This Unjust World

[jedimaster144]

A single ray of sunlight shown down onto a lone figure. His face twitched. The signs of life had not yet left him. He slowly opened his silver eyes, their light dimmed from their former radiance but not yet extinguished. "So...this is the my second chance". As he slowly rose a single tear fell to the floor.

The room was dark, save for the lone window in the ceiling giving life to the rising sun. The floor...rough. No different from the prison that had been his home these past many years. Aside from his single uttered sentence, not another sound pierced the darkness. It was...serene. It was...peaceful. It was...despair.

This time would be different. His promise. Time will not be wasted this time. The same suffering and devastation would not be allowed to exist. It couldn't be allowed to exist. If it did, he would truly be driven mad with despair; no hope to return to his former self. The past world was no place for the good of heart. Despair and destruction was all that would await those who believed in any sort of virtue or peace obtained through negotiation or generosity.

Sui'Kun slowly stood up, muscles tensing as if they hadn't been used for an eternity. "Well, at least I'm not longer restricted to my chains". For a moment, the start of a smile slowly spread across his face. No sooner had it appeared, before it was gone again. Vanished as if it never existed in the first place. A cruel trick played by the scattered rays of light. Now was not the time for reflection. Time was short. It always was. Time to set this world straight. This time, things would be different.

Making his way across the room he located the wooden door in the corner. Creak...the door slowly opened. Blinding sunlight flooded into his eyes. As the light cleared, he was finally able to glimpse this new life, this potential hell, this Shandalaar. His eyes drifted away from the scenery before him and down to his clenched first. "Odd”. Blood slowly trickled down his clenched hand. Yet, it seemed the physical pain he once felt had been dulled for good.

It was time for a change. "Overwhelming strength in the face of those who would go against my ideals.  Unwavering control of all who seek to stray from the path that I will set forth for my new world. Eternal death to those who wish to unjustly harm others. These are the tenets which I shall follow from this day forth". Determination shown again from his dimming eyes, a bit of strength seeming to return. Indeed these would be his goals. But first, the strength to enact them needed to be obtained.

Once again, he turned his face upon the world of Shandalaar. "It seems, I will once again need...my brothers".
 The thud of footsteps could be heard from behind him, slowly growing louder.  Once again his brothers moved to stand beside him.

This world would not be his hell. Of that, he was certain. However, for those that stood to oppose his renewed will...For those evil few. Hell...was the least of their worries.

[jun]

Jun busied himself with the menial tasks of tidying up his lizard essence den. He watched with indifference as the swarms of faceless Shandalaar ex-patriots visited his windswept hollow to surrender their woes for a life of pleasure, only to leave once again. The moral dilemma that Jun was facing was simple - if he were to not provide pure & synthesized lizard essence to his clientele, his comrades would be forced to hurl themselves into battle once again, succumbing to the sickness of war-lust and every untimely misgiving that accompanied it . . . for an unrefined, and tainted product. Jun knew that the taint must be cleansed to ensure a safe experience.


Jun, an effeminate man of nature and apothecary, knew the risks involved with unforgivable substances such as lizard essence - and when push came to shove, he sympathized with the psychonauts' pleas for help. If he had the ability to provide, why not provide? He spent his days whittling away at the seemingly endless lizard army for the greater good, losing more and more scales as time progressed. (Did I forget to mention he was a dragon? He was a dragon. A poor one.) He would harvest the bits and bobs, the rendings and flesh, from the slaughtered lizards, cook them down, mix this with that, and eventually arrive at a consumable, yet all-encumbering product. This product was the drug of choice among Shandalaar's most hardened scholars and rabble-rousing swashbucklers. 


It did not take long for the Shandalaar barracks to catch wind of Jun's operation. He was swiftly chased out of town only to settle among the darkest corner of Solatir. He opened shop as a jewelry dealer, only letting his trusted customers into the basement through speakeasy-like fashion. It was with this arrangement that Jun ultimately became known as that lizard essence guy. 


