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[Thraxas]

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How had it come to this?

Sitting alone in a cramped room whose only light came from the sputtering coals in a makeshift firepit, Thraxas, Lord Regent of Yew, mused upon the series of blunders, largely his own, that had led to his current misfortune.

How could I have not foreseen this? What a fool I am!

It began with a simple excursion into Yew one morning... his usual and nearly daily jaunt through his domain. As always he was alone, rejecting the appeals of his bodyguards that they should ride with him. Nothing had befallen him lo these many months... so why should anything change now, he had reasoned.

Fool!! It was bound to happen sooner or later!

He had a host of enemies. The Heartwood elves had no love for him, and most certainly the drow, who had been dogging the Union for some time, easily fell into that category as well. There were many personal vendettas against him, some stemming from his position as Regent or his vast fortune amassed by heavy taxation and the seizure of private lands and posssessions through charges of treason, some quite trumped up. Then there were those who simply saw an opportunity.

If I ever get out of here, I will destroy them all!

He had little hope of that as things stood. He was cut off from the outside world, trapped in a domain of darkness, confined against his will. His captors were not terribly unkind, as he had believed they would be, but he could tell they thoroughly enjoyed his discomfiture and humiliation. Though he had been visited by only one or two at most, they remained cloaked in shadowy darkness, out of his line of sight and vision, speaking to him in hushed, mocking, tones.

Do they sense what I really am? Can they know? What will they do if they find out?

He threw his empty plate into the fire and lay back, dismissing his thoughts, and tried to get some much needed sleep.
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"If a criminal has what you want, you do business with him."

[Thraxas]

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Whoever his current captors were, they were certainly wily and clever. Not once did any of them show themselves to him, only speaking very good common in hushed tones. When they did emerge from the shadows they were fully cloaked, concealed effectively behind hooded robes, gloves and boots. He thought he got a glimpse of a mask... no doubt a precaution should the glare of the fire inadvertantly expose a face.

His hands were manacled. A long chain fastened them to the cave wall. The metal was clearly adamantite, impervious to anything but adamantite, including magic. There was clearly no easy means of escape.

He had lost all sense of time, nor did he have any clue whether it was day or night. That irked him more than anything... time lost that could not be regained.

A figure bearing a plate of food and drink approached him, moving only close enough to slide it toward him. Silently, it turned to leave.

"How long do you plan to keep me here?" he asked.

The figure stopped and turned back momentarily. "As long as it takes," came the reply.

"As it takes for what?"

He heard a brief snort and the figure walked away.

"I demand to speak to your leader!!" Thraxas cried.

His voice echoed and faded into the darkness of the cave.
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"If a criminal has what you want, you do business with him."