Legends of Skyrim: The Wood Orc (BOOK ONE)

Prologue - Valenwood

The forests of Valenwood are home to, not only Bosmer, but to the Wood Orcs, Orcs that have diverged from their Northern cousins. They do share many characteristics, and a deep veneration for Malacath, but in combat they couldn't be more different. "Like the Elves of the forest," one Imperial expeditionist famously reported, "They leap from tree to tree, and truly are one with the forest."
Durag Ugrua was raised in a time of unrest, at the hands of the Thalmor. His Orc clan, the Darkferns of Elden Hollow, attempted to resist the Thalmor takeover, but failed. As the Thalmor swept through the cities and villages of the forest, the combined Bosmer rebels and Wood Orc tribes were losing ground quickly. The young Durag was too young to fight, but wanted to contribute somehow. He shouldered more of the responsibilities for his stronghold and became an adept hunter during these times of War. As the years passed, he watched as family members and clanmates diminished. All he could do was hunt and practice archery, preparing for the day when he was allowed to fight. One day, his father did not return from a raid. He waited at the stronghold gates, day and night, but to no avail. Durag wanted nothing more than revenge on the Thalmor, but the Chief, an old Orc by the name of Dushgonk Batok, knew that to continue the fight would only result in more meaningless death, and refused. The War was over, and it became clear there was no way the Thalmor would relinquish their grip on Valenwood. The country was officially absorbed into the Aldmeri Dominion. The young Wood Orc was furious and was determined to continue the fight, against Chief Dushgonk's orders.

To conceal his identity in the villages of the forest, he fashioned himself a wooden mask and wore it any time he left the stronghold. He raided Thalmor caravans and put his archery skills to use, taking out several high-ranking officials. One of the Bosmer rebels introduced him to a Venom Harvester, and he began to purchase extremely potent spider venom to use in his quest. His venom-tipped arrows proved incredibly effective, and he put such fear into the Thalmor that they began to abandon their patrols. His success was short-lived, however, as the Dominion put an extremely high bounty on the anonymous masked archer's head. Thalmor Wizards were sent to scour the villages, and they even went so far as to burn down sections of the forest to find him. Durag returned to the stronghold one night to be confronted by Chief Dushgonk. The old Orc was furious, clutching a bounty letter displaying an image of his wooden mask. Even though the Orcs of the forest viewed combat differently to their cousins, they were still Orcs through and through. They lived by a code, and when that code is broken, there must be a price. Durag knew this meant exile, and abandonment from Malacath. He argued with Chief Dushgonk over the tribe's inaction, made sure the entire tribe knew he thought them cowards, and departed into the wilds of the world. Durag wandered for over a decade, traversing Tamriel until he found himself in the war-torn province of Skyrim. There, he made the wildlands and the forests his home. He never wished to stay near the Nords in their stone cities, instead finding pleasure in the company of those who seek to embrace nature and live under the stars, living as small game hunters outside the bounds of city life.