Gorgon
The colony town of Gorgon is becoming a trade stop for furs, lumber and some crafted goods. Founded on the frontier of human civilization, it is often attacked by organized forces of Wolfen from the north and mindless Orcs, Kabolds and other humanoid vermin. Shaky agreements with the Wolfen and an organized watch and stout militia keep the town from being overrun.
The population is comprised of many social outcasts from the "over-civilized" Western Empire. They left to avoid ridiculous laws, an overbearing monarchy and a social class system that put them at the bottom rung. Their colony's formal government is loosely defined and without any clear leader as they all value their independence. Though there is somewhat of a brotherhood among Gorgonites, the individuals keep to themselves, their immediate family and a few close friends.
Education is trade-oriented and is somewhat primal in comparison to the stone buildings and other highly engineered structures of the Western Empire. Skills such as hunting, woodcrafting, fishing and leatherworking are passed down to the younger generation through the family.
Glug
Glug is the product of the first generation of the settlers of Gorgon. He grew up in a fatherless family. Unknown to him, his father was a powerful aristocrat in the Western Empire who discarded his politically undesirable lover to pursue his ambitions. Glug's mother lived alone and was quite independent as Gorgonites are. Glug contributed to the household by fishing and doing chores. While still young, Glug took on an old trapper as a mentor and learned of the wilderness through him. In his teen years, he began to master the skills his mentor imparted to him. As he came of age, he was also part of the town watch and militia.
While on a trip through the forest to check traps Glug and his mentor encountered a group of Imperial Wolfen troops feeding on a fox at one of their trap sites. Wise enough to avoid the beasts, the mentor motioned to Glug to quietly walk away from the situation. However Glug saw no reason why they should let this go and frustratingly argued with his mentor about just walking away. This was enough to get the attention of the four wolfen and they approached the trappers as if the forest belonged to them. While the mentor was tempered at calm, Glug's anger was evident to the Wolfen. The wolfen pushed and prodded Glug telling him to tell them that the forest belonged to the Wolfen. Glug would not and pushed one back aching to draw his knife. The situation escalated with weapons drawn and they finally pushed Glug far enough to strike. His mentor then quickly drew his weapon quickly taking down two of the four and telling Glug to run. He would not. He continued to fight a more powerful and more skilled adversary until his mentor was struck down by the second remaining wolfen. Just then, a large group of Wolfen from the nearby encampment came pouring over the hill at the sound of clashing metal. Seething with anger and frustration, Glug struck the soldier with one last strong blow to the wolfen's arm and disappeared into the woods.
.....Glug returns to Gorgon several days later to find the place sacked and ravaged by pirates who have killed his mother. He decides no place is safe and no place is home anymore.
He strikes out into the wilderness somewhat aimlessly yet having the idea to one day make it to the opposite coast. After a couple weeks of traveling he begins to feel somewhat at home. He is able to avoid hostile humanoids of the forest through the observation skills developed with his time with his mentor. He knows how to find food and live off the land. He avoids staying in one place too long knowing that the longer he stays, the more signs of his presence he�s creating.
Knowing less and less about the land ahead of him, he begins to experience new things and comes across large dwellings of Orcs and other less-than-human beings who he cautiously avoids, yet observes. It sickens him to think a land could be filled with such retched creatures that sacrifice humans and bath in their blood. He notices the pets they keep are foreign to him. He classifies them in his mind as large rat-dogs and imagines they would be very dirty, mean animals.
Along his trip he hears the sound of an animal in distress and quietly approaches the situation. He can hear the growls of a bear, but can�t place the sound of the animal in distress. Upon reaching the scene, he observes what appears to be a very large thick-furred rodent or rabbit-like animal hiding under a quickly-made shelter of branches against a rocky hill. The animal in distress calls out to Glug, but the language isn�t faintly recognizable to him. He is, however, quite familiar with the bear and knows it can be scared away if intimidated. Throwing rocks and making noise Glug gets the attention of the bear while he removes the heads of a few arrows. Still making noise and firing a few headless arrows, the bear decides to flee. A couple more arrow shots and the bear is quick to get away.
The over-grown rodent still seems quite fearful. It is surprising to Glug that such an animal-looking being could make so many different sounds as though to speak. (description of ouseyei)
Deciding the creature is no threat; Glug begins to explain to him that this is a dangerous area and that he should go home. The communication is ineffective, but the tone is unthreatening and protective-sounding.
Ouseyei motions that he hears something in the distance. Glug listens for a long while and finally hears the sound of a loud band of Orcs still a ways a way. It instantly comes to mind that this animal-man could be of some use to him as a look out. Glug motions to him to get moving with him but the big rabbit is still afraid to move. As the Orcs close in, he urges more emphatically and begins to leave alone. Ouseyie finally emerges from the shelter and reveals to Glug that he can stand upright and can move quite quickly. Ouseiey follows Glug as they make their way to the other side of the hill and into the forest.
Glug and ousyeie stay the night someplace and begin to learn each other�s habits. �
Glug is crude, ouseyee is neat and vegetarian? and finds different food than glug and shares it with him.
They make go along further into Orc territory where they encounter more and more Orc villages and decide to turn a different direction towards Gorgon.
They make it to a coastal city Glug has heard about, but is unfamiliar with. Ouseyie experiences a human civilzation. Ouseyii and Glug develop some communication all the while. Glug takes on the role of protector and introduces ouseyei to new things and vice versa. Glug convinces Ousyeei to crawl on all fours to be accepted into the town and not attract too much attention. Glug explains to curious people that he�s a pet he found in the forest. That seems to be a reasonable explanation to most people.
A band of sailors approaches Glug to work on a ship. Having little direction, he accepts and negotiates for his little pet to come along too. If Oseusey tries to explain that he wants to do something, Glug tries to show that this will help them out (to get to a certain place, etc.)
Before the ship leaves, Glug hears warnings about the group of sailors and the ship he�s about to join, but shrugs it off. He thinks he can take care of himself.
The ship sets sail and Glug does menial tasks around the ship and hears talk of the �pick-up� they have to make, but doesn�t hear many details. A week later Glug begins to recognize the shoreline as being near Gorgon. Glug begins to have doubts about the ship and keeps thinking of the pirates who sacked Gorgon. Still, he doesn�t make a decision about what to do and goes along for the ride. The ship docks in a small village not too far from Gorgon called Ragmul.
Glug hears condescending remarks about the people in this area. The people on the ship keep saying it was a good thing he left this area. Hearing of what happened in Gorgon, the Ragmulites are quite wary of the ship. Glug tells them he his from Gorgon and that they are just here to trade. This develops some trust of the ship. While he is there, he gets more details on what happened at Gorgon and becomes more suspicious of the ship he�s sailing with.
On the second day in port the Ragmulites come to Glug throwing rocks and calling him an evil pirate. By this time, the ship�s men have become quite demanding of the Ragmulites and become violent. They�re stealing goods from the town and some who defend their goods are being killed. The town militia is quickly organized and fight breaks out as the ship�s men take the rest of what they can and board the ship, which is already prepared to leave.
Glug decides to take the path of least resistance and get back on the ship. He then knows that he�s working for the very people who sacked his town and killed his mother.