The following is an excerpt of an unfinished manuscript detailing the events of the life of General Ridley Wizen of the kobold district of Two River as written by Desmond, the collector of stories.

The years have counted themselves off by twenty and four since our esteemed general first arrived in our humble town of Two River. To be certain, this was a time before my conscious perception was alive to the world; I was but a pup when the following descriptions took place. But to the eyes and hearts of my elders, the mere twenty four years of Ridley's life spent in this city have been the beginnings of a legacy not soon to be forgotten. And yet, many are already forgetting it, as much of Ridley's early life has died away to myth and foggy heresay. It is mortal nature to warp our own reality- even in the short span of twenty four years and especially when the makings of a great hero are involved- so that, generations from now, descriptions of General Wizen will include such nonsensical terms as ferocious, undisputed, and indestructable.

The purpose of this text is to anull any of these unfathomable beliefs. Of course I am not disputing the fact that Ridley, in a sense, was the father of our culture and our city here in Two River. I am merely aspiring to put to paper a historical account of how he rose to that position of fatherhood of our city, so that future generations may be enlightened to the actuality of the tale, and not a pleasantly false fabrication.

The town in which Ridley was born was nameless and- as confirmed by more recent exploration in the northern regions of Greenhill- no longer exists. Apparently it was a backwards and uncivilized hamlet, most like many of the other ragged and scattered kobold encampments throughout Jowston, the brutal conditions of which must have honed Ridley's senses from the beginning. The names of Ridley's parents have not been revealed- not by he nor any other- so one might assume that our great leader resented his childhood. Whether or not this is the case, Ridley left the place of his birth as an adolescent adventurer at the age of merely fourteen.

At the time there was much tension between the states of Two River and South Window. The people of the city of North Window were harboring a fugitive (who for legal purposes would best remain nameless in this text) from the village of Lakewest. By Two River law, the man was to be released to the processes of Two River court, to be tried and sentanced. The mayor of North Window, however, refused to give the man up; he was convinced of the vagabond's innocence, and was not about to adhere to his release.

Appeals were made, demands ignored, and a whole storm of political strife and hullabalo erupted. By the time our esteemed general arrived in Two River, the official proclaimation as handed from the mayor of the government seat of South Window was that the criminal was to be turned over to the people of Two River within a reasonable amount of time.

The people of North Window were enraged at this, and decided to defy the word of their superiors. And to be quite truthful, there was very little that could be done about it- the leaders of North Window merely responded to any inquiries with the same song- "In our eyes, a reasonable amount of time has not yet passed."

As tension rose, it became certain that words would evolve into the exchanging of blows. Trade between the states of Two River and South Window ceased because of the squabble, something that put a tight pinch on the economy. Still the people of North Window remained subborn, as they always had, steadfast in their refusal to give up their newly acquired martyr.

Eventually the political upheaval and the disintegration of trade sparked all out chaos; soldiers from South Window were sent to Two River to rekindle trade through the use of brute force. This was at a time when Two River's militia was little more than a few untrained lads and a handful of bickering kobold swordsmen, none of which showed any degree of loyalty to their homeland. Relieved that they had finally swung the action of their capitol to their favor, armed men from North Window joined the fray.

Within days Two River fell under the iron hand of said soldiers. Battle had not yet ensued, but it seemed to the eyes of citizens throughout Jowston that the days of the state of Two River were numbered. Since South Window bordered Jowston's bitter enemy, the Scarlet Moon Empire, it was only natural that they exhibit superiority in militaristic qualities. After all, it was an oddity for the loosely-knit alliance to go more than a few months without the changing in the shape of borders.

The humans of Two River were all to willing to accept the rule of South Window. The kobold district, which at that time had no representation in government matters, however, were ready and willing to fight for their few meager acres of land on the outskirts of the town. It was into this sad state that the reknowned Ridley Wizen walked on his journey.

It was on April 9th in that fateful yeay that the fighting began. Who struck the first blow- or for what reason- is not known. Times being what they were under the militaristic eye of South Window, even the tiniest of sneezes would not have gone unnoticed. In a sense, the dam bursted wide open, gushing its plague of violence across the minds and blades of the townfolk.

Sprawling into battle with the whole of heart- but not the whole of wit- the people of Two River knew it was a losing struggle. History has proven many times that an oppressed people often smash the most overwhelming barriers to free themselves, but for the untrained and poorly armed townsfolk of Two River things looked bleak.

Suddenly, a battalion of some forty bloodthirsty kobolds flooded the western edge of Two River, springing upon their foes and reviving the spirit of their human allies. Leading the charge with a blade of silver, a pair of murderous, piercing eyes, and a spirit of solid rock was Ridley Wizen, who had overcome the kobolds' disorganization and rallied them into an impressive force.

Even the proudest human citizen had to admit that this kobold- this outsider- had taken defense of the city into his own hands. The small (albeit powerful) forces stationed in Two River were reluctantly pulled out, and all of the human folks owed Ridley their freedom.

Things happened very quickly after that. General Wizen (for instantly he was placed in charge of Two River's now famous fighting force, a militia of kobolds) was revered as a hero throughout the region, even though he was not of native soil. Somewhat hesitant to cease his travels, Ridley at once produced a list of his demands. As the first order of business, he was to take to wife the daughter of a wealthy merchant in Two River- a charming girl named Emily Deifner. On a more political level, Ridley fought the prodominently human government of the city for a split parliament- one-half human and one-half kobold. And thus, our small yet proud civilization has flourished amidst the bustling shops and glistening streams of Two River, and the kobold district is now recognized as a self sufficient city; separated from yet forever tied to the glorious city and beautiful state of Two River.