Breaking the Chains

Written by Salen

"Breaking the Chains" is an exquisite work of color art from the orc painter Ulagh. He painted this work of art just one week after The First Slave Rebelion was put down, being inspired because he was in the thick of it defending his family from the escaped slaves. The painting is of an elven slave, breaking his chains and attacking the orc guards with such ferocity that he momentarily won his freedom and released others.

Inspiration from fear

Ulagh wasn't a warrior of any kind, yet had failed to find his place in society before this day. He knew farming, having many human and elven slaves to work his corn fields, but that was all he really knew. He couldn't fight very well, wasn't particularly strong, nor very smart. He was destined to a mediocre life of supervising crops and barley keeping his family above water. Then the fighting surged out of the auction stage and into his neighborhood. Racing back to his family, Ulagh took up his pitchfork and fought off the humans and elves that went house to house slaying their orc enemies and releasing more slaves. Acting purely out of fear and desperation, he came through alive with his family. It was at that moment that he felt the twinge of creativity.

by darkcloud013

Following his Path

The newly reborn orc took his money from his first crop and bought art supplies, much to the chagrin of his wife. They fought for days over his impulsive spending, until she saw what he was doing and how good he was at blending the colors into the scene before her. The painting was large, five feet by six feet in size and he was painting with such fervor that he sometimes never realized she was watching him work. He took what he saw that day, burned into his mind from the sheer adrenalin, and transferred it to the canvas, relaying the fear and terror of the crowd as the slaves broke free. More importantly, the body language of the slave lord as he broke those chains.

In the End

When it was finished everyone that saw it knew that it was to be a masterpiece. He was given free passage to Thiar, City of Strength. to show warlord Toth and within two days the painting was on everyone's tusks. Such was his fame that he was asked to paint several more, but warlord Toth commanded him to slightly change one thing, so that his original remained just that.

Significance

This piece is significant mainly because it shows how vigilant the orcs must be in keeping their slaves on a tight leash (so to speak) The first uprising was one of brutality and such bloodshed that it almost succeeded if not for the actions of the Slave Lord Vragh.

Untimely end

The paintings that Ulagh had recreated spread far and wide, but his fame did not last. Ulagh was found murdered shortly after coming back to his home, along with his wife, after spending a vacation in the northern lands. His children survived, as they were visitng his brother at the time of the attack. The murderer, none other than the very guard he had painted, confessed that he couldn't live with seeing the horror on his face and how he was portrayed. He was publically executed by Ulagh's brother and oldest son in Thiar, City of Strength., supervised by warlord Toth himself.

Item type

Miscellaneous

Current Location

Thiar, City of Strength.

Current Holder

Toth Kartusk the XVIII

Rarity

Copies can be found everywhere, but the original is a one-of-a-kind.

Weight

6lbs

Dimensions

5'X6' framed painting

Base Price

Original goes for almost 1,000 cylinders