Warning: This chapter is mainly a dialogue one, not a lot of action present.
It is written for the purpose of worldbuilding and character development, it can be skipped. Though it's still content to read.
It's also a recap, as most of the information here is established lore. Few elements had been added though.
In the aftermath of the occupation of Loch Modan and the taking over of the exits connecting to the heartland of the Ironforge dwarves and giving control over them to the orcs, further conquests were then required to assure victory.
Moving north, the orcish army marched into the undeveloped yet still important swampland region, simply known as the Wetlands.
Here, an army consisting of the Blackrock, Dragonmaw, and Black Tooth Grin clans followed. Passing through the walkway's tunnels of the dwarves with such an army was demanding, but sooner than later, all of the troops were ready.
With this task, the already established plan followed.
The armies of Blackrock Clan will march West, taking over the road and preparing to siege a strategic point in the region, the grand Harbor.
The armies of the Black Tooth Grin Clan would travel north, taking over any settlements, and starting a blockade of the two bridges that are supposed to connect this land with the human estates.
Lastly, the Dragonmaw clan was to travel east, into the highlands, to take care of the Red Dragons and their territory.
Orgrim, however, had his personal goal within these lands. After speaking with the goblin who visited Kargath, he learned about a port city owned by the small greenskins at the shore. With a few soldiers, he traveled to the port, to see what it will bring.
A few hours later.
Coming closer towards what could be described as a port city, Orgrim noticed details pointing out that he was indeed reaching the goblin base. He stopped at the gates, which weren't any better but laughable. This however hasn't said anything bad about the race.
Goblins seemed to not care much about how things look, as long as it worked. This was a little similarity that they and the orcs had in common, or at least to a point.
Standing near the entrance, two short green creatures could be spotted, wielding light armor and simple weapons. It was clear that this place wasn't a military base per se, but was still in regular use.
Orgrim arrived near the gate closely, in his hands, a translator orb, a magic item that allowed him to communicate with other intelligent races. The Goblin language was connected after the extraction of knowledge from the goblin trader, though it wasn't perfect. It was easier in use than having an additional goblin standing next to you, and translating.
As he was only a few steps from the guards, he jumped from his massive wolf.
"I am Orgrim Doomhammer, Warchief of the Horde. We have come to negotiate with your ruler."
"A pleasure to meet you Warchief. The Trade Prince has been expecting your arrival for some time now." said one of the Goblin guards.
Orgrim nodded, informing his men to come after him.
Once he entered past the gates, he noticed what could be described as organized chaos.
Buildings made of mixed materials, and a generous number of items just scattered around the streets, most of them without use or at least until the goblins think otherwise.
The city was generally full of nothing but goblins, as he hasn't spotted any other representatives of the races. It was easy to spot many shops, being in a bad state, but clearly described by what they offered. There was also no ascetic valor in it. None but two objects. First, could be named with the human description of a palace, which is where they were heading.
Others could be spotted straight from the entrance, as the road went. The port part of the city. There, Orgrim could notice a lot of planned work, as he saw with the projects in Kargath.
Having nothing else to see or ask about, he and his men followed the goblins into the palace of their leader.
As they entered past the big double doors, Orgrim could hear voices coming from part of the building. It was clearly a voice filled with orders, which pointed out that it must have been the leader.
"Warchief Orgrim, please wait in this room, our leader should be ready in just a moment." said one of the goblins, opening the doors into a room of bigger size, clearly looking like a place for meetings.
Having nothing to do at that moment, Orgrim sat at the first place that he could see and awaited the goblin Trade Prince.
And after a few minutes of what sounded like yelling and a bit of panic, the doors opened again revealing several goblins exiting the room, including the guards.
Six of them bowed before him and left the room.
Orgrim then looked at the door, from which he expected the trade prince to enter.
When the doors opened, to say that Orgrim was not surprised was not actually the case for unlike the goblins that he had seen outside the Trade Prince was dressed in an attire that didn't make a lot of sense to Orgrim. He was wearing a top hat and some sort of clothing that wouldn't have him survive going into battle. But he knew that there is most likely a reason for him wearing this type of attire because, after all, he is the one in charge and before he could figure out anything else about him, he spoke.
"Welcome Warchief, it is such an honor to have such a powerful leader to visit our little port and I can imagine that you are not just here for a change of scenery. But where are my manners the name's Steamwheedle, Ratso Steamwheedle, Trade Prince of the Steamwheedle Goblin Cartel." said Trade Prince Steamwheedle.
"And just like how you have most likely heard much about my people, I have also heard much about your Horde, though of course they are only rumors and they shouldn't be taken as seriously unless proven otherwise." Ratso, while being intimidated, was acting quite calm toward the Warchief, even if a little scared.
"Don't worry, Goblin Prince, I mean no harm to you. I would talk with you differently if I were to bring you harm." Orgrim said, coming out lighter in tone. "I have heard that you are quite the trader. We met one of yours during our travels, and he offered a good story about who you are and what you exactly do. There was a reason why I came here today, and it is a pretty simple one. I came here to trade with you, Goblins." Orgrim said, with open hands, looking at Ratso.
"Well, that is a relief." mumbled Ratso to himself. "Oh, and what exactly do you wish to trade-in. Cause we've got just about anything you need in this port from supplies to weapons and just about anything you and your Horde may need for your war." said Ratso being more confident now that he knows that Orgrim isn't going to threaten his life, and it was a good idea that Ratso decided to have Orgrim's guards not stay with him for the meeting otherwise he might not have been able to speak with how much pressure would be placed on him should Ratso accidentally say the wrong thing.
