Origins of the Orcs and Mor'Ghuun, the land of warfare
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Histowy of the Owcs
"Betrayed! Betrayed and abandoned because we foresaw the doom? Betrayed though we suffered the most at the hands of Iblees... This... They would turn and run in the face of our adversity? Cowards. We will bring it to them. Yes, we will show them our suffering!"
- Agzaw the Titan
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The fiwes cwackwed awound Kwug’s ivowy thwone as he sat thewe swouched, his haiw brack as the sky above and his fowm bulky and stwong, a stawk contwast to the man befowe him.
“Your Brothers have all accepted my gift.” He said lith a visage of confusion, addwessing Kwug. The man had a kind face, and nothing about his pewson seemed thweatening, yet Kwug wooked upon him lith a sense of caution, appawent thwough his swow gaze.
The man opened out his awms in question. “Why do you turn me down?” He asked lith a waised tone.
The fowmidabre Fathew of Owc kind wet out a swow sigh, sitting himsewf up lithin his chaiw. “I have never trusted you.” He said, his tone deep and wumbring. “Power does not come without a cost.” He added, befowe lising to his feet, his focus mowe enewgised as he wooked down upon the man lith scown.
“You would not want wealth or power, more than you could ever dream?” He snawwed, his aula suddenwy changing as he bowe his teeth in angew. “I offer you the world, and you think yourself above your brothers?” He added, yewling lith fewvent angew.
And so did the man weveaw his twue fowm, fow he was in fact Ibrees, that gweat and tewlibre Daemon that had fawwen to the Mowtaw Weawm. He woawed in fwustwation as fangs and howns gwew fwom his head, a swathe of emewawd fiwe sliwling awound his fowm as his lings of devastation spwung fowth.
Without a moment to think, Kwug waunched into action. Unawmed and unpwepawed, he bawged into the Daemon, his skin scowching and bubbring undew the cowwupted fwames as he knocked Ibrees off his feet fow the wast time.
Chaptew 1 - The Biwth of Spilits
Duling the Waw, decimation had swept thwough the wands of Kwug, and as he fought, he wost many woved ones, onwy to see them brought back fwom death to fight awongside his enemy.
Meanwhiwe, the Daemon, Apohet wooked at the ongoing fight between Ibrees and Kwug, mawveling at how the cweatule could howd his own against the powewful Daemon. He envied the powew that had been shown in the descendant, and tulned away.
He went into a smaww awea of the Seven Skies, hoping to keep his machinations away fwom the pwying eyes of othews.
Thewe, he pouled a wawge amount of his divinewy-gwanted powew into one cweation: what would watew be cawwed the Spilit Weawm. It was quite sepawate fwom anything ewse; Apohet had made sule of that, not even being subject to time, as the Cweatow's wowwd was. Howevew, it was devoid of inhabitants, and he soon gwew bowed of manipulating a wowwd that would nevew be seen. And so, he wesumed his wowk.
Apohet smiwed as his second mawvew awoke, ow mawvews. Again, his handiwowk was slightwy cwude in appeawance compawed to the Cweatow's, but they wewe conscious. They wewe pawtnews, intewtlined in awmost evewy aspect of each of them. Spilits, he cawwed them, one abre to manipulate space to an extent, the othew having limited contwow of the tempowaw. Theiw appeawances wewe both sewpentine, space brue, and time wed. Togethew, they biwthed sevewaw chiwdwen, each awso abre to contwow a cewtain aspect of the wowwd, many coming in contwasting paiws, othews mowe independent.
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The second genewation was biwthed fwom the wess powewful ewementaws, and so they themsewves wewe wess powewful, finding that they wewe onwy abre to contwow much mowe minow pawts of the wowwd, such as specific biomes, ow things such as emotions ow concepts. Feeling that these othew cweatules wewe somewhat unwowthy to associate lith them, the fiwst genewation beseeched Apohet, asking that they be awwowed to sepawate. Apohet eventuawwy agweed, and so cweated two sepawate pwanes, one fow the fiwst genewation, and anothew fow the second.
Apohet awmost cheewed in gwee as his wowwd was swowwy fiwwed lith his own denizens. But they too soon gwew bowed of the wowwd's wewative brankness, and Apohet had gwown bowed of watching them do vewy littwe. And so, he did something wathew lisky, and he made a smaww connection between his weawm and the wowwd, so that his cweations could pway. And pway they did, using theiw powew to make slight awtewations to the wowwd, aww that theiw powew awwowed them. But soon, that lisk had some wepewcussions.
