Olrhee, Bahku of Incaras
*warning* violence. assault and abuse (not explicit).
Olrhee is a spy and thief in Incaras, City of Mercenaries. Early in her life she faced many hardships and challenges, which led her to the life of a thief and burglar. Her criminal activities were violations of Bahku cultural practices and belief which cut her off from her own people. When she was arrested for burglary and theft of the home of the wealthy merchant lord where her mother had worked and died, Olrhee was sold as a bond slave for 5 years in a fixed deal to the Ghenid slaver Gazakral.
"The lowest point was when I was shipped to Gazakral as a bond-slave. Of course I wasn't about to just accept that. That scum keeps a mix of human, ghenid and Bugbear guards and torturers."
I arrived in a wagon with a bugbear and a ghenid prisoner. Hands chained to a metal bar so we couldn't break and run. Gazakral instructed his human foreman and some bugbears to clean us up and get bedded down. The ghenid was talking to Gazakral in ghenid talk. We got moved from the wagon with our bar and strung up in a barn with pens. Wearing only our thin prisoner tunics, the bugbears splashed us with buckets of cold water and set to scrubbing us with rough bars of soap. That and pinching nipples, feeling up the Ghenid and me most, but also the other bugbear, groping places they shouldn't. Whispering in my ear "Like that don't ya kitty?", "We'll get get along grand when we have our way." and feeling and slapping my ass and under my tail. They did the same to the Ghenid, but she just looked blankly at the wall with her ears down. One reached between my legs whispering "Want some don't ya?". Furious I pulled up my arms and legs and kicked that one hard as I could raking with both feet. It was satisfying to see him fly across the room and hit the wall hard. The others laughed and that one picked himself up, showing a jagged line of sharp teeth in it's wide mouth. Then I heard rattling chains and the human leader showed me leg iron chains with weights on them. "No!" I howled as I tried shaking the bugbears off when they grabbed my legs, stretching them out and affixing the leg irons. Then they raised the bar we were cuffed to. The Ghenid stood comfortably but the Bugbear and I were just hanging by our arms and I was stretched by the weighted leg irons. And it got worse. Punched and bitten and kicked by the Bugbears, who laughed and hooted, delighting in the beating I was defenseless against no matter how I pulled and twisted. They cut away the tunic and forced themselves on me having their way one after the other, choking me, punching, biting the flesh of my tits and belly, and doing as they wanted. Finally, after I don't know how long it stopped. Vision blurry and ears ringing, everything aching, burning, throbbing, or in stabbing pain. More cold water. The bar lowered and the other two were affixed with leg irons before they were set into cages with straw piles as beds. Then the bar was raised up again leaving me in agony and looking at the floor with soapy wet pools of pink blood stained water.
“ Worth the resistance?” Said the human. “You are not someone now, you are a thing.” He herded the Bugbears out and closed and locked the outer door. The space was dimly lit by narrow slit windows when the outer door was closed.
I heard rattling chains. Hanging there I just tried to breathe, and not vomit. Water or blood dripping through my coat. Hours later the room brightened and the door opened. Gazakral, his human and the bugbears again. The Ghenid spoke in their language for a bit before Gazakral said “No.” in common. “Hold her”. The other was kneeling with Bugbears at either side. Gazakral stepped up speaking ghenid again and snapped a collar around her neck above the iron slave collar we other two also wore. He turned to the human and said “Remove the wet rag. Give her a dry towel.”
The human cut away and tugged off the wet tunic, tossing it aside. Gazakral smiling and the other ghenid just barely showing teeth between a snarl and grimace. A dry towel was forced between bars of her cell as Gazakral's party left. The Bugbear smashed his manacles against the bars and floor. and rubbed his groin. “I big boss, yeah. Give yourself to me, you be boss with me.” The ghenid flattened her ears and bared teeth at him. “Put tail against the bars, yeah? I make you feel good.” She just leaned against the far wall.
We were left alone again for several hours. I came to by the human talking as he hit the ghenid's cage bars with a dagger. “Master wants you at the house. Get up!”. She pushed herself to hands and knees, then got her shackled feet under her and shuffled naked to the door as the human unlocked it, two Bugbears at his sides with clubs in hand. “Be smart and don’t give us trouble.” said the human. She bobbed her head “No trouble” she repeated. The human pointed at a bucket and a Bugbear grabbed it, and pushed it into the cage. “Piss or crap now.” She chose to relieve herself, balancing over the bucket. Then they left, locking the door behind them and leaving me hanging.
It was maybe an hour before they returned dragging a bloody and beaten ghenid that they tossed in her cage. They lowered the bar enough that I could just touch toes to the floor, but it didn't help the pain and burning of my arms and shoulders. "Please.." I gasped. But they just locked the gate and door and left. Sometime later came a bowl of water and soup or some food for the bugbear. I couldn't see well in to his cell. Nothing for me. The night was agony. I pissed on the floor hanging there like meat. It wasn't until the next morning that they lowered the bar and took me manacled and with weighted leg irons into a cell chained to the ceiling by my collar. There was a bowl of water. The ghenid didn't move- aside from the ragged breathing.
The next day Gazakral and his guard woke me. He made a strange mark on my arm while muttering as he had done when he took me from the bond slave market. Then a strange ghenid took over and made me sweep and. clean the courtyard naked. Whipped with a short crop if I balked or was too slow for the Ghenid overseer. Of course I was weak, beaten and sore. So more beatings. Then cleaning the pens. Sweeping out old spoiled and soiled straw, splashing water and sweeping away any filth, then placing fresh straw. back in my pen was stew, bread and water. which I left no trace of. And slept with only a faint awareness of moans from the ghenid next to my cell. The next day was the same, another mark from Gazakral and set to work, but I was faster and back in the afternoon. The bugbear prisoner was gone. I heard the ghenid groan, stirr with short panting breath. She rolled over and tried to push herself up, and vomited instead.