Orgrim looked at the goblin with a smile.
"It seems that you have noticed what I would require from your favor, Trade Prince. It is true that I need to boost our capabilities in this conflict. And you might have what we need. But tell me, goblins know much about the sea and how to travel and rule it. Could you tell me what do you do to stay, as I have heard, a dominating power at sea? Where are your other outposts?"
"Rule the sea? Oh, you must be talking about the trade routes on the sea. Well, Warchief, that can be summed up to the fact that we goblins are among one of THE most technologically advanced races in this world. As for our other outposts, they are mostly out in the South Seas. Though the closest one that we have on this side of the continent is Booty Bay within the Cape of Stranglethorn Vale. Though we have been thinking about expanding along the coastlines of the eastern side of the continent. Though from your interest in our expertise in all things that have to do with naval transport I can imagine that you wish to discuss that in trade." said a smug Ratso.
Orgrim thought for a few moments. He looked back and forward.
As he was thinking, he went up and looked past the window, seeing a large number of ships.
"Those ships...they look like human ones. What could you tell us about humans at sea? Are they common? Do they favor transport and trade like you, or perhaps they fight at open waters?" asked Orgrim, looking back at the green Prince.
While it didn't take the goblin to think about an answer to that question, he still took a few moments to figure out how he should answer it.
"Well, there is an entire nation of human sailors, and while they do have some that favor transport and trade, the bulk of the nation's sailors are in the military. Reason why is because of pirates but there aren't any pirates this close to the continent, so you won't need to worry about them. But according to my reports, the Kul'tiran navy has mobilized a few ships that are heading for the lands of Lordaeron." Ratso answered in a way that sounded like he was teaching a brief history of humans at sea.
After hearing this, Orgrim felt worried for a moment. A whole human nation focused on the ways of the sea. That couldn't be good. However, he knew that at this moment the forces of the Dragonmaw Clan marched east, up the Highlands to deal with the dragons.
"Hmmm, so, you know all the local kingdoms around here. Could you tell me more about the humans up north?" asked a curious Orgrim.
"Well, of course, Warchief. I would happily tell you about the northern nations, though if I may ask. Which of the remaining five nations would you like to know more about?"
"You could tell me in short about all of them? What makes them unique, or how important they are?" said Orgrim, as he realized he had too little of information on them. "We can discuss the details later if we come to an agreement." he added.
"Ok, well, the closest Kingdom is called Stromgarde, and it is probably one of the more stubborn kingdoms in the north when it comes to being put down, for while they aren't the strongest in militaristic power. They are probably the only nation that still has experience when it comes to fighting trolls after all there is a reason why their kings are still known by the last name of Trollbane. But either than that their current ruler has positive relations with the other nations, and will most likely give your forces a good fight should you encounter him and his army."
Though before Ratso continued to explain the other kingdoms, he stopped.
"If you wish to learn more about the other kingdoms including the ones that I have already shared with you, then I think that we should first talk about the fee for such information." said Ratso Steamwheedle with a look of greed in his eyes.
Orgrim looked at the goblin with a mix of anger and understanding.
"To think that words would have a cost hasn't crossed my mind yet. You greedy creatures really live up to your name. But I have talked with one of your kind before. And he said what interests you." Orgrim said the last words with a smile on his face.
From his belt, he pulled a pouch, which he shook in front of the goblin.
He pulled one gold coin from it, placing it on the table, and pushing it towards the goblin.
"I was told you enjoyed this metal. Now, could we argue, for every nation described, I pull one more coin?" asked an entertained orc.
"Hmmm...Make it two and we have a deal." said Ratso.
"Better provide me then with information that is interesting, so that it is worth the coin." agreed Orgrim, pulling the second coin out of the pouch and pushing it towards the goblin.
"Well, seeing as you aren't from this world, if the rumors are true, then I would say that all of it is worth every coin." said Ratso with a confident smile.
"But anyway, the kingdom that is to the west of Stromgarde is known as Alterac, which is also the namesake of the mountains that it is built upon. And though Alterac is by far the weakest of all the nations, that does not mean that it hasn't been in conflict with its neighbors. The most prominent being Stromgarde, and because of this I believe that you could possibly use that to your advantage, Warchief."
"So, you are telling me, that this Alterac, hates their human neighbors so much that they are willing to ally with us. You piqued my curiosity, little one. For that, I shall ignore your slight show of greediness towards me." said Orgrim, not satisfied, but he had to get the best out of this Trade Prince. He has a lot of information, that they lack. "So, who are the surrounding kingdoms that those people hate?"
"Well, Orgrim, I can call you that right, seeing as the other nations are on good terms and have a positive relationship with the current ruler of Stromgarde. I could say that Alterac will not have too many problems with betraying them, though a little bit of a show of force wouldn't hurt either.",
Ratso then continued, "And well, there is another nation that is quite close to Alterac known as Gilneas, which I would advise in not invading in its direction unless of course you want your campaign to either be longer or abruptly stop right there. For you see, my friend, Gilneas is probably the most powerful of the human nations when it comes to military power, they are tough, stubborn, and proud people. Though that pride could be used against your enemies, seeing as they will most likely send but a mere token force of a few soldiers. But if that is not the case then I think we can arrange a special surprise for them should they send more than a token force." said Ratso with a malicious smile.
