Hell's Got Nothing On The Wrath of a Kaadir Herder [Closed]

[Winters-Feather]

Hot coffee and flat bread awaited in the garnet red tent that the Firebrow family greeted guests and discussed business with customers. Yenna saw to that during the down period Essyrn went through under the hot sun. Outside, some of the herd were in a large pen, watched over by Hassan, who was currently running them through some small drills. The rest were rented out to customers, most generally for the day. Yenna sat on a cushion in the tent by a low table. She smoked a pipe as she thoughtfully read through business transactions and inventory lists. The woman took great care in being exact with these things. Running a business and raising a family, after all, depended on it. It was a skill she took great pride in. Yenna dipped her pen into the Serendian black ink and scribbled a list of supplies. After a bit of hesitation she added:

Silk, blue

Yenna smiled. Her daughter's birthday was soon approaching, and Yenna wanted something nice to give her. Something feminine to encourage that girl to get married. Of course, Nailya was as quick as a whip, that one, but Yenna wanted her business and her family to grow and thrieve... and she wanted to be alive to see it happen!

She set aside the list to dry as she drew herself up and straightened out the front of her sarong. Yenna had set aside her hide dress and leather bracers due to the heat and unnecessity inside the tent. She picked up her dress and began to slip into it when the tent flap opened.
"That the list?" a deep voice asked.
"Welcome back," she greeted her husband, who responded with a kiss on the cheek.
"Got a message from the city patrol," Habim said as he took a cup of coffee.  "They said bandits are on the rise."

Yenna humphed as she adjusted her bracers.
"well, then they should do a better job!" she responded as she stepped outside.
Customers generally came around this time, and Yenna tried to see to it that she was there to greet them, whether they were returning or just coming by.

[DaGlobster]

 Borzclubb squinted down at the written directions someone had given him. He personally had no freaking clue what a Khaadir was, but then again the large Mountain Ogre assumed it must be the Essyrni word for dragon. He wiped some sweat off of his brow, and thanked the Mountain God that he wasn't armored like a human. The ten foot tall mountain Ogre, who was fat with muscle, was armored in little more than a pair of iron pauldrons, leather bracers with chains wrapped around them, and nothing but tough leather from the waist down. In place of a belt buckle, Borzclubb had a massive iron gut-plate, which covered most of his abdominal region and his lower chest.

He looked up from his written directions, and saw what he was looking for. He spied what appeared to be a large tent with a pen full of dragons out front. He had to squint to see the figure standing in front of the tent, child-like in its stature. He put the directions away and picked up his pace towards the tent. He had left his mercenary company in temporary leadership while he was gone, and hoped this trip would be worth the worry.

[Winters-Feather]

At the sight of the ogre, the Kaadir grew a bit restless, but sensed no bad intentions. Hassan, however, roused from his spot, and moved towards the edge of the pen, closer to Yenna. A tense hand rested at his side, where Yenna knew he kept a knife.
That probably won't do any good against this creature, Yenna thought, but she held her tongue. Instead she stood up erect and proudly and faced the giant, ugly  fellow with the same smile she gave all her customers. She had never met a mountain ogre before, though she had seen lots of others. He was mean looking, as mean as they got, but so were others. Besides, what was one stranger against a herd of Kaadir?
"Greetings," Yenna said with a bow. "You look a little confused, sir. Are you here for a dragon? A fine breed, aren't they?"

[DaGlobster]

Borzclubb angled his head downwards to look down at Yenna and Hassan, a mountain before them. He took in Yenna's greeting and nodded slightly. He looked like he was about to say something, but his eye got caught on Hassan's tense hand. Borzclubb rested his hands on his belt in response, one hand next to his massive iron and wood club which was bigger than Hassan himself, and the other next to the bear trap he used is a gauntlet weapon. "I mean ya no harm lad." He said dismissively before redirecting his eyes at Yenna. For Borzclubb, it was difficult to comprehend how a human being could be so small. She was just the right size to swallow whole, although Borzclubb hadn't eaten anybody in a very long time, mercenary business being slow as it was. He still remembered his last battlefield meal, however. It had been a rival mercenary captain's arm, which Borzclubb had a bit of trouble downing, as it had come off with his shoulder plate.

"They're a fine stock indeed. But..." He started, and stroked his beard, which had reddish stains where it met his mouth. "Are any of them battle-trained?" He asked, not wanting to remember his fiasco with an Adelan dragon merchant a few months ago.

[Winters-Feather]

Battle trained?  Yenna thought , arching a brow.
That would mean he would be looking to buy. That was good news, in a way. Buying was expensive, and allowed them to expand. Still, she would hate to see her beloved Kaadir waste in terrible ends. She made a mental note to explore his credentials before selling.
"Only the basics," she said. "They can hold their own. They are disciplined and strong and can learn fast. Highly intelligent. We would be honored to show you, though our business requires proof of identification for such purposes, understand.  But I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Yenna Firebrow. What may I call you, sir?"

