The Promenade: Shelter, Church, Home

[Rainbow Prism]

Letting him to take his time to get used to their company, priestess swayed away, closer to the girl. Her voice asked in panicked whisper.
"[color=#FF80BF:2vipf75z]I did not expect him to follow my suggestion. What should I do?[/color:2vipf75z]"
With conspirational nod, child shrugged.
"[color=#800000:2vipf75z]How should I know? You are my parent after all. [/color:2vipf75z]"
Devious grin appeared on lips of young drow, not promising anything good to priestess.
Leaning closer to male, girl raised her voice to try to take his attention.
"[color=#800000:2vipf75z]Hey, good sire. Will you go with us to Charge? My mother was so excited about going there.[/color:2vipf75z]"
Kid ignored gentle kick at her shin under table. In fact, she managed to counterattack it, maintaining sweet honeyed smile to chargrin of mother.

[Tarlyn]

Delsenora takes a quick bath, eager to get a look around the place Rizzin sent her. She gets out of the bath and dries off with a towel. She dons her gear methodically. Once done she goes off to find Ako'race[sp]. [color=purple:2gn5rfzj]"Pardon me, I would like to go and visit this place here. I presume there is a market here?"[/color:2gn5rfzj]

[veraka]

Veraka and Neriah both made their way towards Skullport, weaving their way through the intertwined caverns, both fey'ri and aasimar relying on their dark vision to give them a clear view ahead of them in the blank darkness.

"Do you think that it was necessary to scare that female like that, my husband?" Neriah asked her aasimar lover, gazing up at him with her crimson eyes wondering.

"Necessary, yes; repulsive, yes as well. I hate doing such acts to the living, but as my time among the Uthgardt barbarians has taught me, fear makes for a very good motivator."

Neriah sighed lightly, and kept on her route with her husband, making their way to the Promenade, both of them wishing to see some old friends, particularly Veraka. The odd couple made their way around a corner, and then, at Neriah's insistence, turned roughly northeast from Skullport. It was then that Veraka realized his wife's deliberate move to take them off their original planned course. Through the winding tunnels, Veraka began to pick up on faint sounds of song and other signs that there was activity of the living nearby. It was then that he realized he meant to ask his wife a question concerning a certain concern he had for her.

"Neriah, explain to me again why you came with me when you are pregnant with our future children? Also, why did you go with a disguise that doesn't show your pregnancy?"

The fey'ri rolled her eyes, and gave her husband a reassuring squeeze on the hand; "because, one; I know how to handle myself in a fight, as you should recall how we met. Second, a simple, but hardly detectable illusion spell provides all the disguise I need, my worrisome husband."

Veraka found himself looking disbelieving at his wife for a moment, before shaking his head and continuing onward towards the Promenade. Just when the paladin thought that the guards around the Promenade were getting lax, he detected his first signs of life. His ability to detect the auras of good-aligned folk flared to life, as his divine senses kicked in and started to tell him of the nearby drow warriors.

"So tell me," the huge paladin said in a loud, booming voice; "when did the Dark Dancers and their guards become so lax that they easily give away their positions?" His silver eyes caught onto the auras of at least four good-aligned drow nearby, all hidden from his sight. To all that would find him, Veraka was the equivalent to a huge war-golem, but living, breathing flesh and blood. It was Neriah that he was worried about.

[Adian Novar]

Three dark elves and one human emerged from the rocks, all wearing piwafwi and wearing longswords though at the moment their weapons were sheathed.

"Your place," one of the dark elves said with a heavy accent. "Welcome."

"Our place," the human corrected him quietly. "Welcome to our place." To Veraka he spoke louder. "All who come in peace are welcome to the Promenade. Are you in need of healing or shelter?"

The little group remained guarded despite the welcoming words. They had been tricked before.

* * *

G'eldfryn could feel an eyebrow twitch. He was, after all, sitting right there with them. How could he not hear them?

"Of course," he said. "I shall be happy to take you. You are new here?"

* * *

Akor'ace looked amused.

"Not a market as you might know," she said. "But we have many things we get from above and below that we may trade with those in need. Is there anything in particular of need?"

[Tarlyn]

[color=purple:3g5nnm5p]"I am not sure, but I would really like to get to know my surroundings. I like to be prepared in general. I can go by myself if you like, or maybe you or someone could show me around. Introduce me to some people?"[/color:3g5nnm5p]

[veraka]

Veraka nodded, lifted his armored hands to his helmet slowly, and pulled off his dragon-scaled helmet; revealing a startling young face, scared from his days in war, and yet it still held the attention of any females in the area, including his wife. Pale skin, almost matching his armor, covered his face, while stark platinum white hair fell down past his shoulders, his silver eyes beaming at the group of guards in front of him.

