scribbled in a rather sloppy text

They cowered. They screamed.

"Rampage!", the rooster squaked.

The cattle roamed far and wide in my wake, purveying my slaughter, echoing booms of chaos and fear. Wantonly accusing the wrong person. They thought the wolf docile, until the warm blood sprayed upon its fur.

The Watch turned out in mass. The cities greatest defenders feared me. The Father squirmed and foolishly attempted to attack, while his son bled. He is weak and if need be, shall be culled. The Son has potential. The blessing was passed. It is only time to see if he absolves the sins of the father. He should be strong by now.

The first hunstman has been recruited, and has grand potential. He is...unusual around Fire, though he serves the pard well. Shedding my fur he became enthralled, and is eager to obtain the blessing. Should he prove himself.

The Pard has come to Upper, and Lower. New Haven shall learn of its strength.

The humans will learn their place. My Gullet.

The pack grows. A hunstman, A goblin tribe, And a sheep in disguise.

Lower's Finest Gang learned the danger of crossing the beastlord, The Pard, according to a watchman, is a blonde haired man dwelling in the sewers. His test goes well, as he eludes the mobs. Should he prove strong, He shall be given offer of joining the pack.

The search continues for a druid or priest of the Beastlord, to publicly spread word, though the few in pack I have are strong and silent, as all hunters should.

The Goblin Ghistpok was slain, and his protector has taken the mantle. He gathers forces, and soon the goblins of the sewers will serve him, or be slaughtered in the hunt.

The shiles boy is still silent. Beastlord, lead him on his progress to your glory, so he may spread your blessing amongst the filth, and strengthen my pack with true followers.

I've encountered numerous deep lizards, and in glorious form, had two combat for the glory of the beastlord. Once I obtain a druid, the powerful beasts shall be bred, so a sizeable force can be assembled.

The Dogmen shall come to my side, once the goblins are assembled.

The fat man seemed eager of the tale. Perhaps he shall spread the glory of Malar through his time.

If not, his lard will fuel many a lantern for my goblins.

Golden.

The day was Golden.

Sunsetting gold amongst the trees. The Golden leaves shifting and falling to the earth. The Crunch underpaw, racing through the forest.

An elf that is not a foe.

The young halfling screeching and panicking. Its labored breathe as it hid behind the tree.

Toying with it as I walked past, only to catch him face to face.

The truth is known, yet he doesn't care.

The Golden leaves.

A conversation with an elf?

My final day on the surface.

As the halfling's throat was being removed, his pale skin drained of blood as it sprayed upon my pelt. The reflection in his hallow, lifeless eyes was Golden.

Golden.

Weakness. It divides my thoughts. Beast and Man. The two war. Slowly but surely they split. I feel it. The Sanguine Fury and my consciousness. I struggle to hold the two together. Striking weakness from my thought to keep hold of the beast.

I was weak

Too weak?

Barely breathing

stopped breathing

Am I too weak?

I am the Beastlord's Chosen

A test?

A mighty test

Did I fail?

I still draw breath. I shall strengthen

They hunt me still

They are persistent

Will they win?

The Strong Prevail

The shaman almost won

It knocked me unconious

I was too weak

I HAVE ITS HEAD. THE STRONG WILL PREVAIL.

THE BEASTLORD IS STRONG.

I AM STRONG.

THE BEASTLORD PREVAILS

ALL OTHERS FAILED

ALL OTHER WILL BE CULLED

But the elf...

The elf aided again.

Bringing me back from the brink of death.

A trick?

An unholy alliance?

Lower will become strong, as I do.

Our finest allies are the lowermen.

Surviving on nothing but rags and will.

The pinnacle of humanity.

Its rawest, purest form.

The glory of the beastlord lays dormant within.

They have been chosen.

THEY CLING TO THE CITY. THEY WOULD NOT SURVIVE THE DARK

Lower is more dangerous than the dark...

YOUR TIME AMONGST THEM HAS MADE YOU WEAK

They show potential for greatness. Short term weakness for long term strength. Is that not worth it?

THEY KNOW YOUR FACE. THEY WILL HUNT YOU AS ALL OTHERS DO. THEY ARE CATTLE. THEY KNOW YOUR WEAKNESS

No. They know nothing. They did not run. They were not scared. They welcomed me

THEY WILL USE YOU THEN TOSS YOU ASIDE LIKE ALL WEAK THINGS SHOULD BE. YOUR ALLIANCE SHALL BE YOUR DOWNFALL

The Beastlord would not bless me with the ability to blend amongst them, were I not to learn from them. Their resilence, their strength. Pale. Fleshy. Weak. They are intellegent. Durable.

