The Nex Issue: Amthos the Hordemaker

A cheer erupts from the crowd coupled with applause. The lights in the studio switch on, slowly filling the entire stage with light. Wooden floorboards are revealed alongside a large, black recliner chair. A sign blazed on with the words 'The Nex Issue' shining in bright, blue lights. Opposite to the recliner, still facing the audience, was a couch big enough to fit three people. The cheers of the crowd grew louder as a black and white wolf with brown hair stepped onto the stage, waving to them all with thanks and welcome.

He took up position in front of the couch, clasping his paws together and smiling wanly at the crowd.

"Thank you, thank you! It's good to be back," Nex exclaims. He waves down the crowd, beckoning them to calm as he takes his seat. "Welcome back to another segment of the The Nex Issue where we analyse and go over the most recent story series and reveal some secrets and hidden titbits that will give you some insight into the background of the story.

"As with most issues, we will have three segments to our program. The first is where I will ask my guests their perspective on the series that just passed and then the next will be their turn to ask me questions. Lastly, we will have the question and answer time from the audience where I or any of our guest cast members will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have about the show.

"So without further ado, let us greet our guest stars! First and foremost, the surprise twist at the end of this series, the death that had jaws dropping, Knaatl Nighttusk!"

A large green orc steps onto the stage. His long, raven hair tied back in a neat ponytail. He waves at the audience who cry and weep at his appearance. Some were holding up signs saying 'Bring Back Knaatl'. Others were bearing their chests for the sexy orc that had been with Amthos since the start of his adventure.

The orc takes a seat at the far end of the couch, closest to Nex.

"Then let us introduce the instigator of this issue, Qurron!"

The cheering is a little more subdued as the 'villain' of the issue steps onto the stage. Dressed in a suit and with his hair neatly trimmed short, the War Wizard bows to the crowd before taking his seat next to Knaatl. The two surprise the crowd into stunned silence when Knaatl wraps an arm around Qurron's arm and gives him a hug.

"And lastly, the King of the Wargs, Winterpaw!"

A cheer starts up again but quickly dies in their throat as a huge, white Wargen steps onto the stage, waving a large paw at them all, dressed in little more than a loincloth. This particular Wargen seems familiar to them as he too has the brown tufts of hair that was seen in Luxaeus across the final three chapters of the series. Confused looks are exchanged as the Warg-man sits next to Qurron, draping one leg over the other and resting his arm across the backrest of the seat.

"Now I know you all have a lot of questions so let us start with the elephant in the room," Nex said, clapping his paws together. "Winterpaw... or should I say, Luxaeus. Care you explain?"

The Wargen laughed, throwing back his head with a grin. "Well I guess just to clarify it with the crowd, my name is Winterpaw and I play the part of both Warg-Winterpaw and Wargen-Luxaeus. See, the Wargen have the natural ability to transform into a Warg-shape that is a bit larger than the normal Warg. This is especially prevalent in Warg Druids. However, there was no time in this season to explore that possibility so it went unsaid. My mate, Lux, played the human part of the character for the most part but then we simply switched places when the time came." He sticks out his tongue, snickering softly. "I mean, I do enjoy him 'riding me' but having him 'ride me' for the better part of the second arc was a little on the nose!"

"How was it working with your mate on set?"

"Oh it was great!" exclaimed the Wargen. "Lux is the professional actor here and he convinced me to 'get my sexy furry butt' on set. I was kind of a recluse for a bit. You know, Wargen have the whole 'infectious bite' thing so people don't really want to be around me. Kind of treat being a Wargen as an STD. But Lux was really supportive and he encouraged me to get on set after he learned that Wargen were going to be introduced. Thanks for delaying their introduction by the way."

"Not a problem." Nex nods and turns to the crowd. "For the rest of you at home, the Wargen were initially meant to be introduced all the way back in Chapter 3. Originally, Oberyn was meant to be the first Wargen. But after Oberyn himself said that it seemed rather sudden to turn him into a Warg-man and Winterpaw's desire to be more involved in the production, it was decides to make the introduction of the Wargen come a little later." He then turns back to Winterpaw. "I'm sure many of the audience are curious, what is the difference between a Wargen and a traditional werewolf?"

"Well Wargen have more varied appearances than just the traditional wolf-like form. For instance, we have large 'rear canines' kind of like the tusks of an orc as well as the larger canines out in front. Basically, if we grab onto a foe with our back canines, we're not letting go." He grinned brightly, showing off his impressive fangs. "Also, Wargen eye colour changes depending on their mood. Naturally, it is blue. But in an alert state, it goes to yellow. When enraged or hunting, we get red eyes. And in case you're also wondering, Wargen tails also vary in length. Sometimes a Wargen doesn't have a tail at all."

