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Message: <blockquote data-quote="JollyDoc" data-source="post: 5292042" data-attributes="member: 9546">WAR OF THE LIZARD KINGA low, muddy hummock protruded from the middle of the widening Murque River, surrounded by a palisade of outward-facing sharpened wooden stakes.  Inside, tendrils of smoke rose from a handful of mounds clustered around a single, larger mound.  A simple wooden gate on the eastern side of the hummock seemed to be the only entrance to the fortified island.  As the seven companions stood on the south bank of the river, gazing across the fifty-feet of sluggish water at the island, the sound of terrified screams suddenly split the air…the screams of a child.“We’re going,” Mox said.  “Selena, give me a lift?”The witch nodded as she closed her eyes, forked her fingers and slowly levitated into the air.“Wait!”  Stevhan said.  “What’s our plan?”Mox turned to him, her eyes cold.  “The plan is to cross this river, kill any lizards that get in our way, and get the boy.”She reached her hand up and took Selena’s.  The witch rose higher and flew out over the water, Mox in tow.Stevhan turned to the others, his eyes wide.“This is a plan?”Davrim shrugged.  “Works for me.”The half-orc began wading into the water.“Wait!”  Stevhan said for the second time in as many minutes.  “You can’t swim in your armor!”“Who said anything about swimming?”  Davrim asked.  He took a deep breath and continued walking until he was completely submerged and hidden from view.Velox started to follow, but he paused on the bank and looked back at the ranger.“Don’t worry, my friend,” he said.  “What could go wrong?”Stevhan watched the oracle vanish beneath the slow-flowing waters, and shook his head in disbelief.“What about you?” he asked Tungdill.  “Don’t tell me that you plan on walking across as well!”“ ‘Course not!” the dwarf barked.  “I ain’t no savage!”Suddenly, his body began to melt and shift into that of a large eagle.  With a screech that sounded suspiciously like a curse, it took wing after Selena and Mox.“Looks like it’s just you and me, slim,” Leaf said as he patted Stevhan on the shoulder.  “I don’t intend to walk either.  I can actually swim.  You coming?”“Looks like I don’t have any choice,” the ranger sighed.  “Come on, Chester.”The cheetah mewled mournfully, eyeing the water suspiciously.Mox and Selena reached the palisade and flew quickly over the top.  Too late, they saw the two reptilian guards standing atop a low palisade above the gate.  The lizardmen began an ululating wail, and then hurled a pair of javelins towards the women, narrowly missing.  Selena quickly dropped down behind the nearest hut and let go of Mox’s hand.  The sorceress hit the ground with a spell on her lips, and promptly vanished from view.  Just then, a golden eagle swept over the gates, screeching loudly.  As it did so, a sphere of flame appeared out of thin air and dropped atop one of the guards, turning it into a living torch.  It pinwheeled its arms as it tumbled to the ground.  Selena risked poker her head around the corner of the hut and quickly forked a hex at the remaining lizardman.  Its eyes rolled up into its head as it collapsed, asleep, atop the palisade.  Mox quickly moved, unseen, for the gate.  She lifted the bar from its brackets and shoved the doors open just as her companions emerged dripping from the river.Selena could still hear the child’s screams coming from the large central hut.  She flew over the top and landed in front of the entrance, peering inside.  What she saw froze her in her tracks.  A large, muscular lizardman stood in the center of the hut, a trident clutched in one hand, and a pair of leashes in the other, which were attached to two huge crocodiles.  Around the lizardman stood four more lizardfolk, females if Selena were to guess, judging solely by the amount of crude jewelry they wore.  Behind them all, a young boy was bound hand-and-foot.  Tears streaked his filthy face, and as one of the crocs turned and snapped at him, he began to scream again.  Selena steeled herself and met the gaze of the lizard king squarely, channeling her spirit through her eyes.  The lizardman’s three eyelids drooped and then closed as he collapsed into a deep slumber.“I have slain your king!” she shouted in the hissing, reptilian language of the lizardfolk.  “Surrender now, and you will be spared!”A strange glow formed in the air above the sleeping lizard king as a grinning, disembodied reptilian skull suddenly appeared out of nowhere.