Orc Khans

~From the collections, journals and observations of Maleficius~

“Give Orc a pig, feed him for day. Give Orc a sword, feed him for life.” 

~Kzar Rabahn, of the Black Grasses, 424 Tz

On the steppes of the Fist, Orcs and their brethren have learned two lessons well. The first is to keep moving. Herds require fresh grazing land, and the Fist’s few habitable areas are under constant challenge by competing tribes and marauding packs. Settling in one place is tantamount to inviting repeated attacks, so it is better to take what one can and move on quickly. The second lesson of the Fist is that force of arms will always trump politics. Or, as the Orcs put it, “Sterga czer” (“Strength rules”). This philosophy can be seen in what passes for tribal law and in the frequent invasions that have rolled in off the steppes.

The raiders make no excuses for it. The Land is their battlefield.

Like a plague of locusts they descend, devouring resources and sowing chaos and misery in their wake. These are the Orc raiders--cursed by some as a blight on the Land, accepted by others as low-rent mercenaries. Truly, they are simple creatures. They live for battle and the plunder that follows, taking what they can and spoiling what remains. They care nothing for boundaries or law. In their view, might makes right, and their acknowledged strength gives them a valid claim to take what they wish from other races.

An Elven saying posits that while humans are content to simply stick their noses into the affairs of others, Orcs prefer to use their entire heads.

~Maleficius

Leader: None

When you think of the Orcs, think of the green-skinned hordes boiling out of the grasslands to rape, plunder and pillage whatever gets in their way. Orcs possess a deep cunning and an innate understanding of combat, strategy and tactics. They are not an easy opponent to face, and often turn the tide of battle with their sheer ferocity and rage.

Moving like locusts across the Land, the tribes of Orcs, Goblins and Half-Trolls led by the Orc Khans leaving few intact towns or villages in their wake. Every year for centuries, the green-skinned hordes come screaming out of the northern grasslands (called the Fist) to raid and pillage the more civilized inhabitants of the Land. After a few weeks of fighting, killing, looting and burning, they move on top the next area to continue the destructive cycle. Many times throughout history the Orcs could have conquered and remained in the lowlands, but this was never their goal. After they have killed and plundered their fill, they always retreat to their homelands.

Until now.

After the massive invasion of Prieska by Kzar Nabar’s war-horde (a kzar being a leader of many tribes), and the eventual collapse of Nabar’s army after his death at the Battle of Rokos, a number of the Orcs that came south decided to remain in their conquered lands. These Orcs, members of the Shadow Khan tribes, broke centuries of Orc tradition, and earned the enmity of those traditionalist Orcs – the Broken Tusk – who believe that all the loot taken from a season of raiding should be returned to the Fist and divided through trial of combat. By avoiding returning to the Fist, the Shadow Khan tribes earn the enmity of their Broken Tusk brethren who see the break of tradition as an evil and despicable act, but yet make for themselves a second Orc homeland along the western edge of the faltering Empire. Each of the tribal leaders, or khans, may choose for themselves whether they side with the Shadow Khans or the Broken Tusk.

Meanwhile, the common view by many non-Orcs is that all of the green-skinned vermin should be cut down as soon as possible, as the chance of Orcs conquering the Land – rather than just pillaging it and running off – signifies a dangerous trend that may destabilize entire civilized regions. It is a peculiar, uncertain time, and the events of the next few years may well shape the course of Orc – and human – culture.

Even though divided internally over this philosophical schism, the clurch drum continues to symbolize the heart of Orc society, and remains prevalent amongst both the Shadow Khans and the Broken Tusk. The drums are more than just musical instruments, as every Orc is raised from birth to understand the rhythmic beating of the clurch drummers. With these hide instruments a master drummer can convey information across great distances, including how many soldiers are coming, and from what direction. They can command Orc troops to attack, stop or retreat with nothing more than a change in rhythm. And after the battle is over, the clurch drummers tell the tales of old in their rumbling, banging language. 

Subfaction: Broken Tusk

Leader: Khan Harrowblade 

The Broken Tusk are the traditionalists of the Orcs, who look upon the thieving Shadow Khans as ticks to be popped and eaten. After the fall of Kzar Nabar’s army at the Battle of Rokos, the Broken Tusk were prepared to return to the Fist with an unimaginable amount of bounty – bounty that would be battled over in the traditional way, tribe against tribe, with the strong taking their rightful tribute from the weak. But when the Shadow Khans refused to return to the Fist, keeping a sizable portion of the spoils of war for themselves, the act enraged Khan Harrowblade, the leader of the Broken Tusk, to the point that he swore life-oath that he would one day destroy every treacherous Shadow Khan. 

Subfaction: Shadow Khans 

Leader: Khan Rava
In all the known history of the Orcs, there has never been a greater season of raiding than in 434 Tz, when Kzar Nabar led the war-hordes of the Fist into the underbelly of the Empire. When Kzar Nabar was killed during the Battle of Rokos, and the Orc armies threatened to scatter to the four winds, Khan Rava and the leaders of the Shadow Khan tribes held a gathering long into the night. In the end, they decided, going against all tradition, to stay and control the occupied territories and make Prieska into their own homeland. By not returning to the Fist and sharing (or losing) their spoils to the traditionally stronger Broken Tusk tribes, they would be able to reap the spoils, raise whole broods of strong-limbed children, and have lives away from the heavy-handed dominance of the Broken Tusk tribes. While this strategy is dangerous, the mass of human slaves and goods taken during the raids throughout Prieska allows the Shadow Khans food, treasure and numbers of slaves they’ve never dreamed of – all of which they never have to share with the Broken Tusk or the other Orc tribes of the Fist. Whether their daring plan will work is yet to be seen, but for one summer at least, the Shadow Khans will live like kings.

Subfaction: Chaos Shamans 
Leader: Bloodhawk
As orcs faced increasingly formidable magestone-powered magics and weapons, some started destroying the magestones they found. While crushing magestones, the orc sorcerer Bloodhawk accidentally inhaled some of the dust that hung in the air and felt his blood burn with magical power. When Bloodhawk shared the secret with his people, the orcs discovered that those without the talent for magic were driven mad by the magestone dust--and even orc sorcerers using it teetered on the brink of insanity. Yet the rush of power that allows them to cast ever more powerful spells is an addiction that has driven Bloodhawk and his Chaos Shamans to follow the cause of those khans who will reward their service with the magestones they consume to sate their unending appetite.

Background

Racial Composition	Orcs, goblins, Half-Trolls
Origin of Faction	Unknown
Age of Faction	At least 1000 years
Geographic Control	The northern grasslands and Prieska
Religion	Eagle gods, some totemic dieties
Magical Affinity	Very little; some shamanic capability
Political Loyalty	To themselves, their khan and tribe

Official Position

Atlantean Empire	A land ripe for plundering, with treasures beyond counting
Black Powder Revolutionaries	These humans provided us with mighty weapons. Our alliance is now ended and they are ripe for plunder
Draconum	Fearsom warriors with determination like the greatest khans
Elemental Freeholds	These warriors are cowards who fight and run away. Kill them before they kill you
Elven Lords	For beings of such power, they breed weak-limbed children who depend on magic to fight
Heroes	Torture them enough, and they'll show you the way to gold and riches
Mage Spawn	They are predators, like ourselves, that must sometimes be fought in order to survive
Necropolis Sect	They raise our dead and make us fight them; kill them first and tear apart their corpses
Shyft	They mutter like Goblins and strut like Elves. They are not welcome at our fires
Solonavi	Our wish is their command. Or is their command our wish?