"Thank you, Winterpaw."

Nex then turned to Qurron. "As I'm sure many in the crowd are asking..." He pointed between Qurron and Knaatl. "What's this then?"

"Well Qurron is my biological father," answered Knaatl with a big grin. "I think there was going to be a plot point on when Qurron would actually meet me and on that road and I would recognise him and we would have a bit of an exchange. But that just seemed to corny for everyone involved and seem a bit too close to home."

Qurron claps Knaatl's knee. "Yes, originally I was not too keen on my son turning into an orc. We had our difficulties but we worked through it. Now, we've never been closer. I walked him down the aisle when he married Arnmok." He threw a mockingly scathing look at Nex. "Shame on you for tearing them apart in the story by the way."

"That was Jacob's insistence," Nex laughs. "He said it would make for a grander story. But let us move on. Qurron, what were your character's motivations in the story. We saw that he was jealous or Arben but is there more?"

"My character is ultimately driven by selfish desires," answers Qurron with a nod. "He is an insecure little man who flaunts his power and while he has incredible skills the arcane arts, he is nonetheless somewhat fearful of what people will think of him in his advancing age. While he is only a few years older than Eranius, the Lord-Knight keeps fit while he physically shows the signs of aging. He does not see the 'wizened white-haired wizard' look as something to be proud of and he jealously guards his power and position, afraid of anything that would shatter it. That's why he concocted that illusion at Fallowday and what motivates him for most of the story."

"Including training Neruv?"

"Yes. Having never had a son himself, he sought to find an heir for a brief moment. Some legacy he could give to the world so that he could be remembered. I guess, really, he was obsessed with not dying and being forgotten. Perhaps in many ways, he mirrors Orradin's journey in that he does not want to merely fade into a footnote of history."

"How was it working on Tirinead?"

"Really cold," laughs Qurron. "I'm not sure if everyone knows, but Tirinead basically only has a single continent. A supercontinent. A single landmass. There are a few scattered islands elsewhere but really, that huge landmass that you saw encompasses most of the planet. And where we were filming, it is basically very close to the polar ice caps. And it was _really_cold up there. Winters were _extremely_harsh. Even more so when we weren't filming any Qurron-specific scenes and I was on set supporting my son and his mate in Bhotanmar."

"What was life like on set?"

"Simply amazing!" Qurron beams. "You guys can erect whole cities just like that!" He clicks his fingers. "It adds to the real authenticity of the place. Plus it's like living in a fantasy-style five-star resort most of the time." He glances over to the crowd. "I hear that after filming, they're opening up the key cities as hotels, folks. Keep an eye out!"

"Okay, okay," Nex laughs, waving down the mage. "Enough about that. Knaatl, you were a key player in much of the story. Why did you suddenly ask to leave?"

The orc grinned. "Well, it was kind of my choice. See, Arnmok proposed on set. Everyone was really happy for us and we wanted to take our honeymoon fairly soon and we're actually planning to adopt. But juggling our hectic acting schedules plus a kid just didn't seem right. So I decided to leave the production while Arnmok continues to rake in the cash. I'll take care of our child in the meantime. Really it was a mutual understanding from myself and the studio execs."

"And how did the character of Knaatl on Tirinead reflect you?"

"Well I like to think I'm a fun and easy going guy. Same like Knaatl. We kind of both go with the flow of things."

"But your decision to become an orc was one that came in rather abruptly. Why?"

"I met Arnmok before we came into this production and we fell in love. But... well... let's just say that things in bed can get a little rough. Sometimes, Arnmok used to roll over and I'd have to kick him down there just to get him to wake up and stop him from smothering me. He's a big boy after all!" He lets out his trademark laugh, one echoed by the crowd. "So to keep him from making me into a pancake, I decided to become an orc. It not only meant that I would survive him pounding me but also that he and I were much closer to one another on more than just a spiritual level. We were both orcs now and I would willingly make that change for him."

"That's so sweet. I'm glad it worked out for both of you."

Nex then turns to the crowd. "Now we enter the segment of our program where our guests have an opportunity to ask me any questions. So let's start with Winterpaw. Any questions for me, King of the Wargs?"

"I guess the outstanding one is why you chose to end the series where it is," Winterpaw asked. "I mean, there are a lot of loose threads, don't you think."

