Now that his new tower was completed, Shado sat back and pondered the final lesson Zac had taught him on warding the compound. Shado frowned, not because he distrusted his teacher, but because where the Ilharess was concerned Shado trusted no one. Shado came to understand that Zacnefear was right; the wards that Zac had placed around Elythanar must be changed and strengthened. Shado had been an apprentice when Zac warded the house, but now he held the title of Qu’el’faeruk and the security from magical attacks was his responsibility.

Shado immediately moved to his large, but not yet full, library and scanned the tomes he had in his possession. After a long time of looking and reading, Shado finally decided on what spells to use as well as what he would need. Sighing deeply Shado retired to his chambers for a much needed rest and meditation, for this task would surely take time to complete.

Late into the rising of Narbondel^*1, Shado rose from his reverie and prepared for the coming task at hand. After ensuring he would not be disturbed, Shado sat in his study scanning spells and coping them to scroll. Three days passed, before Shado was ready to start the actual warding. Picking up the scrolls and carefully putting them in his case he moved to a secret panel and pulled out the set of tools Zacnefear had given him. Though old, they were in perfect condition and Shado smiled at the memory of when Zac gifted them to him.

Descending the spiral staircase, Shado moved outside to the yard. Slowly he pulled out one of the many copies of a scroll with a certain spell scribed upon it, and read the spell outloud. The scroll burst into flames as the last syllable escaped Shado's lips. Shado smiled to himself and started to study the wards of the compound. Working in small areas at first Shado gently changed, corrected, and strenghtened the spells that warded the house from entry. After finishing the protection Shado again went over the work he had done.

The runic spells for the wards were much more accurate and complex than those he originally worked on with Zac, and Shado studied them carefully for any mistakes. Shado frowned deeply as he found flaws and quickly worked to repair them. Again when finished he studied his work, this time he found no errors. Shado smiled and retired again to his chambers to rest.

This routine continued for a month. Shado was not about to make any mistakes with this and worked slowly but accurately until the house was once again warded and protected. Smiling to himself he summoned forth a Duergar slave left over from the ones that hollowed his tower out. Chuckling he looked to the dark dwarf, "If you can climb that wall you are free". The dwarf, hearing a chance to escape, quickly rushed to the wall and started to climb. No sooner had he hit the wall when there was a bright flash and the dwarf was gone, in his place was a small pile of ash.

Shado smiled at the effectiveness of one of his warding spells and summoned forth another Duergar. "If you can run from here to outside the gate, you are free" Shado again stated.  The dark stocky figure rushed for his freedom and again all that was left of the dwarf was a small pile of ash. The routine continued until none of the dwarves that had hollowed the tower were left alive.

Shado laughed as the last one died, knowing that only he and the strange drow knew the plans of his tower. Grinning Shado retired for a much-needed rest, knowing the house was safe.

The next day Shado sent a messenger to the Qu'el'faeruk del Dur'Eben, asking for him to come as quickly as possible, and to arrive as he had before. Shado smiled very grandly as he waited and watched Zac walk through the front gates that day.

Zacnefear passed through the gates and moved slowly across the compound. As he did so, the carefully constructed image began to unravel due to the wards protecting the house. At first no one noticed the image beginning to fade, but by the time the image made it halfway across the compound alarms sounded. The true faeruk was busy on the opposite side of the large complex, enshrouded in cloaking spells.  His keen vision had already deciphered the weave and he was busy attempting to disentangle it.

Once his apprentice in the arcane arts, Shadosin had sent him a scroll that challenged Zac to enter the compound. The teacher now tested the pupil to see how well the lessons were learned; the image had bought Zac a little time. Time was something required when attempting to deactivate wards and spells to gain entrance. Like strands of an intricate web, the wards and spells of defense laid delicately about the house, the Faeruk had read each of the intricate patterns prior to attempting his entrance. Shadosin had done an excellent job with his work, but as always, Zac sought out the weakest point to make his attempt.

Each spell he dispelled faded away from the web leaving it a bit more ragged each time, but time was still needed to gain entry, and time was quickly running out. All across the grounds of the great house, soldiers rushed to the walls prepared for an unforeseen attack. The Yathrinen would be in the temple chanting their prayers seeking favor in the unsuspected battle. Mages would be casting spells and also preparing for battle. Soon they would begin to search him out.