"I don't think that they will be a primary target, though to say there isn't a chance for them to be invaded would be a lie. But I think I have heard about one that I should worry about the most. A kingdom called Lordaeron," said Orgrim. It was their primary target, one that needed to be defeated, as he recalls. Knowing more about them would be useful.
"Well, Warchief, while it is the largest of the seven kingdoms of humanity, it has what you might call an average military force. Though they are the most religious of the seven kingdoms, and that isn't exactly something that can be exploited. In fact, I would say that the only danger they pose is in their skills of being the leaders of the Humans. And because of that, I can see Lordaeron being the most heavily defended of the human nations, that wouldn't make them cowards though by no means, being the heart of Human culture and religion does have its advantages. Not only that, but a few of the nations like Alterac get their supplies in food from Lordaeron for it has the most verdant and fertile land in the seven nations, so to siege them would probably waste more time than you probably already have, Warchief." said Ratso Steamwheedle.
"If you say so." Orgrim looked at the goblin, producing a single bit of the sound of laughter. While there was a great possibility that the goblins knew about their forces to the degree, they didn't know everything. There was a lot to the Horde, that hasn't shown itself in the light of the day.
But knowing that Lordaeron was described as a force that can unite the Humans, then there were most likely going to have units that will oversee this. Individuals that will be behind all of it.
"Could you perhaps tell me more about Lordaeron's leaders?" Orgrim said, throwing one more gold coin into the goblin's hands.
"Heh now, I believe that will cost you at least five more coins if you want to learn Lordaeron's leaders." said Ratso, and though he knew that Orgrim might get angry from it, Ratso would argue that the deal was information on the nations not the leaders.
"You are right, little one. Then, I will think of it. Now, could you tell me more about this Kul'tiras you mentioned then?" responded an even calmer Warchief of the Horde.
"Very well, Kul'tiras is essentially both the name of the nation and the continent upon which it is located at. And is relatively close to the continent that we are standing on right now. And while it is led by an individual, it is mostly ruled from a house system, like um, um, how would you describe something that is led by more than one family in your people's society, Warchief?" said Ratso, trying to find a way to compare it to something that Orgrim is familiar with and by doing so appeared to be snapping his fingers to get the gears going in his brain.
"I seem to understand it like this. The Horde is divided into Clans, whose leaders are important personalities within the Horde, though it is I that decide on the important decisions." replied Orgrim, as this was the way he understood the problem that was asked.
"So, Kul'tiras is not united, but is ruled by smaller individuals who rule their lands?" The Orc asked.
"Yeah, well mostly, you see in Kul'tiras the four houses each have different responsibilities and not all of them rule different lands. Like House Ashvane, which is one of the many business partners that we goblins, like to trade with and split profits should they need our expertise." Ratso then continued with the other houses, "House Waycrest is where they get most of their hardened military men from for the region, they live in, is still by most means wild and untamed, though they are the more superstitious when it comes to them, though that is mostly because of their belief in witches. House Stormsong, is the more religious of the four houses, though unlike most nations they worship a sea goddess instead of the main religion that you will find in the other kingdoms and it is also where many of Kul'tiras gets its supply of ships from. And the last of the Great Houses, House Proudmoore, is the ruling house and is in charge of the military and navy, and are the ones who make the laws in Kul'tiras to be final."
"So, House Proudmoore is the one who commands the fleet?" Orgrim wanted to be specified by the goblin, if he understood this right.
"Yes, if anyone is going to command a human fleet of ships, it will be the Lord Admiral of House Proudmoore." said Ratso, confirming Orgrim's suspicions.
Orgrim looked at the goblin with greater importance, showing that he needed the next question to be answered without playing around. His hard and scary look confirmed this.
"Does Kul'tiras have any units that can fight the enemy in the sky?" asked Orgrim.
Ratzo gave him a peculiar look.
"Pfffffhahahahahahaha", Ratzo began laughing until looking at Orgrim again, "you're serious?! You honestly think that Kul'tirans of all people would know how to make a flying machine, I mean, even the other human nations haven't been able to come up with something like that, if they did then they wouldn't need sea vessels to do trade, though they probably would on a stormy day."
"Not what I asked, though I think I saw what you call a flying machine. But from your response, it seems that further discussion on this subject is not needed." replied Orgrim with satisfaction. "Tell me, it seems you named 5 of the 6 nations in the north, what can you tell about the last one?" He asked again.
"Oh, now that one is definitely worth an extra coin, the last of the seven nations is probably the most powerful when it comes to one thing and one thing only." Ratso began while holding out his hand for Orgrim to give him one more gold coin.
"Is that so." Orgrim smiled, pulling another 3 coins and putting them in his hand. "Then tell me, Trade Prince, what should I know?"
"Well, for starters Warchief, while it isn't the biggest of the seven kingdoms, and in fact has only one major city with a few villages surrounding it here and there, it is known as Dalaran, and the reason why it is still an independent nation has to do with the fact that, unlike the other nations, the majority of its military are mages. In other words, it is the most magical compared to the other nations." Ratzo said while putting the three coins into his breast pocket.
"And believe me when I say that trying to overthrow that nation will not be a walk in the park compared to your more recent conquests."
"So, you lost coin on the conquest of Stormwind!" Orgrim laughed.
"Well, I wouldn't say that I lost any coin from Stormwind's conquest, after all, I am in the midst of trading with Stormwind's new owners." Ratso said with a smile, "We goblins don't care where our moolah comes from as long as we get paid then we are fine."
