Trewschan Culture
Trewschans are Orcs...but not your stereotypical orcs. The Trewschan Confederation is a chaotic good society, and a lot of fun. They are on civil terms with Caldorne, the lawful (human-dwarven) country to the south, although the politicians in the capital (over 800 miles south) won't really admit it. However, the frontiersmen know, like and rely on the Trewschans, and vice versa.
It is an arctic society, more Norse-Lapp than Inuit, but there's room for many cultural elements (if you have an idea during play, just let me know in advance, please). The Trewschans worship the same (good) pantheon as the rest of the world (based on Celtic and Norse mythos). According to the priests...
In the time before Time, before the ancient Gods were born, the Shatterfall poured from nowhere into nowhere, surging through the deep unknowing, nascent Dweomer ever flowing, saturating the anywhen. Mote upon mote through the everflowing, and from the flow was born duration. Mote after mote through the everflowing, and time was born to count the passage. Time was born to reckon the Dweomer; time, the conscious coalescence. Mote upon mote, from the everflowing, drawn in time to form time's essence. Over eons came the growing, Dweomer-strands were spun for weaving, woven to divide the dreaming, Time and Dweomer forming Space.
Although, as illustrated above, the information is usually presented in decidedly allegorical style, the people of Erden know that Crom Cruach, the Primal God and the god of Time, alone begat Lady Berchta and Lord Huldar, she the goddess of femaleness, the moon, completion, cold, darkness, matter, and submission; he the god of maleness, the sun, creation, heat, light, energy, and dominance. From their union sprang Oden (creation/intellectual; writing; philosophy), Thoare (creation/physical; crafts), Freygga (home, family), Lokki (destruction, catabolism; renewal; magic) and Malkina (love; visual and kinetic art; lust, sensual pleasure, sexual healing). The triad of Oden, Thoare and Freygga produced Idun (planting, healing), Heimdall (protection), Fursete (justice) and Sife (harvest). Lokki and Malkina begat Skaddie (goddess of mountains, wild places, snow, and ice) and Aegur (god of the sea). More children of Malkina and Lokki are known only in the southern hemisphere--Turuk-roth, god of the plains and fire, and Ackdynu, goddess of tropical oceans and volcanoes. Additionally there are children of these children--demigods, mostly. Frayr, son of Skaddie (and an Ent named Woodley, although that's not common knowledge) is the god of the woodlands and alpine meadows. Eastara, goddess of spring, is the daughter of Idun and the King of the Air (Elemental).
These deities--the entire pantheon--are good. There are no evil deities, per se. However, the Gods are sorely beset by constant battles, fought on both the material and outer planes, against scores of evil gods, demigods and quasi-deities who constantly threaten them and the people of Erden. Some of the evil races--those not of the One Flesh--were created by and worship the most powerful Evil Deities.
Oh, about the One Flesh...
Here's an excerpt from the game. They are at first speaking of Drow (there are not and never have been Drow on Erden).
The conversation of the mages had been softly spoken, but Joe was used to dominating a lecture hall. Now he smiled rather quizzically, "Well, there is no record of any internecine warfare, although there was--and is--a goodly amount of tribal rivalry and confrontation. But, frankly, the warrior castes of elves consider it more courageous--more impressive, if you will--to dash up, mark an enemy--not always by drawing blood either--and retreat, laughing at him, before he can react or retaliate than to kill him. It reminds me of nothing so much as a very serious game of 'tag'!
"Now, they do not, as a rule, welcome strangers into their territories. If one who is not recognized as belonging to an established tribe comes among them, he had best make his preparations for the next life for chances are very good this one will soon be ending. At least a thousand subtle shibboleths, that one not born and raised within the culture will never be able to understand, confront a visitor every day, and trampling any one of them is a capital crime.
"However, among themselves, their combat is as ritualized as their dances. Death in battle is actually very rare. So you see, not only does the verifiable history of Erden contain no event even remotely close to the one you describe, current societal dynamics makes the likelihood very remote indeed."
