Rain fell in sheets over the rooftops of Virens, sliding off their cleverly-designed tiles like droplets off a duck's back onto the cobblestones below. Wherever possible, Clotho dodged beneath the eaves in her flight from the Biomancer's guild. Though she did not fear the magicians, whether trying to fight or simply sounding the alarm, exhilaration filled her with the irrepressible urge to flee with her stolen loot. The amulet, clutched against her chest by her claws, throbbed with life energy. Clotho guessed that it functioned as a power source or at least astral focus for the Biomancers, and would aid the development of her domain immensely. A more immediate concern, however, was the rain; tropical deluges seldom lasted more than a few minutes at a time, but this storm seemed to be intent on sticking around. Already the broad, cluttered streets of Virens were utterly waterlogged, and every step Clotho took created a noisy splash to be drowned out by the cacophony of sound. Clotho relied almost totally upon her innate night vision at this point, so dark were the heavens. The same eyes that guided her to the edge of the town, however, proved to be a hindrance as well.

Roughly fifty feet from point at which main street became a road meandering out of town through the dense jungle copse, Clotho halted. Standing in her way were four biomancers, if their moss-infused robes were anything to go by, as well as five town guards armed with machetes and longbows. Though Clotho knew the luminescence of her eyes and the filched pendant partially gave her away, but she still might have been able to slip by undetected had not an obtrusive lightening flash illuminated her form. Upon seeing her, the soaked company recoiled One of the biomancers, a broad-shouldered man with vast, bristly sideburns, released a powdery mist from his hands that the rain carried into the ground, where tiny vines poked through cracks in the cobblestone and began to grow thorns. One guard identified himself as some sort of officer by announcing in a deep baritone, “Careful, fellas. This ain't no common thief. Form a...”

A sudden thunderclap crushed any chance of hearing the supposed captain's commands or replying to them. No matter--Clotho had no intention of exchanging words. Her rapier whipped into position and she darted forward, running fast and low. The humans stood no chance. Though valiant, the near-blackness denied them a clear target, and Clotho was among them like a wolf among hens. She twisted to and fro, lashing limbs and weapon around in a maelstrom of terror. Her weapon of choice had no slashing or cutting power, but a painful sting served as both a distraction and a lead to be followed up with a hard-shelled kick. Instead, Clotho impaled each target in turn with her barbed rapier; the cruel weapon slid into the warm bodies easily, barely even making them bleed. When the blade was yanked out, however, the barbs brought everything they pierced with them in an eruption of gore.

The last person alive, an elderly female biomancer, gasped faintly as the rapier's needle-sharp tip sprouted out of from between her breasts from behind. She was already on her knees, so Clotho knelt to whisper in her ear lest the rain drown her out. “Let's have a little chat, woman to woman.” The crone shivered violently, burping out little sobbing noises that might have been pleas were she not so terrified. “What is the purpose of your leader's amulet? You wouldn't have tried to face a skilled thief in the dark, pouring rain, with guards most likely asleep moments ago, were it not important.”

Clotho's victim made no sign of understanding. Clearly the Swarm Keeper had erred in her extermination of the more able humans first. With a disappointed groan, Clotho rose halfway to her full height, prepared to brutalize the crone's body with a quick pull of her weapon's hilt. As she twisted the blade, the old woman finally cried out, “Life! Manipulate...living things...lumber...produce...livestock. The amulet is the magic of the guild!”

Dozens of tiny, sawlike teeth were bared in a smile. The news was better than anything Clotho could have hoped for. She bent over the stabbed biomancer and carefully fed the rapier -which had no crossguard- through the woman's body. When the weapon was finally out, only tiny entry and exit wounds remained, barely bleeding. Their owner would live, but Clotho happily hypothesized that the events of this damp afternoon would render her a total lunatic for however many months she had left to live.

Clotho stalked away into the jungle, armed with the potential to manipulate life.

[u]Status:[/u]
Location: Virens
Dungeon: Jungle north of Saploya River, N16°W12° An incomplete and unfurnished yet vast hive spanning the length, width, and height of a massive, ancient tree in the jungle. The hive itself is constructed of a magically-created liquid that expands and hardens into a stiff, paperlike substance upon exposure to air. The main body of the hive is suspended by countless support struts that reach for hundreds of feet in every direction. The Dungeon Heart is situated at the very top of the tree. Currently has: Dungeon Heart, Myrmidon Spawner.
Forces: 15 Drone Imps, 39 Myrmidons