"As for my family, we were a typical Lloth-worshipping family. My mother was the matriarch of our House. A very talented priestess I might add. My father was a warrior and in my opinion the finest warrior there ever was." The pride in her parents is evident in her voice. "I have, had, one brother. Older than I and I’d imagine he was like any other older sibling. Obnoxious, high-handed, a royal pain. That sort of brother. But I loved him just the same. If I am to be truthful, he did upon occasion do things that made him seem like he wasn’t so bad." Her smile returns.

"My mother was a harsh taskmistress, but a fair one. She made certain that I studied hard, never slacked in my duties. She taught me herself, showing me what it was to be a priestess and how to go about becoming one. I worshipped her. I would do anything to gain her approval. " Ari smiles slightly. "I always thought there was none better than my mother. But doesn’t every child? I felt the same about my father.." Now she chuckles. "I used to have him wrapped around my finger if you must know. He hardly every disciplined me, almost never raised his voice. I loved him more than anything."

The young drow shifts in her chair, starting to become uncomfortable talking about her family and the memories that are being brought up. "They are all dead now. My family was slain in a- how to explain to a non-drow- I guess you would say a House War. A lesser House wanted our position in society and to do that one must slay the entire family of the house in question. House Aswandain took matters much farther than that. The head of the Aswandain house not only slew my family, uncles, aunts, cousins – she brought about to my mother a fate worse than death."

"Perhaps I should go into a bit more detail about that for you hmm? When a priestess wishes to attain a higher status within Lloth’s ranks, she must be tested by the goddess. Failure is not tolerated. Meera, my hated enemy, made certain my mother failed in her rituals. Mother was turned into a drider. What is a drider you are thinking? It is a magical creature with the upper body of the tormented drow, and the lower body that has been transformed into that of a spider. The drow, now drider, is driven from the city to make their own way in the underdark."

"After all this happened, I knew that I must leave the only home I ever knew. If I was captured who knows what would be in store for me. Death surly, but knowing Meera she had something worse planned for me if I was caught. I ran as far and as fast as I could and was found by a priest of Corellon. He took me in, cared for me, and eventually showed me that Lloth’s way was not the only way. There was another who would have me as his servant. So I became a cleric of Corellon Larethian. Eventually I learned all that Nekal, my mentor, could teach me and he left to go back to his homeland. Left alone I wandered the underdark looking for my purpose in life and found it by harassing House Aswandain. That led to finding K’harn, then Smylie. They both saved my sanity."

A small frown crease Ari’s brow. She was hoping the bard would go onto another topic. Stroking K’harn’s soft fur the young drow closes her eyes and tries to bring to mind a good memory of her family, something not tainted by Meera.

"Ah, here is one you may like. It is about how I first became addicted to taking long hot baths. There was a large cavern not far from the city filled with pools of water that were fed by hot springs. Now these pools were to be used by females only. And only those females of a certain age. No acting up was tolerated. It was a place were calm relaxation was achieved. There was also a pact, if you will, between all the houses that this place was off limits to politicking. Anyone who came here was safe from anyone else. Why one could bathe with their worst enemy and not have to worry about being assassinated in her bath."

"Mother brought me there for my twenty-fifth birthday. I was so excited to be thought of as grown up enough to bathe in the pools. I can see the cavern so clearly in my mind." She closes her eyes to see the cavern, then opens them to finish her statement. "Mother explained to me that if one wanted to mull over a problem, bathing in a hot luxurious bath would help make the answer come that much easier. And I have found that she is correct. To this day whenever I have a problem I sit in the bath to think it through. It was pure bliss to sit beside my mother and just…be. Not worries, no anything.." Sighing, "I really miss those pools."

"My mother was my role-model. I had always wanted to be like her. She was a great healer when she put that portion of her abilities to use. I am afraid that this seldom was the case, but when she did she was the best. I know that I having been speaking of my mother quite a bit, but I cannot help it. I looked up to her. She was the focus of my entire world. I would see her do something so simple as concocting a potion for someone who was ill and think, "I want to be able to do that too."

