The Stone Egg

"Let's head for that tavern first," said Teysa. "We can establish a base camp. I'd like to change, too, I think I'm kind of standing out."
Tarnished as it was, her armor still marked her as a follower of the Lord of the Sun. Down here, she expected, Agamor was not a popular deity. She was getting some dirty looks, though no passerby seemed inclined to make more of it. Aliara noticed as well. "You're right. This way, map says."

They set off into the thick of the city. The streets were cobbled in some places, bare dirt in others. The buildings were squat, low things of dressed stone-- some kind of black basalt, by the look of it, though some had additions of stucco or more exotic parts. There wasn't a wooden construction as far as the eye could see. Even the street-vendors' stalls were colorful canvas stretched over metal poles. As the women passed, the vendors tried to entice them with all manner of strange wares.

"Amulets! Protective amulets, blessed by the Arch-priestess herself!"
"Cloth! Dye straight from Underhill, the finest you'll ever feel!"

"Rat! Fresh rat, onna stick! All flavors!"

The pushiest tried to get in their way. A grubby dwarf trotted out to meet them, holding up a tray. His eyes were barely visible between eyebrows like caterpillars and a beard that probably hadn't seen a wash since the city was built. "Ladies! Fine ladies! I beg you, let me entice you with perfumes of the finest jasmine! Lilac! Honey!" The dingy glass bottles on his tray looked highly suspect, and the combined odor wafting off them stung Teysa's eyes. "I don't-"
"Out of the way, short stuff," Aliara spat. Her eyes flashed. "Go on, get." He bowed sullenly and retreated.

"Tey, you can't give these guys an inch. He just wanted to get close enough to pick your pocket."

Teysa snorted. "Good luck to him, then." She rapped a fist against her left tasset. "Not like I have anything worth stealing, anyways."

They followed the narrow, winding roads for a short time. Periodically Aliara would pause, then direct them down some side alley. They didn't seem to be making much progress-- the only landmark, the distant cathedral, barely seemed to move. Just as Teysa was about to say something, though, they stepped out of the mouth of the alley into a wide-open plaza. The cobblestones here were clean and neatly fitted, the buildings well-scrubbed and respectable looking. On the other side of the plaza was an impressive three-story structure with smoke curling out of its chimneys. Hanging from a sign over the door was a massive oval of granite, etched with the words THE STONE EGG.

"We're here!" Teysa sighed and slumped. "Finally! Let's go and-"
Aliara raised her hand to stop her. "Hang on. Something's not right. Look."
A crowd had gathered in front of the building. They murmured restlessly and jostled back and forth. Teysa, who had seen enough mobs in her time, felt an uneasy tension in the air. "Come on," she whispered. "We need to get closer and see what this is about."
Nobody noticed as they slipped into the back of the crowd. They were all focused raptly on a tall drow woman standing at the front.

Someone had dragged out a barrel, and the drow stood on it in a cleared semi-circle. She wore a long silk robe, with white lace edging in the form of a web, and carried a short scepter. She spoke loudly, rapidly, gesturing with both hands to emphasize her points.

"-and I say again: who does the Underneath belong to? Must we share it with these abominations? These miscreations? I say no!"
"No!" "That's right!" came the answering cries. The speaker paused and nodded theatrically.
"Yes, my friends. These eight-legged creatures parody the sacred form of our Goddess. They bear the mark of their shame on their twisted bodies. In her infinite mercy, the Empress has decreed that they be cast out, but suffered to live. And what do they do? They gather in their warrens and plot against us!"

"Our Empress is a loving and merciful leader, but her kindness has blinded her to the true danger of the driders. These creatures must be stamped out! Driven not just from our city, but from the whole Under-empire! We must not let them profane these sacred caves with their presence! The Arch-priestess has confirmed: these monsters have failed the Goddess, and they must be punished!"

"Yeah!" "Punished!" The crowd was getting agitated. Alarmed, Teysa dropped a hand to her mace. Still, none of the drow seemed to be paying any attention to the surface dwellers in their midst. The speaker bowed her head.
"I am glad to see so many patriots, so many pious women and men in the City. Rest, friends. Do not forget what you have heard today! Soon you will be called upon to purify our home!" She stepped down into the crowd.

The tension slowly ebbed out of the mob. A few drow seemed disappointed at the anticlimax, but gradually they dispersed back into the hubbub of the city. Teysa and Aliara could only stare at each other.

"What was that about?" asked the half-elf.
"I don't know, but what do you think the odds are that has nothing to do with the missing envoy?"
"About zero. Let's go inside."

They pushed open the double doors and stepped into the Stone Egg.