foreboding within me which demands I give you such warning. I believe that to hold two will surely attract the third. All know what disaster that would yield…"
"You counsel weakness!" the beautiful drow shot at Vuron. "If Zuggtmoy should gain even a single one, what would be My lord king's fate then? If that mushroom-lover possessed two keys, all would be lost! Iggwilv is as bad, if not worse," Eclavdra continued. "She would see that her associate Zuggtmoy held the third, for she is surely the enemy of King Graz'zt. You preach downfall to My lord king!"
"Not so, little elf," the pale demon shot back. "I urge Graz'zt to take the Theorpart held by Iuz from him. Then let Iggwilv howl and lament with her spawn, let Zuggtmoy grow wroth and full of hate, let all of them contest with one another for the Final Key, for My king will have that which he needs! Best of all, he will hold it safe within the vastness of the Abyss, and the whole will then never be joined."
"With the key, Iuz and Iggwilv are too strong for our lord to do as you suggest, for the human bitch has defiled King Graz'zt and her tricks confined him unnaturally for yet decades more."
The black demon king raised a finger. Vuron closed a mouth just opened to retort, and Eclavdra bowed her beautiful head in a submissive manner.
"My champion speaks well, Vuron. Her words are true. I must have the Final Key, and so I must agree to the contest Iggwilv has decided upon. I do not forgive her, nor do I forget the slightest injury. I bide My time. Opportunity will come… What you must do now, Vuron, is to assist in assuring My victory in the coming struggle. Thereafter, We will consider what course to take, and then you may again counsel as you choose. Now, give Me your mind as I direct!"
Vuron calmly bowed, accepting the order with no show of emotion. "Yes, lord. I think thus. Witch and cambion will use all of their power to see that the weaker of the contestants gains the prize. Obmi will thus be favored. Then, once the dwarf has gained the Final Key, those two will have traps and snares ready to take him and relieve the fool of the Theorpart, if possible. If they fail in that, they will allow Zuggtmoy to have it – nay, help her as if faithful to a bargain they have surely struck with her. If that occurs, and Zuggtmoy is deceived, she will assist in warfare against the Scarlet Brotherhood and their diabolical helpers. At such point, I can not ascertain which faction will prevail – Zuggtmoy, or Iggwilv and Iuz – in actually gaining the Initial Key. There will be dissension between witch and cambion, between Zuggtmoy and Szhublox – that I know. Unless they fall to bickering immediately, My liege, they cannot fail to take the Initial Key, for they will wield the powers of two parts against a single one."
"You are agitated, Vuron," Graz'zt said as he observed the albino demon closely.
"I am. My king. If two parts are played against one, I think that the powers will enmesh and draw the three into a whole!"
The statement just spoken made Eclavdra shudder, but the dark elf concealed this and said, "Yet if My lord king has two of the keys, he need not fight for the third! Let the Scarlet slaves of the Hells piddle with it – all the more discomfiture for Iggwilv and the wretched cambion she bore!"
"How do you propose that King Graz'zt gain two keys?" Vuron's question was the challenge Eclavdra had been waiting for.
"Quite simply, Lord Vuron," the drow female replied, making the honorific seem somehow insulting through her inflection. "I will gain the Final Key for My liege. Then Iggwilv and Iuz will need to beg his aid in getting the one held by the Brotherhood – ostensibly for the horrid Zuggtmoy, but of course actually for themselves. Possession of the Final Key will free My lord king from the confines of this plane! To dupe or take by force from the two that which they hold will be a slight matter for one so powerful as King Graz'zt."
"Excellent!" Graz'zt
"You counsel weakness!" the beautiful drow shot at Vuron. "If Zuggtmoy should gain even a single one, what would be My lord king's fate then? If that mushroom-lover possessed two keys, all would be lost! Iggwilv is as bad, if not worse," Eclavdra continued. "She would see that her associate Zuggtmoy held the third, for she is surely the enemy of King Graz'zt. You preach downfall to My lord king!"
"Not so, little elf," the pale demon shot back. "I urge Graz'zt to take the Theorpart held by Iuz from him. Then let Iggwilv howl and lament with her spawn, let Zuggtmoy grow wroth and full of hate, let all of them contest with one another for the Final Key, for My king will have that which he needs! Best of all, he will hold it safe within the vastness of the Abyss, and the whole will then never be joined."
"With the key, Iuz and Iggwilv are too strong for our lord to do as you suggest, for the human bitch has defiled King Graz'zt and her tricks confined him unnaturally for yet decades more."
The black demon king raised a finger. Vuron closed a mouth just opened to retort, and Eclavdra bowed her beautiful head in a submissive manner.
"My champion speaks well, Vuron. Her words are true. I must have the Final Key, and so I must agree to the contest Iggwilv has decided upon. I do not forgive her, nor do I forget the slightest injury. I bide My time. Opportunity will come… What you must do now, Vuron, is to assist in assuring My victory in the coming struggle. Thereafter, We will consider what course to take, and then you may again counsel as you choose. Now, give Me your mind as I direct!"
Vuron calmly bowed, accepting the order with no show of emotion. "Yes, lord. I think thus. Witch and cambion will use all of their power to see that the weaker of the contestants gains the prize. Obmi will thus be favored. Then, once the dwarf has gained the Final Key, those two will have traps and snares ready to take him and relieve the fool of the Theorpart, if possible. If they fail in that, they will allow Zuggtmoy to have it – nay, help her as if faithful to a bargain they have surely struck with her. If that occurs, and Zuggtmoy is deceived, she will assist in warfare against the Scarlet Brotherhood and their diabolical helpers. At such point, I can not ascertain which faction will prevail – Zuggtmoy, or Iggwilv and Iuz – in actually gaining the Initial Key. There will be dissension between witch and cambion, between Zuggtmoy and Szhublox – that I know. Unless they fall to bickering immediately, My liege, they cannot fail to take the Initial Key, for they will wield the powers of two parts against a single one."
"You are agitated, Vuron," Graz'zt said as he observed the albino demon closely.
"I am. My king. If two parts are played against one, I think that the powers will enmesh and draw the three into a whole!"
The statement just spoken made Eclavdra shudder, but the dark elf concealed this and said, "Yet if My lord king has two of the keys, he need not fight for the third! Let the Scarlet slaves of the Hells piddle with it – all the more discomfiture for Iggwilv and the wretched cambion she bore!"
"How do you propose that King Graz'zt gain two keys?" Vuron's question was the challenge Eclavdra had been waiting for.
"Quite simply, Lord Vuron," the drow female replied, making the honorific seem somehow insulting through her inflection. "I will gain the Final Key for My liege. Then Iggwilv and Iuz will need to beg his aid in getting the one held by the Brotherhood – ostensibly for the horrid Zuggtmoy, but of course actually for themselves. Possession of the Final Key will free My lord king from the confines of this plane! To dupe or take by force from the two that which they hold will be a slight matter for one so powerful as King Graz'zt."
"Excellent!" Graz'zt
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