A Zaghbuurz Funeral

GukLuk's eyes glitter as he keeps them fixed on the corpse.

>From atop the great wagon, Krinter steers the wagon into the area, stopping it by his tent. He looks around at the ohters and hops off, along with his 4 uruk-hai wagon guards. Gog sits on the platform at the moment.

The Narkuu-Mat seach seems to feel relief at seeing Krinter and Gog arrive, and they move towards the wagon, jostling other Uruks out of the way as they go.

Krinter has arrived.

The gathered uruks, starts to chant Uluri's name over and over...louder and louder...

Gog has arrived.

In a small clearing behind the Zaghbuurz Shaman's tent, the larger part of the Zaghbuurz tribe is gathered. A slab of stone has been covered in black cloth, and upon that slab lies the still form of an Orc. The body is covered up completely, but for the face and one arm, which reveals the Orc to be Uluri, the deceased Durub-Tala-Hai of the Zaghbuurz. Two burly Uruks stand on each side of the altar and there is built a fire which is not lit at the present.

Morgran gets bumped by another snaga and elbows him hard, "Me watch..me got body..you stand back.." The other snaga grumbles for a moment and then steps back

Gog hops down and motions the Narkuu-mat near. and then turns to follow Krinter

The Zgahbuurz Guards bar any other than Zaghbuurz entry to the small clearing behind the tent.

Marrg arrives from the nearby road.

Sha-Gruuk comes walking into the circle of Orcs, his cloak drawn tightly around him with the hood concealing all of his face. His yellow eyes, can be seen burning from within the hood. He faces the body of Uluri and traces an arcane sign in the air before turning to his Tribe and pulls the hood back from his face. The few torches that are lit gives his face, pockmarked with small burn-wounds, an eerie look. He has dark rings under his eyes from going without sleep for the past three days whilst preparing for the ritual. His eyes flare and he seems only fatigued on the outside, not the inside. He intones in a booming voice "Members of the Zaghbuurz ! The time has arrived for us to perform the Rites of Transgression for our departed Durub-Tala-Hai, Uluri ! He fell in brave battle against the Tark hordes in their Dank Caverns and it falls upon us to deliver his spirit unto the Afterlife, so he may be rejoined with Our Master, the Dark Lord." He pauses slightly, before shouting !

"To the EYE !"

Marrg bows.

Uruks shout in return "the Eye!"

The Uruks in the half-circle around the body, shout out in unison "To the EYE !", their eyes gleaming slightly as Sha-Gruuk produces a metal container from under his cloak. Opening, he thrusts his hand inside and brings out a lump of coal, glowing slightly red. His flesh sizzles as he holds the coal up, but Sha seems not to notice in his religious fervour.

Gog mutters to himself and moves to where he can see better.

A howl from a warg splits the chill night.

Krinter stands where he is at the edge of the wagon, crossing his arms impatiently at the ceremony.

Gog moves to stand near Krinter, watching the ritual with a sneer on his face.

Sha-Gruuk announces "Behold the Holy Fire from the bowels of Orodruin ! The Strength of our tribe lies in the eternal fire from the Sacred Mountain, and with this fire we shall give Uluri his farewell from this life and celebrate his Great Deeds !" He proceeds to put the coal into the unlit fire, and the wood bursts immediately into flames, as if given an extra push by some unknown force. The fire burns blue for a few seconds, before it subsides some and takes on the appearance of regular flames, which light up Sha's exultant features from below.

GukLuk keeps his eyes rivited on the shaman, deadly calm

Gog mutters and seems uneasy as he glares at the fires as if they were intended for him.

Morgran elbows her way past a few of the Uruks closer to the front getting a better view of Sha_gruuk and the body

Krinter makes no different of himself as he watches.

GukLuk crosses his arms over his chest.

The uruks watch in awe..as the shaman works the magic of the Eye....and starts up a quiet chant...

Sha-Gruuk turns towards the body again and circles the crude altar upon which it lies and turns to face the crowd again. He draws an elaborate ceremonial dagger from his belt and lifts it above his head, intoning strange mystic words that reverberate though the clearing. The dagger itself seem to glow for a few seconds before returning to its normal hue again. It could be just a trick of lighting, but you cannot be sure. Sha then produces a chalice filled with some potion. He drinks some of it and then sprinkles the rest over Uluri's still frame.