"Well, good to know. I will just say, you would not find a business partner with the former Warchief of the Horde. I, however, find you an interesting trade partner. But back to the topic. I would be close-minded if I would not ask, so I will take the deal." said Orgrim, pulling 12 more coins into the pile.
"Now, six for information on Lordaeron's Leaders and six for the Dalaran ones." stated Orgrim, showing that he cared of what Goblin will tell him.
With a happy look on his face, Ratso began to tell Orgrim everything he knew about the leaders of the two nations. "Well, seeing as you are being so generous Warchief, how can I not, and for that, I will add some information on how the two nations are ruled for free of charge. The leadership of Lordaeron is led by a king and a council of nobles, with the nobles leading large parts of the nation but still being subservient to the King, who rules in the capital, and the current ruler of Lordaeron is King Terenas Menethil II, who is probably one of the oldest human monarch's at the moment to remain as king. He has been ruling his nation for many decades now, but because of that he isn't really capable of leading his own troops into battle, so I expect that instead one of his generals will be representing him on the battlefield. The nobles on the other hand, well, I can respect them for not wanting to get their hands dirty, there is not that much in business if you end up perishing on the battlefield unless of course, you had some insurance, though I can see some other nobles fighting in the war." said Ratso seeing to it that he doesn't get on Orgrim's bad side with throwing in the possibilities of how the goblins can still be useful.
"Now as for Dalaran, it is not ruled by an individual but by a council of the most powerful mages within the order, and I am aware of a few of them, but unfortunately information on the rest is either non-existent or they are quite good at keeping some identities away from prying eyes and ears. But what I do know is that there are at least six individuals that form a group known as the Council of Six, which is the name of the leading council in case if you were wondering, and rumor has it, that unofficially the crown prince of Lordaeron is a member of the council, though this is as I said only a rumor, and I don't believe that he will be in Dalaran when they are going to be in a middle of a war.
And while I am in a generous mood, if you wish to learn more about the current people that you are fighting against then I will gladly tell you with a discount of course." said Ratso, still being greedy even if he is being generous.
"Are there some names of the leaders I should know about? I don't think this Terenas will be a lot of a threat." Orgrim asked, then turned to the goblin.
"But before that, allow one of my men to enter for a moment, I have to tell one of them something." He added.
"I can allow that, as long as he doesn't carry a weapon in here, after all, this is only business, we aren't going straight into battle after this." said Ratzo.
"Of course, of course." He spoke.
Translation orb off
"Samuro, to me!" He called for one of them.
From the doors, an orc warrior named Samuro, one of those close to the Warchief, entered. He bowed before his Warchief.
Orgrim allowed him to stand. "Now, we are getting a lot of information, and this goblin is willing to spread all we would want. Go back to our wolfs, and gather the gold we prepared. Second, one of you should return back to Loch Modan, and prepare the transport from the mines." Orgrim ordered.
Samuro bowed his head and went to finish his task.
Translation orb on
"Sorry for the interruption, but I had an order to announce." He now casually replied to the goblin.
"Oh, it is alright, though one of these days, we may need to learn each other's language so as to do better business." said Ratso, noting that he is aware of the translation orb in Orgrim's possession.
"It seems that if the future is bright, we might. Now, the Leaders that I should be aware of, and of course, that you know of." Orgrim said, now knowing that he can get a lot of information simply by giving away the nearly useless form of gold, he wasn't worried anymore.
"Well, I wouldn't be too worried about Lordaeron's leaders, though the only noble I can think of that would most likely be sent into battle would be Abbendis. Yeah, he is most likely going to be the one along with Lordaeron's army to represent Terenas in the war, while the other nobles will most likely see about keeping their people calm and recruiting anyone that is old enough and able to fight in the war." said Ratso, seeing if that is what Orgrim meant by any leaders that may come from Lordaeron and will participate in the battles.
"That is mostly because they can't send everyone to fight otherwise it will lead to internal conflicts, and though there are a few other nobles that will most likely be sent into battle, they are mostly priests with little to no combat experience. So, you shouldn't be too worried about them."
"And this Dalaran? I would understand that these mages are one of the more advanced of people in that area, but I might be wrong?" Orgrim asked again. He really needs to gain more information about those people.
"When it comes to magic, yes, they are the most advanced. Though to say they are advanced in technology, would be a no, for they have the same level of technology as every other nation, and seeing as they have the smallest population overall, means that they wouldn't have a need for it if they can just use their magical power. Not only that, but they do have laws pertaining to what kind of magic can be used. For the majority of them use arcane magic, but a few of them dealt in frost and fire, even though because of their culture they see the fireside of that magic to be demonic in nature if I recall correctly." Ratzo knew that they were proficient in magic, but not so much in technology. And seeing as Orgrim didn't know that much about them, then he would just state the few facts that he knew about it, seeing as Ratzo's people didn't do much trade with Dalaran with it being more than likely capable of handling its own trading with the other nations for supplies that they needed.
Orgrim started to think harder. Even if he was wiser and more capable than most orcs, his lack of understanding in magic showed in this area. Still, he knew what the goblin tried to say.
"It seems it would be about human kingdoms. I have heard from my few troll allies that there is a race called high elves up north, and also other dwarfs. What can you tell me about them?"
"Well, for the information on the elves will cost ten gold coins, but for the dwarves as I said it's on a discount, so you will need to give me three coins for information on the three clans of dwarves." said Ratzo.
