The sound of water hitting the grate woke the Half-orc seconds before the cold rush washed over him. Instinctively he faced upward to catch as much of the water in his mouth as possible. Quickly coming to his senses and wiping away the sleep from his eyes he looked around the pit at the other twenty-or-so Half-orcs who shared this "home". All were now standing and gazing around preparing themselves for what was to come.

He knew not how long he had been in this pit or even how old he was for that matter. All he did know was that today, like every other day of his existance, would begin with a fight for survival...for food. As the scraps rained down through the grate the pit came to life with the howling, grunting and screams of combat. The Half-orcs were to involved in the skirmish to even notice the crowd of Drow who watched them with simple amusement from above.

After the battle was over the victors stepped over the wounded and took whatever remaining food they had claimed back into the recesses of the pit. Although the fight consisted of eating while fighting, the Half-orc still managed to take a few small scraps with him as he took a seat along the wall. Although he had suffered some minor injuries he had fared better than most, for this Half-orc possessed the only two things that mattered in the pit; size and strength. He had worked the mines for the Drow for as long as he could remember, and if what he had learned from the others was true, he had been born here. And while many Half-orcs had died in the mines and the pit over that time, he had grown in size and strength.

As the Half-orc waited for the taskmaster to come collect them for the day's work the sounds of the wounded, and of some Half-orcs begging for food, surrounded him. For not all of the Half-orcs had been involved in the fray. Those that had lost the fight for food over the previous few days were either too weak or too wounded to even try this day and were now resigned to begging. No one paid them any attention. One thing was always certain; there would be fewer Half-orcs in the pit at day's end.