August 24, 2015, 06:57:00 PM

Written by Sadok

Kosh'harg Festival

Orcs of the Red Blade have hosted Kosh’harg twice a year uninterrupted since September 2007 — this will be our seventeenth Festival, and our first on Argent Dawn. 

I’ve done thorough research about past AD Kosh’hargs, and it seems as though they were ad-hoc initiatives by different individuals with varying degrees of success. Assuming that nobody else has planned their own festivities yet, we’re hoping to offer a full week of RP to the whole Horde community, with a selection of à la carte events and casual RP.

If you would like to help out with one of the events or add your own activities to the Festival, please let us know — we love to collaborate with people, and we want this week to be as successful as possible. We’d particularly like to hear from people wanting to run stalls at the Garadar Market on Saturday 26th September.

When is it?: The Festival kicks off Sunday 20th September, with an event every night for a week, concluding with the Kosh’harg Celebration on Sunday 27th September. RP usually picks up from the early evening until the wee hours of the morning.

Where is it?: Garadar, Nagrand — the final Celebration will be held in the shadow of Oshu’gun, as is customary.

What is it?: In times of old upon Draenor, the orcish clans would forsake their grudges and grievances and gather around the spring and autumn equinoxes to feast, tell tales and honor the ancestors. With Outland’s rediscovery some years ago, orcs eager to reclaim their traditions have continued to hold the Festival — now expanded to all peoples of the Horde.

During the Festival, Nagrand is considered sacred ground, and so it is a grave dishonor to commit violence or pursue vendettas against others in attendance. Sparring and honor-duels in a competitive, respectful fashion are of course permitted, and tournaments are not uncommon during the festivities.

Who may attend?: Any Horde-affiliated peoples or neutral parties willing to respect the Kosh’harg’s rules are welcome to attend. Alliance-aligned individuals are recommended not to attend, but the brave, respectful and curious may be tolerated.

Why Outland's Nagrand, not Draenor? With some stranded upon the alternate Draenor during the last festival, they are eager to honor the ancestors upon the original Draenor’s remains once more, where the other past festivals have been held. Despite the problematic status of the Dark Portal, skilled portal magi from major Horde cities are still able to open portals to Shattrath City.

((OOC: We held Kosh’harg on Draenor last time, and it proved more problematic than anything — higher level mobs everywhere, phasing issues and a lack of a good central camp. Returning to Outland enables use of Garadar, opens the event up to lower-level characters, and avoids a lot of those awkward phasing headaches.))

Event Calendar [subject to change]:

SUN 20/9 - Opening Ceremony

An introduction to the Kosh’harg, followed by feasting and chatter around the Garadar campfires.

MON 21/9 - Brawl For All Tournament

A bare-knuckle fighting series with minimal armor. Those gathered compete to demonstrate their strength, agility and tenacity. ((No-frills roll-dueling.))

TUE 22/9 - Challenge of the Wyvern

Teams use their cunning and wits, traversing the lengths of Nagrand to solve riddles and win fabulous prizes.

WED 23/9 - Storytelling Night

Everyone is welcome to tell stories around the Garadar campfires, or simply listen in.

THU 24/9 - Tournament of Honor [PvP]

Equip your finest armor and weapons as the gladiators of the Horde do battle in a bid to become Champion of Kosh’harg. ((RP-PvP tournament with minimal restrictions, full rules posted soon.))

FRI 25/9 - The Lucid Tale

With the influence of ancient shamanistic magics and hallucinogenic substances, old campfire stories come alive — dangerously so! ((IC raid-run of a selected TBC/WotLK/Cata raid, to be announced.))

SAT 26/9 - Garadar Market

Traders and merchants peddle their wares across Garadar, with a range of luxurious souvenirs and stranger goods guaranteed.

SUN 27/9 - Kosh’harg Celebration

The climax of the Festival — the ancestors are honored in the shadows of Oshu’gun. Additional activities include feasting, brawling, storytelling and the infamous drunken backwards-race.

And finally…

We’re keen to get as many individuals and guilds from the Horde community involved as possible, to make Garadar an RP hotbed for a full week. If this sounds like the kind of thing you or your guild might be interested in, please message us to indicate your interest.

