RP:Another One Joins D'Artes

Summary: And another one down, and another one down, another one joins D'Artes.
Emerus takes an oath to serve Gevurah and House D'Artes as its vassal. Emerus also reports on Rusilan's plans to end the slave trade. Gevurah gives Emerus instructions on what to do next to stop Rusilan.

House D'Artes

Emerus - After a dropping in on a conversation in the Frostmaw Tavern, Emerus had some news to tell his Mistress of the Dark and he seemed to be quite pleased about it. Though the fact he hadn't found the one he was supposed to be hunting remained deep on his mind, making his heart pound against his chest. Clothing himself in dark clothes, with a hood pulled over his head, he makes his way to the Drow city of Trist'oth, his drow made bow in hand and as black as the dark paths he traverses. After some time, comes to the Reverent Path, Sentinels of House D'Artes standing guard. He does his best not to draw their attention, but not having been down this far, he's bound to draw some attention.

The House D'Artes guards watch Emerus walk down the path with suspicion, but say nothing until he turns his attention onto the estate. Technically the path is public access, and although he may be elven, his bow is of drow make and he has been seen here before. Gevurah, coincidentally, happens to be walking along the path in the opposite direction to Emerus. She stops when she recognizes him. "You. Tell me why you're here, and I trust it is news that pleases me."

Emerus stops in his tracks as soon as that voice reaches his ears. Lifting his head up, he drops his hood, "I do and I don't. I have failed to bring you the head of the one you asked for. I have lost her trail." He places his bow over his shoulders and takes to a knee, in awe of being in the presence of the female. He kept his eyes on the guards around, knowing that he still has to keep on his toes, even if he under Gevurah's protection for the moment. He speaks once more in that deep, sing song voice of his, "But I have news about the Slave Trade. Someone wishes to put an end to it." He stands back up, saying no more than what he did, so as not to anger her. He knew he didn't stand a chance down here.

Gevurah appraises Emerus from head to toe. His reverence earns him her favor for she is a noble who enjoys have underlings (don't they all?) She signs to her guards in the hand language of the drow, and they open the gate. "Come." The First Daughter leads the corrupt elf into the D'Artes Estate, to its throne room. She takes her seat in the second tallest throne and gestures for Emerus to stand before her. "Tell me what you have come to learn."

The wood elf catches the hand language, the one thing he had not learned in his time with the drow in the forest. He follows her, keeping one step behind her so as not to dwaddle or to walk past. They could be touchy about these things. As she turns to sit on her throne, he has already taken up his place before her, "After the battle I had in frostmaw, aiding a giantess against this Hildegarde, I returned to see how things were going. Only, I joined a conversation after the mention of the slave trade." He pauses to shift how he stands, "A feline wishes to bring an end to the trade for good. I know the Drow people are big into the trade and knew this could be a threat. I took it upon myself to inform this feline that I could get some information for her. But I never told her it would be the correct information. I took this as a chance to come find you and let you in on this. I remember something about starting in Rynvale." He blinks and drops his head into his hand, feeling like he had just been rambling on. The elf is shaking a little, feeling nervous and excited at the same time, but given who he is standing before and whose house he's in, he had every right.

Gevurah furrows her brow at mention of a feline. "Do you know the feline's name." Questions are spoken as statements to subordinates in typical Gevurah fashion. His quaking pleases her. "What is this feline's plan." A servant enters with wine, which Gevurah takes. She waves Emerus towards the wine. "If you thirst, you may drink."

Emerus nods his head to his drow mistress, "Yes. Rusilan. There was another there with her as well, though I forget her name. She was of no importance, since my focus was on the one, wanting to bring down the slave trade." He turns his head to look over to the wine, then he moves to take some, knowing for sure that if he refused it would seem rude to her, especially since she has invited him into her home. He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, and after a glass is poured, he takes a sip, letting the flavor sink in.

Gevurah commits the name to memory. "Find out more about this Rusilan and discover the details of her plan. A lot of surfacers have high minded ideals to bring down the slave trade, but few have the power or intelligence to do so. Let's see what this Rusilan is made of. Shadow her, befriend her if you must." She eyes him then adds, "Why did you bring this information to me free of charge. You could have sold this to any interested person. Why me, and why free."

Emerus nods his head, "Yes... Mistress." He holds onto his glass of wine, ears tuned to her voice, "You spared my life the first time we met. Because of that I am greatful and bring the information to you for that reason. But.... also because my love for your race drives me to please you and your people." He turns and faces her dead on, eyes full of emotion his heart and mind has toward the Drow. He finishes his statement, confidence notable in his voice, "While I cannot be drow, I can aim to aid them in any way I possibly can."

Gevurah whispered a detect lie spell just before Emerus answered her question. His answer is honest, which surprises Gevurah, who expects everyone to lie. She certainly does. And she doesn't quite know what to make of this elf. He isn't the first evil elf she has ever met, but he is the first to ally himself with the drow not for personal gain but for high-minded notions of kinship and 'love'. It makes Gevurah, a creature who is always motivated by personal gain, rather suspicious. Still, surfacers do seem to be driven by froufrou emotions and softness. "No, you cannot become a drow. And House D'Artes does not accept non-drow members in its noble ranks. However, in the past the House has had sworn vassals of other races. You have proven your loyalty, though your motive is peculiar. Nonetheless, you have never acted against me and I detect no lies. If you swear allegiance in blood, you may be my vassal."