“Fools!” it hissed.  “Heed not the witch’s words!  Your king merely sleeps!  Destroy her and the other infidels!”Outside, lizardfolk began to swarm from the other huts, alerted by the cries of the guards and the sounds of combat.  Selena broke free of her shock long enough to rejoin her companions, who had massed themselves in the center of the village.  As the lizardfolk broke over them like a wave across rocks, the group fought like the heroes they were.  Their skill and raw power somewhat compensated for the sheer numbers of their opponents…but only just.  Several of the lizardfolk were already down by the time the king emerged from his hut, roused from his slumber by one of his consorts.  His pets came before him, and one of them seized Stevhan in its jaws, and then shaking him as if he were a rag doll.  In that same instant, the glowing skull appeared once more, this time right beside Selena.“Now, you will die little witch!” it chuckled as it gently caressed her skin, sending a jolt of electricity like living fire through her flesh.“Not today, wisp!”  Mox cried as she loosed a volley of flashing blue bolts at the skull, causing it to drift away from Selena.  “You may have fooled these primitives, but I know you for what you are!”“A pity you’ll never have the opportunity to prove your theory!” the skull sneered.  It shot through the air towards Mox, but before it could reach her, Davrim shouldered her bodily aside as he brought his falchion crashing down upon the apparition.  The skull cracked, and its light flickered and faded.  Cursing, it sped away into the gathering gloom. Stevhan managed to free his arms enough to drive his sword into the crocodile’s side.  The animal loosened its grip and the ranger rolled free and to his feet, trying to ignore the pain from ribs he knew must be broken.  Around him, the battle continued to rage.  The lizard king was skirting the bulk of the fighting, moving around behind one of the huts to flank the companions.  Meanwhile, three new lizardmen had emerged from another hut.  They were bigger than the other warriors, though not as large as the king.  Tattoos covered their skin in odd patterns, and one of them drove a pair of large, frilled lizards before him.  “Tungdill!”  Stevhan called up to the circling eagle.  “We’re in trouble here!  Little help?”The eagle shrieked once, in a decidedly irritated tone, but a moment later, Adam appeared in a flash of light.  The ant launched itself at the oncoming lizards, and the battle spiraled to new levels of violence and chaos.Stevhan wasn’t the only one who had spotted the lizard king’s flanking maneuver.  Leaf, concealed among the shadows at the fringe of the melee, saw the big lizardman closing in behind an unsuspecting Velox.  The elf stalked forward to intercept, but just as he stepped from the darkness, the lizard king spun suddenly and rammed his trident home.  Leaf blinked, too stunned to feel the pain immediately.  He looked down at the three tines buried in his abdomen.  Still, he did not cry out.  Velox heard the scuffle behind him and turned just in time to see the elf slash with both blades at the throat of the giant lizardman.  The king drew back at the last second, suffering two deep but nonlethal wounds, and then he wrenched his weapon from Leaf’s limp form.  Velox’s eyes went blank as the Spirit took him.  He began babbling in the celestial tongue of the angels as he rushed towards the lizard king.  The brute blocked his first swing, but when the oracle swung back, his reverse cut opened the reptile’s belly from rib to rib.  The king seemed to barely notice.  He slammed his trident straight down and through Velox’s foot.  The oracle did not cry out, but only chanted more loudly as he drove his sword up through the wound he’d already opened and into the lizardman’s heart.  The king staggered back, fell to one knee, and then toppled onto his side.Velox’s battle fury left him as his companions mopped up what was left of the lizardfolk tribe.  He knelt next to Leaf and breathed a silent prayer of gratitude when he saw that the elf still lived.  Within the large hut, Selena hurried to the terrified red-haired boy bound in the corner.  “Are…are you a witch?” he stammered.“Yes,” Selena replied.  “But not the kind that eats young boys, nor turns them into toads.  What’s your name, boy?”“Tig,” he said, “Tig Tannerson.”