7 Dead, 16 Wounded in Rampage

     On Friday, a Rheid in Qreawk Awar went on a shooting spree at Erwark Shopping Centre, leaving 7 dead and 16 more wounded. A clerk at jewellery store was able to call the police while hiding behind the counter. The killer, Dharaw Khraidets, was captured in a kisok. He is being kept under high security.

     Dharaw faces charges of slaughter, assault, and posession of an unregistered firearm. He has a history of mental instability, though he has not shown violent tendencies in the past. His trial commences on the 15th of this month. If convicted, he will be sent to an asylum with maximum protection.

     Friends and acquaintances of Dharaw do not have any ideas as to what may have encouraged him. In custody, he alternates between being calm and rational and flying into enraged frenzies. It is believed currently that the attack was triggered by a traumatic experience of some sort. Psychologists do not have any leads on what that may have been.

By Khrewat Farawk, The World correspondent

 

Introduction: Rheid Arawk

Qrawart Rheid Arawk (Confederated Kingdom of the Rheids)

Area: 11 million square miles

Population: 23.5 million

National Langauage: Rheid

Capital: Rheid Iwrek

Planet: Legutos

Rheids are a race of giant flightless birds, averaging about 120 feet in height. They are slightly more intelligent than humans, but are extremely logical and have greater difficulty grasping abstract concepts. They are believed to have been created by Legutan humans as a magic/genetics experiment. They became close to their creators, often working together on research projects. After the destruction of half of the planet by an uncontrolled magical release, they withdrew to a large remaining portion, now distrusting of humans. There, they divided into several clans, each centered around a major city, with each clan attempting to dominate the others. At first, there was a weak central government, until even that collapsed.

15 years ago, a descendent of the original royal family, Krewraq Iartad, was able to reunite the Rheids in the face of a possible invasion by a neighboring race, the Luhrrgen. The Rheids were barely able to hold the Luhrrgen off, and 2 major cities were destroyed.

It was just after this, the First Luhrrgen War, that a small ship (by human standards) arrived at Qreawk Awar, the largest city and capital at the the time. The Rheids considered it extremely bizzare. It was a small zeppelin, entirely white, with the crimson seal of Hagargentina on its side. The ship had departed Hagargentina for an exploration mission around Legutos. However, it had been badly damaged in an ætheromagical storm. The Rheids were faced with a conundrum. Should they kill the humans or help them? It was decided that the two leaders should meet. It has not been revealed what was disscussed during the meeting, but the Rheids and Hagargentinians have been incredibly close allies to date.

Hagargentinians helped to rebuild the ruins of the ancient Rheid capital of Rheid Iwrek. Many Rheids have immigrated to Hagargentina and vice versa. Rheids in Hagargentina are often employed for carrying loads and passengers in the colonies (they are paid and have benefits). Rheids have equal rights as humans under Hagargentian law. In Rheid Arawk, humans do jobs that require fine motor skills, such as craftsmen or artists (Rheids have no arms). Translators are also in high demand for each. 

Rheids have also increased contact with the humans on Legutos. Rheid articles will come from The World, one of many popular English news magazines.