(Hey hey! To anyone else in my Dangerous Designs game: we're jumping into a pre-party prequel for Clod's and Reko's characters. Reading ahead might spoil a few character surprises, so I’d recommend averting your eyes for the time being.)
The passages seem to stretch endlessly, promising little but miles and miles of darkness -- darkness, and the things that live in it. In the midst of it all is a still-small bugbear, paused at yet another choice of passageways; wherever the young bugbear had intended to go, it's clear she's strayed considerably from any Dynasty encampment from which she had come. Multiple paths branch out behind and before her, offering little clue as to a return to the familiar. The echo of skittering whispers overhead; if she peers toward it, she sees nothing, though whether there is nothing to see may be another question altogether.
It smells of damp; she hasn't yet lived among it long enough to stop noticing it, yet. There is the sound of some dripping liquid, and light vibrations of a distant rumbling. And then, closer, difficult to make out beneath the quiet, constant noises of this allegedly empty cave: are those footsteps?
Harliblith feels as though she's sinking slowly into the earth. She remembers what Ilmrae once told her---if you're lost, stay where you are, and we'll come find you. But Ilmrae isn't here anymore, and probably wants nothing to do with her. Is there anyone to come looking for her, now? Would it matter if she disappeared, if she's slowly consumed by the crushing weight of the land above her, pressing her down into an early grave? She wonders, if she just sat down and stayed here, if she would remain in the darkness forever, her flesh melting away, bones left to rot, forgotten by all. It's not as though anyone would care.
Maybe that would be for the best.
But in the darkness come other visions. Monsters, beasts, pain. She could accept simply disappearing quietly, never to be heard from again. But she is afraid of pain, of the hunger and thirst that would consume her before her death. She hugs herself, claws digging into her arms, and shakes. She tries to imagine someone else is holding her, someone bigger, older, someone who can care for and protect her, but she can't make herself believe it. That is a luxury no longer afforded to her---this, she knows, instinctively. Her entire frame seems to rattle as she hunches in on herself.
She doesn't want to cry. Not to preserve her dignity---what use is dignity for someone cast aside in shame?---but because she knows she's an ugly crier. Even if no one is here to see her, she hates, hates, hates feeling ugly. The way her face puffs up, the way the fur on her cheeks grow damp and matted, the snot, the uncontrollable hiccups. And besides, crying is for babies. Specifically, babies with mothers, those mythical beings that can be summoned by a well-placed wail. Harliblith is not a baby, and has never had a mother. Tears will do her no good.
So she bites her lip and hunkers down, trying to stay silent.
Maybe it will be like going to sleep, she thinks. Maybe it would be a relief. If she lets Death have her, at least, then, she knows its grip would remain fast. There would be no one left to abandon her.
It would be hard to not feel at home in the twisting passages and dark terrain of the Underdark once you’ve lived amidst it for over a century, so navigating the snaking paths with ease and a fast pace comes naturally to Xintris. They stop for a moment when spotting something sitting on the ground by a crossing of passages, unsure of what exactly the being is- at least until it shifts, and Xintris can catch a better look of the creature- the child sitting curled up on the ground.
The Underdark has never been a kind place to anyone, much less to anyone young, and that thought gets Xintris moving again. They’re light on their feet, still careful to keep an eye out for anything suspicious or dangerous around them as they approach, studying what seems to be a young bugbear hugging themselves while huddled up on the ground.
“..Hello? Are you alright?” Their voice is cautious and quiet, they know it’s usually not a good idea to be loud and make a scene of yourself when you don’t know who could be listening. “Are you here alone?”
Harliblith blinks up at the approaching figure. She doesn't recognize them. She wonders if perhaps this is all a dream. It's difficult to speak around the lump in her throat, so her voice comes out quiet. "I'm alone," she says, because that much is obvious. Their first question doesn't seem relevant.
She eyes them with suspicion. The Underdark contains many perils, she'd been warned. What are the chances of running across someone willing to help her, here? She can't help but ask, "Are you here to hurt me?" Maybe it's a stupid question. She probably can't expect a straight answer. But she's tired, and has no fight. There's nothing to fight for.
Xintris keeps their ears open and keeps looking around them to make sure nothing or no one could sneak up on them, but the child does seem to be alone like she said. "No, I'm not here to hurt you," they speak up after a moment, and carefully crouch down to kneel down by the bugbear, looking over her to check if she's hurt.
