thomas.berubeg
Wandering the World
So, who are we missing?
Me for one, because I'm waiting to see if Nutranurse will put up Northern Wolf's orders, just so I know what he wants.
What Exchange?Seon said:edit: nvm. Saw Northen's exchange. This should be interesting.
And it's Northen Wolf![]()
I was under the impression that Nutranurse wasn't going to post the actual orders, but just cultural segments of them.
Popcornlord said:Actually, as our cultures don't get along well, I could find your orders very useful...
thomas.berubeg said:I was under the impression that Nutranurse wasn't going to post the actual orders, but just cultural segments of them.
Seon said:Northen Wolf, if you are safe as a teddy bear, I am a particularly cuddly garden snake.
That's how I typ(oe)d Northern Wolf (when I was 14?) (When I first started playing webgame called "blacknova traders", followed later by my true love the "Utopia". I still remember times when we had 3 hour attacks and no undead. Since then I've always used Northen Wolf as my Nickname. Its unique, less used on interwebz and been with me for 21-14 = 7 years. People who know me, know that I write my name like that. And I use this name on most public sites. There've been few others, that use the same name (someones deviantart account for an example) but Its not in active use by anyone other than me.Popcornlord said:Out of curiosity, what is a Northen Wolf?
Northen Wolf said:The Bragaash have absorbed many traits of nations around them:
* From the Dohtel the Bragaash took the idea of a caste.
* From the Sheol the Bragaash learned agriculture and cleared away the forests near Lake Deep.
* From the Rochir the Bragaash took language, as well as the more abstract notions of a society such as honor and religion. --- RELIGION? WHAT RELIGION?
Military Leadership
The Military
The Bragaash already have a military leadership and with enstablishment of Clanial. Whilst Clan Elder is probably not the sole-military leader, his influence should give him high power. Mainly because any military unit needs food, water, weapons, clothes and future - and that, the Bragaash under Clanial leadership, provide. I believe military is most likely to be shared into several autonmous unit groups - Every Clanial military outpost most likely has its own food source and its own leader.
Rejoining the Clan
After serving his time under clanial military, some of the aged veterans will rejoin random village or a town in the clan. The reasons to abandond military service is to marry and have kids. These soldiers usually have earned themselves enough loot to join the village and marry someone there. They will also become members of that village military caste - and will, thereby, make sure that every orc knows how to defend themselves and that village has at least some trained soldiers capable of leading militia.
These soldiers, few in numbers, are usually hired to become guards of the village, or in towns, guards of richer orcs. If they are smart, they may also become partners in trade with some local merchants (Having earned enough loot to be investors for smarter merchants).
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Cultural leadership
Families
The honor system (taken over from Roachir) will result in creating a new term of 'Families'.
- A family is all close relatives that one Orc knows (Brothers and Sisters, Mother and Father, Uncles and Aunts, Grandmas and Grandpas).
Family honor and respect is important when leading a village or when wanting a higher position in village - say an orc wants every to use new method of crop harvesting (that is effective). One opposing him could always insult that orc by naming an action or a relative who has dishonored the Clan and the Village. Should that orc have several misdeeds in his past or several relatives who have been "dishonorable", his proposal will not be heard by the masses.
Personal Coat of arms/Totem/Symbol
Every family will have some sort of hyeroglyph or a picture representing their family. The symbols are rather complex and unique. Think Rings that were used to wax-seal the letters. The property is marked with these symbols (usually via burning you symbol into property, whatever alive or not). This greatly reduces crime (requiring re-working/replacement of markings, should one wants to sell the realy expensive stolen vase. The merchants who sell the goods usually burn their own markings into their goods and then client burns their own marking next to merchants marking).
Family markings change when family grows too large or when new family is created (a warrior marries and joins a village)
Markings usually contain mark of village, mark of class and a drawing/symbol of that family.
