Free Esra by Nicole Burr Page A

tongue.  Esra figured the likelihood that she would ever need to use these few sentences would be slim at best.  But it thrilled her to know them either way.
           “The Veiled City, the Elvish capital, is in the midst of Idona, the tallest peak in The Eshomee Ledges that lay to the northwest, just beyond the Kingdom of LeVara.  They are governed by the Elders, a council made up of three of the wisest of their race, who come together once a lunar cycle to discuss important matters.  They are the most populous of the three races, with villages and cities scattered throughout all areas of the vast mountain terrain.  Elves live, on average, about fifty years longer than a Human.”
           “Jumping jig,” Esra exclaimed. 
           “Their longevity is mostly due to their practice of meditation and other magicks.  As ye know, they are a dark skinned people whose physical traits can vary as much as Humans.  And although they are similar to Humans in appearance, they all have small scars on their foreheads, which profess membership in a tribe; an indication of their lineage.  The Elves are an impressive people, known fer their skill in sword, spear throwing, and stealth.  They also have a naturally strong affinity towards magick in all forms.”
           Cane paused here to pull out his pipe and leaf and began the slow process of packing it precisely.  “Where the Elves are the mountain people, the Unni are the forest people.  They reside in Fira Nadim Forest, beyond the southeast border of the Human realm.  The Forest is made up of Yanquor Trees, which are so tall and wide it would take a hundred paces or more to walk around ones base.  Their capital is in Shadow Glenn, a large and mysterious clearing in the east forest.  They are known fer their talent with blunt weapons and their ruthless determination in war.  They are excellent strategists, and all men and women in their tribes are taught to be warriors soon after taking their first steps.”
           “So they’re violent, then?” Esra interjected.
           “No, no.”  The beginnings of a smile twitched at his mouth.  It was always a strange and glorious sight to see Cane smile, his lips curving upwards to battle against the downward pull of the rest of his face.  One could always guess how happy or angry he was by the position of the lines on his face.  If the edges of the mouth were straight across, things were good.  But if they made it past the dimple in his chin, watch out.  “The Unni are always at war with the Valkor people who live south of the Forest.  The Valkors are a battle hungry people who attack the Unni just to be spiteful, and fer nothing more.  And so the Unni have become accustomed to war after generations of being made to fight, though ye could not claim them to be aggressive people at heart.  They are proud, however, and will defend their homes and families at all costs.”
           “So who are these Valkors?”
           “A tribe of people that live far to the south, beyond the limits of LeVara.  I honestly don’t know much about them besides the fact that they are very violent, and they haven’t much focus as a society other than attempting to destroy the Unni people and often times each other.”
           “So what are the Unni like?”
           “They are large and stout, standing about seven to eight feet on average.  They have a yellowish tint to their skin and dark yellow eyes.  Their faces resemble that of an Ox or Vernok mixed with Human.  Two great horns curl upwards and out from either side of their head.  They use knives to mark notches in them fer each kill.  One of the greatest disgraces an Unni can suffer is if they lose their horns, in battle or otherwise.  It is a great deterrent fer crime, as punishments are to take off varying amounts of horns in line with the severity of the offense.  One cannot fight well without horns, as they