Ulgrez pushed the iron gate outward, indifferent to the screech of the hinges, and stepped out onto the vacant street. It was dark now, and shadows were kept at bay only by the periodic street lamps whose flames licked at the refreshing night air.
"Finally got bored in there, eh, Ulgrez?" The question came from the guard who sat on a barrel positioned next to the gate.
Ulgrez put his hands on his hips and strecthed his back. "I'm just getting bored in general."
The guard smirked at that. "Try sitting here for hours and hours with nothin' to do but stare across this ole' street at vacant buildings." He stood up and stretched his back as well.
Ulgrez cocked one eyebrow and surveyed the multiple levels of dark windows opposite them. "I have never taken the time notice... Are they all vacant?"
"Everyone within a half a league on either side of us moved out when the Capt'n moved in. And I doubt anyone new will take their places."
Ulgrez laughed scornfully. "You'ld probably do the same if you were one of them. You clam up tighter than anyone I've seen anytime he passes you."
The guard defended, "Well the Capt'n doesn't have the friendliest of reputations!"
Suddenly Ulgrez held up a finger to silence the man as he turned his head to look down the lamplit street.
Four dark figures stood a short distance away in the shadows between two lamp posts. As Ulgrez and the guard stared on, they stepped out onto the street and made their way toward the Black Captain's enclosed villa. They all wore cloaks so their features could not be identified.
"Now who do you suppose-"
"Shut-up!" Ulgrez snapped at him. He then turned back toward the figures and shouted, "I would stop right where you are unless you don't mind the idea of being fed to Greh'Yaelos Kornan's pet sharks!"
Their pace slowed only slightly and the figure foremost among them replied, "Is that name supposed to scare us?" It was a female voice with an edgy tone that cut like a razor.
Both men in front of the gate immediately recognized the accent and the guard spat, "L'disian!" He spun around to grab a spear that leaned against the wall.
Ulgrez had already pulled a dagger from his belt and was marching forward angrily to intercept the figures. "I don't know who you are, or what you think you're doing here but-"
He didn't have a chance to finish. With a simple snap of the female's fingers the cloaked individual beside her leapt forward with unusual strength and smacked the blade from Ulgrez's grip, while the other hand grasped his neck. The hood of the cloak had fallen back and Ulgrez had a split second to identify some features.
It was a man that attacked, or at least had been a man, because his eyes and snarl contained a viciousness that Ulgrez considered inhuman. His hair was dark and dissheveled, and his eyebrows were thick. But before Ulgrez noticed more, the man roughly threw him to the ground and bounded on top of him. Ulgrez was tall with thick shoulders and had never had a problem holding his own in a brawl, but this shorter opponent attacked with such a wild aggression that it was all Ulgrez could do just to defend himself, let alone rise to his feet. Sharpened fingernails tore into the flesh of Ulgrez's shoulder while the other hand balled into a fist and slammed into Ulgrez's head repeatedly.
At that point the guard drove the point of his spear into the attacker's leg. The howl that erupted from his lips was more out of annoyance than pain. He angrily snatched the shaft from the guard's grasp, just as Ulgrez reached upward and back-handed him across the jaw. Offbalance now, the man unintentionally opened himself up to an onslaught from Ulgrez and the guard.
Ulgrez soon threw his weight against the man's knees and shoved him backward, and then jumped up onto his feet to grab at his fallen dagger. He briefly caught sight of one of the other figures leaping toward the guard as he bent downward. Then he heard his companion's scream just as firelight from a nearby lamp post glinted off a devilish blade and Ulgrez was forced to halt in his tracks. The blade was held firmly against his neck by the female figure who he had at least identified as being L'disian. The hood of her cloak still hung low over her face, masking her features, but wicked yellow eyes seemed to glow through the darkness.
"You react instinctively and without panic... I am impressed," she said with a hint of amusement. The malicious edge to her voice still remained though.
Ulgrez's fierce glare did not waiver. "I have been in worse situations."
"I believe you have." A smile revealed beautiful white teeth with sharp canines. "But it can quickly become much... much worse. You do not want to imagine what I am capable of."
There was silence for a moment. Finally Ulgrez asked steadily, "What do you want?"
She seemed pleased because the spiteful smile returned, but the blade remained tight against his neck. He could feel blood begining to soak into his tunic. She replied, "Take me to your Captain."
"Finally got bored in there, eh, Ulgrez?" The question came from the guard who sat on a barrel positioned next to the gate.
Ulgrez put his hands on his hips and strecthed his back. "I'm just getting bored in general."
The guard smirked at that. "Try sitting here for hours and hours with nothin' to do but stare across this ole' street at vacant buildings." He stood up and stretched his back as well.
Ulgrez cocked one eyebrow and surveyed the multiple levels of dark windows opposite them. "I have never taken the time notice... Are they all vacant?"
"Everyone within a half a league on either side of us moved out when the Capt'n moved in. And I doubt anyone new will take their places."
Ulgrez laughed scornfully. "You'ld probably do the same if you were one of them. You clam up tighter than anyone I've seen anytime he passes you."
The guard defended, "Well the Capt'n doesn't have the friendliest of reputations!"
Suddenly Ulgrez held up a finger to silence the man as he turned his head to look down the lamplit street.
