Stories of Tie Up Games

Nice story i play neverwinter night and i love the forgotten realms ambients

Eros95 wrote: 20 hours ago Nice story i play neverwinter night and i love the forgotten realms ambients

Welcome to the adventure @Eros95. Awesome that you play NWN. It's always great to meet other RPG gamers on here. There are apparently quite a few of us: @blackbound, @Volobond, @gag1195, @OrdinaryWorld, myself. I've added your name to the notification list.

Finally caught up on the chapters. Curious to see what comes of Elias. I have little knowledge of Baldur's Gate, even though I play little of it, which I will get to more of eventually, but this is giving vibes of the Viking story when the protagonist was taken and made into a slave. So I am curious of this to know more.

I love the way this is shaping up! And no, I didn't guess the number of sons from the banner. I've read The Dark Elf trilogy. And as stated, I've played with a Drow character at the table. Yeah, I know how it works. *Shudders.*

Stormee wrote: 14 hours ago Finally caught up on the chapters. Curious to see what comes of Elias. I have little knowledge of Baldur's Gate, even though I play little of it, which I will get to more of eventually...

Welcome to the adventure, @Stormee-boi. I'm glad you're interested. Just a heads up, though, this has virtually nothing to do with Baldur's Gate. Baldur's Gate just happens to be mentioned regularly in D&D storytelling/movies/games because it's a central trading hub in the Forgotten Realms setting. The city itself has no bearing on this story other than being located on the same continent. In fact, the vast majority of the BG games are not spent in Baldur's Gate. You visit the city once at the end of the first game and then a second time at the end of the third game. Either way, glad you were interested enough to get caught up.

Redman wrote: 14 hours ago I didn't guess the number of sons from the banner. I've read The Dark Elf trilogy. And as stated, I've played with a Drow character at the table. Yeah, I know how it works. *Shudders.*

Awesome to hear, mate. Glad we read the same books. The lore surrounding the two-sons-limit is obviously not super important, but I might briefly touch on it in-story, merely to give the readers a better understanding of just how insane Lolth's dogma is.

I'm glad that Elias has encountered at least one kind soul so far. It could be the start of a friendship or even alliance, even though they can't openly show it. I'm once again floored by the layered world building, I love it!

* Drow - Dark elves, bitter enemies of the elves that live up on the surface. Known for their sadism and cruelty.
* Duergar - Subterranean grey dwarves. Slavers known for their craftsmanship and smithing skills.
* Five-headed Snake Whip - A high priestess' weapon. A monstrous whip of snakes magically animated by Lolth.
* Lolth - Evil goddess of the drow, also known as Queen of Spiders and Lady Lolth.
* Matron Mother - The matriarch at the head of a noble house. Typically, a high priestess of Lolth.
* Menzoberranzan - Holy city of the drow. Small by human standards. Population: 60,000 (20,000 drow/40,000 slaves)
* Quartermaster - Typically a military officer in charge of House assets and inventories. Mid-tier authority.
* Rothé - Underdark cattle, similar to surface-world cows. Used for meat, milk and wool.
* Underdark - The sunless caverns, tunnels and caves far below ground, much like we have on Earth.

The guards brought Elias to a halt just outside the servants' lavatory. One of them produced a dull iron collar from a pouch at his belt. It was plain, without sigil or ornament – basically just a simple band equipped with a small loop for a chain or a leash. Still, the sight of it made Elias’s stomach twist.

"Hold still." the taller drow warned, even as his fellow sentryman moved to further cement his hold over the cooperative boy.

A cold weight settled around Elias's neck as the collar was placed around it, and a shiver ran up his spine when he heard the familiar click of metal. There was a chilling finality to that sound.


As soon as their human ward was collared, the towering guards marched through the wide corridors of the main complex and stepped out into the open training yard. The ground beneath Elias's bare feet was a mixture of packed earth and rough flagstone. It felt cool and slightly uneven. Most likely intentionally so.

Drow soldiers moved about the spacious yard, some sparring with blunted swords, others firing bolts or throwing knives at distant targets. A few soldiers glanced his way, a few brows furrowed, and a few lips curled into hostile snarls, but none verbally addressed him. The presence of two armed escorts was explanation enough for his appearance.