Then, in a fluent drow accent, he spoke; "Usstan tlun Veraka Orden, Sut'rinos d'ussta quarth, l'Tempest Vanguards, lu'd'nilok d'l'Ilharn Maelthra, Senger Bahamut. Nindol zhah ussta mrannd'ssinss, Neriah; Rumunasin d'Mystra, lu'jabbuk xonathull-m'elzar d'l'Vanguards 'zil al." He waved an armored gauntlet to his wife, who inclined her head in greeting.

Veraka then continued; "Usstan doer ghil xuil natha char'riss dal l'Olath An'aren wund Cormanthor lu'l'trezen vrausen d'l'Arshes Peaks. Usstan z'klaen telanth xuil dosst Obok Yathrin a h'uena."
It amused the paladin mildly, at the reactions of the guards encountering an outsider who, one, towered over them like a battering ram, and two, who could speak the drow tongue fluently and effortlessly. His lessons from when he came to Lith My'athar when he was just a boy of 19 were starting to really pay off now in his later years.

[Adian Novar]

"[i:23qw1j8n]Yathrin?!"[/i:23qw1j8n]

Two of the drow put their hands on their swords, ready to draw. One drow looked appalled while the human stared at Veraka.

"Vrine'winith!" the human shouted before things could get out of hand. "A mistake! Vrine'winith!"

The drow relaxed but only slightly. The human took a breath to steady himself.

"Yathrin means 'priestess of Lolth'," he said. "An easy mistake to make. Everyone be at ease. I have heard of the Vanguards. I know who this man is now. Friend. Vrine'winith. A friend."

The drow let go of their weapons, but one of them stil had his brows together. That one word had given them a bad fright. It would take them a bit to get over it.

"Let me lead you inside," the human said. "I will take responsability. I am Galvin. It does me great honor to meet a member of the Tempest Vanguards."

[Adian Novar]

Akor'ace only smiled wider.

"I will be happy to show you around," she said. "And we will be happy to trade for any services you decide you need. Follow me to the temple. It is the heart of our service to the Dark Maiden."

She led the way out of the common halls towards the main temple: An ancient stone building that had been almost entirely restored to its former glory...though to a different god than it had served when it was built. There were a few traces of that original church, but the most obvious one was just inside the doorway: A great set of scales handing from the ceiling. Tyr, the god of justice.

[veraka]

The moment that two drow placed their hands on their weapons, Veraka eyes flared full silver, and he stepped in front of Neriah.

[quote:h2san1hj]"Vrine'winith!" the human shouted before things could get out of hand. "A mistake! Vrine'winith!"[/quote:h2san1hj]

It was only the timely intervention that the human guard had brought down that prevented Veraka from unleashing a [i:h2san1hj]Holy Smite[/i:h2san1hj] upon guards, which, if anything, would have only knocked them back some. However, more to the point, it would have proven that he was no shape-shifted priestess.

[quote:h2san1hj]"Yathrin means 'priestess of Lolth'," he said. "An easy mistake to make. Everyone be at ease. I have heard of the Vanguards. I know who this man is now. Friend. Vrine'winith. A friend."[/quote:h2san1hj]

"I'm well versed in the drow language, my friend," the aasimar spoke, a slight growl to his tone, indicating that he didn't take threats lightly, paladin as he was; "however, I thank you for your timely intervention. Demonstrating a Holy Smite to the guards does little to win hearts."

When Galvin introduced himself, this time it was Neriah who spoke, her soft, but firm voice counteracting her husband's deep, baritone thrum; "that is good, for I would not want to anger the Knight-Commander and his wife of the Vanguards myself."

Veraka gave Neriah a questioning look, but let her sentence float; "Sir Veraka Orden, Knight Commander and founder of the Tempest Vanguards, and Divine Crusader and Paladin in service to the Platinum Dragon, Lord Bahamut. I'm pleased that we did not have to begin a confrontation here, master Galvin. I would hate to teach your fellow guardsmen the lessons that I gave Adian myself."
The towering aasimar and fey'ri followed their new guide to wherever he led them.

[Adian Novar]

He led them first into the central cavern, a place of fungi gardens and rothe pens. The small waterfall at the south end of the cavern played its continual music of water-on-water in the large pool that had been the public bathing area not so long ago.

