The Thousand Orcs

The Thousand Orcs is first book of The Hunter's Blades Trilogy by R.A. Salvatore.

"''One dark elf. Two enchanted blades. One unknown enemy. And a horde of invaders.

It's been a long time since Drizzt Do'Urden has had to fight alone. When a ravaging mob of vicious orcs overruns the North and his friends are washed away in its evil tide, he must take matters into his own deadly hands."

Summary
The companions of the Hall are trying to return to Mithral Hall so King Bruenor Battlehammer can replace his late ancestor Gandalug Battlehammer. Meanwhile a pact is made between orcs led by Obould Many-Arrows and the frost giants led by Gerti Orelsdottr. In one encounter with a group of orcs, Cattie-Brie almost loses her life, if not for the intervention of Wulfgar and his warhammer Aegis-fang. Meanwhile in Mirabar which the companions recently passed through many dwarfs are being alienated for their feelings of comradery to the dwarfs of Mithral Hall and honest competitors instead of their home Mirabar, to the Marchions disapproval and disdain of the Dwarves. A group of fifteen dwarves plus Dagnabbit and the companions go around warning towns of the dangerous orc and giant hordes. The companions defend the settlement of Shallows. Drizzt escapes over the wall to attack the giants that are throwing huge rocks on the town. The defenders fight bravely but they are quickly tiring. Breunor Battlehammer is laid low through the course of the battle and Dagnabbit replaces Bruenor in the defense and takes position wearing Breunors helm standing atop a large tower that frost giants destroy. Drizzt Do'Urden sees the tower fall and believing it to be his friend Breunor. Drizzt engages a group of frost giants for the second time. He receives assistance from two moon elves named Tarathiel and Innovindil and their pegasi companions, Sunrise and Sunset. Regis has escaped from Shallows and has found reinforcements to help the defenders of Shallows. The rescue party pretends to be orcs using a hollow statue of Gruumsh created by Pikel Bouldershoulder to get them close to the orc horde without interference. They cut a swath to the defenders, and end up rescuing those still alive. They flee but with many orcs giving chase. They meet warrior dwarfs of Mirabar who left because of their leader Marchion Elastuls dislike and borderline hatred for the dwarves of Mithral Hall.

Possible discrepancies
The book states on p. 291 that "Shallows was larger than Clicking Heels", but p. 257 gives the population of Shallows as "more than a hundred" (assumed to be no more than two hundred, otherwise it would have been given as such), while p. 50 refers to "the two hundred sturdy folk" of Clicking Heels. It could simply be that "larger" is intended to mean land area, however. Moreover - it was said that a group of old and weak people escaped from Shallows before it was attacked by orcs. Before the escape, Shallows could have more people than Clicking Heels, but during the battle of Shallows it could be only "more than a hundred" inhabitants there.