Hold of Belkzen
While orcs can be found throughout Golarion, nowhere else are they as plentiful or live in as densely populated settlements as in the Hold of Belkzen (pronounced BEHLK-zen). Belkzen is an unforgiving wasteland filled with shrub brush, steep mountains, and uneven badlands, where water is scarce and generally limited to the seasonal Flood Road.
History
After emerging on the surface of Golarion from the Darklands at the end of the Age of Darkness (-5102 AR), the orcs were driven back into the desolate regions of north-central Avistan by their ancient enemies, the dwarves. One particular orc warlord, Belkzen, counterattacked, vowing to reclaim lost holdings and drive the dwarves back underground. His determination and success rallied thousands of orcs to his banner of a black sun. The orc horde quickly reached and besieged the dwarven fortress of Koldukar in -3708 AR, one of the ten Sky Citadels. In the climactic finale known as the Battle of Nine Stones, the orcs captured Koldukar and put the population to the sword.
With the citadel in his power, Belkzen consolidated his position by fortifying Koldukar and renaming it Urgir (meaning "First Home" in Orc to this day, it remains a symbol of orc power. The unity of Belkzen's realm was short-lived, and did not survive his death, immediately collapsing into dozens of squabbling tribes lusting for power.
Government
There is no unified government ruling over the whole of the Hold of Belkzen. It simply is not in an orc's nature to try to maintain an organized government. Certainly, orcs respect the rule of the mighty, but even this grudging respect is only given to those who are powerful enough to force other orcs to obey them. Until recently, the most powerful orc in Belkzen was Grask Uldeth, the ruler of the city of Urgir, but even his rule did not stretch much further than the city walls. The rest of the country is inhabited and ruled by various semi-nomadic squabbling tribes (see Inhabitants below) who rule over whatever land they currently reside in. The most powerful of these include the Black Sun, Blood Trail, Broken Spine, Cleft Head, Empty Hand, Gutspear, Haskodar, Murdered Child, Twisted Nail, and Wingripper tribes.City Governments
The cities of Belkzen are ruled much like the rest of the land—whichever tribe currently inhabits the city is its ruler. This system is far from stable, as most cities change hands between different tribes at least once every generation. There are two exceptions to this system. The first is Freedom Town, which is free of orcs but is even more chaotically ruled than full orc settlements, as it belongs to no nation and is known as a haven for criminals, exiles, and anyone on the run from a legitimate authority. The other exception is Trunau in the south, a small town that has held out against the orc invaders since the fall of the Hordeline nearly two hundred years ago.
Included Organizations