If you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to message an Orcs of the Red Blade officer: Kozgugore, Therak, Rhonya, Srelok, Gridish, Kargnar or Sadok.

[Rise of Clan Felblade]

June 23, 2015, 06:43:00 PM

Written by Sadok

Rise of Clan Felblade

Play video for article soundtrack.

“By Mannoroth’s blood, who would -ever- have thought I would be glad to see you again?”

Akesh the Poisoner’s eyes shone a sickly bright green, sparkling keenly with infinite malevolence as he regarded his captive. Bound in chains with a coarse burlap sack over his head, the prisoner still seemingly had some fight in him — he squirmed and growled, struggling against his bonds even now.

Akesh paused, his clawed hands clasping together, as he savoured the sight of the captive squirming and flailing in the jungle muck and vines. His prisoner’s once-gleaming armor was now filthy, disheveled and ragged; and at last, he let out a muffled wheeze of protest and ceased his writhing, just panting pathetically now.  

Not broken yet… but so close to the brink, the Poisoner thought. Akesh’s cracked lips parted and twisted into a maddened smirk, as he afforded himself a moment to gloat, a guttural chuckle rumbling from his taut, muscular body. The captive was still, his chest rising and falling weakly. 

“Let us see that face once again,” Akesh grinned down to the captive, pulling the sack off his head with a sadistic flourish. 

Akesh’s piercing eyes narrowed as he scrutinised Grenth Stonebrow, now glaring silently at him through tired-looking slits. Grenth’s long, narrow face was still unmistakably proud and brown-skinned — but covered in cuts, bruises and sores, with an overgrown and tangled beard. Even now, he was still crowned with his iconic armored wolf-mask. All the better, the Poisoner mused to himself. 

“Did my orcs mistreat you, oh King of Wolves? I must humbly beg forgiveness, I only commanded that you were brought back… alive.” Grenth gave no response, so the Poisoner snapped his sharp ochre fangs in amusement and spoke again. 

“Life is full of choices,” Akesh lectured, pacing restlessly back and forth amongst the thick jungle overgrowth. “When I rose against you and your kind to serve a greater master, you chose to condemn me to exile rather than take my head. That was a mistake.

“And then, when I returned to seize -my- Clan and defeated you, the mighty Wolfking fled and went into exile himself. That too was a mistake. Two long winters you hid from us. And you hid well, far from our prying eyes. But there is no escape save for death. I might have killed you, once. But now, I have other plans for you.”

Akesh flexed his grotesque claws idly, then slowly withdrew from his satchel a rounded flask glowing ominously with eldritch glyphs. It contained a bubbling green liquid, and Grenth could feel its heat irradiating outwards. A dire energy emanated from within the flask, its very presence casting shadows about the undergrowth. 

Grenth’s weary bloodshot eyes widened at the sight, and he spoke at last.

“…No.”

Akesh’s manic grin returned. “I see fear in your eyes, my old friend. But there is no reason to be afraid.”

The Poisoner straightened his back, looking at the flask as if momentarily mesmerized. Grenth’s eyes darted up and down his form with a kind of exhausted panic, noticing for the first time the strange growths protruding from Akesh’s shoulderblades.

“Unto Grenth of the Line of Kraag, I bestow this gift — the blood of rebirth, the nectar of ecstacy, the same blessing of unity offered to all orcs by the great Gul’dan and his Shadow Council. We have all drank eagerly, and we have been reborn as Clan Felblade — now submit to me and accept this gift, or you will know the pain of a thousand deaths.”

Grenth’s jaw clenched, and straining against his iron bonds, he spoke slowly, his indignant voice still carrying the same weight and authority of a Chieftain. 

“By the spirits, I will not bow,” he spat at Akesh, “I will not bend my knee to you or any orc, and I will not submit to this madness. You have damned our Clan twice over, foul Poisoner, and enslaved its soul for the sake of your thirst for power.”

