A Faerie Affair - IC IV: Dragon with Butterfly Wings

[WindStruck]

Astra suggests, "Ah, well.. perhaps you could see if you could visit that one Drow we captured and took prisoner? I think they already questioned him as much as they can about what plans he knows, but as to what Drow like or dislike.. there is still probably much to be discovered. Even though he is but one individual."

[Archmage1]

Still smiling, Violet nods. "That sounds like a wonderful plan! Maybe he'll tell us about why they're here, and then we can get them to be nice!" She pauses for a moment, clearly thinking hard, before she continues. "Maybe they really like flowers, and we could help them garden?"

[Majin]

"I'm gonna go assist one of the nobles, lord Bumblegrove... And well keep an eye on him. He's kinda reckless, tried to accidentally summon a demon earlier. But his people do have neat ideas, gotta say. If you hear stories about a scary bear tomorrow, that's probably me!"

"Uh, yeah, talking to one of the drow might be helpful. I mean, if there's chance we could talk them into stopping, I guess we should take it..." Even if assault bear would never be realized, Kor thought to himself.

[Archmage1]

"Maybe we can talk to the drow now? But we'll need to find him first? Is there a drow-home somewhere?"

[WindStruck]

Astra says, "Violet, they have him locked up. He's the one that killed Jurgen, er, Juniper, remember?"

[Archmage1]

Violet looks at her, somewhat confusedly. "I know, it was really, really sad! But a home's where everyone's safe, so if someone's a danger to others, then they need to be kept safe from them, so, a drow-home. Which is... somewhere?" Violet pauses for a moment, and looks around, before slumping a little at the lack of obvious drow.

[Ninja_Prawn]

Although Violet cannot see any bright flashing signs pointing to the place where Elendar is being held, you have between you sufficient connections and familairity with the enclave to find out where he is. At the moment, it seems, the drow is being held prisoner in a pit-like donjon beneath the palace.

The faeries do not show any particular concern about the prisoner, having locked him away. No one will object if you want to go visit him.

[Archmage1]

After the brief investigation, Violet turns her cheery smile on her friends once more. "Let's go and visit, and ask lots of questions, and maybe get muffins?"

[Majin]

"Well, I guess I'll come along too... If ya need to intimidate him or something. Also, muffins sound like a great idea!"

[WindStruck]

Astra sighs a bit but goes along with Violet, assisting in her efforts to locate the prisons and talk with the prisoner. After all, if they were to go and talk with this drow, someone had to stay make sure the conversation stayed remotely close to reality...

[Archmage1]

With friends recruited, Violet merrily goes on the quest for the Drow-Home!

[Ninja_Prawn]

As you head to the prison, Kyu excuses herself and heads back to her room. "I have nothing to say to that elf. I think I'll take a nice, long bath instead."

Thus, you find yourselves in a low, candle-lit vault barely 10 feet square. There's a hatch in the floor, which opens to reveal a barred grate, beneath which is a dank and murky sub-vault. Elendar sits cross-legged on the ground, sparkly silver chains around his hands. He scowls at you.

"Ah, you again. Come to gawk at me have you?" He shrugs. "Bah, enjoy it while you can. It will only make it sweeter for me, when I take my revenge."

[Archmage1]

Reaching the vault, and the barred grate, and the dark and murky vault filled with elf, Violet smiles cheerfully, and waves. "Hi!" Her cheerful greeting hangs in the air for a few moments, before she continues, still full of good cheer. "I'm really glad you're happy! But maybe you could answer a couple of questions? Then maybe we can get muffins? But, well, why did you come? Maybe we can come up with something that can help everyone be happy?"

[WindStruck]

Astra says flatly, "Not here to gawk."

After Violet offers her invite to muffins and asks some questions, Astra responds, "He can't go out for muffins. We could get him some if you really want, but he's staying in here..."

Astra just turned to gaze back at the drow, awaiting a derisive or callous response to Violet's questions.

[Majin]

Kor glares at the imprisoned drow. "You're not gonna get any revenge. You've violated the nature here, and now you and your ilk are getting punished..."

Then he glanced at Violet and shrugged. "Just curious if there's any way your people would just go away? I don't think they're gonna win here..."

[Ninja_Prawn]

"I'll pass on the muffins," he says. "Your confections are too rich for my liking. I suppose I'll consider your questions though. Not much else to do down here."

