A near empty bar stood strategically beside a hotel and a large lake.  There were tourists sitting on the gravelly sand letting the water touch their toes.  They didn’t know the lake was filled with leeches buried deep into the sediment. The locals knew to never swim to long yet no one would ever tell the ordinary passersby, they let them swim for hours at a time.  Most of the locals came to watch around mid-day, they had a sick sense of humor.

     Shrill screams echoed into the bar.  The bartender smirked and grabbed a jar of coins out from under the table, “Pay up Maverick.”  He said looking into the large green eyes of a makof.

     He was sitting at the back table and when he stood a spade tipped tail revealed itself to the bar’s candle light.  He was dark skinned and wore a tattered shirt and stained pants, “Why do you always bet on the girls Mav? You should know better by now.  I tell you its always the kids but you never listen.”

     Maverick sighed and pulled out three coins just as worn down as him and put them in the jar, “And I tell you you’re just lucky.” the bartender laughed heartily and started cleaning glasses.

     The door swung open and five laughing makof entered, “Hey Mav,” a wet haired light skinned one in the front of the group said, “Wren how come that lake has leeches anyhow?  I remember my pops telling me stories about it and how it never used to have those blood sucking fiends in it.” he asked addressing the bartender.

     “You’ve never heard the stories?” Wren asked.

     “No, what are you talking about?” he questioned coming to sit on the bar stools.

     “Oh well then you’re in for a treat Wren loves to tell this one!” Maverick said taking a seat as well.

     The burly bartender smiled and his tone darked dramatically, “Long ago there lived a serpent.  He rested in that very lake. The villagers relied on him they said that he supplied the land with magic and good harvest.  Those villagers were Tamaan.” growls and glares passed through the group.

     “Quiet down now.” Maverick said angrily.

     “Why should we?  That vile race defied the laws of magic!  They killed villagers with light magic and twisted their ways into the minds of good people.”

     “Yeah that’s what we thought to.” Wren said causing the group to quiet, “I’m sure some of you have heard that the Tamaan brought illness and death with them anywhere they went.  They used light magic to control other races and pushed them over the edge of cliffs.” the makofs all nodded.

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     “Well that’s a lie.” Maverick said.

     “The truth is far worse.” Wren said narrowing his eyes, “The Tamaan were a nomadic race they traveled from place to place following a great serpent that supplied them with magic.  They tattooed their bodies to better channel the power he gave them. Eventually the serpent came to this very town. He slept in the lake giving the land magic.”

     “The Tamaan built their civilization around the lake.  At night they would give the serpent offerings. It could be something as simple as an earring or as large as a cow.  In the morning they would go out and farm. Their crop was always successful and their stomachs always full. Soon other races heard of this plentiful land where the spring was always warm and the winter filled with powdery snow.”

     “As the years passed the town grew.  It was no longer just the Tamaan that lived there but, people of all different races.  They lived happily, the Tamaan still offered the serpent gifts at night while the other townspeople slept.  Yet as the nights grew warmer the other villagers stayed awake longer.”

     “One night the Tamaan were going down to the lake to give the serpent a large supply of meat.  A few villagers saw them and watched to see what they were doing. As the Tamaan got closer to the lake their tattoos glowed, as did the water.  They placed the items in the water on a small raft and pushed it to the middle of the lake. It sat there for a short time before slowly sinking beneath the waters.”

     “Their tattoos stopped glowing and they went to their homes to sleep.  The villagers came to quick conclusions and started to spread rumors that the Tamaan were summoning a demon that would kill them all.  The townspeople became restless and would secretly watch each night while the Tamaan gave the serpent gifts.”

     “Soon they all feared the Tamaan and doubted how the land was always perfect and the crop plentyfull.  A small group formed and they came to the decision that they should poison the lake. All the members agreed and the next morning they snuck a potent poison into the water.”

     “They thought they were successful in killing a ‘demon’ but all they had done was hurt the Tamaan.  As the days passed the Tamaan became weaker and the villagers even more doubtful than before. They thought the Tamaan had summoned the demon and had grown weak because of it.”

     “They became so consumed with fear that they ended up planning to attack the tattooed race.  The next night the villagers attacked the Tamaan as they neared the lake. It was a massacre.  Their homes burned, the lake became red with blood. They were too weak to fight back. Over half the Tamaan died that night.  The next morning the villagers awoke with dead crops and a dirty leech filled lake.”

     “The rest of the Tamaan were gone and a large trench ran up the land to the north.  They say that a demon escaped from the lake and was released upon the land. I say the serpent rose from the lake and led the Tamaan into the forest just to the north of here where they would be hidden and safe from harm forever.” the group was silent each questioning their own beliefs.

     “Of course that’s just a fairytale maybe the Tamaan did murder our villagers and poison the water.  Maybe, but maybe not.”