Letter 4.5

[lettersfrombel]

(deciphered, and translated from Elvish (drow dialect))

10 Tarsakh 1492 DR
Sword Coast, near Baldur's Gate, Surface

To the attention of Yasraum, Matron Mother of House Vivailfin of Eilsund.

My beloved Mother:

I have heard disturbing news that may affect the House, so wished to address it now, rather than have it wait until I had funds to send. My work has taken me to the surface near Baldur’s Gate: see attached map. I was informed of a dead drow leading a band of goblins, with possibly other drow involvement. Furthermore, there is physical evidence of illithid activity, including remains of illithid tadpoles found inside the brain of said drow. Because of our people’s involvement, I wished to bring this to the attention to the House in haste. The physical distance may be enough to isolate our own dealings, but it is wise to be cautious when the illithid are concerned.

I will send such information as available. Kyorlindraa should be able to contact me via Sending.

Your obedient son,

Belantar

From the Player:
Bel has a complicated relationship with his family. He doesn't really like his parents, or his aunts, or whatever uncle or great-uncle is the official House Wizard. He is attached to his siblings and a few of his younger cousins, and knows that the House, entire settlement will close ranks against non-drow causing problems in the Underdark.

This is also what made the choice of Seldarine or Lolth-sworn Drow complex in character creation when I didn't know what dialog would be locked to either. Because Bel is trying to break away from his family, but feels stupidly responsible for the children of the House, so can't quite cleanly cut the ties. So I went with the allegiance in his heart, and I'm ignoring any dialog choices that aren't in character.

(I once saw someone do a write-up for 'if my character was a companion, here is how their quest would go'; I might do that at the end.)

I created Eilsund as a small drow settlement, so if Forgotten Realms canon contradicted anything in Bel's (or his sibling Ilphyl's) backstory, I could hand wave it as 'not all Lolth-worshippers do everything exactly the same'. It has three prominent families that call themselves Noble Houses but places like Menzobezzaron would consider them jumped up commoners. The place they live is sufficiently dangerous that Eilsund doesn't practice male infanticide to the degree that larger drow cities do, because attrition is terrible and it takes years to raise a child to a state where they are useful. And because men are seen as more expendable than women, one ends up with a similar surplus in women older than young adults.

Because clerics of Lolth are happy to target each other in the name of heresy, Bel is careful to rarely be specific about exactly how his male relatives are related to him. It also means that the reminder that in a larger city, Bel would have been killed at birth (as he has two living older brothers) is one of those things family used against him. It also means Bel has a bit of a complex about needing to be useful, and to take care of others in his own way. (This usually means stabbing or poison.)

Kyorlindraa is the second son of the family, Bel's older brother, and a very good wizard. He's largely taken over arcane magical duties for an older relative, and that gives him both protection and a degree of removal from drow political bullshit that is not wizard political bullshit. Kyor and Bel mutually annoy each other, but Bel also is the sort who sends his brother books that aren't useful but are interesting.

(Honestly, dealing with Kyor is Bel's reference for dealing with Gale. Bel suspects that wizards are the sort who need to be the smartest person in the room, which is fun to poke at, but also means they actually do know things.)