[Written] The Epic of Angus

LET US NOW HEAR THE TALE OF GOOD ANGUS THE DWARVE
A HERO AND CHAMPION HE WAS
HE GAVE UP HIS LIFE FOR THE GOOD OF HIS RACE
AND TO FURTHER HIS BEST LOVED CAUSE
THE SONG I NOW SING IT IS ONLY FOR HIM
AND THE BOLD FOES WHO DIED AT HIS SIDE
THE BOLD ORC CHAMPIONS WHO DIED BY HIS AXE
AS THEIR FOUL WEAPONS PEIRCED HIS OWN HIDE…

THE DAWN BROKE EARLY IN THE VALE OF THE HOARD
THE SUN SHINING BRIGHT IN THEIR EYES.
NOT ONE SOON EXPECTED TO BE SLAIN THAT DAY
THE CHAMPIONS DID NOT THINK THEY'D DIE

THEIR WEAPONS WERE IDLE, THEY SLEPT AND LAY

THEIR COMRADES AROUND KEEPING GUARD

THEIR WEAPONS CAME WITH THEM AS THEY ROSE AND PLAYED

AND CHALLENGED THE DAY TO BE HARD

ONE SCOUT NOTICED SOME THING OUT OVER THE PLAIN
IT LOOKED LIKE A FIGURE IN RED
THEN MORE SENTRIES NOTICED THE SINGLE APPROACH
"SOME LOST FOOL WHO'S WRONG IN THE HEAD…
-THEY CRIED

THE FIGURE WAS ANGUS, THE MIGHTY OLD DWARVE,
WHO SOME SAID WAS LONG PAST HIS STRIDE.
BUT ANGUS KNEW BETTER, HE'D COME FOR A FIGHT
IN CONFIDENCE COURAGE AND PRIDE.

HE BOLDLY STRODE FORTH TO ANSWER THE CALL

OF THE ORC-DOGS THAT CHALLENGED HIS WAY

HE UNSHEATHED THE SWORD FROM THE HAND OF HIS KING

AND SWORE THAT HE'D GIVE THEM THEIR DAY!

THE OLD DWARVE MOVED FORWARD, GRIPPING HIS AXE
AND HIS BUCKLER HE STRAPPED TO HIS HAND
"THIS LAND MUST BE SAVED FROM YOUR FOUL ORCISH HANDS
THIS HILL WILL BE MY FINAL STAND!"
-HE SWORE

THE ORC ARMY HEARD THE PLEDGE OF THE DWARVE
AND THEY LAUGHED AND THEY CURSED AT HIS OATH
THEY FACED THE HERO A THOUSAND AND MORE
AND THEIR CHAMPIONS DID SWEAR AT HIS BOAST

THE DWARVE HELD HIS WEAPONS FOR THEM TO BEHOLD

AND THE ORCS SAW THEIR EDGE AND THEIR TIP

AND ANGUS DID CLANG THEM TOGETHER WITH MIGHT

AND THE SOUND CAUSED THEIR COURAGE TO SLIP

HE BECKONED THE FIRST, THE SECOND, AND THIRD
AND THE REST OF THEM MOVED IN TO SEE
AND THEN ANGUS DID LIFT UP HIS HELMETED HEAD
"TO ME, OH MY DWARVES NOW TO ME"
-HE SHOUTED

ANGUS THE DWARVE WAS AS GOOD AS HIS WORD
FOR HIS AXE FELL UPON THIRTY NECKS
AND HIS SWORD DID STING HALF A HUNDRED MORE HIDES
AND HIS BUCKLER GOT THREE 'FORE IT WRECKED

A PATH HE DID CUT TO THE MIDST OF HIS FOE

WHERE STOOD THE 10 CHAMPS AND THEIR MAJOR

AND HE STOOD THEM ALL DOWN AND HE CHALLENGED THE LOT

AND THEY TREMBLED TO SEE THE OLD RAGER

HE BOWED HIS HEAD SLIGHTLY AS A SMALL SALUTE
AND THEY BOWED BACK THEIR OWN IN RETURN
"WE'LL ROAST HIM ALIVE AND PLUNDER HIS GUTS
ON HIS BONES WE WILL ALL PISS IN TURN"
-THEY SWORE

