House Morcane Forum Index House Morcane
The Forgotten Realm
 
 FAQFAQ   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups   RegisterRegister 
 ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in 

The Ascension of Celith of Sorciere

 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    House Morcane Forum Index -> In Character
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
adzling
Cel'ith


Joined: 11 Apr 2008
Posts: 353
Location: san francisco

PostPosted: Fri Apr 11, 2008 4:59 am    Post subject: The Ascension of Celith of Sorciere Reply with quote

Part 1

Celith adjusted his hauberk and stepped out of line letting the rest of his company continue past him. He had come this far disguised as a warrior but he could take it no longer, the accumulated filth and detritus from four days forced march clung to the recesses in the mail and itched terribly. Not to mention it was heavy and clanked like rothe restraint chains!! How in the hells did full-time warriors put up with this stuff?
As the last of the line filed past him the sergeant at the end of the column approached, his mouth opening to inquire just what the sussun this jaluk thought he was doing. Celith bowed low as if in deference to a jabress and as he came up brought his stilleto into the sergeant's neck. He was old, returned to the line from retirement, and went down quickly gurgling like that small hobbit Celith had taken on his first hunt on the surface those long years ago. The memory brought a smile to his face even as the last froth of blood spit out of the sergeant's wound across his face, coloring his teeth a crimson red. He shook himself out of this vision of his days on the surface hunting rivvin with his father and mentally took stock.

He was four days out of the Black Palisades and still not far enough. The war between the houses had destroyed his mother's status, she had failed and so her entire family was to be exiled. Most were still hiding on the fringes of the city, clinging onto one last hope of reclaiming their status. His father had died defending the house, and his mother. There was nothing left for him and so he had left rather than push his luck. His mother had once said that Lolth appreciated cunning and resourcefulness above all else, beyond strength and prowess even and he lived by that.

He was still young but he knew the path he was destined for; house assassin, lolth's right hand....now he just had to find himself a house.

He had heard that an old drow community on the edge of the known dark was recently reopened and consecrated to lolth. It would be new and the power structure would not yet be so defined and rigid. There would be opportunity there for someone who was clever and flexible and cunning. It was only twenty cycles away if he managed to catch a ride on one of the duergar merchant caravans. They were heading out to Nyr more and more recently these days as word of the gem-strike spread. Well now all he had to do was figure out how he could convince the duergar that they shouldn't skin him on the spot.

That was easy, he already had a plan.

Part 2

It had taken longer than he had anticipated to arrive in Szith, those damn Duergar just would not move fast enough for his tastes even after he stoked their fears of Drider hordes pursuing them for their gold. Celith spat on the gorund and let out a curse; "Bah dwarves! Even deep dwarves have such stumpy little legs that just seemed mired in the earth!" And they stank. Or maybe he just had a particularly sensitive nose for a jaluk, it seemed to bother him more and more these days.

So here he was at last, Szith, last outpost of the underdark beneath some unknown island on the edge of nowhere.
Purrrfect.

He spent a few cycles exploring the city proper and perusing the various merchants wares. Surprisingly mundane stuff. He wasn't in the position to be choosy though so he carefully selected a short sword, a leather cuirass with a spider insignia on it's breast (praise be to Lolth!) and a pair of irridescent purple velvet gauntlets.

He had picked up an eye infection from one of those sussun Duergar (he had slept with one of the females in order to gain acceptance into the caravan) and so his right eye was hidden behind a patch. The resulting defect in his depth perception played havoc with his crossbow markmanship but it would pass. And besides he had other skills at his disposal beyond pointy sticks flying through the air.

Once equipped he spent a few weeks hunting the tunnels and caverns around Szith with various random jalukken and jabressen as time allowed. Some quickly became fast friends; most notably the jaluk Tebryn (who would later be inducted into the First House), the Jabress Sinae (later to become a Morcane) and Daethalion of Sorciere. It seemed there was almost an endless parade of newcomers to Szith, most running from something or towards another. In this they shared a common background and served to make them all strangers in this new dark.

As he spent his days roaming Szith and its environs he took time to note how the three houses treated the shebali and their own. Of the three Morcane seemed the most reasonable. It would be foolish to expect a Yathrin of any house to respect or treat fairly a jaluk much less a shebali such as himself however there were those Jabressen that took it to excess.
In this category he felt the First House fell. Their Jabressen did not appreciate their jalukul capabilities and seemed to revel in reducing them to ornaments as often as possible. Why he himself had barely survived an encounter with the Yathrin Vilmathien where he was turned to stone for daring to laugh at a joke made at his expense. It was becoming clearer cycle by cycle that to be an unhoused jaluk was a more precarious position than he had contemplated. He had had barely any encounters with House Dev'lin, their presence in Szith seemed only a whisper, and an odd whisper at that....
And so he turned his attention to House Morcane. He had friends who had already been admitted to the house and they seemed to be content with their lot. He would make Morcane his home. They would not accept him without testing and a difficult trial no doubt be he was not worried.
He had a plan.


Last edited by adzling on Fri May 16, 2008 6:47 pm; edited 2 times in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address
PrinceMyshkin
Eleuthera, Elvanshalee Vildess


Joined: 20 Jan 2008
Posts: 1100

PostPosted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 12:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Eleuthera Morcane remembers had first meeting with this jaluk, although he seemed compitent and cunning, he gave her the impression of someone who plays games on her...

She has heard Celith had expressed his interest serving the house. This is a matter which should involve the house council and Ilharess herself.

Eleuthera, sent a message to Ilharess' office, presenting her views about jaluk Celith. If anything happens, there should be definitely an interview, or better an... interrogation in private with him.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
adzling
Cel'ith


Joined: 11 Apr 2008
Posts: 353
Location: san francisco

PostPosted: Thu May 15, 2008 3:26 am    Post subject: The Ascension of Celith of Sorciere part 3/ Leaving Szith Reply with quote

Celith had been gone from Szith for some time, enough to let things cool down he hoped. As he moved through Qos towards Szith itself his mind slipped back to the events that had caused him to take his leave...

He had been discussing the finer points of the political scenery in Szith with a couple of unhoused jalukul in a tavern in Qos when the Ilharess Devlin had stormed in screaming bloody murder and throwing accusations flying every which way.

Her mere presence was almost enough to cause him to feint.

There had been a time soon after arriving in Szith long ago that Celith had been called to appear before her by certain nobles of her house under accusations of aberrant behavior.
It was simple matter, he had used some surfacer slang to salute the Devlin nobles in question and they had taken it as a disrespect.
The ilharess Devlin had at first sought to punish him and make him pay for such a minor offence however her beauty had transfixed him and in such a situation his charms worked their magic and soon she was eating out of the palm of his hand.
The ilharess went so far as to imply that the opportunity of applying for membership to the house Devlin could be available to him, much to the shock of the Devlin nobles in attendance. They protested but were silenced.
What Celith appreciated (and yet many other jalukul did not it seemed) was that the Queen of the Demonweb pits spider-like demeanor was imprinted on her offspring in many ways.
The lusts of the Jabressen were always most pronounced when they were on the verge of murder and mayhem, when their ire was up.
This was much like a female spider was to its male mate.
The male if he stepped wrong would be eaten by the larger and more powerful female but if he were cunning and used his charms at her moment of weakness he could indeed bend the more powerful female to his will.
It all depended upon acting in the right manner at the right moment.

And this was the moment....

The ilharess was in a rage and screamed and ranted and threatened.
Celith attempted appeasement and began the cunning dance of words he had practiced many times to bring the powerful jabress to heel.
Unfortunately he was hamstrung by the two other jalukul in the room.
They both put up a front of defiance and together did naut bow before her onslaught. This of course only raised her ire instead of diminishing it.
Whereas by himself Celith was sure he could bring the mighty ilharess around to his side with these oafish jalukul in attendance he was fighting a battle already lost.

Soon after her accusatory rant and towering rage she left the tavern leaving him alone with the two jalukul. That she did naut kill them all outright astonished him.

Thinking back on it now perhaps it would have been better if she had.

The two jalukul now turned their attentions to him, believing he had led the ilharess to them in some plot to damage their position or standing.
He protested of course but it was of no use. These two had murder in their eyes and by himself he could not hope to stand against them.
He attempted to flee but yet they caught him, they caught him and murdered him in cold blood without so much as a second thought.

He awoke a while later, how long he was not sure and by whose provenance or even how he was uncertain. However he did notice a painful new series of scars on his chest, ones that reflected the initials of those who had done this to him. Such stupid and oafish jalukul, brutish even. Little finesse or subtlety there. He was surprised they had survived this long in drow society.

