PAXLAIR - July 16, 1999 -  Lisa of LaFrance

Recently I, Lisa of LaFrance, sat down with the acting leader of the Xun Verin, Valuk Razillian, to hear his tale on how a human came to be with the Drow, as well as what information he had to offer on the Xun Verin and their intentions. This is his story as told by himself, and may very well contain clues into the heart of the Xun Verin.

Surely one must understand that no tale has a set beginning, or end for that matter. Perhaps I will begin this tale with mine first meeting. Alas, no, for what reasons had I to be there? People must know and understand this as well. Very well, let this be not only a history of Xun Verin, but of the occurences that led me to them.

You may be surprised to know, once upon a time I was a great warrior for the causes of the Kingdom of Britannia. Tis true, once I fought for the beliefs which Lord British has bestowed upon his subjects. At one time, Justice was my heart of hearts and the law flowed through mine blood.

As all thing do, this came to an end. For reasons which I will spare you from, I found myself cast out by the very people I had once vowed to protect. Shunned at every turn, I wandered the lands until I found myself in the crypts near the city of Yew.

Deeper into the crypts I trod, past rooms which had not been disturbed in many a year. Finally I found mineself in a room so dark the magic I cast could barely penetrate it's gloom. Sitting upon the floor, I found myself resting against a wall, which quite to my surprise moved slightly as I leaned mine back against it.

I began to pry the wall open with my dagger and soon found a cave within. Having nothing further to lose, I made my decision to enter and found a tip of a blade at my throat. Several figures moved from the shadows each carrying a weapon leveled upon me. I could hear the wall close behind me and knew I was trapped.

Over the next few days, I was held prisoner by these strange creatures and forced to travel down paths I could never re-step. On what seemed to be our fourth day of travel, we arrived at our destination, Hall Xukuth De'Chath, the home of who I would come to know as Bregan De'Xun Verin, or the preferred name Xun Verin. And then I met her. Ilharess Chknae, the Matron Mother of the Xun Verin, if there is such a thing for a mercenary group of Drow. But I will speak more on that later. Over the next several months I learned about the Drow as I taught them of us surface races. For brevities sake, I will sum up most of what I have come to know of this most magnificent of races.

The Xun Verin, as with all Drow, live in what is often called the Underdark, a place more chaotic then one imagines hell could be. And the very being who makes it so? The Drow themselves.

Unlike the chaos which we humans know, thiers is far more intricate, and I must say honorable. A bit of irony I know, but allow me to explain. The Drow's only intension is to spread chaos, but it always seems to be for a reason. While anyone would agree a brother slaying a brother to be quite chaotic in nature, a human does it for no reason, but a Drow only to gain for oneself or for their house.

There are many Drow cities in the Underdark, each waging war upon the other, spreading the chaos. And within each city rests many houses, each waging quieter wars with their neighbor. And within the houses are the Drow, ready with sword and spell to attack or defend against a rival brother or sister. Spreading th choas. And at the head of each house, sits the Ilharess, the Matron Mother, looking down at the chaos she has spread and yet knowing it may come for her at anytime.

Occasionally, in all this madness, a house may rise or fall in stature in the blink of an eye. Some of the houses may be destroyed, some taken into a larger house, and some still have fled. One may notice a few Drow have managed to come to the surface world in hopes of their own safety. These have usually been smaller houses, avoiding their own annihilation. Not so with the Xun Verin.

The Matron Chknae is not a true Matron Mother in that she has no house to rule over. Her Drow and other loyal subjects obey her not by some act of birth or violent act which led to her rule. She is a renegade, a mercenary so to speak; as are all who follow her, and they follow her because she will lead them to victory.

In the great Underdark, the Xun Verin have grown to their full expanse. They profit from every war between houses, fighting for both sides behind the scenes without hardly lifting a blade. Now, it is time for the Xun Verin to expand futher, where once the Underdark had restricted them, the surface world shall open new horizons.

And so we have come. A few Drow at first. and what humans still remembered my name after so long a time, we are the Xun Verin. But fear not, as Matron Chkae continues her trips to the Underdark, and the profits of the surface world begin to yield, more Drow will come; as shall more humans and other races. Those who would seek a better life then that offered to them by the Lord British.

Surely any can see this is to be true...Already we have enlisted the aid of the Snub'Gruk clan, with many more groups waiting in the shadows. Each being offered a place by our sides in an alliance which shall last and benefit all involved.