Four dark figures stood a short distance away in the shadows between two lamp posts. As Ulgrez and the guard stared on, they stepped out onto the street and made their way toward the Black Captain's enclosed villa. They all wore cloaks so their features could not be identified.
"Now who do you suppose-"
"Shut-up!" Ulgrez snapped at him. He then turned back toward the figures and shouted, "I would stop right where you are unless you don't mind the idea of being fed to Greh'Yaelos Kornan's pet sharks!"
Their pace slowed only slightly and the figure foremost among them replied, "Is that name supposed to scare us?" It was a female voice with an edgy tone that cut like a razor.
Both men in front of the gate immediately recognized the accent and the guard spat, "L'disian!" He spun around to grab a spear that leaned against the wall.
Ulgrez had already pulled a dagger from his belt and was marching forward angrily to intercept the figures. "I don't know who you are, or what you think you're doing here but-"
He didn't have a chance to finish. With a simple snap of the female's fingers the cloaked individual beside her leapt forward with unusual strength and smacked the blade from Ulgrez's grip, while the other hand grasped his neck. The hood of the cloak had fallen back and Ulgrez had a split second to identify some features.
It was a man that attacked, or at least had been a man, because his eyes and snarl contained a viciousness that Ulgrez considered inhuman. His hair was dark and dissheveled, and his eyebrows were thick. But before Ulgrez noticed more, the man roughly threw him to the ground and bounded on top of him. Ulgrez was tall with thick shoulders and had never had a problem holding his own in a brawl, but this shorter opponent attacked with such a wild aggression that it was all Ulgrez could do just to defend himself, let alone rise to his feet. Sharpened fingernails tore into the flesh of Ulgrez's shoulder while the other hand balled into a fist and slammed into Ulgrez's head repeatedly.
At that point the guard drove the point of his spear into the attacker's leg. The howl that erupted from his lips was more out of annoyance than pain. He angrily snatched the shaft from the guard's grasp, just as Ulgrez reached upward and back-handed him across the jaw. Offbalance now, the man unintentionally opened himself up to an onslaught from Ulgrez and the guard.
Ulgrez soon threw his weight against the man's knees and shoved him backward, and then jumped up onto his feet to grab at his fallen dagger. He briefly caught sight of one of the other figures leaping toward the guard as he bent downward. Then he heard his companion's scream just as firelight from a nearby lamp post glinted off a devilish blade and Ulgrez was forced to halt in his tracks. The blade was held firmly against his neck by the female figure who he had at least identified as being L'disian. The hood of her cloak still hung low over her face, masking her features, but wicked yellow eyes seemed to glow through the darkness.
"You react instinctively and without panic... I am impressed," she said with a hint of amusement. The malicious edge to her voice still remained though.
Ulgrez's fierce glare did not waiver. "I have been in worse situations."
"I believe you have." A smile revealed beautiful white teeth with sharp canines. "But it can quickly become much... much worse. You do not want to imagine what I am capable of."
There was silence for a moment. Finally Ulgrez asked steadily, "What do you want?"
She seemed pleased because the spiteful smile returned, but the blade remained tight against his neck. He could feel blood begining to soak into his tunic. She replied, "Take me to your Captain."
~ Further translation of Sir Huntley's writings will be completed once Master Berardus allows me into the vault in the Library of Historical Records ~
At the center (and slightly right) of the TaeAra-map is the island of Keneroon {ken'err'oon}, which consists of two provinces of the I'landis Empire {eye'lann'diss}. The eastern half is Tesirea {tess'iir'ee'uh}, and the western half is Tebalea {teh'ball'ee'uh}. 
The large inlet into Tesirea is the Sea of Drucorr {druh'kor}, and at its furthest west point is our first location in the story. The Prologue drops you in on a scene of revelry at this location, and it is only visited in the Prologue and Epilogue. It is called Corsanis {kor'sann'iss}, and it is the capital of the province of Tesirea. It is an old and very large city, making it ideal for "underground" activites - such as the one taking place in the prologue. 
During the majority of the story you are taken through a small continent called Crune {kroon}, beginning at another port-city. This one is Empirica {em'peer'ih'kuh} - at the southernmost point of the northermost inlet. It is another capital, but not for the L'disians {luh'diss'ee'un} of I'landis. Rather, it is a growing city of importance for the L'disians' rivals, the Yuaelans {you'ell'un}. 
Then, just across the mountains to the west of Empirica is I'landis territory. And on the far west coast (centrally positioned) is Sharkara {shar'kar'uh}. This is where Vitrena is from. At the age of 17 she joins her father on a trip to Tandera (several months after her older brother's death) where she runs away into the Opal Mountains. It is there that she is captured during a raid on a settlement by men-at-arms working for the Yuaelan Viceroy of Empirica.
A significant amount of the story takes place at sea, between the locations of Yhevelta and the Keti-Orient. The waters here are traversed substancially by our characters. In Vitrena's case, it is not with the highest quality of company. But it is also not without its memorable impressions, because it is within these waters that that migration path of the majestic Evyhmrii {ev'im'ree} (fantastical species of whale) crosses.
The Keti-Orient... very rarely seen by "foreigners", it is a world of its own. Full of exotic creatures, and climates that encompass a wide variety, this land instills itself into Vitrena's soul. There is respect and honor to Ketimure that she has never experienced or felt before, and she will never be able to shake its effect on her.
