An Orc realm of ancestral plains, fortified foundries, and oath-bound clans. Gorthak is neither a horde nor a monarchy: it is a confederacy built from survival, remembered betrayal, and earned authority.
Khar Gorun War-Speaker Urzha Stoneblood and the Council of Tusks The Gathering of Broken Banners
Chronicle of the Realm
01
The sky-fire that founded Khazadur and Ashkar also burned the old Orc homelands, beginning the Long March across the red plains.
02
Orc clans served as scouts and auxiliaries for Ashkar until the Massacre at Nine Wells; the surviving banners united under the first Council of Tusks.
03
Gorthak riders helped Valedorn and Sylvarin break Ashkar's eastern invasion, then demanded recognition as a sovereign realm in the Treaty of Redbank.
04
Khazadur engineers later helped build Khar Gorun's foundries, creating a trade alliance that still supplies both realms with ore, horses, and weapons.
Culture & Rule
Culture
Status is earned through service, craftsmanship, courage, and keeping one's word. Clan identity remains powerful, but blood feuds are suspended inside confederate territory unless formally judged by the Council.
Government
Each recognized clan sends a tusk-bearer to the Council. A War-Speaker is elected during emergencies and may command united armies, but cannot alter clan law without a supermajority.
Faith
Ancestor fires, oath stones, storm spirits, and the Great Herd
War & Wealth
Military
Mounted raiders, disciplined spear walls, heavy cleaver infantry, goblin engineers, beast handlers, and mobile wagon forts. Gorthak excels at rapid campaigns and fighting across open terrain.
Economy
Horses, cattle, iron, leather, horn, smoked meat, siege timber, mercenary contracts, and caravan protection across the eastern grasslands.
Geography
Red grass plains, broken mesas, storm valleys, fossil beds, and fortified river crossings. The land appears open but is divided by clan markers, migration routes, and sacred burial grounds.
Major Settlements
Khar Gorun — confederate capital and great iron foundry
Red Tusk Ford — fortified trade crossing toward Valedorn
Mornak's Rest — ancestral city built around the first oath stone
The Wagon City — a mobile market that follows the seasonal herds
Powers & Orders
The Council of Tusks
The Stoneblood Clan
The Free Riders
The Goblin Gearwright Compact
The Keepers of Broken Banners
Legends
Mornak Banner-Binder
Urzha Stoneblood
Grakka of the Seven Duels
Tekk the Goblin Engineer
Foreign Relations
Valedorn: allies of necessity and major livestock customers.