Ynvanah's gray eyes narrowed alarmingly. She scrutinized Xarw, angered that her mind had failed to penetrate his mental blocks. Cyznul inclined his head and stepped to the side. He did not want to be caught in the scene should Ynvanah's tempestuous temperament arise.

"Jarlaxle recommended you to us, male," the matron mother snapped. She stroked the six scaled heads of her scourge. "He said you would be able to help us defeat our enemies."

By this Cyznul knew his mother well enough to assume she meant Triel Baenre. The ruling house of Menzoberranzan had been hard pressed to maintain control over the metropolis. Rumor had it that Triel herself was slipping in Lolth's favor. He was mildly surprised. His mother must be desperate indeed to attempt an assault on House Baenre.

_________________

"Of course Mathron mother, I am more than capable of giving simple recomendations, but might I ask whom are your current enemies that you have planned to destroy?"

Xarw asked as, if he was an outsider, but knew that everyone envied the house of baenre, but they couldn`t be that desperate and besides there were many targets that could be taken down raising the house of Vren`arach to it`s former place, but too ambitious moves would have to be intercepted with cunning and well placed lies.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

"House Xorlarrin, Fourth House of Menzoberranzan," Ynvanah said, gesturing at the water in the bowl. The six of them - the matron mother, her three daughters, her son, and the Bregan D'aerthe spy - stood in Ynvanah's scrying chamber. The form of House Xorlarrin shimmered in the bowl. The elaborate weave of wards that protected the house glowed green and red.

"Matron Zeerith is ally to Triel," Qushamen added.

Vushaz reached for her whip, ever prepared to punish those who spoke out of turn. Ynvanah put a hand on the high priestess's arm.

"She is correct. If we defeat Zeerith we may yet gain an alliance with Baenre."

_________________

Xarw knew that she was ampitious but this was quite big, but not quite unexpected for a desperate house that had hired the Bregan D`arthe. Xarw looked at the family judging them all and then nodding slightly.

"A brave move, but it will pay off I must admit... Do they have any family members at sorcere perhaps or any other schools as master or students?"

Xarw asked looking at the Cyznul quickly with a cunning smile.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

Ynvanah cut Cyznul off before he could reply. "Two score, take or give a few, of house mages the last time I checked."

"And a good amount of high priestesses," Cyznul intervened with a smirk at Vushaz. This contrasted majorly with Vren'arach who only sported one at the moment.

Vushaz glowered. She reached for her whip, thought better of it, and slapped Cyznul a stinging blow across the face. Cyznul knew better than to stand his ground. His head snapped back and he deliberately backed down a step.

Ynvanah didn't bother to tell Cyznul off for his offense, a mark of her desperation. Xorlarrin was best known for its mages. To attempt an assault on it she would need all the house wizards she could afford.

_________________

Xarw knew that it was going to be tricky and the element of surprise was their advantage, an advantage that was formitable against any enemy Menzoberran had to offer them. Xarw couldn`t help chuckling to himself as Cyznul was slapped, but continued quickly concealing his chuckling.

"Surprise shall be the main part of the plan, we need someone to kill their mages at the sorcere as we attack their fortress, I will personally see to it that their mages fall quickly and wont do any greater harm... what comes to the high priestress I think I can find someone to take care of them..."

Xarw smiled.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

Ynvanah scowled. Obviously she did not enjoy being dependent on two impudent males.

"Who do you really serve, I wonder?" she mused softly. Cyznul wisely decided to suppress his startlement. Once again he had underestimated his mother.

Belwore stretched to whisper something in the matron mother's ear. Ynvanah impatiently slapped her daughter away.

A tantalizing smile broke across Ynvanah's beautiful face. "No matter," she said, once again in control of the situation. "You will infiltrate House Xorlarrin. You will report back to me when Narbondel's light grows dim, and if you do not you will hear from your master. Cyznul, accompany him."

Cyznul bowed. "I will do my best matron mother."

His mother shot him a look that said he had better, or there'd be hell to pay.

_________________

"Very well Mathron mother...."

Xarw bowed and stepped back, he opened the door and walked out with Cyznul, he continued walking towards the exit with a grin on his face. The game was getting trickier all the time, he didn`t know if was going to infiltrate the house, but he had few contacts or to be more exact the Bregan D`aerthe had a contact there.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

Cyznul uttered a number of blasphemous curses under his breath. The task his mother had so off-handedly assigned him was an enormity nearing impossible. How in the Nine Hells was he to infiltrate House Xorlarrin, whose powerful magical wards neared that of House Baenre? Even Gromph Baenre would be hard pressed to complete such a task by midnight, even with an elite spy from Bregan D'aerthe by his side.

He shook his head. Ynvanah was slowly hoarding up her number of house mages. Most of them were hired, treacherous wizards adopted from other houses. Still, she must be a fool to even attempt overthrowing Matron Zeerith. A fool, but a desperate one. And those two combined could produce something deadly.

He stole a glance at his new ally as they exited the Vren'arach compound.

Any drow not one of the ruling houses would immediately attract suspicion in Qu'ellarz'orl, he signed, for they were now on the street with risk of anyone overhearing. Do you have a plan?

_________________

Yes, I`be had many plans since I knew that your mathron mother would want me to inflitrate a bigger house, hell I even planned how to brake into the house of Baenre, but for that I would have used my more serious connections... and actually you complete my plan of breaking in...

