XIX. Divergent Paths

Having "graduated" from the Enterprise’s third-level "academy", the adventurers returned to Darksea to attend to their affairs. Edward in particular had affairs to attend to–with Miae! Firiona looked after the Darksea Magic Academy, Arnold oversaw his commercial endeavors, and the other adventurers likewise took care of things important to them.

A month after their return, Edward received a formal invitation to attend the nuptials of Sombrus and his fiancee Tera, to be held in the County of Urnst. The ceremony and subsequent festival were being sponsored by Lady Rufilla, Sombrus’ patroness and confidant, and the whole thing promised to be a splendid affair. Edward advised the Enterprise that he would be attending the ceremony, and was encouraged to do so, and to make useful contacts and gather any information that may be of value to the Enterprise, of course.

Edward set off for Sombrus’ wedding, leaving Bedevere to look after his home in Darksea. He did take his griffon mount–flying would be faster than riding. After some time he reached Sombrus’ castle, deep in a forest in the Duchy of Urnst.

At the castle, Edward met many distinguished guests, including clergy and paladins of Hieroneous, local nobles and officials, and other important people. Sombrus himself introduced Edward to his friend and patron, the Lady Rufilla, a very attractive, young-looking woman of about 40. Edward asked Rufilla if she knew the bride, Tera. "Yes, and I am sure that Sombrus will . . . control things appropriately."

As Edward conversed with Lady Rufilla, he learned that she had an estate in the Duchy of Urnst (inherited from her father), that she was unmarried, and that she was not an adventurer, although she considered politics "an adventure in itself." Edward further inquired whether Rufilla approved of the marriage. "Oh, of course. And Sombrus will no doubt maintain the relationship despite any misgivings he may have, and Tera will prove a worthy bride."

As Rufilla was attending the wedding with only her armed escorts, she graciously invited Edward to attend the ceremony with her.

The wedding itself was an elaborate affair, performed before hundreds of guests in the chapel of Sombrus’ estate. After the ceremony was over, the party proceeded to a lavish reception, complete with fine foods, plentiful drink and remarkable performances by talented musicians.

"I’m glad Sombrus went through with the wedding and overcame his doubts about Tera," Rufilla whispered to Edward. She went on to explain that Sombrus worried that Tera might stray, or that others might try to steal her from him. Rufilla had assured Sombrus that all would be well. She would look after Tera herself, so he could rest easy while he was away on church business.

At the reception, Sombrus introduced Edward to his brother, Idaeus. Later, Edward noted that Idaeus and Tera were dancing together. Rufilla noticed as well. "Is there anything else you would like to ask me tonight?" Edward promptly asked her to dance. While dancing, Rufilla observed Tera, now surrounded by a number of Sombrus’ other friends. At this point, Edward led Rufilla back to their table, claiming to have a backache (!) He then approached her as if to kiss her cheek, but whispered, "He’s been my friend my whole life. I need to know!" Rufilla replied, "I’m sure it’s nothing, really. Sombrus won’t tolerate any inappropriate behavior." "Your suspicions?" said Edward. "Let not your heart be troubled. You know how we women are!" answered Rufilla.

The reception eventually ended, and Edward left the next day. As he bid Sombrus and the other guests, including Rufilla, farewell, he had a feeling that something wasn’t quite right about Rufilla.

Meanwhile . . .

Arnold, realizing that his supply of black lotus extract was running low, decided to return to Sigil and obtain more from Daliq at The Purple Pill. Doing so might also result in his gathering information from Daliq (unwitting, of course) concerning drow activities in Sigil and beyond.

So, he returned to Sigil, bound for The Purple Pill. He made his way through the crowded streets toward the disreputable area in which the shop was located. As he entered the alley that led to the shop, he noticed two figures leaving that establishment. Quickly, he hid behind some old crates and listened for anything he could hear.

The two figures came closer, and Arnold heard their words–words in the drow language! "The reclamation of Lolth’s Grove is proceeding according to plan. Meet me at the doorway in one hour," said one of the figures to the other.