Well at this point it was obvious that he had to leave Szith for a time.
These two jalukul would no doubt come after him again if they knew he lived and he did not wish to meet them. At least not until he was safely ensconced in the protective folds of a house of Szith.

A quick stop back in Szith for fresh supplies and and he would depart for the wilds of the underdark for a time to take a respite from the politics and whims of the yathrin and ilharess Devlin.

Unfortunately as he was moving to leave Szith center he caught the attention of a gathering powerful yahtrin and the ilharess of Devlin and Mori....he would have a hard time talking his way out of this one.

Shaking his head Celith regathered his thoughts, he had to focus on the task at hand. He was on the doorstep of Szith center itself and unaware of the current political situation. Two weeks was a long time in Szith politics. His reminiscences would have to wait. For now he would have to concentrate on finding the ilharess Morcane and quickly....before the Dekza found him.


Last edited by adzling on Fri May 16, 2008 6:48 pm; edited 1 time in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address
PrinceMyshkin
Eleuthera, Elvanshalee Vildess


Joined: 20 Jan 2008
Posts: 1100

PostPosted: Thu May 15, 2008 10:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Celith will be given a meeting with the House Morcane eldars, as Ilharess De'Lara appears to be busy.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
adzling
Cel'ith


Joined: 11 Apr 2008
Posts: 353
Location: san francisco

PostPosted: Fri May 16, 2008 6:44 pm    Post subject: The Ascension of Celith of Sorciere part 4/ Leaving Szith Reply with quote

Celith had been back in Szith for 2 cycles and had yet to make contact with any of the House Morcane. As he stalked around the outskirts of Szith his mind drifted back to his last encounter before departing....how blessed he had been to escape...Lolth had gifted him beyond all measure that last day....

<flashback>

On his way out of Szith that day he had decided to stop briefly in the center and stock up on some much needed supplies. Once into the wilds of the Underdark he would have little opportunity to procure anything beyond the most basic of sustenance, if that.

Unfortunately he hadn�t counted on the gathering that was occurring in the speaking circle, around which he had to make his way to visit the various merchants on the periphery of the great cavern.

Situated in the center and holding court was the Ulathtallar of Szith herself, Bel�drana Mori�hyanda, in spider form, the Mori Yathrin Vilmathien and the Ilharess Dev�lin attended by a number of other lesser nobles and unhoused jalukul and Jabressen.

Even from a distance he spotted the Jabress roth Irrtana in her familiar pose of subservience to the Mori Yathrinen. It was very rare for a drow to be taken as a roth and much rarer still for a Jabress to be taken so; drow captives taken in battle were more likely to be sacrificed to the Spider Queen (after a period of agonizing torture of course) or if particularly problematic or loathed even transformed into a Drider. That Irrtana had not was perhaps an indication of her unique qualities or just as likely a whim of her Mori master; drow Yathrinen were just as chaotic in their actions as their deity which was something that Celith could appreciate.
Still Irrtana interested him beyond most other unranked Jabressen (along with rank came more interest of course, Celith was nothing if not socially adept) and he realized that it was perhaps because of her unique heritage. He had spent some time with her hunting in the caverns around Szith and her lips had proved freer than most Jabressen most of whom were pursuing Lolth�s favors directly as Yathrinen which demanded a harsher line from them or so they felt. Irrtana on the other hand had been a capable and interesting companion and they had discussed many things including her time on the surface and escape from the bitch temple of Eilistraee before finding her way down to the Underdark where she had been captured by one of the Mori Yathrinen. Such a heritage would turn most drow against her or doom her to being an outcast living on the margins of society but it did not bother Celith. He had spent much time on the surface as a boy hunting rivvil with his father and though he loathed the stupid ungainly brutes he appreciated the accumulation of knowledge of one�s enemies that time on the surface afforded. At times he even admitted secretly to himself that he liked the sight of the moon glowing in the bright darks that one found on the surface. To Celith an appreciation of the aesthetic qualities of such sights only enhanced his life and being; to confine oneself to only one realm was to be too rigid and indeed too lawful in demeanor to be a true follower of Lolth. This was something that most drow could not appreciate, blinded as they were by hatred and malice. To confine one�s emotional and mental range to such a simple vision of reality was to deny the true gift of Lolth; to revel in chaos, uncertainty, change and flux lest one lose them self to one side of their character. To truly succeed in the darks which drow trod one must know when to duck and slide, change and transform for the one who stands tall and resilient is the one who draws attention and opponents to himself. Flexibility and grace, guile and subterfuge are the tools that Lolth bestows on those who follow the paths of chaos.

And then of course there was the beauty contained in the rare presence of a Jabress who�s grip on life was so frail and perilous as Irrtana�s. Most Jabressen had to maintain at the very least the appearance of strength and domination over the Jalukken and interacting with such creatures though at times invigorating on a daily basis could become very tiring indeed. Especially for an unhoused Jaluk such as himself. So it was that he came to view Irrtana as a welcome respite from the daily dance of words he had to maintain with the Jabressen and Yathrinen of Szith. He came to look forward to their times together. Nonetheless he was no fool, he knew that Irrtana most likely was pursuing his companionship for ulterior motives, motives put in place by her Mori mistress. This knowledge did not bother Celith in the slightest, all drow acted such and for her to not engage in such subterfuges would be more worrying still.

So it was that on this day, his day of departure from Szith with the renegade and dangerous Jalukken in Q�os somewhere behind him that he had to give pause to stop before the speaking circle. A speaking circle overflowing with the most dangerous gathering imaginable of the highest ranking Yathrinen and Jabressen in all of Szith. Standing amongst whom was the Ilharess of House Dev�lin herself, Ashian'Darra Dev'Lin. She who had so recently all but accused him of treachery and whose actions had caused his demise at the hands of the renegade Jalukken he was fleeing.

He had to give pause because kneeling before them was the roth Irrtana, being terribly beaten by another roth at the commands of the Mori Yathrin. A beating that for all intents and purposes looked as though it might kill her. What a dilemma this caused for him. The chance that his intervention would result in Irrtana and his own utter and complete destruction was as close to certain as attacking a spider-child of Lolth in front of the Ulathtallar. Yet to see the fragile beauty that was Irrtana lost to a simple beating was something he could not abide, and so he paused to formulate a plan. As he stood on the periphery of the group and witnessed the savage beating and took stock of the situation he began to understand what was happening. The other roth seemed to think that Irrtana was a heretic, an unbeliever deserving only of death and the rest of the crowd seemed to agree, or at least did not challenge her declaration.

Something moved in the back of his head and his mind struggled to grok the meaning. Something was coalescing. As an unhoused Jaluk Celith held little standing in Szith, however it was greater than that of a roth to be sure. Add in the presence of the Ilharess Dev'lin who had so recently declared him a treacherous Jaluk and who obviously still felt that way if the hard glares she was giving him from across the circle were any indication and it came to him in a flash. The lever he would have to pull to manipulate Irrtana to safety was evident and he knew how to execute it. Lolth be praised Irrtana would be saved as surely as Ashian'Darra Dev'Lin was standing there ready to kill him.

Without further hesitation he stepped into the circle, locked eyes with the Ilharess Dev'lin before turning to the Mori that Irrtana was captive to and proclaimed loudly �She is not a heretic�.

The roth beating Irrtana stopped with hand raised, the crowd went bug-eyed and Ashian'Darra Dev'Lin grinned evilly at Celith. He must be swift now or he would surely die. Guile, subterfuge, misdirection and agility of mind would be the only thing that could keep him alive at this point.
�She is not a heretic� he proclaimed again, �it is true she came to Szith from the bitch temple (to which Irrtana glared at him hard, well better that than her death) but she is a true follower of Lolth, one who I have hunted with and witnessed first hand her capable dissection of many enemies of Szith. This roth is incorrect and misguided, jealously guides her hand not the wishes of Lolth and as a roth she is beneath my word. Yathrin Mori will you tell your roth to stay her hand lest you lose a true follower of Lolth?�
A silence descended on the group and all the high ranking Yathrinen and Jabressen depending upon their mood grinned, glared or stared at Celith, which is how he wanted it. All eyes were on him and he knew from the psychological underpinnings of these gathered forces that they would not, could not suffer such a weak, low-ranking Jaluk to interrupt their fun without paying dearly for it. The web was now spun and they were all caught in it, even the mighty Ulathallar Bel'drana Mori�hyanda. It was time for agility and subterfuge, he must quickly turn this moment from one of instant death to one of drawn out play on the part of the Jabressen. Only in such a scenario could he hope to use his cunning and guile to deflect and disarm their rancor and spin them out into a different direction and thus save his life.