[DaGlobster]

"Borzclubb Treeswinger's me name in your language. I'm in charge of The Gaping Maws, an Ogreish sellsword company." He proclaimed, and gave as much of a bow as he could, which wasn't really much given a slight bend of his back was all the Ogre could manage without risking falling over, especially since he had the added weight of a backpack on, which was only ever worn when traveling long distances. "If you be needing proof of identification, I'm afraid all I can provide is me company's warrants, which identify us as an independent army bound to neutral rules." He said, procuring a large cylindrical scroll container from his belt. "Well, that and the tattoo on me back, but 'less ya take Ogreish tribe marks as identification, it's kinda pointless to bring it up."

[Winters-Feather]

Yenna took the scroll and laughed heartily at her new customer's jest, flashing coffee stained teeth.
"The warrant will do," she reassured Treeswinger after reading the warrant. She had heard vaguely of The Gaping Maws, mainly stories from other troupes, but the sellswords weren't enemies of Essyrn or its surroundings, and that was alright with Yenna. Yenna waved towards her son.
"Line up twenty of our battle trained!" she instructed.
"Yes,  ma'am!" responded Hassan. He jumped to his feet and started rattling off names.
Yenna turned her attention back towards the ogre, as she gestured for him to fllow her. She walked towards the large pen, and opened the gate for the ogre.
"My son will lead a demonstration for you," she explained. "Now, pardon me, sir, but how familiar are you with Kaadir?"

Connected to the pen was a large training area for the kaadir. An obstacle course was set up, as well as large and heavy sacks full of sand swinging from poles, and archery targets in various distances, all singed, their lines barely visable.  In less than four minutes, twenty kaadir, lined up neatly in two rows, stood before this large arrangement. Yenna was pleased with the arrangement Hassan brought out. The kaadir stood patiently in the sun, their scales glistening handsome greens, browns, blacks, reds, and one rare opal-white male, who stood in the front. They all were strong, fast, and clever. All but four could breathe fire, and two of the browns were growing old but had plenty experience.
Hassan approached the two and held out his hand to shake.
"Hassan, this is Captain Treeswinger of The Gaping Maws," Yenna introduced.
"Hello," said Hassan.
"Would you like some coffee while we watched?" asked Yenna.

[DaGlobster]

"Can't say I've spent lots of time with dragons. Had a couple run-ins with wild ones before, but we usually manage to either get 'em to piss off or bribe 'em if they're too big to tangle with. I've also ridden one before, but that was a long time ago and while I was up for the task, the badly trained dragon wasn't. Had to watch my money fly away while on my back." He explained as he followed Yenna towards the pen. He smiled at the line-up of dragons, as they all looked like promising candidates, especially the white one. He was the perfect color to paint tribal markings on, as his scales roughly matched the tone of Ogre flesh. He broke his sight of the dragons to look down at Hassan, and proceeded to take his massive hand and completely encircle the young man's lower arm.

He shook softly, not wanting to dislocate any bones, and turned his head back over to yenna. "Travelin' through Essyrn, all ya ever drink is coffee. A little more won' kill me, I hope, so I accept yer offer." He chuckled, and smiled again,  returning Yenna's coffee stained grin with his massive, yellowed teeth.

[Winters-Feather]

Yenna nodded thoughtfully at the ogre's story and chuckled at comment on her culture. Her chest swelled with pride as she bore a smug grin.
"Well, I hope you find our Kaadir superior to the northern flying dragons, yes?" she said before rubbing her son's shoulder.
"You heard our guest, dear!" she said. "And don't forget the food."
"OKay!" Hassan responded in  their native tongue and bolted off.
Yenna smiled.

"He's a good lad," she commented. "But come, I'll teach you about our dragons. Lesson one! Kaadir means 'fire lizard'."
Yenna patted the side of a brown Kaadir on the first line. She stepped back, and cautioned Treeswinger to do so. She pointed at the target and blew a whistle she wore around her neck.
"Row one! Fire!"
On cue, the first row of kaadir that could blow fire took in a deep breath and spewed scorching hot flames, some even burning blue.
Yenna blew the whistle again and wiped the sweat off of her brow.

She pointed towards the obstacle course. Single file, the first row began to go through the path, when Hassan arrived with the coffee and flatbread.
"There's more inside," Hassan said as Yenna relieved him of the tray.
Just then, three men whose faces were veiled in orange cloth arrived on horseback.
"Slaves?" Hassan wondered in Essyrini.
"They're not transparent," Yenna pointed out, though unsure.
"Greet them, give them food, and see what they want," Yenna instructed, waving her son off. People wore veils, it wasn't uncommon.

Yenna turned her attention back towards Treeswinger.
"Forgive me," she said, switching to Common. "How do you find it? Would you like to see one fight, now? Pick any you like!"

