Work Text:
The underdark. An underground civilization dating back thousands of years, made up entirely of its own ecosystem, economy, and languages. In more modern times, the underdark is still fairly secluded, visitors being allowed in after careful vetting and a hefty fee. Hundreds of years ago, when Heluazuno was first founded, it was a different story.
Nityna Vryl, a young Drow in the tunnels of the underdark, lived a quiet life. She lived with only her father on a small property in the outskirts of the central city. She wore her white hair up in a braided bun, her dark gray skin and black eyes making her the perfect candidate for stealthy adventures through the villages.
“Nityna!” Her friend Levry whispered harshly from behind a boulder. Nityna had found herself crouched in front of a massive castle. Well, the massive castle in the underdark. Levry was not a drow, but in fact a derro, with dark gray skin, even darker than Nityna’s, and pale yellow short hair.
“Come on! You’re falling behind.” Nityna crouched as she sprinted across the massive cavern of carved rock and stone toward the castle.
“ Nityna!” Levry tried to whisper again, but ultimately followed. “You’re a fool. You’re going to get us both caught and our fathers will be disgraced.” She whispered to Nityna as she caught up, her dark cloak dragging on the floor.
“Oh Levry, don’t you want to see the castle?” Nityna smiled, her eyes lit with excitement. “I’ve heard it’s so tall it reaches the middle realm.”
“ I’ve heard the prince kills intruders. Let’s leave, please.” She begged.
“You’re free to leave, Levry. I’ll make sure to tell you all about it when I return home.” Nityna paused for dramatic effect before standing up and walking toward the castle. The guests around her were dressed in their fanciest gowns, but Nityna didn’t care. She wore her favorite adventuring dress and that was good enough for her.
“Damn you!” She heard Levry complain in the distance before she was joined by her small friend. “You’re the worst friend in the world. I hate you so much.”
“I’ll remember that.” Nityna laughed, never looking away from the impressive structure before her. She counted 32 windows before she had to stop, each of them lit.
“There’s a mind flayer at the door. We’re doomed.” Levry began to twist her cloak in her hands, beads of sweat beginning to form on her forehead.
“ Relax. ” Nityna hushed her friend through a forced smile.
The mind flayer’s gaze fell upon them. He was a deep blue-purple, his tentacles wriggling around his collar. “Invitation?” His voice echoed in their minds, no speaking necessary.
“My father entered earlier with our invitation, I completely forgot to take it from him!” Nityna chuckled politely. “If you would allow us to go fetch him, we’ll be back in just a moment to clear up any misunderstandings.”
Nityna moved to enter the building, her arm looped through Levry’s, but the mind flayer held out a tentacle. “I cannot allow you to enter.”
She held her hand over her heart, feigning surprise and disgust. “How am I meant to enter this event? This is preposterous. You must allow me to see my father at once.”
“Allow me, my friend.” The mind flayer’s deep tone seemed to probe at her thoughts. “What is your father’s name?”
“Wilmand.” Nityna spoke with no hesitation. “Helphri Wilmand. I am his daughter, Caliona Wilmand.”
“One moment, friend.” The mind flayer resumed his position of guarding the door. To the untrained eye, it would appear that absolutely nothing had changed. But Levry and Nityna could tell that this mind flayer had connected to the hive mind to send out a mass call for Helphri Wilmand.
Seeing that the mind flayer was communicating, Levry leaned in. “Are you sure about this?” Nityna’s only response was pinching Levry’s arm so hard it would bruise. “Ow!” One more pointed look and Levry fell silent.
After what felt like 20 minutes of silence, but must only have been around two, the mind flayer returned to Nityna’s mind. “Caliona, welcome. Your father is waiting upstairs for you.”
“Thank you.” Nityna nodded her head and strolled in through the exquisite double doors. The dark wood was carved with all the great stories of the underdark. Unfortunately, she didn’t have time to stop and admire as she was immediately greeted by a Duergar wearing a lovely spider-silk suit standing at the top of a beautifully grand spiral staircase that descended into what appeared to be a ballroom.
“Names?” His older voice croaked out.
“Ladies Nityna Vryl and Levry Piunt.” Nityna answered, her words confident and smooth.
