Laska was nursing her drink while sitting at one of the tables at the Three Sisters Spire on one of the mid-level balconies close to the railing. Sadly, the place was deserted. This was especially strange since it was currently happy hour, usually the busiest time of day. Several guests were having dinner below, but others seemed overly eager to leave.

She noticed a waitress levitating up to gather the empty glasses. "Excuse me, waitress?" Laska asked, hoping to inquire as to what was going on.

The waitress, however, gave her a look so dirty it could not only curdle but also vaporize milk. "That's Consumption Relocation Manager!!"

"Right, right, right, right," Laska said. "I was just wondering why it's so quiet all of a sudden?"

"You're Phaere's lovetoy, aren't you? Didn't she tell you about it?" the consumption relocation manager rose an eyebrow.

Laska thought for a moment. "All she said is that she'd be shacking up with me for a week or two, but that's it."

"Ah, well," the consumption relocation manager said. "See that sign over there?"

Laska looked to where the consumption relocation manager was pointing at. There was a closed door leading into one of the festhalls. It was the extra large one, which spread over three floors on one entire side of the spire and had plenty of private rooms. Phaere briefly mentioned sometimes she hired it out to large gatherings. Right now, there was a sign next to the door. Laska's sharp eyes could neatly make out the words : "Extreme Bondage Gathering. Year 167." Laska blinked, when she noticed a second sign, which was hastily scribbled and said : "Cenobites are welcome!"

"What's a Cenobite?" Laska asked.

"Trust me," the consumption relocation manager shuddered. "You don't want to know."

"So it's a gathering of..."

"... you really don't want to know what they're into," the consumption relocation manager said. "Leather, whips, chains, hooks, scalpels, knives, pain," she added. "It's mostly matrons, first daughters, priestesses of Lolth and some interested others. But they think they can do anything and get away with it, so we all have to be on our toes. Why do you think it's so empty here? And make sure you don't get caught alone and unawares in a corridor. I had a friend working A-level last year and she apparently ran into a few of these mad freaks... never saw her again."

"Wow," Laska replied. "Not a good place to hang about."

"Yeah, but Phaere makes them pay through the nose for this, so she should make quite a bundle of this... she even makes sure those of us who worked here for those customers who do turn up get a share of the profits," the consumption relocation manager said.

"Well, thanks for the information," Laska said and flipped her a coin. "I was leaving anyway. There are some things even too crazy for me."

"Whoaaaa!" the consumption relocation manager snorted. "A whole coin! That'll feed my starving children. Well, if I had any children, they'd be the first to be happy with this crappy, yet well-meant tip. Thanks for nothing!"

"Yup, time to leave," a stunned Laska admitted to herself when she watched the consumption relocation manager float over the railing.

After arriving at her house, Laska closed the door and stepped into the spacious living room. As usual, the lava underneath the house had neatly warmed the air. Few people were home at the moment. Dynaheir, Minsc, Jan and Korgan had been taken in by 'coach' Keldorn's callisthenics program... which mostly consisted of running laps around a series of large rocks. Phaere, wearing a simple top and slacks, was going through a few of the ledgers she had taken from home... And judging from the wailing miao coming from the kitchen, she'd also brought that infernal cat of hers with her. No doubt Vicious already had her head stuck in the meat-drawer.

"It's quiet as a coffin at the Spire," Laska said.

"Don't I know it," Phaere sighed. "Still, I'm making a tidy profit. Most of my employees took days off to escape the Convention, so I don't have to pay them... and I'm making a lot money on the rent per head. Nice deal, though it's annoying the Ssinss D'aerthe have collectively decided to stay at home for the duration of the Convention."

"Guess you'll have to settle for me," Laska grinned.

"Oh, is that an offer?" Phaere matched the grin.

"Later tonight," Laska said. "I, uh, have to go somewhere."

"Oh?" Phaere raised an eyebrow.

