Blindfold

  In a Hurry

   When Osdornor defeated the forces of Midraal several free women from the vanquished State City left their homes. The ladies left their slaves locked inside their cages, to avoid the unfair competition. They walked the streets, looking for any military commander from Osdonor to offer their necks. 

    That's a common occurrence, to be expected every time a civilized city is invaded by some civilized foe. The smarter ladies know they must hurry, they have only a few ours to find their way to a collar. 

    The female citizens left behind after the commanders finish their inspection will be in the hands of soldiers. The luckier one will be captured by a civilized warrior or sigrax. Mercenaries are usually among the enemy forces, some of them lawless men from nowhere, they are feared for the defenseless ladies. Even more feared than the lawless are the wild men, also part of most mercenary armies: one on each five warriors fighting for Osdornor was a wild mercenary, a man from a nomadic tribe, a barbaric savage. 

   There is masters even worse than barbaric and savage humans. Not all wars involve such soldiers, but they are far from rare. Intelligent non humans, such as the lizard people and the gaars, who have no sexual interest for human slaves. Instead, they value humans_ both male and female_ as meat. Even the nutritive value being too small for the trouble such wild non humans insist on take the part of the slave spoils they have earned: humans are the most powerful specie on the planet Sharitarn (despite the fact that individually most humans prove to be far weaker than the regular member of many other species) and to many non human cultures that's enough to make humans a important traditional meal. 

  Only a  few dozen lizard men had been fighting for Osdornor as mercenaries, but know about their existence was enough to make even the proudest High Caste lady on Midraal consider the humiliation to be beg for a soldier's slave collar less distasteful.                 

              

  About That Coffee ?

  That story (or the story to be developed from the basic idea here)  has something to do with Sharitarn, the fictional world where The Traveller take place. Here you see the vortex, natural phenomenon which takes people from many other Universes and leaves them on the planet Sharitarn. 

  _Are you sure, Arquimedes ? She really is the free woman, Mage Caste Lady, who is pretending to be a slavegirl ??  Some parts of her seem to be a bit too good in pretending.

   _You know I am sure, Sheera.  The divination spell ...

   _All right, all right ! I was just joking, no need to be defensive about it Quim. You what to do what now?

   _What you mean?

   _You found the woman, you kept her distracted. Following your plan I sneaked behind her and  locked this antimagic collar around her neck. Now the sigrax puppy is defenseless, we escaped the warriors who were supposed to protect her, and are close to take her away from her nation. That's why I ask: what you want  to do?

   _We must take her to the castle. You know the plan !!

   _Yes, but: are you sure ? I mean, don't you prefer to let the lady go? Look how scared she is! Isn't too cruel what we are doing? Maybe if you free her now, and ask nicely,  her brother's soldiers will let your friends go instead of impale them.

  _I don't think... . You are having fun at my expenses, aren't you?

  _What if I am ??

  _You know, I could punish you anyway I please.

  _Of course, true. Albeit that, we both know you will not. Because if you had the inclination to actually whip me for vex you on purpose, a little bit, then my job with you would be half done already! The power to do something means nothing when to likelihood of that power be exercised is too low to deserve consideration, Quim.   

   _Arquimedes, if you must use a shorter name call me Ar!  Not 'Quim'.

   _I don't think so 'Ar', I like Quim better. Besides, you do look like a Quim.     

 
  

 _I need you to trust me on that, master.

 _It's nice to leave town a little but, but I keep catching myself waiting for a trap all the time. I know the professor asked me to listen to you, but am not sure about what he expect from me! Besides, if be a slavegirl mean you must obey me, let me give you a command: stop calling me "master"! My name is Arquimedes, Sheera.

_As you wish, Arquimedes.  Professor Soldoni belive you can be a important mage for your city in the future, I believe. However, to make that possible you need to survive on Sharitarn, and to do so  long enough to be a useful citizen you must learn to deal with the culture on your city, and on this planet.         

 _This is some sort of educational excursion, then? 

 _That does not look good. What kind of place is that? 

 _That's a place used by nomadic caravans to sell their recently captured women. Two medium-sized cities nearby had been in war. The nomad tribes fought as mercenary for both and, as usual, they received part of their payment in captured free women just hours ago. They will sell some of them here.

_You what me to buy a slave?? I told you, already, Sheera. I don't feel comfortable with all that story of slavery!  This is it, I'm leaving.   

_No one expects you to buy a slave here, maa-Arquimedes. You don't have to OWN slaves, ever. That's personal matter, my intention is... 

 _Wait for me! If you leave me behind around here I will be stolen. Since you care so much for o our feelings you should not allow that to happen: my life on your city is far better than anything waiting for me on a camp like that. I am a slavegirl myself, you know.

