Genn Wintord

UP: Catskills

    The orc fort south of Yew became the focus of a battle between two tribes of orcs. The Shadowclan orcs had taken possession of the fort, but the orcs of the Blgrak clan were the rightful owners. Of course, in orc terms, the rightful owner equals the strongest clan. T'is this which was put to the test today.

    A sudden attack came from the north as a single Shadowclan orc was set upon by a large group of Blgrak orcs. They chased him all of the way back to the fort. First glance suggested just a minor skirmish, but this quickly proved to not be the case. The first Blgrak orcs were merely a reconnaissance force. The full horde of the Blgrak clan quickly followed. They swarmed around the fort from every direction, and soon had it surrounded.

    The fort offered some protection, and the Blgrak orcs were held off at first. With only two entrances to the fort, the Shadowclan orcs were able to focus their numbers in these two areas and hold off the invaders. But the Blgrak orcs were not to be denied quite so easily. Ettins started to hurl orcs over the fences and into the interior areas. Other Blgrak orcs found entrance into the compound through tunnels into the hut in the rear of the fort. As the interior areas dissolved into a bloody battleground, the fight intensified.

    In the end, t'was better organization and leadership that won the day for the Shadowclan orcs. They managed to fight off the foes that made the interior. They then sealed off the entrances, and routed any surviving Blgrak orcs that were found. The grounds both inside and out of the fort were littered with dead from both clans. Combat halted - well, halted as much as it ever dost with orcs - when the leader of the Blgrak orcs, King Blgrak himself, came forth in surrender to the entrance of the fort. He asked to speak with Kargrath, the leader of the Shadowclan orcs. King Blgrak asked Kargrath to let the remaining Blgrak orcs leave, and promised that they would never attack the Shadowclan ever again. To seal the surrender, King Blgrak presented Kargrath with a scroll King Blgrak himself had written which said:

we heerbye rekognize orks of Shadowclan end dere allys is ritful owners uf Yew ork fortt

    King Blgrak then threw down his armor and walked out of the fort amid the hoots, catcalls, and mockery of the victors. The Shadowclan immediately raised their own standards over the fort and marked the surrounding area as under their control. The orc fort was theirs. At least until the next battle...

From the Town Cryer - The Journal of Ultima Online, Saturday, April 4th 1998