For Droru Lantresso Frostwolf, the past five years had probably been the happiest time of his life since he'd been forced to leave his homeland.
No—
Perhaps, setting aside the longing and family ties, his life had been even better than it was back home.
Orc tribes were typical patriarchal societies, and resources were desperately scarce. At best, women were treated as prized possessions; at worst, they were slaves.
Male orcs took pride first in their combat prowess, wealth, and territory, and then in the number of women they owned and the number of male children those women bore them.
His mother had been a slave. Fortunately, he'd shown talent from birth, and during his coming-of-age ceremony, he'd ambushed and killed a young dragon on the cliffs of the Spine of the World. That had set him apart from his many brothers. His father had granted him the surname Lantresso Frostwolf and promised to grant him one request, so long as it wasn't too unreasonable.
But when he asked his father to free his mother from slavery, his request was flatly refused.
Desperate, Droru sought comfort from the Shaman (Orc Cleric). The wise old shaman told him that the orcs' system was built on strength and honor. Wealth could also persuade the powerful to bend the rules, of course. If he wanted to change his mother's fate, he would need to win more battle honors or find his father a Wondrous Item imbued with supernatural power. Only then would there be even the slightest chance.
Gruumsh, the Orc god, revered combat and allowed no sign of peace among his followers. The orcs who worshipped him believed they had to conquer as much land as possible to survive, making them enemies of every creature living nearby.
But to the north lay