The Adventures of Arachne Baenre

[Agent0013]

The Arrival of Arachne Baenre

The drow had appeared in my house naked and unconscious in a mystical swirling of arcane energy. It was unlike anything I’d seen before and the beauty of it probably could have been enjoyed more if I hadn’t been so afraid of the unexpected occurrence. While the drow aren’t native to this realm, tales of their heroes and society have certainly made it here and anyone who is familiar with them knows that fear is the proper response. Still, what was I to do? Kill her while she was unconscious? This was the chance of a lifetime, and even if it were the last thing I did and she didn’t repay the kindness I showed her by helping, it would still be an interesting death if nothing else!



Of course, when dealing with a fantasy creature it’s not like you can just take her to the hospital. For all I knew it was the spell that knocked her out, not an actual medical problem. I wasn’t knowledgeable in either field, but I was willing to give it a try and exhaust all of my options. Candles and books. They would be the solution here, right? After getting a blanket for comfort and warmth I gently lifted her onto the table, then went to fetch what I thought I might need. At least her breathing seemed stable and regular.

Several hours later, as night had fallen outside, the drow began to stir. Had I actually done it?



The drow groaned as she lay on the table, her body aching and her head hurting. Her surroundings were dark save for the flickering light of candles, although that was far more light than she needed to see. She couldn’t remember what was going on… Where was she?



Slowly, she started to get up. Her head was pounding. Distracted, she nearly knocked one of the candles over. She slowly made her way off the end of the table, nearly collapsing to the floor as she did. I was entranced, not really sure what do to. There was an elf moving in my kitchen!



“Hey. It’s good to see you awake. How do you feel?” I asked her, not wanting to startle her and failing.

She jumped at the sound of my voice and exclaimed, “vith!” while quickly turning her head to lock eyes with mine. “Ussta karliik dimonaen. Vel'klar tlun Usstan, rivvil? Vel'bol inbal dos xunor ulu uns'aa? An'yui qee'lak, xor dos xal neitar telanth 'sohna,” she spoke in her native tongue, clearly not impressed with the current situation.

“Uh, English? Oh! Or Common?” I asked, hoping she could bridge the language barrier or this was going to be an effort in futility.

The drow continued to glare at me, her gaze colder than ice. “I said, what did you do to me, rivvil. I might be in pain, but not nearly enough to stop me from killing you where you stand.”

“I tried to help you, I promise. You just appeared here in my kitchen. I’m no expert on magic, but it looked like some sort of teleportation spell? I found you unconscious and was trying to help.” I gestured to all of the books laying around, but honestly I don’t think I did anything. She probably just woke up naturally. Still, I tried and that’s got to be worth something. “How do you feel? Do you want food or a drink? It looks like you have a headache. Do you want a painkiller?” As she made her threats I was glad that I thought to put my knife block in the cupboard to put it out of sight. Just in case. “Can you tell me your name?” I asked, moving across the kitchen, but not quickly or in a threatening manner.

The drow’s eyes followed me in the dim light, tracking my every movement. “My name is Arachne Baenre, of House Baenre’s Elite Guard, First House of MenzoberranzAAAAAAAH!”



I flicked on the lights and Arachne shrieked.

“Bright! Mal’ai! I will strike you down, rivvil!”

Instantly realizing my mistake I quickly turned the lights back off. “Sorry! I’m sorry! I didn’t think!”

“Didn’t think… Fool!” she muttered, looking at me with suspicion through squinted eyes. I could tell that I’d caused her pain with the light and her eyes appeared to be watering. I suspected she was far too tough to actually be crying. She was silent for a moment as she recovered from the light and blinked away the water. She adjusted the blanket around her before demanding, “where is my clothing? My equipment? Bring it to me now.”

“Um, well, your gear is gone… You had gear when you appeared, but it all vanished in the sunlight. Dissolved, really. It was all gone within a couple minutes. There was nothing I could do… I’m sorry, but from the reading I was doing it seems like that is pretty common for drow equipment on the surface.”

Arachne glanced around more, her eyes settling on the covered glass doors where the darkness of night disguised itself as the shadows of the Underdark she was used to. “...The surface?” There was a hint of worry and fear in her eye, but she hid it well. “Bring me clothing, rothe. I am cold.”

Some of these words she was using I did not understand, clearly words in her native tongue. Part of me wanted to know what they meant, but with the way she nearly spit some of them told me I was probably better off not knowing. “Clothing? Of course. I’ll be right back,” I replied with a nod. I didn’t really know what to get her. Anything of mine would fit her, but it would be far too large for her. She was petite, but clearly athletic in her build and graceful in the way she moved.

A couple moments later I returned from upstairs with some clothing, stopping near the front door for something more. I brought everything to her and set it on the table for her. She stepped back as I did, still clearly distrusting of me. I can’t say I blame her, I didn’t really trust her, either. While I was bigger than her, anything I gained in size or perhaps strength, I was sure she’d make up for in training and skill. “Sorry. It’s not your size, but it’s the best I can do right now. I’ll get you something in your size tomorrow. Here, these will help against any more bright lights. I’m really sorry about that. Keep them close. I won’t turn on any more lights, but I can’t turn off the sun.” I placed the glasses beside the clothes.

She eyed up what I’d brought, holding some of it up and not looking very pleased but she did eye the sunglasses with interest. It wasn’t much, but if she was cold it was the best I could offer her at the moment. She dropped the blanket and started getting dressed before me without shame, her eyes never leaving me. Once she was done she looked rather ridiculous in my clothing, but I knew better than to laugh.



“I hope that will keep you warm. Do you need anything else? Food? Drink? Painkillers?” I offered again.

“Painkillers? Is that some sort of potion?” she asked.

“No, it’s a pill. Medication. It would help with your headache.”

“My head is fine,” she replied, determined to look tough. “What I do need is rest. You will serve me food and drink when I awake. Show me to your best bed chamber, rivvil.”

“Yes, of course,” I replied with a nod. “It’s this way. It’s late, I’m tired too.”

The drow woman followed me upstairs to the bedroom where she quickly crawled under the covers where I tried to join her. It was my bed, after all.

“What do you think you’re doing, jaluk?” she demanded.

“Well, this is my bed, and there’s room enough for both of us.”

“No, this is now my bed. If there is no other, you will sleep on the floor. In fact, I claim this entire structure and everything in it for House Baenre. You can serve me willingly or I can break your will easily enough. What will it be, rivvil?” she asked, her tone demanding an answer.

“Uhhh…” I hesitated, not really sure how to respond. Frankly, I just wanted to go to bed. “Are there any… Perks for serving willingly?” I could think of a few that could be quite compelling.

“Of course,” she replied, her tone sweeter than I’d heard it yet. My hopes were already rising before she quickly dashed them and her tone returned to her usual disdain for me. “Your life will have far less pain in it, and it will be much longer. Do not make me wait or ask you again.”

I put up my hands in surrender. “Fine. Okay. I’ll serve you and House Baere. I’m too tired to fight you.”



The corner of her lip rose a little. A hint of a smile? No, definitely a satisfied smirk. “Leave my chamber, wanre. When I awake you will have food and drink prepared for me.” With a dismissive wave of her hand she commanded my exit from the room.

I left, closing the door behind me. Holy shit. What just happened? Unsure just how real all of this was I wandered back downstairs to get a drink of water and fall asleep on the couch. Would she still be here in the morning, or was this all just some kind of dream or hallucination?