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[Drayden Calamyr]

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This evening seemed more cold than the others. The Drow held his cloak tightly about him in order to
try and stave off the chill, bitter wind. The wine he had shared with his old friend seemed to take the
sting out of the cold, but not by much. Drayden's mind was busy this evening as he returned to his home.
He stepped inside, quickly shutting the door behind him. He was not taking any chances, his home was being
cased earlier by a random local. The words spoken with an old friend and leader brought back fond memories
of the past. Yet he still held on to much guilt and anger. Anger about those who could have fought harder,
anger towards the Dark Order that sought to rule the lands of Felucca. Guilt for his failure to save his friends
that the Order had corrupted and taken. Guilt for losing the one woman he felt could help him find a better
path.

Drayden sat down in his comfortable chair, an open book lie on the table before him.
You shouldn't beat yourself for the past. Those humans knew exactly what they were doing.

"Can you please go away?" He heared his voice echo off the stone walls of his quiet home.
The voice filled his thoughts...that familiar voice.
I will leave you when you have learned. You cannot trust the humans. Nor can you trust the Matron
for that matter. There are very few that will afford you any trust simply because of your appearance.

Drayden let out a long breath and picked up an almost empty bottle of wine and drained it into a glass on the table.
The pain was too much to bear, pain that only seemed to pass with a drink. He stared out the window, deep in thought
and sipped calmly on his glass of wine.
"The Matron. She has much to offer and it suits me to work with her. I will need to sire children and the one woman who
was worthy of that is gone. Dead for all I know. Rest in peace with your Dark Order Alessandra." The last sentence was
spoken so low that even Drayden could not hear his own voice.
A dark yet quiet laugher was heard within his mind,
Yes of course, one will need to carry on our bloodline....my son. But not with a pale skinned weakling from the surface.
"Leave me to my thoughts father. I do quite well without you interupting every thought with your commentary"
With that said, the voice ceased it's intrusions. Drayden watched the still, cold night of the desert out his window...
He could remember more now. He could recall his last night with those who captured him for so long. They broke him.
They had won...
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He had found it hard to track time here. The beatings had gone on for some time, leaving his body wracked with pain
and his mind dulled from exertion. The female Drow relished in causing him pain. He was surprised that he could still breathe
The only comfort he had now was that the cool stone floor really was below him. He coughed and opened his eyes, body screaming
at him has he rolled onto his side and tried to stand. It seemed he wasn't bound any more.

Drayden looked down at himself as he weakly rose to his feet, he looked down at his own body, noting the numerous marks that
were still left from his encounter with the whip. The drow spit to the ground, letting loose a large amount of bloody mess. He could
feel someone outside the heavy door in front of him. He could hear their breathing, their hidden footsteps. His crimson eyes scanned
the room quickly, there would NOT be a repeat of their last meeting. Drayden grinned then, perhaps Lloth smiled upon him, for sitting
innocently in the corner beside the door was his Kryss. No armor, but he supposed that he would only have one shot at this, so it
didn't really matter if he had armor on or not.

His bare feet carried him silently across the floor to his weapon which was picked up immediately. He held his breath and flattened himself
against the wall near the door, like a predator lying in anticipation of his next kill. Where did this come from? How did I learn these things?
The Drow felt the rush of the anticipation. He would kill this Drow female. She had taken his strength, his soul. She had taken the last he
had to keep.

Drayden heard it then, the jiggling of the door knob and the mechanism clicking open. He froze, gripping the curved blade in his right hand.
The door opened, covering his view completely of who was entering his cell. The foot steps padded inside of the room....the door began to shut...

He stepped expertly out as the door slammed shut, thrusting with his weapon in an attempt to catch the female off guard. Then he saw the person
whom had entered.
No...
In a flurry of blond hair, the female had a blade drawn and slapped aside Drayden's thrust. The drow was still in complete shock...
"Alessandra?"
"You betrayed me Drayden! You stole me from my family!" With blue eyes ablaze with anger, she came across with her blade, giving Drayden
only a second to parry with his own weapon. He pushed hard as their weapons met, sending sparks at the two metals pushed and scraped on
one another. The Kryss and longsword were locked at the hilt now, both combatants pushing against one another. He could see her fully now....
still beautiful, though her eyes held a hatred he had never seen in the woman before.
"I am going to kill you! Such a twisted and typical drow. You betrayed me! I loved you and you betrayed me!!!" She screamed at him and swung once
Drayden side stepped, slapping the Kryss against the side of her weapon to keep it at bay.
"I didn't Aless....please..." The only response he received was a cry of anger followed by two more cross slashes from the enraged elf woman.
Something changed in him that day. For as her second swing came down upon his head he quickly brought his blade up in front of his face, a loud
metallic clang was heard again as he parried what was to be a death blow.
He quickly crouched and pivoted on his feet with the Kryss leading his strike.

Alessandra jerked quickly and gasped as the Kryss stabbed into her ribs. The precise strike was enough to steal the life from the elf almost immediately.
She crumpled to the ground in a heap. Her blood staining the black stone floor. Drayden kneeled beside her. Still in complete shock....
Where did she come from? He shed a few tears, looking at his old lover's dead body. He could feel the still warm blood settling on his hands.
It was time to go....
The door wasn't locked, and he quickly made his way out of the cell, taking the blade and leaving Alessandra's corpse lying there.

Drayden didn't know it at the time. But Alaundril, the one who brought him to this place entered only seconds after Drayden's hasty retreat.
The old Drow male looked down at the dead body. It wasn't that of the woman Drayden called Alessandra. It was the female that had found
such pleasure in torturing him over the last year. Alaundril grinned widely. 'You're finally learning...."
"Dalninil Jiv'undus, v'dre xuil llloth..." (Sister pain rest with lloth)
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Drayden slept fitfully that night....

[Drayden Calamyr]

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He made not a sound as he quickly moved down the long hallway. The entire place seemed to be made
from the same black colored stone. Seeing an opening to his right, he quickly slipped into the dark room.
Though his body was torn, his mind was sharp. It even seemed like his vision was even better during his stay
here. Drayden paused for a moment to listen down the hall way, it seemed that all was clear so he began his
sweep of the small room he happened into.
It didn't take him long. He quickly found his belongings in an armoire in the corner. Everything was still intact.
Drayden strapped on the suit of leather armor with little effort, having done this so many times. Having gathered
everything, he noticed something that wasn't his. At least, not until now. Sitting alone in the bottom corner was
the finest blade that Drayden had ever seen. It was quite large, and needed too two hands to use properly but it
was fairly light and exellently balanced. The blade itself was curved, much like a saber but much larger.
Without a second though he grabbed the blade, sheathing the kryss he still held.

It seemed that none followed. At least not yet. It was easy to find his way out, the place had very few rooms, and
almost no inhabitants to speak of. The large archway at the only entrance to the place was carved from black obsidian.
He saw the symbol of a scorpion standing over the crest of the arch.
"Odd..."
After a quick look behind him to make sure he was alone, he ran through the arch and out into the tunnels of the underdark....