"Of course, she concocted more than healing potions in her laboratory, but my young mind shied away from that part of her." Ari shrugs. "It was a part of life and I was a child. I never thought of my mother as a bad person."

Shifting once again in her seat Ari struggles to get comfortable with her slightly heavy kitten in her lap. "Another role-model for me was my mentor Nekal. After I fled my home and he took me in I was given a new way of looking at life. I found that I could still become the healer I wanted to be. He showed me what it was like to care for others, to not be selfish. I learned much from him. And I miss him terribly."

As I said, I wanted to become like my mother. I wanted to be able to shape the power given to me by Lloth and make it do what I wanted. I really gave no thought as to what I wanted to use it for. I just wanted the power. Later when I was taking in by Nekal I found that I wanted to be able to use that power to heal others. " Ari shrugs. "It just felt like the right thing to do."

"I wouldn’t say I chose this life. It chose me actually. It was either become an adventurer or spend my days harassing Meera."

"Well, I didn’t really have what you would call adventures. I wandered the underdark alone quite a bit. Did what I could to make House Aswandain pay for what they did to my family. I did meet my little beloved here," Ari reaches down to give K’harn a small peck on the top of her head. "Her mother found me. Said my loneliness was there for all to ‘hear’ and it was giving them a headache." The bondmate smiles at the memory. "She gave into my keeping K’harn here. Or perhaps I should say, gave me to K’harn." A smile and a chuckle accompanies her words.

"The only other person beside Nekal that I met before the Seekers, was Smylie. He is a human miner that House Aswandain captured. He and an older man set up one of the mines to explode so that they could escape. I happened to be watching when the cavern blew. Smylie made it out, sort of, but the old man did not. I was able to rescue Smylie and give him some healing. After that I knew I could no longer stay in the underdark. Meera tolerated my interfering somewhat, but now I had helped one of her best miners to escape. Smylie and I fled to the surface. It took sometime and we had to fight our way out, but we did it. We made it to the surface alive. Not that I was thrilled to be topside mind you. Too much sunlight up here." Ari makes a face. "Don’t know how you light-lovers stand it. And snow…ugh I won’t even begin to go into that."

This is something Ari doesn’t mind talking about and it shows. She raises her hand to order lunch for her and Kantar. "I have been lucky that I was able to find people willing to teach me what they know. Raylynne from Athena’s temple has been most gracious to teach me the fighting style using longsword and shield. Not to mention how to use a rope. " Ari grins, " I can actually climb a rope without sliding off the wall."

"I have been taking classes at Laila’s for healing and herbalism. I’ve just completed a course in Advanced Healing. I’m going to try and catch up with one on herbalism as soon as I have the time. It is so fascinating!"

Ari taps her chin with her forefinger. "What else can I tell you about? Hmm, .oh.. Because I am drow and have reached a certain level of power each day six spells come to mind without me having to pray or memorize them. They are faerie fire, dancing lights, darkness, detect magic, know alignment and levitation. I find that I’ve used the levitation spell quite often. Very nice spell, that. And I always wake up in the morning with a cure light wounds prayer already in my mind.

Then there is my keen sense of hearing. And I sleep lightly. Sometimes it can be such a bother, but for the most part it’s not a bad trait to have. A bad trait to have, let me tell you, is that my skin bruises so easily. I can walk into the table and it would leave a bruise!" Mischievous grin, "Not that anyone could ever *tell* I have a bruise what with my dark skin."

Again, tapping her chin she thinks about herself. "I can train cats. Take K’harn for instance. She and I have learned to do all sorts of things. And I seem to have an empathy with other animals as well."

"Did you know that I can also ride a horse? Beleg taught me how to do that. After I fell off his horse in a fight. If you could have seen those bruises! I never wanted to go near that horse again."

"Moral statement eh? Well, I always try to do what I feel is right. I help other whenever possible." Tilting her head to the side, "There isn’t much more to it than that."

Without a doubt Laila is my role model. I have learned more from her than I ever thought to know concerning healing. What she can accomplish amazes me. I want to become as great a healer as she is one day. And her compassion…I never knew such a big heart existed. I have seen her work miracles on beings that would otherwise not let her near them. Have you visited her school? When I was first given a tour, I was amazed at the different races she had as patients. Some I had never before heard of, let alone seen. She is truly the most wonderful person it has been my honor to meet in a such a very long time."

