'The Nlooni Tribes'

A Flintloque Background Article by Danny O'Hara

An extremely detailed breakdown of the Halfling peoples found in the Nuttull region of Afrique.

~

The tired baGinza warriors sat on their haunches wailing. They would not go up the mountain again. Each time so far, the maTebetle defenders had rolled rocks down into their stomps, then charged the survivors, sweeping them from the slopes. From on high, Merrysillykazi's Halflings taunted them, with jibes that children should not climb mountains, and that they should go home to their mothers! The baGinza induna, Mperry, could take no more. He rounded on his cowering troops.

"Cowards! Old women! I will not leave this mountain without Merrysillykazi's head! If you will not follow, I will take this mountain myself!". But it did not rouse them.

"OK, then you can all go back to Shaka and tell HIM why you ran away from these maTebetle children!".

The troops weighed the pros and cons of the decision. Run up a mountain into almost certain, squishy death, or go and tell Shaka that they had failed?

Within the space of a heartbeat, the Stomps leaped up to a Halfling and charged back up the mountain...

~

The Halfling Peoples of the Nutull Area

The Albion Orcs in particular group all Halflings together into a single ethnic group (after all, they are all small and obnoxious, aren't they?). But as peoples such as the Boors and Othari have come to realise, there are distinctive physical and linguistic groupings of these diminutive peoples. While there have been studies made in other known parts of the Dark Continent, my work here concerns only the areas around Krapp Colony and Nutull proper. These are:

1. The Stoato - a group of pastoral Halflings, who maintained the traditional, peaceful lifestyle. Unfortunately, this made them easy to conquer by other groups, and other races. They live in and beyond the Dragonsbreath Mountains, up to the edges of the Kalamari Desert. With the approach of the Nlooni from Nutull and Fuzziland, many of the tribes were scattered, and fled towards the Kalamari. Here, a young chief named Msamgamgee (who had defeated Merrysillykazi in a brief "guerrilla" war) formed a new people - the baStoato. Other, more traditional Stoato peoples include the baKavalori, Barrelong, Dingdongo, and smaller tribes scattered through the Dragonsbreath Mountains.

2. The Xharfooti - these were again a traditional people, and easily defeated when the Goblins, Gnomes and Orcs arrived. They still occassionally fight against their overlords, but are generally quiet. The two largest groups are the baBoombangi and the Xharfooti themselves. There are smaller tribes, particularly around the Jaffa River.

3. The Nlooni - the dominant people of this area, at least outside of the Krapp Colony, the Nlooni include the following tribal groups:

1. The Fuzzis
2. The baGinza
3. The maTebetle ("Mutterbeetles")

This work is concerned primarily with the Nlooni, and only occassional reference will be made to the other groups (chiefly as victims!). For more general information on Halfling behaviour and characteristics, please consult the august "Orcs In The Hills" magazine, No.9 (hereafter referred to as OITH).

Firstly, I shall deal with the common traditions and culture of the Nlooni, then with some of the differences between the tribes and groups.

~

Nlooni Settlements

Like their remote ancestors, the Nlooni prefer to live in burrows if at all possible. However, in some areas the soil does not allow this, and hut like structures are built to provide shelter. Whether the homes are burrows or huts, the settlement is always surrounded by a thorny hedge (booma) to keep out wild animals and enemies, and keep the dwarf cattle in. There is always at least one gateway in the hedge, usually guarded, and smaller enclosures for animals may be found inside the settlement. The settlement as a whole is usually refered to as a kraal.

So what exactly do these kraals look like? Well, the first point worth making is that they are not called kraals by their native occupants, kraal being a Gnomish word used by the first Boor settlers in the area. The Nlooni call their villages umuzi (pl. imizi), and their barracks ikhanda (pl. amakhanda). Both are circular in pattern and built according to a strictly observed custom.

The umuzi is the homestead of a married Nlooni warrior and his family. It can vary in size according to his wealth and status. A married commoner might live in a settlement of as few as half a dozen huts, whilst a senior induna, with lots of retainers, might live in a residence of several dozen. Each umuzi is laid out on a symmetrical basis. At the centre is a circular pen, in which the settlement's cattle are kept at night. The huts are arranged around this, and the whole thing surrounded by a further stockade.