They arrived to few lizards that could climb the walls of Menzoberran, he jumped on the other and nodded him to follow towards the compound trough a huge mushroom forest. He stopped near the wall that was the edge of Menzoberran and Xarw stopped beginning to move his hands.

Now you must do a spell on me that will turn me like a feather and don`t play around because I know many spells that the mages use all tough I might not be a mage myself, but the question is how far can you levitate others?

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

Cyznul's hand unconsciously fingered his House Vren'arach brooch that allowed him to levitate. Handing it over to this complete stranger, albeit a mercenary from Bregan D'aerthe, was out of the question. And Bregan D'aerthe was exactly that - a mercenary guild. It thrived only to serve itself. Cyznul wouldn't be surprised if Jarlaxle was reporting Ynvanah's antics to Matron Zeerith at this very moment.

Cyznul wasn't holding any illusions, and he was pragmatic enough to figure out that Xarw entertained the notion of betraying his house on Jarlaxle's whim.

Why not use the lizards? he replied. They can scale the walls quickly enough. But first... His smile broadened. Tell me of this plan of yours.

_________________

Climbing the castle walls is simple, but foolish and we would be spotted in seconds, but if we climb to the roof above the castle I can drop down from there to a suitable place lightly as a feather and then when I return you levitate me up, but I do not need to be invisible by your ways in there since I can do it myself...

Xarw lead his lizard to climb the wall and attached him to the saddle ofit so that he wouldn`t fall down, as they reached the roof above the castle Xarw looked at the mage. He wasn`t a fool to betray him here and get the wrath of his mathron on him.

Now do the spell

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

Cyznul scowled. He did as Xarw asked, but secretly placed a location spell as a precaution. If Xarw betrayed Vren'arach, Ynvanah would hunt him down and no doubt sacrifice him to the Spider Queen.

Hurry, he signed. Narbondel grows dim in a few hours' time.

_________________

My pleasure

Xarw released the leather belts holding him on the lizard and dropped down, it felt weird as he fell, but was then taken by a force and he came down lightly. He landed on a small balcony, he looked around with his hood on and no one seemed to have seen him. He continued to the lighted hallway and fid into the shadows as a mage passed by, he seemed to be royal and Xarw needed a proof that he had been there.

Xarw first decided to look around, there were many mages around, but lucky for him no one noticed him or some eventough he was a messenger, if they saw him or something. Xarw knew that the house had a contact to the Bregan D`aerthe and he had actually been there before, but that secret would die along the castle. He sneaked into a room, which looked quite ordinary and a young mage was there, sleeping. He had been the contact and Xarw left him a note on the small table, Xarw looked trough the room spotting, but didn`t find anything. The note told the mage to get out and get in contact with his employer Jarlaxle.

Xarw left the room and stopped by the door to listen as two of the house priestress were talking on the hallway.

"Any word from Xarw or Jarlaxle?" Asked the younger and taller one.

"Nothing, but everything that they have promissed has come to pass and soon our plans should be completed so that we can finally be the third house of Menzoberran..." Answered the older one whom had a the snake whip in her hands for some reason.

"Perfect, but haven`t you noticed that there is somewhat unrest upon the city as if something bigger and devious was going on?"

"Doesn`t it always?"

"All I am saying that this plan must procceed with caution"

"Agreed..."

They both left the hallway almost, the older one began loking suspiciously around and then spotted the door open realising that someone had been listening. Furiously she opened the door to see Xarw there relaxed, she grabbed him by the armour and pulled him out as she closed the door.

"Well well... Xarw what a nice surprise to drop by? Is everything going as planned?"

"Of course they are Jairna... Jarlaxle`s word is the best you can get in this city... and he wouldnt turn down your generous offer now would he? The preperations are already made and the attack will take place in a week..."

"Good.. now see to it that you exit how you have always done it... and what comes your payment get it the way you have always got, but do not forget our private agreement... as the others are away you take care of the mathron so that I can take her place..."

She pushed him to the ground and left hallway, Xarw smiled as he got. His payment was going to be money, but he usually stole the mages treasures so that they wouldn`t have to pay later. This all came to pass because Jairna found teasing his brothers very amusing, Xarw crept away into the youngest of the mages room. He looked around checking it for traps and disarmed few, he opened a box and smiled as he tookout a fine wand, which was made out of some rare red mineral and with some symbols on it. He put it on his belt as he returned to the balcony with a smile looking up wating for Cyznul to levitate him up.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

"That took a surprisingly short amount of time," Cyznul observed as he obligingly levitated Xarw down. He determined to not show Xarw any suspicion. "Does Bregan D'aerthe train its spies so thoroughly, then?"

A cutting blade sliced into his mind. He stumbled for a moment before recognizing the voice as his mother's.

Well? How goes the mission?

How does go the mission? Cyznul wondered privately. "Do you have your information?" he asked Xarw.

_________________

Xarw attached the belts to him and then tookout the wand with a smile.

Information? The fortress seems quite well defended and the best is this, they are planning to attack the third house to raise up the ladder and they have all like any drows great ambitions, but at this moment they seem to have some restleness in their ranks...

What comes to the castle structures then I have aquired such plans long ago, but I thought this wand would be useful for you since I took it from a family member of their house...

Xarw gave him the staff and then showed a scroll with the map, structures and plans for attack after he had sent the lizard forward.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!