Beleg is also a role-model to me. I keep his philosophy about life in here." She pats her heart. "I try to live as he would want me to. To be honest and kind to others. To help where and when I can. To do what in my heart I know is right."

Ah, my goals are easy. To be able to sit in a nice hot bath every night for the rest of my life." She laughs. "Not exactly what you had in mind? Alright then, goals…." She trails off pondering that. "Well, I’d have to answer that one of my main goals is to become the best healer I can be. I know that there is more to learn about healing and herbalism. There are so many different races to know about. I want to be able to know a little something about any race I come across. I want people to know that they can come to me for healing and that I can give it to them."

"Something else I would like to achieve is to make more use of my knowledge of spells. I have created one spell that is a variation of the silence spell that He grants me. I found that I quite liked being able to manipulate the power to do something other than what one prayer was structured for. Only for good I assure you. Right now I am thinking about doing a second variation of the silence spell. Something the other Seekers can benefit from."

"As for my dreams, well, my dreams are of finding a home. A place to call my own where no one can look down on me for being a drow. Where I can be me. I think perhaps I would like children one day. To pass along all that I have learned in my lifetime." Thoughts of children bring Beleg’s face to mind. She lets the painful feelings wash through her for only a moment before returning her attention back to Kantar

"Toward the very beginning of their quest. Smylie and I met them when they were travelling to Milborne. He and I had just escaped the underdark and some orcs when we crossed paths with the Seekers. As to why we joined, there is strength in numbers. They had" Ari scrunches up her face in thought. "Six? I think six. Beleg, Sane, Castinar, Tharg, Mogo, and the dwarf. For the life of me I can not remember the dwarf’s name. He died not too long after we met."

"As I was saying, they had six and we had only three. Smylie K’harn and myself. Smylie asked if we could travel with them and they agreed. I’ve sort of tagged along with them ever since."

"The goal of the Seekers is to find those kidnapped by nameless people. Well, not so nameless as we have found at least two groups that were doing the kidnapping. We wish only to find out why these particular people were taken and to return them to their families, stopping whatever evil we can in the process."

"The truth that we seek? Well, as to that…I think we all have differing opinions on what ‘truth’ we are seeking. For myself, I am not certain I know what exactly my ‘truth’ is yet."

"You ask some difficult questions don’t you Kantar. Making me think about all these things and I’m not even in my bath!"

Sipping her water she begins with a general experience. "We met a tribe of Aarakocra. At first they wanted nothing to do with us, but we were able to help them with a problem or two. So now we have made friends. I was able to visit their home atop a high peak, there was healing to be done, and it was a wonder to experience their way of life."

"We also met a dragon. Now there is something you do not get to do every day. That is probably the most outrageous thing that has ever happened to me. I mean, here I was face to face with a being that could roast me n one breath and there I stood like an idiot completely dumbfounded. I remember all I kept thinking was, "She’s magnificent. I can’t believe I’m in the presence of a living, breathing dragon." Ari takes another sip of water. "You would have had the words to describe her, I can only tell you I have never in my life seen something so hugely magnificent."

"We have also managed to meet a ghost at Greenleaf Keep. Lord Palfrey. Count? I forget which he is. He is quite the gentleman I assure you. A paladin too. " Ripping into her mind comes the unwanted and hated memory of Ranchefus and her dark jail cell. Ariessus’ voice grows quiet. "This is also a somewhat personal memory for me. It is not a good one. I would appreciate it if you would keep this to yourself. Only the Seekers and Laila know of this. Beleg was captured by Ranchefus, an evil cleric, this much you know. What I do not tell others was that when the rest of us were captured, Ranchefus made me his…amusement. He did things that I would rather not speak of. Suffice it to say that I almost reverted to my evil ways. My dark drowness almost drowned me in it’s thirst for hatred. If it were not for Corellon being so ingrained into my very being I think I would have slipped. I never want to get that close to the edge again. Ever." Ari gulps the rest of her water down and orders an ale to wash down the bitter memory.