“Right. Watch your step, Ladies.” The duergar turned to the crowd and announced their presence as they strolled down the steps.
“Can we do that? Can we be here?” Levry whispered anxiously.
“The real Caliona Helphri is a ratbag and is almost definitely engaging in an amorous congress with her father’s stable boy. It would be a surprise if she had the decency to make an appearance at all tonight.” Nityna’s smile never faltered, Levry recognized the mischievous glint in her friend’s eyes.
“How long were you planning this?” She gaped.
“Not long at all,” Nityna remarked. “I only heard about the party this morning.”
The two young underdarklings stepped from the stairs and onto the marble flooring. The ceiling stretched high over their heads, massive candlelight chandeliers hung, bathing the room in a soft light. Nityna spotted several Driders, or spider-people, climbing up the walls with lit candles. She silently wondered if they were responsible for lighting the chandeliers.
“This morning ?!” Levry pinched Nityna’s arm.
Nityna laughed and pulled her friend to the center of the ballroom. “We will be fine. Now, come. Don’t you wish to dance for a moment before we’re inevitably caught and executed?” Levry began to protest, but Nityna had already pulled her onto the floor.
The band struck up, a lovely violin and piano piece filling the air as two lines began to form on the dance floor. Nityna stood with the taller partners, Levry jammed in across from her. Dances were known to last quite some time, ranging from 15 to 30 minutes, and Nityna would have loved to dance them all.
She and Levry had danced twice together, no one else in attendance willing to stand up with them in their state of dress. Just before the start of the third dance, Nityna caught the eye of one of the mind flayers on the edge of the ballroom and the hair on her neck stood on end.
The music died for a moment as the Duergar at the stairs cleared his throat. “Lady Caliona Wilmand!” His old voice echoed through the hall and Nityna paled.
“Levry-” She reached for her friend, but Levry simply nodded and ducked down. As cunning as Nityna was, she could not disappear as Levry could. Her friend was already lost in the crowd as the mind flayers moved toward her. “Here we go.” She muttered as she turned and began weaving through the crowd. The mind flayers were closing in from every direction, she turned casually, her eyes desperately searching for somewhere to go. “ There .” She whispered, her eyes focused on the one gap in guards, the servant’s stairway.
“Stop moving.” The words echoed through her mind and she felt her body freeze for just a moment before she powered through, turning and winking at the mind flayer attempting to control her before she sped off, taking steps two at a time.
Distantly, she heard gasps and cries of concern from the guests, but Nityna was focused on getting up these stairs. The mind flayers behind her were gaining, they had been granted the gift of levitation from whatever god created them. Typically, absolutely fantastic. Who doesn’t want a levitating brain-eating tentacle monster on their side? Right now? Dreadful.
A door!
Locked.
Another door!
Locked.
“Jörd, help me!” She exclaimed in frustration, moving up another set of stairs, feeling her side beginning to cramp.
Door!
Nityna nearly cried with relief as the knob turned, she slammed and locked it behind her, trying to catch her breath.
“Well, this is certainly a surprise.”
Nityna looked up and saw that this room was unlocked for a reason. It was occupied.
“I’m so sorry, give me just a moment.” She panted, still having a hard time breathing.
“No, not at all. Take your time.” The elf man smiled. He seemed young, even with the elves' tendency to not age. “Would you like some water?”
She nodded and moved from the door to the center of the room. It appeared to be some sort of office space with bookshelves lining the walls, a massive desk in the center, and a small seating area in the corner. “Thank you.” Nityna took the glass of water from the desk. As her heart rate came under control, she heard the mind flayers outside inserting keys, trying to gain access to the room. “Crap.”
The gentleman chuckled and stood from behind the desk. He was handsome, in an unassuming sort of way. His face was long, as elves’ tended to be, and every time he smiled she could see that he had dimples. “What heinous crime have you committed that made the mind flayers chase you?”
“Nothing that can be qualified as heinous , I assure you.” She leaned against the desk, closing eyes for a moment.
“Nityna Vryl, exit the room at once.” A voice echoed in her mind.
“I’m in the middle of a conversation, thank you!” She called back.
