Haknar Bordirūn
Haknar Bordirūn (a.k.a. The Orcbrother)
In 42 LC, a mere five years after the end of the Declaration of War Against the Labarean Empire by the Kingdom of Laeryll, the dwarf Haknar Bordirūn set out on a journey to Lorr Tahak. Until then, he had been prospecting the Thracyll Mountains in Laedor Thilis, the elven province that had been left behind after the war. Clan Bordirūn was known for its deep mining skills and Haknar had assisted in several complicated mining procedures.
Yet adventure called. Ancient stories and halfling poetry spoke of a mountain temple beyond Lorr Tahak, surrounded by rich deposits of valuable ores. The War of the Sisters had left the orc tribes in disarray and Haknar reasoned this was as good a time as any to traverse their lands. Accompanied by a handful of Bardor mercenaries, he traveled into orc territory.
Haknar had realized that raising trouble among the orcs would be the end of his small party. Orcs fight to the death, and if you manage to beat one you only make it more tempting for others of their kind to hunt you down. What Haknar needed was their respect. And he has just the plan for that.
When arriving at the first orc encampment they found, he and his party raised their hands to signal peaceful intentions and offered the orcs meat and ale, which they had brought from Laedor Thilis. Having gained some trust, the Bardor mercenaries performed ceremonial dwarven fights. To the orcs, the martial display must have been as puzzling as it was impressive. The mercenaries were strong and agile fighters, yet the dominant dwarf would never kill his fighting partner, but instead bow and end the fight. In later memoirs, Haknar describes that many of the orcs were upset by this and called for blood, yet he managed to convince them this was not the proper way for dwarves.
The dwarves remained in the settlement and continued regular performances. Orcs from other groups came to view the spectacle and after a few weeks, the orcs had accustomed to the lack of killing. This was when Haknar felt the time had come for one of the riskiest parts of his plan: he would invite one of the orcs to fight against a Bardor mercenary.
What ensued was a dramatically complex fight, in which dwarven martial arts and orc brutality proved to be in balance. In the end, the orc won and tension was high: would the mercenary he challenged be killed? Fortunately for the dwarves, this was not the case, and instead the orcs made a bow much like he had seen the dwarves do. Cheers erupted from the camp as the audience released its tension.
From that moment onwards, more fighting took place and the dwarves gained the trust of the orc community. Haknar tried his best to learn the language of the orcs and to understand their customs, and soon he found himself traveling through Lorr Tahak, communicating with tribes and following the orc etiquette.
After a year of such slow travel, Haknar arrived at the mountain range where the legendary temple was located. He uncovered it, as well as the rich deposits that the legends spoke of, which included large, faintly glowing crystals and rich veins of zholtan. Haknar set up a small operation in the years that followed and established a trading route, straight through orc territory.
In current days, Haknar is remembered for bringing new materials to the civilized lands of the Northern Arm and for his discovery of the ancient Temple of Ulmarak. In The Porcupine, where the dwarves live, a statue of Haknar greets those seeking to enter the zholtan smelters. Yet Haknar is also celebrated for his other exploration, as he brought back detailed description of the culture and language of the orcs.
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