"Something I've been thinking about for some time now," Laska said as she took a few pieces of paper from a desk near the door.

"Fine, be mysterious, see if I care," Phaere said and returned to her ledgers.

"Vic, Im," Laska greeted the two who were sitting at the table, apparently pouring over the old journals Viconia had been keeping ever since that meeting with her at Peldvale so long ago, before the adventures in the mines of Nashkell even. Apparently, the were quite enjoying reliving the memories of the past, often chuckling and softly whispering. They seemed to be too engaged to respond.

"Odd," Laska whispered. They seemed to be sitting very close. It was as Imoen was draped over Viconia. The drow was slowly caressing through pink hair while Imoen's armed seemed to snake across Viconia's waist, which ended up with her hand resting on the Drow's belly, just on top of the navel. Laska rose her eyebrows for a moment, wondering why Viconia wouldn't be horribly annoyed by Imoen's close presence. But she shrugged it off and headed outside.

Ust Natha was as neatly segmented as its society was. The rich on top, the merchants in the middle, the poor at the bottom and Lolth's temple lording over all. Ust Natha had a river of Lava running through it, gathering in a lake at the very bottom of the spacious cavern. Below all the walkways, rich villa's, abundant markets and riveting entertainment, lay a horseshoe pattern of lava where it gathered before pooling into the depths below. Alongside that horseshoe, lay the slums.

The heat caused the air to be horribly stifling, making Laska's lungs ache as she struggled to breathe. The ash, the heat, the smell of sulphur was maddening. The poor Drow living here had slowly gotten used to this way of living. Laska watched them as she past... these people truly had nothing but the clothes on their backs. Not only Drow lived here, but also escaped slaves of surface-races. They could live here, since nobody really paid this layer of Ust Natha any heed.

Laska knew she wouldn't find her target here. She had decided to look from the bottom upwards. Fortunately for her, the level higher was far more bearable and compared to the lowest level, quite an improvement. The air was more breathable here, and there were actual houses, though they were in an obvious state of disrepair. Most houses were made from lava-stone and no higher than 2 stories. Several shops dotted the run-down streets. Here and there, Drow in plain clothes were talking to each other, walking the streets or shopping. Despite their surroundings, these Drow seemed oddly... happy. Children were running around giggling and playing in a carefree fashion, the commoners smiled at each other when they passed by and ever so often, a Drow was whistling while working in the yard tending to the mushrooms. A rothe pulling a cart passed by, being driven by a garbage-man collecting scrap in exchange for a few coins.

These were people who had very little, but seemed generally happy with what little they had. Quite a difference from the 'higher' social classes living much higher up in Ust Natha.

Then, by sheer chance, Laska spotted something she recognized. It was an old decrepit playground in the middle of a square. On one side, there was a lovely view on the lava-lake, but on the other three sides, it was surrounded by buildings. Running alongside the playground on all sides was a road. On the other side of the playground, perpendicular from the lava-lake, lay a somewhat rundown one-story building which seemed to be a school.

After taking out one of the pieces of paper, Laska knew she indeed had found the playground from the drawing, only somewhat run-down after 200 years. She noticed there was now a fence without a gate surrounding the playground. Laska ignored the fence and climbed over it in one deft move.

The poor excuse for a playground was a gathering of rust and decay. The screws holding the slide in place were all but rusted through. The swings no longer had seats, the merry-go-round's center had broken and as soon as Laska leaned slightly on the climbing fence, the rung she supported herself on broke. Laska shook her head and left the anti-playground as quickly as possible. In any case, she was close to her target.

She started to walk, looking at the houses as she explored the streets near the playground. And then, she found what she was looking for. She found a two-story house, not small or big for the region. There was a yard surrounding the house, which was built against and maybe into the cavern wall. Built next and against the house was what seemed to be a workshop and storage area. A cart sat into the yard. Laska double-checked with the drawing and concluded that this was the place.

