ORC TRIBES

The Orcs of Eredane as told by The Loremaster of the Cardraal Clan: The Favored of Izrador

Although denied by us dwarves, it is clear that orcs are descended from a common ancestor that was horribly twisted by the Shadow in the dawn of the dwarven race. Orc legend speaks of thirty brides of Izrador that became the mothers of the orc race. Each bride/mother was unique; bring their own elements into the new race. These mythical progenitors of the orcs led to the formation of the great orc tribes we know of today. The tribes took the names of their matriarch, such as the Mother of Bone, Dead Mother, and Shunned Mother tribes. The Night King, Jahzir now commands the loyalty of many of the largest orc tribes and has unquestioned control of the orc legions. As the king of Erenland, he has the authority to command the forces of the traitor princes and can conscript troops from the enslaved population to serve as fodder for elven arrows and dwarven axes. Militarily, he is unchallenged by either the Order of Shadow or his fellow Night Kings. The power of the orc tribes continues to put pressure on the traitor princes, who watch as the whispered promises of Izrador fade away with each passing year.

THE ORC TRIBES, the Tribes of the Odrendor

NOTE: Tribes and informations highlighted in RED are not "canon" to Midnight Core books but are being used in our campaign.

Izrador’s chosen, the odrendor, are a people of many tribes. Bred from several lines originating from the original corrupted elthedar, they spread across the Northern Marches, becoming distinct tribes with only their ferocity, their cruelty, their hatred of the fey and their devotion to Izrador as common cultural traits. Many died out over the millennia, succumbing to the harshness of their environment or slaughtered by their brethren in wars of dominion. Such conflict and winnowing was encouraged by Izrador to cull the weak and exalt the vicious and the strong. In the Last Age, 13 Great Tribes dominate the orcs of the north, with many Lesser Tribes in subservient thrall.

Each tribe is presided over by a head kurasatch udareen. Each tribe maintains as many as a dozen warrens, each one containing pits and chambers sufficient to house untold thousands. In each warren’s heart squats a black temple tended by priestesses and fed on the bodies of the unworthy.

The Original 30 Tribes

Of the original thirty legendary tribes, twenty-three are still believed to be in existence. Seven tribes were either not sufficiently loyal to the Dark God or did not prove strong enough to keep their tribe out of the cook pots.
There are more than twenty-three orc tribes. Over the centuries, warfare, the rise of powerful leaders, and nature allowed elements of the great tribes to break away and form new tribes. While the twenty-three original tribes are the strongest or amongst the strongest, there are hundreds of other tribes. The politics in the north and the alliances between the tribes are convoluted and difficult to understand if you are not an orc. Animosity between tribes can be traced back over thousands of years. Tribal alliances shift frequently as each tribe tries to better its position and weaken a hated rival.
The war against the humans and the fey has brought a number of changes to orc tribal culture. More living space and access to better food has allowed some smaller tribes to grow very quickly. No longer restrained by powerful enemies, smaller tribes have migrated into northern and southern Eredane and established new homes. Old alliances have broken down and new regionally based alliances have taken their place. . Some minor tribes have been catapulted into leadership due to their success against the fey. Others have ceased to exist and their members either join another tribe or are exterminated.

The Great Tribes

Master Ereach,
Much has changed since you last walked the Black Road. Many of the traditional powers in the north, the great orc tribes, have been drawn south to richer hunting grounds or to join the armies fighting against the accursed fey. In their wake, alliances among the minor tribes still in the north have shifted as they struggle for petty dominance. Blood is being spilled and the marches are littered with empty warrens. The fighting is usually limited to the Withered Wood and the Cold Downs, as the remaining great tribes still keep an iron grip on the Ishensa and the road north to the Vale.
I will try to briefly recount the current conditions of the great tribes you may encounter, if you pursue your plan to reconsolidate the Order’s power in the north. My findings can be found throughout this document, starting with the strongest and most dangerous to our order: the Blood Mother tribe.
The Blood Mother tribe waits patiently, like a bloated spider, in their fortress of Gasterfang. While the other great tribes marched south to war, the Blood Mother orcs built their strength and have come to dominate the Ishensa Basin. They are now beginning to expand their control into the eastern Downs. The tribe controls the richest lands in the north and treats our brothers at the Eye as if they were prisoners. The witch Baeraga still leads the tribe and makes no secret of her hatred of us. They are by far the strongest tribe, with dozens, if not hundreds, of warrens delving deep into the earth. I can only guess at their numbers, but would not be surprised if there were over 100,000 Blood Mother orcs.
The tribe’s ascendancy has not won them allies. To the east, the Feral Mother tribe is focused on their war against the dwarves and do not have the strength or desire to oppose the Blood Mothers. To the north, the Blighted Mother tribe has been pushed farther north, living in the margins of the Frozen Marsh. The hatred between the two tribes is palpable, but the Blighted Mother orcs do not have the strength to oppose Baeraga and her hordes. To the west there are only minor tribes that bow and scrape to keep their lands. The Blood Mother orcs have become too powerful; the balance between the great tribes is gone. They must be forced to war. Let Erethor bleed them.
Your Submissive Disciple,
Brother Corlian

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Beast Mother

(Lesser Tribe)

• Tribal Lands:  ???
• Warlord :  ???
• Head Mother:  ???

Notes: The Beast Mother orcs are the name given to a tribe that has degenerated to an almost animalistic state. Most orcs don't think they are orcs at all but are merely some bestial race that was in the north before the Dark God created his chosen. Over the centuries the tribe was driven into the western wastes. Hunting the Beast Mother orcs was a common practice of the western tribes. The tribe survived due to their ability to live like animals and through their superior tracking skills. As the Third Age was nearing its end, the Shadow attempted to bring the tribe back into its embrace so they could be used as fodder for the assaults on the Dorn and the fey.
Since the fall of the Kingdom of Erenland, they have been used as the Shadow's hounds to track those who continue to resist in the north.

Noted Tribesmen:

Physical description: From a distance, a Beast Mother orc looks like a worg or small crouching bear. They normally propel themselves using all four limbs and can actually move very quickly. They are extremely hairy, normally filthy, and you can barely sense any intelligence in their eyes. Their faces have a pronounced, almost canine appearance.

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

Black Horned Mother

(Great Tribe)

• Tribal Lands: Weal
• Warlord : Nilgash
• Head Mother: Ograd

Notes:

Mother Tribe Greatings, my Master Ereach,
I’ve had few dealings with the western tribes; much of what I can relate is secondhand and likely dated. The Black Horned Mothers are a strong tribe, noted for their ability to capture and enslave the trolls and giant-men in the Withered Wood and the Highhorns. The tribe’s warbands use these slaves to attack fey strongholds in Northern Erethor. The Black Horned Mother warlord, Vilgash, is a massive orc who is said to have crushed the skull of his last challenger with his bare hands. I can only guess at the size of the tribe, but I suspect they number at least 40,000 and may number as many as 80,000. The tribe’s greatest rival is the Shunned Mother tribe in the northern Highhorn Mountains. The two tribes compete over the fey fortress of Silverthorn and control of passes through the eastern Highhorns; they seem to forget that they must first take both from the Erunsil. The Shunned Mothers have an ancient alliance with the Wounded Mother orcs to the south. Working together at the end of the Third Age they overcame the most well-defended strongholds of the Fortress Wall. They even used their witches’ sloppy magic to bring the keeps down, reducing the stone forts to rubble and the tree forts to splinters. I would assume this was undertaken to prevent the Black Horned from taking control of the keeps after the front lines had moved on. The only true threat the tribes face is from the wild creatures of the Highhorns. They still have not fully explored all of its high, savage places or its dark, hidden caves, and beasts regularly emerge from the wilds to clear a bloody swath through their camps. Of course, there is also the danger of escaped shadowspawn from the Scar . . . it is such a shame when they somehow escape and wreck havoc upon our allies the orcs, is it not, my master?

Noted Tribesmen:

Physical Description:  ???

