Belkin Hold (CE Tribal Hordes) (Parts of Crimson Throne and Giantslayer)

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).[1] 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),[3] the orcs were driven back into the desolate regions of north-central Avistan by their ancient enemies, the dwarves. One particular orc warlord known as 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.[4] The orc horde quickly reached and besieged the dwarven fortress of Koldukar in -3708 AR,[3] 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.[2] 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 as 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.[2] Aside from this incident in the ancient past, the orcs became fractured for centuries to come, each tribe battling the other for wealth, land, and power. It was not until the arrival of the Whispering Tyrant in 3203 AR that the orcs unified once more. Under the banner of their new, undead lord, they assailed Ustalav, bolstering the Whispering Tyrant's undead army.[2] The blue dragon Kazavon also made an effort to reunite the tribes 4043 AR, and likely would have succeeded if not for his death at the hands of adventurers in his citadel, Scarwall.[2] Government There is no unified government ruling over the whole of the Hold of Belkzen. It simply isn't in an orc's nature to try to maintain an organised 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. The most powerful orc in Belkzen is Grask Uldeth the ruler of the city of Urgir, but his rule does 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.[6] 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.[6] 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 legitimate authority.[7] 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. Geography The Hold of Belkzen is a harsh land, and not just in environmental terms. The only thing more brutal than the landscape of this haphazard nation are its savage inhabitants. Inhabitants See also: Tribes of the Hold of Belkzen The orcs of the Hold of Belkzen congregate in tribes, which is the extent to which they are organized into any semblance of order. These tribes may be comprised of more than just orcs and often include slaves or even fully accepted members of other races including giants, ettins, and ogres. An unstable hierarchy and constant warfare maintain the balance of power between the tribes, and alliances and feuds rarely last long. Many tribes commission battle menageries (cages full of monsters to be loosed on the battlefield) and siege engines, when engaged in frequent warfare with other tribes.[9] Non-orc inhabitants The Thassilonian ruins of western plains of Belkzen are known to be the home of a few brave Shoanti tribal members of the Shundar-Quah, the Spire Clan.[10] Due to the orcs' often violent interactions with humans, half-orcs are also frequently seen in this land.[11] It is also home to a few small pockets of oni-spawn tieflings, which were the result of the lusts of various ogre mage mercenaries that have found work within the Hold of Belkzen.[12] Language Most orcs only speak their own guttural language. Only those few orcs who live in Urgir and have to deal with outsiders speak Common.