Many years ago, the Keridwyn forces marched into confrontation with an ancient Gravity Dragon. The result was the death of the Dragon at the cost of desolation for miles from the battle. The area was left littered with the fallen from among the Keridwyn forces. The land was torn apart in the wake of overwhelming magical energy, leveling every nearby building, scarring the ground, and ridding the land of all but the hardiest vegetation. This new landscape had little to offer outside of danger and hardships – that, and the remnants of artifacts used in the battle against the Ancient Dragon. Magic weapons, armor, war machines and more glitter like gold in the craggy hills of Hesit for those brave or stupid enough to search for them. Surprise sinkholes swallow adventurers without warning; flash floods sweep away the unprepared. Competitors witness ‘accidents’, and the very treasure itself can prove too dangerous to handle. But probable death was not enough to stop the intrepid.

Opportunists, refugees, and bandits flooded in like the waters of the flash floods that now plague the battle site. Risking the dangers for the chance to find fortune and power, these ‘prospectors’ built shoddy, ramshackle buildings as a base to search for whatever material they found among the wreckage. Equally slap-dash factions emerged and fell as the power struggle escalated with the expanding border of the unofficial town. By the time the gates of Keridwyn closed, Hesit had grown into a city with dizzying streets that cross sinkholes with suspicious bridges and wrap around oddly shaped buildings without pattern or order.

During the formative years, the only law in Hesit came from the distant city of the Keridwyn capitol. The most overtly murderous and hostile would-be leaders of the fledgling city were disposed of by either the meager law enforcement or their neighbors. After that period, leaders began establishing clans that functioned with more subtlety and finesse, if not more lawfulness or morality. Murders fell and accidents rose. Clans with wealth and power set the finer rules of behavior. Reputation became nearly as valuable a resource as the artifacts that the entire city seeks. Storytelling and bragging became the fine art of the city.

After the loss of Keridwyn’s authority, the city of Hesit remains a place of treasure hunting, immensely high crime, dangerous sinkholes, and fine story telling. The main import remains as suckers seeking to get wealthy fast. Nearly any act outside of overt murder is accepted here, even the eating of sentient creatures, so long as your hand wasn’t what killed them. One need be careful when asking what is in the stew at Hesit.

Due to the rough terrain, the population of Hesit skews toward the species who excel at climbing. Many of the winged species find the city uncomfortable due to the erratic and dangerous weather and the fact that most of the remaining treasure are in subterranean caverns. Nearly all Cog avoid Hesit, as they are seen as potential treasure by the locals. Aquatic and Flora species also avoid Hesit. Shades are in high population, as they receive less persecution here.

The crime of Hesit doesn’t always end at the edge of the city, causing Hesit to pose a constant threat to other cites with their lawless ways. The clans frequent scheming undermines the leadership of other cities and draws them to retaliate, braving the miles of wasteland to teach Hesit a lesson.

Tiki is a tenacious Ratfused with an odd, yet stalwart perspective of loyalty-trustworthy forever. Absolutely loyal for the duration of his contract, he is never breakable.

The streets of Crossroads are where Tiki struggled to survive as an urchin. Parentless, Tiki endured by spreading rumors. A member of the pitiful slanderer’s guild, one of the weakest in Crossroads. He barely clung to life, earning enough to eat without scavenging garbage only on his best weeks. He also found himself under constant harassment from more powerful members of the city, which is to say nearly everyone else. Until he was given a mark with unblemished reputation. A ship captain offered enough Souls to last him for months of comfort if he could tarnish the reputation of the Moon Elf named Lotar. Tiki ran himself ragged attacking the Elf’s reputation with all manner of slander and lie, but to no avail.

Desperate, starving, Tiki approached Lotar. He wanted to know what made the Elf so untouchable. He spilled all that he had been doing to soil Lotar’s name. Rather than wrathful, Lotar took a liking to Tiki and took him back to Orbin, where he raised him and taught him the value and power of reputation gained through determination and consistency of action.

Now, Tiki is the most honest among thieves. He has worked for and against nearly every power in Hesit and been interrogated by most of them, but he never surrenders secrets entrusted by a contract holder. When Hesit goes to battle against another city, it is inevitable that someone will make a contract with Tiki to steal or disrupt their foe in an attempt to leverage more influence against other leaders in Hesit.

Tuk is one who stretches the meaning of the word ‘hero.’ She is a master of the ambush. The black chitin of her body, her poised stinger, or her sharp pincers would be a terror to any on the wrong end. Fortunately, many never see it. Spelunking is the avenue most take to acquire artifacts in Hesit. Tuk is one of the smart. She witnesses accidents as artifact hunters return.

Murder is illegal in Hesit, but stories are not, even if they are true. Tuk is the source of many great stories which function nearly as well as currency in the taverns of Hesit, as reputation is everything and stories build reputation. Stories that bolster Tuk’s reputation even more than accidents are the kills she scores in battles. The soldiers who attack Hesit never see her coming. Their gear is added to her spoils and their names are added to her story.

Her life is shrouded in mystery. She speaks little of her time before Hesit, though it is nearly certain that she has spent much time in Tordab. Rumors speak of her belonging to the infamous Night Wraiths, an organization of assassins, until she was expelled from their ranks. Others speak of her having blood ties to the Keridwyn royal line through illegitimate ancestry, making her a target of the now silent crown. Yet others still claim she had a hand in the silence from the capitol. Any evidence of the truth to her background is impossible to find.