Marriage & Mayhem (FR-Nalifan)

[Imperial Overlord]

She was gorgeous. Not simply good looking, but knock-down-raise-the-dead-with-a-smoldering-look gorgeous and enough personal magnetism to deflect lightning bolts. Elvarra saw Kaeryn coming and winked at her. Damn it.

Kaeryn suppressed a scowl and smiled back. The drow were near one of the pavilions. Nalifan was dividing his attention between his guards, a torch tossing juggler, and an illusionist. Elvarra was mostly watching the entertainment. "Nal!" Kaeryn called out. The arch-mage turned at the sound of her voice.

"Kaeryn," he said smoothly, his liar's smile showing too many teeth. "I see you have arrived."

She approached him. "You knew I wouldn't miss this. I adore weddings." She embraced him and kissed him on both cheeks. Elvarra rewarded her with a smoldering look. Kaeryn smiled back sweetly. The drow sorceress might have a triple helping of beauty, but Kaeryn had a few tricks.

"Of course you wouldn't," Nalifan agreed. "Have you met my apprentice, Elvarra Desanna?"

"One of those Desannas? The ones who make the Baenre's of Menzoberranzon look like half-orc hill bandits? As in the Dread Queen Sheharith Desanna?"

"I have the priviledge of being her daughter."

"What an interesting way of putting it," said Kaeryn.

"Isn't it," Elvarra replied.

"Enjoying the wedding so far?" interjected Nalifan.

"It's a bit . . . much. Was the army of entertainers really necessary?"

"No," he replied, "but entertainment is traditionally provided when high ranking drow marry."

"I thought high ranking drow didn't marry. Don't you mostly take consorts?"

"Yes," he replied. "Weddings are rare, a joining of equals or at least near equals. Thus the big show. The nature of the entertainment isn't traditional, of course, but this is hardly a traditional audience."

"Gods I don't even want to know what drow entertainments are like," Kaeryn replied.

"Blood, sex, drugs, and violence."

"Doesn't the 'blood' bit make the 'violence' redundant?"

"Only if you don't defferentiate between torture, kinky sex, and murder," he replied dryly.

"You drow are such a charming people," replied Kaeryn.

"Aren't we," Nalifan said with a smile.

"Yes you are," said Kaeryn as she hooked her arm through Nalifan's. She turned her head towards Elvarra as she began walking, forcing Nalifan to match her pace. "I need to steal him for a minute. I promise I'll bring him back in one piece."

"Careful," murmured Nalifan. "She's civilized, but only in the drow sense of the word."

"Hush," replied Kaeryn. "A girl has to have some fun every now and then. Besides, I'm just breaking her in for you. She's got to learn that being Lolth's gift to drowkind isn't going to cut it everywhere. Especially since I believe you share that attitude."

"Minus the Lolth," said Nalifan.

"Right. You heretic. Anyway, I have a proposition for you."

"I'm listening."

"Remember Imizael? Sun elf high mage? Nice girl? You garroted her sister?"

"Yes, I remember her. Continue."

"The Elven Court is trying to recapture Myth Drannor."

"I think I know where this is going."

"They would like you to stop plundering the ruins. Those treasures rightfully belong to them."

"The devils and phaerimm clearly dispute ownership."

"It's their heritage."

"Well, that's a handy word when you want something that someone else has. I'm not convinced."

"They're not asking you to do it out of the goodness of your heart. The goodness being so damned hard to find."

"And what do they offer in return?"

"What do you want?"

"Are they desperate or do they have no idea of what to offer me?"

"The latter, I think."

"I'll consider it."

"Thank you." She was silent for a moment, just enjoying walking with him as a gaggle of children cut in front of them. "Nal?"

"Yes?"

"Do you have an regrets?"

"About us?"

"About anything."

"Yes and no. There are things I should have done differently, outcomes that I wish had been different. Am I content with how my life has ended up? Yes, I am. I hope you are not entertaining any dreams of us rekindling our relationship. You are too tenderhearted and I am too much a drow murderer for it to work."

"No," she said, shaking her head. "Not that."

"Good. Enough moping over might have beens. Let's enjoy the wedding so Elvarra can continue glaring daggers at you and I can dream up some truly extortionistic demands for the Elven Court to choke on."

