VICONIA "Let me look, abbil." (For what seems an age, but is really only a few minutes, she scans the area. Galadria casts Wizard's Eye, turns it over to Viconia, and she further explores the area. Finally, one particularly big one crawls out from its lair. Seeing the Wizard's Eye, it attacks it, chasing it toward the party.) "
VICONIA (excitedly) "That's him, abbil, I recognize the pattern on his thorax. Oh, Valen, to see you like this..."
GALADRIA (Takes out scroll, reads it, as the thing nears the fence. The creature shrinks immediately, his hind legs becoming drow legs, his front two pair, arms. He looks about, astonished. Galadria transports him over the fence)
VALEN "What...where am I? Viconia! Is that you? You look so different. Who are these surfacers? (to Velkyn) Who are you? I feel as if I have just awakened from a long nightmare."

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Ok, we have your brother. Now lets get out of here!

(They all move to a nearby cave, secure from the eyes of the prowling drow of Lolth's sept, who are all patrolling near the surface, anyway.)
GALADRIA(to Viconia) "So, this is the famous Valen."
VICONIA"Yes, abbil, this is my brother. Valen, how do you feel? This is my Mistress, Lady Galadria, and her party. We came down to rescue you. This drow is Velkyn, who stands with us in this matter.
VALEN "Viconia, it is you. You seem so different than you were, right before I rescued you. Then, you were always insecure, afraid that the Matron would guess your squeamishness. Where have you been? I don't know how long that I havce been a Drider, but to have gone into the service of such a powerful mage, that could release me from Lolth's clutches, and to get her to actually coe forth to get me, that argues several years."
VICONIA "Later will have to do for all the talk we should have, Valen. My Mistress has had me in her service for years, now."

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Neb slithers contently over next to the others and changes back into his more or less human form, he remains quiet.

'Right!' Skip said maybe just a little too loud.
'Good to have found you. Pack your stuff, we're going back to Baldur's Gate! Nono, hurry up now, the sooner we are out, the better. Let's hurry, and try not to alert the guards, okay? Oh, right. Forgot to introduce myself. I'm Skip, and I clean weapons and similar items over at the Hall of Wonders, though these guys keep saying I'm a thief. Don't know where they got THAT notion, 'cause it's not true. I mean, check with any guild you like, you'll not find ME a member. Anyway, the sooner we get back to Baldur's Gate, the better. Maybe then this slavedriver can let me go, 'cause I didn't want to come in the first place. Not that I don't like you, it's just that I'm not a born adventurer liek these guys over here. You'd better be careful though, 'cause most people don't like Drow where I come from and... and I should probably shut up now, right? Okay, no problem. Stealth is my middle name. Not that I'm a thief or anything, nonono..."

He felt a blush growing under their stares, but he figured it was too dark to see much anyway.

He also felt more and more gloomy. Had he really given away all his stuff? What would be there for him if he came back? Nothing.
But this little trip had been beneficial to him. He hadn't wet his pants over anything these last few hours, despite seeing things more scary than he could imagine. He couldn't (or wouldn't) imagine anything too scary though, because that made him afraid. But maybe he would be a bit more confident from now on. Good. That'll be useful next time I get caught.
Not that he planned to get caught again, if he did indeed get out of this alive.

OOC>>Okay, everyone, I'm gonna post a new thread, now, because we're near the mystic 150 post where the mods turn us into pumpkins. It's been great gaming with you all, and I hope everybody will stay around for the sequel, if only to find out what Velkyn's big plan is, and what Valen is going to do with himself Love to you all.
Galadria

[ 01-23-2002: Message edited by: Galadria1 ]</p>