King of the Orcs

As a parting piece of advice, Skufruss suggested to Sack that he might want to contact an individual named Xerxes the Gatecrasher. While not known personally to Skufruss - Xerxes being a dwarf - the master of information knew him by reputation. Specializing in opening interplanar gates and portals where others had failed, Xerxes was a mercenary, and not cheap, Skufruss warned. Retired now, he was rumoured to be living in Emrys, south of Narthal in Stryre. Sack thanked him, and accepted his offer of a Teleport back to Reital.

(Reital, Tellare 24^th June, 1601)

Meanwhile, Surya and Hildraft were researching further in Skufruss' vast library, searching for more clues about the vampires in the Empire. Over the course of the next few days, all the Erlyid traders in New Tellare were questioned, subtly, in attempts to elicit stories of vampires or oddities in the Empire. Nothing was forthcoming; only one book, clearly brought to the castle by Rhendal, was any help, referring obliquely to the infiltration of the Empire, at the Senatorial level; but not mentioning any names.

Finally, it was decision time. The heroes reasoned this way:

• Going after the Mace would just make them targets; it was probably safer where it was than with them.
• The cambion holding the Sword was likely to be a tough customer, and the reasons for going after it were not compelling to their minds.
• The plane Cain was imprisoned on was (allegedly) unreachable without Primal power or the right Gate.
• If the vampires trying to get the Mace were stopped before reaching their target - which was known to be the Vintares Gate - the problem would be solved.

Dalbin, Edge of The Desolation, 26^th June, 1601

Wind Walking across the Desolation, the party dropped to earth at the ruins of Dalbin, intending to travel the rest of the way in a more conventional fashion. It was early morning when they trotted into the ruins of the southernmost Elven city of lost Sildor, and they decided to pause for breakfast before pressing on.

The ruins of Dalbin were peaceful in their loneliness; tumbled stone crumbling gently into the grass, trees beginning to grow where towers had stood. Unlike most of the other elven cities, Dalbin had been far enough away from the Vileflow river to be outside the Desolation. It was, however, the closest of all to the hills that became Orcland, and had been looted and picked over repeatedly by orc treasure hunters.

Now there was life in the ruins again. A small fire crackled, and Hansen hummed a merry ditty as he watched the bacon cooking. Surya walked the horses up and down, and Sack wandered happily around, laying traps and tripwires before coming for his breakfast.

About halfway through their meal, there came the sound of Sack's alarms being triggered, announcing visitors. Sack melted into the shadows, and the others slouched deceptively around the fire, ready for anything.

An orcish patrol appeared out of the ruins, thirty or more, mounted on huge wolves. Fanning out to face the group, they chuckled and nudged each other, anticipating an easy kill and good loot. A few of the brighter ones, however, began to appear uneasy as their "victims" continued to show no signs of fear. The largest orc - clearly the leader from his outfit and demeanour - rode forwards, and eyed the two humans and dwarf casually breakfasting in the face of ten-to-one odds.

Surya looked up at him, and suggested in a reasonable tone that he should abandon this encounter and leave. The orc goggled at him for a few seconds, and then went for his scimitar. There was a sizzle and a schthunk! schthunk! as Sack's two arrows sank deep into the orc leader's back; he cartwheeled off his warg in a shower of blood and guts, his scimitar falling from his fingers into the bloody grass.

There was a stunned pause. Then one of the orcs that had appeared more cautious raised a hand, and gestured the others back. He dismounted, and walked cautiously towards Surya, hands well away from weapons. Slowly, he bent and picked up the ex-chief's wolfskin cloak and scimitar. He was about to call his orcs together and leave the area, but Surya called to him in parlay, and asked to talk. Intrigued, the orc did so.

Surya talked to him for a while, joined by Sack when it became clear that hostilities were at an end. The appearance of the man with the bow so soon after their chief's abrupt end was not lost on the orcs, and he received plenty of respect and a wide berth.

The orcs had no rumours of vampire incursions, though they had plenty of folk-tales of blooddrinkers. Their fear was the elves; Hoshk said the whole country was forting up ready for an attack. "Why not talk to them instead?" asked Surya, "they've changed."

"That's up to the King," said Hoshk. An idea came to Surya, and on the spur of the moment, the party changed objectives. "Take me to your leader," he said.

Riding through the orc lands in the midst of the warg-riders, the companions could see at a glance that the orcs were preparing for war in a very active fashion. Villages were pallisaded, units of troops marched backwards and forwards, and supplies were being laid in. Finally, after two days' travel into the hills, a slightly larger hill came into sight.

