Story I wrote way back

vistachiri

Dalayan Master
Quite a long time ago I was dicking around at work when there was the open library call. I ended up writing a bit on the liodreth, somewhat in a mix of styles similar to the van richten and volo guides if one is familiar with the old tsr stuff. So in any case, I found it rotting in my archive, and this part of the forum appears to be growing moss on it from lack of movement. Sooo here ya go.


Aisling's guide to the liodreth

Volume 1


Many of you are already familiar with many of the denizens of the lands surrounding Newport. Some are friendly to outsiders, although their strange customs and fierce adherence to their ways oftentimes put them in the position of adversaries to the more “civilized” folk of Dalaya. Though this amiability and indifference does not hold true to all, and thus one must undertake more veiled and careful methods in making contact with and learning about them.

Thus it was with some trepidation and a great deal of excitement when it was suggested to me by a colleague that to date no scholar has undertaken a serious study of the race known as the liodreth.

The first problem presenting itself was the understandable reluctance of the aforementioned people in relation to their sociability to outsiders. The bounties on their various body parts from the Newport council have not helped matters much. Even the tarxan, who have an uneasy alliance with the liodreth against their common enemy and neighbors the kargyxx know precious little about the society and culture of these isolative folk.

Inspiration struck when hearing a story of an old friend. Some time ago, he was commissioned to infiltrate a colony of extremely hostile goblins and used a device which managed to alter his appearance, so that he would appear to all as one of their race. Thus I contacted a colleague in the business of illusion and commissioned the creation of a similar item. After extensive testing and a mishap, in which dear readers I was almost left bereft of my extremities due to several overzealous guardsmen, I set out to the ancestral home of the liodreth. The place known as the Lair of Paw.

THE LIODRETH AT A GLANCE

To achieve a better understanding of a culture, sometimes it is necessary to take in the characteristics of the environment in which they live. Such has held true with other societies in the past, such as with the Dawn Tribe Orcs, who’s hot and arid environment clearly influences their culture.

At first glance the badlands is an extremely varied area. The mountainous nature increases as one moves to the east, but it is filled with fertile plains, rivers, and the like. The area in which the liodreth make their home is to the south, and overall it is a fairly flat, temperate area. The area surrounding paw itself however is a bit divergent from the overall landscape. Located to the far southeast of an outpost of the Newport guard, the landscape is dotted with hills (which may in fact have been constructed by the liodreth as a land based defensive structure, judging from the lack of similar features elsewhere nearby). In the center of all this, a small tunnel connects to underground caves in which generations of liodreth eke out their existence in traditional ways, clinging tenaciously to their history and traditions in the face of progress.

This highly defensible area makes quite a bit of sense considering the animosity between the liodreth and the kargyxx, as well as the small tribe of centaurs who, corrupted by kaezulian magics are extremely hostile to pretty much everything that moves.

The corruption in the badlands has also no doubt influenced liodreth history, and rare conversations between liodreth and the other races indicate that the liodreth refer to this as “The Scourge” and hold this as evidence of the land itself rebelling against the ways of outsiders. The corruption of liodreth is rare, and most notably seen in their scouts, who fill a very dangerous, but vital role in the defense of their home. While theories abound on why this is so, from the nature of the liodreth themselves (perhaps they are used only as emergency hosts for the forces that appear to cause the corruption), to liodreth magics. The most likely explanation is that liodreth just dwell far enough away from the source of the corruption, and tend not to wander too far from their homeland, with the exception of their scouts.

THE ENEMY OF MY ENEMY

Also of note, and previously mentioned, is the uneasy alliance that the liodreth hold with a particular group of outcasts from kargyxx society, the tarxan. As a brief explanation (as they are hardly the main focus of this work, but would be unforgivably remiss without mentioning them), the tarxan could be considered cousins of the kargyxx to a certain extent. They originated from those who have forsaken the traditional ways of the kargyxx and channeled the power of the earth (speculation on the effects of this on their general appearance and demeanor can wait until another day). A direct violation of kargyxx cultural taboos, leading to their exile.

There is no love lost between the tarxan and their brethren, and this makes them perhaps some of the more unlikely allies of the liodreth. In some ways, the war between the kargyxx and the tarxan is a primitive mirror image the conflict between the civilized world and the liodreth.

The liodreth reject the ways of outsiders, preferring to keep to the ways they have followed for so many years, and hold a similar appreciation for the land. They eschew the progress of the outside world, viewing it as the source of many of the problems they face on a daily basis. Exiles from the worlds they reject, they are hunted and reviled. Similarly the kargyxx rejected the tarxan for what is essentially progress, and the breaking of tradition.

The kargyxx have also in recent years taken a page from Newport in the ways of dealing with their hated cousins, and even go so far as to offer bounties for their beaks. Though that is where the similarities appear to end.

