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A Kutt above

Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2022 7:58 am
by Fume
The baron stood on the stone balcony of his solar, silently surveying the stars and moon above as he waited for word. A man in advanced years, his wrinkled and weathered face hinted at great wisdom, and his greying beard was trimmed and neat. His yellow and gold tunic, hinted of one who had once travelled the lands in the name of Torm.
The distant faded moans of a woman giving birth fell silent as the baron listened, looking up to the moonlit sky with pursed lips. It seems the time had finally arrived.
As he stared up at the night sky, a firey pin of light suddenly streaked accross it and then was gone, almost as quickly as it had appeared. The man raised a bushy eyebrow at the momentary falling star as footsteps approached.
The midwife with a bloodied apron looked at the man with a tired expression as he turned to her.
"How is my daughter?" He inquired with concern.
"Tired, but strong. She needs rest" Announced the midwife.
The man nodded at the good news with relief then eyed the midwife with a sunken brow.
"The newborn?...is it...?"
"The newborn lives, a girl my lord." She advised, "...however, the tainted bloodline runs deep in her features." She added with dissapointment. At that moment, the shrill shrieking cry of a beastlike newborn echoed down the keeps hall from the chambers. The baron was visibly taken aback by the unsettling cries as the midwife turned her head toward the sound as she spoke darkly "Perhaps, it would be more mercifull to free it now...if my lord wishes. The path ahead for such a creature will be sown with sorrow and hardship" She offered as the two listened to the beastlike shrieking.
The lord turned away and looked up to the skies, hands clasped behind his back. After a moments thought and recomposure he spoke.
"No. By the hand of Torm shall it live or die, not mine. See to its needs, no harm is to come to it. Am I understood?"
The midwife sighed. "as you command my lord"

Re: A Kutt above

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2022 2:49 am
by Fume
Now a halforc in her early teens, Grazelda as her mother had named her had a strong frame and dark green skin. Her facial features were heavily orcish and her teeth were wolflike with large canines that protruded from her mouth unless she consciously hid them with her lower lip.
Being raised in a privalidged, if not regimented household, she spoke quite articulately, was clean and well kept and she was generally well mannered. Due to the standing her family enjoyed within the local community, she had avoided much of the cruelty and mockery that her kind attracted, but not all, and she was well aware of the prejudice that many held against her for her bloodline, both overt and clandestine.
Her mother, once a noble socialite, after Grazeldas birth had become a recluse within the keep. Having moved around in noble circles and the life of the privalidged, she could not stomach the constant whispers and rumours at her expense, so forsake the lifestyle and turned inwards, some say studying the dark arts within the depths of the keep, but others questioned that, given that her father, baron of the keep had been a champion of Torms light in his youth.

Grazeldas mother did not hate her, but was always distant and unengaged, as though this hardship the gods had thrust upon her was one without escape. As for Grazelda, she found little comfort in her mothers company and feared her grandfather fervently, for he was the baron of the keep and a strong leader with unrelenting views on rightousmess. Many times she had felt his wrath while growing up. Now advanced in his years, her grandfather had lost much of his youthfull strengh, but his wit was sharp as ever, and his tough discipline remained undiluted and headstrong.

Grazelda had gone to the markets this day to fetch some supplies for the keep. It was one of her chores and she had grown used to the occasional stare in public. She was not THAT uncommon after all.
There she had been assailed by the Gatcon brothers who had taken to taunting her. The primal rage in her orcish bloodline saw her knock two of the brothers down with powerfull strikes, her grandfather had taught her well. But alas, three against one was just too many and she was eventually beaten down before the town guard broke it up.
She returned home bloodied, not in tears, but dissapointed and frustrated, that by no matter how hard she tried, how well she spoke, how well she dressed, that there were those who would always see her as an outcast, as an orc.

Re: A Kutt above

Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2022 2:30 am
by Fume
Grazelda stormed through the large wooden gates of the keep, one of the door guards raising an eyebrow at her as she passed. Blood was streaked down one side of her face and her left eye was starting to close up from swelling.
Her mother who was in the keeps forecourt near the ox carts was sitting in front of an easel painting. She glanced at Grazelda unemphatically and continued painting.
"Been making friends again I see." she quipped dryly. Grazelda growled with rage and yelled at her mom. "I wish I was dead!" She declared angrily, then ran off into the keep proper.
"Well thats something we have in common." her mother said dryly once she was gone, continuing her painting.

