Pride, so oft the spark that sets on fire the hearts of men, yet man’s pride is but a candle when compared to the volcanic hearts of the Orsimer. For the Orc’s wear their pride like the Breton knight wears a suit of armour, in battle it keeps them safe, but in other times it only weighs them down.

When the King of New Orsinium insisted on taking a Morkul daughter for his forge-wife, he passed over the chief’s strong-minded eldest in favour for her more accommodating younger sister. The king’s rejection wounded Ashaka’s pride and she headed off alone in search of Morkuldin, the ancient home of her clan, to recover an ancient relic and prove the King a fool for passing over her.

Whilst pride can indeed drive you to achieve great things it can also lead to greater mistakes. The caves of Morkul Descent, where the ruins of the legendary Morkuldin are rumoured to lay, has long since become home to a tribe of ogres, durzogs and giant spiders. But as I reach the bottom of the caverns I discover that perhaps the Orsinium King’s own pride may well have prevented him from choosing a more worthy forge-wife. For Ashaka had indeed discovered the hidden entrance to Morkuldin.

S.K