"01 - Daughter of the Drow - Elaine Cunningham 1.0.palmdoc.pdb" - читать интересную книгу автора (Starlight And Shadows)

precision and detail a hunting falcon might envy.
At this hour the streets bustled with activity. Drow were by far the most
numerous folk in Narbondellyn. Richly dressed dark elves wandered down the broad
lane, browsed at the shops, or paused at chic cafes and taverns to sip goblets
of spiced, sparkling green wine. City guards made frequent rounds mounted on
large, harnessed lizards. Drow merchants whipped their draft animalsЧmost often
lizards or giant slugsЧas they carted goods to market. And occasionally, the sea
of activity parted to permit passage of a drow noble, usually a female riding in
state upon a slave-carried litter or a magical, floating driftdisc.
A scattering of beings from other races also made their way through
Narbondellyn: slaves who tended the needs of the dark elves. Goblin servants
staggered after their drow mistresses, arms piled high with purchases. In one
shop, bound with chains and prompted by three well-armed drow, a dwarf smithy
grudgingly repaired fine weapons and jewelry for his captors. A pair of
minotaurs served as house guards at one particularly impressive mansion,
flanking the entrance and facing each other so their long, curving horns framed
a deadly arch. Faerie fire limned the nine-foot creatures as if they were living
sculpture. A dozen or so koboldsЧsmall, rat-tailed relatives of goblinsЧlurked
in narrow stone alcoves, and their bulbous eyes scanned the streets anxiously
and continually. Every so often one of the creatures scurried out to pick up a
bit of discarded string or clean up after a passing lizard mount. It was the
kobolds' task to keep the streets of Narbondellyn absolutely free of debris, and
their devotion to duty was ensured by an ogre taskmaster armed with whip and
daggers.
One of these kobolds, whose back was lined with the recent marks of the ogre's
whip, was busily engaged in polishing a public bench near the edge of the
street. So anxious was the slave to avoid future punishment that he failed to
notice the silent approach of a driftdisc. On the magical conveyance rode a drow
female in splendid robes and jewels, and behind her marched in eerie silence
threescore drow soldiers, all clad in glittering chain mail and wearing the
insignia of one of the city's ruling houses. The snake-headed whip at the
female's belt proclaimed her rank as a high priestess of Lloth, and the haughty
tilt of her chin demanded instant recognition and respect. Most of
Narbondellyn's folk granted her both at once. They cleared a path for her
entourage, and those nearest marked her passing with a polite nod or a bended
knee, according to their station.
As the noble priestess glided down the street, reveling in the heady mixture of
deference and envy that was her due, her gaze fell upon the preoccupied kobold.
In an instant her expression changed from regal hauteur to deadly wrath. The
little slave was not exactly blocking her path, but its inattention showed a
lack of respect. Such was simply not tolerated.
The priestess closed in. When the driftdisc's heat shadow fell upon the laboring
kobold, the little goblinoid grunted in annoyance and looked up. It saw death
approaching and froze, like a mouse facing a raptor's claws.
Looming over the doomed kobold, the priestess drew a slender black wand from her
belt and began to chant softly. Tiny spiders dripped from the wand and scurried
toward their prey, growing rapidly as they went until each was the size of a
man's hand. They swarmed over the kobold and quickly had it enmeshed in a thick,
weblike net. That done, they settled down to feed. Webbing bound the kobold's
mouth and muted its dying screams. The slave's agonies were brief, for the giant