The Betrayal

Drana sat down on a rock in a high ceiling cave feeling utterly upset. It was almost morning and she preferred to sleep during the day time, for the sun hurt her eyes dreadfully. Yet only two days ago she was able to sleep in comfort at an expensive inn. Last night she was able to entertain herself by torturing the prisoners some more. She enjoyed watching that Drakin cringe at the things she did, and so far her plan had succeeded. He made no attempts to rebel and was relatively tame, for a Drakin. Once or twice she thought she caught him staring at her, but there was little that could be done. At least he was behaving.

They were now only a night away from the entrance to the underground city of Kazzec. There Drana would deposit the slaves pick up new guards and most likely head out once more. "What is Matron Mother thinking? The Eldest daughter of House Zaut'tar doing all the dirty surface work! I'll be the laughingstock of Kazzec!" Drana sat long thinking about how much better SHE could run the house than her mother. She was on the edge of a dream now as her consciousness began to fade. In this fantasy she had strangled her mother and was now sitting on the throne of her house with those around her bowing.

Then the sound of a blade being drawn caught her attention and Drana Zaut'tar sprung upright and drew her dagger looking around anxiously for the culprit. The cave was still dark so she could see just fine but the entrance was nearly blinding and she could not pierce its light. It looked as though four figures where marching towards her. She glanced about for her guards but the only other beings there were the shackled slaves eying the newcomers eagerly, hoping that they would save them. Drana stood and began to speak to the intruders. As soon as she opened her mouth, a poisoned crossbow bolt struck her arm and made her head dizzy and her eyes heavy. Her four male guards stepped out of the light with crossbows in their hands and wicked smiles on their faces. They nodded to each other and drew their blades.

Skyler heard what was happening, and did nothing as of yet. He had a view of what was happening from the corner in which he appeared to be sleeping, but he did not move. He thought hey were going to kill her and he was ok with this, there was honor is freeing one's self and others from a tyrant. So he didnt move, he sat, watching from barely open eyes, to make sure that was what was going to happen. He may be a slave, but he still had his honor, and though she was by no means worthy of saving, as a drakin he had a responsibility to do so if killing her wasn't the only thing these men wanted.

Anger swelled inside of Drana Zaut'tar at the thought of her guards rebelling. Her male guards rebelling! No doubt they had found their courage in the actions of that demagogue of a Drakin, she thought. They will surely be executed for this when we get back home. Though her thoughts were filled with threats and anger, Drana did have to deal with the dire situation at hand first. The poisoned bolt had already affected her coordination, but she was determined to fight them tooth and nail.

With a wild swing she threw up her dagger and caught one of the mages straight on the collar, shattering his bone and lodging the dagger in his chest. He cried out and fell to the ground clutching at his painful wound. The other drow wasted no time afterwards and sprang at her with their weapons flying. One of the guards wielded dual short swords while the other had a longsword and a dirk. The third was a magic user who had begun to sacrifice his blood for a spell. Drana recognized this immediate and cut her own hand on her sharp mace to counter him. "Vlos nacta!" (Blood Pierce) she cried. The blood flew from her hand like thousands of 6 inch long spikes and impaled the poor mage from head to toe. He died instantly.

Unfortunately the two fighters were now upon her, some of the best in their class. She drew her mace, her only real weapon left. and prepared for the attack. Her feet tangled slightly and she stumbled to the side. She began to parry the attacks, but her body was swaying dangerously. She knew she would be overtaken without aid.

"Slaves! Do not just stand there, kill them both!" She screeched at the captives.

Skyler stood up and looked at the two of the men attacking her and walked forward, head held high, his wings flared slightly to appear even larger and more threatening as he barred his fangs "Do you plan on killing this woman and nothing else?" She could tell that Skyler wasn't planning on helping her at this point. She might be doomed to death at the hands of these pathetic male drow because of the way she treated her slaves.

Drana gasped aloud when she heard the slave sell her out. The poison then hit her hard and she fell to the ground. When she saw who had spoke, her surprise had all but vanished. That damn Drakin, where is his honor now!?