[LadyTevar]

"And after they choke, you'll let them bargain you down to what you are truly after, which will be far less painful to their sensibilities," Kaeryn replied slyly. "You could offer to return a couple items of worth that you have no use for, just to twist the knife a little more."

Just because she's tenderhearted does not mean she's nice.

[Alan Bolte]

That was masterful. As much as your plots are usually compelling, in your Nalifan stories it's the characters that really stand out. You have a gift for dialog.

[Imperial Overlord]

That was masterful. As much as your plots are usually compelling, in your Nalifan stories it's the characters that really stand out. You have a gift for dialog.

No, I don't. That's all skill, baby. Hard earned skill. The dialog in my early works . . . is not impressive.

[Imperial Overlord]

Elvarra stifled a yawn as she watched Nalifan and his old lover approach the bride and the groom. Trizkel wasn't the biggest male drow Elvarra had ever seen, but he was in the top five and muscled like a maiden's dream. The head jewelry was interesting, his ability to murder a matron mother even more so. The woman was good looking, for a human, and her dress didn't hide a swordwoman's muscles. Well, at least he wasn't wasted on a complete cow.

She grabbed a glass of wine from a passing server and gulped it down. Like most surface world vintages, it was weaker than she was used to. Also, the colours didn't match up to the flavor. It was funny to think that all wine used to be from grapes and that making it from fungus had to have been some desperate attempt to hold onto a luxury from a vanished world. And now? Now wine from grapes was a strange oddity one consumed when was in the company of foreign peoples.

She placed the empty glass on the table and walked away from the celebration. Magic shielded her eyes from the sun's glare and a rolling grass plane surrounded her, unbound by walls or ceiling. It was an odd thing. Sometimes her head almost began to spin, but she would not succumb to vertigo and certainly wouldn't show weakness in front of so many strangers.

"Did I say something?" Kaeryn asked as she saw Elvarra walk away from the wedding.

"A lot of things," Nalifan replied. "Nothing that would drive her into a murderous rage. Unless I'm wrong, of course."

"You're not as funny as you think you are."

"I've been telling him that for a long time," said Trizkel. The groom wore black silks that were cut to display his formidable musculature to best effect. "Why would he believe you when he doesn't believe me?"

"Because I'm a woman, silly," replied Kaeryn.

"He's a drow," replied Sylvetria. She wore a frothy gown of multilayered white silk that looked surprisingly good on her. "In the most important ways they're like human males. In the annoying ones, they're completely different."

"Tell me about it," said Kaeryn. "You have to learn to break them of completely different set of bad habits."

"And you say I have delusions of wit," said Nalifan.

"You do," replied Trizkel. "You're just not the only one. Thanks for the spread. You really went full out. The blue sky is perfect too."

"The sky isn't mine," said Nalifan. "Nature decided to play nice without me slapping her around."

"I love jokes about battering women," said Kaeryn. "You?"

"Drow," replied Sylvetria. "I'm just grateful that I didn't have to twist any limbs in order to prevent having blood sports or sacrifices during the wedding."

"Notice the way they talk about us as if we aren't standing here?" said Trizkel.

"Yes," said Nalifan. "Just for that I'm going to toast the bride and the groom with a full recitation of The Fall of Calynor."

"Ilmater have mercy," said Kaeryn, her lips curling in distaste.

"What is it?" Sylvetria.

"His favorite murder poem. It's nearly a thousand lines long. It takes forever to recite and it's mostly killing and torture with a little rape and betrayal thrown in for variety."

"Humans have no appreciation for the true bardic arts," Nalifan said loftily, "but if the insults to my character were to cease I could be convinced to save a recitation for another time."

"You're a prince among elves," said Kaeryn. "Is that better?"

"Yes," said Nalifan.

"Seriously," Kaeryn continued, "you've really outdone yourself here Nal. It's even kid friendly and I never thought you would manage to have appropriate entertainments for children."

"I just hired the right professionals. And killed the dragon whose hoard helped pay for it all."

"Did you really kill a dragon over this?" Sylvetria asked.

"No," said Nalifan. "I did clear out a bunch of caravan raiding hill giants though. The reward and recovered booty were substantial."

