Fuu negotiates for their freedom

"Well, you've come into our sssesssion midway through, with no announcement," an elderly voice came down from one of the lizardfolk atop her seat. She looked to be the oldest of the group, adorned with layers of interwoven beads and fabrics forming together into a complex headdress. Her eyes were harsh and focused, with a look of shrewdness laid about all of her features. Perhaps it was due to cultural unfamiliarity, but to Fuu the only thing that seemed feminine about her was her voice. "Our time isss already wasssted, sssso sssspeak!"

Fuu looked around the room. The rest of the lizardfolk seemed to be waiting, just as the old woman was. She stepped forward, standing between them all. "My name is Fuu Teoming. My friends and I have been taken prisoner by your people and have come to negotiate our release."

"I sssee... Yesss, you mussst be thosssse that Coatlique mentioned..." the older lizardfolk trailed off thoughtfully.

"Resssent sslavess already come to bargain?" another of the council member spoke up. This one was a massively broad chested lizardfolk, male by the sound of his voice and decorated head to tail with deep blue tattoos. "Let uss ssstop wasting time with thisss and move on with the meeting."

Another Lizardfolk barked something at him in their native tongue, then another answered him and it quickly devolved into heated debate. As Fuu watched them, she took note of the differences in the councils members. Now that she had time to take in their appearances, she noted that each of the members bore tattoos of different colors and styles some, like the bulky blue tattooed lizardfolk were nearly covered in them, while some were more subtle. One of them, a much slimmer lizardfolk had only a single light red tattoo across her forehead.

Other than this similarity, the group couldn't have been more diverse. Each member seemed to come from a distinct walk of life, and had a different style of dress. Fuu counted among their number the bulky dark blue colored warrior, the shrewd-looking green colored older woman, the slim pink colored priestess, a pale yellow colored farmer, a silver-grey colored soldier, a rich purple witch-doctor, and an sharp orange hunter. These were guesses, of course as to their actual occupations, though each did seem dressed to play the roles Fuu had mentally assigned them.

"We ssshall humor you," the old woman announced and Fuu realized the argument had finally died down. "The Council of the Ssseven sssshall grant you an opportunity to prove that you desserve the full rightsss and resssponsssibilitiesss of sssitiissenssship. Of courssse, you have already ssshown yourssselvesss unworthy, and ssso the tasssk to reattain your rightsss must be ardousss and difficult."

She paused, looking around at several other council members who seemed satisfied with what she was saying so far.

"There isss a dragon, black asss night who hasss long sssinssse shared thessse landsss with usss. In resssent timesss, however, he hasss grown unruly and cruel, ssslaying our people and ssstealing our ssslavesss. He has become a menassse to all, and mussst be dealt with." Again, she paused. This time the response form the other council members seemed to be less resoundingly positive, though none spoke up. "Hisss name isss Bramrirth, ssswamp terror. Ssshould you agree to the challenge, we asssk that you ssslay or persssuade him from hisss violent waysss and bring back peassse to our domain. If it isss done, then ssshall you be ressstored in the eyesss of Atzinin."