Being slightly annoyed by the sudden interruption of this half-elven selling his trinkets, Berris, a Sea Elf and a spellcaster smirked and gave the half elf some time to show his wares. He was an odd looking fellow, he appeared young, but his face was old. He seemed to move slowly, but a certian grace was inherent. As the half elf spoke, his voice was musical, soft, but certian...definitely not a half elf. The sea elf gasped as Berris held a rapier to the half elf's throat, daring him to remove his disguise. "A thief knows when another tries to deceive." Berris spat as he touched the point of his sword against the half-elf.
Laughter rang out as the Half-Elf threw off his robes and mask. From behind these disguises stood a male Drow with swords pulsing with magical power. As his reddish eyes pierced Berris' soul, the walls surrounding Berris' memories crumbled and fell to the ground, revealing the secrets that lay beneath the destroyed walls.
3 years of memories flood back all at once, making the Elven Thief's bearings falter. Starting out at the Temple of Baeron in the Underdark, breaking into the unholy site, bypassing layers of traps and security. Killing and knocking out Drow to reach the vault. Popping the last lock, Berris remembers entering the trove and seeing ancient elven, human, dwarven, and drow artifacts, gold, and magic. Berris took what he could, not hearing the Drow that shot him with the sleep venom crossbow.
For 35 months, the torture was excrutiating. Chains, poisons, electricity, drowning, fire, and acid were daily enemies. Gruesome experiments done by the "Healers of Baeron" to learn more about Elven anatomy, including amputations and open surgery while the Elven Thief screamed in anguish. Perhaps the sickest part of all was when his body gave out, the Drow would force his soul back, raise him once more to go again.
The prayes to Aeridin, the one Berris followed, were unanswered, Berris remembered. He pled, begged, and literally prostrated himself on the hard rocky floor of the underdark to be released. Every time, Aeridin did nothing, apparently not even noticed. And the torture cotinued.
Rage took Berris as his waking self became overcome with emotion as the Drow before him laughed. As Berris remembered crawling on his belly like a bug in order to escape up an air hole to the surface world, and his mind put up these barriers to keep him sane, he did not see one Drow Elf laughing, but an entire race, mocking him, laughing at his misery. The Elven Thief could take no more.
Rushing the Drow, Berris was stopped in his tracks by the Sea Elf tackling him, telling him there was another way, that violence was no needed against this one. This made the Thief even more angry as the ignorant Sea Elf, who did not even know what a Drow really looked like, inadvertantly saved him from a certian death at the end of a Rapier.
The hatred swelled to not only envelop the Drow, but Aeridin for forsaking him in his moment of greatest need. Berris realized he was not the most pious elf, but he was a staunch defender of Aeridin. Always coming to the defense of his veneratee at every turn, socially and martially. Now, things were different.
As the Drow walked away in safety, laughing at the elf, Berris did what he never did before, in his previous life, or after. The lying, distrustful, selfish thief made a blood oath. "Never will I smile nor laugh, until my revenge is fulfiled. The Drow will have my vengance. I will learn the skills necessary to become a living shadow. Striking from silence to exact vengance against the women, men, and children of my tormentors. Through my blade, absolution will be mine!"
The happy, gold snatching elf that was the life of the party was dead. He died that day in the underdark under the whip of the Drow guard. What escaped, was a tempered, hate filled elf, driven by anger, and fueled by the fact that the one who he thought would protect him, turned away and did not listen.
Berris turned from the Sea Elf and the mage, both shocked by the outburst, not totally understanding what has happened, and began plotting the first step necessary to quench his thirst for the life blood of his ebon skinned enemies.
