Uven's Story

"You look angry, as if a misunderstanding has caused clouding in your mind. There is something I must state. The High Council wish for two other armies be behind your cause before they are willing to send half of the districts warriors to aid the cause. They have granted you 14 of the warriors of this district to act as your guards and warriors. They await your command." Uven spoke. He had seen his brothers faces of shock when Ara had entered.

Now many of the lizardfolk were coming to the full realization. They were not following an experienced warlord, but a leader in training with a worthwhile adviser tor aid her. They knew now just how important these first steps were going to be, training Ara as much as preparing for war. They all began readying their individual equipment. They were ready to follow.

"sorry if I look angry Uven, I assure you I'm not... I'm just reflecting"
Ara gave a warm smile to the others before the all began reading equipment.

When they were done and she had their attention she spoke in a clear voice with confidence.
"I will properly introduce myself now. I am Ara of Qi, and The Late King's... god rest his soul... I am his only daughter." Ara paused no longer looking to Uven for support.
"Now one by one I wish for each of you to introduce yourself, then please share with me your skills and specialties. That way not only do I have the names of the great worriers I shall fight along side, but have a good idea of the next plan of action."

The lizardfolk then all looked to Uven. He knew now was the time for a full introduction.

"You know my name is Uven. I am skilled in a variety of magics and have a powerful mind with great stores of knowledge, even though it is isolated from the inner-workings of other species." Uven spoke, holding a small, glass cup. When done, he tossed the cup to the one sitting next to him.

"I am Oozi. I walk the rooftops with ease and know many ways of observing others who will to not be observed. I also write quickly and neatly." Said the skinny one with leather gloves and what looked like climbing boots. He then passed it to on of the sparing warriors.

"I am Zayzot, the warrior, loyal to the orders of the High Council and the freedom of all my brothers." Spoke the warrior before passing it off. The rest turned out to be either front-line warriors who are skilled with ambushes or observers who could stealthily get in nearly anywhere.

"Vary good... thank you" Ara spoke then tapped her chin for a moment thinking. At first the amount she had worriers she had been given seemed like a set back, but Ara now realized that this was an excellent start. Ara's main interest was Oozi for the moment. It was important to have worriers who were literate.

"For now I wish for every one to train while I have council with Uven. Except Oozi... you have a special assignment."

The others went to work on sparring with each other while Oozi stepped forward...
"I want you to help me with a list of local slave lords... because the thing about them is there are many and they even have ranks and the industry is deep. Report back to me anything you find... Even if the information is small it is important, every last bit of it."

Oozi nodded and Ara smiled. When Oozi left Ara turned to Uven...
"The good news is we will at least know what we are up against, hopefully soon. The bad news is there are many more slave lords all over the world. My father had concubines so I would know... Many of them were slaves from across the ocean or elsewhere."
Suddenly Ara didn't feel like talking about her father.

"Let me ask you Uven... what do you think our new group lacks the most?"

"What they lack is size. We have warriors who can act as small assault groups and warriors who can move swiftly through the shadows. We both pose little threat and little interest. This is as much an advantage as a disadvantage, and will make it harder for us to gain our first set of allies. Still, we are not likely to be sought after by many at the moment. 14 lizardfolk, a mage, and a princess don't exactly pose too great of a threat to many private organizations, yet." Uven spoke. He knew that making direct attacks early on would be a bad idea, and gaining allies would be a challenge. Still, it was a beginning that many heros before him had, and it was not like it was his choice, it was Ara's. She was the leader, but like every great leader, there must be great advisers. Uven only hoped that when it came to advisers, Ara would gain many more like himself.

"Your right... Then I guess I better find Allies then."
Ara remembered just a day ago Uven presented the opportunity. Ara had a feeling she knew where to look for allies.
At first it seemed there would be none but the more she though about it, maybe there were. They would be almost impossible to find but still possible. "For now I think we all need a good nights sleep... I've got lots of work to do tomorrow."

Oozi was striding across the rooftops heading towards the lizard district. In the pouch at his waist was a list of several slavers who were permanent residents, the make up and jobs of their slaves, and just how close the next slave auction was. Their were even some higher nobles who had brought in a few squads of their slave armies.

It was then that Oozi noted a little human female run into one of the men in the 'Final Alley' to the lizard district. Oozi knew what the men their would do. They weren't as merciful as the lizardfolk who simply killed, they did much worse. They would take every advantage they could, and if they liked it, they would keep it and go again and again, making the taken wish they had just died.

As the men of the alley began to surround Urturi, Oozi jumped off the rooftop where he was at. He crashed behind the men, pulling out the small, the length of his thigh, blade that he kept for emergencies. Oozi then let loose what the men of this alley called the 'End Roar,' for all who stayed after it would likely meet their end. And like always, the men scurried at the sight of the lizardfolk. They may have been insane and deprived and cruel, but they were not stupid enough to mess with a 7-foot tall lizard on 2 legs.

