Orc’s Head Peninsula
by Marco Dalmonte English translation by Gary DaviesKaraash - War, strength, victory, conquest
Crakkak - Predators, sharks, strength, ferocity
Na’al (Nyx) - Darkness, obscurity, night
Oruguz (Orcus) - Lycanthropes, destruction, death
Ait–tha (Talitha) - Deceit, greed, thieves, assassins
Notes:
1. The humanoids that live in the Orc’s Head Peninsula are not excessively religious, but all recognise the authority of the patron of their tribe and are recommended to him in difficult moments. Furthermore, although the power is solidly in the hands to the strongest and most ruthless warrior, the shamans anyhow gain the respect of the rest of the tribes, although only act in their capacity as counsellors of the leader and act as intermediaries for requests of divine favour. All the humanoids of the peninsula are controlled by Pyre, an ancient vermilion dragon that fled centuries ago from Robrenn after having been blinded by a Robrennian sovereign, who has united under his umbrella all the tribes that now consider him the dominator of the region.
2. The Tribe of the Silent Death is the most numerous, composed of about 4100 orcs and of over 500 lizardmen. They inhabit the northeast part of the peninsula to the border with Herath and worshipped Karaash, considered the symbol of fierceness and orcish superiority. Many warrior devoted to Karaash are true fanatics who lead raids and holy war in order to demonstrate their strength and supremacy both to their enemies and to their subordinates.
3. The Tribe of the Lords of the Storm are composed for the majority by orcs, with some hundreds of ogres as well, and are devotees of Crakkak Sharptooth. They live in the southeast area of the peninsula and have a predilection for sharks, which they consider the embodiment of ferocity and strength. Because of this, they worship Crakkak, lord of the sharks, who has given to his shamans the power of controlling those creatures and of evoking storms on all their enemies or of calming it to facilitate navigation. They are the most skilled sailors among the humanoids of the peninsula, feared even by the Marine Powers.
4. The tribe of Green Assassins is formed by orcs that prefer subterfuge and the use of poison to that of brute strength, and by about two hundred sufficiently intelligent trolls to ally themselves with orcish shamans. They live in the northern-central swamps of the peninsula and worship Na’al, patroness of darkness who lives in the region.
5. The tribe of the Sea Plague live in the southwest area of the peninsula and is composed mainly by orcs and by some hundreds of snapper (more savage and aggressive than normal tortles). They worship Oruguz, patron of destruction and of the caste of devilswine that ruled the tribe for generations, and are bitter enemies of the Lords of the Storm, which competes with them for the supremacy over the seas.
6. The tribe of the Black Orchid finally is the least populous, formed only from 1500 orcs and over 300 troglodytes. They occupy the north-western region of the peninsula to the border with Nimmur, and are famous for the use of the poisons and of the paste of the black orchid, with which they manage to dominate the mind of their victims obscuring their memories and implanting hidden orders that force them to act as ignorant pawns. This is the strategy used by these humanoids for surviving among stronger neighbours, suggested by the shamans of Ait’tha (lady of deceit) that know the secret for creating the paste of the black orchid.