Thank you @tdhvn for asking!
My Shadow of War ocs are two uruk-hai blood-brothers, Gogat and Dûsh.
Dûsh is the oldest (by a few months). He's a berserker and an exceptionally talented fighter, who demonstrated his worth in the siege of Minas Ithil and in the pit-fights that were held around the city; this earned him the attention of a captain who, not only made Dûsh part of his gang (and later of his elite warriors), but he also named him.
'Dûsh' means 'magic', 'sorcery' and it refers to Dûsh's exceptional display of skill, since he seems to predict the moves of his opponent; obviously this is only a partial truth: Dûsh's intuition is keener than average, due to him being SLIGHTLY magically-gifted, but definitely not enough to be allowed into the Mystic tribe.
His epithet is 'the Handsome' which is rightfully given in his case, because he is handsome for an uruk-hai, to the point that he may be considered attractive by humans. Other orcs are however ambivalent towards him, feeling a mixture of envy, disgust and attraction towards him. Obviously this doesn't prevent him from being popular among his peers, despite Dûsh not wanting that much attention.
It's during the siege that he meets Gogat (who is actually my very first oc, that I've had for years) another uruk that, like him, was sent to the front as soon as they pulled him out of the vats.
Gogat can be considered the opposite of his brother: too tall and lanky, badly coordinated, ugly, lazy and a lover of pipe-weed and gambling, without any particular talent. His two main qualities are his height and that's why he was employed as a courier, and him being magically-gifted, which will later earn him access to the Mystic tribe, where he begins his training as a shaman. But Gogat being Gogat, he doesn't focus or put that much effort, just enough that he will later manage to become an acolyte in Zog the Eternal's cult.
A choice that Dûsh doesn't approve of, but nonetheless he follows Gogat and becomes a guard for the cult.
During this time, Gogat and later Dûsh form a very close bond with Mâku, an assassin from the Dark tribe, so much that they swear blood-brotherhood. However the bond with Gogat slowly erodes: the cult's environment encourages all Gogat's worst traits, turning him into a wicked, psychotic and dangerous individual. He becomes infamous for his intimidation methods and the punitive missions he carries out against remorseful acolytes, fugitives and enemies, all in Zog's name. Despite his evil actions, Gogat doesn't stop, as he finally has the reputation he sought, and drifts apart from the only people who truly cares about him, thinking that his brothers are only envious of his success.
At the same time, he manages to scale the ranks within the cult and reaches a high enough position to be allowed in Zog's "circle", composed of the most loyal and capable acolytes. Here Gogat distinguishes himself thanks to his strategic thinking and as a hand in the plans that we see Zog enact in the game.
However everything comes crashing down, when the balrog is resurrected and the cult suffers its first defeat at the Gravewalker's hands.
Dûsh is there, as well as Mâku, out of loyalty and concern for Gogat, ready to grab him and run away as soon as the situation starts to go south; when that happens, they don't find their brother and Dûsh is severely injured when the debris from a tower falls on him.
Mâku manages to find and rescue him and together they flee from the scene; they'll spend the next months visiting all the healers they can find in order to medicate Dûsh's injuries.
Gogat, instead, isn't in Gorgoroth. He had been ordered to depart at once for Lithlad, where he would recruit more acolytes and therefore he left, without telling his brothers. This, and the later devastating news that Dûsh and Mâku were missing, and very much likely dead, marks the first big rift between Gogat and the cult.
Believing that the cult is the only thing he has left and that it isn't right to doubt his master, he focuses even more on carrying out his will in successful ways, doing everything to become closer to him and earn his praise.
Obviously Zog notices and takes advantage of the desperation of the foolish young uruk, by exploiting his need for acknowledgement and praise and that's how he has Gogat obey his every command, go against his core beliefs and become one of his most fanatical followers.
But praise never really comes, nor does acknowledgement. His master's attentions are always one step out of reach, no matter what Gogat accomplishes.
His psyche is crumbling under the weight of guilt and remorse, to the point that Gogat alternates between crushing breakdowns, drugs-induced numbness and unusual mental clarity. It's now that he starts to listen to his doubts about Zog, which feed into his frustration towards the cult leader. The breaking point arrives when Gogat speaks up and contradicts Zog, who punishes his acolyte by scarring his face and then banishing him.
Gogat leaves. He is found by another uruk, Hûra, who takes Gogat under his wing. Thanks to his influence, Gogat rehabilitates himself and finally goes looking for his brothers.
At this point, their story becomes a lot more intricate as it becomes entwined with that of other original characters, which belong to @shadowofwar-goober (Mâku and Hûra also belong to her!)
So, I'm sorry for writing so much about them, nonetheless I hope you've liked my boys and their story! Thanks again for asking!
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