�Who is this Jaluk?� asked the Ulathtallar.

On cue as if he had willed it the Ilharess Dev'lin stepped forward and with an evil grin and said �Celith, he is a member of the group of renegade Jalukken that operate out of Q�os that has been plotting war between the houses in order to enhance their pile of gold. Hardly one to comment on the quality of this roth�s character. Perhaps he should take her place?� she asked of the Ulathtallar.

Celith was careful to remain still and only grin only on the inside, the Ilharess Dev'lin had behaved as her sex demanded. She had fallen entirely into his trap.

�What do you say to this....Celith?� the Ulathtallar asked, her voice coming out of her spider form in a chittering rasp.

Fighting to remain calm and retain control of his complaining bowels he knew that this would be his only chance. If he failed he would be dead on the spot or worse still remanded to one or another house�s torture chambers for a protracted session. He had to at once reject the Ilharess Dev'lin's account, allow the Ulathtallar to feel superior to such a stupid Jaluk as himself and complete the distraction from Irrtana.
It had to be bold and it had to be showy.

And he had it, the lever was in his hand and he pulled.
Celith ripped open his robes baring his chest and turning to the Ulathtallar so that she could clearly see the scars running up and down in the shape of three characters; CB and to the right F.

�These are the marks of the leaders of the group you speak of Ilharess Dev'lin. They were carved into my chest after they killed me and left my body to rot in the lair of the Gorbogs. It is only by the grace of Lolth that I was returned to Szith alive if not completely in one piece. I am not nor have ever been aligned with such as them. They killed me thinking I had brought you to them when you came upon us in Q�os the other cycle. I am sorry to say you are mistaken Ilharess Dev'lin, I am a true servant of Lolth� and with that he bowed low. Low enough that it concealed the grin erupting across his face. Now hopefully the Ulathtallar would take the bait and fall further into his web drawing the Ilharess Dev'lin in on top of her and allow Celith some room to maneuver himself out of the focus of their ire.

�A pity you are so honorable Celith, the queen of the demonweb pits takes great delight in the sowing of chaos and disruption even among her houses. If you had indeed been involved in the plotting with these renegades I would be more impressed. As it stands I shall have to give a lesson to those in attendance on the subject� the Ulathtallar's mouthparts chittered.

The Ilharess Dev'lin stared hard at him and Celith averted his gaze deferentially. One must know when to challenge and when to back down, a lesson those fool Jalukken in Q�os would never learn. The Ulathtallar had taken the bait and now it was time for deflection and flexibility. He must respond with care to whatever challenge the Ulathtallar posed to him.
As he was thinking this the Ilharess Dev'lin stalked around the circle angrily eyeing him, chomping at the bit to wreak her vengeance upon him. The only thing that stayed her hand was the presence of the Ulathtallar, she was in command, even above the Ilharess and she could not act now that Celith was safely ensconced in her web. A web of safety, for the time being. She was so enraged that as she stalked about the speaking circle and came upon a spider, a familiar of some nearby faern she struck it down and killed it with a single blow. With all eyes on the Ulathtallar and Celith no one beyond the single unhoused jaluk directly in front of her noticed, and Celith of course. He added this gem of good fortune to his web-within-a-web and wove a new course, one that would place him in the right place to make his move.
He was in command now, the Ulathtallar did not know it and the Ilharess Dev'lin did not know it but he was. He couldn�t repress his delight any longer and grinned broadly at the Ulathtallar. �As you command mistress, it is ever the duty of unhoused Jalukken such as I to die at the whim of more powerful and worthy Jabressen. I am but here to serve� and he bowed to add emphasis to his subservience.
The Ulathtallar turned to address the gathering audience. �You, Jabressen� and she pointed a spindly, chitinous leg at a close friend of Celith�s the Jabress Syphix. �You shall pick a champion to fight for you, pick wisely as this is a test� and poisonous venom dripped from her spidery mouthparts. This was perfect, it could not be playing out better, surely Lolth was directing this entire play. Facing the Ulathtallar and with his hands behind his back facing Syphix he quickly hand signalled to her �pick the Mori Yathrin�.

After slight hesitation Syphix spoke up clearly and said �I pick the Mori Yathrin�.

Perfect, Celith�s proxy had just chosen one of the most dangerous drow in all of Szith, one who far outranked the Ilharess Dev'lin in sheer power.
Celith continued to grin broadly.

The fat, spidery Ulathtallar turned to Celith and croaked �now Celith pick your champion�.

He must somehow end up with the Ashian'Darra Dev�lin fighting the Mori Yathrin as only this would ensure her death, subsequent humiliation and likely quick exit from the gathering saving his skin for another time. However if he picked her without hesitation the Ilharess Dev'lin would guess his game and he would be lost regardless. While he hesitated, thinking this through the jaluk who had noticed the Ilharess Dev'lin kill the spider-familiar spoke up �she killed a chosen one of lolth!�. The Ulathtallar was not about to have her fun cut short and she glared the jaluk to silence. Perfect, perfect Celith could not believe how wonderful this was turning out! If he played this right, and surely he would, he may just end the entire encounter having saved Irrtana and himself, suffer not even so much as a beating and perhaps even return to the Ilharess Dev'lin's favor! He felt his grin broaden from ear to ear.

�I choose the Dev'lin jaluk there mistress!� Celith spoke and pointed to the Dev'lin noble of middling rank standing on the outskirts of the circle.
The poor devil practically squeeked at the terror of facing the Mori Yathrin and hopped from foot to foot.

�No no that won�t do Celith, we need a real challenger, someone who will put up a fight� the Ulathtallar rasped.

After a slight hesitation he spoke �then I chose the Ilharess Dev'lin�.
The Mori Yathrin grinned evilly and the Ilharess Dev'lin halted her pacing and sputtered to the Ulathtallar �whaat? You want me to fight at the command of this jaluk?�.

The fat spider-priestess, the most powerful personage in all of Szith turned to her and said �Yes�.

The Ilharess Dev'lin began to protest again but it was no use the Ulathtallar had made up her mind and she would have her blood.
Predictably the fight was over quickly; the Ilharess Dev'lin was badly outmatched by the Mori Yathrin and she fell to the ground with a vicious head wound bleeding out her life blood all over the speaking circle.
The Ulathtallar called upon the powers of Lolth and raised her, her wounds healing up and skin regrowing in front of Celith�s eyes. She stood up uncertainly and then fixed a stare of withering death at Celith, �you will pay for this Jaluk� and stormed off in anger.

�But, but the Ulathtallar commanded it� Celith stammered for effect, perhaps a little too much but the Ilharess was already moving away and not concentrating on him just her anger.

The Ulathtallar laughed, as much as a 500 pound spider can laugh, and proclaimed to the gathering �What lesson do you take from this my children?� No one said a word. �Who chose wiser here, the Jabressen or the Jaluk?� After a slight pause she answered her own question, �the Jabressen because she considered the political ramifications of her choice, the silly jaluk chose without thinking and now he will surely pay for his choice when the Ilharess Dev'lin sees him next�.

Celith confined his grin to the interior of his mind, outwardly he was a chastened and beaten Jaluk. As those around the circle began to take the Ilharess Dev'lin's departure and the Ulathtallar's proclamation as the end of this little gathering the unhoused Jaluk who had witnessed the apparent defilement of Lotlh�s spider kin stepped forward right on cue and stammered �I saw the Ilharess Dev'lin kill a chosen of the spider queen, she must be punished!�

�Whaat is this?� asked the Ulathtallar.

�While you were discussing the loyalty of that Jaluk� he said pointing to Celith �she killed a spider, a chosen of Lolth. A serious offense to the spider queen!�

Celith imagined the Ulathtallar's many-eyed orbs bugging out further than they already were but in reality there was no discernible difference in their demeanor.

�This is a serious charge did anyone else see this?�

Now was the time to start the final act of this drama, the one that would hopefully return him to the Ilharess Dev'lin's favor and allow him to finally remove himself from Szith happy in the knowledge that he had done all he could to save the vulnerable Irrtana for a future meeting. Hopefully a pleasurable one at that.

�I did,� Celith spoke up, �but is not as it appears.�
�It is she killed a spider!� the Jaluk spat.
�That much is true but it was not a simple spider but rather a wizard�s familiar� Celith shot back.
�And that should make a difference?� cooed the fat spider priestess, sensing the possibility of more playtime.
�Yes, it makes all the difference� he calmly replied.
�Hmm, I am not so sure, what do you think Jaluk?� she asked the other drow.
�A spider is a spider mistress� he blurted obviously looking to gain favor with the Ulathtallar for who would challenge such a frightening creature?
�Not so, you are mistaken� Celith spat back letting his mouth turn into a grimace to further stoke the fun of the Ulathtallar.
Once again she recognized in this scenario a chance for some fun and taking stock of the two jalukul spoke to those who remained �very well you shall both make your case before me and I shall decide who is correct�.