"Ahh." Kaeryn squinted. "What's that being moved up? It looks like a giant hedgehog made of coloured paper."

"Fireworks launcher," said Nalifan. "They won't be let off until after dark. They have some really nice tricks."

"Oooh," said Kaeryn. "You have such high standards when it comes to pyrotechnics."

"What can I say?" said Nalifan. "I'm a product of my environment."

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Grusha wheeled slowly above the grassy plain, wearing the shape of an adolescent hawk. The drow had ventured from behind his defences and would be here for some time. Enough time for his master to gather their strength and arrive in force. There were, however, complications. It need not be said that his masters disliked complications.

The doppelganger dropped down beneath a distant rise and landed. His form shivered and flowed into a emaciated, grey skinned hairless humanoid with long limbs. It gazed into a violet crystal.

Speak, came a thought impulse.

"My masters, I have found him. He is at an exposed gathering. He has allies and guards, but no wardings or fortress walls. He will be there for hours. It is some kind of celebration."

You have done well slave. Await our coming.

[Alan Bolte]

It takes forever to recite and its mostly killing and torture with a little rape and betrayal throne in

it's, thrown

Grusha wheeled slowly above the grassy plain, waring

wearing

[LadyTevar]

YES!!! Not only is it finally updated, but it's got such great dialogue between the 'couples'.

[Imperial Overlord]

Two Red Sky Mercenaries stood at vigil. One was a squat and heavily muscled man, the other a tall and rangy woman. Both wore the red enamelled plate armour of their company and had the dark hair and skin that was so common among their number. Both carried a small arsenal, although the woman was primarily armed with a silver lance and the man was holding an exotic looking crossbow.

"See anything?" the woman asked.

The male snorted. "Yeah grass. Really, what in the name of the Nine Hells of Baator is your problem? We get paid well for one gods damned day of work."

"People don't hire wedding security at our rates unless there's problems."

"We cost enough to do nothing," he said. "Did you see the combat bonus the boss negotiated? And we're in the middle of nowhere. Unless the Abyss disgorges a demonic horde on the spot, no one is going to give us trouble for more than the five seconds it takes for us to exterminate them."

"Then why pay for us? Thought of that one smart boy?"

"Ease off Dremzella. Do you see any open portals to the Abyss? What's that I hear? Is that a 'no'? I thought so. Look, the drow's got enemies. No surprise there. He hired a bunch of the toughest and heavily armed swordswingers in the multiverse for wedding security to deter attack. I see no attack. If something does happen the whole company will hit them like a falling mountain and then the drow and his buddies will throw down and there will be nothing left."

"You're too sunny Merko."

"Yeah, that's what all the ladies say. No, wait a minute its 'oh Merko! Oh yes! You're a god! A god! Give me more! More! Yes!.'"

"Braggart," she grumbled. Unnoticed by either of them a pair of garter snakes slithered through the high summer grass. They gave both sentries a wide berth and then slithered around behind them, closing stealthily. They flowed forward, their shapes changing to that of massive, six armed gorillas with mouths full of cannibal fangs. Iron hard hands clamped around the mercenaries' arms, throats, and mouths.

The Red Sky soldiers fought hard, showing more than human strength in even being able to muster any kind of meaningful resistance. It was not enough. The air was forced out of their bodies and their limbs fell slack. The killers continued squeezing until they were certain their victims were unconscious.

They flowed back into their natural forms, that of grey skinned, lithe doppelgangers. Clawed finger tore off the mercenaries faces with a crack of shattering bone. Slim, claw tipped fingers scooped out still living brains and devoured them in several bites. The doppelgangers shifted shape to match that of their dead victims and donned their armour.

"Post five," said 'Dremzella' into a jeweled bracelet. "Everything dull and boring."

"Keep it that way," came the response.

"Will do," said 'Merko'. Both doppelgangers chuckled. They had taken their victims' knowledge when they had devoured their brains. Now they had made a gap in the defences that their masters could exploit.

Grusha drew forth the purple crystal. "Come swiftly masters." A gust of hot wind blew toward him as a rip appeared in the air thirty feet away. Three sinister beholders, nightmarish armoured spheres armed with fang maws, a sinister central eye, and ten magical eye stalks drifted forth. A bodyguard of four trolls, lanky green skinned monsters with insatiable appetites, accompanied them. Behind them were a trio of phaerimm and even more monsters.

