Born in the early hours of the false, magic created purple dawn of Menzoberranzan, Suliss?urn had already passed her first test of survival.
It may not be well known, but fertility amidst drow females compared to surface elves and in some cases, humans, is increased significantly. Unlike their delicate surface cousins who seem to be unable to breed as often?drow females often have dozens of children by the time a single surface elf has given birth to one. It is commonplace for drow females to carry twins, triplets, quadruplets, and on rare occasions sextuplets or more. Most of these fetuses will not make it to full term as it is within the womb a drows? first fight for survival begins.
Each fetus competes with one another, taking over nutrition and space and effectively killing their siblings?each death is felt by the mother and is often something drow women look forward to, for it creates a strong euphoric sensation and can increase power for several says.
And so, within the womb, Suliss?urn assured her place in life by slowly and surely strangling the life out of her brothers and sisters.
It is unfortunate that she was not the only daughter born to her Matron. She gave birth to one healthy daughter before Suliss?urn?s arrival, and one more later.
Sulissurn?s years as a very young child are spotty in her memory at best. She dimly remembers the male who was her father giving the first weapon she ever owned, taught her to recognize the taste of poison?and then sent her on her merry way to a version of drow pre-school, which consisted primarily in groups of children meandering houses and attempting to off one another to prevent rivalries when grown. Obviously, childhood was a heart-warming time for drow offspring.
Surviving through her toddler to young adolescence, Suliss?urn long forgot her fathers? face by the time her Matron began demanding her daughter take her place in the hierarchy of her House and begin formal training. Suliss?urn left what little of her childhood behind as she stepped into the role of middle daughter to her Matron, taking over various House responsibilities and being continually tested of her loyalty and usefulness to Lloth.
Being the middle of three sisters, her responsibilities often reflected such a position. Higher than her youngest sister?whom most generally assumed was a waste of space far more concerned over her pets than being useful?and lower than her eldest sister, Skikudis; whom was The First Born. It is the First Born daughter in drow society that is thus placed far higher than any of the Matron?s daughters.
Suliss?urn had many brothers, the numbers of which she did not know. Possibly half of the males who served the Matron, be it House guard, cook, or chamberlain could have been family?given drow views toward males; Suliss?urn paid them no mind and never learned if any of those who served her during her younger years were related.
Suliss?urns Matron mother took immense joy in pitting her three daughters against one another. Although on the surface this may have seemed cruel, heartless and unusual?which it all was?it held a deeper purpose. By creating rivalries between her daughters, a Matron could weed out the weakest of her bloodline. Those that fell were obviously not worthy of becoming Matron. Only the strongest could guarantee that the House carried on.
While Suliss?urn, Skikudis and the youngest did their best to out scheme one another in front of their mother and kill each other with both subtle and outright means-- Suliss? continued her studies ranging from educational, physical, magical as well as several lessons devoted to poisoning. She did middling to well in all of these, yet it was fighting which Suliss?urn took to with an amazing ease.
It was expected that the first born daughter being bred from fighting stock, not wizardry stock (such as Suliss?urn had been breed from) would take the forefront when it came to the sword. It was not so. It was Suliss?urn who showed immense capacity for the sword and dagger, far more so than magic or anything else. Excelling at the styles of Jivvyn Golhyrr and Kylorin Phylnn, she was often an opponent who devastated the training grounds. Though undeniably strong in these areas her true and most disturbing strength lay in a form of fighting called Phindar Streeka.
Phindar Streeka was not a popular method of fighting within the underdark?its mindless blood lust lacked the finesse the other forms held and was a blatant reminder to fellow drow of the underlying chaos in their society. Nevertheless, its sheer power was impressive to behold. It seemed the more her opponents were bloodied, the more ferocious Suliss?urn in Phindar Streeka, became. Many drow sought to figure out what it was which triggered the female into her near unstoppable frenzies?for the drow able to control such power would be a powerful drow, indeed.
Try as they might, they were never able to understand what triggered the female and they were not able to ?convince?, with blade or otherwise, her weapons Master to tell them.
It is assumed that when the Weapons Master died; the secret of what triggered Suliss'urn into her vehement wraths went with him. This is not actually true. Her eldest sister, Skikudis, also holds this secret. It can be assumed that this may be one of the many reasons Suliss' life is entwined with her sisters, Skikudis.
Soon within the ever-lasting shadows of the deep earth, the three young female drow would grow into adult hood. Their halfhearted attempts during their younger years to kill one another became far more earnest; especially between the First Daughter, Skikudis, and the middle, Suliss?urn. The third and youngest seemed to still be content with her pets and playing at drow society?and so was largely discounted by her sisters.
