Exodus
The epic journey of the Drow who rejected evil and traveled across the continent in search of a new home
The time was ripe, the omens were good, and everything was ready for the great exodus.
Today was the day the Drow of Fyln'thas would officially reject the evil goddess Lolth and the despotic lifestyle of their brethren. Guided by the Luxon and their beacon, the enlightened Drow gathered for one last time to go over the plan. It is believed that 250 or so Drow began this journey here. The leader who was chosen to speak for all the band of rebels, Larynda Tin'lyr, spoke of the plan. The young priestess spoke with a true sense of devotion for the cause and was one of the most eager to leave their past behind. "As soon as this kicks off, all the Drow of Lolth in Fyln'thas and a mile around will decend upon us, so it's important for us to be quick. Zara, love, I know you can create a diversion that will give us enough time, right?" Zar'aya Dhunnyl was one of the few who were given the knowledge of Dunamancy by the Luxon itself. A powerful spellcaster, Zara could bend the forces of time and gravity to her will, and was going to bring down this power on the Drow settlement to distract the main forces from noticing their departure until it was too late. She was also Larynda's partner, not only in leadership, but in love. "I will take care of it and then join the rest of you," she said. Larynda nodded and turned back to the group. "At the signal, we run to the tunnel in the east, then take the second right tunnel. That should lead us straight to the surface after a few miles. If anyone stands in our way, Gwen, I expect you to protect those of us who are unarmed." Gwendolyn Faertala stood vigilantly in full chitinous plate armor with her glaive in one hand and a shimmering lavender colored dodecahedron with gold trims and two handles in her other. "Of course," she said.
Larynda stood up and spoke to all 250 of the Drow, "Sisters and brothers, for many generations, our people have done terrible things and built these infernal underground civilizations to enslave and torture! 50 years ago, we were made aware of the Luxon, the entity that brought us enlightenment. With their guidance, we were able to steer clear of the evil influence of the spider goddess and forge our own path. It has given us the knowledge of the art of Dunamancy and unlocked the key to our eternal survival!" Larynda gestured to the dodecahedron Gwen was holding. "However, the children of the spider goddess caught on to our treachery and we are no longer welcome here in our old home. Destiny calls to us; we must leave this place and make our way to the surface, where many of us will bear witness to the sun and the moon for the first time. There, we will find a new place to call home, one where the Spider Goddess can influence us no more and one where her children will not dare to go. It is time. May the Luxon guide us!"
The 250 Drow prayed to the Luxon and on cue, Zara grabbed her staff and spell book and darted off into the settlement. She had dreamed of this moment and calculated exactly where to strike for the most damage. The benefit of living underground, is that the Drow have built on the floor and the roof of the massive cavern that is the Underdark. Just above a stone statue to Lolth, where three priestesses were in the process of worshiping, was a large guard tower build into a large stalagmite on the cave ceiling. Or wait, was it stalactite? Zara, though she lived underground for her life of 400 years, could never remember which one was which. Regardless, she ducked into an alleyway which gave her a clear line of sight to the destruction. She raised her staff and aimed it just at the tip of the rock formation, recited an arcane incantation in a whisper, and a tiny black sphere manifested itself in the world. The sphere then expanded into a 20 ft radius sphere of darkness with the sound of warping space as it began to suck in everything nearby with extreme force. The three priestesses tried to grab onto something, but eventually they were pulled into the orb and disintegrated. The stature crumbled into pieces and was sucked into the black hole, the stalagmite immediately broke from the cave ceiling and collapsed downwards, breaking to a million fragments of rock and dust that instantly fell into the void. The nearby structures began to buckle and collapse under the extreme power of gravity. Drow who were nearby were holding onto poles and rocks to avoid getting sucked into their doom. As the garrison began to arrive to investigate, Zara pictured the group and her lover, and hastily cast a teleportation spell. Within a second, she bamfed next to her friends, who were already out of the settlement's walls. She could hear the sound of soldiers behind them: "The traitors are escaping!"
Zara's distraction was enough to occupy a portion of the settlement's soldiers. The rest, however, began to give chase to the rebels. "We cannot stop now! We keep going!" Larynda shouted to her followers and she led the way out of the large cavern Fyln'thas was situation and into one of the many tunnels of the Underdark. The Drow warriors were approaching rapidly behind, readying their crossbows while the elite Driders crawled on the ceiling. "I knew they wouldn't let us go so easily!" Gwen exclaimed and readied her glaive, just as a volley of crossbow bolts from the pursuers fell upon the fleeing Drow. The innocent Drow yelled in pain as they were struck and fell to the ground as the lethal Drow poison surged through their bodies, paralyzing them. Zara spoke another incantation and launched from her staff an orange bead that streaked across the tunnel, lighting up its walls as it impacted the ground near the hostile Drow and exploded in a massive fireball, roasting the Drow in its radius. At the same time, on of the pursuing Driders dropped from the ceiling onto the fleeing Drow below. Before it was able to strike at an innocent man, the Drider was sliced by Gwen's glaive. It turned its attention to the heavily armored woman, and Gwen leaped into the air, swinging her glaive for a powerful downward strike. As she did, two semi-translucent and meta-physical images of Gwen appeared on opposite sides of the Drider and simultaneously struck the Drider with their glaives. The creature let out a scream of pain as two of its legs were sliced off. With a final strike, Gwen impaled the half Drow - half spider monstrosity in its abdomen as it fell to the ground dead. Another volley of crossbow bolts were sent into the crowd. Some struck Gwen but they deflected off her armor. Some more came for Zara, but she instinctively put up an arcane barrier and deflected all the bolts aimed at her. The innocent Drow in the crowd wen't so lucky, and a few more fell and had to be left behind.
