In the mountains of the Hinterlands and Arathi, the leader of the Deadwood Trolls sat in front of a campfire, quietly scanning the people of the Deadwood clan present.
At this time of year, the night in the mountains has begun to freeze. Every time the speaker shouts, there are bursts of white air, making the entire scene look murderous.
"Grand Chief, have you forgotten the tragedy of Shadralo? The opportunity is right in front of you, tribe, join the tribe and take back everything we have lost!"
"Grand Chief, we must let humans and elves understand that the trolls are the masters of the land here, and we must take action."
"But the Evil Branch Troll and the Badtooth guys have joined the orc tribe. If we join, wouldn't it seem insignificant?"
"Just because other clans have joined, we should join, otherwise wouldn't we be isolated?"
Looking at the most elite part of the Kumu Clan - the clan leaders, priests, witch doctors, and great warriors of each branch were arguing and arguing endlessly, the great chief was not a coward and just listened quietly.
"Oka, why don't you express your opinion?"
In the end, the patriarch found Oka huddled in a ball on the side warming himself by the fire. Oka, now the top manager of Shadraluo City, was jokingly called the "bought city lord" by the tribe.
"Because the people don't want to hear my voice." Oka replied.
Because the patriarch spoke, the others gradually became quiet.
"But I want to hear your voice." The patriarch changed his posture to make himself more comfortable.
So Oka pulled off the bear skin covering his body and stood up.
"The patriarch, although I hate humans, I admire the guy named Carlos very much. From him, I figured out a truth." Oka said slowly while walking around the bonfire.
"The teachings from the enemy are always so unforgettable. It is such a painful realization. Tell me and let everyone listen together." The patriarch looked very interested.
"A war fought for the sake of hatred can only bring more hatred and will do no good to the Deadwood clan." When Oka said this, he stared at the flames, and the fire dyed his eyes red.
"What a joke. Have you forgotten the war in Shadralo? Humans are here for revenge." The opponents shouted loudly.
"I thought so at the beginning, so we lost, miserably, miserably." Oka didn't care if someone objected to his views and continued.
"Do you know? Until we lost so many wars, until I bought Shadraluo back with gold sand, until I used gems to redeem my people, until I bought supplies from humans, I suddenly I feel like the first half of my life was a joke." Oka's voice suddenly became passionate.
One piece, two pieces, Oka began to disarm himself, taking off his equipment.
Inner armor forged from stainless steel, apron lined with chains, hunting knife forged with mithril, steel core-wrapped spear...
Every piece of equipment that looks ordinary on the outside is actually a good thing with something special inside. Compared with other deadwood trolls, Oka's equipment is almost luxurious.
"Look at this hunting knife. In order to make it look less conspicuous, those humans spent nearly three times the cost to darken it. Look at this spear, forged by twisting steel. Don't ask me what it is. I don’t know how to twist steel, but I used this spear to challenge the violent bear king. Its bones were broken, and the spear was not deformed. Look at these armors again." With that, Oka punched it. . "Intact, see?"
"After the humans withdrew their troops, the dwarves used the fortress left by the humans to block Shadralo. Because I did not counterattack the dwarves, many people laughed at me as a coward and a coward. But they didn't know that we needed to resume production. The seeds and various materials needed for life all come from the Dwarf Fortress."
After Oka finished speaking, the scene suddenly got out of control. Everyone started talking and expressed strong doubts about everything they heard.
"Be quiet and let Oka continue speaking." The patriarch spoke and quickly silenced the scene.
"Grand Patriarch, what do we need to pay to join the tribe, and what do we get? Is it all worth it?" Oka's rhetorical question was directed at the Grand Patriarch, but his eyes swept over everyone present.
"If we don't join the tribe, what will we lose and what will we miss?" Oka continued without receiving a response from others.
Although the weather turned colder, sweat oozed from Oka's upper body, which had been close to the campfire, making the scars all over his body look even more ferocious.
"Everyone, I know that you are plotting against me behind my back and slandering me in conversations. But I, Oka, the coward you call me, allowed Shadralo to regain his vitality in just a few years. Compatriots in the mountains Which one of you has not received a gift from Shadralo?"
After speaking, Oka knelt down on one knee and explained to the patriarch: "I am not bragging about my achievements, I just want to use these to illustrate a problem."
"Continue." The patriarch nodded.
"Everyone, the Deadwood clan has fallen behind, and the trolls have fallen behind. Everyone only remembers that our ancestors once ruled this land, but they have forgotten how we were driven into the mountains and forests."
After saying that, Oka ignored the hundreds of pairs of eyes glaring at him.
"Join the Horde, defeat the Alliance, kill all humans and elves, and then what? Then surrender to the orcs? Surrender to Zul'Aman or Zinzaro led by that crazy Hex? Or do you arrogantly think that the Deadwood Clan can already override Above all trolls?”
After Oka finished speaking, some people at the scene got up in anger and were ready to beat someone, but some people listened and fell into deep thought.
"If you've had enough trouble, step back, Oka, and continue." The patriarch's authority shocked everyone, and the scene became quiet again.
"Grand Chief, what I say next may be a bit ugly, but I hope everyone here can let me finish." Oka made a request.
"Okay, no one is allowed to speak until Oka finishes speaking." The patriarch agreed.
"The defeat of Shadraluo is not a bad thing for our Deadwood Clan."
Just the first sentence caused some commotion in the scene, but under the oppressive gaze of the patriarch, no one dared to speak out.
"We were defeated. Although we suffered heavy losses, we also gained valuable time to recuperate. The Evil Branch clan was also damaged. Coupled with the intimidation of the patriarch and his generation, the fights between us and other troll clans were reduced. And Dwarf Fortress, which many people dislike, is, IMHO, a good thing."
As if they had been stimulated too much, the resistance of the trolls present increased. When they heard Oka's next remarks, their reaction was not as big as before.
"In the past, we had to guard against the dwarves, and the dwarves had to guard against us. Every year, the patrols from both sides would fight each other more than a dozen times. We don't mention the casualties on the dwarves' side throughout the year. The Deadwood clan was on this meaningless battlefield. At least two hundred people must be sacrificed. Those are our precious people. Now, with that damn fortress, the dwarves have gained a sense of security. They just need to hold on to the fortress. Those dwarf patrols will not leave the fortress for thirty years now. Here, the pressure on our side has also been reduced a lot. In the past three years, less than fifty warriors have died due to conflicts with the dwarves."
After hearing what Oka said, many trolls seemed very surprised. They had never calculated these data.
"Those greedy humans even bypassed the dwarves to trade with us. Don't you think it's ironic? They captured Shadralo, plundered Shadralo, and then traded with Shadraro."
Under Oka's narration, more and more trolls felt an absurd and unruly illusion.
"Then they succeeded. I realized the benefits of trade, I realized the real benefits, and I saw a broader world. All hatred and isms are false, all promises and friendships are false, Except for the Deadwood Clan, I no longer believe in anyone else, and I no longer believe in any agreement except what I get."
Oka became more and more excited as he talked.
"I probably understand what you mean, so what do you think of the request made by the orc envoy?" the patriarch asked.
"Join the tribe, no need to talk, just lead the way, that's fine." Oka replied.
