Post by astrixtc on May 1, 2005 13:30:52 GMT -5
An elf cloaked in a silver robe patrolled the hall. A concerned look was upon his face as he approached another guard. "I think that was the last of them Euli'dil." he said.
"Do not be so sure, the drow rarely come in such small numbers." From behind the two figures, a shadow moved. neither elf noticed the subtle shift. "Come, the others will be expecting us to report soon." The two men walked together further down the hall and into a large room that served as a gathering place for the elven nobles in Teltempa.
There they met with other guards of their station and all had similar news. After the small skirmish with three drow, all was quiet once more. The voices in the large room that started as low whispers eventually turned to a roaring celebration as the elves celebrated their victory against their most deadly foes with no casualties and only a few minor injuries. As the wine flowed through the evening and the moon rose further into the sky shouts of praise to the elven gods echoed through the room creating a roar as the voices filled the large room. "Tomorrow we ride to Corellon's Grove to give thanks!"
As the shout echoed through the room above the other voices, and the elves raised their glasses, the room was covered in a deep darkness. Mixed sounds of blades leaving their sheaths, and screams of pain filled the room. To his right, Euli'dil heard a gurgle that could only be the last attempts of speech through a slit throat. He raised his blade in front of him and heard the clink of metal upon it as he felt it forced back toward his chest his chest. He muttered a prayer under his breath as he turned his blade sideways to parry in the darkness. He remembered his swordsmanship classes and how a sideways slash was usually followed by a downward cut. The different angles of the two quick blows in succession often proved difficult to block. As he raised his blade near his face, he once again felt pressure against his blade as he hears the clash of metal against it.
Though he was expecting the blow, it came more quickly than he expected and his own blade was pressed against his face, grazing the tip of his nose. He gathered his strength, and pushed his attacker's blade away from him and ducked into a defensive crouch. From somewhere in the room, he could hear the incantation begin the clear the magical darkness that had befallen them. He felt a rush of air pass over his head as his attacker's blade sliced through his long hair that fell slower than the rest of his body. He lunged forward with his longword and nearly lost his balance as he struck nothing but air, his momentum pulling him foreword.
The darkness lifted and he saw that his attacker, a drow dressed in black armor with long black metal spikes protruding from the shoulders, wrists, and thighs was to the right of his initial guess of the foes location. He turned quickly, but the drow reacted just as quickly raising his black blade to block the attack. "Father!Mother has been..." the voice trailed off at the sight in the room. Euli'dil looked over the shoulder of his attacker and froze for a moment. The drow smiled as Euli'dil's graceful movements stiffened upon the sight of his daughter.
"Galia!" he yelled as the black blade plunged into his stomach. He doubled over in pain as his attacker grinned over him. He could hear the cackle of evil laughter as the drow watched him in his agony. It was just like them to play with their prey and watch them suffer. Pushing away the pain in his abdomen, he grabbed a dagger out of his boot while he was already bent from the pain.
The attacker's grin did not fade from his face as Euli'dil quickly rose and plunged the dagger into the drow's chin when he quickly rose. Euli'dil looked to the doorway where his daughter stood and saw a shadow move behind her. Instinctively he threw the dagger nearly missing his daughter's head. Shortly after she heard a gentle thump as a body behind her hit the floor. Euli'dil wasted no time pulling a wand from his belt. He pointed it at his daughter. "You should not have come here Galia." he said as he flicked the wand upward slightly beginning it's magic.
"Father, behind you!" she cried. It was too late, The magic was already starting to work, and the world around her shimmered with magic. Through the dancing lights, she saw the tip of a black blade exit the front of her father's chest and the light fade from his eyes.
Within the magic surrounding her, Galia felt time slow down. Helpless to move as the magic encased her, she saw her father's killer look at her with a malicious grin and lick his lips. The drow let his go of his blade and Euli'dil's corpse fell slowly to the ground. Before he the elf fell, the drow had already drawn a small crossbow. He pointed it at Galia's heart and let the bolt loose. The flight of the dart seemed to take an eternity. as it streaked across the room, Galia could see the green poison dripping from the blade and falling toward the floor in thick gooey drops. Her vision began to tunnel, the chaos in the room turning to black at the edges of her vision. Soon, the only thing she could see was the poison tipped bolt. It seemed to slow as it approached, now mere feet away from it's mark. Feet became inches as Galia winced from the pain she knew was coming. She felt a gentle prick as the rest of the world turned black around her...
Galia's mind rose slowly to consciousness. Was it all a dream? Where was she? She could hear subtle waves, and the creak of wood as she felt her surroundings rock slowly and steadily around her. She opened her eyes to a well polished wooden ceiling. She felt cloth beneath her, and rose stiffly. The makeshift hammock was hardly the sort of bed she was used to. A door opened into the small room where she stood and a man entered. Instinctively she put her hands in front of her defensively. The man laughed.
"I mean you no harm" he said. "It is not often that we have elven nobles aboard our ship, though your arrival caused quite a panic. Perhaps when you awake fully, and have had something to eat, you can tell us how you managed to appear out of thin air on the deck of our humble ship.
Galia did not speak, she raised a hand to her chest and felt for where the bolt should have stuck her, feeling nothing, she looked down and saw only a small red irritation that she knew would soon fade. "So it was more than a dream," she thought to herself. She noticed that she was still wearing her formal robes from the night before, perhaps that is why they have mistaken her for an elven noble. The man turned to leave her and she shook her head trying to wake herself a little more. "Where are we going?" she asked.