_I am sorry, Sheera.

_Don't be, mine is actually a good life. Is possible to have far worse fates as a free woman, or as a free man. I would not trade my life here for the one I had on Earth.

_You are a ii like me? I had understood that you were native of Sharitarn.

_Nope!  I am from Jerusalem: that place that was the capital of Israel back in the days when there was still sovereigns national States on Earth. Used to teach Cryptology at university up there. "Ester Maggid" used to be my my name before master changes it to Sheera.

 _All right, I will trust you. Let's see that big sale.

 _Thank you, Arquimedes.   
         

_You say that isn't all bad to be a slave girl. but those women does not look like happy people to me.

_Oh, I hope they aren't happy!! If they were I would have lost your time. The point for us here, today, is to show you women recently captured and about to be slaved by the will of men, completely against their will. Taking for my personal experience, and for other iis I met, the sexual slave nature of women remain a sort of dark comedy for us for as long as we can keep it like that. To actually build a normal life here you must understand it is not a joke. Four hour ago each one of them was a high caste lady, citizen of some respectable nation, they...

 _The did not want to be here, naked, about to be sold and branded like you have been.

 _No they don't want, not only that but they are not supposed to want any of that either. However, every single women here will learn that there is pleasures and sufferings in life for a slave, as much as there is both for free women. All of them already believe, as anyone does on Sharitarn, that all women are natural slaves! They just used to make an exception for themselves, and maybe their better lady friends: now they will give up all those exceptions.

_That feels like a hard first lesson, Ester. If I may say so myself !

_Don't worry, Arquimedes: I have a method here ! This course is all planed, nice and well. As I told you before: just trust me.         
  

DIVERSITY

     

    “What is this guy ?” On a world where exist sigraxes and mages capable to modify their bodies, and the bodies of others, using spells; other mages capable to generate new living species from the deep abyss of their imaginations; where youwill  find diseases capable to deform people beyond imagination; and where people from countless Universes are throwed  without chance to go back, and magic allows individuals from  species that should not have any chance of reprodution with each other to have fertile children; on a world like that, sometimes the common man will not find the answer for the question “What is this guy?” without some investigation.

    During my time on Black Centaur the range of variation amoung the population of Sharitarn was only one idea. There almost everybody is human, both professors and students; most are natives from Lutianen, some iis (involuntary immigrants) like myself or descendants of iis: humans neither the less. Civilized instituitions capable to from ‘true mages’ are basicly for citzens and people who intend to try became citzens. They can only teach the ones born with the potential for magic. On top of that, they are with very little exceptions “human only”.

   Every intelligent species will produce some individuals with magical potential, and those individuals have a chance to became able to use same magical Ways any other individual with the potential can. To survive and keep control over their planet the native humans must keep control over all places capable to form mages. Sigrax can be civilized or wild, humans or not, in the end of day we sigraxes make little diference when it cames to global scale.                   

   I’m not proud to admit, but that aspect of Sharitarn impacted me once I left the Castle. Specially in the streets and pubs near to the Port.  

   Despite the fact that I knew what I should expect, the real experience was more than I could digest during a few weeks. However, being from Earth I had learned that mention physical diferences between people is rude: on Earth we all know perfectly well the place of each one in the unspoken caste system, but no one mention it outloud. Here on Sharitarn, on the contrary, they hierarchy between castes is always in dispute; and everybody talks about “who is what” without  scandal. No one fears to say “I don’t like Giants”,  or “lizard men are idiotic”, there is no shame in dislike a group of people or consider other less intelligent: the second position can be contradicted by facts (theoretically, but in that case I don’t recommend), but the first one is personal matter, no one has the obligation to like you or anyone else here on Sharitarn.

   Eventually I noticed that was not just because I was from Earth that I could not say if someone was a human modified by magic or a ii from a non human species. Even High Caste people born and raised on cosmopolitan metropolis sometime get confuse.

    Any Scholar Caste adult is supposed to recognize the iis, as far as the populations from Universes ‘tuned” by the vortex are concerned. Some Mage Caste and  some Warrior Caste fellows claim the capacity to do the same. Problem is: the vortex don’t bring only populations from such universes. Sometimes the vortex brings only one, or a few, individuals from a given Universe; to never touch it again.  Usually (but not always ) this lonely iis came from Universes were magic is more common, and Xar more abundant than it is on this  Universe.  No one can know every single species brought by the vortex from Universes never tuned by it.

    That guy with spikes and claws, is he a nomadic hunter modified by his tribe’s wild sigrax or a ii from a Universe never tuned by the vortex? The bald slave girl with four arms being sold by him, she is a female from his specie, a High Caste human lady from Mibavan with two symbionts designed to work and look like arms, or her kind was created by a mage one century ago?   