"Still alive?" I said.
She red eyes squinted at me, then turned to inspecting and testing each finger and hand, the arms and wounds over legs, arms and body. She crawled to the bowl of food and water, drank, panted heavily with wincing and ate, finishing the water before collapsing on the stonework floor.
Hello?" I said. But she was out again. It was hours later, just after a human brought food and that was slipped between the bars as our old ones were pulled out by a hooked stick, that a harsh croak barely above a whisper asked "What day?" I had to stop and think, day one was bad. Second bad but better. This was the third. I told her that. She coughed and winced. Then took small careful breaths and crawled to her food and water, gulping down one after the other. Then she turned to me and spoke.
"What ... barbarian be?" Her accented Atan was bad.
"Barbarian? Lawless savages. Not living in towns. Wandering tribes. Simple old ways. No books or buildings. Simple."
"What laws?"
"Rules and commands of the rulers and the city, towns or kingdom."
"Cannibal?"
"Eat the flesh of people."
"Criminal?"
"That is what we are. Broke the laws, the rules of the city and got caught. "
Shew laid her ears back and tried to stand, failed and then tried to pull herself up the cage wall. She got half way before sliding back down and falling over. Passed out again.
In the morning light she crawled to the corner of her pen. "You stand?" she asked.
Sitting up and rubbing the poor excuse of sleep from my eyes. "Yes" I replied
"Dracna be me. Gone from sky is sun I make go. You me help stand. You me go."
It took me a moment to figure out her words. "You speak Atan very badly Dracna. I am Olrhee. Do you promise by your gods and blood that you will take me with you if I help?"
"Yes. Promise make. You take Aedoteerua you help?"
"Yes, I swear on this Aedoteerua that I will help."
Dracna crawled slowly to the bars that she and I shared. "Hand give." she barked.
I stood and slowly walked over, thrusting my hand between the bars. She stuck a clawed finger in her mouth and drew some mark on my fur while talking like Gazakral did when he performed this same ritual.
"You are one of those wild barbarians from up north, aren't you?" I asked while wiping my hand on the fur of my leg.
Dracna nodded. "North. Yes."
"They beat you up good. Why?"
Dracna paused for a breath. "Start train. Me fight."
"As an arena fighter?" but her eyes had gone unfocused and she was crawling away toward the door of her cell. She stopped, and shook her head.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
Dracna's ears went down and she whispered "Gazakral come"
A minute later the door opened and Gazakral, the four humans and four bugbears, all with clubs. Gazakral looked at us and clapped his hands and said "Time to earn your keep." His humans pulled chains suspended on hooks that connected to the chains on our collars. These pulled us up by our throats. I scrambled up quickly while Dracna struggled to stand gagging and choking. Our cages were unlocked and Gazakral entered with his humans and made the mark on me and glanced over to the other cage where bugbears hauled Dracna to a swaying standing and trembling legs. "That one will not give us much trouble today." he said before removing the chains to our neck collars. Then he commanded "Follow" and I found myself shuffling along right behind him. Dracna was dragged along after by her guards. The courtyard was bright with the morning sun and we were taken to a pair of wagons about 12 feet apart. our chains were connected to the wagons. Gazakral spoke again. "Easy job. Move the bags from this cart to that one. The one who moves more gets extra food. Go slow and you get whipped." He walked to the shade where there was a cushioned chair, a table, some cups and a pitcher. He sat and poured into a cup. "Get to work!"
Something in his voice compelled me to jump into the first cart, grab a bag and drag it out and carry it to the second. The human guard told me to stack it at the front of the cart. As I turned I saw Dracna standing at the first cart, leaning heavily and squinting. "Get going you lazy beast!" shouted a guard who showed the whip. She shuffled to the back of the cart, grabbed a bag and was pulled to the ground by it. I shouted out. "Wait. Dracna, get in the other cart, stack the bags as I bring them, ok?" I helped Dracna to stand and shuffle to the empty cart, with a human guard standing glowering at us, and guided her to the other cart. Then I brought the bags over, Dranca pushed and pulled them to the back and stacked the bags, panting as she worked.
When about half the bags had been moved I had Dracna move to the first cart and move bags to the back. I moved them from one cart to the other stacking up bags at the back.. Gazakral called out that I had earned water, and a cup was brought by one of the humans. Dracna got none. Work resumed and Dracna was moved back to the second cart to shift and load the bags from the first cart. When we finished, the sun was setting and we were unhooked from the cart chains and taken back to our cages and collar chains replaced. Humans in slave collars brought bowls. Water and soup. Bread for me. Once they were alone I tore off a quarter of the bread for Dracna who was weaker and worse than me. Dracna wolfed down the offered bread and gulped the soup. She nodded off for a bit sitting with her back to the cage corner. When we were in darkness she chanted something in ghenid. I looked at her sitting there, looking confused. "What are you doing? Is that speaking to your gods?"
Dracna looked around. "No." she replied. "Me ghosts bring. No come."
"What?" I said, looking around for signs of them. "Ghosts?"
Dracna nodded and closed her eyes. Asleep again? Then her leg irons fell off and clanked to the ground.
I jumped up, staring at the leg irons. "How did you do that?"
"Shadow Krarue do. Ghost things move. Lock do."
I looked around searching for the ghost. Then the manacles dropped. I gasped and stepped back. Dracna just looked angry. She said something in ghenid, then looked intently at me. "Olrhee, you free want?" Dracna said.
I nodded.
"Blood give free be?"