The door... for some reason she dreaded knocking on it. But she took a deep breath, and knocked. A few seconds later, the door slowly opened. And there stood a Drow girl, with a spiderweb-motif spun into her hair. She blinked for a moment. "Yes?" she asked with a meek voice.

"Hello," Laska tried to smile and lamely waved with her hand. "Are your parents at home?"

"Just a sec, I'll go get her," the girl said. "MMMMMMOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!! VVVVVIIIIIIISSSIIIIITTTTTOOOOOORRRRRR!!!"

Laska cringed when confronted with the sound of a thousand dying cats all crying out at once. The girl, however, smiled. "She'll be right out!"

The girl moved back into the house. A few moments later, her mother came to the door. She was an older woman, a Drow that was at least 350 years old. She wore a dress, not as lavish as she used to see in the Spire, but it still gave her a bit of a regal quality. Her long hair was pinned up, and her eyes shone a quiet light of wisdom. " Yes?" she asked, somewhat suspiciously. "What can I do for you?"

Laska realized her own more expensive attire didn't exactly made her blend in. Still, she was there for a reason. "Um, hello. You... don't know me, but, did you have a daughter named Xare?"

A flash of sadness crossed her eyes, but she quickly suppressed it. "You are very cruel," she spoke softly and moved to close the door. "Please leave."

"Wait!" Laska said and held out one of the drawings. The woman narrowed her eyes and snatched the paper from her hands... but as soon as her eyes fell upon the paper, her entire demeanor changed.

"W-where did you get this?" the woman said, staring at Laska as an uncomfortable silence followed. "Come in," she finally said.

Laska was led inside through a narrow hallway which led to both a stairs to the upper floor and a spacious living room. The living room was richly decorated with artful forms and furniture. On the other side of the living room was an open doorway leading into the workshop, where the father of the family was busy working his craft : pottery. The potter's wheel was turning fast while he molded a lump of black clay into a pot. In the back of the workshop, a potter's oven was fired up and ready to accept the shaped clay.

The first thing Laska noticed is that Drow cultural structures ruled here as well. Two boys, one twentyfive, one seven, were still busy tending to their chores, while a twelve year old girl was sitting in the corner playing with the family pet : a huge sword-spider who was currently very happy with the attention it was getting.

In general, the mother and the daughter were better dressed and cleaner. And, truly, the woman was undoubtedly queen of her own household. Still, it appeared she was not afraid to get her hands dirty. A quick glance into the workshop revealed a second workspace and several blocks of lava-stone : She was a sculptor.

"Laska Lavorirr!" the older boy suddenly shouted. "Mother, she's the champion of Ust Natha! Wow, in our house! Uh, I hope she's not here to rob us..."

But the mother silenced the boy with a single glance. "Excuse him," the mother spoke. "He's just started to notice females. I am Nathrae and that is my mate Belgos. Now, please sit down and tell me how you know of Xare!"

In the workshop, Laska heard that Belgos had abruptly stopped working.

"Well," Laska said, looking at a lovingly made bust of a little girl that sat on the mantle. Next to the bust hung several old drawings and stood several toys, among them a little stone flute. It seemed that Xare was gone but far from forgotten in this house "Let's start at the beginning. First Matron Ardulace..."

"AKA the bitch from hell!" the younger boy snickered. But when his mother gave him a harsh look, the boy took on a defiant stance. "Hey!" he told his mother. "That's what you always call her!!"

"Please, continue," Nathrae said eagerly.

"Anyway, she sent me and some others to Vilaya to 'fetch' an item of power," Laska continued as she sat at the couch. All the family-members, including the pet, were looking at her, though she sensed that the older boy's eyes generally focused a little lower than on her face.

"A suicide mission for sure," Belgos nodded.

"Ardulace's whole damn war is a suicide mission," Nathrae spat.

"We found... interesting things in Vilaya. Things that tear your heart out and eat your spirit, given the chance."

