text: [Themes: fantasy]
  
  The Blackfur Clan, one of the biggest civilized Ratmen Clans, stands proudly on the crossroads between the now-extinct Blackdon Volcano, the human city of Dumadran, and the dangerous Darkmoor Swamp.
  
  The Blackfurs have fought many battles against the Swamp Trolls from Darkmoor, but the Trolls have been gaining the upper hand lately. The Ratman leader, Lord Stormclaw II, has lost many of his sons in recent battles, and has fallen into a grave depression, further bringing the Blackfur to the edge. One by one, the best warriors either perished or defected to other Clans. The Cult of Rhoden, a self-proclaimed Rat King has gained popularity, incorporating many clans already, but the Blackfurs have not joined... Instead, many of it's warriors left for the "safety in numbers" seemingly provided by Rhoden. Stormclaw was desperate.
  
  To make matters worse, a band of humans has sneaked in and stole most of the valuables hoarded over time by the Clan, leaving them unable to trade with others for things they need.
  
  Stormclaw's two youngest sons, Blackscree and Greyfur, consumed Ratweed to become Ratmen, but for some reason they did not transform yet, even if the effect is almost instant. To make matters worse, the Clan's Shaman Council all had the same vision: Stormclaw dead, with the Blackfur camp in flames , at full moon, during a rainstorm, with Swamp trolls claiming victory. Usually, Ratman Shaman predictions are quite accurate, especially if it happens in groups, which meant that Stormclaw's days were numbered, as the full moon hanged upon the evening sky and clouds of storm amassed above the Clan's Camp.
  
  At sunset, the guards alerted Stormclaw of a slowly-moving group of trolls approaching, bearing a white flag and a large chest. As the group of seven trolls shuffled to the camp, Stormclaw ordered the guards to watch the group closely and at his sign, to attack from all sides.
  
  When the Trolls reached the camp, Stormclaw didn't greet them, but asked them outright what do they want. Struggling with the use of comprehensible language, the leader Troll mumbled almost incoherently that Stormclaw needs the contents of the chest they bear. He then opened the chest, revealing stolen potions from a Wizard who's tower stood near the Trolls' Swamp. Those weren't cheap healing potions, those were special potions used to increase the amount of food, which the Blackfurs lacked lately. As the troll spoke to Stormclaw, the Ratman guards followed their orders and surrounded slowly the seven trolls, but everyone felt they were missing something.
  
  A sudden downpour of rain started to soak everyone, and all the trolls started grinning and smirking. It was known that they fail at bluffing; they cannot hide it when they have an evil plan that's about to be revealed, and large, dumb grins on their green faces were the sign they cannot be trusted anymore.
  
  The Troll leader offered to give up the chest , demanding in exchange that the Ratmen help the Trolls against a band of thieves that settled in their Swamp. Stormclaw refused outright, knowing that it was a lie, but as he was about to give the attack order, he remembered the Shaman Council's prediction... and noticed something that made him realize that it was too late.
  
  As the Ratman Guards moved from their watch posts to surround the Trolls, small pools of mud, shapeshifted Trolls, moved freely behind them, infiltrated the camp , and surrounded them. The prediction was about to come.
  
  The end was close. But he was not going to fall without a fight. Both Stormclaw and the Troll leader ordered the attack at the same time, and the massacre began. Many Ratmen fell before they knew what hit them. Seeing the mess, some decided to give up and run away, as the Trolls couldn't catch up with them even when shapeshifted.
  
  The Troll Leader engaged Stormclaw personally, and smashed his skull with a precise hit. A lightning suddenly hit the roof of Stormclaw's den, setting it on fire. The soft rain was not enough to put it out, and the fire spread to the nearby huts. The Ratmen were defeated. Stormclaw's sons, Blackscree and Greyfur, not being fully grown, were easily surrounded by the Trolls. In a dash of adrenaline, Greyfur jumped on the back of a Troll, and started biting, clawing his way to the beast's minuscule brain, to stop it. The Troll waved his club around aimlessly trying to hit the rat on his back, but instead hit a fellow Troll. Seeing the two trolls now fighting each other, the dumb trolls flocked to the two, siding with either one or the other and clubbing to death other trolls randomly. Stormclaw always knew that the stupidity of the trolls can be used against them.
  
  Soon, only half a dozen trolls remained alive. The fleeing Ratmen turned around, reorganized quickly and counter-attacked. They took the camp back faster than they lost it, but the casualties were huge. Five dozen dead Trolls piled up in the middle of the camp, rapidly decomposing in the rain, with Greyfur standing on top of them, claiming the pyrrhic victory for the Blackfur Clan. Blackscree stood nearby, showing signs of jealousy. With their father dead and Greyfur turning the tide of the battle, it was decided that he should lead the Blackfur Clan, even in his semi-evolved state. Blackscree was displeased; he was next in line at the throne. Without anyone's knowledge, the Troll Leader survived, and only faked his death, seeing the imminent failure of the attack. Seeing the young Blackscree displeased with his brother's promotion to Clan leader, a plan was hatched into the Troll leader's mind...... And neither Blackscree or the troll leader have been seen ever since. Blackscree was supposed dead , although his remains were never found.
  
