The Death of Ilharess Nandra Morbbdalharen

First of all, I'm not sure where to put this at here at the Szith site. So Vilmathien, when you you see this you may want to move it to a better place on the forums.

Ilharess Nandra Morbbdalharen suspected it. She grew more suspicious as the cycles went on although she couldnt prove anything. Her daughter, Elvawen, was doing well in Arach Tinilith. She was one of the few who graduated in her class and eligible to become a yathrin. Elvawen was tall for a drow female with a slightly stockier build than others. Casting divine spells came almost as natural for her as the arcane and wielding the powers of the Weave does for a talented jaluk faern apprentice. Elvawen focused her divine spells though on strengthening and protecting herself in melee combat. She, like her mother Nandra, used a warhammer. Elvawen became enamored with her mothers use of a warhammer and followed her footsteps in that regard. During her sessions at Melee Magthaere, which all the young drow females at Arach Tinilith went to if they showed an ability for melee combat, Elvawen did well. She thought that if she could wield the power of Lolth well, along with good fighting techniques in melee combat, it would help her achieve the most power in combat. She did better in melee combat than most of the other young drow females. Arguably, she was the best in her class.

Elvawens progress and growth in strength and wielding Lolth's power became evident to all. At first, her mother seemed proud of her for doing so well. But as Nandra kept hearing about Elvawen and how well she was doing, she soon became wary of her and secretly feared that she may be scheming to rise up against her, as she did with her mother Ilharess Drenn Morcane when she was Elvawens age. Elvawen remembered one time when she was younger that Nandra told her of how she became Ilharess. It happened in a non-traditional, non-violent way, which is not very common among the drow. Nandra's mother, Ilharess Drenn Morcane, actually passed the position of Ilharess on to her daughter when the time seemed good to do so. Nandra said that Drenn gave her the Ilharess ring to the house, which was house Morcane back in those cycles. Drenn had become proud of Nandra and her training. Nandra trained hard and did well in Arach Tinilith also, having been taught by the Ulathtaller Vilmathien at the time. Nandra did well, and went on to become a yathrin. She was ambitious, like all young female priestesses of Lolth were and wanted to be Ilharess of the house if she had Lolths favor to do so. She had heard, of course, of how often that a daughter of an Ilharess who became a priestess of Lolth would wait for an opportune time to rise up against her mother and take the position of Ilharess by force, killing her mother-or having her killed. Nandra had considered that but felt that her time wasnt right to do that.....not yet. Ilharess Drenn Morcane was getting old and Nandra was doing well as yathrin. But before Nandra could share with her peers about her ambitions to become Ilharess, her mother Drenn, surprisingly, called Nandra aside to speak to her one cycle. Drenn told her about the many ways Lolth weaves her webs, so to speak, about how she works things out among her people. Nandra found out that it was planned since Nandra was born that she should be Ilharess of house Morcane and was even sent away to Menzoberranzen to protect her from her mothers enemies at the time. After certian of her mothers enemies were dealt with, Nandra was able to come back to Szith and resume her training there. Nandra listened with surprise at all the things she was being told by her mother. And her mother then told her that the time is now and is ripe for yathrin Nandra to become Ilharess Nandra. Drenn gave her the ilharess ring and told her that she would be her advisor for a short time until Nandra became established as Ilharess. With shock and surprise, Nandra accepted her mothers Ilharess ring and the position was passed on to her.

Ilharess Nandra hoped a more peaceful way of Elvawen becoming Ilharess could happen as well. Nandra had spoken to her before and Elvawen nodded her head in agreement to what she was saying. That when the time was right, she would pass her ring and the position on to her. But Elvawen was restless and ambitious herself. And cunning. She would not wait and felt that her time to become Ilharess would come sooner than what her mother seemed to believe. They spoke again about it but it was clear they didnt agree on things. Elvawen spoke no more of the matter to Nandra and from then on quietly schemed as to how she could rise up against her mother when the time was right...