Unknown to Suliss?urn, during a surface raid her eldest sister Skikudis had been recruited into the Eilistraee faith and offered herself as a means to further spread the word of the Silver Maiden where it would harm Lloth the most. Skikudis returned from the surface and began her work in the utmost of secrecy. While her sister began work surreptitiously to do that which was most Anathema to drow, Suliss?urn was busy finally dealing with what she thought as a completely useless sister. In an attempt to teach her youngest sister the error of her ways; Suliss?urn used her rank and power to force the youngest to slay her most cherished pet.
Suliss' commanded this of her sister during one of their rare meals taken under the pretenses of family. There, Suliss? bade her sister to start at her pets feet, removing and peeling the flesh and muscle until every bit of the pet became nothing more than bloody heap. Convinced that she had taught her youngest sister the dangers of allowing oneself to care about others?Suliss? returned to day to day duties, leaving her desolate sibling to her own devices. Suliss' returned to what she thought was her most pressing task at that time: ridding herself of Skikudis.
While she did nearly kill her Eldest sister, she was not successful. Her sisters? survival left Suliss? with her first scar?a long line which can still be seen on her upper right hand shoulder. Skikudis had severed Suliss? arm in defense and the priestess? of Lloth had reattached it, but not without leaving the scar behind to remind Suliss? of her first failure.
Ignoring their youngest sister was possibly the two sibling?s largest mistake; they would soon learn to regret ignoring her in the years to come.
Fooled by their sisters quiet retreat (a mistake they should have recognized) the youngest sister arranged her revenge for the killing of her favorite pet. Using brilliant misdirection as well as masterminding several staged bits of information, the youngest deceived Suliss?urn in believing that she had found a means to ensure Suliss? would arise to Matron hood, eliminating her eldest sister, Skikudis. The youngest sister lead Suliss? to discover that the eldest, Skikudis, was indeed dedicated to Eilistraee and not Lloth, a deity most despised by Lloth worshiping drow.
Setting the stage for what would become the ultimate betrayal, Suliss?urn called not only for an audience with her Matron to reveal the traitor amidst them, but an audience with all of the major House Matrons at that time.
As Suliss?urn, filled with pride, listed the charges against her sister and paraded witness after witness to a full council of Matrons?the youngest finally sprang in the web she created. Ssin, the youngest, revealed her coupe de grace: false information which not only framed Skikudis of all wrong doings; but Suliss'urn as well. Ssin accused Suliss'urn of sympathizing with Skikudis and ultimately betraying Lloth, her people in addition to their Matron mother. Impressed by her youngest daughter's cunning, Matron mother allowed the charges she knew to be false to remain.
True to the nature of drow, Ssin had awaited quietly in the shadows, used her clueless sisters? missteps to pave the way to Matronhood for herself.
Suliss? and Skikudis faced the rest of their long, elven lives being tortured by the Priestess of Lloth and eventually being turned into a drider, left to go slowly insane and abandoned in the darkest caverns of the earth.
Luckily (or unluckily depending on how one looked at it) Skikudis had foreseen this and had set up an escape for herself. She made adjustments for whatever reason to accommodate Suliss'urn and set in motion her plans. An arranged political upheaval was the best cover for an escape from the underdark though it was a positively monumental effort; the cost of which was the death of many of Eilistraee?s faithful and many Skikudis considered friends.
It was near the surface that Skikudis realized her sister had borne the brunt of torture meant for them both. Suliss?urn?s brown eyes had been torn from her skull and the eye sockets burned to prevent any magical means of re-growing. Taking pity on her sister, despite all Suliss? had done to her, Skikudis begged Eilistraee to return her sight. In an amazing response; Eilistraee did so?not only returning Suliss?urns eyes, but marking them a bright, brilliant gold. Skikudis remarked that Suliss?urn had been touched by the Sword Maiden, and would no doubt cross her path once more.
With her new found vision, eldest and middle sister ran for the light.
Suliss?urn was first blinded by the surface out of a crawl-hole surprisingly close to a human establishment that was later (and rather hurriedly) sealed. This tunnel had placed the bedraggled, bloody and exhausted Suliss?urn near an establishment called The Red Dragon Inn.
She was first discovered by Guthorm Otthinsson and was a much younger, unmarked, different Suliss?urn than the one known by many today.
