Xal forced a smile.
The guard watched the scene with interest, but didn’t dare intervene.
A hyena waits for carrion to become carrion.
Come on, Ayumu. I’ll show you my twisted castle.

Scum! Lying scum! His House had always been full of lying, envious, good-for-nothing scum!
With a groan, Xal struggled to his feet, clutching his injured neck. His whole body was racked with spasms and tremors.
That’s why I liked pain whips. They really do hurt.

Only now he condescended to look at you.
After that long, contemptuous stare, he turned on his heel and went back the way he’d come. Reaching the archway, he said a few words, walked through it, and vanished.

And I’ll tell you: my son defeated your brother in the arena, humiliated him, and left him to die amongst the trash. You’ll end up there too if you misbehave... and litter the streets.
...
And you... You’ve had bad luck with male, female.

What a pity.
You’re lying, worm… I killed him... I saw him die.
Ha ha. You’ve really lost your mind, haven’t you? Ever since you fled from here. If you killed him, how did my house come to be respected?

Especially when you’re on your knees with that look on your face. When my son wrapped the whip round his neck, broke every bone in his body and dragged his body around the arena for the amusement of the spectators, he had the same look on his face - only you’re weaker.

With a lightning-fast movement, he snatched the whip from his belt and lashed it across Xal’s bare neck, causing him to immediately fall to his knees in agony.
Drow tucked the whip back into his belt.
You’re not so different from your brother.

Hm. I was surprised when I saw you... but your previous actions has made my house far more powerful, so...
So…?
I don’t know what you’re doing here, but I’ll let you go. For now. I’m curious to see what your presence here will lead to this time.

You scoundrel from the House F'alenna. Do you think I haven’t recognised you?
There was a mocking tone in the Drow’s voice, but he had no intention of calling the guards or fighting.
Do you think I'm trying to hide it?

His red eyes looked at Xal with barely concealed contempt and... pity.
Ah... House Zulirahel. It’s amusing when a representative of the most pathetic house in the city demands something of me.

He was dressed in tight-fitting black chitin armour, with long chitin spikes on his calves and forearms. His snow-white hair was tied back in a large bun, and his face was covered with wrinkles, though the elf was not old.

Xal finished his cigarette and threw it at his feet.
...
Don’t litter here.
The Drow, who had been hurrying towards the portal, stopped and placed his hand on the pain whip hanging from his belt.

In my humble opinion, he has been living and leading the Conclave for far too long, longer than he should have. Very few elves know this dialect, and even fewer realise that he actually speaks it with a strong accent.

Ah, Guldor Zauviir is entertaining himself... He is welcoming guests from other Drow cities... it seems they have some sort of event today.
He is the head of the Conclave and is currently demonstrating his undoubtedly profound knowledge of the ancient Drow dialect.

A thunderous male voice rang out from the gigantic, dark tower in the city centre, speaking in a dialect unfamiliar to you. It is the Drow language, but it sounds rather strange.

If you know the right words, they’ll take you exactly where you need to go.
Xal gestured towards the sleek black arch standing alone near the bridge.
To tell the truth, they aren’t exactly teleporters; they’re doors in space.

Xal’s voice was full of pride and almost tenderness as he said this.
You know, before I go to the market, I’d like to visit my old home. I need to... check something... It’s a long way, but there are teleports in the noble districts.

which led to a drastic reduction in the number of priestesses and a significant increase in the number of male mages.
This is how Shamath came to be as it is today.
An anomaly among the other Drow cities.

And then, after 2000 years of their rule, the level of faerzress began to fluctuate badly, and five years later it had totally gone. Because of this anomaly, over the next three hundred years the Matron Mothers gave birth almost only to male children,

Now it lies in ruins, I’m sure. It was not the richest castle in Sshamath, but it was clearly one of the oldest buildings here. It may even have been around at the time when the Matron Mothers ruled Sshamath.

There was our home, our castle, our nest, where I grew up. You can’t see it from here. It was built on the slope of a cliff. Most of the castle was right inside the rock; only the entrance was on the city side, whilst the back of the castle and its balconies hung over an abyss.

Xal grinned, pulled a cigarette from somewhere and lit it, gazing off into the distance.
I will never cease to be in awe of this city... especially here, at the crossroads of two worlds, each of which is corrupt and cruel.
There. . . in that direction. . .
He pointed his finger into the darkness.

...
May I have a look at the paper?
Xal looked at the bright luminescent tree through the black paper, but suddenly grimaced, rubbed his temple and handed it back to you.
Something on the edge of my perception. A heavy feeling.
But... in the end, it’s just a black paper.

I’m sure you’ll resolve… this undoubtedly annoying problem in the most exquisite way possible.
…
It’s your birthday, isn’t it?
Xal gave a chuckle.
Celebrating your birthday in this town isn’t the best idea, but I won’t argue.

It’s very unpleasant to realise this, because you become so attached to both Merudoс and Llarien and see them as incredibly important characters.

Although it remains unclear which came first – Fate or Lor. If Fate came first, then Lor, just like everyone else, is her slave, in which case the ending with destruction is simply an illusion, and Lor’s self-deception.

If the Prophet is alone, they simply do not die; but if the Prophet is accompanied by Llarien or another player, then the Prophet dies. Because the only truly important characters in the game are the Prophet, Fate and Lor.
Everyone else is just props that may or may not matter to you.

#tavqotd

Ironically, the Dark Urge saved Xal from a fate worse than death.
If the Dark Urge hadn’t awakened, Xal would, at worst, have ended up as a mindless weapon of the Gith, or at best, would simply have died from the horrific tortures.

I still feel like I'm 17...

I turned 31 today, and to be honest, I don’t know how I’ve managed to reach this age...