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

Blighted Mother

(Great Tribe)

• Tribal Lands: Southern Blight Marsh
• Warlord : Shamuk
• Head Mother: Grigag

Notes:

Most Holy Legate Ereach,
The lands around the Blight Marsh have become ever more dangerous since your last visit. There is a new scourge from out of the wastes: the Cold Ones, abnormally strong and organized Fell. They attack in large numbers and work together to overwhelm even well-organized defenses. Rumors claim that they have destroyed whole warrens. We sent two of our own to investigate, but they never returned; we have too few brothers in the north to risk further investigation. Fortunately, the threat appears to be greatest in the Blight and the eastern Vale, and should not affect travel on the Black Road. The Blighted Mother tribe, with over 40,000 orcs, dominates the Blight Marsh, even with their current problems. All other tribes have been absorbed or forced elsewhere. The tribe is the Blood Mother’s greatest rival in the north; skirmishes between the two tribes over hunting grounds is common. The enmity between the Blighted Mother and Blood Mother orcs is to our advantage. Every effort should be made to further this rivalry. Beside the Blood Mother, though, they have no other serious rival. In truth, few would want their land. To the north in the Endless Ice are a few minor tribes. The Dead Mother orcs are to the east and are ignored. The Burnt Mother orcs, keeping as they do to their Black Road, are left alone and occasionally traded with. If conflict were to erupt in the north, the Blighted and the Burnt Mothers would likely be allies.

Noted Tribesmen:

Physical Description:  ???

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

Blind Mother

(Lesser Tribe)

• Tribal Lands:  ???
• Warlord :  ???
• Head Mother:  ???

Notes: The original name of this tribe is lost in the dawn of the orc race. The current name was taken after the matriarchs of the tribe offered their eyes to Izrador in an attempt to assuage the Dark Lord's anger. Since that event warriors of the tribe normally offer one of their eyes to the Dark Lord to prove their loyalty. Due to this ritual, the orcs are trained from birth to fight without the use of one or both eyes.

Noted Tribesmen:

Physical description: The only physical difference is the scarring caused by the loss of an eye (normally the left eye).

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

Blood Mother

(Great Tribe)

• Tribal Lands: Ishensa Basin
• Warlord : Kast
• Head Mother: Urush

Notes: The Blood Mother tribe’s leading kurasatch udareen, Urush, dominates her sisters’ councils by virtue of her tribes’ age and strength. Her people’s warrens sprawl across the far northern lands and are home to the oldest and darkest temples of Izrador. Some orcs even believe that Gasterfang, where the leading high priestess lives, is the oldest orc settlement in the world. The Blood Mother tribe maintains close communication and cooperation among its warrens. The dark pits of Gasterfang squat at the center of a web of roads stretching from the northern ice-sheet down almost to the Fortress Wall. Every dozen or so miles along the road is a lesser warren capable of holding as many as 1,000 orcs. These lesser warrens feed fully grown males and supplies to the greater warrens, each one a staging area built to hold 10,000 males and a quarter as many females. In all, there exist some 500 lesser warrens and perhaps 20 greater warrens in Blood Mother territory. Many males of the Blood Mother tribe have moved with the conquering armies and are stationed throughout Erenland.

Noted Tribesmen:

Physical Description: Their mohawk-shaved heads and elaborate tattoos distinguish them from the less worthy tribes.

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

Blooded Claw

(Lesser Tribe)

• Tribal Lands: Cold Downs
• Warlord : Hrask
• Head Mother: Noratha

Notes:

Noted Tribesmen:

Physical Description:  ???

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

Bone Mother

(Great Tribe)

• Tribal Lands: Weal
• Warlord : Nogath
• Head Mother: Maglag

Notes: As the population of the chosen of Izrador began to grow, one tribe suffered from a wasting illness that could not be cured. The tribe's mother-wife in her great despair beseeched the Dark God to restore her children. Izrador heard her plea and her children were returned to her. Their dead bodies shambled back to their tribe. In her madness the mother-wife greeted these walking dead as if they were fully restored to life. The undead were given homes, clothing, and weapons. Over time the tribe's witches became adept at raising the dead. When the tribe fought their battles, their dead walked with them. They gained the name the Mother of Bone tribe from their armies of the dead.

Noted Tribesmen:

• Gorgathan: Gorgathan rose from the almost extinct Bone Mother tribe to become one of the first orcish legates. His pride at being doubly blessed by Izrador came to an abrupt end when he learned of his first assignment. Now he serves as the discarded advisor of Grial the Fey Killer, alternately ignored or hated by his own people. In order to escape his situation Gorgathan spends most of his time out among the troops. Sometimes he goes disguised as an ordinary soldier; others he pulls on his full regalia and walks among the recruits.

Physical description: The tribe's living warriors often paint their faces and hands white to match the tribe's skeletal warriors, and wear black armor adorned with fragments of bone taken from dead adversaries. The Kurasatch Udareen wear elaborate necklaces and belts of woven bones. All Mother of Bone orcs, even the soldiers, carry ritual daggers with them at all times.

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

Broken Tooth

(Lesser Tribe - EXTINCT)

• Tribal Lands:  ???
• Warlord :  ???
• Head Mother:  ???

Notes:

Noted Tribesmen:

Physical Description:  ???

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

Burnt Mother

(Great Tribe)

• Tribal Lands: Weal
• Warlord : Ubrakh
• Head Mother: Isslak

Notes:

Master Ereach,
As per your request, I have had my informants investigate the lesser-known tribe that call themselves the Burnt Mother orcs. They are the de facto guardians of the Black Road and as such rule the lower and western Weal. Since your last visit, the Vale of Tears has become even more unpredictable, with frequent tremors and unstable ice. I would not travel the Black Road without a Burnt Mother escort. They can take you safely to the region patrolled by the Frozen Mother orcs, over halfway to the Scar. Finding a guide is not difficult, as the tribe’s warrens are clearly visible in the cliff sides rimming the Weal. The tribe has grown over the past 30 years as most of their rivals have moved into Erenland. With their new warrens in the Downs there are close to 50,000 Burnt Mother orcs. That number is likely to grow as they continue expanding their warrens to the south. There are only two tribes that could challenge their control of the eastern Weal: the Frozen Mother in the northwest and the Blood Mother to the southeast. The Burnt Mothers appear to have some understanding with the Frozen Mother orcs, as their guide can travel into Frozen Mother territory without fear of attack. So far, there have been no problems with the Blood Mothers, either; there’s still plenty of room for both tribes to expand into the Cold Downs or farther out along the Weal.

Noted Tribesmen:

Physical Description:  ???

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

Clawed Mother

(Lesser Tribe)

• Tribal Lands:  ???
• Warlord :  ???
• Head Mother:  ???

Notes: The Clawed Mother orcs are believed to be the descendants of the mating of a great arctic polar bear and a mother-wife of Izrador. Whether the stories are true or not, the tribe has several characteristics that differentiate them from the rest of the orc race. They are larger, heavier, and they have natural claws.
Before the arrival of the Oruks, they were the most feared orc warriors. When the orc horde poured across the Fortress Wall at the end of the Third Age, the Clawed Mother orcs overwhelmed the Dornish defense of the citadel at Riversbend and took the final keep.

Noted Tribesmen:

Physical description: They're normally 4-12 inches taller and 60-120 pounds heavier than normal orcs. They're even more muscular but are not as fast. Many members of the tribe bleach their hair white in honor of the mythical ancestor (great polar bear).

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

Cold Mother

(Lesser Tribe)

• Tribal Lands:  ???
• Warlord :  ???
• Head Mother:  ???

Notes: When the original mother-wives of Izrador were formed from the surviving eldethar refugees, they were each given a test to see if they were worthy to serve as the mothers of the Dark God's favored race and the tool of his deliverance. The first Cold Mother was cast out of the warren and into the snows to either die or prove her strength. Her dual nature as both eldethar and a vessel of Izrador's power allowed her to survive and adapt to her environment. She became one with the cold. Her children were born not in the warmth of an underground lair but on the ice in the bitingly cold northern winds.

Noted Tribesmen:

Physical description: The Cold Mother orcs wear their hair long and braided like the Dorn. They are usually wrapped in furs that have been bleached white. Winter wolves that are raised with the tribe often accompany them.

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

Crooked Back Mother

(Lesser Tribe)

• Tribal Lands:  ???
• Warlord :  ???
• Head Mother:  ???

Notes: When the Shadow corrupted the eldethar, some tried to resist. Those that did were tortured and mutilated until their spirits broke and they accepted Izrador as their master. One of the original mother-wives was one of those who had been tortured. Her spine was malformed and her body was strangely stretched. It was a dark miracle that she could give birth, but she did. Her children were as malformed as she was, but they gained immense strength and strong wills. However, they were ponderously slow and not quick to learn from their mistakes. They neither dominated their neighboring tribes nor were they dominated. Instead of destroying the tribe, the Shadow found a use for their damaged bodies. The Crooked Back tribe became the Shadow's destroyers of fortifications. Their great strength allowed them to be heavily armored and to carry their mauls and great axes and use them to destroy walls and tower gates. 0

Noted Tribesmen:

Physical description: If they could stand erect, the Crooked Back orcs would be taller then most orcs. Due to their malformed spine, they are permanently hunched over. Their arms (at least one of them) are abnormally long and they sometimes use their arms to help propel them when they run.

