Danag Skullreap

At the height of the Gaellen War, it was unclear which side would emerge victorious. The Telerian League’s defenses stood resolute, but the Gaellen Pact’s onslaught was unrelenting. Though the Gaellen Pact eventually lost this terrible and bloody conflict, there were notable victories for one of its battalions, led by the Orc Danag Skullreap. Over the course of a few weeks, they rampaged across northern Kaerok, defeating the armies of Reynald the Convert, knight of the Banner Lords, and Saint Meredith, a hero of the Sacred Order. They finally met their match in a High Elf host, after putting the large town of Longbarrow, which lay close to Durham Forest, to the torch. Thousands died in the bloodbath, in which the Aravian forces were ultimately victorious. Danag and what remained of his army fled, and hundreds of his warriors were slaughtered by pursuing Elves. The Orc warlord found himself alone, apparently the only survivor of his battalion, as he fled into Durham Forest. Managing to escape his pursuers as he pressed relentlessly through the trees, Danag knew he was still not safe, for in the cloying darkness of the wood there were a great many dangers – monsters, carnivorous plants, and the Dark Elves. Against his better judgment, Danag sat at the base of a tree, too exhausted and badly wounded to continue without rest. He fought the urge to sleep, but ultimately succumbed. With slumber came a cruel new fate. Happening upon the bloody Orc on a patrol, Dark Elf forces bound and captured him whilst he slept, taking him deep within the forest, from which he would not emerge for many years. During Danag's imprisonment, the Dark Elves experimented upon him. They injected vibrantly colored liquids into him, grafted razor-sharp metals onto his skin, and wreaked dark magics upon his mind as they attempted to mold him into a weapon that could be controlled and unleashed upon their High Elf nemeses. Through the pain and torment, Danag’s will remained steadfast, and the Dark Elves were unable to bend him to their malevolent intent. As the years passed, Danag’s bitterness grew, alongside his fury at losing his army, and at being captured. A singular thought slowly coalesced in his mind: hatred of all Elves. After many years, Danag was presented with an opportunity to escape his tormentors. One winter had been particularly bitter and cruel, and a wave of sickness swept through Danag’s captors. Where once there were at least eight guards patrolling the cells where he was kept captive with a host of other prisoners from across Teleria, that number began to fall, until one morning only a sole guard remained. Sensing his opportunity, Danag pulled and smashed at his bindings to get the sentry's attention. Hearing thuds of flesh on metal and the Orc’s feral shouts, the guard went to the cell to investigate. Seeing what Danag was attempting, he ordered the Orc to stop. When Danag ignored him, he drew his sword, unlocked the cell door, and stepped inside to force the Orc to comply. In an instant, Danag bore down upon the guard, using one hand to wrench the sword from his hand, while he pinned him to the wall by his throat with the other. The Orc drove the blade deep into the guard’s gut, and then let his corpse collapse to the ground. Danag took his keys, freed himself, and then freed the rest of the prisoners who, like him, had been subjected to experimentation by the Dark Elves. After retrieving their weapons from their captors’ armory, they stormed out of the prison and into the depths of the forest, slaying all those who tried to stop them. Most of the prisoners raced for the edge of the forest as fast as their legs could carry them. Danag, however, had a different idea, for he was intent on making his oppressors pay for what they had done to him. From this day on, he decided he would remain in the forest and be a scourge to High and Dark Elves alike. Over the next months he killed hundreds of them, raiding their settlements and picking off patrols. In response, both factions began a concerted effort to hunt Danag down. Watchtowers were erected, patrols were doubled, and every inch of the forest was scoured for the seemingly unstoppable Orc. Eventually, the Elven search was so thorough that Danag had no choice but to leave, lest he risk being cornered and captured once again. He made his way east, seeking to reunite with his people in the Sorrowlakes and continue his quest for vengeance wherever he might find other Elves.