Chapter 40: The Urgolians
In the east had the army of Amman sailed up the Syramassa River and passed the Thwain Ineth and there were lands full of savage tribes and orcs and goblins. And Amman soon occupied much of these lands, for their enemies too often fought amongst themselves and their leaders were weak and their armies ill prepared for war.
But one did come and unite them, and in him flowed the blood of both orc and human and he went by the name Olbad and he called together the peoples of the east and rallied them to fight together, else be enslaved. And they came to him in numbers and one who did was called Nuhata, of the Urgolian tribe, who had been defeated by Amman and their number were now small and they dwindled and would soon be no more if they fought not. So they came to fight and Nuhata was but a boy who herded goats and had only seen war from afar, with the old men and women of his tribe, who would not fight.
So Olbad took those that had come to him and they marched to meet the armies of Amman, who were building for themselves great forts and who had claimed all this land as their own. And news came to them of a great army coming from the east and that many forts were now burned and their occupants dead. So the two armies met in the Battle of Gredoc and though the Amman army numbered but a thousand men and those of Olbad tens of thousands, they were victorious for their skill and discipline were great and Olbad died there on the field and his army butchered.
But Nuhata did not die on that field and he fought bravely, until they were beat and he ran. But he returned later to that field of war and found where the body of Olbad lay and took it and upon a mound buried it deep, so that the carrion of the land would not eat it, or the Amman find it and hang it from a tree. For though they would have been otherwise enemies, Nuhata had respect for Olbad, who had fought well and died as he should, in war, and had called to him a great army, even though they were beat. And though they were all enemies once again, for there were none who could now unite them, he had learnt the lesson well.
And Nuhata learnt also of the Amman and their great horsed warriors who, though few in number, had broken the army of Olbad and caused grievous harm to his cause. So he took the great sword of Olbad and went back to his tribe. But no more could he walk the plains of his ancestors and in him burnt a great fire and he called his tribe to stand and fight, but they would not. So he grew and as he did, some came to him and listened to him and they learnt the art of horses and they trained as fighting men and though they were but few, they left the tribe and made war on Amman.
So it was that the name of Nuhata became known in the east, for his number, though small, did strike quickly and terribly and retreat into the vastness of their land. And they grew skilled on their horses and soon more came to them and their number swelled and their attacks became yet more common and even the emperor of Amman heard of his name, such were his deeds, and demanded him dead.
And so it was that the Urgolian tribes came to Nuhata and looked to him and they fought with him and learnt from him and the Amman suffered greatly at their hands. So the men of Amman searched for him and they found him, for his army was now too large to hide, and forced him into open war, which he had long avoided, for the memory of Olbad was still strong in him. So the armies clashed and it was full of violence and the horsed warriors of Nuhata were glorious and none could compete with them, for they were swift and deadly and their presence secured a famous victory and the army of Amman was slaughtered and those that survived it fled.
But on that day did Nuhata find his end, for he were mortally wounded and his body was laid next to that of Olbad. So Akha, son of Nuhata, became leader of the Urgolians and he was like his father. So it was that the Urgolians were now known to their enemy and they were feared and the battles in the east were long and bloody and many did die there. But great battles were rarely fought, for Akha had learnt the secret of his father and their raids were swift and their armies mobile and the men of Amman suffered greatly and those that were sent there thought it like a punishment.
And the east was divided by a line of forts that were built by Amman and to the east of those did the Urgolians control, along with the other tribes of that region, and Amman could expand east no more and those that were there were far from home and their life there a hard and bloody one.
