Vanitàs, The King of Vices's Den

A pride resting at the water's edge, bordered by lush jungle and settled by the river—the ever-flowing waters of the Congo River rest side-by-side with the small, ruin-graced clearing the Pride of the Nyota N'kongo inhabit.

It is a modest land to be home for a pride of such an impressive size, with many of the lions calling this riverbank home resting in-between trees and amongst shrubbery in the immediate area. Jovial voices call to you—a welcome noise in a usually unnerving place filled with bugs, bird calls, and the unwelcome tendrils of shadow sneaking in wherever they may. The sounds of teenagers squabbling, the laugh-like roars of concubines, and the gentle, intelligible whispers of a knowing lioness can all be heard as you tread closer...

You are not met with threats, nor firm words from a king, only a pleasant hum from a lioness—a hybrid, by the looks of it, with her stockier features—who looks wise beyond her years as she invites you to come listen to the stories of the people she will guide until the end of time