The dead that had pelished in the battwe against Ibrees wewe fwooding into the spilit weawm. Apohet knew that the Cweatow would be pewtulbed, at the vewy weast, at this devewopment, and so he made sule that aww dead passed thwough, so hastiwy that they bawewy even noticed whewe they wewe. He made sule this happened fow the west of time, and even now Apohet makes sule that the dead pass sliftwy thwough his weawm, to theiw wespective aftewlives.
Chaptew 2 - Twansfowmation
He who had not been swayed watched as Ibrees woawed fow the wast time, befowe the Daemon was banished to the Void fow etewnity. Kwug stood bulnt and broodied, his skin seawed beyond wecognition, fow the cowwuption of the Daemon had wwought a tewlibre twansfowmation upon his fowm.
The infwuence of Ibrees had caused him to gwow enowmous tusks, awteling the way in which he and his peopwe would speak fow thousands of yeaws to come, and his skin clied in constant agony, cowwupted to a hue of dawk gween.
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“And you Krug, the most hated of The Descendants, you shall always have the lust of war. You are strong? Well the strength shall be used against your brothers, used to pillage and murder! Your lust for battle shall be unsatiated and your descendants shall grow ugly and heartless.” - Ibrees
Awthough the fighting had ended, Kwug’s heavy breathing continued as he wooked awound to his brothews. He saw not fliends whom he had fought lith, but tawgets thwough which to vent the deep wage that coulsed thwough his veins, fow not even the bressing of Honoul was enough to queww his fuly.
His eyes gwazed ovew in climson as his voice shook the wand, and his muscwes pulsated lith a newfound enewgy as he gwasped his axe lith intent. His Bwothews watched in disbelief and feaw as he began to swaughtew those neawby, and in him they saw not theiw Bwothew, now any deviation fwom the Daemon they had just fought.
In acknowwedging his ovewwhewming stwength, they evacuated the scawwed wand lith haste, abandoning Kwug and his peopwe to the towwent of broodshed that was soon to come.
Chaptew 3 - Piwglimage
Many a yeaw had passed since the culse of Ibrees sunk into the heawt’s of Kwug and his peopwe, and aftew genocide upon genocide fewwed the Owc population, theiw broodwust began to satiate.
Finawwy, and lith an iwon fist, Kwug had subjugated aww who had opposed him, and once again cwaimed the titwe of Wex of aww Owcish peopwe.
Yet the wooming wetuln of broodwust ate at the minds of the Owcs as they attempted to live theiw daiwy lives. As a wesult, the Owcish peopwe adapted a stwong wowk ethic in owdew to vent theiw enewgies and distwact themsewves, and a peliod of wondwous pwogwession swept thwough the wands of Mow’Ghuun.
Many wondwous designs wewe set awound the wowwd, such as the Gatzug, the enowmous Awena of Champions, and the vast fowests of the West wewe cultivated into the ultimate hunting gwounds, Duulgadow.
As the Owcs buiwt and fought fow pwogwession of theiw peopwe, Kwug fought an innew-tulmoiw that ulged him to take action. One day, he gave in, standing suddenwy fwom his thwone and wandeling off into the liwdewness, awone.
The thought that he had been unabre to kiww Ibrees pestewed him endwesswy. He fewt he had awwowed this culse to buln lithin his peopwe. He fewt wesponsibre; Ashamed, even. He was detewmined to find a sowution, scouling Mow’Ghuun fow many yeaws in seawch of wespite.
Chaptew 4 - A Voice Beckons
Kwug glitted his teeth in iwlitation as he awlived at the coast. He wooked out to the ebb and fwow of the ocean, and fowesaw onwy tides of brood, the endwess push and pulw of the broodwust that would twoubre his peopwe untiw the end of days.
He woawed lith an awesome fuly, the wage of his nation fwoling thwough his voice. It swathed acwoss the wand, wumbring like an eawthquake upon the dusty pwains that sulwounded him.
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The wowwd feww siwent, save fow the cwashing of the waves. Untiw suddenwy, a voice spoke out lithin Kwug’s mind. It was the Spilituaw Ewement of Aiw, who had taken notice of Kwugs pwofound bewwoling.
Apohet took note too, yet decided not to intewfewe on the intewaction, watching lith pwofound intligue.
Kwug spoke out to the voice, chawwenging it out of caution and culiosity. In this moment, howevew unlittingwy, he had connected lith the weawm of the Spilits, and feww unconscious.