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

Dark Mother Tribe

Tribal symbol of the Dark Mother Tribe

(Great Tribe)

• Tribal Lands: Bastion region
• Warlord : Agnum
• Head Mother: Raarn

Notes: After the Last Battle, Izrador spoke to the Dark Mother tribe’s head kurasatch udareen. At her god’s urging she took her people south, to the very edge of the northern lands. Though they suffered greatly during the journey, their territories now include much of the lands once held by the Dorns.
Orc Sorceresses of the Dark Mother tribe have a strict tradition regarding their most powerful evocation spell: Only nine may know it at any time. Kill one of them and her ghost will give up the spell.

• The Kranklobûrz (Dark Mother) Tribe: Durgaz’s tribe, consisting of 3000+ Orcs. Durgaz’s father was killed long ago in battle; his mother now serves as a midwife back in the Northlands and knows nothing of Durgaz's treachery, or even that he is still alive; nor would she particularly care to learn either.

Noted Tribesmen:

• Warlord Uzaral: A thousand or so members of this tribe live in Highwall, commanded by the warlord Uzaral. An irontusked veteran who was sent to the city after losing a power struggle with a rival. He chafes at the duty, wishing to return to combat, and his dislike of Highwall has passed on to his orcs, which are known to be the most brutal and savage in their treatment of the humans.
  More than 14,000 orcs occupy Highwall, divided among the Hungry Mothers, Mother of Blood, Feral Mother, and Dark Mother tribes.

Physical Description: Males of the Dark Mother tribe cap their tusks with black iron before leaving the pit for the final time. Those who return to their tribal lands as overseers cut their tusks out to denote their diminished status.

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

Dead Mother Tribe

(Great Tribe)

• Tribal Lands: Cold Shore, the far northeastern coast
• Warlord : Kurg
• Head Mother: Hejr

Notes: The Dead Mother tribe clings to life in a bare dozen warrens scattered over the far northeastern coast. The abundant fishing and thick seaweed which once provided their livelihood now goes south to support the war effort. The rations left to them keep bone and flesh together, though their dilapidated quarters are less than half full. Orcs of the Dead Mother tribe hate water as much as any other orc, but they enjoy mastering that fear almost as much as other orcs enjoy giving in to it. Rather than trust to boats, though, they instead maintain an elaborate system of weirs and nets stretching as much as a half mile out to sea.

Master Ereach, It is doubtful that your servants will ever need to travel to the far northeast of the continent, where the Barren Wastes reach the Cold Shore. The land is almost as desolate as the land near the Scar itself, swept by chill arctic winds and almost uninhabitable. The Dead Mother tribe has been slowly dying here for centuries. They are a great tribe now only in name, living off their glories from the First and early Second Age. There can’t be more than a dozen warrens left, maybe 10,000–15,000 orcs. They survive by braving the freezing waters to harvest fish and seaweed, much of it sent south as tribute to the Feral Mothers. I don’t need to tell you how desperate they must be to overcome their fear of water, and not for a military purpose either, but rather to subsist. The Dead Mother Tribe poses little threat to its neighbors and will likely continue in slow decline if they remain in the wastes. I would hazard that they would support the Feral Mothers in any war between the tribes, but could provide at best only two warbands of poorly equipped troops. The only reason they remain of interest is their reverence for our order. Unlike the Blood Mother witches, their kurasatch udareen know their place and will follow our commands. If war does come to the north, the Dead Mother tribe would shield us if we were forced out of Gasterfang.

Noted Tribesmen:

• Darshod - Channeler, Darshod became what Izrador made him to be: the perfect assistant to the Night King Ardherin. He serves willingly, lending his arcane might to the chosen of his god. He also strikes hard into the heart of the Order of Shadow, keeping them in line and under heel as much as possible. Underneath his loyal service, Darshod watches and waits. He watches his master Ardherin most closely of all, waiting for a time when the Night King will slip. Darshod believes he knows a way to transfer his soul into the Night Kingís body, taking the elfís nearly limitless arcane might for himself. He also believes that so long as the assault on the elves does not falter, Izrador will ignore the switch. Whether Darshod ís belief proves true in practice remains to be seen, but he hopes to find out soon.
  Dorshod's birthing ended in the death of his mother and his midwife. This unusual display marked him as special. His incredible power as a spiritual channeler, something almost unheard of in a male orc, marked him as dangerous. After he sucked the soul out of an overseer, the priestess of his warren sent him to serve with the Night King Ardherin in Highwall. Now he serves at the Night King's right hand as a favored servant and occasional enforcer.
• Jaekys Flesh Marker - A large orc with ribbons of bloody flesh hanging from his belt steps out onto the dock. He is followed by several shambling, hobbled, severely mutilated men. He looks at one of the men as if noticing something he doesnít like, then reaches his large hand into his belt to pull out a jagged, curved knife. He deftly uses the blade to remove the manís ears amidst much screaming, and only then does the orc smile a toothy grin. Jaekys is a member of the Dead Mother tribe who, after distinguishing himself in battle against the Dorns, was sent south to deal with the Sarcosan occupation. Jaekys has been given command of a small outpost staffed by a few dozen goblins on the Eren River. It is a job he finds boring, and thus he has taken up a new hobby: flesh crafting. Jaekys demands a toll of one crewmember from all cargo barges that pass his checkpoint.

Physical Description:  ???

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

Feral Mother Tribe

Tribal symbol of the Feral Mother Tribe

(Great Tribe)

• Tribal Lands: Frozen Barrens
• Warlord : Gamrot
• Head Mother: (unknown)

Notes: The Feral Mother tribe’s breeding pits supply most of the armed forces that war against the dwarves in the Kaladrun Mountains. The males of the tribe dream almost every night of their kurasatch udareen suffering endless degradation at the hands of dwarves, a fact that inspires the enraged hordes in their siege against the doomed holdfast of Calador. The tribe’s current role as the enemies of the dwarves is one that was hard won. They have waged a bitter war in the Icewall Mountains for centuries, trading raids and atrocities with their foes, dying while the other tribes built up their weight of numbers. When the other tribes burst through the Fortress Wall and pushed the battle far south of its former lines, only the Feral Mother tribe’s pride and ferocity allowed it to retain its position as the leaders of the dwarven war front.

Master Ereach,
The Frozen Barrens are the lands of the Feral Mother tribe and its allies. Just as those who once lived in the Cold Downs have headed south, much of the Barrens-dwellers have emigrated into the mountain holdfasts of their defeated foes. Those that remain are focused on supporting the war carried on by those who left. For orcs, it is a surprisingly efficient support network. New arms and armor as well as highly-trained warriors are distributed among the rank and file at regular intervals, adding fresh blood to those units weary from the meat grinder of the Kaladruns. Smoke and ash billow from warholds in the Southern Barrens as fresh warbands are trained and equipped. The Feral Mother orcs are fearsome in combat, heavily armed and armored like the dwarves, and amongst the most disciplined troops I have seen. For the moment, the Feral Mother orcs are unchallenged in their frozen domain. Rival tribes have been pushed into the Icewalls or Kaladruns, or have sworn fealty to the Ferals’ kurasatch udareen. To their east, over and among the last badlands of the Icewalls, is the Cold Shore. At best, that hell-on-earth boasts a handful of isolated warrens. To the north are the remnants of the Dead Mother tribe, more vassal than ally to the Feral Mothers. To the northwest lies the Blight Marsh, home of the Blighted Mother Tribe, which is no threat to these warriors. Only the west concerns the Feral Mother—there, with the resources of the Ishensa Basin at their disposal, the Blood Mother waxes stronger each year.

