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Journal of Thrakha'zaguul.
Chapter 14: Huscarl
With fine gold goblets and unicorn roast, Speaker Keita is able to buy all the useful goods from the home caravan, including much wood, and some iron and steel. I wonder: what will the opulent fools of the home-clan do with these useless golden baubles? The clan liason was not amused by my wondering. Instead he speaks: I am authorized to grant you the standard of a clan-holding, and I must ask whether you recommend any orcs for elevation to the rank of Thain.
I reply: I recommend Thrakha'zaguul of House Dreadbanners, White Axe of the Northern Wastes, Founder and Clan-leader of Perplexing-complexity the Cleaver of Ignorance, Destroyer of Elves and Bane of the Tiger-men. It seemed that his pencil stopped moving part way through. I am not sure that our clan liason is very bright.
Moonstone, 254
Our warriors have defended the clanholding with bravery and honor, and have earned a Warriors Society Meadhall. Once we have this building they will be able to master elite weapons like the Dragon Society Wargear. Crafted from a katana and a composite bow: this weapon combines the advantages of both and will make our bladesorcs deadly in any conditions of battle. The meadhall also can form societies for other weapon classes such as gunners and spear-orcs.
To lay the foundation, we need iron for statues, weapon racks, and armor stands. Because of the pitiful quantity of iron brought by the home clan we have a shortfall of iron. I authorize the Corsairs to buy another crate of iron at the Caravanserai. It is very expensive compared to getting the iron from ordinary trade or from raiding. Still: we have it right away.
The clan runs short of recruits with weapon skills but: we have a half-dozen beekeepers and the like who have been playing Blood-bowl fow the past several new-moons. They have decent skill in dodging, and dabble in melee. I order them to a squad and to begin training for real combat, with a few Uruks drafted to fill out their ranks. Taskmaster Trak'Ruhn volunteers to lead this new squad of recruits. He selects a well-crafted bloodsteel pair of bladed chains as his weapon.
Broken Mind has adopted a particularly aggressive training regimen for the orcs under her direct command.
Two of the bow-warband approach and speak: Thain Thrakha, in the old country we were known as high masters of the crossbow, and would like to start our own squadron. I reply: Why not take a proper Orcish bow and shoot whatever Firehawk orders you to shoot? The clanmate speaks: the Ancient Foundry can craft mechanized crossbows, with power supplied by Dwarf-style clockwork, and little glass gems to look through when aiming. These are among the most advanced weapons known to man or orc. Also we have enough deepbronze which is sitting and doing nothing in the stockpile. I reply: You are ordered immediately to begin a crossbow squadron, and speak to the craftsorcs to requisition these weapons.
Opal, 254
As Thain, I have the authority to name Dohon a Huscarl, and the Black Elders blade squadron are reformed as clanguard under his command. Dohon's first week as Huscarl is an event. Shaman Tomia had accused some peasant for violation of a production order. As soon as Dohon took office, he became the Law-Enforcement, and went straight to the farmer's breakroom and punched the peasant to death in front of a two-dozen of other orcs.
Obsidian, 254
It began with war-drums from away south. Only a small detachment of a dozen Dwarves, but they announced their arrival openly without ambush or treachery. Dwarves! Huscarl Dohon yells from the battlement: It is good you have finally come! Meet us in the clearing near the back-door and we will join in glorious battle!
Will your sorcerers and cannoneers stand down from the Battlements that look over our path? replies the captain of the Dwarves: Otherwise we will camp here for one month, or three, or nine, or until your pitiful shanty-camp crumbles to dust. Dohon speaks: The parley is over! Within a moment the warband is assembled outside, with the flachette-gunners alongside in the field and the bow-orcs providing cover from the walls.
Trak'Ruhn and his agile warband of Blood-bowl veterans speed ahead to meet the enemy. Ruhn himself races to the front and slays the Dwarven vanguard with two lashes to the throat. However the Dwarves skill and powerful maces are far too much for our green recruits in an extended melee. Trak'Ruhn is knocked down, battered and stunned. The veteran light infantry engage next. One spearorc is slain in the rush, taking a horrible whirling meteor-hammer strike that crushes both helm and skull. But Broken Mind leaps like a mad orc into the fray and breaks the dwarven formation. Her soldiers begin to pick off the isolated dwarves, or chase them within arrow-shot of our towers.
Finally the clanguard Black Elders arrive. Huscarl Dohon, wielding a powerful orichalcum longsword, cuts through the dwarven formation and strikes down a dwarf with every three blows. Lady Krat, the Huscarl-consort, meets the Dwarf-captain, but is grappled and thrown to the ground by his great Cave Beetle mount, and is slashed with an axe. Mavj is by her side in a moment: killing the Beetle and disarming the Dwarf-captain. Then, just as suddenly as it began: the end. No dwarves escape the field.
Shaman Tomia commands: Soldiers! Bring those wounded to the infirmary immediately. It is good that they obeyed. Just at the moment that many of our warriors were safely inside, a Were-scorpion appears among the battlefield wastes. In one stroke it snips in half a peasant hauler, and then a sabrecat. A brave and skilled ranger-orc: Ashduuk, attempts to engage, but the monster's shell is proof against arrow shot. He dodges terrible blows not once, or twice, but two-dozen times: buying time for his clansmates to close the gates and for ranged squads to come into position. The Were-scorpion bats Firehawk's arrows from midair and shrugs off a barrage of iron flachettes, until, Ashduuk is captured and not slain but turned! The situation looks dire until Gamerlord arrives with the heavy guns.
The monster's carapace was not proof against a brass round-shot to the skull.
With this battle, Year 254 comes to a close.
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Topic: Ghoshash Snazaga, "Cleaver of Ignorance," a ¤MDF Orc Fort¤ tutorial (Ch 22) (Read 105304 times)