“Because humans are a bunch of backstabbing bastards," Grolfir grumbled as two orcs wheeled in a cask of ale and settled it beside the warchief.

“Well...alright then.“ Gregory didn't quite know what to say to that.

“Nay, there are many decent men and women in the Empire but it's not a place where the cream rises."

“More Like the shit." Gregory grunted the words out when thinking of some of the leaders of his own world.

“Hal Aye, the shit rises and the decent stuff sinks to the bottom of the barrel He reached out and smacked the top of the keg of ale to highlight his point before pouring himself a drink into a metal cup and taking a taste. "Ah, this is orc brewed. We try to be fine through and through." With that, the warchief raised his cup to Gregory. "As you seem to be, pup."

The compliment brought a smile to Gregory's lips and the warchief poured a second cup from the barrel and slid it across the table to him. Gregory reached out and took a taste. He barely managed to get down the great gulp he'd taken before coughing his Lungs up. It felt like someone had made an ice cube out of gasoline, crushed it, lit it on fire and poured it down his throat.

Grolfir found his reaction to be mildly hilarious and took a deep drink of the stuff before grinning across the table to the young human.

“That could blow the head off of a horse," Greg observed before taking a rather more tentative sip.

“So what is human society like here? You say it's an empire?"

“aye, the central realm commands the loyalty of the outlying territories. Or so it thinks. There are five human territories, each run by a High Lord. They surround the...wait, there is a picture..." Grolfir turned to a chest settled beside his desk and pulled out a collection of parchments. He glanced at three of them before finding the one he wanted and spreading it out across the wooden surface.

Gregory looked upon the world of Arolius and was immediately fascinated. He couldn't read the writing upon the map for it was in some strange Language but he immediately saw what Grolfir was talking about. In the centre of the world there was a large space surrounded upon all its borders by five other Large territories. Gregory saw that the eastern part of the map was dominated by a vast ocean. The north was lined with large mountains and coloured in heavy blackened illustrations that didn't Look in the slightest bit welcoming. In the west a large desert bordered two of the human territories and in the south there were thick jungles and beyond them were more mountains.

Grolfir pointed to the south-eastern corner of the map, in the jungles where he saw the small illustration of a camp next to a Larger drawing of a city in the mountains to the south.

“This is Embervine. Our camp for the hot months before we walk home for the winters." He moved his finger to the picture of the city to the south.

Gregory nodded and looked further up the map to point out the central human province.

“And this is the centre of the Empire.“ His own fingertip tapped the image of the enormous city in the centre of that province.

Grolfir nodded.

"So these are the five territories.” Gregory tapped on each of the provinces surrounding the borders of the empire.

“What's this?"

Grolfir lowered his gaze to where Gregory had indicated to the northern most part of the map. The young man was chilled at the sudden look of hatred upon Grolfir's face.

“They are the Northern Mountains. Home of the Black Orcs and the demonic lords. They are also said to be the Forsaken Lands. Humans and my people fight along the northern border to keep them at bay. Many armies rest there. Many Lay dead on the killing fields."

“Oh. I see. So it's a constant war?"

“It is an unending fire for the flesh of my people and of yours."

Hearing the orc talking about a fight like it was hell was definitely un-nerving. Orcs lived to fight. They based their entire society around it. A fight that an orc wasn’t happy about was not a fight that Gregory wanted to get within a hundred leagues of.

“And what about the people here..." Gregory quickly pointed out the south-eastern human territory that had its borders along the Embervine Forest.

Grolfir's response of a low, thundering growl didn't really instil a great deal of confidence.