OOC: Thantor is from the planet Bien-Doté, where he is held (frequently) as an super exalted member.
"Lolth covets the potential attraction that Moander has with the surface dwellers," continued Thantor. "I hear the Spider Queen has even added Moander's designation "Darkbringer" as an alias of her own."
"They're an incestuous lot, the gods, stealing each others names, abducting each others portfolios," muttered Anicka. "If Lolth is involved with the Shadow Master, that is ominous indeed. Rather than a isolated megalomaniac, we would be dealing with an entity backed by a formidable network. The drow are connected to several malevolent surface organizations."
"The Zhentarim and the Red Wizards come quickly to mind," mused Thantor.
They heard a noise outside the first door. "Drag the bodies into the cells," Thantor commanded. They did so, expecting the door to open at any moment, but it never did. "We need to get our weapons. I have an idea where they may be," whispered Thantor. Anicka nodded, following him. She found this human intriguing. Age-wise, Thantor was a barely an adolescent in her culture. He had the characteristic human buoyancy that many of her people found appealing, but he also had a command and intensity of one far more mature. Moves well, too, she noticed.
Thantor led them through the maze of tunnels, often having to back track to avoid the rare patrol or guard they would come across. On one occasion, as they paused in an alcove, Anicka noted, "You seem to know your way around pretty well." Thantor found himself in a delicate situation. Not to answer plausibly would incite suspicion. But psions were generally not well received by nonpsionic individuals. They felt exposed and uncomfortable with the idea that the psion was probing their mind or manipulating them mentally, even though most psions were not telepathic and could do no such thing. In addition, strategically it would be foolish to tell someone he had not fully assessed the range of his potentials. "You can pick up a good deal of intel from your enemies if you pay attention," Thantor grunted, quickly moving forward. He hoped that would satisfy her for now.
It looked as though they would make it to the armory with out incident. A few minutes later, however, their luck ran out as they were beset by a group of skeleton warriors. It was a short, intense fight. Fortunately, Anicka was a mage as well as a fighter, which was extremely valuable. A volley of magic missiles was quickly followed by deadly swordplay. Thantor proved to be a fierce and agile ally, she noted, and she once again found herself admiring him, curious to find out more about who he was and why he was here.
"Thanks for blocking that ax," Thantor panted, breathing hard. "Didn't see that coming."
"No problem," Anicka grinned, apparently not winded at all. "Now we're even." As Thantor was catching his breath, she asked him, "Are you Ok?" She immediately regretted asking him, even though it was obvious to her the toll his persecution at the hands of the Shadow Master had taken on him.
"Yeah," he grumbled, stretching and then bending over to brush himself off. "I'm fine."
That's obvious, thought Anicka with a smile, watching him appraisingly. They quickly made their way into the armory area that Thantor had discerned from his mindlink with the drow. They smiled widely upon seeing their weapons, and quickly armed themselves.
