Of the Orcs found in the Near West
All men know of the dread hordes of orcs and beasts that inhabit the dusty lands west of the Iron Spine Mountains, those ravenous creatures held at bay only by the alliance of the Dwarven Holds and the magicians of the Medial Collegiate, but few know of the less warlike tribes of the Near West. To label these groups as peaceful would be inaccurate in the extreme, but unlike their western cousins the orcs of the Near West seem content to behave as nomadic bandits at worst and insular barbarians at best. There are many small tribes of these orcs and war between these numerous and diverse groups are a daily threat to the safety of the human settlements that dot the verdant valleys on the Eastern slopes of the Iron Spine. Most of these small orc factions pose little more than a nuisance to the wealthy and well armed merchants who move ore from the deep mines of the Northern Iron Spine Mountains to the workshops of the Medial Kingdoms, but like all things in life there are exceptions.
The Tebold Braga
I have spent some time in the Near West, from the simple farming villages of the many fertile lowlands to the mining camps of the Northern Rifts, in that time I have had dealings with orcs that were as docile as a well-fed halfling and as dangerous as wounded rock troll, but none have made such an impression as the Tebold Braga. Abundant, violent, cunning and masters of forbidden arcane practice, the Tebold Braga are the most dangerous tribe of orcs in the Near West.
 |
| An average Tebold Braga raider. |
The first thing one will notice of the Tebold Braga is the color of their skin, they range in shade but are universally a grey green, pale unlike their Western cousins. This pallid complexion is not the only unusual thing about their tribe, they worship the orcish death-god Tebold, their deity is a morbid overlord who demands sacrifice for his ever growing kingdom within the underworld, and the Tebold Braga are eager to make offerings to their god. Most orcs offer deference to Tebold as guardian of the underworld but the Tebold Braga regard him as a stern father to their tribe and venerate him above all others in their pantheon.
The origin myth of the Tebold Braga tells of how Tebold came to the land of the living to seek out a queen, he was met with only scorn from the mortals and other gods who crossed his path. Tebold, weary from his search, took solace in a human village in the Iron Spine Mountains, there he found a beautiful maiden who showed him great kindness, offering him food and wine as well as letting him rest in her home that she shared with her blind father. Tebold begged the girl to marry him, he offered her all the riches of the dead and power over the deceased, but the kindhearted mortal wished only to care for her father. Tebold knew that as long as the girl's father lived she would refuse to marry him, so the god of death took the man's life and then bound the blind man's soul within the dungeons of his fortress in the underworld. Tebold offered marriage to the girl again, he could reunite her with her father after all, but she was distraught at the death of the only person she ever loved and shouted her hatred for the god of death. Outraged that the girl would not love him, Tebold cursed the girl with eternal life so that she could never again be with her father, then Tebold bound the girl with magical chains to the mountain that would come to be known as the Alter Rock, but his torment of the mortal maiden was just beginning, he summoned the cruelest orcs in his service and set them to torture and rape the girl.
 |
| Shaman of the Tebold Braga, master of the many occult rites of his tribe. |
The Tebold Braga believe that they are the offspring of that torture, their very birth rooted in punishing humans for refusing to accept their god. This myth also explains the name their tribe bears, literally meaning Tebold's hatred. This origin myth also informs many of the tribes practices and rituals regarding human prisoners. It is quite likely given the odd appearance of the Tebold Braga that they are some breed of half-orc and the Tebold myth is their way of explaining this.
Lands of the Tebold Braga
The territory controlled by the Tebold Braga is exclusively in the Iron Spine Mountains, the largest tract straddling the Longitudinal Axis, the ancient dwarf road linking the Northern Rifts with the Southern Headwaters, the orcs subsisting primarily from raiding trade caravans and hunting game from the mountainous forests of their home. Several governing powers have tried to reduce the number of orcs that call the region their home, but most efforts have resulted in little more than sending troops to die in the wilderness.
 |
| The archers of the Tebold Braga put their skills to battle and hunting. |
On occasion the Tebold Braga have tried to expand their dominion around the Longitudinal Axis but have always been driven back from the valleys by combined armies of dwarfs and men. The orcs ability to strike out at the human settlements of the Iron Spine should not be discounted however, it is still spoken of in hushed tones how the Tebold Braga warlord, Grabuk Goremaul, was able to raze the keep of Stonespire and Lockhaven in a single campaign season, his rampage ending only when a lucky bolt slew the orcish warlord.
One strange exception to the primarily nomadic nature of the orcs is the permanent fortress at Alter Rock. Something between a great temple and stout keep, Alter Rock is the center of Tebold Braga culture and trade, the maintaining of the fortress has led to something quite odd, orcish craftsmen. While the Tebold Braga are quite insular when it comes to dealing with non-orcs they are sought out by other tribes for their superior arms and knowledge of the arcane. I have even had dealings with an orcish smith in the town of North Bank who claims to have dwelt within, and learned his trade in Alter Rock, I can attest personally to the quality of arms such a smith can produce.
One must have great caution when traveling through the areas claimed by the Tebold Braga, if not in the company of friendly orcs or surrounded by a large number of soldiers you are likely to be set upon by what is best described as a raiding band. Small groups of armed Tebold Braga on the prowl for loot and slaves, some of these can swell in size to dozens of orcs and their accompanying baggage, stolen horses, mules, dwarfs or humans stripped and tied in a trailing menagerie. I have witnessed one such "wagon train" the soldiers I was with decided that it was best to stay back and let the party pass explaining to me later that when encumbered in such a way the Tebold Braga become very aggressive and will fight hard to keep their plunder.