Gog's grow wide, watching the ritual as he tries to maintain his sneer and cold look for the other Uruks.

Sha-Gruuk intones "Great Dark Master ! We of the Zaghbuurz offer you testimony upon the bravery of Uluri ! We ask you to accept the spirit of our Durub-Tala-Hai into your glory as a reward for his faithful service to You in his life ! He died bravely fighting the Tarks, our enemies !" Sha grabs a clay chalice filled with dark blood, lifting it up as he approaches the holy fire "This is the Blood of Uluri, accept it as a token of his spirit !", he says and pours some the blood upon the fire, which does not die at the touch of the liquid, but rather gains strength and bursts towards the dark skies in an intense, blue fire. The Snaga closest to the fire shield their eyes, but Sha is unperturbed. He puts down the chalice and draws the Dagger again, using it to slice a piece of flesh from the arm of the body. He puts it into the fire with these words "And this is his flesh, representing his strength!" The fire flares blueish again.

Sha-Gruuk then passes the chalice to Dra-Kar, the quartermaster of the Zaghbuurz, saying in a solemn, dark voice "Drink his blood, my tribe ! Let Uluri's spirit flow into us and help us through these trying times !"

The skin of the orcs ringing the fire flickers orange red and black in the firelight.

Gog growls to himself and looks at Krinter, his hand white-knuckled and his face hi-lighted by the fires which throw shadows across his face.

The mass cry out" His Strength is our Strenght...we are all stronger now.

The Narkuu-Mat grow even more nervous, staring at Krinter and Gog for reassurance and seeming to grow stronger as Gog nods to them.

Morgran watches as the fire changes colors a smile on her face

Krinter taps his foot under the blanket of snow that covers it, becoming more impatient.

One of the orcs falls to the ground twitching and gibbering, ignored by his fellows.

After that he passes the flesh of Uluri to Dra and says "And eat of his flesh, so his strength will flow through us and suffuse us !" He turns back to the Altar again, shouting "And honour always the memory of our Durub-Tala-Hai, which now will join with the Eye, our Master." He pauses and turns to the crowd again.

Ugh arrives from the nearby road.

Gog watches sha-gruuk closely know, eyes showing some tenseness as he does so.

The sound of clanking armor and marching uruks are heard...

Krinter stands by his wagon, his ankles buried in the snow. He crosses his arms impatiently as he stares towards a ceremony the Zaghbuurz give.

the surrounding orcs hiss "...the eye..."

Dra-kar nods as he takes the flesh "his strength is with we now" and eats it quickly...

Gog turns to note the Uruks coming into the camp from the outside and nudges Krinter and points towards Ugh and the other arriving Uruks.

Hundreds upon hundreds of troops march into the area, clanging and making noises throughout the camp as they approach.

Krinter mumbles to himself at Dra-kar's eating, "..."

The Zgahbuurz tribe are now being drawn into the fervour surrounding the ceremony and does not take notice of the Uruks marching in...

Krinter seems to take no reaction from Gog's nudge, keeping his eye on the ceremony as the lines of clanking make themselves obvious to his ears.

Another Zaghbuurz falls down issueing an earpiercing wail as he does.

Ugh steps at the head of the armies, leading the forces as they slowly move into the area.. his figure is huge, and black, and he squints interestingly at the camp and its members. Finally, after stepping near the uruks, he yells out in a loud voice, "HALT!", echoing above the uruks.

In a small clearing outside the fairgrounds, the Zaghbuurz Tribe is gathered, clearly in the midst of some sort of ceremony.

Gog seems torn between watching the approaching uruks and the ceremony which is going on in the ircle

Sha-Gruuk draws a deep breath and shouts again "Uluri, Durub-Tala-hai u Zaghbuurz o Dushgob ! Make your journey towards the Eye and from there, help us pick a worthy replacement for you. I ask you to name a worthy Durub-Tala-hai for your Tribe, in the name of the EYE !" As soon as the sentence is finished, the fire seems to die down and Darkness descends upon the clearing, along with an eerie silence. The last words of the Durb-Hosh echo across the gathering....

Suddenly a wind blows through the clearing, touching the hearts of all present. The wind seems to carry with it a word, a single word only. As if delivered by a hissing Voice from the Netherworlds, the word spreads in the Darkness... The word is.... "Duuuushhhgoob !"

