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Message: <blockquote data-quote="DM-Rocco" data-source="post: 1668817" data-attributes="member: 14451">The Pity PitsWell, I was going to try and do a every Sunday type update, but with only one reply out of 38 hits, I figure that either people are not enjoying it, or I need to stir the pot a bit and come in early with more. So, please don't be shy, if you like it, please say so, it will encourage me to not only continue, but to do so faster.Lizard Bait(Part 2: The Pity Pits)By  C.E.Rocco  In the confines of the draconians huts their was much confusion and continued conversation that had begun on the cold wet road. The appearance of a Dragon Highlord, whether real or false, was the most important tidbit of news that had made its way into the deep black swamp of Xak Tsaroth since the ending of the Chaos Wars and the departure of the Gods. It was unnerving how the appearance of one man had put the well-disciplined encampment into turmoil. Only a small brigade returned to the main encampment, most followed Krothan into the pity pits where, the large yet agile, draconians struggled for footing upon the always crowded and unaware gully dwarves that inhabited this small plot of land. Years ago, when the Hero’s of the Lance had made their way into Xak Tsaroth to retrieve the Disk’s of Mishakal, they did more than retrieve knowledge of the ancient Gods, they destroyed a city. Granted the city was in disrepair since the days following the Cataclysm, when the wrath of the Gods had split the earth and slid the city into the depths of the swamp, but by using the power of the Gods to slay the sinister black Dragon Khisanth, more commonly known as Onyx, the Hero’s caused whatever force that held the New Sea at bay to fill into the cavern that housed the doomed city, forever destroying the remains in a watery grave.In the days following the sinking of the city, Krothan had ascended as the new leader of what few draconians that had managed to survive. He led his men to Neraka and served faithfully under the Dragon Highlords for the remainder of the war. Following the ending of the War of the Lance he lead those draconians that had survived into the swamp as other places of safety were few and far between under the watchful eyes of the Solamnic Knights.Upon his return he found a colony of another race that had also survived in some numbers, the gully dwarves. While not known for their quick wit, or for that matter any wit, they had managed to build, more or less, mostly less, modest homes and attempts at gardens. The first reaction of Krothan was death, death to all other races that weren’t of dragon blood. He ordered all of the gully dwarves rounded up and thrown into one encampment where he intended to have a little fun and sport with the pathetic lives of these little retched creatures before he carried out his master plan. He had killed several before he had stopped. There was something missing. There was no satisfaction. When a person died their was a moment in their eyes when they knew they were never going to see their loved ones again, never going to walk as a free man, never going to do any of the things that others take for granted and there was nothing that they could do about it now, so alone and helpless at the business end of a sword. This was the power that was so captivating, so rewarding about slaying others, the power of life and death. The most rewarding feeling in the world and it was stripped from Krothan by the stupidity of a race of dwarves to dumb to know that they were about to die. In a move, uncharacteristic of a draconian, Krothan ordered the area sealed and labeled it the pity pits. It was here that the gully dwarves thrived, for the most part, and as the years passed Krothan made use of the dwarves as slave labor. Of course, this was harder than he remembered when they had used the gully dwarves as slaves before the War of the Lance. Few of the gully dwarves who survived the destruction of the city knew how to count past two and none remembered any of the chores that had been assigned to them before the war. It took several patient years to teach them to do the tasks that needed to be done and in the end the draconians still did most of the complicated ones themselves.Krothan and his men passed through the pity pits, some running, most leaping and gliding, taking advantage of their long leathery wings. Some of the gully dwarves scrambled out of the way while others ran straight for the approaching draconian swarm, thinking that it was some sort of game, while a few remained still, playing in the mud or making mud pies for dinner.Krothan ordered the draconians to stop at the far edge of the pity pits, where they could barley make out the outline of the ruined temple of Mishakal through the canopy of thick vines that hung from the Iron claw trees. “I do not trust this man, none of the other Highlords had such power, save Lord Ariakus, and that was granted to him by our Queen,” said Hammel in his sly and cool voice. He landed next to Krothan and immediately gully dwarves beseeched him. Four came to him and pulled on his wings while a fifth used a dirty rag to clean his scaly tail. The only reason for the draconians to ever come into the pity pits was to find a slave that forgot to show up for duty or to have their wings massaged, one of the few tasks that the putrid dwarves actually did well. Since it wasn’t later than two hours past noon, since he couldn’t count higher than two, Dope, the King of the gully dwarves assumed that the draconians had come to have their wings attended to. Dope forgot his real name when he was named Dope. Krothan detested the use of any reference to high or better when it came to the gully dwarves and replaced the title of HighBulp, the former name they gave to their king, with that of Dope. Besides, the Highbulp could count to three and Dope could not.“You no worry scale man,” said Dope as he scratched his lice filled head with one dirty little hand, “me rub your wing for you, me rub it good.”“Dope, you and your men are relieved of duty for the night,” Krothan replied in a calm and controlled voice. “Jist, I want you to take your men and circle the temple from the east, Hammel, take the secret entrance from the west and close in from behind, Branik, take your men and fly to the top most windows and prepare to strike from above and Hilth, prepare a company of Bozak to sneak in ahead of us under the cover of invisibility. I too do not trust this man. Now- what the- Dope, I told you, you were relieved.” “You no worry, me almost done,” said dope as he happily spit on the foot of Krothan and continued to polish the scales with a dirty rag. It wasn’t until this moment that Krothan understood his mistake, he used words with more than one syllable.“You work no more, we leave now,” said Krothan and this seemed to work as the hoard of gully dwarves immediately backed of off the draconians and some even return to the main portion of the pity pits. “Now, does any body have any questions?”He looked around the gathering and none spoke, yet from below a small hand shot into the air.“What is questions?” asked Dope, forgetting that he was not suppose to talk unless talked to. Krothan and his fellow draconians moved, with out a reply, leaving Dope to figure it out on his own.</blockquote>

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