Daruhn

Daruhn may be the only orc lord in existence who managed to earn himself his birthright by means of small talk.

His forefathers had always been the lords of castle Haevesh Tafolir, an ancient title meaning The Dragon's Maw. But this all changed shortly after Daruhn was born, when humans discovered the densely forested area. These humans feared the orcs, and since Daruhn's father had never been a man of subtlety or sympathy, he challenged the humans constantly. What he had not expected, was that they would fight back so fiercely...

After his father's defeat, Daruhn and what remained of the ancient orc clan were forced to live a nomadic life. They traveled the area, offering their services to the human populace. Usually as mercenaries, fighting with those who so reviled them.

It was a tough life for all but Daruhn, who was revered by his elders and treated as royalty by all his clan. Of course, Daruhn did train with the others, but up until he was 25 he had not once needed to do any work to earn a living. He provided his services as a mercenary for a short while, but he did not enjoy the work. The others, catching on to his mood, grew restless. And so, on Daruhn's 27th birthday, it was decided that they would take back Haevesh Tafolir.

The only problem was that there were too many humans for them to fight. Way too many. So Daruhn and his clan had to be smart about it, and perhaps a bit sneaky.

After observing the castle's entrance for three days straight and not seeing a single soul enter or go, the orcs began to think that the humans had noticed their presence or left altogether. At the very least, something fishy was going on.

Daruhn decided to take a select few with him to investigate further. They entered the seemingly empty castle, the only sound heard in its vast halls their own footsteps, echoing through the empty corridors. The young orc lord almost sent one of his followers to give the 'all clear' and retrieve the others, when he noticed a faint humming, buzzing sound. It came from what had once been his father's well-stocked treasury. He feared to see what the humans had done to it, and what creature had taken residence inside the room.

Upon tentatively entering the room, Daruhn was baffled by the sight before him. A young woman's prone form lay on a mountain of coins and other valuables, snoring softly. And it was not a regular woman. Her black, gemlike skin and golden horns immediately gave away that she was a demon. Her eyes opened lazily as he approached, a mischievous smile soon settling on her lips.

"I suspect you're the very late orc lord's son, come to take up his rightful place."

Daruhn wanted nothing more than to answer her, but found he could not. He simply stared at her foreign attire, her sparkling skin and thought only she was lovely.

Daruhn's men soon flooded the treasury, thinking to save their leader from the evil demon's clutches, only to find him chatting and laughing with the creature. They'd already struck a deal: Lyari, as was the demon lady's name, could stay for as long as she wanted, do whatever she pleased, as long as the orcs were kept safe from harm.

Thus followed a peaceful era, in which the orc community thrived and lived, for the most part, peacefully. Lyari and Daruhn were seldom seen by themselves, especially after their first daughter, Magna, was born.

note to self: Give him a 'cool' last name like Nightfighter, 'Bloodless' or 'Stompy Stompy Fistman', only in another language so it sounds awesome.