Eliel walked into the city, not bothered by the guards. He wore his normal longsword at his belt today, all of his valuable weapons hidden away on his person. His scimitar was strapped to his back underneath his cloak to not arouse any suspicion or questions. His gauntlets swung at his hip, bound to his belt by a bit of thin rope. He looked about warily, nodding to the guards. They left him alone, but kept an eye on him.

Eliel walked through the roads of the city, keeping an eye on everything around him. He was to meet a man in an alleyway nearby. Just in case, he untied the rope and slipped on his gauntlets. At the moment, they appeared to be no more than a pair of fancy gauntlets. Eliel turned the corner and strode towards the drow house of pleasures, but instead of entering, he looked over his shoulder and walked into an alleyway.

The drow looked about as he leaned against a wall, watching carefully. He felt something brush by his shoulder and swatted at it, but it was nothing. Eliel chuckled to himself, watching the opening for this man he was to meet. Eliel watched one spot in particular, where the patch of wall seemed to move slightly. Eliel drew his longsword and faced it, challenging the unseen opponent.

The shimmering patch solidified into a drow man, whip in hand. Eliel cursed and dodged as the man cracked it at him. A trap! Eliel waited for the next attack and slashed at it, cutting the end of the whip off.

He faced the man again, ready. A noise struck his ears, the sound of many crossbows being cocked. All around him, forms stepped from shadows, hand crossbows aimed on him. He looked around for a moment for an escape before setting down his sword and raising his arms. The man with the whip approached, crimson eyes trained on Eliel's hands as he disarmed him. They even took his cloak, retrieving his daggers, wand, and bundle of cloth containing his scimitar. Eliel nearly cursed.

“I'm unarmed.” He stated as the man retreated, heavy laden with Eliel's items. For a moment, he though it was over. But then came a clicking sound as one of the crossbows fired, burying a poisoned dart into his chest. Eliel's vision swayed and he fell, caught by one of the drow before falling into blackness.

A drow palmed a brick in the wall and waited while the assailants carried the sleeping drow into a revealed opening. They set him down in a meeting room before the wall closed.

Mara had decided a week ago to spend some time in the Drow city, a vacation would be nice, and a new place to figure out, but mainly, to keep an eye on Fehade. He was changing and she saw the changes, but he didn't, he acted how he normally did. The changes, Mara had to admit, it frightened her, it wasn't right. She shook the thoughts from her head as she walked down the long streets of the Drow city. She carried herself gracefully, her long elegant cloak was wrapped lightly around her, the hood up, so her face was not visible. Her dark eyes just as invisible.

As she went, something caught her eyes, and everything was curious to the dark sorceress. She saw a Drow walking somewhere, she wasn't sure where, but he seemed to have something on his mind, and well, it just caught her eyes, everything normally did, it was sort of annoying, but then, wonderful at the same time how everything caught her eye.

She started following the Drow man, but stopped when she saw him go into a alley. She stayed in the far shadows, watching everything that occurred with pure interest. What was going on? She couldn't stop picturing why the other Drow pulled a trap on the one male. She was close enough to see the male Drow hands, and the gauntlet. A thin smile slid onto her face. Magic gauntlets, or something of the sort, she felt the tingle of magic that she felt around magical things.

She watched as one of the Drow shot a dart at the male with the gauntlets, and as they carried him through a opening. When they were gone, she went into the alley, and starting running a hand over the wall, wondering where the brick that opened the wall was. She wanted to know what was going on.

Eliel woke in a dark room, sitting up in a chair. He would have fallen, had he not been bound to the chair's arms and legs. Nobody else was present, he discovered after a quick glance about. Of course, that observance had meant nothing in the alleyway, now had it?

Seeing nothing odd about the room, he came to the conclusion he truly was alone, and looked to his hands, kept in place by a rough rope. It was a truly fine rope, surely unbreakable by anything that wasn't enchanted or blessed. His gauntlets fit the bill, however.

