Underdark

Aurei's first trip to the Underdark is tainted by the impending doom to the Underground world.

36.

Underdark

 

To those who had never been in the vast underground world beneath Synomenia, the Underdark was an awe-inspiring, yet terrifying place.   That was the emotion felt by most in Aurei’s party as they followed Alleania down the cavern passage for what seemed like many miles.   Abruptly it opened out into a huge, seemingly endless cavern that stretched from north to south as far as any of them could see.   The ceiling of the cavern was many stories high and it was obviously a great underground highway, for in the center, the rock floor was almost flawlessly smooth.

 

On the ceiling and walls of the great cavern were glowing rocks in various places that gave off a variety of shades and colors of light, giving the impression of a moonlit night on the surface.

 

“Wow,” Alis said, glancing around and a bit shaken at the thought of something this large underneath the world she knew so well.

“It’s… incredible!”  Aurei said deep in awe, for though she was a Drow, she had never seen the underground home of her people and now her dark elf vision beheld the strange and wonderful beauty of the world.   It was alien, but absolutely fascinating.   She could see crystal clear for great distances and Eleazar smiled at her excited reaction, for he was becoming reacquainted with it at the same moment.

 

Even Zeatt seemed to be briefly enthralled by the sight of the ‘world’ of her birth.   Alleania and her Drow companions let them take it all in for a minute, pleased at their reactions.

 

“This is the great north-south highway of the Underdark, though actually, it travels more of a northwest to southeast direction.   Drow slaves widened and carved smooth this highway over the course of many centuries.”   Alleania explained.

 

“How wide is this cavern?”  Alvis asked the Vampire lady.

“A quarter of a mile wide, and in some places wider, for the whole distance.”  Alleania answered, “There are numerous watchtowers and rest stops along the route, as well as a fair number of side passages to various Drow cities.”

“Where are the teleportation relays?”  Eleazar asked, not overly thrilled to be back in the underground world that he had fled from, years before.

“Everyone wrap your cloaks about you as I instructed, and I will take you  to it.”

 

She had given them all dark grey, hooded Drow cloaks fitted with broaches showing the House Symbol of Ar’Rilla: crossed short swords held by two hands on a black field. 

“It is a new design that I created several years back to reflect our House’s association with armor and arms.”  She told them as they donned the cloaks.

 

She made certain that they looked as she thought was best, and then directed them to follow her into the cavern of the great highway.   A series of steps led down to the actual road, but she ignored these and instead turned a sharp right after entering the cavern.   They found themselves on a long walkway that followed the path of the great highway below it, but this path was only about 10 feet wide.   Alleania led them a short distance down the path until they saw in the half-light a dull glowing metal plate set into the floor, with another smaller one set at eye level in the cavern wall.

 

No-one was around and the whole place felt almost like a tomb.   The Drow that had come with Alleania seemed somewhat surprised that there was no activity at all on the highway.

 

They spoke something in Drow to Alleania and Zeatt and the Vampire lady stopped her preparations for the spell, and then looked around.

“Yes, it is rather devoid of activity.   But don’t worry, we’ll certainly meet up with others by the time we get to our destination.”

 

Still, the Drow family seemed unsettled by the lack of travelers.   Alleania did not seem concerned at all and was giving instructions on how to stand upon the platform when there came a flash of silver light and the sound of a gust of wind.   A moment later, upon the platform stood three Drow men in chainmail with short swords drawn, and two Drow women also in chainmail and with their weapons drawn.

They took a step back upon seeing everyone standing around the magic ring, but upon noticing Alleania, one of the females took off her helm and quickly started telling her something in Drow.

 

Aurei did not understand a word they said, but Eleazar was eavesdropping and whispered to her bits and pieces of what they were saying.

“Something about a war…” Eleazar whispered, then he listened closely a few moments later and added, “The teleportation ring system is blocked several hundred miles up the road.”

 

“Our lousy luck!”  Aurei said with a sigh, but secretly she was glad that they may not have to stay an extended time in this fascinating but rather creepy world.

 

Alleania talked to the four Drow for several minutes, and from the way they looked while they spoke, something very important had happened and deeply concerned Alleania.   Zeatt, who stood quietly nearby listening, was frowning and gently shaking her head as if disappointed.

 

Finally the four Drow who had teleported in, bowed before Alleania and hurried back onto the teleportation platform, touched the wall plate and vanished.   Alleania immediately turned back to face everyone and said, “That was some of my people that I had positioned along the relay just in case there was a problem.”

 

“And there is one, I take it.” Aurei responded.   Her mother nodded gravely, “Regrettably, we waited too late.    The invasion of the Underdark has begun.”

“The Emperor has sent legions into the Underdark?” Eleazar wondered.