As Elvawen grew in her own strength and power, Ilharess Nandra became more and more suspicious of her. Elvawen was gone most of the time training or on patrols or her duties at Arach Tinilth, carefully avoiding her mother. At times, Nandra let her suspicion and anxiousness about her daughter show and was seen pacing around in the yath circle. She was irritable. Ilharess Qilintha of house DevLin noticed Nandra and it was pointed out to her. Nandra knew she should be strong and pull herself together. Nandra did not know what her daughter was scheming but decided to speak to speak to both Qilintha and yathrin Ginthrae Morbbdalharen about it. Ginthrae agreed to keep Nandra informed of her daughters activities....

But it was too late. Elvawen had taken advantage of her mothers temper. A couple cycles ago Nandra threatened a couple of Toume deep gnomes who had come to Szith to buy some things. She threatened them with being arrested and sold into slavery if they were caught trying to do business in Szith again. After all, drow were not allowed to buy and sell in the gnome city of Nyr. But Nandra had forgotten that the gnomes were allies with the duergar and Nandra's threats against the gnomes angered Queen Whyurrd of the duergar and it made things a bit tense for the drow/duergar alliance. Nandra, realizing what her temper with the gnomes had done and that it angered Queen Whyurrd, decided to go to the duergar city of Norogh Dun and speak to Queen Whyurrd and see if things could be worked out...for the sake of the drow/duergar alliance, which had been profitable to them both. Nandra was able to assay Queen Whyurrd's anger, but the queen did not really quite believe what Nandra said to her to smooth things out. Thier friensdhip would never be the same.

However, Elvawen, knowing of the friendship that her mother and Queen Whyurrd had and seeing the damage that she did with her temper, also went to Norogh Dun to speak with the Queen. With half truths and flattery, along with her charismatic personality, Elvawen spoke to the Queen of her mothers...problems. Elvawen, in her subtlety, even set aside her pride for a moment to apologize for her mothers behaviour and with persuasive words of her promises to let the deep gnomes buy and sell in Szith without problems and other such things, she gained the Queen's benefit of the doubt. Elvawen spoke to the Queen at length, making it seem like her mother was getting weaker and no longer fit to lead and that if she could be Ilharess, things would be better. Elvawen saw this as her opportunity and spoke with Queen Whyurrd about eliminating her mother; that her mothers behaviour would only continue to make things worse and so on. They soon agreed that they could send a duergar messenger to Szith with a message for Nandra to come see the Queen again in Norogh Dun.

A lone duergar approached Ilharess Nandra the next cycle at the yath circle in Szith and delivered a message to her. Nandra waved him off and then read the message from Queen Whyurrd. It was an invitation for Ilharess Nandra to come to Norogh Dun again. This time with an escort of one of Queen Whyurrd's guards and another noble from house Morbbdalharen because of a recent migration of grey orcs from the surface. Nandra scowled at the mention of grey orcs, but she knew that to be true, having heard reports of them about in the underdark. They also had to get past the feared blade golems outside Norogh Dun as well and only the powerful or stealthy could get by them as they guarded the ores outside the duergar city.

Ilharess Nandra sent word to the Queen at Norogh Dun that she would come there to see her when she had the chance. When the time came, Nandra chose Rhaun Morbbdalharen to accomapny her and the duergar known as Sylv Dofhulaingthe, one of the queens guards, joined them. A faern from house Devlin happened to be around at the time they were about to leave and he expressed a desire to go as well. It wasnt really planned that the faern come with them, but Ilharess Nandra consented to let him join them if he wished. After preparations were made they set out. The duergar guard and Rhaun led the way. They took a somewhat longer route this time and Nandra asked them why they are taking a longer route to Norogh. The duergar said it was for reasons of safety, to reduce the chance of being ambushed. Nandra simply nodded and motioned them onward.

