Tales of the exiles

Pulled from the Ashes

"Father, please..." she said with a whimper, knowing she would regret her words eventually.. her father was the one being in the multiverse who could help her, and the one being in the universe she hated most. 
She heard his deep chuckling laughter as the axe came down upon her and snuffed her life out.
She awoke with a gasp and a groan.  She felt the intense heat even before she was able to survey her surroundings.  It was unlike any fire she had ever felt in her waking life.  She had in fact felt it before.  In her dreams as she surveyed the City of Brass, on the Elemental plane of Fire. 
The floors were black mirrored Onyx, as were the walls.  With brass and copper mounding and embellishments.  Above the door to the bare room she was in was the insignia of her father's house.. the flaming scimitar.  She was in the Onyx Citadel, the home of House Iahab, and her father"s fortress in the City of Brass.  She was alive, but not safe.  It was the last place she wanted to be. 
"Youngling, have you awoken? You are to see the master.  Dress yourself". A small slot in the door slid open only long enough for some clothes and shoes to be thrown into her cell before it shut just as wuickly.
On the material plane, the clothes given to her would have been described as 'opulent, extravagant, and excessive' but on the Plane of Fire these were the trappings of slaves.  Slave girls that were to be shown off as status symbols to other efreeti, but a slave nonetheless. 
The clothes were in fact beautiful and tailored just for her.  The red silken pants were loose and brushed Cooley against her skin.  The top was form fitting, and showed her belly which had been pierced with a ruby.  The vest was red, and elegantly embroidered with brass and bronze thread. 
The head covering and veil were required to be worn by all female slaves in the presence of their efreeti masters.  The coins across her forehead were brass coins stamped with the symbol of her father, as above the door, the flaming scimitar. 
Her shoes were red and encrusted with rubies, the toes curling into points in the calishite fashion. She saw her reflection in the highly polished onyx walls.  She was beautiful.  And she was the most miserable she had ever been.
The door flung open, and in stepped a large shirtless efreet. He had a whip on his belt and a key ring with hundreds of keys made from all sorts of metals and precious stones.
"The overseer... so I am a common slave now?"
" hush girl, we all wear chains of one sort or another. Come this way, you are to meet your father, he who walks upon magma."
She was led out of her cell and through the citadel of her father.  Along the way passing slaves, courtiers, and soldiers.  The slaves would avert their gaze.  Basia wasn't't sure if it was because of her or the Overseer.  The other efreeti would look down upon her in disgust.
The overseer led Basia to the doorway of the throne room. The doors were massive and made from ornately decorated brass, they were encrusted with countless precious gems.  On the left, the doors told the story of the creation of the city of brass.  On the right, it was a history of the house of iahab.  Starting with their humble beginnings as paid caravan bodyguards through heir current standing as the greatest house of efreet military pier on the plane of fire.
Two guards in ceremonial dress stood watch with huge spears made of brass and onyx. They looked down at her long enough for Basia to wonder what would come next. 
"I suppose you may see the master, girl.  Enter."  One of the guards said.  With little effort he pushed on the door with but two fingers, it swung open gliding on its hinges silently.  The engineering alone was a marvel of the multiverse. Surely the tutors at Candlekeep would want to know how the mechanisms worked.
She realized her thinking was foolish. There were far greater and graver things to be concerned about now. She was about to enter the court of the House of Iahab, the court of the source of her powers, the court of her patron. She was walking into the last room in all the multiverse that she wished to be walking into. She was walking into the court of her father.
In ages past, when efreeti dwelt on the material plane alongside other mortals, the efreeti were wealthy merchant princes. During that time, House Iahab were fierce bodyguards and security for the caravans. When the efreeti were freed from their bondage and banished to the elemental plane of fire, they moved the seat of their power to the city they built for themselves, the city of brass. House Iahab, followed and turned their mercenary security force into one of the most formidable army in the multiverse, and commanded the efreeti armies as tgeir generals.
Basia entered the courtroom, the seat of power of her father. A man she had never met, a man that was the source of her magic, a man that she hated. Quart room was filled with sycophant a freight Caesars in a couple fire giants everyone was dressed in opulence and dripping with gold and precious gems they all looked down upon Basia she timidly walked down the center aisle of the quart room to meet her father for the first time while he sat in socks upon his throne of gold his smile was not one of joy a human slave girl trust in find silks port him wine and fit him exotic fruits directly into his mouth so that he may not need to touch anything he lean forward his hands folded fingers touching leaned forward and simply watched as she may as Basha made her way closer to the throne to face her father.