I tried to sort out the nonsense she was saying. "What? "
"Need blood. Ghosts feed."
I wasn't so sure about this and said so "Blood is the path of the soul. If I give it to these ghosts they take my strength and they might control me!"
Dracna laughed. "No! Stupid thinking. Blood little take. No aedoteerua. No control. You want stay?"
I stood there. It made no sense to me. Then my leg irons fell off and I yelped and jumped back shaking. Ghosts. Real ghosts? Or just magic? The manacles fell away with a clank. When the collar chain came free I raced for the cage door, heart racing. Mother had talked about our gods and spirits- but they never did things like this. Mighty Urr who protected the people broke chains and had magical powers. Was this Dracna an Urr of her kind?
"Olrhee!" Dracna barked. ""Want go? Make cut. Give blood.""
I nodded, barely able to whisper "Yes" as I stood shaking like a leaf, claws out and seeking the ghost. Dracna was mumbling something in her language. Then commanded "Now. Blood!"
I watched as I reached down and ran my claws into my leg. Blood rose and I felt a cold sweeping touch and the blood vanished. more oozed as she also felt a cold wet touch lower on her leg. She touched it and brought a cold sort of slime on her fingers to her nose. It was like old bones and ashes. The touch that wiped away the blood felt like cold meat dragged across her leg.
The doors swung open and Dracna told me to undo her neck chain. A bit of wire was in my hand. Where had it come from? I set to the lock and had it picked soon after. Then I helped her stand and hobble to the door. We looked out into the dark yard. Bugbears and a pair of Ghenid were on the wall watching. "Go! Go!" urged the ghenid as we limped out into the yard.
We were half way across when a sudden wind arose. It grew stronger, pushing at us, slowing and then bringing us to a halt. A tall swirling funnel of wind pushing us back half sliding and half stepping. Then a gong sounded. An alarm. Dracna cursed the sorcerer and pushed me to one side and fell rolling to the other. The whirlwind followed pushing at me, driving me step by step back toward the barn. Dracna crawled towards the gatehouse.
"Dracna, help!" I shouted to her as I slid back and back.
"Much magic. Ghost guard many." Dracna shouted back, crawling as fast as she could. Then the ground rose up and swallowed Drcana.
The wind howled in my ears. blinding me with dust and sand. I fought to advance, but couldn't move against the wind. I shouted for Dracna. But the only answer was being wrapped in earth and stone and dragged under the ground. Was this our ghostly escape?
Instead of freedom I was in my cage with arms held out before me and legs together suspended as I was held wrapped in stone. Gazakral and one of the humans were there. He reached out and snapped a new collar on above the old. Dracna was already back in her chains They re-attached the neck chain, manacles and leg irons while I watched paralyzed as the earth and stone melted away from around me into the plain old stone floor of my pen.
Gazakral gently held my face in one hand while licking a finger "I don't blame you. That one." Pointing to Dracna. "That one used you as a tool. I will make it harder, for her." Then he traced that pattern and chanted words. He did it over and over.
I arrived in a wagon with a bugbear and a ghenid prisoner. Hands chained to a metal bar so we couldn't break and run. Gazakral instructed his human foreman and some bugbears to clean us up and get bedded down. The ghenid was talking to Gazakral in ghenid talk. We got moved from the wagon with our bar and strung up in a barn with pens. Wearing only our thin prisoner tunics, the bugbears splashed us with buckets of cold water and set to scrubbing us with rough bars of soap. That and pinching nipples, feeling up the Ghenid and me most, but also the other bugbear, groping places they shouldn't. Whispering in my ear "Like that don't ya kitty?", "We'll get get along grand when we have our way." and feeling and slapping my ass and under my tail. They did the same to the Ghenid, but she just looked blankly at the wall with her ears down. One reached between my legs whispering "Want some don't ya?". Furious I pulled up my arms and legs and kicked that one hard as I could raking with both feet. It was satisfying to see him fly across the room and hit the wall hard. The others laughed and that one picked himself up, showing a jagged line of sharp teeth in it's wide mouth. Then I heard rattling chains and the human leader showed me leg iron chains with weights on them. "No!" I howled as I tried shaking the bugbears off when they grabbed my legs, stretching them out and affixing the leg irons. Then they raised the bar we were cuffed to. The Ghenid stood comfortably but the Bugbear and I were just hanging by our arms and I was stretched by the weighted leg irons. And it got worse. Punched and bitten and kicked by the Bugbears, who laughed and hooted, delighting in the beating I was defenseless against no matter how I pulled and twisted. They cut away the tunic and forced themselves on me having their way one after the other, choking me, punching, biting the flesh of my tits and belly, and doing as they wanted. Finally, after I don't know how long it stopped. Vision blurry and ears ringing, everything aching, burning, throbbing, or in stabbing pain. More cold water. The bar lowered and the other two were affixed with leg irons before they were set into cages with straw piles as beds. Then the bar was raised up again leaving me in agony and looking at the floor with soapy wet pools of pink blood stained water.
“ Worth the resistance?” Said the human. “You are not someone now, you are a thing.” He herded the Bugbears out and closed and locked the outer door. The space was dimly lit by narrow slit windows when the outer door was closed.
I heard rattling chains. Hanging there I just tried to breathe, and not vomit. Water or blood dripping through my coat. Hours later the room brightened and the door opened. Gazakral, his human and the bugbears again. The Ghenid spoke in their language for a bit before Gazakral said “No.” in common. “Hold her”. The other was kneeling with Bugbears at either side. Gazakral stepped up speaking ghenid again and snapped a collar around her neck above the iron slave collar we other two also wore. He turned to the human and said “Remove the wet rag. Give her a dry towel.”
