01. Shadows by Jysdiira

Shadows ( Recommendations: 0 )
jysdiira

A cold smile tugged at the corners of her dark lips. So, he’d decided to settle here, did he? The Tunnels of Forsaken Souls was aptly named. A dark maze of twisted caves that were full of traps, nightmarish guardians and wandering monsters was one of the many protections of Olath Xal. Jysdiira was not a stranger to the work of Shaidar Haran, she was well acquainted with his failed attempt to conquer Proudglaive a little over a year ago.

Long strides took her quickly through the citadel to her lab. One of the two stony margoyle sentries opened the door without a word when her tall form came into view. Stepping into the spacious room, her slitted eyes fell upon a table in the exact center of the chamber. On an intricately carved stand rested a hunk of grayish stone threaded with veins of rich, deep red that almost seemed to pulse with a life of its own. Beside it, surrounded by a shimmering iridescent sheen rested a beautiful sphere, a soft moss green infused with a faint coppery light, the Dominion Stone. The first stone, the Bane Stone, is what held her attention though.

Jysdiira had not called Razii to help her this time, she’d taken to using the Bane Stone without the aid of the other woman. She had grown confident in her ability to protect herself from the callings of the cursed stone and didn’t feel the need to have Razii shield her further with the Dominion Stone. The dragondrow could not use the Dominion Stone herself, it would destroy her in a blink of an eye.

A few arcane words enabled Jysdiira to safely penetrate the wards that surrounded the stone and she picked it up, stroking over the lump of rock as one might caress a lover’s cheek, a grayish gleam entered the depths of her golden eyes. Had there been a mirror within the room, Jysdiira may have put the stone back and never touched it again. But there was no such reflective surface that others may have utilized as a scrying device to record the dark and sinister goings on in Jysdiira’s private workspace, nothing to cast back the fanatical image and look of reverence that she bestowed upon the stone.

Curling her fingers around the fist-sized piece of rock, she pictured what she wanted done in her mind. Instantly her will struggled for control of the powerful artifact, demanding compliance of the malevolent force. The stone began to pulse in her hand, a chilling cold crept up her arm and the gray within her eyes spread further. Pulsating streams of bloody light oozed out of the rock as her dark hand squeezed it tighter, the freezing sensation made her bones throb in her left hand and arm, soon reaching her shoulder. She wasn’t aware of the blood when it began to trickle out of her left ear or nostril, so intent was she on creating the changes.

Within the labyrinth of tunnels surrounding Olath Xal the groan of protesting stone could be felt rather than heard by the inhabitants, an uneasy feeling of dread in the pits of their stomachs. It didn’t last long, caves twisted upon themselves, rock grew where there had been none before, sealing off sections of tunnel until finally she achieved her goal. The caves occupied by Haran’s troops no longer connected to any that would take him directly to the drow city, most wound in a long, twisted circle that eventually ended back at the cavern the myadraal had chosen. The few tunnels that did not loop back now led away from Olath Xal and through the territory controlled by umber hulks.

Jysdiira’s knees wobbled and she lost her balance, the rush was unbelievable, more potent than any drug manufactured by drow or otherwise… and more dangerous. She broke out in a sweat though her left side ached with a bone-deep cold. Resting her forehead against the carved table she allowed the feeling of invincibility to flow through her, believing herself above the trappings of the stone. Finally the heady feeling gave way to weariness, Jysdiira lifted her head and raised her shaking hand to return the stone to its pedestal. Her fingers refused to release the cold, gray stone, she had to use her other hand to pry her numb fingers open. The last of her strength was spent speaking the words of protection and summoning her slave with a thought.

Fri, Mar 22nd – 1:20PM