The story follows the hapless Dallet, an aspiring cleric in the world of Codytha. As the title suggests, he is quickly enslaved by Torak, an adolescent Orc. This event leads to the odd contrast of the peaceful, scholarly Dallet and his "master", the immature and violent Torak.
Part of what makes Codytha unique is the interpretation of the gods. Dallet and Torak are both religious, but the character of the deities they worship strongly influence their cultures. We are not given clear signs whether the gods "exist" as actual entities, but their perceived attributes by their worshipers are hardly ineffectual.
Captive of the Orcs contains examples of:
- Made a Slave: Dallet to Torak. And he stays that way throughout the book.
- Never Learned to Read: Torak. Most Orcs are illiterate, as a rule.
- Our Orcs Are Different: They have characteristics of both Blizzard and Tolkien Orcs. They're motivated by a religious fanaticism and tribal rivalries.
- Religion is Magic: Powers do come from the deities. Or so they believe.
- Sacred Language: Dallet's prayers stem from letters.
