Exton

Ardara moves to her private chambers, still fuming from the interruption of her bath. She begins to pace, her fury silenced for the moment by her determination to figure out what had happened to her assassin and who was responsible.

She had felt the magic when she lifted the burned skull from the steaming water, powerful magic. Almost as great as my own...
She starts to give orders, her voice cold, her hands clenched as she keeps pacing, robe snapping at her ankles. The servants shake, fearing the calm in her voice as much as the rages.

“Bring my scrying bowl.....I want it here....” Ardara stops and looks at the huddled group of women. “NOW!”

She smiles as the group moves as if one body to the chamber door. “Not all of you, its one bowl... I should leave the lot of you for Lolth... worthless bitches....”

Ardara turns from the women and marches back into the bath. She glances around and lifts the skull, and some of the pieces that had broken when she threw it. She also picks up two small bones, fingers more than likely, she thinks and brings them into her chambers. The servant has just arrived with the bowl and places a red cloth, embroidered with black and silver spiders on a small table before setting the bowl in place and filling it half way with water.

“Leave me.. all of you.” Ardara moves a candle to the table and places the skull next to it. She lays the smaller bones on the table and sets the smallest charred bone on the handle of her bowl. Sitting in a chair she leans over the bowl letting the magic in the bones speak to her, opening herself to the spell contained inside. Her eyes glassy and staring she gazes into the dark water, her minds eye following the traces where they lead. Through the darkness of Underdark and out into the light she follows the tentative silver thread, mindful of how fragile such magic can be. If she pushes too hard the thread will simply dissolve, leaving Ardara with nothing. She smiles evilly as the path leads past Exton, through the forest and into a clearing. She sees a house, and Ardaras eyes widen as she realizes wards protect it, but the thread passes by, circles around a wooded area and leads to the gates of an imposing structure. The trail stops and Ardara can feel the powerful wards that guard this 
place and those who dwell inside. As the thread dissolves her thoughts turn to the inhabitants and if they were the ones who set the wards and sent her assassin back to her.

Well, well.. let us see just how powerful you think you are...