Open & Shut - EXITING Pellanistra’s Dungeon

As I continue my work I find I want to be disturbed less and less. And yet, still, the 8-legged guardians I place at my home’s door do not deter as many as I would like.

So, if you are to enter – I shall make it harder for you to leave. A cunning system of doors that can only be opened through a specific means will deter unwanted guests escaping and telling others of my presence here.

Apparently though, I have made it harder for me to leave also. The spiders do well to respond to my beck and call, but do not have the same capabilities as their underdark brethren when it comes to mastering my lock’s complex mechanisms or following my simple instructions.

I do not know if they are stupid, or simply lack the capacity to communicate effectively with each other at a distance, but when I instruct them which hieroglyphs to depress they do so – When I instruct all 10 of them to do so at the same time, they do not.

Without my oversight they either depress the correct ones, but at random moments - or they depress random hieroglyphs, rather than the specified 10, leading to mechanism malfunction, or in some cases, their injury or death. And that is AFTER I have set the dials to the correct numbers.

It has been so long since I have left these catacombs that I often almost forget the correct hieroglyphs myself. Perhaps I need some riddle to remind me…

Check sleight of hand

For Warden so Grave

Match it to Linguist

So cunning and brave

Journal of a banished Drow Part 7 - Chaos Reigns

The consequences of my actions in Morello became increasingly apparent as the kingdom grappled with the aftermath of the hidden cards. Tales of fortune and misfortune spread like wildfire, and the once-stable fabric of Morello's society seemed to unravel before my eight eyes.

A growing faction within the King Commerford’s court seeks to uncover the truth behind the enigmatic cards scattered across the kingdom.

I found myself caught between the desire to revel in the chaos I had unleashed and the responsibility to confront the repercussions of my actions. The web of destinies had grown complex, and I felt a strange sense of kinship with the kingdom I had chosen as my canvas.

As I continued to observe the unfolding drama, I couldn't shake the feeling that the deck itself was watching, its ethereal presence guiding events in ways beyond my comprehension. Morello had become a stage for a cosmic play, and I, a reluctant actor in a drama orchestrated by forces far beyond the mortal coil.

I may need to concoct some deeper lore, or bring back myths that once were dead, in order to conceal my influence. This land has been so quick to turn on it’s indigenous peoples before… perhaps… once more…?

Journal of a banished Drow Part 6 - Sowing the seeds of Fate

News of mysterious occurrences and inexplicable phenomena began to spread throughout Morello. Whispers of hidden treasures and life-altering experiences echoed through the streets, drawing the attention of adventurers, scholars, and seekers of the extraordinary – one in particular, a forgetful old loon in service of the outcast council, seems to have taken a keen interest. The cards I had hidden were stirring the pot of fate, their influence seeping into the lives of those who discovered them.

I observed from the shadows as individuals drew cards, their expressions ranging from elation to despair. The kingdom was in the grip of an unpredictable force, and I reveled in the chaos I had unleashed. The web of destinies interwoven with my own danced in the moonlit night, a mesmerizing spectacle of chance and consequence.

However, I couldn't escape the gnawing doubt that lingered in the recesses of my mind. Was I merely a puppet, manipulated by the whims of the deck, or did I hold some semblance of control over the destinies I had touched? The answers remained elusive, hidden behind the enigmatic veil of the cards.

As I observed the unfolding drama, I couldn't help but wonder if the kingdom of Morello would emerge stronger or crumble under the weight of the deck's influence. The threads of fate were entangled, and only time would reveal the tapestry that awaited completion.

The townsfolks and simpletons continue to attribute these strange goings-on to the meddling of the Yama. I am torn between the comfort taken of being bathed alone in the light of illumination, or whether the satisfaction of their realizing they had been ensorcelled by one such as me would delight me more so.

Journal of a banished Drow Part 5 - A Plan Emerges

The island kingdom of Morello has become both my refuge and my canvas for a daring plan. As I explored the lush landscapes and intricate cities, I couldn't shake the feeling that fate had guided me to this unique realm. The deck of many things, with its capricious nature, urged me to leave my mark on this kingdom in a way that would intertwine our destinies.

In the depths of the night, I began hiding the cards in secretive locations across Morello. Each card was carefully concealed, masked by illusions and protected by the intricate webwork I wove around them. My drider abilities proved invaluable in navigating the hidden nooks and crannies of the kingdom, ensuring that only those with the keenest senses or the most desperate desires would stumble upon my carefully placed treasures.

I left behind clues, cryptic symbols that only the most perceptive individuals might decipher. The people of Morello remained unaware of the web of fate I was weaving around them, the cards silently influencing the threads of their lives.

