Ezra’s trial

The town of Aranor looked bleak and dreary as the sun’s dim rays beamed through the oppressive gray clouds. The merchants and adventurers stood there impatiently, waiting to watch the execution.

Jasenki joined his hands behind his back and raised his head to look up straight at the crowd.

“Valaria used to be a beacon of hope for the humans, and Aranor was its beating heart. This was our homeland…a land where we were free to practice our customs and preserve our traditions…a land where humans could live in peace with their heads held high. But all that changed after the Great Assimilation.”

The Great Assimilation that Jasenki was referring to was the gradual mixing of the non-humans with the humans after the Great Elven War ended. It was a historic transformation that marked a transition from the Golden Age of human conquest to an era of peace and compromise.

While most commoners gradually adjusted to this change and accepted most of their non-human neighbors, there were still those who