Here there be Dragons

[Almightyfoon]

The sun beats down on the backs of the slaves troding through the dusts along the border of the Tyranny of the Lost. It has been a long, hard march from Desert's End. The train is still a few days out from Emerald, and the looming jungle of Cyrandir that holds the bulk of the Tyrannies holdings is not a pleasant sight. The terrain is mostly flat, but stands of trees are becoming more common as you approach the jungle.

There are maybe a hundred beat down, starved, and sun baked slaves being driven by nearly half as many Dragonborn, Lizardfolk and Dragonspawn. The leader of the train is a massive pale yellow skinned Dragonborn in black plate armor and wielding a pair of wickedly curved swords. "MOVE FASTER MONKEYS!" he bellows from his cart pulled along by massive reptilian beasts of burden, "I've got a big fat payday coming from your hairy asses." He says laughing as he swallows a slab of meat from a plate at his side.

The task masters lash into the caravan with whips and brands, incensing the slaves to move faster. The road is dry, dusty and hard. All of the slaves are tired, thirsty and hungry, but a few seem to have a hunger for something else, a hunger that all the others have forgotten. A hunger for freedom.

 

[Walking Dad]

Erevan walks with his fellow slaves, heart and mind unbroken, his head unbowed. He relies more on endurance and determination to keep going than on raw strength.
"You will never break me!" he silently mumbles.

 

[Dharuhk Svahre]

Mary intently watched her 'captors' as they went about their business of herding the slaves. The security was nothing compared to that of the compund she had initialy escaped from, however that process had taken years. She had no intention of staying that long.
"Just long enough to get where we are going." She reassured herself under her breath. Her new life far away from those chasing her was close at hand. All she needed to do was to keep watching and waiting, noting their flaws and weaknesses. "I will escape the dragon's clutches. One day I will truly be free!"

 

[Voda Vosa]

Grumi continued walking. In his head, the yelling and dust and whipping where not present. His gaze was lost in the horizon, tired eyes fixed there in between heavy eyebrows. His beard, once tidy, braided and clean was now more similar to a vulture nest, full of sticks, dirt and dust. But Grumi kept going. And in his head, flashes of his adopted father telling him "I told you so" where more incensing than the whipping.

 

[Stacie GmrGrl]

Aurora walks as a slave, the chains on her wrists and ankles digging into her skin, weighing down on her, disgust and revulsion filling her being at the sight of the atrocity that she is witnessing. She wants nothing more than to break free, reach out, and kill each and every single draconian slaver here. Each time one rides nearby or alongside the slave train she snarls, more just to herself and those immediately nearby can hear it.

"There will come a time when these draconian &^$%#* will no longer be in control." She whispers, just loud enough for those immediately around her to hear, which includes the majority of our little party. "Someday...someday, we will be free." There is always a touch of a animalistic snarl when she speaks.

 

[sappire07]

yes these draconian slimes will brought down. i will avenge the death of my father as well as the loss of most of my business's silk mutters to his companions

 

[Dharuhk Svahre]

Mary's careful analysis of the situation had lead her to an interesting realization. While exposed to the deep inner core of the dragon lord's inner workings, all the enslaved races had been completely souless and subserviant. For most she had come across, even the very idea of freedom could not be properly comprehended.

Yet as she tried to keep watch on the guards as the slave train progressed ever forward her attention kept slipping towards the other prisoners. Some of them seemed resistant to their captors, even willing to fight them should the opportunity arise.

While her initial plan was to attempt to slip away in the night, the chance of getting caught was high, and the price for it was even higher. A distraction would be needed to further her chances of success. She eyed those around her. Judging them both for their willingness to take action against their oppressors and their potential to do some damage, she picked out a few good candidates for her mischievious plan.

Alas, all the natural choices for mayhem were too far away from her. She needed to find somebody within close proximity to assist her. When one of the prisoners behind her whispered "There will come a time when these draconian &^$%#* will no longer be in control.", she knew her choice had been made.
She tripped over her restraints as to allow the one responsible for the comment to get close enough for her to talk to without arising suspicion. Enduring the lashes and kicks from the guards who pressed her to get up and keep moving she recovered to her feet next to the woman known as Aurora and whispered into her ear. "What would you do if you were rid of those chains?"

 

[RavenBlackthorne]

Korvash keeps walking, the sun darkening the patches of skin not scar-hardened (whips? magic? canes?). Eyes down – anger, determination, hope – he feels the resonance of his feelings in those close by. Looking at his nearby “travellers”, he sees the glint in their eyes, the set of their shoulders, the strength of their gait, their similarity. Reaching out he amplifies those feelings – vengance, strength, hope – only marginally…but enough. He reaches out to the shoulder of the eladrin near him (always near? Always there?) and places his hand gently there.
“Yes, Erevan. They did not and will not break you, my…friend”

 

[Stacie GmrGrl]

She tripped over her restraints as to allow the one responsible for the comment to get close enough for her to talk to without arising suspicion. Enduring the lashes and kicks from the guards who pressed her to get up and keep moving she recovered to her feet next to the woman known as Aurora and whispered into her ear. "What would you do if you were rid of those chains?"

Aurora glanced over at Mary when she whispered into her ear and was put into the slave line next to her and quietly said, "Just be ready when the time comes Mary. We are not alone. We will be out of these chains sooner than you think."

Then Aurora separated herself a couple feet from Mary's side to not arouse suspiscions in the draconian slavers.

 

[Almightyfoon]

The lashes bite into the backs of the slaves as the train moves forward. Step after step, mile after mile, things have continued like this. The train passes under the relative comfort of the trees on outside edge of the forest. A few of the guards tense up and begin watching the tree line. You’ve heard whisper’s from within the train, from both slaves and guards, of strange spirits within the trees. Spirit’s that make entire traveling caravans disappear leaving only leaving piles of draconian bodies, any thing else disappeared into the forest. Some chocked it up to bandit’s, but many of the draconian’s were unsure of who would attack slavers traveling through the Tyranny of the Lost, so many weren’t sure that they were in fact bandits.

Aurora notices a set of marks on the trees that to many would be inconsequential scratches, deer marks to anyone else. But to Aurora they are marks of hope. A bird call sounds through the wood. A second call answers through the woods, slightly higher pitched. A third call echoed through the woods and the train lead signaled for the group to stop. He turned to signal the rest of the train to prepare for an ambush, when three arrows whistled out from the woods.

”AMBUSH!” one of the slavers yelled as humanoids rushed out of the woods and loosed arrows into the draconians, unerringly striking them, leaving the slaves untouched..