Chapter 2- Succession
Everything was perfect.
Decades went by in what felt like a blink of an eye to the once lowly smith, who at this point stood as a Matron of growing renown. House Rilyn'qai was on many lips, whispers about their growing strength and quality, how did Imrae rise to the top so quickly...?
It all started seemingly out of nowhere, not even a week after Desith made her last appearance in Imrae's now previous residence. Luck was with Imrae at every turn- not long after the demon disappeared, Imrae continued to work the metal she had fought with before. The very next attempt produced a beautiful instrument of death with a sleek design that would cut through flesh like air. It was one of her best works at the time, and it remained so for years to come.
Once the finer details were tended to, Imrae put the blade on display immediately after the following cycle, her hopes of the blade bringing her good fortune peaked. And bring good fortune it did.
It felt like mere hours had passed before she walked through the door. Red eyes scanned the interior of the humble smith shop before their focus narrowed in on the blade Imrae had forged and perfected. Without a single word, she took one, two, three self assured steps to the blade, each one marked with the sway of her red tinged piwafwi- which denoted her a noble.
Imrae stood as still as could be as she dispensed with her busy work to eye the noblewoman's movements. She was unsure the name of this woman or whose House she represented, but the piwafwi itself was a symbol all commoners recognized, and respected if they wished to keep their lives.
With fluid motion, the noble reached for the sword and gripped it by its dark grey handle. She slid it out of its display with little effort and brought the shiny metal up to her face. Her eyes greeted their reflection with a scrutiny-filled gaze. The stare lingered a moment before red orbs wandered the length of the blade, the gripped hand eased the blade from side to side as she continued the impromptu examination.
The noblewoman then looked to the far side of the shop which, admittedly, was not far, to where a beaten combat dummy stood with what shreds of its pride the poor object still held after years of testing. Again without so much as a word, she took the blade over to the dummy. All the while, Imrae watched in silence. She dared not to offer protest or even assistance until asked.
The noblewoman stood in front of the aged dummy for a brief moment before. After a brief pause, and without warning, she lifted the blade above her head and thrust it downwards across the dummy, as if her intent was to break the blade. However, the blade sliced through the battered object cleanly, and ripped through the tattered fabrics without resistance. She paused as the red orbs examined the new state of the testing dummy before she repeated the action from a different angle with twice as much force, which produced a similar result as before. Finally, the noble gave no quarter as she, with all the might of her strong arm, struck at the combat dummy... only for it to fall apart and crumble into a pile of now worthless material that laid uselessly on the floor.
As she saw the remnants of the dummy settled onto the floor, she lifted the blade back to eye level and observed it- still as sturdy and beautiful as when she first set her gaze upon it. With her stony demeanor firmly in place she pivoted towards Imrae to finally acknowledge her presence.
"Who made this?"
To say she "asked" this would be an understatement, as she spoke in a flat, stern tone that could command an army to her whim without question. This was a demand for answers.
"I did." Imrae replied in a direct, respectful tone, her words kept brief and precise. This drow did not want her time wasted with pleasantries or lengthy explanations.
"Hm." Another scrutiny-filled look was cast onto the blade before her gaze shot back to Imrae. "It is a good blade." She said in what seemed to be an objective tone. "Can you make more like this?"
"Xas." Imrae stated with a curt nod. "With proper tools and material, of course."
"Of course." She repeated within the same, flat tone, once again her eyes upon the blade in what seemed to be careful consideration. They stayed on the metal, wandered its length several times as the two stood in a lengthy silence.
The red harsh orbs darted back up to Imrae. "I am Vankra, Ilharess of House Fav'ai."
Though her face dared not show it, Imrae's insides turned. House Fav'ai was a minor noble house, but an owner and investor of several mines and smiths, whose exports were sold in Menzoberranzan- and quite successfully so. How could she not recognize the insignia at least... and to be in ignorance in the presence of the matron mother herself, would be quite the embarrassment on Imrae's part if the noblewoman knew.
However fortune still seemed to be with Imrae at this point, as the matron mother did not seem to deem the knowledge necessary. And what she said afterwards peaked Imrae's interest:
"My head smith was taken out in a freak accident during forging a unique blade for my interests, and I have been looking to replace her. Few in Ched Nasad match her skill, and many who do are already claimed by other Houses and domains. You may naut be to her level yet but..." Another glance down at the fine blade, "...this is promising..."
The matron did not even give enough of a pause for Imrae to answer before she said, "You will be my new head smith. I will have my servants come and pack the necessary belongings and move you in the House."
Imrae blinked, stunned by the events that had transpired within minutes. She spoke in a voice that did not give her choice... though even if she did, how could Imrae refuse? No, it was not a noble title, and she was not necessarily adopted into the House at this point. But it was still a rise in power, and no self-respecting female drow would ever turn down such an opportunity.