Noted Tribesmen:

• Jaadrung: Jaadrung of the Feral Mother Tribe is a rare orc—a battle-scarred, old soldier who did not die fighting but is now simply too old to wage war. Instead he serves the Shadow by drilling young recruits in the training camp at the Wounded Mother warren of Kurobund in the south central Vale. He is also one of the oldest followers of the White Mother and as such uses his position to plant the seeds of dissent in the minds of the young soldiers he trains. He knows he plays a deadly game but believes he finally serves a purpose greater than his own life. Besides, he figures he has already lived well beyond his time.
• Zagaras: (City p.13) Had been promoted to command an entire legion for the Feral Mothers tribe. After a distinguished career as a warrior and war leader, Zagaras won his greatest glory when he led his legion against a strongly fortified dwarven stronghold in the Icewall Mountains. Zagaras fought an ancient dwarven chieftain in single combat and flung him down from the walls of the fortress. In the end, the fortress was taken, with only Zagaras himself standing alone and wounded on the battlements.
• Warlord Azaldanh: (City p.13) A bloodthirsty and highly experienced orc warrior, leads a deadly assembly of about 2,000 orcs from the Feral Mother tribe occupy the Highwall area. These are the city ís cavalry force, and they keep their fierce war boros nearby, making the entire area even more pungent and unpleasant than that of the other tribes.

Physical Description:  ???

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

Frozen Mother

(Great Tribe)

• Tribal Lands: Vale of Tears
• Warlord : Jorak
• Head Mother: Anugh

Notes:

My lord Ereach,
Of all the greater tribes, I know the least about the Frozen Mother orcs. Their warrens are well north of the Black Road, in the western Weal. The tribe is not large in number, no more than 20,000 orcs, but they are amongst the most feared tribe in the north. Their witches have learned how to control the elemental spirits and the weather, using them as weapons. Their warriors are mounted on massive boars known as rime tusks, easily the equal of any cavalry in Erenland. The Frozen Mother tribe has little interaction with their neighboring tribes, focusing on control of the western Weal and protection of a great spire of black ice believed to be the home of their kurusatch udareen. However, as mentioned in my earlier correspondence, I believe that they have some agreement with the Burnt Mother tribe, as their riders can be seen off in the distance as you travel the Black Road. The Frozen Mothers seem to ignore the remnants of the Mother of Bone tribe, and the Black Horned Mother tribe, while strong, is too far to the west to be of concern to them.

Noted Tribesmen:

Physical Description:  ???

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

Gray Mother

(Great Tribe)

• Tribal Lands: Fallport, Steel Hill, Highhorn Mountains, Northern Redstone Hills
• Warlord : Dumuk
• Head Mother: Varysh

Notes: The Gray Mother tribe traditionally claimed the lands just north of Steel Hill and amidst the foothills of the Highhorn Mountains. There they dug in deep, cutting into the rock to build their abyssal warrens. Over the years they linked together dozens of their smaller warrens using narrow, twisting passageways though the solid rock. When the orcs conquered Fallport, Izrador sent a vision to all of the tribe’s priestesses. Within days they moved south, leaving their warrens empty save for a handful of midwives and priestesses to tend the altars. Of the 40,000 women and children who set out, only a quarter reached Fallport alive. Once the priestesses arrived, work began in earnest. The mothers and midwives dug a warren into the soft limestone while males brutalized slaves sent up from the south to fish and help with shipping. As the years passed, a warren nearly equal to the Blood Mother tribe’s Gasterfang arose. In time, perhaps a few centuries, its altar will finally be stained as black as that of the Gray Mothers’ hated rivals.

Noted Tribesmen:

Physical Description:  ???

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

Howling Mother

(Great Tribe - EXTINCT)

• Tribal Lands: Weal
• Warlord :  ???
• Head Mother:  ???

Notes:

Noted Tribesmen:

Physical Description:  ???

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

Hungry Mother Tribe

(Lesser Tribe)

• Tribal Lands:  ???
• Warlord :  ???
• Head Mother:  ???

Notes: Second in prominence of the City of Shadow, after the Mother of Blood tribe, the Hungry Mothers have more than 3,000 warriors in Highwall, where they have the honor of serving as the official garrison of the city. This means that Hungry Mothers patrol the walls and are the majority of the guards who walk the streets of the old scholars and merchants quarters. Hungry Mother officers also command many of the mixed units that defend the city, an arrangement that angers the other tribes, especially the Mother of Blood. More than 14,000 orcs occupy Highwall, divided among the Hungry Mothers, Mother of Blood, Feral Mother, and Dark Mother tribes.

Noted Tribesmen:

• Phaenazal: The Hungry Mothers of the Highwall area are under the leadership of this orc shaman.

Physical Description:  ???

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

Iron Claw

(Lesser Tribe)

• Tribal Lands: Riismark district
• Warlord : Nagruk
• Head Mother: Uhail

Notes:

Noted Tribesmen:

Physical Description:  ???

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

Iron Mother

(Lesser Tribe)

• Tribal Lands:  ???
• Warlord :  ???
• Head Mother:  ???

Notes: Long with the Mother of Aryth tribe, the Iron Mother orcs are the closest to their eldethar ancestors. Both tribes are similar in size and shape. While the Mother of Aryth orcs specialize in mining and fortification, the Iron Mother orcs are the race's armorers and weaponsmiths. The weapons they create are not ornate or beautiful, but they are easy to make and very, very effective. Some of the tribe practice a form of self mutilation were they insert shards of steel into their skin in an attempt to be one with the metal.

Noted Tribesmen:

Physical description: Much smaller and squatter than normal orcs (minus 10-14 inches and 10-40 pounds lighter). They tend to be dressed in all brown and are sometimes derogatorily called mud orcs.

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

Magral (Maggot Spawn)

(Exiled/Outsider Tribe)

• Tribal Lands: Kazak-Dûr.
• Warlord :  ???
• Head Mother:  ???

Notes:

Noted Tribesmen:

Physical Description:  ???

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

Moon Mother

(Lesser Tribe)

• Tribal Lands:  ???
• Warlord :  ???
• Head Mother:  ???

Notes: Not all of the first wives of the Dark God wished to serve the Shadow. The Moon Mother was one who tried to flee from the Dark God. She and her children fled into the wastes and instead of salvation, they found another form of damnation. An ancient evil spirit of the north attacked the small group. The spirit took the form of a large wolf. The wolf attacked the Moon Mother and infused its essence into her. The transformation inflicted the curse of lycanthropy on the Moon Mother, a curse she passed on to her offspring. The curse weakened the Moon Mother tribe's ability to resist the Dark God and before the beginning of the First Age, the tribe had become loyal servants of the Shadow.
The tribe is known for their vicious behavior. They do not interact well with other tribes and are usually kept well separate. The tribe is used to inflict terror and break the enemy's will to resist. When the tribe attacks under the full moon, it is fearsome to behold. Short of magic or silver, human resistance fighters are ill equipped to fight the tribe. Fortunately, the tribe is not very large. The survival rate of their children is poor, a part of their curse. The tribe also does not accept those without a pure bloodline (those tainted with lycanthropy but not of their blood). Unless they are kept under control, they will hunt down their lesser brethren and destroy them.

Noted Tribesmen:

Physical description: The members of the Moon Mother Tribe are slightly more muscular than other orcs, and tend to be much hairier. They are wild of character, and very violent. They become savage when the moon is full.

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

Mother of Aryth

(Lesser Tribe)

• Tribal Lands:  ???
• Warlord :  ???
• Head Mother:  ???

AKA: Mud Orcs

Notes: The Mother of Aryth tribe orcs, or the diggers in the dirt, are the best miners and makers of siege equipment. The tribe is probably the closest in physical form and temperament to their eldethar/dwarven ancestors. Of all the orcs, the Mothers of Aryth, are the most feared for their abilities to destroy or bypass the dwarven defenses.

Noted Tribesmen:

Physical description: Much smaller and squatter than normal orcs (minus 10-14 inches and 10-40 pounds lighter). They tend to be dressed in all brown and are sometimes derogatorily called mud orcs.

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

Mother of the Blooded Claw Tribe

(Lesser Tribe)

• Tribal Lands:  ???
• Warlord :  ???
• Head Mother:  ???

Notes:

Noted Tribesmen:

• Morgatha: NE female orc Chr14 (kurasatch udareen of the Mother of the Blooded Claw tribe). In Steel Hill - Morgatha is a kurasatch udareen of the Mother of the Blooded Claw tribe and, as such, is nominally responsible for their spiritual guidance. She commands the fierce loyalty of the orcs of the Splintered Skull legion, who are largely drawn from her tribe ís ranks.Even Sharzun is cautious in his dealings with the witch, knowing that she keeps her own counsel and plays a long and hidden game. The true motivations of this conniving hag are a mystery, even to her closest allies. Morgatha spins multiple webs of intrigue, and for her Machiavellian efforts she has earned the enmity of many powerful foes in Steel Hill.
  Morgatha is despised by the legates of the Temple of Shadowed Steel, who feel she encroaches upon their territory as the ecclesiastical representatives of Izrador, but they fear to act against her. Ultimately, Morgatha seeks to humiliate the Order, and she has succeeded to an extent by isolating Dorgath and his cronies and subjugating Vylaria, the Order ís much vaunted preceptor. However, the witch wants more than this: she wishes to rule Steel Hill, to be the iron mind behind Sharzun ís iron fist, to make the city the home of the Mother of the Blooded Claw tribe. The humans, Aushavís followers in particular, would serve the orcs, and she would become high priestess, unfettered by the sneering arrogance of the Order ís legates.