"How did you end up here alone, did you get lost? Um- here," they reach into their bag to pull out a food ration wrapped in cloth, and hand it over to her. "What's your name? Do you know where you're supposed to be, maybe I can help you there?"
Harliblith did get lost. But she doesn't want to admit it. She's also afraid of going back, of being a disappointment. The task was to navigate the path they'd been shown alone, and she failed. She'd been too eager to prove herself and thought she'd found a shortcut. Now, all she's proven is that she's useless. Why would they want her, now? But where else is she supposed to go? Can she trust this stranger to lead her back?
She is silent for awhile, before answering, "I'm Harliblith." Harliblith No-Surname. Harliblith, the excrement from down under. 'Do you know where you're supposed to be?' the elf had asked. And the answer is no, she doesn't. She isn't supposed to be here, she isn't supposed to be with her old Den, and if she can't even complete this simple task, she clearly doesn't belong in the Underdark, either. But she doesn't say that. Instead, she says, "I've lost my way, and I need help getting back to the nearest encampment." She tries to gather herself, straightening a little bit, though her eyes are still wary. She doesn't move to take the food being offered to her. "...Who are you?"
Okay, at least they had a name to call the child now, which was... Well, it was a start, wasn't it? "Harliblith? Okay, good. Are you... Are you hurt, or something? Did someone else hurt you, or leave you here?" She had asked if Xintris was there to hurt her, maybe that had happened before to make it her first instinct.
When the girl doesn't make a move to take the food Xintris kept holding it out for a moment longer before finally sighing and putting it back in their bag. At least the kid was talking and wasn't actively bleeding, and now they had some clue of where she should be taken back to. "The nearest encampment? Okay, that's- that's doable, I know where that is. It's a bit of a walk, but we should be able to get there soon enough, if we go now." They don't think she'll take it, but they still hold a hand out to help her up. "My name's Xintris, I live down here. Well, not right here, but close enough."
Harliblith eyes them dubiously. "You live here?" She has no reason to trust Xintris, but she also has no other choice. "...Why?" Harliblith knows exactly what brought her to this place, and wonders what reason someone else would have to be down here. Xintris doesn't look drow, like most of the other people of the Dynasty Harliblith has met, but could they also be here with the Lens? Is this part of the test?
"..Yes? Am I not supposed to?" Xintris looks a little confused, they're so used to living in the Underdark it doesn't really register as something odd, or out of the ordinary. "Well, my family- they live here, and I grew up here. And I work here." They cast another look around, all too aware of how risky it can be to linger in uncovered spots sometimes. "Which is how I know my way around. I can take you to the nearest encampment if you come with me."
She still isn't certain if she should trust this person, but she is seeing no other options, so Harliblith nods in acquiescence. "Thank you," she says, her tone slightly curt. But she is only a child, so she can't help but press on in her curiosity: "You grew up here? Without the sun?"
Xintris lets out a small sigh of relief when Harliblith seems to relent and accept the offered help, which means they can start moving instead of sitting in place as easy targets.
"Yes? I've seen the sun before when visiting the surface, but we usually don't do that. We're fine without it." That doesn't mean they don't miss it, but... They decide it's probably best to spare the child from hearing them talk about things they wish they could have. They make sure Harliblith stands up and starts following them as they start on the best path towards the nearest encampment. "Do you live up on the surface?"
Xintris is about to reply and ask what Harliblith means with her answer and how she ended up in the Underdark, but the distant bubbling and squelching sound they can head from the direction of the paths makes them stop and listen. It's impossible to know exactly what path the noise is coming from, but after a second look at the young child they know they can't risk running into the nasty ooze creatures right now.
"Okay, we'll... We'll go this way, come on," they motion for Harliblith to follow them as they head away from the sucking noises, even if it means they'll have to walk for a bit longer it will hopefully be safer. "Do you want to..talk about it?" Their offer is a little stilted, but genuine.
She does, and she doesn't. There are so many things she wishes to say, but saying it here wouldn't matter. Amidst the shame that the memories bring comes anger. "Why do you even care?"
Xintris takes a moment to respond to the question, but they also don’t really react to the anger in Harliblith’s voice. “I’d rather not leave you here to be ripped apart by something living here. Call it common decency, I guess?” Honestly, they just don’t want yet another child to be left to rot in the shadowy corners of the Underdark if they can help it.