“No, not exactly.   My people tell me that three days ago a huge force of Goblins, Hobgoblins, Orcs, Trolls and Ogres attacked the southernmost Drow city of Penril-Zochast.   But they were all equipped with Imperial armor and weaponry and apparently several Imperial legions are backing them up.    They also have brought the Gem of the Oscinate with them, for my spies tell me that all magic failed as soon as the army attacked.   This is Torrin’s doing, no doubt.”

 

“I thought Torrin was against all non-humans.   How did he manage to get an army of them to fight for his cause?” Alis asked confused by the news.

“My spies said they were fighting passionately as if they had a great and powerful purpose.   They’ve taken Penril-Zochast and Dea’Tholix, both which were well fortified and heavily populated Drow cities.   They said that this army then looted the city and burned it completely to the ground with some sort of unknown fire that can melt stone.”

“Melt stone!”  Eleazar exclaimed, “No magic fire spell even does that!   They don’t know how they did this feat?”

“No, they fled for their lives, but said that the flames and smoke filled the caverns for many miles.    Panic is filling the Underdark and many are fleeing for their lives.   The army is staying on the main passage of the Great highway, taking city by city.”

“I’ll bet Torrin is using the goblinoids like Redburr did when he first attacked King’s Reach; as pawns.   He probably is promising to leave them alone - give them the Underdark if they will conquer it for him.” Alvis theorized, “I know there are thousands of Goblins and Orcs that the Imperial Legions brought into Aeropolis as slaves after the battles with their tribes in the southern swamps.    There had been much debate over what to do with them amongst those in the capital city.”

“It looks like they found a solution.”  Zeatt commented, “It wouldn’t be hard to get the Hobgoblins and Ogres to join them if they knew they would be destroyed by the legions if they failed to obey.”

“So what will Torrin and The Emperor do?   If they conquer the Underdark, I mean.   Will they leave them alone, or betray them.” Aurei asked.

“I’d guess they’d leave them alone for a time, until he had conquered Northmarch and all surrounding lands and have firm control of everything.  Then they would rebuild their army and flush out those underground.”    Alvis replied.

 

Aeric shook his head and spoke up, “I think you all are slightly mistaken.   I don’t think these goblinoids are down here just to wipe out the Drow cities.”

“Then what is Torrin’s plan?”   Eleazar asked his Half-Elf friend.

“The spies said that they are burning the cities they are taking.   Who would burn a city - underground where there is little fresh air anyway- and then give them a burned out husk?   I think they are driving them forward under terror of something coming behind them.   Perhaps that which is creating such powerful fire.    I think the Goblinoids’ purpose is to simply clear the path from the southlands for the legions behind them.”

“For what purpose?” Alis asked her husband.

“So the legions can use this same highway to attack us from two flanks - one from the north, the other coming up through Southgate.”

 

His theory surprised and alarmed everyone and for a moment those from Westmark stood considering it.

“You know,” Alvis finally said, “That would make sense - they use their ‘pawns’ to kill off the Drow and the legions march behind them.   By the time they reach the northern end, the goblinoids would be greatly diminished in numbers, so they could either be killed or else used against Westmark or Tarmard.   We wouldn’t dream of them marching around us in winter time, and then attacking us. “

 

“It does sound strategically logical.   The Emperor would not need much coaxing by Torrin to agree to this.”  Eleazar agreed, then, adding as he looked at Alleania, “He would also manage to cripple the Drow forces as few of the cities off the main highway would dare come up against his legions.   I imagine the lesser Drow cities would just wait for them to pass by as long as the legions didn’t target any side passages.”

 

Alleania nodded, “Yes, they have no sense of racial unity.   The cities are rivals of each other and none would be too saddened to see the rich cities along the primary highway destroyed.”

 

“What about the teleportation relay system?”  Aurei asked.

“With the Gem of the Oscinate used by their forces, we won’t be able to go past them on the relay.   The anti-magic will stop the relay when it gets within range.”

“Wonderful!” Aurei sighed, “Now what do we do?”

 

They quickly debated the options before them.  Eleazar and Aurei were insistent that warning of a surprise attack be given to Tarmard and Westmark, but Alleania was hesitant as this would reveal to the Sylvan Elves the entrance to the Underdark.

“Alleania, a much more dangerous threat awaits the Underdark if we don’t stop Torrin and the Emperor’s forces.”

The Drow lady sighed, “Very well, it would seem that the security of the Underdark is breached forever anyway.”

 

Eleazar asked Aeric and Alis to warn Tarmard and Westmark and help them prepare for the suspected northern invasion.

“What are your plans while we do this?”   Aeric asked his old friend.

“If the Gem of the Oscinate is being used in the Underdark, then I would imagine that Torrin is here too.   We’ll find both at the end of the teleportation relay, I would think.   What choice do we have but to go forward and try to find the Gem and take it, dealing with Torrin or even the Emperor if he is with him.”