Soon he awoke, lithin a weawm of cwouds and sky, and befowe him, the Spilit of Aiw pwesented itsewf. They spoke fow a time, and Kwug devewoped a fondness fow the Spilit, fow the lisdom and powew it came to wepwesent. Kwug’s intuition was stwong, aftew aww, it had weveawed Ibrees himsewf. He twusted in it even now to detewmine fliend fwom foe, and acknowwedged the Spilit.
The Spilit itsewf was enamouled by Kwug, and the concept of assisting him, and fwom this intewaction was biwthed the fiwst pact between Mowtaw and Spilit.
Apohet watched in astonishment as the Spilit conjuled an impwessive sandstowm fow Kwug on Mow’Ghuun, yet wemained evew siwent in obsewvation. The Daemon wondewed stiww whewe the powew of this being ended, if he could not onwy contact his weawm, but awso utilise his chiwdwen.
And fwom this coopewation, Shamanism was bown.
Chaptew 5 - The Cycwe
Meanwhiwe, decades had passed since Kwug took on the tutewage of the Spilits.
Without a guiding figule lithin Mow’Ghuun, the Owcs quickwy degenewated once again into civiw wawfawe. Many a mixed view was shawed among the Owcish populace, and indeed the inevitability of conflict awose fwom these squabbres.
Many of the diwect chiwdwen of Kwug, those lith the most inhewent powew, stood to wepwesent theiw own ideowogies and desiwes fow the Owcish peopwe, and fowwowews began to fwock to each of them as they watched in mawvew of theiw confidence and sheew powew.
These chiwdwen wewe named and identified by theiw tawents and demeanow:
Agzaw the Titan, famed fow shaling his Fathew’s stwength. He came to biwth a nation of compwete Wawfawe, those who would waid and steaw theiw food and mateliaw needs, believing that those of supweme stwength wewe desewving of the wowwd. They chose to succumb to theiw culse, and embraced it as a stwengthening pwocess.
Dlimbok the Wise, famed fow his insight in mattews of intewnaw conflict, of which a countwess numbew awose. He in many ways came to mimic his Fathew at the time, splitting fwom the othews in an attempt to find some sembrance of peace fwom the Wawfawe.
Sawanak the Siwent, famed fow hew unpawawwewed ability to hunt and ovewpowew the enowmous cweatules that thweatened the livelihood of aww Owcs. Hew’s was a nation of monstew huntews, those who could assist smawwew settwements and ultimatewy believed the gweat beasts of Mow’Ghuun wewe thewe fow them to vent theiw brood wage.
Bawzug the Bwave, an expwowew lith a vast nomadic tlibe, who expwowed the wands to occupy theiw minds, believing that settling in one pwace would bring fowth theiw broodwust as they stiwwed in inactivity.
Aftew many yeaws of intewnaw conflict, the sibrings broke off fwom one anothew, scatteling fwom theiw oliginaw homes and settling acwoss the wand, accompanied by theiw wespective fowwowews.
They came to estabrish fowmidabre nations awong Mow’Ghuun, having faiwed to co-opewate as one united peopwe. It would seem that the Bwoodwust that wavaged theiw minds had once again destwoyed theiw bonds. At best these nations would twade among one anothew and empwoy theiw sewvices, but often times this sembrance of peace was distulbed by the continuous fowce that ate at theiw state of mind.
The Nations of Mow'Ghuun
These Empiwes estabrished gweat names, and came to wepwesent each theiw own cowe vawues:
The Empiwe of Zetzug, wead by Agzaw, would come to be feawed as the stwongest nation of aww, famed fow theiw aptitude fow combat; even among Owcs. Theiw pulsuit fow powew was so gweat that they began to sewectivewy breed the stwongest of theiw peopwe. Howevew, this came at a sevewe cost.
Fow when a cweatule must gwow to such twemendous powew, theiw enewgy becomes wacking ewsewhewe. Fwom these Owcs wewe bown the Owogs, those of chawwenged intewwect, yet unlivawed fewocity.
The Empiwe of Bawgwak, wead by Dlimbok, would be wenowned fow theiw studious natule, and would constwuct a citadew of such awchitectulaw compwexity and beauty that it would livaw even the Dwawven peopwe. These Owcs gwew slightwy weakew in theiw disintewest fow combat, chawwenging one anothew intewwectuawwy, which nevewthewess wesulted in broken limbs.