A single claw extended from his curled fist, and a smile came to his lips. They reached for the rope and sliced it cleanly, leaving a few strands left. He did the other hand and sat there, ready. Eliel looked around the room curiously. It was strangely small, made by bricks. Surely, three of the four walls were backed by other buildings. No escape there. The only wall that was unguarded was behind him.

The wall in front of him blurred and a form stepped through, a humanoid formed by a misty substance. In drifted clear of the wall and solidified, forming a dark-skinned with a cowl over it's head. The drow looked at what it was holding.
“Ah, you're awake. Good.” It said in an oddly soft voice. It's fingers snapped and a table appeared before it, conjured from another room, no doubt. Eliel saw him set the thing on the table, a rectangular package of cloth. He recognized it. It was his scimitar. The drow saw the look of displeasure on his face and smiled faintly.
“I wanted to unwrap this in front of you. To see your reaction when I see whatever it is you're hiding from me.” The drow smiled at Eliel. “But I can't very well see your expression under my hood, now can I?” The drow raised a hand and pulled the cowl down, revealing a waterfall of silvery hair. A woman? But Eliel guessed he shouldn't be surprised. The most powerful drow were women.

She gave him a smile and gracefully unwrapped the package. The gleam of metal shone and she lifted the surprisingly heavy blade up into her hands. Her eyes gleamed as she examined it. She unsheathed it with the soft hiss of steel on the velvet inside of his sheath. The woman looked at the base of the blade and her grin widened. “Ah, the blade of the Usreanac House.” She looked at it, speaking more to herself than to Eliel.
“I wonder though... Atiel has left us and The sister is either dead or stuck with the driders yet. So you must have stolen it.” A dangerous gleam entered her eyes as her attention turned to him once more, looking at his gauntlets. “Unless... Ah, Eraspeola. The blood-mad son. Killed his matron and crippled his brother permanently. I see it now. You've been gone some time, Eliel.” She smiled, a slim finger tracing the swirls on his gauntlets. Eliel's hand snapped the last few threads and seized her wrist, twisting her to face him closer.

Eliel stood up, eyes drifting to his blade on the table and back. He scrutinized her face closely, her blue eyes, heart-shaped face. “You!” He snarled as he spotted a barely-visible scar on her jawline. That scar had come from his dagger. Eliel cut the ropes from himself and stood up, kicking the chair away from him. The woman was one of those whom had thrown his sister to the Driders.
He tried to strike her, but his hand seemed to freeze. Eliel sighed and let the thoughts of killing her slip from his mind. His hand was unfrozen and he shook his head. “Why have you called me here, Rayne?” He muttered helplessly. There was a sanctuary enchantment on the room. Neither could harm the other. She smiled. “Well, I called you here to solve a little problem that has been plaguing our houses. We did not wish to strike out ourselves, our men are... preoccupied.”

Eliel took this to mean they were at war. “What kind of help?” He asked. She merely smiled. “An uprising. Goblins, bugbears, and even a hook horror have been spotted assaulting our patrols. We need you to figure out why. Find someone else to help you if you wish. We are not poor. And you'll need the help.” She smiled at him. “Very well. Where do I start?” He asked.

The woman smiled once more. “oh, we know where they are. The problem is getting in. they reside in a cave outside the city, near the driders.” She chuckled amusedly. Eliel bit his lip and shook his head, not in denial, but in helplessness. She indicated the doorway and chuckled. He took his blade and strapped it to his hip and turned, retrieving his equipment from a chest that had been behind him, palmed a glowing brick, and opened the hidden door to the alleyway.

Eliel walked out and nearly ran into a woman standing outside the doorway. He cursed as his dagger hit the ground, skidding along to her feet. Eliel shook his head and bent over, retrieving it and placing in it's sheath before slipping his cloak on once more.

“I apologize. But what are you doing here? Do you work for her?” He asked, with a slight demanding tone. If she was with rayne, he would strike her now. He would kill that priestess if it was the last thing he did.