“Your father sent us,” Selena said.  “He said you’re due for a hide-tanning when he gets hold of you.”The boy didn’t flinch.  “Begging your pardon Miss Witch, but I’d beg my da’ for a beatin’ compared to what these lizard monsters did.  They hung me over up and let their pets try and bite me, and they left me up to my neck in the swamp!  Please, will you take me home now?”“Don’t worry,” Selena said, an uncustomary softness in her tone.  “You’re safe now.”Davrim followed Selena into the hut, and nodded in approval as she took the boy out.  It was then that his gaze caught on the large, leathery egg that sat in a nest against one wall.  A lizardfolk egg.  Looking to make sure he wasn’t observed, the inquisitor wrapped his cloak around the egg and tucked it into his pack.____________________________________________________________When the rulers of Kardashia returned to Veritas with young Tig in tow, their people greeted them as heroes once more.  Tig’s parents were overjoyed beyond words, with all thought of punishment banished at the sight of the child they’d believed dead.  Yet not all of the townsfolk turned out for the homecoming, and Mox took note of this immediately.  Her eyes found Oleg’s among the crowd of onlookers, and the Royal Treasurer communicated much with that look.  She nodded her head towards the castle, and Oleg nodded in return.Later, the seven companions gathered in the great hall of the keep with their council.“We’ve got trouble,” Oleg said without preamble.  “Don’t we always,” Mox sighed as she rubbed her temples.  “What is it this time?”“An agitator,” the old trader growled.  “He came into town not a day after you left.  Ever since then, he’s been holding court outside the town hall, stirring up all sorts of trouble.  At first, no one paid him much mind, but the rumors of troll doings are still out there, and the longer you were gone, the more the crowd grew.  Now, I’m afraid there’s a fair number of the folk who are listening a lot closer to what he’s saying.”“It’s true,” Svetlana agreed.  “The man’s name is Grigori, and he’s a silver-tongue if I’ve ever heard one.  The people are growing restless and scared.  Perhaps if they were to see their leaders in person, and hear your voices reassure them?”“We’ll handle it,” Mox said with finality._____________________________________________________________The crowd gathered before the town hall numbered close to one-hundred.  Standing before them, literally upon a soapbox, was a rotund fellow, well-dressed, with a thin beard and goatee.  When he saw the rulers approach, his eyes lit up like beacons.“There they are!” he shouted, his voice carrying above the din of the crowd.  “Your so-called leaders!  They rode into town today as though they were conquering heroes, returning that poor, lost waif to his grief-stricken parents!  But wait!  The boy went missing weeks ago!  The Heavens only know what horrors he was forced to endure at the hands of his savage captors while those tasked with saving him went glory-seeking and treasure hunting instead!  Is this what you expect from your leadership?”“No!” the crowd roared, even as they parted to let the companions pass.“I want him silenced!”  Mox hissed quietly into Davrim’s ear.“Good people!”  Velox called as he stepped to the front of the crowd.  “I know not this man, yet I do not deny his right to speak!  Yet are his words so honeyed that you have forgotten what it is we have accomplished here?  We’re building this nation from nothing with our bare hands, all of us together!  We sought near and far for the boy Tig Tannerson, and in our travels, indeed, we did encounter threats to our nation, and discovered riches to fill our kingdoms coffers!  These we dealt with, and returned the boy alive as soon as his whereabouts were revealed!”The crowd murmured, some nodding their heads in agreement, while others still frowned and grumbled.“And where did they come by this information?”  Grigori bellowed.  “Ah yes, the swam witch known as the Old Beldame, a creature known to feast on the blood of infants, and to steal the souls of brave men!  Not only have your rulers consorted with one so foul, but they also count another witch as one of their own!”His finger stabbed towards Selena.“The Magister’s words and actions speak for themselves!”  Velox replied.  “I owe her my own life on more than one occasion, and many of your witnessed her actions against the walking dead that fell upon our citizens when we first broke ground here!  