Shado was in his tower when the alarms went off; he had paused at the balcony to watch his teacher walk through the gate. Having reentered the tower just after looking on it with a touch of pride, he was shocked when the alarm sounded and again rushed to the balcony. His eyes searched for the reason, and noticed the last of Zac’s image fade from view. Narrowing his eyes, he thought of how easily he had taken for granted his teacher would just walk through the main gates.  Apparently Zacnefear had accepted the challenge and sent an illusion through the gate. Of course the faeruk would show him what he wanted to see, then work to gain entrance elsewhere.

Calming his anger he thought about how he would do it, for a clear mind is sharper than one clouded by fury. His teacher would of course cloak himself, then study the place prior to sending the image. So now Zac would be working to disentangle Shado’s weave... that takes time, and time was something that would be running out. Suddenly he knew where the faeruk was. Muttering a spell he vanished and reappeared outside the house grounds.

"Vendui' Zacnefear," Shado said, while casting a spell to dispell the cloaking enchantments.

Zac smiled as he heard the voice from behind him, then stopped what he was doing and turned to face the younger faeruk.

"Vendui' Shadosin." Zac replied while dispelling the remaining enshrouding enchantments with an intricate movement of his fingers.

"You have done an excellent job! As you can see I have yet to gain entrance," he said with a smile.

The guards now surrounding the two with leveled weapons, lowered them at a gesture from Shadosin.

"Bel'la dos abbil, but when I offered the challenge I was naut expecting such a disturbance."

Zac chuckled as he watched the younger male’s eyes inspecting the damage Zac had already wrought to his work. They widened a bit as they surveyed just how far the older male had gotten, then catching himself, returned to a neutral gaze. It was evident the younger male was displeased with his progress, and the older mage moved to ease his burden of guilt.

"You have done most well my young friend, do naut let my progress detract from that fact. I am older and more experienced is all. Naut even my own wards could prevent my entry if I wished it... But they do slow intruders down and will kill the unwary. Time is required to prepare defenses... you gave your house that time and prevented the intrusion. That is the true reason for wards, and you did it very well."

Zac's eye's flickered with pride at the young male, and together they walked about the walls to the gate. They discussed the flow and patterns used, and how to seek the weak points in every spell defense.

Of course servants were sent to the house informing the Matron of events, and of course Shado would have to repair the damage Zac had wrought. But for now they moved to the comforts of Shado's new tower to talk away the hours. Shado had used some interesting spell combinations, and the older male was never too proud to learn... even from one who was once his student.  Time passed and when they were finished talking, the older faeruk teleported from Shado’s tower and reappeared on the surface. Zacnefear had a date to keep with his Ilharess.

With a tug the knife slid from the drow's ribs, his life's blood flowing close behind. The red fire from his eyes dimmed as he crumpled to the ground. Drathsin's eyes quickly scanned the compound for others as he wiped the blood from his blades. With effort he picked up the two bodies then carried them out into the city and dumped them in an alley. His few allies within the house proved right once again, giving him more information on one of the guard's plotting. Smiling at the fact that he enjoyed nothing more then the shadows and the death he brought, he trudged back to Elythanar.

Days passed during which Drathsin set out checking the guards and watching them all closely. It was one such day when the Matron summoned him. Entering the temple he dropped to one knee greeting her with a quiet, "Vendui' malla Ilharess."

Turning she watched Drathsin for a few minutes making him wait. Finally she commanded him to rise and began to speak,  "Vendui' velg'larn. I wished to speak with you about the preparations for our upcoming visitors. I wish you to help with the guard and double it. You shall seek out Alycrusus, and work on setting things up."

Bowing deeply he thanked her for the duty and was dismissed. With an evil grin he set out to find Aly, all the while thinking he may get to have some fun after all.

From the meeting with the Ilharess, Drath moved with speed through the halls looking intently for the Qu'el'faeruk. With his thoughts on setting extra guards around the compound and testing them, he would need extra wards and watches set upon his charge of protecting the young first daughter, Katishya.

