Matron Althenar of House Shaniza (the 12th House) allows herself not only to be seduced by Lyme but actually winds up drunk in his bed having some sex. A commones bed in another house than her own. Scandalized she hurries home.
Zhe'raen finds that Halavin has been gotten into a fight with some slaves from another house. Brawls involving Nemalzhi soldiers also are on the increase.
Velve is appointed Treasurer and Mercenary Financier for the HouseOfTrade. He also notes that the feelings towrds HouseNemalzhi is less than friendly on the town.
Ever the gambler, Zhe'raen decides to teach the city a lesson. Without much actual permission from MatronNemalzhi he lets loosa a campaign of rumors regarding the affair of Matron Althenar.
As forseen, the 12th House decides to beat up the upstart 40th House. Velve is dispatched by HouseNemalzhi to spy and gets his hands on their battleplans.
Furthering adding fuel to the fire, more rumors are spread to make House Shaniza feel the need to strike first. This is to ensure thet noone can accuse HouseNemalzhi of being the aggressor.
Zhaunil and MatronGlavil makes the amazing discovery that dragons are parthenogenic and also has a small chaos-strain in their essence-matrix to ensure that each dragon is an individual being rather than a copy of its progenitor. In a fury of reseaarch both the brilliant scientists get to work to understand the phenomenom better.
Meanwhile Ahriman comes up with the delightful idea that he will detonate his Anti-Magic Bomb by the compound of the 20th House. For no other reason than to mess with them and release the Vampire there.
After a while House Shaniza makes its move, sending three columns of drow-soldiers through the city to attack HouseNemalzhi. Slavetroops are left behind because they are too numerous and undisciplined to move quick enough. Especially since this attack is done without telling the temple, meaning that the streets are still fairly crowded when the attack comes.
The three columns soon get into trouble as Velves squads of assassins make constant hit-and-run attacks on one, enchanted bombs placed by Ahriman strike the second and the third marches past HouseKilndar where a Vampire has just come loose.
Nevertheless the plucky fellows from House Shaniza press on and in some dissarray reach the walls of HouseNemalzhi and battle commences.
Zhe'raen seeks out the enemy's Weaponsmaster and gets through to him and slays him. Ever murderous Velve prowls the shadow, like the treacherous scorpion, seeking the MatronMother of the opposing house. Dissapointed at not being able to find her, he resorts to putting a crossbow-quarrel in the back of what he thinks is a daughter. She does not die right awya and blasts the hapless assassin with magics, boiling his subdermal fat under his skin. To his horror Velve does not pass out and is left in a blaze of agony. It was Matron Althenar in disguise!
Zhe'raen steps in and slays the Matron Mother. Velve is in way too much pain to worry about "his" kill being stolen. Zarathustriel is on medical duty and carries Velve to safety and heals him enough to save his life and take most of the pain away before she yet again heads for the battlefield to see to the injured.
Ahriman, Zarhrae and apprentices engage the wizards of the enemy and after some brutal spellslinging bring them down.
Seeing an opportunity, Ahriman and his wizardly colleagues use a massive dispelling to shut down the defences of House Shaniza and teleport an entire company of drow-soldiers led by Nirl into the heart of the enemy compound.
The drow of HouseNemalzhi soon drive the few remaining drow-troops away but the vast band of slavetroops prove to be hard to destory quickly and the timely arrival of Ahriman helps in saving the day with blasts of arcane power.
Meanwhile the battle at HouseNemalzhi is beginning to die down as more and more of the drow-troops of House Sheniza surrender as they realise they're leaderless as well as houseless now.
After some mopping-up actions the forces of, yet again, victorius HouseNemalzhi march to the recently conquered compound. Zhe'raen is barely able to supress his curiosity when they move past HouseKilndar, from which odd noises and the sound of a terrific fight can be heard. They reach the compund and secure it after some minimal struggle from remaining enemies. Having consolidated their positions the forces of HouseNemalzhi set out to see how things are going over at HouseKilndar. Not until after Ahriman has set his apprentices to loot the local library however.
As they approach they notice several of the City's weaponsmasters approaching with some caution. Among them are WeaponsmasterMorghedil, WeaponsmasterScatha and the twins Tsankao and Liaram. It seems that the Vampire has made short work of HouseKilndar and the GrandTemple and various Matrons have decided to send some heavy hitters in to check the situation out. Zhe'raen commands Ahriman and his two most trusted underlings, Yathrinë and Lyme to join him as HouseNemalzhi also sends its Weaponsmaster to investigate.
When the assembled Weaponsmasters arrive they fins that a majority of the population of HouseKilndar is wiped out, either from the deeds of the Vampire or collateral damage as priestesses and wizards had tried to stop it. Now the newcomers stand face to face with a fully awakened Vampire. A tall human-seeming being with waistlong, black hair and lynx-like eyes. Clad in dark rune-armour and a sword bound with destructive magics the Vampire seems to be a capable warrior and the fact that it seems virtually immune to magics makes it even more impressive.
After WeaponsmasterScatha makes a bit too hasty move and gets his arm ripped out of its socket by the Undead horror, the others decide upon a sensible amount of caution and, through Ahriman, makes it clear that the Vampire is free to leave.
As the drow part to make way for the monster Ahriman teleports Zarathustriel in from the HouseNemalzhi sickbay where she's been tending to the wounded to put WeaponsmasterScatha back in one piece again. It is now that Zhe'raen is misinterpreted by the Vampire. Zhe'raen tries to show a "we are not in your way" mien but this is somehow seen as a challenge by the Vampire. When Zhe'raen hols up his hands to show that he has been misunderstood he is misunderstood again! Thinking Zhe'raen a coward the Vampire puts his hand in his belt, rams his sword into the ground and closes his eyes, while sneering. Zhe'raen cannot back down from this insulting challenge and engages the Vampire who has definitely underestimated Lolth's chosen. Soon the Undead warrior is forced not only to open his eyes and get his sword back but also is forced to heal himself from several savage cuts from Zhe'raens blades.
Quickly losing patience with this offensively skilled mortal, the Vampire ends the duel with a brutal backhand-chop, caving in Zhe'raen's ribcage and almost severing his spine.
As the Vampire now seems bent on killing all the assembled drow, Ahriman plays his ace : He summons the DevilSon from hell! "Save us. In return I give you this most terrific oppenent to battle!" is the deal offered the stormdevil who gleefully accepts.
And the battle that follows is most terrific indeed. All assembled watch in awe as the powerful supernatural beings fight with sword and claw and spells. Meanwhile, Zarathustriel heals the horrible wounds of Zhe'raen.
Soon the battle seems to go the Vampire's way, but the DevilSon is full of tricks and simply grapples his opponent and returns to hell, taking the Vampire along.
Zhe'raen's still hurting body is handed over by Zarathustriel to be carried along by a strangely anonymous priestess and he is brought home to rest and recouperate.
When Ahriman returns home to his study he finds a small messenger-devil waiting. It seems the DevilSon has been victorious and in gratitude invites Ahriman to come on a visit in hell.
Thus ends the day. Two mighty houses have been destroyed. HouseNemalzhi is more powerful than ever. Yet, in the end, the city itself is weaker for the loss of the 12th and 20th houses.
As for the nobles of HouseKilndar, surely noone could have survived that?