The human cut away and tugged off the wet tunic, tossing it aside. Gazakral smiling and the other ghenid just barely showing teeth between a snarl and grimace. A dry towel was forced between bars of her cell as Gazakral's party left. The Bugbear smashed his manacles against the bars and floor. and rubbed his groin. “I big boss, yeah. Give yourself to me, you be boss with me.” The ghenid flattened her ears and bared teeth at him. “Put tail against the bars, yeah? I make you feel good.” She just leaned against the far wall.
We were left alone again for several hours. I came to by the human talking as he hit the ghenid's cage bars with a dagger. “Master wants you at the house. Get up!”. She pushed herself to hands and knees, then got her shackled feet under her and shuffled naked to the door as the human unlocked it, two Bugbears at his sides with clubs in hand. “Be smart and don’t give us trouble.” said the human. She bobbed her head “No trouble” she repeated. The human pointed at a bucket and a Bugbear grabbed it, and pushed it into the cage. “Piss or crap now.” She chose to relieve herself, balancing over the bucket. Then they left, locking the door behind them and leaving me hanging.
It was maybe an hour before they returned dragging a bloody and beaten ghenid that they tossed in her cage. They lowered the bar enough that I could just touch toes to the floor, but it didn't help the pain and burning of my arms and shoulders. "Please.." I gasped. But they just locked the gate and door and left. Sometime later came a bowl of water and soup or some food for the bugbear. I couldn't see well in to his cell. Nothing for me. The night was agony. I pissed on the floor hanging there like meat. It wasn't until the next morning that they lowered the bar and took me manacled and with weighted leg irons into a cell chained to the ceiling by my collar. There was a bowl of water. The ghenid didn't move- aside from the ragged breathing.
The next day Gazakral and his guard woke me. He made a strange mark on my arm while muttering as he had done when he took me from the bond slave market. Then a strange ghenid took over and made me sweep and. clean the courtyard naked. Whipped with a short crop if I balked or was too slow for the Ghenid overseer. Of course I was weak, beaten and sore. So more beatings. Then cleaning the pens. Sweeping out old spoiled and soiled straw, splashing water and sweeping away any filth, then placing fresh straw. back in my pen was stew, bread and water. which I left no trace of. And slept with only a faint awareness of moans from the ghenid next to my cell. The next day was the same, another mark from Gazakral and set to work, but I was faster and back in the afternoon. The bugbear prisoner was gone. I heard the ghenid groan, stirr with short panting breath. She rolled over and tried to push herself up, and vomited instead.
"Still alive?" I said.
She red eyes squinted at me, then turned to inspecting and testing each finger and hand, the arms and wounds over legs, arms and body. She crawled to the bowl of food and water, drank, panted heavily with wincing and ate, finishing the water before collapsing on the stonework floor.
Hello?" I said. But she was out again. It was hours later, just after a human brought food and that was slipped between the bars as our old ones were pulled out by a hooked stick, that a harsh croak barely above a whisper asked "What day?" I had to stop and think, day one was bad. Second bad but better. This was the third. I told her that. She coughed and winced. Then took small careful breaths and crawled to her food and water, gulping down one after the other. Then she turned to me and spoke.
"What ... barbarian be?" Her accented Atan was bad.
"Barbarian? Lawless savages. Not living in towns. Wandering tribes. Simple old ways. No books or buildings. Simple."
"What laws?"
"Rules and commands of the rulers and the city, towns or kingdom."
"Cannibal?"
"Eat the flesh of people."
"Criminal?"
"That is what we are. Broke the laws, the rules of the city and got caught. "
Shew laid her ears back and tried to stand, failed and then tried to pull herself up the cage wall. She got half way before sliding back down and falling over. Passed out again.
In the morning light she crawled to the corner of her pen. "You stand?" she asked.
Sitting up and rubbing the poor excuse of sleep from my eyes. "Yes" I replied
"Dracna be me. Gone from sky is sun I make go. You me help stand. You me go."
It took me a moment to figure out her words. "You speak Atan very badly Dracna. I am Olrhee. Do you promise by your gods and blood that you will take me with you if I help?"
"Yes. Promise make. You take Aedoteerua you help?"
"Yes, I swear on this Aedoteerua that I will help."
Dracna crawled slowly to the bars that she and I shared. "Hand give." she barked.
I stood and slowly walked over, thrusting my hand between the bars. She stuck a clawed finger in her mouth and drew some mark on my fur while talking like Gazakral did when he performed this same ritual.
"You are one of those wild barbarians from up north, aren't you?" I asked while wiping my hand on the fur of my leg.
Dracna nodded. "North. Yes."
"They beat you up good. Why?"
Dracna paused for a breath. "Start train. Me fight."
"As an arena fighter?" but her eyes had gone unfocused and she was crawling away toward the door of her cell. She stopped, and shook her head.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
Dracna's ears went down and she whispered "Gazakral come"
A minute later the door opened and Gazakral, the four humans and four bugbears, all with clubs. Gazakral looked at us and clapped his hands and said "Time to earn your keep." His humans pulled chains suspended on hooks that connected to the chains on our collars. These pulled us up by our throats. I scrambled up quickly while Dracna struggled to stand gagging and choking. Our cages were unlocked and Gazakral entered with his humans and made the mark on me and glanced over to the other cage where bugbears hauled Dracna to a swaying standing and trembling legs. "That one will not give us much trouble today." he said before removing the chains to our neck collars. Then he commanded "Follow" and I found myself shuffling along right behind him. Dracna was dragged along after by her guards. The courtyard was bright with the morning sun and we were taken to a pair of wagons about 12 feet apart. our chains were connected to the wagons. Gazakral spoke again. "Easy job. Move the bags from this cart to that one. The one who moves more gets extra food. Go slow and you get whipped." He walked to the shade where there was a cushioned chair, a table, some cups and a pitcher. He sat and poured into a cup. "Get to work!"