Morgran watches the ceremony with the other tribe members fully entranced by the ceremony and oblivious to all else

Ugh ignores the ceremony, being to far away to notice anything, he grunts, and glares out amoung the troops..

Gog +whispers to Krinter, "Betrayal ... ... is ... ... trick I ..."

As soon as the wind delivers what sounds like a word, the fire lights up in a bright blue flame again, illuminating Sha-Gruuk, who stands before it with his arms outstretched over it. He turns his face to the East and says in a strong voice "We thank you, Uluri. Your Tribe bids you a good journey and will seek out a new leader from Dushgob !" He then turns to the Tribe, saying in an dark voice tinged with passion. "We have been given a sign ! A leader of Dushgob we shall find, lest we shall all be damned !" He lowers his hands, his agitated features lit up by the Holy Fire as as the voices of the Zaghbuurz Uruks start to murmur something.

Krinter steps forward as Sha-Gruuk speaks his last words, but says nothing. He only moves from his old spot, letting a simple nod of confirmation towards Gog's words.

Ugh yells out again in a loud voice, "Snagas! Grab your stuff and get the camp set up. I order you all to prepare for battle, we are not on a picnic.", his words are filled with annoyance, finishing with, "MOVE!"

Bazog arrives from the nearby road.

Dra-kar look around about at the hearing the wind...then smiles to himself and looks back to the shaman..

Bazog salutes his superiors.

Gog nods and follows Krinter, his eyes glaring about him at all those around him, the Narkuyu-mat shouldering in behind hium.

the Zaghbuurz tribe starts chanting two words, over and over again... "Zaghbuurz ! Dushgob ! Zaghbuurz ! Dushgob !" The chant grows in strength, each word augmented by huge hands clapping against shields. "Zaghbuurz ! Dushgob !"

The Mirkwood orcs immediately begin setting up camp, all sighing a grunting as they drop their supplies on the the ground, and begin setting up the camp. Although, nearly 1/3rd of the snagas are wandering around, some looking at the Zaghbuurz.

Bazog drops to the ground and sits there after a two day walk without rest.

Sha-Gruuk stands perfectly stioll, his shoulders seems to be slumping slightly as a presence of Darkness seem to filter away. He straightens however and joins in in the chant of his Tribe, "Zaghbuurz ! Dushgob !", he shouts at the top of his voice along with hunreds of other Uruk.

The crowd around the ceremony shout with Sha-Gruuk entranced in the ceremony

Marrg chants along with the others, tunelessly.

The Zaghbuurz begin to stamp thier feet in time with the chant.

Ugh looks over at the yelling, and snorts with amusement at the sight. His eyes flicker as he watches with interest.

Dra-kar starts to walk around the mass of the Zagh. and points to one and then another...as they are pointer too they make there way to the body and take a small bit froe themself...

Gog mutters and grips his scimitar hilt tightly, standing close behind Krinter and glaring about him as he stares.

Bazog turns from his tired state on the ground to watch the orcs shouting.

Krinter steps forward again.

The chant goes on and on, hundreds of uruk shouting out "Zaghbuurz! Dushgob!", until Sha raises his hands over his head. the chanting drops to a subdued murmur as he intones "Uruk of the Zaghbuurz ! Remember what ytou have seen today ! We are strong in our faith and equally in strength ! Uluri has given us a sign. Let no Uruk hinder us in our mission to find a leader from Dushgob ! Have faith in the Shadow Voice and in the Holy Fire from Orodduin ! And let us celebrate Uluri's departure and give our thanks to the Great Master, the Eye, by fighting his enemies and giving their souls for him to devour!"

Gog growls to himself and whispers to Krinter again, this time more heatedly

Mordenaug arrives from the nearby road.

Gog +whispers to Krinter, "... ... ... ... ... ... even ..."

Morgran moves in turn tithe the other Uruks each eating a piece of Uluri's body as they join in the ceremony

Gog notes the movement in the Uruks and motions his Uruk guards closer.

GukLuk rips a long strip of flesh from Uluri's thigh and devours it.

Krinter nods to Gog as he steps forward again, and slowly raises his left hand.

Sha-Gruuk takes a step back after this and draws his hood over his head, walking slowly away from the Zaghbuurz as they devour Uluri's body. His steps are weary, as if suddenly all his tiredness and sleepless nights catches up with him. His guards accompany him to his tent and he enters it in silence.