They made their way through the troglodytes, an area infested with reptillian creatures, on the way to Norogh Dun. The hostile troglodytes were primitive and were obviously no match for the drow and duergar, who patrolled the areas regularly. They then came to the feared blade golems outside the duergar city. The golems were powerful and resistant to spells. Brute strength with enchanted melee weapons was the only thing that could destroy the golems that would attack. Everybody cast thier protective spells and readied thier weapons, as did Ilharess Nandra. As expected, the blade golems attacked the party. More golems than expected attacked them for some reason this time. Everybody fought them, including Nandra. The Devlin faern who came with them cast what spells he had at the golems also, but his spell protections were no match for the golems great strength and his evocations were not effective against them The golems blade arms went through the faerns protections and critically wounded him. He fell to the ground, bleeding heavily and unconcious. Ilharess Nandra became seperated from the others in her fight against the golems. She fought like she always did against them and thought she was doing well when a figure from the shadows quckly appeared and cast a powerful arcane spell at her. Nandra only got a quick glimpse of the shadowy figure, who appeared to be a drow, though not belonging to any house. Nandra got hit with the spell and and buckled over in pain. The golems were able to slash her better now with thier blade arms. The assasin figure quickly cast another spell like the one before and hit Nandra. She then fell to the ground in pain from the spells and bleeding from the golems slashing. Nandra lay in a pool of her own blood and breathed her last breath.

Rhuan, who was busy fighting golems away from Ilharess Nandra, stood and stared a moment, and looked as if he wanted to say something, but didnt. They had destroyed the golems in thier surrounding area. The duergar guard made his way to Norogh Dun before any more golems came along. The DevLin faern was still unconcious, but he could be healed. Nothing could be done for Ilharess Nandra though. Her wounds from the golems slashing and the assasins spells did too much damage to her for them to revive her. The assasin came out of hiding. He went to Nandra's now lifeless body, and tore open her bag and put a few things into a smaller one. He then dragged Nandra's body off to a nearby large deep crevice in the rocks and shoved her body into it. The assasin then walked out to them and said "I have done my job!" And with that, he disappeared into the shadows.

Elvawen, in her agreement with Queen Whyurrd about eliminating her mother, told the queen that she had went to the group called Dek'za DeVelven and hired the assasin. Using the services of that group avoided having to use someone from from a noble house in Szith and would help deflect suspicion and other consequences among the noble houses. Only Queen Whyurrd and Elvawen knew of the assasin lying in wait for Ilharess Nandra. After the duergar guard Sylv made his way into the city he told Queen Whyurrd and Elvawen about what had happened at the blade golems to the Ilharess. Both the Queen and Evawen feigned shock and surprise at what was told them. Soon, Rhaun entered the city carrying the body of the drow faern slumped over his shoulders and took him to the duergars temple for thier clerics to revive and heal him. But the Queen and Elvawen agreed that to be on the safe side, the faern was to be heavily drugged also, so that he would not remember what he had seen before or after the assasins attack which he seen. Rhaun was also injured in the battle with the golems and both he and the DevLin faern was kept in Norogh for a couple of cycles until they were healed well enough to go back to Szith. The faern would not remember anything after he was drugged, but Rhaun saw everything that happened. Elvawen wondered what to do about him...She knew their scheme was carried out successfully and that she would have to make an official statement about what happened. Elvawen walked towards a latrine as if to relieve herself and stepped in the shadow of a building. The assasin was there, as per his agreement with Elvawen, and made a quiet noise getting her attention. He tossed her the bag of items she knew her mother would have on her that she wanted. Her Ilharess ring, a few heal potions, her old Morcane warhammer and a couple of other things. Elvawen gave him a quck nod and the assasin disappeared into the shadows again. She stuffed the small bag given her into her pack and went back out and spoke to the others gathered for some time, including a couple of young shebali drow.

After she was done speaking to all of them and stating that she was now the new Ilharess of house Morbbdalharen, she went to one of the portals the duergar mages made. She spoke to a mage nearby, and told him where she wanted to go to using the portal. After the duergar mage looked through a tome, said a few words, he motioned for Elvawen to go through and she appeared in Szith in the academy district. She stood there alone for a few minutes alone with her thoughts, then made her way to the yath circle, ready to proclaim herself the new Ilharess of her house and her story of what all had happened....