Something in his voice compelled me to jump into the first cart, grab a bag and drag it out and carry it to the second. The human guard told me to stack it at the front of the cart. As I turned I saw Dracna standing at the first cart, leaning heavily and squinting. "Get going you lazy beast!" shouted a guard who showed the whip. She shuffled to the back of the cart, grabbed a bag and was pulled to the ground by it. I shouted out. "Wait. Dracna, get in the other cart, stack the bags as I bring them, ok?" I helped Dracna to stand and shuffle to the empty cart, with a human guard standing glowering at us, and guided her to the other cart. Then I brought the bags over, Dranca pushed and pulled them to the back and stacked the bags, panting as she worked.
When about half the bags had been moved I had Dracna move to the first cart and move bags to the back. I moved them from one cart to the other stacking up bags at the back.. Gazakral called out that I had earned water, and a cup was brought by one of the humans. Dracna got none. Work resumed and Dracna was moved back to the second cart to shift and load the bags from the first cart. When we finished, the sun was setting and we were unhooked from the cart chains and taken back to our cages and collar chains replaced. Humans in slave collars brought bowls. Water and soup. Bread for me. Once they were alone I tore off a quarter of the bread for Dracna who was weaker and worse than me. Dracna wolfed down the offered bread and gulped the soup. She nodded off for a bit sitting with her back to the cage corner. When we were in darkness she chanted something in ghenid. I looked at her sitting there, looking confused. "What are you doing? Is that speaking to your gods?"
Dracna looked around. "No." she replied. "Me ghosts bring. No come."
"What?" I said, looking around for signs of them. "Ghosts?"
Dracna nodded and closed her eyes. Asleep again? Then her leg irons fell off and clanked to the ground.
I jumped up, staring at the leg irons. "How did you do that?"
"Shadow Krarue do. Ghost things move. Lock do."
I looked around searching for the ghost. Then the manacles dropped. I gasped and stepped back. Dracna just looked angry. She said something in ghenid, then looked intently at me. "Olrhee, you free want?" Dracna said.
I nodded.
"Blood give free be?"
I tried to sort out the nonsense she was saying. "What? "
"Need blood. Ghosts feed."
I wasn't so sure about this and said so "Blood is the path of the soul. If I give it to these ghosts they take my strength and they might control me!"
Dracna laughed. "No! Stupid thinking. Blood little take. No aedoteerua. No control. You want stay?"
I stood there. It made no sense to me. Then my leg irons fell off and I yelped and jumped back shaking. Ghosts. Real ghosts? Or just magic? The manacles fell away with a clank. When the collar chain came free I raced for the cage door, heart racing. Mother had talked about our gods and spirits- but they never did things like this. Mighty Urr who protected the people broke chains and had magical powers. Was this Dracna an Urr of her kind?
"Olrhee!" Dracna barked. ""Want go? Make cut. Give blood.""
I nodded, barely able to whisper "Yes" as I stood shaking like a leaf, claws out and seeking the ghost. Dracna was mumbling something in her language. Then commanded "Now. Blood!"
I watched as I reached down and ran my claws into my leg. Blood rose and I felt a cold sweeping touch and the blood vanished. more oozed as she also felt a cold wet touch lower on her leg. She touched it and brought a cold sort of slime on her fingers to her nose. It was like old bones and ashes. The touch that wiped away the blood felt like cold meat dragged across her leg.
The doors swung open and Dracna told me to undo her neck chain. A bit of wire was in my hand. Where had it come from? I set to the lock and had it picked soon after. Then I helped her stand and hobble to the door. We looked out into the dark yard. Bugbears and a pair of Ghenid were on the wall watching. "Go! Go!" urged the ghenid as we limped out into the yard.
We were half way across when a sudden wind arose. It grew stronger, pushing at us, slowing and then bringing us to a halt. A tall swirling funnel of wind pushing us back half sliding and half stepping. Then a gong sounded. An alarm. Dracna cursed the sorcerer and pushed me to one side and fell rolling to the other. The whirlwind followed pushing at me, driving me step by step back toward the barn. Dracna crawled towards the gatehouse.
"Dracna, help!" I shouted to her as I slid back and back.
"Much magic. Ghost guard many." Dracna shouted back, crawling as fast as she could. Then the ground rose up and swallowed Drcana.
The wind howled in my ears. blinding me with dust and sand. I fought to advance, but couldn't move against the wind. I shouted for Dracna. But the only answer was being wrapped in earth and stone and dragged under the ground. Was this our ghostly escape?
Instead of freedom I was in my cage with arms held out before me and legs together suspended as I was held wrapped in stone. Gazakral and one of the humans were there. He reached out and snapped a new collar on above the old. Dracna was already back in her chains They re-attached the neck chain, manacles and leg irons while I watched paralyzed as the earth and stone melted away from around me into the plain old stone floor of my pen.
Gazakral gently held my face in one hand while licking a finger "I don't blame you. That one." Pointing to Dracna. "That one used you as a tool. I will make it harder, for her." Then he traced that pattern and chanted words. He did it over and over.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Born of a Bahku Poet (Gul. "Gool") who was employed as Oath Binder and Truth speaker by a noble sponsor of the charitable Brotherhood of Fellowship. Gul told her daughter the stories, legends and ways of the Bahku. When Olrhee was just a few years old, her mother died and she was given over to an orphanage run by the Brotherhood. The Headmaster, Korevan, possessed a poor opinion of nonhumanoids, and referred to Olrhee as a beast. This attitude was spread by some staff and taken up by other orphans. She was frequently picked on and fought with older orphans while taking to use of her claws and teeth to protect her friends, leading to sometimes serious injuries, which caused her to be labeled as a dangerous troublemaker. Her tormentors rarely were blamed or punished.
