Takarn turned back to the assembled orcs and immediately dismissed the two generic looking ones they both seemed to busy checking out the she orcs behind to take the situation seriously.

Takarn dismissed both of them with a punch to the head and an order to take Khan Kelshar’s command seriously, they ran back the hill squealing and went to go lick their wounds.

He then turned back to the remaining orcs and interrogated all of them in turn. What he found out was… Interesting.

The large male orc, Tuskarar was a fighter, plain and simple. And that was the problem, simple. After talking with him for a small amount of time Takarn could already see how he was lacking in intelligence. The large orc promised that if he was chosen he would assemble fifty of the biggest, meanest, greenest orcs he could find.

The smaller male orc was also interesting, he was smart, had a sharp wit and as he assured Takarn, sharper blades. The only problem was he was slimy as a jellied pond eel. He cold put knives in the enemy, but Takarn was sure sooner or later a knife would find its home in his back.

Finally there was the she orc, she was a good fighter, had a sharp wit and promised that she had a troop of well-trained soldiers ready. Only problem was, that as Takarn had guessed, she was an evangelistic member of the faith of the eternal blue sky. Now this usually wouldn’t be a problem but it was the god which she worshipped and the fact that she preached his name at every opportunity. The eternal blue sky is the state religion of the orcs and preaches freedom and travel above all else. In it there are three deities, these are: Hirna, Lord of the Hunt, and the patron deity of Takarn, followers of Hirna practiced killing and efficiency both in equal measure. Next was Bel, Lord of the Sky, Bel was the king of gods and taught freedom above all, for what is more free than the eternal blue sky? Finally there was Nodonn, Lord of the Plains, Nodonn valued travel, life and the preservation of nature above all else.

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The she orc was a devout Belite, he could tell from the small carved birds she had woven into her long dark hair.

He decided he would choose the she orc, for although she was an evangelist and it would be annoying to here her preach constantly he could put up with it for quality soldiers, and hey, at least she wasn’t a Nodonnite.

She promised she would have the men ready by noon and that he could meet them on the Bogdan battle ground. And now, and the sun reached its zenith he approached the trodden earth field.

Standing there was the female orc, her usually pouty lips open and yelling at a troop of fifty orcs to form ranks.

All of them seemed to be large, healthy and above all blooded. They carried a spear which reached just above Takarn’s head in length and a smaller bone short sword for close quarters.

He smiled when he saw them, never before had he seen a group of orcs so disciplined and well-trained, he made the right voice.

He walked up to the she orc and realised that he didn’t know her name.

“Ataman, what is your name?” He said gruffly.

“This one is known as Mivnev.” She spoke in a deep throaty voice.

“Hmmm, what can you tell me of this troop?” He said gesturing out to the assembled orcs.

“What do you wish to know my Bogdan?”

“I wish to know how fast they can travel, what gear they have, how brave are they, can the form a spear wall, will they hold when pressed, how are they in close combat, I want to know it all.” He said slightly perturbed.

“Well my Bogdan.” She went on telling him the details of his troop, they were in the mid-range of mobility, and they were currently outfitted in leather armour, spears and long knives. But where they truly shined was discipline, they formed a proper spear wall in under ten seconds, and oh was it a spear wall, no pike was out of place, all were solid. They were also skilled with their knives, and he was assured by Mivnev that their hearts were filled with nothing more than the will to serve god and orc.

He spent the rest of the day organising his troop, handing out crests and ordering them to return here at noon tomorrow to begin training.

He was about to run them through some basic spear drills to see how well they performed, when he heard the horns.

A lone dull not blow across the river encampment, and it meant one thing, the battle for Khagan had begun.