The Bitch is Back

As Chad waits outside in the cold night, a keen eye towards guarding the cave entrance, he is taken by surprise as Tala seemingly just materializes from the darkness of the night itself, brushes past him, and commands him to come.

She enters the cave and immediately the group notices something different about her.  Well, not quite different...more like familiar.  Thorbjorn recognizes her gait and stance and the commanding way she holds herself.  The look in her eye that reflects the "old Tala", the stone cold killer he admired before she took a turn for the more mild and diplomatic Tala.

The bitch is back.

"I would tell you that our worst fears are coming true, but I have no more fears.  From this moment on, I harbor only hate and vengeance in my heart."  Hesitating, she says, "Strike that.  I have no heart - now it is just a burning coal of hate.  Thorbojn, I know you are going to be very reluctant to help, but there are people we need to kill."  Her sarcasm is not lost on the giant.  "Well, not just kill.  Slaughter.  Let me explain.

"Though it has only been an hour since I stepped from this caver, much has transpired.  You asked me to attempt to commune with the Mother of the Night and so I did.  Unfortunately, I was met by another on the road thereon."  Long pause.  "It was an Abomination.  A thing that at one time called itself Drow but now an object that I would not claim to have ever belonged to my race.  She will be the first to die - by my hand.  When we have her, the deathblow is mine.  Any other way and I shall be...put out.  Ulu z'hin maglust dal qu'ellar valsharess zhah ulu z'hin wund lil phalar."

Tala pauses, seemingly caught up in some vision which pleases her, but perhaps not in a way that makes the rest of the group comfortable.  Those acquainted with legends of the Drow have heard that they are ruthless, cruel and would not hesitate to slit a throat, asking questions later.  They say it is a frightful thing to witness, though not many have lived to tell the story as the Drow are well-known for taking no prisoners.  You feel as if you might be seeing but a fraction of this wicked and unrestrained nature here, which gives a cause to step back.  In a moment, she focuses back on what is happening in the here and now.

"This thing, she spoke to me.  As I have said, she was at one time Drow, but now is an Abomination.  Her skin is entirely bleached and she has no mind as would befit a Drow.  On her face is tattooed the mark of a black dragon, much like we have seen before.  She spoke with me, or rather talked down to me, and I will not go into some of the details, as it is difficult to speak of and does not involve any of you, but the gist of it is that she demanded the orb which is in our possession.  For the orb she offered us the possibility to live.  This is how I know she is no longer Drow - Drow do not bargain - we take and then kill.  Or kill and then take.  In any case, she stated she is now one of the Children.  She would not elaborate on this, but I do have more information that I will share.  She talked about this "bleaching" effect and bragged that it was 'a disease from another plane which has no cure as there is no immunity to this disease in this plane.'  Of course she might have been speaking metaphorically.  But I am very clear in the fact that it is SHE that is the disease...and I am the cure.  I refused and she left me into the darkness."

Tala hesitates for a moment before continuing and even Mal can see there is a sadness that comes over her.  But it is a sadness that seems to be tempered with rage and hatred. She continues, in a voice that is much more soft and somber.

"It is then that I was able to contact the Dark Maiden, I cannot tell you all that we spoke about - some was for the ears of her servant alone - but I will say that I have never been more saddened as to what I observed.  She is in need of help, which I am of course sworn to give her.  She is not in need of diplomacy - she is in need of steel.  But more on that in a moment.  I will boil it down for you.  In the old lands of the east, a cult has arisen.  It is a cult of dragon worshipers - "The Children".  This cult is dedicated to hunting down dragons, either through their own hand or that of others...such as we.  That would, of course, explain the comment made by the White before we killed her.  The Children's rise to power is not coincidental with the waking of the dragons.  As we have seen, there are portals, and apparently one of these portals has leaked something into our realm - this 'disease'.  The result has been devastating - just look at the effects upon first world beings such as the Drow.  In addition, whatever has leaked into our world has awoken, not created or brought about, the dragons, whom the Children have sworn to slaughter.  But there is a greater plot to this.  Somehow the elimination of the dragons translates into the transference of magic into these orbs."  Tala gestures over to the orb the group obtained.  "This one, for instance, contains all of the divination magic in our land.  That is why we are not able to use those spells."

Tala glances at Wong to try and determine if he comprehends the magnitude what is going on here.  They hold, in their hand, all of the divine magic that exists in this plane in one concentrated orb.  She continues.

"I do not need to spell it out for you, but I will.  As these orbs fill, more and more magic will leave the land.  Soon, no magic will exist, the Children will have conquered all, and the First Worlders will be no more.  How do we cure this?  I was able to glean a bit of information.  Apparently the orbs need to be brought together and something has to happen to release the magic contained in them.  Our task is to gather information about the orbs, gather the orbs themselves, and do what needs to be done to release the magic.  Additionally, we mist find this portal and seal it to prevent further damage."

Tala stops as if trying to recall an additional obligation.  "Oh, and slaughter the Children.  Slaughter."

Tala is silent for a moment and studies the eyes of each person in the group, evaluating them as to whether they can be trusted to carry out this final task.  The group realizes that they are in the presence of something greater than the Tala they once knew and greater than the Tala she had become later.  She is no longer a fighter for her cause, capable of carrying out the tasks that were needed to advance her agenda.  She has BECOME her cause - an embodiment of the Drow.  She is not a Drow wielding a weapon, she is a weapon.

"So, what do we do next?  I have already scouted the town below and the dwarves have left via magic.   The Maiden tells me at least one among our group has the means to make contact with resources...and it is not Mal, who might or might not be listening right now.  Perhaps this person has been holding back this information."  Tala puts her hand on her holy symbol as if she is going to draw.  "It is time to stop with holding what is needed to be used.  It is time to set us on the trail.  The trail of blood.

"If you are not up to this, stay here in this town.  Make it your home.  You will be safe, I am sure.  But if you wish to continue, now is the time for action and not mere words.  There is no more bargaining with these Children.  There is only death to them.  They will be meeting the Weaver in another realm.  One in which they will suffer agonies that cannot be imagined."

She waits to see if any walk out from the cave.  Assuming none leave (or if they do she casts deeper darkness and attempts to slice their throat from behind), she addresses them all.  "Eilistraee kyorl d'jal."