Grazelda ran through keeps ornate front doors almost knocking over the butler who was walking by inside. He spun around skillfully saving a tray of tea from falling onto the rich red carpet in the foyer.
"Lady Grazelda!" He complained. Grazelda stormed through an archway punching the granite wall as she did so. She stopped, panting.
She noticed the corridor to the armoury. She rarely went that way, being forbidden to go there unsupervised.
Feeling rebelious, she headed down the corridor.
She passed an open arched side chamber where some guards were having lunch at a long wooden communal table.
"You not meant to be here!" one guard pointed out as he saw her walk past, preparing to get up.
"Let her go, shes a big girl now." Another said as Grazelda continued down the hall. There were heavy doors along the corridor but at the end  was a heavy barred door which led down stairs. She opened it and headed down stairs. The chambers below the keep were dark, damp and stunk. She stormed through the dirty chamber with some hay and rubbush strewn about. She noticed bars on doors either side of her and realised these were the keeps holding cells. She was in the keeps jail. She can remember being here only once before when she was very young. She had accidentally strayed down here and was scolded sternly. Dangerous people and, things were held down here.

She passed a cell where a figure in the darkness plaeded."let me out!".  She ignored it and continued to very end of the holding cells. She kicked a barrel of stagnant water, punched the wall and slid down it with her back, sitting on the putrid ground defeatedly. She stared forward blankly, hating her life. A tear formed under her eye. She listened as the jail grew silent. The sounds of squeaking rats, a howling draft and the occasional distant moans of the cells inhabitants were all that could be heard down here. A dismal place.

A gruff voice broke the silence startling her. She turned quickly to a silhouette of a figure sitting at the back of an open sided barred cell to her right.
"Poor girl, poor poor little girl. Your life so hard huh? Come to cry your life so hard?"
Grazelda got to her feet, staring into the darkness. The creature was humanoid, but not human.
"Who are you? Show yourself!"
The figure considered that for a moment then decided to comply. It slowly began to move, the sound of clanking shackles followed the figure as it limped toward the cells bars into the dim torchlit light.
Grazeldas eyes widened as large green fingers of a left hand gripped the bars as the figure stood at them. It was a tall, emaciated, aging green skinned orc. Its right forearm stump rested against the bars, a large scar where the hand had once been.
The orcs right eye was just a white cloudy sickly bulb. Countless scars covered its body.

"We finally meet!" Said the orc gruffly, revealing broken and missing teeth.
Grazelda took a step in shock. "Who are you?"
The orc chuckled at that a monent before its expression became deadly serious. "Whats wrong? Do you not recognise me?" It asked, glaring at her with its one good eye.
Grazelda searched the orcs face, then it dawned on her. She raised her hand and touched her own cheek bone. In shock she took a step back as the orc, seeing her realisation burst out laughing, coughing as he did so, doubling over wheezing.
"It cant be!. It CANT BE!" Grazelda yelled, "...Grandfather killed you! Your DEAD! He KILLED you!" This only caused the aging orc to laugh even more.

Re: A Kutt above

Posted: Thu May 05, 2022 9:36 am
by Fume
After some moments coming to grips with the fact that she was standing in front of her orc father in a dark jail beneath the keep she had lived in all her life, she stared at his leathery features as he glared back at her silently with his one good red eye. They were surveying each others features with discusted apprehension,  but also curiosity, as one would stare into a dissapointing reflection.

"How long have you been down here?" Grazelda finally asked timidly. The orc glared at her a moment and then his expression softened slightly. "How long have you been alive?" He retorted. She gasped quietly. The orc blinked at her. "You looks strong. Can you come closer so me can see you a little better. I want to.." the orc stuttered slightly, he sounded frail, perhaps the effects of years spent in a cell Grazelda surmized. "...I want to see how strong my blood has grown." He stuttered emotionaly.
Grazelda took a step back apprehensively. The orc tilted his head pleadingly, his expression weak and sullen. It appeared what fight he had, had left him years ago. Grazelda sighed, took a deep breath and stepped closer. The orc pushed his face against the bars and squinted with his one good eye, trying to see her closely. Grazelda rolled her eyes and took another step closer. The orc seemed to become frustrated.
"Show yourself! Do you fear me? I am not long of this world, I can barely stand."
"I do not fear you!" Grazelda growled and stormed up to the bars. She gripped the bars and stared up directly into her fathers large face. Her father, shocked at her forwardness blinked at her momentarily as his eye darted up and down her form. Seconds later his sullen expression flashed into one of glaring rage as he snarled at her furiously.
As Grazelda tried to back away she felt a huge hand grab her around the neck through the bars. The orc grinned with spitefull relish as he held Grazelda through the bars at arms lengh around the neck choking her. She tried to call for help but couldn't speak from the choke hold.
She beat at the orcs trunk like powerfull forearm with her fists as he choked harder and lifted her off the ground like squirming insect. She could not beleive his strengh. He bellowed triumphantly at her as he choked, taunting her for falling into his trap.
"You stink of human, weak" the orc growled as he choked her. The words were followed by a tirade of orcish profanities before the orc switched back to common.
"Me not human" he declared with venomous spite, apparently mocking the human condition of emotion, "Me don't care who you is."
Grazelda struggled helplessly as she started to black out. "You think I care for you? Hah! You are why I have been here for 2 decades!" The orc bellowed with rage as Grazelda passed out and fell limp. The orc watched her go limp and upturned his lip in thought a moment. With a powerfull toss he threw her limp body accross the jail and snorted, turning away.

