The Unbreakable One

Long ago, on the island of Hedonis, there were two orc children named Tek and Jobah. They had been raised beside each other, roughhousing and greeting new forests with the same breaths. Their bond shifted as they matured; by the time they were of age, both Tek and Jobah were desperate to be wed. Jobah went to the community elders and asked for the ceremony to be arranged. This angered the elders, and they refused.

"A wedding bond," they said, "is not something to be taken lightly. Any urgency surrounding such matters are a certain mark of foolishness." What's more, there had been sightings of hostile orcs near their settlement in the days prior. This made Jobah look weak and shameful among their peers.

When Jobah relayed this news to Tek, they were incredibly distraught. Should they respect their elders and wait patiently until their relationship would be approved and risk death before that bond had been solidified? Or should they attempt to create that bond and risk their community, but be assured that death would not separate them? As Tek fretted, Jobah turned to Engor in prayer and asked for advice.

"Engor, my God, hear our plight. I pray to you for guidance and clarity."

"Child Jobah, child Tek." Engor's voice boomed down. "I have heard your plight. To honor one's elder, or to honor one's heart? Your elders have seen more in their lives than you, little ones. But the things they have seen are only threads of a tapestry in a far larger room. Your race knows nothing that it cannot see or feel or hear. Worship was your first access to love, even before self preservation. And now you are blessed with many loves and bonds between yourselves. It is a god-given gift."

Reassured, Tek and Jobah decided that they would wed themselves, without the knowledge of their elders. They left their settlement and crept further into the forest so they would be undisturbed. Tek and Jobah were so overwhelmed by their affections that they did not realize they weren't alone. Before their ceremony was complete, an orc burst out of the dense foliage and attacked Tek. Blood spilled out and Tek crumpled to the ground, dead. Jobah retaliated with rage, brutalizing the attacker.

They grabbed Tek's body and rushed back, begging for Tek to be healed. The elders stopped Jobah from bringing Tek into the healing tent.

"You have disobeyed our word. You have brought shame to us all and we will not allow such traitorous behaviors. Take this body and bury Tek where they fell. Then turn yourself away from our settlement and never return or you will be greeted with steel."

Jobah was left with no choice but to return Tek to where their soul departed. After they were buried, Jobah looked down at the blood on their hands and began to cry.

"O Engor," Jobah sobbed. "I have followed my heart. I have no wedding bond with Tek, and now never will. Tek is dead and I have been banished from my people. I have nothing left. Why have you led me down a path of strife?"

Engor's voice boomed back. "You know nothing you cannot see or feel or hear. Worship was your first access to love, and you are now blessed with many loves and bonds between yourselves. It is a god-given gift. One bond with Tek was worth more to you than the bonds of your community, and that is your own burden to navigate. But I can see your distress. Child Jobah, I will take away your pain if you wish."

Jobah nodded. "Yes my God. The pain of a broken heart is too strong to bear."

"Very well. I will relieve you."

Jobah's tears dried away. They looked down to the blood on their hands and smelled the thick scent of it in the air. They felt nothing. Jobah marked Tek's grave as an offering to Engor before standing and rinsing their hands in a nearby river to clean them. Jobah turned away from the settlement and started to walk further and further away. They wandered Hedonis aimlessly, with no love to entice them and no love to devastate them, unbreakable.