Queen of Dark Elves (Patreon)

Queen Orrizectra thoughtfully stroked the head of her favorite riding lizard, and listened half-heartedly to the reports of the messenger. Half-heartedly, because the messenger did not say anything new. Again with disappearances of Dark Elves, officers, scientists and engineers. Again…very disturbing news about the Lords of the Mind  becoming increasingly active in the depths. Again…vile gnomes and mushrooms, increasingly wandering into elven territories. The same humdrum routine…

The Queen shifted in her uncomfortable throne. In fact, it was not even a throne, but a huge stalagmite in which someone had once long-ago carved a rough semblance of a seat. The legend said that this was done by the very first elf who descended into the dungeons from the upper Signum. Orrizectra proudly considered this elf was the founder of her kind (like every ruler of the great houses), but sometimes she thought with longing that the royal seat could be more comfortable.

- …that is why the priests of House Erdeine believe that all great houses should listen to the Dark Unknowns. - The words of the messenger pulled the queen out of her thoughts. She shuddered, and the lizard near the throne hissed in displeasure.

The Holy Masters were known to the dark elves as ‘’The Dark Unknowns’’... A blessing and a curse. Like all other Dark Elves, Orrizectra had heard of them since early childhood, powerful patrons who whispered from the darkness. But if earlier the Unknowns only whispered and advised, now orders were more and more clearly felt in their voices. They drove the elves outside - into the daylight, interfered in the affairs of the great houses, and played off the already divided elven community with itself. Orrizectra did not like it very much when someone encroached on the fullness of her power, therefore she took the growing activity from the Dark Unknowns very skeptically.

With a careless movement of her hand, sending the messenger away, the queen (with considerable, but carefully concealed pleasure) rose from the stone throne. Official business was over for today, it was time for entertainment. Gladiators.

On the balcony of a huge fighting cavern, a much more comfortable chair and much more interesting things to do than listening to reports about the next problems were already waiting for the elf queen. Orrizectra nodded to each of the matriarchs of the great houses in the neighboring lodges in turn, and watched with interest as the strongest, the fastest, and the most agile of the elven warriors slew each other. Such fights helped solve several problems at once: hot heads let off steam, and potential troublemakers were busy.

But even here it was not without problems.

Increasingly, rumors began to reach the queen that the matriarchs were recruiting the best gladiators into their service, gathering personal armies from devoted fighters. This could mean only one thing - soon the internal struggle of the Dark Elves for the throne would develop from a phase of undercover intrigues into an open confrontation. And here the march to the surface, to which the elves were so actively pushed by the Dark Unknowns, could play into the hands of Orrizectra. Let the great houses prove their devotion to the common cause and send their thugs to war. On the other hand, this will weaken those who remained in the dungeons and open up opportunities for attack on them from the outside.

The queen grimaced as if from a headache and left the lodge. With this trip to the surface, something had to be decided, so much so as to turn it to the benefit of oneself, and not to one of the internal or external enemies.