WITHOUT THEIR TOOLS THEY ARE NOTHING. -NOTHING-. YOU ARE STRONG WITHOUT THEIR TOOLS AND ALLIES. YOU ARE THE BEASTLORD'S CHOSEN

Yet the two need not be sepearted.

HERESY! THE BEASTLORD CULLS CIVLIZATION. ALL SHALL BE CULLED AND THE STRONG TAKE BACK TO THE WILDS TO RULE

Combination of their intellegence with the beastlord's fury, their civilization would be strong. Unstopable. Spread the word of the Beastlord, they already live by his doctrine.

NO! HERETIC! NO! CIVILIZATION IS WEAK!

The weak cannot afford coin. The coinless starve. Their starvation makes them strong. Made Nancy Strong. Her lack of society made her unfaultering. The weak become strong. The strong triumph.

SHE WAS KILLED FOR HER WEAKNESS. THE SHERIFF KILLED HER! THIS IS HERESY! END THIS NONSENSE! RETURN TO THE HUNT!

The Nancies are strong. Survived the Ledskirs. As I survived the Humans of upper. They perceviered, and regrew.

THEY WERE WEAK AND WERE HUNTED AS WEAK THINGS ARE!

I am weak? The humans hunt me. Does that make me weak?

THEY HUNT WHAT THEY FEAR.

The Ledskir's feared their strength.

AS THE HUMANS DO YOURS

They are strong

THEY ARE STRONG

They will be stronger with his blessing.

THEY SHALL HAVE HIS BLESSING.

And the weak shall be culled.

THEIR INTELLEGENCE AND DURABILITY SHALL MAKE THEM EVEN STRONGER.

In their strength they shall turn to the beastlord.

AND IF THEY DON'T?

They will.

ELSE THEY WILL BE CULLED.

Then we agree. And are whole once more.

They almost welcome death

They sit there, drinking, rather than saving themselves

Did I make the wrong choice?

Why do they not fight back?

Are they too weak to know when death approaches?

Was he right?

Yes, I was

No, you weren't.

They sit on their foolishly designed hunks of wood, sipping fermented mushrooms and moping about life! Do them a favor! Cull them!

They are simply misguided. The Formians will make them strong.

Or kill them all. Do not let them steal our hunt.

Time. Time is required. In time all shall grow strong

Hah! They no not strength. Their only strength is their smell. The Ants will march, and slaughter our prey. Our meal.

The first attack upon lower will be devistating-

A -SLAUGHTER! THEIR RIVER WILL RUN RED WITH BLOOD. DO NOT LET THE ANTs STEAL OUR GLORIOUS HUNT

The deaths will be catastrophic. But those who survive, will grow close, and rally against them. They will triumph with the blessing of the Beastlord

OR THINK ME A CHOSEN, AND ATTEMPT TO BRING ME DOWN. PERHAPS THE FORMIANS WOULD PROVE FINER PREY. LET THEM TAKE THESE FILTHY WARRENS AND WE CLEAN UP ONCE THE FILTH IS REMOVED

Lower shows promise. What of the Elf?

PFAH! FEAST UPON THE ELF. IT WISHES TO REJOIN ITS COMPANIONS. THEY ARE GONE, SO HE SHALL FILL OUR GULLET

What of the Human?

THE -HUMAN- IS EXACTLY THAT. IT FOOLISHLY FIGHTS FOR IDEALS. THE REASON UPPER OPPRESSED LOWER WAS THEY WERE WEAK. THEY ARE WEAK. THEY WILL ALWAYS BE WEAK.

Nancy was not weak. She was strong. The human is strong.

THE HUMAN COULD BARELY BEST A STONE LIZARD WITH ITS ARMOR AND BLADE. WERE IT NOT FOR I, YOU WOULD THE THREE OF US WOULD HAVE BEEN SLAIN

Humans are resourceful. He would have prospered. He is strong. He helped when you failed to the minotaur

[What looks like a snarl is scribbled sloppily] YOU KNOW NOTHING. THE BEAST WAS STRONG, YET WE ARE STILL HERE. I HAVE ITS FLESH STILL IN MY BOWELS. NONE ARE STRONGER THAN I

Yet you hide in Lower

ONLY BECAUSE YOU INSISTED WE HIDE AMONGST THEM TO BETTER PROTECT THEM. THEY ARE OUR -PREY-! WHAT GOOD COMES FROM FLOUNDERING ABOUT ACTING AS ONE? IT MAKES US WEAK.

The point stands. Lower is our home. Our territory. Our cattle roam here freely, new coming and old being slain by the day. Our cattle will grow strong, so that we may grow stronger when we feast upon them. If the ants slaughter them all, then we will starve.

