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[Center][I](Disclaimer: all conversation unless stated otherwise is in orcish)[/I][/center]


A harsh blast of icy wind shot across the raiding party on their way back to their base camp after a successful trip. The dire boar mounts that carried them huffed across the frozen land with moderate pace sending trails of steam in their wake. At the head covered in boar hide layered in scraps if metal fashioned into armor rode their leader, a hobgoblin named Xagos. To the naked eye, Xagos appeared as nothing more than a bloodthirsty brute with snarling visage and foul temperament to match, when in reality he was much more. Within that sack of green flesh rested the soul of Jerry Slatts, and he was tired. Ever since he awoke in that body Xagos had constantly lived a life of struggle and war just to survive in this harsh world that he found himself in. 

Life was hard, he knew war from his life before, but there was always respite and time to detach one self. Hobgoblins do not rest. Simply getting your meal from one day to the next is a fight and finally Xagos had had enough of it. As the group of ten to fifteen raiders made it back the mouth of the ancestral cave they were met by the sound and smell of a cave filled with orcs and hobgoblins.  Handlers came and took their mounts to a sunken cavern that worked as a make shift stable and the conquering “heroes” were met with a mixture of praise and open challenges. Xagos, alone with his motley band, carried the spoils if their raid to Matron Bal’Dureth the leader of this cave and rumored to be the strongest orc in the southern Badlands. Aa they entered the antechamber the roar of hundreds of orcs and hobgoblins filled the high ceilinged room adorned with the skulls of fallen foes, spoils of war, and emaciated slaves running around doing their masters bidding. High stop her stone throne surrounded by eligible breeding males of both orc and hobgoblin sat Bal’Dureth, and fairly intimidating looking orc female; sitting roughly six feet with a massive rotund frame layered with muscle and fat, her trusty  hunk of iron she called a sword by her side eating what seemed to be pig or some kind of white meat. 

As her eyes made connection with the raiding party entering the room  she called out in a might roar,

[Color=ffe9d1][b]”AAH, MY RIGHT HAND HAS RETURNED BEARING OFFERINGS FOR THEIR MATRON! COME, BRING ME WHAT IS MINE AHAHAHHAHAA!!”[/b][/COLOR]

This was the moment that Xagos had been dreading since he entered the Badlands, the haul from the last raid yielded less than desired results. There were a few slaves but the other raiders ate them when the food supplies ran out.  A few scraps off metal, some dried food stuffs, and other miscellaneous assorted supplies were laid at her feet as the other raiders slinked off as far as they could. All but Xagos, he stayed and looked her in the eyes. Bal’Dureth’s eyes narrowed at the paltry offering as she rose to her feet and stormed down into Xagos' personal space. She began roaring about the offering and how little they were able to bring her, but Xagos tuned her out as he slowly looked her over. When he was in the military the drill sergeants used to scare him in boot camp but war changes you, and this bloated war chief was nothing to him. The irritating drone if her voice was the only driving force he had for these months and he was just about at wits end with it all when suddenly, an opportunity arose. While staring into space a strong and sudden impact struck his face forcibly turning it, she had hit him for whatever reason she had, but that was Xagos last straw. In a flash he drew his axe from his hip and plunged it into leg nearly severing it at the thigh. As she lay there screaming in a mixture of pain and rage, Xagos slowly walked to her throne in silence and reached for her sword,

[Color=lightgreen]”I have listened to your useless gloating for too long now and WE are sick of it!”[/color]
The antechamber grew deathly quiet as all listened intently to what Xagos had to say. This was the first time in the clans history that a matriarch had been challenged or injured to such a degree and all were curious as to what was going to happen next,

[Color=lightgreen]”For too long we have suffered at the whims of your temper as you bring us to ruin and I will no longer stand for this,[/color]
He stood over her now dragging the hunk of iron behind him as the fear began to set in her eyes as her death approaches with the sound of scraping iron. If he was honest with himself Xagos had no idea what his plan was at this point, his whole assault on her was a knee jerk reaction. Everything thing after was everything but clear the one thing he was certain of, however, he was going to shut that annoying mouth of hers no matter what happened today.

[Color=lightgreen]”You are no longer our chief, I have taken everything from you because that’s what I do. I take from those who are weak, defenseless, and frail. I am a raider of the Black Fields and I want your throne,”[/color]
He turned now the crowd around him and challenged in a menacing roar,

[Color=lightgreen]”, What say you huh? Who dares challenge my claim?”[/color]

Silence. Complete and utter silence filled the room. As Xagos turned and faced his whimpering prey he couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. There was still enough humanity in him to have compassion and that brought him peace but a message still had to be sent. SCHWIINNGG, SQUELCH. The slab of iron fell with a sickening thud as it finished what his axes had started. As she lay there screaming in pain Xagos leaned down and whispered into her ear,

[Color=lightgreen][I]”This leg is mine, I will hang it above my throne so all who see will know that I took it from you. I made you worthless as a fighter, a leader, and anything else that matters in this world.  I. TOOK. IT. FROM. YOU. Leave my cave and never return or I will finish what I started her.[/I][/color]

With his message sufficiently sent Xagos turned from the disgraced matriarch and pushed past the stunned crowd without another word. He had a long journey and was tired.