After she recovered from the shock as quickly as she could, Imrae bowed her head in a respectful nod. "Xas, Ilharess... it will be an honor to serve you."
Imrae permanently resided in House Fav'ai by the end of that week, her work of producing arms and armors for Vankra already had begun the moment she stepped through their doors.
And just like that, one piece fell into another.
Being that the Matron Mother was so heavily invested in matters of smithing and mining, she and Imrae worked closely together- they created better designs for weapons and armors, found and acquired mines, and eventually negotiated prices with trade partners. It did not take long for Vankra to spot Imrae's talents not only as a smith, but as an appraiser and negotiator. In time, Imrae moved into the official, albeit lesser, position of Head Merchant, in which she oversaw prices and investments of the House's interests. Of course, while she did remarkable work for the House in terms of finances, Imrae was not satisfied with just that, as it was not her final goal. So, she began to focus her talents in an essential field- tactics.
It was quite the jump to make from the lesser Head Merchant to the nobility-recognized position of a master of tactics and defense. However, out of all the other nobility-recognized positions, the one in charge of supervision of the defenses of the House as well as the members' training in the art of war, was something Imrae was the most likely to excel in. Any obvious reaches for the position would alert the Ilharess to a power grab, so Imrae had to do this with tact and care.
As it happened, the current weapons master of the House at the time was an arrogant and brash fool who focused more on others' perception of him rather than his actual duties, and in the process made many slight errors within his responsibilities...
Once she had Vankra's trust as an advisor, Imrae began to point out a few flaws in the defense of the House- a blind spot here, a small opening there... little, yet important observations which she brought to the Matron Mother's attention which in turn, bit by bit, built her credibility. Over time, Imrae's observations became suggestions, each one the Ilharess took into consideration, and would more often than not follow through with them.
At some point, Imrae was so certain of Vankra's trust in her that she seriously considered taking out the weapon master herself, in hopes Vanrka would appoint her as the new master of defense and, by extension, raise her into a noble status. However, funnily enough, the old weapons master found his end at the hand of street ruffians in the darker alleys of Ched Nasad, which brought the fool to an ironic end- a master of defense unable to defend himself.
Vankra held no grief for the loss of her weapons master, as she had grown more and more tired of him with each failure of his which Imrae brought to her attention. With no other obvious option, Vankra moved Imrae up to the prestigious title of Weapons Master of House Fav'ai... and declared her a noble of the House.
In truth, Imrae was not the House's most skilled fighter- at this point, that would be Vankra herself. However, her knowledge of tactics and astute observations surpassed any other in the House, at least by Vankra's standards. Even though Imrae felt every observation and suggestion she made came rather easily to her. She barely lifted a finger to earn her new place, and yet she was still not satisfied. The climb had taken years, for certain, and yet it was still a short amount of time for how quickly she had risen from commoner to a weapons master. There was a lull in her succession after that, as Imrae patiently waited, bid her time to make her move into what she truly desired most- Ilharess.
She thought it would not be easy. Vankra had two daughters who were of age to take leadership of the House when something inevitably happened to Vankra, whether it be by their hand or another's. So Imrae would have to dispense of those two first, and in a way that did not alert Vankra to her true intentions. That would be difficult to pull off.
...Or so Imrae thought.
As it happened, even after all these years, luck would still be with Imrae. The eldest daughter was slain as she oversaw a valuable transportation of goods to Menzoberranzan when the crew was ambushed by agents of a rival House. Only one survived. The nigh impaled servant limped back to the House to tell the tale of what happened- before they were punished by death at the hand of Vankra for failing to come back with her daughter.
That left the second daughter, who seemed more cautious than her elder sister. Yet her caution could not save her from her fate either; while she lead an expedition to recover artifacts from a nearby dig sight, the ground beneath her feet caved in, and she fell to her death along with several of the House servants and excavators.
Within a few years after Imrae's rise to nobility, Vankra was left with no daughters. Once she received word of her second daughter's fate, she began to panic. With no heirs and rivals at the ready, her House had become dangerously close to falling. At first, Vankra held her suspicions from Imrae- sure, it was possible that Imrae could have tipped off the rival house of the elder daughter's transportation mission, and maybe she could have had it arranged where the old weapon's master would meet his fate at the hands of back alley ruffians- but the cave in at the excavation sight was surely a freak accident that Imrae could not possibly pull off. Surely, it was mere bad luck that plagued House Fav'ai...
...However Vankra's suspicious nature would not let that simply be the case. Over the span of a few months, Vankra grew more and more suspicious of everyone around her, the feeling reached its peak paranoia at one point when she outright accused her lessers of treachery they could not have possibly committed. Imrae knew it would only be a matter of time before Vankra turned her suspicions onto her.
