Pack of the Black Claw

The Pack of the Black Claw is a nomadic Orokhim tribe that is one of the eleven Prairie Clans. They have the widest range of any other clan in the system, traditionally overlapping with parts of the territories of the Torch of Tygrar, the Beacon of the Skylands, the Eastern Confederation, the Prostomurakhim, and the Volksconfedrat. The Pack has bred its Wargs to be all-black or mostly-black in color. The imposing sight of an army of dark-clad orokhim on all-black steeds inspires fear in their enemies, cementing the Pack's place in legends and urban myths.

Culture

Aesthetically and philosophically, the Pack prizes symbols of raw natural power. The banner of the Pack is three ragged black slashes across a green field; banners are flown until unrecognizable, and many pride themselves on the shredded and damaged state of their personal standards as well as their armor. When a young warrior of the Pack of the Black Claw accomplishes their first victory in battle, they receive a tattoo of three black lines across the chin.

History

The Pack of the Black Claw originated as an offshoot of the Roc-Talon Horde during The Extinguishing. They began as a special fighting force dedicated to flushing out the nuél-orokhim who were adept at using edges of the wilderness, such as forests and high hills, to defend against the orokh hordes. They developed advanced guerilla tactics still studied today by war mages and strategists, and eventually spread far and wide as a clan in their own right. In the waning days of The Extinguishing, a diviner of the clan foretold the Prozhg'atua that would spell doom for the invaders of the Roc-Talon Horde. Their leader, Zebik the Scavinger, refused the orders of Kishin the Indomitable and sent his forces into hiding, causing the schism between the Pack and the Horde. A hundred years later, this decision, as well as the Pack's aptitude for hiding, would allow them to escape the destruction that the (now severely weakened) Roc-Talon Horde faced at the hands of the Knights of Val-Nurem.

Foreign Relations

There has long been a simmering rivalry between the Prostomurakhim and the Pack of the Black Claw), which has only worsened under the rule of the Prostomurakhim's Nehtanyos the Fanatic. Though the two clans have very similar goals, the disparity between the Pack's stealth- and ambush-based approach and the Prostomurakhim's use of vassal entities and blitz tactics causes animosity when both happen to choose the same target for their raids. Small skirmishes between the two clans are not unheard of.

Type

Geopolitical, Nomadic tribe

Predecessor Organization