The Angels Sing On High

~Unknown~

He hated them. That was the simple truth. Hated them with every breath and every fiber in his body. His eyes glowed with the rage of being forgotten, left behind, thrown aside like a wet leaf. How could they forget him? Him of all people.

Whatever reason they had...it was not good enough for him. He knew though...he would have his revenge...no matter the cost.

~Rafsgal~

The word Rafsgal means "Different" in an old fairy language. And the city itself lived very well up to its name. Made mainly of brick and marble, the city was elegant and homely at all the same time. It's big red shops and large gleaming market attracted many a trader and it was slowly out pacing Freeport as far as trade went.

In the center of the city was the palace, made of marble and trimmed with gold. Spires rose up to the sky and it stood as a symbol of peace and truce. It's great wide staircases were open to most people and the Court was always willing to listen to a man or woman and help them in any way possible despite their race.

Around the outskirts of the city was the houses for creatures should they decide to settle there. Currently the house market was tied up. Too many people wanted to buy and the houses were built very carefully as to not overcrowd. The houses themselves were usually small and comfortable. Many just referred to them as cottages. Bigger houses could be purchased farther out, more into the woods. There was even a shorter supply of them and whenever one went up for sale there were usually about forty or more looking to buy.

Despite the huge backup, people still kept trying. The Board of Housing was always trying to get more free land to build in but the King of Rafsgal, Sir Tritan, rarely gave out more land to house building. When asked why he always replied,

"I do not want Rafsgal to be another Freeport."

Setting up shop in Rafsgal was almost the same. The market only allowed ship keepers to stay there for two weeks. Setting up in the market was completely free but limited unless a Celebration was going on. Permanent shops on streets had to be paid for monthly. Prices were low but you had to have a large stock of goods in order to be there. It was also known that some shop owners rented out their upstairs storage areas and basements to people looking to live in Rafsgal but unable to reserve a house. The Board of Freetrade and Housing was still debating whether or not this was legal but so far no one had been punished for it.

The justice system in Rafsgal was run by the Board of Security. This consisted of six individuals who had been elected by the common people. If a person was convicted of a crime, they were sent to the Board with a group of witnesses, lawyers, and defendants. If convicted they were given a sentence, if innocent they were let go. The Board of Security also ran the Royal Guards and Town Watchers.

Laws were few in Rafsgal. Mostly they consisted of the mistreatment of another individual and the acts of stealing, murder, rape, etc. One of the strongest and most up kept laws though was the law no other would discriminate against another due to race. There was to be no battles in Rafsgal over the difference of which god someone worshipped or where they had been born or raised. Marketers and homeowners were especially expected to abide by this rule and if should ever a wanderer break this rule they would be punished and banished from Rafsgal as soon as possible.

Rafsgal was no ordinary city as far as people went. Most half breeds and mutts lives there. It was the only place they were safe from the ridicule and insults that they received at other cities.

And this is the way Rafsgal was...and always would be.

~Palace Ision, Board of Security~

Deebo Damour chewed boredly on his quill as he scanned over the reports. Two stealing's and one bar brawl. Boring and old arguments.

He leaned back in his cushioned chair with a sigh. What was the point of having a security system when there was never any crime? Raising a white eyebrow, he regarded the female human in front of him. She was scowling and had the faint tracings of a hang over on her face.

Odd. Usually women stay out of brawls.

Deebo's eyes went to the other. It was a female dwarf who looked about ready to fly into a rage. Deebo almost laughed. Dwarves always got mad when they got in trouble for their rude behavior after downing too many beers.

He reached out and pounded the gavel once.

"The Board of Security is ready to hear the trial between Moayelan Lutesinger and Rudenya Orcslayer. In our report it is Lady Lutesinger pressing the charges - convicting Lady Orcslayer of starting an argument with her and striking the first blow in the Redhawk's Inn. How do you plead Lady Orcslayer?"

"Not guilty." snarled the dwarf with a hateful glance at the human.

"Very well. We will bring up the first witness."

Deebo nodded to Rudenya's lawyer who motioned to a person from within the witness' sitting in the benches behind them.

"Master Damour this is Lady Thurnom, the owner of the Redhawk's Inn." explained the lawyer.

The witness, a female iksar, took her seat at the stand and Deebo got ready for a long and pointless debate.

The trial lasted for three hours. Deebo waited as all witnesses were called up and he was not surprised when each and every one pointed the finger at Rudenya Orcslayer. The council members of the Board of Security sentenced her to paying 1k to Lady Lutesinger as punishment. The dwarf had paid the human then stormed out in a fury, most likely to get drunk. That all wrapped up, Deebo stood up from his chair and tied his robe more closely around him. It was 7 at night and he was tired.

A chuckle sounded from beside him.

"Off to the little lady eh?"

Deebo grinned at the wood elf sitting in the chair beside him. Lithe and graceful was Barking Uptrees, the old wood elf druid who had spent most of his life in Rafsgal.

"As always. She adds at least some excitement and joy to my day."

Barking chuckled once again.

"I can remember when Ulaha and I used to be young enough to do that sort of thing. Too old now."

A flicker of Barking's wife fluttered through Deebo's mind. Ulaha was a sweet thing but odd as well. She was a mutt. A crossbreed between human, iksar, and gnome. She was truly a very rare person.

Deebo clamped a hand over Barking's shoulder.

"See you tomorrow, bro. And you guys as well." he added to the other council members.

A chorus of Good-nights and See ya tomorrow followed Deebo out of the palace. He walked through the white marble halls down the stairs and into the outside. It was a cool night and he breathed in the fresh air.

I really should take a day off sometime. Spend some time outside...Kyarrah hates being cooped up so much. Poor girl.

The street was bathed in a peaceful serene glow of moonlight and star sparkles. Crystal lamp posts shed soft light on the stones and a horse drawn carriage walked slowly along, the passengers inside whispering quietly about the splendor of the city.

Deebo smiled. Rafsgal was a place to be proud of.

Pulling his robe collar higher, he went to the sidewalk and started out for home.