"Obviously, you survived," the oldest boy spoke. "Lucky for us, you're here now!"

"Hm," Laska said. "Anyway, I, um, I, well..."

"Dammit, spit it out, woman!" Nathrae all but snarled.

"Alright," Laska sighed and took a deep breath. "To make a long story short, we came upon Xare's remains in the temple of the Blood-sisters."

A collective gasp rose through the gathered family. Especially Nathrae grew paler.

"But," Laska added quickly. "Her killers are long-dead, her spirit has been avenged and set free." Laska took another deep breath. She really didn't want to go into details. She didn't want to tell a mother that her child's spirit had suffered for 200 years without even realizing it. She didn't want to tell that her daughter's tormented thoughts were behind Vilaya's curse. "I made sure Vilaya is safe to tread."

Nathrae nodded for a moment.

"In a way I've always known that she died long ago," Nathrae said as she stole a look at the bust on the mantlepiece.

"Xare was our first child," Belgos broke in. "After Nathrae and I first started our life together, we had some hard times. But little Xare filled our days with true joy, until she disappeared."

"She went out to play in the playground and just... never came back," Nathrae spoke.

"The loss of Xare tore us up inside," Belgos spoke.

"Xare was special," Nathrae sniffed, tossing her regality into the wind. "If she wanted you to smile, you'd smile. Easy as that. If she wanted you to feel happy, you did. Instantly. She should have been able to grow up."

"She had a strong will, alright," Laska said, eating the rest of her words. "I'm sure she would have wanted you to have these drawings," she said and gave the drawings she had to Nathrae and Belgos : drawings of Xare's father working, her mother sculpting, the houses, the street... but wisely not those of the monsters which walked the streets of Vilaya.

"I wanted to ask you," Nathrae said, "do you think... Xare is at peace?"

Laska nodded. "I know she is," she said and took a small golden container from a cloth bag she had strapped on her back. Nathrae's eyes glistened with coming tears. "We, um," Laska said. "Viconia, that's our party's cleric, blessed the remains and preformed the ritual cremation per Ust Natha custom. We gathered the ashes in this urn and, well, I..."

Nathrae took the urn and pressed it against her. Tears ran over her cheeks as she cradled it while Belgos sat next to her to share her grief.

"I would have prayed to Lolth if I thought it would have had a result... but Eilistraee must have watched over her, like I prayed for her to do," Nathrae sniffed. "Thank you, Laska, for bringing my little Xare home."

"It was something I wanted to do," Laska said. "Xare... made me think," she said, without giving away the details.

"So like her," Belgos spoke. "Changing someone's life 2 centuries after her death."

"I'd best be going," Laska said. "I'll leave you to your private thoughts."

"We'll see you out," Belgos said as he and Nathrae followed her.

Together, the left the front door and stood in the yard.

"A nice family you have here," Laska smiled.

"Two have left the nest already," Belgos said. "Both daughters."

"We are quite proud of them," Nathrae said, wiping away her tears. "They have done well for themselves. Micararra is working at the Three Sisters Spire as a Consumption Relocation Manager."

Laska suddenly noticed the family resemblance. "I think I met her."

"And we're very proud of our eldest, Maydra," Belgos said. "She's just passed her initiate-period in the Ssinss D'aerthe three months ago and is now working to further Drow culture."

"Oh, that's impressive," Laska said. Again, she noticed the family resemblance, but she thought it was inappropriate to say 'Gee, I think might have had a night of unbridled passion with your daughter just after I entered Ust Natha for the first time'.

"Will Ardulace order you to battle again?" Nathrae asked. "If so, watch your back. She is not to be trusted."

"You're not a fan of Ardulace," Laska stated the obvious.

"Don't get her started," Belgos grinned.

