Celebrating our legions hero’s: ‘Stone tooth’ Gro-Gronk.

The ‘celebrating our legions hero’s’ is the central title in a series of publications which contain approved lore and inspiring stories from the Empires most glorified hero’s.

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During the battle of Red Ring there were many acts of bravery and heroism, such is the way of the imperial legion. Sadly, there were also barbaric acts of savagery. One such soldier known throughout our Empire for his ferocious but savage acts during the battle of Red Ring is, ‘Stone Tooth’ Gro-Gronk. I managed to organise an interview, with a surviving legionnaire under his command during that dreadful battle.

I begin this interview with the question we are all thinking.

"How did he come about the title of ‘stone tooth’?"

“[Laughs] because he was a bloody savage, that’s why! He didn’t fight like anything of this world. The was always a berserk look in his eye when he was in conflict. He would never back down; instead he would fearlessly charge straight through the enemy lines.”

“Really, through enemy lines?”

“Yes, sort of like a rolling pin, really. You have to remember, Stone tooth Gro-Gronk was no ordinary Orc. He wore more muscle then your prized bristle back boar, equipped in the finest steel the legion offered; combine that with a war hammer the size of child and you’ve got a big problem! But that’s not the worst of it. Orcs are known to go into a sort of berserk rage in situations of extreme violence, but stone tooth got so berserk that he would literally...uhm... bite a foes head apart with his tusks..[Cringe]”

“So, would you say that ’Stone tooth’ was a good fighter then?”

“If you consider devouring a man’s head good fighting then, sure.

“You were under his command for a long time, you must have gotten to know him quite well, what was he like?

“He rarely spoke to us; he was an Orc after all, so you can imagine that he wasn’t one for talking. I remember one particular encounter he took quite a beating but just shrugged it off like it was nothing. He was awfully resilient, and he could endure pain that would have a regular Orc on his knees. I remember once, we were fighting the elves back to the imperial palace, to try to capture Lord Naafrin. One rather brave Thalmor soldier swung his blade right at Stone tooth. It tore through his arm, if it was anyone else they would have been writhing in pain, but not stone tooth. He swung his war hammer in rage at the elf, which shattered his briastplate and took him straight off his feet. After the conflict had died down and the last of the elves had been dispatched, I called for the healer and asked Stone tooth. Didn’t that hurt, commander? And do you know what he said to me?”

“What did he say?”

“I don’t have time for pain! To which I didn’t have a clue how to reply to”

“Goodness, so was he a good leader then?"

"No, but he always told us that he lived by one rule; get the job done, no matter what. He was called cold, calculating, and brutal by other imperial commanders, but he didn’t care. His reputation for ruthless efficiency made us all quite wary of him. But the Empire always went to him first when they need someone for a ‘front lines’ mission, he was more of a tool rather than a soldier...we would just follow behind him.”

“What do you mean you just followed behind him, did he not care about the lives under his command?”

“No, quite the opposite, I mean you had to be a tough bastard to actually get transferred under his command in the first place, so in his eyes you had earned your place there. But he wasn’t particularly good at conveying orders; he was more of a one manned army. Besides, none of us wanted to get near him when he was swinging that vicious war hammer wildly in all directions.

“What was your best assignment with him?”

"None of them, they usually ended with somebody dying, because they were too horror-stuck seeing the big brute of an Orc, clad in steel, crushing a man’s head with his jaw. People forgot to keep their wits about them; I learned to ignore whatever the commander was doing until he bellowed a command at us. However, he once held back a large group of Thalmor soldier all by himself.

“Tell us about that...”

"We’d taken refuge in an abandoned building after cleaving our way to the imperial palace, but the Thalmor had sent reinforcements to deal with us. They came in the night, their spells lighting up the moonlit sky as we were pursued to this abandoned building. Stone tooth tore down the door and told us all to stay alert and wait inside, but the Thalmor were closer then we thought and the was no time to even prepare properly for them. They tried to pour through the doorway but Stone Tooth held them back with the shaft of his hammer, if they got too close he’d head butt then right in the face. There must have been ten to fifteen elves all in scrum trying to get through that doorway, all the time we were stabbing around the commander with our blades, in a hope to quell the marauding elves."

“That must have been a scary time for you and your platoon, did Stone Tooth Gro-Gronk ever tell you why he joined the legion?

"Oh, it was, I’m only human after all; I feel fear like anyone else. Well, I joined the legion because I love this land; it’s my home and I want to protect it at all costs. But stone tooth wasn’t part of the legion for any of that, he just liked violence."

“What do you mean he liked violence?”

"He relished conflict, such as most Orcs do...which is why it’s taken so long for them to be accepted into the empire. But Stone tooth Gro-Gronk relished it more than usual...sadistic even, a damn good warrior no doubt about that, but not somebody you want to pick a fight with."

"So, were you scared of him then?”

“I’m not ashamed to say, yes I was. No one questioned his orders, if he said go and kill that Daedroth with nothing but your fingernails then we would damn well gouge its eyes out if we had too. Otherwise, he would punish us.

“How would he punish you?”

“I’d rather not answer that, if I may. But I’ll say that there was a rumour among my comrades, that whenever he thought he had done something wrong, he’d punish himself... by chewing on rocks! I suppose that’s a more suitable answer for your previous question?”

Indeed. This concludes the interview. I should very much like to thank you, legionnaire for taking the time to talk about your commander, but also for your continued service, on behalf of the readers and myself, we wish you well.

So there you have it esteemed readers, the tale of ‘Stone Tooth’ Gro-Gronk, a fearless Orc warrior who is renowned for his brutal and sometimes ruthless actions. Stone Tooth is a brilliant example of what determination and strength of mind can achieve. Although Orcs have only recently been accepted by the Empire, they should be proud of such a war hero, whose actions during the battle of Red Ring helped bring Lord Naafrin to justice. No one knows what became of ‘Stone tooth’ Gro-Gronk after the Great War. Some say he lives as chief in a orc stronghld, somwhere near Orsinium. Others say that he was assasinated by the Thalmor, one thing is for certain, though; he has vanished into legend. But without his effort during the Great War...well, I can only say that things may have turned out differently for the Empire.

I hope you will continue to further your knowledge about the hero’s of the imperial legion, by reading book two in the series.

Notice:

If you should like to be considered for this series of shot publications, then I urge you to send me a letter containing information about your deeds within the Empire, you do not have to be a member of the Imperial legion but it is preferred. You must, however, abide by the laws of this land.