Open Chronicles the lost lionmen of ixchel

[high counsel leader groff]

the drums of the festival could be heard for miles. thousands of our kin were cheering and singing. this was the 50 year annual celebration detailing our accomplishments statues are built in honor of our great writers and poets of the past 50 years and because our lives are short we rejoice in the fact that we have been born into the generation that gets to see our best accomplishments.

this celebration is being held over the remains of a large swath of trees that once stood here. thanks to our lumber force we were able to create the biggest celebration in the last 150 years before individual tribes celebrated how they could now we are all together as one.


the other council members and i were sat far from the noise of the drums and the singing drunks but here we had our own noise. the crowd cheered as two fighters participated in hand to hand combat, though this was a form of entertainment it was also a battle for each mans livelihood the winner would take the other mans livestock his children and his wives leaving him nothing, its a high stakes winner takes all kinda thing. these two men are leaders in each of there respective tribes so not only are the lives stock the children and the wives at stake here but the whole of there territory's and the people within are.

this might be seen as a barbaric display but its a way for rival territory's and deputes to be handled by the disputers themselves. forgoing war and innocent blood shed.

the counsel is here to judge the winner of the battle. there are 4 rounds each last until the sand runs out. a large timer sand device that sits on the counsels podium, we flip it and they have until it runs dry. they must inflict as much physical damage on the opponent without getting hurt themselves if at the end of round 4 both are still standing a medic assess the injury's and gives his verdict as to who won then it is up to us to decide who actually won, the high counsel can decide to reward a victory to either party regardless of the condition of said party.

the two men are in round 3 and each of them bore scars. the first of the two is badly hurt. he is leader hardit of the western tribe his competitor is leader of a nomad tribe hardit claims he's been raiding the western territory's. it is a crime to raid however there has never been any proof that the raiding has occurred. the leader of the nomads har,gar,ho is in this battle for his honor, the men had a choice to settle this by trial. we are not savages we do not force these fights. it is a choice.


suddenly hardits arm is broke he yowls in pain and the guards pull the two apart as medics rush in and treat each of the men.

the counsel members begin to murmur as the crowd cheers for the nomad leader.

"we should end this its clear who won" whispers one of the counsel members.

"we cant let a nomad leader gain territory it would through our lands into political chaos!" exclaims another

the counsel members begin bickering i sigh, many members would have a political advantage if the nomads gained actual land but of course others would then be at a disadvantage. i am the 7th and the leader of the high counsel the only reason we are residing over this fight is because it involves land and power.

"quiet!" i bark out of frustration.

the members settle

"ive heard enough!" i stand and address the fighters.

"we have decided that it is time a winner is chosen" i bellow to the crowd and the fighters. the nomad leader looks satisfied that he will win. what he doesn't know is the political turmoil his presence would cost, we prefer the nomads stay nomadic there philosophy would damage what we've built.

since they are nomadic they have little say in what laws are passed. the counsel may keep it that way but the people might be angered since it is clear the nomad leader has won.

the medics come with there report.

"its clear the nomad leader won." whispers one of the members.

i grab the results and look them over.

"the counsel will deliberate and announce a winner on tomorrows bulletins" the crowd looks disappointed but quickly disperses to go drink and eat no doubt.

i could tell the debate this will stir in the counsel chambers.

the members begin dispersing as well no doubt to go plot and sceem.

im only here to preform my duties. its a bit of a walk home. i signal to my guards that its time to go. they look disappointed as does the females they were talking to. we begin walking into the Forrest away from the noise and festivity's

 

[high counsel leader groff]

we walk down the trail silently, one guard walks in front of me one behind, the counsel will meet at high moon tonight. the settlement is a bit away but not so far that i would miss the meeting.

i can see things probably will get heated. people rejoice in the fact that they live just in the right time for the celebration for if your born a day early you could be dead before the 50 year annual celebration. ive never taken much stock in trivial matters such as celebrations, its a waist of resources and only attracts attention. in my day you wouldn't dream of making more than a shuffling sound day or night, back when orcs or rouges would have your pelt as a trophy if they even heard a wisper. now instead of the safety of an underground den we parade around just because we have the numbers and are confident that no one would try to face us,

confidence is misleading. it tells your alright no matter what, that you can take anything that nothing can stand in the way of you and your beliefs.

my thoughts are broken by my breath attack. i begin losing my breath and stop to catch it. my guards look worried.

they try to help me up but i batt them away.

