Sethin Geyser stood at the door leading to his balcony above the plains of Krethin. The Geyser lineage had inherited the plains of Krethin after Quo Geyser, known as the Blood Warrior by those who resided on the providence, conquered the plains with an army of horrible men who had done anything for a piece of silver. Committing acts like rape and murder, he earned the title of Blood Warrior by spilling more blood than necessary in a war.

The Geyser lineage inherits the estate and providence by a barbaric traditional ritual. First, the inheritor would have to be male and have no physical defects at all. The Geyser in power at the present time would choose ten different women from around the providence and have them brought to the fortress Domur Yoll where he would inpregnate them on the same night. The sons and daughters would be born around the same time and only the sons would be kepted, the daughters sent back with their mothers. They would train and later study under their father until he was too old to continue his rule. When the time was right, all the sons would come together on the battle field and fight to the death. The victor would be the sole inheritor after the battle. A cruel and horrible way of passing on one's possesions, but an effective way of making sure your descendants are strong enough to rule the empire of fear one's created.

Its no wonder all the Geyser family was feared and thought of as inhuman. Family is not a word used by their lineage; the prefered word is immortality. By making sure your bloodline is the ruler of the country, you make sure there is a part of you that is still in power and feared even after death.

Sethin Geyser had won this time. He had beaten all of his seven siblings in the battle and killed all with not so much as an ounce of sadness or remorse. He had wanted to for a long time. Sethin would dream about the day when he would kill his brothers. Among eight brothers, and the entire Geyser line, he was the only one with elven blood in him. A half elf, his father had seen Sethin's mother and taken a liking to her. She had no intent on going with him and was captured, taken by force to him in the night where his father forced her to have his child.

Now Sethin was half elven. This would make his life of extended longitude due to the slower maturing of his elven heritage. But, he needed to be ready for the battle with his human brothers and so his father ordered a search for an aging spell to be found. When this was done, Quo had his most powerful mage cast it on his son and made him mature at the rate of a human. Sethin always brooded on avenging himself from his father's act. He had taken away something that was rightfully his by birth. Sethin planned every night on the death of his brothers and then his father's death as well. Both timed right, he would killed his brothers in battle and his father immediately after being crowned ruler of the plains. Sethin was ruthless and seemed to now be in search of something or someone.

Standing at the balcony, his arms and body hidden by his long black cape, he remembered his childhood and every battle he had.

Rom knew better than to disturb Sethin when he stood this silent on the balcony. The kobold knew the half elf was in thought of something either horrible or purely evil. Rom had worked for the half elf long enough to know this all too well and the way he figured it was that Sethin was probably thinking about that thing he was looking for.

What was it again? Oh ya, Dragon something. We didn't find it in that village we burned down before. What was it's name? Ah, forget it. Another stupid village destroyed. Know how many we destroy a year? But Lord Sethin thought we would find it there. He was angry that we didn't. He was sure it was there. Too bad. Now Rom would have to look for some other dumb scholar and torture more information from him. Rom hate doing that. Rom prefer to just beat it out of them and when have information, not stop...heh... Some times Lord Sethin will let Rom, and even join in, but lately he find that bribery work better. Still, Rom can beat people up at the bar.

Rom turned around and headed for the door when Lord Sethin called for him from the balcony. Rom hurried and bowed till he lay on one knee and looked down at the floor.

"Lord..."

"Did you convey my deep feelings of disappointment to that scholar who misinformed me? His little mistake has cost me valuable time. Im deeply hurt, and so he should be as well."

"Yes Lord...he tell me to give this to you to show he sad for failing you Lord..." Rom took out a wet brown leather pouch and held it up in his hand, the wet part more darker than the dry "He humbly give you his right eye to show he in deep pain for your dead end Lord..." He grinned deeply as he said this.

"Now then Rom, you wouldn't have helped him remove his eye as a part of this humble gesture now did you?"

He grinned even more "Perhaps a bit...it was stuck...."

"Then I trust he wont make another mistake"

"He have one eye now, Lord...but he use it a lot more carefully than before now...."

"As long as he doesn't make another mistake I dont care. But in any case, if he does..." Sethin spun around slowly and walked passed Rom muttering two words "..kill him"

Rom bowed slowly as the half elf passed him and went into the throne room, then past the hall leading to his bed chambers. It was night and Rom was getting tired himself and decided to head to his room. As the kobold turned to go back into the throne room he quickly and dismissively threw the dark brown leather poach over the side of the balcony where the guard dog's den was located. In an instant he heard the wild barks as they began to fight each other for their evening dinner. Rom yawned once, then started for his bed chambers.

Continuing
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