Art and Custom of the Tebold Braga
I know some readers may scoff at the idea of orcish art, but while crude or rudimentary compared to the simple crafts of Medial peasants it does exists and in a very particular style. Many of the examples I have seen are totems or fetishes representing different orcish gods. Fist sized depictions of Tebold are the most common among the Tebold Braga, usually carved from fire-blackened wood or sometimes bone. Also very common are idols of the orcish mother goddess Trobgish, always depicted with swollen belly and carved from green wood or stained with vegetable dye. Another favorite of the Tebold Braga is what they call a braga-gretch, a word that means something like hate-lump or even hate-dung, it is an amalgam of captured religious icons of their enemies heated and smashed into a roughly skull like shape, it is a very disturbing thing to find a crude scorched trinket that was clearly a seal of the Medial Collegiate or Hammer of Thorin.
While generally aggressive towards all men, and intolerant of elves and dwarfs, the Tebold Braga do seem to allow "foreign" orcs to make homes within their realm, and openly trade between tribes. Commonly spotted in the larger warparties or caravans of the Tebold Braga are other violent western races such as ogres, trolls, ettins and even the dread Dhur'eth. It's unclear though what draws these factions together, it could be as simple as a wild hound hanging about a campsite hoping for scraps, or a fight for pay arrangement as is sometimes found between ogres and more civilized races.
There exists a clear hierarchy among the Tebold Braga, their society clearly divided into a strict caste system. At the top of this order are the great shamans of Tebold, they maintain the traditions of the orcs and seek guidance from their god in all things, they inform the camp chiefs of the wishes of their god and this dictates the actions of the Tebold Braga as a whole. Each chief maintains a household and within this structure are his closest warriors, physically the largest and usually the most aggressive of the orcs within a particular settlement or raiding party, these brutes keep order among the lower ranks of orcs. Of the lesser orcs the most prominent are the artisans, though the least warlike, their abilities set them above their fellows as they make, maintain and craft all the tribes goods. The artisans are followed by the hunters and beast handlers, skill at gathering meat for the tribe is extremely important and a reliable source of sustenance compared to raiding. The vast majority of orcs fall in the second lowest class which spend their time raiding, fighting, or lazily doing unskilled labor as dictated by their betters. The lowest class of orcs are the gretch-nuhr, made up of the crippled and infirm, they are looked down on by their fellows but allowed to live off of scraps in exchange for whatever work they are able to perform, hauling waste, killing vermin, or submitting to their betters to be used for depraved acts.
 |
| Good quality arms and armor are a common sight on the warriors of the Tebold Braga. |
One must have great caution when traveling through the areas claimed by the Tebold Braga, if not in the company of friendly orcs or surrounded by a large number of soldiers you are likely to be set upon by what is best described as a raiding band. Small groups of armed Tebold Braga on the prowl for loot and slaves, some of these can swell in size to dozens of orcs and their accompanying baggage, stolen horses, mules, dwarfs or humans stripped and tied in a trailing menagerie. I have witnessed one such "wagon train" the soldiers I was with decided that it was best to stay back and let the party pass explaining to me later that when encumbered in such a way the Tebold Braga become very aggressive and will fight hard to keep their plunder.
Art and Custom of the Tebold Braga
I know some readers may scoff at the idea of orcish art, but while crude or rudimentary compared to the simple crafts of Medial peasants it does exists and in a very particular style. Many of the examples I have seen are totems or fetishes representing different orcish gods. Fist sized depictions of Tebold are the most common among the Tebold Braga, usually carved from fire-blackened wood or sometimes bone. Also very common are idols of the orcish mother goddess Trobgish, always depicted with swollen belly and carved from green wood or stained with vegetable dye. Another favorite of the Tebold Braga is what they call a braga-gretch, a word that means something like hate-lump or even hate-dung, it is an amalgam of captured religious icons of their enemies heated and smashed into a roughly skull like shape, it is a very disturbing thing to find a crude scorched trinket that was clearly a seal of the Medial Collegiate or Hammer of Thorin.
While generally aggressive towards all men, and intolerant of elves and dwarfs, the Tebold Braga do seem to allow "foreign" orcs to make homes within their realm, and openly trade between tribes. Commonly spotted in the larger warparties or caravans of the Tebold Braga are other violent western races such as ogres, trolls, ettins and even the dread Dhur'eth. It's unclear though what draws these factions together, it could be as simple as a wild hound hanging about a campsite hoping for scraps, or a fight for pay arrangement as is sometimes found between ogres and more civilized races.
 |
| Ogres in the company of the Tebold Braga often begin to adopt the practices of the orcs. |
There exists a clear hierarchy among the Tebold Braga, their society clearly divided into a strict caste system. At the top of this order are the great shamans of Tebold, they maintain the traditions of the orcs and seek guidance from their god in all things, they inform the camp chiefs of the wishes of their god and this dictates the actions of the Tebold Braga as a whole. Each chief maintains a household and within this structure are his closest warriors, physically the largest and usually the most aggressive of the orcs within a particular settlement or raiding party, these brutes keep order among the lower ranks of orcs. Of the lesser orcs the most prominent are the artisans, though the least warlike, their abilities set them above their fellows as they make, maintain and craft all the tribes goods. The artisans are followed by the hunters and beast handlers, skill at gathering meat for the tribe is extremely important and a reliable source of sustenance compared to raiding. The vast majority of orcs fall in the second lowest class which spend their time raiding, fighting, or lazily doing unskilled labor as dictated by their betters. The lowest class of orcs are the gretch-nuhr, made up of the crippled and infirm, they are looked down on by their fellows but allowed to live off of scraps in exchange for whatever work they are able to perform, hauling waste, killing vermin, or submitting to their betters to be used for depraved acts.
