"Hey, look what I found!" Imoen giggled as she walked into the living room. In her hands was a coiled black whip which she tossed from hand to hand.

"What's that?" Viconia asked while she and Laska sat at the table enjoying a cup of tea... a heavily spiked cup of tea in Laska's case.

"This," Imoen grinned, "is a high quality black whip. Say hello to my litil friend!," she added in a strange accent. Without warning, the whip cracked over the middle of the table, causing Viconia to choke in her tea and cough it up all over her robe, while Laska was startled enough to splash the contents of her cup against the ceiling.

"Think of it!" Imoen got that dreamy look in her eyes. "Amniana Imoen, travelling all over Toril in search for treasure!"

"Give me that," Laska said and took the whip. "I'm the weapon expert here."

"So, think you can do better, huh?" Imoen said.

"I KNOW I can do better," Laska winked and walked to the balcony, taking the whip with her.

"Can I have some tea?" Imoen asked. Viconia met her eyes with a fierce stare, but then relented, stood up and walked into the kitchen.

Imoen sat down at the table, admiring the impressive damage the whip did to the varnish. Outside, she noticed Laska was actively slamming the whip against the marble floor... and then, when she twirled the whip, the elf managed to wind the whip around herself, wrapping herself up like a neat little caterpillar. With a loud curse, Laska crashed into the floor.

"Here's your tea," Viconia said as she plopped down Imoen's cup.

"Thanks," Imoen replied and took a sip. "Ouch, hot, hot, hot!"

"What the hell is she up to?" Viconia said when she looked out the window and saw Laska pulling on the whip which had apparently lodged itself stuck somewhere. A few seconds later, Laska yanked the whip, but only succeeding in pulling up her own leg, once again throwing herself with her back to the ground.

"Our 'weapon expert' is being a weapon expert," Imoen giggled.

A slam of the front door alerted them to a visitor. A few seconds later, Phaere entered the room. This time, she was dressed in her regular decorative platemail. She had a hard look on her face, as if she was carrying a great burden.

"Hi, Phaere," Imoen greeted.

"Is Laska in?" Phaere returned.

At that precise moment, Laska's head popped up just behind the window. Her face was fast turning people, while she kept yanking on the whip's handle in an attempt to dislodge the whip now wrapped around her neck.

"What is she doing?" Phaere asked with a touch of concern in her voice.

"Weapon experting," Viconia chuckled.

"Well, tell her to stop doing it," Phaere sighed deeply. "Ardulace has requested the presence of Laska and her entire party. You are asked to report to the temple immediately."

"Is it really that bad?" Imoen asked, but a harsh look from Viconia convinced her it was so.

That moment, Laska stormed in and tossed the whip, now neatly cut into fifteen separate pieces, right on the table. Her face, arms, legs and midriff were covered with small whip-nicks. "It was a bad whip," Laska snarled. "Why do you think it broke?"

"Big-Ears," Imoen said as she examined the pieces. "This looks like it's been sliced through with a dagger."

"IT BROKE!" Laska snarled and stormed off quickly.

All the party-members stood rigid in one line in front of the dias in the entrance hall of the Temple of Lolth. Keldorn was the most nervous of the bunch, being quite disturbed by the vile imagery surrounding him. Jan was the most calm, in contrast. He was too busy picking his nose to notice the matron mother. Viconia had carefully instructed no one but Laska, as party leader, to speak. To violate that etiquette was to invite a violent demise.

Laska stood in the middle of the row, slightly in front of the rest. Before her stood Ardulace and Phaere. Ardulace was a typical priestess of Lolth, complete with the red and black spider-silk robes. On her side, she wore a five-headed snakewhip. The first thought that occurred to Laska when they saw the two of them together, is that there was an incredible physical resemblance between mother and daughter... Otherwise, from all that Phaere had told her about her mother, Laska suspected they were nothing alike. According to Phaere, Ardulace was wasteful, hysterical, obsessive and vain. Ardulace suddenly carried herself as a queen.

"So," Ardulace purred as she approached Laska. Laska felt like a piece of meat when the matron circled her and, for a moment, put her hands on Laska's shoulders. Even though Laska was much taller than Ardulace, it made her somewhat uncomfortable. "This is your toy, hm? My, my, my, certainly an impressive female. I should demand her to share my bed when the opportunity is right."

Obviously there was something going on between mother and daughter at the time. Laska's elven sight saw Phaere's face turning red with rage.

"To business, mother," Phaere spat. "I'd like to know what you're up to."

"Yes," Ardulace winked at Laska, enraging Phaere even more. "I suppose I should tell you."

