Sarnak

Atrebe’s Sniveling Children” by Borok, scout of Timorous Deep

Day 1 This is the official report of I, Borok, of Timorous Deep! Charged to observe the Di’Zok Sarnak of Chardok for the further defense of the new Sarnak race. In Gorowyn’s name go I!

Day 2 I do my best to stay in the shadows as I make my way to Chardok. I will not underestimate their ability to detect me. Though our race is superior to theirs, they will have the advantages of both numbers and home territory. I am not afraid to face one in combat. Let any Di’Zok try to hit me with his weak little arms! But I am not so foolish as to think a full squad of them wouldn’t get the best of me. I think of Gorowyn and of our liberation from their repressive regime, and I know my cause is good.

Day 3 I have killed a Di’Zok. He came too close to my position, and I finished him quietly. As he attempted to arc his sword down at me, I plunged my own up between the gaps in his armor and wiped his blood on his own skin. I took one of his horns as a trophy and then left the body where predators will tear it to shreds and devour its flesh. After that, I returned to scouring the landscape surrounding the city, recording the movements of its sentries, who should one by one be disciplined for letting me slip through so easily.

Day 4 I succeeded in entering Chardok’s mountain halls. Under cover of night, I managed to slip unnoticed through its gates. I must admit I stopped to stare before going through them. They are high, mighty, and carved so ornately and masterfully that you could spend hours going over small sections of it and picking out the detail. I didn’t let my wonder keep me long. Seeing an opportunity in the form of a lazy guard catching a bit of sleep, I penetrated its walls. The nighttime halls were hushed and quiet. Along the walls hung colorful war banners addressed to the Di’Zok’s might; though they were obviously put up to let the Di’Zok feel mighty and glorified, I thought them cheap, gaudy things, and would have been ashamed to hang one. Let the Di’Zok find their worth in such trinkets and shows. We, the true Sarnak, need no such false displays of bravado. Soon, I reached a blustery room where air elementals seemed to be birthed. From this room, also, tunnels led into the rest of the city. I will not waste time detailing everything that I found. I have drawn up an extensive map to be included with this report. Of particular note was their air dome, a massive, open cavern from which they mount their sokokor and set to flight. There is also a massive cavern, larger than any contained space I have seen, that connects to the palace and the temple and must be crossed on suspension bridges. In order to get across, I crept along the bottom of one of these bridges, as there was no other manner in which to cross that did not have me completely out in the open.

Day 5 Having spent a full day lurking around the palace, I have managed to create an even more detailed map, designating the express purpose of each of the rooms and who frequents them. I am not sure whether any of our forces could penetrate so far en masse, but this information could be invaluable for decisive strikes. The Di’Zok are not above the prizing of certain individuals more than others, and I observed many of their most exalted at their most vulnerable. Here is where any first strike should take place. It seems these Di’Zok worship their enslaver as a god. True, he is their creator, but when a creator becomes an enslaver, that creator no longer deserves worship. We understand this and have cast off those who would wish to shackle us. They, however, cling to his visage as divine. I do not trust such blind faith, and I believe it could prove to either be a great weakness or a great strength. Anything that blinds you makes you weak, but anything that gives you purpose makes you strong. In Atrebe, the Di’Zok have both.

Day 6 My path out was not so simple as my path in. I spent hours clinging to the bottom of one of the bridges when a perceptive Di’Zok seemed to have some sense I was there. An entire squad lurked just above me for all that time, and when they finally gave me an opportunity to slip away, my muscles screamed in pain. I had to hide on the other side and allow them to recuperate before continuing. On my way out, I again slipped up and caught the attention of a guard. My final retreat was spent at a full run through the trees surrounding Chardok. Fortunately, however, I managed to outrun them and lost them after a time.