Aqua focused on the problem at hand. It had occurred to him to simply leave. He could keep the money he had received upfront and return to the surface without any negative results to his reputation or threat of reprisal, due to the dark gnomes hatred for surface life. Of course that would mean turning his back on the wealthiest market available to people in his trade. The Underdark was abundant in both riches and revenge. Two things Aqua thrived upon.

No, he thought. He would complete the job at hand. The duergar commander would be dead before the army reached the citadel. He could then return to either collect double his reward or a few gnome heads for the extra trouble. Pursing his lips into a smile as various schemes played through his head, Aqua realized he was actually smiling for the first time in a long while.

[VamprissX]

"So, we have a deal then?" asked Pallok. The gnome was well dressed and very refined, especially considering he was Svirfneblin, a race of gnomes that preferred life under the surface world. He flashed a smile as he stretched out his hand to seal the agreement. Of course, he knew all too well that words and a handshake meant very little when it came to dealing with assassins.

The gnome's brown hand remained outstretched for several uneasy seconds as the figure standing in front of him considered the proposition. The room was dark, like everything else in this world under the land above, but the glowing red eyes peering out from beneath the piwafi's hood could see through it as well as any human in broad daylight. Such were the benefits of all creatures who roamed the Underdark.

Finally, a small arm appeared from under the cloak and grasped the gnome leaders hand in agreement. Pallok studied the figure for another second, trying to discern if he had noticed a slight smile on the creature's face. Dropping his hands to his side with a sigh of relief, the gnome turned to one the four guards standing against each wall in the square room and collected a small pouch.

"A small fortune in gems as your initial payment." he stated as he turned again to face the Dark Elf, dropping the pouch on the desk in front of him. Eyes narrowed, Pallok fixed the drow with a stare and continued, "Know that dealing with people of your race is not something we enjoy. If you cross us rogue, you will feel the full weight of Citadel Albastior upon you."

If the drow stranger acknowledged the gnomes statement, it never showed. Neither did he seem to even notice the payment resting on the desk below, a sizable payment that would make even the most experienced gnome miner gasp. The red orbs continued to stare at the master of Albastior as they had since the meeting began. Not even a blink.

Letting the threat hang in the air a moment, Pallok relaxed. "Where are my manners? Would you care for flagon of gnomish spirits before you dep...."

Suddenly the room was a blur of activity as the dark elf flung his arms straight out to each side, brandishing a unique drow fashion hand crossbow in each hand. Firing in unison as he started to turn slightly, each quarrel struck the necks of both guards, killing them instantaneously. Crossing his arms in front of his chest in mid-turn, the assassin fired another round from each crossbow, both arrows striking home just as the previous two had done. The guards dropped lifelessly to the floor below, none of the four having had the chance to so much as draw their weapons.

Completing the 360 degree spin in a crouch, the dark elf leapt forward. Kicking the desk and sending the awestruck Pallok sprawling to floor, the gems from the small bag came raining down all around him. The assassin landed deftly, yet forcefully standing upright with one boot squarely placed on the gnome masters neck and both hand crossbows aimed directly at his face.

Even in the face of certain death, the gnome in Pallok could not help but marvel at the enhanced crossbow design. He noted the arrow chambers across the top of the weapons, allowing for multiple shots without having to reload. He would most definitely have to inquire about the design later, that is of course, if he survived the ordeal at all. Staring up at the two arrows, backed by those glowing red eyes, he wasn’t so sure he would.

"Know this gnome.." the voice was nothing more than a whisper, yet carried itself throughout the chamber. Pallok was quick to note the distasteful intonation as the dark elf spoke of his race.

"I am Xi'an Dejared. Where your people travel with vast armies to remain safe, I walk alone. When races talk of the evil that lurks in The Wildes and the caves beyond...that evil is me." The stranger paused, though Pallok couldn't tell if it was for effect or to regain composure, he guessed the latter.

The red globes narrowed in a squint as he continued, "Now, gather your petty stones and pray you have enough to cover for your insolence when I return or my vengeance upon this fortress city will make the Duergar's assault pale in comparison!"

With that, the darkelf released his foothold on Palloks neck and spun lightly, his piwafi whirling as he did. Three strides later he blended into the shadows, exiting through one of the open doorways. Pallok breathed a sigh of relief as he dusted himself off and righted the fallen desk. Surveying the room, he grimaced at the loss of four of his best guards.

Negotiating with mercenaries was always dangerous and messy business, yet he allowed himself to smile inwardly, proud to have "successfully" negotiated with Xi'an Dejared, one of the most dangerous creatures of the Underdark. Of all the mercenaries that he had hired to stop the dwarven invasion, this one certainly showed the most potential. His smile grew considerably.

[Sabrar]

/applaud Great read, Vampriss!
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Duke Sabrar Mournblood
Dread Lord of Neriak and Scourge of Frogloks
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