spacetogrow / Ilphyl Palace Run

Content Warning

Parts of Ilphyl’s past deal with religiously motivated child abuse, sexism (albeit fantasy sexism as it is against male drow), transphobia and fantasy racism. If you want to engage with Ilphyl’s Palace, but not this content, let me know and I can make sure you stay on an alternate route. I’ll also put warnings on particular rooms if it seems likely to come up, and use the subject lines of threads to add in warnings if it comes up unexpectedly.

Goal
Find and return Ilphyl's consciousness to prominence. You know it will take the form of a small bat, but aren't sure how you know this.

Flat / Top-Level Comments Only

- Posted by

beexceptional

[Huh.]

[Okay, stuff that doesn't seem like plot progression, easier to think of this like a video game for Decision Making.]

[Lets see what this speech is about with the crowd.]

- Posted by

spacetogrow

[The speech appears to be some kind of religious sermon from the lady.]

[The story the priestess tells is the a take on the origin of the drow. Elves were created when the god Gruumsh wounded the god Corellon; Corellon’s blood formed the first elves, and raised the first generation of gods from their ranks. Araushnee, god of destiny and artisans, was particularly beloved of Corellon, and she became his consort. It is said that Araushnee was the first to take a fixed form, and sway the elves to follow her example; the loss of the freedom of fluidity was a small price to pay for greatness. Corellon was displeased that his followers had rejected the changeable nature they had inherited from their divine Parent, but it might have been left as a disagreement, had Araushnee not attempted to kill Corellon.

[Araushnee who would become Lolth, was banished, and her children with Corellon accompanied her. Vhaerun shared his mother’s ambitions for their followers. But Eilistraae knew her mother’s followers walked a dangerous path, and some of their children and their children’s children would need help back to the light of the moon and stars.]

[It seems these elves are followers of Eilistraae from the emphasis of the story. The story ends with some kind of song or hymn in elvish. Out of the corner of your eye, you see Ilphyl glance over and then turn away.]

- Posted by

beexceptional

[She frowned as she listened to the story. Just jump to murder for disagreement, huh?]

[Its]

[Unsettling familiar, honestly, and she hates that.]

[She glances at Ilphyl, and looked forward again. Can she get to the blush mushroom?]

- Posted by

spacetogrow

[Yep. The smell is of incense and sawdust, as the mushroom releases more spores.

[-- You and a gnome woman are being shown around what could be part of the same settlement by an older dark elf woman. Most of the residents are dark elves, though there are one or two half-elves or others. It's nighttime, but most of the residents seem to be acting like it's the day -- people doing chores and children playing.

A young girl grabs a toy out of a young boy's arms. An older woman steps in, reminding the girl to ask permission before taking something another person is using. You stop walking, to watch the scene play out, as the young girl apologizes and returns the toy.

"Ilphyl? You all right, kid?" The gnome asked, noticing that they had left you behind.

You don't answer. This seems to concern the gnome even more. Your guide glances at you, and then at what you are looking at. "Ah. Well, if I needed any proof that you were fresh up from the Underdark, it would be that. I'd wager your student, Madame Yebe, has memories of a sister who would not now be getting the lecture Jana is getting from her mother."

"Cousins, actually," you say, still having trouble forming words, and still watching the family as the woman reminds the two children abotu sharing.--

[Sorry, my past self summarized this memory and never went back to actually write it.]

- Posted by

beexceptional

[Man, is it even safe for me to be breathing in all these spores?]

[Also what is sharing, can't relate.]

[This memory is a lot harder to relate to. Chloe is frowning to herself because why would a parent favor a cousin anyway, that's weird?]

[Lets head to the bookcase.]

- Posted by

spacetogrow

[There are a few books here and another mushroom.]

- Posted by

beexceptional

[Well, might as well keep up that spore count.]

- Posted by

spacetogrow

[THis one smells of the sewa.

[It's also Ilphyl's first meeting of Tolovir, which is quite a long thread, but includes a lot of cultural exchange, and Ilphyl going from caution to curiosity as soon as Tolovir reveals he's from a different culture of dark elves]

- Posted by

beexceptional

[Note to self, talk to Tolovir about clothes.]