"keep your paws off me, i just need my leaves"

the guards start looking through there packs. one of the guards i cant bother to learn whos who, hands me a bag of herbs. i breath in the pungent aroma that fills my lungs and opens my air ways. ive had these attacks all my life but they have gotten worse in my old age.

"lets rest here for a few minutes"

the men stand guard as i sit on a stump and breath the leaves aromas in, honestly it smells like goblin shit but the doctors say it will help and it does for the most part.

 

[Laqueta Hala Kritanta]

Laqueta sighed as she sat perched up in a nearby tree. Lionmen were certainly good brawlers she noted to herself as the muttering of the crowd below oveflowed into full out chatter. She certainly hadn't expected to run into the Izchel, whom were often regarded as fairytails in her homeland. At least she could settle down for a while and rest knowing her target was dead. She glanced at the nomad leader. It was his brother, she thought. Opyr, she remembered, was his name. Rather brawn fellow with raggid, uncontrollable hair. Some shady goblin had offered her a single twin dragon coin and a copy of Magic's End along with a few gold coins for his death. A rather high price for a single target but she accepted it anyway.

Speaking of the book, she pulled the beat-up leather cover from her bag and flipped to a random page. The Eldyr Tree, certainly a place she wanted to visit. She shifted into a more comfortable position as she continued reading.

 

[high counsel leader groff]

i take one last breath before handing the leaves back to the guards. i get up from my sitting place with a grunt. im 15 cycles old one of the oldest of our people though our years are short we live generally good lives, no longer do we live in under ground dens scared of those that would hunt us. at 4 foot i am not a man that should be feared nor would any of our people instill fear alone against any foe, but in large numbers we are scrappy and we always take care of our own.

we begin to move up the trail once more. it wasnt so much as a trail but a small road well used and trampled.

"sir are you sure your okay to continue? we can arrange bull for you to ride" one of my guards asks concerned by my slow speed down the trail.

"how do you think i got here? i walked, and im perfectly content in walking back home ive walked this trail long before you were a kitten suckling your mothers teat" i snap

im tired of everyone treating me as if i were feeble, like im a mulling child unable to fend for himself, my father lived till he was 18 and his father lived till he was 19 i reckon ive got a couple more cycles before its time for me to become dirt. the only reason i have an escort is because the security council voted to provide protection of all high council members after one of us disappeared in a rather unusual manor which resulted in the signing of a new bill that otherwise would have been voted down had he not disappeared.

 

[Laqueta Hala Kritanta]

Laqueta glanced down as one of the grumpy looking lionmen snapped at his gaurds. She scoffed softly to herself as she licked her finger and flipped to the next page. Yellowed and torn, it was hard to make out the faded print.

"Asshole." She sneered mostly to herself, fulling realizing he could probably hear her. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and turned to the next page.

 

[high counsel leader groff]

my guards halt abruptly i begin to complain cause the quick stop about toppled me over but i noticed the twitching of there noses and there ears they sense something. i take in a nose full and and get a whiff. i was afraid it was orc but as far as i could tell its wasn't but in my life I've never seen anything else other than orcs and goblins, this smell was new and there for easy to pluck from the air.

my guard pulls a knife the other his bow.

"we know someones watching, we are only escorting an old man home. if your intentions are just, than show your self for you have nothing to fear from us we will not attack first"

i take in another whiff a woman, but one out here alone a race we never have met, no she would be skilled. i pull my knife as well. i became un easy suddenly wishing i hadn't down voted the idea of a full compliment for each of the high counsel members

 

[Laqueta Hala Kritanta]

Laqueta narrowed her eyes as she peered down from her perch, slipping the book into her bag. She was rather uninterested in getting into a fight, especially with a species she was mostly unfamiliar with. Shrugging her bag on to her shoulders, she leaned slightly over the edge of the branch she was sitting on. In a single motion, her body toppled over the side as she let herself free fall for a few seconds. At the last second, she flipped her body over so she landed on her feet. In a quick movement, she stood up and clasped her hands behind her back casually. Her manner relaxed and graceful, she observed the duo of guards quietly before shifting her focus to the older looking lionman. She did not advance nor speak, unsure if they would attack at the first sign of movement.