Imizi are usually built on gentle slopes, preferably facing east; this gives the best of the sun, and ensures that the drainage is as good as can be expected. The main entrance of the village is at the bottom end and directly facing the entrance of the cattle enclosure. The owner of the umuzi has his residence in a large hut at the top of the settlement. This he shares with his "Great Wife", the most important of his household, who is expected to provide his heir. Should that happy event not occur, there is a strict heirachy amongst the other wives, since a disputed succession is always a dreaded event. The second most important wife lives on the top right-hand side; those wives the chief married purely for the fun of it live on the left-hand side (and the "proper" wives don't speak to them at all!). Even a comparatively minor chief or induna (person of authority) might have 20 or so wives, whom are carefully housed around the three sections of the kraal according to their influence/nastiness. Beyond these live the sons and daughters of the chief in small huts of their own, together with any destitute relatives or retainers who have attached themselves to a particular village (an all too common event in Halfling culture!). Thus, in no time at all a Halfling with only a few wives can find himself responsible for a fairly large settlement. (With food requirements to match!).

Finally, at the tip of this circle of huts, there is the hut of the night-warden, who is responsible for looking after the gate.

The huts themselves vary in size according to social and economic factors (always important to the class-conscious Halflings!), but generally the more important the inhabitant, the bigger the hut. They are made by digging a circular groove about six inches into the soil, and setting into it supple branches, which are then bent over and fastened again on the opposite side of the circle. This builds up a framework of over-lapping concentric semi-circles, each of which are tied together with tough plaited thongs where they cross another branch.

The whole lot is then covered in dried thatch. At its most simple form, this thatching is held in place by wooden staples, which are pushed in until they catch on the frame, bent over so as to pin the grass flat to the frame, and then pinned in again on the other side. In the best prepared buildings, however, a preliminary coat of thatch is covered with specially made grass mats, which are then kept in place by grass ropes. These ropes are usually arranged to give a very neat and attractive appearance on the outside, and the whole thing is finished off by a carefully bound top-knot.

There are no windows, and the semi-round doorway is only about eighteen inches in diameter. This is deliberately awkward to enter, to discourage both wild animals and Halfling aggressors, who can hardly sneak in wielding an assegai whilst bent double

Inside the hut, the floor is kept clean and polished. It is made by laying down a foundation of wet clay, preferably made from crushed soil from a termite heap, and smearing this with cow-dung (this is not quite as grim as it sounds, cows in Nutull having a diet of dry grass). The resulting product is an odourless mush of digested grass which, when dry, can be polished with stones until the whole floor shines with a deep green glaze.

In the centre of the hut is the fireplace, a depression surrounded by a clay lip, and big huts might need several upright poles to support the roof. There is no chimney, so the smoke has to find its way out through the thatch as best it can, but the whole building is airy and well ventilated, as well as surprisingly water-proof. It is interesting to note that when the Nlooni king Drogo'ne was defeated by the Boors, he set fire to his royal homestead and fled; the heat from the burning thatch baked the clay floors to brick, and they can still be seen today.

The stockade around the umuzi is made of wood, though, in some parts of the country where timber is scarce, thorn-bushes or prickly pears are planted as a substitute. Generally, the stockade just consists of stout poles set upright in the ground, but in the more important settlements, these are set into the ground in a double line, a couple of feet apart. They incline inwards, so as to cross at the top, and the empty archway between them is filled with branches. As much as five feet high, such a densely packed stockade is a formidable barrier (to a Halfling!).

The fence around the cattle-pen is smaller, but equally strong, since cattle play a vital role in Nlooni society, and no umuzi-head would willingly let his animals run unnecessary risks. Inland, towards the Dragonsbreath mountains, the pens are often made of stone.

During the day, while the cattle graze outside the settlement under the watchful eye of the village's herdboys, the gates to both stockades are left open; at night, the entrances are blocked off with poles and branches slotted between the stockades. At the top end of the umuzi, a small enclosure is fenced off for calves. Goats and sheep, not thought fit company for cattle, sometimes have similar pens, but most imizi of any consequence have separate enclosures a few yards away from the top end of the village.

As well as the huts, most villages include a few small buildings erected on stilts, placed between the huts and the outer stockade. These are grain-stores which house the foodstuffs for daily consumption by the inhabitants of the various sections of the settlement (as may be expected, there are a lot of food stores!). Most of the umuzi's grain would be stored for the winter in deep, clay-lined pits, sealed by large stones and situated near the entrance of the cattle-pen; but the remainder is raised on stilts to keep the contents out of the way of insects, hungry Halflings and the damp. Some of these structures are used to hold beer, pipeweed and other necessaries.

