Kathak

The Kathak are a group of Orcs living in the northern Badlands, stretching from the shadow of the Kapsha mountains up into the Midlands. They once dominated the Midlands, pushed out centuries ago by human and dwarf crusaders and forced to contend with the harsh lands of their new home. Having scraped and suffered through those early days, they have rebuilt into a relatively organized society, emulating that of the settlers to their north. Farming can be found across the region wherever possible, though herding is still the most popular source of food. The Kathak see those living in the Midlands as their rivals, constantly attacking and raiding across the Bolgra to strike at crusader holdings there. They have an especially bitter rivalry with the Dwarves of Irondeep, having been driven from that sanctuary during the crusades.

History

The vanguard of the great Orc migration, the Kathak were at the forefront of the pursuit and harassment of the humans. The Pessamits formed the greatest obstacle to their chase, leading them to settle permanently in the Midlands. Here, they gradually lost the nomadic tendencies they shared with their southern cousins, establishing settlements and homes across generations. This lifestyle was supplemented with raids across the mountains, stealing technology and resources from the humans and dwarves they bordered. Slaves were a common spoil as well, capturing workers and craftsmen that helped to fuel their budding society. Over time, these humans were mixed with the Orcs, diluting their Orcish blood and shifting their appearances between the two races. Ultimately these raids provoked retaliation, and the Kathak were set upon by a crusade from their neighbours. Driven from their homelands after a long campaign, they were forced into the barren Badlands south of the Bolgra river. Facing starvation, the remnants of the Kathak clung to the brink of extinction. The emergence of a great warlord among them united what was left of the clans, and helped to revitalize their society. After his death, infighting saw them buckle, but not break, and they still form a somewhat unified front against their enemies.

Society

Nobility

The Kathak are a group of confederated tribes, linked together under the rule of a single leader, named an Aga. This leader descends from Ateas, who united the Kathak after their exile from the Midlands. The links between them govern regional pasture borders and help to organize a common defence. Heads of these clans all bow and pay homage to the Aga, who governs and has absolute political power over his subjects. In turn, each of these tribal heads commands smaller family units in a similar fashion, with oaths of loyalty binding them to their specific lord. These clan heads also lead the majority of the raids against the crusader states, enriching themselves off of the spoils taken in this manner. Each also pays tribute to the Aga after a successful raid, bestowing upon them gifts to show their dedication and loyalty.

Conflicts

The Bolgra

The Midlands were once the homeland of the Kathak, where for centuries they had put down roots and gradually moved out of their nomadic patterns. Raiding across the Pessamits provided them with technology from the advancing humans and the established dwarves, helping to catapult the Kathak forwards. Captured craftsmen and slaves from those societies encouraged farming and helped to push their development forwards at breakneck pace. And yet the raids were provocative, inviting retaliation and revenge from those they inflicted them upon. A great alliance of military orders sought to rid the land of the Orcs, stealing it for their own colonizations. The campaign was bitterly fought, dragging out over several segments and major objectives, but ultimately saw the invaders victorious. Driven from their homes, the Kathak had lost nearly all they had worked towards. Deprived of the resources they needed to prosper, they were pushed beyond the Bolgra, into the desolate Badlands. Competing with the sparse Orc bands already in the region, they merged with these more establish groups whenever possible. Yet the anger at their displacement remained. They see the crusaders, who occupy the Midlands, as thieves who stole their homeland. Raids and assaults are launched across the Bolgra regularly, sparring and skirmishing with the paladins and warriors stationed in forts along its length. Both side hold nothing but enmity for one another, driving a state of nearly constant warfare on either side of its banks. Occasionally, a major attack will overwhelm these defences, allowing the Kathak to tear into the soft underbelly of the villages and towns across the Midlands. During these invasions, the Kathak are absolutely ruthless, revelling in their retribution.