      Those questions may sound merely academic, and on some lands_ places like Port Alkavalla, a non human city between the Sorrowfull River and the Giant Mountains_ they actually are. However, several places (current Lutianen included) have laws limitating the access to some rights and positions to citzens who are not iis. Nations will ban anyone involved with magic, either modified or created by it, but will not care if you came from the vortex or not. Some others accept any human; modified by magic or not, ii or native from Sharitarn; but will kill at sight any intelligent non human they find on their territory. Know “who is what” sooner or later will prove to be a serious matter for a traveler on Sharitarn.

    To a sigrax with some basic Divination Spells that a problem easy to solve, under most circunstances and when there is no magic working to hidde the informations. However, sigraxes are rare. Most people on this planet never saw one of us. When magic is not on the table, how you know what the guy with spikes and the girl with four arms are?

    When uncertain about the nature of someone, most groups will assume the worse. They rarelly go as far as kill someone they aren’t sure to belong to the group they want to kill, but they will warn the fellow to leave and never came back: once.  Anyone stupid enough to came back after that will be killed for trespass. Go where yo know that you are not welcome, and be caught doing that, is reason enough to deserve death; according to basicly everyone on this planet.  

   As long there is no law involved which would make one or other answer dangerous for the fellow, there is always one alternative. If you don’t know “what is this guy”, go and ask him.

   Often you will get a answer more extensive and detailed than you wanted. Especially when, beyond anything else, this guy is a merchant.  

Are you sure?

(The big one is my final idea so far. Below that, my first version, and me attempts to adapt the image in order to make it  harmless for deviant art aduts. )

CELEBRATING THE   SHADAOVAN 

   Acording to the legend, Shadao  felt on the Cave of Mirrors, and spent 9 days inside it before she accept  the proposition of  free companionship made by Toorsh. Twin sister and free companion of Toorsh, the legendary founder and king of Toorgesh, she is sacret for all citzens of Toorgesh.

   To honor Shadao, every year the young girls of Toorgesh leave their homes. They go to the streets naked, except for a mask that covers their heads telling only the mouth out and a belt to hide their navels (show the belly button in public is considered obcene for free women even during the Shadaovan).

    The free girls walk their city without destiny during 9 days, naked like Shadao was inside the cave: Shadao passed her time in the Cave of Mirrors having sex with her countless images, the girls do the same with each other.  They dance, get drunk, smoke hallucinogens, and have sex, all over the city. The streets, parks and high bridges welcome them. Every high caste family contributes with food, libations, traditionas herbs for the girl’s pipes ; they also open their private gardens for the girls durind the celebration. Every direction you look there is girls having sex with each other to honor Shadao, showing their national pride and patriotism.

   During the month before the festival outsiders are warnet to leave. Those who stay inside Toorgesh must remain inside the place here they are housed and avoid the windows.  If someone notice their presence  they can, an will, be killed for being inside the city during the 9 days of Shadaovan.

   No Toorgeshin man  touches the naked women. To the local boys the fun is try to recognize the ladies they know behind the bataclavas.

   The Shadaovan is sacret for all Toorgesh, the woman are save as long they follow it’s rules: never take of the mask and never show their navels.  On the other hand, any woman who is found outside their family home after the end of the celebration, will be captured and slaved by the first man who wishes to do so: that is sacret too.  

   Every year hundreds of women who lost conscience during the last and more wild night of celebration are found on the streets, parks, public and private gardens, high bridges. Some are sleeping, some are walking but too drunks to find their way home, some never noticed that was the last night. The men of Toorgesh starts their harvest a little before the sun rise, by nightfall some will still find the gifts left to them by Shadao.   

  Toorgeshin is a large city located on a "magical scar" (a place were the Xar was poisoned, making  magic impossible) on the planet Sharitarn. Sharitarn is the place were my story The Traveller takt place. 

  You find The Traveller (and short stories like that one) at:    deviantart.com/brancorvo

             

Honey Pot_ May I ask you one thing, master? 
Iruck  _Yes, my Honey Pot: ask.

Honey Pot  _When you saw us thoghter , Walkir....; when master saw Foxy and I, for the first time. Master decided to capture us both already thinking on that, don't you. You  could have captured any other women, but you slaved me and  my companion. You impregnate  both of us at same time. All to have a former couple of dyke lovers, under your command. Just to see us performin for your entertainment and lust,  with your childs in our bellies. 


Iruck _ Nonsense! Of course not, that would have been frivolous and irresponsable: I would never allow any slave to have my children, just to entertainment and lust. You two are both high quallity specimens, excellent choices for breeding. 


 Honey Pot, surprised: 

  _Was not for your  lust them. 

 Iruck _Well..., not JUST for lust.