NOW THE FRONT OF THEIR ARMY ALL BROKEN IN TWO
DID LIFT UP THEIR EYES AND THEY SPIED
THAT AN OCEAN OF DWARVES WAS FLOWING TO THEM
AND FILLING THE LAND WITH THEIR TIDE

AND THE ORCS THEN BROKE EASTWARD TO SEEK SOME ESCAPE

AND THEY LOOKED UP AND THEY DID BEHOLD

MORE DWARVES WERE ARRIVING FROM WOODS AND FROM SEA

REJECTING DIVISIONS OF OLD

THE ORC RANKS REFORMED SURROUNDING OUR HERO
SO HE COULD NOT BE RESCUED IN DEED
AND ANGUS LIFTED HIS NOW UNHELMD HEAD
"TO ME. OH MY BROTHERS TO ME!"
-HE CRIED

ANGUS SET DOWN HIS AXE AND DISLODGED HIS ARM
FROM THE BUCKLER NOW BROKEN IN TWO
AND HE NODDED AGAIN TO THE CHAMPIONS OF ORCS
AND HE CHALLENGED THEM "BRING THE FIRST TWO!"

THE BATTLE WAS FRENZIED AND TOOK LITTLE TIME

AS THE DWARVE RAN THE TWO ORCS STRAIGHT THROUGH

AND HE MOTIONED AGAIN FOR THE REST OF THE PACK

THEN HE DID DISPATCH THE NEXT TWO

THEY SMASHED HIS STRONG BODY AND BATTERED IT DOWN
BUT HE ROSE AND HIS WEAPONS DID FLY
THEN THREE OF THE SIX REMAINING ORC-DOGS
SET FORTH THROUGH THEIR COMRADES TO DIE.
-THEY DIED

THEY MET WITH THE HERO NOW DRESSED IN THEIR BLOOD
THEY MUSTERED THEIR COURAGE AND TRIED
TO KILL THE DWARVE ANGUS AND TASTE OF HIS BLOOD
BUT HE HACKED AT THEIR SKINS TILL THEY DIED

NOW THE LAST OF THE TEN BEHELD WHAT OCCURRED

TURNED AWAY SEEKING SAFETY AND RAN

NOW ONLY ONE STOOD AGAINST ANGUS THE DWARVE

TWAS GROMMS MAJOR CHAMPION KAL-TAN

ANGUS LEANED ON HIS AXE AND REMOVED A LONG KNIFE
STUCK IN HIS LEG ABOVE THE KNEE
AND HE LOOKED AT KAL-TAN AND THEN FOR THE LAST TIME
"TO ME ALL MY DWARVES, NOT TO ME"
-HE CRIED

THE VIGILANT DWARVE KEPT ANGUS IN VIEW
AND WITH ONE VOICE THEY RETURNED HIS SHOUT
AND THEY DID PRESS FORTH THROUGH THE ENEMY LINE
FOR TO GIVE THE HELDRUMMER AN OUT

AS THE SLAUGHTER CONTINUED FOR MOST OF AN HOUR

THE ORCS FACED A SERIOUS LOSS

FOR PANIC OVERTOOK THE ARMY OF ORCS

FOR THEIR LEADER AND CHAMPION SEEMED LOST

THE DWARVES OVERCAME AND SLAUGHTERED THE HOST
TRYING DESPERATELY HARD FOR THEIR CHIEF
WHEN THE FIGHTING WAS FINISHED HIS BODY WAS FOUND
AND THEY ALL DID GIVE VENT TO THEIR GRIEF
-THEY ALL CRIED

A WITNESS WAS SOUGHT FROM THE RANKS OF THE ORCS
WHO DID WITNESS THE VERY LAST SCENE
BETWEEN KAL-TAN AND ANGUS THE FIGHT HE DESCRIBED
OF THE WOUNDS AND THE WEAPONS SO KEEN

THE ORC CUT IN DEEP TO THE SIDE OF THE DWARVE

ANGUS' FAVORITE TACTIC TWAS SAID

WITH THE ORC WEAPON TRAPPED DEEP IN HIS FLESH

ANGUS BURIED THE AXE IN HIS HEAD

THE CHAMPION'S HEAD GAVE INTO THE BLOW
AND HE DIED 'FORE HIS HEAD HIT THE GROUND
AND ANGUS DID STUMBLE AND FELL TO HIS KNEES
AND HE GRIMACED AND MADE NOT A SOUND
-HE CRIED NO MORE

