Starting Date and Time: Mauven 38, 300 DM, Evening

Starting Location: Stone Craft Entrance to the Underdark

CS URLs: Vera Persephone Woods

Stone Crest, the beast at the foot of the Chartric Mountains. It was late, as the sun was already slipping down behind the Valley of the Screamers, the sounds of hammers ringing out, chisels cutting stone, the smell of furnaces permeating through the air. Stone Crest was filled with the kings and queens of their crafts, only bested by the craftsmen in the capital, many of whom started out here. It was a village of pride, combining the best of three worlds, Ebonfort, the Chartric Mountains' denizens, and of course, the Underdark.

But known only to those who lived here, who had seen Stone Crest turn ugly, was the absolute worst of them. One that had a blind eye turned to it by the very Ebon Knights that protected the realm. Tonight was the night when the stones would change, and for those that weren't smart, careful, or vicious, it would be the longest of nights.

Anyone who paid attention, noticed that Stone Crest had many of the races that inhabited the mountains and the Underdark. But many of the key positions, best locations for workshops and stores, the wealthiest members of the village, were humans and deep dwarves. It was not always this way, but that was how it was currently. They controlled the trade in and out of the region, ensuring their allies got the best goods and lowest taxes. It could even be seen in the Knights that patrolled the surface village, as they were almost exclusively human or deep dwarves.

In the distance, along the road leading to Stone Crest from the mighty capital, a company of Knights could be seen, walking with their banners. This wasn't unusual, companies often rotated in and out of their posts. In other villages. In Stone Crest, this was the heralding of what was to come, and it also showed that the Knights were giving their blessing for this challenge to happen. As the company marched into the center of the village, the Captain led the way, awaiting for the residing captain to come and meet her. The drow woman was a bit shorter than most drow females, but she wore a vicious grin of confidence.

Captain Landish walked out of the Ebon Knight Barracks and Depot, axe in hand, feeling the eyes of his people on him. He hadn't expect this to come so soon, he thought he a few more seasons. Standing before the drow woman, he stuck out his hand, and she gave him the official Company Reassignment Order, stamped and signed by Warden Knight Belvik. She grinned, "You've got one stretch to get your Company and return to the capital. We shall wait here. Safe travels."

Many of the civilians knew what was going on, and shops began locking up, being barricaded. But others, those who didn't know, were talking amongst themselves, trying to figure out what exactly was happening. A young human man, a neighbor of Vera's, a glassworker, was found knocking on her door rapidly. "Vera, Vera, let me in, quickly, it's important!"

For the Woods' blacksmith business, the day had been uncharacteristically slow. On the normal day for Vera, there would be a steady stream of requests that had her running various tasks for her father and uncle. Whether it was gathering refined ores and other materials from their dwarven partners, making a quick meal, or fetching food ingredients from the nearby market, Vera was always busy with something during the day. However, this day had gone by almost excruciatingly slowly. Though, it did give her a chance to practice using the forge and crudely shaping metal without messing up an order.

By far, Vera's usual steel creations were better and more graciously crafted than the dull and pathetic dagger that was tossed away as trash after what seemed like an eternity trying to create it. For several long moments, she had to hear her father rant and go on about wasted resources, wasted metal, wood, time... For Vera, his words went in one ear and out the other.

Although she often found herself ignoring Draenik's lectures and speeches, Vera was coming to realize that she valued and appreciated her father more each day since the near-death scare they'd had earlier that year. Despite having been fatally ill, Draenik seemed to have recovered remarkably in a short period of time, partially thanks to the sudden burst of healing magic that overcame Vera while grieving over her father on his deathbed.

On this particular evening, as the sun was making its descent below the horizon, leaving the city under a blanket of calm darkness, Vera prepared a rather late meal for Draenik and herself. She couldn't quite recall the exact name of the fish that she found herself chopping into thick chunks, remembering only that this particular fish was one of her father's many favorites.

The meal was certainly no feast. Cooked fish chunks between two thick pieces of bread, however, sufficed a hungry stomach. This was what Vera told herself as her father commented that she definitely did not inherit her mother's cooking abilities.

Laughing, she agreed, "You're right. Mother could have taken this little bit of food and turned it into a spectacular, delicious banquet." Vera enjoyed flexing her vocabulary whenever possible, just to prove to her conversation partner that she wasn't as much of a ditz as everyone thought. "Then again, she was the only one of us who knew about proper spices."

She gave her father a pointed look, and he feigned incredulity. "Well! I could learn about them if I wasn't so business- I mean, busy, with the business. You understand."

Vera smiled at him and began to speak, but the thought in her mind was short-lived as she was interrupted by an intense knocking on the front door. Again, she threw her father a smile, "I'll get it."

When she opened the door, she was a bit surprised to see her neighbor standing in front of her. "Hello," she greeted him. "What's all the fuss about?"

Kazdar quickly pushed past Vera, panic in his eyes, his breath coming fast. This was not how he wanted to first get into Vera's home, as he'd always had eyes on the pretty young smith. He'd always looked at her from afar, never having the nerve to approach her or her father. Now he feared it might be too late for the both of them. He turned and faced her, "We need to get you out of here, you and your father. The Reckoning is beginning!" His voice was rushed and whispered.