Iron Hills

The Iron Hills, home to the Dwarves of Irondeep, were once host to Orcs as well. After the hold fell in the Dragon Wars, it lay abandoned for some time. The migrating Orcs eventually found it, living amongst its halls and plumbing its depths for what treasures were left behind. Driven by a desire to reclaim their homelands, as well as scour the Orcs from their border, the Dwarves launched attacks with the humans to claim the Midlands for their own. As they reached the conclusion of their campaign at the Bolgra river, many Dwarves desired to push further and restore the once great Hold to its former glory. The Irondeep saw brutal fighting, but the decimated Orcs were in little shape to properly defend the stolen hoard. Since then, however, pressures have grown on the victorious Dwarves. The hinterlands around the hold, known as the Iron Hills, see fierce skirmishes between both groups, as the Kathak seek to penetrate into and reclaim what was once theirs. Bands of warriors roam the hills, facing off against Dwarven pickets and rangers. Both sides set ambushes and traps for the other, in a perpetual battle of attrition. Practically besieged, the Dwarves in the region stand nearly alone, isolated from the rest of the Dwarf holds except for a tenuous trade link they maintain with the human port of Erengrad. The Kathak work hard to try and sever this link, believing that if they can, the hold will perish.

Daily Life

An awkward mix between traditional Orcish lifestyle and a more modern agrarian society, the Kathak exist on the fringes of both. They live rather spartanly, as nomads do, while also boasting dedicated craftsmen and educated classes. They farm and herd wherever possible, carving out a hardscrabble life in the inhospitable badlands. Their villages are small, with tightly bound communities, typically located near rivers or small ponds and bound by the blood of extended family groups. These groups belong to clans with connect via wider regional bonds, each owing homage to the ruler of a larger clan. All of them submit to the Aga, yet are mostly autonomous in their day to day lives. Every Orc considers themselves a warrior, and the women and men are both tough and capable fighters. Only men generally venture forth on raids, however, leaving women behind to defend their holdings, which they do capably against all-comers.

Notable Factions

Half-Orcs

The Kathak, and Orcs in general, have a long history of slavery. Taking captives in their raids was a major catalyst for the launching of the crusades that would eventually scour them from the Midlands. In the generations leading up to this invasion, however, the Orcs had begun to mix with some of their thralls. So much so that they could hardly be considered wholly Orc, or even wholly human for that matter. Instead, they exist in a grey area between the two races, accepted by neither and struggling with their own heritage. When the crusaders came upon them, they alternately killed or tolerated them, leaving pockets of these half-orcs scattered around the Midlands. Most have become ingrained in the towns and villages of the Midlands since the conquest, earning a place among the myriad cultures and peoples of the region. And yet animosity towards their kind still exists, especially in the west of the region where the crusader states still hold sway. Many half-orcs retain the traditions of the Kathak, though they have twisted and warped through years is separation from their culture to the south. Half-orcs tend to travel as mercenaries, facing stereotypes and prejudice about their skill in battle. Many are drawn to a life of crime, with few options available to them for legitimate employment. Since the settlement of the Midlands, they have spread elsewhere across the human realms, though they do prefer the chaotic diversity of their homelands.

Notable Places

Tomis

The largest city in the Badlands, Tomis is the seat of Paluk, Aga of the Kathak. The city sits on the ruins of an old Dwarf settlement, having been repurposed and rebuilt by the Orcs that settled here. It is built into a deep canyon, with mud brick homes backing onto a natural cave network that tracks deep into the hills around it. Tomis has allowed for the Kathak to build and grow with relative impunity, protected by their landscape and the terrain itself. A seasonal riverbed flows into the canyon, diverted into pools to collect and store the water throughout the dry season. Aga Paluk rules from the city, and it boasts the largest population of Kathak as well as most of their administration and leadership.