Surrounded by humans, the younger Suliss?urn had little time to wonder why they would care for the situation of a single dark-elf, let alone put her up in a room for nothing. She was suspicious as usual but given her current situation, understood that that their pity would help her in recovering her strength. So the drow remained for several weeks within the shelter supplied to her and paid by anonymous benefactor to recover and heal.
It took several months of adjusting to Rhy?din, its oddities, people, humans, wavering lands and bright sunlight. Not only did the sun painfully daze and blind the elf, it mercilessly burned black skin which had never been touched by the rays of bright star, ever. It took the drow nearly half a decade of controlled exposure to acclimate both sight and skin. During those years, she lived and rented a room within the Red Dragon itself, getting to know (whether she wanted to or not) those that lived there. When the female drow gauged herself ready, she was soon to leave the room she?d been rented and the Red Dragon Inn behind her. Suliss' sought out her sister as a means to find something familiar to connect to above ground.
Suliss?urn located her sister and found that Skikudis had adjusted to surface life far better than she. Skikudis had settled herself as a herbalist, using her vast knowledge and passion for plants as a means to live. Skikudis? had succeeded enough to even have a small shop which saw steady business. She gave Suliss? shelter in return for one thing: to return the gift granted to her by Eilistraee and follow the goddess will. Suliss?, with her mind still fresh with the imagery of the only service to a goddess she knew, Lloth, balked at the proposal but reluctantly agreed.
It was a fated decision, for soon Suliss?urn became one of the few chosen of Eilistraee on the surface and a reputable bard in service for her new Goddess. Suliss?urn?s magnificent elven voice and talent with music seemed to become near legendary overnight.
Not only did the female drow learn music, dancing, instrument making, hunting and the dogma of Eilistraee, she learned valuable lessons that were never taught to her in the underdark: love, trust, friendship, camaraderie and laughter.
Suliss?urn eventually encountered her first feelings of affection by unintentionally falling in love with an eldritch wolf-like man with eerie white eyes.
These lessons were shattered beyond repair as her youngest sister caught word of her survival on the surface. Having finally murdered their mother to become Matron of their house Ssin worried that should word get out that she had not, in fact, killed Suliss?urn and Skikudis as she had so cleverly lied about-- the youngest would no doubt bring untold shame and the end of her House?s reign within Menzoberranzan. This simply could not happen, and, after several attempts to murder Suliss?urn with surface parties and assassins, she finally turned her thoughts to a cleverer ploy.
Skikudis often disappeared during mid summer and nearing harvest season to traverse the great forests and secret places of Rhydin, searching for rare flowers and herbs to restock her shop with in the coming winter months?leaving Suliss? to her own devices and in care of the store.
Toying with Suliss?urns new feelings of trust, honor and familial bonds, Ssin leaked false information that Skikudis had been recaptured and was now in the underdark, being tortured and made ready for execution.
Suliss?urn fell too easy for the bait and soon enlisted the help of fellow drow and elves on the surface to lead a rescue party. It was a foolish as well as a rash decision, for the party was slaughtered and Suliss?urn caught again a second time.
The horrors with which her sister visited upon Suliss?urn with glee is nearly untold. Some evidence of what Ssin made Suliss?urn live through are carried in the female drow?s skin today in the form of nearly hundreds of scars.
She was made a slave by her youngest sister and paraded about the Underdark when it suited the youngest. When it didn?t, she was thrown to the slave pits and male drow to be played with as they saw fit. What had been done to her in the pits is unknown and may even be something Suliss?urn no longer remembers?suffice to say that given how drow society treated its males? It is with no doubt they were eager to return to favor to a fallen female.
It was several months before Skikudis returned to find her shop abandoned and looted. It did not take long for Skikudis to find information leading to what had happened and once again, as if doomed to repeat the past--Skikduis rallied to save Suliss'urn.
Skikudis was not able to rescue Suliss? in time to save her from all that drow could do to their prisoners. While her eldest sister could heal some of Suliss? wounds once on the surface, the shattering of the mind and soul which had been done to her was something no magic could ever heal. Unable to help her sister and overcome with guilt, Skikudis did what she thought was best at the time of retrieving her, and left Suliss? alone?bereft of reminders of fellow drow and what they had done to her.
Given the mass damage to Suliss?urns skin, scar tissue became an issue and quickly. The female drow during the first few months of recovery learned the hard way that every single motion tore the multitude of cuts wide open once again. This process of heal-and-tear went on until Suliss?urn could stand the excruciating pain to gather the herbs necessary on her own to help speed not only the healing process, but soften the mass of ruined skin.
From there, it was a long road of teaching herself how to move and how to return herself to mythical drow agility.