The doppelgangers bowed low before their masters. "You have done well," said the eldest phaerimm in a voice of blowing wind as more monsters streamed forth to join them. "You will join us in the attack. Change to inconspicuous forms and move among them. Strike when they are distracted."

"As you command," said Grusha.

"Do not leave yet. They will have means of detecting shape shifters. Do so during the confusion of our attack." A score of trolls carrying massive weapons of black iron were ushered through the gate, accompanied by another pair of beholders.

"Yes my master." Four huge, black armoured fire giants strode forth from the rip, accompanied by a hunting pack of tiger sized displacer beasts. Another pair of beholders accompanied the other two phaerimm, who were shepherding their minions.

"Ready yourselves," said the eldest of the phaerimm. "We shall strike immediately, to avoid our ambush being spoiled by a chance discovery." It gestured with one of its arms and the monstrous war pack began to advance.

[LadyTevar]

I see some dead phaerimm in the near future.

[Imperial Overlord]

Trizkel watched Kaeryn go. "She's fun to be around and good at patching people up, but she's not reliable when the fire gets hot. That you didn't last isn't a surprise, but the other is worse. A daughter of the Dread Queen is a dragon sized helping of trouble."

Nalifan shrugged. "Not as much as you might think. Besides, she's infatuated with me."

Sylvetria coughed. "You can't be serious."

"Oh, I am. She's never met a drow like me. You scoff, but you know stories for children and Trizkel. She knows drow with power, even males who don't bow to females, but never one like me. I can break a house and I have no connection at all with a city's power structure. That's unprecedented. And I have what she wants."

"Your irresistible mind and body, right?" quipped Sylvetria.

"Exactly. She's obscenely gifted. Her raw power is incredible. Her reputation has preceded her for fifty years. And it isn't enough.

"Her mother is over a thousand years old and retained her powers, somehow, through Lolth's Silence. She has sisters centuries her senior, some of them with grandchildren in their service. The most powerful males are already consorted with or allied to others. No drow connected with another city's power structure would share the secret of high magic and their are very few who know them. Much of that knowledge was lost in the wake of the Crown Wars."

"Which makes you useful as a teacher and as an ally," said Sylvetria.

"A matron must have daughters," said Nalifan. "Even the ones who prefer women maintain a male consort of one sort or another to father their children. Otherwise the house has no future. The moment the Dread Queen dies there will be a power struggle to inherit. As things stand, Elvarra can't win."

"Sounds like good reasons for avoiding her. That itch can get scratched a lot of other places."

"How poetic," said Nalifan. "Well, truth be told the infatuation might work both ways. Her course might take her away from all that futile, political nonsense. With a little bending. I can see possibilities that she has never considered making their ways through her mind. And she is an extraordinary talent. Not quite my intellectual equal, but strong like a young red wyrm."

"And easy on the eyes," said Sylvetria.

Nalifan and Trizkel laughed. "What a wonderful gift for understatement your bride has," said Nalifan. "Not that I'm exactly hideous myself."

"Speaking of the devil," said Sylvetria, "where is the hell witch?"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A breeze stirred the warm summer air. The naked sky was still unnerving. It was like there was no cover anywhere. She would rather be nude in front of enemies than exposed like this.

But she would not show weakness, especially not in front of him. He was so brash and fearless and she envied it. A million drow could call him soft and a weakling and he would just laugh and destroy them with a wave of his hand if the moved against him. He had decided to live his life on his own terms and he had the strength to do it. She did more than admire that. She envied it.

She had known when she had went to Nalifan that she might be paying for her education with her body. The cost of high magic was so high and most of the coin she commanded was worthless to him. It hadn't dismayed her. She hadn't expected to want him so much or a place in his life. Lust hadn't been a surprise, but there was more than that there. He was the gate to another world, to other possibilities, and he was the power to make them real.

It scarred her. She had known her place and her path and now she should on uncertain ground at a tangle of ways, each fork going in another direction. Her environment was alien in every way. She felt it gnaw at her. She was still drow. Her inner turmoil would be buried deep under armour. She would show no sign of hesitation or weakness. She was Desanna.

