On the darkest night of the year, the city of Kaza was in the middle of celebrating their last harvest before winter. It was a time of joy and merriment, but not everyone took part in the festivities. A man and his wife were tucked inside a cozy home with a midwife by their side. The man's wife was pregnant and in the middle of labor, the father, being a very superstitious man had consulted the priests before this night. "The stars shine on an omen. Your fate is without your son. He will be raised away from all he knows and all he is but he will grow into better than both. On the Winter Festival you must gift your son a stone. The stone of your family. Give this to him and he shall grow into a strong man." At the time the father did not believe the priest.
As was his nature he obeyed the words, their family stone was the amethyst, and at the birth he tied the stone to his wrist and gave his son the traditional blessing of birth. The baby's lungs emptied as he cried, it was strong and loud for all to hear. Tears filled the eyes of the proud parents and all seemed to be a glory to the gods. "Thank you Greygon, bless my son with the warrior's spirit. Bless him Faya with the heart of a hunter. Bless him Jala with the hands of a crafter. And Bless him Prayna with the wit of a rouge." The father kissed his son's brow and the stone of his family shone softly in the fading light of the candle. The mother held her child to her bosom and shed tears of joy. "Welcome Ven to our family." She looked at her husband and their joy was complete. As the music of the festivities reached their door, a new sound came through the air.
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The sound of drums and the bellow of the horn came from the top of the city's tower. Kaza is a walled city that has stood for centuries where none could breach them. All races in the past have tried, each have failed in turn. The festive music died and the sound of drums grew louder. Women and children were evacuated to the shelters. Men took up arms and went to the walls to face anything that came against them. On top of the walls of Kaza gave the view none have seen in the history of the world.
A sea of Green and Grey as far as the eye could see. Orcs stood on their doorstep in such numbers that it was impossible to count. In the past only tribes of twenty ever waged wars. The largest tribe at the time consisted of a mere one hundred orcs. Nothing to siege a walled city. But before Kaza stood the assembled tribes of Green and Grey skins.
Their numbers easily reached in the thousands. "Greygon help us." a guard uttered. No sooner did the words leave his mouth that an arrow found it's mark in a nearby guards stomach. With a guttural shout of challenge the Orc army laid siege to the city. Many used hooks and rope to climb the walls. Others had makeshift ladders from felled trees to aid their ascent. In no time the walls were over run. Moments later the gates of the city came open to allow the rest of the hoard access. That night that Kaza fell was the mark of the beginning of the Great Horde. Few escaped the reach of the Horde, but as was common with their race they grew greedy.
The command of the Great Chieftain, the only orc to have ever united the tribes, was challenged and eventually fell. Chaos devoured the horde and the tribes split in the winds to return to their lives of squealer.