The Pathfinders: Children of Tarr-Uk

It ain’t easy being green

The leaf-skinned charismatic waymaster Thaedred’Kairn of clan Sol, prefers the sound of his cello-like Strakka, to the kick of his plasma battlerifle. He daydreams often of a life outside the Oaer-Uk Military Arm, a life not watching his best friends die, a life finally of his own choosing. But, that can only happen after he finishes training recruits who seek to become Pathfinders like himself; an elite sect of warrior-scouts. So when they’re sucked into a wormhole and spit out deep within the Empire of Humanity and surrounded by orc-hating human pirates, he realizes what he wants means little in the eyes of the ‘Verse. Such is life.

Peace between the Oaer-Uk (Great People in Orcish) and the Empire is a relatively new concept. The galaxy has seen much war between the peoples of the Elven Provinces, the Dwarven Confederacy, the Troll-Goblin Alliance, the Empire of Humanity and the Oaer-Uk. But the Age of Colonization has ended, so dawns the Age of Keeping the Fucking Peace.

The Pathfinders is an ensemble piece filled by an irreverent, racially diverse cast with their own unique motivations and personal histories. Where these orcs kill, roar and beat upon their chests; they also love, laugh, and take selfies. The galaxy is much greater and more benevolent than most would have you believe, and in this ‘Verse, humans, elves and orcs must find a way to coexist, or die trying.

Using my people’s society as a canvas and being a student of history itself, I illustrate their ideosyncracies, beliefs and ideals fully in the face of cultural clashes and xenophobia. I’m just some Spokane Indian, sitting in front of a laptop, wanting to share my love and affection for fiction’s greatest and most misunderstood “bad guys.”