The case continued up the tunnel, until they hit a blockage. A portion of the cavern had collapsed and is preventing passage. The Drow started to panic as their pursuers continued to give chase. There were 230 Drow who had made it to this point. They all looked upon Larynda expectantly. "Zara! Can you do something about this?" she yelled to her companion. Zara responded, "I can try, give me some cover!" As Zara began to focus, Larynda held her symbol of the Luxon and a cloud of pitch black darkness separated the rebels from their pursuers. "This should buy us some time." Zara held her staff out as another black hole formed against the wall of rocks. Slowly but surely, the rocks began to move aside and be obliterated by the force of gravity. As the hostile Drow emerged from the darkness, they were cut down by Gwen and blasted with divine magic by Larynda. A lucky shot pierced the veil of darkness and found purchase against Zara, who was too focused on maintaining the spell. She yelled in pain and her focus on the spell was broken. Only a small path was made, large enough for only maybe two to three individuals to go through at a time. In her anger, Zara pulled out her own crossbow and fired it just as a warrior emerged from the veil, and it struck her in the throat. The burning poison surged through her body as she struggled to get herself up, eventually helped to her feet by Larynda. "You're hurt!" she exclaimed. "It's nothing, we need to make sure everyone gets through!" Zara said to her partner and she stood to her feet.
A handful at a time, the fleeing Drow made their way through the hole in the cave in, while Larynda, Zara, and Gwen held back the pursuers. At this point the darkness had dispersed and the army of angry Drow could be seen approaching. Another volley of crossbow bolts flew across the tunnel into the bottleneck, striking many innocent Drow. Gwen and her echos battled multiple enemies at once, taking the blows with her armor. Larynda and Zara were firing spells at the enemy. Soon, there were only a dozen or so Drow who were not yet on the other side. The three leaders started to fall back to the remaining Drow, as yet another volley of crossbow bolts were fired. Zara was struck in the chest once more. As she was about to cast another spell to retaliate, she received another crossbow bolt in her stomach. The poison from both bolts overwhelmed her and she fell backwards as her vision became blurry. "Zara!" Larynda yelled, "I'm not leaving her!" On the ground Zara saw a warrior approaching her, with a blade in their hand, mere moments from bringing it down on her and ending her life. Suddenly a flash of energy and she saw the form of Gwen appear in front of her and received the blow, falling and vanishing in to dust. She looked up and saw the real Gwen swing just above her, striking the warrior and killing them. She let down her hand and pulled Zra up. "I won't leave you, sister! We're gonna get to the surface and see the sun!" Gwen told her friend. The three were the last to make it through the hole. Once they were through, Larynda blasted the weak structure of this section with her divine magic, and the small hole collapsed, separating the pursuers from the now free Drow.
