The Green Wanderer
is a Low Fantasy web novella written by Tyk 5919, and is set in the Legatum series alongside the Smirvlak Trilogy.
Haunted by his past and seeking to find a purpose in life, Marrox, a former orc soldier, travels around the kingdom of Glordale encountering all sorts of individuals from different backgrounds. Along his travels, Marrox continuously contemplates whether or not he can still be redeemed for all the sins he committed, or if he should simply revert back to his evil ways.
The Green Wanderer provides examples of:
- Accidental Murder: Mulvernt mentions that when he was younger, he accidentally crushed people to death while wandering through cities, most notably when he crushed two little girls while he was carelessly defecating above them.
- Aerith and Bob: The Lowcryx brothers. The older one is named Angus, while his younger brother is named Gilennes.
- Anti-Villain: Marrox is a former soldier who willingly raped and murdered thousands in service to his former king. Nevertheless, Marrox had a Heel Realization and renounced his evil ways, and now he spends most of his time exploring the world and helping those in need when he can.
- Bad Black Barf: Marrox coughs up black phlegm and pukes up black bile multiples times in the story. Turns out he's been suffering from an unknown disease and is weeks away from death.
- Breather Episode: Similar to Smirvlak's Stone, this is inverted once again. Every chapter focuses solely on world building and character interactions, nothing more. The only dark chapters in the story are chapter 3 (which involves a rape incident) and chapter 5 (which centers mostly on two brothers who are both a Knight of Cerebus).
- Cerebus Roller Coaster: The story flips back and forth between tones depending on the chapter. Chapter 2 is mostly a Breather Episode that ends with a fart joke. Chapter 3, meanwhile, opens with a character getting raped and Marrox rushing to go save him, and the rest of the chapter fixates on said event.
- Chronic Hero Syndrome: Marrox knows that being a hero could sometimes lead to trouble, but he helps others when he can even when he knows he shouldn't. He even came close to leaving Lorwyl to get raped by Jiroveen, but ended up saving him regardless.
- Continuity Nod: Mulvernt mentions that he recently gave two goblins and a stilio a lift to a castle "some time ago."
- Dark and Troubled Past: The central theme. The story (mostly) focuses on various characters who are all haunted by certain events in their past, and how they have changed for better or worse because of it.
- Double Standard Rape: Female on Male: Averted and discussed throughout chapter 3. The rape scene between Jiroveen and Lorwyl is not Played for Laughs at all. When Marrox discovers that Jiroveen was the rapist and not Lorwyl, he spends the rest of the chapter trying his best not to talk down to Lorwyl for getting raped by a female—something considered to be taboo in Kosslivo. Lorwyl also confesses that this was the second time Jiroveen raped him, and that after she raped him the first time, no one believed him because everyone else in his pack thought that a female werewolf raping a male one was ludicrous.
- Everybody Lives: The only named character who dies in the story is Jiroveen, a very minor villain who has no more than five lines. Even Marrox, who's suffering from a fatal illness, makes it to the end of the story.
- Exact Words: After struggling with his identity for so long, Marrox asks Dollik to tell him what he sees when he looks at him. What does Dollik say? An orc.
- Interplay of Sex and Violence: In chapter 5, Angus Lowcryx cuts a stilio's neck open in front of Marrox and reminds him about how orcs love mixing violence and sex together. Watching the stilio die makes Marrox visibly aroused, and he almost agrees to become their mercenary.
- Karma Houdini: Marrox fails to kill the Lowcryx brothers because of his illness, and they get away after he passes out. It's also made very clear that they're going to continue slaughtering innocent stilios.
- Knight of Cerebus: The Lowcryx brothers, both of whom are drako siblings in the process of committing genocide. Not including King Torgash, they're the other villains in the story who have no Freudian Excuse and are taken seriously. They only appear in chapter 5, but their mere prescence almost resulted in Marrox reverting back to his old ways.
