BM - Saltrice Massacre

[KuKulzA]

Saltrice Massacre
A Serf-Argonian Story

The young Argonian stared at the locust trapped on a sick, stuck to a small glob of honey. It didn't look very tasty, though her grandfather had insisted that it was an excellent snack. The hatchling looked at the old elder who had scars on his back and asked him, "Marshfather, why do you have those scars?"
The old Argonian smiled at his grand-daughter and replied, "That is civilizationn child... that is what the Dark-skinsss and Warm-bloodss bring."
"That'sss terrible, howw did it all happen?"
"This is how it happen child... listen...."

They were slaves, all of them. They yearned to be free, but some of them had become dumb like plain beasts of burden, accepting their fate and licking the hand of the Master. An Imperial duke rode through the fields with his Archein to meet a caravan of Dunmer, he was going to purchase some slaves from them. They were on their northward journey to Thorn, and later Tear. After selling the slaves the Dunmer slaver asked how he could be sure the Duke would not accidentally let his slaves free and trigger rebellions and tribal raids. The Duke grabbed one newly bought slave and whipped him until his scales turned red. The other slaves did not move one bit and stayed silent. The Dunmer, satisfied with the cowed temperment of the Duke's slaves, left for Morrowind where he made much money.
Some tried to run, but they were caught and beaten, one was killed to set an example. How did they kill him? They forced him to run. They set a circular fence within a circle and set a Durzog after him, and he ran until he couldn't anymore and was eaten alive. No one ran away after that.
One day, a Marshsister tried to hide her youngling in a tree to be found by traveling tribesmen. But the overseer caught her and the baby was to be sold to a slave-trader. She resisted and they killed her. The whole plantation rose up, and angry Marshbrothers used sickles, machetes, and their own chains to attack the slavers. But the Duke called in the Legion, and using their tall shields the Legionnaires knocked down all the slaves until their bones were hurt and their scales were bruised and they could not fight.
A year later, a tribe came and tried to rescue their enslaved People of the Root. But the Marshbrothers were defeated and the Marshsisters and hatchlings were rounded up and made prisoners. The Marshbrothers were forced to work or their clans would die. The Duke called this coersion, not slavery. The Marshsisters and Hatchlings were servants and miners, being smaller and less aggressive than the Marshbrothers and it would be easy for the Duke to trap them in the mine if the Marshbrothers acted up.
But one day Marshfather here, I ran away at night, and I fell down exhausted. I awoke and was infront of a Hist. I licked the sacred bark and the sap and powder told me what the Hist meant. We are not strong enough to fight the outsiders yet. But nature, she will come save her respectful children. I stupidly ran back to tell my kin of what the Hist had said and I was caught. However it was meant to be....

"But why are we herrre now, what happened?"
"ssssss child, let elder talk yesss...."

Later people talked of a great destruction. There was something coming. It had destroyed the mold-gardens of the Archein. A farmer's land was next. We all huddled in fear, what would we have to eat if the farm was destroyed? We would be enslaved with nothing to eat and Master would be very angry with us. The Duke hired mages to cast poison spells on the edges of his fields. Fire was set to the farms surrounding the Duke's and the scared and resigned saltrice-farmers huddled in Master's mansion. We were afraid and prayed to the men's gods like Z'en, Stendarr, and Tiber. Then it came...

"What?"
"That."
"This?!"

A million locust came up from the south and though hundreds were poisoned or burned, they swarmed into the plantation, devouring the saltrice and eating the outsiders alive. Then, we realized this was nature freeing us. We all took out our spider-web nets and caught thousands of locust, and we have not been hungry since.

The little hatchling now looked at the locust with a grin and gobbled it up.

[MarshallR]

Aren't you concerned that the Argonian serfs it's written for won't be able to read it?

Joking aside, I like it. Although the end was a little off. Easily fixed though.

[Razorwing]

Sorry if I missed something, but how come you post these books here when the Black Marsh project has its own literature board?

[KuKulzA]

Originally posted by Razorwing
Sorry if I missed something, but how come you post these books here when the Black Marsh project has its own literature board?

I can move them all some day... but barely anyone checks on the Black Marsh boards let alone the literature section. The only writer is me, and occasionally cruxvader, so I figured if I was to get some good criticism and suggestions I'd get it here. Plus, some of the Black Marsh books are appropriate for a Morrowind setting

If you want me to move them all now, I will... it's my fault that I made this small breach in the rules, but I felt it was the only way to get responses about what I write, and there is some relvance to Morrowind, not mcuh though.
Sorry about the trouble, just let me know if/when I need to move them

[KuKulzA]

while Razorwing gets back to me about that...
MarshallR, what do you mean by the end? the locusts or the daughter eating one?

[MarshallR]

Actually after re-reading it, it's fine. I just misunderstood what was going on right before the locust's came. Kind of stupid of me actually.

[Deeza]

Done.