He paused thoughtfully, then admitted, "There is a creation myth that the clerics claim is holy truth, but there is no independent verification by systematic and logical minds not driven by faith alone! On the other hand, there is no contradictory evidence either, so I'll tell it.
"They say that in the beginning there was only a single race. After many generations, factions within that race began to squabble for dominance, to decide where they would go as a species. Some felt that the highest goal of the race should be an exploration of the inner landscape, the dynamic of the Tapestry. Others felt that practical considerations, making things and understanding how and why devices--and physical laws--work was more important. Still another group felt that knowledge for the sake of knowledge--pure research and theory--was the only laudable aspiration.
"Battle lines were drawn, and hatred grew between the factions, but before full-scale war could erupt, the Gods stepped in. The dream-weavers were changed into elves, given the wide plains, as vast as imagination, and long lives to explore the mysteries. The engineers were changed to dwarves. They were given the mountains full of metals for their working, and an instinctive understanding of the natural, physical world. The theorists were changed to the cetans. They were given the oceans, time, and enormous intellect.
"But there was one group left over. They had remained neutral in the conflict, able to hear and see merit in all the different positions. These became humans, and they were given access to all the different domains of the race--able to be spellcasters, craftsmen, or thinkers, as they chose. However, to balance that great freedom, the lifespan of humans was shortened dramatically. On Erden the average human lives only ten score years, not quite one third as long as the average dwarf or one sixth as long as the elves and cetans. However--and this is the reason why I do believe, even without further proof--all the races are cross fertile, and able to bear fertile offspring, despite the myriad differences between them. I'm sure you know that only within a single species is that possible."
Joe sat back and sipped his cider.
The true cosmology of Erden...and orcs are a sub-set of human.
Now you may be wondering why you need to know so much about the Gods. The fact is they influence every aspect of daily life, and there are many elements of society that are different from Western civilization, Earth (or Haven). Let's start with sexual mores. Malkina is the Goddess of Sexuality and Pleasure, a Great Goddess, of equal importance and on terms of perfect amiability with her sister, Freygga, Goddess of Home and Family. In Caldorne, the expectation is that as soon as a boy or girl is old enough he or she will visit the Festhall (Revelhall) to partake of the blessings of Malkina. ('Old enough' to be determined by the child, a parent, a teacher, etc...yes, parents have been know to drag their kids to the festhall before they 'get into trouble', or 'get off on the wrong hand'...errm, foot...) A part of this is that Malkina is also the Goddess of fertility...and infertility. Her priests cast Contraception on both boys and girls, men and women, (first level spell, 1 month/level of the priest), they make sure that the pleasures of the flesh are NOT attended by shame or pain, and the priesthood is vigilant in maintaining levels of protection. Children in Caldorne are born in wedlock; they are wanted by both parents. Period. (If they're not, it takes active defiance of social expectations and purposeful stupidity by both partners.) Public displays of affection are frequently met with catcalls like 'take it to the festhall!' Young men and women are taught how to make love properly in Caldorne, in a loving, accepting atmosphere. The first sexual encounter is usually with a priest or priestess of the order, simply to make sure the experience is tender, loving and wonderful. However, if there's one particular person a girl or boy wants to be with for that initiatory experience (or at any later time), that's fine too...with clerical approval, of course!
Now when a young man and woman fall in love they will go to the priests and begin to learn specifically about their chosen partner and prepare for matrimony. (Looooong engagements are customary...virtually required. Ten years is average.) This is far more than sexual, of course...they learn how to communicate, discover and resolve areas of incompatibility, and basically prepare to enter into Freygga's (monogamous) realm, meanwhile learning the skills of earning a living, managing a household...and saving up the money to start one. With sex, communication, unfamiliarity with the needs and expectations of one's mate, unwanted children, and poverty pretty much eliminated or addressed as sources of friction, most new marriages are reasonably happy and successful (and both the priesthoods of Malkina and Freygga work to keep them happy.)