While her body was quick to recover, Suliss?urns mind was not. Truthfully, it was her mind that bore the brunt of damage done the most and would never truly heal. Though she was able to recover her ability to speak, the months spent screaming through her ?sessions? with the Priestess of Lloth had rendered a beautifully bardic-trained voice to nothing more than a rattling rasp. Suliss?urn could no longer speak in a tone any louder than harsh whisper?forcing the drow to never speak any louder. If she tried to speak any louder, her vocal chords simply cut out completely, forcing the drow into silence.
The harshest lessons were re-learning trust and allowing herself to feel. The drow was unstable at best and her ideals of expressing her affection became as twisted as she herself had. Many did not understand the drows' messy overtures of affection and reacted to them with fear, disgust and revulsion?further alienating Suliss?urn and allowing the female to fall into a far more bestial mindset. She began spending more time in the wilds of Rhy?din akin to an animal, hunting and living on the raw flesh of that which she caught?as well as tending to move more and more on all fours akin to a dog.
Though she tried to separate herself from her sister and other humanoids, she was always drawn back to the places they gathered?either by the memories of what she once was or envy. She began returning to all of her old haunts. One of which was the Red Dragon Inn, where one fateful evening she was reunited with the odd wolf-man of long before. Except time appeared to have changed him. He seemed more man than wolf now and white eyes had turned black.
It did not go well for the first few years?neither of them seemed well hinged enough to understand the steps they took, and though it ended as many things are wont to do?it was one of the many first steps for Suliss? in becoming a semi-functioning member of society. He later chose a second mate during one of the longer periods of Suliss' disappearance and it is assumed that is where he chose to remain.
As she began to heal and learn that biting the people you like wasn't always the best ways to say how d'you do, the drow also began to willfully seek means to return to the underdark. Vengeance was always forefront in Suliss? mind and she sought to finish what her sister had started.
Each killing spree in the underdark seemed to help the drow find her way back to her senses, piece by piece. She would never be the same Suliss?urn as the one who once sang praises for Eilistraee, but she was no longer the same Suliss?urn that refused to come out of the dark of porches?watching life through stained glass windows.
She gained several long lasting relationships dubiously called friendships either by reacquainting herself to those who once knew her, or making new bonds in the form of claiming that everyone she met and did not kill?as hers. She dabbled with many males and females and committed to none, leaving many wishing for more (and wishing that she made sense) and giving nothing.
Soon enough not only had she found herself rather well known, but having a small circle of friend-like objects to play with in addition to tormenting.
She also found herself in a relationship with Jodiah Ayreg, claiming him her mate. Though it was short lived (only a year which to her seemed a blink of an eye), it was enough to remain a steadfast and part of the drow for the years after.
It is rumored that despite toying with several, she has not taken nor expressed any interest in a new mate.
Connected through Ayreg to Alysia and Rhilshen, it is not out of place for the drow to use what means are provided to her to occasionally visit the realm. Whether this is actually out of some misguided idea that by returning, she might recapture what was lost?out of the odd envy and adoration for Alysia?or simply because she absolutely enjoys the reactions to her appearance there is yet to be revealed. More than likely it is all of these things.
Most recently she had been up to her old tricks, which mainly consists of causing as much chaos as she possibly can wherever she goes.
Perhaps those who have known her the longest will say that there is some change within her?that she seems more likely to reign in her instincts enough to introduce herself with hand instead of teeth and claw.
Free now to go where she pleases and do what she wishes, she is often considered a force to be reckoned with.
Selfish, cruel, greedy, churlish, childish, violent, temperamental, unpredictable, deceitful, suspicious, insane at times and at others terribly sane?whatever, whenever, where ever she is; it goes without question that she will always be one thing above all else:
Suliss?urn.
Phindar Streeaka - The phindar streeaka style is not technically a combat style, but it's more of a mindset when entering combat. It means "mindless recklessness," and it is the name that dark elves give to the rare drow berserkers.
Jivvn Golhyrr -The jivvin golhyrr style is a defensive style that relies on weaknesses in the enemy's performance to cause them to stumble and fall, making them more vulnerable to later attacks and emulating a position of weakness. The name means "amusing trick" and comes from the cruel drow's appreciation for placing another in the humiliating position of a slave or other subservient being
Kylorin Phylnn - Conservative dark elf fighters and those who either need to capture opponents alive (usually for interrogation) or just enjoy humiliating their opponents use the kyorlin plynn style, which means "watch and take." The style uses defensive tactics and efficient methods of disarming to delay opponents and negate their ability to fight effectively.