As for the Old Beldame, her reputation if falsely earned!  She holds no ill will towards our country!  Indeed, she seeks only to be left in peace, but offers her services to our nation should we need it!  It was, in fact, she who gave us the crucial information not only to rescue Tig Tannerson, but also to end the looming threat of hostile lizardfolk upon our border!”More of the townsfolk nodded in agreement, and Grigori licked his lips nervously.“What of she who has been named Baroness then?” he asked.  “What do you truly know of her?  She counts herself among Brevoy’s elite!  Why, she’s nothing more than a pawn of Restov, sent here to expand their interests!”“Again, I entreat you,” Velox retorted, “judge Lady Mox on what your own eyes have seen, and your own ears have heard!  Everything that Mox has done, she has done for you!  Her skill and experience among the courts of Brevoy are needed if we are to grow and contend with our more powerful neighbors to the north!  We are a free nation, and we shall show the world the power of a truly free people!”This time many among the crowd began to cheer.“Do not listen to this man!”  Grigori cried.  “He and the so-called Royal Executioner are followers of Iomedae, a Power foreign to these lands!  They seek to impose a state religion upon you, and rob you of your freedom of choice!”Velox rolled his eyes.  “Davrim and I honor our Lady of Justice, this is true, but we ask none to follow us against their will!  If our words and our deeds convince some among you to seek knowledge of our Lady, then we are pleased to give it, but we seek to coerce no one, and we honor all religious paths that serve the good of our country!  Kardashia!”Now the entire crowd took up the cry, roaring their approval.  Several of them picked up stones and fruit and began to hurl them at Grigori.  The instigator cowered and leaped from his perch, running at a full sprint towards the edge of town.“Follow him,” Mox told Stevhan.______________________________________________________________Grigori sat by his fire, poking at it with a stick in irritation.  When he saw the shadows detach themselves from the surrounding forest, he gave a small cry, but then quickly composed himself.  He’d been expecting this.“So now you’ve come to kill me, have you?” he asked, raising his chin.  “Typical.  Do your worst then!”“Nonsense,” Mox said calmly, a smile playing over her full lips.  “We come in peace, and only wish to talk.  You believe that we are your friends, don’t you?”Her hands worked subtle gestures, and the magic flowed through her words.  Grigori’s eyes glazed over and he nodded enthusiastically.“Of course, my Lady,” he nodded.  “You’re welcome to share my fire.”“Some other time, perhaps,” Mox said.  “I was merely wondering, why did you speak such ill words against me back in town?”Grigori cast his eyes down.  “My apologies, my Lady.  I…I was merely following orders.”“What orders, exactly?”  Mox asked.“I was sent to sow dissent among your people,” Grigori mumbled, “to spread distrust with the hope of having your overthrown.”“And whose orders were these?”  Mox cajoled.“I…I cannot say,” Grigori replied.  “My life would be forfeit were I to reveal it!”“Come now,” Mox said reassuringly.  “Surely you know that I would never allow you to come to harm.  You can trust me.”Grigori met her eyes, and he did indeed trust what he saw there.“I was sent by agents of Fort Drelev to the west,” he said quietly.“You’ve done well,” Mox said, touching him on the shoulder.  “You shall be rewarded for your faith.”Mox and the others stood at the edge of Grigori’s fire, speaking in hushed whispers.“My decision if final!”  Mox said harshly.  “This man has committed treason against our country, and even in Brevoy the punishment for such an offense is death!”“Then let us take him back to Veritas and give him a proper trial!”  Stevhan pleaded.“The outcome would be the same!”  Mox snapped.  “It will waste time and resources!”“So is this your idea of justice, boy?”  Tungdill growled, turning to Davrim.“Justice will be served,” the inquisitor replied tonelessly, “one way or another.”“Then proceed dispensing it!”  Mox commanded.Davrim nodded and turned back towards the campfire, his hand on the pommel of his sword.“Yah haven’t heard the end of this, girlie,” Tungdill snarled.  “Not by a long shot!”</blockquote>

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