Only 190 made it this far. But with their pursuers far behind them at this point, they were nearly at the surface. Gwen and Larynda carried the badly wounded Zara on their shoulders. The poison and blood loss were taking their toll. All their resources and power were spent, and the group had no healing potions left. Zara grew weaker and weaker each passing minute. However, the tunnel began to get steeper and steeper, and a slight breeze was felt. The Drow began to rush forward with a a renewed sense of excitement, almost at the surface and ready to witness this mythical sun they have only seen in dreams. "We're almost there, Zar'aya! Stay with us," said Gwen. Larynda couldn't bring herself to say anything. The thought that she might lose her loved one is all that she could think of. They pushed forward as the surviving Drow rushed through the cave. "I see a light!" With these words echoing through the cavern, the Drow began to cheer and scramble forward. The exit was just ahead! The 190 Drow poured out of the cave and were immediately blinded by the majestic intensity of the sun. It was painful and they all fell to the ground as they poured out, but despite this, they all cheered and praised the Luxon for their guidance. Adjusting to the sunlight after generations of living in the caves of the Underdark was one of the many hardships they would have to endure for the Luxon. Larynda, Gwen, and Zara were some of the last to exit the cave and into the light. "We made it! Praise the light, we made it!" cheered Larynda, while instinctively shielding her eyes. "So bright..." muttered Gwen as she flinched and recoiled from the radiant sky. Zara, who was barely hanging on to life, looked up towards the sky. "It's... beautiful," she muttered between her heavy breaths. The Drow emerged in a vast open plain. Almost no shelter from the sun's overwhelming rays existed, other than a cluster of about 6 small trees within walking distance. It wasn't much in the way of shade and could not offer cover for all 190 of the Drow, but they persevered. As the sun began to set, the Drow watched in awe as the sky shifted from its heavenly blue to the oranges and purples of the sunset, the sun disappearing over the horizon. The moon rose over the mountains they had emerged from and the sky was filled with stars. Zar'aya lied on the dirt, starring up at the night sky as the life escaped her. Larynda held her partner's hand tightly. Zara looked up her, and reassuringly said "My mate, I've lived all I can in this life. We're free now, the Luxon is watching over us. I will be reborn, and I will find you again in the next life, my love." Her breaths grew ever shorter as Larynda, tears in her eyes and barely able to speak, said "Rest now, my love. We couldn't have done this without you." And the breathing stopped. Gwen put a hand over Larynda. "She will be with us again soon. We have the beacon," she said, gesturing to the pulsating dodecahedron. The followers of the Luxon knew, with this beacon, they will be reincarnated into an infant where they will grow up and remember the events of their previous lives. Indeed, there were 4 infants among the 190 Drow rebels; with luck one of them should become the new body for Zar'aya. Only time will tell, but for now, the Drow knew they had to keep going. For the rest of the night, the Drow buried their fallen hero, and mourned over the ones they lost in their escape, but they also celebrated their newfound liberty and rested for the night. Early in the morning, before the sun rose over the mountains they emerged from, the Drow set out in search of their new home.
Only 190 made it this far. But with their pursuers far behind them at this point, they were nearly at the surface. Gwen and Larynda carried the badly wounded Zara on their shoulders. The poison and blood loss were taking their toll. All their resources and power were spent, and the group had no healing potions left. Zara grew weaker and weaker each passing minute. However, the tunnel began to get steeper and steeper, and a slight breeze was felt. The Drow began to rush forward with a a renewed sense of excitement, almost at the surface and ready to witness this mythical sun they have only seen in dreams. "We're almost there, Zar'aya! Stay with us," said Gwen. Larynda couldn't bring herself to say anything. The thought that she might lose her loved one is all that she could think of. They pushed forward as the surviving Drow rushed through the cave. "I see a light!" With these words echoing through the cavern, the Drow began to cheer and scramble forward. The exit was just ahead! The 190 Drow poured out of the cave and were immediately blinded by the majestic intensity of the sun. It was painful and they all fell to the ground as they poured out, but despite this, they all cheered and praised the Luxon for their guidance. Adjusting to the sunlight after generations of living in the caves of the Underdark was one of the many hardships they would have to endure for the Luxon. Larynda, Gwen, and Zara were some of the last to exit the cave and into the light. "We made it! Praise the light, we made it!" cheered Larynda, while instinctively shielding her eyes. "So bright..." muttered Gwen as she flinched and recoiled from the radiant sky. Zara, who was barely hanging on to life, looked up towards the sky. "It's... beautiful," she muttered between her heavy breaths. The Drow emerged in a vast open plain. Almost no shelter from the sun's overwhelming rays existed, other than a cluster of about 6 small trees within walking distance. It wasn't much in the way of shade and could not offer cover for all 190 of the Drow, but they persevered. As the sun began to set, the Drow watched in awe as the sky shifted from its heavenly blue to the oranges and purples of the sunset, the sun disappearing over the horizon. The moon rose over the mountains they had emerged from and the sky was filled with stars. Zar'aya lied on the dirt, starring up at the night sky as the life escaped her. Larynda held her partner's hand tightly. Zara looked up her, and reassuringly said "My mate, I've lived all I can in this life. We're free now, the Luxon is watching over us. I will be reborn, and I will find you again in the next life, my love." Her breaths grew ever shorter as Larynda, tears in her eyes and barely able to speak, said "Rest now, my love. We couldn't have done this without you." And the breathing stopped. Gwen put a hand over Larynda. "She will be with us again soon. We have the beacon," she said, gesturing to the pulsating dodecahedron. The followers of the Luxon knew, with this beacon, they will be reincarnated into an infant where they will grow up and remember the events of their previous lives. Indeed, there were 4 infants among the 190 Drow rebels; with luck one of them should become the new body for Zar'aya. Only time will tell, but for now, the Drow knew they had to keep going. For the rest of the night, the Drow buried their fallen hero, and mourned over the ones they lost in their escape, but they also celebrated their newfound liberty and rested for the night. Early in the morning, before the sun rose over the mountains they emerged from, the Drow set out in search of their new home.
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