To Violet's question of 'why did you come here', he answers "we come to conquer. Drow ruled this forest, years ago, and my people long to restore our dominion over the surface world. I don't pretend to know the thoughts of my superiors; surely they have their own reasons, but obviously it won't do them any harm to be able to say they succeeded where our ancestors failed."

Kor's question of whether there is 'any way the drow would just go away' is more open-ended and harder to answer, even if Elendar wanted to. "As I mentioned, drow have held this land - and been cast out from it - before." (Implying, then, that there is a way.) "But this time will be different: the Darthiir... the traitor elves of Myth Drannor... are no longer here to save you, and this time our armies have the blessing of Lolth. Indeed, the high priestess Sabrae Kenafin is leading this expedition in person; you have no chance to resist us."

[Archmage1]

Violet seems quite disappointed as Elendar passes on the muffins, drooping visibly as he declines the offer, but as he continues, her disappointment turns into confusion. "Conquer? Maybe we could send you some flowers? They'd be really nice? Or... you could explore, and just look around, and not hurt anyone? That's the same thing, right?"

[WindStruck]

Astra sighed and silently shook her head at Violet. Turning back to address Elandar, she says, "I think you all could have simply lived up here peacefully. You could trade and as long as you didn't bother anybody, nobody should have bothered you. Why didn't you just do that?"

[Ninja_Prawn]

"Not hurt anyone? Live peacefully? Where would be the fun in that?!" He scoffs. "Besides, the fey creatures of these woods were ever a thorn in our sides. They are long overdue a reckoning."

[Archmage1]

Violet smiles encouragingly at Elandar. "You could go for walks, and look around, and admire flowers, and grow things, and make friends, and lots of things that aren't mean instead!"

[Ninja_Prawn]

Elendar's face shows a grim kind of smile. "Of course we will stroll through our gardens and admire the beauty of the surface world. That's one of the reasons we came here. But you must understand that we cannot enjoy the spoils of victory before the conquest is made good..." He hangs his head in resignation. "Or perhaps you don't. Fairy logic never did bear much relation to reality."

[Archmage1]

Violet seems visibly confused by Elander's answer. "But... if you're nice, you could just visit our gardens? The flowers love being admired! And that way, maybe we could visit your gardens too, so we could admire the beauty of the not surface world?"

[Ninja_Prawn]

Violet's suggestion of a vacation in the Underdark draws an involuntary snort of laughter. "Jia, you'd be eaten alive if you went to the Underdark! But as I've said, we are here to take what is ours. What we deserve."

[Archmage1]

Violet's confusion continues as Elendar replies, although a slight hint of disappointment glints in her eyes. "Why do you think you deserve it? Anyone can plant a garden, and watch it grow, and help it be the best garden it can, but then you're responsible for your garden, it isn't about deserving."

[WindStruck]

Astra listens to the back and forth between Violet and the drow before saying, "I think what he means is, he thinks he deserves our gardens. Something happened a long, long time ago. Your ancestors were forced to flee, by some other group of elves. And now that you've come back, you think you have the right to take what you want, destroy whatever you want, kill whoever you want?! Is that right?!" Her tone was getting more agitated by the second.

[Majin]

"I wouldn't really trust them to take care of a garden either..." Kor said, glaring at the imprisoned drow. "You guys were responsible for corrupting that holy tree, right?"

[Ninja_Prawn]

Elendar does not seem at all put out by Astra's agitation. "Yes, that's about right." His manner radiates arrogance; he clearly believes that drow are superior to all other races.

As an aside, he answers Kor with a "well, sure, you don't meet many drow gardeners. Tending plants is slave-work."

[WindStruck]

Astra's negative emotions dissipate somewhat, like becoming crestfallen. She sighs and looks to Violet, asking her, "Have you heard enough yet?"

[Archmage1]

Violet returns Astra's look with a sad smile, and a slight shake of her head, before she looks back to Elendar. "Maybe if you try, you'll find that you really like gardening? It's lots and lots of fun!" Her cheerfulness seems a little forced, this time, but after a moment's pause, she continues, her voice soft, but serious. "But if we want to stop this, then maybe Sabrae Kenafin will help? Will you tell us about her? Please?"

[Ninja_Prawn]

"The High Priestess obeys none but Lolth. She is the most favoured of our Goddess and knows Her will better than anyone," he explains. "Good luck trying to get close to her; she is guarded at all times by her handmaidens and the finest of our elite warriors."