A broad grin split Celith�s face, the Ulathtallar had taken his bait and fallen into his web. What a glorious cycle this had become. To ensnare the Ulathtallar not once but twice in his games was beyond imagining. Lolth surely favored him, perhaps he should not flee Szith after all but turn and fight whoever came after him. No that was not the way of the drow, he must remember his power was in his flexibility and guile.

�As you command mistress� he said and bowed low to the Ulathtallar, �it would be my honor to defend the Ilharess Dev'lin�.

The Jaluk made his case simply and inexpertly, stating the obvious. She had killed a spider and so must be judged. It made no difference that the spider was a wizard�s familiar a spider was a spider.

Celith took his time and built his case around the concept of the will of the spider queen and faern�s control over his familiar. A familiar though it might look like a spider had not a will of it�s own except that which was granted to it by it�s owner and as such was no more an offspring of Lolth than a homunculus or golem was a real being. After all Celith was a faern of a sort and could make this case better than a simple warrior.

After some back and forth it was evident that unless the Ulathtallar wished to deem publicly that all familiars in spider form were the chosen of Lolth (and hence grant their controlling faern�s power over the yathrinen) she would have to relent and deem Celith the winner of this little contest.
Which in the end she did after some half-hearted attempts to appear thoughtful on the subject.

Celith breathed a sigh of relief and hoped that this last act in this dramatic play would be heard by the Ilharess Dev'lin and taken together with the time he would be away from Szith serve to reduce her malice towards him.

He bowed to the Ulathtallar and Yathrinen present and begged their leave which they offered and he stepped lightly out of Szith and into the wilds of the underdark, at least for a time.


///ooc it's been about 3 weeks since this occurred so I may have some of the names wrong and a couple others I omitted because i can't remember them.
This was a very fun bit of RP and the Ulathallar had commended me and said she would mention it to the dm's but i don't think that happened ;-(
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address
PrinceMyshkin
Eleuthera, Elvanshalee Vildess


Joined: 20 Jan 2008
Posts: 1100

PostPosted: Fri May 16, 2008 7:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Eleuthera still awaits to receive the letter, which she requested Celith to write to House Morcane regarding his future involvement with the Dek-za movement.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
adzling
Cel'ith


Joined: 11 Apr 2008
Posts: 353
Location: san francisco

PostPosted: Fri May 16, 2008 7:16 pm    Post subject: An Open Letter to House Morcane Reply with quote

<delivered>

Mistress Eleuthera Morcane,

As you know I have worked tirelessly to gain entry into the House Morcane and believe that I would make a good asset to the Ilharess De'lara.

I pledge my body and blood for the House of Morcane and only Morcane.

There have been some rumors circulating of late regarding my attachment to a certain clan of unhoused jalukul and I wish to make clear in no uncertain terms that I have not have ever been aligned with such scum.

I pledge my body and blood to the House of Morcane and only Morcane.

Always with the greatest respect,

Celith of Sorciere
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address
PrinceMyshkin
Eleuthera, Elvanshalee Vildess


Joined: 20 Jan 2008
Posts: 1100

PostPosted: Fri May 16, 2008 8:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Celith of Sorciere,

From now on you will be named as "Celith Morcane". Please contact a House Yathrin to receive the baptism of our house.

May Celith Morcane stand and defeat all the enemies of Lloth and House Morcane! Welcome.

Eleuthera Morcane
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Felnak
De'Lara


Joined: 28 Jan 2008
Posts: 250
Location: USA

PostPosted: Sat May 17, 2008 8:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sorry, I was away for a while. Thanks for the post Mysh, this is exactly what I needed for Celith.

After meeting in Szith and a quick trip to the arena for some entertainment, Celith, Rizzen, Saya, Grillith, Amy/Teer and De'Lara all met in House Morcane for drinks and discussion. As Teer served wine and fungus cheese, recent events in Szith were discussed as well as the prospects of Celith joining House Morcane. Celith negotiated a difficult interview process handling all questions well. With the sponsorship and strong recommendation of Eleuthera, Celith's entry into House Morcane was finalized... Celith was made a Morcane!
_________________
De'Lara, Ilharess of House Morcane
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message MSN Messenger
adzling
Cel'ith


Joined: 11 Apr 2008
Posts: 353
Location: san francisco

PostPosted: Wed May 21, 2008 10:57 pm    Post subject: the ascension of Celith of Sorciere part 5 Reply with quote

It had been a few cycles since his return to Szith and subsequent induction into house Morcane.

He was pleased with his new position, safely ensconced in the second house of Szith he protected from most casual violence by other drow.

Celith had spent most of the past few cycles catching up with the political changes in Szith since his abrupt departure.
What changes!
The 4th house had become legitimized and even now had a brash young ilharess leading them around by the nose like a pack of rivvil.
It was most interesting to see them run around Szith never venturing out of earshot from one another. Where one Koraling went others were sure to follow. That was the way of herding creatures. They followed one another willy-nilly until a cliff presented itself and then most often they would jump en masse once the first, perhaps dimmest one, stepped off the edge.

Celith had experience first hand with just how stubborn and tactless these koralings could be. Soon after the first two jalukken koralings had arrived in Szith one had managed to insult him so badly he was forced to threaten him to retract. The koraling had naut and so he had left for the center of Szith hoping that he might come upon him again in some more isolated space. However, surprisingly, the newcomer had not let the issue lie but instead chose to escalate it. The young koraling had approached a yathrin of the house Morcane and denounced Celith as a heretic. In public! Poor fool. When approached by the yathrin Celith could not hide is rage and asked permission from the yathrin to enact his own vengeance for spreading such a flase and terrible lie. The yathrin, who happily knew Celith, consented and so he immediately launched into an attack on the koralings (for now there were three) in the center of Szith meaning to kill them all for their stupidity and gall. One should respect their superiors!
He was cunning and stepped from shadow to shadow throwing fire and electricity down upon them before vanishing again before they could even fire an arrow at him. Quickly he had dispatched the first and strongest looking of the koralings and was preparing to destroy the remainder when the city guard finally intervened and commanded them to stop.
He explained to the guard that a Morcane yathrin had authorized this action and that they should not dare to oppose her will yet unfortunately she had left the scene in the interim and so the guard enforced the halt to his vengeance and commanded the koralings out of the area.
Well at least he had gotten one, perhaps that would be enough of a warning to them to watch what they did in Szith.

He grinned at this thought.

Perhaps there was a way to encourage this rabble to step off the cliff so-to-speak. In Szith those cliffs most often took shape in the political arena.
As he puffed on his pipe of the fearsome gnome weed he had acquired in his recent travels his mind wandered. As was it's want when meandering from plot to plot it settled into a rhetorical rut and in that relief a plan coalesced.
They were surely very hot-headed and eager to prove their prowess and dedication to Lolth now that they occupied the position of 4th house. He would attempt to use that against them. Yes, bait the Drider and watch it run off the cliff in pursuit of it's prey....
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address
Spiderbait
Moriand


Joined: 22 Jan 2008
Posts: 49
Location: Sydney, Australia

PostPosted: Thu May 22, 2008 7:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

wow nice story..
_________________
I'll kill anyone who gets in the way of me killing anyone!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Felnak
De'Lara


Joined: 28 Jan 2008
Posts: 250
Location: USA

PostPosted: Thu May 22, 2008 9:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Very finely done... great read!
_________________
De'Lara, Ilharess of House Morcane
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message MSN Messenger
adzling
Cel'ith


Joined: 11 Apr 2008
Posts: 353
Location: san francisco

PostPosted: Thu May 22, 2008 2:57 pm    Post subject: The Ascension of Celith of Sorciere part 6/ setting the bait Reply with quote

----this is a cross post from another thread but it fits into this storyline----

While discussing the finer points of the political situation in Qos this cycle with Xan and Amy up strides the ilharess Korali and one of her Koralings.

She engages Amy in conversation while Celith takes a back seat, wondering how he can turn this encounter to house Morcanes advantage. How to turn the brash young koralings ambition against them? As the Ilharess discusses her recent problem with feathers appearing across her person (and that of her koralings) his wheels begin to spin and like a finely tuned gnomish mechanism out pops a gambit.

