General: The Wilds of Giralda span over a large area that takes up the entire northeastern part of the continent. It is a heavily forested region infested with all manner of dangerous creatures. The Wilds, though ruled by Orcish clans, is considered to be more of a strategic piece of untamed and unclaimed territory than a functioning part of the union.
Major Features: Two poorly-kempt roads with no names, the mountains of Argos-Rho, the land bridge between Giralda and Swabia known as Sarkin's Pass
Major Locations: The harbor town of Oborne, the military fort at Sarkin's Pass (the land bridge) known as Sarkin's Rest
General: In the beginning, Orcs lived as part of one huge clan, with all orcs being kindred. The clan was ruled by a council of five noble families. Long ago, a cabal of shamans (backed by one of the families) attempted a magical act - the exact nature of which is lost to time. However, it sundered the very landscape, turning lush forest into frozen wastes and driving many of the Orcs insane on the spot. The few survivors scattered, led by remnants of the other noble families. Eventually they settled into strongholds throughout the Wilds. Each of these grew into one of the four major clans which populate the Wilds today.
Each stronghold is, by necessity, self-sufficient. Every member is expected to pull their weight and do whatever they can to ensure the clan survives. Most Orc clans send their adolescent members on pilgrimages out of the clanlands to learn more about the world and return only once they have found a useful piece of knowledge or artifact. An Orc, regardless of biological age, that does not complete their pilgrimage is not considered an adult.
Mournthrall: Situated closest to the 'civilized' lands, Clan Mournthrall believes that the Orcs should reunify and reclaim ‘their’ lands together. If Clan Mournthrall should be the ones to lead the unified Orcs, well, they would be glad to shoulder the burden of leadership. Clan Mournthrall is led by a council comprised of the eldest matriarchs of the clan. However, every adult Orc (one who has completed their pilgrimage) has the right to cast a vote on any major issue. They still hold to many of the old ways and several shamans can be found in their various strongholds alongside crafters and traders.
Nadir: Clan Nadir’s lands lie closest to the site of the Cataclysm. As such, they spend most of their time fighting Feral Orcs and pushing them back from their lands. They are the most militarily focused of all the clans, with all adult Orcs training and fighting as infantry. Only when an Orc becomes too old or injured to be useful on the battlefield do they take up a smith hammer to forge weapons or armor for the clan. All other jobs are undertaken by the younger Orcs who have not been through the rite of passage. The rite of passage into adulthood, known as
Eroga, occurs when adolescent Nadir are taken into the Wilds, at least a league (three miles) from the stronghold and left to fend for themselves with no supplies at all. Those that make it back become adult Nadir and begin their training. Aside from the Champion (military general), all important positions in clan Nadir are held by female orcs. Clan Nadir does not tolerate magic users and does not train any shamans. As far as Clan Nadir is concerned, the reunification of the Orcs should never happen, and they have no intention of rejoining up with the other, inferior clans.
Orro: Holding lands in the north of the wilds, clan Orro also hold magic users in suspicion, but still trains a handful of shamans for religious purposes. While not as militaristic as their allies the Nadir, Clan Orro do not agree that the unification of the orcs should be down to clan Mournthrall and their allies. Unlike the other Orc clans, Orro believe in a single god, though its name is never spoken before outsiders, and they hold their beliefs very closely. Orro also fields the best archers of the Orcish clans, with patrols being smaller but much more self sufficient.
Baghúr: While all Orc clans must be strong and able to defend their lands, Clan Baghúr focuses on trade more than their other clan-kin. Their smiths still produce arms and armor, but the clan also contains many craftsmen and jewelers. Baghúr Orcs have strong relations with the Dwarves with whom they most frequently exchange their resources and wares. In more recent times, this has led to a steady incline of breeding between the races. As a few very talented craftsfolk of mixed birth have begun to take the limelight in their communities, interbreeding has started to gain more acceptance. Clan Baghúr tends to side with Mournthrall on political matters and agrees that magic has a place in Orcish society, though they are not so certain about a reunification.
Væga: The newest of the Orc clans, Væga is an offshoot of Clan Orro who, after an expedition to the archipelago, founded a new community. Relations between Væga and her mother clan have, to date, been nonexistent. See
Anorrica for more information.