"Just one?" Ari says with a smile. She bites the corner of her bottom lip as she makes her choice. "I’ll tell you about Katrina. She and I have been talking quite a bit lately. I have found her to be kind and honest and refreshing. She thinks differently about things than I do, but I have found that we have many of the same values. It will be nice to get to know more about her in the coming weeks. I lost Kerianna, who I could talk to about anything. I am hoping that Katrina will fill the void in my heart left by my dear friend. We shall see."

Ari gives an unladylike snort. "We all have big egos and no one wants to be lead by another. Well, perhaps that isn’t quite true but it seems like it half the time. I have often thought at times that we all have a certain way we think things should be done, and sometimes those ways do not mesh with one another. Half our party thinks the brute force approach applies to just about everything and the other half needs to think things through. I am partial to just going along with the majority and praying I don’t end up dead." She grins. "You think this is not a very good way to go through life, I can see it in your eyes. But what you must understand is, well…I have only confided this to one other person and she can never tell. I am counting on you to keep this to yourself as well if you please." After taking a sip of ale she continues. "I don’t actually follow the orders of the Seeker’s party leader. I listen to what he or she has to say and if I am in agreement I go along with it. I find I can not make myself follow a male leader and following a woman is just as bad. Unless she has proved to me that she is more powerful then I, well." Ari shrugs. "I blame it on my drowness if you will. I just can not stand the thought of being told what to do by someone my mind thinks of as inferior. I berate myself for this folly time and again. It is quite unfair to my companions but it is so ingrained in me that I can not help but to feel this way. It is something that I have been trying my very best to change.

Ari definitely does not like the turn in the conversation. To her this is a private thing. Something she has never talked to anyone about, not even Beleg or Kerianna. She stays silent for a very long time wondering if she should answer. Finally, haltingly, "Nekal was the one I found after I ran from watching my mother transformed. At first I was terrified of him. He was not of my people, he was an elf from ‘up there’. I do not exactly know why but all of a sudden, through my terror I just knew that he was the only one who could help me at that moment. I knew that if I let him, he could take me to safety. So I did. It took a week before I would speak to him though, and I was always on the lookout for a way to leave him. But something held me back. Sometimes I wonder if it was Corellon, but more than likely it was just me being a child alone needing to feel protected. He did not try and tell me about Corellon right away. He did not say much at all. As I look back, the first month we were together we hardly spoke. Only when he found a place where we could live in relative peace did he begin to talk to me more. He told me that he had been ‘sent’ by his deity Corellon Larethian to find a child in need of help. He said nothing more on the subject, just that he was sent and that he would show me how to take care of myself. And her did just that. He taught me how to rely upon myself for the basic things - cooking, keeping my clothing mended, the sort of basic everyday things that people do. I had been next in line to become a drow priestess do not forget so I had had servants care for my day to day needs for the most part. Here there was only myself and Nekal and he was not about to wait on me. He also taught me what he knew about healing and herbalism."

"It was by watching him that found that goodness was not a bad thing, that it did not make you weak as I had always thought to be the truth. Eventually it was I who brought up the subject of Corellon. Each night I would ask a question and he would answer, usually telling me a story in the process, something with a moral. In this way he guided me towards the path of light, but it was my choice to greet it fully. I think that if I had not chosen to break away from Her, Nekal would have still stayed with me until he felt his work with me was done. Stayed until he taught me all that he could. Which he did."

Ari takes a drink from her mug, somewhat embarrassed that she reveled so much. "I gave my vow of service to Corellon three years after I met Nekal. It took me that long to understand that by giving up the ways of Lloth I was not giving up my heritage. I was just giving up a way of life that no longer suited me. You asked why I turned my back on the ways of the drow. I haven’t completely. I still think women in power is the best way to run a city. I still think men should know their places. And I still think being a priestess of my deity will give me power to live my life as I see fit."