Swinging around the corner he deftly sidestepped Shadosin as they almost collided. Grasping Shado's wrist he greeted him and they continued walking along the corridor. Quickly he went over what he needed of his friend, it came with a price, as he knew it would. Chuckling he walked away from the faeruk satisfied with the outcome and headed on out to find a servant to help Shado with his tower's cleaning.

Drath's shadow moved quickly across the open compound his eyes searching the darkness for the guards that should be out. Stopping next to a spire he seemed to sink into the shadows and crouched down. Looking up the spire he found his first hand holds and began scaling the steep surface. Upon reaching the top Drath dropped down to sit cross-legged, awaiting the arrival of an old ally. A clicking came up from behind him, but his body stayed motionless waiting.

A tug at his piwafwi^*2 made him flinch slightly as he tensed. His guest dropped to his lap, the hairs of its body bristled as its many eyes stared up at him. Smiling he gently stroked the back of his comrade of many years, and the mind contact began. Asking again of the large arachnid to keep an eye on Katishya and also on the compound and the many guards. Yet again it came with a price, one he greatly liked to provide using human’s blood.  Pulling from his pack the fairly fresh finger of a victim he dropped it to the ground. The spider leapt from his lap and quickly drained the bloody digit dry.

With this taken care of, Drath now began the preparations for the rest of the House.  Moving swiftly through the compound, he sought out Alycrusus.

Arriving within the compound of the House, Tullarix was tired physically and mentally. He knew his little jaunts back into his past memories were tiring, but it seemed that it was always more so whenever he had to take it while under the protection of the enchanted medallion given to him --- on orders from his mother --- by the house wizard. He wondered, not for the first time and surely not the last, if something in the enchantment that Shadosin gave the medallion was affecting his well-being. “Well, that's something I am going to have to find out for myself,” he mused as he readied himself for a relaxing bath and massage.

With a wave of one of his slim-fingered hands and a low murmured chant, the wards tied around his quarters dispelled to allow him to enter without being magically taken apart. Usually he would have undressed and taken off the rest of his gear whenever he returned from a long jaunt to the surface above, but this time he really was too tired to do much other than plop down on the velvet-cushioned sofa in one of the corners of the room. He decided to call for one of the human female slaves that his Ilhar always had ready for just such an occasion.

Tullarix rubbed his qu’ilinsar^*3 in a certain way which would summon one or two of the slaves to attend to his needs. And a prayer of thanks to his mother's training of the House slaves (as well as allowing a mere male to be spoiled rotten in this manner). Two slaves walked into his quarters with their heads down, garbed only in a sheer, white slip.

"Dos tuth zhaun vel'bol ulu xun,^*4" he commanded sternly.

Both slaves bowed and started to work on his robe and all his gear. Soon his lean-muscled form was bare of all clothing and items. With the clothes and gear piled in a corner, Tullarix rose from the sofa and strode towards the massage table that was next to his bed, both slaves already standing on either side with all the necessary oils and lotions at the ready.

Lying on his stomach, and trying to relax as the two slaves began to work their fingers on his tense muscles, Tullarix wondered where his twin was at the moment. Probably practicing on some poor unfortunate goblins or kobolds any new moves he learned.

He was soon lost in a haze, due to the wonderful ministrations of the two slaves and probably also due to the smoke rising from the incense bowl nearby. Safe in his own quarters (especially since the wards were back up again) in the House compound, his mind began to drift back to his not-so-distant past. This time he began to relive his early days in the Fire Elemental Plane where he and his twin brother, Daevion, were sent to grow and learn all the ways of the drow with the help of Grextel, one of the House yathrinen. Though she was not the only one, once in awhile some of the other yathrinen came to "motivate" the two of them into learning all the ways well.

Zelghinna, with Ilinditha sometimes accompanying her, and Ilyena sometimes came...

*1.   Narbondel is the largest stone column within the cavern that houses the drow city.  The most powerful mage must go each 'night' and cast a spell that heats the column.  This heat travels slowly upward along the column.  Since the drow see with infravision, this  heat shows brightest when the whole column is heated and coincides with noon on the surface.  When Narbondel is 'cold' (or dark) coincides with midnight on the surface.
*2.   A magical cloak, the drow version of a 'cloak of elven kind'.
*3.   The House badge, or medallion, created specifically for the members of Noble Houses. 
*4.   "You both know what to do."