"Everyone is gathering at the temple or outside it for morning meals," Galvin said. "I wish to clear up something. We do not use the word 'yathrin' here for priestess. We use 'dalninil' instead. It is a word with less...charged baggage. Yathrin is an insult here."

He paused as they passed the giant statue of the Dark Maiden, towering up to the high ceiling in its alcove. This may have been the first actual depiction of the Lady of the Dance they had seen. The statue had been made with loving care that seemed to shine on every curve and angle.

[Tarlyn]

[quote="Adian Novar":2u5sd3u3]Akor'ace only smiled wider.

"I will be happy to show you around," she said. "And we will be happy to trade for any services you decide you need. Follow me to the temple. It is the heart of our service to the Dark Maiden."

She led the way out of the common halls towards the main temple: An ancient stone building that had been almost entirely restored to its former glory...though to a different god than it had served when it was built. There were a few traces of that original church, but the most obvious one was just inside the doorway: A great set of scales handing from the ceiling. Tyr, the god of justice.[/quote:2u5sd3u3]

Delsenora nods and follows Akor'ace. [color=purple:2u5sd3u3]"If you need to trade that is fine. However, I do not mind purchasing something. I am quite agile at haggling and dealing. I do need to get a price on some items I came into owning but haven't really tried yet to appraise their value. I won't know what I wish to purchase until I see it to be honest.""[/color:2u5sd3u3]

[Adian Novar]

Akor'ace shrugged.

"Coin is accepted, yes," she said. "But we prefer things that will serve the will of the Lady. A new song honoring her, potions or healing supplies, something to give to her temple or perhaps some deed that needs to be done. We take what you are willing to give.

"As it is, we have food both surface and Underdark, bandages, clothing and blankets donated from the surface folk who support us, and gear that adventurers of one kind or another have left with us. This way, please."

She led the way to a side room away from the main temple. Some people had finished their breakfasts and were gathering for the first Charge of the day. The side room proved to be something of a storehouse. The variety inside was rather similar to a general store, without an impatient merchant standbing by waiting for you to buy something.

[veraka]

The couple followed their guide through the caverns as he led them hopefully to their destination, which was two different ideas between each of them. For Neriah, it was a comfortable bed that she could lay her head on and rest easily, what with her disguised pregnancy and all. For Veraka, it was seeing the High Priestess of The Promenade as soon as possible.
The sound of the waterfall made Neriah groan lightly, as she wished desperately for a chance to cleanse herself of the dirt from the the road and just a chance to bathe in general.

[quote:34iso2j4]"I wish to clear up something. We do not use the word 'yathrin' here for priestess. We use 'dalninil' instead. It is a word with less...charged baggage. Yathrin is an insult here."[/quote:34iso2j4]

Veraka almost let his mouth go agape, why would he insult the priestesses of the Dark Maiden. Galvin might have wondered what was going through the paladin's head until his wife answered in his stead. "I can assure you, we will not use such insulting words within these halls."

As Veraka and Neriah let Galvin take his pause at the giant statue, Veraka let out a slight sigh; "to think," he spoke, looking to Neriah, "how long has it been since I first served the Dark Maiden myself." The words were just audible enough for their guide to pick up on.

[Adian Novar]

The guide looked at him as they walked towards one of the northern caves. They could see a few stragglers making their way inside.

"You served the Dark Maiden, sir?" he asked, sounding surprised. Odd to him that someone would turn away from her to serve someone else. "May I ask where?"

The cave turned a bit and was evidently in the process of being straightened somewhat, or at least cutting into the rock to make the corridors a bit more smooth. Drow turned to stare at the giant and the woman at his side, many getting out of their way. A few, however, spoke quick greetings to them before moving on.

[CinderSuru]

Cinder found a beautiful black lace vail on a stall she was passing. " It's so silky smooth " she said running her hands over it.
I am not sure Adain would like me spending our money on such an item she thought. " The sun is rather bright today " she said.
" And it matches the black trim on my dress " she placed it over her head and there it stayed.

Zyzzat walk closely his eyes jetting around looking for any trouble makers that might get nasty ideas in there twisted heads.
But over head high on a balcony looking over the market was two sun elves well dressed they did not look suspicious but, three women dressed simply in dresses hiding there weapons and not far behind three others. They were carrying baskets filled with goods of various kinds, also hiding weapons.

http://imageshack.us/content_round.php? ... hchild.jpg