And that she did.
One evening, Vankra had her advisors and lesser roles gathered into a main room, Imrae included, for a celebration of sorts. "A little revelry to ease the tension" she had told Imrae when she first invited her to the small, informal gathering. Vankra had said it with a slight smirk, a sight Imrae would later look back on and see as a thinly veiled ruse.
Imrae could recall the room down the exact detail. For a small occasion, the room had been decorated lavishly and delicious food that took the servants days to prepare set out on tables everywhere for all the guests to feast on. Beautiful music flooded the room, its volume only matched by the delightful banter of the guests. Everyone was dressed to look their best, including the Matron Mother who wore a ceremonial garb- a jewel-encrusted breastplate that was mainly for show, as it displayed several parts of her obsidian skin, acting as a pretty enhancer more than protection. The plate fanned out into an elegant gown, two blades at her hip (which Imrae designed and crafted for her), and white hair held up with silvery chains in the form of webs. She certainly looked her best this eve.
Vankra, at first, seemed rather calm, and even wore a red lipped smile for the majority of the evening, as if she was enjoying the opportunity to share in this moment of relaxation with her House. Imrae would later remember the smile as an anticipatory one.
At one point in the evening, Vankra called everyone to gather to the center of the room, while she stood upon the carefully carved stone steps of the room and invited Imrae to stand along with her. Vankra had an announcement, and it involved Imrae.
Imrae joined her with a smile of her own as she faced the other guests along with Vankra, while everyone else settled into view. The music ceased, the whispers faded, and all went silent as each eye was practically glued to the both of them.
Vankra started the speech while she faced her flock with a subtle grin. "This has been a wonderful evening, has it naut? Finally... a chance to simply unwind, to simply... be."
A few in the crowd had quietly nodded in agreement with smiles of their own, while the others silently listened with attentive expressions. Imrae, herself, also wore her polite smile as she eyed the Matron Mother, though she could not help but notice the feeling of ease had begun to slip away from her.
"Xas... we work hard, and we get what we deserve. As it should be." She turned to Imrae with a slow pivot, her subtle smile still on her lips. "When I think of the word "deserving", I think of you, Imrae. From the moment I saw your work those years ago... I knew you were deserving of much more than what you had."
Imrae remained silent as she smiled with appreciation, her focus on the Ilharess. Despite the fact her feelings of ease had vanished, not a shred of concern dared showed on her face.
"I could naut know, at the time, what you were deserving of." There was a shift in the Matron's face, suddenly her smile no longer touched her red eyes. "You rose so quickly through my House, far quicker than any before you. And you earned every position... didn't you?" Vankra's tone began to shift as well, and it was detected by several others in the crowd, confused glances had been cast alongside the dumb, imbecilic smiles of the unwary.
This was when Imrae's own smile began to falter.
"Xas... it was just one thing after another with you." Vankra continued with the smile now practically plastered to her lips. "With every passing, you were right there to take their place. And at first, I thought it could naut be possible that you had deceived me- you had done such good work for the House, and those deaths were no where related to you..." Finally the sham of the smile began to fade away as she uttered, "But that is what you wanted me to think... was it naut, Imrae...?"
Imrae shook her head, "I have naut deceived you, Ilharess, those deaths were completely out of my hand-"
"Silence!" She snapped, which took the other guests who knew Vankra as a cool, collected being by surprise. The mask had fully slipped, and her deranged paranoia had made its way to the surface for all to see. "Each and every death benefited you! First my smith, then my master of defense, then my own daughters! You climbed your way up on the bones of my flesh and blood and you think I would continue to be deceived?"
Imrae backed away a few steps, as she knew that to be in close proximity with Vankra's anger was good for no one's health. "I only took what you offered me, and did my best to raise the House. I had nauthing to do with any of these deaths!"
Despite Imrae's attempt to convey honesty, Vankra merely scoffed. "Tch! It is clear your greed knows nau bounds, and that you will only serve to stab me in the back. Well, Imrae... after all these years, I think I know what you truly deserve..." Each hand went to her blades and unsheathed each with a smooth motion, the metal gleamed in the faerie light that illuminated the lavish room during this tense moment. "Oloth plynn dos!"
With a deranged look in her red eyes, Vankra charged Imrae with no quarter. Imrae had but a second to react, and she did- she unsheathed her own longsword and deflected the blow that took much of her might to stave off. Vankra was the best fighter in House Fav'ai, after all... but Imrae learned so much during her service to the House, that she was now a fair match to the Matron.
The two spoke very few words as the skirmish continued. Imrae deflected each fiery blow dished out by Vranka with cold, precise strikes of her own blade. The two circled each other, each brought their fair share of attacks and defenses for what seemed like hours, which in reality was only a few minutes. The guests were captivated by the impromptu duel, some equally as entertained as they were fascinated.
