The Black Dragon Takeover

*Occurs during chapters*
      6

The Black Dragon Tavern was an establishment with known Vel'Sharen ties and a popular arena that housed death-match fights between its gladiators. In year 1098, Ariel Val'Sarghress sought the assistance of Rikshakar, a gladiator employed by the Tavern. When he betrayed an order to lose a fight, Ariel attacked the owner on his behalf. This spurred a full-blown uprising and takeover of the establishment.

## Major Influences

### Minka's Imprisonment

Lady Irena, the owner of the Tavern, kept Minka Sann'ligr Val'Dutan'vir imprisoned to serve as a gladiator in the arena for 15 years. During his internment, Irena would taunt him by feeding him lies that he was the very last surviving member of his clan. He resented this and made an attempt on her life earlier in year 1098. He was sentenced to the lowest depths of the gladiator pits, but did not succeed in killing his mark.

### Ariel's Debt

Ariel had previously requested and received help from Rikshakar when she needed to kill Mir'kiin Vel'Vloz'ress. She considered Rikshakar an ally, and owed him a debt for his services.

### Tensions between the Vel'Sharen and Val'Sarghress

The Black Dragon had close ties to the Vel'Sharen clan, and with war brewing between them and Val'Sarghress, it was hinted that the Val'Sarghress clan was likely to attempt to claim the Tavern from Sharen clutches sooner or later.

## Event Timeline

### Year 1098 - The Black Dragon Tavern

Ariel Val'Sarghress arrived at the Black Dragon Tavern with Myo'na and Jiv'kyn Sarghress. The fight she came to watch was between Rikshakar and a large dragon. Rikshakar won handily, but as he was gloating to the crowd, Ariel's guards began to detect a strange tension in the air.

Before they could leave, Rikshakar was restrained by guards from the Black Dragon staff but called out that the owners had tried to force him to lose the fight. He demanded that Ariel owed him and promised to help her again with anything she wanted if she saved him.

Ariel ordered Jiv'kyn and Moy'na to help Rikshakar, a decision she soon regretted. With several guards dead, Lady Irena appeared to demand Ariel and her protectors take their places as gladiators in the arena. Ariel retaliated by launching a mana blast straight at Lady Irena, but her bodyguards stepped in to protect her. Lady Irena ran, and the small fight escalated.

Unbeknownst to Ariel, her sister Laele'aell had been following her from a distance. When Irena ran, Laele followed her, cutting a bloody path through the arena pits. To Ariel's horror, Laele mindlessly killed anyone who got in her way. When a nether summoner attempted to combat Laele's advance with demons, Laele simply consumed the free nether beings. Lady Irena desperately opened the gladiator cells and granted freedom to anyone who could stop the ruthless Laele'aell's pursuit. When she reached Minka's cell, he knocked her out and declared that it was her turn to play the game.

## Aftermath

### New Beginnings of the Val'Dutan'vir

Main article: New Beginnings of the Val'Dutan'vir
In the wake of Ariel's hasty attack, the Black Tavern fell into the hands of Minka Sann'ligr Val'Dutan'vir. He forced Lady Irena into the arena against a dragon and left her to her fate.

With the Val'Sarghress clan's involvement in the takeover, news of Minka's survival reached the Mae'yukir house. Sker'ligr Mae'yukir Sarghress, an ex-Val'Dutan'vir of Minka's family, was amazed to learn that Minka had been alive since Nidraa'chal War. Minka was equally delighted to hear that others of his clan were still out there. The two began to plan of reuniting the remnants of the Val'Dutan'vir clan to join forces with the Val'Sarghress in the fight against the traitorous Vel'Sharen.

### The Black Wolf

The Tavern remained largely the same, but as the Clans War took its toll on the surrounding territories, the established Val'Sarghress influence in the Black Dragon made it a good base of field operations for the clan. It was re-named the Black Wolf and became Koil'dorath's command post during the First Landing assault.

*This article reflects events up to Chapter 39**.***

1. ↑ Chapter 6, page 21
2. ↑ Chapter 6, page 25
3. ↑ Chapter 6, page 26
4. ↑ Chapter 6, page 29