• Lord Commander, Sharzun the Bloodaxe: Commands the Splintered Skull legion and owes Morgatha much.

Physical Description:  ???

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

The Mother Blood Tribe

(Lesser Tribe)

• Tribal Lands:  ???
• Warlord :  ???
• Head Mother: Baeraga

Notes: More than half the 14,000 orcs who occupy Highwall are from the Mother of Blood Tribe. Orcs from this tribe are most often encountered by travelers near the city, for their primary job is to serve as a mobile defense and security force. More than 14,000 orcs occupy Highwall, divided among the Hungry Mothers, Mother of Blood, Feral Mother, and Dark Mother tribes.

Noted Tribesmen:

• Tribe Warchief Zarbakka: female orc barbarian / kurasatch udareen [15]. Their territory sprawls over half of the old scholars district, with an especially large makeshift fortress near the center where the tribe's warchief, Zarbakka, holds court. The Mother of Blood ís ruler, the kurasatch udareen Zarbakka, has actually relocated to Highwall and rules her tribe from there, but the other tribes are under the command of their local warchief or shaman.

• Sardric: The other tribes are under the command of their local warchief or shaman. The orc ís name is Sardric. He was a member of the Mother of Blood Tribe and an experienced soldier who has served for some time in central Eredane. He was also a secret Follower of the White Mother but is now outcast from both his warband and his tribe.

• High Warlord Dzalgha: The tribes of Highwall are officially organized into the Fist of Shadow under the command of High Warlord Dzalgha, but each tribe tends to act independently unless they are all called to war together.
• Baeraga: Mother of Blood Female orc, Chn 8 (Charismatic)/kurasatch udareen 10. The Mother of Blood kurasatch udareen have learned well at their master’s feet, becoming the most powerful priestesses in the frozen north. They guard their secrets jealously and know rituals that are denied even to the Order of the Shadow. The matriarch of the tribe’s kurasatch udareen is a withered crone, Baeraga, who has watched ten generations of wise women grow old and die while she endures. Baeraga is the most powerful servant of the Shadow in the Marchlands. She directly commands over 1,000 Mother of Blood priestesses and can call on the support of hundreds more from allied tribes. With a single word, she can gather the tribe’s warbands and set the north ablaze. While the other great tribes have answered the clarion call of war against the fey, Baeraga has limited her tribe’s contribution to the Night King Jahzir’s army, preferring to strengthen the tribe’s position in the northlands. Baeraga risks the Night King’s wrath but she conspires toward a future free of the dominance of the Night Kings . . . and as of late, she has begun to question the value of even the Order of the Shadow. (Heart p.49)

Physical Description:  ???

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

The Mother of Bone Tribe

(Lesser Tribe)

• Tribal Lands:  ???
• Warlord :  ???
• Head Mother:  ???

Notes:

Master Ereach,
The smallest of the north’s Great Tribes is the Mother of Bone. The living number no more than 5,000, but the strength of the tribe is not their living warriors but their dead. The tribe’s witches are masters of necromancy; they’ve raised legions of skeletal warriors from the Drifts of the Dead, an ancient battleground where our God punished them for their disobedience. The tribe pays for their redemption by marching their undead legions south to fight the fey. The tribe and the Drifts of the Dead are given a wide berth by their neighbors. None wish to face warriors, who don’t bleed, feel pain, or fatigue. There is no glory in defeating the dead. Their only ally is the usurper, Sunulael, who has sent his lackeys to study the Drifts and learn from the Mother of Bone witches. Some of Sunuleal’s scum may still be in their warrens, so it is best to move quickly through their territory when one travels on the Black Road.

Noted Tribesmen:

• Gorgathan Bar/Leg - Grial the Fey Killer's chief legate advisor. Finally, after a decade of service and proving his worth, Gorgathan the warrior legate received his great assignment. He joined the army of the legendary Grial the Fey Killer. When the majority of the Fey Killer's other legates were slaughtered in an ambush by halfling wogren riders, Gorgathan became his chief legate advisor. Unfortunately, Grial neither wants nor needs his help. Gorgathan is more ignored and abandoned now than he ever was back at Theros Obsidia, or even in the great camps of his tribe. At least in those dark places, people cared enough to make him miserable. Grial considers him completely irrelevant. Yet still the dreams come.

Physical Description:  ???

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

Mother of Burning Blood

(Lesser Tribe)

• Tribal Lands:  ???
• Warlord :  ???
• Head Mother:  ???

Notes: From the beginning, Izrador ordered them to live on the edge of Grastrafang, the northern volcano. They thought he favored them, for this gave them access to heating, even though they were often burned by the frequent lava eruptions. They considered this was some kind of sacrifice to their god to be swallowed by a lava flow, and since those times, they ritually burn large parts of their skins to prove their dedication to the Dark God. After millennia, this practice gave them an unhealthy affinity to the powers of fire. They feel only the worst burnings, and have become somewhat pyromaniacs and highly suicidal. The logical choice was to affect them to the Erethor borders, where they spread fire like a disease.
Those orcs who shame themselves in combat are allowed to redeem themselves by performing the Dance of Fire. They are ritually rubbed with tar, which is ignited, then they run as fast as they can to the elven settlements in hopes of spreading fire to as many buildings and inhabitants as possible. Their fierce devotion and their fire resistance give them incredible resilience for that purpose (they can last 1d8+4 minutes spreading fire before dying). They also gained the extraordinary ability to be able to ignite flammable materials by placing their hands upon them for 1d4+2 hours.

Noted Tribesmen:

Physical description: These orcs are red-haired, and typically smell of burned charcoal. They always bear the marks of fire branding on their chests.

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

Mother of Dark Blood

(Lesser Tribe)

• Tribal Lands: deep in the North; Theros Obsidia
• Warlord :  ???
• Head Mother:  ???

Notes: When other kurasatch udareen challenged her power, this until-then unassuming sorceress drew her own blood and showed them its darkness to prove that Izrador indeed favored her. She used it to fuel her spells, which were the most impressive that the kurasatch udareen could use while drawing their power from the Dark God. Since that time, the members of this tribe always had the best connection with Izrador, and thus show the best abilities as orc legates. They are however jealous of the favoritism shown to The Order of Shadow, as most members are humans who, in the orc's eyes, did nothing to earn such an envied position. This tribe has always strongly opposed the Order of Shadow, and has clerical powers to back their claims. They remain deep in the North, as close as possible to their God. There are many members living in Theros Obsidia. Conflict with human legates is almost palpable there.

Noted Tribesmen:

Physical description: These orcs are shorter and darker skinned than other tribes. Their fur capes and boots are usually enough to make them recognizable, as well as their heavy handaxes which they carry in all circumstances.

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

Mother of Lies

(Lesser Tribe)

• Tribal Lands:  ???
• Warlord :  ???
• Head Mother:  ???

Notes: The Mother of Lies orcs are the agents the Shadow uses to ensure that his favored race remains loyal. The orcs believe that the original mother of Lies was the first of the eldethar to freely surrender her soul to Izrador. She then betrayed her sisters and helped the Dark God kill or enslave the rest of her clan. They are considered the most loyal of the orcs. The Night King Sunulael uses the tribe to spy on the other orc tribes and even his own Legates to ferret out those who would betray the Dark God. The tribe is also frequently tasked with assassinating those who have lost the Dark God's favor.

Noted Tribesmen:

Physical description: The Mother of Lies orcs are physically non-descript. They are trained to temporarily alter their appearance to blend in with other orc tribes.

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

Mother of Rage

(Lesser Tribe)

• Tribal Lands:  ???
• Warlord :  ???
• Head Mother:  ???