It may not be well known, but fertility amidst drow females compared to surface elves and in some cases, humans, is increased significantly. Unlike their delicate surface cousins who seem to be unable to breed as often?drow females often have dozens of children by the time a single surface elf has given birth to one. It is commonplace for drow females to carry twins, triplets, quadruplets, and on rare occasions sextuplets or more. Most of these fetuses will not make it to full term as it is within the womb a drows? first fight for survival begins.
Each fetus competes with one another, taking over nutrition and space and effectively killing their siblings?each death is felt by the mother and is often something drow women look forward to, for it creates a strong euphoric sensation and can increase power for several says.
And so, within the womb, Suliss?urn assured her place in life by slowly and surely strangling the life out of her brothers and sisters.
It is unfortunate that she was not the only daughter born to her Matron. She gave birth to one healthy daughter before Suliss?urn?s arrival, and one more later.
Sulissurn?s years as a very young child are spotty in her memory at best. She dimly remembers the male who was her father giving the first weapon she ever owned, taught her to recognize the taste of poison?and then sent her on her merry way to a version of drow pre-school, which consisted primarily in groups of children meandering houses and attempting to off one another to prevent rivalries when grown. Obviously, childhood was a heart-warming time for drow offspring.
Surviving through her toddler to young adolescence, Suliss?urn long forgot her fathers? face by the time her Matron began demanding her daughter take her place in the hierarchy of her House and begin formal training. Suliss?urn left what little of her childhood behind as she stepped into the role of middle daughter to her Matron, taking over various House responsibilities and being continually tested of her loyalty and usefulness to Lloth.
Being the middle of three sisters, her responsibilities often reflected such a position. Higher than her youngest sister?whom most generally assumed was a waste of space far more concerned over her pets than being useful?and lower than her eldest sister, Skikudis; whom was The First Born. It is the First Born daughter in drow society that is thus placed far higher than any of the Matron?s daughters.
Suliss?urn had many brothers, the numbers of which she did not know. Possibly half of the males who served the Matron, be it House guard, cook, or chamberlain could have been family?given drow views toward males; Suliss?urn paid them no mind and never learned if any of those who served her during her younger years were related.
Suliss?urns Matron mother took immense joy in pitting her three daughters against one another. Although on the surface this may have seemed cruel, heartless and unusual?which it all was?it held a deeper purpose. By creating rivalries between her daughters, a Matron could weed out the weakest of her bloodline. Those that fell were obviously not worthy of becoming Matron. Only the strongest could guarantee that the House carried on.
While Suliss?urn, Skikudis and the youngest did their best to out scheme one another in front of their mother and kill each other with both subtle and outright means-- Suliss? continued her studies ranging from educational, physical, magical as well as several lessons devoted to poisoning. She did middling to well in all of these, yet it was fighting which Suliss?urn took to with an amazing ease.
It was expected that the first born daughter being bred from fighting stock, not wizardry stock (such as Suliss?urn had been breed from) would take the forefront when it came to the sword. It was not so. It was Suliss?urn who showed immense capacity for the sword and dagger, far more so than magic or anything else. Excelling at the styles of Jivvyn Golhyrr and Kylorin Phylnn, she was often an opponent who devastated the training grounds. Though undeniably strong in these areas her true and most disturbing strength lay in a form of fighting called Phindar Streeka.
Phindar Streeka was not a popular method of fighting within the underdark?its mindless blood lust lacked the finesse the other forms held and was a blatant reminder to fellow drow of the underlying chaos in their society. Nevertheless, its sheer power was impressive to behold. It seemed the more her opponents were bloodied, the more ferocious Suliss?urn in Phindar Streeka, became. Many drow sought to figure out what it was which triggered the female into her near unstoppable frenzies?for the drow able to control such power would be a powerful drow, indeed.
Try as they might, they were never able to understand what triggered the female and they were not able to ?convince?, with blade or otherwise, her weapons Master to tell them.
It is assumed that when the Weapons Master died; the secret of what triggered Suliss'urn into her vehement wraths went with him. This is not actually true. Her eldest sister, Skikudis, also holds this secret. It can be assumed that this may be one of the many reasons Suliss' life is entwined with her sisters, Skikudis.
Soon within the ever-lasting shadows of the deep earth, the three young female drow would grow into adult hood. Their halfhearted attempts during their younger years to kill one another became far more earnest; especially between the First Daughter, Skikudis, and the middle, Suliss?urn. The third and youngest seemed to still be content with her pets and playing at drow society?and so was largely discounted by her sisters.