Ardulace stepped up to the dias again, looking down at the party. "As you might heard, our war is going badly."

"Just rumors in the streets," Laska replied, not telling Ardulace that Phaere had explained what had happened to the soldiers earlier.

"The rumors are true," Ardulace sighed. "Our forces were dealt a harsh blow. My finances are dwindling and we are short on just any conceivable form of supplies."

"Just tell them the truth, mother!" Phaere spat. "You threw this city in a war it cannot handle! And all for your vainglorious ambition!"

"Silence, child!" Ardulace snarled in response. "Do not think I will not have your tongue removed at a moment's whim! And I see from the panic in your toy's eyes that she would not like that."

Laska blushed momentarily and looked at the ground.

"To get back to the business at hand," Ardulace said. "The vile surface elves are fighting our forces with renewed zeal. They've driven us even further back into the mantle caves."

"Vile elves!" Jan said. "Scum, I say, scum! With their pointed ears, their tiny noses and, oh, did you ever smell their vile dog-breath? Phewwwww, it could give an Otyugh a run for it's money. And well all know why elves have such a small birthrate : frigid females and overly-tiny males. It's true, I tell you! And those cities, if they can even be called that : poorly constructed and filled with wood-rot. Their literature stinks, their songs and poems are dull, and their music, och, it makes the blood splurt from your ears if you're not careful. They're terrible fighters, terrible mages, terrible lovers, terrible turnip-farmers..."

"That'll do, Jan," Laska hissed through clenched teeth.

Viconia held her breath. This breach of protocol could get them all killed.

"I admire your diligence," Ardulace said, "and that is why I will spare your life, this time. This difficult time calls for drastic measures or the elves will be fighting in our streets. A ritual of power is being prepared. It will save us... and it will bring us glory. We have most components here, save for a few we still need."

"Will we be let out of the city?" Laska asked.

"Naturally," Ardulace nodded. "The first item I require is the Book of Rituals from the mage library in Vilaya."

"Mother!" Phaere shouted, she was suddenly in a state of pure panic. "NO!"

"Silence, child!" Ardulace stared her daughter down.

"What's with Vilaya?" Laska asked.

"It's sort of... on the cursed side," Ardulace nodded. Behind her, Phaere started to fidget.

"Sounds good," Laska grinned. "I've been itching for a good fight! When do we leave!"

That response earned her a harsh stare from Phaere. Ardulace was pleased, however. "Such a enthusiastic pet you have here, daughter. Very impressive. Now, I recommend a small team to go to Vilaya... that frees up half your party, for which I also have a job. The four you chose for that task, Laska, must ensure that Bligdenstone will remain neutral in the coming conflict. I will discuss the details later, after you have picked your team."

"That was a lovely dinner, Maria," Rose said as she and Maria were cleaning off the table. Outside, she could hear Risa, Lise and Becky playing with Vesper.

"Thank you, my dear," Keldorn's wife replied.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course?"

"How do you deal with something like this?" Rose asked. "I mean, it's been three months since Laska went missing. How..."

"You're asking the mistress of worry, Rose," Maria sighed. "There were times I hadn't heard from Keldorn in over a year. The first years were the hardest but... it's something you grow into."

"I really didn't know how to deal with this, but... I feel, I somehow know that Laska is still alive..."

"Now that is another feeling I am familiar with," Maria chuckled. "Oh, I worried, I agonized, I cursed and I screamed... but I always knew that Keldorn was alive and would come back one day."

"Then why did you, um," Rose blushed. "I mean no disrespect, but you and Lord William..."

"Share moments of joy, yes," Maria lowered her head. "Sometimes the accumulations of a life-time of waiting can lead to those kinds of temptations. It's part of... this kind of life, I think."

"I understand why you did what you did. You had a lifetime before you were driven to your affair with Lord William, but... only three months," Rose said and lowered her gaze.

"What do you mean?" Maria asked.

"Nothing," Rose half-smiled. "Let's just do the dishes. We can watch the children play in the yard from the kitchen."

"Well, you're restless tonight," Laska purred when she felt Phaere's warmth pressing against her body. She wrapped her arms around Phaere's waist and lay on her back so that Phaere was on top of her. The two shared a deep kiss for a moment, but were too exhausted from their previous activities to go beyond that for now.

Phaere's eyes darted around the room for a moment, and she seemed to be miles away. Then, she turned to look at Laska, pressing her forehead against her lover's. "Laska, please," she spoke. "I beg of you, do not go to Vilaya. Do NOT go to Vilaya!"

