The Conspiracy Within

Vhaerun used his innate powers to summon his conspirators to him. They came from the far corners of The Abyss where each had been involved in their separate preparations for the coming struggle.
The first to arrive was Forbeo, the God of Death and Law. Vhaerun, marveled at the spectacle as Forbeo materialized within the chamber. He was dressed in black plate mail with a long and elegantly flowing cloak of deep purple. Vhaerun worried more about him as part of the conspiracy than he did anything else because Forbeo was the incarnation of pure evil and would be the one most likely to reveal the conspiracy to Lloth. Vhaerun knew that the only way to keep Forbeo’s loyalty was to insure that his ego was abated constantly. Numerous sacrifices by the drow would be necessary. It would be risky dealing with him, but as the savior and protector in the war between the drow and the surface elves, Forbeo’s assistance was a necessary risk.

The next to arrive was Szauren, the Watcher in the Shadows. Vhaerun felt her presence in the cavern around him before she materialized. As she stepped from the darkness in her long robes of shimmering black, Vhaerun nodded in greeting. He was fairly certain that Szauren would be the key to the conspiracy because it paralleled her own interests at this particular time. He needed her assistance badly as she was the one who had quietly studied the situation, learning of the enemy, searching for the secrets to his power. Of all the Drow Gods and Goddesses, she had planned most carefully how to undo the plans of the one called Mord’sythe. She had been the one who had originally dedicated herself to the final downfall of this singular enemy. She had seen most clearly that Mord’sythe posed a very serious threat to the Drow as a people. Vhaerun also knew that she lived for the moment that all would be revealed to the intended victim, as her plots always included savoring that final moment when the doomed at last must learn of the source of their downfall.

"Are we ready to begin?" Vhaerun looked to his conspirators.

"The tomes are ready," Szauren said.

"I have visited and found one, perhaps two of the males to be ready," Forbeo said.

"We may also have one of the females," Szauren interjected. "She is close to realizing the hopelessness of the situation that the Outcasts face.

"Very well. Let us begin." Vhaerun smiled and added a warning. "Once the tomes are distributed, we can assume that Lloth will become aware."

"We cannot oppose her directly." Szauren said firmly. "I will not follow you on that path, Vhaerun. We must keep our motivations clear or we may find that we have bitten off more that we can chew."

"We seek only what is best for the Drow as a people." Vhaerun tried to appeal to her concerns. Lloth may even approve if we succeed."

"Our goals are simple enough," Forbeo smiled.

Vhaerun knew that Forbeo was concealing his true thoughts, but returned his smile and added a piercing stare to let Forbeo know that his ultimate motives were not so easily concealed. "Let us take care in this conspiracy that we do not lose sight of our collective goals," Vhaerun said. "We seek only what is best for the drow as a people. We must reclaim the surface and establish unity with the surface elves. Our loyalty must be to all elves, including the surface elves, who will ultimately serve as the enforcers of the "true masters", the drow who will rule from the depths of the earth."

The three nodded their agreement as they vanished, turning once again to their separate affairs.