Quiet befell the camp, as the Priestesses food cooked, but soon the sound of marching was heard- It appeared that others had crossed paths with the camp. This was, however, not an Army of Chaulssin, of House Jaezred. It was a force from minor house Xiltyn. Among the forces present, carrying materials and resources odd for an excursion in the ruins of the Northdark, was Duergar, likely from Gracklstugh, Deep Gnomes, Hobgoblins, and Male Drow. They carried tools not meant for war, but construction. The Male Drow bore the<a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.angelfire.com%2Frpg2%2Fvortexshadow%2Fpics%2Flolthholysymbol.png&amp;hash=8c6795ed7d23050198fe722cf55bebb7" href="http://www.angelfire.com/rpg2/vortexshadow/pics/lolthholysymbol.png" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">Symbol of House Xiltyn</a>proudly on their armor. The other races present were not slaves, likely a hired mercenary force to aid in whatever was happening. The Deep Gnomes and the Duergar were likely going to be the driving force by whatever was going to happen, the Hobgoblins and Male Drow were there for protection and defense.<br/><br/>This was not an unusual move by House Xiltyn. The House was well known for putting racial pride down if it meant the bottom line was reached- Nothing to impede progress, damage Drow Society, or ruin plans for House Xiltyn. The House was something of an enigma in the Underdark- It had faced destruction at least three times that were known about, yet it had survived and prospered each time afterwards. The first time was during the Siege of Menzoberranzan, as it was a vassal to House Melarn, which was destroyed as the city fell. House Xiltyn faced hard times afterwards, as much of their influence, protection, and power was diminished. The Second time was when they were nearly wiped out by House Nirinath, who murdered the Matriarch and drove the family's merchant business into ruin.<br/><br/>House Xiltyn was, however, saved by the sole surviving son, Minolin Xiltyn. Finding work as the Seneshal, under a fake name, in House Nirinath, Minolin exacted his revenge by robbing the family blind, stealing the heart of the eldest daughter, framing the family for crimes they didn't commit (and revealing crimes they did), and ultimately leading the house to it's destruction. House Xiltyn resurfaced as a power, taking on House Nirinath's assets, as Minolin married the Lady Cazna Nirinath, so that Nirinath family could survive, and thus became the dominant mercantile power in Chaulssin. The most recent action was taken on by the youngest child of the Late Lord Minolin-<a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FW56TwfCI4xY%2Fmaxresdefault.jpg&amp;hash=c9d9041018417348feee3b20093e658f" href="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/W56TwfCI4xY/maxresdefault.jpg" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">Vorn Xiltyn</a>. As a male, and the youngest in line, he never was going to hold much political power or have much say in the matters of the family, but the desire to make an impact in Drow History burned in his blood from a young age, thus leading many to believe he held Lolth's favor.<br/><br/>This was evident when Chaulssin was forced to cede over much of it's material wealth, livestock, and food stores to the Drow capitol of Ust Natha. Vorn Xiltyn spent an entire day and night of fasting inside of the Chaulssin temple, thinking of a way to ease his peoples woes, before finally emerging with a clear idea in mind- using novice soldiers, hired Duergar, and manipulating the three simple Orc Tribes of the Rauvin Mountains (The Heart-Takers, Red Fangs, and Tornskull), they led a sacking of Citadel Felbarr, escaping with much treasure, supplies, and slaves. Thus House Xiltyn escaped destruction a third time and earned a place of respect, earning the eye of many of the major houses. Whispers claimed that House Xiltyn would soon join them, though that remained to be seen. Still, House Xiltyn was on the rise.