Amongst the orphans there were stories of haunted sections of the orphanage and occasional disappearances that staff attributed to runaways. Amongst the residents of the dormatories few had ever heard of someone planning to runaway. Olrhee with her Bahku night vision and natural stealth would frequently sneak out of the dormitory at night as she got older. It was during one of these jaunts to the kitchens that she was attacked and lost her eye. Wounded and terrified she had told the infirmary nurse Old lady Howsa, that she was attacked by a doll favored by one of the older human girls - "Mister Wizard". The headmaster took this as Olrhee blaming the older girl for the attack for which she was punished and expelled from the orphanage to work as a laundress apprentice.
The headmaster's warnings and admonishments that "The beast " was trouble, likely to steal and wander, and not to be trusted resulted in more poor treatment and when not working, Olrhee was chained to a post where her rag bed was. And she did run after several months. On the street she eventually fell in with a gang called Cutter's Punks in the Iron District of Western Incaras. Here she developed thieving skills and became one of Cutter's burglers.
As she matured she began to inquire about her mother and the noble, his household only known by job titles and "sir". She did recall a few children she had played with. She eventually found the house of Zoharin, a lesser noble house associated with the Southern Trade cartel families. When approached, they claimed no knowledge of how her mother had died (implying she may have been murdered for exposing clients involved in criminal activities) and the bad reports from the orphanage. Not satisfied, and sensing something 'off" Olrhee chose to sneak into the house and investigate as well as rob them in the night.
What Olrhee found included secret rooms, documents suggesting Zoharin were involved in smuggling and kidnapping, and a room with robes - like the ones decorating the "Mister Wizard" doll of the orphanage. In trying to sneak out she was caught by a scaled creature with claws and tentacled face that she fought and fled from, leaping from a 3rd floor window while calling for help. Neighbors and their guard caught and held her as house Zoharin had awoken and sought help from neighbors and the guards of several houses. Her claims of a monster were brushed aside with display of a horned mask worn by a guard, the robes were of course Brotherhood of Fellowship robes, and the documents she claimed to have had, vanished. The Tribune directed she was sold as a bond slave as punishment for her crimes ( at the request of Zoharin it was specifically instructed that she go to the Ghenid slave trader Gazakral).
As a bond slave of Gazakral she met and tried to escape with another bond slave- a barbarian Ghenid female named Dracna . Both were ignorant of the laws and were mistreated, sexually abused and Dracna extensively tortured before being sold away. Gazakral tried to break Olrhee as a prostitute with dark magics and torments to control her, both illegal methods. He eventually obtained Bakhu oaths of obedience along with Ghenid Aedoteerua: The Soul Chain to train her for simple slave labor.
A few months later Dracna used Aedoteerua that she had placed on Olrhee to track her and immobilize her to be captured. Taken to the tenement building of M'he. S'Oang of Eǂyelfua Clan of Incaras where Dracna now dwelt. As Dracna prepared to sacrifice Olrhee to Dracna's ghost familiar as part of an agreed payment between the ghost and Dracna, M'he intervened, using her aedoteerua on Dracna to force her to step away. She was disarmed and beaten by M'he's guard and Olrhee locked in a holding cell. Dracna was questioned on what she was doing and why and corrected that M'he's house were civilized and did not break the laws by murdering, killing anything but basic animals for sacrifices, nor engaging in cannibalism. All banned. M'he later questioned Olrhee to get her history and situation. M'he offered to protect her from Cutter, Dracna and Gazakral, buy out Olrhee's five years bondage and offer room and some small pay in exchange for working for her as spy and thief, which Olrhee agreed to. Meaanwhile M'he began her own spying and investigation of Zoharin, making Dracna use her ghost familiar and sending Dracna and several others along with their ghost familiars to inform Cutter of the new arrangements. Unable to remove Gazakral's aedoteerua, the weight (and influence of them) was diluted by distributed chains place by M'he and later Dracna after they had become closer and after she had joined the Watch.
Amongst the orphans there were stories of haunted sections of the orphanage and occasional disappearances that staff attributed to runaways. Amongst the residents of the dormatories few had ever heard of someone planning to runaway. Olrhee with her Bahku night vision and natural stealth would frequently sneak out of the dormitory at night as she got older. It was during one of these jaunts to the kitchens that she was attacked and lost her eye. Wounded and terrified she had told the infirmary nurse Old lady Howsa, that she was attacked by a doll favored by one of the older human girls - "Mister Wizard". The headmaster took this as Olrhee blaming the older girl for the attack for which she was punished and expelled from the orphanage to work as a laundress apprentice.
The headmaster's warnings and admonishments that "The beast " was trouble, likely to steal and wander, and not to be trusted resulted in more poor treatment and when not working, Olrhee was chained to a post where her rag bed was. And she did run after several months. On the street she eventually fell in with a gang called Cutter's Punks in the Iron District of Western Incaras. Here she developed thieving skills and became one of Cutter's burglers.
As she matured she began to inquire about her mother and the noble, his household only known by job titles and "sir". She did recall a few children she had played with. She eventually found the house of Zoharin, a lesser noble house associated with the Southern Trade cartel families. When approached, they claimed no knowledge of how her mother had died (implying she may have been murdered for exposing clients involved in criminal activities) and the bad reports from the orphanage. Not satisfied, and sensing something 'off" Olrhee chose to sneak into the house and investigate as well as rob them in the night.