"Could you perhaps offer a drink? It seems we can discuss a lot about this world, as it happened that you know a lot about it, and I have a generous amount of gold coins in my bag." Orgrim laughed looking towards the Trade Prince.
The Trade Prince asked if he wanted anything to eat as well, and though Orgrim didn't want to be rude, he politely declined to state that he has already eaten enough, though in truth Orgrim is not sure if the Goblin's form of cuisine is safe for an Orc to eat and/or digest it. So Ratso instead decided to get some drinks and some furniture.
"Well, I am parched so I will see to it that we get two chairs, a table, and a few drinks." Ratso said as he went to tell one of the guards to get the items in question.
And after what felt like a few minutes the doors opened to reveal three creatures, as Orgrim could only describe them as such, bringing in a table and two chairs. Followed by what looked to be a female goblin carrying drinks on a tray.
The Trade Prince then gestured for Orgrim to sit down once they were placed on the ground by the creatures, and after doing so, he saw the goblin with the drinks walking up to him and putting one of the drinks in front of Orgrim and then proceeding to place the other drink in front of Ratso and then exiting the room followed by the three creatures.
"May I ask, Prince Ratzo, what were those creatures that were serving us a moment ago? I do not recall seeing any of them in this world." Orgrim asked, drinking another cup of served delicacy that was the beverage.
"Oh, you mean the Hobgoblins. You could say that they are hired muscle for my people, though seeing as we created them from alchemical experimentation of our own people, they aren't too bright. But they are quite loyal to the point that if you tell them to smash something they will take it as smashing everything that is against their boss and in this case their boss is me." Ratzo said with as much confidence as he could.
"It seems that I know of a similar race, originating from the world that my people came from. They are called ogres. As you described, they are mostly muscle, though there is a cast of them who are highly intelligent." Orgrim stated. These Hobgoblins seemed to be more stupid than ogres.
"Well, do the Ogres tend to think that rocks are food and think that they can turn the sun off. Cause that is essentially what happens when none of us goblins are keeping an eye on them." Ratso said confirming to Orgrim that Hobgoblins are more stupid compared to Ogres in intelligence.
"Anyway, where were we?"
"Then, I think our former overlords were smarter. I thought no creature could be dumber. But we were talking about the allies of the humans up north, with me offering enough coin to satisfy your needs, and now I require you to tell me about them. So, firstly, who are these high elves?" Orgrim asked. The Trolls really seemed to hate them, so he wanted to know why.
"Well, seeing as trolls told you about them, then I might as well say firstly, about what the rumors say of the High elves." Ratso then took a sip of his drink and then continued, "They apparently came from the West if the history books are to suggest that is true, and when they came to these lands, they settled on what they describe as a 'land where the barbaric trolls perform barbaric rituals' and then after that the trolls began to war with them, yadda yadda yadda. And then the humans got involved, the trolls fought a war on two sides. The Elves taught one hundred humans how to use magic, then used their magic to kill the biggest army of forest trolls in history with magical fire, yadda yadda yadda."
"I don't care about the details, but since then the trolls up in the north have been finding any opportunity to kill elves, and if my reports are correct, the leader of the Forest Trolls was captured not that long ago by Stromgarde and sent to one of their keeps in Hillsbrad." said Ratso, not really caring for the racial hatred between the two races.
"Though if you are wondering if they will participate in the war, then that will have to depend on a few factors."
"Them being?" asked the Warchief.
"Well, for one, their ruler has to care enough to help them, and the other has to do with some promise said ruler made to the bloodline of the first king of the humans when they were a united nation or something like that." Ratso's tone suggested that the Elves weren't exactly someone that his people made much gold within trade.
"And if I am being honest even if they do aid them, it will probably be a token force. Cause apparently, their king doesn't see humanity the same way he did 3,000 years ago, or at least that is what I've heard."
"So, it's a chance you say." Orgrim stated understanding. He heard they were advanced in magic, and from the history summary, they taught humans how to use magic, so they were probably more advanced in it. They are dangerous.
"What about those dwarfs?" asked Orgrim, though he did not care much, as they were successful in this conflict.
"Well, yes, the Elves are quite involved with the humans, even if the majority would rather just stay in their cities and try to avoid humans at all costs. Though I have heard that the son of the elf king is a member of the Council of Six, and though you may be thinking that the elves are way advanced in magic, then you would be correct, which has to do with their long lives, but apparently according to rumors they are not as powerful in magic as humans." said Ratso, who wanted to have Orgrim be aware of how much of a chance that the elves will get involved will be while also answering Orgrim's unspoken question of who is more powerful in raw magical power, "And well as for the dwarves, there are two things that you need to know about them."
"Those are?"
"Well, your people had something like clans, right?"
"That is correct."
"Well, dwarves are divided into clans and familial clans. With the clans being the majority and familial clans being the minority of said clans."
"We met with the dwarfs here, in the land of Khaz Modan. What can you tell us about them here? After all, they should be your clients." stated Orgrim looking at the goblin. After talking and drinking together, he started to enjoy the small guy.
"As for the dwarves in these areas, they belong to two of the three clans, the Bronzebeards, and the Wildhammers.", said Ratso.
"And at the moment, we are technically in the lands controlled by the Wildhammers, or at least they were under their control until your people showed up but who cares about those kinds of details."