Mara stood there, letting her hand hover over the bricks, before she stepped back. She wanted to open the door, and see what was on the other side, but no, that wouldn't be goo,d who knows what was on the other side, and she didn't need to get into trouble, after all, she wasn't good with close fighting, and she didn't have Fehade with her, so had no protection with her. She sighed, and took a few steps back, starring intently at the wall, curious.

After a long while of waiting, as it seemed, the wall seemed to shimmer then part, and the Drow she had been following here came out, and nearly ran into her, and dropped a dagger to the ground where it stopped by Mara's feet. She nearly fell backwards, but caught herself, and took a quick step away as the Drow picked his blade up.

“I apologize. But what are you doing here? Do you work for her?”

She heard the demanding like tone, but stayed calm, and didn't care if it was demanding. She wondered though, who "her" was. Mara didn't work for anyone. She had people work for her, like Fehade, who worked for Mara all the time, running her errands, and most of her dirty work. She cocked her head slightly, looking the Drow over, then pulled her hood down. Her eyes still immensely dark.

"No. I don't work for her." She said, and folded her arms, feeling a slight chill, she could never stay warm, no matter where she was.

Eliel watched her for a moment as she thought. When she spoke, Eliel believed her. For now. He sighed and looked her over. She pulled her hood down and Eliel was shocked for a moment. A moon elf? Down here? How did she get through? No other elves could get by, and Moon elves were considered surface elves, the sworn enemies of all drow. He wrinkled his brow, black irises looking her over quickly.

He saw her cross her arms and relaxed. “I apologize. Kind of on edge after... that.” He said normally, as if nothing had happened. He furrowed his brow once more before considering something. She was a moon elf, which automatically brought her a certain level of trust considering he was surrounded by a city of drow. But Rayne, whether he liked to listen to her or not, had a point, it could get difficult to get this over with without another to help him. She certainly wasn't a warrior, he could see that quite immediately. A mage, then? He could certainly use one.

Eliel glanced down the tunnels of Menzoberranzan. He could see vaguely the entrance to the drider caves from here. Rayne had said the group of rogues were near those caves. She had also said that his sister may be alive yet... But could he trust her word?

Eliel decided to ignore that part, leave it for later to chew over. For now, he turned his eyes back to Mara. “I am Eliel. Revealing anything more may be a bit of a danger here. I need some help with a... job. Would you consider helping me?” He asked her, looking around the alleyway

He didn't think this would be the appropriate place for any formalities. They needed a place to speak openly. Eliel had a place in mind. “We cannot speak here. Would you like to follow me to a more secure place?” He asked, eyes drifting.

Before, Mara had easily taken on the form of a Drow woman, no one bugged her then, but as she was walking through the streets she had taken on her original form, and no one noticed her then either, since she was wearing a cloak. She noticed though that the Drow before her was a bit surprised to find out a moon elf was here, and all Mara did was smile,one that could hold many secrets.

“I apologize. Kind of on edge after... that.”

She smiled a more kind one now, and merely nodded as if she understood, but she was still wondering what happened in there, and who this man was, so many things flashed though her mind, so many questions. She forced herself to keep them all to herself, if she wanted to find out more, she would have to behave and not start spouting out question after question.

“I am Eliel. Revealing anything more may be a bit of a danger here. I need some help with a... job. Would you consider helping me?”

She cocked her hand, then waved one hand in a careless like way.

"I'm Mara. No need to fret over revealing anything more. I know Moon elves are not welcome here, I am not a fool." She said, and she used her alter self spell. Her black hair changed to a silvery white color, her skin becoming charcoal black, and eyes a blood red, but it only flashed that appearance, showing that she could easily hide herself in the Drow city, then she went back to her moon elf form, and she pulled her hood up again. "Matters what this... job is."

“We cannot speak here. Would you like to follow me to a more secure place?”

She smirked, and gestured for him to lead the way.