Notes: As her soul was corrupted, the being that would become the Mother of Rage, struggled against her bonds and screamed in anger against the gods that had deserted her people and left them to their dark fate. As Izrador reshaped her, that rage was infused throughout her body. When she gave birth to her first offspring, their struggles during the birth almost killed her. Caring for the young was difficult as they were unable to control their rage. The fledgling tribe was at risk of destruction, either by the Dark God himself or by ripping itself apart. The elders of the tribe were finally able, with the power granted them by the Dark God, to harness their rage and use it against the God's enemies. The savagery of the tribe is legendary. The sight of these raging orcs has caused more than one enemy to flee in panic.

Noted Tribesmen:

Physical description: At a distance, there is little to distinguish the Mother of Rage orcs from other orcs. You have to get up close to see the almost solid red eyes, the ragged armor, and often broken or malformed claws.

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

Motherless Ones

(Exiled/Outsider Tribe)

• Tribal Lands: Various places; concentrated in Northern Highhorns.
• Warlord :  ???
• Head Mother:  ???

Notes: As Izrador bred the orcs from their original fey ancestors he created many lineages. Some became the ancestral stock of the modern tribes, others became extinct, a few were destroyed, but one lives on as a feral line known as the Motherless Ones. These wild orcs are of an old but uncontrollable lineage. They are savage brutes, even for their kind, and so uncivilized they live only in ephemeral, combative packs. Their numbers are small, and they occupy the most northern regions of the Marches, often living in small nomadic camps and glacial ice caves. They survive by hunting and raiding more southerly orc settlements for weapons and tools they are unable to make themselves. The other tribes have long sought to eradicate the Motherless Ones but have thus far been unsuccessful.

Noted Tribesmen:

Physical Description:  ???

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

Pale Mother

(Great Tribe)

• Tribal Lands:  ???
• Warlord : Urgoth
• Head Mother:  ???

Notes: The Pale Mother tribe is unique among the great tribes, as they are a patriarchy. Early in the First Age, the tribe suffered under a weak and indecisive kurasatch uradeen. The tribe's warleader, Urgoth, rebelled and slew her with his bare hands. The legends say he had the Dark Lord's blessing, as he seemed unaffected by the Kurasatch Uradeen's spells. Since that time the tribe has been ruled by a male. Once assuming the leadership of the tribe, the male takes the name Urgoth in honor the tribe's first leader. The tribe's females are relegated to raising the children and foraging for food. They have become servants vice the masters of the tribe. Over time, the tribe has lost the ability to cast even the simplest spells.

Noted Tribesmen:

Physical description: The tribe's orcs have much paler skin than their brethren. Occasionally, one of them can even pass for a dworg, though this is rare. The tribe also takes prizes (noses/ears/teeth) from spellcasters they kill. The prizes are worn as necklaces or sewn into their clothing and armor.

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

Razor Spine

Tribal symbol of the Razor Spinie Tribe

(Lesser Tribe)

• Tribal Lands: Highhorn Mountains
• Warlord : Sharg
• Head Mother: Khadra

Notes:

Noted Tribesmen:

Physical Description:  ???

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

Rotted Claw

(Lesser Tribe)

• Tribal Lands: Weal
• Warlord : Hargat
• Head Mother: Ousha

Notes:

Noted Tribesmen:

Physical Description:  ???

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

Shunned Mother Tribe

Tribal symbol of the Shunned Mother Tribe

(Great Tribe)

• Tribal Lands: Highhorn Mountains
• Warlord : Kagid
• Head Mother: Rrgush

Notes: The Shunned Mother tribe took the Highhorn Mountains from the Gray Mother tribe’s forebears. For centuries they bred an army in the foothills and valleys of the mountains, tempering young warriors against the elves of the Veradeen and forging alliances with the Order of Shadow in Bandilrin. When Izrador’s call came at the end of the Third Age they marched south to Bandilrin, which had become the staging ground for some 50,000 warriors of the Shunned Mother tribe and others throughout the Northern Marches.

The Shunned Mother tribe also established a new warren at this time, somewhat to the east and higher in the mountains, separating Izrador’s chosen tribe from those lesser orcs.

Noted Tribesmen:

Physical Description: Males of the Shunned Mother tribe tattoo black bars under their eyes and across their arms. Those chosen as fathers tattoo red patches across the bars, one for each breeder that claimed the male as a mate.

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

Swift Mother

(Great Tribe)

• Tribal Lands:  ???
• Warlord :  ???
• Head Mother:  ???

Notes: The origin of the Swift Mother orcs is less clear then the other great tribes. Some believe that the tribe is descended from a different eldethar clan; possibly a clan related to the early elves. Physically, the Swift Mother orcs appear to be more closely related to elves than dwarves. The tribe is tall and lean and very fleet of foot. Not being anywhere near as strong as their brethren, the tribe would probably have been eliminated if they had not shown their value as scouts and skirmishers.

Noted Tribesmen:

Physical description: Very tall and thin for an orc (add 4-6 inches and reduce weight by 80-140 pounds). As they're mostly stationed on the Erethor front, they're almost always dressed in dark green clothing.

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

Sword Mother

(Lesser Tribe)

• Tribal Lands:  ???
• Warlord :  ???
• Head Mother:  ???

Notes: According to legend, the sword mother orcs are descended from a mighty female champion. She was gifted with a black sword from the Dark God and used it to cleave through her enemies. Her children were taught the discipline of the sword and they used that discipline to build the most cohesive and best led warbands in the north. Through superior tactics and better organization, the Sword Mother orcs dominated the neighboring tribes. When the Shadow needed generals and highly disciplined troops, it turned to the Sword Mother tribe. Their martial skills have only been honed by the fighting of the last one hundred years.

Noted Tribesmen:

• Grial the Fey Killer: is believed to be of the Sword Mother tribe. Grial the Fey Killer earned his name during his youth. Now, as the commander of the war against Erethor, he spends most of his time engaged in bloodless logistics and strategic planning. His ability to measure the repercussions of these two subjects, almost unimagined by most orcish warriors, borders on prophesy: prophesies the human army commanders have learned to heed, least disaster befall them.

Physical description: The Sword Mother orcs are easily identifiable by their bearing, organization, and the way they keep their clothes and weapons (normally immaculate). Sword Mother orcs stand erect and move with purpose, not wasting any movement.

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

Torn Mother Tribe

(Lesser Tribe)

• Tribal Lands:  ???
• Warlord :  ???
• Head Mother:  ???

Notes: When the eldethar were turned into mother wives one of them fought back. She used every means at her disposal to remain free of the shadow. After Izrador forced her to bear his children, she had to watch whilst he tortured her young. Begging for mercy she offered her soul to him if he would free her children. Izrador agreed, but on the condition that her children's souls could only be free if they died on the field of battle, fighting his enemies. With that he killed the mother wife and took her spirit and bound it to the tribe. Down the years she has watched her tribe grow strong and has advised the Kurasatch Uradeen. She exhorts her people to die by following Izrador's word and they do so, throwing themselves onto the weapons of their enemies.

Noted Tribesmen:

Physical Description: Each member of the Torn Mother Tribe has ritual scarring on its face in remembrance of the first one. To look into the eyes of a Torn Mother orc is to see nothing. They are taught from birth that to die fighting is life.

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

White Mother Tribe

(Sect)

• Tribal Lands:  ???
• Warlord :  ???
• Head Mother:  ???

Notes: There are a wise few among the orcs who realize that their entire race is only an expendable weapon in Izrador’s war. They know that as soon as he has beaten the fey and won Eredane that he will no longer have need of the orcs, and that in the end he will surely sacrifice them to his unholy intent as well. Those who believe this have become known as the Followers of the White Mother. This secretive brotherhood does not gather, preach, or organize, for that would be suicide. Instead it carefully passes on its dread message one recruit at a time, hoping to spread a new consciousness, and a growing resistance, among the tribes.
Followers of the White Mother The orcs are a fanatical, magically bred race, born to serve Izrador. Even the Shadow is not omnipotent, however. Among the orcs there is a small group of zealots known as the Followers of the White Mother. No one knows where or how they started, but the group consists of silent dissidents who believe that the orcs are only slaves to Izrador's will and not his Chosen Ones at all. They believe that in the end, when they are no longer needed, Izrador will turn on the orcs as well, sacrificing the race to his dark purpose. The Followers are secretive, and perforce never gather or speak openly about their beliefs.They spread their ideas one carefully chosen recruit at a time, from tribe to tribe and from warband to warband. Though there are very few of these dissidents, there are rumors that small groups of them have broken with their kind and hide out in northern Erethor and the Kaladruns, forced to evade both their own people and the elves and dwarves as well. Their eventual goal of freedom for the orc nation seems as hopeless as the end of Izradorís reign.
Some Durgis settlements are rumored to have taken in orcs that belong to a secret, persecuted sect, known as the Followers of the White Mother, that opposes the reign of Izrador.

