Celian

Legend says, she got severely hurt in a battle against The Void and needed a save place to rest and heal. Shortly thereafter bits and pieces of the Frosty Shield aka moon well into the swamp, which the orcs interpreted as their call to help protect the world. By now recreating a proper timeline is difficult, because the orcs started writing down things for real preservation only after reaching the mountains, as to not lose their past.

Before the orcs came as protectors, and honestly even now, the humans are somewhat crippeld by their fear of the void beasts. Their seafaring doesn't reach farther than the island off the coast; and otherwise they would never venture further than where the silverdrop bushes grow. The centaurs are not exactly keen on crossing an unknown desert either (and no one else as well). I do think, however, that the old orcs, before the happenings leading to the exodus, knew more of what lies east of the swamps. If the legends are true, they probably deemed it too unhealthy to try to get involved with two unknown forces constantly at war.

Extract from: Myths and Legends, Section 1: Foundations: The Number 8 by Wilfried Riverside (Note from the publisher: this print is unedited since its first edition. In the nearly 100 years since then, some of the written down information might have changed.) The number 8 is deeply interwoven with orc culture. This begins with the fact that the Old Mother designated eight orc women as her chosen daughters, making them both high priestesses and the matriarchs of the eight cl

Lots of fairytales and such end with a kiss or a wedding and then fade to "and they lived happily ever after". This is... like the dark heart-broken version? I mean I promised heartbreak already in the title. Thokk is only 21, his grand plan stemmed from youthful hubris and a short-sightedness regarding the plans, motivations and feelings of others. Warriors may not make up the majority of society, but they lead it, and shamans are therefore on the margins. As we saw at the beginning, Thokk also deliberately chose not to integrate, even though he could have, there were enough warriors his age around for him to make friends. He lacks the social skills that Henry, as part of active village life, definitely has, and which have allowed him to listen and draw conclusions, whereas Thokk arrogantly snaps at servants, doesn’t bother to learn names, and follows rigid role models. Now it all depends on how Thokk acts from here on, how he develops. Either he’ll break and plunge the court into ruin, or he’ll become a not-quite-so-gray eminence who shapes the court with a cold, shamanistic hand. (I lean toward the latter, besides, he’s too proud to run after Henry.)

Those questions remain for your fantasy for we will move forward in the series of little stories.

As they passed through the heavy gates granting entry beneath the mountain in this region, Thokk felt deep within himself the nervous unease that was evident in Henry. The time for long conversations and gentle touches before falling asleep was over—for now. The group quarters available to travelers inside the mountain offered no privacy whatsoever. But even more than that, Thokk was worried about the court. He had left it, barely organized, for weeks. Korgar had no idea how to lead and did

That for sure.

Henry has every possibility to thrive!

by Samuel Johannsohn and Josephine Annegretsdochter Many of us believe that a life beneath the mountain is one of great wealth, free from worries and hardships. This is far from the truth. Although many women dream of such a safe life, it's not up to her, whether she is chosen as a Tithe Bride and becomes an Archmother. And if the choice does not align with her own wishes, she is taken beneath the mountain against her will. Engagements—and even marriages, if the couple remains c

I'm giving you already one more... And I might point to the title of this story...

The weather didn’t really improve on the journey back to the mountain; a fine drizzle was a constant companion, the wind swept across the plains, and it froze at night. The campfire was more important than ever now that they had a human in the group, and whoever was on watch at night had to make sure that a piece of dried wood from the silver-drop bush was always smoldering at the edge of the fire. Henry seemed to be very deliberately ignoring the danger, and Thokk was just as aware that he coul

This information (those 2 chapters at least, it might change later) is generalized, from humans for humans. The edition we are reading here is maybe 20 years old. That said, the orcs won't share all their knowledge and secrets and studies with the humans of course. PS: somewhere in my notes there are short stories including the topic of the Festival of Life and the mysterious cure...

excerpts from: The World We Live In. An Introductory Text for Younger Students. by Karl-Friedrich of Bellinghill, Scholar of the Wilderness edited and expanded by Samuel Johannsohn The Void is nothingness, darkness—the counterpart to the Old Mother. It is not-being, but not death. The Void and the Old Mother have been fighting each other since the beginning of their existence, and ever since the Old Mother has been sleeping beneath the mountains, the children (or soldiers) of

When they spoke in the bath Thokk thought Korgar understood that this would be some sort of ruse. Like, "I'll tell a little lie so you get what you want and can give me what I want". Apparently Korgar didn't get it, believed in the steam/smoke reading and Thokk had to improvise something that sounds great as prophecy. I don't think he's obtuse. But whether he's receptive or whether it's just playful teasing (referring to the little flashback moment in chapter 5) is hard to say at this moment. But the next chapter (should be the last) should give you an answer.

