Supreme Galek

Ever since the disaster of the Gaellen War, the Orcs as a people have struggled due to the mistrust and aggression of their neighbors. Despised as overly militaristic, and forced to eke out a desperate living in the harshest parts of Teleria, there seems little hope of unity, progress, or even simple peace for them. For myriad Orcs, this is no great concern. War may have broken their society as a whole, but it also provides the only stable form of employment for many, and gives a reason to others, especially the humans of Anhelt, to view them as allies or mercenaries rather than a threat deserving of extermination. Most do not pause to consider how the cycle of violence, where an Orc takes up arms out of necessity, but is then dragged by reputation into further aggression, has trapped their kind into these warlike ways, leaving them with no choice other than to fight, whether for themselves, for those able to pay, but rarely ever for each other. Most are too busy trying to survive day to day to consider bigger questions, greater challenges, and how they may be overcome. There are some, however, who speak of a time past when their people were renowned for many talents besides their skill as warriors, and when they speak hopefully of that time coming once again, it often involves the arrival of a figure referred to, in different Orcish dialects, as the Champion. Exactly where the Champion will rise is not known. The priests and shamans of the clans of Peltas usually describe him as the son of a chieftain from the Sorrowlakes. Despite being born into a particularly warlike tribe that seeks redress for losses during the Red Crusade and Gaellen War, the Champion himself is only a reluctant warrior. The Orcs of Anhelt, however, claim that the coming Champion will be a mercenary hero who first took up arms to defend himself from the aggression of those who saw him only as a brute warrior. Betrayed by his employers and abandoned among his slaughtered kin, he launches a relentless hunt for the one who wronged him, which culminates in him taking his revenge and afterwards swearing that other Orcs will never again have to suffer the ignominy of serving treacherous Banner Lords for nothing but the promise of poor coins. Some have come forth to claim these stories apply to them, though only one bears a true likeness to many of the tales. His name is Galek, scion of an aggressive tribe who nevertheless prizes introspection and patience, an Orc who only turns to the ways of the warrior when he has no other choice. Regardless of his exact origins, the Orcs agree that, once the Champion realizes his purpose, he will strive to bring unity to his people, no matter how widely they have been scattered. In doing so he will have to overcome first the reluctance and mistrust of his fellow Orcs, then the wrath of the great powers of Teleria when they realize the potential threat posed by unity among Orc-kind. There will be a great battle, perhaps even a great war, but at the end of it all, the Champion will stand triumphant, and his people will be free to live in peace, unshackled from a lifetime of warfare. Besides these characteristics, the only aspect that unites fireside stories about the Champion involve his weapons, two hand-axes, Split and Sunder, said to have been reforged from a single, mighty, twin-headed ax that once belonged to a legendary Orc warrior who resisted the Sacred Order and its Red Crusade. The ax was broken in half as the warrior died in battle while buying his clan the time they needed to make their escape. The two halves were recovered and re-forged into two distinct weapons, but how the Champion comes by them is the subject of innumerable tales in itself. Suffice to say, the wickedly sharp heads will once again be wielded in the defense of their people, so the stories tell. According to some, the Champion will not battle alone, or only for Orc-kind, but will form an alliance with three others, a Dark Elf of Durham, a High Elf of Aravia and a Human knight of the Sacred Order, each paragons of their respective peoples. Then, and only then, a final confrontation will begin between the forces of Light and Darkness, one that will decide the Teleria's fate. In playing their part in it, the Orcs will do what some believe they were always destined to do, and win freedom not just for their people but for the world. Perhaps then, at last, all Orcs will be able to reclaim their ancient heritage, and experience Teleria to the fullest, free from the blights of oppression, violence, and war.