Laelanis Zareerae: Vol. 1

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Laelanis is cold, efficient, and meticulous. Her rise from Matron to Matron Mother came within months. Purchasing an Elven Slave, she armed him with an elaborate dagger of elven steel, and sent him to assassinate the Matron Mother. Before the deed was done, she appeared to stop the assassination, bringing the curses of Lloth to cripple him and shatter his mind. Through clever use of hallucinogens and a particularly powerful curse of insomnia, she befuddled the would-be assassin's mind so that an interrogation would yield that he was indeed sent by a high ranking elven official.

Citing the assassin as an elven declaration for war, she

declared herself and her the Matron Mother's Vanguards. In truth, she was the Matron Mother's warden. As she had detained the elf, she had also detained the Matron Mother, who was now kept locked inside her palace, given only false information about the world outside, led to believe that more assassins waited for her to reveal herself, and even that many of the Great Houses of Xymerria were in on it.

In truth, it was Laelanis pulling the strings. At the founding of Xymerria, it had beed ruled that only those of Xymer's bloodline could ascend to the position of Matron Mother. To achieve her goals, Laelanis needed to be rid of these shackles. Using the war as a point around which to rally Xymerria, she incited the Great Houses to put aside their differences to finally crush the elves underfoot. Many agreed outright, others agreed after a large number of gifts from House Zareerae. However, at the first war council, when all the Great Houses and their thralls had gathered at the Temple of Lloth, Laelanis' true intent was made clear. The door to the Temple had been sealed behind the war council by Laelanis. Her handmaiden, Ilivnolu, assassinated the Matron Mother, and Laelanis called to Lloth, who answered her new Vassal with a great pleasure at the scale of this betrayal. From the shadows, demonweb spider crawled into Aabahran, and feasted on the Matrons and their thralls, while House Zareerae and its slaves butchered and razed their Houses. Countless numbers of her own people died that day. Per orders, every man, woman, child and slave of each of the targeted Houses were slaughtered, burned, and struck from the record of birth.

With this act, none stood to oppose her right to rule. House

Zareerae had, in hours, become the last Great House of Xymerria. The first to pledge their allegiance were elevated to positions fit for their contributions, and those that opposed soon found themselves outnumbered. Through Laelanis, the drow had found it more lucrative to ally with House Zareerae, who had now made conquest on thirty seven houses in a year, suffering less than a hundred casualties of their own. All the wealth of Xymerria now rested with House Zareerae, and those that served it were rewarded handsomely.

continued in Laelanis Zareerae: Vol. 2

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