Girdled by circle after circle of staked pallisades, moats, earthworks and stake-fields, the hill loomed over everything around it. Although the technology used to construct it was primitive, the experienced warriors could tell at a glance that it would be a dreadful place to try and storm. This was Tolk, the stronghold of the Orc people.

They were led through gate after gate, with explanations being demanded by the guards they met, until they were finally ushered into the great Hall and the presence of the Overking of the Orcs.

Back in the early years of Varkar's rule, when he had burned the orcs out of their ancient fortresses in the Erean Mountains, an unknown half-orc living in Kishshul named Garkaur Kulataur seized his moment and single-handedly forged the alliance between the orc people and the Erlyid Empire. This was in 1500. His personal prestige was beyond limits among the orcs after that, and he had no trouble getting himself acclaimed Overking. Over the years since then, the Overking of Orcland had always been called Garkaur Kûlataur, obviously in an attempt to carry over the glory of the great leader of the past to the current holder of the throne. There were persistent rumours that there was more to it than that, however.

The group found themselves in a long, low hall, stone-built unlike most of the buildings in Tolk. A guard of tough-looking orcs ringed a throne, whereon lounged a tall, wiry figure, one leg hooked over a chair arm, a battered goblet clutched in one hand and a two-handed sword leaned against the chair. As he saw his visitors, his eyes lit up, and he bounded down from the throne towards them. "Welcome! welcome to my kingdom," he cried, grinning at them. He waved his vessel in the air; "Beers! Beers!" he yelled. "Well, what passes for beer in this place," he chuckled more quietly. Mugs of ominous dark brown fluid appeared, and were passed around. Quietly, Hansen stirred each with his Knives of Cooking; as he saw the group drink the results, Garkaur held out his goblet for the same and laughed aloud at the results - as well he might; the beer was as good as the finest clear Enning ale. The Orc King laughed hugely, clapping Surya on the shoulder; "How much for your cupbearer?" he asked. When the Tellaran demurred on a sale, he took it in good part, and continued welcoming his guests, clearly hungry for news of the world at large. Nothing would do but there must be a banquet, and fairly soon one was organized, with the most important orcs in the kingdom seated around a huge table laden with food and drink. The din and chaos was incredible.

Once things were well going, and ale was being quaffed in large amounts, Garkaur turned back to the adventurers and, his shallow, roistering, thoughtless facade falling away, talked to them about current events and their reasons for coming to see them. It became obvious that the King of the Orcs - who they now realized was actually a half-orc - was far more intelligent and shrewd than the persona he projected to his subjects. Conversing with them, he revealed a good grasp of most subjects, and a dry, self-mocking humour about himself and his subjects.

He spoke about the alliance with the Erlyid, scorning their philosophy and astronomy and so on, but respecting their ability to fight. In return for their warriors, the orcs received support, resources and trained warriors, veterans of the Erlyid absutii (legions) who injected much-needed cadre to the orc military. He was, however, very worried about an attack from the elves, now they were back.

Cautious questioning about vampires led him to laugh uproariously, grab one of his generals and yell at him over the clamour: "I can't remember - do we drink blood, or eat babies?" The orc pondered a moment. "Uh... both, isn't it, King?" Garkaur bellowed with laughter again and thrust the orc away.

The orc king returned his shrewd glance to Surya. "By your accent and skin colour, I'd expect you to know more about vampires than me," he commented. "All that sort of rumour we hear comes from the North, not the South. Tell me a tale..."

Surya and Hildraft then proceeded to relate a modified version of the events surrounding the deaths of Vane the Mace and Rhendal, without identifying themselves as the principals. Eager to help, Hansen offered to sing the song; he was quickly silenced.

At this point some newcomers joined the feast, and Sack's eyes were drawn to them. Unlike the majority, these wore symbols he recognized. More, one of them was familiar - he was one of the orc magi he had seen in his dreams during the quest for Mergil.

Leaning closer to Garkaur, Sack asked by signs who the newcomers were. Garkaur answered that they were visitors from the Empire. "My people are mighty fighters," he said, "but skilled workers of magic are scarce among us. One of the benefits of our alliance with the Erlyid is training for those who have the spark." He gestured at the white-bearded orc. "Thend there is one of the three Chief Shamen of the orc race, and lives in the Empire."

"Well, the three of them have been plotting to have you replaced," signed the half-orc. Garkaur appeared amused rather than bothered by this; "Let them try," he said.