[DaGlobster]

Borzclubb looked on at the displays of power from the dragons. The ability to breathe fire was interesting to him, but even more so when it came out blue. Borzclubb looked warily at the men with orange face cloaks that appeared, crossing his massive arms as he watched them for a few seconds before turning back to Yenna. "I don't like the looks of those guys..." He muttered, and looked over the dragons as if he was inspecting lined up soldiers. Naturally, his eyes were drawn to the white one again, and he couldn't help but want it. He stroked his beard in thought, and eventually came to a decision. He lifted a finger to point at the white dragon, taking a sip of coffee. "That one. He's quite the eye-catcher, isn't he?" He commented as he wiped some coffee off of his lips and took a flatbread, downing the entire thing in one bite. Borzclubb cared not for manners, in fact, this was being polite in Ogre culture. Borzclubb could've taken the tray itself and eaten the contents in a matter of seconds, but he was trying to make a good impression. There was enough people who disliked Mountain Ogres, and besides, Yenna could be a future employer.

[Winters-Feather]

"Hmmm?"
Yenna beamed at the ogre's choice.
"You've exquisite taste!" she exclaimed. She blew into a whistle, calling the kaadir to a slow halt. She clapped her hands.
"Jai! Come here!" she called out.
The opal kaadir  glared at the two for a few moments before strutting over.
Yenna patted his side.
"Good boy," Yenna cooed in Essyrini. She began to lead the dragon, as well as one of the brown ones from the second row, to a clear area. She picked the brown, Ajia, because she knew Jai and him horsed around often.
"Play," she commanded.
The two dragons circled each other.

"They won't hurt each other," Yenna assured Treeswinger. "We don't abide that sort of thing here."
The brown one pounced. Jai swung his tail before charging himself. The brown was younger and  a little more nimble than Jai, but Jai was smarter and stronger. He deflected most of the brown one's blows, nipping the other kaadir.
"A horse could be knocked down from such a blow," Yenna pointed out as Jai swung his tail.
Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Hassan lead the men into the tent, but she paid more attention to Treeswinger and his reactions. 
"Enough!" she ordered. The kaadir mischievously exchanged a few more swipes, the brown dragon flashing his teeth, but they did as they were told. 

"He's powerful, yes?" she asked in her accented Common as Jai stood still. "You can pet him if you want."
But the kaadir was not looking for attention. Instead, he sniffed the air, his tail flickering.
"What's wrong?" Yenna asked.
"You're not scared of a caravan are you?"  she asked, switching to Essyrini. There could be one in the distance she could not see; warriors and such passed through and sometimes the kaadir reacted.

[DaGlobster]

Borzclubb watched the dragons spar with an interested look on his face. He watched the fight intensely, allowing Yenna's comment about the dragons being able to knock over a horse with their tails brush over his ears. It wasn't that impressive to him, since he could do that with his club  and a good enough swing. He was, however, fascinated with how Jai seemed to fight like a soldier, rather than a dragon, with his well-times deflections and attacks. Borzclubb's face displayed an intrigued smile, and he made sure to clap after the sparring session was over, his deep laugh booming forth from his mouth as he reached down to finish off his coffee.

He stopped laughing, however, when the dragon seemed to tense up as if it was sensing something. Borzclubb rested his hand on the handle of his club as he looked around. He leaned towards Yenna, whispering in a low voice. "I think you should check on your son" he said, eyeing the immediate area.

[Winters-Feather]

"Hassan?" Yenna asked quietly.
Shouts emerged from the tent, angry and violent.
"Habim!" Yenna bellowed. She grabbed theside of Jai and hoistedherself on his back.
"Its safest in the pen, sir," Yenna said to her custimer before riding to the tent.
"You pig devils!" she screeched In Essyrini.
Her husband and Son lied on the ground unconcious, papers and broken glass everywhere.
Jai roared And Yenna held on for life as he swiped his tail and clawed at the men.
One has to be a mage, she thought. 

Sure enough, though two fell, the third escaped.
"After Him!" Yenna ordered.
Outside A sand Storm was building.
"Captain Treeswinger!" Yenna Shouted searching For him.
Over The Sound Of Sand, Yenna Could hear horsemen approach.

Thieves, Yenna Thought. her men would be Left alone. They were after the dragons!
"circle Up!" she yelled In Essyrini.
"These Men Are Bad! enemies! Circle Up!"
In The Middle Of Thr Chaos, a force Pushed Yenna to the Ground, and She Balled Up, coughing.

[DaGlobster]

Borzclubb took Yenna's advice, and stayed within the perimeter of the dragon corrals. Sure, being inside an enclosed space with several agitated dragons wasn't the best idea, but a stiff punch from Borzclubb would be enough to pacify any one of them if they panicked too much and advanced on him. He heard the sound of hooves over the din of the sandstorm and Yenna's yelling.

Suddenly, just in front of him, a horse cleared the corral wall.

The horse, rather than hit the sand, remained in the air, its descent suddenly stopped. The rider looked down, shock in his eyes as he witnessed something few men ever survived to tell about. Borzclubb had caught the horse by the neck and belly with little to no effort, and with a roar, he removed his hand from the horse's belly and tightened his grip on its neck.

In one swift motion, he brought the horse back-of-the-head-first into the corral's low wall, crushing its head against the wall and dashing the rider's back against the edge. The sound of more horses clearing the wall entered his ears, and he grunted in pain as the riders threw dragon-taming hooks at him, which sunk into his arms. They were trying to restrain the giant ogre, and for the moment, it appeared to be working.