Matron Murders

The Underdark is a cycle of life and death, Eryndlyn being no different. Drow were killed, so our goddess asked for us to kill. Without death, we can never gain the power to survive.

— Zilvra Baenre

Deep within the dark elf city of Eryndlyn, two Matron Mothers of the ruling council fall, one from her altar, the other from her throne. No one is there to witness the change of hands from mother to eldest daughter, but the dim colored lights that rise to the ceiling of the cavern marking the new day shed their glow on new Matron Mothers installed on thrones that had been held for centuries. Two young faces enter the council room amongst the faces marked with centuries of age, two young faces hide a truth behind the deceiving smile of the drow.
The death of a noble is nothing out of the ordinary in a drow city. If no one survives to bring charges against an attacker, against a house or otherwise, then the event is relegated to the black history of the city, never to be spoken of or mentioned again. But that does not stop the bold from speaking of possibilities in hushed voices in the street, rumors spreading about what happened behind the closed doors of the houses. Even those of the houses where the deaths occurred do not speak of the deaths of Matron Xune Baenre and Matron Haelre T'sarran. Those that dare utter the names of centuries past may find themselves facing the wrath and ire of the newly named Matron Mother of House Baenre or House T'sarran.
Rumors abound of that fateful night, centuries before the surface would be ravaged by the Eldritch War. With the Eldritch War becoming a new horror story to tell in the Eryndlyn, very few still fear the same fate that those two faced. Centuries after the fact, small truths about the murders have filtered through the Underdark, causing those that are in Eryndlyn to give House Baenre, House T'sarran, and their matrons a wide berth.

Emblem of House Baenre by Crest via Emblem Creator, created by RiverFang

Matron Xune Baenre died bowed over her alter to The Huntress, a dagger etched with the symbol of her house embedded in her back. The grey stone of the floor at the foot of the stairs was pooled with blood, but the dark garments of the Matron were fresh, untouched by the blood from her back. She wore her ceremonial robe, head bowed in prayer, hands spread palms upward to the vaulted ceiling. Not a single drop of blood could be found staining the pristine black finish of the alter, nor could the Matron's young handmaiden be found.

Emblem of House T'sarran by Crest via Emblem Creator, created by RiverFang

Matron Haelre T'sarran died sitting on her throne, a well-worn copy of the Song of Darkness resting in her lap. Upon the arm of the throne laid a knife, its blade caked in black blood, upon its hilt the symbol of her house. Her neck, sliced before the lace edge of her ceremonial robe, dripped blood, painting the column of her thin neck in stripes. The black of her robe was unmarred by the presence of blood, but the black metal of the throne, upon its arms and down to the floor, leaked of the last of her essence. Her hands were bloody, as if she had tried to cover the gaping wound in her neck, but the book of the The Huntress lay untouched.
Both women died within minutes of each other, the chill wind of the Underdark blowing open loose doors that were the expected escape route. The darkness of the night covered whoever may have completed the murders, a silent mist in Eryndlyn as the night turned to morning. But those of House Baenre and House T'sarran expected that the perpetrators of the crimes were not from within the caverns that held the enormous city, but from within the walls of each house. No one dared speak these thoughts aloud, for the new matrons, Matron Zilvra Baenre and Matron Lythrana T'sarran were known for their cruelty of punishment and their need for power. In the houses of the dead matrons, there was no mourning or discussion, daughters stepped into the places of mothers, and the houses continued their dark and twisted dance of existence.

The Supposed Truth

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Rumors of wars between houses and feuds between many of the Matron Mothers run rampant in the city. Many rumors have sprung up over the centuries about the murders of the matrons, some farfetched, others more plausible. The distinct facts that all have known since the night of the murders' happening have caused certain truths to rain out over the rumors and have become the accepted truth.
Both Matron Mothers were killed by daggers of their house, their ceremonial robes untouched by blood or violence. The items blessed by The Huntress present in each house were also left clean and free of the evidence of the night's happenings. It is said that the murders were the work of two people, a weapons master and a priestess, as only the stealth of a male weapons master and the magic of a priestess could create the scenes that were left for the rest of the house to find. Whether it was the daughters that would step up to take their place as Matrons, or another house attempting their revenge or beginning a war against both House Baenre and House T'sarran is left to be seen.
The constant rumors also spread that only the ruling council knew the actual truth behind the murders of Matron Xune Baenre and Matron Haelre T'sarran. Some believed that the ruling council and the Matron Mother of the city were the ones behind the murders. For decades after the murders, the streets and houses of Eryndlyn were quiet, as no one wished to bring the wrath and ire of the Matron Mother of the city.

Cultural Reception

House Baenre

The morning after the murders, Zilvra Baenre assumed the role of Matron Mother for House Baenre. She refused to allow those to mourn the previous Matron Mother, who many saw as a great woman, as Xune Baenre was known for being less conniving and cruel compared to her counterparts throughout the city. Zilvra began amassing an army, bribing soldiers from other houses and finding mercenaries on the streets. Within five years of her ascending to the throne of House Baenre, she has traded, or at least the rumors said traded, the resident weapons master from Matron Xune's time, for the weapons master of House T'sarran.

House T'sarran

Newly named Matron Lythrana T'sarran wept and mourned for her mother for nearly a decade, keeping a shrine to her mother on the throne upon which the previous Matron Mother had died. Others of the house were encouraged to mourn as well, as Matron Lythrana moved the house away from its amassing of power through forces to finding power through knowledge. She was known as the soft-hearted Matron Mother, and her actions after her mother's passing showed this. Others of her house refused to mourn Matron Haerle T'sarran's death as she was known for her cruelty. When House Baenre offered to trade weapons masters, Lythrana finally stopped mourning.

Date of Setting

29 Winter's Morning, 200 I.M.

Related Locations

• Eryndlyn

Related Organizations

• House Baenre
• House T'sarran

Rumors from House Baenre

Matron Zilvra would not be above killing her own mother! She's as vicious as they come for a drow. But you didn't hear this from me. She turns those who speak against her into driders!

— Male fighter of House Baenre

Rumors from House T'sarran

Some other house in the city must have it out for House T'sarran. Matron Lythrana mourned for days. The rumors of her being her mother's killer is outrageous!

— Female priestess of House T'sarran

Rumors from the Streets of Eryndlyn

A feud between House Baenre and House T'sarran has existed for centuries. It finally came to a head and the Matrons paid the price!

— Houseless male rogue

House Baenre and House T'sarran were getting too strong. The ruling house of the city must have put an end to the desires of the lesser houses.

— Unknown

If the rumors were not enough for you and you wish to learn the truth, enter the chambers of the ruling council.

The Truth of the Matron Murders

The murders were carried out by Zilvra Baenre, Lythrana T'sarran, and their weapons masters. Only the death of their mothers and their ascent to the throne of their house would allow them to be with the men they hoped to build their houses to power with. The plot required seven years and the eventual exchange of the houses' weapons masters to fulfill the plot.