Two of Nalifan's mercenaries were walking toward her. Her gaze lingered. on them. The sorcery that shielded her eyes from the sun had a number of other useful effects. Greenish-off white light swam around them, marking them as shape shifters.

Golden bolts of power erupted from her hand and the blew the doppelgangers to bloody pieces. Gore painted the grass in a rough cone three yards long behind where they had been standing. She opened her lips to begin a spell to speak with Nalifan when three monstrous orbs rose up from behind the rise.

A nest of snake-like eye stalks crowned each armoured monstrosity. Three wide open central eyes converged upon her, each one suppressing the flow and working of magic around her. The lead eye tyrant, a monster so huge it could swallow an ogre in one gulp laughed. "It has been too long since I dined on drow."

[Imperial Overlord]

"That's odd," said Nalifan, wrinkling his brow.

"What?" asked Sylvetria.

"I have a watcher spell on Elvarra. Very hard to notice."

"A what?"

"Watcher spell. Essentially a magical spy. So that I'll know if she tries to stab me in my sleep or poison me."

"So you don't trust her completely."

"Of course not. She's drow. Anyway, the watcher just stopped. I'm getting nothing from it. If she dispelled it, I would have gotten a warning impulse. There are no dead magic regions around here, so it can't be that."

"I can tell you what it is," said Trizkel. "Trouble."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She could run. Beholders weren't fast and they couldn't shoot her while keeping her within their null zones. She might be able to make it back over the hill and get solid earth between them and use her magic to escape. There was a slim chance. The faintest whisper of a chance, if they didn't close their central eyes while she ran and then bombard her body with lethal magics.

She was rejecting that option as suicide even as she sprinted towards the lead beholder. A pair of loathsome trolls followed the beholders, moving to guard their flanks. They wouldn't reach her in time and that was all that mattered.

The beholders were momentarily wrong footed, so to speak, by seeing their unarmed prey charge towards them. They slowed down. The eye tyrant in the center, an ancient being with stone hard armour plates and moss growing on the bottom of his body, opened his jaws wide. Elvarra leaped.

The drow dived and rolled with the skill and grace a human acrobat would sell his parents and grand parents to possess. She passed beneath the beholder's jaw, rolled under the monstrosity's body, and out of the null cone projected by their central eyes. Power raced through her body and fountained from her as she shouted a word that encompassed all her fear and rage.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A plume of blue-white fire jetted into the sky. Beholder armour, flesh, and bone were instantly blasted into char. The trolls were reducing to a scattered spray of ashes and hot embers as the flames punched high into the sky. Heads turned at the wedding party.

"Lolth's fangs," Trizkel swore. "You didn't mention she could do that!" Blades materialized in his hands.

"No!" Nalifan shouted. "Stay here and secure the site!"

"Fuck that!"

"Not on this day," Nalifan said. "Not on this day!" The arch-necromancer rose into the air and vanished with a clap of thunder.

"What's happening?" Sylvetria asked. A silver lance was in her hands. "Trizkel?"

"The gates of Baator just got thrown open," he said to his bride to be. He jogged towards where he had seen the pillar of fire, motioning for the mercenaries to join him. "If they aren't all dead by the time I get there, they're going to wish they were tasting Baator's flames."

[Imperial Overlord]

Kaeryn pushed her way through the crowds. "Everyone get back!" she yelled. She pointed towards the other side of the camp site. "Everyone get back and stay out of the way. Let the guards handle it!"

Most of the crowd was staring at the pillar of fire, blind to the danger they were in. Children were running and giggling and only the people nearest to her were paying any attention.

"Please Mystra," she whispered, "let me get all the children out of here before they arrive." She didn't know who they were exactly, but she knew they would certainly be able to cut through the wedding guests like a hot knife through butter. First though, they would have to get through her.

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Nalifan's appeared in the sky, hovering above the invading horde. It took the drow only a second to evaluate his opposition. Trolls, giants, beholders, and phaerimm. A half score of phaerimm, each as deadly as a dragon. Well, it looked like the faerie weren't the only ones who weren't pleased with his expeditions into Myth Drannor.

Eyes and eyestalks were swinging up towards him. He found Elvarra, in the leading edge of the living wave of the phaerimm's slaves as they were poised to pour over her and then into the wedding party. He finished intoning the killing spells.