 

[high counsel leader groff]

the first guard to draw his weapon looks at me clearly shooken by this creatures presence

"what? what are you? state your reason for spying on us"

id never seen one before but there were stories, i never belived them. the stories told of a magic race that bore no fur, they lived for hundreds of years and aided our people when the war between the magic casters and the golden lions began.

"stand down" i said placeing a hand on each of the guards soilders

"but sir-"

"follow my commands or face the high counsel for a insubordination offence"

the guards look at me confused before complying.

i aproach the woman looking up at her. shes a good deal taller than any of our people.

"i am high counsel leader groff, please excuse my men. the security counsel insisted that each high counsel member be accompanied by two guards, for safety they claim. what is your-"

im interrupted by another breath attack i begin to wease and buckle over.

my men rush to my side handing me my leaves once more. i breath in trying to catch my breath.

 

[Laqueta Hala Kritanta]

Laqueta paused, hesitently reaching out to touch the struggling lionman. Her hand faintly glowed amber for a second before it dissapeared. Unsure whether or not the gaurds would assume she was harming their master, she retracted it quickly. It was a rather simple healing spell for those whom were suffocating or unable to breathe. She took a small step back and bowed.

"My apologies, Valief Er." She stood up straight and tucked a piece of hair behind her pointed ear. "I am Laqueta Kritanta from the lands of Alliria."

 

[high counsel leader groff]

my breathing became normal in an instant i could feel the magic enter me quickly healing my attack.

my guards looked horrified by this woman.

"sir shes a witch!" one of them exclaims. he stands in front of me one hand on his knife.

"stand down you buffoon! she couldn't possibly have known that magic is banned in these lands." i push the guard asighed

"please excuse my men they only wish to protect me, im going to give you a pardon but just this once, the use of magic in these lands was forbidden long ago but a creature such as you would not have anyway of knowing this" i chuckle

"technically a pardon can only be issued by the high counsel members as a whole but im to damn old to be dealing with the escort of a prisoner so lets keep this between us "

i smile.

"would you care to accompany me back to my home for some tea? ive got some business at high moon tonight but theirs plenty of time for tea, my home is close, these lands are undisputed territory usually safe during the day but come night only the Forrest knows what goes on id hate for you to be accosted by a nomad faction"

my guards looked gobsmacked.

"sir we do not know this woman is it wise to-" i cut him off as if he were not there.

" pay them no mind they couldn't sense a mouse if it crawled down there gullet. however i sense you are new to these lands, i wish to make a good impression before you run into some of our more unsavory citizens and think we are all so evil"

 

[Laqueta Hala Kritanta]

Laqueta furrowed her brows in confusion. Magic, banned? Well, considering she'd slain Opyr with magic, there wasn't much more harm she could do now. She bowed gracefully once more.

"Apologies again, your customs here are unknown to me." She politely took a step back. "I've met few lionmen in my lifetime. I hope you can forgive me." She ran her fingers through her hair in a calm manner. "I'd be honored to accompany you my héru."

 

[high counsel leader groff]

"you cannot be faulted for ignorance" i began to lead the girl down the trail may guards kept there usual stance one in front and one in back. the one in back smells the girl.

"you smell like death what are you doing out here witch?"

i turn and growl. " i will not have you disrespecting the privacy of this woman i will consider her a temporary diplomat by the order of the high council, if you have a problem with that submit a report to your commanding officer and get your self a warrant for further questioning"

i turn back as we walk forward.

"every tribal member and people of our lands is entitled to privacy and his or her secrets.as well as personal property. a servant of the security council must report his suspicions to the council, both security and city council reviews the report then it is either followed up or filed for continuing investigation, if a crime is committed a officer can arrest but questioning is done by the security council there judgment is final though the accused offender does have a right to challenge judgment they are sent to the high council for final judgment. you however are neither a tribal member nor citizen, you are not an orc nor a goblin therefore you are an outlier you are subject to direct prosecution by the high council, but i thank you for helping me so you are now ambassador Kritanta. im sure my constituents will object profusely but im willing to take the heat. its not every day an old man like me can meet a new race to learn from them and further increase our knowledge of the world." i smile realizing im rambling a bit and fall silent

 

[Laqueta Hala Kritanta]

Laqueta nodded occasionally after waving the apologies off, stating it was quite fine. So lionmen could smell the scent of death? She added this to her mental notes of the species.