These stores vary in size and shape; some are like huge pear-shaped baskets on a supporting scaffolding of branches, but most are like small huts, simply raised on platforms and reached by ramshackle ladders. Similar structures are sometimes put up in the cornfields, so that the boys guarding the crop are high enough above it to keep an eye out for straying cattle and other potential dangers.

Palaces and Barracks

The amakhanda are basically large imizi. They are essentially the homesteads of the king, and are both his personal palaces, the barracks of his army, and centres of his administration. In a conglomerate kingdom such as that of the baGinza, forged from a variety of clans who, until defeated and incorporated, had been bitter enemies, it is a smart king who makes sure that his voice can be heard from one end of the realm to the other. (And NOBODY suggests that Shaka is not smart!).

Under Shaka's regime, the unmarried Foots are almost permanently called up. Their barracks, when on duty, and their rallying point when not, are the amakhanda. Each ikhanda houses at least one Foot, possibly a Stride, according to status. As a result, these barracks are huge, and their size constantly surprises Boors and Orcs who see them. They frequently contain over 1,000 huts, and are sometimes as much as a half-mile in circumference.

In layout, they follow the same broad pattern as the imizi - two vast circular stockades, and in between them the huts, in rows up to four deep. The central circle is more than just a cattle-pen, it is the parade ground of the army or a rallying point for the nation. Any one of the amakhanda is big enough to play host to the baGinza national ceremonies (including smoke-ring competitions, dancing, eating, drinking, more eating...) which draw thousands of Halflings from all over the kingdom, and can support the mustering of an entire Stomp.

At the top of the ikhanda is the isigoneyet, the king's apartments, occupied by the huts of his wives and his attendants, each one with a screen of reeds around it. On either side there are screened-off sections set aside for important dignatories, as well as the usual watchmens' huts. At the top of the inner circle is a true cattle enclosure, where the king can review his herds and smoke in peace. Off to one side of each ikhanda are a couple of small imizi, where the king's food is prepared out of the way of potential evil-doers. With three or even four, warriors sharing a hut, an ikhanda, when fully occupied, can house up to 4,500 Halflings. However, when the army is dispersed, it will contain only a small staff who see to its upkeep. Weapons and shields for the warriors are held in structures like the normal grain-stores.

Female Halflings hold a special position of authority in the imizi, and so it is with the amakhanda, for when the king is absent, it is ruled by one of the elderly ladies of his household -usually one with a quick temper and a sharp tongue, who can keep the unruly warriors in their place! (And at least that way she is not nagging His Majesty...)

Beer and Pipeweed

Of all Halfling behaviour, their liking for beer and pipeweed are most notable. While pipeweed exists in many forms, the famous narcotic type favoured by the Windy Isles Halflings is generally thought to be unique to that chain of islands, as the Halfling plantation slaves had no apparent knowledge of this variant. In fact, the area of the Dark Continent from which most of the slaves originated is far from Nutull, and the "wacky weed" is not known there. But in Nutull, this type of plant (known as insanego to the Nlooni) is plentiful, and cheerfully smoked by the Nlooni (and other) Halflings. (There are methods, rituals and equipment used for this activity which are poorly understood by this author). More normal types of weed also grow here and are smoked.

The traditional beer is made from fermented grains. First, some grain is soaked in water for a day, then the water is poured away and the seeds covered (and kept moist). As these germinate, a yeast is produced, which is gathered and laid out in the sun to dry, then ground. More water-soaked grain is then ground into a coarse meal (husks and all), then mixed with some of the yeast and placed in pots. Boiling water is then added, the mixture is stirred, then left to cool. More yeast is then added, and the brew left untouched overnight. The following morning, the brew is brought to the boil again for several hours, then poured into fresh pots and left to cool. More yeast is added, then the brew is left overnight. On the following morning, the beer is filtered through woven sieves to remove the husks, and the beer pots are then moved to a cool place, from which it is brought as needed to be drunk by the tribe. As can be seen, this is an intensive process, and tribal members are allocated to beer production on a permanent basis. After cattle herding, this is regarded as the best occupation for one who is not a warrior.

