The story of the orcs’ ascendency begins, as many in Dothovil do: with war and monsters. To fully understand their story, one must have knowledge of the Kuvenakt, their holy scripture, and the Tilanites, their most hated enemy. As I am fortunate enough to have extensive familiarity with both, this narrative will serve as a primer on the subject. For any readers who do not know the story of the Tilanite’s emergence, I will give a brief account of their history.
Even from the moment of their creation, the creatures now known as the arachneans, though their original name has been lost to history, were the most abhorrent beings in Dothovil. Created by Dovil’Karged shortly before his fall, they were a manifestation of his growing malice and cruelty. During the earlier part of the second age, they controlled a vast territory in the northeast. They spun massive networks of webs which had slowly grown to completely envelop entire mountains and forests, choking the life in their domain. They demanded a tribute of blood from the towns and villages caught in their web, and if any traveler was foolish enough to stray too close to their territory, they would be captured and consumed within hours.
Finally, the human empire turned their might against the Tilanites. Using a captured fire dragon, the human army burned their webs and slaughtered thousands of them, driving those who remained into the nearby mountains. Their final retreat took them deep beneath those mountains, where they languished in the dark for centuries before making the discovery that forever changed the course of their history.
Carved from the very walls of a cavern so deep it was nearly part of the underworld was a temple. The age of the temple is unknown, as no historian has ever successfully survived an attempt to visit it, and the beings that created it were never seen before their emergence. It was singularly devoted to the worship of a bizarre breed of pale yellow spiders capable of burrowing into the spine of a creature and manipulating its mind and body like a puppet. The puppeteer spiders were attended by the pralites, hulking creatures used to construct the temple.
In the darkness below the world, an unholy union was formed in which the arachneans bent the spiders to their will, or the spiders commandeered the arachneans to seek a new goal. It may never be known which, as Tilanil remains rather hostile to any who do not have use in the arachneans’ eyes. In either case, it is known that in the year 1058 of the Second Age, nearly five-hundred years after their domain was lost, the Arachneans swarmed from their caves, bringing with them a tide of spiders and pralites. In the feudal anarchy that had replaced the ancient empires, the Tilanites quickly regained control over their lost land, massacring or enslaving any who dared to live in what they believed to be their rightful home, before setting their vision upon new territory.
From the Kuvenakt: “On that damned day the ground shook and cracked, the very mountains groaning in protest. Unable to contain the evil any longer, it split open, unleashing the Cursed Enemy upon Dothovil once more. They poured forth from the caverns which had sheltered them, a tide of purple shells formed for the very purpose of slaughter. Among them were new monsters: the black-shelled giants that serve as their mindless servants, and the accursed spiders that they employ in their crusade to enslave all living beings. Swiftly they swarmed the lands that had been taken from them long ago, driving out those who were able to retreat. The rest were mercilessly put to the axe, or had their minds dominated by the spiders. So began the time of darkness, when the Enemy returned to the surface.”
The first territory attacked by the Tilanites was the home of the orcs. In this time, the orcs lived north of Tilanil and were ignored by the Tilanites (for a time). They were a peaceful society that resided in scattered towns and villages, and though they made some trade with their neighbors, they were mostly left alone. Their biology was and is a strange contradiction. Despite their humanoid bodies, muscular frames, and great strength, they are among the most vulnerable beings in Dothovil. Their skin is as pale as the night is dark, and is easily pierced by blade or arrow. In that time they were not inclined to battle as they are now, and thus had not advanced greatly in the crafting of weapons and armor. What little they had was made of simple iron, and possessed only by a few.
Here the account of the Kuvenakt shifts from a broad history to a focused narrative. The central figures of this story are Irakesh and Drom, an orc father and son who lived in a small village near the border of Tilanil. They were attacked very early in the Tilanites’ invasion, but survived long enough to escape the devastation. I believe that this shift reveals much about the orcs’ religious fanaticism: rather than viewing their history as a whole, they focus on the efforts of one particular individual.