Some time later Grazelda awoke, laying on the dirty jail floor. Her neck hurt and she rubbed it as she pushed herself up coughing. She played back in her mind what had happened and where she was. She should be dead she realised wide eyed, yet she was alive.
She was about to flee the jail but stopped, turning to the orc who now once again sat in the shadows of his cell, were she had first encountered him.
"I didn't die, you failed you stupid orc!" She declared with a croaky voice. The orc laughed heartily at that, unscathed by it.
Grazelda hesitated before finally asking with a rasp voice. "Whats so funny? Is your mind gone?"
The orc explained coldly with satisfaction.
"Killing you would aid my captors. You serve me better alive halfblood. A burden to those above, the abomination that they could never bring themselves to kill and gut. You still live because I willed it."
Grazelda ran off in dismay as the orc laughed.

Re: A Kutt above

Posted: Tue May 17, 2022 3:05 am
by Fume
The orc sat in the shadows of his cell, almost trancelike. Time was an illusionary thing, it simply passed. Minutes, hours, months, years, all the same at this point. He did not know how long it had been, but once again he saw Grazelda standing before his cell.

Slowly coming out of his trancelike state, he rubbed his good eye and blinked as he surveyed her. Her eye which had been swollen last time he saw her had gone down considerably, and only a black line beneath it remained of the blunt trauma it had sustained. It had been approximately a week or slightly more since they had last met he surmised from this.

"Back so soon?" He grizzled gruffly. "Come to ask me to end your pathetic existance this time?" He offered. He noted that Grazeldas expression was hardened, she had clearly steeled herself since last they met. "Do you want your freedom?" She asked sternly. The orc considered that, examining her body language. He finally responded tiredly from the shadows.
"That is not yours to give, though I wager even if it was, you wouldn't do it." Grazelda thought a moment. "I could bring you food, real...food, meat, still bloody" The orcs stomach spasmed in reaction to that thought and he could not help but lick his lips before he recomposed himself. He gave her a wary sidewards glance. "What is it you want halfblood?"
"You will teach me how to be orc. You were right, humans shun me, I am not one of them"
This surprised the orc and he could not help but smirk as he stood and strode up to the bars, his shackles clanking. He pressed his face against the bars and glared at her. "You are not one of us either, halfblood. Cursed to always be alone, untill your miserable existance finally ended." he pointed out and grinned with relish. He surveyed her expression, hoping for sadness, but Grazelda was unmoved. She strode up to the bars within his reach and stared up into his one good eye. Given that he had nearly killed her last time she had done that, this surprised him.
"Are you going to agree, or not?" Scathed Grazelda. The orc contemplated her words as he glared down at her. He licked his lips.
"Meat first halfblood...fresh, bloody"He announced. At that he returned to the shadows of his cell again.
"Meat, bloody" Grazelda affirmed, "you will teach me the ways of the orc in return"
The orc snorted in admission, sealing the deal.


After some time, Grazelda returned with a sizable lump of meat. The orc smelt it from a mile off and was already at the bars waiting.
He saw the meat Grazelda held and licked his lips.
"Give give give!" He asked excitedly like a child.
Grazelda glared at him.
"You will teach me orc ways" she reaffirmed
The orc nodded quickly." Give give give!"
She threw the meat at the base of the bars and ghe orc grabbed it and ate it voraciously. Grazelda watched with a contorted face of discust as the orc made a mess of the meal but then was quickly finished.
"More more more!" He yelled with blood spitting from his mouth whilst beating at the cell bars.
"No more for today. Now you teach me" Grazelda retorted.
"MORE!!!" yelled the orc in rage. Grazelda folded her arms and watched as the orc raged in a tantrum, charging at the bars and ramming them. Leaping around his cell and beating on the bars yelling. "MORE, MORE, MORE!" After some time of this continued behaviour, Grazelda sighed and left.
She returned the next day, finding that her father had settled into the shadows.
"You want more meat, you will teach me" she announced sternly. The orc snorted, then said something in orcish.
"What? What did you just say?"
And just like that, school was in.