BIOLOGY OF THE LIODRETH

While medical progress of mundane means has always been slow in Dalaya, partially due to the proliferation of healing magic, still some inquisitive minds have taken it upon themselves to understand the burgeoning science of physiology. Still others have branched off in this field to other creatures, from the common canine, to the more exotic drakes. The liodreth are no exception to this, and the current conflict with Newport provides many excellent specimens to be studied.

For starters, the liodreth are obviously warm blooded creatures. Typically they are between 4-5 ½ feet tall, and weigh in the neighborhood of 110 pounds. They appear similar to cats in many ways, and this is borne out by further study of their anatomy. They possess very loose skin, which gives them unique advantages in hand to hand combat. Even if one has a very firm grip on one, they can and will turn and attack. This has led to the deaths of more than a few foolish bounty hunters. Some extra vertebrae in the spine also account for the demonstrated flexibility liodreth possess, and mark yet another similarity with other species of cats.

Liodreth also do not possess a collar bone, a trait shared with other felines. This combined with the fact that liodreth are almost universally double-jointed, makes them extremely proficient escape artists. Their tails, which I originally thought to be vestigal, appear to have some sort of balancing effect on their posture. Hearing is fairly keen in the liodreth as well, not quite as good as with other species of feline, but about on par with that of elves. They can see very well in the dark, this is presumably due to the size of their eyes, which leads to more efficient processing of available light. Their sense of smell is highly developed, something that was rather difficult to incorporate into my plan.

FIRST CONTACT

There were a number of concerns about my plan when I finally reached paw still swirling around in my head. I tried to think of everything based on the available information, and while I was confident my deception would succeed, that is small comfort when attempting to infiltrate a society that views you as the enemy, and would just as soon tear you apart as speak to you.
The illusion I was provided with was a masterwork for sure. All senses registered me to be one of them. Touch, smell, sight, sound, and one can presume taste, though I had no desire for that to be put to the test. I was loathe to leave behind my companion, but liodreth rarely delve into my particular profession, and any who did would be well known among the tribes. A dead giveaway. As a small nod to further caution I decided first to seek out one of the scouts. A lone liodreth would pose little danger to me, and sudden unforeseen complication while within paw could be problematic, if not fatal.

I wandered northeast for a time, and finally came upon my first target near nightfall, crouched in the bushes studying a wandering kargyxx scout intensely. As I moved closer he whirled towards me, looked me in the eyes, nodded and turned back to his studies. I moved next to him in the bushes, stealthy as I could.

“Greetings sister” he said in a low sibilant hiss “I was fearing that I would be alone for this”
“For what?” I asked following the direction of his eyes as they shifted to the left of the scout.
“Watch” he said pointing just past the bird just as I noticed what he was watching. Behind the kargyxx a shadow lurked. Insubstantial and predatory, stalking the bird, who seemed unaware of its approach. We watched, my new companion and I, waiting for the inevitable as the shadow crept closer.

The Kargyxx’s eyes widened as a shadowy arm burst through it’s chest. A scream bubbling forth from it’s lips silenced prematurely by another wrapping around it’s neck. Tendrils rose off the thing then, each seeking warmth, seeking life, burrowing deep into the bird. It was monstrous. The hateful parasite slowly taking control, helpless to stop it we watched as the kargyxx’s legs gave way and it fell to the ground, the shadow engulfing it completely. At least we could no longer see it’s eyes. A mercy if there ever was one. My liodreth companion began to move out of
the brush.

“Wait!” I said as I grabbed his paw.

“You are new to the path are you not?” he said staring intently at me.

I nodded slowly
“If we do not take this chance and kill it, much evil will come of it. Now while it is vulnerable, this is when you must strike.” He said gently extracting his hand from mine and walking over to the still twisting and shifting form of the kargyxx. He knelt beside it, and it seemed almost as if he were praying for a moment. Then the moment was shattered as he let out a yowl and extended his claws striking downwards at what presumably would have been the things neck.
Returning to my side and shaking the gore from his claws he watched me, looking for a reaction. I shook my head sadly.

“That was terrible” I said.

“But yet it must be done. Monsters they are. When darkness takes hold, there is nothing left. No love, no joy, no mercy, only hunger. If that had not been done...”
He shuddered, and shook his head. "Even an enemy does not deserve such a fate."

I nodded feeling sick to my stomach from the whole ordeal.

“This should not be dwelled upon, come, we shall hunt, and eat, and I will tell you more about the scourge, sheltered one. Things you must know, or you will fall to it, and I do not relish the thought of ending one of my own.”

With that we headed off into the night. I smiled inwardly, my deception was so far successful, though only time would tell if it would remain so.
 
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