Life in the Underdark as Marquis Theates sounds exotic, but at times it resembles the life of a mid-level manager in corporate America, seen through infrared vision. Over the next few days, Inglorion attends a lot of meetings and briefings, and holds some. He writes and reads reports, resumes his usual alliances and vendettas. All […]
Though the throne room is grand — high-ceilinged and ornate — it gives a curious sense of intimacy. A whisper in any corner can be heard throughout with uncanny clarity. Inglorion walks down the aisle, between the rows of empty stone benches. As usual, Philomela sits on a low stone dais. Before her, there is […]
Inglorion returns to the inn, and makes final preparations to leave for the Underdark. He left Amakir abruptly, so it’s necessary to send instructions to his housekeeper to close the house and place herself and the other servants on leave. He also writes the following note: Dear Artemisia, The business that called me away from […]
When Inglorion wakes the following morning, it’s already hot and muggy. He cleans up as well as he can, but the washbasin and pitcher are unequal to weeks of accumulated dirt from playing cowboys and Indians in the North Mountains. By alternating charm with pathos, he persuades a parlor maid to send up a hip […]
Musical Score: Adam Ant, Shake Your Hips The last episode of Man Raised by Spiders, the coming-of-age story of Valentine Shelawn. In late November, gray elves hold a 10-day festival for Corellon Larithian. Every spare corner — porches, street corners, bow windows, even vacant lots — becomes an impromptu shrine ablaze with votives, heaped with […]
Several detachments of gray elvish troops are deployed to the North Mountains, lending intrigue to Inglorion’s return trip. They appear to be engineering units with infantry attached, sent to destroy any underground structures they can find. Inglorion is no great woodsman, but gray elvish soldiers don’t even pretend to understand the environment. They travel only in […]
He’s gone when her water breaks. The pain yanks her into the open, impales her in her body and the cell around her. She’s bound, as always. The force is terrible — a series of rhythmic blows from the inside that warp her frame. It grips her by the nape, shakes her over and over, […]
Another episode of Man Raised by Spiders, the coming-of-age story of Valentine Shelawn. A masked assassin bursts through the doorway. There are three more behind him, all armed with daggers. They must have been counting on some combination of surprise and weight of numbers to overcome their victims. Inglorion disarms his opponent with the first […]
He enters carrying a tray with a branch of lit candles and a jar of the viscous, violet-scented liquid. He’s quiet, but there’s a sense of barely restrained excitement about him. He feeds her quickly, and leaves her arms and neck strapped to the cot, the feeding tube taped in place. He watches her for […]
“I’ve wanted so much to get to know you,” says Tereus. “To share a meal, or the occasional smoke, or a drink. We both hold commands, after all. We’re powerful among our people. I’ve wondered if you felt doubt and regret about what happened — the troops you lost.” They’re sitting side-by-side on her little […]