“You’ll have an army to fight your way through!”  Aeric replied.

“Yes, but it is better to try while they are in the Underdark than it would be when they are laying waste to the countryside on the surface.”

“But surely an army could not march through the same passage we went through to enter the Underdark!”  Alis said.

“They won’t have to use that one.”  Alleania told her, “Thirty miles to the northwest of that entrance is a grand cave that an army could easily march through.   It has been tightly guarded and sealed shut by the Dwarves for centuries, but if their forces were pulled away from guarding it, I’m sure it could be reopened.”

“King Kylheilm pulled most of his troops to the south to help defend Westmark.”  Alvis informed everyone, “After Redburr’s men attacked Forgegate it looked as if the invasion was coming from the southeast.   Now I’ll wager that is why the Emperor Fortatius ordered that assault.”  

“He knew Redburr’s army was too weak to take the Dwarven kingdom and probably not strong enough to take Westmark.   But it would cause us to look to the southeast for the invasion and Kylheilm would pull the garrison guarding that entrance to the Underdark.”

 

“Then that seals it for me: we’ve got to warn the Dwarves along with Tarmard and Westmark.   The rest of us will try to get the Gem of the Oscinate and take it out of range, if possible, so the Drow or anyone facing Torrin’s army can use magic against them.”

 

“My spies told me that aside from the highway citadel of Mos Kartuch, the next city in line of march of the army is Hor’olorbb -- my home city.”  Alleania said, “I know the city will fall, but the Ar’Rilla estate has numerous secret passages that lead to various safe houses in and around Hor’olorbb.    I think that once this army was to besiege the city, we could use some of these passages to get behind their forces.”

Eleazar looked skeptical, “Their army will spread out a great distance, even along the highway.   Do you have passages that connect to the Main highway further south?”

 

“Yes " Ar’Rilla is primarily a merchant house, Eleazar, and as I have told you, we also hide followers of Yesh.   We have extensive passages in both directions.”

 

Eleazar glanced at the others in the group, “It wouldn’t be easy to get around an entire army and then - in the very midst of them- take the most important artifact of that army.    But if we don’t try, I fear we will be hard pressed to defeat them without magic.”

 

“But how are we going to escape with it?   We would have to take it 10 miles away to end the anti-magic affect, wouldn’t we?”   Aurei asked her husband.

 

He nodded, having no easy words of comfort and she realized that the mission would probably be suicidal in nature.

 

“Well”, She said after a moment, looking over at her friend Alis, “If we’re going after it down here, I certainly don’t want to have Aidan with us - whether there is a protective spell around her or not.   Alis, will you take her with you?”

 

The half-Elf girl nodded grimly, not enjoying the finality of the conversation right then.

 

***

 

Thirty minutes later they were ready to proceed.    The spell around baby Aidan was dissolved and Aurei and Eleazar sadly kissed their youngest child goodbye then handed her over to Alis.

 

The two Half-Elves would also take the three children of Uyuit with them, while the Drow father bravely volunteered to assist Alleania, since he was familiar with many of the secret passages.

 

As soon as they disappeared down the passage that led back to the surface, Aurei turned to her husband, tears in her eyes, “I fear we may never see them again, but I am glad we gave Aidan to her.   I wondered about that Cradle spell  --wouldn’t the Gem of the Oscinate have neutralized it?   Then we would have had our baby there right in the middle of that terrible place.”  Aurei trembled at the thought.

 

“Paladins don’t feel fear.” He reminded her, hugging her close.

“No, but mothers do, and I can’t help but wonder what will happen to Aidan if we fail in this mission and are killed.”

“Shh!” Eleazar said to her, “We will not have any of that talk!   Yesh is with us and we have right on our side.    Do not let this gloomy place fill you with hopelessness, sweetheart.   We will succeed.”

“Are you certain?”   She asked, her eyes pleading for a show of confidence from him.

“Yes.” He replied, and though it was a lie, he hoped she would still gain strength from it.

Reviews

[Elina]

"...the Underdark is an awe-inspiring and yet terrifying place." It may sound better if you replace "is" with "was" and place a comma after "awe-inspiring" and remove the "and." ?
"...the rock floor was nearly flawlessly smooth." Perhaps change "nearly" to "almost" or dome other synonym. It sounds a bit odd with the double "-ly" endings.
"...and I will take you there to it." You can probably remove "there."

[Eddie Davis]

Wow, you must have been waiting for me to post that one! You read very quickly! Thank you as always for improving on my hillbilly grammar. You are extremely kind to take the time to help and I do appreciate it.

[Elina]

Haha! I just happened to check to see if you had posted anything new for the day...and was pleasantly surprised to find that you had. It is a joy to read your books, "hillbilly grammar" and all!