"You've never met elves?" She questioned. Laqueta could understand Groff not knowing of her species but the entire tribe? Unusual. Surely some elf had adventured here before her. She smiled as she loosened the silk mask that covered her mouth. It was a dark, black silk mask with intricate elven designs adorned on the front. The air met her now exposed mouth and breathed deeply as if she was tasting the air. It was of sweet grass, a musky smell wafting through the sky. It seemed to be emitting from the lionmen next to her and she enjoyed the comforting smell of their glandular secretions. Or at least it's what she theorized. After all, they were related to lions. However, Laqueta paused when she remembered what she'd read about lionmen.

'Commonly known for being brutish creatures, lionmen are often known for their all-out war mentality and brutal savagery towards other creatures not of their own blood.'

She furrowed her brows in concentration as she glanced from lionman to lionmen. If anything, they seemed to be more afraid of her than she was of them. Still, she kept her guard up. After all, those books also said that lionmen's diets consisted of meat from both sentient and non-sentient beings with elf meat being the most sought after.

 

[high counsel leader groff]

"i have heard stories of your kind, my grandfather would tell me the story of our people and how the elf's once helped us escape the demons that plagued the land, huge lionmen of great size that ruled the lands long ago, when our tall cousins entered a great war we were caught in the middle. back then we cower in dens under ground fearing the surface and its monsters. the golden demons and white magic casters spoke of gods and pure blood while slaughtering any lionman that was not there own . my grand father told me that the magical elf's came to our aid all those years ago, they took us from our home lands and settled us here in this Forrest were we could grow in peace, there are a very few documents from that age, im sure many of our people have come to meet elf's but our years on this plane are short and stories become distorted and changed with time. i myself have never met an elf and you would be hard pressed to find anyone who has, i am an elder yet my years barely reach 16 i expect to live till 20 but by then i will be bed ridden and suffering the ailments of old age, more so than i already do. it is easy for a people to forget its past. im not even sure the stories of huge lionmen and those that call themselves purebloods, are even true or just fantasies conjured up over generations of retelling and half truths."

i look down the path and see my house

its a small cottage in an open field. wooden shingles adorn its slanted roof and a small chimney made of mud brick sticks out from the side of the house. the house has two small round windows and a red door. it looked like any old house im sure other tribal members dont have such luxury's as a proper roof over there fur but that's one of the perks to being an elder. further down the trail in the distance you can see a small village tucked just slightly into the Forrest on the other side of the clearing.

i turn to the guards.

"you are dismissed, we are home you haven't any more business with me"

the guards leave at once looking dejected. the one that mouthed off earlier felt he needed to give me last words before going

"i hope this witch takes your innards and turns you into her next potion"
he hisses and turns to catches up with the other guard who's already a ways down the trail to the village.

i continue down the path with the girl the house not even 20 feet away paying the disgruntled man no mind.

i chuckle. "hes so young he will never understand diplomacy over violence these young cubs all they want to do is fight and be fought" i shake my head. i grab my keys from my satchel and start flipping through them looking for the house key.

 

[Laqueta Hala Kritanta]

Laqueta didn't spare a glance at the guard who stayed behind a brief moment to console Groff. Whatever reaction he'd hoped for, he would not receive. Her pace never wavered, though she was quite tempted to give the guard her middle finger. She didn't answer, only nodding as the footsteps of the guards disappeared. Only after their figures faded did she speak.

"Quite disrespectful to their elders." Laqueta paused as she clasped her hands behind her back. "Are all young lionmen so lamanwa?"

