King Garog

Many Telerian people, accustomed to their feudal societies, might assume that the Orc known as King Garog is a ruler or warlord among his people, of some great Orc tribe or confederation and with many servants and warriors at his command. In this they would be mistaken. For most of Garog’s existence, he has been as far from the role of rule as it is possible to be. The title was in some senses ironic, though in others it is well earned, for in a way Garog is indeed a king – one of slaughter, battle, and butchery. Born into an insular Orc tribe living near the Sorrowlakes, Garog’s life might have been an unremarkable one were his people not assailed by Lizardmen raiders while he was still young. Those not killed were swiftly and brutally enslaved, and Garog was among them. The Orc youth was separated from his parents and sold to traders in southern Peltas looking for fodder for the fighting pits there. Gladiatorial games earned big money in the Arena City of Velyzar and in the wider region, and Orcs were always in high demand for their strength and size. Garog was thrust into the fighting pits of Vengar, a miserable slum that had sprung up in Velyzar’s shadow. A scrawny youngling armed only with a rusty old ax he had been given, he would surely have perished there had not one of the older Orc gladiators, Gaxvold, decided to take the boy under his wing. Gaxvold was a legend of the fighting pits, and Garog’s association with him ensured that he not only survived his early encounters, but soon grew in both skill and stature. Years passed. Garog became a hulking brute of a warrior, muscular and scarred. He fought with uncompromising power in the ring, and showed little mercy, wielding his heavy butcher’s cleavers to deadly effect. His successes, like those of many of the more famous gladiators, earned him a title, in his case 'King of Vengar'. Despite his many victories, he always held onto the desire to one day escape, or win his freedom. Once outside, he intended to search Velyzar first for knowledge of what had become of his mother and father and, if there was no link to be found there, return to the Sorrowlakes to pursue the effort there. By the time Garog reached the height of his power and popularity, Gaxvold was aging. The veteran gladiator hoped that his master would release him for the final years of his life, but instead a grand contest was organized, billed as the ‘Last Stand of Gaxvold the Gray.’ The old Orc was set against two dozen opponents at once, alone. While he fought with all his customary strength and skill, his fate was sealed. The crowd had come to see Gaxvold die, and die he did, having drenched the area in the blood of his opponents. Gaxvold’s fellow gladiators were outraged by his treatment, and none more so than King Garog. Convinced now that he would never be able to earn his freedom, Garog instead fomented rebellion among his fellow slaves, convincing them that Gaxvold’s fate likely awaited them all, and secured a key to the arena’s gates from a sympathetic guard with a gladiator relative. During the next great set of games, instead of battling one-another as usual in the pitched battle that opened the contest, the gladiators rose up, slaying any of their masters they could reach before making their break for freedom. Very few made it, but Garog was among them, his great cleaving blades dripping with the blood of his master and Gaxvold’s. Some of the escaped gladiators remained together as a warband, and asked Garog to lead them, but he refused, stating that he had seen enough slaughter. In the future, he resolved only to fight if he had no other choice. Unfortunately, the life of a runaway gladiator ensured he would frequently find himself with no options other than violence. Garog set out alone, hoping to find his parents or, at the very least, discover what fate had befallen them. He traveled to the Sorrowlakes, then followed rumors to the Deadlands. Months became years, and Garog passed over the sea to Anhelt. He has always been hunted by the allies of his former masters, for the gladiatorial massacre he caused in Vengar had entered into legend, and King Garog was now seen as a dangerous threat to authority by some, and a freedom-fighting inspiration by others. But while Garog slays all those who try to catch him or impede him, he has no interest in becoming a figurehead. His quest remains to discover the fate of his loved ones, and he will pursue it to the very ends of Teleria if he has to.