The Story of the White Mother Sect

Notes: A long time ago, there was an orc tribe deep in the North. Legends say they were Izrador's best servitors, the most vicious and cruel, led by implacable kusaratch udareen. Yet they never received a word of praise for their actions; worse, too often did the Order of Shadow take for his own their achievements.
By the end of the Second Age, Grormarg, the kusarach udareen of the tribe, was in open conflict with the legates because of the high competition for power between the Dark God's minions. When the Last Battle of the Second Age ended, the White Mother Tribe had successfully defeated one of the Dragons that had come from the South to oppose their northern brethren who had been seduced by the Shadow. Klirxci was only mortally wounded, though. Cut from their supply lines because of the aftermath of this hard fought battle, the tribe had not eaten anything for weeks. This large amount of flesh was a great boon for them. But Ikar the Legate, one of the few surviving humans, forbid the orcs to eat such meat, for Izrador had forbidden it. Grormarg was upset: surely Izrador would not let perish such brave combatants who had served him so well? And she decapitated Ikar with her vardatch.
That night, all the tribe dined of dragon meat, and Grormarg ate the dragon's heart. Then she dreamt and saw the future. She saw the orcs invading all of Eredane. She saw the dwarves bathing in their blood and the elves savagely tortured. She saw the humans enslaved and collaborating with the Legates.
And she saw that Izrador would destroy his creatures when he would have conquered the world and would not need any more fighters.
She saw the dark mirrors finally draining the world's magical energies but eventually this would not grant Izrador enough energy to tear the Veil. Instead, the Dark God would use this energy, not for his Ascension, but to absorb the land's life energy, killing all living creatures in the process. Only then would the Shadow be strong enough to break the Veil.
And she saw Izrador ascending to Heaven from a cracked and deserted, lifeless world.
When she woke up, she knew with absolute certitude that her vision was true. Klirxci was reputed for her prophecies, and this was obviously an unexpected gift from the dead dragon to its slayers.
She then gathered her closest followers and told them her dream. Those who denied it were quietly later assassinated. And those who saw her wisdom were gifted with an injection of the dragon's blood, and gained its clairvoyance. They secretly killed all other members of the tribe in their sleep. The White Mother Tribe was no more. The White Mother Sect was born, and no one knew it.

Noted Tribesmen:

• Jaadrung: Jaadrung of the Feral Mother Tribe is a rare orc—a battle-scarred, old soldier who did not die fighting but is now simply too old to wage war. Instead he serves the Shadow by drilling young recruits in the training camp at the Wounded Mother warren of Kurobund in the south central Vale. He is also one of the oldest followers of the White Mother and as such uses his position to plant the seeds of dissent in the minds of the young soldiers he trains. He knows he plays a deadly game but believes he finally serves a purpose greater than his own life. Besides, he figures he has already lived well beyond his time.
• Sardric: He was a member of the Mother of Blood Tribe and an experienced soldier who has served for some time in central Eredane. He was also a secret Follower of the White Mother but is now outcast from both his warband and his tribe. Sardric is still an orc, filled with his kindís inherent rage and hatred. But he also believes the teachings of the White Mother are right, and has turned that hatred against Izrador.
• Grormarg: Second Age kusarach udareen of the tribe

Physical Description:  ???

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

Wolf Mother

(Lesser Tribe)

• Tribal Lands:  ???
• Warlord :  ???
• Head Mother:  ???

Notes: At the beginning of the Second Age, a number of the great tribes were decimated by the fight against the Dorn and the fey. The stronger tribes took advantage and attacked their rivals in an attempt to take territory and fresh meat. The Wolf Mothers were crushed and the survivors scattered to the winds and left to feed the wild beasts. Izrador approved this, of course, as he could not tolerate weak servants.
The surviving Wolf Mothers and their worgs fled to the barren western wastes. They shared each other's warmth in order to survive the harsh climate. To gain the meat they needed and to protect their tribe, the Wolf Mothers learned to ride their wargs and became very effective cavalry. Over the centuries, the tribe prospered and became a power in the western wastes. During the battles at the end of the Second Age, they proved to be the equal of the Dornish cavalry.
During the battles of the Third Age, they rode with the vanguard of the Shadow's army and participated in the crushing of the last Sarcosan army.

Noted Tribesmen:

Physical description: The members of the Wolf Mother tribe are smaller and lighter than an average orc (normally 6-10 inches shorter and 60-80 pounds lighter). The tribe wears its hair long and loose like a worg's mane. They wear wolf furs and often necklaces of wolf teeth.

Physical Description:  ???

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

Wounded Mother

Tribal symbol of the Wounded Mother Tribe

(Great Tribe)

• Tribal Lands: Cold Downs
• Warlord : Urrl
• Head Mother: Tuagha

Notes:

Master Ereach,
The Wounded Mother orcs control the western edge of the Cold Downs, and are every year spreading farther into land that once belonged to the Old Kings of the Dorns. Several of the tribe’s warbands patrol north and east of Steel Hill, attempting gain renown by hunting down the scattered and largely ineffectual resistance. The tribe is slowly migrating south as warrens are built in the ruins of Dornish villages and towns. In twenty years, I imagine, there’ll be no Wounded Mother warrens left in the Downs. Once again, I can only guess at the size of the tribe, possibly 30,000–40,000 orcs. The tribe plays only a minor part in the power struggles in the Frozen North. Their isolated position and slow movement south into Dornish lands limit their influence. At best, they are surrogates of the Black Horned Mothers. They are more likely to move against the minor tribes in the former territory of House Fallon or Redgard and, if victorious, to then move west against the Shunned Mothers.

Noted Tribesmen:

Physical Description:  ???

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

Yellow Eye

(Lesser Tribe)

• Tribal Lands: Frozen Barrens
• Warlord : Rarnok
• Head Mother: Hurugath

Notes:

Noted Tribesmen:

Physical Description:  ???

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

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ORC GROUPS, PEOPLE & THINGS OF NOTE

The giant-kin have little in the way of true heritage and even less in the way of social governance. They are compelled more by instinct and urge than by anything that could be called culture. Despite their limited intelligence they know that they can not openly resist the might of the orc nation. So, except for the occasional raid and wild rampage, the giant-kin reluctantly acquiesce to the will of the orc leaders when they must.
Their every intent and action is defined by his black will and the tenets of the kurasatch udareen. In the Marches the way of Izrador is not so much a church as a way of life.
Orcish existence is defined by the religionís many rituals of homage, rites of obeisance and dark ceremoniesósacred traditions all orcs learn in their infancies and observe every day of their lives. To live otherwise is to risk not only the terrible retribution of the kurasatch udareen, but the holy wrath of a god.
Like their distant cousins, the dwarves, orcs are innately resistant to magic. They gain a +2 racial bonus on saves against spells and spell-like effects, but those with spell energy have two fewer points of spell energy than they otherwise would. Only the kurasatch udareen may avoid this drawback.

kurasatch udareen, the Mother-Wives of Izrador

Orcs are directed by and pay homage to orc priestesses, the kurasatch udareen, the mother-wives of Izrador. The kurasatch udareen, guided by the will of Izrador, are the undisputed rulers of the Northern Marches. By racial tradition and the power of their magics, their governance of the orc tribes is absolute. The goblin-kin, still obliged by ancestral kindred traditions, readily bow to the will of the mother-wives as well.

Tribal Mark/Symbol:  ???

The Chosen

The ancient elthedar heritage sometimes combines with Izrador’s gifts in strange ways. These few orcs are examples of those who have risen above their peers to become true powers in the Last Age.

• Dorshod of the Dead Mother Tribe
• Gorgathan of the Bone Mother Tribe
• Grial the Fey Killer
• Shaelgruf One-Arm: Shaelgruf commands the forces around Alvedara. His huge size and vicious fighting style make up for him losing an arm in his first live engagement. The soldiers in his command worship him as a living incarnation of war and tell tales to one another of his numerous exploits.

Izrador's Possessions

Izrador is also rumored to be able to posses any of his faithful but particularly his priesthood the legates and the sisters of the kurasatch udareen. In truth, his foul possession is too much for even the most corrupt soul to bear, and any host would surely die or go insane within moments of the possession. Were the vessel to somehow survive, Izradorís aspect would quickly subsume that of his chosen avatar. Even through a mask of flesh, any that look upon him soon must see the Shadow for what he is. Why he does not do so, whether or not he is at all vulnerable when possessing one of his servants, and how much of his power it takes to do so, are all unknown. It might be too much to hope for to say that possessing one of his minions is beyond his power; it is more likely that he simply has not had the need to do so and that, if he ever has, none who witnessed the event survived.

