Cover

And so it begins…

"What shall we do?" asked Laruhk.

"There is not much we can do. If we were to go down there now, we would be slaughtered along with the rest of Athelwald. No, we must wait and watch. With any luck, we shall be able to identify the attackers."

"Why? To seek revenge?" asked Laruhk.

"No," Kargen replied, "this is not our fight. To intervene would be to invite disaster for our own people."

"As usual, you are in the right, my friend. We shall let them kill each other, and then there will be fewer Humans to threaten us in the future."

"You misinterpret, Laruhk. We shall wait until the riders have left and then enter Athelwald. There may be survivors."

"I thought you said it was not our fight? The Orcs of the Red Hand have been left alone by the duke. Are we to change all that with our actions this day? Surely, if we interfere here, there will be repercussions?"

"I cannot stand by and do nothing," said Kargen. "We Orcs exist in a precarious position, surviving only so long as the Duke of Holstead does not see us as a threat. I would have thought the same of Athgar's people, but something has altered that relationship. Change is coming, whether we want it or not."

They watched the riders as they torched the village. The dead lay scattered about, while others, cut off by the horsemen, cowered before the display of weapons.

"They mean to take prisoners!" announced Laruhk.

A drop of rain fell, landing on Kargen's face. "Our ancestors weep," he observed. "Mark this day well, for something has started here that will have a great effect on our people, I can feel it."

"Surely you jest, Kargen. The Therengian's are a minor people. How could the loss of this one village affect our tribe?"

"Just as the loss of a single hunter can change the fortunes of the hunt, so too, can the loss of a single ally leave ripples in the lives of others. I do not know what has happened this day, but I feel it has changed our future."

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Map of the Continent

Ashes

From the Ashes

Spring 1102 SR* (Saints Reckoning)

(In the tongue of the Orcs)

An arrow sailed through the air, digging into a tree near a deer. Alarmed by the sound, the creature bolted, disappearing deeper into the woods.