These are the most commonly seen aspects of the priesthood, but they have one more task of crucial importance that is NOT well known to the general public, but is well known to the legal officers of the country: they identify sexual predators, the ones who find pleasure not in sexual congress but in using other people, in violating trust, in exerting power, in causing pain, in acting out anger and hatred--anathema to the priesthood of Malkina. The response is to cast Geas. This can only be done by a High Priest(ess), after the findings of the examining cleric have been confirmed by two more members of the order. The potential predator is prevented from ever acting on those impulses and is carefully watched, since the geas also leaves them incapable of rage and other acts of violence. This determination is most often done at the onset of puberty, discovered during the initial contact with the priesthood. Sometimes younger children are referred for examination. The goal, usually achieved, is to discover and stop the one so afflicted before he or she has a chance to hurt anyone. Psychopaths and sociopaths are rare...but they do occasionally occur.
Superficially, social conditions are very different among the Trewschans, but in actuality the role of Malkina is similar and her power manifests equally in her Caldornean and Trewschan clerics. As in Caldorne, children go see a cleric of Malkina as soon as they are old enough, but after determining the maturity, fitness, psychiatric health and 'readiness' of the candidate, and insuring infertility, the customs change. Instead of the Festhall, the 'initiate' invites a chosen partner back to his or her house to celebrate 'First In' (that is the direct translation) in front of the watchful, caring eyes of their parents, grandparents, siblings and other kin, friends, neighbours, etc. This observation is attended by lots of advice, teasing, banter...and love. First In is quite a party, with initial intercourse followed by a feast, music, dancing, and frequently, as the day and evening wear on, communal sex. All in all, it's a major event in the life of a young man or woman, and to be selected as the partner for that occasion is regarded as a great honour and responsibility. As in Caldorne, the priests must approve the proposed partner. It is customary for young men and women to have many lovers as they grow up, with very few restrictions as long as marriage is not considered.
Marriage is a very different institution in the Trewschan Confederation than it is in Caldorne. The Trewschans follow the modality established by the divine Triad of Freygga, Oden and Thoare. This can get complicated. A woman can have two husbands...and a man can have two wives. Say a woman (a) married two men (1 and 2). 1 is married to a, is co-husband to 2...but he is also married to woman b and co-husband to 3, while 2 is also married to woman c and co-husband to 4. And so forth. Although the genealogical permutations could make a Mormon cry, in a chaotic society prone to orcish impulsiveness this arrangement is very beneficial. One doesn't kill kinfolk. It's a social solecism of the gravest type...and frequently potential combatants are calm enough to talk things over by the time the degree of relationship is established. If a couple wishes to marry there are certain prohibitions along moiety lines (in the interests of genetic inheritance).
Leadership--of the clan, the warband, the town, or even the committee--is decided by combat. Everything from very ritual combat with non-lethal weapons (for major positions such as mayor, which are supposed to be held by one person for a year) to simple bare-knuckle brawls (the approved 'first blood' is most often a split lip or bloody nose.) It looks complicated, but in fact it's a very casual, informal arrangement. An example of how the system works: a group of warriors are discussing a plan. One of the subordinates has a really good idea. The leader disregards or dismisses it. The subordinate--especially if he has the support of many of the other warriors will challenge the leader. Occasionally this challenge will deteriorate into a real knock-down, drag-out fight, if the current leader feels very strongly that his subordinate is making a Big Mistake, but more often it's over in a flurry of blows, as the current leader gracefully relinquishes power, knowing he'll have another turn in a matter of days--sometimes hours--after the group gives the new leader's plan a try.