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(Hey hey! To anyone else in my Dangerous Designs game: we're jumping into a pre-party prequel for Clod's and Reko's characters. Reading ahead might spoil a few character surprises, so I’d recommend averting your eyes for the time being.)
The passages seem to stretch endlessly, promising little but miles and miles of darkness -- darkness, and the things that live in it. In the midst of it all is a still-small bugbear, paused at yet another choice of passageways; wherever the young bugbear had intended to go, it's clear she's strayed considerably from any Dynasty encampment from which she had come. Multiple paths branch out behind and before her, offering little clue as to a return to the familiar. The echo of skittering whispers overhead; if she peers toward it, she sees nothing, though whether there is nothing to see may be another question altogether.
It smells of damp; she hasn't yet lived among it long enough to stop noticing it, yet. There is the sound of some dripping liquid, and light vibrations of a distant rumbling. And then, closer, difficult to make out beneath the quiet, constant noises of this allegedly empty cave: are those footsteps?
Harliblith feels as though she's sinking slowly into the earth. She remembers what Ilmrae once told her---if you're lost, stay where you are, and we'll come find you. But Ilmrae isn't here anymore, and probably wants nothing to do with her. Is there anyone to come looking for her, now? Would it matter if she disappeared, if she's slowly consumed by the crushing weight of the land above her, pressing her down into an early grave? She wonders, if she just sat down and stayed here, if she would remain in the darkness forever, her flesh melting away, bones left to rot, forgotten by all. It's not as though anyone would care.
Maybe that would be for the best.
But in the darkness come other visions. Monsters, beasts, pain. She could accept simply disappearing quietly, never to be heard from again. But she is afraid of pain, of the hunger and thirst that would consume her before her death. She hugs herself, claws digging into her arms, and shakes. She tries to imagine someone else is holding her, someone bigger, older, someone who can care for and protect her, but she can't make herself believe it. That is a luxury no longer afforded to her---this, she knows, instinctively. Her entire frame seems to rattle as she hunches in on herself.
She doesn't want to cry. Not to preserve her dignity---what use is dignity for someone cast aside in shame?---but because she knows she's an ugly crier. Even if no one is here to see her, she hates, hates, hates feeling ugly. The way her face puffs up, the way the fur on her cheeks grow damp and matted, the snot, the uncontrollable hiccups. And besides, crying is for babies. Specifically, babies with mothers, those mythical beings that can be summoned by a well-placed wail. Harliblith is not a baby, and has never had a mother. Tears will do her no good.
So she bites her lip and hunkers down, trying to stay silent.
Maybe it will be like going to sleep, she thinks. Maybe it would be a relief. If she lets Death have her, at least, then, she knows its grip would remain fast. There would be no one left to abandon her.
It would be hard to not feel at home in the twisting passages and dark terrain of the Underdark once you’ve lived amidst it for over a century, so navigating the snaking paths with ease and a fast pace comes naturally to Xintris. They stop for a moment when spotting something sitting on the ground by a crossing of passages, unsure of what exactly the being is- at least until it shifts, and Xintris can catch a better look of the creature- the child sitting curled up on the ground.
The Underdark has never been a kind place to anyone, much less to anyone young, and that thought gets Xintris moving again. They’re light on their feet, still careful to keep an eye out for anything suspicious or dangerous around them as they approach, studying what seems to be a young bugbear hugging themselves while huddled up on the ground.
“..Hello? Are you alright?” Their voice is cautious and quiet, they know it’s usually not a good idea to be loud and make a scene of yourself when you don’t know who could be listening. “Are you here alone?”
Harliblith blinks up at the approaching figure. She doesn't recognize them. She wonders if perhaps this is all a dream. It's difficult to speak around the lump in her throat, so her voice comes out quiet. "I'm alone," she says, because that much is obvious. Their first question doesn't seem relevant.
She eyes them with suspicion. The Underdark contains many perils, she'd been warned. What are the chances of running across someone willing to help her, here? She can't help but ask, "Are you here to hurt me?" Maybe it's a stupid question. She probably can't expect a straight answer. But she's tired, and has no fight. There's nothing to fight for.
Xintris keeps their ears open and keeps looking around them to make sure nothing or no one could sneak up on them, but the child does seem to be alone like she said. "No, I'm not here to hurt you," they speak up after a moment, and carefully crouch down to kneel down by the bugbear, looking over her to check if she's hurt.
