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[Durthagg]

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Durthagg awaited the arrival of Darthos outside the Fort. He watched as the human approached, leading five heavily-laden pack mules. The half-orc did not trust humans at all. Though his mother had been human, he knew that their prejudices and hatreds toward non-humans ran deep. They had kicked him out of any town he had ever sought to live in, save Buc's Den, where his family still dwelt, cheated him, bullied him, and generally made his life miserable. This one, he knew, would prove no different. So he did not smile or behave in any kindly manner when the dark-robed man with the tall, pointed hat, strode up to him. He merely crossed his arms and waited patiently on the porch.

"Are you the one named Durthagg?" Darthos asked, halting his mules.

The half-orc nodded once.

The necromancer bowed his head. "I am Darthos, envoy of the Lord Regent of Yew. He said he knew you and that you could be trusted to receive the delivery he promised."

"Durt know him. Durt wurk fer him lung tem go... ir hib brudder... dunno wich. Dem luk sem ta meez," he replied. "Whut det joo gutz?"

Darthos smiled. "I have what my lord promised... the first installment... many, many, shinies."

Durt's eyebrow furrowed. "Hem dum den!" he stated pointing at the beasts. "Dere jes wun ub joo fur gurd all dem shinies!"

The envoy chuckled. "Not so, orc friend. I have many with me... you just cannot see them is all," he countered. "I am quite well guarded, I assure you."

As if to challenge the claim, Durthagg unslung his bow and nocked an arrow, aiming it at the necromancer. Moments later the target had vanished, then reappeared in the form of a wraith. Seconds later a host of skeletal warriors appeared from nowhere and began bearing down upon the orc, swords, shields and bones clanking menacingly. Durthagg lowered his bow and placed the arrow back in its quiver. As he did, the warriors relaxed, then drifted back to disappear from sight once more. Durthagg scratched his head and, in a totally unrelated gesture, casually broke wind loudly. "How joo du det?"

Returning to human form, Darthos shrugged. "I could tell you, but if I did, I would be forced to kill you," he replied, smiling. "Here, take the gift to your great chief, with my lord's compliments and assurances of more to come." He offered the reins of the lead mule, which had all the others connected to it, to the puzzled half-orc. Durthagg took them and led the band into the fort. He placed them in the stall and returned to finish the transaction.

"Oh, here is something I thought you might enjoy. I am not quite certain if you like this sort of thing, but I find it quite delightful on occasion myself." Darthos extended a bloodied gloved hand and tossed an object on the ground at Durthagg's feet. Transforming once more into the wraith-form he recalled away.

Durthagg looked down, fixing his gaze on the object lying near him---a reasonably fresh human heart. He snorted in disgust and kicked it away, withdrawing into the house to unpack the mules.