Lolth’s Grove?! Arnold recalled hearing brief mentions of such a place during his course of study with the Enterprise. The original home of Lolth, on the plane of Arborea, before she turned to darkness and evil! "This could be important to the Enterprise," he thought. "Better tag along."

Arnold followed the two drow, moving silently and observing. The two appeared to bear only swords and to be wearing cloaks but no apparent armor. They traveled a few blocks, then split up. Arnold followed the drow who had mentioned Lolth’s Grove. After moving several miles into a particularly unsavory ward of Sigil, the drow turned onto a shabby side street and entered a building. Arnold hid and waited. Twenty minutes later, the drow emerged again. Arnold quickly quaffed an invisibility potion and followed the drow. Soon the drow entered a dead-end side street, and after a few minutes the second drow also appeared. The two approached a door, which they opened and entered.

Arnold darted in through the door before it shut again!

Suddenly, Arnold found himself on the outskirts of a sickly-looking forest. He had passed through one of Sigil’s many portals.

He continued following the two drow. The trees of the grove became more sickly-looking, some even dead, and the grove itself grew thicker and darker. After about a mile and a half, the two drow encountered a patrol of ogres. The ogre leader spoke to the lead drow, and Arnold heard it say, "The proxy awaits you at the gate." At the same time, Arnold attempted to pick the drow’s pocket! He successfully extracted an object without drawing the drow’s attention, but the ogre noticed the drow’s cloak moving. Arnold began to sneak away. The ogre pointed and grunted, but the drow shrugged, as if it were only a gust of wind. The two dark elves then proceeded on their way, and Arnold took up the pursuit again.

Another mile, and the drow were greeted by a passing hezrou. Arnold again froze and hid.

Half a mile later, the two drow arrived at a glade in the gloomy wood. Two dead trees stood with long branches extending toward and almost touching each other. Between the trees’ trunks, the ground and the extended branches, a shimmering surface could be seen. A gate!

Arnold froze, but not due to the gate. For stationed at the gate was a large spider-like abomination with the head and arms of a female elf–a proxy of Lolth! Quickly, Arnold hid behind a nearby tree. He watched as the proxy touched one of the dead trees. The portal shimmered. The drow entered the portal, followed by the proxy.

Once the proxy and the two drow had passed through the portal, Arnold ran to the dead tree, searching for the mechanism to activate the portal himself. He found a mechanism and tried to activate it, but only succeeded in setting off an alarm! Although he quickly silenced the alarm, he was unable to open the gate.

But the alarm had worked, only too well. Suddenly behind Arnold there appeared a large, threatening and ugly figure–an ogre mage! It removed a vial from a pouch it was carrying, and was about to quaff it, when Arnold suddenly attacked! The creature was caught flat-footed, and Arnold, skilled back-stabber that he was, quickly dispatched it. After looting the corpse of the creature, Arnold tried again to activate the portal, this time taking his time to do it right. The portal shimmered again, and Arnold passed through. . .

Into the Demonweb Pits!

Arnold found himself on a wide surface of some kind of apparently stoney material. The surface extended into darkness to his left, while on his right it extended a relatively short way before turning sharply left, to end at a huge set of double brass doors. An eerie mist was visible beyond the edges of the surface, and strands of spiders’ webs crossed the path at various elevations.

"What am I doing?!" Arnold thought to himself. He immediately retreated back through the portal! Making his way quickly, but quietly, back to the doorway to Sigil, Arnold delayed just long enough to kill the hezrou before it knew what hit it. Fortunately, the object Arnold had stolen from the drow proved to be the key to this doorway! Back in Sigil, he purchased several doses of sasson leaf and black lotus extract, then made his way back to Greyhawk and thence to his home in Darksea. He reported what he had learned to the Enterprise, via their recently opened office in downtown Darksea.

Meanwhile . . .

