Tawana, The ninth realm

Traits

Government

The orcish tribes of Tawana are a loose coalition who are usually isolated from one another. They very rarely communicate between their hidden fortresses. They rely heavily on this isolation for their own protection as the Uncrowned Dynasty is ever vigilant and seeks out these orcish homes in order to feed upon the orc populations. This fear of being devoured has led to most tribes relying on brutal survival measures and rites of passage for their young. Often orcs will require proof of capability in which a young orc must both survive and contribute to the tribe through great hunts or discoveries.

Most leaders of orcish tribes do not last long, and the life span of their governments are often cut short by violence or desperate acts of cannibalism. When leaders fail to protect or feed their people they find themselves the source of food their people will rely on. This makes seeking power in orcish holds a dangerous game, for failure always results in death.

Population

The population of orcs on Tawana us unknown and hard to track, most orcish tribes keep themselves so well hidden that even foreign ambassadors often only get to talk to one or two representatives, and do not see the rest of the tribe that they represent.

Languages

Orcish, Terran and common are the only known languages orcs speak.

Religions

The orcish tribes have left religion completely behind, they still conduct ritualistic rites of cannibalism with the focus of feeding the spirit of their people. They believe in a unified connection of a tribe in which one living member carries on the spirits of their ancestors. However they do not focus on reverence for their ancestors outside of giving thanks for their contributions and meat.

Threats

The orcish tribes are always in fear of starvation, and the dangers that white dragons pose to them. Without the ability to travel the surface of the realm safely they launch secretive hunting parties that seek out large mountain prey, rarely allowing themselves to go into the deep valleys of their mountain holds.

Most of the threats for orc tribes come from internal conflict, and the ever present threat of rebellion when faced with starvation. Regular contact with the other realms is almost non existent and reliance on the food supply chains is impossible. This leads to far more political conflicts than wartime. Most orcish tribes find its better to avoid other larger tribes entirely as there is always the threat that a larger tribe may take their resources and lives for meat.

Other Characteristics

The mountainous spans of Tawana's rough surface are a craggy labyrinth of dragon nests and orcish holds. It is well known that there are rich minerals and metals among the mountain surface of Tawana, but there are no true mining operations of any size. The white dragons of the Uncrowned Dynasty are always looking for hunting parties, and a large scale mining operation would reveal orcs to their senses. Instead orcs often tunnel and rely on sparse mining within their own fortresses, but prefer to mostly use bone crafts for their day to day tools.

Important people

Ogoth The Overwhelming greatest hunter of Tawana.

Special Rules

When landing or traveling along the surface of Tawana a party must make regular stealth checks, and take measures to avoid Awareness Points. When reaching a high level of Awareness Points a party must flee, or face the hunger of the Uncrowned Dynasty.