One of the first things I wanted to do when I started crafting my world was to take the standard races and make them a bit more unique. Everyone has standard humans, elves, dwarves, etc. in their games and it is a bit boring, at least to me. So I set out to rebuild each race from the ground up. The second race that I built was actually the Orc's. I always thought it was unusual for them to be a full race yet not be playable. Of course since then there have been more than a few games allow the use of Orc's as a player race and they are even used in core D&D now. But I enjoy my version of them a bit more than the standard bloodthirsty simpletons that they are portrayed as in most games.
To begin I created the world map. I always find it easier to create the world as a whole first then populate it. It usually spurs some idea's as far as each race goes. For this game I decided that the larger population of Orc's would live in the great northern desert. Here is a map of the Desert. Pardon the roughness but I threw this together in photoshop in about 5 minutes just to show you an example.
So I had the ecology, now I had to craft a race that would not only survive in this area but thrive and be capable of expanding. To that end I started casting about for some examples of desert cultures in real life. Most of the ones that I looked up just didn't fit with the vision that I had for the Orc's so I cast my net a bit wider and found some good examples to base them off of. I had several things that I wanted to include into the race.
So I started with some basic tenets that I think the race should have.
1. Honorbound. I wanted the Race to be very honorable. I'm thinking a mix of Warrior Monks and Sword Saints with the proud Cherokee Warriors.
2. Priesthood that is set up similar but not exactly like the Aztecs.
3. Nomads that roam the wastes but still have large cities around the oases and rivers. A mix of Mongolian and Muslim clans.
4. Gods that are Elemental Based. Magic that showcases and expands on this.
So using these guidelines I based my Orcs off of a mix of Native American and Mongolian Cultures. To this mix I added bits and pieces from other sources and just some random stuff that came about from fitting them into the spiritual and physical world. The desert is a harsh mistress and it takes everything to survive in it, even in the area's that are considered an oasis. This mutated the race and culture from the base I started off with, but I was running with a new idea.
So the Ulag'Dal culture started to form in my brain and on paper. First I changed the way I thought about it. The Ulag'Dal were no longer just the Orcs. The desert being such a harsh place I imagined that over time they would eventually allow in hardy individuals that showed they could survive in this living hell. So now, while the Ulag'Dal are still 70% Orcs there are also a smattering of other races. A small section of Elves, a large contingent of Humans and Lizardmen, and even some Gnomes. Inbreeding amongst the races has also produced some unique Half-Orcs. Now I had a racial base for the culture, time to add in politics and religion.
The Ulag'Dal leaders are divided into two groups unified and lead by The Great Khan and his spiritual equal The Kama Shiwei. The Khitan, or Horse Lords, and the Shiwei, or High Priests.
The Khitan are the physical arm of the government, holding sway over everything that is not spiritual in nature. The Martial Arts, Farming and the like are the purview of the Horse Lords. They also lead two smaller groups, The Suiwen and Raorin, or Sea and Earth Lords.
The Shiwei are the spiritual leaders of the people and even the Horse Lords defer to them in matters of the Gods and Spirits. They also preside over two smaller groups, the Jangai and Tsato, or Air and Fire Lords.
So the overall Government of the Ulag'Dal now looks like so...
The Great Khan and Kama Shiwei share equal power in name. However as people ascend to these positions the reality of the situation changes. There have been periods where the Khan was weaker and the Shiwei held sway, while other times the Khan ruled with an iron fist. The four smaller groups of lordlings are actually orders of Warrior Monks that revere their individual element and follow strict tenets. Which brings us to the second part I was working on, religion.
Originally the Orcs didn't actually live in the desert. The desert used to be much smaller, but thanks to The Shattering thousands upon thousands of years ago it has expanded greatly until it now covers most of the land west of the Firespine Mountains. What was once fertile farmlands and jungles is now a harsh land of unrelenting heat and sand. There are still large areas that are Oases in the sand, and the rivers that flow through flourish with life along their banks.
In the years since the Shattering the original Gods of the Orcs have been changed fundamentally. In order to help their children survive they have taken on elemental aspects. Each is now associated with and reigns over a particular element. They are...
Hrun'tak - Elder Brother of Hlon'tak - God of War and Air.
Sui'ta - God of Death and Water.
Hlon'tak - Younger Brother of Hrun'tak - God of Passion and Earth.
Llyn'wei - God of Knowledge and Fire.
Shi'gei - God of Light and Dark
Now that I had changed the gods and solidified their portfolio's I was ready to breath some life into them.
This however I will leave for another day, as this is getting rather long winded as is.
Until next time....