The man stopped just short of the door and and turned to her with a slight smile upon his hearty face. "Cormyr" he said and then he exited and closed the door.
"Do not be so sure, the drow rarely come in such small numbers." From behind the two figures, a shadow moved. neither elf noticed the subtle shift. "Come, the others will be expecting us to report soon." The two men walked together further down the hall and into a large room that served as a gathering place for the elven nobles in Teltempa.
There they met with other guards of their station and all had similar news. After the small skirmish with three drow, all was quiet once more. The voices in the large room that started as low whispers eventually turned to a roaring celebration as the elves celebrated their victory against their most deadly foes with no casualties and only a few minor injuries. As the wine flowed through the evening and the moon rose further into the sky shouts of praise to the elven gods echoed through the room creating a roar as the voices filled the large room. "Tomorrow we ride to Corellon's Grove to give thanks!"
As the shout echoed through the room above the other voices, and the elves raised their glasses, the room was covered in a deep darkness. Mixed sounds of blades leaving their sheaths, and screams of pain filled the room. To his right, Euli'dil heard a gurgle that could only be the last attempts of speech through a slit throat. He raised his blade in front of him and heard the clink of metal upon it as he felt it forced back toward his chest his chest. He muttered a prayer under his breath as he turned his blade sideways to parry in the darkness. He remembered his swordsmanship classes and how a sideways slash was usually followed by a downward cut. The different angles of the two quick blows in succession often proved difficult to block. As he raised his blade near his face, he once again felt pressure against his blade as he hears the clash of metal against it.
Though he was expecting the blow, it came more quickly than he expected and his own blade was pressed against his face, grazing the tip of his nose. He gathered his strength, and pushed his attacker's blade away from him and ducked into a defensive crouch. From somewhere in the room, he could hear the incantation begin the clear the magical darkness that had befallen them. He felt a rush of air pass over his head as his attacker's blade sliced through his long hair that fell slower than the rest of his body. He lunged forward with his longword and nearly lost his balance as he struck nothing but air, his momentum pulling him foreword.
The darkness lifted and he saw that his attacker, a drow dressed in black armor with long black metal spikes protruding from the shoulders, wrists, and thighs was to the right of his initial guess of the foes location. He turned quickly, but the drow reacted just as quickly raising his black blade to block the attack. "Father!Mother has been..." the voice trailed off at the sight in the room. Euli'dil looked over the shoulder of his attacker and froze for a moment. The drow smiled as Euli'dil's graceful movements stiffened upon the sight of his daughter.
"Galia!" he yelled as the black blade plunged into his stomach. He doubled over in pain as his attacker grinned over him. He could hear the cackle of evil laughter as the drow watched him in his agony. It was just like them to play with their prey and watch them suffer. Pushing away the pain in his abdomen, he grabbed a dagger out of his boot while he was already bent from the pain.
The attacker's grin did not fade from his face as Euli'dil quickly rose and plunged the dagger into the drow's chin when he quickly rose. Euli'dil looked to the doorway where his daughter stood and saw a shadow move behind her. Instinctively he threw the dagger nearly missing his daughter's head. Shortly after she heard a gentle thump as a body behind her hit the floor. Euli'dil wasted no time pulling a wand from his belt. He pointed it at his daughter. "You should not have come here Galia." he said as he flicked the wand upward slightly beginning it's magic.
"Father, behind you!" she cried. It was too late, The magic was already starting to work, and the world around her shimmered with magic. Through the dancing lights, she saw the tip of a black blade exit the front of her father's chest and the light fade from his eyes.
Within the magic surrounding her, Galia felt time slow down. Helpless to move as the magic encased her, she saw her father's killer look at her with a malicious grin and lick his lips. The drow let his go of his blade and Euli'dil's corpse fell slowly to the ground. Before he the elf fell, the drow had already drawn a small crossbow. He pointed it at Galia's heart and let the bolt loose. The flight of the dart seemed to take an eternity. as it streaked across the room, Galia could see the green poison dripping from the blade and falling toward the floor in thick gooey drops. Her vision began to tunnel, the chaos in the room turning to black at the edges of her vision. Soon, the only thing she could see was the poison tipped bolt. It seemed to slow as it approached, now mere feet away from it's mark. Feet became inches as Galia winced from the pain she knew was coming. She felt a gentle prick as the rest of the world turned black around her...
Galia's mind rose slowly to consciousness. Was it all a dream? Where was she? She could hear subtle waves, and the creak of wood as she felt her surroundings rock slowly and steadily around her. She opened her eyes to a well polished wooden ceiling. She felt cloth beneath her, and rose stiffly. The makeshift hammock was hardly the sort of bed she was used to. A door opened into the small room where she stood and a man entered. Instinctively she put her hands in front of her defensively. The man laughed.
"I mean you no harm" he said. "It is not often that we have elven nobles aboard our ship, though your arrival caused quite a panic. Perhaps when you awake fully, and have had something to eat, you can tell us how you managed to appear out of thin air on the deck of our humble ship.
Galia did not speak, she raised a hand to her chest and felt for where the bolt should have stuck her, feeling nothing, she looked down and saw only a small red irritation that she knew would soon fade. "So it was more than a dream," she thought to herself. She noticed that she was still wearing her formal robes from the night before, perhaps that is why they have mistaken her for an elven noble. The man turned to leave her and she shook her head trying to wake herself a little more. "Where are we going?" she asked.
The man stopped just short of the door and and turned to her with a slight smile upon his hearty face. "Cormyr" he said and then he exited and closed the door.