Tainish grok dat da udder Skullcrushers nub hear da story ub how Tainish grew ta be a Warluck and becum a Skullcrusher. Dis ib dat story. (Skribbled in Humie wid da blahz in Gutterspeak agh Orkish).
Young Tain loved riding into the mill with his father to pick up supplies. The farm was isolated and the work was hard, so the infrequent trips into Tarren Mill were his only contact with others for weeks at a time. It was always so exciting for Tain to go to Tarren Mill, and his father would have to drag him away from the interesting stories he heard there.
Tain’s father, on the other hand, hated to go into town, and he resisted the trip as often as he could. Tain could remember his father and mother fighting about the trips. She would grow tired of waiting for something from town, but his father would say, “Todaaay iss not the day to travel. Vile Alliansss lurk in the woodss.”
Tain knew of the Alliance, but did not understand what made them so frightening. The other Forsaken in Tarren Mill were not reckless about the Alliance, but neither were they scared. In fact, Tain had never seen any Alliance in all his trips to the Mill, although the others often poked fun at his father for the circuitous route he took from the farm to the mill. It was hard for Tain to believe that his father, who ruled the farm with such strong discipline, would be afraid of the Alliance. But it was hard for Tain to avoid the obvious fact that everyone at the Mill believed his father was afraid.
One fall afternoon Tain and his father were working in the field away from house when they heard the clanking of metal and the breaking of branches from just north of the treeline. Tain looked to his father to see if he had heard the noise, too. It was clear that he had from the look of concentration on his face. His father struck a hand in the air above him and was instantly bathed in purple and a shimmery shield of light briefly appeared above his head. He struck his hand again into the air and more purple light swirled around him.
While the purple light was hypnotic, Tain was distracted by the growing noise coming from beyond the trees. Suddenly an Orc burst through the treeline. Bleeding badly and with his armor in tatters he made his way across the field as fast as he could stumble. Tain wanted to see what the Orc was running from, but suddenly Tain heard a woman’s voice giggle right next to him.
Tain jerked his head toward the giggle. The light had stopped swirling around his father and standing between the two of them was a female demon wearing close to naught. Tain had seen the female demons at the Mill before, but he had always averted his eyes. This time he was so astounded to see one – to see one that his father had created – that he couldn’t look away. No sooner had he gotten a good look at the demon when she vanished.
Tain blinked twice trying to see the demon again. He was about to reach out to touch the air where she had been when he realized that he could now see what the Orc was running from. He looked back to the treeline where he could see the two figures that were giving chase. They looked like Forsaken, but they were clean and shiny. And they had all of their skin. One was wearing a robe and the other armor, and they were both majestic. They chased with great confidence and their smiles grew with each step.
Tain’s father was focused on the one in the robe. He flicked his hands toward the robe wearer twice quickly, and then paused before shooting a giant bluish ball of fire. All three of them involved in the chase were shocked to realize that a farmer was engaging them in battle.
They were even more surprised when the she-demon reappeared next to the armor wearer. The demon reached out to armor wearer and suddenly the fight was gone from him. He stood there stone-still, doing nothing more than stare at the demon.
What happened next was a blur to Tain, but he saw that the orc realized that his fortunes had turned. The orc spun back toward the robe wearer and drew back his club. Between the orc’s blows and his father’s spells, Tain saw the robe wearer fall to the ground dead.
By now the armor wearer was attacking the demon-woman with his sword. The orc jumped into the fight and Tain’s father was now focused on the new battle. This fight took much longer, and Tain thought many times that the armor wearer was dead, but then would suddenly perk up and fight like he was freshly rested. Eventually the armor wearer surrounded himself with a bright white light that was impervious to the orc’s club and to his father’s spells. Then the armor wearer vanished. The orc blurted out, “Skah! Tupid Oomie” before he fell to the ground exhausted.
The orc stayed with Tain and his family for many weeks. With only linen for bandages and no forge nearby, it was a long time before the warrior was ready to make the long journey home. While this frustrated the orc, it was wonderful for Tain. He had so many questions about what it was like to be a great warrior -- questions that his father would often answer by assigning more work. He’d say, “if you have time for crasy dreamss then you have time for more choress.”