Ratso then continued about the Bronzebeards, seeing as he heard that the Horde was currently going to try and take Dun Morough. "The snowy region of this side of the continent and the current destination of your armies next conquest is under the control of the Bronzebeard clan. Who are the rulers of the Dwarven capital of Ironforge and led by King Magni Bronzebeard, but they aren't the only inhabitants of that region?"
"There are those smaller ones? What were they called?" Orgrim tried to remember.
"They are called Gnomes, and if I am being honest my people and they have a rivalry going on for who is the better inventor. You could say that just like the Trolls hate Elves, we Goblins hate Gnomes."
Ratso then continued, "And seeing as the Gnome capital is in Dun Morough, which is the current destination of your Horde, I would say that you should see to it that you blockade the Gnomes from aiding their Dwarven allies."
"Otherwise, you will be seeing more bodies on your side than theirs." The Goblin added.
Orgrim could fill a little bit of anger in the goblin's way of speaking. Then this rivalry was true, and filled with hate.
"Well then, as we will march on the dwarven capital, we should also take a turn and raid the Gnome's capital? Perhaps any of your goblin brothers are willing to join on the fun?" Orgrim asked, he knew some individuals would probably join, but he did not expect much of them in terms of fighting.
"I can arrange a few of my guys to join you, though that will cost you at least 50 gold for each goblin."
"But anyway, for the Dwarves in question, I will tell you this, they are much more advanced in technology compared to the humans, at least when it comes to the Bronzebeards, and I guess the Dark Irons, but I, myself, don't know much about them."
Ratso then continued, "For while my people do a little bit of both when it comes to engineering, the Dwarves go straight into engineering new ways to fight wars and battles, and I am pretty sure that you have encountered one of their inventions when you were going through Loch Modan, if I am not mistaken."
"Yes, I think more than once. They are tough to break, even now holding the tunnels into their land. Many of our fine men have fallen to their firepower." Orgrim said, with a mix of anger and shame.
"Yeah, well, expect a lot more of those boomsticks, rifles, and cannons, when you reach the capital." said Ratso.
"I would expect, from what I have heard from you, that your gnome rivals should have some weapons to deal with them from a distance." stated the orc. He still had to think strategically.
"While that is true, my people have a type of specialty when it comes to weapons, and I can be convinced to make your invasion a little bit easier, for a price of course." said Ratso with a greedy smile on his face.
"Cause you see, my people made something long before the Dwarves created the first rifle and boomstick. And that would be bombs."
"Bombs...it doesn't say much. Perhaps a presentation would be good." Orgrim said to the goblin. Even if he would in the end have to subjugate the goblins, knowing what they are capable of is required.
"Well, while I would like to show you, they are quite expensive to make. Though I will ask you this, what is the biggest thing that you can think of?"
Orgrim tried to recall. There were many, depending on if they asked about a creature or construction.
"Well, please use something in Khaz Modan. I can think of many ideas, but not many of them should make sense to you." He said to the goblin.
"Well, you know how big those Dwarven buildings are, cause if you have the right kind of bomb. Then those buildings will be nothing but a crater of debris after you set it off."
Ratso continued, "In fact, at one point my people wanted to do nothing but go to war with one another and the amounts of bombs we used caused us to name one of those wars, the Peace War, and ironically that war had the most casualties cause someone thought of the idea to make a one really big bomb. After that and probably one more war, we decided to go to war by trade instead of weapons and essentially made lots of moolah by doing that."
"Your people have an interesting way of fighting." Orgrim stated lightly.
"Eh, if your people were given the intellect to mass-produce deadly weapons of mass destruction, then I would say that fighting can be done in close-quarters combat or you can essentially launch missiles or use robots to do all of the fightings for you, and if you make enough moolah, then hiring mercs and hired muscle doesn't sound too bad either.", Ratso then continued, "I could probably go all into the little details about my people's military power, but I believe that you wanted information on the Dwarves, am I correct? And in that case, any more questions?"
"I think not. Not now at least. Let us talk about something that will be required. Let's talk about ships." Orgrim said, his energy returning to talk on the more important matters.
"Well, Warchief. Considering that you and your people are going to war, what sort of ships would you like?", said Ratso with the tone of a businessman.
"Isn't it obvious? A fleet for war. One to destroy the enemy's fleet, and one to transport our men!" argued Orgrim without a second thought.
"Yes, I am aware, but do you want fast ships or ships that can handle a few canon shots before sinking.", said Ratso, clarifying his last question.
"Cause here is the thing, Warchief. Your people are not as experienced on open water combat, if I am correct to say so, and because of that it would only take a miracle for you and your Horde to break through a fleet of experienced Kul'tiran sailors and their ships."
Orgrim sat for a moment, thinking about both cases. From one side, the faster the ships, the faster they arrive at the human shores. On the other hand, they have to stand a chance in a possible fight between them and Kul'tiras.
He was thinking for a few moments, but knowing that the weapon that was now being prepared by the Dragonmaw Clan, he would say, they will be fighting the battles.
He turned to the Trade Prince.
"Ratso, I have decided, that I want our ships to be durable, being able to stand in a fight against the human ships. They don't have to be fast, but I want them durable, and capable of fighting."
"Alright, Orgrim, if you want durable, then durable is what you will get."
Ratso then continued, "And now comes the question of numbers, how many of your Horde are going to be sailing with you?"
"If we want to battle humans fairly, before any reinforcements will come through the highlands up north, let's say there will be around 20,000 soldiers landing." Orgrim stated, as he could imagine it will require forces around this size to attack the mainland of the human kingdom.
