Orc Overview

Orcs are not the unified threat they once were. Millennia ago, their ancestors drove the humans from the west, pushing them in a great migration for both races. They have since become more settled and sedentary, establishing more concrete and separate cultures depending on their region. Each group fights with the others, having their own hierarchies and leaders among them. Generally depicted as mindless monsters, similar to goblins, Orcs are actually very similar to humans. Simply the victims of centuries of propaganda and folklore, they have done their best to carve out a life for themselves in their new lands.

Kayung

The Kayung are an Orc group living in the far northeast of the continent. A boat people, they live all of their lives either on the shore or in their canoes. They are semi-nomadic, migrating between mainland villages in the winter and more far-flung island villages in the summer. Their stretch of coast lies beyond the Moraine mountains, a thin strip of forest butting against the sheer slopes of the peaks. While this keeps them beyond the reach of the Arrans, it also means they are relatively isolated. This has led to them becoming a unique culture separate from most other Orc groups, with their language and culture diverging significantly from their cousins further south. Still a warrior people, however, the Kayung practice annual raids into their neighbouring regions. The northern coasts of Arran are their primary target, though the Bathan and other Orc groups are also commonly attacked. Beyond this, the Kayung are an insular people, preferring to keep to themselves than get involved in the world at large.

Sekani

The Sekani are the descendants of the Orcs who destroyed the Comati. The vanguard of the Orc migrations, the Sekani’s ancestors stumbled across a nation on the brink of collapse. Torn apart by civil war, their fractured human forces were no match for the hordes that swept through their lands. Broken and cast out, their former homes were then occupied by their conquerors, the Comati’s great architecture and infrastructure home to a new budding civilization. The Sekani transitioned quickly from a steppe horde into an agrarian society, stepping into the roles the Comati had been chased from. Any slaves they took were put to work in the fields, or forced to teach them their knowledge. Over time these two groups would blend together, giving them an even more unique identity compared to their cousins in the west. Now, the Sekani are a successful realm in the south, doing limited trade with the Elves and human traders. They have come to be rivals with the Orcs in the east, though this has isolated them even more.

Kathak

The Kathak are the most aggressive and warlike of all the Orc groups. It was they who occupied the Midlands, raiding constantly into the human lands across the Pessamit mountains. Their aggression earned the ire of a crusade made up of humans and Dwarves, pushing them beyond the Bolgra. Condemned to the Badlands south of that river, they struggled to scrape out any sort of living. Most of their herds were driven off or killed during the conflicts, and the Kathak found themselves on the brink of total destruction. A great warlord managed to unite the warring clans, and set about establishing a kingdom to rival the human lands in the north. Ambitious as this was, he was moderately successful. The Kathak were able to carve out a niche for themselves in the foothills of the Kapsha mountains, establishing several farming communities. From these bases they continue to raid over the border between them and the humans, continuing the conflict with the crusader states there.

Bathan

The Bathan are Orcs that live in the far east of the continent, beyond the World’s Spine mountains. Their ways are mysterious and enigmatic, even to other Orc groups. Seen as brutal and savage, their lands are generally avoided. The Kayung war with them, but few others have regular interactions with them.

Hanish

The bulk of Orc clans make up the Hanish cultural group. They occupy much of the steppes and grasslands stretching to the south, surrounding the World’s Spine mountains on all sides there. They were the dominant force that swept eastwards during the Orc migrations, coming into conflict with human settlers in the Comati lands and the badlands further north. A herding culture, they live much of their lives in nomadic bands, travelling along with and driving their herds. Horses are the backbone of their lifestyle, and are treated with immense respect within their culture. Complex clan relations form the basis of their society, strictly governing conflict and peacetime relations. Their religion is Tabitianism, with shamans conducting rites. Most of these shamans are female and granted immense respect. They are freed from the clan lineages that riddle the steppes, able to travel and practice freely. A major facet of their rituals is the use of psychoactive mushrooms, fermented in honey or teas to induce visions.