 

[high counsel leader groff]

she spoke in an odd way but as to not be rude i did not ask her what it meant

"only the stuborn young fools. little can be done they are young adult men and must serve for half of there life time, i wont bother repremanding him or reporting him ill probably never see him again the high cousil guards are randomized every day and there are so many young men conscripted into the guard that ill never see him in my life time, ill bet you a gaf'giga coin hes a rich mans son he looked a little older than conscription age but young non the less, his father probably paid the court hefty fees to allow him to get that old and not be conscripted most men his age are quiet like the second fellow quiet when need be, he will most likely report him himself."

i chuckle as we reach the door

" you know in my grand dads day a man would be stoned to death for actions such as that"

the door unlocks with a clack and silently glides open. the door is slightly shorter than the girl but she shouldnt have much trouble standing up in the high ceiling room.

inside was a table and a couple chairs, a wood stove and and a fire place with a kettle sit to the left of the room and to the right are a few cabinets and cupboards as well as a single bed in the back right corner.

"please come in and watch your head on the door frame. feel free to sit. lock the door behind you so it wont fly open. ive been meaning to get a proper knob but who has the time these days i sure dont"

i immediately get over to the fire place and prepare the wood. i take hot coals from the furnace and start the fire. i collect water from an indoor well pump and set it over the fire. i begin preparing the tea leaves.

"this blend of mint and herbs is good for the fur and the body it will revitalize you and give you energy and i think its good for joint pain at least i always feel good after drinking it."

i pull two tin cups from a box next to the furnace. then i pull a square iron box about the same size of the cups from the box as well.

"this i save for special occasions its hard to get in these parts but i think meeting a new race is more than enough reason to use it."

i show her the holes cut into the lid and open the lid up tipping it slightly to show the contents. its about half filled with sugar something very hard to get this far inland. i smile with pride.

"i got it on a diplomatic mission in the ta'var Provence last winter, there lands are in constant dispute and i helped stop a war. each chieftain offered me gifts one a knife and the other this"

i put the cap back on and set it on the table as well as the cups

 

[Laqueta Hala Kritanta]

Laqueta ducked under the door frame as advised by Groff then standing to her full height as she entered the room. She noticed the slight confusion in his mannerisms, probably due to her slipping into her native tongue a few times but before she could explain her choice of words, the old lionman began explaining his tea.

She frowned after he held up a square iron box filled with sweet sugar. If it was for special occasions then surely it was a rare item to come across. To think that sugar was so common in Alliria that you could buy from a vender in the town square but here, it seemed here, it was a treasure.

Laqueta furrowed her brows as she rummaged around in her worn leather bag sitting on her hip. Her slender, pale hand hit a few daggers before it hit a curved glass jar. Emerging from the enchanted bag, wrapped in her hand was a jar full of sugar.

It was the sugar found in milk and dairy products and unlike the sugar found in the box, it was creamy almost a liquid having been extracted from grazing cows watched over by elves. It wasn't rare, perhaps just uncommon, to find or buy. She'd earned it a while ago, some thankful villager had given it to her as a thank you gift, after slaying a group of raiders. Laqueta than hesitantly held out the jar.

"A thank you gift, it's what we call malke asto." She paused and then uncharacteristically started to ramble. "It's not like sugar from sugarcane, it's made with magic so I understand if you wouldn't want to accept it. I know since magic is outlawed here that it wouldn't make sense for you to have something like this but it's all I have right now unless you want you an elven dagger." Her other hand pulled out an intricately carved iron dagger decorated with specks of emerald.

She felt the need to thank him, not only for his hospitality but the fact he hadn't tried to eat her yet.

 

[high counsel leader groff]

"you need not give me a thing.,except perhaps a story, tell me how you came to be here and further more i wish to here about the old lands. our people stay in there territory those who have left have died or never decided to return home its become sort of a superstition that beyond our lands is only death and misery. many believe demons guard the outer unknowns but these are surly only stories. do the demon lions that prey on all animals still ruling?"

i quickly wrap the tea leaves in a silk pouch and put it in the tea pot

in seconds its ready to serve to do the strength of the tea. i pour us each cup and sit with a sigh.

