Azog

Azog is the name of the second son of Gorkil. He later had a Clan named after him, which was founded by Tadok'Kaxil. Azog the Orc is renowned as being one of the finest blacksmiths in history, however he was always overshadowed, both in history and Gorkil's eyes, by his siblings, especially Gorkil's firstborn Angbad.

The Story of Azog

The rhythmic beating of hammers can be heard throughout the village. Azog’s mother is grunting in beat with the hammering as she is giving birth to a sandy colored orc. You can see pain in her eyes but she refuses to cry. Gorkil is the father, she can not fail to give him a healthy cub. Her water had broken earlier while she was making Gorkil a hunting dagger as a gift. Azog plumps out quickly without any problems. She looks down onto his sandy face and smiles.

Azog, the sand colored orc, can not remember his mother. He has been living in the smithy or in the mine since birth and Gorkil has forgotten him. Burns and scars from stray embers lay across his body and his eyes are black as the coal he helps carry. The head smith, Bruul, has been letting Azog try to lift his hammer. Azog’s goal is to be seen by Gorkil as a worthy heir to the clan. His small scrap metal sword, more like a toothpick then weapon, is always strapped to his loincloth. Clothes are something undesired by Azog and are often neglected. The soles of his feet are black from his constant hours in the smithy.

You can hear a plopping sound.

Looking up, Azog on a trip with coal from the mine to the forge, notices a red splash of magma squirt up.

“Wut iz dat?”

Plop plop, plop plop. He continues to examine the dark tunnel around him. Shattered rocks lay strewn about from the recent coal mining and the torches are burning dim. A glow is coming from the direction of the plopping noise.

“Mi wun tu empruz fadda, diz lud neeb tu ged der...”

The coal needs to be delivered soon but his curiosity gets the better of Azog. Scurrying over the rock surface, his scrap metal saber hanging by his side, he notices a magma beast splashing around in a magma pool. He shakily draws his blade thinking to himself: “Gupudah myk boom, mi geb zum fur da smiddey!” Azog picks up a rock and throws it at the pool then snarls at the magma beast. The rock harmlessly splashes near it but it attracts the attention of the magma beast. The beast splashes out and sends searing hot magma over the rock surface far enough away not to hit Azog, but too close for comfort. It makes a wooping sound and launches towards Azog. Then Azog swings his sword clumsily at the magma cube, cutting it in half. A boiling liquid drops out and lands one Azog’s arm, searing the flesh.

“YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARG. OWIE OWIE”

Azog grunts and notices two beasts are getting up and starting to advance. He picks up a rock and smashes one of them but the other lands on his thigh, causing intense burns on the bare flesh. Azog kicks out with all his force, causing the cube to smack the wall and disperse into piles of gunk.

“Ukee, mi geb de tuv noa.” Azog grunts as we hobbles over to the body of one of the beasts. He pours the water in his cow skin on his wounds and fills the skin with magma slime, glowstone dust, and gun powder. He returns to his cart and attempts to push it through the cave system towards the forge.

Gorkil is seated in the arena at his throne with his choice of mates laid out in front of him on multi-color carpets. Klomps to honor him and to gain standings among the clan are happening in the arena below. Occasionally, between klomps, Gorkil vanishes along with a mate to indulge himself.

Azog, now 8, is chewing on a bone in the stands. Bruul said that he would get to klomp another orc today, he just did not say who. Azog’s tusks are starting to become more prominent. Bruul grunts and points to Azog’s younger half-brother Ugluk. “Dat iz whu lats wel klomp.” Ugluk is bigger then Azog by about 5 inches and has bigger tusks.

Azog, standing in the arena, facing Ugluk, is going through internal strife. He is scared to flat of losing and Gorkil seeing his own son get beaten. Gorkil is attentively watch two of his sons get ready.

“KLOMP VUR DE HUNUR OV KRUG!”

Ugluk is charging and Azog was zoned out thinking. Ugluk full on tackles him, trying to use his weight against him. Azog has the breath knocked out of him but pushes up with his large biceps, extending their use to the fullest. Ugluk stumbles back and snarls. He swings a large, lumbering arm at Azog. He is too quick and small for such a slow attack. Azog dodges and kicks Ugluk in the gut. Ugluk bends over and Azog uses both elbows to smash the back of his head toward the ground. Ugluk falls to the ground but gets up, his nose bleeding from the impact. He uses his tusks to stab Azog in the side. Azog grunts but then pummels Ugluk in the neck and upper back. Ugluk having suffered a concussion, slowly passes out. Azog is bleeding from his side quite badly but raises his hands in triumph.

Gorkil grunts, “Hosh klomp”. Then he goes off with two females to his tent behind the arena.

Off in the mine you can hear the chanting of working orcs. Azog walks along the path, looking for scrap iron to make a boar trap with. His body is slowly growing grayer with the coal dust absorbing in. He spends almost all day either in the mine or in the smithy. A stone pick lays on the ground, a miner having discarded it after a hard days work. Picking it up, he smashes the wall and a huge chunk of rock breaks off revealing a large chunk of gold ore.

