Setras Ra was once a thriving city, the bustling centre of the Arhosan Empire and a jewel from which the Llethu ruled their mighty land. But as the locus of power for the entire empire, it had suffered gravely in the fighting and rebellions that led the empire from health to sickness and eventually unto death. Certain cities, however, are immune to the true wasting disease of time, and so as people lost the impetus to fight and it became clear that Arhosa was no longer an empire, but rather several score individual kingdoms, Setras Ra changed from being a political battleground into a trading hub, still situated as it had always been on the confluence of three major rivers, each flowing through one borough or another.
With the return of trade came the return of wealth, as merchants, factotums, and other assorted seekers after gold came flooding into the city, all seeking to make their way in the world upon the backs of others. The rulers of the city, still the Llethu giants, found that a modicum of taxation and a good deal of looking the other way made for a suitable source of funds to rebuild the formerly lovely architecture of Setras Ra, and while it does not now sparkle with the glory of its past times, it still remains the largest and most prominent city in all of the former Arhosan Empire. Which certainly explains why people were drawn to its presence.
The first of these was Kat, a young girl who had been raised by her family amongst the animals of the palace zoo, a traditional place they had held since before the collapse of the empire, and one that no one saw fit to take away from them, even at the height of the struggles. She was often found in the presence of Cantra, a supposedly wandering minstrel who had in fact never left the boundaries of Setras Ra, and was instead excellent at picking up stories from those who had, and passing them off as her own. And as of late they had found themselves in the company of Mevra and Kimbal, two young mercenaries who had recently arrived within the city limits. Kimbal was a pleasant young fellow, if not supremely skilled in the art of conversation, while Mevra was the dark and somewhat dreary friend whose company they nevertheless enjoyed.
So it was hardly unusual to see the four of them walking (or in Mevra's case, slightly hovering) around the market, in search of a pretty bauble or two that could be had for cheap, either for themselves or one of the more exotic creatures in the zoo. Which was exactly where they were when a passerby, cloak held tight with one hand, stumbled into the midst of their group, coughed up blood upon Kat, and fell to the ground, gold coins spinning from underneath his cloak as he expired. Instantly, the mood in the market changed, all eyes (and ears) noticing the spill of such rich lucre, and the dead body at the feet of the four friends. Cries of "Thieves!" and "Murderers!" immediately began to rain down upon them, and guards could be seen through the crowds, fighting their way towards the commotion. It was time to act, and quickly.