- Lighter and Softer: Compared to Smirvlak's Stone, which started out lighthearted, but hit the Cerebus Syndrome hard and ended horribly. The only dark moments in this story are the rape scene in chapter 3, and Marrox's exchange with the Lowcryx brothers in chapter 5. The rest of the story just focuses on Marrox traveling around the country and meeting new characters.
- No Antagonist: There's no central character opposing Marrox in the story. The only antagonistic characters who appear only show up for one chapter, and are ultimately irrelevant in terms of the main plot.
- No Ending: The final scene of the story is Dollik telling Marrox that "it's a nice day today." Marrox agrees. And then the story ends.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Lowcryx brothers. Angus is a calm, reserved, Faux Affably Evil drako who talks to Marrox in a civil manner. Gilennes, meanwhile, is a rowdy Psychopathic Manchild who tries to kill Marrox whenever the orc doesn't give him what he wants. Ironically, Angus has red scales, and Gilennes has blue scales.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome:
- Marrox raped several slaves while he was fighting under King Torgash's rule in Kosslivo. One of these slaves got pregnant and gave birth to Margoth, Marrox's daughter.
- Mulvernt tells Marrox that a decade ago, he had a bad habit of injuring or killing people because he found wanton destruction to be humorous and fun. This resulted in several villagers tying him down and attempting to kill him, and it wasn't until then that Mulvernt realized he needed to change his ways, and that destroying settlements is downright horrific.
- On that same note, Mulvernt tells Marrox that he envies small creatures, because they don't have to worry about accidentally killing someone when they urinate or defecate (something Mulvernt is in fact guilty of).
- When Marrox confesses he's Margoth's father, she isn't happy and relieved; she's angry and disgusted. Even though Marrox admits that he's grown to become a better person, she still disowns him, because this doesn't change the fact that he was never there for Margoth, or that he killed her mother, or that Margoth had to grow up knowing that her father was a monstrous orc and that her mother was a slave who was raped by him. She even goes as far as telling him that there was no point in seeing her, because she already accepted that her father was dead and learned to grow up without him.
- Take a Third Option: In the final chapter, Marrox asks Dollik if he's an evil person or a good person. Dollik tells him he's an orc named Marrox.
- Toilet Humour:
- Gorlox off-handedly mentions that he farts a lot in his sleep. Marrox, unfortunately, finds out that he wasn't exaggerating when they sleep together in the same room.
- Mulvernt the Cyclops from Smirvlak's Stone shows up once again. When he first encounters Marrox, the first thing he asks him to do is to scratch his enormous, visibly filthy posterior.
- Took a Level in Kindness: Marrox, big time. Several years before the events of the story, Marrox was a murderous Blood Knight who raped several slaves. Now he's a kind Gentle Giant who only kills when he absolutely needs to.
- Violence Really Is the Answer: Marrox shamelessly tells Lorwyl that he has no problem harming or killing others if it'll result in him getting respect and prevent others from attempting to harm him. Lorwyl calls him out on it.Lorwyl: "Violence doesn't solve everything."Marrox: "It solves some things."
- Walking the Earth: The main premise. Marrox spends the whole story trying to determine who he is as he travels to different towns and locations.
- Wham Line: This line at the end of Chapter 5 has a shocking revelation.Margoth: "My father died when all those orcs rebelled in Kosslivo. Even if he wasn't dead, I'm sure he's off burning more villages to the ground and fighting another war."Marrox: "Actually, no. He's standing right in front of you."
- Would Rather Suffer: After Marrox refuses to scratch Mulvernt's fecal-laden ass in chapter 4, he grabs Marrox and threatens to eat him. Marrox casually tells him that he'd be okay with that.
- You Need a Breath Mint:
- Marrox flatly tells Gilennes that his breath smells like brimstone and hot carrion when he gets too close to his face.
- Dollik mentions that some of the people who don't like him have told him that he stinks and has bad breath.
- Your Days Are Numbered: It's heavily implied throughout the story that Marrox is suffering some kind of illness. Chapter 6 confirms that he's not only dying, but he's past the point of curing his illness, and he only has a few weeks left to live.
