Chapter 1 - Introduction

It was an arduous climb to reach the nest of the great dragon chief who had built his lair on the highest mountain peak. But Uru, the runt amongst the Urmnaf Clan of the Ogres, was determined to secure his place among his kin by stealing a piece of treasure from the dwelling place of the mighty Dragon People.



Not the brightest among living creatures, the Ogres lead simple lives, governed by the four F's of life. Fight, Flight, Food and Fu—ahem! Intercourse.



Ogres uses physical might to settle every dispute, whether it be the best piece of food, or the most alluring choice of mate (though their standards of alluring is questionable). Naturally, the strongest amongst the males is the chief, though none holds the post for any great length of time. The Ogres are a troublesome lot, always eager to indulge in frenzied, gruesome battle over the most trivial matters. Most fights aren't lethal, ogres have skins thicker than their skulls, and they don't usually fight to the death, except in extremely rare cases. Nevertheless, strength meant prestige and the strong ones are looked upon with grudging respect by everyone.



Uru, though not noted for anything significant except for his infuriating grin, knew that his chances of ever standing up in battle amongst his brothers were slim. He was born with a lighter body built, unlike his brothers who were muscle packed to the toes. But, if there's anything the Ogres respect second to strength…it's boldness. And Uru is nothing if not audacious. Their mother died when he was barely weaned, and they had to feed him root sap and fruit juices. Uru was tenacious enough to hang onto life, and his family tends to be protective of him. Lacking sufficient nourishment as an infant, Uru did not develop into the broad shouldered, stocky form of his brothers, which the Urmnaf clan is known for. But he was more cunning than the rest of them, his intellect a notch higher…though this may not make much difference anyway.



The ogres have very few enemies, most tend to leave them alone, for they were neither ambitious nor are they the marauder type. None ever dared to invade their territories though. What the Ogres lacked in brains, they made up in brute strength and great numbers.



Their territory is bounded by the Dragon clan in the mountainous regions of the north, the Griffin Riders to the East, while vast ocean served as their South and West borders.



A prize among the Ogres are the beautiful stones that adorned the heads, wrists, ankles of the Dragon People. Dragon Whisker loincloths made from the whisker of Sky Dragons are the most favored piece of clothing amongst the Ogres for its sturdy and water proof qualities. In exchange for hogs, the Dragon people traded 2 loincloths for every single pig, but for their beautiful stones, the Ogres have to barter 50 pigs for a handful of stones.



Uru's brothers in their own gruff, rough ways, cared for their youngest sibling who seems the odd one in the pack. It was the eldest' idea, to send Uru to steal a Dragon blue stone, the rarest one even amongst the Dragons. This way, they could secure a good bride price, that would enable Uru to have the strongest mate.



The coveted bride in question is Kallen, their Chief's daughter. Chief Dentargk, was the strongest amongst the other chiefs before him. He was also a tad more wiser than his predecessors. He had ordered the Ogres to stop fighting amongst themselves and instead of the usual brawling for the hand of his daughter, Dentargk decreed that only the Ogre with the highest number of Dragon stone can have Kallen.



Uru didn't care for the choice of mate, anyone will do for him, but the thought of how much meat he and his family could eat if he succeeded spurred him to agree. And he wanted his brothers to be proud of him for once.



So now here he is, contemplating the journey up ahead. Mount Wyvern, the home of the Dragon chief was at least 20,000 feet high at its loftiest peak. It was said that Chief Caspian built his lair at the trunk of the most ancient living tree in the land. It is there where Uru must go, to search for the treasure.

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