Apostles of Doom

Tal Gor grinned as he felt the warmth of Fierd upon his back. The impressive Mount Orc was now to his right. He had visited Mount Orc several years back and it still left him awestruck; a single giant mountain rising out of the plains. The top of it was a very large keep, the so called “last stand” for embattled orcs against the alfar. While there were plenty of fables and songs about it, there was very little hard historical record of it actually being used; however, there were ancient scars upon the stones of the fortress, indicating it had been used in battle at some point.

The fortress on top and the leagues of catacombs within the mountain were believed to have been of jötunnkind construction. For the clans and bands living nearby, venturing into the catacombs in search of some new treasure was considered a rite of passage, even if the so-called “treasure” was generally quite lame. As far as anyone knew, there were no complete maps of the catacombs and very few stories of people going more than a few leagues down into them.

Tal Gor shook his head to rid his thoughts of Mount Orc and focus on today’s events. They were flying towards the long-term encampment of the Rock Smasher clan. Lob Smasher (no relation) knew several members of the clan there and felt it was the best option near Mount Orc.

Everyone was dressed in full battle regalia; however, they were also flying their peace banner along with their clan banner. They did not want to accidentally put an ally on a war footing, but they also wanted to ensure respect for their mission and for Lord Tommus.

As they came within sight of the Rock Smasher camp, or rather, the camp’s sight of them, Tal Gor could see multiple clan members scrambling to gear up. He gestured to his sister, Soon Tal, to wave the peace banner clearly. His brother, Bor Tal, was flying the Crooked Stick banner and Kirak was flying the banner of Doom.

A large number of orcs were now scrambling from their tents, nearly all armed, naturally; however, it appeared they had seen the banners and were not going to battle formation. He noted several people passing seeing tubes around, possibly to read the banners, but most likely to stare at the D’Orcs.

He imagined they were a very impressive sight. He knew what his family had thought when first seeing the D’Orcs and he remembered well the reactions of people in Murgatory, so he had a fairly good idea of the spectacle they presented. This time, they should be even more impressive, as they were not wearing hunting gear, but rather the full glory of their armor and weaponry.

Zargvarst was in the lead, followed by Lob Smasher and Tal Gor side by side behind the D’Orc squad leader, the rest of the orcs and D’Orcs fanned out behind them. Zargvarst came in for a landing about one hundred feet from the array of Rock Smashers on the field. Lob Smasher and Tal Gor landed further behind him due to the fact that, while D’Orcs could land vertically, when carrying a load, it was much easier for D’Wargs to do a running landing, even as they did running take-offs.

Zargvarst waited for Lob Smasher and Tal Gor and the others to dismount and join him. Ahead of them, Tal Gor saw a woman who, by her dress, was the band chief, standing with several of her elders and commanders nearby. The rest of the large camp waited behind their leaders.

Soon Tal, Bor Tal and Kirak came up beside them carrying their banners, ensuring they were plainly visible. As they had agreed the night before, Lob Smasher spoke first.

“Greetings, Rock Smasher Clan, illustrious Soo Van”—Lob Smasher roared, nodding towards the woman Tal Gor assumed was the chieftain—“indomitable Gor Varg, mighty Luga Shagrishn…” Here, he nodded to the man and woman nearest to the chieftain, then turned to the others and continued, “…Grodog Scarface, Lagdush Flatfoot and the rest of the clan. I, Lob Smasher, Elder of the Crooked Stick clan, greet you on behalf of Tal Gor, Shaman of Lord Tommus of Mount Doom.” Lastly, he gestured towards Tal Gor.

The Rock Smasher chieftain and her commanders remained silent for a few moments, eyeing them and the D’Orcs. Eventually, Soo Van replied, speaking formally, “Greetings, Lob Smasher, I recognize you as an Elder of the Crooked Stick clan, and acknowledge your shaman and fellow tribe members. I am, however, not familiar with your unusual compatriots, nor of this Mount Doom you speak of.”

Lob Smasher nodded. “That is one of the reasons for our visit; to introduce you to our allies from Mount Doom. This”—he pointed to Zargvarst, standing next to him—“is Zargvarst El Crooked Stick, formerly of our tribe here in Astlan, currently a member of the 19^th Regiment of Doom under Lord Tommus, heir to the throne of Orcus.”