Narthok 9213 Popular Post Share Posted December 18, 2023 The Sand and the Dunes Spoiler Post song requested by drfate The warband had been assembled with lightning speed. Tightening their armour and mountain their warbeasts with grim efficiency, the once boisterous mob that had constituted the warriors of the horde was a distant memory. The years of war had hardened the warriors into efficient killing machines. Each of the scarred veterans, whether young or old had lost friends at Breakwater and Brasca. They remembered holding their warbrothers in their arms at Westmark. The destruction of the coalition cavalry had cost the Orcish vanguard. The warband travelled silently over the dunes. Their trance of war disturbed only by the panting of warbeasts and the clinking of armour. They had rendezvoused with the Ferrymen and the warriors of Veletz at the gates of Hyspia. They had raided the settlement of the invaders many times before. No doubt they would see the interior of the increasingly familiar city many more times. The humans did not seem to understand the Orcs. They had invaded Orcish lands, they had placed their settlement at the place where the sands mixed with the grasses. Invaders. There could be no peace as long as foreigners defiled the holy desert. The Grandsire had given his harsh gift to his children. The desert culled the weak and hardened the strong. This was the boon of Krug to his children. It was not for these soft creatures from foreign lands to partake in. Thus warriors rode forth once more to deal death. Like lightning the warband had breached the walls. The warriors hurtling up the ladders, piercing the innermost sanctum of the Hyspians. Yet to their shock they had been met with no blades, no death. A mob of terrified sheep. The few warriors of Hyspia could be seen fleeing across the desert. Grommash could not believe his eyes. These were the creatures who defiled the desert? They could not even defend themselves. Nor would their overlord come to their aid? What madness could possess softlanders to invade orcish lands if they had no protector? The Hyspian court and various sundry visitors had been unceremoniously bundled onto the backs of various Orcish warbeasts and hauled back to the Hordelands. The great Orc warrior Himdokh even saving one of the Hyspians from falling from a window. The captives had been hauled to the pit one by one, until a great line of them were arrayed infront of the Hysparex. The two had spoken many times before. There was little more to say. The Hordespeaker spoke his terms brusquely "I have said it before and I will say it again, move your people across the river and leave this war of Genocide. If you do these things my warriors will cease their attacks on your people, for you will no longer be invading our lands”. “I can make no promises without speaking first to my council," responded the Hyspian King, maintaining his composure despite being surrounded by eight foot tall giants. The Rex grunted, “Then I will keep this short. You did not defend your people, so you are not a warrior. If you are not a warrior then you do not need your sword arm. Surrender it willingly and your women and children will go free. The men shall stay, the warriors blood runs hot, the need something for their rage against the invaders” The Hysparex acquiesced, offering his arm. With his prized Greataxe the rex has severed the human’s arm. His goblin attendants pressing fire against the wound as the human screamed in pain. Turning as the man was dragged from the city Grommash stood before each of the prisoners in turn “You can go” he would grunt to one “You will stay” He’d grunt to another. Soon the women and children had filed from the hall leaving only two pleading women and one fearful warrior. “He is for the warriors, '' Grommash had said to the supplicants. And so the three of them had watched as Targoth Apek had brutalized the hapless softlander in front of the entire Warband. As the human collapsed the ground, barely alive, the Hyspian women had resumed their pleading. Once more Grom had refused them, having his warriors drag them from the city. “Do you intend to kill him?” he had asked the gathered warriors “It would stain the honour of a warrior to kill such a weakling” Apek had responded. “And you Gazhnakh, will you take his life” He had asked “No Grommash” she had responded. With that the young Rex had stepped forward, lifting the barely living man to his shoulder and stomping from the city. “Human” He had barked “Early you promised me a service in exchange for a life, I come to purchase that service” With that he would offer the barely breathing young man, already wincing under the ministrations of a healer from the midlands. “Grommash does not speak wordlies, he does not play the tonguedance. There will be peace between the Horde and your people if they move across the river and stop participating in the genocide. You accept this then you may take this man” With those words he slashed his hand with his knife and held it forward. The Red Hand of Grommash bound the Rex stronger than any Iron could have hoped to. To break his word would dishonour him, and he would rather die before suffering such a fate. The woman slashed her own hand before taking the massive hand of the Rex. She promised to urge her people to cross the river. As the last of the Hyspians departed the Hordelands Grommash was left with many questions. Haense had never come. No one had. What was the point of this massive coalition, of all this death and dying, if these people were all at each other's throats. They spoke of the evils of the Alliance, yet Grommash was not the one being abandoned to torture and death. Grommash did not understand the details of why the humans fought. Nobles from both sides had spoken to him of their strange religion and their innumerable petty feuds. None of this mattered to the Rex. The lands of the Urukim had been invaded. The masters of the invaders had declared their intention to slaughter the Urukim to the last. Grommash would protect his people, he would protect their honour, he would protect their lands. The Horde had grown strong since he had become Rex, each day it grew stronger. Yet he once more found himself asking if it was enough. His warriors had triumphed at Westmark with the legions of Veletz. Many Uruks had died, and many more would die in the days to come. Grommash had heard the warsong in his dreams, and the elders had spoken to him of death written in the stars. Yet in the end it was their desert, their dunes. Some things in life were worth dying for. Perhaps the human woman would achieve something. Perhaps the Hyspians would see reason and cross the river. Grommash doubted it. Spoiler Just wanted to say thanks all for the quality rp. As far as I saw everyone was a good sport and there was minimal toxicity and trolling. Hopefully today's events gave everyone something to build a future narrative on. 41 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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