He was a handsome efreet. A square jaw, and well muscled. His black horns were glossy and shone in the light of a thousand braziers that lit the room. He wore fine silks made from threads of precious metals . He adorned his neck and each finger with heavy chains of precious metals and fine cut gems.
He lazed upon a throne that was a massive chaise lounge with thick pillows and sheets of fine crimson silk. He shared his throne with several concubines enslaved from across the multiverse.he smoked from a large hookah in the most absent minded way. He billowed clouds of smoke that filled the air with the sweet smell of exotic spices and frankincense.
"Hello, daughter" he said with a coy smile.
Basia lifted her head to look into his eyes for the first time.
" you remind me so much of your mother. You rival her human beauty."
"Speak not of my mother. You ruined her life when you used and abandoned her." As Basia stated at her father with hatred, her head held high for the first time the crowd of sycophants and hangers-on gasped at her insolence.
Her father seemed indifferent to her outburst.
"There is the efreet in you, the heated anger, the firey hatred." He said smugly as he took a deep from the hookah.
"Nevermind that though," he waved his hand in the air as if to shoo away a fly.
"You invoked my name? You asked for some assistance?"
Basia hung her head in shame at being reminded she had asked for all of this.
"I did, and I do not know why. I do not want to a vassal deeper in your debt."
He sneered. As he leaned forward. He was filled with sudden anger "Child you will forever be in my debt. All here are in my debt. And you will do well to remember that. . " his demeanor changed quickly again as he leaned back into his throne and puffed again from his hookah. "''Tis not matter, a bargain may be struck. You will have your life restored. Though I do not know why, your companions left you to die. Even know the kenku bargains for his own life to save himself. And what if the other party members, they did not even follow you into the cave? Can these people even be trusted enough for you to return to them?"
Her father waved to some retainers on the wings and they carried in a large brazier made of jet, and inlaid with polished copper. 
With a wave of his hand he threw a note of elemental fire into the brazier, which erupted into a huge bonfire. 
"See for yourself.  Look into the flame for it does not tell lies."
She looked into the flame and saw the scene unfold before her eyes.  She saw it all as her friend Polly bargained for his own life while the hag feasted on the corpse of her companion the Goliath, Allerleirauh.  Then her father showed her other companions, for some reason waiting outside the cave too afraid to follow in.  Their absence had led to her demise.   She began to shed tears.
"I was afraid for what comes next.  I had plans for my life.  I wanted to find a place of belonging, a place called home. "
"Then take it child.  For that world only gives you what you take from it.  The mortals know this. Take what you want, and if you need help," he shrugged his shoulders and outstretched his arms.  He looked all about the grandeur of the throne room, making sure to show Basia all the opulence of his power. "You merely need to ask"
"Yes, father."
"You have to say it daughter"
"Your help I need it."
"I give my assistance you require, and grant you the power that is your birthright.   You know the price"
A contract made of hammered gold appeared before her.  A stylus made of precious meals and encrusted with jewels hovered in he hair.
"Take the pen, and sign your name."
Her father began to inhale large pulls from the hookah.  As he exhaled the clouds of smoke vegan to take form. A tiny winged man dressed in finery of a courtier and made entirely is the black smoke her father exhaled.  His costume complete with a tasseled fez and slippers that curled into fine points at the toe.  A mephit.  I'm fine clothes. 
" my servant, Abdullah who serves me alone will accompany you on your travels as your familiar.  He shall assist."
"He is mine? He will follow me?"
The mephit anted at her, and spit a ball of greasy oily black tar on he ground. "Abdullah serves only one.  He who strides upon magma. You serve him also. " the mephit said.  Looking down upon Basia in disgust.
"This is my price, though there IS more.  You shall have what you asked for. "
He rose from his throne.  As he did, the court bowed their heads as one.  Basia raised hers.  " Proud, defiant, but ultimately foolish."
Her father stood easily twelve foot tall.  His muscles rippled underneath his bright red skin.  His silk yoga showed off physique.  He was an imposing figure to say the least. 
" I need to keep an eye on you daughter.  What can I say, every father worries about his daughter."
With that he slapped her across her face with his wickedly clawed hand.  Opening deep cuts into her face.  Plucking out her left eyeball."
He held her eye in his hand.  It looked left and right in his hand moving independently.
"This daughter is how I will watch over you.  Return now to those you call friends." I'm sure they await your return if they're done cowering. "
Basia had gotten herself in deeper in debt Han she planned.  And now she had a spy following her in plain sight.  This was not good.  In the end though, she was her father's daughter. 

And she had plans of her own.