But Tain would hustle through his chores as fast as he could to spend more time with the orc. He was fascinated by the stories, and even more shocked by the conversations the orc would have with his father after Tain had gone to bed. Tain could not hear all that was said, but he was sure they talked about battles and great wars…and Tain thought he heard his father talk about these things as if he were actually there.
Tain asked the orc to teach him how to use the club and the shield. The orc let him try, but was practically laughing before Tain took his first clumsy swing. He handed Tain a dagger and said, “Yu shuld uze dis liddle stab’r not dis big bash’r. Yur bonz not strung enuf ta carry da bash’r wid both handz” The orc walked away chuckling to himself while Tain practiced stabbing the air. Tain’s father glared at the orc, which caused the orc to laugh even harder.
Eventually Tain worked up the nerve to ask his father if he could buy a small sword on their next trip in Tarren Mill. His father took a lengthy pause before saying, “Sswordss do not plow fieldss.” Tain knew that he would never be able to really learn a warrior’s craft on the farm, and he also knew his father would certainly never let him leave the farm to learn it.
Tain continued the routine at the farm house. Every day there were chores. Some weeks there was a trip to town. He still enjoyed his afternoon hours with the orc, but he found that more and more his chores would drag on later and later into the day to the point that some days he wasn’t able to practice with the orc at all. At first Tain thought that his father was piling more work onto him to prevent him from his practice time, but he realized that the chores hadn’t grown at all. He just wasn’t getting them finished as early as he used to.
One day when Tain had run out of chores, he was sparring with The Orc. As they sparred Tain’s face grew more and more focused. Then his focus began to slide into recklessness. His every attack was parried or dodged. He was not getting any closer to offering the orc a genuine fight, and each miss made him more and more frustrated. Finally Tain erupted in a frenzy of attacks. His arms flailed wildly at the orc, but never once landed. The orc put his off-hand on Tain’s head and with a light shove sent Tain tumbling to the ground. Tain was angry, but that anger evaporated when he saw the look on the orc’s face. The orc wasn’t angry, or ready to fight. He just looked…disappointed.
Before Tain could say a word, the orc told him bluntly, “Yu nub fihter. Neber will be.”
Tain was shocked, and he thought he should be angry, but he realized that he wasn’t. He didn’t feel anything but pointless.
“Nub. Yu nub fighter, but yu hab da spirit of da warrier. But me nub teech yu da skillz dat yu need tu bring honor tu da Horde.”
“So who…er…whu will teech me?” Tain’s orcish was poor, but he was determined to learn.
The orc nodded and said, “Yur fadder gud warluck. Him can teech you dem skillz.”
To Tain that seemed unlikely. Actually it seemed impossible. He was so angry he slipped back into Gutterspeak. “My father won’t let me buy a ssword. My father iss afraid to travel asss far asss Tarren Mill! How iss he going to teach me anything?”
“Yur fadder nub fraid of fihting. Yur fadder afraid of fihting wid out honor.”
Tain stared blankly at the orc. He understood his words, but not their meaning. How would one be afraid of fighting without honor. You either fought with honor or you didn’t.
The orc explained to Tain that fighting with honor against other men of honor was easy. It was fighting with honor against those with no honor that was hard. And fighting with honor on the same side those with no honor was the hardest.
Again Tain couldn’t understand how a man would choose to fight alongside a man without honor. The orc answered simply, “Yu can chuze yur enemiez, but yu nub chuze yur enemiez, enemiez. Farming honorable on its own. Yu nub need enemiez. Yu nub need frenz. Yu just farm.”
“Ok, fine.” Tain was annoyed by the patronizing tone. Tain understood honor. “Don’t you choosse to be honorable? Issn’t it that ssimple.”
The orc laughed a deep long laugh. “It simple when yu yung, isn’t it? Yu nub chuze honor. Yu lib honor.” The orc paused for a moment and added. “Yur fadder will grok dat. Yu blah tu him dat yu want to lib wid honor. See whut he blah den.”
So after dinner Tain went to his father and told him that he would not be a boy all his life. And that when he was a man he would have to defend those things that were important: his family, his home, his way of life. And that all he wanted to do was to learn how to do those things with honor.
The “h” word hung in the air between them. Tain’s father peered into him for long moments before he said. “Come with me”. He stood and walked toward the door of the house and headed across the yard to the barn.