"Don't get me started!" Nathrae snarled. "Ardulace and her damn war. She's squandered the city's resources! And for what? To hunt some elves on the surface? 'Quick and clean strike. Victory will be ours in a few weeks!'. Well, a few weeks has become four months. We've suffered terrible losses and we're down to the bare minimum here. Everything is rationed. And for what? Ardulace's prideful arrogance. The high-and-mighty matron mother who wants to make her mark on Drow history. Well, she made her mark, alright! The Matron mother who's turning the richest Drow city into the biggest slum in the Underdark! Before this war began, the council of matrons had a city-beautification plan going! There was going to be a new playground for the kids, the school would be fixed up and the roads repaired. But now all that money went to mercenaries and warfare! And it's not like any elf ever tried to hurt me or my family! So what's the point of her damn war?! The Word of Lolth? Don't make me hurl."

"I'm stunned," Laska said as she stood in front of the ranting mother.

"I'm not the only one who thinks this way," Nathrae spoke. "We commoners just want to carve out a good life for ourselves, but we're always the ones who suffer because of the idiots taking the decisions upstairs. If you ask me, those Lolth-priestesses are not fit to run our city! Suddenly, everything that's happening is all Lolth's will, both set-back and victory. When it's a victory, it's a glory of Lolth's vision. When it's a defeat, it's Lolth's way of testing our resolve."

"It's the little people like us that get spat on," Belgos said. "Still, my pots are selling, and sculptures are always in demand, so we're not starving... but if this keeps up we won't be able to afford the rising prices. And in the meantime, our streets still aren't mended and our children are learning to write in a condemned building."

"I wish this war would end," Nathrae sighed. "For ourselves and for our children."

Laska thought for a moment... then had a nice idea.

Laska and Phaere stood at the fence on the square surrounding a now brand-new playground while a small army of workers were fixing up the school. Children were laughing and playing, generally testing the new exhibits, which were made of special enchanted steel that would never decay or would never even hurt a child if he or she would accidentally hit it.

"You spent 40000 gold of your prize-money on this?" Phaere said. "That's not really profitable."

"Don't care," Laska grinned. "Just look at those happy faces."

"You are a weird one, Laska," Phaere shook her head. "Now, if you charged a fee..."

"No fee!" Laska stressed.

"Surely you will ask the parents for a tuition now that you're rebuilding the school?"

"Nah," Laska said. "Education should be free for everybody. It was for me... even though I spent more time skipping class and homework than actually doing something," Laska replied.

There was a brief silence.

"You are a weird one, Laska," Phaere finally said.

Laska wrapped her arm around Phaere's waist and pecked her on the cheek. "I won that gold fair and square and I can do with it what I like. Just wanted to give something back. Besides, I still have plenty of booze-money left. And you're one to talk about profit... need I remind you of a certain convention that's scaring away all your customers?"

"I really should talk to the organizers of the convention," Phaere said. "I didn't authorize the giant 'Pinhead, we love you!'-banner they hung from the windows of their floor."

Laska shook her head, and then fished a little statuette from her pocket.

"Who brought you that?" Phaere said, knowing the statuette had been put on the balcony that morning.

"The eldest son of the family I visited two days ago," Laska chuckled. "Because if it was the youngest son, he would have left it in the mailbox or in front of the door."

"Ah," Phaere grinned, "he risked his life to climb from a rock-crag onto the balcony, hanging over a lake of lava to sneak a peek."

"I was about to change into another vest when I noticed something moving on the balcony," Laska grinned.

"Gave him a nice show?" Phaere grinned.

"After he risked his life to bring me that statuette, it was the least I could do."

"The least?" Phaere rose an eyebrow.

"Hey, I'm not that kind of girl," Laska said. "I'll leave those kind of perversions to you."

Laska took another look at the statuette. It was a tiny obsidian stone carving of a little girl playing the flute, a little girl which she had some to know well and to whom she owed so much. It was very simple, but made with love and would be a piece to cherish for the rest of her life.