The guards wordlessly marched him straight across the busy courtyard, their pace unhurried but without pause, leading the frail human towards a stone structure built into the inner wall of the intimidating compound. No door led into the structure, only a broad archway bearing House Druu'giir's sigil at its crest.


Crossing the threshold, Elias found himself swallowed by the cooler, more stagnant air of the barracks. The corridor ahead was dim, lit only by a scattering of faintly glowing fungus lamps. Unlike him, drow eyes needed no light to see.

From deeper within the building came the muffled sound of booted footsteps and the low murmur of masculine voices. This was a place of routine, order and vigilance, Elias knew. Of that there could be no doubt.

One of the guards took his arm more firmly, steering him toward a side passage. The smell of oil, leather and steel thickened the air, and the echo of their footfalls seemed to grow sharper as they approached whatever lay ahead.

Elias kept his head down, the psychological weight of the collar still tugging against his throat. He felt more subconscious than ever, not only about how high the grey tunic rode up his exposed thighs but also due to the unshakeable feeling of being so out of place here, surrounded by fierce-looking soldiers - many of them quite muscular and several of them casting openly suggestive glances his way.



The guards did not take him to a cell. Instead, they guided him down a short corridor and past a set of closed doors, until the passage opened into a large, slightly better-lit chamber – the mess hall.

The mess hall was quiet. Only a dozen off-duty soldiers remained; some of them still clad in armour, others in civilian garb. Most of the House sentries were away on patrol, training in the yard or stationed at the gates, leaving the space heavy with the clink of cutlery and the faint sound of food being prepared in the nearby kitchen.

Elias’s bare feet shuffled against the stone floor as they assertively steered him toward a corner table, away from the other soldiers. He sat, head lowered in a mixture of silent shame and quiet deference. Even though his gaze remained averted, he felt the heat of many stares fixed upon his seated form. A few of the off-duty soldiers allowed their gazes to linger – their sharp, disapproving glares sliding over Elias's pale skin and the iron collar around his neck.

Some wanted to gut him on the spot. Some wanted to make him squeal in pain. Others wanted to fuck him, if only to test human submissiveness – a concept that was heavily exoticised yet so very alien to the drow.



One of the guards assigned to his preservation stepped away and returned to the table a brief moment later, this time carrying a platter of food. A large, steaming bowl of rothé stew was set before Elias, the smell of meat immediately wafting up his nostrils. Beside it sat a pile of steamed mushrooms, a thick hunk of bread, and a generous cup of water.

The guard dropped into the seat directly across from him, leaning forward slightly. The other, marginally taller sentry took the seat to Elias's left, trapping the collared boy into the very corner of the communal dining room. The two guards set their weapons within easy reach, but neither of them took their helmets off, reflecting the fact that they were still very much on duty.


Elias glanced at the meal before him. He hesitated. It smelled rich and meaty - almost to the point of being overwhelming after so many weeks of surviving on dry rations and scraps of stale bread. His hands shook as he tentatively reached down to pick the spoon up. He'd not had the luxury of using such a tool in weeks. In a way, it felt almost foreign to his fingers.

The guards spoke to one another in low tones, their words clipped and businesslike - similar to those of human military officers. Elias caught fragments of their exchange - rotation schedules, assignments at the south gate, a mention of the Weapons Master's foul mood. Minus one or two bouts of idle gossip relating to one of the nobles, their conversation never drifted far from duty. Their eyes also never left Elias's slumped form for very long. They watched him with the vigilance of hungry hawks.


When his pace slowed, the guard across from him stopped speaking mid-sentence and fixed him with a hard glare. "Eat." he snapped, his tone flat and leaving little room for compromise.

"If you do not, we will bind you to the chair and I will feed you myself." the other, slightly taller guard threatened, wrapping his very sizeable hand around the back of the pale human's neck, if only to further drive his point across.

