[h2][color=662d91]The Mustaqilun Tribe [Turn 6][/color][/h2] Rukdug sat on the 'throne' that had been made for the Warchief with a thoughtful look so deep that it was dark, the only sign of movement being that of his hand; Without even looking towards it, his fingers fiddled with the strange iron disk that was so far the only [i]hint[/i] of an outside presence... The fact that the item was made of iron in and of itself confirmed that there was iron somewhere in this land, as well as a people who could mine and work it. But this was just a minor distraction; A mere attempt to find some kind of bright side to a situation that seemed to be getting worse by the moment. Fifteen orcs, just... gone. No signs of struggle, no witnesses to anything strange... it was just as if something had snapped its fingers and fifteen living, breathing orcs had ceased to exist silently while no one was looking. Wolves that no one had been able to find any evidence for apart from the burnt bones located down in the tunnels and theories spreading about how this whole turn of events came about. The suggestion that it was his decision to bring back the bones of the two child like creatures had caught his interest; He doubted it, but out of frustration and a desire to try and cross it off the list just in case, he had ended up yelling at the stupid things to knock it off if they actually were haunting them because he had plans to send people out to try and find where they originally came from and hopefully make a good first impression by returning their bones to 'em. While his thoughts ran deep and drew most of the Warchief's attention, he occasionally focused on the matters that were being discussed around him; Orcs who didn't know what was happening who were just talking loudly, fearful orcs panicking about the disappearances... some of the craftsmen asking for permission to use the firestones once again. Even as he continued to fiddle with the iron disc, Rukdug couldn't help but feel his thoughts drift back to those bloody stones... Only to stop playing with the disc as an idea poked its head out of the depths of his mind; He remained deathly still as he followed the thought completely, carefully investigating branching paths in order to ensure it was a sound idea without any flaws that could be uncovered with a small amount of logical thinking. The volcano had erupted around the same time as the stones were found... and tasted the blood of one of the prospectors. Before they disappeared, the shamans had thrown around the theory that the stones were of a demonic nature... The caves of the mountains hadn't caved in on their own... Someone had intentionally sealed them in order to try and lock these things away. If the stones were demonic (and there was strong evidence that this was the case), they likely were connected to the demon that made them... a demon who's awaking was announced by the eruption of a volcano... and the people who originally sealed the caves were trying to stop it from getting stronger because some stupid outsiders had dug up the demonic stones and started feeding them blood... Several plans rose in his mind with how to use this information... through several were quickly either discarded or simply put on hold; As much as he would had wanted to gather as many troops as he could together to go and visit the volcano to try and locate the being connected to the firestones and destroy it, Riverforge wasn't in a position where he could do that... his people weren't in a position where he could do that. That needed to change. Taking a deep breath, Rukdug silenced his 'court' by raising from his chair to his feet, silencing the current speakers as he looked around to see who was actually present. Spying one of the better builders and one of the more veteran miners, he quickly gestured for them to come forward as he started his announcement loud enough for all present to hear. "Ever since we unearthed those demonic, blood loving fraking gems they've been nothing but trouble. The fact that a volcano went off when we found the stupid things should have been enough of a omen, but we allowed ourselves to be blinded by the promise of power. We've paid enough for this mistake... now it's time to correct it." "Get a couple of miners and builders together, take some guards with you and go down to the firestone tunnels... I want you to collapse them. Not just the entrance either, I want those wretched bloody gems to be crushed and shattered under a literally shrak ton of rock. Once it's done, wall the entrance to that tunnel off. Engrave a freaking warning for all I care, but I want it clear that those damn things remain buried." He knew that there were going to be orcs who would object to his announcement to destroy and seal away the firestones. Even as they objected, he drew his sword from his side to make it clear just how serious this decision was. If anyone failed to get the hint and back down, he was going to kill them; Better to execute them now than let them undermine his authority and risk them doing something stupid like trying to unearth the firestones again. Fate would tell if he needed to spill orcish blood today... and if so, how much of it. ........................................................... Even as teams went down to collapse the firestone tunnel, Rukdug moved on to other matters that Riverforge needed done to strengthen their position. Since the disappearances had began because of the Firestone, hopefully sealing those tunnels and making it clear that there was no intention of messing with them again would make them stop. As much as he wanted to get several things done at once, until they learned one way or the other that whatever was making them disappear wasn't doing it anymore he couldn't risk spreading out his people to work several projects at once. Gathering all his remaining hunters together, he split them up into groups of ten and gave them a clear command. "I want you to go out there and gather us a herd of goats. The boars are a pain in the ass to tame and I want us to have a second, hopefully easier to work with source of meat and milk. Hell, having a steady supply of wool alone would be worth it. Gear up and and don't do something stupid like wander off alone." ................................................... With orders given and the course set, Rukdug did the only thing that he could do. Taking one of the larger, more agressive boars that was selected for slaughter, he had it brought before the totem of the Rut Unuabu (Silent Skullcrusher) before having some of his militant orcs hold the boar steady as he raised a club to cave its skull in, much like the large feline beast might have attempted to do. The offering made, Rukdug respectfully knelt before the totem that he had ordered made: Designed as a banner made from the hide of the Rut Unuabu, the beast's skull sat at the top, while the crushed skulls of both the bear in its cave and Morog's own dangled from its lower arms. In complete silence, he asked the spirit of the Rut Unuabu for insight into finding those who stalked his people so that he could stalk them in turn in the event that sealing the tunnels wasn't enough... and simply to be a better hunter in general. [hider=Summery] Rukdug is sick and tired of all the bullshit that's happened since the firestone was uncovered. He has ordered the tunnels housing the stones collapsed than walled off in the hopes that crushing them under a mountain of rock and sealing them off better then just caving in the entrance of a tunnel will make whatever is making his people disappear stop it. He has also organized his hunters into teams of ten and sent them out to gather a herd of goats. He's sick of having to ration out boar. He has also made an offering to the newly constructed totem of the Rut Unuabu, the name of the giant feline that he and his group of hunters had found and slain, as well as asking the spirit of one of the greatest predators he has ever seen for insight and guidance to being a better hunter. [/hider]