Time passed . . . like it always does. Jun grew saddened by the slow wear and tear being beaten into his elder form. He swore to the Shandalaar cleric that he would forgo his immoral refinement operations. The Shandalaar cleric told Jun to bow and submit to Bhaal for forgiveness. Jun did just that. Bhaal slowly took things from Jun's life; things that Jun loved and treasured. Jun wept and wept like the blank scroll seller at Boar's Inn, before the feet of the Shandalaar cleric, begging for mercy. The cleric informed Jun that Bhaal was "testing" him, and that all would be well in the end if Jun were to give up all of his worldly possessions.


Jun slept on the idea repeatedly, to no avail, as Bhaal continued to take things from him as part of his test. It wasn't until Jun discovered his lost copy of Fare Thee Well Crescent Moon, that he truly gained the willpower to step-away from the bustling world around him. Jun set off for the land of spiders, hoping to establish a working relationship with the verminkin through shared language. After studying his map and a hand-me-down journal, Jun concluded that the land of spiders was purely myth. Jun accepted defeat and tied together a makeshift encampment in Jher's domain. Jun befriended the local bear population by providing them with honey in return for protection during his resting hours. It was not long before Jun's comfortable state went awry.

A traveler, infamously known for his intellect and sheer power, approached Jun one day. This man, known as Az, begat Jun with ten books outlining his plans to create an equal society from the plains of Shandalaar to the cobblestone roads of Solatir. Jun politely refused the man's offer, however, Az kicked the supports out from Jun's makeshift camp, collapsing his tent. The bears, watching from the hill side with Mother Buffalo, hurried to the defense of Jun. The bears mauled and pawed at nothing but the still air . . . Az was untouchable. All was for nothing. Az laughed at the bears, and he laughed at Jun even harder, proclaiming that He, too, was a "test" from Bhaal, and he brought with him even more tests to be doled out in the immediate future.

Jun left Jher's domain to seek the Shandalaar cleric in regards to the displeasurable traveler. The cleric confirmed that the mysterious traveler was indeed a devout Bhaalist, and that all punishments given by his appendages were considered rightful in the eyes of Bhaal. Jun began questioning the cleric with a barrage of what-if scenarios, to which, the cleric grew increasingly annoyed and directed Jun to the temple to speak with the Spawn of Bhaal. 

Jun stormed into the Shandalaar temple to confront the Spawn of Bhaal and seek redemption. The Spawn told Jun that Az could be defeated, but it would cost him DMT. Jun had enjoyed his previous conversations with the elves and opted not to give the Spawn his DMT. The Spawn of Bhaal told Jun that there was no home left to which Jun could return - that Jher's domain was gone ("testing" btw), and that his only hope for salvation would be forfeiting his DMT to the God Bhaal.

5 years later ~ Jun had rekindled his relationship with the Solatir underground and established a small restaurant where his "jewelry" shop used to be. One day, while trying out a new fried rice recipe, he got a bit too heavy-handed with his bottle of Slaadskin oil. It was not until after he had polished off every morsel from his plate that he noticed something was wrong. His elder form was becoming weaker and weaker . . . he thought, could Bhaal be testing me again? He panicked. He ran. He panicked some more and than proceeded to run in a panicked state. First he ran to the Chimera clan who did not answer the door. Next, Jun ran to the Kindred who laughed at him and boasted the utter genius and omnipotence of Bhaal's testing. Finally, Jun sought refuge with Sui'Kun of the Eclipse clan. Sui'Kun welcomed Jun into his under-furnished hall, and told Jun that he was free to stay if he payed for better furniture and touted the welcoming nature of the eclipse brotherhood to every man across the realm. Jun went on to start his own sub-faction, which he called the Slaad Lads. A sub-faction that did not discriminate between good and evil. A sub-faction whose sole intent was to harvest and safely procure Slaadskin oil for family-friendly cooking. Alongside himself, Jun appointed Doink, a man perpetually displeased with his appearance, and Corrupt, a vampire that unironically hated onions and garlic, as autonomous coconspirators and partners in crime.