Page 1/5 About Morokai Alberto Gillan "Morokai will come and eat you!" Every parent who lives in Laslan must have used this line at least once on their misbehaving children. This shows just how well-known and feared this monster is to the people in this region. I've heard the rumors ever since I was young, and my curiosity only grew as I got older. Why does Morokai live in the forest alone? Is Morokai truly a brutal killer like people say? Why is he called the father of spiders? I had so many questions. The day I dropped out of magic school and decided to become an adventurer, I knew what my first goal would be. I wanted to come face to face with Morokai and speak with him. Page 2/5 In order to prepare for my meeting with Morokai, I spoke with as many witnesses as possible and wrote down their stories. The first person I met was Hank, a medicinal herbalist. When he was young, he went to the forest and mountains with his father to learn about various medicinal herbs and mushrooms. One day, his father went into Carmine Forest in search of some rare mushrooms and told Hank to stay behind. Hank secretly followed his father, thinking there must be a special spot for rare medicinal herbs that only his father knew about. As he snuck after his father, a spider fell from a tree and started chasing him. He screamed, and his father quickly came to his rescue, sword at the ready. He sliced one of the spider's legs clean off, and the creature ran away with a shriek. A few moments later, the sound of a beating heart grew louder and louder, and he saw a large shadow. Page 3/5 The massive monster that appeared with the beating heart was an undead creature that resembled an orc. "How dare you hurt my spiders?" the creature boomed in a low, echoing voice, as it raised its giant staff. The boy's father stood before Morokai and said that he'd trade his life for his son's. Morokai gave an ugly chortle and said it wasn't necessary. He'd just take his father's right arm. The second witness I met was a Resistance soldier named Robert. I wasn't sure if I could trust him because of the way he was boasting about everything, but he still told me his tale. To summarize: he saw Morokai in a spider's cave while searching for friends that had become lost in Carmine Forest. Morokai thought of the spiders as his friends and family, carried his heart on a staff, and had the face of an orc. Robert said that the Resistance Captain, DaVinci, had come to save him, and that he had defeated the spiders and Morokai, but I don't know if I believe that last part. Page 4/5 I was able to prepare myself to face Morokai after putting all these stories together. I went to Carmine Forest, where he lived. The offensive skills I learned at magic school came in handy when defeating the spiders. After traversing half of my intended route, the boars became more of a threat than the spiders. They charged at me without warning, and I found it was better to evade them rather than stand and fight. After a while, I finally heard the echo of a heartbeat from within the mist. I knew from the eyewitness accounts that this had to be the sound of the heart hanging from Morokai's staff. As the heartbeat grew closer and closer, I was overcome with fear, unable to take another step. Suddenly, I heard heavy footsteps alongside the beating heart. I mustered up all the courage I could and yelled, "Morokai! I'm here to speak to you!" A few moments later, Morokai finally revealed his hulking form. Page 5/5 I presented Morokai with a gift of ten woolen blankets, five bundles of pork legs, and five bundles of lamb meat. "I-I have something to ask you!" I felt the cold sweat on my brow as he stared at me for what seemed to be an eternity. Finally, he opened his mouth and said, "What do you wish to know?" My conversation with Morokai finally began. I didn't learn much from him, but I could sense deep regret, resentment, and sadness in his words. Long ago, he used to be a powerful warrior, the Chief Priest of the Kalturan orcs. One day, he was tempted by a Chief Priest from the Akidu clan. Morokai was promised the gift of eternal life and absolute power, and with that promise came the ultimate betrayal. Not only did Morokai betray his own kind, but the Akidu clan in turn betrayed Morokai, turning him into an undead monstrosity. They ripped out his heart and strung it from a tree, inflicting eternal humiliation and pain upon him. He said that the punishment was for the crime of betraying his clan, and that his only remaining friends were the spiders of the forest. That's why he enacts harsh justice on anyone who tries to hurt them. Morokai also told me that this conversation would be the last he would have with any human, and that I'd become food for the spiders if I ever tried to speak with him again.