What Olrhee found included secret rooms, documents suggesting Zoharin were involved in smuggling and kidnapping, and a room with robes - like the ones decorating the "Mister Wizard" doll of the orphanage. In trying to sneak out she was caught by a scaled creature with claws and tentacled face that she fought and fled from, leaping from a 3rd floor window while calling for help. Neighbors and their guard caught and held her as house Zoharin had awoken and sought help from neighbors and the guards of several houses. Her claims of a monster were brushed aside with display of a horned mask worn by a guard, the robes were of course Brotherhood of Fellowship robes, and the documents she claimed to have had, vanished. The Tribune directed she was sold as a bond slave as punishment for her crimes ( at the request of Zoharin it was specifically instructed that she go to the Ghenid slave trader Gazakral).
As a bond slave of Gazakral she met and tried to escape with another bond slave- a barbarian Ghenid female named Dracna . Both were ignorant of the laws and were mistreated, sexually abused and Dracna extensively tortured before being sold away. Gazakral tried to break Olrhee as a prostitute with dark magics and torments to control her, both illegal methods. He eventually obtained Bakhu oaths of obedience along with Ghenid Aedoteerua: The Soul Chain to train her for simple slave labor.
A few months later Dracna used Aedoteerua that she had placed on Olrhee to track her and immobilize her to be captured. Taken to the tenement building of M'he. S'Oang of Eǂyelfua Clan of Incaras where Dracna now dwelt. As Dracna prepared to sacrifice Olrhee to Dracna's ghost familiar as part of an agreed payment between the ghost and Dracna, M'he intervened, using her aedoteerua on Dracna to force her to step away. She was disarmed and beaten by M'he's guard and Olrhee locked in a holding cell. Dracna was questioned on what she was doing and why and corrected that M'he's house were civilized and did not break the laws by murdering, killing anything but basic animals for sacrifices, nor engaging in cannibalism. All banned. M'he later questioned Olrhee to get her history and situation. M'he offered to protect her from Cutter, Dracna and Gazakral, buy out Olrhee's five years bondage and offer room and some small pay in exchange for working for her as spy and thief, which Olrhee agreed to. Meaanwhile M'he began her own spying and investigation of Zoharin, making Dracna use her ghost familiar and sending Dracna and several others along with their ghost familiars to inform Cutter of the new arrangements. Unable to remove Gazakral's aedoteerua, the weight (and influence of them) was diluted by distributed chains place by M'he and later Dracna after they had become closer and after she had joined the Watch.
Failures & Embarrassments
She has two great failures and embarrassments.
Failing to live up to the standards of Bahku society even before she could or even properly knew them.
And.
Finding support and success in a tribe of Ghenid in the city. A species of aggressive, opportunistic, greedy and amoral creatures , almost the opposite of her own people, amongst whom she was valued.
Failing to live up to the standards of Bahku society even before she could or even properly knew them.
And.
Finding support and success in a tribe of Ghenid in the city. A species of aggressive, opportunistic, greedy and amoral creatures , almost the opposite of her own people, amongst whom she was valued.
Mental Trauma
Olrhee was traumatized by her mother's death and being thrown from the only home she had known, into the Brotherhood orphanage. The cold and callus treatment and torment by many older orphans made her withdrawn and distrusting. She was told her mother's fables were pagan lies and that nonhumans were lesser. Then being blamed for, and being told she was lying about the supernatural attack that cost her her eye before being ripped from the few friends and familiar but cruel orphanage extinguished hope.
Joining the street gang she was accepted, trained and praised. Again she had friends. But she was also aware that she failed by the standards her mother had told her about. She found Bahku on the streets and was cursed and driven away as a dishonorable thief, a weak person of no worth or standing and failing even a basic warrior's skllls. She determined that she would avenge her mother and used her thieving skills and network to find the truth.
Being captured and told she was lying about the creature and documents. That she was nothing but an ungrateful thief hurt her again. In Gazakral's pens her fighting spirit was broken by torture and abuse, and the thread of hope betrayed when Dracna tried to use her as a decoy in attempting to escape. Gazakral used her isolation and fear, giving her feined comfort and support that was pulled away. She was worn down and hopelessly accepted her status as a bond slave.
Dracna capturing her left her bewildered and terrified when she realized she was going to be killed. Then out of nowhere she was saved by another Ghenid and given support and protection by M'he. Olrhee trusted and believed none of it. But M'he actually kept her word and even forced Dracna to work under Olrhee with other Ghenid protecting her and enforcing her commands.
Olrhee has a deep fear and dislike of Bugbears.
Joining the street gang she was accepted, trained and praised. Again she had friends. But she was also aware that she failed by the standards her mother had told her about. She found Bahku on the streets and was cursed and driven away as a dishonorable thief, a weak person of no worth or standing and failing even a basic warrior's skllls. She determined that she would avenge her mother and used her thieving skills and network to find the truth.
Being captured and told she was lying about the creature and documents. That she was nothing but an ungrateful thief hurt her again. In Gazakral's pens her fighting spirit was broken by torture and abuse, and the thread of hope betrayed when Dracna tried to use her as a decoy in attempting to escape. Gazakral used her isolation and fear, giving her feined comfort and support that was pulled away. She was worn down and hopelessly accepted her status as a bond slave.
Dracna capturing her left her bewildered and terrified when she realized she was going to be killed. Then out of nowhere she was saved by another Ghenid and given support and protection by M'he. Olrhee trusted and believed none of it. But M'he actually kept her word and even forced Dracna to work under Olrhee with other Ghenid protecting her and enforcing her commands.
Olrhee has a deep fear and dislike of Bugbears.