A sword point found it's way to Drana's throat. The Drow held it there and sneered. He spoke then in broken common with a heavy drow accent. "Stay, Drakin. You belong to us now, sit down!" He glanced at the other fighter and grinned. The mage who took the dagger had managed to cover his wound with the robe of his fallen peer. All three males eyes were upon Drana. The same fighter spoke again in Drow. "Drana Zaut'tar, udos inbal suffered dosst rilang verve z'lonzic. Dos orn el ghil lu'udos zhal remos velkyn wund l'shinduago xuil l'Naga, vel'klar udossta vith zhah izilted listrane." (Drana Zaut'tar, we have suffered your temper long enough. You will die here and we shall remain hidden among the surface with the Naga, where our sex is appreciated properly.) Drana could barely hear him now. She had almost completely succumbs to the poison and she knew here time was near. Her only response was a muddled moan.

He smiled again. "Jhal ust, ele wahven folt natha ssin'urn aterruce?" (But first, why waste such a beautiful creature?) The fighter put a hand upon her leg, Drana was helpless. The hand began to creep upwards to her thighs.

Skyler's eyes shot open when he saw her touch her thighs, the last thing that drow would hear was a dragon's roar and the sound of leathery wings unfolding and propelling his death forward. The wing would push the other drow men back and when they looked back Skyler would be standing above Drana in a protective manner, the corpse of their fallen comrade at his feet, a hole in his chest. Skyler was holding the heart of the drow in his hands and he crushed it with a swift movement of his claws.

"You may kill an oppressor, there is honor in that, but rape and taking advantage of a women in any way like that...is unforgivable and disgusting no matter the circumstance. You are my prey now, and i am willing to bet my life that no deity will hear your screams." He grinned a toothy smile and launched forward at the nearest drow, claws stretched out right, jumping like a bird of prey at it's next meal. His eyes shone bright with a red glow of rage as his claws came down on the drow male. "Every god of every culture curse you for your transgression, may your ancestors damn you. Im giving you a death in battle, atleast you'll have that honor!"

Drana had not fully realized what had happened at this point. Her eyes, wide with bewilderment, were dazed at the speed of the Drakin's kills. She passed it off as a simple delusion from the poison and accepted what she thought would be here fate. She body grew limp and she was far too tired to be angry at this point. The last thing she remembers was the huge figure of the Drakin tearing apart bodies. At least she could spend what she believed was her final moments in pleasure. She had no doubt the Drakin would kill her, but it was always fun to watch others die first. And then, Drana Zaut'tar, the High Priestess and firstdaughter of house Zautress Et'Tarim, the 13th house of Kazzec, fell into a deep slumber. One that she does not awake from, for a while.

She would wake, a little while later propped up against the wall. The drakin had piled the bodies of the dead drow and set them on fire with his breath a while ago for they were already charred black. He was cleaning his clothes and wings and teeth with the robes of the drow he had killed, he was covered in blood. "Oh good, you're awake." he said that like he didn't really care if she was alive "Don;t think i did this because i've become a good pet."

Drana struggled to keep her eye lids open and when she heard the Drakin speak she bolted upright and stood in a combat ready position. Yet the Drakin seemed to pose no threat. Drana recollected her thoughts quickly and realized that she had been saved by the same one who wishes her dead. The Gods do love their irony. Her usual temper and attitude returned as quickly as it had faded. High Priestess Drana Zaut'tar needed rescuing from a slave! Outrageous! Anger boiling within her. She repressed it for now, know that the Drakin would probably think nothing of this encounter. Besides, she was sure now that he was under her control.

"Hmph, say what you will slave, but I know better. I think I've trained you well enough to know your place now." She observed the clean and efficient work that the Drakin had did with the dead bodies. "And you are powerful too. I shall refer you to my mother when we return. Perhaps you could hold as a Driver of the other enslaved troops we have." She glanced over to him, curious to see if her words had any affect on his demeanor.

The drakin glared at her "May i remind you the poison is probably still affecting your movement, my claws are still sharp, and im trained to kill." he chuckled and said "But i won't kill you, because i have a proposition for you, which will benefit us both mutually. As a drow i assume you want control of this house of yours but your mother is quite entrenched in the position and you have little to no support in a take over...am i close to correct Priestess?" The drakin was taking to her like an equal, and she may not like it but she knew he had the advantage here.

He smirked and said scratching his neck scales casually "Now you know i dont like you much Drana, and i doubt you care. But i know for a fact you arent a fool. So will you hear me out?"

Her jaw hardened. The Drakin had spoken the truth. She did not have anything against her mother personally, merely her position as Matron of the house. Indeed that was the highest position of power one could attain, and what drow would not want it? Her mother stood in her way. If she were gone, the spot would inevitably fall to Drana Zaut'tar. Matron Drana Zaut'tar, she thought. It sounded nice. Seeing no other option, she decided to the Drakin's offer.

