Valran Court
Matron Maaleshiira Valran sits in her throne at then end of her courtroom, observing her sisters and servants. All subservient to her, because she is the strongest.
Maaleshiira resists the urge to smile to herself. It will not do to flaunt her power, her mere presence should be sufficient to maintain her dominance.
There are no men in Matron Valran's court. The praetorians that line the walls are all female members. Advisers and aids, all women. Even the slaves who polish the floor are women, and several of them are direct female line descendants of her rivals and allies among the noble houses of the underdark. Maaleshiira didn't capture or defeat the daughters of her enemies. She simply demanded them from their mothers, and they reluctantly relinquished them to her. Such was her power, and she treasured each one of them as the affirmation they represented. She made sure to treasure each of them in her bedchambers too, to ensure they understood their value.
It's not that she had anything against men, she'd had enough daughters of her own to acknowledge their use. There simply was no place for them here, where they would only serve to diminish her greatness.
The grand doors at the end of the hall open, and a procession of the Avatorial guard march inside. Like her own protectors, the Avatar only employs female warrior priestesses as her bodyguards.
Good, Thinks Maaleshira, as it should be for a meeting between the two most powerful women in the world.
Maaleshira doesn't recognize the new face of the Avatar. Some young priestess, barely out of her training. The Avatar addresses her on her throne.
"Lady Valran, do you not rise for the presence of your Avatar?"
"Greetings, and exultations to our new guest." Maaleshira's voice booms out across the hall, startling the Avatar and several of the onlookers. "Welcome to my city and my household. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Matron Maaleshira of House Valran."
The Avatar narrows her eyes.
"Do not play games with me girl, you know perfectly well who I am. Do you presume that your ownership of Managrah supersedes my own?"
Now Maaleshira smiles for real, she can't help herself.
"My most excellent Avatar... Of course I do."
The Avatar stiffens and her bodyguards became more alert, eyeing the Praetorians who have them outnumbered just slightly. Maaleshira imagines that the Praetors were eyeing them back behind their steel masks.
"I am your Goddess, and you dare to-"
"Forgive me, girl." Maaleshira interrupts. "I don't mean to disrespect you more than you are due, but you are not, my goddess. Nor do I know you. By Lolth you can't be a day over 45." Maleshira can see anger beginning to radiate from the young woman, and she feels burning heat against her neck where her icon with it's inlaid silver spiderweb pattern, hangs from a chain. She is testing the patience of true Lolth, not just her physical emissary on Rockfall. But Maaleshira is unafraid. She knows the score, she knows the position she is in, and the position that Lolth is in, even if the Avatar does not.
"Akasha?" Maaleshira calls out.
"Yes Matron." replies a hooded woman, stepping out of the shadows. Maaleshira turns back to the Avatar. "This is Lady Akasha of House Chiran. She's the spy they sent to watch me, and very little escapes her attention." Akasha smirks and bows slightly, an acknowledgement both of the jab at her purpose in the Valran court, and the compliment as to her effectiveness. "Lady Akasha, tell me, who is this woman we see before us?"
"I believe she is Lady Elaria of House Bastle, who has recently undergone the rite of ascension, and had her mind replaced with that of our Goddess, Lolth, Queen of Spiders, Matron."
"Has Lady Elaria ever visited our most wonderful city before, Lady Akasha?"
"Not to my knowledge, Matron."
"Than I find it unlikely that we have been previously acquainted."
"I'll strip you of your power! A plague of spiders will descend upon your house!" The Avatar fumes.
In the blink of an eye Maaleshira leaps from her throne and takes the Avatar by the throat. The Avatorial guards draw their weapons but Maaleshira gives them a warning glance, squeezes experimentally, and they back down. Maaleshira looks into the Avatar's eyes, relishing the fear she can see now mixing with her anger, and then kisses her deeply on the lips. There are audible gasps from the newer members of Valran's court. Maaleshira breaks away, then pulls the Avatar's ear close to her lips and begins to whisper.
"You aren't going to punish me. Lolth loves me, and you will too. I am your perfect woman. I am an exemplar of everything Lolth wants every drow to aspire to. I take what I want, whenever I want, and right now what I want is and understanding between us. Do not mistake Lolth's power for your own, nor my power for yours."
She releases the Avatar's throat, spins on her heels and begins to march from the courtroom.
"Come, let us avail ourselves of the pleasures of my household."
As she turns she catches the hint of blue on the Avatar's cheeks, and hears the feint sound of her panting breath, bringing her immense satisfaction. She strokes the icon around her neck, still warm, but receding now.