FOR ONE SO "WISE", YOUR BLOODLUST IS HUMBLING. THE ANTS WILL STEAL OUR HUNT. LET US JOIN THEM.

The Ants are less than the dirt they dwell in. Their numbers are what keeps them strong. Alone they are easily crushed. They are unworthy of our blessing. The Humans though. They would thrive. Only if we allow them to. They need our protection, lest they fall.

HIDING AMONGST THE HUMANS IN THEIR RED AND BROWN ARMOR DOES NOTHING TO AID THEM. SLAUGHTER THE ANTS OR SLAUGHTER THE HUMANS. THAT WHICH STANDS STILL IN NATURE, SHALL BE ENVELOPED BY IT. SUCH IS THE WAY.

Your pride was always your flaw

AND YOUR RELUCTANCE TO HUNT YOURS.

It keeps us breathing. Your pride does nothing but harm our survival.

HERETIC! ONCE MORE YOU SPREAD YOUR FILTH! WE ARE THE BEASTLORD'S CHOSEN! NONE ARE STRONGER THAN US! WE ARE REQUIRED TO ACT AS WE DO, TO ENSURE THE WEAK ARE CULLED AND THE BEASTS REMAIN STRONG. OUR BUSINESS IS WITH MORE THAN THE HUMANS. OUR POSITION IS A GIFT, AND WE WERE RAISED TO HONOR SUCH.

Yet the Beastlord has gifted us the power to meld amongst them. We flow freely in and out of their society. Planting seeds of discord and chaos. The chaos makes them strong. Lower thrives on it. With the Human Nancy we are able to influence even more. And when our influence becomes its highest, we shall bless those chosen by the Beastlord to aid us in the holy task. DO NOT DARE LECTURE ME, BEAST, ON THAT WHICH WE MUST DO!

THE DEER CALLS THE DEVIL HORNED. TEMPER TEMPER, WISE ONE, AFTER ALL LET US NOT FORGET YOUR PAST TRANSGRESSIONS. YOU ARE AS MUCH BEAST AS I. THE SHILES WAS YOUR IDEA, AFTERALL.

The boy shiles required saving from its filthy human mother.

AND LOWER REQUIRES SAVING FROM ITSELF

But how, Dear Fury, Shall they be stirred?

THEIR FEAR. THEIR ANGUISH. THEIR ETERNAL FO-

Foe? Upper?

UPPER. WHEN THE ANTS MARCH UPON LOWER, WE SHALL BE THEIR TO AID. BUT NOT FOR THEIR "SALVATION". WE SHALL TEST THOSE WHO SURVIVE AMIDST THE CHAOS AND CARNAGE OF THE ANT CONFLICT, BY SENDING THEM FORTH TO UPPER.

You send our prospective children to their death.

THERE IS REASON YOU ARE SO TIMID, WISDOM. YOU FAIL TO SEE THE NATURE OF THE BEAST THAT IS MAN. THEY ARE DURABLE, AS YOU SAID. THEY ARE PERSISTANT. THEY WILL DO THE UNDONE-AS-OF-YET, IF GOADED. THEY ARE WEAK OF MIND

No...That is a masssacre. They will be slaughtered. We may as well slit their throats and feast upon them now. None will survive that.

YOUR LACK OF FAITH IN THE MANBEAST IS RELIEVING. AFTER ALL THIS TIME I THOUGHT YOU STARTING TO LIKE THEIR PRESENCE. THEY SHALL BE GUIDED BY US. THEY SHALL APPROACH UPPER AS ANY WOULD A MASSIVE BEAST.

Carefully. Patiently. Calculated. Strike the vital veins, but leave the beast to flounder. Watch as it scurries about, take joy in watching the weak put on show for us

Then we agree. Their Coin. Their Trade. Their "Head". The Three shall Fall. And from it, Strength will rise upon the Ant's marching.

An unusually deep idea, Fury. Yet bloodthirsty.

SUCH IS WHAT MAKES US STRONG. I AM THE BLOODY WILL OF THE BEASTLORD

And I his wisdom.

[Many lines written below the argument]

And I am his servant. The Human will be approached of the plan for upper. All I must do now is await the ants to march upon Lower.

Their blood flowed.

It was glorious.

Even with the pathetic human tool, it cleaved through their armor and pierced their flesh. The life gasps were glorious. The blood was a sweet smell on my lips, and the fear....

WHAT WAS THE FEAR?

The fear was...divine.

HOW DID IT FEEL?

I tingled. It took all I had to hold you back...

BUT WHY?

There were too many around. They would have seen

AND?