Sendings of the Shadow

The endless dreams come early to all orcish children, usually after their sixth birthday. Male orcs turn to what they know when the night-terrors begin. They lash out with tooth and claw, seeking to escape the pain and fear in violence. Older children copy the overseers’ ritual dances and drumming, clumsily at first, then with growing skill and flare. On the march south they may learn more dances, more rhythms, more languages, and more ways to kill. These rituals all have one topic, one metaphor, one goal: to inspire hate.
When an orc male catches his first sight of a human or fey all of Izrador’s visions, all of the rituals and drum-beats, come rushing back in a black tide of rage and hate. Only when the last foe falls do they regain control. That fear and rage never fade, though some orcs learn to temper it. Most revel in it as, for a few moments, they share something pure with their brothers.
Female orcs suffer under the same dreams as their male kin. Like the males, they turn to what they know. Fortunately, their training includes indoctrination into the orcish cult of the Shadow. This leads them to the priestesses, who sooth young girls by explaining the meaning behind each glimpse into the dark god’s mind. Older girls must speak to their tribe’s head kurasatch udareen upon receiving a vision. The high priestess interprets the vision for them, telling the child a part of the truth. Older women, fully in their caste, may pray directly to Izrador for guidance or revelation.

The Call to War

Male orcs infest northern and southern Erenland in warbands up to 10,000 strong. All told, roughly 200,000 orcs serve in Jahzir’s armies throughout Eredane. Legates and oruks are often called upon to act as their officers, though some orcs occasionally display a knack for military affairs. Orcs mustered by the tribes to fill the Night King’s demand for soldiers travel to Highwall, Fallport, and Davindale. There they meet military discipline and command structures for the first time. Most never really understand either; the only thing they truly grasp is the system of dominance through which they survived the pits. The army maintains three kinds of garrisons in the southern lands: occupied fortifications, pickets, and supply camps. Wherever possible, warbands occupy existing human or dwarf-built fortifications, repairing any damage done during a siege with slave labor. If no suitable fortifications remain near an important site, they have slaves construct long picket-lines of sharpened stakes, trenches, earthworks, and rubble-strewn fields. The loosely built supply camps act as staging areas for armies on the move and resupply depots for stationary and traveling warbands alike. Jahzir prefers to staff these camps with hobgoblins and humans, as male orcs make terrible record-keepers, organizers, and long-range planners.

Orc Military Rank

To qualify for a given rank, an orc character has to have a minimum character level, a minimum number of ranks in Profession (soldier), and a minimum number of enemy kills, as indicated by his arm scars. The following guidelines should be used to determine rank, but remember that just because a character has the minimum qualifications, this does not mean automatic promotion. The DM must consider the character’s reputation within his tribe and the nature of his combat experience before allowing the character’s commanders to promote him. Of course, a character that successfully challenges or otherwise displaces a superior usurps that soldier’s rank in fine orc tradition. The only question that remains is how long he will be able to hold it.

• Soldier - Rank/Level/Kills
• Recruit - 1/1/0
• Blooded - 2/4/10
• Trooper - 4/5/30
• Warrior - 6/6/50
• Champion - 8/7/70
• Commander - 10/9/100
• Warchief - 15/12/150

ORC PLACES OF NOTE

Gasterfang

Gasterfang, known also as the Black Warren, is the largest orc settlement in the Marches. It is one of the oldest orc warrens and occupies the ruins of what was once a great fortress city of the elthedar. Though even the kurasatch udareen have forgotten the tale, the ancient city was built in the Time of Years by the fey ancestors of the dwarves, the banished clans Izrador corrupted to spawn the orc kin.
Gasterfang squats atop a series of natural terraces on the southeastern verge of the Vale of Tears. It commands a dominating view of the lowland, watching over distant leagues of shattered stone and ash-laden sky. Once a formidable place constructed of crudely worked basalt, the thick walls, sturdy buildings, and stout watchtowers have mostly fallen to ruin, wracked by countless quakes and ages of neglect. Most of the surface structures are half-collapsed and unsound. Those that remain are unoccupied or used only to shelter slaves and livestock. Most of the population instead lives in the massive underground warren beneath the ruins, consisting of the numerous basements, subterranean halls, and catacombs excavated by the original builders, and the many tunnels, pits, crawl-ways, and other cramped spaces dug by countless generations of Blood Mother orcs. Gasterfang is home to over 25,000 members of the Blood Mother Tribe, and another 100,000 orcs of various lineages live within two days march of the city. The kurasatch udareen are numerous and powerful there, and many Wounded Mother acolytes live and train in the Black Warren as well.
Most significantly, Gasterfang is home to the oldest (and arguably most powerful) black mirror in Eredane. Known as the Eye of Izrador, this grand mirror was first consecrated at the end of the First Age and therefore holds a unique place in the rites of the Order of Shadow. The Eye has been drawing magical energy from the region for so long that its both radius and its effects at each radius are double that of a normal grand mirror.

Highwall

More than 14,000 orcs occupy Highwall, divided among the Hungry Mothers, Mother of Blood, Feral Mother, and Dark Mother tribes.

ORC NOTEWORTHY NAMES

Midnight Names By Race: See here for Orc and Goblinkind name ideas.

• Lashnak the Nettle: an aging female orc, no longer suited to the battle fields, but with extensive knowledge of plants and alchemy, specifically poisons. Favored weapon; cat o' nine-tails.
• Pol and Kol: conjoined twins. Born in a northern outpost, Pol and Kol were born with one body, but two heads. The duo are surprisingly coordinated and intelligent despite their sometimes differing opinions. How they were allowed to live is something of a mystery. (Fill in your own. A mother's love (hahaha), the fact that they were bodily sound and healthy... etc.)
• Daruk the Shark: Daruk did not fare well in the frozen northern expanses, with his leaner frame, and so was sent south to hunt the elves along the southern shores. Swift in the water, and merciless, he became known as the Shadow's Shark.
• Arguk Impaler: an orc commander who wields an old and ornate dornish spear in combat, he is known to enjoy melee fights with anyone stupid enough to cross his path and fights only to the death, many opponents and fellow orcs have met their fate on the end of his spear. Utterly loyal to Izrador Arguk serves under Sunulael in the coming offensive for Three Oaks.
• Jarsk & Krask Twins: These two twins are slender and short for orcs, each scarred in a single side, have always been bullied when younger and suffered immensely, by the time they left the warrens, though, they had already shown the strength of team work, each wields a single longsword (in opposed arms) and make use of dexterity and tactics instead of brutality and intimidation. They have since then served in Steel Hill and recently were sent to the Gamaril's Delta to serve under Belark the Blackheart, they are loyal to him and have been the only real threat to those seeking to dispose of the incompetent commander. Unknown to most the twins are sealing deal with Menethas, who they see as more capable of pursuing Izrador's goals on the area, and whose power over demosn they both fear and admire.
• Togruk Weakeater: The captain of a halfling slave-village (or other camp in Erenland), Weakeater is an orc of average height with a shaven head, who carries a little more fat than most of his race. He wears heavy steel pauldrons (shoulder plates) with a number of halfling skulls riveted to them, a testament to his taste for the sweet meat of dunni. He prefers to use his wogren-hide whip or a club to mete out punishments, and his vardatch is usually back in his quarters.
• Skorth the Red Stone Painter: A wild-haired orc sergeant with a wide mouth and especially jagged fangs and tusks he takes pride in, Skorth got his 'title' from his favourite means of execution. After killing the warriors of any band of dwarves he and his troops encounter, he takes any crippled, injured, infant or geriatric survivors and hurls them off the nearest cliff, letting their blood splatter the stones.
• Heknar: is perhaps a symbol of what the oruk leaders were not intended to be. He is obese, violent and nigh-insane. From the throne room of Kardoling Keep he shouts orders to existing and imaginary forces alike; he is paranoid and has eaten several of his orcish lieutenants after unfounded accusations of treachery. His paranoia is not without reason however, as many of the senior orcs are beginning to loathe him.
• Cpt Varek Bane of Fey:
• Lord Kalach The Bonebreaker:
• Urlak The Nightserpent:
• Heknar the mad:

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