"A fair question," Nex answers with a nod. "There are indeed a lot of loose threads and about nine other Avatars to be explored. Basically, I decided to make the Avatar timeline a bit of a staggered storytelling device. This means that while the Orcs outlined the start of the conflict, the other races also will start about the same time and proceed further. For instance, if in the timeline we see the conflict with the orcs starting from 1 to 10, the next Avatar story will go from 2 to 11 and the one after that from 3 to 12 if that makes sense. Basically, we'll be covering almost the same months and years but in different perspectives and with a bit of a crossover.

"But I also didn't want to cop out on the storylines of the other key players in the Hordemaker stories. There is no doubt an epic battle against Eranius and Orradin still has his redemption storyline. And much more as the tavernkeeper hinted. So while these will be mentioned, there will also be a side-series known as Avatar Legends which outlines what exactly happened to them."

"Does that include how Samuel was captured by the Inquisition?" asks the Wargen.

"Actually, that is the premise of the story. As a treat... let's all have a quick preview..."

******

Avatar Legends

Prologue

The prison was deep, dark and filled with so much magic that the air _stank_of the stuff. Grand Inquisitor Daynard Vylran approached the immense pit more about forty yards wide. Mighty, magic-dampening chains hung all over the walls and immense, purple crystals that blocked all forms of scrying and invasion kept prying eyes from finding the prisoner. Currently, the alien being was suspended high above the pit, those same magic dampening chains holding him up by the bizarre 'wings' that sprouted from his back.

Daynard nodded to his guards and they immediately moved to pull the levers and mechanisms that lowered the prisoner. From where he stood at the rim of the pit, a bridge extended, slowly inching forward with a large, circular platform at its head. He strode forward, standing on the platform as the prisoner was lowered. In a few moments, he stood in front of the prisoner, still several feet away from the platform so that he would not have the opportunity to latch onto the dais should he somehow escape.

"Prisoner 563," he boomed. "Do you know where you are?"

The creature let out a short laugh.

"I repeat again," Daynard scowled. "Do you know where you are?"

"I find it rather amusing, Grand Inquisitor," said the alien entity. "I have a '3' in my prisoner designation. It seems my life, in this world or the next, seems to constantly revolve around threes."

The Grand Inquisitor was not fazed. "I will only -"

"I am in Cardelstrann. The last remaining fortress of the Holy Inquisition. A solitary island lifted from the ground and hovering high into the air, constantly moving that serves not only as a mobile base for the Inquisition but also a battle platform for which the Inquisition can launch its assaults should it wish." The lupine features of the creature flashed him a grin. "I believe we are currently forty-seven miles north-northeast of Trispire."

The Grand Inquisitor, in his bright armour embedded with purple jewels showed no signs of flinching despite realising the so called 'Star-Eyed Wolf' was very much right. His young features were hardened by war and the scar he bore across his left cheek was a sign of such hardships. Dark hair that was as raven as the night caught the soft, purplish glows of the crystals around him. His thin lips remained sealed for a little while longer as he pondered his next words.

"You are accused of instigating a war against the Alliance. You have led multiple races into rebellion and open war against the Holy Alliance and the Holy Triad. By these crimes alone, you are afforded no trial and were sentenced to eternal imprisonment."

"So what do I owe this honour, Grand Inquisitor? Eternal imprisonment is hardly punishment if I am graced by your delightful presence."

Daynard wished he was a few feet closer so he could slap the prisoner with his mailed hand. "I seek information, 563," he growled. "Tell me of all these forces that you have mustered."

The prisoner feigned ignorance. "I? Surely you must be joking. How could I muster all the supercontinent against the Alliance?"

"Do not play me for a fool, wolf!" snarled the Grand Inquisitor. "The Grand Chaplain is dead because of your machinations! Our one connection to the Holy Triad is gone and now the Alliance is headless and without a leader! The Holy Legion has scrambled to various lords, seceding from rightful rule and becoming little more than large, roving bands of mercenaries! The Holy Army mercilessly recruits and conscripts those still within Alliance lands and brutalise those they can 'save' from the other races, forcing them into unholy brainwashing techniques to turn them into mindless soldiers! The College of Magi have retreated to their Towers and guard their knowledge selfishly!"

"And the Holy Inquisition lost their former Grand Inquisitor in a failed attempt to save the Grand Chaplain throwing the young but experienced captain into the role by sheer value of his valour." The prisoner smirked at him. "I believe congratulations are in order."

Daynard huffed softly and crossed his arms. "Somehow you maintain a sense of knowledge despite the fact that this place should sap you of all your magic. I get the eerie feeling you are here not because we have imprisoned you but because you want to be."

"How perceptive of you."

The Inquisitor took a deep breath and sighed softly. "What is it that you wish?"

"How about we start with some pleasantries? Call me by my name."