Seriously, if you really wanted to control me, you'd pick someone with more experience. She's so young, it's almost too easy.
Maaleshiira resists the urge to smile to herself. It will not do to flaunt her power, her mere presence should be sufficient to maintain her dominance.
There are no men in Matron Valran's court. The praetorians that line the walls are all female members. Advisers and aids, all women. Even the slaves who polish the floor are women, and several of them are direct female line descendants of her rivals and allies among the noble houses of the underdark. Maaleshiira didn't capture or defeat the daughters of her enemies. She simply demanded them from their mothers, and they reluctantly relinquished them to her. Such was her power, and she treasured each one of them as the affirmation they represented. She made sure to treasure each of them in her bedchambers too, to ensure they understood their value.
It's not that she had anything against men, she'd had enough daughters of her own to acknowledge their use. There simply was no place for them here, where they would only serve to diminish her greatness.
The grand doors at the end of the hall open, and a procession of the Avatorial guard march inside. Like her own protectors, the Avatar only employs female warrior priestesses as her bodyguards.
Good, Thinks Maaleshira, as it should be for a meeting between the two most powerful women in the world.
Maaleshira doesn't recognize the new face of the Avatar. Some young priestess, barely out of her training. The Avatar addresses her on her throne.
"Lady Valran, do you not rise for the presence of your Avatar?"
"Greetings, and exultations to our new guest." Maaleshira's voice booms out across the hall, startling the Avatar and several of the onlookers. "Welcome to my city and my household. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Matron Maaleshira of House Valran."
The Avatar narrows her eyes.
"Do not play games with me girl, you know perfectly well who I am. Do you presume that your ownership of Managrah supersedes my own?"
Now Maaleshira smiles for real, she can't help herself.
"My most excellent Avatar... Of course I do."
The Avatar stiffens and her bodyguards became more alert, eyeing the Praetorians who have them outnumbered just slightly. Maaleshira imagines that the Praetors were eyeing them back behind their steel masks.
"I am your Goddess, and you dare to-"
"Forgive me, girl." Maaleshira interrupts. "I don't mean to disrespect you more than you are due, but you are not, my goddess. Nor do I know you. By Lolth you can't be a day over 45." Maleshira can see anger beginning to radiate from the young woman, and she feels burning heat against her neck where her icon with it's inlaid silver spiderweb pattern, hangs from a chain. She is testing the patience of true Lolth, not just her physical emissary on Rockfall. But Maaleshira is unafraid. She knows the score, she knows the position she is in, and the position that Lolth is in, even if the Avatar does not.
"Akasha?" Maaleshira calls out.
"Yes Matron." replies a hooded woman, stepping out of the shadows. Maaleshira turns back to the Avatar. "This is Lady Akasha of House Chiran. She's the spy they sent to watch me, and very little escapes her attention." Akasha smirks and bows slightly, an acknowledgement both of the jab at her purpose in the Valran court, and the compliment as to her effectiveness. "Lady Akasha, tell me, who is this woman we see before us?"
"I believe she is Lady Elaria of House Bastle, who has recently undergone the rite of ascension, and had her mind replaced with that of our Goddess, Lolth, Queen of Spiders, Matron."
"Has Lady Elaria ever visited our most wonderful city before, Lady Akasha?"
"Not to my knowledge, Matron."
"Than I find it unlikely that we have been previously acquainted."
"I'll strip you of your power! A plague of spiders will descend upon your house!" The Avatar fumes.
In the blink of an eye Maaleshira leaps from her throne and takes the Avatar by the throat. The Avatorial guards draw their weapons but Maaleshira gives them a warning glance, squeezes experimentally, and they back down. Maaleshira looks into the Avatar's eyes, relishing the fear she can see now mixing with her anger, and then kisses her deeply on the lips. There are audible gasps from the newer members of Valran's court. Maaleshira breaks away, then pulls the Avatar's ear close to her lips and begins to whisper.
"You aren't going to punish me. Lolth loves me, and you will too. I am your perfect woman. I am an exemplar of everything Lolth wants every drow to aspire to. I take what I want, whenever I want, and right now what I want is and understanding between us. Do not mistake Lolth's power for your own, nor my power for yours."
She releases the Avatar's throat, spins on her heels and begins to march from the courtroom.
"Come, let us avail ourselves of the pleasures of my household."
As she turns she catches the hint of blue on the Avatar's cheeks, and hears the feint sound of her panting breath, bringing her immense satisfaction. She strokes the icon around her neck, still warm, but receding now.
Seriously, if you really wanted to control me, you'd pick someone with more experience. She's so young, it's almost too easy.
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