True to form a wide grin spread across his face.

Waiting for a break in the conversation Celith makes his entre with "Aah Ilharess Korali may I see one of those feathers?" After her approval he steps forward and examines one of the white and brown feathers. (spellcraft check 38 ) "It would seem that they are real feathers however they retain some residual magical enchantment, they may have been conjured. Perhaps an infestation of magical hummingbirds in the korali chambers?"

The Ilharess looks angry and shouts at her koraling to beat the house rothes and ensure there are no vermin taking up residence.

"A wise course Ilharess, although I must say these feathers have naut affected your beauty. A fact most obvious given how quickly your brood grows."

Favored with a smile from the Ilharess Celith continues his careful choice of words in his attempt to manipulate the young and willful Jabress into a position that will require her to make a risky promise.

"Soon your brood will be of such a size that you will be strong enough to lead your first raid to the surface, a most glorious offering to Lolth."

The impestous Ilharess grinned and nodded her approval. "xas soon we will, have you heard rumors of the dancing bitches temple on the surface?"

"Xas I have ilharess and I am sure that we can locate it without much trouble, it would be my honor to accompany such a radiant jabress on such a raid. And of course it will be helpful for the 4th house to have more than fodder along to aid in the destruction of the temple"

Grinning broadly at this veiled insult Celith bows and takes his leave.

Perhaps this little encounter in the center of Szith will compel the Ilharess to act, perhaps not. Celith is confident that with the right information and encouragement this little suggestion will grow in her mind. What better time to thin the numbers of the 4th house than while they return from a hard fought encounter with the Ellistreans. Or Perhaps they will not return at all....
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address
adzling
Cel'ith


Joined: 11 Apr 2008
Posts: 353
Location: san francisco

PostPosted: Thu May 22, 2008 3:05 pm    Post subject: re : story Reply with quote

thanks for the kind words, it's worth noting that during the encounter with the uthtallar and co. while trying to save Irrtana they made a number of references IC that celith reminded them of another drow, one called "spiderbait". Hehe so i guess they meant moriand. Nice to know they think celith is borderline insane. He may be full of himself but he's not quite insane. yet.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address
adzling
Cel'ith


Joined: 11 Apr 2008
Posts: 353
Location: san francisco

PostPosted: Thu May 29, 2008 3:03 pm    Post subject: Part 7/ Ulathtallar got your tongue? Reply with quote

It had been a profitable if tiring few cycles hunting bugbears for the potions their leaders carried. Stepping back into Szith from the Gnoll caves Celith wiped gore from his robe and thick sticky grease from his boots. It was a wonder how those ugly, stinking brutes could produce so many powerful potions in such quantities. It was doubtful that they had the ability to do it themselves, they must have a supplier. He would have to look into that, perhaps he could make more coin with less hassle if he could find the supplier.

As he brought his attention back to his surroundings he noticed two Dev'lin jalukul staring at the entrance to the gol caves. With a conscious effort Celith relaxed his shoulders and strolled over, getting closer it was apparent the higher ranking jaluk was Sorn Dev'lin, and he was screaming at someone standing at the entrance to the caves. Focussing on the figure at the entrance he could see it was a dwen'del! A surface dwen'del! In Szith! Celith became enraged, in lieu of screaming an insult he spit on the ground and drew his enchanted rapier M'elzzar Elggur and the shortsword Drejan Tril. Stepping into the shadows he stalked towards the soon-to-be-dead dwarf. Positioned behind the stumpy one he could smell the stench of dwarf rising off of it, which served to enrage him only further. With a shout that he could no longer contain Celith leaped out of the shadows and struck at the broad back of the dwen'del, scoring hits with both blades that severely wounded the stumpy insult to Lolth. The dwen'del, staggered under his blows, turned and fled into the gol caves leaving Celith in a fighting crouch by the cave entrance his anger rapidly turning to pleasure as a grin spread across his face. Should he pursue? What was the Dwarf doing here?
Sorn spoke up from his vantage point on the nearby rise and mentioned the abomination had come unaccompanied into Szith seeking a bald Yathrin.
"Hmm that could be Elvanshee Morcane, she is crazy enough to invite a dwen'del into the city to see what would happen to him" Celith confided.
Predictably at that point a Yathrin, one of the ust house no less, stepped out of the shadows that had been concealing her and launched into a tirade regarding Celith's choice of descriptor for the Morcane Yathrin. As he began his dance of words the Dev'lins ran off into the gol caves to recover the fleeing dwarf. No doubt seeking to ingratiate themselves for they had shown no intention of doing so before the Yathrin's appearance. This left Celith to deal, or be dealt with by, the Mori Yathrin. Well this was something he was comfortable handling, these mori Yathrin were easily manipulated they being so rigid and predictable in their behaviour.

The Dev'lins soon returned with the Dwarf in tow and dragged him to the center of Szith for the Yathrinen to do with as they would. Now this would be interesting and within moments a large crowd had gathered to witness the spectacle.

The congregation of Yathrinen soon included the entire upper hierarchy of the first house, certainly an auspicious occasion and also a very suspicious one. What were all the upper echelons of house mori doing in the same place at the same time? Well that was a question that would have to remain unanswered.

Shortly the Yathrinen began their sacrificial preparations for the stumpy abomination and Celith began to scream out for his blood. This did naut sit well with the Yathrinen who did naut want the involvement of a lowly jaluk and they bid him keep quiet or suffer. Shrugging off the rebuke he retreated further back into the crowd towards an old associate of his, one Nymroos Drolnar. Nym was chatting with Kor Bed'wa the son of Coronel Bed'wa although apparently he did naut recognize him and the son being as unforthcoming as his brutish father was unlikely to introduce himself. So Celith did it for him. As they stood chatting one of the mori Yathrin, Zhavra this one was called, pushed back through the throng and with fire in her eyes told the jalukul to hold their tongues lest they lose them.

Never missing an opportunity to send up the stern and rigid Yathrin Celith opened his mouth, grabbed onto his tongue and with the appendage in his hand raised an eyebrow to the Yathrin.

Thinking back this was perhaps not the best idea.

Zhavra struck out with such speed that Celith did not have time to react before the tip of his tongue (which had been protruding from between his fingers) lay bleeding in her hand.

"Do not talk lest you lose your tongue jaluk"! she barked.

"ouch!" he managed with blood pouring out his mouth and down the front of his robe adding to the bugbear gore already resident there. Quickly he brought up his finger and casting a cantrip a small flame burst from his fingertip which he used to cauterize the wound.

The Yathrin took his yelp of pain to be another insult against her will and reached out with her dagger again. Seeing the look in her eyes Celith realized this was one of those times where his tongue would not be able to dissuade the Yathrin from her course (if it even still worked) and so he relented, tilting his head back and opening his mouth wide so she could extract it without inflicting any further wounds.

A sharp "snict" and she had his tongue in her hand and, being a Yathrin, took it directly to the Ulathtallar of Szith who was finishing the extraction of the now dead dwarf's organs a short distance away.

Repeating the cantrip to cauterize the wound in his mouth was not as trivial a task as it had been a few moments prior. The blood was pouring out of his mouth like a waterfall and the pain was incredible. Still he managed and with a grimace followed the Yathrin to the speaking circle. How the hell was he going to get out of this one without the use of his most vital organ? Predictably the Ulathtallar turned the loss of Celith's tongue into a game and casting some type of necromantic enchantment reanimated the tongue and began talking to it! Celith could only stand there mute, staring at his now undead tongue writhing in her hand and wonder "what the vith now?" After a short while it was apparent that the Ulathtallar was growing weary of the game for without his tongue she could hardly extract any kind of verbal satisfaction from Celith. As she considered this a gleam appeared in the Ulathtallar's eyes and she slinked over to him. Trembling slightly at her approach it was all he could do to hold his bowels closed.

"Hold your head back and open your mouth jaluk" she commanded and wordlessly he complied.
"Hopefully this appendage will serve you better in it's current state than it did in it's last" and she pushed the writhing, undead thing back into his mouth!

The Ulathtallar summoned the power of Lolth which shot through Celith from his mouth down to his toes and he collapsed onto the ground holding his mouth and feeling very strange. Eventually he recovered enough to stand up and take a long ragged breath.

"Feeling well?" cooed the Ulathtallar.

Opening his mouth to speak the only thing that came out was "g..lo..oark". His new tongue was not working properly and it felt like a dead thing in his mouth, not moving under his command the way it should. He opened his mouth once more to only utter "lo..ack" and some green and black fluid more viscous than blood poured out onto his now filthy robe. What was going on here? Hadn't the Ulathtallar reconnected his tongue? Although why she had eluded him. He opened his mouth a third time and now it became apparent why she had reattached the offending appendage for it moved under it's own will speaking in a voice all it's own.