Unknown to Suliss?urn, during a surface raid her eldest sister Skikudis had been recruited into the Eilistraee faith and offered herself as a means to further spread the word of the Silver Maiden where it would harm Lloth the most. Skikudis returned from the surface and began her work in the utmost of secrecy. While her sister began work surreptitiously to do that which was most Anathema to drow, Suliss?urn was busy finally dealing with what she thought as a completely useless sister. In an attempt to teach her youngest sister the error of her ways; Suliss?urn used her rank and power to force the youngest to slay her most cherished pet.
Suliss' commanded this of her sister during one of their rare meals taken under the pretenses of family. There, Suliss? bade her sister to start at her pets feet, removing and peeling the flesh and muscle until every bit of the pet became nothing more than bloody heap. Convinced that she had taught her youngest sister the dangers of allowing oneself to care about others?Suliss? returned to day to day duties, leaving her desolate sibling to her own devices. Suliss' returned to what she thought was her most pressing task at that time: ridding herself of Skikudis.
While she did nearly kill her Eldest sister, she was not successful. Her sisters? survival left Suliss? with her first scar?a long line which can still be seen on her upper right hand shoulder. Skikudis had severed Suliss? arm in defense and the priestess? of Lloth had reattached it, but not without leaving the scar behind to remind Suliss? of her first failure.
Ignoring their youngest sister was possibly the two sibling?s largest mistake; they would soon learn to regret ignoring her in the years to come.
Fooled by their sisters quiet retreat (a mistake they should have recognized) the youngest sister arranged her revenge for the killing of her favorite pet. Using brilliant misdirection as well as masterminding several staged bits of information, the youngest deceived Suliss?urn in believing that she had found a means to ensure Suliss? would arise to Matron hood, eliminating her eldest sister, Skikudis. The youngest sister lead Suliss? to discover that the eldest, Skikudis, was indeed dedicated to Eilistraee and not Lloth, a deity most despised by Lloth worshiping drow.
Setting the stage for what would become the ultimate betrayal, Suliss?urn called not only for an audience with her Matron to reveal the traitor amidst them, but an audience with all of the major House Matrons at that time.
As Suliss?urn, filled with pride, listed the charges against her sister and paraded witness after witness to a full council of Matrons?the youngest finally sprang in the web she created. Ssin, the youngest, revealed her coupe de grace: false information which not only framed Skikudis of all wrong doings; but Suliss'urn as well. Ssin accused Suliss'urn of sympathizing with Skikudis and ultimately betraying Lloth, her people in addition to their Matron mother. Impressed by her youngest daughter's cunning, Matron mother allowed the charges she knew to be false to remain.
True to the nature of drow, Ssin had awaited quietly in the shadows, used her clueless sisters? missteps to pave the way to Matronhood for herself.
Suliss? and Skikudis faced the rest of their long, elven lives being tortured by the Priestess of Lloth and eventually being turned into a drider, left to go slowly insane and abandoned in the darkest caverns of the earth.
Luckily (or unluckily depending on how one looked at it) Skikudis had foreseen this and had set up an escape for herself. She made adjustments for whatever reason to accommodate Suliss'urn and set in motion her plans. An arranged political upheaval was the best cover for an escape from the underdark though it was a positively monumental effort; the cost of which was the death of many of Eilistraee?s faithful and many Skikudis considered friends.
It was near the surface that Skikudis realized her sister had borne the brunt of torture meant for them both. Suliss?urn?s brown eyes had been torn from her skull and the eye sockets burned to prevent any magical means of re-growing. Taking pity on her sister, despite all Suliss? had done to her, Skikudis begged Eilistraee to return her sight. In an amazing response; Eilistraee did so?not only returning Suliss?urns eyes, but marking them a bright, brilliant gold. Skikudis remarked that Suliss?urn had been touched by the Sword Maiden, and would no doubt cross her path once more.
With her new found vision, eldest and middle sister ran for the light.
Suliss?urn was first blinded by the surface out of a crawl-hole surprisingly close to a human establishment that was later (and rather hurriedly) sealed. This tunnel had placed the bedraggled, bloody and exhausted Suliss?urn near an establishment called The Red Dragon Inn.
She was first discovered by Guthorm Otthinsson and was a much younger, unmarked, different Suliss?urn than the one known by many today.
Surrounded by humans, the younger Suliss?urn had little time to wonder why they would care for the situation of a single dark-elf, let alone put her up in a room for nothing. She was suspicious as usual but given her current situation, understood that that their pity would help her in recovering her strength. So the drow remained for several weeks within the shelter supplied to her and paid by anonymous benefactor to recover and heal.