[Well, at least this is nicer then the other. Though she's NOW picking up that maybe the Drow have weird things about reverse sexism???]

[She glances at the book. She's making a guess that they're history or culturally?]

- Posted by

spacetogrow

[Yep. They are handwritten notes. Some repeat what Ilphyl has been learning from Tolovir; some are rumors about other dark elf communities in Ilphyl's world, in the far north and south. There's even notes from a conversation Ilphyl had in Reverie with an elf from another world, with the clear indication of knowing 'this is someone from another plane' but still interested in another group of elves with sunlight issues and magic.]

- Posted by

beexceptional

[Hmmm, noted.]

[But its also a lot of history and cultural stuff and she can only pay So Much Attention.]

[Time to approach Ilphyl!]

Ilphyl?

- Posted by

spacetogrow

Yes?

- Posted by

beexceptional

Are you...all right?

- Posted by

spacetogrow

Yeah, I'm okay.

[The Shadow calls out, "Nope!".]

Fine, I'll be all right. It's just a little bit discouraging being on your own.

- Posted by

beexceptional

Is it?

[She's gonna. Sit next to him.]

- Posted by

spacetogrow

[shifts over to give her enough room to sit comfortably without falling into the plants]

My teacher spent years tracking down any sign of any surface drow communities. There are some in Waterdeep, but it's a huge city, so she suggested we try here first. And this is better, and I'm glad it exists, but... I still don't fit.

- Posted by

beexceptional

... [She taps her knees because there's that]

[Uncomfortably familiar feeling again.]

Why not?

- Posted by

spacetogrow

I guess...

It especially sucks to be a male drow in a Lolthite community. It's better here, and there's enough people who were born in the Underdark and know what was like. But, people here still assume the problem was that males are treated as lesser. it's hard to explain when you are figuring out that you're not male even when it's okay to be male here, because that's a thing surface elves do, not drow.

They try, but it's hard when people understand some things so easily, but have trouble with others. At least with non-elves, it's not surprising when you don't understand things.

- Posted by

beexceptional

[And she listens.]

[Actually listens, because she knows how these situations go in TV shows, people have to pay attention to the person's problems and she's genre savvy enough to understand that.]

[And in trying to listen, she does hear...familiar things. Not the same thing, definitely not the same, but similar enough in feeling.]

You start to wonder if they're the ones missing something, or if there's something you're just...missing?

- Posted by

spacetogrow

Yeah. Especially knowing that surface elves consider it normal. Even some humans do. And my teacher didn't have a problem with it, and she was a gnome.

They aren't mean about it, but...

- Posted by

beexceptional

But you still feel lonely.

- Posted by

spacetogrow

Exactly.

- Posted by

beexceptional

[She nods.]

[And]

[This issue doesn't have to do with her orientation, but rather to do with the parts of her she thinks may just be broken, but she's not sure if that. Works to be comforting.]

I like guys and girls. And I guess those inbetween, I never really thought that far about it. I just know I've had a crush on a few guys and a few girls.

Its a lot more accepted these days, but there are a lot of people who will act like its a problem. In a way, I'm lucky that I'm pretty much always ready to fight people. If someone has a problem, I'm ready to tear them down.

But its...

Tiring.

To always have to be ready to fight, and it was just yet another reason to. And when you fight all the time, it never feels like anyone is ready to back you up.

- Posted by

spacetogrow

[nods]

It's nice to have somewhere you know you won't have to fight. Or even have to deal with so many questions.

- Posted by

beexceptional

[She nods.]

I...kind of understand. Maybe? I've never really had to find out, the only nonbinary I knew was Marc and they don't like me.

But Pollen does get it, right?

[The bee creature will peek out from her hair and waves.] I do! Bees don't follow the gender binary at all.

So.

That's two people to help you fight and not have to ask a bunch of annoying questions?

Flat / Top-Level Comments Only

Profile

Ilphyl

Navigation

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags

September 2025

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14
15	16	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28
29	30

Page Summary

beexceptional - Re: Courtyard (4:00)

Style Credit

Style: Timber! for Trifecta by ninetydegrees
Resources: Subtle Patterns and A Dream in Color