An Ancient Truth
Copyright© 2026 by Asa Strong
Chapter 2
There was total silence around the table. I could tell that everyone was confused. I couldn’t blame them. It had taken a lot for me to believe what I’d found in the scrolls. But, the evidence was overwhelming.
I shook myself from my thoughts, and then started.
“First, we must start with the trolls. With the exception of the cave we are now in, all of this land was once theirs. There were no other races, only trolls that lived here.”
I could see the surprise on everyone’s face. Torg was the first to recover and asked, “Donta, why do you say that?”
I smiled at him, and then said, “Patience, friend. This story will be long in the telling, and hopefully, when I’m finished, it will make sense to all of you. If you can, hold your questions until I’m finished; it will help.”
Torg nodded his head, and the rest still looked like they were lost to the meaning of what I’d said.
“To continue, this land was the home of the trolls. From what I have read, they lived much like they do now. They have never been a prolific group, and from the information in the scrolls, that has always been the case.”
I paused to take a sip from my cup, and then continued.
“Next were the elves. This cave, which is called “Elondirn Honic”, which means Blue Cave in the old tongue, was the western boundary of an ancient elf kingdom.
“The North Pass that you see on the map before you was the road that led here from the east. The origin of Elondirn Honic is lost in time, but it is apparent that it has always been a place of reverence and learning for the elves.
“The elves were forced from their homeland by a great invasion of orcs. According to the scrolls, they came from the east in great numbers and forced the elves to move west. Eventually, they closed off the area to the east. From what I’ve read, a great many elves perished in the fighting. The few that were left were the ancestors of the elves we know today.”
I stopped to gather my thoughts before continuing. I could see that all around me were held in rapt fascination with what I was saying. I continued.
“Not long after the elves were forced from their homeland, the orcs invaded the home of the dwarfs. The dwarf homeland was to the south of the elves, and they too were pushed to the west—finally settling in the giant hills.
“The Middle Pass was the avenue by which they escaped. According to the legend in the scrolls, the dwarfs forced a road across the high mountains to reach their present homeland.
“Finally, there is the migration of men to the western part of this country.
“Their story is somewhat different. They migrated much later than the elves and dwarfs. The road that traverses the South Pass was built by the elves and dwarfs to re-establish trade between them and the men of my country. Evidently, the orcs did not invade the home of men until much later than the elves and dwarfs.
“It is most fortunate for my people that this happened later. Without the South Pass, it is doubtful that they would have escaped to the west.
“Today, the men who inhabit the western part of this land are descendants of those that fled my homeland.”
I looked around the table, and then said, “So now you know the history according to what is written in the ancient scrolls.”
Jarraid was the first to gather his wits and asked, “Why did the orcs not simply invade to the west? It sounds like they were great in number and would have had little trouble in defeating their enemies.”
I nodded my head and then answered.
“There were two events that combined to stop them. The first was a great upheaval in the Eastern Mountains—the same mountains my people call The Dragon’s Teeth. The rending of the earth was so great that both the North and Middle passes were completely obliterated. The South pass was severely damaged but was still passable.
“It was the second event that eventually stopped the orc invasion from using this route. From the description in the scrolls, there was a great plague that happened shortly after the rending of the earth. Although many dwarfs, elves, and men succumbed to the fever, it was far worse for the orcs. The plague decimated the orcs. The few that recovered were not enough in numbers to be of any serious threat, and they retreated to the two areas on the map that I showed you earlier. Until recently, they have remained there.”
Saraid then asked, “How is it that there are people still in your homeland? I would think that the orcs would have killed all of them off.”
I had wondered about the same thing, and the only thing that made sense was old tales about our people coming from somewhere south of our present-day homeland. There was much to think on here. I really had no more than a hunch that this may be the case.
“I’m not sure,” I answered. “Maybe they are remnants of those that fled to the south during the orc invasion. There are some old tales that may support this, but I’m not sure if they are true.”
Gait, ever the opportunist, cleared his throat and then said, “Donta, this may explain the past, but what use is it to us now?”
I nodded towards Gait and then said, “Given the huge number of orcs we have seen lately, it’s my opinion that they are re-grouping for another major war.”
My statement shocked all of them sitting at the table. For a few moments, there was silence. Dan’ar was the first to gather his wits and said, “That would explain what we have seen. But we really don’t have any proof.”
Saraid was next to speak, “If this is true, they must be gathering to the west. All the orcs we saw were moving in that direction.”