The First Meleki

(Prev: In the Beginning)

It was in the eleventh year of their captivity that a young man named Meleki gathered together a small band of would-be warriors. Meleki was one of the eldest children to survive the slaughter of the tribes capture, and so was one of the oldest males. These few were determined that their people should be free once more, and after careful planning, and with Meleki's inspired leadership, they managed to overcome their overseers and left them dead and weaponless. Swiftly they fled into the dark labyrinth of the Underdark.

Meleki led his band into the depths, and over the next ten years or so waged a guerrilla war against the Malandati, striking quickly from the dark tunnels and retreating. Their numbers swelled as the slaves they freed joined their ranks rather than face recapture by the Malandanti. Gradually they became better armed as they stripped the slaughtered of their weapons, and raided the rest of Maladanti territory. Twelve years after their first escape and after constant struggle for survival, Meleki determined that he had freed all of the Black Wolves that had managed to survive over two decades of slavery.

Meleki called them all together. In total they consisted of several hundred or so made up of the surviving Black Wolves and other slaves of assorted races, including goblins, beastmen, dwarves and humans. He spoke to them of the inevitable assault by the now enraged Malandanti, and of their only escape from their former captors: the upper world. He reminded them of the old stories and people once more felt the urge to feel sun, wind and rain on their faces. Meleki vowed that he would lead them back to world of light or die in the attempt.

It took the band a further two years of fighting and running from the denizens of the dark before they finally found an exit. By this time they had suffered many losses, but the sorrow of their loss was far outweighed by their joy of returning to the upper world. Once outside they found a land that none had seen before with verdant plains stretching into the distance.

(Cont: Joining the Wolves)