  Five years later, the Blackfur Clan was prosperous again, under Greyfur's leadership. Greyfur was given the secondary name of Trollslayer, for his deeds during and after the attack, which led to the extermination of the Swamp Trolls, in a joint effort with the bandits, mentioned by the Troll leader, who turned up to be real. Trollslayer became famous in both ratkind and humankind: turning the tide of a battle single-handedly with the result being fifty dead Trolls, a force to be reckoned with even by human standards, was no easy feat, although Trollslayer himself often claims otherwise.
  
  But recently, news arrived to Trollslayer's ears; a mighty warlord of the Dragons, based in the Blackdon Volcano just a dozen miles away from the Blackfur Camp, has declared war on the Human city nearby. Drawing a straight line from Blackdon to the city, Trollslayer realized that the only possible battlefield would be his own camp, found exactly in the middle, placed on a strategic location that both sides would prefer to own. Peace was not an option; conflict was enforced on the Ratmen when a human emissary declared that either the Ratmen join them and fight in the front lines, or oppose them and will be destroyed.
  
  > refuse the offer; side with the Dragons
  Silly humans. Defeating a horde of Dragons is not something they can achieve, even with Ratman help.
  
  "Killing humans, on the other hand.... was very easy" contemplated Trollslayer, holding the emissary's severed head. A Ratman was sent to the Dragon Warlord with the message that the Ratmen will aid them against the humans. This way, the Blackfur Clan would gain some more fame for it's deeds. The humans weren't their friends anyway, sneaking in almost monthly and stealing supplies, then claiming it was a Ratman who sent them.
  
  But something was off. The messenger to the dragons should have returned. Trollslayer gathered a group of warriors and decided to go and meet the Dragon warlord personally. Just as they left the camp, they noticed a blue spiral of energy shooting towards the sky from somewhere over the next ridge.
  
  Approaching, Trollslayer found out it was the messenger. He was returning from the Dragons. He wasn't eaten, so they must have accepted Ratman aid... but he was killed by a magical spell, probably the spiral seen earlier. Something was wrong....
  
  Another spiral shot to the sky , this time from the direction of the Blackfur camp. And another one. if the spiral was what killed the messenger, then it was certain that the Clan was in danger. Trollslayer cursed his decision to leave. He returned to Camp to find it razed to the ground, not one trace of Ratman but the paw prints on the ground, near a huge crater where once Trollslayer's Lair stood. This was impossible! It was only minutes! Who could have done that? The entire Blackfur clan, demoted from the biggest Ratman Clan to probably the smallest one in mere MINUTES! Trollslayer was enraged. It was clearly the hand of the humans. It must be. Who else to blame?
  
  "Heh, not so tough now, eh, Greyfur?" whispered an ominous voice. None of the group seemed to hear it, except Trollslayer. But he left behind that name a long time ago.....
  
  Trollslayer tried to talk to the voice, creeping out his fellow Ratmen, who thought him to be delusional from the loss, which was understandable, but Trollslayer knew that there was more than that. He took his band of warriors and decided to march against the human city, infiltrate it during the night , and assassinate all it's leaders.
  
  There were two ways they could sneak in: the sewer system, which was a known weak point of the city, and , strangely, the main gate, as it was torn down by a recent earthquake and was still in construction. Trying to chose one of the ways, Trollslayer heard the whispering again: "You wouldn't want to get all the attention of the city by just walking through the main gate, are you? Go on Greyfur.... Avenge your brothers... sneak through the sewers! Eradicate them!"
  
  > go through the main gate
  As expected, there were few guards at the gates in construction. A bunch of drunken builders were bumping into walls just near the gates, keeping the sleepy guards awake. In the silence of the night, the black fur ( that's where the clan name came from) of the Ratmen helped them sneak in.
  
  Once they were in, they spread out; Trollslayer assigned each with a number of targets: merchant leaders, military officers, rich citizens, guildmasters, and local heroes. Trollslayer was going to infiltrate the Palace and kill the Royal Family.
  
  Sneaking in silently, Trollslayer had the feeling he was being watched. Again, something felt awfully wrong... a feeling that was intensified when the sounds of battle echoed in the night, from the locations where Trollslayer's Ratmen were supposed to be. This was not good. Certainly not good.... Could someone have warned them? Impossible...
  
  "Why, dear Greyfur, nothing is impossible" said the whispering voice, but this time with a clear source, right behind Trollslayer. The Ratman turned around slowly, and saw a sorcerer, with black robes and a blue, glowing staff.
  
  "You!" said Trollslayer , enraged. "You killed my people!"
  
  "Your people? Ohh, Greyfur...."
  
  "Where do you know my name was Greyfur?" asked Trollslayer.
  
  The sorcerer removed his cowl, revealing his face.
  
  "Impossible!" uttered Trollslayer, shocked.
  
  "Oooh, Greyfur..." said the sorcerer, shooting a beam of blue energy, pulverizing Trollslayer, "I've told you already that nothing is impossible!"