Storms Call
Storms Call is the village of a clan of Orcs that lies in the western portion of the Snowdrift Flatlands. The orcs here are knwon as The Stormcaller orcs, a custom where the entire tribe is named after the current clan leaders. The tribe has gone by different names depending on which clan was in charge, but they have known the stormcaller name for over a generation. The village is located in the shade of the Dragon's Teeth Mountains, with a small stream that flows across its eastern border, and a large hill fortified with palisades that marks the location of the clan halls. Like all places in the Frostgale Taiga, the Orcs face a constant struggle against the frigid winter colds that blow down from the glacier. During the summer months, the Orcs have access to the wide open plains where they plant and farm a variety of crops, but during the winter months these areas are withdrawn and they huddle in their tight-knit settlement until the thaw.
The Orc village is split into two predominant sections. The outlands are comprised of large fenced in fields for grazing and crops during the summer months, dotted with the occasional guard tower and a small scattering of homes and temporary structures. Not many live here permanently and usually they are only occupied during the summer months when they are used for farming and the harvest. A curvy path winds through the village up to The Hill.
In front of the main village is the Silver Stream, named for its sheets of slate that comprise the riverbed and shimmer in the moonlight. This stream is not large and ends in a small lagoon far in the forest, but it creates a natural moat that helps protect the village. Standing on a large hill beyond the stream and above the inner village is the palisades and what is simply known as The Hill. This region is where the orcs call home and include the halls of the five major clans of the orcs.
Further beyond The Hill and rising high above the Orc settlement is the mythical Stormcaller. A sheer mountain cliff rises high over the village where an outcropping juts out some 50 feet. The Orcs see this as a blessing from Gromm and the shamans pray to it in order to fuel their magic. From the Stormcaller the tribal shamans can call down lightning to power their forges and fuel their magics.
Demographics
The Stormcaller Orcs is both the name of the entire tribe as well as the specific clan that governs them. These orcs name their entire village and peoples after whomever is in charge, which would lead to some confusion were in not that the Stormcallers have governed for 70 years.
They are Tribal orcs, and often trade with the surrounded villages of the north. Rather than the traditional orcish worship of Grotaag, God of Orcs like some of their southern feral cousins, the Stormcallers have made Gromm the Thunderer the official patron deity of the tribe. Other worship exists among them, such as Surter by The Flame Keepers
Government
As with almost all tribes of orcs, they are governed by a Tribal Chieftain. The current Chieftain is Xunug, worshipper of the storm god Gromm the Thunderer. A council of five is under the Chief and is made up of a single member from each of the clans. They elect a new chief when the old one passes away, and unanimously voted in Xunug, after his father led the tribe for years following the victory against the invading Barbarians.
The Stormcaller orcs hold The Code of Our Fathers as the way of law, which is treated with utmost reverence by the tribe.
Defences
The outer village is protected by a local guard called The Wolfguard, a name taken from the days when the dire wolves roamed the village freely. Xoruk commands this group, who patrol the outer village and command the guard towers as well as keeping a garrison of weapons and defenses prepared inside The Hill.
The Hill is the primary defense of the village, should invasion or a large beast threaten the orcs, they can retreat up the earthen ramp and inside the palisades. The outer portion of the village is considered expendable in this regard, while none would wish to abandon their homes, they can always be rebuilt.
Industry & Trade
The Orcs are largely self sufficient but occasionally trade with outsiders. To the far north lies some dwarven holds, and despite the racial animosity present both groups have brave traders that occasionally buy and sell goods between the two. The Splintered villages still harbor resentment against the orcs for their past raids, but its been over 70 years since those times and nowadays the distrust is mostly gone. The humans frequently trade with the orcs, who in turn occasionally trade with the elves
The elves of the morass do not directly trade with the Stormcaller orcs, and a mutual distrust is shared between the two. The elves are old enough to harbor distrust and remember what their ancestors had done, where the orcs believe the elves are distrustful and steal their children in the night. Any inhabitants of that wretched swamp could not possibly be up to anything good.
Infrastructure
The main part of the Orc village is filled with groups of homes made of Spruce wood, rough hewn and built into circular dome shaped structures. These are cut down from The White Wolf Timberland, but the Orcs lack the tools to make proper lumber and as such are mostly made of large rough logs. Most orc residences have enclosures around them, whether fenced or made of hemp rope, that contain various livestock such as the Mangalitsa, Goat and even a large amount of Ducks. The Orcs construct dwellings for the fowl, and some of them have stopped migrating and stay for the protection offered during the winter.
The Orcs structures are almost all single room structures. Each collection of Orc structures has a central courtyard where often a statue, tree or other item of significance lies, most often than not this is a simple fire pit. The dwellings are then arranged in a circle around that courtyard. Most of the orc structures are made of logs that come to a point at the top and then are layered with thatching and mud to create a roof, but the larger guild halls are stacked logs that are still formed into the familiar shape but may contain central dividers and rooms, as well as second floors.
The village has a few large but crude windmills that mill their grain, and the main forge is located on The Hill where they harness the power of the Stormcaller to power it. The outer palisades have a large amount of magically lit braziers that are said to repel evil spirits.
Guilds and Factions
The orcs are divided between five primary clans and many independents whom owe no clan their leadership. The leaders of the five tribes come together to leader the tribe, though the chief is still the patron leader.