It took several months of adjusting to Rhy?din, its oddities, people, humans, wavering lands and bright sunlight. Not only did the sun painfully daze and blind the elf, it mercilessly burned black skin which had never been touched by the rays of bright star, ever. It took the drow nearly half a decade of controlled exposure to acclimate both sight and skin. During those years, she lived and rented a room within the Red Dragon itself, getting to know (whether she wanted to or not) those that lived there. When the female drow gauged herself ready, she was soon to leave the room she?d been rented and the Red Dragon Inn behind her. Suliss' sought out her sister as a means to find something familiar to connect to above ground.
Suliss?urn located her sister and found that Skikudis had adjusted to surface life far better than she. Skikudis had settled herself as a herbalist, using her vast knowledge and passion for plants as a means to live. Skikudis? had succeeded enough to even have a small shop which saw steady business. She gave Suliss? shelter in return for one thing: to return the gift granted to her by Eilistraee and follow the goddess will. Suliss?, with her mind still fresh with the imagery of the only service to a goddess she knew, Lloth, balked at the proposal but reluctantly agreed.
It was a fated decision, for soon Suliss?urn became one of the few chosen of Eilistraee on the surface and a reputable bard in service for her new Goddess. Suliss?urn?s magnificent elven voice and talent with music seemed to become near legendary overnight.
Not only did the female drow learn music, dancing, instrument making, hunting and the dogma of Eilistraee, she learned valuable lessons that were never taught to her in the underdark: love, trust, friendship, camaraderie and laughter.
Suliss?urn eventually encountered her first feelings of affection by unintentionally falling in love with an eldritch wolf-like man with eerie white eyes.
These lessons were shattered beyond repair as her youngest sister caught word of her survival on the surface. Having finally murdered their mother to become Matron of their house Ssin worried that should word get out that she had not, in fact, killed Suliss?urn and Skikudis as she had so cleverly lied about-- the youngest would no doubt bring untold shame and the end of her House?s reign within Menzoberranzan. This simply could not happen, and, after several attempts to murder Suliss?urn with surface parties and assassins, she finally turned her thoughts to a cleverer ploy.
Skikudis often disappeared during mid summer and nearing harvest season to traverse the great forests and secret places of Rhydin, searching for rare flowers and herbs to restock her shop with in the coming winter months?leaving Suliss? to her own devices and in care of the store.
Toying with Suliss?urns new feelings of trust, honor and familial bonds, Ssin leaked false information that Skikudis had been recaptured and was now in the underdark, being tortured and made ready for execution.
Suliss?urn fell too easy for the bait and soon enlisted the help of fellow drow and elves on the surface to lead a rescue party. It was a foolish as well as a rash decision, for the party was slaughtered and Suliss?urn caught again a second time.
The horrors with which her sister visited upon Suliss?urn with glee is nearly untold. Some evidence of what Ssin made Suliss?urn live through are carried in the female drow?s skin today in the form of nearly hundreds of scars.
She was made a slave by her youngest sister and paraded about the Underdark when it suited the youngest. When it didn?t, she was thrown to the slave pits and male drow to be played with as they saw fit. What had been done to her in the pits is unknown and may even be something Suliss?urn no longer remembers?suffice to say that given how drow society treated its males? It is with no doubt they were eager to return to favor to a fallen female.
It was several months before Skikudis returned to find her shop abandoned and looted. It did not take long for Skikudis to find information leading to what had happened and once again, as if doomed to repeat the past--Skikduis rallied to save Suliss'urn.
Skikudis was not able to rescue Suliss? in time to save her from all that drow could do to their prisoners. While her eldest sister could heal some of Suliss? wounds once on the surface, the shattering of the mind and soul which had been done to her was something no magic could ever heal. Unable to help her sister and overcome with guilt, Skikudis did what she thought was best at the time of retrieving her, and left Suliss? alone?bereft of reminders of fellow drow and what they had done to her.
Given the mass damage to Suliss?urns skin, scar tissue became an issue and quickly. The female drow during the first few months of recovery learned the hard way that every single motion tore the multitude of cuts wide open once again. This process of heal-and-tear went on until Suliss?urn could stand the excruciating pain to gather the herbs necessary on her own to help speed not only the healing process, but soften the mass of ruined skin.
From there, it was a long road of teaching herself how to move and how to return herself to mythical drow agility.
