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Mud People's Village

"The Mud People’s Village - it goes by no other name I know of - except maybe home." - Jera Asin; Monitanian Fighter

 

Overview

The Mud People’s Village, it goes by no other name that I know of. An unassuming place, not too big, nor too small, not a fussy spot, it’s just a village. It’s inhabited by a few mammal women, children and males. You don’t see very many wandering around and when you do they’re covered head to foot in mud, colored mud pigments making strange markings on their bodies. There are no fancy buildings or paved streets. A few huts, a water contraption, a few hogs and some chickens pecking around are all that’s there, but I call it home and will defend it with my life. I’ll tell you the story why that is as best as I remember.

 

 
The Story

  • Many seasons ago, when I was younger there were quite a few lizards roaming around Spur. And as any lizard knows we are so different from the mammals. Some of us have mammal friends but we’re still very different, so you can imagine some of the fussing going on between the mammals and lizards, some serious, some not, but still fussing. There seemed to be no one place we fit. We lizards would gather every so often just to enjoy being around our own kind, lots of clawing, biting and eating ourselves to the bursting point. Anyway, at a gathering in the village, and why we chose the mud village I don’t remember, but we were all sitting there enjoying ourselves. I was quietly watching everyone and out of the corner of my eye I spotted movement just outside the circle of fire light. I didn’t say anything but just kept watching and there it was again. I was at the point of getting up to go investigate when slowly a female mud mammal inched her way into the light. No one noticed for a second and when they did it was total silence, so quiet you could slice it with a gutting dagger. I could see the males reaching for their weapons and felt the sudden tension of the moment. The mud female sensed that too, I’m sure and she slowly and timidly set down several bowls of swamp water and backed out of the light. Well we all just looked at each other and several sniffed at the bowls. One male picked one up looked at it and drank it. We all waited, I’m not sure what for. Maybe to see if he went into fits or something but he said it was dang good so we all took one and drank. Slowly as we were watching and waiting two more female mud mammals moved into the light, they sank down to their knees and placed fresh meat on the ground toward us. They bowed their heads and looked up with tentative smiles.

    Well imagine that, a mammal bowing to a lizard and offering food. I’m not quite sure any of us knew what to expect but finally we started asking these females who they were and why they were there offering us food like they did. They explained, and in our own language too, that they were known only as the mud people and had been waiting for us to come back for a very long time.

    As the tension left the air and everyone started talking and asking questions, the mud mammals felt more at ease and several more moved into the light including a few children. They were skinny little things, barely enough meat on their bones to hold them upright. Some brought out strange musical instruments and started playing while others started dancing. We could see they were telling a story in the dancing around the fire and some of us brought out our musical instruments and joined in. This is the tale they told as best I remember it.

    It seems that very long ago when the Rijom were predominate in the area, the mud village was thriving. Food was abundant and their wants were few and they were happy. Rijom poachers took notice of this and started raiding the village regularly for food and whatever else they wanted. The mud people being peaceful really didn’t stand a chance against them and as one by one of the males were killed, food became scarce and it looked as if the village and its people would eventually be wiped out of existence. One day a lizard showed up. A big one too, by the way the mud mammals gestured and mimed. He decided to help them against the Rijom. Now being a lizard as I am, I’d bet you anything he’d been hunting the northern edge of the Dismal for a while and had been watching what was going on in the village. Gaging the strengths and weaknesses and the traits of the poachers, and planning because sure enough when the time came that the poachers were due to raid he told the villagers to take the children to safety.

    He prepared himself for battle and hid in one of the huts with the door barely open, sat down and waited. The poachers came on schedule and instead of finding easy pickings they found a truly angry lizard. He waited till they were at ease and laughing at the easy hoard of food and objects and then he opened the door, hissed low in his throat and began tearing the limbs off those Rijom. Blood was everywhere soaking the ground, running down the walls of the huts. Rijom were running and screaming for mercy, some not even knowing what hit them before dropping dead. It went on for quite awhile and never once did the lizard stop. He had broken claws and a broken tooth, he was bloody with Rijom blood and his own, his weapon was becoming dull on the bones of his enemies but he kept on to the last poacher. Finally, with one last faltering blow, he lopped the head off the last one and sank to the ground kicking the headless body away from him. The mud people slowly came out of hiding blinking in wonder and staring at their dead enemies lying on the ground never to bother them again. They began searching for the lizard among the bodies finally finding him barely breathing, blood seeping out of him covering the sparse grass. They began a low keening and gently carried him into one of the huts. The medicine man was quickly brought in and various herbs and poultices applied. Prayers to their gods were made and offerings left by the doorway to no avail. He died that night with a multitude of hands on his heart in thanks for what he did. He died so that a race of people could continue and live. The mud people solemnly erected a graveyard and buried him with honor raising a tombstone over his grave and pledged reverence to his kind forever.

    Well now, when the mud mammals finished their tale there was another silence so fine you could hear the night insects’ wings beating and I don’t know how the other lizards felt at that moment but for me, for the first time since I left the Dismal so long ago, I felt I had come home. Actually home to somewhere I belonged. And right then and there I made an oath. Jera I said to myself, these mud mammals will always, always have your protection to the death.

    A lot of things have happened in the village since that lizard died. I hear stories of a mammal named Aiena using his grave to raise her army and I personally witnessed my race gathering together to protect the villagers from all that Taganoth arch fussing that was going on for a bit. Another lizard grave is there, a male by the name of Nemprii, his tombstone set next to the first. The male Skar has a shop there and we have a spring to gather in and the edge of the Dismal is there for our swamp building.

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    Protection

  • ...: Description Here.

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    Religions Affiliated with the City

  • Restrictions: None

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    Shops

    None.

     
    The Past

    More to come.

     

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