The risk was great, for I knew the consequences of meddling with the deck, yet the thrill of playing with destiny overcame my caution. As I completed the last hiding spot, a sense of satisfaction and anticipation filled me. Morello was now a tapestry of hidden potential, waiting to be unraveled by those brave or foolhardy enough to seek the secrets I had scattered across the kingdom.

Journal of a banished Drow Part 4 - Emancipation

I did it. I discovered the cards and draw sequence to break my bond to Lolth.

Of course… it makes sense that she would not keep all the cards needed to undermine her power all-together in one place. After a century of research, raids, thievery, sorties, and countless dead spider-servants, I have found the cards necessary to construct my own deck of many more things.

After countless permutations, terrifying trips to DonJon, card-drawing experiments on hapless adventurers wandering into my web…

I am no longer bound to my deity. She no longer whispers threats in my sleep, torments me while I hunt, mocks me when I seek peace. My mind and soul are mine alone. The draw sequence, number of cards, and the key to which cards I have stored elsewhere in my research. Who would have known it would be color based!? Now others will Envy me alone.

Now that I have no need of this deck… what should I do with this power of fate I hold in my hands?

Journal of a banished Drow Part 3 - An Unplanned Journey

The deck of many things continues to be both a blessing and a curse on my journey. Each draw sends ripples through the fabric of my existence, leaving me to navigate the consequences with an ever-growing sense of uncertainty.

In a moment of desperation, I drew a card that transported me to a distant plane, far from the surface world I had come to know. The alien landscapes and strange creatures were disorienting, and I felt like a mere pawn in a cosmic game. It took all my cunning and the innate abilities of my drider form to survive and find my way back to the material plane, to this abandoned temple that I will repurpose to call home.

The experience left me with a newfound understanding of the deck's power. It is a force that transcends the boundaries of reality, shaping destinies across planes. Whether it is a twisted sense of humor or a deeper cosmic design, I cannot fathom.

As my travels draw to a close with the safety of these new towers and caverns offering refuge (and company, in the form of its many arachnid inhabitants), I am haunted by the question of whether the deck is a tool of my liberation or an instrument of my eternal torment. The uncertainty gnaws at the edges of my consciousness, but I press forward, driven by a relentless determination to uncover the truth behind the cards and, perhaps, carve a destiny of my own choosing.

Journal of a banished Drow Part 2 - An Unknown Path

The surface world is a realm of stark contrasts compared to the depths of the Underdark. The sun's warmth is a harsh reminder of the cool shadows I once called home. My eight-legged form attracts curious stares and fearful glances from the surface dwellers, but I press on, driven by the unpredictability of the deck in my possession.

Each draw from the deck has shaped my fate in ways both extraordinary and calamitous. The cards are a reflection of the chaos that now governs my life. One moment, I find myself blessed with unimaginable wealth, and the next, I am plunged into the depths of despair. It is a rollercoaster of fate, and I ride it with a strange mix of exhilaration and trepidation.

The surface world holds both wonders and dangers. In the darkness, I encounter creatures that rival the nightmares of the Underdark, but I also witness the beauty of landscapes bathed in moonlight. It is a world of constant change, much like the shifting fortunes dealt by the deck.

I have no allies in this unfamiliar realm, only the cards and the unpredictable path they lay before me. As I traverse the surface, I can't help but wonder if my fate was truly sealed by Lolth's wrath or if the deck of many things holds the key to a destiny of my own making.

Journal of a banished Drow Part 1 - Pellanistra's Exile

Today marks the beginning of my exile from the spider temple, a place I once called home. The webbed halls echoed with the whispers of the dark goddess, Lolth, but now they only resonate with the haunting silence of my banishment. It wasn't the whispers that drove me away, but rather the irresistible temptation that led me to steal a deck of many things from the sacred chambers.

I couldn't resist the allure of the cards, each one holding the promise of destiny, both grand and perilous. The power they emanated called to the chaotic desires within me. I knew the consequences of my actions, but the thrill of the forbidden was too intoxicating to resist.

Once I had fallen out of Lolth’s favor I knew the only way to break the sacred bond between sorcerer and deity is with a completed deck and a sacred card drawing. I have yet to determine how to stack the deck to accomplish the severing of the sacred ties that bond us, but I will make it my life’s mission to break myself of this curse.

As I fled the temple, the eight legs that once moved in harmony now felt heavy with the weight of my betrayal. I can still feel the eyes of the temple's priestesses boring into my back, their silent judgment condemning me to a life beyond the sacred web. I am now a drider without a temple, a creature caught between the realms of spider and drow.

What awaits me beyond the temple walls, I cannot say, but I carry the deck of many things with me, a constant reminder of the choices that led me to this solitary path.