Cattle

It can be said without much exaggeration that the single most important thing to an Nlooni is cattle! Cattle provide food (meat and dairy products), clothing (hides - also used for shields), and dung (fuel and housing material). They are the currency of the Nlooni tribes, and every warrior has to gain cattle (either from raiding, or payment for work) in order to marry (he has to "buy" his wife by paying a lobelia to her family. If she leaves him, then the family pay him back). The cattle are a dwarf breed, scrawny and long-horned, of varying colours. The herdsmen know each of their beasts, and knotch ears or horns to aid this. The Nlooni languages (which are really dialects) have hundreds of words to describe cattle colours and colouration patterns. (Well, there's not much else to talk about, is there?).

The Regimental System

As Nlooni boys reach puberty (at about age 16 years), they are taken from their families and formed into Toes (about twenty boys) with an older boy put in charge of them. These boys are then put together into a single hut, and taught basic warcrafts, hunting, and other skills by the old veterans of the tribe (usually those over 75, and too old for military service). Once the boys reach maturity (at about 33 years of age), they are taken to the Royal Kraal and grouped with four other Toes into a Foot. Each Foot presents itself to the tribal Chief or King, wearing only their hide loincloth and holding a spear, with their foot hair combed but unplaited. They dance and act out military manoeuvres for the King, who then decides on a name for the Foot, and gives them their shields. The King also places a proven warrior (induna) in charge of the new unit, who then march off to build a kraal for themselves (and the King "lends" them some of his cattle to support them). The Foot then trains, hunts and fights together.

For services to their King, success in battle, etc., the Foot will be granted special privileges and markings. These include head-dresses, cow-tail fringes around the legs (to imply more hairyness of the feet), different shield colours, and distinctive plaiting of the foot hair. Thus every Nlooni warrior's Foot could be rapidly identified by his dress and shield.

While this traditional regimental structure is found in every tribe, it was accentuated in the baGinza by Shaka. In other tribes, the warriors marry once they can afford to, and leave the Foot to live with their family (although still eligible to be called up for service with the Foot when required). This means that the best warriors tend to leave the Foot early, leaving their less capable brethren to carry on. Thus older Foots are generally inefficient unless full call-up is instigated, while younger units are generally better, if less experienced. However, Shaka forbids his warriors to marry until he gives them permission, and then they marry all at once, and carry on as a Foot, but with their families in the Foot Kraal. This keeps his army at much greater efficiency, and is the system used by Merrysillykazi's maTebetle (who are really renegade baGinza, after all). The Fuzzis keep the traditional system.

In time of war, a pair of Foots are combined into a Stride, and four Strides into a Stomp. Small tribes probably only just manage to for a Stomp, while Shaka commands at least thirty.

Weaponry

The traditional Nlooni weapons are the light throwing spear, knobkerrie club, small handaxe and shield. Shaka found the axe and throwing spear to be ineffective, and brought the assegai (a short handled, broad bladed spear designed for close combat) into use with his troops. The knobkerrie is still used by some warriors, and can be thrown a short distance, and light throwing spears are often carried by baGinza warriors behind their shields. As with most things, the maTebetle follow baGinza styles on weaponry, and the Fuzzis are rapidly adopting the assegai.

In the traditional battle, the Stomps of opposing tribes would line up facing each other and throw spear volleys until all of these were used up. The opposing champions would then rush out to fight single combat, and the losing side woul then run away. Shaka decided that this was a silly way to fight, and armed his warriors with assegais. As the enemy lined up to throw their spears, his army charged and cut them down with these vicious weapons.

The Rise of the baGinza under Shaka

The Nlooni had been a pastoral society, living in small tribes and clans across Nutull and Fuzziland, until a hunter by the name of Mtook encountered a Goblin exploration party in Nutull. The Goblins were suffering from disease and malnutrition, and spoke only a debased form of the amaHalfling tongue, but Mtook, amazed at the appearance and equipment of these strangers, decided to help them find food and shelter. The Goblins were apparently happy to have made friendly contact at last, and as their strength increased they told Mtook of their mission to find new peoples and set up trade with them. They described the richness of Al-Garvey, with their skill at making things, and Mtook told them of the teeming cattle and game of Nutull. He was surprised that his new friends were unimpressed, and kept asking about different coloured rocks. This odd behaviour he put down to the diseases and suffering these foreigners had suffered.