"And what could you possible offer to me to overthrow my mother, the Matron of an entire house? You could not even escape the chains of slavery?" Drana sneered.

He looked at her like she was daft "Do you know nothing of the other nations? My name is Skyler DRANOTH! Of the high clan Dranoth, i am one of the sons of the most powerful house that retains a direct blood lineage back to Dran himself. The short story, is i disagree with the leadership of the Dominion and it's war with the humans. So, being who i am, a group of followers formed around me and we left the Dominion. We are about 150 strong, most about my age 60 or 70. We are still children, but stronger then your forces, i can promise that. Give us a place to live, and freedom to any drakin you have, and you will have our power in any war you enter. We will also support you in taking power from your mother."

Drana tried to be angry but it was hard to when she heard what he had said. 150 able-bodied young Drakin, at her command! With this many troops, she could easily form a plan to overtake her mother.
"If we are to work together I demand respect! I am well familiar with the Dranoth clan. If you remember correctly you have not possessed a name since you've been enslaved." She smirked and changed her tactics before he could respond. She knew that he would demand respect in this deal, and that was something Drana could afford to give in exchange for a prize like this.

"Yet slave you are no longer Skyler Dranoth. You are free along with any other Drakin our house has in service. We shall go down to the Underdark city of Kazzec tomorrow to free them and find a place for you to live. The Underdark is without a doubt the safest place. It is concealed and large enough that none shall find you. You are an adaptable race and should have no problem living there. How do you say to this?

Skyler smiles a toothy grin and chuckles "We are in agreement Priestess, drakin can adapt to any where you put us, we should be fine. The person who wont be fine, is your mother. I am unfamiliar with how drow society functions, do you simply storm in, kill her, and the house recognizes you as in control? Or will the populace need to be pacified? My drakin and i are not as bound by honor in war as most of my kind. War is no place for honor."

Drana laughed aloud at the outrageous claim! "Ha! truly you know not how we drow operate." Drana paused, wondering where to begin. "Well I will give you the basics of our culture. You should know at least that if we are to work together. We are not a direct race, nothing like your straightforward politics." Drana stared ahead as she described her homeland, her eyes distant.

"The drow rely on secrecy and deception. Ambitious plans like murder are encouraged, but getting caught is not. As a result, we drow are very cautious and very clever. We watch our backs for daggers and it is likely my mother already suspects me of planning her demise; it will take more than a frontal assault to kill my her, even with your forces. The strength of a thousand Drakin could not overtake the powerful magic enchanting the various houses of the Underdark. This will be difficult but our best bet would be to infiltrate and attack from the shadows, for a matron never leaves her house. This concept of espionage may be new to you, but you must learn it well. Those who do not hide and wait in the Underdark soon do not need to. You will not survive if you cannot learn out ways."

He nodded and smiled "As i said, drakin are adaptable, what you said doesn't seem to difficult I'm sure we can learn to do the same. Drana Zaut'tar, you have made a powerful ally today, and you will not regret it. But how will the Drow respond to having over a hundred drakin living in the underdark? I cant imagine them being too...enthused by the notion."

Drana's mood perked when she heard the word ally. Here was a powerful Drakin force promising service to her, not her house! All she had to do was find a place in the Underdark to house them..."Yes. That is one of the problems we face." She began thinking.

"You'll have to live reasonably close by to formulate the attack, but not so close as to alert the local patrols. We can hide you for a time but it wont last forever. How quickly can you adapt to environments?

He shrugged "Not long, a day at most with the amount of drakin i have casting the magic. During this time though, we are asleep, our scales will blend into the area around us, and if we dont have scales, skin will do the same thing. When we awake, our body will have adapted and we will look different, though usually pretty similar. Hiding us will take up quite a bit of space of course." He drummed his claws on the closest rail or table like object to think.

Drana nodded, feeling hope. "I think I can manage to hide you all for a day. The Underdark is large and can conceal those who know how to hide. Once the adaptations have taken place, your people shouldbe able to hide as well as any other creature beneath the surface world."
Drana thought of the powers the drow posses once hidden by the darkness. Complete infravision, extremely quick and agile reflexes not to mention the knowledge of soul and blood magic. Then she pictured the large and strong Drakin with those same subtle powers of the drow. Drana shuddered, hoping they would not pick up the drow's manipulative cruelty as well. She might be in trouble.