"What brings you to this place, small human? This is no place for a female of your kind, and the end of the alley is no place for any of your kind." Oozi spoke, letting the size of his body cause his voice to deepen.

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Uven awoke to the sunlight shining through the broken blinds of the room's window. He sat up on the small mattress that he had been laying on without any pillows or sheets. He looked around at the bland and worn wooden walls with a paper-like substance that was peeling off in several places. Uven then looked at the floor, the fur carpet coked in dirt and dulled by use. As he stood, getting off the bed, Uven picked up his mace and the bag with the lantern in it. Attaching the two to their places on his belt.

Picking the door up and removing it from the door frame, that it was once attached to, Uven walked out into the downtrodden hallway. The walls were like the rest of the building, including his room, excepting the fact that only a few of the light-candle holders had fallen off the wall. 2 out of the 4 hanging lanterns were still their too, as Uven could see from the light coming in from the missing windows. He made his way down into the main room of the tavern. Some of his brothers were already up, the coin game had only two players, and the three-way spar was being watched, and bet on, by only four. It was just another day.

Flashing a smile of gratitude, Urturi faced her saviour. Although she could take care of herself, fighting a group is a stretch.
Bowing in respect she responded "I have been sent on a mission to protect the princess. I've acquired information that she is residing and protected in your territory.

Looking up but keeping a respectful stance she continued. " I was hoping that i may be granted permission to see and protect the princess with you. The lizardfolk may or may not remember my family, but we do remember you. It may sway your opinion that i am on your side."

Anrik found his way back home and "Failed" to tell his father about his encounter with the mercenary and the information he gathered by simply observing and listening. It was true Taber never mentioned where to find Ara, but Anrik did know the history with the lizard folk and slave trade. A normal man would have not noted that Taber's involvement in Ara could simply involve the lizard folk. would Taber have the power to betray Ara if he had not met her through the lizard folk?

Anrik saw Tabers reaction and thought maybe just maybe he made a nice educated guess, and With Taber looking so pissed off Anrik could guess he hit the nail right on the head. He only forgot to tell his father that.
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Ara woke up early in the morning hoping to get a good breakfast before she started the day. Walking into the main room she found everyone else was more of an early bird then her. Ara didn't like sleeping in and because it made her feel like she was missing half the day and it seemed like she and the lizard folk had things in common.

"Good Morning!"

Oozi had walked in with a young girl seemingly Ara's age.
"She claims that her family has ties with us." Oozi told Uven and Ara.
"Whats your name?" Ara asked addressing the girl.

Urturi smiled warmly and got down on one knee.

"I am Urturi of the Qualiente family. A branch from M who serves your father faithfully. I was sent here to protect you and give advice if it was needed." She kept her head down, but inside her heart is put at rest meanwhile for she finally found the princess. She really hoped the king told Ara about her family, otherwise this will be a tad problematic.

Baradakhus had awoken to a blazing migraine, and two bodies sticky with sweat. He looked around and saw the waitress and the host from the bar were on either side of him. "What the fuck did we do?" Baradakhus asked rhetorically before standing up. He looked through the house, that was above the bar, to see if he could find anything to wash himself with. He did. He found a wash basin and water already hot in it. Baradakhus sighed in relief, "Oh, thank god!"

After washing himself, Baradakhus dressed himself in his black armour and sheathed his swords on his back. He looked around the room and noticed that shelves were knocked over, and puddles of...something were almost everywhere. Baradakhus sighed in exasperation. He would never find out what had happened. The man left the messy abode, and started walking towards the lizard-district. Yawning, Baradakhus grabbed a healing potion from his pack and drank it. Shaking his head, the migraine was leaving him slowly. "Fucking hate potions," Baradakhus said to no one, "Works so fast on everyone else, but not on me. Goddamn it, what's wrong with my blood?"

Baradakhus had always wondered that. Where his family came from. He knew his father came from a city in the west, but not more than that. He knew nothing of his mother. And he couldn't ask them because he killed them. Ten minutes later, his head was cleared, his cuts were healed, and he was at the lizard-district. Walking in to where he would find Uven, and most likely Ara, he opened the door and saw the woman that he saw the night before. Laughing, Baradakhus made his way over to Uven. "Hey Uven, guess what?" Baradakhus spoke to the lizard-man with a smile on his face, "I think I got a disease last night. Not sure though," then, getting more serious, smile still on face, "You know, I have a way where we can get Ara back in power...or, um, where the people are in power. I mean, we could go either way. Where I go to the Minister of Justice and kill him, then get Ara back in power, or go to the Minister of Justice, kill him, then instill a democracy in this city. I mean, both ways would work."