"if you wish to drink your tea with the magic sugar please do just know this sugar is special because of the men who died to acquire it, it was a gift but the only way to acquire sugar in these lands is from nomad tribes in the disputed territory's they only trade with each other and those lands are perfect grounds for sugar cane. they farm the cane in the growing season then move on its the only soil the cane can grow in very muddy marshy place that's why its undisputed no one wants the bloody place and the nomadic tribes prefer to live in dirt as our ancestors did moving and moving always, i dont get it. once we became civilized one would expect order but every race has it black sheep i suppose. ha we are the black sheep of the old lands the demons that prey on all ate us as a delicious and the magic lionmen didn't see us as lionmen but rather rats and they slaughtered us like pests" dammit rambling again. i sip my tea sort of forgetting that i had asked about the old country then it dawned on me and i couldn't remember if she had agreed to tell me or not

"oh im sorry i ramble were you going to tell me about the old land i cant remember"
i scratch my head slightly confused.

 

[Laqueta Hala Kritanta]

"Ah." She shrugged and added a teaspoon of the creamy sugar to her own tea before sitting down and making herself comfortable. She listened intently and occasionally sipped from her cup. "Of course you must be curious what are beyond your lands."

"What do you want to know?"

 

[high counsel leader groff]

"who rules the lands, when our people moved here most were ruled by the golden lionmen who used all the land as there own as far as i know there was a magical war or so the legends say"

i sip my tea

 

[Laqueta Hala Kritanta]

"Ah, I see." Laqueta took a sip of her tea. "I guess I'll start by where I'm from. Alliria is a beautiful place, one of the grandest cities in the world.

It is marked by its imposing perch on both sides of the Allir strait. Located at the tip of the Allir reach, the strait is a section of two opposing continents that miss each other by a single mile. This is where Alliria was built.

Originally composed of two separate settlements on each continent, the two were eventually joined into one single city by massive stone bridge. Many others have sprouted to connect the two banks since. These days, the sea is practically invisible between the flocks of ships and bridges.

The layout of the city is confusing to some, though quite simple when viewed from the air.

On the western bank of the strait is the Allir keep a massive stone fortress that was built by the original lords of the western settlement. This keep has been expanded and built upon over the years, now serving as the center of government for the Merchant Council and the bureaucracy. Around the keep and on the opposite side of the straight is the Inner City.

The Inner City is the richest portion of Alliria. It contains the docks, most merchant houses, guilds, and dozens of manors, upper-class inns, and entertainment houses. Around the Inner City is a huge stone wall, and built up right against it is the Outer City.

The Outer City is where most of the working class live. Surrounding the Outer City is another stone wall, this one taller and thicker than that of the Inner City. This wall was only recently constructed at the behest of the Merchant Council, and its construction was a rather contentious event.

Outside this final wall sit the Areck slums. Originally built on reclaimed marshlands that had once been the outskirts of Alliria, the slums are where the less fortunate dwell.

Though Alliria is a city of 'layers' there is an almost constant similarity in architecture that seems to hold true through every section of the city save for the Areck slums. Every building, every street is built with the same kind of stone, brought from a quarry situated on the western bank. This stone gleams a beautiful white in the sunlight, giving the city an almost joyous appearance at times." She paused and took another sip of her tea.

"I was born in the Areck Slums. Not everyone sees the money that flows through Alliria. Large numbers of humans from arable land moved towards the city to find work. Many end up in the slums. Outside the protection of the walls, many live in wooden buildings. Most make enough coin to get by in the city. The expanse of tents near the western gate is where most of the beggars live. The Shallows are something of an exception. This area of reclaimed marshland has its own economy run by criminal enterprises. If you can't find what you need within the walls, you'll find it there."

 

[high counsel leader groff]

her lands seemed facinateing very different in some ways but alot of the same.

"crime isnt common among my people but at the same time it is, everyone here works under the laws of the councils, some laws to you or i might seem like a crime but they are common practice, course practice can be changed and with each generation it does. if a man decides he has a right to own another mans property it does not matter his reason for doing so even if those reasons may seem weak even that man has a chance to win in a court of law. course every man has a right to his property however ownership can always be challenged. that way there is no need to kill or steal but of course when the first laws were passed we did have those that prefer to kill and steal so the factions that prefer it that way lobbied laws to change at that tim if both party's preferred to the death or one had a good argument why the proceedings should be to the death the winner won the losers wifes higher title if there was one and all his possessions"

i pause and sigh.