"Xassss misstresss I am wellll thank you for reattaching meee to thissss jaluk" the tongue spoke.

Looking perplexed Celith stared in disbelief at the Ulathtallar who only grinned, turning on her heel and walking away.


Last edited by adzling on Thu May 29, 2008 5:53 pm; edited 3 times in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address
PrinceMyshkin
Eleuthera, Elvanshalee Vildess


Joined: 20 Jan 2008
Posts: 1100

PostPosted: Thu May 29, 2008 5:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Celith say cheese!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
adzling
Cel'ith


Joined: 11 Apr 2008
Posts: 353
Location: san francisco

PostPosted: Sun Jun 15, 2008 9:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Part 8/ An attempted assassination

Celith prepared to depart to Qos. There was still much left to do in preparation for the ascension of House Morcane and he did not intend to let another of the house outshine the work he had done to secure this.
He had to fulfill the task given to him and lever apart the ally that the ust house clung to it's bosom. As he finished casting his defensive enchantments he stepped from Szith into the lair of the gnoll king. Immediately a handful of the stinking beasts charged at him barking their war cries. Celith was more than happy to take the battle to them and counter-charged ending up surrounded by them on all sides, just the way he wished it. Dodging their unskilled attacks he prepared a spell of some power to fell them all in one blow. At this instant he noticed a newcomer, Maya Morihyanda stood on the doorstep to Szith with a bemused look on her face, obviously she had followed him into the Gnoll caves. Never one to miss a chance for ingratiating himself to the ruling class of females, even one so contemptible as Maya, he screamed aloud "I will cleanse this filth for you mistress!" and triggered a spell that burst fire all about his person neatly incinerating the gnolls into smoking hunks of charred flesh. As their screams of anguish died out they left behind a stench of burning dog that permeated the cavern. Lowering his weapons he turned to face Maya, a grin firmly planted on his face at such a unique opportunity to display his talents to such a high-ranking jabress. What he saw on her face disturbed him; she looked upset at something, what he could not tell. "Having a bad cycle mistress?" he offered.
Maya did not respond but rather slowly took in the whole cavern searching for something, or someone. Then she looked back to the door she had just come through ensuring it had closed and none were attempting to gain entrance. She was not happy about something, perhaps the present company.
"Your time of the tenday is it mistress?" Celith joked hoping to distract her from whatever was bothering her.
This seemed to get her attention, without warning she immediately launched a powerful enchantment at him sizzling the air with arcane power. Celith was quicker though, despite the mori's obvious advantage of surprise and the sheer amount of power she could draw upon she was not as fast as she should have been. He had been trained in other arts beyond the arcane, ones that served him well in this instance. As the bolt of crackling power shot from her hand he instinctually dived to the side, rolled a short distance and disappeared into the shadows. Maya growled and looked about trying to ascertain just where he had gone, with no luck it seemed.
What next? He must think swiftly one of the most powerful mages in all of Szith had just attempted to kill him.
If he was in her place and unable to spot his prey he would most likely throw a fireball or something else that would explode and kill all around whether or not they were visible. True to form she did just so, launching a storm of lightning and withering cold that encompassed most of the cavern except for the area around her person. Standing directly next to the powerful jabress, and therefore out of the enchantments area of effect, he dared not to breath smiling only to himself. He quickly considered his options, he dare not attack her he was not prepared to finish the battle and who knew what enchantments she had prepared to forestall any counter. She was beyond his direct assault even with him cloaked in shadow and standing directly behind her, how frustrating! Anger writ across her face Maya stalked off through the tunnel system looking for her target, leaving Celith standing by the only exit to Szith.

Without further pause he opened the door and stepped out, back into the safety of Szith proper. Why had she tried to kill him? What had she hoped to attain? Had war come to Szith so quickly? Regardless he was content; the stupid, foolish jabress had underestimated him and he had prevailed. The only other explanation was that Lolth favored him over her, seemingly far-fetched he was a male after all but perhaps the ust house's reign was almost over and Lolth was giving it a little helping hand in stepping down. No matter, whether it was Lolth's favor or incompetence on the part of the jabress he was pleased beyond measure at the outcome.

This would be a treat to dangle in front of the Mori at the next conclave in the speaking circle. Either that or he would take it as open hunting season on the newly inducted Mori rabble that the ust house so desperately courted these days. Or perhaps both. Xas perhaps both.

Grinning outwardly Celith retired to House Morcane to prepare his response. What a true honor, to be the target of a botched assassination on the part of such a powerful mage, one that so many in Szith feared. Although now that he thought about it it was not all that remarkable, she was after all incompetent.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address
adzling
Cel'ith


Joined: 11 Apr 2008
Posts: 353
Location: san francisco

PostPosted: Sun Jun 15, 2008 10:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

[color=green]i finally cross posted this thread to the tfr forums[/color]
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address
adzling
Cel'ith


Joined: 11 Apr 2008
Posts: 353
Location: san francisco

PostPosted: Fri Jun 20, 2008 4:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Part 9/ The pleasures of Lolth


Celith approached the speaking circle with a spring in his step. Everything was going...what was the word that water Genasi of Aly's had used... swimmingly! Morihyanda was no longer the ust house; temporarily deposed along with Morcane and the minor houses by Lolth. The glorious dark queen herself had appeared in Szith center and declared the house order no longer relevant, all of her children in Szith were to root out heretics and the house that served her most gloriously would be raised up once the order was restored. Chaos ensued, how magnificent thought Celith! He had himself delivered a suspected heretic to his house Yathrinen just the other cycle. He had faced down and escaped an assassination attempt by a much more powerful Mori necromancer, a jabress no less. Surely Lolth favored him, and his house. Xas soon Morcane would rise to claim the position of ust house! He would take great pleasure pissing on House Morihyanda as their weakling allies the Korali and Devlin fled the bloated rotted corpse of the former ust house like so many maggots.

In the meantime however the corpse still writhed, biting and scratching not realizing it was dead yet. Such death throes could be dangerous and perilous to the unwary. Celith would have to keep this in mind, he had a habit of laughing so much that it sometimes blinded him to his immediate risk.

Standing in the speaking circle was Vilmathien Morihyanda, a powerful yathrin, the one he had pitted the "ilharess" devlin against many tendays ago. Xas he would have to watch her, she had already come across him in the tunnels outside Szith and attempted to goad him into a slip of the tongue that would justify an assault. She was smart and cunning this one, although of course like all Yathrin she was hampered by her sex. Or rather her reflexive, dogmatic perceptions of her sex. While it was true that Lolth held up her jabressen above her jalukul in drow society it was also true that you underestimate your enemy at your peril. Maya's failed attack slotted nicely into Celith's worldview and it was a mistake he was naut likely to make. Consequently he approached the Mori Yathrin with deference, at least outwardly, bowing deeply at the edge of the speaking circle.

Standing to his left was the Morcane bae'qshel, she had evidently been in discussion with Vilmathien prior to his arrival. Always a thorn in his side at court Celith could naut understand her. She certainly did naut seem a simple Jabress but perhaps his perceptions were wrong. He had begun to pay her some deference in the hopes that it would grease the wheels of their working relationship, although to date there had been no payoff. She maintained the same level of arrogant disdain for him as she always did.

Vilmathien was ranting on about Lolth's decree and how the Yathrinen would setup an Inquisition to root out the heretics in Szith. This struck Celith as odd, something that a lawful god might request. As a godess of Chaos Lolth required the demonstration of power, cunning and guile above adherence to laws and dispensation of justice. Celith would attempt to use just those powers to turn the table on the Yathrin. It would be dangerous but perilous discourse was one of his finer enjoyments of life under Lolth. With careful timing the male was able to control the more powerful female and use her power against her. Just as the male spider did with the larger and more powerful female of the species. A wrong step and she would eat him, for Celith this only added to the spice of his existence. As he voiced his concerns regarding the lawful nature of an Inquisition the powerful Yathrin sensed an opportunity, one that Celith had provided her gift-wrapped on a plate for her consumption.

"Heretic!" she shouted.

Smiling inwardly Celith shot back "I think naut esteemed Yathrin, I follow Lolth with every fiber of my being."

Once again Vilmathien screamed at him "you are a heretic and I will get the truth out of you" and she struck him down with a powerful blast of divine magic that left his face torn and blood dripping from many tiny wounds.

Celith, grinning through the blood thanked her for her attentions.

