The dumbest decision of his life was when he had decided to follow Karesck to the surface. After the encounter with the wizard, they had trudged on to the surface, where it had been blessedly night, saving their eyes from the horror of the direct sunlight, which Karsh had never seen in his short life. Now, shivering in the bitter wind, the two drow huddled in a small cave near the surface, trying to decide what their next move would be. Karesck was insisting that they seek out the surface drow thieves that he knew existed in bands near this region. Karsh, remembering the stern words of the wizard, protested, arguing that they should follow through with the promise of finding Eilistraee, maybe she would not be as terrible as the great Lloth. So, now numb with cold, the young drow sat and waited for the decision of his older brother.

*****

Meanwhile, whilst the two drow were freezing on the surface, a great celebration was taking place in the sylvan community where the ever honorable and kind Qualinos lived. It was the celebration of the first full moon of the season, and the elves danced and sang on the hilltop near their village, becoming very tipsy on feywine and basically reveling the night away. All of the elves in the village were joining in the celebration except one, and she was not of their kind.

Kirita sat in the small hut that the gracious elves had provided and thought. She had been taken care of quite well after being brought here. The young drow had been given shelter, food and even clothing spun of the same soft fabric that the sylvans wore during her stay in this village. The surface elves had even thoughtfully placed the hut away from the mainstream of the village, in order to allow the drow privacy and keep her away from prying eyes. For this, she would have been daft to not be thankful for, but all the while she wondered why this was so. Were not drow and surface elf enemies and of different tempraments? As she pondered this question, a shadow fell across the opening to the hut. She started and looked up, weaponless, but unafraid, her violet eyes challenging the visitor.

"Have no fear, fair one, I am but a loremaster who wishes to speak with you." the wrinkled surface elf greeted her, crouching down in the doorway and spreading his hands to show that he was weaponless. Kirita relaxed a bit, but still was wary. The stranger was the second surface elf to speak to her in the language that she had grown up with in the dark streets of Menzoberranzan. Feeling bold, after the kind treatment she had been given, she spoke up for the first time since coming to the village.

"What is the meaning behind surface elves whom speak the common language of the drow whom are your enemies?" she asked, peering intently into the wizened face with her piercing eyes. The elf blinked, startled, and smiled at her, not unkindly.

"We are not enemies. I am not surprised you believe it to be so, the drow have always been unwilling to relinquish their treacherous ways and trust in our kindness and mercy." he spoke, his voice soothing like the spill of water over smooth rocks. Kirita found herself lulled by it, and her tenseness slipped away like the mist off of a summers' field. The drow found a comfortable position on the ground, now watching her visitor with a trace of wonderment as he gazed into her violet eyes with his clear blue ones. His eyes told the story of their clan and why the drow were unfeared among them.

"It was a long time ago, far before the illithyri were sent under the surface by the gods and the elves for their heinous crimes. Those were your great relatives, their names all but lost to time, and we, of all of the surface elves understood that there could be kindness and mercy even underneath all of their brashness and cruelty. " he spoke, placing a mosaic of the great Elf war which had banished the illithyri to the Underdark with their goddess Lloth as caretaker. She strove to listen, not realizing it as the soothing sound of the loremasters' tale dulled her senses, causing her to completely forget her wariness and confusion. Her only world was the sound of the voice in her head. The loremaster then reached out slowly and touched the tattoo that she wore upon her left forearm, a picture of a serpent coiled around a scimitar.

"The drow, you see, were not all that different from those of the sylvan ways, for we too took to branding our kind as to their rank and file within our society. However, we did not follow Lloth, but instead great Mielikki, who has shown a kindly spot towards drow who strive to be better than their past has determined. We too, are clannish and fiercely protective of our land, not allowing visitors of different races without first learning their intentions within our lands." he sat back again, not releasing her eyes from the mesmerizing gaze of the loremasters' own.

"Thus, we have been ever living within these woods, trying to become the gateway for drow whom wish to change their ancestry, taking them in and allowing them to start a different life than the one which parentage and the cruel rule of the spider goddess has given them." Kiritas' eyes suddenly grew heavy and she struggled to stay awake as the loremaster finished his tale. Unbeknownst to her, he grinned slightly at her predicament as he finished.

"This we offer you as well, having unwittingly becoming placed within our care. Consider this offer well, as our society can take care of you as no goddess of the dark and unholy could." he finished, offering a gentle hand to guide the falling Kirita to the ground as she fell fast asleep, under the soothing spell of the loremaster.

"Is all well, Feysalyin?" the voice asked, a new shadow appearing in the doorway.

"Yes." the loremaster Feysalyin nodded and stood, casting gentle eyes upon the sleeping drow. "She will make the right choice, it is in her heart to do so, even without my urgings, she most likely would have chosen The Path in any case." he rubbed his Mielikkan holy symbol under his tunic.

"She rests then, you should return to the festivities." the speaker told him, gliding away as silent as he had came. The loremaster watched for a moment longer and then followed, leaving the sleeping Kirita at peace for the first time in her life.

*****