"Hmmm...alright and if my calculations are correct and with the size of the ships accounted for so as to transport that many Orcs, I would say you would need 100 ships made." said Ratso, going through all of the numbers and accounting for anything that will need to be implemented.
"Which will now go into the fee for the construction of these ships, to which I say will cost you...all of the gold, silver, and copper in the possession of your Horde, Warchief."
Orgrim looked at the goblin, dissatisfied.
"So, here numbers don't apply?!" responded the infuriated Orc, focusing his eyes on the Trade Prince.
"I have a better offer. You will prepare the price, that can be obtained, and then we will discuss it later." The Warchief replied, building pressure on the short goblin.
"Well, Warchief, I can tell that you are a busy Orc already. Not only that, but you want this war of yours to be done as fast as possible, am I right?"
"That is correct, yet, Goblin, I can see that shine in your eyes, that makes me want to rip them out. I was warned about your greed, and I will not fall for your words. Now, if we want to make this "deal", I would like you to give me the price, Trade-Prince." responded the Warchief with a mix of anger and enjoyment, as he saw fear building onto the goblin's face.
"I see little value in your desired metals, but I see that they are worth a lot to you. So, say, how much do you require, and what others do you need, to build me this fleet?"
"Well, Warchief, uh, I would say about 10,000 gold, 5,000 silver, and 100,000 copper, maybe the preferable price count per ship constructed." said Ratso with a bit of worry, but not too much that he will faint on the spot.
"I will discuss this with my people. But, perhaps, I could offer you something that you would like to have." said Orgrim, with a powerful smile, facing the goblin.
Orgrim looked by the window, seeing the city below.
"This port of yours is efficient, but wouldn't you like to have a bigger one? Or another one to operate?" asked the Orc.
"Oh, and what port would my people get to operate on?" said an intrigued and curious Ratso.
Orgrim laughed, seeing as he piqued the interest of the goblin.
"We spotted a large base at the end of the shore, following the mountains. It seems that there is a city with quite the sizable port, controlled by the humans." Orgrim then faced him again. "Now, of course, the Horde won't allow any human bases to operate on our land, but goblins are not humans. We could maybe allow you to take over what will remain of it? Perhaps I will tell my people to not destroy much of it."
"Hmmm...well, when you put it that way, how can I not refuse." said a smug Ratso.
"Then, how about we allow you to use the harbor, we will also protect it from any human invaders? I will leave some forces to guard this place, so your guards are not needed. And mine will do that for free, seeing as you are serving the Horde." Orgrim said again, giving the goblin ideas.
"Free security eh, not that I can get behind."
Ratso then continued, "Though, I can imagine that you may need my people for your war effort with the humans, and because of the fact that we goblins are neutral, I think first we need to make our partnership official." As Ratso was saying that he pulled a piece of paper out of his suit and then laid it flat to then push it toward Orgrim.
"I imagine that we are." Orgrim responded while writing his name in Orcish on the piece of paper.
"Well, now that our contract is signed, it is now official. From here on out, if you require anything then just give us a call. And we will happily assist in any way we can. Like for instance, you need troops, we've got you the best that goblins can provide, need some weapons of mass destruction, well, we've got that too, need a way to transport your troops from place to place, then hop on a zeppelin and we'll get you to where you want to be as fast as our flying machines can possibly go." said Ratso, listing out everything that Orgrim and his Horde could possibly get from the goblins besides the construction of ships.
"Then, we will ask you when it is required. I will also announce, that from now on, no unit of the Horde army will attack any of your places or people. You have the protection of the Horde." Officially stated Orgrim, now that they are required.
"Alrighty then, now when do you want your ships done?" said Ratso.
"Since we still have to deal with the dwarves and gnomes, it will take some time. But I could say, 30 days from now, we want our battleships to enter the sea. In 60 days, we should be ready for invasion" Orgrim stated bluntly.
"Well then, I would say that you get us the biggest port and all of the materials we need. Then you should have your fleet in the next two months." said a confident Ratso, "Oh and uh, Warchief."
"Yes?"
"I would like to say that when the war is over, and by that, I mean you and your Horde come out as the winners, then I think that my people should have a cut of the spoils, and by spoils, I mean all of the moolah that your people don't really need. Call it after payment for all of the hard work and time that my people have invested into your war campaign."
Only a light laugh was heard from Orgrim.
"When this world is finally ours, then we will discuss the payment. Don't worry, the Horde will remember your hard work."
"I was just making sure. And I will see to it that my people are ready to move out to the new port that we will be using." said Ratso.
"Now is there anything else you wish to know, before we start going our separate ways for now?"
"No, I think it's enough. We will probably meet again in some time. For now, let us part our ways, Ratso." Announced Orgrim.
Ratso then got up and extended his hand out to Orgrim saying, "Then we will see each other again, in probably two months, depending on whether you are going to conquer the port or the Dwarves first."
"Then, Ratso, start packing your items. In a few days, you might want to change places." replied the Warchief as a half-joke, but in reality, the invasion of the Wetlands has already begun.
"Then it was a pleasure and honor doing business with you Orgrim." said Ratso, shaking Orgrim's hand and then after that began leaving the room to let his people know about the job that they have been hired to do.
"Yes, it was a pleasure. The Horde, now, will be stronger than ever. We shall rule this world." Orgrim stated, as he was leaving the room.
Though while they both discussed information on their enemies, there was another listener. One who wasn't seen or heard, but extracted all that was worth listening in on.
