There was no denying that when all of Aaron's enemies gathered together, their numbers were formidable.
Gruumsh, the mighty Ork God-King who waged endless war on the plane of the Asura Battlefield, had lost first to Corellon, then to Moradin. Though his losses in the Battle of Arabel had been slight, Aaron's destruction of the Ork Ancestral Spirits had been a crushing humiliation. This time, Gruumsh sent an army of 20,000 Orks to join the war.
The Ork army was commanded by Gokuz Skulltaker, a towering Ork standing two meters sixty tall. He wore an enormous dragon-horned helmet, had a bloodstained claw mounted on one arm, and carried a row of Elf heads on his back. Sun Elves, Moon Elves, Star Elves, Wood Elves, Valley Elves, Eladrin-he had them all.
This Ork army had only one goal: to use Aaron's skull as a bowl, bring disaster to the Realms, and dedicate victory to Gruumsh.
Without question, the Ork army was a formidable fighting force. Gruumsh had sent battle-hardened veterans from the plane of the Asura Battlefield. Their arrival had, for a time, greatly reassured Manshoon, master of the Zhentarim. He thought that this time, they certainly would not lack a main force capable of fighting head-on.
But Orks were still Orks. The strengths and weaknesses of these seasoned fighters were like the two sides of Waukeen's coin. Their valor came hand in hand with savagery, plunder, and utter military disorder. Though Gruumsh repeatedly stressed that Gorgutz must obey orders and defeat Aaron first, Ork discipline lasted only a single day. On the second day, they began plundering the streets of Zhentil Keep, searching everywhere for meat and drink, relieving themselves wherever they pleased, and throwing unruly tantrums.
Manshoon had no choice but to drive the Ork army outside the city.