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--- consolidated:draishon:fjord-orcs [2024/05/18 22:15] – removed - external edit (Unknown date) 127.0.0.1
+++ consolidated:draishon:fjord-orcs [2025/12/16 12:07] (current) – [The tale of a raid] johnb
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+====== Fjord Orcs ======
+Found in the fjords scattered along the rocky coasts of the Inner Islands of the Draishon Archipelago, the local orc tribes are a bit more organised than many others.  That doesn’t stop them bickering among themselves and raiding each other – but they are held (partially) in check by the spirit of the Great Ones.  They are patrons to their tribal witches, who teach the secrets of building ships and making Snortshot.
+Note:  The Great Ones is a name, given by the witches, to represent their Patron Ancestors (all the Fjord Orc witches have The Ancestors as their patrons)  This represents the combined knowledge of all the previous wise women, who managed to build up, and hold on to, their place of importance in The Tribe.
+===== Tribal Villages =====
+Each ‘tribe’ consists of about 150 bodies -  Made up mostly of Orcs, a few half-orcs and a few captives of other species.  Maybe ten to twelve of the Orcs are Marauders, males who are in their prime and the main raiding force of the tribe, who are accompanied by about the same number of Bloods (slightly less experienced raiders). Another dozen, or so, are Elders, those male orcs who are passed their prime, and are no longer considered fit to go raiding.  Most of the rest is made up of females and youngsters, who are responsible for the captives, gathering seasonal food, repair gear etc.   There are a few fields and animals, mostly looked after by captives and youngsters, although they only add a small amount to the village’s food stocks.
+Every village has a witch, who serves as the tribal wise-woman. The witch is always female and is leader of the women – who maintains her place in the tribe because she knows stuff -  the secrets of building war canoes, and brewing good Snortshot - she is also the only one with Healing Magic.  Hurt a witch, too much, she will unleash other magics that can hurt you back -  or maybe they just give you the evil eye, or   ... Witches are scary ....
+There are always leaders.  A tribal chief (L7 elder), a War captain (L5 Marauder in charge of the marauding party and chief in waiting)  two or three lieutenants (L4 Marauders), Chief Hunter (Elder, L3) to round out the numbers.
+  * Marauder = Male Orc, 1/2 Orc: Warrior-3 with Studded Leather & Falchion
+  * Bloods = Male Orc, 1/2 Orc: Warrior-2 with Studded Leather & Falchion
+  * Elder = Male Orc, 1/2 Orc: Warrior-2 – (Middle aged or old) with Leather & Boarding Axe
+  * Witch = Orc, 1/2 Orc: Female, Witch-3 ( with a couple of lower level apprentices L1 or 2)
+  * Youngsters = Male Orc, 1/2 Orc: Warrior-1 – Leather & Spear
+  * Females = Female Orc, 1/2 Orc: Commoner-1 - unarmoured, clubs
+  * Captives/Slaves = Race, class and level vary - but mainly low-level.
+  * -
+  * Snortshot = Fermented honey, berry and pine needle mixture.  The type of berry changes throughout the year and is often supplemented by other things that you wouldn’t expect to be in an alcoholic beverage.  It is not to the taste of most races, but Orcs seem to enjoy it.
+===== Village life =====
+Everyone lives in one great longhouse.  One end is walled off for livestock and the less desirable captives, everyone else lives in the main part of the longhouse, leaders, marauders, witches, (some) captives – everyone. Along with half a dozen (guard) dogs. Life is hectic.
+Young Bloods get to practice their seamanship in the village’s [[pathfinder:off-the-shelf:ships_boats:otherships|Outrigger Canoes and Dugouts]]. while the females fish. Elders and Young Bloods, hunt game,  and supervise the captives as they work in the fields  or with the animals.   Females cook, repair clothes, fix boats and carry out basic crafts.  Marauders hang around disrupting everything, unless they off on a raid -   skirmishing with another village, a ship-borne raid of a foreign town or just pirating.
+===== Raiding =====
+Raids are short and sweet and often directed at small towns, villages or merchant ships. The Orcs land, set fire to things, loot, steal food, drink, weapons (basically anything of value) and kidnap a few of the locals.  Then back home for a party.  Occasionally, they will send out a larger expedition,  under a Great Chief, where boats from various villages work together to hit a larger town.  The large groups have been known to take whole ships and hold them for ransom. Once they land it is mayhem, each Marauder doing their own thing until they are sated and have enough loot.  Smaller towns and villages are often left devastated, when the drunken orcs have finished their pillaging and plundering.
+**[[legendarium:stories:orc_raid|The Story of a raid]]**
+Pirating works very much the same way - Orcs fighting their way down to the hold, then back again with as much loot as they can carry.  These raids are short and sweet, and vessels rarely lose more than one point of plunder during one of these raids.  Many sailors' lives have been saved, by staying clear of the path the Orcs take to the ship's hold ...
+There are land-based raids as well.  Traditional orc raiding parties set off into the hills to find the homes of Kobolds, Wen or Neanderthals, where they raid for slaves and provisions.   These may be triggered by clashes between Orc hunting parties and parties of the cave dwellers.
+===== The Ship (War Canoe) =====
+The tribe’s war canoe is the pride of every village – long, twin hulled and powered through the water by twenty paddles, with a simple crab-claw sail for when the wind is in the right direction.  The war canoe is seaworthy and deals well with open water, but is too light to be fitted with a ram or siege engine. It normally carries a squad of about 20 orcs raiders, although they can get more in, if they want to.   Long used for raiding, they have taken to attacking merchant ships and generally acting like pirates, since the settlers arrived.  If they can, Orcs attack in the middle of the night!
+[[pathfinder:off-the-shelf:ships_boats:otherships#military_vessels|See this page for a fuller description.]]
+The normal crew consists of a Lieutenant and 20 raiders (Marauders and Bloods), accompanied by an elder and a few youngsters, with basic seaman skills, to manage the sails.
+While captured slaves, half-orc offspring and young orcs labour to build and repair the vessels - any real knowledge of their construction and repair is a secret held by the tribal witches.