A week after Arnold departed, Firiona, Lou and Green Arrow received a communication from the Enterprise. Their services were requested in connection with a mission to contact an old acquaintance–Sovan, the renegade drow and now high-ranking member of the Ashen Compact. The Enterprise, unknown to the Compact, had secretly been providing aid to the Compact in its activities against the drow, while at the same time manipulating the Compact into certain actions desired by the Enterprise. The adventurers would be involved in another such effort. And accompanying the party would be another Enterprise member: Miae!

Lou, Firiona, Miae and Green Arrow ventured to meet with the forces of the Ashen Compact, hidden in a cave near the location of a large settlement of orcs who were to be the subject of the Compact’s scheming. At the cave, Green Arrow conferred with Sovan, who was in charge of the Compact’s forces. Green Arrow offered aid to Sovan in his planned action against the orcs, which aid Sovan gladly accepted. Green Arrow and Sovan conferred, while the rest of the party were escorted to comfortable accommodations.

The battle plan–more a raid than an all-out assault–called for the party, together with Sovan and picked members of the Compact, to disguise themselves as drow, attack the orc leader’s hall, kill as many orcs within the hall as they could, not including the leader, and then withdraw, leaving evidence incriminating the drow as the attackers. The attack was to take place late at night, as would be expected of drow raiders. The party and Sovan would teleport to the leader’s hall, where Klosh, the orc leader, would be sleeping, as would many of his advisors, their females and young, while the other Compact fighters would kill orcs in the settlement itself. No casualties were to be left behind.

Next evening, the party departed, and after a march of five hours, approached the orcs’ settlement. The party spelled up and teleported into place.

The ensuing battle proceeded according to plan. Green Arrow killed many orcs with his bow, while Firiona’s spells disposed of many others. Sovan, in true drow fashion, slaughtered the orc females and their offspring. In the town outside the hall, the other Compact fighters cut down hordes of orcs, both fighters and non-fighters, although several of their members fell to the enraged orcs.

Having wrought havoc in Klosh’s hall, the party withdrew, dropping several artifacts (brooches, cloaks, amulets) of drow origin as they left. Gathering up the remaining Compact members, and their casualties, the raiders teleported back to the Compact’s cave hide-out. Mission accomplished.

Meanwhile . . . .

Edward was on the way back to his home in Darksea from Sombrus’ wedding. He was glad to have a chance to take his griffon mount with him and take in the scenery while flying above it all. From time to time he stopped at a little inn or a small village to stretch, feed the griffon and have a pint.

But something wasn’t quite right. Edward had the feeling he was being observed at more than one stop along the way.

After several days, he found himself in a sparsely settled area when it came time to stop for the night, so he set up camp. That night he slept in his armor for added protection, if less rest.

Suddenly he felt something poking him. He opened his eyes. His griffon was alert as well, scenting something. Another touch. The griffon’s empathic link activated, and the mount told Edward where the invisible creatures might be. Instantly, Edward smote evil, and a tiny, ugly, winged creature fell dead. A quasit!

But now four more of the flying fiends appeared, slashing at Edward with their claws, then flying away out of reach. He quickly cast death ward and holy sword, and activated his boots of speed. He looked upward, and saw a dark bird flying above him in the moonlight. The bird looked disturbingly familiar. Familiar enough that Edward quickly mounted the griffon and took flight toward the bird. The bird flew away, and both headed into the air above the woods of the Gnarly Forest.

Edward charged the bird, but it easily evaded. The quasits kept flying ahead as well, further into the woods. The pursuit continued for ten miles, until a clearing came into view. The bird and the quasits descended and flew on into the woods. Edward and the griffon landed, and he noticed a path leading into the depths of the forest. He followed the path, while the griffon flew overhead. After about half a mile, he heard what sounded like thunder. Was the weather changing suddenly?

Another half mile and Edward heard sounds of a struggle. Instantly, he turned invisible, then advanced quietly to investigate. Up ahead, he saw what appeared to be a druid, and one under attack by distinctly un-natural forces: at least a dozen skeletons, and another dozen zombies!

Instantly Edward cast shield on himself and rushed to the aid of the embattled druid. He thought things would be resolved quickly once he intervened. Little did he know . . . .