Shulkur

The furthest south Kathak settlement, it sits on the edge of a cliff, overlooking the steppe stretching out far to the south. Shulkur is the main gateway for Kathak relations with the other Orc groups to the south, and as such has much more conflict with them than it does the humans far to the north. Bound by fealty to the Aga in Tomis, many of the Orcs here abide by that oath only on their honour, feeling little to actually tie them to that northern conflict. Nonetheless, Orc war parties venture to answer the call and fight across the Bolgra, though a sizeable number from Shulkur are kept back to defend against southern orc aggression into their territory. The city itself is a collection of tents and yurts, surrounded on the slope side by a rough palisade wall and ditches.

Notable Personalities

Aga Paluk

The Kathak are led by a king, who embodies the greatest attributes of their god Api. The role has roots in the chieftains and warlords of old, uniting disparate groups under their banner through sheer dominance and force of will. When they died, these groups would very quickly fall to infighting and tear apart whatever scraps of conquest were left, undoing their legacies and ending any attempt at dynasty. This changed under Ateas, the first Orc to unite the various families under a lasting peace. Upon his death, his children were strong enough to keep his legacy intact, passing down the title of Aga through the generations into the modern day. Over the centuries, this delicate balance has been threatened by internal strife, but nothing has managed to completely overwhelm the chieftains. It is not a strictly linear position, instead being passed down to the most capable sibling or other extended family from Ateas’ own tribe. In this way, the strongest have taken control and been able to prevent weak leadership from spoiling the confederation. Aga Paluk is the current ruler, a very strong and aggressive warrior. His father and brother were both killed in battle against the crusader states, and he holds an immense grudge against those defenders of the Bolgra. This has driven many of his decisions as of late, and some of his vassals are finding the relentless and reckless raids are becoming a threat to the Kathak warriors themselves. He is large and burly, in the squat way of many Kathak. Tattoos ring his torso and arms, coming up onto his neck and skull as well. His skin is an olive-yellow.

Samaha

While the chieftains of Kathak society represent the male deity Api and all of his traits, it is expected that the wise-women and shamans of their society embody the deity Tabati. Mysticism is their trade, employing hallucinogenic materials to inspire visions and prophecies among themselves and their followers. Generally considered old crones, they command immense respect among Orcs in the Badlands, with their word often carrying the same weight as one of the high chieftains themselves. Their most powerful is probably Samaha, an extraordinarily old woman who advises the current Aga Paluk. Living in Tomis, she sits at the place of honour next to Paluk, having advised the four generations of Aga before him. Her skills at interpreting prophecy and the future are unparalleled, and she is always sought out for information before a raid is carried out to the north. She works to keep the worst of the Aga’s impulses in check, just as Tabati does for Api. In her advanced age, however, it seems that her grip over the king is faltering, as Paluk seems to be losing interest in anything but revenge for the loss of his kin. Samaha is a twisted and bent old Orc, with ochre coloured skin and long, stringy gray hair. Her skin is wrinkled, nearly losing her eyes between the folded eyelids, while her face is often painted with clay or other facepaints.

Tomyra

Shulkur is a very precarious settlement in the south. Despite commanding a very defensible position along a cliff ridge, it still sees incursions from Orc groups to the south, as well as the occasional roving centaur band. Their tribal grazing lands require constant protection, while also continuing to provide tithes and warriors for the Aga’s raiding parties. All of this requires a very strong and capable leader, something the Orc families here have not always had. Their current chieftain, however, is more than up to the task of standing up to their rivals. Tomyra is the daughter of the previous chieftain, having defeated other claimants to the title in single combat upon her father’s death. A very strong and willful ruler, she has earned the respect of other leaders around the city, becoming the most influential chieftain in the south of the Kathak lands. Her following continues to grow as she expands her people’s pastures to the south, displacing or conquering the Orcs there and expanding the groups under Shulkur’s governance. If her own power continues to grow at this rate, she may soon be able to challenge the Aga for supreme dominance over the Kathak, sparking another leadership squabble, one with the potential to completely upend their delicate federation once and for all. Tomyra is short and somehow lanky at the same time. Yet she possesses tremendous power in her limbs, and is a very capable rider. She is known for her brutal and practical nature, having little time for sentiment or even compassion.