Chapter One

Matron Aunerae of House Coborial, the First House of Abburth.

That title bore more weight than those on the surface would ever comprehend, no matter their cunning. It meant many things; from a large scale of power, to a strong connection with the Spider Queen herself. It also implied strong endurance and tactical awareness on her, the Matron Mother of the House, who upheld the title for an obscene amount of time, as she was well into her fifth century of life.

Although her unluckiness with children was well known, and seen as a weakness among Abburth politics, as she had only birthed one female heir, while she had two living male heirs. Her female heir, or her former female heir, had become a martyr for believing in a surface God known as Tymora.

Her House had nearly been eradicated once that disgrace had been brought upon it at that troubling time, but Aunerae's unwavering strength, fortitude, and prayer kept her and her House alive, and still reigning supreme in the whole of Abburth, and commanding fear of those who had the misfortune to run into her pathway.

And now, Lolth had blessed her with another child.

Her abdomen was sizable, larger than she had recalled it to be when she had recently given birth to her last son, Xarann, an averaged sized drow elf. Aunerae had attempted to seek knowledge in books she had found on healthcare in hopes it wasn't a sign of miscarriage of disfigurement of a child. Although if it was a male, she didn't quite care, and would have been rather exasperated at the extra work she had done.

But there she was, resting on the spider engraved table at her side, Aunerae saw the daughter she had just borne. Beautiful, even for her small, undeveloped, frame, with lavender eyes as bright and unwavering as scarlet blood.

Not dissimilar to the body that lay beside K'yornl, her mate, of a priestess who had come all too late for the ritual itself, and yet again the General had to see her give birth once more. Such as he had the last female child that she had, the blasphemer. Blood pooled out from the pitiful priestess's neck as she babbled for aid, before she fell, her eyes closed and unmoving.

But that was when she felt another sudden gush of liquid from her lower areas, indicating the inevitable outcome of another babe.

"K'yornl! Bastard, get over here!" She hissed through clenched teeth, keeping an empowering and dignified stance despite the exhaustiveness she felt as she felt another child being pushed through her. "There is another one coming! Quick, the incense!"

Her mate quickly, but gracefully, grabbed another incense stick from its web-embossed holster, lighting it and spreading the thick and heavy air throughout the small chamber as she sat upon an inclined seat, a cushion beneath her upper legs to catch her baby.

Screaming through her locked in jaw, she pushed outwards her pelvis, feeling a sudden splitting sensation before she heard the clear cries of a child almost moments later, piercing through and echoing across the dark walls, status of the Matron Mothers of the past in the nude outlining the corners of the room itself, honoring the priestesses themselves.

Leaning over with what little strength, she whisked her second child away, setting her next to the first, looking over at the child as she beckoned for her general.

"Look at this one's eyes." She jeered, poking at the first child, who had yet to shed her own tears, while her sister still wailed and whined. "Blindness, mayhap?"

"No, I do not believe so, Matron Aunerae. I understand that they are what surfacers call purple?" K'yornl replied, speaking from decades of experience of surface expeditions and exterminations. He had killed so many elves over the course of his years, and he would kill many more. Looking down at the "purple" eyed babe, her mate looked to her as his slender fingers hovered over the child. "Might I?"

Nodding, as she did not care to speak, K'yornl picked up the purple eyed baby, cradling her in his arms. His slender, battle hardened, digits caressing her dusky cheek. He further gazed into her eyes, blinking suddenly before looking back to Aunerae herself.

"There's something not right about her aura." He stated, handing Aunerae the babe as she beckoned for it, and in turn she cradled the bald head with wide eyes of a strange lavender.

Blowing outwards for a moment, she called upon what little energy she still held, a puff of discolored air blowing the child in the face, causing the babe to giggle. Feeling a strange dreamscape (of which was unfamiliar to her as she frequently used her ability to enter the Reverie, as all drow did) envelop her, she stared into a pair of many purple eyes before she was pushed back into reality.

"Arachne." She murmured

"What might you mean, Matron Aunerae?"

"Her name will be Arachne."

"And the younger?" K'yornl asked.

"Chadra."