Within the shadows of the room, two dark eyes opened suddenly, as a green light emitted, and the being that once stood there faded.
Once Ratso was notified by his assistant that Orgrim and his guards had left the port city and didn't leave anyone behind to supervise them, he began to gather everyone that would help with the construction of the ships as well as the repairing of any damaged buildings that they will most likely need for people to sleep and do shifts in. For while Goblins, by Orc standards, are the best at building things, that doesn't mean that they are able to get things done without sleep, even if they are given a hefty sum of moolah. And Ratso was quite aware of this, so instead, he proposed to give his people a heads up about what could possibly happen if they don't get the job done on time and that the ships are in tip-top shape. Because the last thing a Goblin wants is to get killed or beaten up for rushing things or neglecting to do what they were assigned to do. And frankly, after doing this, he noticed that his assistant had a look on his face indicating that he was troubled.
"Hey, um, boss. I have something on my mind.", said Ratso's assistant, hinting that he was a bit worried about this job.
"Well, spit it out! Time is money, and if we don't get our butts moving as soon as possible then we will have to pay the consequences and by "we", I mean you!", said Ratso showing that he isn't scared to show his authority as well as showing that he isn't also afraid to throw the blame onto his assistant.
"Ah yes, well, I was wondering. You said that you had the Warchief sign a contract, which means that we are now employed and allied to the Horde. So, what does that mean if they lose?", said Ratso's assistant.
"If they lose, then it was a mistake, if not then it was a good idea to do this. I honestly do not care if Orgrim wins or loses, as long as we get paid then I don't care if Orgrim even decides to burn the whole continent or get executed.", stated Trade Prince Ratso Steamwheedle, clearly showing that goblins are not above betrayal or cutting ties with organizations that end up losing or don't pay them good enough.
Which to be honest is understandable, because when do goblins care about anyone but themselves, even married couples or lovers care only about themselves in goblin society, though that doesn't mean that there weren't a few oddballs in there.
"Yeah, but uhm, I saw that Orgrim fellow before he left, and he looks like the guy who can carry a grudge, and I think that he didn't read the contract that you gave him because he looked too assured of our loyalty to his Horde.", said Ratso's assistant.
"Well then, boo hoo on him. Because it's not my fault that he can hear and speak Goblin through that magic bauble of his, but is unable to read Goblin or in most cases Common. And besides, even if he does find out that the contract only lasts as long as it is in the best interests of the Cartel, which means the final decision is based on whether he wins or loses, he will be locked in jail for a long time, seeing as those humans like to take prisoners of war at times.", said Ratso with as much confidence that they won't need to worry about any repercussions after cutting ties with the Horde, should the Horde lose the war of course.
"Yeah, but I honestly feel bad for him. But not too much that I would stick my neck out for him. But still maybe we could do something for him after the war should the Horde lose.", said Ratso's assistant, implying that there could be a way to let some steam off of them should anything go wrong.
To which, Ratso then began pondering this. And after thinking that it wasn't a bad idea, he then asked, "There doesn't happen to be anyone that we could use to potentially break Orgrim out of jail should the Horde lose the war, without it being traced back to the Cartel now, is there?"
"I believe that there is. Though he is quite young for his age, even so, I did hear that one of his employers hired him to take out a gang that was causing trouble for them on Kezan. And said the gang had five Hobgoblins employed, and he took them all down singlehandedly without a scratch. And he was only 8 years old when he took the job, which was a year ago if I am not mistaken.", said Ratso's assistant.
"Oh, and who might this rising star of a mercenary be?", asked Ratso believing that this might be the guy, or in this case the kid, that they will need to do this without damaging the Cartel's reputation should the war be lost and they cut ties with the Horde.
"He goes by the name of Rolo Screwtack. And I think I know how to contact him.", said Ratso's assistant.
"Rolo Screwtack eh, well, see to it that when the time is right that he is hired for a rescue mission, but remember that he needs to be discreet about this. And if anyone asks, tell him that it never happened and that he keeps the identities of his employers under wraps.", said Ratso.
"Will do boss, I will write it down on the list of things to do.", said Ratso's assistant while leaving him to get things prepared and to write that down on the to-do list.
Ratso then thought to himself on how to pay this Rolo Screwtack, after all, someone who is capable of taking down at least five hobgoblins at such a young age must be expensive. And though he could believe the story, just in case, he will also hire a trainer for Rolo Screwtack so that he can learn how to do things more efficiently. He will most likely use the Stormwind gold to pay for the trainer and the training, and with whatever the Horde gives them in gold, he will then use it as payment for hiring the young mercenary. And with that, he decided to prepare to pack his things, which won't be a problem since he was planning to blow up the port that his cartel has been using for some time in order to cut off the flow of moolah being sent to keep this place intact. This is in part because of the Wildhammer Dwarves, who are not too keen on becoming business partners, which mostly stems from their isolationist views. And because of that, the port city has been attacked on a somewhat daily basis because of the goblins causing "damage" to the environment. Ratso really doesn't care about the environment, but what he does care about is how much profit he is losing to keep the port city running. And now that he is able to get this place off of his mind for good. He can then finally relax once they get to the new port.
Which is a sentiment that a certain salaryman from another world entirely wishes he could do.
Then, I think another chapter is past us. In the next one, we return to the human side, as it's the main story after all.
Once again, comment on what you like, dislike, and anything else. Still, in a cultural way.