Tales, Scripts, and Accounts

Akuga, the Rat King

Everyone has seen or heard a rat at some point. They're disgusting- both humans and animals. You can't trust them. They always have their nose in your business and you loathing their existence. Alone, they're not difficult to deal with. One successful trap or exterminator can stomp them out without a sweat and then the vermin problem is solved for the time being. But there's never just one. They're never alone.

Even in small packs, these things can be a pain for anyone who hasn't dealt with such a situation before. All it takes is a couple rats to scare away customers, destroy merchandise, ruin a relationship, or poison an entire family's reputation. Unorganized swarms of these scuttering vermin are horrendous. When they're organized and hunting as a pack... It's truly a nightmare. You'll find rats left and right. Searching through your trash or hearing them through your walls... sometimes you'll occasionally find one or two dead in your basement. And when you leave, you'll see them in the streets, among the many markets and bars. But you can't do anything about it. There are far too many. In Neilu, there is no escape.

It hasn't been long since the raggedy souls littering the streets of Neilu were truly simple beggars and addicts. Ones scrounging for enough coin to afford food so they could postpone starving another day. Constantly being kicked to the curb by gate guards for caravans or merchants to set up stands in their place. No future and no hope. Among these rats happened to land a traveling politician of sorts- a politician only because he was good with his words. While visiting the tavern, he was drugged and mugged, then mistakenly kicked to the curb like all the rest. And everyone expected the hungover, greasy looking young man to accept he was the victim. To retreat and return home, tail between the legs and counting his losses. But Akuga was not that type. He bathed in the sand and dust with the crowds of homeless junkies as they gossiped about the assailant's history. Who they were, where they'd be, and how their collected information would be relayed to a man they called the Rat King. Not to mention he'd pay a nice amount of coin for a finder's fee.

Aside from perhaps the Silver Tongue- leader of the ever-hated Snakes, the Rat King was said to be one of the oldest titles in Neilu. Passed down through generations to whoever proved themselves most worthy for the title. It was the highest position over the lowest type of people. The Rat King controls the largest amount of people because word spread that even the poor and dastardly could have a chance at becoming something in Neilu. Of course, that's not true, but they believed it and migrated to the caravansary anyway. All those within the walls compete for status among other rats, stepping on one another every chance they get if it means showing the King their worth. This is especially true in times where the title is more vulnerable. A large defining factor of how valuable the head title is relies on which ruler the merchants currently trust most. Historically, merchants of Neilu tend to trust whichever ruler leaves them feeling safer after coughing up their intel for coin compensation. Payment size was also obviously a large contributing factor to the merchant's loyalty.

Less than a day was all it took for the Rat King to round up a band of scrawny, streetside crooks. Alone, they weren't much, but to face the pack was a mistake. And when they showed up at both the front and back door without warning, the assailant knew there was no escape.

Akuga could have simply reclaimed his possessions and left Neilu like any logical person would have. Left without an intent to return. Instead- after getting robbed and ravaged by people he soon found out were Snakes- he saw more untapped potential for the homeless in this forsaken excuse for a city. See, even an infrequent tourist like himself could tell the people of this place had many secrets. So he scavenged some more. Returned to the dirt and those who lined the streets to start searching for a whole lot of secrets.

Avoiding exposure is far from a simple feat when Rats are always assumed to be within earshot. They could be anyone from an old beggar on the corner to the shopkeep you passed while perusing the bustling market. For the right price or amount of intimidation, even random tourists essentially become rats because they'll squeal to one of those branded vermin without a second thought. Point is, someone with secrets will always figure out what they shouldn't. You cannot hide beneath the moonlight or among a mid-day crowd. There is no escape.