Tain thought for sure he was going to get his hide blistered good. He’d taken this walk many, many times as a young boy and he almost never sat down the next day. But this time his father went into the barn instead of behind it. After rummaging around in small cabinet he pulled out a small, white wand and held it out to Tain.
“Here. Thiss will serve you well.”
Tain did not know what to say. His head was swirling with questions. What does this mean? Are you going to teach me? Where does this lead? Unfortunately all his brain could think to ask was, “Iss thiss your wand?”
His father laughed for the sixth time Tain’s life. “No ssson. THISS is my wand.”
And Tain saw the most outstanding wand. It was beautifully crafted of different metals, woods and jewels. Carved and smoothed with a bright red jewel at the tip the size of Tain’s fist. As Tain examined it he saw live flame flickering within the jewel. His father put away the wand and said. “You will earn your wand one day.” Then he pointed to the white wand in Tain’s hands. “Thiss will get you started.”
“Sstarted? Sso your going to teach me?”
“No. You’re going to the Undercity to learn properly.” And they spent the rest of the night planning for the trip and for Tain’s education.
That next morning the orc was gone by the time Tain got up to do his chores. Tain mourned, but not for long. He had a big day ahead of him. By afternoon Tain had finished his chores for the last time and had packed his belongings. He would make it to Tarren Mill by nightfall and then to the Undercity the next day. His father had told him where to go to find good instruction in the city. He even slipped Tain a handful of gold before he sent him on his way.
Many seasons later, Tain heard a familiar voice in the courtyard of the Undercity. “Ish! Yung Tain. Huw goes da lessons?”
Tain wanted to hug the orc, but wasn’t sure if it was a proper greeting amongst warriors. Before he could debate it much longer, the orc wrapped him up in a rough bear hug.
They talked for quite a while. For the first time Tain noticed that the orc addressed him as an equal and not as a boy. And Tain respected him as an elder and not simply as an adult.
Tain told the orc that he was almost ready to leave the safety of the cities and begin to defend the horde against the alliance and the scourge. He asked the orc if he could recommend a clan.
The orc listed several names of respectable guilds and clans, but Tain had his own idea. “Me made sum frenz whu are members of da Skullcrushers.”
“Zug zug. Da Skullcrushers be an honorable clan. But dey only clomp wid uder urcs. Nub wid da deddies,” the orc replied.
“Nub. My frenz blah dat da Skullcrushers hab all members ub da horde in dere clan. Dey eben hab olags.”
The orc nodded and said, “If yu get tu be a Skullcrusher, yu shuld be honored. Volonazra is dere Cheiftain. He gud warluck and yu shuld lizzen tu him. Yu mite get sum gud lernen in dat deddie brain ub yurs.”
Tain nodded. “Dabu, my fren.” Next time he was in Orgrimmar he would look up his friends in the Skullcrushers
“Dem Skullcrushers blah an unusual blah ub urcish, though. Dey say ‘lat’ insted ub ‘yu’, and udder tings like dat. Yur urcish blah be getting gud, fur a deddie, but yu may nub grok whut dey blah.”
Tain tried to hide his smile. He had spent some time in Orgrimmar in the last season and had really developed an ear for the language…as much as a deddie could anyway. “Yu blah bout wurds me nub grok…” Tain said, “Whut duz ‘ish’ mean? Yu hailed me wid ‘ish’ but I neber hear dat wurd befur.”
“Ahhh. Ish be a wurd dat my village use. Yu nub hear udder urcs blah ‘ish’.”
“Yesss, but whut duz it mean?”
“Ish can be blah’d for lots ub tings. Yu can blah it as greeting. Blah it as war cry. Blah it as farewell. Many times yu can blah ‘ish’.”
“Gah. Yu old urc. Isss yur mind dat feeble dat yu nub answer simple question?” Tain smiled. Partly because it was funny, but mostly because he enjoyed being able to address the orc as a familiar.
The orc smiled back. “Der nub ash wurd dat mean “ish” tu a deddie. Yu wuld blah ‘victory with honor’.”
Tain liked the sound of it. Many seasons later Tain learned that the orc had finally passed through the great portal. It was then that he took the name Tainish, and vowed to live up to his name. For his Father who gave him the name Tain, and for the orc who gave him the chance to learn honor.
