Kli's Declaration

Kli's Declaration is a declaration of war written by Ashid Kli, who was a prominent member of the Lahi'Gaur council when Hollowhome was claimed by dwarves. It was written upon the back of a messenger sent by Jarl Gweren Ehraldi, via Kli's own knife. This barbaric act made the message quite successful in its purpose of sparking war, marking the start of the very first Anth'Tkur-Hollowhome war, and setting the stage for many long years of orc-dwarf animosity.

Document Structure

Publication Status

Unfortunately, the original message is not accessible, due to its original vessel being the flesh of an unnamed dwarven messenger who is now dead. It was, however, recorded by scribes on actual paper and stored in dwarven archives. Most know of its existence, but its exact words are less known, besides that it was a declaration of war and really quite rude.

Historical Details

Background

When the dwarves first emerged in the Waste and claimed Hollowhome for themselves, most Lahi'Gaur, Ashid Kli included, were enraged at this. After trespassing on their land, however, the dwarves had the nerve to send a messenger asking to purchase it from Anth'Tkur. Upon seeing this messenger, the incensed Kli, already known for his impulsive and extreme actions, took a knife to the messenger's flesh, scoring into it a declaration of war.

Public Reaction

Needless to say, when they received the message, the dwarves of Hollowhome were appalled and outraged. The uniquely brutal way that the message was written led to Tkuran orcs being branded "savages and monsters," even though Kli's act was the exception, not the norm.

Legacy

Kli's Declaration started the first war between the orcs of Anth'Tkur and the dwarves of Hollowhome, and laid the stage for the many to follow. That knife ended up signing away countless lives, belonging to both orc and dwarf, beginning the greatest conflict or series of conflicts ever seen by the Waste. While Kli's... unique deliverance of the message is frowned upon by some, most Tkurans agree that it was necessary.

Read the Document

Kli's Declaration

Translated from orcish script.

Greetings Jarl Ehraldi,
You may note the method by which I have chosen to deliver this message to you. The way I have cut each and every letter into the skin of your diminutive* messenger. The way his skin has been so brutally violated by my knife. This act's purpose is to give you an idea of how your presence feels to us orcs. The way you have wormed your way into the flesh of our home, and now try and claim it as your own. You offer us worthless trinkets and baubles and think that we will just give it to you? Are you so stupid that you think you can just buy anything? May your tusks grow through your skull**.
I am running out of space on your messenger's back. Prepare for a storm.
Yours, Ashid Kli

*Ashid Kli had never before met a dwarf, and while he had been told that they were short, he was unaware of just how short. He thought that they had sent an unusually short man as a messenger, for a reason he did not quite understand but assumed was insulting.
**An insult that is just one word in orcish, its intent was not the same as its literal translation.

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Type

Text, Letter

Medium

Vellum / Skin

Location

Anth'Tkur