Ragrigrin part 2: The making of a Mongoose

by **Sophiastra** Fri Apr 17, 2009 4:49 pm

....That year, when Ragrigrin turned 13, rumors began to spread of a shadowy threat that had appeared in the plains to the west. There had always been rumors of giant serpents and strange disappearances near the monolith circle there, but the truth would soon be terribly apparent to the people of Campton and their halfling neighbors. On a night that happens only once in a rare age, Naka was full and cast its emerald gaze across the land like the baleful eye of a serpent, while Sharlo was new and just a dark stain on the tapestry of stars above. Under that green shadow the drow of Sorgath and thier serpent minions slithered out of the night and attacked. Pehaps they came for victims for sacrifice to their wicked god, or perhaps they merely came to hone their assassins skills; it didn't matter, the result was the same. When the attack came, Ragrigrin was in the orchard of his grandfather looking for his "sister", the last of the pups he had been raised with. He heard the shouting as the alarm was raised (although by that time the drow had already killed many) and he rushed for home. As he came near he saw that several of the halfling huts were ablaze, including Jeremiah's. On his way there however he was confronted by a terrible sight. There in the middle of town, the few men brave enough to face their attackers stood armed with naught but farm implements. Before them were but a handful of skilled drow warriors led by a man in wicked armor emblazoned with the serpent symbol of Sorgath. Beside him was a huge hooded viper, coiled and waiting. The drow laughed at
those before him, spoke some unintelligable words to his men and stepped forward saying, "Little fools, will you come to face your murder? How brave. Come, I will give it to you." Ragrigin was awestruck for the first time in his life as the drow attacked, moving with unearthly grace despite his armor. He only came to his senses upon the lunge of his "sister" into the fray in a vain attempt to save her master, Jeremiah. She was caught in mid leap by the lightning strike of the hooded viper. Ragrigrin screamed despite himself and charged from the bushes he was hiding in. He leapt on the serpent and pried its jaws from his feral friend, but it was too late the poison was at work. She jerked and spasmed on the ground as Ragrigrin grappled with the deadly snake. His time running with the dogs had made him fast and agile. The great serpent struck at him several times and he dodged leaping back to strike at it with his boy hood knife. The drow soldiers, warned to stand back, obediently watched assured that their master's pet would prevail. Just as their master struck the killing blow on the last of the brave halfling men, the serpent struck. Ragrigrin distracted by the death cry of his beloved uncle Jeremiah, was caught. He felt the sting of the bite, but it was a glancing blow. In his rage he grasped a fang of the Cobra and wrenched from its socket. The asp recoiled and retreated, as its master turned, Ragrigrin leapt at the drow intending to jam the fang into the eye his uncle's murderer. He missed and the blow slid along the ebon cheek instead, catching and tearing off the man's ponted ear. The drow leader, for his part, yelped and struck the feral goblinkin kin back with a stunning blow. He came to his senses then and knew he could not win, so he turned and fled, mustering all the speed of his wolfling friends. The drow gave chase, and Ragrigrin would have been caught but for a shadow in a corner. It materialized and jerked him behind a halfling hut and into the cover of the night. That shadow would become his closest friend, the mischievous mouseblood now known only as snik.

The survivors of the attack who witnessed the battle spread the tale around the village. The people came to respect Ragrigrin after that, though they were still cautious around him. He had become full of fire with an even more feral cast to his gaze than before. In honor of his battle and in recognition of his animalistic nature the people began to call him the Mongoose. Ragrigrin liked the name. The mongoose, like him, he thought, was a small creature, often underestimated, but it was lightning fast with a razor bite; but most importantly for Ragrigrin it was the deadly enemy of serpents everywhere.