Kargen rose from his seat, then waited, respectfully, while the shamaness sat back down. "Orcs of the Red Hand," he began, "we are this day, standing at a crossroads. It has ever been our way to keep outsiders at bay, to safeguard our homes by keeping ourselves at arm's length from the outside world, but I say that it is time for a change. As our chief is fond of telling us, our traditions are everything, and yet, do not our traditions change over time? Do we still hunt with stone weapons? No, of course not. Do we only hunt with spears or live in caves? Again, no. We have changed with the times, and each time change has come, it has enriched our lives; our smiths work metal, our warriors wield bows and axes rather than spears. Our chieftain even wears a shirt of chain when we march to war. None of these would have been possible if we had held tight to our ancient traditions."

He paused to take a breath, and Athgar could see the rapt attention of the other Orcs.

"We have traded with Athgar for years," Kargen continued, "and his father before him. He has made bows and arrows used by many of our hunters. We have hunted with him, and," he paused for effect, "he has been blooded in the manner of our tribe." This drew considerable attention, in the form of pounding the dirt. He waited for it to finish before continuing, "Our ancient ancestors brought the gift of Fire Magic to our tribe, a tradition continued by our noble master of flame, Artoch." He bowed reverentially in the shaman's direction, "Please tell us, Master Artoch, what you found when you examined Athgar."

The master of flame stood, clearing his throat, "The Human, Athgar, has the spark within him. He has been marked by fire."

The assembled Orcs burst into discussion at the revelation.

"And in your expert opinion," asked Kargen, "what does this mean?"

"It means," said Artoch, "that, much like our ancestors, he is a naturally gifted wielder of fire."

"Then we should be rid of him," interrupted Gorlag, "the better to keep us safe."

"Tell me, Gorlag," said Kargen, "would you rather we have a fire wielder that is friend or foe?"

"You try to trick me," said the chieftain, "for this man is not trained. He is no threat to us at present, lest it be from his very presence here. Surely his enemies will come for him!"

"You have had your say, Gorlag," interrupted Uhdrig. "Kargen, you may continue."

"We have always traded with the Humans," continued Kargen, "some have even travelled as far away as the village of Cragmore, but the Therengian people, Athgar's people, have never reviled us as have others."

"Humans have brought nothing to us but misery," interrupted Gorlag. "They have hunted us, enslaved us, even made war against us. Bringing this Human in among us will cost us dearly."