Thread: Underdark Dealings (Esyel & Alvis Alendran's 1x1)

It was considered a rare thing to see the Weapons Master of a Great house taking to the lower sections of the city. The Drow that lived in these sections had their own ways of living. After the Iron War had finished, the Drow population had increased once more. The Great Houses returned to their previous ways, warring and vying for advancement within the city, paying their respects to the Spider Queen. So many of the common blood had been absorbed into the Great houses as soldiers, and they had left the slums behind without looking back. All of them except one. Ktonos del Valuken, once a street urchin with little more than a name, had risen fast and mightily in the war. From soldier, to squad leader, to commander, and finally, to the lofty post of Weapon Master. Bathed in the blood of his foes, and leading the forces around him on a crusade of carnage and slaughter, Ktonos had done extremely well in the conflict. Even in the immediate aftermath of the war, when there was a very real, and very bloody struggle to ensure the pecking order amongst the Houses worked in a favourable way, he had done so very well. But once the sound of steel faded from the air, the silence began to weigh on his mind, and he felt the insinuations of fear, of worry, of the very madness that granted him strength. In the low city, there was a pit, and within it there was blood sport for show. Ktonos didn't need to shoulder his way through. The crowds parted before him, not a single one of them looking to bar his path. All knew who he was, and what he could do to them with no consequence at all. He stopped at the edge, seeing what there was on display. It seemed as though they were just about to begin a round, a band of orcs facing down a minotaur. Ktonos smiled, feeling his palm itch. There was the urge to throw himself into the pit, bathe himself in blood, taste the victory for himself. But he hadn't the time. The battle was short, and fierce, with the orcs managing to bring the beast down, though many of their number were killed in the conflict. It was enough to quell the urge in his mind for a little. Ktonos left, heading for home. The gates opened for him as he approached, and he entered the courtyard, looking to see that the soldiers within were indeed training in the manner that he had set out. Alone amongst the Great Houses, Venoch'Xuileb'Brou had managed to hone it's people into a cohesive force, able to make use of formations, and use differing tactics to confound their foes. Ktonos had learned well from the war, seeing what worked for their foes, and finding ways to counter it. A soldier strode to him. And where have you been Weapons master? You were to report here more than an hour past! When the Matron hears of this- He blustered. THe other soldiers looked away, knowing what was coming. Ktonos had spun on his heel, the long edge of his courtblade sweeping in, taking the lower legs from the Drow, adn dropping him to the ground in a screaming mess. A heavy boot slammed down on the fallen torso. I take no orders from you. Nor do I suffer fools who forget their place in the house. He hissed out. Ktonos reached out a hand, and flexed his fingers. The gauntlet shifted, adn the points of the fingers extended into sharp points. Not much use in most fights, it had saved him in a few close up engagements. He plunged the sharpened fingers into the throat of the Drow, and ripped his hand back out. He held the majority of the throat in his hand, and smiled as the Drow thrashed his last. He experimentally licked the blood from his hand, but then spat. It tasted of fear and despair. A cowards blood. He turned to the house, wiping the edge of his sword off as he moved towards the front door. Time to see what other intrigues might be afoot.