"Samuel?"

"Actually, that is my middle name. Just a simple alias I decided to adopt in this world for my own amusement." The wolf gave him a smile, his deep-blue eyes shining. "My full name is Jacob Samuel Reaper."

"Oddly mundane for a supposed unholy god and the bringer of the end times."

"I am sure 'Wolfe' is thrown in there somewhere but I have yet to explore that fascinating titbit of causality. But you must remember, Grand Inquisitor, there is no such thing as gods. Merely mortals. Mortal names change."

Daynard turned his head with a shake. "A greater blasphemy I have never heard." He glanced back at his 'prisoner'. "Very well, Jacob, a trade then. Your freedom for the information I seek."

"And what if I do not want to be free?"

"What?"

"Inquisitor," said Jacob. "By now rumours would have spread to all the races that you have captured me. Their eyes will be turned to the sole bastion of the Inquisition. You know my role in helping the rise of these countries. So you know that there are many who would seek me freed." The Star-Eyed Wolf leaned forward as far as his chains would let him. "So think of it. While this place prevents people from scrying and finding us, an intrepid mage would just have to search for the few places where they cannot scry, find the one that is moving and suddenly..."

The black-furred wolf smirked.

"Boom."

Daynard's eyes widened. "Your mind tricks will not work on me, prisoner. Now you will tell me what I want to know! Tell me of the forces that march upon us!"

Jacob sighed and shrugged. "Oh very well. What do you wish to know?"

"Let us start with the north," said Daynard. "The orcs. Tell me of them."

The wolf smiled. "The orcs have a rich history. What in particular would you know?"

"Tell me of their beginning."

The Star-Eyed Wolf laughed softly. "Very well. So let us start at the beginning." He lifted his muzzle towards the dark, crystal-covered ceiling. "Let go of all that you know about the creation of the world. It is a lie. This reality was crafted by its one true Creator. Her name I shall omit. But unlike the world where she came from, she crafted this world in a unique manner."

Daynard opened his mouth to protest but the wolf gave him a smile.

"Humour me."

"Very well," rumbled the Grand Inquisitor.

"As I said, she created the world of Tirinead as the sole planet in a vast universe. Originally, Tirinead was bathed within the Etherealm. But the very nature of the Etherealm is that it is constantly in flux. A landmass you see in front of you may turn into a bed of water a moment later. The sky would constantly shift colour, turning from fire, air and even acrid acid in the blink of an eye. Tirinead was an anathema to this order. It was designed to be static and unchanging in a loose sort of way. Realising this, the Creator sealed Tirinead in a container that kept it from the rest of the Etherealm. This is the darkness of space."

Daynard inclined his head to the side in confusion. "Space?"

"When the sun sets, the darkness you see is space. A vast emptiness."

The Grand Inquisitor grunted softly and nodded. "Very well... Continue."

"The Creator was satisfied with how things were at the moment but wanted to see how life and the world developed without her interference. But she is hardly a patient being so while she waited for the results of her experiment, she deigned to do other things as well. But she needed someone to watch the world she had created to avoid anything overly disastrous. So she created the original ten gods as stewards of Tirinead and the Etherealm. They were to watch over the world and protect it but she gave the explicit rule for them never to directly interfere with the world. She wanted life to evolve naturally based on the parameters she had set. She is very inquisitive like that."

"And the Old Gods disobeyed her?"

"Gratuitously," laughed Jacob. "They breached the barrier between Tirinead and the Etherealm, hoping to manipulate the world as their own little plaything. Sadly, as this happened, the energies of the Etherealm bled through with them and they realised that these energies could potentially gain a sentience of their own and rival them in power. So they shut the door behind them but not before the power of the Etherealm created the stars that you see at night and the spirits that inhabit the world. Further, this power infused all of Tirinead and made the place a little more magical."

Jacob lowered his head slightly. "Having learned from their mistakes, the Old Gods created links to the Etherealm so that they may remain forever sustained by its power. These are the mortal races." The Star-Eyed Wolf smirked. "For you see, Inquisitor, it is the power of belief and prayer that sustains the Gods, old and new. Through belief, mortal minds and souls are able to touch upon the Etherealm. When a man prays, they bring a little bit of the Etherealm and channel it through their god. Whether the god decides to use that power to grant the prayer or not is entirely up to them.

"Thus, they first created humans as a replica to the Creator. But unwillingly to stop there and in a way to prove that they were superior to their Creator, they made the humans shorter and longer lived, creating the dwarves. Then they made them taller and a little shorter lived, thus creating the elves."