"Heretic! I shall get the truth out of you" and once again she hit him with a divine attack, one that knocked him from his feet and sent him sprawling onto his back.

Rising to his knees and pushing back the pain he once again smiled at her through the blood. "You are mistaken most radiant Yathrin, I am a true follower of Lolth. I will go to her dark bosom willingly with joy in my heart as I have served her without pause or fail for my entire life. If you wish to send me to they Abyss then please, let me help you" and with that he offered his dagger to her, calling her bluff.

"Fool I need no weapon to send the likes of you to your doom!" she roared.

"I do naut presume to think so mistress, I just thought it might make your mistake easier to execute." he grinned, snapping the trap shut.

"I will remove your heretical existence from Szith jaluk!" she roared on, obviously on the verge of completely losing self control.

"I am a true follower of Lolth mistress, my actions speak louder than your words. Just last cycle I captured a heretic, may I ask how many you have taken since Lolth's declaration?" he spit blood onto the ground to emphasize his point, and also because it was flowing so freely now it was interfering with his conversation.

Roaring with anger she blasted him one more time with her most powerful blast yet. He was knocked flat onto his back, blood poured from many wounds across his entire body and he labored for breath. Barely able to raise onto one elbow he spat out his next retort. "Yathrin....you....are wrong. I.....follow Lolth's will.....kill me if you wish.....I go willingly to her demonweb pits..." with that he fell back to the cavern floor and grinned up at the ceiling.

"The Inquisition will have you jaluk!" she barked, and with the flick of her finger cast a healing spell that closed his wounds and restored the strength to his limbs.

After another moment Celith pushed his feet under him and shakily stood to face the enraged Yathrin. He could feel the thing in his mouth begin to move and writhe, forcing his mouth open. When he could naut hold it any longer his mouth gaped open of it's own volition and the tongue spat out "You have made a grave errorrr missstressss, this jalukkkk isssss a true followerrrrr of Lolthhhhhh....."

Surprised that his undead appendage had something constructive to say for once he winced as the expected blow came from the Yathrin. Recovering from the backhand he clamped his hand over his mouth to prevent it speaking again and looked down, returning to his deferential pose. He held his mouth closed and collected his thoughts. He had managed to once again come out ahead of a powerful Mori Jabress, a Yathrin no less. He had publicly called her bluff and she had naut acted. Truly Lolth favored him.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address
adzling
Cel'ith


Joined: 11 Apr 2008
Posts: 353
Location: san francisco

PostPosted: Wed Jul 09, 2008 2:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Part 10 A flea take's it's toll

Celith stalked through the caverns on the outskirts of Qos looking for his next prey. The filthy deep ogres had recently occupied this area, their appearance coinciding with the disappearance of the bugbears closer in towards Szith. This was in keeping with the will of the dark queen; chaos is her will and destruction is her tool. All of Szith had been in upheaval and on the very of war for many months now. He grinned when he thought of her manifestation in Szith and the resulting casting down of the houses. The previous ust house, Morihyanda, had naut been happy. So much so in fact that some of their leaders had decided to leave Szith and one could only assume her house of worship. Heretics! All the better for Morcane. With their departure the most powerful house in Szith was almost assured of rising to the top. The will of Lolth was and always would be that the strongest and most cunning would rule the rest.

Xas, the most cunning.
His mind turned back to his recent mission to Fae Sallie, the city of stinking rivvil. He had been entrusted with a most important task by then Quelfaruk Rizzen, now ascended to Archmage of Szith. He had snuck into the bowels of the surface settlement, passing the guards and other citizens as though invisible although no magic hid is presence. Once in the right location he waited for two peons to vacate the area before commencing the enchantment that would set the portal opening for what would come through it later. It had been a difficult task that had required intense concentration, the tome that had yielded the correct words of power had it's own price. One that had left him stripped of his magical ability to teleport back to Szith and hence having to walk all the way back like some common soldier.

Well may as well make the most of it. Fae had some good shopping and with the correct dweomers, clothing and words the merchants were easy enough to bluff. While in one store he had availed himself of a side room to sit down for this first time in two cycles and take his reverie. He quickly came to when he felt a sharp blade pressed to his neck and heard a tiny voice "do not move drow or you will drop where you sit".
Someone had stumbled upon his hiding place, someone who could cause him great trouble. With an audible sigh he wondered to himself....wasn't that always the case? If it's not a god appearing in the center of town it was some uppity little halfling appearing out of nowhere to ruin his day.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address
adzling
Cel'ith


Joined: 11 Apr 2008
Posts: 353
Location: san francisco

PostPosted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 7:20 pm    Post subject: Part 12/ A drow, a darthiir and a half-crab walk into a bar. Reply with quote

Part 12/ A drow, a darthiir and a half-crab walk into a bar...

It had been a most profitable day for Cel'ith; he had held his second auction in the Qos tavern and the haul was quite remarkable.
There had been a minor hiccup when some fool Darthiir had started interrupting the proceedings with random bids unrelated to the current asking price but a quick nod to the help and the toad was escorted from the premises. Employing Fargoth as security had been a wise precaution and he seemed to enjoy the work.
He had now accumulated more gold than was wise to carry about on his person and rather than risk a robbery he decided to do what any self-respecting Illythiri would do, spend it on a rare and powerful magic item. He had a few drinks while he waited for the crowd to disperse and then bidding aluve to those who mattered he stepped out into the perpetually dark streets of Qos and approached Metha. She was a bit of beast this rivvil, stinking of sweat and dressed in rags it upset him that he even had to deal with her. However she did have what he sought, and after exchanging a shocking amount of coin to acquire it he slid it onto his finger and watched with joy as it shrunk to fit.

"Now, perhaps time for another drink" he thought to himself and stepped back into the tavern.
The sight that greeted him upon his return was quite interesting. Standing towards the rear of the inn was the ilharess Korali speaking with Razlo the half-crab. It was apparent that the half-rivvil half-crab had cornered the ilharess and judging by the conversation was expressing an amorous interest in her. This should be interesting! It quickly became evident that the half-crab felt threatened by Cel'ith's presence, asking a nearby Darthiir if she would be interested in the bounty on his head. Cel'ith was naut surprised by Razlo's odd behaviour, they had both tangled in the past and while there was no raging hatred between them it would be fair to say that they both seemed to enjoy putting one over the other. Nonetheless it's always wise to take precautions and Cel'ith slid into the shadows, drew his weapons and stalked toward the half-crab's back. Somewhat surprisingly the Darthiir responded to Razlo's entreaty for aid by dropping a Mord's on his head, stripping him of all his magical protections! Seeing his opening Cel'ith stepped out of the shadows and hacked viciously at the half-crab with his axe and mace in tandem. About this time the ilharess korali realized she had an opening and launched her own assault on the beast. Razlo may be insane but he's no fool, realizing his life was quickly drawing towards an end he ran for the door as fast as his rivvil legs could carry him with the two drow and darthiir in hot pursuit. They chased him through Qos but he turned a corner and grasping a trinket on his person teleported out of danger. Well at least it wasn't Cel'ith running this time, a refreshing change that put the ball back in the half-crab's court.

The ilharess korali expressed her thanks, made her excuses and left.

Turning to the Darthiir Cel'ith realized it was a jabress, and some kind of faern...interesting. Even stranger she seemed comfortable in his presence and naut at all unpleasant in conversation. Considering the enmity Darthiir reserve for Illythiri Cel'ith was taken aback, his interest piqued. Unfortunately their enjoyable conversation was cut short by the appearance of Alyfyflen.....Cel'ith was loathe to call her Morcane. She seemed to have a large reserve of contempt for this particular Darthiir and their exchange quickly degenerated into a threatening posture. When the inevitable slip into confrontation occurred he just stood back and watched the two jabressen exchange blows. The Darhiir opened with a bigby's but Aly was prepared and it had no effect on her, and that was pretty much end of story. The Darthiir faern could not possibly hope to triumph in hand to hand against such a powerful deathsinger and she quickly fell before the onslaught. Lying bleeding and unconscious on the ground at her feet Aly simply spat on the corpse, nodded to Cel'ith and walked away.

Well if she wasn't going to use this darthiir properly Cel'ith would ensure she didn't go to waste. He bent down and tenderly lifting her head poured a healing salve into her mouth. She came round slowly, he was looking forward to taking her back to Szith for enjoyment at his leisure. She didn't seem impressed by this and as soon as she was able to stand muttered an incantation and stepped into the ethereal realm. Now there was an unfortunate turn of events. He hadn't bothered to tie her up nor disarm or disrobe her and now there she was taking advantage of the courtesy he had extended her! The wretched, cursed darthiir!

