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Description

Orcs: Forged for War is a graphic novel that serves as an introductory story of sorts into the world of author Stan Nicholls. The graphic novel's story is written by him while the illustrations are drawn by Joe Flood.

The story is set in a land called Maras-Dantia. Originally it was home to a variety of fantasy species, commonly referred to as elder races. Though conflict isn't a new concept for the land, it was the arrival of the humans from the south when sparks really began to fly. Because the humans more often than not viewed the elder races with contempt, treating them as little more than beasts. As the number of humans grew, they naturally proceeded to change their environment as they advanced, chopping down forests, damming rivers and digging up ore from the earth.

But worst of all, the devastation of the environment caused by humans began to drain the land of it's magical energies, weakening the magic of many of the elder races.

As such, war between the natives of Maras-Dantia and the humans was only a matter of time. But both sides had their problems. The elder races are divided by old rivalries. At the same time, many of the dwarves chose to side with the humans, which led to them earning an extremely negative reputation in the eyes of the other elder races. On the other hand, the humans are divided by a religious war fought between the Unis who believe in a single all-powerful god, and the Manis who follow the old pagan gods and the old ways.

The orcs are the most warlike of all the elder races. They're one of the few races that are completely incapable of using magic in any form, which is why they make up for it with strength and a fierce talent for combat.

The specific orcs the story focuses on are the mercenaries of a warband called the Wolverines. The main characters are:

Stryke: The warband's captain and the main protagonist of the stories

Haskeer: A sergeant who has the tendency to be reckless and headstrong. Probably the most traditional and possibly stereotypical orc of the group.

Jup: Jup is another sergeant, who happens to be a dwarf, making him the only non-orc member of the warband. As already mentioned, due to the opportunistic reputation of the dwarves, he is occasionally a target for suspicion. He and Haskeer fight each other quite often.

Alfray: A corporal and the oldest orc of the warband who serves both as the banner carrier and the healer.

Coilla: Corporal Coilla is the only woman and the youngest officer of the warband. However, despite being the junior officer, she's the group's chief strategist and quite good at what she does.

Beneath the named officers are 25 grunts.

Unfortunately, the Wolverines are effectively property of queen Jennesta, a despotic half human, half nyadd sorceress. She's infamous for her cruelty and a major supporter of the Mani cause. As the war has raged on, the Wolverines have proven themselves effective indeed. They're considered one of the most successful and feared fighting forces serving under Jennesta, which is why she has begun to use the orc warband for some of the most vital missions.

This graphic novel tells the tale of one such mission.

Unfortunately, I can't offer any free websites for reading. This is a relatively obscure piece of work and it's a graphic novel, not a comic book or a manga. I myself bought it on Google Play Store. Though I can confirm that it was a cheap purchase.

Original blank template by (Though with some edits)

The story and the setting (c) Stan Nicholls

Illustrations (c) Joe Flood

Description

Orcs: Forged for War is a graphic novel that serves as an introductory story of sorts into the world of author Stan Nicholls. The graphic novel's story is written by him while the illustrations are drawn by Joe Flood.

The story is set in a land called Maras-Dantia. Originally it was home to a variety of fantasy species, commonly referred to as elder races. Though conflict isn't a new concept for the land, it was the arrival of the humans from the south when sparks really began to fly. Because the humans more often than not viewed the elder races with contempt, treating them as little more than beasts. As the number of humans grew, they naturally proceeded to change their environment as they advanced, chopping down forests, damming rivers and digging up ore from the earth.

But worst of all, the devastation of the environment caused by humans began to drain the land of it's magical energies, weakening the magic of many of the elder races.

As such, war between the natives of Maras-Dantia and the humans was only a matter of time. But both sides had their problems. The elder races are divided by old rivalries. At the same time, many of the dwarves chose to side with the humans, which led to them earning an extremely negative reputation in the eyes of the other elder races. On the other hand, the humans are divided by a religious war fought between the Unis who believe in a single all-powerful god, and the Manis who follow the old pagan gods and the old ways.

The orcs are the most warlike of all the elder races. They're one of the few races that are completely incapable of using magic in any form, which is why they make up for it with strength and a fierce talent for combat.

The specific orcs the story focuses on are the mercenaries of a warband called the Wolverines. The main characters are:

Stryke: The warband's captain and the main protagonist of the stories

Haskeer: A sergeant who has the tendency to be reckless and headstrong. Probably the most traditional and possibly stereotypical orc of the group.

Jup: Jup is another sergeant, who happens to be a dwarf, making him the only non-orc member of the warband. As already mentioned, due to the opportunistic reputation of the dwarves, he is occasionally a target for suspicion. He and Haskeer fight each other quite often.

Alfray: A corporal and the oldest orc of the warband who serves both as the banner carrier and the healer.

Coilla: Corporal Coilla is the only woman and the youngest officer of the warband. However, despite being the junior officer, she's the group's chief strategist and quite good at what she does.

Beneath the named officers are 25 grunts.

Unfortunately, the Wolverines are effectively property of queen Jennesta, a despotic half human, half nyadd sorceress. She's infamous for her cruelty and a major supporter of the Mani cause. As the war has raged on, the Wolverines have proven themselves effective indeed. They're considered one of the most successful and feared fighting forces serving under Jennesta, which is why she has begun to use the orc warband for some of the most vital missions.

This graphic novel tells the tale of one such mission.

Unfortunately, I can't offer any free websites for reading. This is a relatively obscure piece of work and it's a graphic novel, not a comic book or a manga. I myself bought it on Google Play Store. Though I can confirm that it was a cheap purchase.

Original blank template by (Though with some edits)

The story and the setting (c) Stan Nicholls

Illustrations (c) Joe Flood