“De Skah!”

Azog rushes back to the deserted smithy. He pulls a lever and fresh magma pours in the a stone bowl. He places the gold ore in an obsidian pot. He watches closely as the ore heats to a white hot, Azog searches for his master’s iron hammer and tongs. After he retrieves them he pulls the hot gold out of the fire and places it on the anvil. With a smash of his hammer, he sends sparks showering across the smithy. His skin, tempered over time to the feel of sparks and heat does not even feel pain anymore. Beating in a slow and steady rhythm., he forms a hammer out of the gold ore. His first hammer is forged and he swings it around, hitting everything in sight. Bruul walks in and sees the golden hammer and looks to Azog.

“Wut iz dat hosh ammah?” says Bruul.

“Mi myd ed!” squeals Azog, looking to his master for approval.

“Wur lat ged de gulde?” Bruul replies.

“Mi fun ed en de mynz.” Azog responds.

“Mi nub peep’d enetin zo hosh...” stutters Bruul.

“Maztah, mi ded hosh wurc?” asks Azog.

“Yub, latz gu geb dat bazzd bi de shamanz ov Dom.” commands Bruul.

“Ukee!” exclaims Azog, excited from his accomplishment.

He can barely breathe, he feels like the life is being crushed out of him, Azog is all alone. A recent mine collapse has trapped Azog in a vein of coal that was recently discovered. All around him is the darkness of underground. Only, off in the far distance, is a slight glow of a fallen torch.

2 days later, a rescue operation brings Azog out of the caves, but his fair skin is turned black from the exposure to coal dust. He was coughing up black soot for days, not even strong enough to get out of bed. At one point, it was said he coughed out a gold nugget that was hidden inside the coal. Azog’s skin would always be black or sandy colored from then on, even the adopted one were forced to undergo the same experience, having coal beaten into their skin in patterns.

History

The Clan of Azog was founded in Aegis. Rex Mogroka'Gorkil ordered Tadok'Kaxil, a descendent of Azog, to reclaim his heritage and create a clan. Since then, they have led the Uzg, been exiled from it, and even fought against it at various times. Though many say that Tadok’Azog successfully led the restoration of Azog within the realm making themselves a significant entity as their numbers grew. The Azog remained a prevalent force throughout Aegis, Asulon, Anthos, Athera and the many landmasses settled by forced on by great migrations of the four main races. At their lowest they had been banished by their own from the War Uzg for being nontraditional culture. At their highest they held the title of Rex of the Kingdom that they had been banished from and restored it to it’s former glory. Under Urik’Azog, he led many successful campaigns against their foes. Primarily against the Orenian Kingdom/Empire for their treachery at the battle of the Dreadfort in his final days on a splitter Orenian faction led by the White Roses.

The Azogs many think of than were simply a couple of Orcs led by the Big Three Un’s. Their names are Urik Azog, Tadok Azog, and Murkaz Azog. These Azogs didn’t live by the traditional culture an Orc of the War Uzg would typically live by instead they opted to allow their experiences and knowledge as it came to form their culture. Showing them to be vastly different from their sister and brother clans.

It’s said Urik Azog had worked as a bandit under an infamous raider group that was mainly operated by humans until he moved back into War Uzg readopting his culture of honor until he experienced the discrimination of his own twin brother Murkaz Azog. Urik Azog’s position as a Big Un’ is solidified within Orc history as he was the first Azog Rex in their history. It’s said Urik’Azog ruled fairly despite ruling over the people that had once exiled him and his clan from the lands and consulted his fellow Azog brothers and sister on many actions to improve the political influence of the Orcs under his rule. Taking on the Orenian Empire in the Verge and successfully defeating them alongside his allies at the Battle of the Sands.

Murkaz had a vastly different upbringing than his fellow clansmen. Murkaz served in the Ascended’s militia group where he became disillusioned with the leadership as men blessed with godly powers became intertwined by political squabbles and put the world’s fate at risk as the undead continued to make gains. Murkaz then found enlisting in the legendary human organization known as the Teutonic Order. Murkaz is said to have introduced a lot of what he had learned from time in the Teutonic Order into the way of life as an Azog. Though with his little twist and perspective of a grunt within a military. Murkaz 'place as a Big Un’ is backed by the legendary tale that he was one of a few selected champions by an Angel to fight against the undead and survive. Becoming the first Orc OrdenMarshall within the Teutonic Order and also landed noble within the Empire.

Tadok Azog is seemingly the only Azog to have been born and raised in the War Uzg at the time under Morgroka Gorkil. Tadok had a reputation of being dishonorable and had sought redemption by creating the Azogs under the order of Morgroka Gorkil if he had wished to redeem himself. Tadok Azog was a renowned archer within the Azog clan said to have won many honour klomps against opponents. One tale says he had challenged the Gorkil Rex who would send the Azogs into an exodus to Hanseti by banishing for having won against him. Tadok Azog would later retire his position as Clan Father to a tribunal of Great Fathers.

Culture

Clan Azog greatly prides itself in its smithing.