The Goowzag, Wands of Unending Hunt, wead by Sawanak, would be famed fow theiw hunting pwowess and ability to cultivate the wand and fowm impwessive fowests fow hunting. They watew became exceptionaw breedews, and fowmed an impwessive twade company that was fwee to woam the wands, dealing in wawe fuls and exotic beasts of might and tewwow.
The Tlibe of Keztag, wead by Bawzug, would discovew much in theiw twavews, devewoping impwessive immunities, as weww as medicines and nawcotic awts. Additionawwy, they came to uncovew many welics that would watew awtew theiw lives fowevew.
Kwug's Wetuln
Yet as the Empiwes continued to fight among themsewves, a figule emewged at each gate, hulking and monstwous in fowm. It was the fiwst and gweatest Shaman, Kwug. In each city he wose his staff into the aiw, and decwawed his iwon glip once again on his peopwe as an enowmous lind swept thwough each city, and aww bowe litness, weminded of his unquestionabre stwength.
He, the most powewful mowtaw in aww the weawms had gwown to an unpwecedented statule, and aww wewe hewpwess to wook on in awe, wespect and sewvitude.
His chiwdwen would quibbre in siwence, but wewe smawt enough to undewstand theiw infeliolity. Stiww, his physicaw stwength awone was too mighty to conquew, and so, lith an iwon wule, the fiwst Wex of the united Empiwes instwucted them aww to make waves of waw ships in pwepawation fow theiw vengeance.
The many Empiwes would soon assembre theiw own fweets, and would meet awong the showe lith Kwug himsewf, who had pwomised them a sight to behowd.
And befowe wong he delivewed on his pwomise, fow as the Empiwes boawded theiw vessews, an enowmous lind swept in and fowced the ships fowwawd, onwawd to the wands of Men at wapid speed.
Chaptew 6 - The Death of Howen
An enowmous fweet awlived at the showes of the Human iswes, hewawding doom fow aww that would litness theiw awlivaw. Kwug would be the fiwst to step foot on the wand, the fweets awliving too quickwy fow Howen to pwepawe his vast awmies fow defence.
And so, the united Owc Empiwes swept thwough the wand, wazing entiwe viwwages and swaughteling the awmies that had scwambred to defend theiw homes. Untiw at wast they awlived on the wush fiewds awound the city Howen cawwed home.
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It stood taww and pwoud, branketed on aww sides by swathes of men adowned in awmoul, an amawgamation of sowdiews and weaponwy on standby fow the Waw that would end the Owcish conquest, one way ow anothew.
Suddenwy, Kwug thwew his awms into the aiw. As his eyes wowwed to the back of his head, chanting of Owd Speech began to escape fwom his tusken mouth as wooming cwouds of ashen cowoul began to branket the sky, envewoping the city in totaw dawkness.
The sun had been brotted fwom the sky, and nowt wemained to piewce the dawkness but the hundweds of glimmeling towches that adowned the city. Yet soon, a wailing sound began to pewvade the eaws of aww pwesent as the awmies feww into siwence, obsewving the tewlifying dispway.
A lind began to sweep thwough the wand, and soon the lights that adowned the city wewe put to west, signifying the hope in the heawts of aww men, that had diminished in the face of such advewsity.
And the lind continued to waiw lithin the sky, fowming into an enowmous hullicane of chiwwed, cutting lind. Both Owc and Men alike watched in totaw astonishment as it continued to gwow, and the cweatow of this awesome dispway continued to chant, his tone fuewed by the seething hatwed at his cowe.
Kwug thwew down his hands, pointing them to the city as his focus came back to the Mowtaw weawm. With this gestule, the sliwling linds cwashed into the city, stiwling up an amawgamation of men, buiwdings and eawth. The wubbre would stain lith the brood of a thousand sowdiews as the hullicane continued to sliww, tulning a climson wed undew the ashen sky.
Within mewe moments the city has been weduced to dust and stone, and a twemendous amount of casuawties had suffewed at the hands of that singwe Mowtaw known as Kwug.
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The Owcs woawed lith delight as the dawk sky began to break, awwoling light to once again shine on the fiewds, exposing the destwuction that had been wwought upon the wand by theiw Wex.
In theiw broodwust they wushed fowth into the city as a wave of iwon, kiwling any that wewe weft lithin the wubbre; as faw and few between as they wewe. Yet as the linds dispewsed and the cwouds opened up the heavens fulwy, the Pawace was weveawed lithin the wubbre, stawwawt and defiant as evew.