Several of the Goblins had died, but the remaining few wished to carry on for Nutull, with Mtook as their guide. He led them back towards his village, but on the way these Goblins all died of disease. Mtook brought back some of their gear, and his clan were so impressed by these that he quickly became chief of the renamed Mtook clan. He knew that the Goblins had a village on the coast, a long way away, called "Delboya Bay", and that they wanted those shiny rocks which the Nlooni had no use for. With his smattering of Al-Garvian, and limited knowledge of these people, Mtook organised a trip to Delboya Bay with a train of Mtooki warriors carrying shiny rocks, and a few cattle just in case! The Goblins were delighted with these useless, shiny rocks, but did not seem at all interested in the valuable cattle (strange people!). In return, they gave the Mtooki such useful things as pretty beads and metal utensils for the womenfolk, and knives for the men. Mtook decided to make maximum use of this Goblin madness, and thus became the chief of the most wealthy clan in Nutull. His warriors used knife blades to tip their spears, and by combat, diplomacy and marriage alliances the Mtooki formed a strong kingdom from their surrounding Nlooni tribes and clans. During this time, Mtook apparently had a dalliance with a young Halfling maid of the baGinza clan. The result of this was a bastard son, who was named Shaka. As everyone knew that Mtook was the father, he was forced to marry Shaka's mother (though he tried not to) and treated her and her son as unwanted guests. Eventually, when Shaka was a toddling infant, Mtook decided to throw the pair out of his kraal. They returned to the baGinza, who had to return the lobelia to Mtook, and were made even more unwelcome by the tribe (who could not, however, throw them out). Shaka, despised by his fellow baGinza, became first a herd-boy, then joined his Toe as puberty began. The other members of the Toe taunted and ridiculed Shaka, and regularly humiliated him by burning off his foot hair, or suchlike. A small boy, but hardened by his experiences, Shaka bided his time in humiliation.

As he reached maturity, the relentless bullies of his Toe did not notice the strength of Shaka, both physical and mental, and the great skill he was developing at hand-to-hand combat. Deciding that the current weapons were too weak, he secretly designed and constructed the first assegai. By now, his Toe had been brought into the oFatty Foot, part of the uSaxville Stride in the Mtook Stomp. Shaka kept his assegai secret, practising it alone when no-one was watching. But his time came in a battle with the neighbouring tribe of Pongoshe, when (after the initial spear throwing) the Pongoshe champion came out, Shaka immediately charged him with his assegai and slew the bewildered warrior. Mtook's own champion, incensed by this dishonour, charged after Shaka, but was killed in his turn. The Pongoshe fled, and the Mtooki sat down, muttering their dismay.

Mtook himself asked his chief indunas who this strange warrior was? Initially they did not know, but from his dress he was apparently a baGinza stripling. Shaka was brought up to speak with the ageing Mtook, who did not recognise his son. When asked who he was, and why had he done these things, Shaka replied:

"I am the son that you did not want, by the wife you dishonoured. Now I have dishonoured you in front of both your people and your enemies, and we are even!".

Mtook was unsure whether to order Shaka killed on the spot, but decided instead to make him Royal Champion of Mtook, and induna of the renamed uShaka Foot. He also asked Shaka to show his assegai, which had impressed the leaders.

Shaka then set about reorganising his Foot, and was brutal in the treatment of the bullies who had tormented him in his childhood. They had their foot hair burned away, and were forced to train and parade wearing female attire. On the positive side, Shaka trained all his warriors in the use of the assegai, and they all re-equiped themselves with this weapon. In subsequent battles, the superiority of his warriors against the traditional type was proven, and the (growing) Mtook army universally adopted it. Shaka increasingly became the general of Mtook's army, and widely feared and respected by the Halflings of his realm, as well as their neighbours. At this time, Mtook ordered Shaka to declare that he would allow his eldest son, Mriadoc, to succeed to the Mtook throne on Mtook's death. In return, Mtook would let Shaka become chief of the subject baGinza tribe. Shaka swore this in front of the assembled indunas.

A few weeks later, after another of his successful battles, Shaka came back to Mtook's kraal and stabbed the old Halfling, his father, to death. He then announced to the startled court that the baGinza claimed all of the people, cattle and land of Mtook with the sole exception of Mriadoc, who thus became King of the Mtook, with himself as the sole member of the tribe! (Therefore Shaka had not broken his word). No-one dared to stand up to Shaka, who immediately set off with his army on further campaigns of conquest until all of Nutull was under his control.

