The Happy Tale of Euphoria

[Euphoria]

Euphoria grew up happy. She lived life filled with a joy seldomn seen in the darkest depths of the utterdark. Even for a drow, everyone knew Euphoria was a bit different. She didn't understand certain things the way other drow children did. She didn't understand fear, sadness or loneliness because she had never felt them before. She rarely felt anything other than joy and occasionally rage. But rage could easily be turned into joy for Euphoria. Even the very basic emotion of pain was alien to her.

Euphoria did understand ambition, for that she also had in plenty. In her society, family brought status and she came from a reputable family of webcloth gatherers but she wanted much more. To this end, she decided to find a good mate and bear strong children. Unfortunately her tiny creche (so down deep that even the spiders feared to tread) had little advantageous mating options. Her first mate, a cousin of some stature finally brought her a full belly. Expecting a fine litter of children on her birthing mat she pushed and smiled and sweated. Family (for she had no friends) brought her many fine gifts which she eagerly accepted, not bothered in the least by the pains of labour.

The baby was crowning while her family watched on, and so eager to see her first born Euphoria reached her clawed hand gingerly inside herself to pluck the newborn out. The crowd, at first jovial at the thought of another fine spawn turned quiet. Euphoria turned it over in her hands, so small and tiny. It was not breathing and had mishapen hands with clubbed feet. The smile disappeared from her face and she glared at her mate. "Rotten seed grows rotten fruit." She slowly presser her nailed index finger into the softspot on the baby's forhead.

The baby took a breath. Euphoria stopped for one moment and regarded it curiously before plunging her nail deep into it's brain. Her mate tried to stop her, but she reached up grabbing his manhood in her claws. "Do not."

The crowd started to murmer, some were taking their gifts back. Euphoria enraged pulled on the umbilical cord and pressed her other hand to her stomach to expell the afterbirth. "The gifts are given, they are mine."

Her family, no longer shocked by such behavior, slowly wandered off. Euphoria was tired. She refreshed herself by eating her placenta. A new mate must be found she thought.
A week later, she travelled up, up , up all the way up into the bazzar. The source here was so bright it hurt her eyes. She was so happy to see all the new things in the bazaar, what wonderful colors and smells. A fine place to find a fine mate she thought, but the perfumed shadow elves of Sybarus paid little attention to their equivalent of a country bumpkin.

Fortune smiled upon her when she met a man that was not a man. A man wreathed in darkness. It was comforting hiding from the brightness of the source in his long shadow. He smelled with a sweet sickly rottenness. He could not be her mate, but he told her if she travelled with him, she would find many new things. Thus Euphoria travelled to the surface. What wonderful things she found above. Humans that taste like their pigs. Hobbits, real hobbits, that taste like their rabbits. And tall men on horses wrapped in shiny armour. She struggled to learn about life above ground, but every new experience brought her immesurable joy. In time, her drow features faded. People thought she was an elf. Only her pointed teeth betrayed her. What wonderful adventures she could have in this strange new world!