Eliel looked at her as she told him her name. “I don't mean about you. I could be in danger.” He smiled at her as if nothing had been said. Just in case anybody was watching, which they more than likely were. Eliel looked around casually. “I'll explain when we get there.” Eliel saw her gesture and nodded. Without seeing if she was following, he began walking.

In all truth, he didn't care if she decided to follow or not. He mostly just needed to see the place he was headed for. Eliel nearly ran into another drow, a commoner by the looks of his dress. The commoner spotted his many weapons and gauntlets and silenced himself from yelling at Eliel. Only a noble carried so many fineries with him. Eliel appeared as such, even if his scimitar's scabbard was wrapped in cloth and the hilt hidden from view.

The drow backed away and continued on his business, and Eliel payed him no mind, nor his company. A goblin slave followed the man, looking around. From what he remembered, no goblin had the right to look as cheerful or content as that one did. Maybe he was merely drawing conclusions based on his assignment, but that was part of what he was being paid for.

Eliel exited the market district and into the area of what appeared to be a large drow home, a palace. It belonged to the House Usreanac, Eliel's house. But their time was past, and it seemed to have a resident in it already. His temper rose as he opened the door, backing away from it as soon as it creaked ajar.

Nothing happened. If the trap was undisturbed, any uninvited visitor would be burned to death. Eliel opened the door and walked into the hallway, spotting several burn marks on the wall and ashes scattered on the floor.

Eliel walked into the common room, where there were a couple couches and chairs, a table in the center. Nobody was here besides them. Apparently, whomever the ashes in the front hall belonged to was the one whom had lived here after the fall of their house. Eliel sat on a couch, stirring no dust. The inside of the house was curiously clean, several minor enchantments letting no dust or dirt form.

He looked at mara and smiled relaxedly. “Very well, then. I am Eraspeola Usreanac, of the House Usreanac, where you are currently standing.” He smiled at her. The house was quite empty and he gave her a look that said 'ask me no questions.'

“I've been hired by a priestess to investigate and, if possible, eliminate a threat to the drow. An uprising of slaves and lesser races has shown itself, currently doing minor offenses, but has grown since it began. Would you like to assist me?” He asked her, looking about the room with faint memories. It had been half a century since he had seen this house.

Mara wondered if she should follow, if it turned out into a trap, she should do well to take care of herself. She was a pretty good sorceress, well, to her, she liked to think she was the best out there, the smartest, the strongest, the best. Well, in her eyes, and even Fehade feared her. She followed Eliel. Her hood up, hiding her fragile features of a moon elf from all of the Drow. She paid no attention to the other Drow around her, though, lots looked her way, wondering why one would hide their features, but they paid her little attention. When they passed the Drow that had the goblin slaves, she merely walked by, they were disgusting creatures, she wondered why the gods even made them.

When they left the market district and the house came in few, Mara looked at it with awe. It was beautiful in her eyes, it would be wonderful to have a house down here sometime, just to have more... places to look down on all the fools, more hideouts for her men who work for her. thin smile slid onto her delicate features.

They soon reached the front door, and Mara waited a few feet behind Eliel, as he opened the door, and stepped away. A trap. What Drow wouldn't have one? But it didn't go off surprisingly, but also, luckily. They went in the hall, and she stared at the ashes a moment before proceeding afterwards into the common room behind the Drow.

“Very well, then. I am Eraspeola Usreanac, of the House Usreanac, where you are currently standing.”

No wonder he came here, she thought. Malie, the Faery dragon peeked out for once from the folds of Mara's cloak, and the small dragon jumped into the air, and flew around the room, checking things out, before perching on the sorceress' shoulder. The elf pulled down her hood once more, and walked to a couch, and sat down.

She listened to him explain what he was doing, and one of her smiles went on her face.

"Sounds interesting. And fun. I will help. But... what will you be fighting? What slaves would dare to uprise against the oh so powerful Drow?" She asked, smiling a near, non-amused smile.