Aravaddu

The Land

Arvaddu is a predominantly orcish land, laying between the Old Ash mountains (known as the Ashuash to the orcs) and the vast ocean to the west. It consists mostly of broad plains, although there are many large forests in the foothills of the Ashuash. Its nominal capital is Pamad, on the shores of the Red Waters, the largest lake in Arvaddu.

Arvaddai Orcs

The orcs who dwell in Arvaddu, migrants from the South who arrived about 700 years ago, fleeing a calamity named in legends as the Withering Frost. Folktales describe it alternatively as a natural disaster, a plague, or a demon that swept across the land. The orcs were scattered in many directions, but many fled north, reaching this land, which was sparsely populated by humans who were either displaced or integrated into orcish society. Many of the northern villages are a nearly even split between human, orc, and half-orc.

The rulers of Orcish society are comprised of five Houses, which are organizations somewhere between clans and trading companies. Most families will be allied to a clan in a heredity fashion, but it's also not entirely uncommon for an individual or even an entire family to switch houses. Rivalries and alliances between the Houses shift regularly and the Houses themselves are ancient traditions, perhaps even dating from the time of the ancient orcish homeland.

Arvaddu has no legally defined ruler per se. The heads of the five Houses are de facto rulers of the nation and whichever House has the most power at a given moment is essentially the head of state. The five Houses are Yagul, Raglan, Muzu, Mauhúr, and Ishengul. The Ishenguls would be considered by most to be the most powerful house at the present time. Urshden, their matriarch, was born to house Mauhúr but married into Ishengul, outliving their spouse and parents-in-law to become the head. The Ishenguls and Mauhúrs remain strong allies.

An important philosophical concept to many orcs is Gimbratul, the idea that strife and striving makes one stronger, wiser, and so pursuing Gimbratul improves life for all orcs. Young orcs are encouraged to seek trials to face, not for fame or glory (ostensibly), but for lessons that such endeavours teach. A beloved warrior-poet named Urgash put it so: "It would be the greatest of tragedies for an orc to grow to old age without ever discovering if they are a coward." Self-discovery and purification are the poetic ideals, but the interpretations of the Gimbratul vary from age to age. A hundred years ago, it became vogue to seek Gimbratul in asceticism and meditation. In other eras, a ruler with a thirst for conquest will use Gimbratul to stoke orcs to join their armies and fight for their causes.

Orc Religion

Orcs practice ancestor worship and many of their rituals involve sacrificial offerings and fire. These rituals are overseen by the Gheshu (mechanically, Circle of Wildfire Druids), who also seek omens and divination in flames and ashes.

Priests of the Synod are found in towns with larger human populations, although only a small minority of orcs have converted from the Gheshu faith, much to the ongoing chagrin of the Synod.

A Note on the Orcish Language

Orcish doesn't differentiate between gender and Orcish society in general does not ascribe gender roles. I'll generally refer to all orcs as they/them.