[Attalus]

Hey, sorry about the wait. RL got a little complex, there. But today, I did some more:

Ravage rose quickly to her feet. She glared a bit at Matron Lutecia and spoke. "It is true that I have these things. My daughter Abondier brought them to me, like a good daughter should. She was Captain of the Watch when these things were found outside the main gate, on a glowing pillar, which any of you is free to examine, as well." She drew forth the eye-like object, and the attached note, marched up to the table in front of Matron Bumare, and placed them before her.
Bumare opened her mouth to speak, but was forestalled by a whoosh and a glowing sphere before her. A picture formed, and it looked exactly the same to each of the Matrons assembled there, regardless of her perspective. A Drow woman sat before them, seated comfortably on a carven chair. A collective groan came from them when they saw that, in the place where most Drow wore their House Badge, the woman wore a mithril pendant of the Watchful Eye of Helm. She was fully armored in closely fitted scale that looked like Red Dragon, and leaned both of her hands negligently upon the handle of a huge hammer that some of them recognized as the legendary Crom Faeyr. A blue-stoned ring glitttered on the third finger of her left hand.
After a minute, the apparition spoke: "Matrons of Ust'Natha," she began in a throaty growl, "I am Viconia DeVir, of whom some of you may have heard."
Lutecia could not restrain herself at this point, and shreiked, "Traitor! Murderer!", for she had seen her, briefly, when her mother had unknowingly employed her, and Attalus, too. This had resulted in her death, and many another Drow. However, Viconia spoke on, for she could not hear her. This semblance had been cast several days before.
"My husband, Lord Attalus, has arranged for this message to be sent to you, for, unlike civilized races, we have no ambassador to complain to, and any envoy that we sent would be tortured and murdered. This we know well. So, I shall convey to you the words of my husband, in the drow language that I no longer speak, except to curse.
"Know, Matron Mothers of Ust'Natha, that we have identified the source of the war party which you sent to harass us, and nearly greatly embarrassed us, as well. The vehicle of this message was the whip of Shal'drissa Despana, whom I know is of your people. We hear from the folk that they fought that you were seeking a princess of the Moon Elves to sacrifice to Lloth, and, we suspect, to cast doubt on our guardianship. Obviously, this attempt was foiled. But, to forestall any further attempts, we decided that we shall make not empty threats, but to put you in fear of your own worthless lives."
"Know further, Matron Mothers, that any incursion by the drow, no matter whence they seem to come, into my husband's domains again will be punished, not by mere reprisals, but by the death of one of your number. You know my husband, and the Matron of House Despana will bear me out, that he is quite capable of doing this. He will seek you out, infiltrate your House, and kill you. If we can identify the House responsible, of course we shall target that one, but mistakes will happen. If we cannot idenify a specific one, we shall choose one at random. House Despana is not in particularly good odor right now, so bear this in mind."
The simulacrum vanished. The shocked Matrons looked sidelong at each other. They had tried to wage war against Attalus before, and were still licking their wounds. Many a fine Drow House was decimated or extinguished entirely at the seige of Baldur's Gate. Invasion or war was not an option. Now, they wondered at how sincerely they desired to raid the Surface near Baldur's Gate.