Baradakhus didn't care for government. He wasn't ruled by a king, he wasn't a citizen of any town or city. He was a drifter. But the things he didn't like about governments, though, was how long it took for a decision to be made, democracy, or if there was one person in power, dictatorship/hierarchy, "I mean, seriously, I can get the job done. Like, so fast and easy. Off the Minister, run away, maybe go farther east, then come back in a year or two to see how will this city is doing. Because, really, how hard would it be to kill one man?"

Then, Baradakhus realized he probably jinxed himself. Oh well, he didn't believe in the karma, jinx stuff. He called it coincidence.

Ara rushed over to Urturi and pulled her up.
"Rise... there is no need for that... Yes I know who you are now." Ara smiled back taking her hands in hers "It's so great to finally meet you and god knows we need more girls in this group."

"Uven look! A new friend!" she said cheerfully... turning back to Urturi Ara sighed "The bad news is humans like us need to be marked... and its not fun..." turning back to Uven "I'll trust you with that process, Uven... handle her with care please."

When Baradakhus entered Ara smiled at him rather cheerfully... then he opened his mouth she frowned. Something obvioulsy happened that she missed.

"You know... I know my speech was good but I didn't expect it to work so fast... It's a tad suspicious that he's suddenly on board don't you think Uven?"

"He is looking for a quick pay day and a way out of the city." Uven spoke with half confidence before looking over to Baradakhus. He started again, saying "Killing the Minister now would do far more harm then good. It would start with one of his little slavers who have their hands in his pocket taking over and fighting among themselves to do so. During this time, they would quickly be attacking anyone who they even suspect of going against slavery. We are far to small to handle that. For now, it is the slavers we must target, and allies that we must gain."

Uven then looked around, taking a quick peak at what the others were doing. Soon, turning his head back to Baradakhus, he sniffed the man. "You are lucky. It smells as if you have simply been playing around. Maybe a small bit of happy powder was used." Uven grumbled.

Uven finally took the list from Oozi. The numbers seemed to indicate that few slavers were willing to gamble on lizardfolk slaves since he had been part of the uprising. Right now, it seemed, slavers were bringing in huge volumes of tribal elves and foreign humans, with a couple of people trying to trade off dwarves for mine owners to buy. Then Uven saw a name that he recognized right away, Zanderfield, Young Mistress Luna Zanderfield.

Luna, such a nice name for such a cruel and twisted woman. Uven, and most of the lizard district, had come from the farm her father own, freed by her brother. Luna had, according to Oozi's notes on the coming mass slave convention, grown up to be both one of the cruelest and one of the most prominent slave traders of them all. Her brother, Mister Sivan Zanderfield, was the type to remove of risk in the most legal and honorable option that he could find. Uven had yet to have tabs keep on him.

"If you want a kill, Baradakhus..." Uven started, looking at the sheet of leather paper in his hands, "I know just the one. Look for the name Luna Zanderfield. Try to find an enemy of hers, and convince them that taking her out, potentially through your services, would be a good business move. The lizardfolk remember this name and wish it gone."

Urturi observed the newcomer, she gave a start when she recognized him as the man who yelled at her in the alleyway. Uven developed a professional and morbid air around him. Not really knowing what to do, she waits for Uven to tell her what her next objective is. Although she is a tad apprehensive about this....process. She heard her mother went through with it, but she doesn't really talk about it much. She's in the dark with this one. She stood patiently and dutifully beside Ara.

She had heard of Luna before... The women was also known for making brothel women. She would pick them up from other countries promising jobs. It was quiet sad... Of those women who became her father's personal concubine wouldn't even gain the rank of a royal consort. As for the lizard folk, she was the one who liked to turn them into gladiators. It was the reason she was known as the richest women in Eglvor.

Ara didn't blame Uven for wanting to go after the women first... she definitely wasn't small though. Her business was booming. Because Many rich men liked to watch the gladiators that were the next best thing. The survivors would be auctioned off as bodyguards.

"Sound like a good move." Ara commented
Ara noticed Urturi looking at Taber... "Good looking hm?" she asked quietly getting the wrong idea

Baradakhus had a relieved look on his face, "Thank a god, Uven! And never say, 'maybe a small bit of happy powder,' because it's never just a small bit, it's always a lot. Where did they even get that stuff? I sure as hell know that I don't have any. First time I used it, what, five years ago?, people told me I went hyper-drive killing people...because...I wasn't having intercourse at the time. And...killing makes me happy. Holy fuck, I'm messed up aren't I? I blame it on the fact that I don't know my own history.

"Luna Zanderfield? I got a contract from some mercenary that I killed that said someone put a hit on her. So yeah, I'll do it. After I off her, I'll go to the contact with the contract and then come back here. And the contract is a pretty penny too...a plus!"

Then, turning to Ara, he said, with another one of his charming smiles, "Want to come with me? See me in action? See some blood, see some death? It'll be fun!" and then, "Oh, and the guy that was following this woman here, was Anrik. You know him, don't you Ara?"