Outside, Captain Iy'kayia nodded to her company of drow and orcs, and they began fanning out through the village. As if she was going to live by her spoken word. Only official documents from the capital mattered here, chuckling to herself, as she looked forward to slicing that dwarf from groin to maw. She was pleased to have not heard a single sound as they all drew their weapons from their well oiled sheathes and holsters. It was little details like that ended up truly mattering in battles. She drew her own scimitars, enjoying their glint under the moonlight. They were thirsty, and so was she.

Captain Landish reentered the Barracks and Depot, seeing the handful of knights already arming themselves and barricading the massive building. He walked down the stairs into the store rooms, barking orders. They had a hidden tunnel installed here that led into the Underdark, as either an escape method or possibly using it to outflank their opponents. But he was not confident in this night. He wasn't prepared.

Kazdar went to open the door for them to escape when a heavy pounding startled him. A gruff, orcish voice barked, "Open up, home inspection." Kazdar looked back at Vera, his face growing pale, in a pale whisper, "Is there another way out? I'll delay as long as I can. Get anything you need and get out!"

The pounding continued, Kazdar, trying to make his voice seem tougher, deeper, "Oy, ah'm lookin for me trousers and am pissed. Hold your fookin horses"

Startled and feeling Kazdar's panic, Vera looked to her father for some sort of signal. She had been hearing the rumors of the day saying that something awful was going to happen, but she was never one to fall into the gossip. Now, she didn't know whether to believe her neighbor or to laugh at him for being so paranoid. Regardless, something about his entire demeanor made her join him in the worry.

Vera approached Kazdar and put a hand on his shoulder, saying, "There's an exit underneath the stairs," she gestured toward the staircase, which had a small, white door. "I'm going to lock it behind me. The key is in the top drawer of my bedroom dresser. Only door on the right upstairs."

Without hesitating, she turned, even though she wanted to say more to him - "good luck" or "be careful" or something. But she didn't. Her father followed her without saying a word. They entered the small, cramped space underneath the staircase and Vera ushered her father out in front of her. He was still a bit fragile from the sickness he'd experienced. Vera locked the first door, and then followed her father out of the second.

It was then that she realized she hadn't grabbed a single thing that they might have needed for survival. Quietly, she cursed underneath her breath. There is no time, she thought, not mentioning it to her father. Where would they go now?

"Outside of the city?" Vera posed the question to her father. He looked at her with an expression she'd never seen him have before: fear and ignorance.

"I-I don't know," he stuttered in a weak and timid voice. Vera stared at him in shock and disgust, unable to believe that her father was really going to let this ordeal scare him so severely.

"Come on," she said. "Just follow me. We'll be alright."

Vera grabbed her father's hand and began leading him toward the edge of the city. The oddness of the situation did not go unnoticed. The two of them realized that it should have been Draenik who was protecting his daughter, not the other way around. But Vera wasn't going to let them get hurt because her father got stunned. Whether the situation was as severe as her neighbor had portrayed or not.

The moment the door was locked behind Vera, the front door to their home was kicked open, the hinges shattering, splintering wood and dust filling the air. Kazdar was lucky enough to be standing off to the side, coughing and sheltering his eyes. He figured they were just going to arrest or admonish him, so he really didn't expect the edge of the sword to slice through his torso, spraying blood all over the room. Hitting the ground with a squishy thump, his vision started fading fast, not even feeling the massive pain that should've been there. The last thing he saw was the orc head upstairs, searching for others. At least he'd bought Vera some time, and he smiled lightly as his life faded away completely.

As Vera and her father made their way toward the edge of the city, a drow man, a citizen they'd recognized from their village, stepped out from the shadows. Everyone knew of him, but no one knew what he did or who he was really. Just that his name was Selzin. He was wearing dark leathers, and had at least two sheathed daggers visible on his person. He held a finger to his lips, gesturing for them to follow him, not to the edge of the village, but rather, further in, behind the buildings. He crept along the shadows, peered nervously around the corners, waving at them.

When they got closer to him, "If you try to leave the city, they'll slaughter you. We need to hide, not run," his voice hushed and raspy. "They are killin' as many humans and dwarves they can find. If you survive the night, you'll be fine tomorrow. It's the way it works here. And I can make that happen, for a price, which we'll discuss after."

He waited for the orc patrol to move past the alley he was planning to cross, and he did so, footsteps carefully placed to be silent. He ducked in behind the other building, a gem shop, the man peering through the bottom of the window. In there he saw some drow laughing as they butchered the dwarf family inside. He gestured for his companions to follow, but to stay low, as he continued to watch the scene. The drow finally finished with their quarry and left, not looting the store, as per the agreement, after all, there'd be a new shopkeeper in the morning.

Waiting for the door to shut, their shady companion pulled out a set of picks, and made short work of the lock on the backdoor. He slipped inside, and made his way to the front windows, and peered at them, watching for any prying eyes, before closing the curtains. Then he relaxed. He turned to look for his new companions, knowing they'd likely have many questions for him.