Editing Verzeg Black Beetle (section)

==Background==

'''Verzeg Black Beetle'''

[[Verzeg History-complete]]


'''Who am I? Who is my family? What is my past?'''

I am Verzeg 'Black Beetle', so named after my Gorakiki armour. I am an enlo of the Srak Arhan clan, and I am fairly sure [[Vasha Waiting in Darkness]] is my sister, and although enlo are forbidden to acknowledge uzo parents I think Mistress Zorgenna may be our mother. My past is complicated, and I have written it in full for you, but to be brief I am a simple slave who through hard work has become a value, and through bad luck has become a fugitive.

'''What is my homeland? Who are my people? What other lands do I know? Who are their peoples?'''

The Srak Arhan clan is my people, and I am their slave. I live in the clan hold in the centre of the world, which the ancient Mistresses caused to have huge walls put around it. This world is split in two by a mighty river, and beyond the walls is a vast desert ringed by dwarf-infested mountains. They say there is a puny shadow-city attached to the troll walls somewhere infested with humans, but I don't know how true this is and I've never seen a human. 
I know in the world within the walls the Mistresses have allowed a breeding stock of elves to have a place, but something happened and they ran wild. I know this is probably true because I have killed two who killed many uzko and enlo. There are dwarves in this world too, although I don't know how they got here. I have killed three that attacked me, so I know they are here. Finally, there are chaos horrors called 'scorpionko', who somehow make their enemies into themselves. I have slain many of these in Dark Fort, more than I can count, and they are unimaginable horrors. Of the rest of the world I know nothing.

'''What work do I do? How do I spend my time?'''
 	
I am a beetle-guard in the beetle pens, and I have learned the mysteries of the beetle-folk and thier lives. I am learning how to breed up types which are lost and once got burned by a spitting beetle I accidentally bred and was rewarded with a ham beetle for it. When I do not guard the beetles I make things from the gifts of the beetles; armour, weapons, tools and other things the uzko value. When I have finished this I have a little time to forage for food and then I sleep.

'''What do I value? Who do I serve? What do I hope for?'''
 	
I now value freedom, and I want to have a place where I and my friends can be without fear. We will have our own 'upright land' where we can stand straight, something I have never done. I serve no one but friendship ties, and I hope for a long life and to die without being eaten. I know this is wrong to our people, but enlo are food and this is wrong. I know that in my heart.

'''What things are good? What things are evil? Who are my friends? Who are my enemies?'''
 	
I hate fear, I hate terror. They bred us to be cowards and we live our lives in horror and fright. I don't like people who use fear as a tool, and I don't like the bigger that bully and murder the smaller. I like laughing, and my friends can have light hearts that make the searing fear go away with thier jokes.

'''Who are my gods? How do I serve them?'''

There are many gods of the peoples but the biggest goddess for them is '''Hating Mother'''. The elves hurt her and made her have enlo as children and she despises us for this because we are her weakness made flesh. This is all I know of her, and we enlo expect nothing from her. After her there is '''Loving Auntie''', beloved of the enlo. While she can be harsh, she is sees us as fellows and tends to us. When I was burned the uzko of the Loving Auntie sang a song for me that made the pain and fright go away, and I cried to know this new feeling. Of all the goddesses, Loving Auntie is loved freely from our little hearts. Then there is '''Generous Auntie''', who I know as her proper name 'Gorakiki'. She gives us beetles as creatures of toil, food and material, and even friends. Generous Auntie gives to anyone who asks, and she is probably the strongest goddess in the world, although that is only whispered in the beetle pens. After this is '''Nasty Uncle''', who I know only too well and much to the detriment of my sleep. Nasty Uncle is different from all the other people gods in that he doesn't care about anything but hurting things. Hating Mother cares about bloodlines, family and clan, but Nasty Uncle couldn't care less. Instead of eating the dead, he makes them into murdering things to set loose on the world. Instead of clan, he grabs the uzko that he can and makes them into things called 'regiments'; huge armies of ravening trolls. There are two other uncles; '''Uncle Slavemaster''' is the first. He makes us into slaves that can be sold within clans, and taught us the spear so we wouldn't use uzko weapons. I hate him, he sells my kin and I never see them again. He does other things too, but I know not and suspect they are all bad. The other uncle is '''Outside Uncle'''. He uses the sling and kills for food, and he sometimes kills enlo too which is bad but he doesn't care who you are as long as you sneak up on things and kill them.