Age of Creation At the dawn of time, Kraz, one of the seven Gods arrived in what would one day be known as Korozok and shaped the mountains. He was a smith and a builder at heart and wished to created races that would follow in his love of metals and stone. He made the Dwarves and the Orcs, however the latter failed to show any promise in the ability to create and Kraz disappointed turned all of his attention to the Dwarves. The Orcs feels envious of their Dwarven cousins moved away and began to settle themselves in what would become the first tribes above ground, while the Dwarves would take to the mountains and build great cities below the earth. The Tribes felt aimless without the favor of their God and turned their efforts to the blade and to the fight. War of the Seven Gods The Orcs were deceived by Mazaroth, who encouraged them to attack the Dwarves. The Enough time had passed that the Orcs of the age could scarcely remember that they and the Dwarves were both children of Kraz. The Tribes had split and come together, formed great Orc nations and developed a society of honor through combat, but still they held resentment. Mazaroth fed this resentment and fueled their hatred of the Dwarves until the Orcs broke and went to war. They believed they were getting revenge though none could exactly say what their revenge was for. The Orcs hatred of the Dwarves ran deeper than blood and bone and Mazaroth relished in the fury. Caught off guard the tribes of Orcs slaughtered the Dwarves in their cities below the mountains and executed the Dwarven King. Kraz was overcome with rage at the actions of his creations and attempted to bring down divine retribution only to be stopped by Mazaroth. The Tribes would continue to fight in Mazaroth's name and resulted in a loss of life so great that the Orcs would forever be branded as monsters. Age of Freedom With time the fighting subsided and the trail of blood left by the Orcs came to an end. The Dwarves recovered and began to make pacts with the humans and Elves of Vathria. At this time, the Orc tribes were countless but their desire for revenge had been sated and their motivation for bloodshed diminished since the death of Mazaroth. With no benefactor the Orcs tried to simply live as clans. Hundreds of thousands of Orcs had died during the War of the God Kings, alongside the bodies of hundreds of thousands of Dwarves. The other races however could not live with the possibility of future Orc warfare and so the human-elf coalition forces gathered in Korozok to support the Dwarves and unite. A campaign to wipe out the tribes would cost everyone dearly but to leave them unchecked only risked the safety of the future generations. A plan was set into motion to limit the Orc tribes, a request for all Orcs to lay down their weapons as opposed to all out destruction of all sides. Unexpectedly the Orcs agreed and a treated was signed. The Orcs however, while famed for their brutality, were not known for their wisdom. They had traded their threat of power and force for a muzzle. They considered themselves now to be controlled by the Dwarves and once more resentment began to grow. Humans began to settle to the North and established Mt.Mavak and Horizon while the Orcs opted to remain in the harsh environments between Mt.Mavak and Korozok. The Orcs began to feel surrounded by the other races, uncomfortable once more at their position in the world knowing that one day soon they may need to take up their weapons and beat the drums of war. Age of Invasion Gereth, Archmage and holder of a portion of Mazaroth's soul opened the dark portal to the world of demons. This perfect storm of chaos and rage ignited many of the frustrations the Orcs felt at the time regarding their perceived oppression under the Dwarves. The armies of the light fought at the cost of so many lives while the clans of Orcs waited out the storm and chose not to get involved. The invasion failed, and the demons were beat back. This did not stop Gereth however as he sought once more to open the portal. This time however he used the Orcs and their plight to his advantage. Unseen since the War of the Gods the Orcs united under one tribe and went to war. Gereth opened the great portal only this time the demons had allies in Vathria and humanity was closed to beaten. Only through the intervention of the Dwarves forging the Holy Sword did the invasion finally come to its end. The Orcs were broken, their numbers decimated, their once proud nation of tribes now but a fraction of itself. The race of Orcs were a husk of their former selves and no one came to their aid. Too much blood had been spilled, too much violence and death had come in their wake. The people of Vathria shunned them. Hunts began led at first by the Dwarves to eradicate the surviving Orc tribes and they began to flee further and further into the mountains of Mavak until one day the Orcs looked back and saw no one coming for them. To an Orc death in the glorious battle was the highest honor, but now nobody was chasing them. The other races pitied those who remained. Rather than kill them all, the people of Vathria charged what remained of the Orc tribes with remembering what their ancestors had brought upon the world. They were told to live in the barren ice wilds of the mountain ranges and contemplate the stain of their presence on the fabric of the lands. The Orcs were ordered to never leave the mountains and never forget their sins on the world. They never did. Age of New Kingdoms - The War of the Arcane Gem Orcs have never been the most diplomatic of the races in Vathria, as such when their aid was called for in battle the many of the Chieftains and Tribal chiefs failed to question which side might be in the wrong. The War of the Arcane Gem was a conflict that seemed inevitable after Falendria Academy and by extension the nation of Faymalia accused Mt.Mavak and the Frostfort Academy of stealing a most precious and sacred gem from them. Though Frostfort and Mavak denied this, and projected blame onto Korozok it was certain that Mt.Mavak and the Frostfort were the instigators of war. Some Orcs of the various tribes questioned the proposal to join a war that had nothing to do with them, several protested with their Tribal Chiefs and Chieftains but ultimately Grag, Chieftain of the Shattered Hand Clan convinced the Orcs to go to war through fear and intimidation. The fighting was relatively even with soldiers fighting soldiers, mages fighting mages. While Frostfort for many years had been stagnating in its magical pursuits since the theft of the Arcane Gem they had advanced in spell research and suddenly were a force to rival Falendria. The Orcs then were an attempt by the House of Isdottir to turn the tide of war in Mavak's favor. It worked, Grag brought with him all 9 of the Mavak Orc tribes. The fighting was brutal and the land was drenched in the blood of man, Orc and Elf. The conflict lasted months, but slowly the course of the war changed in Mavak's favor. The Orcs and their ferocity was winning them to war. Two years after the wars start, it ended. The Elves decided enough blood has been spilt and called for a truce which Mavak accepted. The Gem secretly stayed with Frostfort and the Orcs went back to the tribes having lost thousands of their own and never truly knowing why. The thrill of the battle, the call to action was enough for them and their spirits. No matter the cost of live and the consequences. They returned rejuvenated and no longer ashamed of their history. The Current Age The Orcs have slowly become more commonplace among the lands of Mt.Mavak. While they still choose primarily to remain in their tribal camps, some have been found trading or offering their services for mercenary work to willing employers in the cold north. With House conflicts at their worst in decade, Orcs make for good bodyguards and muscle acting as a warning against those who might cause harm for those paying them. The Ages yet to come The histories of tomorrow are awaiting an author, one who would tell the stories of the heroes and events not yet known. Conflict in the north appears to be breaking down faster and further than most predicted and as the House Isdottir falls, the prospect of Houses fighting Houses for power using the strength of the Orcs gives many people nightmares of ages long past. For the tribes themselves, most do not know or even care what the future brings. However for now, those stories are unwritten and the outcomes unknown as the looming threat grows larger across Vathria. . .