The BeginningBefore the Burning Legion came to Draenor to enslave the orc race, there were many Clans, some great, some small. The names of many of these old clans are now lost or known only to a few. One of these lesser clans was Clan Redblade.
Many years ago a certain orc by the name of Githya Redblade, rose to become the leader of a band of mercenaries. Githya's warriors served one of the Warlords of Draenor, an orc whose name is long since forgotten, but they fought many battles on his orders. Such was Githya's strength and courage, that when the old warrior finally fell, the warlord granted Githya's heirs the right to found a clan of their own. Thus Clan Redblade was born.
The Clan prospered, but always remained small. The Orcs of Clan Redblade enjoyed a reputation as honourable fighters, but little did they realise that the end was soon to come.
The Burning LegionThe Burning Legion came to Draenor with promises of power and wealth. The Demon Lord Kil'jaeden sought out orcs who would be easily corrupted and first the shaman Ner'zhul, then his apprentice Gul'dan, pledge their loyalty to the Legion. Kil'jaeden gave them great power in exchange for their utter obedience and seeing this, many of the Clans flocked to join the growing Horde.
In reality the Demon Lord was slowly corrupting the orcs, transforming the noble warriors into bloody, mindless killers. He taught them the demon arts and overtime, even the land itself became corrupt. The once idyllic hills and forests of Draenor became harsh rock and burning pits of decay.
Some of the Clans realised too late what was happening. Their land was poisoned and their warlords had become mere puppets of the Burning Legion, but they tried to resist. Among these was Clan Redblade. Under their leader, Grenth Stonebrow they and others of like mind, joined forces with Durotan of the Frostwolf in trying to warn against following the demons.
The Treachery of AkeshNot every orc of Clan Redblade was immune to Kil'jaeden's promises however. Akesh, a young shaman of the clan, saw this as an opportunity. Contacting Kil'jaeden's agents in secret, he promised to deliver Clan Redblade over to the Shadow Pact. He formulated his plan, carefully made the arrangements and when all of the pieces were in place, he made his move.
After a night of feasting, when many of the orcs were sleeping off their ale, Akesh stole into Grenth's greathall. Finding the Chieftain asleep, Akesh pored a deadly poison into the ear of the sleeping orc. He then crept away to carry out the next part of his plot.
Akesh had spent months winning over Grenth's guards. He told them tales of their leader's weakness. He told them how they had been held back. He told them that fighting Kil'jaeden would mean death, but joining Kil'jaeden would lead them to glory. They were ready to do anything he asked, while he had been poisoning Grenth, the guards had been busy kidnapping Grenth's wife and son.
In the morning, the orcs of Clan Redblade awoke to not only find their chieftain had died in his bed, but that his son had declared the Grenth had wanted Akesh to succeed him as chieftain and that Grenth's widow intended to marry Akesh to further legitimise his claim. The astonished orcs had little choice, but to accept. Akesh had the backing of the Chieftain's guards and those few who spoke out against him were arrested, and incidentally, never seen again.
Within days, Akesh was proclaimed chieftain of Clan Redblade and when Kil'jaeden summoned Mannoroth the Destructor and the clan chiefs were required to drink of his blood, Akesh did so willingly and so sealed the fate of his whole clan. Clan Redblade was swallowed up by the Horde and its name was forgotten.
The Traitor's DaughtersAkesh fought for the Horde when they invaded Azeroth and he lead the remains of Clan Redblade in battle after battle. However, it was not at the hands of the Alliance that Akesh met his end. He was himself betrayed. Akesh died in battle, but the arrow that felled him was shot from an orcish bow.
So, the traitor was gone, but not before Grenth's widow had born him two daughters, Akesha and Shuska.
Now, there was at this time a warrior of the clan by the name of Magrom. Despite the corruption of the demons, some last trace of the old honour of the orcs remained in Magrom's spirit. He realised that whichever orc had been responsible for Akesh's death, would also want his children gone and so Magrom stole the infants away to safety.
Changing his name to Azubal, he was able to desert the army in which he served and attach himself to a different branch of the Horde. In this way Akesh's daughters disappeared and Magrom was assumed to have been lost in battle.
Azubal cared for the two young orclings. They travelled with the baggage train and were cared for by the females who served it. When the old Horde was finally defeated and the orcs were interred, Azubal made sure that Akesha and Shuska were safe in the camp.
The years past. Thrall eventually led the orcs to freedom in the new land of Durotar and the city of Orgrimmar was founded in the desert. Here Azubal was able at last to find a safe home for children. He left them in the care of Orgrimmar's new orphanage and Akesha and Shuska were able to live out the last years of their childhood in peace and security.
The name Redblade was forgotten, until Akesha reached adulthood and distant memory of past glories was kindled in Akesha's mind... but that is a story told elsewhere.
With thanks to Akesha for writing this down.
cant wait!