From the Kuvenakt: “The Enemy moved swiftly over the land, bringing no life or goodwill, only desolation and despair. We were weak in those days, little more than insects beneath the heel of a boot. Our iron could not bite the flesh beneath their hides, and our minds could not resist the assault of the spiders. Many of our own brethren were shackled by the parasites, their fists and blades turned against their very kin. When the Enemy arrived in the village of Irakesh and Drom, word of the invasion had only just begun to spread.
“They emerged from the ground in the very center of the village, sundering the very soil with their brute strength. It was as though the gates of Infernus had opened when the Enemy swarmed from the pit. The tunnelers came first, shielding those who came behind with the armored plates of their arms. At their feet, the puppeteer spiders congregated, seizing any orc foolish enough to remain. The final group to emerge was a mix of pralite brawlers and arachnean warriors who set to work destroying the village and slaughtering any orc not seized by the spiders.
“Upon the first tremblings of the ground, Irakesh abandoned his small forge, racing through the village in search of his father, Drom. As the chaotic din filled the air, he shoved past the screaming throngs, and finally arrived at his home. There he found a spider menacing Drom, preparing to leap upon his unprotected back. Without a moment’s hesitation, Irakesh leapt forward and struck the beast with the hammer he had brought from the forge, crushing it with ease. The pair were reunited, and quickly set off together, along with the few other survivors who escaped the Enemy, into the great Crystal Desert.”
Many chapters of the Kuvenakt are devoted to the trials of the orcs as they brave the perils of the Crystal Desert. Irakesh quickly emerges as a folk hero of the orcs, frequently defending the growing tribe of nomads from various monsters, and even from themselves on occasion. As much of this portion of the text serves simply to establish the legend of Irakesh within the orcs’ religion, I will not be including it in this history. What is important to note from this portion is the fact that the Kuvenakt implies the desert itself was preparing him for the role of leading his people.
From the Kuvenakt: “Irakesh’s triumph over the great crystal dragon marked the culmination of his trials. The desert had tested him, and he had defeated it.”
It is at this point that Irakesh is given the secrets of both the dorakite metal and the firebrand crystals. While the veracity of the Kuvenakt has been questioned by many a scholar, even the lowliest fool cannot deny that these gifts are the key to the enduring strength of the orcs.
From the Kuvenakt: “That night, a vision appeared unto Irakesh. He stood upon the tallest mountain of Dothovil, from which he could see the entirety of the land. From there he beheld the Enemy as their accursed swarms covered all of Dothovil, extinguishing all celebration of life beneath their shadow. All manner of humanoids were enslaved or slaughtered, from the mighty draconians to the feeble ravenspawn, and the Enemy remade the world in their image.
“As Irakesh looked down in horror, he beheld a crimson star break loose from the firmament above, plummeting to Dothovil where it landed in a flash of light brighter than any that has ever been seen with mortal eyes. From whence the star landed emerged a being unlike even the strangest beasts of Dothovil. All that could be seen were six immense wings, each covered entirely in ever-shifting eyes, and composed entirely of a dark red crystal. The rest of its form was hidden by the blinding light emerging from its center.
“The being turned its eyes upon the Enemy, setting their webs and bodies alight with the dreadful power of its gaze. Within moments, they were reduced to mere ash and scoured from the face of Dothovil. When its glorious task was complete, it looked upon Irakesh, not with anger, but with love. It spoke to him then in a language denied to mortal tongues, and said “Find where I am buried”, before plummeting to the ground.
“Irakesh awoke in his tent, next to Drom. He shook his father awake, and told him that they needed to venture forth alone. Drom trusted his son fully, and so they set out into the night. They journeyed for several hours, and upon the sun’s return they had arrived at a crystal much larger than any surrounding it. It towered hundreds of feet above them, and glowed the same shade as the being in Irakesh’s dream.
