‘The Northern Plains have been inhabited by Orcs for as long as history has
been written. Certainly there are records of a legion of the old Vedran Empire
having been annihilated on the Plains by an Orcish army in 371, during the last
phase of Vedran expansion. Human barbarians have also lived on the Plains all
this time, and say that they were the original inhabitants, but many tribesmen
were assimilated into Vectrum, the old Vedran province that is now Griffon
Duchy and the only large human tribe still on the Plains is the Black Horse
tribe, renowned horse breeders.
The main orcish tribes are the Green Raiders, known for there expertise at
ambush, the Dragon Tooth, who legends say worship a real dragon, the Bloodaxe,
most ferocious in battle, and the Iron Claw who took the brunt of Orcish losses
in the Forest War in the 1340s. None of these tribes bear the typical orcish
aversion to the sun although the orcs are still adept at night raiding. The
relationship between human and orcs on the plains seems to be little different
than between the orcish tribes; there is raiding and tension at some times and
firm alliances at others. Certainly the marriage of Krug Bloodaxe to Kara the
daughter of the Sagi, chief of the Black Horse has cemented what is now a very
strong alliance.
The way of life of orcs and humans on the plains is very similar; many human
and orcish settlements are permanent stockades, although some groups are purely
nomadic and follow their livestock or the movements of game. Male orcs and
human tribesmen tend to be hunters with the females tending to the settlements
and what little agriculture is practiced. The only exception to this way of
life are the miners of the Dragon Tooth clan who provide much of the weaponary
for the tribes.
Although the Orcish god Gruumsh is still popular in some tribes, the
prevalent religion amongst both orcs and humans is worship of Mara or Magrish,
Goddess of the Northern Plains. She is sometimes depicted as a human, sometimes
as an orc and sometimes as a half-orc. The religion is dominated by priestesses
which adds an additional element to the rivalry with the male-dominated worship
of Gruumsh. Many priests of Gruumsh were purged by Krug when he became High
Chieftain as he believed they were behind the assassination of his father and
in league with Daretta.
Krug’s mother Maga is a particularly potent priestess of Mara and it is
rumoured she can control the weather on the Plains. Krug has no sons, which
has sometimes tended to undermine his position, but his three formidable
daughters have now grown up and talk of arranged marriages has now turned to
whispers of the unthinkable in orc society, that one of them might rule in
their own right on Krug’s death. Krug has been keen to establish formal peace
treaties with nearby realms and remarkably on his succession even signed a
treaty with the Elves of Galathril.
Winters on the Plains can be severe with the additional threat of winter
wolves and other predators wandering out of the Northern Waste. You are
advised to go adequately equipped for the blizzards that come out of the North
and that can freeze the unwary traveller in minutes.’
Hagor, scribe to the Duke of Griffon