"How did you end up here alone, did you get lost? Um- here," they reach into their bag to pull out a food ration wrapped in cloth, and hand it over to her. "What's your name? Do you know where you're supposed to be, maybe I can help you there?"
Harliblith did get lost. But she doesn't want to admit it. She's also afraid of going back, of being a disappointment. The task was to navigate the path they'd been shown alone, and she failed. She'd been too eager to prove herself and thought she'd found a shortcut. Now, all she's proven is that she's useless. Why would they want her, now? But where else is she supposed to go? Can she trust this stranger to lead her back?
She is silent for awhile, before answering, "I'm Harliblith." Harliblith No-Surname. Harliblith, the excrement from down under. 'Do you know where you're supposed to be?' the elf had asked. And the answer is no, she doesn't. She isn't supposed to be here, she isn't supposed to be with her old Den, and if she can't even complete this simple task, she clearly doesn't belong in the Underdark, either. But she doesn't say that. Instead, she says, "I've lost my way, and I need help getting back to the nearest encampment." She tries to gather herself, straightening a little bit, though her eyes are still wary. She doesn't move to take the food being offered to her. "...Who are you?"
Okay, at least they had a name to call the child now, which was... Well, it was a start, wasn't it? "Harliblith? Okay, good. Are you... Are you hurt, or something? Did someone else hurt you, or leave you here?" She had asked if Xintris was there to hurt her, maybe that had happened before to make it her first instinct.
When the girl doesn't make a move to take the food Xintris kept holding it out for a moment longer before finally sighing and putting it back in their bag. At least the kid was talking and wasn't actively bleeding, and now they had some clue of where she should be taken back to. "The nearest encampment? Okay, that's- that's doable, I know where that is. It's a bit of a walk, but we should be able to get there soon enough, if we go now." They don't think she'll take it, but they still hold a hand out to help her up. "My name's Xintris, I live down here. Well, not right here, but close enough."
Harliblith eyes them dubiously. "You live here?" She has no reason to trust Xintris, but she also has no other choice. "...Why?" Harliblith knows exactly what brought her to this place, and wonders what reason someone else would have to be down here. Xintris doesn't look drow, like most of the other people of the Dynasty Harliblith has met, but could they also be here with the Lens? Is this part of the test?
"..Yes? Am I not supposed to?" Xintris looks a little confused, they're so used to living in the Underdark it doesn't really register as something odd, or out of the ordinary. "Well, my family- they live here, and I grew up here. And I work here." They cast another look around, all too aware of how risky it can be to linger in uncovered spots sometimes. "Which is how I know my way around. I can take you to the nearest encampment if you come with me."
She still isn't certain if she should trust this person, but she is seeing no other options, so Harliblith nods in acquiescence. "Thank you," she says, her tone slightly curt. But she is only a child, so she can't help but press on in her curiosity: "You grew up here? Without the sun?"
Xintris lets out a small sigh of relief when Harliblith seems to relent and accept the offered help, which means they can start moving instead of sitting in place as easy targets.
"Yes? I've seen the sun before when visiting the surface, but we usually don't do that. We're fine without it." That doesn't mean they don't miss it, but... They decide it's probably best to spare the child from hearing them talk about things they wish they could have. They make sure Harliblith stands up and starts following them as they start on the best path towards the nearest encampment. "Do you live up on the surface?"
Harliblith's face turns dark. She hunches over, looking away. "Not anymore," she says.
Xintris is about to reply and ask what Harliblith means with her answer and how she ended up in the Underdark, but the distant bubbling and squelching sound they can head from the direction of the paths makes them stop and listen. It's impossible to know exactly what path the noise is coming from, but after a second look at the young child they know they can't risk running into the nasty ooze creatures right now.
"Okay, we'll... We'll go this way, come on," they motion for Harliblith to follow them as they head away from the sucking noises, even if it means they'll have to walk for a bit longer it will hopefully be safer. "Do you want to..talk about it?" Their offer is a little stilted, but genuine.
She does, and she doesn't. There are so many things she wishes to say, but saying it here wouldn't matter. Amidst the shame that the memories bring comes anger. "Why do you even care?"
Xintris takes a moment to respond to the question, but they also don’t really react to the anger in Harliblith’s voice. “I’d rather not leave you here to be ripped apart by something living here. Call it common decency, I guess?” Honestly, they just don’t want yet another child to be left to rot in the shadowy corners of the Underdark if they can help it.