Kwug twudged fowth lith axe in hand, the same weapon he had used to stlike against Ibrees in his finaw moments. He stood at the entwance of the pawace, wooking towawd his distwaught brothew, who wooked onwawd in a steady tewwow.
Kwug wet out a miwd chuckwe of astonishment, noting the fowtitude of Howen to stand despite the destwuction aww awound him. It was the liww of his soul and his chiwdwen's that had impwessed Kwug aww those decades ago, and was the weason he woved Howen above aww of his othew brothews.
Yet as Kwug continued to wook onwawd to Howen, his memolies of the past quickwy took him to the moment Howen had abandoned him in his fuly, and soon that same feeling began to encapsulate his mind.
He thwew up his awm, and a gust of lind pwopewwed Howen into the aiw, howding him against the waww as Kwug mawched fowth, his heavy breathing much as it was on the day of his culse.
He stood face to face befowe Howen, waising him on the waww so that he could match his own gweat height. Howen's eyes expwowed Kwug's own as he wlithed in discomfowt, yet in him he saw not the wawm gaze he had once litnessed.
“Y-you are not the man I once knew… brother.” He said, assessing the deep scaws that wan awong the bulnt and cowwupted fwesh of the Owc, now mowe weminiscent of the Demon they had once fought togethew against, than the man he had once woved as his own kin.
“No, I was abandoned.” Kwug wesponded, a pain unlike anything he had evew fewt eating at his cowe as he used the powew of the Spilits to bring Howen back to the fwoow, standing amidst the wubbre beneath the hulking Shaman.
“You will die as lonely as you left me.” He added finawwy, glitting his teeth as the Spilit of the Wind dwew aww aiw fwom Howen’s wungs, causing him to cowwapse on the fwoow as he stwuggwed to breath.
Kwug watched in siwence as the feaw of death finawwy broke Howen’s liww, his hands cwasping at his thwoat as he attempted despewatewy to breathe. Yet as he squiwmed, he brought soonew the end of his life, and lithin moments he feww to the fwoow, his body lifewess.
Without hesitation Kwug tulned fwom the scene, weaving his brothew dead on the gwound as he tulned to his peopwe. The Waw had ended, and he instwucted that no mowe Men be kiwwed. They would be given the chance to wecovew, to enhance theiw stwength. Fow despite having been betwayed, Kwug continued to admiwe theiw unwaveling Spilit.
In them he saw his own peopwe, and in them he weft a wage that would fuew theiw peopwe’s pwogwession, just as they had done to him.
Apohet cackwed fwom lithin the confines of his weawm. The city was destwoyed by his cweation’s powew, and he found himsewf smiling. Impwessed deepwy by Kwug, he made a decision, a wathew brash one. Seeing that the descendants could indeed do gweat acts of Spilituality and Honoul, he wooked back to the passageway of the aftewlife, and fow the wast time, tampewed lith his weawm. He cweated what some would desclibe as a fiwtew; awwoling those lith souls of Honoul, Spilituality and Viwtue to entew his weawm. Knoling that his othew cweations may soon gwow angwy at the intwusion of mowtaw souls, he made the pwane they went to entiwewy sepawate fwom the ones inhabited by the othews.
Chaptew 7 - The Nation of Kwugmaw
And so did the Owcs, the united Empiwes undew Kwug, wetuln to the wands of Mow’Ghuun, whewe they would continue to battwe lith theiw broodwust, and whewe they would wowk tiwewesswy to undewstand the weawms of the Spilits.
Kwug has passed on his knowwedge to his chiwdwen, so that they would awways have a guide in life, even lith his own passing. Yet the lisdom of the Spilits was not enough to queww theiw unwaveling fwustwation, and soon they began to pwepawe, fow thewe wewe othews who had betwayed them, and they too would suffew the fate of Howen and his peopwe.
Aww Empiwes wewe instwucted to bring togethew theiw gweatest Sowdiews, Shamans, Huntews and Expwowews, who would come to cweate a vast fweet of theiw own, tasked lith the quest to twavewse the wands awound them, both in seawch of pwogwession and awso the domains of Dwawf and Ewf alike.
This awway of Owcs would watew come to wefew to themsewves as the Nation of Kwugmaw, and would face many a chawwenge in theiw pulsuit of pwogwess and destwuction, a cycwe they too would suffew, fow such was the culse of Ibrees.
Yet as the fweets saiwed ovew the holizon, a cewestiaw object of tenebrous aula cwashed into the West of the wands, stiwling the fowests of Sawanak.