Akesh looked back at Grenth and cackled madly, his cracked ashen skin visible beneath his iron armor. “What you say amuses me! The only thirst is bloodthirst, and I have tasted the enemy’s blood, trampled the weak underfoot, and delivered -my- Clan from hiding in caves and shivering in the snow to conquerers serving a Legion with power beyond your reckoning!”

Grenth shook his head sadly. “By my honor, I will never—"

Akesh interrupted Stonebrow, snarling. “Silence,” he demanded. “Now -you- will listen and I will speak, wretch. As I have said, life is full of choices — and as you have chosen to refuse this gift, you will have it forced upon you.”

Akesh clenched the flask tight in his grip as he began to chant in the dae’mon’s tongue. Grenth growled angrily as his body began to levitate from the undergrowth, still immobilised by his bonds. With a flick of his wrist and more foul words, Akesh invoked a circle of demonic sigils on the ground under Stonebrow, who let out a howl of intense pain. The iron chains binding him began to glow with the same bright-green sigils, the metal heating up and scalding his flesh as it began to fuse with his skin.

Entirely helpless and suspended in mid-air, Grenth writhed in agony. His chains were now permanently melded to his form, smoke rising from his burnt flesh. Akesh took slow strides towards him, still muttering the dark invocations — and uncorked the flask, waves of heat and light irradiating upwards. He forced the flask to his former Chieftain’s lips and spoke forcefully.

“Drink.”

June 03, 2015, 10:32:00 PM

Written by Sadok

[A New Dawn & A New Trailer]

May 22, 2015, 08:36:00 PM

Written by Sadok

A New Dawn & A New Trailer

<iframe width="600" height="338" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/8SYE0CgnG58" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Feast your eyes upon our brand-new recruitment trailer, made especially for Orcs of the Red Blade's move to Argent Dawn on the 9th of June 2015! Best enjoyed in full-screen and 1080p resolution, it features cinematography and voice-work by Kozgugore, a soundtrack mixed by Sadok, and a cast of over 30 Red Blades!

For more information about our migration from Defias Brotherhood to Argent Dawn, please use the following quick links:

• A New Dawn — Announcement
• A New Dawn — Discussion [Members Only]
  
• A New Dawn — Fundraising [Members Only]
  

[A New Dawn]

May 12, 2015, 01:00:00 AM

Written by Sadok

A New Dawn

On Tuesday the 9th of June 2015, Orcs of the Red Blade are moving to the Argent Dawn RP realm after just under ten years on Defias Brotherhood RP-PvP. We have enjoyed our many years on Defias, and are proud to have been a strong and stable cornerstone of its RP community for months shy of a decade.

But after a consultation phase of soliciting the opinions and feedback of our core membership, a clear majority have decided that moving realms will provide Orcs of the Red Blade with more roleplay opportunities, from new friendships with Horde guilds to exciting encounters with the Alliance community, allowing us to remain faithful to our RP-PvP roots in a way that Defias can no longer offer.

Argent Dawn, with its larger playerbase and wider range of guild concepts, will provide our members with both a more satisfying roleplay experience, from casual tavern nights to wider campaign focuses, and a more sustainable, stable home from which the Red Blade tribe can only grow and prosper.

There’s only one thing missing, however: YOU!

Orcs of the Red Blade’s continued success relies on the enthusiasm and activity of its dedicated members, and so our motto for this transfer is very simple: “No Orc Left Behind.”

We are currently raising funds amongst our members to pay for realm-transfers for those who cannot afford the switch, with the intention of retaining as close to all of our active core membership as possible. It is our hope that every Red Blade is able to migrate successfully to our new home, so we have the strongest possible start on Argent Dawn. You will find threads in the members-only section of our forums for those that either wish to donate or require a donation themselves.

If you are interested in joining Orcs of the Red Blade and are on Defias Brotherhood, please be aware of this transfer before you apply. If you are rolling a new character for the guild or are transferring a character from another realm, it is recommended you do this on Argent Dawn ahead of the move.

Understandably, this period of transition will leave some of you with questions or concerns, and the officer-team are available to handle any and all queries related to our realm transfer. Please contact Kozgugore, Sadok, Rhonya, Therak or Gridish should you require any further information.

Then, Now and Forever… For the Blood of the Tribe~!