The Apindara Valley wash a lush dip in the Chadzara Mountains. Grass about two inches high, soft and green, covered this beautiful place. An orchard was in the valley as well, producing ripe, delectable green apples. A herd of buffalo were known to live in the area, though they were not there now.

No sign of orc was in this land, except for one poorly made hut of logs. Inside this lean-to of logs was a creature, a monster by human standards. Even among Orcish lore these creatures were to be respected and feared.

The name of the monster was troll. Orcs called such a race Nefrege, or mighty. These animals, though having a generally wiry appearance, had surprising strength. They were best known for their hunting skills. The monsters were blessed with infrared vision. They also had arms that were quite long. When standing upright, which was very hard considering their hunched spinal column, their hands could touch their knee caps.

They were bi-pedal, but they were different from the orcs and humans in many ways. Their skin felt very brittle and dry. If the skin was touched or rubbed too much, a thick, mucus like liquid would erupt from the crinkly skin. Once the mucus dried, the skin was back to normal. This mucus under the skin allowed the creature to heal mostly superficial wounds of the skin. There are tales of total regeneration, but those are mostly rubbish.

Trolls also had tusks that were about six inches long. They came from the corners of their mouth. Their nose was larger and protruded much farther form their face than the humans (Orcs practically had no nose). The head was shorter and a little wider than humans too, with a more lumped forehead and longer jaws. The skull of a troll was quite distinguishable from that of a human or orc.

Their skin was for the most part grey. They were common in the forests of the north. By hiding in the trees, the monster's grey form served as camouflage, since the dark clouds in that area were grey as well.

Obviously, this troll was out of place. Gustrau sought to talk to the beast. When the Cazmarae tribe descended into the area, the troll, named Oswrot, had helped them settle down. He even helped build the great hall. Gustrau needed his assistance for his difficult task.

He found the troll's hut. The troll had seen the young, wiry youth coming long before Gustrau had even found the hut. "I smelled your reek boy," Stated the troll in a harsh tone from inside the hut, "Before you came into the valley." (Both orcs and humans produced a very strong odor. They were not hunting races, and thus had very productive sweat glands.)

With a very stern look on his face, Oswrot emerged from the lean-to and stood before the orc boy. He stood about 6'3'' when hunched, which was common height for the race.

With an equally hard face, Gustrau matched the grim stare of the mighty hunter. "My people have died, I need your helped."

Oswrot's features went from the harsh stare to an understanding look. "I smelled the orcish blood in the wind the night before. So it was the slaughter of your tribe?"

"Yes," said the determined orc, "I want you to help me." Gustrau, though considered a weak orc in all respects to his physiognomy, had extreme mental prowess and could handle such heavy emotional experiences. He had suffered greatly two days before, but now all he felt was the wish of death for the human.

The troll glanced upward. The sky had gone from a clear blue to a dark and dismal grey. The change had been almost instant, as it had been clear when Oswrot first spoke to the boy. He sniffed the air, "We must come in. There is magic at work here."

The orc entered the stick hut. Before his eyes could adjust to the light change, Oswrot turned around and shoved his fist hard against the face of the orc. The pain shot through his contorted countenance and it went all the way to his rapidly bowing back. He felt his nose crack as the concussion of the blow knocked him to the ground. The world was black. Gustrau had been knocked unconscious.