[Reposted]
[Ryzar]
Ryzar scans the blue-lit chamber from where the guards had come,
looking for more approaching enemies -- as well as to get an
impression of the general layout of the chamber, and what might be
going on inside it.
At Dharak's quiet comment, Ryzar looks over at his companion with a
puzzled expression.
"He thinks I look like a Kolder?" Ryzar asks, stunned, "And that I
also look like a Kandar? Hmmm..." Ryzar's stunned expression changes
to a thoughtful frown.
"Truth be told, I've been mistaken as a Kandar before." Ryzar says, as
he looks back over his shoulder at the group of his companions, "What
puzzles me about that is, to my eye, I don't see any significant
difference between a Human and a Kandar. Only the Kandar seem to be
able to see these differences that they say separates their race from
ours.
"I mean, all the tales I've been told of them, even the Kolder are
thought to be Men -- Humans, that is. They just have a slightly
different appearance, just as any peoples from a distant land will
have a different appearance. The Sulcar sailors are mostly red-haired
and broad shouldered, the Alizonders are mostly blonde-haired and fair
skinned. My own people, the Old Race, are slim and dark-haired,
marked by our dark eyes..." Ryzar points at his own ebony irises,
"...but despite looking 'different' from each other, we all
acknowledge that we are 'Human'.
"Kandar, to me, look just as 'human' as you do, friend Dharak. It's
not like they have feathers, or the ears of a hound, or the teeth of a
shark. They just look...human...to me. The Kolder, now, even they
must be some form of human people, if the tales be true. They are a
slim people, like my own Old Race, but they are also said to be a bit
on the tall side. They have little to no hair upon their bodies --
but I've never heard tell whether this was the norm for them, or if
they prefered to shave it all off. And their noses are said to be a
little small for their faces. In their own lairs they wear strange
clothing that clings tightly to their bodies.
"The common Kolder is cunning and dangerous, full of tricks and
surprises. But their Leaders are the ones that are the most
dangerous! While the Kolder are most likely human, they are also
masters of arcane machines -- they have machines that do almost
everything for them, and their machines of war are most diabolical.
The Kolder Leaders are, somehow, tied into their machines. According
to the tales, a Kolder leader spends his time seated in a throne,
wearing a crown which, somehow, 'connects' him to almost every machine
within his realm. With the merest thought, he can issue commands,
make adjustments, and activate to furthest, most remote Kolder
machines at his command. And recieve information back from those
machines, though they be miles away!
"Also, the Kolder have machines that can impose their will upon
another, taking control of their minds. And, most horrible of all,
they have machines that they _replace_ the mind of a person with,
making that person little more than a puppet under the mental command
of their Leaders.
"The Kolder are a most evil people, my friend, and I like not being
compared to one."
--
Tim Hall, http://www.kalyr.com
"It's a fine line between stupid and clever"
- Spinal Tap