Elias gulped, and his seated frame immediately slumped even further at the sound of those words. He lowered his gaze to the stew bowl and forced another spoonful down, the fatty broth filling his mouth. He ate more steadily after that.



When finally the stew was gone, the bread reduced to crumbs, and the seasoned mushrooms eaten despite their slightly bitter aftertaste, Elias drank from the cup of water before setting it down upon the now-empty tray.

The guards continued chatting for several moments, their unhurried manner leaving the ignored human briefly feeling as though he were little more than a piece of furniture. In truth, to them, he very much was. The drow knew humans were sentient, but even so, they thought of them as little more than apes. Clever apes that somehow built cities, organised empires and wielded magic, but still apes - creatures fit only for servitude and the bedchambers of curious nobles.


Without so much as a word, the guard seated next to Elias rose, his gauntleted hand closing tightly around the human boy's arm. The towering sentries wasted no time in lifting their collared ward up to his feet, steering him through another corridor and down a short flight of steps. The air grew noticeably cooler, carrying the faint smell of damp stone and iron.

They stopped before a holding cell - its interior completely bare save for a clay pitcher of water and a lidded pot, which Elias assumed was used for waste matter. The space smelled faintly of cleaning lye, as if someone had rushed to scrub away any trace of the previous occupant. One of the guards briefly left the room before coming back with a thin sleeping mat – an uncommon luxury many a slave would be ready to kill for.


The cell door was nothing more than a set of thick adamantite bars. It offered neither privacy nor comfort; allowing any soldier passing through the barracks' main hall a clear view of whoever was in holding. The other cells all had full doors with only small shutter-windows at eye level. Elias didn’t know whether he should be grateful not to be placed inside one of those.

The metal door noisily swung open. The sleeping mat was unceremoniously tossed to the dusty floor, and then Elias was guided into his cell, gently but firmly.

Once inside, he turned to face the taller of the two guards, his eyes nervously glancing up to dwell upon the unmistakably handsome soldier's face. His stare was neither defiant nor challenging. Rather, it was questioning, as though seeking further instructions - much like a frightened child looking up to his parent.

The order that came was curt and to the point. "Down. Sleep." the guard gruffly commanded, pointing to the thin sleeping mat as though the human boy was some domesticated hound. Elias bowed his head and obediently got down on all fours. The collar around his neck felt somewhat heavier as he curled up on his pad and the heavy door clanged shut. Then, he was alone.

The faint sound of nearby sentries going about their business echoed all about the barracks, but for the first time since arriving in this city, he was free from the weight of those hawkish crimson stares. Finally, he could rest.

I quite liked this chapter. It definitely solidified the air of oppression and absolute powerlessness.

I'll mention a quote from a previous chapter I also quite liked

bondagefreak wrote: 1 day ago They lived short lives, had relatively little control over their emotions and often veered into obsessive attachment or excessive bouts of neediness. Unlike some of the other lesser races who more often than not resorted to physical violence, humans were also known to manipulate; using words and emotions as means of exerting subtle influence. And if there was one thing the drow hated above all else, it was the feeling of being manipulated. They were masters of the art, but had no tolerance for being on the receiving end of it.

I liked the fact that based on this, keeping Elias captive isn't actually as easy a task as it would seem for the Drow. The Drow seem very powerful, yet they still need to actually take care lest they go too far abusing human fragility.

Also that they REALLY can't handle human emotions and their potential ability to manipulate!

bondagefreak wrote: 23 hours ago So yeah, "short-lived" is to be taken with a grain of salt here. They could extract many decades of service from a human and still see it as a short-term arrangement.

That's a good point, and it makes me feel a bit better about Elias's chances of survival. On the flip side, that means he has a long period of bondage ahead, which isn't good for him but suits just fine for our readers.

Also, as this update (Chapter 6) showed, this gap in age expectancy probably plays a part in most drows seeing humans as basically animals. I liked how soldiers have various ways to handle this information, thought they all agree that they want to dominate Elias one way or the other.

Loved the forcefulness and the oppressive feel of this chapter. Menzoberranzan really is a great machine, isn't it, with each cog firmly lashed into place on pain of (even more) cruelty.