Eventually Vranka picked up the pace with each blow, her strikes hit faster and harder than the last. Imrae had some trouble with the pace of her attacks, but kept in mind everything at stake in this moment (mainly her own life) and fended off each attack. Vranka had gone into a frenzy, she huffed and growled at her opponent. She had lost control.
Any drow that lost control this much deserved what Vranka got next.
Imrae had to find an end to this quickly, as her stamina could not keep pace with Vranka's fury. Within her rage, she left herself defenseless, too focused on Imrae's demise. Imrae used this to her advantage as she stepped a little away, knocked the blades out of Vranka's hands one by one, then stepped closer to deliver the killing blow- right into her dark heart.
Vranka's scream was cut short as Imrae's blade delved into her chest, the red orbs flitting down to the metal now buried within her, before they rose back up to Imrae. Life left her eyes quickly. Imrae pulled the blade from the now former Matron Mother's chest, the act caused her to fall dead before she even fully hit the floor.
As the blood flowed freely from the open wound on the deceased drow, Imrae turned to the crowd of guests that became an audience, whom stared at her with varying levels of shock. Imrae's face was cold, her left hand gripped tightly around her dripping blade.
Despite the fact her own heart pounded heavily in her chest, Imrae knew she had to act on this moment. She began by declaring boldly: "I have worked years to help this House rise where it is at. And in the end, the Ilharess lead herself to her own fate... I will naut have this House fall for her mistake."
Imrae took a few steps forward towards the crowd who remained captivated, now more than ever.
"I will be your Ilharess. I will lead us to wealth and glory, without the impediments of the one before. We are no longer House Fav'ai... all will learn to respect and fear the name... of House Rilyn'qai!"
No one was in the mood to argue. The last few months had been nothing but difficult for the lesser members of the House with Vranka's unending paranoia. And since she had no heirs left, there were little other options of succession. And the sight of Imrae sticking a blade into the House's best fighter in a mostly fair duel did much to quell the objections in the other members.
Imrae did not celebrate her rise to Ilharess, the position she longed dreamed of. Instead, she went to work on securing her position as quickly as possible. She first delegated roles to the most qualified of people, and dispensed of anyone else who did not meet her strict criteria. Then, looked into the assets of the House, which included the investments and properties of the House (which for the most part needed little change since much of it was already thought out by Imrae before). In the the decades that followed, Imrae had little trouble keeping her House and her position. The rival House who did in the eldest daughter from before was swiftly put into their place after they attempted infiltrate House Rilyn'qai, hoping to steal essential documents in the confusion of the transfer of power... Imrae sent back the remains of the infiltrator to the House.
They would not be heard from again for years.
Imrae took a couple of decades to secure herself, and within that time raised the House through the ranks into the upper twenty five noble houses with few set backs. After being certain of her position, finally, it was time to find a mate and have her first daughter, Nyless'arra.
Nyless'arra, whom as promised, Imrae dedicated to the Spider Goddess from birth, as a thank you to her for the honor that was bestowed unto the now powerful Matron. Imrae started her daughter on the path of becoming a Yath as soon as Nyless'arra was able to speak and walk. Imrae was grateful for this accomplishment in her life, she would not mess it up by producing unsuccessful heirs.
Nyless'arra took to the training with surprising maturity, as if she knew she was destined for the path in front of her. She even seemed to have taken an interest in her mother's talents of smithing, however Imrae pushed her towards her Yath training as much as possible. Much like her mother, Nyless'arra was focused, hardworking, and a perfectionist even from her earlier years. Imrae felt a bit of pride as she watched her first born grow.
It all came down to this moment. Ilharess Imrae of House Rilyn'qai, who stood out on the balcony of her successful, fortune-filled House, surrounded by loyal and competent subjects, with a daughter on her way to becoming a priestess of Lolth in due time. She looked down at the city of Ched Nasad, with a soft smile, and took it all in as she finally found the most peaceful moment she had in years.
Everything was perfect.
The sweet peace could not last forever, as Imrae had things to attend to. As Imrae turned on her heel she remembered that a House in Menzoberranzan sent over a trade request that she had to carefully look over. Perhaps she would do that before she sought rest for the night...
However as she stepped through the threshold of the balcony, her eyes caught sight of an unanticipated image. A tall, statuesque-looking female drow who stood in the middle of her bedroom. By instinct, Imrae's hand went immediately to her blade and gripped the handle, ready to unsheathe and do battle with the intruder- but then, her eyes recognized a face she hadn't seen in years, a face that made her freeze in place.
Desith stood there with a warm smile on her shapely lips.
"Vendui, Ilharess~"