The Stormcaller Clan is the current patron clan and as such have named the village after their name. They are worshipers of Gromm the Thunderer and call down lighting from The Stormcaller to power their magic
The Bleeding Moon Clan is one of the two clans of old, and pre-dates the migration north. They cling to the old ways and seek to revert to the warlike nature of the Orcs
The Spirit Fang Clan is the second of the two old clans. They seek to honor their ancestors and maintain the traditions of the past, and are allied with The Dire Wolves of the forest.
The Giant Paw Clan held power for a brief period of time. They brought the Code of Our fathers to the orcs, which laid the path to civilization for the tribe.
The Flame Keeper Clan goes back hundreds of years to the founding of their village. Under their leadership and the following of Surtur, they drove the demon worshippers from the area and founded their city. The Eternal Flame of Surtur continues to burn and wards evil spirits from their tribe.
History
Before the tribe as it is known came into being, its descendants dated to a time when the Orcs used to battle human and elf alike in the northern parts of Akados. When the Hyperboreans first descended south, the Orcs under a long-lost banner rose to meet the legions. Despite being fierce warriors, they were no match for the well armed and armored legions and the Orcs were swept aside, forced to flee into the hills and forests to eek out a living.
Many generations later the two dominant tribes of Orcs that arose in the ashes were The Bleeding Moon and the Spirit Fang clans. The two warred against one another, the Spirit Fangs dominating the lowland forests and using their wolf allies in battle, while The Bleeding Moons dwelt in the hillside and subjugated Trolls to do their fighting.
When the 3rd migration of humans came through to the Northlands, the orcs found themselves facing extinction. After a series of losses against Swein Sigurdson, the tribes united and fled into The Frostgale Taiga. They became migratory, generations passing with no permanent settlement and each season the Orcs numbers dwindled. Each time they attempted settlement tribes of giants, elves or humans uprooted them. The two tribal leaders could barely keep the orcs together, and it seemed likely the tribe would shatter. During this time The Flame Keepers gained status as a true clan. Ignirok the Unburnt emerged, beating the other two into submission and leading the Orcs on the great journey to where they dwell to this day.
The Orcs found a defensive hill seated beneath the mighty Dragon's Teeth Mountains where the ancient worshippers of Althunak had fled after their defeat in the northlands. They wished to one day see Althunak freed and return to power, and had been gathering their might in The Frostgale Taiga in preparation for their revenge. When the orcs descended upon the area, the cult was put to the sword as Ignirok wielded The Eternal Flame of Surter, driving the evil demons from their new ancestral home. For the first time in hundreds of years, teh Orcs settled and the new way was forged. The flame has burnt over the gates of the city for generations and the surrounding altars are ignited by its flame.
When Igirok passed, the tribe once again found itself in a state of distress. The tribe had no clear way of choosing a successor, and fighting broke out as the various factions wished to gain the mantel of leadership. A proposal was brought forward by the orc Grilnirog the Bear, leader of what is now known as The Giant Paws. With the proposal that his people gain recognition as a clan, the tribe forged The Code of Our Fathers and the rather civilized set of laws that govern the tribe to this day was penned. The tribe became far more civilized, began farming and trading with the surrounding areas. He led for many years, and with his death the Spirit Fangs once against retook power. Mlinoth the Meek, as his detractors called him, led for a brief period before The Bleeding Moons, under the brutish orc Hortog overthrew him and plunged the orcs back into their barbaric ways.
The Orcs plundered the surrounding area and raiding many of the settlements that used to trade with them. The elves shut their borders to the orcs, and the human villages, surprised by the sudden shift in the Orcs attitudes, took up arms or hid behind their walls. After a decade of pillaging, it was only a matter of time before the Orcs conquered the entire valley, were it not for the barbarian invasion.
During this time the Barbarian King Groghmir conquered the northern tribes and marched his horde south. The holds of the Karunbar Dwarves sealed their halls, and human tribe after human tribe fell to the barbarian onslaught. Whiteridge, one of the largest human villages with architecture reminiscent of the ancient Hyperborean Empire, fell after a protracted siege. With them defeated, Groghmir set his sights on the Orcs, the last opposition before he planned to set his sights south on the towns surrounding the Sea.
The Orcs had now been known as the Bleeding Moons and under the banner of Hortog marched out to meet them. In a brutal battle, the orcs were soundly defeated and all appeared lost as Hortog was struck down. But a moment of respite favored the Orcs, as the Barbarians were a superstitious bunch and their omens did not favor war. In the tense few weeks before the Barbarians planned to sack the village, the Stormcaller Clan arose to power. Thokgrim and his small band of followers worshiped the lesser known deity Gromm the Thunderer, and received a vision. High above the village a strange outcropping began to call to him, and he summoned its power and began to forge thunderous weapons of war. With his new-found strength from his god, he led the defense of the village and defeated the barbarian king in battle after battle until slaying him in single combat. The remainder fled north, beaten, and the orcs enjoyed their victory. The Stormcallers became an officially recognized clan, one of five now, and began their rule.
Its been 70 years since that day and his son Xunug now leads the tribe. They have named their home Storms Call, and are now known as the Stormcaller Orcs. The Code of Our Fathers has been expanded and he has imposed his more civilized and peaceful ways on the rest of the tribe. Unfortunately with the devastating losses of the past war and years of hardship, the tribe still numbers only a few hundred.
Type
Village
Population
687
Location under
Included Locations
Owner/Ruler
Owning Organization
Related Tradition (Primary)
Characters in Location
The Stormcaller Clan
The Bleeding Moon Clan
The Spirit Fang Clan
The Giant Paw Clan
The Flame Keeper Clan Customs
The Code of Our Fathers
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