Authors: Joel Babbitt

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The Trials of Caste (40 page)

BOOK: The Trials of Caste

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“And I can feel,” Lord Karthan continued, “that the
quest these heroes of the Kale Gen are about to embark on will only further
show their worth.”

Lord Karthan turned and faced the seven yearlings
directly. “On this, the Day of Beginnings, though this is the end of your time
as yearlings, today is truly the day of your new beginning. Today you are
warriors and leaders of warriors for us, your gen, your family, your people and
your heritage. May The Sorcerer guide your path, and may the Fates smile upon
us all. So may it be.”

“So may it be!” the crowd echoed, the words a
formality that on this day came from their hearts.

Lord Karthan stepped down, and as if on cue, a particularly
pleased warrior from the Honor Guard broke through the crowd leading the second
line of conspirators; those from the stands. Thrown over his shoulder was the
unconscious form of Kort, now former sub-chief of the Patrol Guard. “Sire, what
do you want done with this sack of dung?”

With him came a surge of warriors from the stands,
Karthan loyalists whose gleaming smiles and excited talk reignited the crowd,
and swept up those who had risked death this day in a surge of joy; even Lord
Karthan himself broke into a wide, toothy grin at the joy of his warriors.
They were alive! They had put down their enemies, and they were alive!

On the other side of their lord, Durik and the
rest of his companions shared in the elation. They had been through much this
day, and indeed throughout this whole past year, but they had made it through
it all. Now here they stood; defenders of their lord, conquerors of the Trials
of Caste, and champions in their first contest with death.

Life was good, and, for now at least, the Fates
had no further say in the matter.

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Read the rest of the series
!

Into the
Heart of Evil

The Game of
Fates

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About the Author

Joel Babbitt is an officer in the U.S. Army and a
bishop in his church. He has spent his entire adult life living and teaching
principles of leadership and team building in a warrior environment. Joel and
his family live in Virginia.

(Joel and his
illustrator in 2006)

Follow the author
at:

www.authorjoel.com

www.facebook.com/authorjoel

@AuthorJoel on
Twitter

Glossary

Castes
– The male kobolds of the Kale and Krall
Gens are usually divided into castes. A kobold is casteless until the ceremony
or competition which marks the transition to adulthood. Female kobolds remain
casteless until they are joined to a lifemate, at which time they assume the
caste of their mate. The three castes are: servant (or worker) caste, warrior
caste (includes elite warriors), and leader caste (includes adventurer class).

·

Servant caste kobolds do most of the mundane chores of the gen
and are not responsible for the defense of the gen. There is no movement out
of the servant caste.

·

Warrior caste kobolds generally perform most of the skilled labor
of the gen and also carry the responsibility of protecting the gen. A warrior
may become an elite warrior through hard work or other proof of merit. Elite
warriors are the middle managers of the gen. In many gens they subside on the
efforts of their warriors, in some gens they must work to sustain themselves in
addition to coordinating the efforts of their warriors.

·

Leader caste kobolds are the social elite of the gens. They
generally spend all of their efforts in leadership tasks and political
positioning, and are the real power-players of any gen. They are usually
supported by taxes, tribute, and plunder. The number of leader caste in a gen
are usually determined by the number of seats on the gen’s council (twenty-four
if a gen follows the Scrolls of Heritage), and are often the eldest sons of
previous leader castes, though others have been made leader caste in times of
need or, as in this story, some have achieved it by merit.

Day of Beginnings
– A holiday when kobold
gens celebrate the day that, according to legend, the first kobold came into
existence. It is in the early spring and is generally the same day that the
Trials of Caste are conducted by the Kale Gen.

First Meal
– Breakfast; usually the
simplest meal of the day.

First Watch
– The night is divided into
three time periods. These three time periods are called watches, because the
warriors who stand watch at night generally divide their shift into three.
First watch is from the going down of the sun in the world above until the end
of the burning of one torch. On a certain day each year in the winter, the
torch is wrapped with an extra layer of pitch, to compensate for the longer
period of darkness outside.

Gen
– A kobold tribe, generally consisting
of genetically related kobolds, though gens have been formed from remnants of
other gens.

