The Ingrim Orcs

Location   The Ingrim Mountains are a rugged range of peaks running in a north-south axis to the north of The Grand Duchy of Enrieme  and east of the The Niandi Mountains.     History   Much of the history of the Ingrim Mountain region has been lost or buried. The orcs don't really focus in history beyond the most recent two or three generations, plus the occasional centuries-old grudge whose origins are buried in tribal legend and distorted fireside tales. But before the orcs overran them some ten centuries ago, the Ingrim Mountains were the cradle of a rich dwarven civilisation, an equal to that of the dwarves of the The Niandi Mountains. The Niandi dwarves still mourn their lost kinfolk and dream of driving the orcs out and restoring their halls.     Terrain   The Ingrim Mountains are a relatively young range, and correspondingly rugged. The peaks are snow covered throughout the year. The valleys between the peaks are steep-sided and often filled with fast-flowing rivers of glacial meltwater which run into Lake Ingrim or the River Nifrar. Few expeditions have been able to successfully study the mountain range, but those that have report that they are believed to be folded and uplifted rather than volcanic in origin.     Climate   The climate is always cold, windy and harsh, with sudden blizzards in winter and rain squalls the rest of the year. The mountains are a harsh and unforgiving environment, although on the rare occasions when the sun breaks through, the views are truly breathtaking.     Ecology   The Ingrim Mountains are, despite their hostile environment, richly populated with monsters and beasts. It is a highly competitive place and only the best survive, however.  As far as the orcs are concerned, anything that isn't actually poisonous is edible, and anything that is poisonous is probably going to be edible if they boil it for long enough. They have a saying; "When you're an orc, eating humans isn't cannibalism".   Economy   The economy of the Ingrim orcs is basic in the extreme. Each family or tribe mines and smelts their own ores, making crude weapons for themselves. There is some trade in these weapons, and captured human or dwarvish arms and armour are much prized (and much modified before being used !)   The orcs don't have a true currency, and mint no coins for themselves. They are happy to use outsiders coins that come into their possession, but treat them all as having equal value no matter what metal they are made of or face value they may show. But to an orc, the ideal medium of exchange is teeth. Again, they don't care about the size or origin, but they only value teeth from orcs, intelligent humanoids and the fiercer monsters. Teeth from non-dangerous animals are recognised and treated as worthless.     Social Structure   The main inhabitants of the Ingrim Mountains are the orcs and their kindred. Long years of war have forced a certain degree of cohesion among them, but the main social unit is still the tribe. This concept covers two different things, both called tribe, but one is nothing more than the extended family, and the other is larger tribes composed of thousands of orcs.   Each Family Tribe represents a single species of so-called greenskin (although this is something of a misnomer, as grey is the more normal colour of the Ingrim’s denizens). However, it is quite common for a Family Tribe to include exiles and outcasts from tribes of different species. The orcs place a greater value on the utility of a member than his or her origins, provided of course that this isn’t detrimental to the tribe’s wider political interests. However, the endless wars against the dwarves and humans have taught the orcs that even an outcast can be a valuable warrior, which tends to keep needless deaths under some degree of control.   Family Tribes are usually named for their current chieftain, although some name themselves after particularly notable ancestors or key events in which they distinguished themselves.   The chieftain of each Family Tribe is normally the most dominant bull-orc, a male in his prime. These succeed to power based on a successful challenge to the previous incumbent. The challenges are very ritualised, with actual death being relatively rare. A losing incumbent will be “promoted” to tribal elder, while a losing challenger will return to the ranks of warriors but at a lower status. In both cases, it is normal for the loser to spend some time with another family as an outcast, to give emotions time to cool down.   In many cases, although an alpha male is the notional leader, he will have a mate (often a female shaman) who is quite normally the brains of the operation. It is often the case that several chieftains in succession will be overthrown, but the dominant female will still be in charge, switching without hesitation or regret from one mate to the next each time.     Political Structure   The Great Tribes have distinctive emblems and names. Each is composed of hundreds of Family Tribes, normally drawn from the full spectrum of different but related species of greenskin.   Some of the key Great Tribes include;   The Chipped Cleaver Tribe The Ice Toads Skullmoon The Burning Brand Tribe The Dwarf Hunters Bloody Peaks Tribe     Each Great Tribe is ruled by a council of Family Tribe leaders (although sometimes it is the matriarch of a family, or even an elder who attends….). Council meetings are called Grarhmoots. The actual tribal chieftain is selected by them but doesn’t have to be one of them. The sole criterion is success on behalf of the tribe, although it is a matter of endless debate how success is measured, and who most closely meets tat definition. It is not unknown (although admittedly rare) for non-greenskins to become a tribal chieftain. A chieftain loses the position if the Council decides he or she is not being successful enough.     Foreign Policy   The foreign policy of the Ingrim orcs is very simple; kill anyone else who comes into their mountains.