An Orcish Holiday Poem...

[Gamer Printshop]

The Twelve Nights of Yuleblood

When nights grow longest, and snows blanket all, tis the season of Yuleblood before Long Night's Fall, when spirit of First Orc visits our door, to decide if his bloodline will settle the score, as first among races in twelve nights, no more.

First night is hardest, a red wyrm we seek, hopefully in slumber atop a great peak, of gold and bright treasure and burnt hero bone, its dung that we want from that dragon sewn, something for spells for the shamaness crone.

Next we enter the Marshes of Men, who live in stone towers beside the Great Fen, taking a daughter or fat farmer's wife, we'll kill all the menfolk in glorious strife, then at midnight, we'll be taking her life.

Third to the forests where old enemy dwells, to those hidden archers and spell-casting elves, we won't chance to see the Woodlands nor Grays, nor their enchantments, nor arrow slays, we'll just put to torch, set their forests ablaze.

Gnashing and tearing, chomping and chewing, dining on halfling that's what we're doing, be better as elf-meat, if we had our due, less than a piglet, but more than a stew, means not just one halfing, instead we'll need two.

The roots of old mountains, in holes of dwarf clan, where forgers are forging the shields of their band, whose gaunt bearded faces and beer bellied shapes, shall meet orcish spear points to pop them like grapes, we'll sunder their laughter and silence their japes.

Boom, boom bringing their doom, the giants are marching and they're coming soon, big as the mountains, but they're just as dense, we're setting the pitfalls for our needed defense, we'll kill them with guile as they have no sense.

Rotting and stinking with maggoty stares, undead afoot, don't get caught unawares, from battlefields ancient, the fallen of brave, we'll bash in their skulls with stone hammers and staves, and send the arisen back to their graves.

They smell of dragon, these tiny churls do, the kobold's a morsel in any orc stew, we'll track them and snack them and bring them to bear, or drive them to pit traps waiting to snare, since they breed like rabbits there's plenty to share.

Hiding in deep beneath driven snow, beneath even dwarf holds this habit of Drow, these ebon-skinned devils, like their brothers up high, still elvish blood born, an orc can't deny, we hear them and fear them and seek their demise.

On high to the mountains, to village's cold, barbarians raging and bellowing bold, due to the inks under their skin, tattoos are poison they must be flayed thin, an orc must be careful too much means death's grin.

Once all the raiders return from their raiding, we feast on the windfalls still left from our sating and offer the chief's cut to First Orc ancestor, not of the green meat that's started to fester, only the best of halfling, elf or a man's sister.

In winter we orcs go merrily a raiding, to honor the First Orc before spirit's fading, to sing of our endless racial war's fight, one that the orc will win through our might, and celebrate the Yuleblood on this twelveth night.

GP

PS: this poem is part of the Cartographers' Guild December 09 Challenge - create a map to celebrate an Orcish Christmas. I intend to create a "children's book" format, one stanza and illustration per page, with cover up front and a map of the raid in the rear. Enjoy!

[limetom]

Oi, you iz mukkin' about.

:3

[Nomadic]

oi agree, he be mukkin' about whon he shoid be rokkin' (very cool poem though)

[LD]

Interestingly amusing.

[Gamer Printshop]

Thanks guys! Oi!

Rather than post all the images here (I'm not done yet, only four done), here's a link to my thread at the CG...

 The Twelve Nights of Yuleblood

I plan to create a PDF as the final format and I'll post here, when I'm complete.

GP

[Seraph]

Tha's right Orky, tha iz. DEFZ TO DEH SQUISHY MEN!!!!

[Gamer Printshop]

A couple more illustrations to make, but here's the final Challenge map that goes with the poem! This is very much a cross between a cartoon style and realistic to better match the chldren's story format for the final project.

GP

 

 Link to larger file

[Gamer Printshop]

Always looking for a commercial venture to take things, I've come up with an idea, unfortunately it won't be ready by Christmas. Take the illustrated children's story of the above poem and map, and couple it with a 1st level adventure module for a party of PC Orcs following the story line, as Pathfinder RPG. I might even publish this under Steven D. Russel of Rite Publishing, as he's made such an offer in the past.

I think it might be a fun module to work on!

Thoughts?

GP

[Gamer Printshop]

Here's a link to the final PDF containing the entire illustrated poem and map in Children's Story book format! Also attached the cover design for the poem/illustrations/map...

 

Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

GP

 Yuleblood