"i was a young politition when this law was still as it was. i was on the peoples counsil 3rd chair

my only two sons at the time had been born to a small littler, we named them sha'ra and sha'rae, in old tongue it means sun and moon moon and sun, even though we wanted many my wife and i loved those boys they were born weakened but grew strong. my wife would say it was the love of all the children we wanted focused into those two boys.

when my boys were grown they led very different lives. sha'ra was a star pupil he made a decent living as a prosecutor in the security court he had 2 wifes that adored him, i was able to use my position to get him permitted to have a littler with one of his wifes they had 7 children i was so happy for them,

his brother sha'rae was just as smart but he got in with a bad crowd too early, if i hadnt been so hard on him he may have not volinteered for orc protol. many of the clans we do not get along with.

he came back two years later, battle hardened maybe he saw how easy his brother had it and didnt want to do the work to get there, but whatever it was not two weeks after he was stationed at the capital as a guard he made a claim on his brothers life, in the court he argued only a fight to the death would settle there long brotherly rivalry. in the end blood was drawn the court despite my protests declared a fight. sha'rae won he had a hidden blade and surprised his brother in the heat of battle. unfortunately he did not notice the blade his brother used to stab his throat with his dieing energy he made sure his brother did not acquire his life."

i sip my tea and sigh.

"i made sure i devoted my life to changing the laws and i did, no longer is mutual death legal there are precautions and rules. you can take a mans lively hood but you cannot take his life and if a fight ends in a death one can be prosecuted and lose his chance at taking the other mans lively hood. these are the laws i passed in my time but our laws are fickle it could change easy. the next you come by we may be in war time once more, we may not need it now but things change and tensions rise"

i sigh and stand my back pops as i rise. i shuffle over to a cupboard and pull out a rolled up paper.
i move the cups and place the map out it showed a circle divided into different colored territory's.

"this is were we are" i point to a drawing of a Forrest clearing.

"it is the peoples territory's. every territory has a number of tribes most have a say in the way laws are made, the peoples territory holds no tribes it serves as our capital lands we are near the east village, there is a large town north of here, that is the capital laws are made there, and i will head there to decide the winner of today's fight as it is a high counsel matter, a new set of guards will be here soon to escort me to the north" i sip my tea once more

 

[Laqueta Hala Kritanta]

Laqueta nodded and sipped her tea in acknowledgement.

"I see." She paused. "We're all the same I suppose. Greedy, selfish." She frowned as if she was thinking back on an old memory. She set down her cup and leaned back in her seat.

"Not much difference from my country I suppose."

 

[high counsel leader groff]

i smile, this creature is fascinating, as comforting as being with your own kind is i feel as i did when i was young and wanted to be an explorer.

my ear twitches suddenly i can hear the Forrest, ive been distracted and had not heard the Forrest crackle at first, it sounded like foot falls as aposed to wind, perhaps party goers are coming back from the festival? before i can settle back down thinking my instincts are just playing tricks on me a loud thud hits the wooden door with enough force to rattle the lock.

i jump up and stare at the door, i slowly draw my knife and peak out the window, no one was there.

i give the elf a worried look before motioning silently to the door indicateing i was gonna see what had hit the door.

i opened it quickly ready to fight whoever had asaulted my home. the walk way was empty. on the door was a crude knife with a simple handle, theirs a silk ribbon, crimson red tied to the handle, i could smell the blood the silk weaver used as a dye

i pull the knife from the door and close it quickly. i stab the knife into the map right onto the nomads territory or lack there of as they have no land claims.

i growl in anger.

"ive been marked for death by an assassin"
i sit down and just stare at the knife.

" i knew this could happen. political assassinations are common but to kill a high counsel member is blasphemy and in such a horrendous manor i just cant believe it"

for the first time as a counsel member im scared, the ribbon was not just any ribbon most warnings are face to face threats if this was any other man he would face me and challenge me. this is no regular man, they have hired an al'dar'ian tribal assassin from one of our more dangerous factions.

i look the elf in the eyes horrified.

"im already dead"

 

[Laqueta Hala Kritanta]

Laqueta raised her brow. To frighten a lionman was no easy acomplishment. Clearly they were dangerous and needed to be taken down quickly. As an assassin herself she knew that the longer they waited, the thicker tensions rose. People pointed fingers at each other quickly and innocent blood was shed.

"Well, I guess we must kill them first then." She rose from her seat and observed the knife protruding out of the map. "Unless you have any other ideas?"