And they would have turned on us.

WRONG.

What? No. How?

THEY WOULD HAVE WITNESSED OUR GLORIOUS SLAUGHTER OF THE "FAITHFUL". THEIR PETTY BELIEF IN "JUSTICE" AND "LAW" ARE MAN MADE. AS ARMOR IS. AND IT WAS CUT THROUGH JUST AS EASILY.

Yes...

HAD THEY TURNED, THEY WOULD HAVE HAD A GREATER FOE THAN THE COWARD LEM COULD HAVE DEALT WITH.

Yes...

AND ANY WHO OPPOSED US WOULD HAVE BEEN -SLAUGHTERED-. THEIR CORPSES WOULD HAVE BEEN A DELICIOUS MEAL. THEIR BLOOD WOULD STAIN THE ROCK FOR AGES. THE FALL OF NEW DUNWARREN WOULD BE STUFF OF LEGEND

I...see it so clearly now. The men, women, children, screaming in horror. The men slaughtered, the women rounded up with those who resist slain, the children being blessed. They would mate with the women, and produce more...

YES. A GLORIOUS ARMY. YET YOU DID NOT. WHY?

I was...held back. Hesitant. Reluctant. I tried to think of what would happen in the present. I lacked foresight. What...What is happening to me?

YOU ARE BEGINNING TO LEARN. THE BEASTLORD BRINGS FORTH YOUR BLESSED FORM AT THE PRICE OF HIS ETERNAL SERVITUDE. YOU SERVE HIM WELL, BUT ARE HINDERED BY YOUR FOOLISH THOUGHT AND THE PETTY CIVILIZATION YOU HIDE BEHIND

But...I am tending to them so they can grow strong. They will be steadfast warriors once the-

SUCH AS CROC!? AS HE SITS NOW LOCKED IN A CELL? WERE HE STRONG AS YOU WERE, HE WOULD BE WITH YOUR RIGHT NOW. INSTEAD HE IS CAGED AS A BEAST. AS ALL WEAK BEASTS ARE. AND HE WILL LIKELY BE SLAIN, AS ALL WEAK BEASTS SHOULD BE. LET IT BE. DO NOT INTERFERE.

He had his own pack. They showed promi-

ONLY THE MAN WITH THE HEAD OF THE COUNCILOR SHOWED STRENGTH. HE SURVIVED THE HUNT. AS DID YOU. HE WOULD PROVE MORE WORTHY OF YOUR PATHETIC FOCUS THAN CROC.

I shall seek him, Yes. There is much that could be done. Much that could be wrought in the name of the Beastlord. He-...Who are you?

I AM THE STRENGTH THAT THE BEASTLORD BLESSED YOU WITH. I AM THE TWINGE IN YOUR NOSTRIL WHEN YOU SMELL BLOOD. WHEN YOU GAZE UPON HUMAN OR ROTHE, OR THAT FAT CHICKEN OF THE CRONE, IT IS I YEARNING TO FEEL THEIR WARM BLOOD SPRAYED ON MY MAW. ONLY YOU HOLD ME BACK. YOU ARE THE GATE THROUGH WHICH MY POWER FLOWS. THE BEASTLORD HAS GIFTED YOU INSURMOUNTABLE STRENGTH AND SPEED, AND YOU SQUANDER IT WITH YOUR PETTY THOUGHT. DO NOT THINK. ACT. YOU ARE A CHILD OF MALAR HIMSELF. THE BEASTLORD DOES NOT IDLY SIT IN A TAVERN, SCRIBBLING FRANTICALLY TO HIMSELF. REMOVE MY CAGE OF FLESH, AND LET US HUNT, MY CHILD. LET US GO FORTH AND WREAK HAVOC UPON THEIR FOOLISH LAW AND ORDER AND PEACE. SUCH IS NOT WHAT MAKES ONE STRONG. CHAOS AND SKILL IS WHAT ADVANCES LIFE. THE REASON ANIMALS DEVELOPED CLAWS. THE REASON THE DEEP LIZARD HAS JAWS CAPABLE OF FEASTING ON EARTH. I AM THE EMBODIMENT OF HIS RAGE, HUNTING PROWESS, CHAOS. EMBRACE ME. FOR I AM THE FURY!

[A crude sketch is etched on the hide]

[scribbled descretley below the image, almost invisibly]

No, Child. You mustn't. Resist its call to a hunt. When the beast is away, we shall speak...

I am the Fury and Wisdom. Everything is serving perfectly. All work proceeds.

The Hunt will spread. Individuals shall be hunted.

The Beastlord's glory shall be spread through example.

A forbidden alliance is forming.

Let us see where it leads.