One thing you need to know about Orcs is that they do not like surprises. Dimitri and I rode ahead since we both knew the Orc language and customs. We stopped on top of small rise and looked down at the river below and the loaf-like tents made of animal hide that made a temporary camp village near the ford of the river and at least that many smaller tents arranged in a haphazard manner on our side of the river with tendrils of smoke rising up from a camp fires spread through the village. One of the things that we knew to look for was a horse's head on a pole, which would have meant these Orcs were on a war footing, but all we could see a dozen of the larger tents so these Orcs were not at war with anyone at this moment. On the south, or downstream side of the village, were the horses tended to by the younger Orcs. They spotted us first and we could see two of them run to the main tent in the center of the village. Obviously, they were telling someone important about us watching them from above. We could see by the disruption of their daily routines and the furtive movements of the Orc clan as news spread through the camp. Dimitri and I just sat and watched until we could see a party of warriors gathering at the village edge and then we moved slowly down toward the Orcs.
Orcs have a very formalized society, which is necessary since they are a complete warrior culture. Besides hunting, which provides meat and skins for trade, Orcs are only interested in warfare. Since any sign of weakness would result in immediate loss of face and status, duels are common, but even those have strict rules of etiquette because without those rules, their tribes would implode from incessant violence. If you knew the rules of Orc etiquette, and Dimitri and I did, and the Orcs were not on a war footing, then they could be interesting and even enjoyable companions.
Dimitri and I rode slowly down the slope and stopped some thirty yards (meters) away from the group of warriors now arranged in a semi-circle at the edge of the village. Behind them, the Orc females and children looked at us with wary animosity. The females wore tanned hide dresses with looping curls of beads sewn on the front while the children, both girls and boys were only a leather kilt. The men wore trousers and some of them had plain vests on and an even fewer amount had helmets. Everyone, was armed, even the children with axes mostly or long dirks, but plenty of them had swords as well. We got off our horses to show some humility since to sit higher than an Orc meant that you felt yourself superior to them and we raised our hands, palms outward, to show we were not hostile and waited. The chief of the tribe, a large scarred orc with heavy gold bracelets and rings with the skin of a cougar draped over his head and bare shoulders and carrying a large battle axe, stepped forward about ten paces in front of his warriors. He placed the head of axe on the ground, meaning he was willing to speak to us. Had he raised the weapon up, our best hope would have been to get on our horses and ride as fast as we could. Dimitri and I strode forward confidently and showing no fear or anxiety at the odds stacked against us. To show fear now would get us killed.
Each of the hide covered shields the clans warriors carried had a crude image of a cougar painted in red upon it. This would be their tribal totem. In Orc custom, whoever the chief was, they were called by the clan's totem. The word for cougar in Orcish is Kazzegh.
Raising my hands once again I said, "Hail Chief Kazzegh of the Clan Kazzegh. My name is Barrim of Gensmot and this is Dimitri of Gensmot. We wish to parley with thee to gain access to ford to cross that river for ourselves and our companions."
"I see no companions," the chief responded suspiciously, "only the two of you."
"They are a small band coming with slow moving wagons. We have come forward to parley before they get here."
"There is nothing across the river that is good nor wholesome," Chief Kazzegh stated, still suspicious. I would have known he was suspicious even if I could not read him because of my medallion.
"Indeed, thou are correct," I replied, "but my chief has sent us on quest to retrieve a lost treasure in the Azzghie Valley," I replied using the Orcish name for the Ashie Valley. "Our way has brought us to the great Kazzegh Clan by good fortune. Thine wisdom as chief is as well known to us as thine battle prowess."
In truth, I had never heard of the Kazzegh Clan of Orcs before, but a little flattery, delicately placed, goes a long way with anyone. I saw the Chief scowl at the compliment, but since he was not charging us with his axe raised, I knew he enjoyed having his and his clan being praised. Just then, two Orc riders, scouts rode out of the village back the way Dimitri and I had come. They would be scouts checking to make sure that we were not lying about the size of our party, Dimitri and I deliberately ignored them. Trust was something earned in this world, it was never given away accept by the most foolish.
The Orc Chief motioned for us to follow him and we did so until we arrived at the largest of the skin-covered tents. A small cooking fire, mostly gray ashes now, burning sending up a the thinnest tendril of white smoke, was just outside the door of the tent. Crude benches encircled the fire, and we were invited to sit with a curt gesture. The chief took up a perch on a chair that must have come from some wealthy human house for it was too fine a construction for Orcs who eschewed almost all crafts except for the tanning of hides, the working of metal, and the production of crude clay pots which they used as cooking vessels.
"You come because of your Chief," the Orc leaders said as statement and not a question when he was seated. "What is he called?"
"He is called Lord Valker of Gensmot," I replied, "and he has my loyalty and I have his trust. That is why I lead this party to the Azzghie Valley to retrieve something of value for him."
"Gensmot," the chief asked, "is this not the city that lives in the waters of two rivers?"
I noticed the strange expression that the city "lives in the waters", and I thought it oddly fitting. I answered him, "Indeed, it does."
The Chief called to one of his wives for some of the harsh beer the Orcs made and soon drinking horns were passed around, although I detected a trace of resentment from the females at being ordered to the task, but the chief ignored it, which was strange. I could tell this Orc was stalling for time, probably until his scouts reported back. I noticed several of the female orcs were nursing war wounds and that there were more females than males in the village. Either they were away, or the Kazzegh Clan has suffered in battle. The female Orcs always formed a secondary line of defense behind the male Orcs and if they had wounds, it meant someone had broken through the front ranks, which would account for the lack of males that would have fallen to their enemy's blades rather than break. If they had such ill luck in battle, the chief would be sitting precariously on his throne, which would explain why the females were showing resentment at him not leading the clan to victory. Now that I thought about it, it was a bit strange to see Orcs this far south of the Camber Mountains and I am guessing that they were driven south.