His first target was a cluster of beholders. Kill them and Elvarra could add her strength to his. Anti-magic cones converged on him and did nothing. Flames engulfed his hands and he flung two spheres of blue-white fire at the beholders and at one of the smaller phaerimm.

Fire burst from the detonation points, engulfing the beholders and their bodyguards. The light was intense enough that those at the periphery of the blasts cast dark shadows onto the ground around them. Inside the hellish explosions flesh was transformed into swirling clouds of ash.

The beholders and the phaerimm perished in the blast, blown to ash along with all their guards save a lone fire giant. The squat, black skinned brute was garbed in black mail that now glowed red hot. He impotently raised a cherry red greatsword at the drow. A beam of ice-blue light struck him. His armour exploded from the dramatic temperature change, pelting everyone within thirty yards with fragments of flying metal. His body froze hard and he toppled face first into the summer grass, frost clinging to his dead skin.

Eye rays and killing spells lashed the air around Nalifan, but the drow was neither a stationary nor easy target. He had the sun above him, which made getting a clear shot even more difficult. Fire and storms of razored ice shards fill the air around as crimson and jade beams cut through the air. Only a few touched him and they were not equal to his defences.

Nalifan shouted another spell and a terrible wailing erupted around another group of beholders. Ghostly light poured out of their eyes and mouths and then the spheres fell ground lifelessly, blood leaking from their eyesockets. A storm of amber force shards swept over him and some of them sliced through his wards. Silk and skin were sliced open and blood streamed from a half-dozen minor wounds. Nalifan turned his attention towards his attacker.

Lashes of fire and lightning ripped through the warband. Elvarra strode arrogantly forward, each hand sprouting three lethal magical strands. They swept in the phaerimm's minions, burning and blasting flesh where they struck. A fire giant fell convulsing next to three burning trolls. Her lashes converged on a single stubborn stone giant and cut the gray skinned being in three pieces. The horde scrambled away from her, finding something at least temporarily more frightening than their masters.

An emerald beam flashed from Nalifan's finger towards the phaerimm that had attacked him. The ancient creature was ready for him and had defences of his own. The spell was turned, flashing back to strike the drow. Weave Binder's gems, the star sapphires set in the bracer of adamantine that Nalifan wore on his right forearm, pulsed brightly. The spell failed. None could turn Nalifan's magic against him while he wore Weave Binder.

He spoke another spell. The star rubies on Spell Breaker glowed briefly. An ebony and crimson bolt flew from his hand and tore through the elder phaerimm's shields as if they weren't there. The ancient creature's flesh blackened and withered and blood poured from its maw as it fell lifeless to the ground.

Elvarra unleashed more of her power, golden beams flashing from her eyes and incinerating another phaerimm. Frost and fire erupted around her and she walked through the storms of elemental destruction unharmed. Laughing, she lashed another phaerimm, striking it with lightning and fire. It's armoured hide blackened and fell away, allowing the sorcerous lashes to burrow into its flesh. The blasted out the other side of the phaerimm's body and the creature exploded into bloody chunks.

Nalifan shouted another spell and spheres of crimson fire fell to the earth, bursting into blooms of brilliant flames. He drifted toward the ground, now blasted, ruined, and strewn with corpses.

Elvarra walked toward him, a smile on her face. "I was wondering if you knew how to show a girl a real good time."

Nalifan threw his head back and laughed. "You can take a drow out of the Underdark, but you can't take the Underdark out of the drow."

She smiled and batted her eyes. "Whatever do you mean?"

"Funny," he replied. "Let's finish off any survivors and check for loot."

"You're worrying about loot, not your precious wedding?"

"Do you have any idea of the size of the combat bonus I'm going to have to pay? Loot. Maybe I'll get lucky and one of the beholders will have solid platinum teeth. Or diamond encrusted solid gold eyestalk bands."

[Imperial Overlord]

Lyanna smoothed her dress nervously. She had, in her time, officiated at some pretty strange weddings under unusual circumstance. This was the second time that a wedding party had come under attack, but violence on this scale was completely unprecedented. Thank Tymora that the only thing that had reached the grounds had been a pretty light show. She had spent more than enough time in dungeons as an adventuring priest to know what kind of power those pyrotechnics implied.