THE RANKS BROKE EASY, THE ORC CHIEF WAS DEAD
AND HIS WEAPON WAS HELD BY A DWARVE.
THEY FLED AND THEY DIED AND SURRENDERED IN DRIVES
AND WERE PUT TO THE EDGE OF THE SWORD

FOR MERCY THEY PLEADED AND NONE FOUND IT THERE

SAVE THE ONE WHO RELAYED THE GREAT FIGHT

HE WAS GRANTED HIS FREEDOM ON CONDITION HE SWEAR

OF ANGUS' STRENGTH, AND HIS MIGHT

'ANGUS PITCHED FORWARD AND FELL ON HIS FACE
AD ROLLED OVER TO GREET HIS OWN HOST
AND THE FIRST DWARVE TO SEE HIM THERE UNDER THE SUN
DID WITNESS HIM GIVE UP HIS GHOST
-AND HE DIED

BUT THE STORY CONTINUES AND BRINGS US ALL HERE
TO HONOR THE DEATH OF THIS CHIEF
WHO UNITED THE DWARVE TRIBES ALL THERE ON THAT FIELD
WITH THE LAST FIGHT THAT ENDED HIS LIFE

HE ROUTED THE ORC TRIBE AND SET THEM AFLAME

WHO FOUGHT TO RESCUE THEIR FRIEND

AND BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER WITH LOVE FOR THEM ALL

SEEKING FRIENDSHIP AND PEACE WITHOUT END

THE BATTLE WAS SHIFTED AND GROMM NOW RAN SCARED
FOR THE DWARVES WERE NOW TURNING THE TIDE
AND FIGHTING THE ORCS WITH THE HUMAN AND ELVE
STANDING PROUDLY FOR SILVERTHORNES SIDE.

HIS BODY NOW RESTS IN THE HALL OF THE KINGS
WHERE THE HEROES AND CHAMPIONS DO LIE
HIS WEAPONS STILL LIE IN HIS SCARRED LIFELESS HANDS
AS THEY RESTED WHEN HE CAME TO DIE

BUT WEEP NOT FOR ANGUS YOU FRIENDS HERE TONIGHT

AND BROTHERS WHO STOOD BY HIS SIDE

FOR LEGEND NOW TELLS OF HOW HE WILL ARISE

WHEN THE NEED COMES FOR TURNING THE TIDE

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT HE GAVE HIS LIFE
TO UNITE ALL HIS FOLK ONCE AGAIN
AND BE SURE THAT HIS SPIRIT CANNOT REMAIN DEAD
ARISING WHEN NEEDED AGAIN

REMEMBER HIS GOOD CHEER, AND HIS GLORIOUS LIFE
REMEMBER THE DAYS THAT HE HAD
REMEMBER HIS FORTUNE, HIS GLORY, HIS PRAISE
THAT HE NEVER LET GO TO HIS HEAD

SO FILL UP YOUR CUPS ONCE MORE WITH THIS ALE

AS I'M SURE HE WOULD WANT YOU TO DO

AND REMEMBER HIS LIFE AND THE FRIENDS THAT HE MADE

AND HIS DEATH AND THE FOES THAT HE SLEW

AND REMEMBER THE FINAL AND LAST OF HIS WORDS
OH MY FRIENDS AND MY BOTHERS TO ME.

-WE CRIED
"TO ANGUS THE HELDRUMMER THE CHIEF OF HIS CLAN,
THE KINGS CHAMPION AND WEILDER THE KINGS SWORD
THE KINGS STEWARD,
HERO OF THE REALM OF THE DWARVES
SLAYER 10,000 OF THE KINGS ENEMIES,
SLAYER OF KANGAS AND LOKI, THE UNFAITHFUL ONES
SLAYER OF KAL-TAN, CHAMPION OF ORCS,
BREAKER OF GROMMS BACK,
UNITER OF THE DWARVEN CLANS AND BROTHER OF ALL DWARVES
…WE DRINK TO YOU!”