One of the bright stars in his fanatically loyal, successful army was a young induna by the name of Merrysillykazi. He was only slightly younger than Shaka, but was possessed of much the same nature. He attempted to usurp Shaka in much the same way as Shaka had done to Mtook, becoming the darling of the army and then using this to take over. But Shaka spotted this and ordered Merrysillykazi's death. Realising that something was amiss, Merrysillykazi fled with his Foot (the Brandibuki) towards Fuzziland. Shaka decided not to chase him initially, but was pleased to hear of the rout at Bullywayo (caused by Johannes Kirk's Kommando). Shaka also had other things to worry about, chiefly Piet Spock and Jean-Luc Pikaard. With the scattering of his people, Merrysillykazi was seen as a problem solved.

Merrysillykazi - The Rampaging Baby Elephant

After Bullywayo, the scattered Brandibuki warriors gradually regrouped in Nutull between the Jaffa and Limbopole rivers, and the Dragonsbreath Mountains. Merrysillykazi reformed them and set about raiding the surrounding Nlooni tribes of the plains. These were, at least nominally, subjects of Shaka, and the Great Chief would not put up with this for long. In fact, Merrysillykazi fully conquered some of these Nlooni clans, and managed to form his army into a Stride. However, he was aware that Shaka must soon follow him, and his army was not yet ready to face an equal number of baGinza, let alone a full Stomp or more. From the locals, he had heard of a tribe of strange Halflings who burrowed in the hills and mountains above. He decided to investigate.

The mountain tribe were called the baDending, and their chief was named Msamgamgee. On the approach of the maTebetle Stride, the javelin armed baDending, who were a Stoato people, were quickly forced back. Realising the futility of facing these Nlooni warriors in open combat, Msamgamgee ordered his warriors to fall back into the mountains, avoiding combat but sniping from cover at the advancing foe. Merrysillykazi became aggravated by the pinprick losses this warfare caused, and when he eventually spotted a mountainside covered with Stoato tribespeople and cattle, he wasted no time in attacking. But the baDending warriors threw javelins and rolled rocks onto the maTebetle, and caused so many losses that the fuming Merrysillykazi had to withdraw.

When he arrived back in the plains with his battered army, he received some terrible news. Shaka had sent a Stomp to crush his fledgling maTebetle tribe! They were still a few day's march away, and so Merrysillykazi set about moving his tribe into the mountains. If it worked for the baDending, it would work for him!

The approaching baGinza Stomp were unsurprised when they found the maTebetle lands empty, and the tribe apparently fled into the hills. They decided to follow, and repeated the maTebetle mistake of attacking a defended mountain. This time, however, when the baGinza Stomp finally broke, they were pursued and slain by the elated maTebetle. Realising, however, that this was not the end of the campaign by Shaka, Merrysillykazi decided to take his small tribe across the Limbopole River. Here they found various Stoato and traditional Nlooni clans, whom they quickly subjugated and formed a new maTebetle nation. Shaka, having dealt with other problems with Boors and rebellions in Nutull, sent a large (five Stomp) army across the Limbopole into Mutterbeetleland. Here, however, they met the reformed Mutterbeetle army of similar size, and after a massive battle both sides withdrew. An uneasy peace developed at this new border, as baGinza and Mutterbeetles viewed each other suspiciously.

The Foots of Shaka and Merrysillykazi

Here follows some examples of the Foots in Shaka's baGinza army:

• uSacksville - Shaka's own Foot of baGinza, renamed the "uShaka"
• amaWomble
• iziTloked
• iziKrazi
• amDoon
• umaGammileg
• amaLevinonafretrane
• omiGoodnessgreshesh
• oSogood
• amaRhamadamadingdong
• unDahill
• amaBeleva

And some of Merrysillykazi's:

• uBrandibuki
• inHaminute
• inDamiddle
• baGenda
• uWahdiddididdi

~

Webmaster's Notes

The above Flintloque background was originally published on Danny O'Hara's excellent Flintloque website, Weird Wars, way back in the 1990s.

The scenario was first published on Orcs in the Webbe on the 28th February 2008 with Danny’s kind permission. Sadly it was absent for several years due to a prior regeneration of the website not transferring everything over correctly. That wrong has now been righted and it returned in it's original form on the 10th December 2025 as the tenth entry in that year's Advent Calendar and, of course, is part of Orcs in the Webbe's ongoing Flintloque Archive Project.

Danny passed away a few years ago now and I miss both him and his fantastic contributions to the world of Valon.

Any comments in maroon in the article above have been added by me either to provide additional information or clarity. I may also have made small changes to grammar and layout but have not marked these.

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