Kobolds
– Small humanoids that stand
between three and four feet tall. Their bodies are covered with rust red
scales, with larger scales on flat surfaces of their bodies and smaller scales
near and at the joints. Kobolds have long, whip-like tails that start somewhat
thick and taper toward the end. Their tails are almost long enough to touch
the ground. Male kobolds begin growing straight, ivory horns at puberty. As a
kobold grows older, his horns will generally bend forward, eventually curling
on the oldest of kobolds. Female kobolds do not grow horns and are generally
shorter than their male counterparts. Kobolds have a sharper sense of smell
than humans. Many kobolds have trained their sense of smell to the point where
they can track using their noses. Kobolds also have heat vision. Using heat
vision, they see black and white only, with cold things appearing black or dark
gray, and warmer things appearing lighter gray. Hot things appear bright
white. Kobolds’ heat vision is spoiled by normal light (torches, daylight,
etc) as well as excessive heat. Though initially thought to be of reptilian
descent, kobolds have several strange features that belie a completely
reptilian heritage; they are warm-blooded, having the ability to sweat.
Additionally, their children are gestated internally, not adhering to the
reptilian trait of laying hard-shelled eggs.

Minotaurs
– Minotaurs appear to be rather
large humans with bulls’ heads, and hooves instead of feet. They are usually
covered with thick, course hair from head to hoof and are usually rather
muscular.

Orcs
– A race of brutish, warrior-like
humanoids with greenish-black skin, sloping foreheads, sharp teeth, and red
eyes. They are organized into tribes, with the strongest orc dominating the
warriors of the tribe and securing the loyalty of the warriors by dividing some
of the females among them. As they breed and mature at a rapid pace, a war
party of young orcs from a growing orc tribe out to prove themselves is a
common thing to encounter.

Palacid
– The legendary citadel of The
Sorcerer. It disappeared from its location in the heart of the human lands at
the end of the Great War, almost a thousand years before the time period
covered in this book. It then appeared in the southern lands; shortly after
which the kobold race came into being.

Second Meal
– Lunch; usually a more substantial
meal than breakfast.

Second Watch
– The night is divided into
three time periods. These three time periods are called watches, because the
warriors who stand watch at night generally divide their shift into three.
Second watch is from the end of the burning of the first torch to the end of
the burning of a second torch.

Sorcerer
– The Sorcerer was a person of
great power that lived a thousand years before the time period depicted in this
book. He unified the human, elf, and dwarf races. He possessed phenomenal
magical powers and used them to better the state of the races. While he is not
the Creator, he is the one who made the kobold race, gave them their laws, and
taught them their language.

Sweet Bark Cider
– A non-alcoholic, but
calming and focusing drink distilled from the under-bark of the massive trees
that surround the heart of the Krall Gen.

Third Meal
– Dinner; usually the most
elaborate and substantial meal of the day.

Third Watch
– The night is divided into
three time periods. These three time periods are called watches, because the
warriors who stand watch at night generally divide their shift into three.
Third watch starts at the end of the burning of the second torch until the
pre-dawn light fills the sky in the world above before the sun actually rises.

Trials of Caste
– The Kale Gen conducts a
singular event each year where all male kobolds in their fifteenth year
participate. These same kobolds spend an entire year before the event
arduously preparing for the event. Those who are not able to complete each
aspect of the training become servant caste. Those who make it all the way to
the trials of caste and score in the trials or gain at least one kill become
warrior caste, no matter where they place in the rankings. Usually the top
kobold from each year-group is made an elite warrior.

Wallaya Root
– The Wallaya plant has a
large, tuberous root which, when boiled, gives off a pleasant, relaxing scent.

Warrior Group
– The Kale Gen is divided
into six warrior groups; Patrol Guard, Trade, Metalsmithies, Deep Guard, Wolf
Riders, and Honor Guard Warrior Groups, with only the functional leader caste
of the gen and their staff not belonging to any warrior group. Each warrior
group has a primary mission, such as to run the trade caravans, or produce
craft goods, or guard the outer perimeter of the gen. A male kobold often
grows up in, becomes a warrior in, grows old and dies in his warrior group.
Female kobolds may or may not stay in the same warrior group once they reach the
age of adulthood and are mated.

Whelp
– Child or adolescent; a kobold who
has not yet reached the age of adulthood.

Year-group
– A peer group of kobolds in
their fifteenth year of life. In the Kale Gen, all the male kobolds in the
entire gen that are in their fifteenth year are put together into one year-group
to pass through the Trials of Caste.

Other Books
by Joel Babbitt

Paladin of
a Hidden God Trilogy:

The Trials
of Caste

Into the
Heart of Evil

The Game of
Fates

Life Sticks
of Razz Serial:

Clan Lord

Hunt Master