Feral Orcs: (non-playable) These creatures are the reason Orcs tend to have an unsavory reputation in Giralda and beyond. Their genesis occurred during the Cataclysm, turning civil Orcs into brutish, barbaric monsters. The vast majority of their kind continue to dominate the Wilds of Giralda, however they can be found infesting just about anywhere outside of the safe confines of a city. Feral Orcs have something of an animal-like intelligence, having lost the capacity for higher thinking. They retain some basic language skills, are clever enough to make and use tools, and can even make crude armors - though, they typically just scavenge from the dead. These creatures tend to travel in large packs, often governed by some sort of Alpha. Feral Orcs, though simple-minded, should not be underestimated. They are deranged berserkers with an insatiable thirst for blood. Adventurers beware.
General: Orcs are the majority civilized demographic throughout the Wilds (as well as being the most concentrated population of Orcs in general at an estimated 1,000,000), each clan controlling a large quadrant of land for their respective stronghold. Some small, non-Orc settlements exist in isolated areas. Numbers unknown.
Oborne: The harbor town is small, at some 300 people, but quite racially diverse and remarkably bustling given its remote location. Originally founded by early venturing Dwarves, Oborne has flourished as the economic hub of the northeast and has lately experienced some population growth.
Sarkin's Rest: The large military outpost at Sarkin's Pass is home to 2500 soldiers at any given time. The men and women there are a mixed group from all over Giralda that rotate out every three years. A small tavern exists within the confines of the fort, offering a safe place to rest for the few travelers that make their way through Sarkin's Pass.
General: Survival of the fittest, sis.
Language: Orcish is spoken among all Orcs in the Wilds. Many Orcs are bilingual with fluency in the common tongue, especially clans Mournthrall and Baghúr. Clan Nadir has the least fluency of all the clans by a significant number. Being far removed from the rest of Girlada and having no reliance on trade in their economy, the common tongue has diminished quite a bit among Nadir orcs.
Oborne's language is almost exclusively the common tongue. Being fairly removed and oddly diverse, the harbor town's language has become a creole dilaect of the common tongue. Listed are some of the different pronunciations or phrases (more to be added):
- Yarp/Narp - Yes/No
- Thankee-Sai - Thank you, sir(e)
- Horsefeathers! - an expletive
- Goop - a stupid person
- Are you a scribe? - you're asking too many questions
- Abyssinia - I'll be seeing you
- I've got to go see a man about a dog - to go buy whiskey
Religion: The Wilds are a bit different when it comes to religious practices, with Orcs being the main subscribers to religion in the land. Those that have the capacity to practice are mainly polytheistic in worship, with goddesses as their main focus. Orcs are of the belief that matriarchy is of the utmost importance, especially in terms of religion.
Oborne is a bit of an outlier, coming from a seemingly secular standpoint than what is perhaps typical of the rest of the continent. They have no religious structures and it is not clear who has religious bearings. The people of Oborne are excessively secretive in that regard, keeping any and all faith-based activities to the privacy of their homes and definitely out of polite conversation.
At Sarkin's Rest (the fort) there is a small non-denominational temple to accommodate the diverse group of soldiers stationed there.
Magic: No laws (outside of a given community) regulate magic use in the Wilds and varies widely from mile to mile and race to race. Clan Nadir, for example, has been strictly anti-magic ever since The Cataclysm, whereas Clan Mournthrall continues to host a strong tradition of shamans. Although Oborne has no official policies outlawing magic in the town, there is an unspoken understanding that magic use is best behind closed doors and away from the general public. Soldiers stationed at Sarkin's Rest are prohibited from magic-use outside of specially approved or highly regulated training exercises or against particularly nasty beasts attacking the Fort.
Historical: Through the ages, the Wildlands have largely kept to themselves. It was not until more recent times that the Orcs, the primary inhabitants of the territory, were at all concerned with interactions with the other realms of the continents and generally lived peaceably. After the Cataclysm, the surviving Orcs fractured from one single clan into many. With the unification of the continent, the adoption of the Wilds as part of Giralda's lands, and attempted invasion from Swabia, many Orcs began to see the value of ending their relative isolation with the world outside of their strongholds.
Current: Orcs have been long unrepresented in the higher echelons of Giraldan politics. The High Council maintains that as they are a disparate people and cannot decide on a single representative, the council cannot assist them. The Council is loath to create one new seat, let alone three or four new ones, so having a representative for each clan is off the table. Given that the clans are unlikely to agree on a single councilor (even if a position was available) those who are happy to see an Orc-less council need to do little but keep the Orcs focused on each other. Some councilors maintain the fiction that an extra seat would be a mistake as the council would then have an even number of seats, making a tie possible on any given vote. This argument carries little weight, however, as the High Monarch has deciding vote on any tie. Nevertheless, the clans are not to be dissuaded and are still negotiating fervently for representation.