It was dusk, to show the marriage joined one who lived in darkness to one who lived in light. She cleared her throat. "Let us remember that the world we live in is often violent and cruel and that we depend upon the valor of friends and protectors as well as good fortune to protect us from the worst the world has to offer." She bowed her head for a moment. This was a seriously crazy wedding. In a way a massive assault was the most normal thing about it.

The moment of silence passed. She raised he head. "We are gathered here today to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony. If there are any who have objections, let them speak now." And preferably not with swords, she thought. Merciful Tymora, she still had the post combat jitters.

No one said anything. She wondered if anyone dared. She took Trizkel's wrist in her hand. "Trizkel, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife? To cherish and protect for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"Sylvetria Tagronese, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband? To cherish and honour for as long as you both shall live."

She looked over at the crowd, at the smiling faces of her mother and father, her younger brother, and all her friends and retainers. Beyond them was a host of neighbors and distant kin, the ones that every Vaasan might have to call upon to survive in this hard country. "I do," she replied.

"You may-" Lyanna began, but Sylvetria was already pulling Trizkel to her, "-kiss the bride," Lyanna concluded. Lights exploded in the sky as a whole battery of sky rockets were launched and a half dozen magicians unleashed showy spells. Ah hells, it could be worse. A lot worse.

A spring erupted from the ground, sending blood red fluid twenty feet in the air. Sylvetria and Trizkel continued to deprive one another of oxygen. "Gods, what is that?" Lyanna murmured.

"Wine," said Nalifan. "What did you think it was? Do you have any idea how much djinn charge for that? Thank the gods the phaerimm were loaded with magic items with a high resale value in Sigil, Union, and the City of Brass. I might just come ahead on this whole thing. What? Is it so wrong for me to make a profit? Weddings are supposed to be happy occasions."

[D.Turtle]

Seeing as you've started a new thread/story, can it be assumed that this one is finished?

I'm of a mixed mind about this story: The writing and so on was very good, but I can't help feeling a bit disappointed at the ease with which the attack was defeated.

[LadyTevar]

D.Turtle
You have to understand Nal and Co are all well over 20th level. Even Kaeryn, the weakest of them, is Lvl 21 (or more by now). By herself, she could have stood in the center the Beholder's Anti-Magic cones and called down a FlameStrike that would have blasted them to ashes. (I'm gonna miss that power when they kill Mystra/Midnight.)

[Imperial Overlord]

Seeing as you've started a new thread/story, can it be assumed that this one is finished?

I'm of a mixed mind about this story: The writing and so on was very good, but I can't help feeling a bit disappointed at the ease with which the attack was defeated.

The story was more light hearted than the usual run for the series and the opposition, for a change, wasn't massively powerful. You'll find that isn't true of "The Face of My Enemy".

[D.Turtle]

D.Turtle
You have to understand Nal and Co are all well over 20th level. Even Kaeryn, the weakest of them, is Lvl 21 (or more by now). By herself, she could have stood in the center the Beholder's Anti-Magic cones and called down a FlameStrike that would have blasted them to ashes. (I'm gonna miss that power when they kill Mystra/Midnight.)

Hmm, but shouldn't his enemies know how powerful he is? Isn't this (another) case of his enemies underestimating him?

But I can understand that this story was a bit more lighthearted, and the enemies were not really the point of the story.

However, I do look forward to seeing him meet an enemy that could be more of a challenge.

[Imperial Overlord]

Hmm, but shouldn't his enemies know how powerful he is? Isn't this (another) case of his enemies underestimating him?

But I can understand that this story was a bit more lighthearted, and the enemies were not really the point of the story.

However, I do look forward to seeing him meet an enemy that could be more of a challenge.

They didn't really underestimate him. They planned to attack him from surprise, outside of his well defended manse. And phaerimm are individually very bad news. Elvarra just happened to be there and monkey wrench the whole plan in the way that "brutally powerful sorceress stumbling onto our staging area at the wrong moment" can totally fubar things.

[LadyTevar]

Anyone stumbling into the staging area at the wrong moment is bad. Brutally Powerful Sorceress whose reaction to any danger is "Blow Them To 9th Level Of Hell" is just one of the nastier things to happen