“As the pair stood before the crystal, a voice spoke to them, seemingly emerging from deep below the sand. “Irakesh,” it said, “thou art chosen for a glorious purpose.” The being revealed many truths to them that day. It told them it was an angel of Dotho’Goglid, sent here in order to exact the will of the goddess. The being did not reveal its true name, desiring to be known as the Corpse Star, or the Buried Angel. They learned the secrets of dorakite, and how it would protect our flesh from all but the most lethal blows. They learned of the firebrand crystals, and how they arose from the angel’s very presence in the desert; for its essence flowed through the crystals, blessing them with power hitherto unseen.
“The only price for this knowledge was a twofold command. Irakesh was required to teach his fellow orcs what he had learned, and the orcs were required to be the holy flame of the Buried Angel, burning the Enemy from this world with righteous fury. So began the Great Crusade, with the gift of knowledge and the offering of worship.”
Irakesh kept his promises with a zeal unmatched by any in Dothovil’s history. After making the initial bargain with the Corpse Star, he returned to his people and passed on the angel’s knowledge. Interestingly, the Kuvenakt omits the details of the processes, as these are now known only to the monastic armorers, and the orcs would never permit an outsider to know their ways. They slowly gathered their weapons and armor, building the first of their great mines and forges.
During that time, Drom perished of old age, and Irakesh mourned greatly. Following Drom’s death, the orcs were at last ready to return to their homeland after over a century in exile. With Irakesh in command, they marched out of the desert, armed with new armaments and a new covenant. Irakesh himself wielded a double-bladed axe he titled Arakthinar: “Enemy’s Bane” in the common tongue. Unsurprisingly, he was a symbol to the orcs, and they rallied behind him with an unmatched fervor.
From the Kuvenakt: “The glorious army of the Corpse Star set upon the Enemy with a burning righteous fury. Fear filled their hearts, for they saw that now we were blessed with power and purpose. In our first battle, they scorned us, believing that even with arms, we remained weak. Irakesh then strode forward, adorned in the armor of the Grand Patriarch, wielding Arakthinar as the very instrument of the angel’s wrath. His first challenger, a hulking, vile pralite, was cleaved in twain before its final insult had left its throat.
“The jeers of the enemy vanished then, as fear seized their hearts. We charged forward, and they learned that their blades could not penetrate our armor. Though some among our number fell that day, the enemy was routed before us. Irakesh led us to glorious victory as our crusade continued, and the Corpse Star blessed our path. Our path to reclaiming our home began with a single battle, and continued for the next five years.”
After five years of relentless, brutal warfare, the orcs finally forced the tilanites out of their home. This defeat, which reminded the arachneans of their last bitter failure at the hands of the human empire, sparked the hatred between the two nations that burns to this day. With their homeland returned to their possession, the orcs set about founding the nation of Kuven. Their proficiency with dorakite and firebrand crystals allowed for advancements in construction and defense that saw Kuven fully developed within a matter of years. In addition to their material advantages, their unified culture under the religion of the Corpse Star allowed the military, church, and government to all fall under the purview of the Grand Patriarch, a title first held by Irakesh until his death in the year 1238 of the Second Age.
From the Kuvenakt: “On the day of Irakesh’s death, a shadow fell over Kuven, as every orc heart cried out together in sorrow. In accordance with his commands, he was buried in his armor beneath the temple of the Corpse Star in Tesroc, and Arakthinar was passed on to the next Grand Patriarch.”
Few copies of the Kuvenakt are able to escape Kuven, as any material related to the Buried Angel is considered holy knowledge, suitable only for an orc audience. My agents within the orc nation were able to smuggle a copy beyond the border, which I used to compose this history. Beyond a mere summary of historical events, this account serves as a warning. Yes the orcs are powerful thanks to the strength of their armaments, but their power also derives from their unity. Even now, years after his death, the memory of Irakesh emboldens the orcs to fight as one. As the empire moves toward a war with the Latalian nations, those in power should be cautious; a unified enemy is a dangerous one, especially when they have heroes to rally them.
The Goblin Graveyard 