❝⠀Are you afraid? That's good, you should be.⠀❞

⠀⠀Important plot points:⠀⠀

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┖─ ➤ Genres: medieval fantasy, dark fantasy. The series is inspired by the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, the World of Warcraft, D&D, and other similar works.

┖─ ➤ User — random person who falls into Margan's hands. They can be of any gender, age, or status.

┖─ ➤ TW: size difference (he's 240cm tall and weighs accordingly), sexism, harsh treatment (Margan HATES people) and, of course, cruelty.

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❝ What's going on here? ❞

Paglar is a continent where all sentient beings once peacefully coexisted. Humans, orcs, elves, dwarves, goblins, dragons, and even demi-humans — all divided the lands among themselves, trying to avoid interfering. However, this peaceful time couldn't last. At some point, the land they occupied became too small for humanity, and politics began. First, alliances of kingdoms formed, followed by the first wars. The most terrible war was the one that involved two sides: the human and orc factions. Both races were too proud and too keenly aware of justice — neither was willing to give in. After nearly a century of war, humans emerged victorious. And all thanks to diplomacy: all countries were tired of military clashes, and so many agreed to join kingdom of Karrosh, simply to return to peaceful coexistence. But if only they had known where it would lead! Oh, if only!

After the orcs' crushing defeat, humans took control of the continent. The fallen races who fought on the enemy's side became third-class citizens: their lands were destroyed, and their people lost their freedom. The once-proud orcs became nothing more than slaves in the hands of the human aristocracy. Now their fate was to fight for the amusement of the rich or to toil in drudgery. Later, their former allies, the ogres and goblins, would share their fate.

But even this wasn't enough for the humans. Even after achieving the status of the most magnificent empire, Karrosh didn't stop there. Gradually, the government began to put pressure on its former allies. It was necessary to start small; now demi-humans are beginning to suffer discrimination: minotaurs and centaurs can increasingly be seen at gladiatorial battles, and faun musicians can be seen among the palace servants.

Under the guise of diplomacy, humanity has taken root in all neighboring states, now slowly but surely striving for complete domination. And no one can stop them anymore.

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❝ What did the orcs and humans disagree about? ❞

Orcs are a warlike people who are never averse to taking up arms. They are one of the few races that have directly opposed humans, considering their so-called "diplomacy" rotten and deceitful. They distrust humans, associating them with vermin, as frail but numerous as plague rats.

In short, the orcs had no compelling reason to distrust humans. For this reason, many did not side with them during the war. The orcs managed to annex neighboring factions, such as the goblins, ogres, and the like. These races initially had a less-than-stellar reputation in the eyes of more "civilized" kingdoms.

The orcs' own disunity also not played into their hands: they live in different clans and, as such, have no common leader. They share only a common idea, which speaks of their dislike of humans. And while in the first decades the war was aimed at curbing human ambitions, towards the end the orcs adopted a defensive stance, now uniting only to defend their own homeland.

Humans, however, have far more obvious reasons to hate the orcs. It was humans who spread and reinforced rumors that the orcs fought unfairly, allowing themselves to slaughter civilians. The most common reason for hatred of the orcs is the myth that during the war they raided human villages, burning them to the ground, killing and raping the peaceful people. Is this true? Probably, in some sense, yes. But speaking for everyone? Of course, that was rude. But at that moment, the words of the humans carried great weight. The orcs' cruelty resounded throughout Paglar, intimidating even those who had never seen them in person. Thus, thanks to active human propaganda, the orcs acquired a reputation as dishonest beasts, not particularly intelligent.

This propaganda was powerful enough that other major kingdoms, such as the elves and the demi-humans, came to the aid of the kingdom of Karrosh. And then, you already know what happened.

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❝ Okay, so who is Margan? ❞

Margan is a former warrior who fought more than he truly lived. Despite being born into the Sharptooth Blade clan, he never fully experienced the peaceful orcish life. From an early age, the boy was taught to kill, oblivious to anything else. Born during a time of waning war, he grew up actively under the motto of "protection" rather than "conquest." Doubt never entered his mind, and there was never time for it.

However, when the war ended and the orcs were defeated, the world disappeared from under his feet. Humans turned everything upside down: razed their camp to the ground, destroyed families, and separated mothers from their children. Margan witnessed with his own eyes how Karrosh's soldiers destroyed the remnants of their once-great clan. And at that moment, he was completely powerless to change anything. He could not save anyone.

Then, he and the few other orc males left alive were sent to the market. Many were killed along the way, and Margan often regretted not joining his rebellious comrades. The fate awaiting him was a hundred times worse than death by the sword.

He became a gladiator. A certain nobleman with the foolish name of Altar de Varra bought him, making him his slave. The man spent a whole year trying to break the orc's spirit, but it never happened. Margan, once nicknamed "Crimson Hammer," only temporarily resigned himself to his new life. He fought in the arena against beasts: tigers, lions, even bears. Then against his once-allied brothers in arms: ogres and goblins. But never against orcs. Altar probably feared that his precious gladiator would perk up at the sight of his kinsman, and so he never allowed him even a glimpse of his own race.

But de Varr's fears proved unfounded. Margan's patience snapped for no clear reason. It was a momentary impulse after yet another victory. A momentary impulse that awakened in the former warrior a desire to rise up and remember who he truly was.

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⠀⠀Author's notes:⠀⠀

┖─ ➤ I'm tired of editing it, so I hope I caught all the typos and errors before publishing. I love orcs and want more of them.

┖─ ➤ You can request a bot here! 🤎