For that part I can give you a promise I honestly think Gash saw a lot of potential in Thokk, even in the political direction he actually took. How much deviousness he saw in him I can't say, but I don't think Thokk ever saw himself doing something like this and now that he did it, he seems to not be super comfortable with it. Leaving Thokk's motivations aside, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity as Martin said. A small smith from some small town could gather so much knowledge and prestige to last his family for two more generations. But he needs to play his own cards right as well.

The chambers smelled faintly of damp stone and cleaning supplies. But the lichen scrubbed away would probably return just as quickly as the smell faded. Thokk sighed. At least he hadn’t done the scrubbing himself. With weary fingers, he rubbed his forehead, where a throbbing pain lingered, and sighed again, this time in exhaustion. He had underestimated how much guidance a ruby court needed, how much direction Korgar needed. “Are you tired or overwhelmed?” At the question, Thokk spun a

It was hot. It was so damn hot in Romy's room and Sam longed for the room where he had spent the first night with the other three in this huge manor house. It had been cool and although Henry had been working on Franz - or the other way around, Sam didn't want to know that so exactly - it had been relaxing to break out of the routine and spend time with the boys. But on the other hand, they were only in the manor house because Jocelyn would be holding her ritual in the castle in the next fe

I don't think Thokk ever thought he might one day do something like this. Thokk will be in a great position for a lot of things, that for sure.

With his face buried in his hands, Thokk sat in the library. The artificially dry air scratched in his throat; someone’s quill scratched across paper; and somewhere nearby, though out of sight, two people were whispering to each other. He couldn’t find a solution. His final exams were coming up in a few weeks, and he couldn’t estimate the likelihood that he’d remain under Gash’s authority for a few more years. It would be perfectly normal if that were the case, and then he’d be hardly

"If you want to rule a country, you must know it. Look at the map and tell me what you notice." "Hmm. Darkmoore is almost square." "Right. What else?" "Darkmoore is pretty big." "Right. I don't have the numbers in mind, but after Rockvalley, it's the largest of the Eastern Kingdoms." "Even bigger than Whitehill?" Surprised, Romy looked at Sam who nodded. They were standing in front of a huge map of the Eastern Kingdoms, painted on the wall of one of the libraries. "

I would say we're getting there. I didn't want it to be that much of a surprise, only for Thokk, who's a tad blind on that stuff Wait and see. I promise we see Korgar again. That's a truly interesting question, something we can't know as of now. We saw some sort of interest, but whether this is about the orcish things or just the unknown or indeed Thokk himself... we don't know.

Frustrated and annoyed, Thokk sat at the table, listlessly pushing the food on his plate back and forth. Thick, meaty mushrooms cooked in their own juices, purple bitter spinach, and fresh, salty water beans were actually quite a delicacy, and he didn’t want to seem ungrateful to Khartikk, who had brought the meal from the food stalls—obviously one of the better ones—but ever since Thokk had returned from his journey and spoken with Gash, Gash had been telling everyone about Thokk’s studies.

Let's hope they take his approach seriously first of all...

He's most of all curious. I guess he knew his grandmother was a rose, but never really thought about/realized what that implied. Absolutely this. ❤️ I spent so much time on research about genetics and radiation to put a proper "realistic" scientific background to this world's lore, it's insane 😅

Thokk hated the surface, and late summer was, in a way, even worse than spring. The dry heat was taking its toll on his skin, which had once again taken on that sickly gray-green hue and was constantly itchy and tight; his lips had become chapped and were constantly sticking to his tusks. Everywhere, there were suddenly insects buzzing about. And the humans—may the Old Mother have mercy—they stank. The stench of sour sweat, musty, damp clothing, and heated filth seemed to cling even to the small