Prolouge

Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder

  Alim Talloth wearing his favoured black tunic walked along a path in the depths of the world that had become his home. He was large by the standards of dark elves and at his side he wore a shield and sword blessed by the high priestesses of Eilistraee. He walked through several corridors and caves which he was accustomed to, he travelled them for the next few minutes until he stopped dead in his tracks and stared at what he saw ducking immediately behind the nearest flora he upholstered his hand crossbow. In front of him laid a sleeping beholder although versed well in the creatures of the underdark he had never before encountered one, wisely he studied the creature it laid on the ground between several bushes about 3 meters in front of him, all eight of its eyes closed. He believed the beholder to be far beyond his abilities and he wisely backed away. Though he was only a recruit just out of the Eilistraee fighters core so he must not be blamed for his next actions. He steped backwards onto the uphill slope at the end the cave he had just exited only to misplace his foot leading to a slip into the nearby bushes awakening the beast. It’s eye opened with a bolt seeing Alim it floated up just in front of him while he was recovering. Alim stayed pinned on the floor blocked by the mental force of the beholder.

The beast boomed “I believed Dark elves to be smarter then to wake a sleeping elder but clearly I was wrong!”

Laying there unable to rise. He realized the beast must be an elder orb because it had referred to itself as an elder who’s innate abilities include near immortality and through that longevity it might have some wisdom, he might be able to bargain his way out of this

“Please mighty elder, I do not wish quarrel I’m  merely”

“Silence lolth worshipping fiend I detest your goddess and your ilk!”

“lolth? Please elder I do not praise goddess who claim chaos and destruction as there domain”

 The Beast paused it appeared to have some reason and through it’s intolerance of lolth Alim could gain some common ground.

Alim chose his next words carefully

” Mighty beholder I am of Eilistraee goddess of song and beauty surely you must recognise the faith I follow”

The beholder glanced at the insignia of his shield and realized he was telling the truth his mental hold on Alim melted away.

“I am not without mercy elf and your faith has led me to believe we are alike we are both outcasts among our kind you are lucky I am not the average of my kind who would kill you without a though although I am more akin to gods I shall believe that you may prove to be of some use”.

And without further conversation the beholder vanished perhaps returning to another plane where it might rest without further disturbance Alim glad to be out of the mess he started returned to the city of Reldorm to the Talloth house.