Emerus looks on to Gevurah and listens to her words carefully, hanging on to each one of them. He runs a hand through his hair, then nods his head, "But of course I will swear my allegiance. I could not wish for nothing more than that." His hands become shakey again, so he squats down and sets the wine on the floor. He drops his head for but a moment before he raises it with a mischevious.... no... wicked grin. "I am ready when you are. I don't want to wait. I am yours to command as you see fit." His heart pounds against his chest and he couldn't contain the trembling his body gave off from the excitment of her words for him to be a vassal. He really couldn't be more happier.

Gevurah smirks at the way Emerus is overcome with a dark, power-hungry joy. "Good. Follow me." She walks over to him and hands him a short twig of black bark. The wood feels unusually hot. "Hold this, don't let go." Then the drow walks straight into a wall behind her throne, literally. The wall shimmers as she moves through it as though it were made of gelatin. Once Emerus passes through the wall he will re-emerge in a hallway alongside Gevurah. The high priestess leads him to a small shrine to Vakmatharas. She stands behind the altar and gestures for Emerus to stand across from her and open his palm over the bronze bowl. "You must swear your allegiance to me and to House D'Artes under Vakmatharas's all-seeing gaze. Betray me, House, or God, and pay for it with your life. Repeat the oath after me: I vow to serve my mistress, Gevurah D'Artes, faithfully and without question. Her word is law. Her agenda is my own. I vow to serve House D'Artes without hesitation. It's power is to be upheld and respected. It's enemies I will vanquish. With Vakmatharas as my witness, and his glory my inspiration, and his Death my whip, I serve." As he repeats the oath, Gevurah takes his hand and turns his palm sideways. With a ceremonial dagger she cuts shallowly into his flesh. The bronze bowl collects a few drops and she adds a clipping of her own hair, then sets fire to both. The fire burns blue. "You are now a vassal to House D'Artes, and me more specifically."

Taking the item handed to him, he holds it tightly and follows his mistress. As she slips through the wall behind the throne, he is hesitant for a short moment before easing his way through slowly. He looks up and around at the hidden room. Stepping closer to the bronze bowl in the center he stares at it for a moment, then shakes his head and holds his hand over it. In a stable, confident voice, he puffed out his chest, "I vow..... To serve my Mistress, Gevurah D'Artes, faithfully and without question. Her word is law. Her agenda is my own....." He stops to take a breath, keeping that same tone of voice, "I vow to serve House D'Artes without hesitation. It's power is to be upheld and respected. It's enemies I will vanquish.... With Vakmatharas as my witness, his glory my insipiration, and his Death my whip, I serve." With the shallow cut to his hand he hisses slightly, then watches as his blood falls, watching it hungrily to make this oath and vow complete. He grins and once it's all done and over with, he looks straight to Gevurah, "I shall do everything in your honor. What would you like me to tell this Rusilan in reguards of the Slave Trade. I did tell her I would get information for her, but I never told her what kind of information."

Gevurah nods at Emerus's additional vow. "Good. Come, as a vassal you have earned the right to carry a symbol which should get you out of a sore spot should you ever find yourself in one." As they speak of Rusilan, the priestess leads him to a small, furnished den. By all appearances it's a family room for the nobles, though it's nearly always empty. Drow don't socialize much. As they enter the room she rings a small bell on the wall. She sits on a couch and waves for Emerus to sit across the coffee table from her on the other couch. "What information is she looking for? Slave trade routes?" Gevurah shrugged. "There is a trader who ships elven and human slaves from the wilds north of Gualon to Rynvale Island, to trade at the bazaar east of Gamorg. Tell her this. I am curious to see if she can stage an attack worthy of my attention." What Gevurah doesn't say is that the route she has divulged to Emerus belongs to a rival house, and thus Gevurah does not care if Rusilan wins this one battle. "I'd like to take the measure of this Rusilan. I doubt she's anything to worry about."

Emerus can only smirk as he follows his Mistress further into her place of residence. He looks about the room, impressed really, and whistles his impressed thought of the place, "A symbol? Again, I would be honored." He's enjoying this way too much. If his kin knew what he was up too, they would kill him or torture him into changing. Taking the couch opposite of Gevurah, he settles down, "Any and all information that can get her closer to destorying the trade for good. She mentioned the black market for slaves in Rynvale, so I think she wants to start there." He is more than happy to relay the information to the feline, finding the satisfaction for playing the innocent. Gain their trust and turn around and use it against them.

Gevurah relishes in the way Emerus is won over by D'Artes wealth. She understands people motivated by greed and power. She is too. The lines are clearly demarcated. "Good. If you have noting else to report, that will be all." She rings a bell for Izzerin, the D'Artes chamberlain. "Make your acquaintance with Izzerin. If you need resources, he can help." Nothing too flashy, of course, but Emerus is no longer an unsupported rogue. He has some clout.

Emerus nods his head, the pendant given to him placed around his neck, quite eagerly and placed it beneath his shirt to protect it. Once Izzerin makes his appearance, the wood elf makes his presence known and his belonging known as well. Once it's all done and over with, Emerus pulls his black hood up over his head and gathers his bow tightly in his hand, "There is much work to be done, I shall get started right away." He bows to Gevurah, turning and walking away with a silent step, and of course having to be lead out, until he knows his way about the Drow House.