"It'll be alright," Laska said, pressing her lips on Phaere's while letting her fingers slide over her back. "Don't worry," she said after propping her up and diverting her attention to one of Phaere's breasts.

Phaere, however, pulled away and rolled off Laska, laying on her side, supporting her head with her arm, while caressing Laska's belly with her free hand. "You do not know Vilaya."

"Sheesh, what's so bad about this city anyway?"

"It's cursed," Phaere said. "Vilaya was an outpost of Ust Natha, heavily garrisoned. Some of the most ruthless mercenaries, soldiers and priestesses lived there. There were our first line of defense against the Beholder caverns that lie below. And believe me, they killed many of those floating gasbags."

"Was it the Beholders that destroyed Vilaya?"

"We don't know what happened," Phaere sighed. "One day the outpost was bustling... the next everybody was gone. There wasn't a single living creature left in the city. Nothing and nobody, not even a single rothe or a single bat."

"Did you regarrison the outpost?"

"Yes," Phaere said. "The priestesses investigated but found nothing. We sent a skeleton-crew to Vilaya, but they too were never heard from again. It was then decided by my grandmother, First Matron Piwiwien Despana to close the outpost. She personally led the team that went in 200 years ago to blow up the tunnel leading to the beholder caverns. They succeeded in doing so, but... everybody who wandered off was never seen again."

"And your grandmother?"

Phaere snorted. "How do you think Ardulace became First Matron? She just got it thrown in her lap my grandmother died. You would have liked my grandmother. She was just like me : very practical and smart."

"Did she disappear too?"

"No," Phaere said. "My grandmother has done and seen some heinous things in her life. But she was found dead at the entrance to Vilaya, she and her personal guard. Something literally frightened her to death."

"Swell," Laska said.

"Laska," Phaere asked again. "Please don't go there! You don't have to fear my mother's wrath. I'll protect you and your friends in the Spire! I'll even smuggle you out of the city, if you want to! Just don't go to Vilaya."

"Phaere," Laska said, kissing Phaere's nose. "I am no stranger to curses. I know them better than anyone can. I've faced liches, undead beholders, mad necromancers, demons in a weird prisonplane, insane druids and powerful dragons," she said, pressing her lips against Phaere's. For a moment, they shared a brief kiss. "I can face a little curse."

"I just hope you're right," Phaere said, and started nipping at Laska's earlobe.

"Don't worry," Laska smiled. "When I get back, we'll get to work on a legendary 12-hour long shag-a-thon."

"Just be back," Phaere smiled and rolled on top of Laska. The drow parted Laska's lips with her tongue and started a deep and thorough exploration of Laska's mouth.

"It's raining again," Rose said as she stared into the night at the rain slamming into the window-pane from her bad. She pulled the covers to her body for a little more warmth. "It rained three months ago too, when..."

"How can you know she's alright?" Astlyn purred and slid her hand over Rose's bare arm.

"When you love someone, you just know," Rose smiled as she felt Astlyn tickling her belly. The human woman's naked body pressed against her back. She was grateful for Astlyn's company, but also felt guilty about her affair. For Maria it had taken her 30 years to be driven into the arms of another. For Rose it only took 3 months. Rose loved Laska, but Astlyn was there, willing and charming. She didn't know why or how she sucumbed, but she did in the end.

"Only three months," Rose whispered.

"What was that?" Astlyn asked.

"Nothing," Rose forced a smile and embraced Astlyn in turn.

"So, this is it, huh?" Imoen asked after a short trip through the gates, the mantle-caves and the tunnel leading to the outpost. She had also noticed a lot of their Drow armed-escorts had deserted during the trip.

"Thank you for the opportunity to get ourselves killed, Laska," Viconia said. "I do not like the sound of this curse."

"Ahah, no mere curse will keep Minsc and Boo from kicking righteous buttocks!" Minsc yelled. "Um, that's kicking buttocks righteously, of course. We no kick the butts of goodness, nosir!"

"Oh, come on," Laska grinned. "We snatch the book, get out, and I go back to the city to have sex with Phaere for twelve hours long. And just maybe we'll get to kick some ass along the way."

They arrived at the entrance to Vilaya. Two guards stood on each side of a thick magical force-field completely covering the entrance. On either side, the entrance was rigged with gnomish explosion powder as a last defense.

One guard lowered the force-field and pointed towards the blackness into the tunnel to the outpost. Only at the very end, a tiny speck of light could be seen.

"Rather you than me, female," the elderly guard nodded. "Just keep an eye on each other."

After sharing a brief look, the four partymembers entered the tunnel, and heard the force-field resume behind them.

Vilaya lay ahead.