<br/><br/>The one conflict that many had with Xiltyn was it's irreverence towards racial pride- they were perfectly comfortable with others races, so long as they benefited the most. This was due to the fact that the Xiltyn had to make due with very little to achieve it's ends, thus they couldn't afford to allow prejudice to cloud judgement and rob them of useful tools and allies. Lolth was, in their mind, the perfect example of this- She would take what was needed, do her job, then either rid herself of it or keep it for later. Never would she waste a resource when it had it's uses. Drow Elves had to do the same if they were to survive into the new age. This led many to conflict with the progressiveness of the House, and prevented them from rising as a Major House, thus leading to many enemies from all sides. The reason many hadn't punished or outright destroyed House Xiltyn was the many generous gifts offered to the Priestesses and Matriarch's of society, as they were a merchant house first and foremost. Still, their motto echoed<br/><br/>'<i>To Survive is to Adapt'</i><br/><br/>The forces present soon became aware of the camp present. The Non-Drow stayed away, as they feared the repercussions if they offended their Drow Benefactors. Those present that were Drow offered the appropriate respects- they bowed and offered gifts they had upon them- Wine, precious gems, gold, and beautiful flora of the Underdark. They then stepped to the side when one came forward- Vorn Xiltyn himself. Vorn would kneel before Aunrae Zathlesz, as was custom, before displaying his gift- a g<a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=http%3A%2F%2Fbadalijewelry.com%2Fimages%2Fproducts%2F29689.jpg&amp;hash=d5fabe45ad0a4a3ccd5778c48aeef82f" href="http://badalijewelry.com/images/products/29689.jpg" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">olden spider ring with a faceted emerald abdomen</a>, likely crafted from the artisans of House Xiltyn. Their craftsmanship was renown among the Underdark, specifically the<i>Ember of Lolth</i>- A statuette of the Dark Webspinner carved from Volcanic Glass and Ruby, the Volcanic glass spun like their mistresses webs. It was a gift made over the course of five years, and it was a family heirloom of the House, as none had been declared worthy of it.<br/><br/>Vorn would rise as he met the Priestesses gaze, blue eyes to her crimson. "<b>Lolth has truly blessed us on our path- This is a sure sign we are on the track to earning her favor. I had not expected to meet such a lovely group of priestesses on our path- truly, I am grateful to be allowed in your presence and undeserving of your time."</b>Vorn said, respectfully. Despite successes by the males, Drow Society was still dominantly Matriarchal- The females and the priestesses held the ultimate sway in society, the Xiltyn knew this. Vorn himself knew he must give the ultimate respect to those blessed by the dark light of their mistress. "<b>I am Vorn Xiltyn, House Wizard of House Xiltyn. I hope our excursion here does not trouble whatever glorious mission that our shared Mistress has given you. If I can be of any assistance in anyway, you have but to ask."</b><br/><br/>Vorn was one of the rare few males in Drow Society to be blessed with a proficiency as an Arcane Mage- It was using this that he managed to conscribe the Orcs to his favor, using illusions and trickery to manipulate them to attack Citadel Felbarr. It made him an invaluable breeding candidate to many, given their scarcity. It was part of the reason he had left on this excursion- He wanted a break away from the politics and courting back in Chaulssin, focusing on the task he had and the work that was before him.<br/><br/>Vorn would look forward at the ruined highway and road to Menzoberranzan, his gaze grew thoughtful. He would look towards Aunrae. "<b>It sickens you, Doesn't it?" </b>He asked, before gesturing. "<b>Thousands of years ago, this road led to the beating heart of our society- There was none that didn't know it's name. Yet it was destroyed and left to rot. This act alone is an atrocity, an insult to the Dark Mistress and her design. History.....<i>our history</i>.....has been left to decay in these ruins. " </b>Vorn said, shaking his head at the notion- that such a place of such value to the Drow was ultimately left to fade from memory. "<b>This is an insult that requires more then prayers for forgiveness.....it requires correction." </b>He said, before looking forward, a grin appearing on his face. "<b>What I would give, to have wandered these ancient halls at it's high, learning from it's masters.....maybe, by my efforts, we shall do so once again."<br/>
</b><br/>It was rare to have an Ideal in mind for a Drow, but Vorn felt he was a visionary- Where most saw a ruin, festering with monsters, he saw the crowning achievement that would make his house into the power it could be- the Retaking of Menzoberranzan.<br/><br/><a class="username" data-user-id="653" data-username="@Mikaela Corvid" data-xf-init="member-tooltip" href="https://blackdahliaroleplaying.com/members/653/">@Mikaela Corvid</a>