Daphne, the dryad mage

The cloudy surface slowly reveals the face of long eared brunette. She did have the gauntness and sallow skin so common among the Mulan humans of Thay, the very same blood that ran in every red wizard's veins, but elfs were incredibly rare in Thay, either the stray adventurer or captured slaves. She wore mage's robes, not the crimson color that marked the ruling elite of Thay, but a bland white color, perhaps a more sensible choice under their scorching sun.

She was in one of Thay's many temples, and a large inverted triangle marked it was a house of Talona, Mistress of Disease. She fidget alot, her eyes constantly strayed from entrance to entrance of the dark, foggy place, and her fingers twirled a sleek wand in her left hand.

A malnourished **** entered the room, a 3 foot tall halfling that still bore ugly pox marks all over his exposed torso. He paid the temple his respects, dipping his fingers in the bowl of water close to the entrance and tracing Talona's symbol on his forehead. The mage was accessing this new entrant's threat level and she completely missed the looming figure next to her.

"We all have reasons to look for the mistress" Startled, the mage turned to the new arrival, a sultry, barely dressed woman in her early thirties, raising her wand, the trigger word almost escaping her lips. The priestess was neither impressed, nor threatened. She merely dropped the coppery colored smile that graced her lips.

"I-I'm sorry" the mage's voice trembled as she saw her mistake. "Here, I brought the usual. M-more then the usual. Please, if would please the mistress" She took a large bottle from her spell pouch, filled with a dark greenish liquid that barely let any light sip through. Her hands trembled as much as her voice stuttered, all the early signs of withdrawal were there.

"Dryad's blood" the woman took the bottle with both hands, surveying it like a connoisseur would evaluate a bottle of the finest halruan wine. "So incredibly rare in our lands. Most of your kind wither and die within an year of captivity, such a tragedy, no? The marvelous concoctions that one can create..." she carefully laid down the bottle, letting it rest for now.

"I am Mulani." The mage said in a subdued tone. The daughter of a captured fey would be nothing but a **** in Thay, but the daughter of a Red Wizard? She could go as high as her mastery of the arcane arts would take her.

"One with an unusual affliction... is this what you are looking for, my dear Daphne?" it took an herculean **** of will to not jump on the tiny vial offered. She chugged its contents in one gulp, eager to free herself from the sickness that ever plagued her when she distanced from her bound tree.

A sense of euphoria spread through her body, even breathing was much easier than a moment ago. "Thank you" the words came easy. "To your grace and your mistress."

"One hears your graduation is near, my dear Daphne. Soon you will dress the red robes" the priestess voice was ever charming, like a snake. "if you survive, of course"

"... one of my colleges came looking for you" It was so much easier to think without the constant pain. "What did you give him? and who was it?" Daphne was an abjurer, an specialist in protective magic, and such foreknowledge would make it much easier to fend off any would be assassin.

"What makes you think only one of them sought the Lady of Poison?" there was genuine humor in her voice "But you, my dear Daphne, you are so special to us. There is another, dearer ingredient that would greatly please the Mother of All Plagues. She would be very pleased by such an offering" the sultry tone was unmistakable "very pleased indeed"