Unfortunately while he was kicking himself for his loss the darthiir stepped back from the ethereal plane, now fully encsorceled, and attacked! When he came to Cel'ith was bound tightly and sitting at the feet of the darthiir. Gah! The ignominy of it all! The darthiir began to expound on her plans for him, they seemed to include his swift deliverance to some "authority" and her collecting some kind of bounty or fee. Well that wouldn't do at all. He tested the bonds and found them sorely lacking for one such as him. With a slight shrug the bindings dropped free and he stepped into the shadows.

The darthiir stopped in mid-sentence, mouth dropped open and she stared at where Cel'ith had been sitting. Of course by that time he had stepped behind her and while she drew breath and began to close her mouth he unleashed a torrent of blows from his enchanted axe and mace that felled her before she had even fully closed her mouth. He tried to summon up a righteous (or at least passionate) indignation for her actions but was unable. She was darthiir, he was illythiri, it was the way of the world.
Shrugging to himself he left her body for the roaches and walked off to find the next magic item he would need to render himself immune to the spell he feared most...
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address
adzling
Cel'ith


Joined: 11 Apr 2008
Posts: 353
Location: san francisco

PostPosted: Mon Nov 10, 2008 11:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Cel'ith came to in a tunnel near qos.

The rivvil had finally let him go. Amazing. It had worked!
When he had embarked on the mission he had been dubious that he could talk his way out of the situation that he would be placing himself in....in truth he was hoping that he could escape through simple stealth in much the same manner that he had from his first time in Fae Sallie's anti-magic holding cell. When the kivvil had taken him instead to the SoTL he had to think quickly. Of course he had first tried to use his powers of shadow-bending but to no avail, that blasted were-gnome's sense were too keen. Well that problem would be settled soon enough...
And so he had to fall back on his wits. The oddball story of persecution and heresy he had spun for them seemed to go down as well as possible given their racial hatred for his kind. He was sure he would have been slain regardless of his wit and charm if it hadn't been for that Paladin. Strange creatures those...they intrigued him enough to want to know more about their beliefs and inner thoughts. Perhaps their brains were shaped differently than those of other rivvil he mused, thinking of the various forms of grey matter floating in his jars and beakers back in Sorciere.

No matter, he had succeeded. The information had been planted in a convincing matter...perhaps not where he had intended it to reside however in a place that would make use of it he surmised. Perhaps more amazingly he had survived! Perhaps his god was actually looking after him...then he laughed out loud.
"Idiot! You are but a mere mortal what does a god care of your health? Just be happy you are alive, everything starts now."

Pondering the long walk back to Szith he shrugged and opened his robes, laying his hand on a particular trinket sewn into the hem behind a button so as not to attract attention. Fingering it he vanished in a puff of smoke and reappeared in the tower.
He hated walking...
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address
adzling
Cel'ith


Joined: 11 Apr 2008
Posts: 353
Location: san francisco

PostPosted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 8:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sitting at his desk in Sorciere, the Master of Necromancy, Cel'ith Morcane let his mind wander to his recent travels.

The journey to the Sword Coast and Chult had been tiring, he was glad to be back in Szith. Well it wasn't the journey itself per se as he seemed to be getting quite adept at teleporting, it was more the peoples of those far-flung places that tired him. The more time he spent on the surface amongst it's denizens the more he came to understand just how little regard they held for the Illythiiri. His education had taught him as much but he had been a skeptical lad, not easily drawn into the dogmatic associations his educators often demanded of him. So it was with much distaste that he had come to understand exactly the depth of animis most of Toril held for his race and by extension, him. Now he was not one to take such things personally, after all power was power and one's FEELINGS towards others had little impact on the hard realities of the world. Or at least he had thought so for a very long time but he had witnessed something recently that had given him pause. The rivvil of Toril relied as much on their feelings towards one another to guide them as they did on their respective ranks within society. It was an odd way to view the world and not one he would normally admit to adhering to but recent events demanded he pay notice.

Prior to his departure for the Sword Coast Cel'ith had presided over another auction of the Qos Rare Gem & Mineral Society, one that judging from his purse had been very successful. He had acquired a rare Blue but most of the latter details of the auction had had to be related to him by Moriand. It would appear from what fragments remained in his memory and the recounting of Moriand that at the termination of the auction the group of powerful patrons assembled in the tavern had decided that they wanted a little more than they had paid for and launched an attack. It was a stupid gambit, Cel'ith was safely ensconced in the back room behind a locked and warded door, the amount of time it took them to get through Fargoth AND Moriand would provide ample opportunity for his escape. However for whatever reason it hadn't turned out that way. Moriand's incessant pounding on the door and pleading did little to soften Cel'ith's heart, that insane mage was worth little beyond fodder and interesting banter in Cel'ith's view. However Fargoth, true to his deal with Cel'ith, was engaging the enemy with gusto and determination. Nonetheless it was a certitude that his death would come quickly without, and with hindsight it would seem even with, Cel'ith's aid. Which makes it even more puzzling as to why he did what he did. Apparently he had opened the door to let Moriand make his escape, in the process pushing his bag of holding into Moriand's hands and bidding him 'port back to Sorciere immediately.
And then Cel'ith had ventured out into the main room (and certain death) to fight alongside the dead body of his fallen quellar-mate.
This was clearly insanity. He could not fathom what had come over him to make him act in such a manner and yet he had done it, and failed.
For it was only later when came to, staring up into the mad eyes of Moriand, that it became apparent that he had given his life, selflessly, for another. And not just any other, but the dead body of another.
Cel'ith thought on this while on his trip to the mainland, what had driven him to do such a thing? Was it insanity? Had some unknown hand of a god pushed him across the Sava board to defend Fargoth in some idiotic move? This was all very troubling....it was not like him to throw away his life for another when the chance of winning was zero and rewards non-existent.
This reminded him of his encounter with the Paladin that stayed the hand of the were-gnome. She had nothing to gain by it and yet she had let Cel'ith live.
Insanity, all of it, insanity.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address
adzling
Cel'ith


Joined: 11 Apr 2008
Posts: 353
Location: san francisco

PostPosted: Mon Dec 15, 2008 10:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Cel'ith had been around Szith little of late, mostly because business had kept him elsewhere but also because of his last encounter with Ilharess Morcane.

He had been on his usual rounds in Szith; restocking spell components and checking the merchants for any interesting new trinkets they may have obtained since his last visit.

Seeing the Ilharess in the speaking circle talking to a group of shebali rabble he had approached, bowing in deference to the powerful female.
To his surprise she had reacted with barely contained anger, practically spitting out the command to leave her sight until she called for him.
This was unusual for the new Ilharess, she had only recently ascended to the throne of q'uellar morcane and had been relying upon cel'ith for a number of ongoing "projects" that he had risked much to accomplish.
This did not sit well with him, her anger would only fester further. He wondered just what gotten her so upset. Perhaps someone had planted some lies in her head regarding his recent trip to chult. It would be easy enough his absence had been long enough for any number of dolts to get close enough to her and whisper in her ears.

A few cycles later this feeling of unease was only enhanced by a chance encounter Cel'ith had with the arch-mage himself. Cel'ith had greeted him in the usual deferential manner only to be met with a somewhat exasperated Rizzen ordering him back to the q'uellar to await the ilharess' pleasure.
Despited Cel'ith's close questioning he could not divine anything further from Rizzen. Either the arch-mage genuinely didn't know what Nandra wanted him for or more worryingly he was not willing to let on what he knew. Either possibility was not encouraging from Cel'ith's perspective.
Nonetheless he had dutifully accepted Rizzen's message and headed off in the direction of the q'uellar but as soon as he was out of sight he triggered his Amulet of Sorciere and stepped through the portal, quickly moving on to Qos before any of the adepts spotted him.

Whatever Nandra wanted of him did naut sound beneficial to his health and until he could get a grip on what exactly she wanted to "learn" from him he would remain in the shadows and she in the dark.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address
DearalarTousa



Joined: 25 Jan 2011
Posts: 5
Location: Spain

PostPosted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 2:37 am    Post subject: The Ascension of Celith of Sorciere Reply with quote

Are we still continuing our Bliss/Owl thread in the Delta?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    House Morcane Forum Index -> In Character All times are GMT
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum


Powered by phpBB © phpBB Group. Hosted by phpBB.BizHat.com


For Support - http://forums.BizHat.com

Free Web Hosting | Free Forum Hosting | FlashWebHost.com | Image Hosting | Photo Gallery | FreeMarriage.com

Powered by PhpBBweb.com, setup your forum now!