"What can I do? My own people reject me and cursing me as dishonorable and unfit to the Gods. They rejected me first, and I refused to lay down and just die. Not in the orphanage, not on the streets and not after. I got a patron who respected my skills. Kinda crazy after Gazakral, then Dracna dragging me to this Ghenid house. Me, working for them Ghenid. Crazy M'he, who wanted to be seen as a Noble Lady, and assummed human costumes as if that would help, commanded Dracna to help me. M'he explained that the aedoteerua should not be forced in the city - casting it upon someone without consent, even uninformed consent, was technically illegal witchcraft. M'he was going to be running clean and legal to any who looked. Only later did she understand how crooked many lords and ladies were. Old Ikheerha actually got Dracna to make an apology to me. At least for trying to sacrifice me to her Uncle's ghost, from part of a deal she had made with the ghost when we tried to escape from Gazakral's slave pens. I was still mad about how she had betrayed me then, and tried to kill me later. Sometimes I still smile when I recall the days that Gazakral had made a display of torturing her and trying to break her. I hated to say that seeing her resist it fired up some resistance in me. Now with the other Ghenid, Dracna was acting as my guard and I'd show the old human and her around the city.
Dracna's kinda like a kid, wanting to stop and listen to speakers in the square, listen to stories or watch puppet plays. I didn't want nothing to do with them Ghenid much. Ikheerha and me got on right. I guess spending decades as a Ghenid slave made him different. He didn't look down on me. Didn't reject me as a Bahku, broken or not. We hooked up. But he is Dracna's - heart, soul and by that cursed aedoteerua forever. So she was there a lot. He told me how she'd lost her cubs. Kids. Whatever. And two had been like family to him and he lost them too. She could call up the ghosts and he could talk to them and make offerings. She claimed her aedoteerua gave me a real immortal ghost. We argued about that. She figured I owed her and I figured she owed me. I don't know. Mother's stories said we join the Gods and ancestors in the sky after, but I never saw no Bahku ghosts or spirits, the Gods neither except when Ragar's Itch was on me. Ikheerha helped with that. I never met mother's ghost nor saw her in dreams after the orphanage. Guess I was too corrupted and dishonorable by then.
At first it was him and me. Then later him and Dracna with me. We became a right little tribe. The old human, that crazy barbarian bitch and me. Drinking, off to the baths, meals, her fascination with theaters and actors and the stories and healers of all kinds. We got to know each other. I got her to take a Blood oath to help and protect me as best she could. We really became more friends after, though I don't think Ghenid ever really understand friendship.
Dracna went to the Watch and I was teaching M'he's guards and others on watching for thieves, cutpurses and preventing burglars. Dracna introduced me to a Gnome tailor and I taught him a few tricks for garments against cutpurses and pickpockets. We made an agreement on him paying a bit from each one sold.
When Ikheerha died it was hard. We comforted each other- though she'd deny it, saying Ghenid are hard and tough. They didn't make a show of sadness because their dead were never gone. Got harder when she'd call up his ghost, with his sad old face. Mouthing words I couldn't hear. That's when I broke it off. Dracna and I see each other time to time, swap information and rumors. We're all tied up together by the aedoteerua and if I don't get to join the Bakhu in the sky, I'll be tied up with the Ghenid and old Ikheerha in the Underworld."
Dracna's kinda like a kid, wanting to stop and listen to speakers in the square, listen to stories or watch puppet plays. I didn't want nothing to do with them Ghenid much. Ikheerha and me got on right. I guess spending decades as a Ghenid slave made him different. He didn't look down on me. Didn't reject me as a Bahku, broken or not. We hooked up. But he is Dracna's - heart, soul and by that cursed aedoteerua forever. So she was there a lot. He told me how she'd lost her cubs. Kids. Whatever. And two had been like family to him and he lost them too. She could call up the ghosts and he could talk to them and make offerings. She claimed her aedoteerua gave me a real immortal ghost. We argued about that. She figured I owed her and I figured she owed me. I don't know. Mother's stories said we join the Gods and ancestors in the sky after, but I never saw no Bahku ghosts or spirits, the Gods neither except when Ragar's Itch was on me. Ikheerha helped with that. I never met mother's ghost nor saw her in dreams after the orphanage. Guess I was too corrupted and dishonorable by then.
At first it was him and me. Then later him and Dracna with me. We became a right little tribe. The old human, that crazy barbarian bitch and me. Drinking, off to the baths, meals, her fascination with theaters and actors and the stories and healers of all kinds. We got to know each other. I got her to take a Blood oath to help and protect me as best she could. We really became more friends after, though I don't think Ghenid ever really understand friendship.
Dracna went to the Watch and I was teaching M'he's guards and others on watching for thieves, cutpurses and preventing burglars. Dracna introduced me to a Gnome tailor and I taught him a few tricks for garments against cutpurses and pickpockets. We made an agreement on him paying a bit from each one sold.
When Ikheerha died it was hard. We comforted each other- though she'd deny it, saying Ghenid are hard and tough. They didn't make a show of sadness because their dead were never gone. Got harder when she'd call up his ghost, with his sad old face. Mouthing words I couldn't hear. That's when I broke it off. Dracna and I see each other time to time, swap information and rumors. We're all tied up together by the aedoteerua and if I don't get to join the Bakhu in the sky, I'll be tied up with the Ghenid and old Ikheerha in the Underworld."
Species
Children
Eyes
Missing her left eye with a yellow one on the right
Hair
Dark brown mane verging on black
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
She has a dark tawny coat, less ochre or dark blonde than mixed tan.
Quotes & Catchphrases
"Only a dishonorable weakling thief of a Bahku would have me, but I could never accept a failure of a Bahku like that."
"There is ALWAYS something to find out about anyone."
"There is ALWAYS something to find out about anyone."
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