While her body was quick to recover, Suliss?urns mind was not. Truthfully, it was her mind that bore the brunt of damage done the most and would never truly heal. Though she was able to recover her ability to speak, the months spent screaming through her ?sessions? with the Priestess of Lloth had rendered a beautifully bardic-trained voice to nothing more than a rattling rasp. Suliss?urn could no longer speak in a tone any louder than harsh whisper?forcing the drow to never speak any louder. If she tried to speak any louder, her vocal chords simply cut out completely, forcing the drow into silence.
The harshest lessons were re-learning trust and allowing herself to feel. The drow was unstable at best and her ideals of expressing her affection became as twisted as she herself had. Many did not understand the drows' messy overtures of affection and reacted to them with fear, disgust and revulsion?further alienating Suliss?urn and allowing the female to fall into a far more bestial mindset. She began spending more time in the wilds of Rhy?din akin to an animal, hunting and living on the raw flesh of that which she caught?as well as tending to move more and more on all fours akin to a dog.
Though she tried to separate herself from her sister and other humanoids, she was always drawn back to the places they gathered?either by the memories of what she once was or envy. She began returning to all of her old haunts. One of which was the Red Dragon Inn, where one fateful evening she was reunited with the odd wolf-man of long before. Except time appeared to have changed him. He seemed more man than wolf now and white eyes had turned black.
It did not go well for the first few years?neither of them seemed well hinged enough to understand the steps they took, and though it ended as many things are wont to do?it was one of the many first steps for Suliss? in becoming a semi-functioning member of society. He later chose a second mate during one of the longer periods of Suliss' disappearance and it is assumed that is where he chose to remain.
As she began to heal and learn that biting the people you like wasn't always the best ways to say how d'you do, the drow also began to willfully seek means to return to the underdark. Vengeance was always forefront in Suliss? mind and she sought to finish what her sister had started.
Each killing spree in the underdark seemed to help the drow find her way back to her senses, piece by piece. She would never be the same Suliss?urn as the one who once sang praises for Eilistraee, but she was no longer the same Suliss?urn that refused to come out of the dark of porches?watching life through stained glass windows.
She gained several long lasting relationships dubiously called friendships either by reacquainting herself to those who once knew her, or making new bonds in the form of claiming that everyone she met and did not kill?as hers. She dabbled with many males and females and committed to none, leaving many wishing for more (and wishing that she made sense) and giving nothing.
Soon enough not only had she found herself rather well known, but having a small circle of friend-like objects to play with in addition to tormenting.
She also found herself in a relationship with Jodiah Ayreg, claiming him her mate. Though it was short lived (only a year which to her seemed a blink of an eye), it was enough to remain a steadfast and part of the drow for the years after.
It is rumored that despite toying with several, she has not taken nor expressed any interest in a new mate.
Connected through Ayreg to Alysia and Rhilshen, it is not out of place for the drow to use what means are provided to her to occasionally visit the realm. Whether this is actually out of some misguided idea that by returning, she might recapture what was lost?out of the odd envy and adoration for Alysia?or simply because she absolutely enjoys the reactions to her appearance there is yet to be revealed. More than likely it is all of these things.
Most recently she had been up to her old tricks, which mainly consists of causing as much chaos as she possibly can wherever she goes.
Perhaps those who have known her the longest will say that there is some change within her?that she seems more likely to reign in her instincts enough to introduce herself with hand instead of teeth and claw.
Free now to go where she pleases and do what she wishes, she is often considered a force to be reckoned with.
Selfish, cruel, greedy, churlish, childish, violent, temperamental, unpredictable, deceitful, suspicious, insane at times and at others terribly sane?whatever, whenever, where ever she is; it goes without question that she will always be one thing above all else:
Suliss?urn.
Phindar Streeaka - The phindar streeaka style is not technically a combat style, but it's more of a mindset when entering combat. It means "mindless recklessness," and it is the name that dark elves give to the rare drow berserkers.
Jivvn Golhyrr -The jivvin golhyrr style is a defensive style that relies on weaknesses in the enemy's performance to cause them to stumble and fall, making them more vulnerable to later attacks and emulating a position of weakness. The name means "amusing trick" and comes from the cruel drow's appreciation for placing another in the humiliating position of a slave or other subservient being
Kylorin Phylnn - Conservative dark elf fighters and those who either need to capture opponents alive (usually for interrogation) or just enjoy humiliating their opponents use the kyorlin plynn style, which means "watch and take." The style uses defensive tactics and efficient methods of disarming to delay opponents and negate their ability to fight effectively.