"There are plenty of caverns that your forces may rest in for a day. Far away from drow civilizations. After you have finished, we shall see what will be done next."

The drakin smirked and laughed "I am a dragon, or atleast the son of a dragon. I can smell fear, even in the smallest amount. I promise, you have nothing to fear from me, not yet atleast." He smiled at her, strangely friendly "Would you like to follow me and see my forces? They await in a mountain pass, close by."

Drana did not like the Drakin's friendly tone, nor did she appreciate being called out on about her fear. It was simple drow cautiousness. She regretfully realized that she would have to give up more than empty space in the Underdark to maintain this force. She would have to respect this Drakin Skylar. Drana did not believe that they were equals, by any means. He could not begin to fathom the knowledge and experience she had, and her magic was second to very few in Kazzec. Yet still, if she was to keep the Drakin at her command, she would have to stoop. At least no one would ever know.

"I suppose we should see them, but my mother is expecting me back quite soon. She will not tolerate delays." Drana considered going ahead without the Drakin, for they should not be seen,but a new idea formed in her mind. What happens if she does not come back? "I think it is time for Drana Zaut'tar to meet her untimely death. Unfortunately the Drakin she bought went berserk and killed her and her guards." I'm sure mother will be just mortified to hear that!, she thought sarcastically. "I shall prepare the necessary arrangements for the faking of my death and then we will be off to your troops."

Skyler chuckled at her idea and nodded "Very well then, this is going to be quite entertaining. You drow function so differently than the drakin, it's vastly interesting to me. A drakin would never use such tactics, well, a drakin loyal to the Dominion of course." He then thought for a moment "So how will you go about faking your death? Does it have to do with this soul and blood magics i have heard so much about from elder drakin?" He looked like he was excited to see magic like her's....she could detect his tail ever so slightly wagging.

Drana noticed Skylar's tail had begun to wag ever so slightly. Despite her studies this spectacle was a new one, one that she found to be...unappealingly animal like. Still she shrugged it off and began to pick up one of the scarred bodies of her guards. "You could say that." she responded. The drow were very secretive about this exclusive and potent magic.
"First thing is first. The easy part." Drana's eyes clenched shut in concentration as she murmured a foreign tongue. The skin and blood of the guard rippled and pulsated. The features of the drow's bone and blood shifted and merged together. Skylar would be able to hear the unsettle slush of body fluids and marrow being re-arranged. Body parts were re-proportioned. They swelled and shrank to odd sizes at first, but before long, the marred body of Drana was lying on the cave floor. It was lifeless and looked as though it was incomplete. She took a breath. "Now here is the complex part."

"The ceremonies that take place after a drow has died involve listing their spirit unto the gods. Now it hard to tell, but if you know someone well you can detect their spirit. It is hard to explain but this body still has a small amount of its soul. I need to put a portion of my own soul into it for my mother to recognize it. It is quite dangerous so do not interrupt me"
Drana drew a religious symbol on the ground with markings all around it. Then her eyes closed again, this time in meditation. She swayed back and forth, chanting all the while, and an odd pale aura grew around her and the body. Drana sat in this position for nearly two hours before a pebble sized globe emerged from her chest. It appeared as a shinning ball of mixed hues like purple and grey yet it emitted no light. Its form shifted slightly as it sputtered down to the body and entered it. The spell ended. Immediately, Skylar would notice a change in the body. He would not be able to describe it too well but it seemed as though the body looked even more like Drana than it did before.

Drana sat back, exhausted and said, with her eyes still closed. "That...is one of the wonders of drow magic."

Skyler watched, sitting down and trying to take in ever detail, paying special attention to ever word she said, all the movements and anything else he deemed would be important. After he saw the bit of her soul leave her body and go into the dead drow he raised and eyebrow and smiled at her, in that same way like she was his friend now. "Isn't it dangerous to just take pieces of your soul and put them in other things? Drakin always teach only a soul untarnished and full can pas into the gates of Martivir."

Drana nodded weakly, to tired to be that annoyed at the friendly smile. "It is very dangerous, and very taxing on the person. However once the burial ritual is completed in a few days the soul will be released. The guard's soul will travel to the afterlife, and my piece shall return to me." She found some amusement in the last statement he made. "And the drow are not so vehement about one's soul as the Drakin are. To us, a soul is a soul, no matter how corrupted. The gods do not care much either."