Daynard waved a hand through the air. "Yes, yes, we know the creation myth at this point. The Old Gods created the other races as well as part of their 'experiments'. Now tell me of the orcs."

"The orcs come into this shortly," said Jacob patiently. "They were actually the fifth race to be created right after the humans, dwarves and elves. The Rontari were the fourth. The orcs came after, the favoured children of Garodrash for their masculinity and virility."

Grunting in disgust, the Grand Inquisitor gestured for Jacob to continue.

"The orcs were originally a merger of human and boars. They were covered in fur. Had bigger tusks and snouts. Even cloven feet. However, that all changed with Grauhl."

There, the Inquisitor uncrossed his arms. "Grauhl?" He inclined his head to the side. "I know not of an orc by the name of Grauhl amongst the horde."

"That is because he is not part of the horde. He was the first orc ever created by the Old Gods."

Daynard roiled his eyes and waved dismissively at the creature. "Is this another ploy, wolf? Do you wish to waste my time on legends and myths? I care not for the first orc."

"You would if you knew that despite being created thousands of years ago, his hatred of the Old Gods allowed him to continue living on as a living embodiment of the cold and would constantly raid the city you know as Cald-Harun. Each raid would add to the numbers of his army. It mattered not what race. Cald-Harun was this gleaming jewel of the north. Beautiful, tempting and far too enticing for the any mortal_not_ to inhabit. After a few months, Grauhl would attack the city, killing everyone within and the cycle would start again while he added more to his ever-growing army of the damned."

The Grand Inquisitor frowned deeply and let out a heavy sigh. "Very well. Tell me of Grauhl..."

Jacob smiled and began to tell his tale.

*******

Back on the studio, Nex smiled at the audience.

"And that, folks, is what you can look forward to in the future."

Winterpaw nods and gestures that some of the other should have their turn.

Qurron took up the opportunity.

"There have been mention of the other Avatars and their actions across Tirinead. Why have we never seen any of them in the rise of Amthosruud?"

"A good question. The in-universe reason is that at this stage, the individual nations are still consolidating their power. Though it may seem like the Alliance is on the run and being pushed back, remember that the Alliance is still immensely powerful and up to this stage, had not even considered the orcs or any of the other budding nations a true foe. But with the death of the Grand Chaplain and the secession of countless individual lordships, they will start to move. The practical reasoning is that I haven't actually come up with the storylines for each of the individual nations yet. I have a vague idea, an outline if you will, but that outline can rapidly grow and develop into something else. So I don't want to prematurely lock myself out of possibilities by writing interactions now when the stories of these individual Avatars has not been truly told yet."

"And when can we expect the next update to the world of Avatar?"

"That's something that will have to be up to my muse. As I've stated before and as the reason for my sabbatical just a month ago, I do not like being pressured or pestered to write stories that I am providing for free. My muse is fickle and if and when I wish to return to the world of Tirinead, I will do so. But for now, let it rest. I have laid out some groundwork for everyone and invite anyone who is feeling inspired by this story to go ahead and take from the world as they see fit."

Knaatl raises a hand, indicating that he had a question.

"Question from me. Not sure if it's simple to answer or not but still, it's been bugging me. How did Arben survive?"

"The means for Arben's survival has already been laid out. If one were to read over the chapters, you'll find out that there is something there that can save Arben's life."

"And another one. Was my character always meant to die?"

"Ah, a very good question. The truth is, I always planned for one of Amthos' close friends to die. The victim was not decided at the very start. At first it was meant to be Luxaeus and at another, Ramdrud. However, when Luxaeus became a Wargen and Ramdrud became the future King of the Orcs, I had to cancel those out. The fact is, it had to be someone close to Amthos to the point that it would have a big impact. The only logical person then was Knaatl. This decision was made all the way back in the Bhotanmar arc as not only did I see Knaatl's death impacting Amthos but also those he connected with such as Arnmok, Luxaeus, Ramdrud and Neruv. In one way shape or form, Knaatl has been involved with the entire main cast. This alone made him a prime candidate.

"Not that I wanted to see him go but I thought that an entire battle without one major casualty would be very unbelievable. So it seemed the prime opportunity to put in the death scene. That it also happened away from the battle is a bit more of a crippling blow because the majority of the cast thought they had won until this piece of news hit. Thus, Knaatl's death."

Nex claps his paws together and turns to the audience. "Well, that's all the time we have folks. Thank you for accompanying me on this journey and I thoroughly hope you enjoyed the journey. As always, feel free to ask any questions you may have and I or the cast would be happy to answer it to the best of our abilities.

"Until next time, this is The Nex Issue, Breaking the Fourth Wall to Break You."