When asked if she is unique, Ari looks Kantor in the eye. "I was born different from my people, I know that. My early years were lived just like any drow child. I did what was required of me and did it gladly for the most part. It was not until I saw with my own eyes just how cruel and unjust that way of life was. It was not until I was shown by example that I could change my life and serve the cause of goodness. Do I think of myself as unique? No. I am just me, plain old Ariesses who did what she had to in order to survive. "

Ari pulls her lower lip between her teeth and wonders, "Why does everyone always ask me that I wonder? It’s not like I know every drow in existence." Shaking her head she smiles and Kantor and answers his question. "No, I have never meet either of them. When I first met Castinar he asked me the same question about knowing this Drizzt. I think Cast has actually met the man if you are looking for someone to talk to about Drizzt."

The drow makes a face. "I do not know how you light lovers can stand that big glowing ball always beating down on you. All that bright light. Ick."

"I do the only thing I can do to deal with it. I keep my hood pulled up to cover my face at all times while out of doors. I try to stay in the shade as much as possible. And I inevitably put up with the constant headache I get when out for too long in the sun. Sometimes when we are traveling above ground I am in such constant pain that I wish someone would just kill me to put me out of my misery. And summer! Who’s idea was it to create the summer months anyway?"

"I am very glad that we are finally in the underdark, even though the circumstances for needing to be so are not ideal.

Ari laughs as the subject of the conversation returns from her foray in the kitchen. "She must have heard you talking about her. K’harn come here and let me tell the bard all about you. Or as much as I know at any rate." K’harn jumps up on the table, walks to Kantor and lets him look at her. After satisfying herself that he is a good man she jumps into his lap for a good pet. "She is also shameless in wanting to be petted. Behind her ears is her favorite spot."

The cleric leans back. "Truthfully I do not know all that much about her kind. Before I met K’harn I knew only tales from my childhood. That they lived in the underdark, are fairly intelligent and have minor spell abilities. I also heard that the elven cats would never come near drow if they could help it for they despise those who are evil."

"Since K’harn and I have been together for a little over a year I can tell you a little more about her from my own experiences. For instance, she can turn herself into a rock when she wishes." K’harn demonstrates. Kantor is now holding a fairly medium-sized rock in his lap. Ari sends, <Beloved, I think he gets the picture. Please turn back to your own form now. He can’t very well pet a rock now can he?> The kitten instantly transforms herself back to cat-shape so the man can continue his petting of her.

"She also has the ability to trip people. She has used this in combat to our advantage. She has learned to speak Drow quite well. We communicate by thought. She can talk this way to others if she must but it takes lot of energy on her part and I think it gives her a slight headache. She does not talk to others very often. Of course, when she does she can only talk to them in drow."

Ari leans her chair back on two legs as she thinks about what else her little kitten can do. "She has just recently been able to grow to the size of a mountain lion at will."

<K’harn don’t!!>

Ari hears in her mind, her bond chuckle. She clears her throat and continues.

"In this form she has protected me a number of times. I must tell you, the first time I saw her thus she just about scared the life out of me. We were in the midst of battle and I did not know she could grow that big. One moment I’m fighting for my life wondering how I was going to survive and the next there was a huge cat coming to my rescue. I took me a moment to realize it was her."

Bringing her chair legs back down, Ari puts her linked hands on the table. "I was told about a spell that would enhance our bond and after looking into it I decided that it would bind K’harn and myself closer. This spell also gave K’harn some other abilities. We can now pass emotions though our link as well as thoughts. I can see through her eyes if I stand still and concentrate. That is a strange thing. To see as she does. At cat level. I do not do it often for I find it disorientating to say the least. I know that if we practice it we should both feel better about it."

"She can also summon an unseen servant. Very useful to her when she wants to be brushed and I am busy."

Smiling. "That is about all that I know of at this time. I do believe that she may have a few more surprises for me, but she likes to make me wait."

Ariessus grows serious as the question is asked. "I try not to think about that very often. To come against another of my kind will be, I don’t know. I really do not know how I will feel. It has been such a long time that I have met another drow face to face. Oh, I’ve seen plenty of them in the years that I have harried Meera’s house. But that is different. To actually look another drow in the eye and think that one of us may die…." Her sentence trails off as the image forms in her mind. She shakes her head to clear it. "I can only hope that if, no when, I meet another of my race I will do what I think is right and just. That is all I can say at this time.