There's an area of no-man's-land on the northern border of Caldorne and southern border of Trewsch called the Dimzee. Or, a few hundred years ago when it was established, the DMZ, a strip of land 25 miles across that divides the two countries, where settlement by either side is not permitted. Grumach, the Trewschan town nearest to Caldorne, is located just over the border, a careful 25.2 miles away. However, even to the dwarves, the area now comes under the heading of 'good fences make good neighbours'. It's happiest purpose is a hunting preserve for both countries, but it's also patrolled by both--not against each other but against their common, most detested enemy, the Verbeeg.
Seeded by Grolant in his ongoing attempts to usurp Erden for himself, these smallest and smartest of giants are inherently nasty: fierce, brutish, and evil.* The territory of the Verbeeg is extensive, they are--with the appropriate magical rituals--cross-fertile with humans, orcs, and dwarves. (They are not of the same race of creation...magic is required.) Their assaults on human, dwarf and orc alike are unspeakable...and egalitarian. Any vulnerable target is fair game. They team with the hill giants who share their territories, but they treat their much larger brethren like cattle. When they reconnoitre prior to their raids, the advance scouts are human-Verbeeg half-breeds. These half-breeds have human fathers (not mothers) and such children are prized for their espionage value. Young, handsome human men are almost as vulnerable as the women. Human woman seldom survive the conception process. Orcish and dwarven women sometimes, even frequently, do (although they always die in childbirth...if not from natural causes, they are slain) so the verbeeg population is lightly larded with human, orcish and dwarven half-breeds. However, just like women of any race, the orcish and dwarven half-breeds are treated as chattel--they are easily recognized for what they are and are therefore useless as spies. Human-verbeeg breeds are treated as sons. The process is...interesting. Once the woman has conceived, the human male is eaten by the woman's husband/owner. He thereby 'fathers' the child she is carrying. It is considered great sport to cut off, roast and devour pieces of the man without killing him first. It sometimes becomes quite a betting event...
Those are a few of the 'givens.' Let me know if there are other areas of life that need delineation.
Just like humans, Trewschans he can be merry or glum, bold or shy...whatever, and they have Erden human lifespans. They are 90 point characters, but out of that 90 points Trewschan men must have a minimum strength of 17 (women, 16) and a minimum con of 16 (that would be for a mage or a cleric, usually...a warrior is typically higher).
They are taller and heavier than humans (women are 5'6" to 6'6", men average from 6' to 7', and heavy in proportion, due to the weight of denser bone and muscle). Overall they are a rather attractive people. They have deep olive complexions with a faint greenish cast, their eyes can be any colour except blue or gray: brown is commonest, but also amber, hazel, moss green, even occasionally sea, jade, grass or emerald. Hair is usually brown as well; infrequently one will have a light, sandy-bronze shade, but more often it's very dark. Less common, but not really rare is red hair, ranging from the russet of autumn leaves to a shade so dark as to appear black except in bright sunlight. However, true raven black hair is quite extraordinary, and blonde hair is unheard of among them. They have tusks; the lower canines are enlarged and pointed. They are absent in children, coming in about the time they get their third molars (wisdom teeth), and aren't visible past the lips in women of any age or in young men. However, they grow as the men get older, sometimes--in a very old man, over 150--extending for almost an inch.
Further, a Trewschan character must take survival (polar) and one other survival related skill (hunting, foraging, mountaineering, fishing, etc...); however, all polar NWPs are included in the General (not Warrior) Proficiency Group. Only hide armour is available, but metal weapons are the norm--many of them of very fine craftsmanship.
*A note about the verbeeg: while they were long believed to be inherently nasty: fierce, brutish, and evil--and those under Grolant's hideous thrall indeed are--it was recently learned that they themselves were more cruelly enslaved by Grolant and his priests than any of the native Erden races they in turn enslaved. However, ever since they first appeared on the planet the gods of Erden have been patiently and methodically undermining that bestial tyranny, and at last their work bore fruit in the form of a rebellion against the evil god. The Winterborn, yearning for a better life for themselves and especially for their children, are learning, working, and praying, taking the steps necessary to join the ranks of civilised races.