!NB! The virginity section
The Bragaash views on adultery and pre-martial sex are extreme. It is considered very dishonorable to have sex before marriage. And to marry, one has to pay rather high fee for bride AND hold marriage celebrations. This 'view' is neccesery in the Bragaash society, because otherwise villagers would be fighting amongst eachother and villages would be reduced to slaughterfields (We all know how mad orcs can get if someone sleeps with HIS wife). A rich/successful leader/soldier/worker can marry with several wives - each time paying rather high fee for the bride (to village elder and to brides parents) and holding a celebration. (fee depends of how skilled is the bride, how beautiful she is, how rich and honorable are the bride and groom)
!NB! In orcish society wives have almost no right to lead or to be holding high positions in society. This is, again, to avoid issues of fornication and destruction of entire village in bloody revenge spree. Wives are -not- usually taken with orcs when men go to a raid. A wife with dead husband can remarry, but they are often left alone, as they have belong to others.
Respect, trust honor
The more luxurious and successful the Orc, the more respect will he command and better life to his (wife (s)) he can provide. He is also trusted to provide better life to entire village. Just because he has earned the respect and honor and proven not to be a dimwit. Respect can still be re-earned by proving ones worth in battle (and gaining enough !loot!) to marry.
Village leadership
Same as before - every caste in village has a leader aka the village council and they will choose the smartest of them to lead the village.
Caste system
I expect caste system to be a bit more lax than 'orc will be whatever caste his parents were'. This has happened mainly because otherwise society would collapse - a village full of lumberjacks could not feed themselves and would starve to death. I believe that village elder has right to assign some young orcs to become apprentices underneath someone who needs help. This will keep the caste system intact, while allowing an unmarried blacksmith (or blacksmith family without children) to pass onwards knowledge. This will guarantee that village will always have ratio of skilled workers neccesery for survival of the village.
Many orcs will still be unskilled workers.
Slaves
All slaves are marked by burning their skins with owners symbol in two places (one on their hand and one on their butt). Slaves are used to do most laboring duties - dragging wood from forest, farm working, drying fish etc. Slaves do not escape because
1) They know they will be hunted down and will be brutally tortured for days.
2) Most slaves come from outer areas of the Bragaash, so quite far away.
3) Most of the slaves don't even stand a chance reaching anywhere near their homes, because forests are not friendly places.
4) Slaves have enough food and proper housing above them + security.
Slaves are counted every evening. A runaway slave, that is captured in some other village, will be sent back to the owner (who usually kills or tortures slave for quite some time).
Slaves are used to help the commoner-caste orcs or do jobs that orcs do not want to do all the time. Slaves are field-workers, carriers, wood draggers, fishermen, fishdriers, craftsmen helpers, housekeepers and whatever else. Usually a commoner orc (or a few) supervise slaves for richer merchants (or warriors). Slaves
Slave trade is important as it is one of the carring stones of the Orcish society. Slaves and loot tend to come from outer areas of the Clan from whatever random nations/villages that are raided by more violent tribes of the Clan. When slaves are first broguht, they are usually brought by Military outposts or villages that have a large soldiers caste. In those villages slaves are trained and shown whip for the first few times. They are usually put to work as road makers before selling them onwards. This will filter out sick and weak slaves (as heavy labor is often deadly).
Slaves as loot
Slaves, together with loot will be then traded for food and supplies produced in-around Ruut woods. Slaves will also be bought only from Clans that are not too powerful - powerful clans will be attacked and their slaves captured. (as they are a threat to Clanial Union) Slaves are also captured by Clanial military whenever clan goes onto war/defense.
A soldier can also bring home few slaves (as 'a loot'), usually only the most obident slaves are tasked with doing home chores or working on private fields. Rest are sold on markets. A Successful soldier from successful Military outpost can make quite a collection of slaves and live in huge mansions.
Food
Agricultural produce - Not so much fruits but rather things like cabbages, beets, carrots and like. Maybe some berries aswell.