The door jiggling resumed with a vengeance.
“You’re brave to ignore the mind flayer’s requests. I’ve heard tales of their abilities.” He shuddered but came around to stand next to Nityna, his forest green coat brushing against the dark wood as he moved.
“They’re harmless. If anyone was going to eat my brain for this, it would be my father.” She laughed quietly, her lungs still stinging.
They stood in silence for a moment, only the faint sounds of the party and the mind flayer’s frustration breaking through.
“So, you’re not a drow.” Nityna pointed out, turning to look at the only other person in the room.
“Astute observation.” He grinned, although, Nity thought, she wasn’t sure she saw him stop grinning since she’d entered.
“What brings an elf from the middle realm to the underdark?” She questioned.
“I was invited.”
“And is it normal for elves to speak undercommon?”
“As normal as it is for one to be invited down.”
She paused and thought for a moment. “Touché.” She placed the glass on the desk and extended her hand. “My name is Nityna. I’m horribly rich and I’m on the run because the prince wishes to take my money.”
“Lovely to meet you Nityna.” He shook her hand. “My name is Rodolphus, I am actually a drow in disguise, the only reason I’m in this room is because I knew you’d be in here. I was actually sent by the prince.”
“Incredible.”
“Hmm, indubitably.” Rodolphus and Nityna grinned like fools at one another, still shaking hands.
The lock clicked as the correct key was placed in the hole, the knob turning. “It appears my time may be up.”
“Possibly.” Rodolphus tightened his grip on her hand. “Or, we can keep running.”
“We?” She asked incredulously as he pulled her to the back of the room. The door was flying open now, but Rodolphus didn’t seem to care. He pulled her down to a crouch in front of the bookshelf, pulling at small decorations and books. “What are you doing?” She whispered, looking over the desk to see several mind flayers of differing shades of blue, tentacles wriggling, as they made their way through the office.
“Shh.” He pulled at two more books before he turned to her and grinned. “Brace yourself.”
“What?” She barely had any time to process before the floor dropped out from under them. The faint light from the office only lasted a few moments as the floor resealed just as they passed through. Nityna screamed in fear as she free-fell, clinging to Rodolphus’ arm.
The rushing wind seemed to slow, but not stop, and Nityna opened her eyes to find that they had entered some magical cushion of sorts. Rodolphus was laughing as they lowered, not at her, not at all, in fact he barely looked at her. Nityna looked at his expression, his shameless enjoyment, and she found herself laughing along, despite herself.
Her feet touched down, the light clack of her boots echoing in this dark, empty chamber. “Where are we?” She asked.
“Somewhere below the castle, there are passageways out and around the whole place from here.” Rodolphus swung her hand in his as he pulled her toward one of the passages.
“How did you even know about this?” Nityna laughed. “A middle realm elf that knows undercommon and the prince’s secrets? My father would definitely not approve.”
“I wasn’t lying when I said I'd been invited. I’ve had some time to look around.” They walked quickly, unsure of whether the mind flayers would follow them down the passage. Nityna eyed Rodolphus strangely, continuing to hold his hand while they escaped.
The tunnels ended abruptly, the underdark at their footsteps. With no night sky or fresh air, it was hard to tell that they had escaped at all. Nityna turned to look at the castle, suddenly much further than she expected.
“You, Rodolphus, are a strange elf.”
“I beg to differ. You have no frame of reference. I am a perfectly normal elf, thank you.” He straightened his coat, and ran a hand through his slightly messy hair. “You, however, are a terribly confusing drow.”
“Excuse me?” Nityna whirled around to face Rodolphus. She truthfully only came up to his shoulders, so she wasn’t nearly as threatening as she wanted to be. “I think it is far too early in our relationship for you to make any claim about me.”
Rodolphus barked with laughter. “And yet you make claims about me?”
“That’s different, of course.” Nityna stepped back and began down the well-traveled path to her family’s home. “I didn’t claim to be invited to the castle from the prince and then demonstrate incredible knowledge of the castle’s inner secrets.”
“You make some good points.” Rodolphus followed after her. “Perhaps this just means we should get to know each other better.”
Nity smiled at him. “Perhaps this does.”