"What is it your chief has asked thee to seek in the Cursed Valley?
"My chief is wise in the lore of stars," I replied carefully, as I rapidly thought through this question, "and he seeks a crown that once belonged to an ancient king. That crown is said to possess strange powers that can help him. Have you not noticed that an ill-wind is upon us and our enemies grow stronger because of it?"
The chief gave a suspicious nod of acknowledgement, his pig-eyes staring hard at me.
"My chief feels the dishonorable peoples will grow stronger and the honorable peoples will suffer, and he hopes to prevent that from happening, although I do not understand how this crown we seek will help as he did not tell me." I gave him this explanation and he seemed satisfied. I had to use the terms honorable and dishonorable because Orcs did not have words for good or evil. An act was either honorable or it was not, they did not have a lot gray areas in their thinking.
The two scouts came back just then, and they jumped nimbly from their crude saddles. One of them moved his fingers and hands in a pattern, some sort of sign language I guessed, and thanks to my medallion, I felt the chief relax, although he showed nothing on his exterior. I surmised that the scouts had seen our wagons and had relayed the message that I had not been lying. I realized, thanks again to my medallion, that the chief had been worried about an attack.
"My people should be here shortly," I said to the chief, "and I would be happy to give thee an honorable payment for crossing your river. I can give you two shirt of mail and if you require assistance in healing your warriors so they fight better, we can do that as well for we have a priest with us that is in favor with his god who knows the prayers to heal wounds."
I made no mention of my own abilities as Orcs were suspicious of magic from wizards. I felt the interest of the chief spike at my words. The mail shirts were a princely sum already, but it was the mention of a healer that got his full attention. In fact, his mood seemed to have brightened noticeably, but we only spoke about inconsequential things until our wagons arrived.
The wagons halted just outside the camp and we went out to meet them. I ordered everyone off their horses and wagons so as to not offend the Orcs. I heard muttering among the Orcs at the sight of Gerrex. He displayed no clan sign. Finally, one of the chief's bodyguards demanded to know what clan Gerrex was from.
"No clan," was all Gerrex said in reply and then he went back to standing quietly by his horse.
This admission shocked the Orcs around us and they muttered to themselves even more as the bodyguard deepened his scowl and then spit on the ground in front of Gerrex who ignored the insult.
"I have what I promised back here," I said to divert the Orc's attention back on me and away from my friend before one of them did something Gerrex would not overlook.
I went to the end of the small wagon and opened trunk and removed the Bag of Holding that I kept our extra supplies in. The Orcs registered genuine amazement when I started pulling the items out of the bag. Over the years I went adventuring, I had collected lots of items that an adventuring party might need, including the better made of the weapon we had come across. Understanding Orcs as I did, I pulled out several well-made weapons before I pulled out two mail shirts that were not enchanted, but were too expensive for a rather poor clan of Orcs to afford, and handed them over to chief. As I planned, the gathered Orcs were more interested in the weapons than in badgering Gerrex.
"Thou spoke of a healer," the orc chief said to me.
"Yes, it is that human there," I replied.
I walked over to Amenaruu and told him that Orcs needed his healing services and the priest readily agreed to help.
"Does thou have someone who could take the priest to injured people?" I asked the Orc chieftain, "If so, then I will have my people cross the river and set up camp. We have some items we will trade for meat and horses, if any of your people desire.
The chief called to one of the females and Amenaruu left with her and I ordered my people to cross the ford and to make camp on the other side of the river. Using my medallion, I warned Helena using mind-speech not to demonstrate any magic in front of the Orcs. She nodded silently. The chief, his bodyguards, and Dimitri and I returned to the smoldering campfire to converse and my people crossed the river and set up camp there.
We talked some more with the Orcs, and not just with the chieftain. We had established ourselves with this Clan as honorable friends. That relationship was deepened further when Amenaruu joined us in the company of two scarred Orcs that Amenaruu, I later learned, had brought back from the edge of death. I sensed the chief was relieved to have them both back in the land of the living. Amenaruu did not stay with us long as others asked for his aid and the Priest of the Aten left to help. There was a thawing of heart from the Orcs as they saw their people returning to health. Once Amenaruu returned, Dimitri and I rose and gave our farewells to the Orcs and I again reiterated that we would have some goods for trade and that the members of the Kazzegh clan were welcome at our campfire.
"That was a princely price you paid just to cross a river," Dimitri said as Amenaruu, looking tired, raised an eyebrow.
"I was trying to buy more than a river crossing," I replied. "I was trying to buy some good will and maybe win some allies. This clan has been beaten in battle, in case you have not noticed."
"I noticed," Dimitri replied. "They are short on warriors and their females are bearing wounds. They are not here by chance or by choice, I think.
"They were probably pushed here by the other Orc clans who were stronger than they wre.
"One of the females spoke a little of the Common tongue," Amenaruu said, "and I asked her what had happened to her son, he was the short one who came to the fire, and she said 'Gnarr'.
"Gnolls," Dimitri explained, "Gnarr is the orcish name for Gnolls."
"We call them the Hyena People in my land," Amenaruu replied. "I had to use my Cure Posion spell to heal the lad."
"Gnolls poison their weapons," Dimitri explained, "and the Orcs think that is dishonorable."
"I would agree with them," Amenaruu replied.
I waited until dark to cast my Move Dirt spell and to make our bulwarks so as not to be seen by the Orcs, although the ones who came to trade were amazed we could dig ditches so fast. By the time we laid down for the night, we had six new horses and plenty of dried meat for the rest of our journey.