The Children of Baraeon Ca'Duz

"They are nearly perfect, are they not? Fearless and mighty, yet cunning, diligent, and endlessly patient; truly, spiders are the god's most sublime emissaries.

"How best, then, should the servants of the Prince of Hate strive to emulate him? It is, of course, best to strive to embody the spider's virtues fully: strong and physically superior; sharp of mind and quick of intellect; persistent and persevering in one's goals and ambitions; as enduring as need requires; and utterly, swiftly ruthless to one's foes. Concomitant with the embodiment of the god's virtues is the physical embodiments of his handiwork; namely, the poisoner's art."

--Discourses on Vengeance, I.ii.39, Umaless Zeimull, High Priest of Baraeon Ca'Duz

My tapestry is a song
Played on the loom of my strong belly
By my work I fill my mouth
With sweet suffering, torpid and slow
Every day I reweave my tapestry anew
Its beauty kills

--The Orb-Weaver's Song, trad. hymn to Baraeon Ca'Duz

Olin found that constant stretching was the only way to avoid cramps, staying still for so long in the dank confines of the Undercity of Hlint. The narrow passages and low ceilings were uncomfortable for even his short, slender drow frame. He fretted, not for the first time, over the relative scarcity of weaker species of spiders. The sword spiders and phase spiders of the High Forest were still too deadly a threat to overcome easily, and while Ettercaps were more easily vanquished, the subtlety of their venom was beyond Olin's meager art to distill.

He frowned, and felt his frustration rising. Mindful of his task and the virtues he strove to emulate, Olin stilled his mind and silently rehearsed the droning chants designed to cultivate a calm, wakeful presence and the vigilant patience of a spider. Soon he felt his frustration abate, and he turned his mind to the problem of the smaller, weaker spiders whose venom he sought. Despite appearing regularly in the Hlint sewers, they seemed not to nest in any place immediately accessible, preferring deeper, more hidden lairs. He considered his options: a student of the art of poison needed ample supplies with which to practice; if the nest were not readily apparent, perhaps it could be found by dedicated searching; or perhaps there were other nests of which he was not aware. He weighed the advantage of a potential nest discovery versus the dangers inherent in trailblazing; suddenly, another possibility occurred. Perhaps there were clergy of Baraeon Ca'Duz hidden nearby, who could teach him in one of their hidden schools. Certainly there had been signs that male clergy were present: the small, obscure symbol near Skatch's note about poison was quite possibly a sign of their interest. And if dark elf priests were hidden, perhaps there others, entirely unknown to him...?

Olin mentally drew a checklist:

1. Hunt for nearby nests of small spiders

2. Search out clergy of Baraeon Ca'Duz for tutelage in the poisoner's art.

3. Be alert for other masters of the art who may be concealed or operating subtly.

It seemed like a good enough place to start. He would make sure to speak to Skatch and the others about it later, to see what they thought.