Crucible
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Factions of primordials have clashed since before the mortal races existed. Once the mortals entered the picture, some of these beings realized that hopes, dreams, and ideals all have power, and through tapping into that power, took upon a more defined physical form. These beings tend to focus on a specific feeling or emotion and then fan it, but an angel giving hope to a beleaguered people is only doing it to create more power for itself. Outsiders are at odds with most primordial beings, whose very existence is inimical to mortal life. | Factions of primordials have clashed since before the mortal races existed. Once the mortals entered the picture, some of these beings realized that hopes, dreams, and ideals all have power, and through tapping into that power, took upon a more defined physical form. These beings tend to focus on a specific feeling or emotion and then fan it, but an angel giving hope to a beleaguered people is only doing it to create more power for itself. Outsiders are at odds with most primordial beings, whose very existence is inimical to mortal life. | ||
| - | =Geography= | + | =Political Geography= |
==The Stone Lair (Kobolds)== | ==The Stone Lair (Kobolds)== | ||
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The majority of orcish trade exports go to the kobolds, in exchange for weapons and minerals that the orcish lands are poor in. They grudgingly maintain trade with dwarves as well. Elves have little to offer the orcs, who hold an ancestral grudge against them. Orcs are perhaps the only race to dislike the gnomes, seeing them as little different from elves, and thus suspicious at best. As the only nation that does not border human lands, orcs are largely indifferent towards them; they see humans as hardy, resourceful, and dependable, and will often hire them as sailors. | The majority of orcish trade exports go to the kobolds, in exchange for weapons and minerals that the orcish lands are poor in. They grudgingly maintain trade with dwarves as well. Elves have little to offer the orcs, who hold an ancestral grudge against them. Orcs are perhaps the only race to dislike the gnomes, seeing them as little different from elves, and thus suspicious at best. As the only nation that does not border human lands, orcs are largely indifferent towards them; they see humans as hardy, resourceful, and dependable, and will often hire them as sailors. | ||
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| + | ===Spearpoint=== | ||
| + | Jutting out above the Inner Sea, the 200-year-old orc fortress of Spearpoint stands at the tip of the eponymous peninsula, and is considered the oldest settlement in the world. It is practically the symbol of the Great Host, as orcs all over know it for its history and significance to orc culture, and others are treated to a sight of its mighty walls as they sail into port. Orcish coins are stamped with the image of Spearpoint, so that even those who have never seen it in person at least know what it looks like. Since its original construction, repairs and additions have greatly expanded the fortress. The original site is now surrounded by three walls, each named after the marshal who commissioned it. | ||
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| + | The outer wall, separating adjoining farmland, peasant dwellings, and slums from the merchant quarter and docks, cannot be seen from the sea, because it does not go around all the way. This was a calculated effect, as the wall is made of wood due to its great length, which would have made other materials more expensive. While it is constantly patrolled by guards, fires from the slums occasionally set sections of the wall alight, and as a result, there is usually at least one section of this wall that is under repair at any given time. Officially named after the late Marshal Rasheg, this wall is colloquially known as the Warning Wall - both for the heavy guard presence here that warns would-be criminals of the rule of law, and the head spikes mounted above each gate for more serious offenders. The zone beyond is named the Golden Ring, for its mercantile activity. | ||
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| + | The middle wall is made of white stone, beyond which lie the barracks of soldiers, training grounds, armories, and other army installations. Outsiders are rarely permitted here without an escort, though during tournaments, melees, and other such events, all are welcome to attend or even try their luck and fight. Citizens (though not foreigners) are permitted into the stables, which double as a zoo and contain many exotic mounts, monsters bred for fighting, and dangerous beasts used for miscellaneous purposes. The white wall is named after Marshal Algarak, and the section it surrounds is known as the Steel Ring. | ||
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| + | The final wall is comparatively small, and made of solid adamantine. This wall surrounds the city's administrative section and the housing of high-ranked officers. No outsiders are allowed in, and even visitors to one of the residents are treated with great suspicion and are never without an escort of elite soldiers. This section of the city is littered with monuments to great victories and fallen heroes. The wall is named after Dormannul, the very first Marshal of the orcs, and the sector beyond it is referred to as the Parchment Ring, for nowhere else in the Great Host is the pen actually mightier than the sword. | ||
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| + | Beyond lies the original Spearpoint. Though its fortifications are diligently maintained, they were never particularly impressive, and the site is not that defensible in case an attacker breaches the other walls. The fortress is still the seat of the marshal and his closest circle, and many of its rooms, no longer necessary for their original functions, have been refitted as museums. | ||
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| + | Currently, the orcs are constructing a fourth wall, meant to encompass the slums. Officially for protection, it is well known that the new wall is supposed to stop trafficking of contraband into the city. | ||
==Tusk Islands (Orcs)== | ==Tusk Islands (Orcs)== | ||