Dried fish - sun dried fish caught from river or from the insanely huge lake.
Honey - Forest edges = good place for bees // I want my orcs to have a bee keeping tradition.
Berries - Certainly there are some bushes that can be grown artificially. These fruits/berries should be good for export. (Nothing too sugary tho, something that'd last longer than few days before going bad - Think apples and like). I don't want insane tree gardens tho, but bushes and like- should be good enough.
Roads
As Orcs have no tradition of horse-riding and relay on mostly infantry for defense and carriers (either slaves or common orcs), just like Ancient Romans did (with expt. of carriages). The Clanial Union, upon realizing that
1) the Clanial Union Military is ineffeciant due to transport issues of (1) military from point A to point B and (2) supplies between military camps
2) Expansion of farming village further away form the lake has rendered rafts, for food transport, relatively ineffective and military outstretched.
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So:
With the constant supply of slave labor from outer areas of the Clan, Clan Elders have ordered Military outposts to construct roads to 2 nearest villages to them. And villages to connect roads with at least 2 villages. Whilst defination of "road" is very questionable, every village elder agreed to use quarter of their slaves for construction of road. Roads, which are often just goatpaths. But its better, safer and faster than going randomly through woods.
Military outposts use most of their slaves to construct proper roads between military outposts and villages that supply it. - Afterall, captured slaves are needed to be trained and disciplined before they can be sent out on markets. While most outer villages also connect themselves with roads - mainly because that guarantees more safety and more victories. And Victories mean loot. More loot. Inner villages build roads to send food supplies faster.
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Trade, economicy and other stuff
Currency
Orcs use whatever currency traders have. They convert that currency into Hockets. 1 Hocket = amount of honey that fits in a special wooden canister (think 1 liter jar) (6 usd). Hockets are stable currency. One can not produce fake honey. Honey does not go bad. Honey has high nutrition value.
Food
!NB! Wood is usually packaged in crates, casks or barrels, this makes preserving food easier and reduces chance that rats manage to go through it.
Vegetables
In larger villages, most fields have at least some slaves working on them. In smaller villages or poorer areas orcs do the laboring. Fields are never left only to slaves to tend - there is always at least few overseers and slave leaders in the area.
Sold into:
Malachim (via carriers and river route)
Telmar (Via rafts)
Swiech (Via rafts)
Berries
In outer villages, where land is not as fertile as around the Lake, berries and fruit-bushes are grown. Most harversting is usually made by slaves.
Sold into:
Everywhere
Fish
Fish is also caught as a food resource, altho most fishermen are orcs. Fish is dried by slaves tho. Fishing is one of the few professions (together with sales, animal husbandry (milking), leatherworking) that women may do.
Sold into:
(dried fish)
Everywhere
Bee keeping
Old treestumps are carved empty and suitable nest for bees is made. There can be more than 20 of such stumps in each village. Whilst honey is usually not cleaned (it contains a lot of wax), it is one of the major trade articles and also calculating currency of Bragaash orcs - all items are given value in Hockets, which is then used as trading price. (Trade can still be
Sold Into:
Everywhere
Meat
Occassional bear or forest animal provides meat, but it is not traded.
Fur
Fur from forest animals is not traded but used as decoration or as clothes/armor.
Woodcrafts
Orcs have a lot of wood. A crap loads of lot. So, orcs use it to the max. Most orcs live in a hut that has square or diamond shape and wood-chipped roof. Orcs use wood to package their food and use rafts to sell this food to other races.
Sold into:
Everwhere.
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Religion
Every orcish caste has a female deity which most of that caste members follow - For Leathermakers, hunters and trappers its Orcish lady of Rofla, for Farmers its fertile (and fat) lady Gromb. For Warriors its War priestress Xenor. And so onwards.
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GAHHHHHHH! i'm overwhelmed! GAH! Nutranurse, do you want us to all do that?