--- The ruins of Cralok lie in a valley deep within the heart of the central continent. This city was the most prosperous, being located securely by the river. Merchant vessels would travel through with the finest goods of silk, spices, and artisan crafts. The port district was always bustling, even in the dark hours of the morning. Fish mongers would be cleaning their stalls, fisherman would go out for the daily catch and the local pubs held the latest gossip from both near and far.

--- One such rumor was that the king had fallen ill by some strange disease brought through the port. One of the chef’s assistants was in the fish market when she saw a rather odd looking fish. This fish was like none other she’d seen before. Its scales glistened as bright as the dawning sun. On its face there were two sort of horns with little tentacles representing hairs and instead of having the customary fish lips there was just a single slit across its face that almost looked human. It had a single dorsal and a tail fin, but it had small arms on its front. One can imagine that it would swim around grabbing bits of food here and there and eating them much like a person.

--- She knew that such a fish had never been imbibed by the king so it was a must have for that night’s dinner. She quickly bought it up and went on her way. While dressing this peculiar fish everything was proceeding normally until her filet knife just slightly grazed her hand after piercing the fish’s stomach. She quickly dressed the wound and went back to preparing the fish, but what she didn’t know would cost her dearly. As the fish oils ran through her blood something awful was happening. This little fish had a spot of magic which made it good luck, but when something violent would occur the opposite would happen. The fisherman who had caught this fish in his net had crashed his ship in shoal water, but the fate of the kitchen assistant was direr.

--- That night the kitchen aid went to sleep with a slight fever. In the morning the fever was still there so she told the head chef she’d go to the apothecary for some medicines and see if he could ascertain what the problem was. Upon arriving to the store she unwrapped the bandage on her hand. Instead of having a festering wound, or a clean cut, something extraordinary lay before them. Where the slice had once been there were now scales growing out of the wound. Little scales formed around the cut itself while larger ones were coming through the skin on the outer regions of the hand. The apothecary insisted that the kitchen aid stay for the day while he studied it and even offered compensation.

--- What they didn’t know was that this disease was transmitted through touch. When the apothecary was examining the hand he plucked one of the scales out, but his bare fingertip touched it as he put it on his work bench. The next day he was showing symptoms of fever and little scales were protruding from his finger tip. The disease spread this way through the merchant district and found its way to the pubs. From there it began to fester in the lower districts. When the aristocrats got wind of this disease the civil unrest began. Not wanting their children exposed, several left their estates before the disease could spread to them. Others began to hire additional security to keep those infected as far away as possible.

--- Sections of the city were quarantined and those diseased began magical treatments to try and cure whatever it was, but nothing could take hold. As the days ran on those infected became less human and more reptilian, which caused uproar within the community. This species was met with fear and ignorant rage. This rage caused a rebellion of the new minority. They didn’t want to live in a city divided and be subjected to more punishment just for being who they were. They tried to obtain deeds for lands outside the cities, to live and still contribute to society. Their dreams wouldn’t happen though.

--- One misty day while one of these new folk was trying to buy supplies for their household a traveling noble spotted it and pulled out his sword in disgust. He mistook the person for some beast of the wetlands and slashed his sword through its midsection. As they fell to the ground her son ran to her side, glaring at the man that vanquished his mother. Through tears of anger and injustice the boy extended his finger at the noble and shouted but one word, “Murderer!”

--- After that day a civil war broke out in the city. Quarantine zones became bases where this new species planned how to take the city for themselves. Most of them were lower class citizens and had worked all their lives for something they would never have. They were tired of working for no pay or working for men and women who took their lives for granted. They would show them they were tired of being pushed and prodded and looked upon with disgust. They took up arms in the notion of taking back what they longed for, what they’d always dream of.

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EDIT: ADDED DESCRIPTION, written by the brilliant: