There was a creek this cycle as the heavy metal gates outside Quellar Ussen d'Vhid opened for the first time in many cycles. However, no host came forth, just one jaluk, and a spider close behind. In his gauntletted left hand, two pieces of parchment, his uncovered right contained only dried blood from what looks to be deep tooth marks on his wrist. Paying no heed to any commoner or guard in the streets, the jaluk marches to the Magthere and posts one of the parchments. From there, he walks to the bazaar and on the entry arch posts the second. After this is finished, he pats the spider on the head, draws his hammer, and walks out the front gate, closing it behind him.

The posting is as follows:



Below this is emblazoned with the holy symbol of Selvetarm, though there is no signature on the papers. Those who would recognize him, however, would know it was Isendu't'tar who made the postings, as he made no attempt to hide his identity.

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Slander [Zanthair Akarupa of the Horsemen of the Apcalypse] - Sorcerer 'Mediocreare'
Isendu't'tar Ussen'd'Vhid d'My'ana'd'Xull'd'Vharcan - possibly the longest name in Amia
Tiffany Seagrass - weak and fragile weaver of words

*Slowly exiting the magthere, the armoured figure of Zeketh'ryn stamps the one notice with the magthere seal so that none will remove it then calmly heads back inside.*

The Voice of Lolth glides by and stops to add the following...

"Get off your collective arses warriors and patrol our Queens Underdark. I expect reports and tokens of your faithfullness to our Queen and Her consort piling up at Her Temple. If I do not I shall take tokens from your hides.

Ul'ath'tallar Nizzre'tyne"

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Ari'aerath Dlues'athsha ~ Silver Singer with the Bow of the Sun
Clarette Feohn ~ Magic is Art.
Victoria Marrs ~ "I have an herb for that."

As'drubal stakes another kua toa head upon one of the posts of the Edonil gate, a thing he does nearly daily, ever diligent in his duties.

In the circle just outside the Temple of Lolth is the begining of a collection of items. The holy symbol from a troglidyte cleric, a fine necklace made of emeralds and some creatures pointed teeth and an Orc head its features frozen in fear upon a spear that has been drilled into the rock in order to stand upright.

All carefully arranged by Ul'ath'tallar Nizzre'tyne around and upon her personal alter of Lolth. The alter that is positioned in the center of the circle.

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Ari'aerath Dlues'athsha ~ Silver Singer with the Bow of the Sun
Clarette Feohn ~ Magic is Art.
Victoria Marrs ~ "I have an herb for that."

Exalted Ulath'taller,

This cycle, as I was attempting to secure a large pile of refuse in some hitherto undiscovered sewers, I was approached by some cretinous lessers who demanded my immediate departure. Needless to say, I was not about to relinquish everything I had claimed in the name of the Queen, and the situation turned violent. The fight was long, hard and spectacularly messy, but in the end I managed to subdue my assailants. Their corpses are safely stowed in the mound of filth, and our ever expanding territories remain secure.

Olath'draada Victyr.

P.S. If you want me to start transporting our new requisitions to the temple, I shall commandeer some slaves for the task.

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Ari'aerath Dlues'athsha ~ Silver Singer with the Bow of the Sun
Clarette Feohn ~ Magic is Art.
Victoria Marrs ~ "I have an herb for that."

The small study was illuminated by muted, purple light as the Half Caste servant entered; her fingers nimbly closing the door in such a way as to dampen its sound. She watched her feet as she dodged books, ingredients and other items of philosophical interest hidden amongst the room's shadows with care as she entered to the study's sanctum.

Kneeling cross-legged in the center of arcane glyphs with his eyes closed, a lone figure sat in contemplation.

At first she had thought she'd made a mistake, what knelt before her was not her Master. What was seated before her resembled a creature utterly alien with hairless grey skin, elongated limbs, obsidian eyes the shade of utter darkness and tentacles... she would never get used to the tentacles. Her initial skepticism was partially correct. This was not her Master, but a mere aspect of him; a single fragment of a larger, shattered mirror each with its own reflection staring back at the viewer.

Were it not for the Adamantine Mask held across its eyes by a single pair of tentacles, she would have left the room.

"I thought I had said not to disturb me..." spoke the Scholar, his eyes remaining closed. Surprise crept up her spine as the words came from his mouth, surprise and relief for a true illithid would have probed her mind and not resorted to such. It brought her inner peace knowing that her Master did not have the abilities to match a true Illithid... at least not in her lifetime that is.

"Were it not urgent Master, I would not have done so" she replied. "I had thought you had abstained from using your abilities within the settlement walls?"

"This is the Sorcere my protege, the realm of the arcane" he corrected her, the effort in doing so causing one tentacle to slacken and the adamantine mask to fall to the stone floor.

The room echoed with its metallic clang as the mask bounced not once but several times. Her Master's eyes were now open.

She knew she had to act quickly. "The High Priestess has decreed that the warriors start patrolling the caverns to safeguard our territories and claim more in the most Honoured's name. I figured it was my duty to inform thee of such. Just incase you were required to answer the summons as well."

It scared her that her master had begun to chuckle, the anatomy of the illithid whose features he wore like a trophy gave the sound a slimy texture. Normally by now he would have shed such a visage...

The muted ambience faded away, replaced by the bright lights of the summoned faerie flames. She took a step back towards the door, her left hand firmly wrapped around her blade's handle; two surface orcs and a single goblin stood motionless at the rear wall, each of them malnourished and staring blankly in her direction.

"They would have killed you by now, had I not been toying with them," he remarked. "But thank you for the news my protege... I've been aware of such for quite some time."

The Orcs began to stir, their eyes intensifying with previously present life. She nodded once to her master and opened the door to her rear, leaving the room promptly as the first growl was spat forth form the Orc's mouth. Yet she did not leave the hallway straight away. For mere minutes that felt like hours, she leaned against the door, listening... the silence of the study disturbed her greatly.

She pulled her hood back across her head as walked back down the corridor, pausing briefly to bow to an apprentice mage in the corridor. She recognised the apprentice as one of the Arch Mage's pupils, taking notes in one of several journals and completely ignoring her; was the Arch Mage spying on her Master she wondered? Or was it that her Master's studies were actually condoned by the Arch Mage and they were working in concert?

No... the less she knew, the better she thought.

The less she knew, the better.

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"I had a plan! A good plan, carefully laid out! ...but then I got bored."