Spheres of Influence: Alliance

Country Name: The Nogroon Khanate.

Country Colour: Red as the Border-Time Between Night and Day.

Government: A tribal theocracy led by a Khan of Khans, the Child of the Angels, Priest of the Great Gods, Bringer of Their Wrath, Wellspring of their Love, Scourge of the Sinful and Protector of the Living.

Leader: Anora Khan, Evenstar, Child of the Stars and the Horizon, Khan of Khans, Priest-Mage and Warrior of the Nogroon. An Orc of great piety and courage, Anora Khan was known from a young age to have great skill with magic. Trained as a warrior and a priest-mage, she defended her tribe to the age of thirty-seven, when the Prophet of the Great Gods chose her as the child-incarnate of Harr and Sved. Filled with confidence, holy purpose, and the wisdom of the Steppe, she now looks out across the plains and dreams of newcoming glory.

Society: The Nogroon Khaganate is equally a unique phenomenon on the steppe and a product of it. It holds true to many of the cultural norms of the Orcish steppe. The gods are the same as they have been throughout, with the tribesman's lives being presided over by Meltemay of the Ocean, Gangadir of the Mountains, Oraima of the Skies, Aljarik of the Sea of Grass, and Hezmiri of the Winding River. They also share the same multipolar understanding of gender as most Steppe-Orcs, with genders (categorized as such as they are part of a system determining traditional marriage practices and certain social expectations) being determined by the god an individual's soul is determined to be most aligned with. The social expectations do not pertain to types of jobs, so much as how the individual in question is expected to conduct themselves therein (as described in later sections). Challenging the rulings of the priests who make the determination has known to be done, and corrections often happen. Some people have been known to rest between the categories, and this has been widely accepted in the Nogroon (given their Khan's status, and the Prophet's approval). A traditional Orcish marriage typically is made up of one of each group, creating a circle said to mirror the marriage of the gods (though exceptions have been known to exist, and could become more widely accepted in time). It should also be stated that Orcish language is pronoun-free, though they respect species that do use pronouns, and they will broadly accept whichever pronouns are assigned to them, as the terms are devoid of cultural weight in most of their eyes. Those that do care are taken seriously by their kin and spoken of in their preferred pronouns when speaking a language that uses them. Misgender someone and they'll brain you, because respect matters.

They do not discriminate against those of other races who might choose to join them, seeing it as the duty of all orcs to serve the gods, but accepting those who decide to take that duty onto themselves as kin. They have a strong sense of justice, believe in economic equality (even if social equality tends to be rigidly structured at times), and see it as their duty to stomp out unrighteousness wherever they can. Crimes are typically punished by demanding the person take on greater responsibilities for their tribe for a period of time. Imprisonment and banishment are reserved for serious crimes. The most serious crimes - those such as kinslaying, for example - might involve a person being sacrificed to the gods on a pyre in order to cleanse their soul for their next reincarnation.

History: An old tribe but a young power, the Nogroon have spent centuries as a small group of families, wandering the steppe and fighting for survival - utterly mundane, totally mediocre. This was the case until only recently when an old, wandering Orc - Nakihat, a nomad among nomads - met them on their traditional migratory route. Grizzled and wise, he claimed to be a prophet, receiving word from the Gods about the Nogroon, and about their destiny. One day, he said, they would create an empire which would stretch across the steppe, a Khanate of the Great Gods. Under this Khanate, he said, peace would reign, justice would be brought to the enemies of peace, and righteousness would reign for centuries.

The Nogroon dismissed him as a doddering old man seeking refuge from the harshness of the steppes. The more they learned of the man, though, the more he seemed credible. When they entered the Great Sunset City, Shono, a crowd of the elderly began to form around him. They bowed at his feet, and gave him gifts of flowers. These elders told the Nogroon that Nakihat was once a high priest of the Tsusny Khagnate, the strongest tribe of its day. For decades, with Nakihat as the Khan's right-hand man, the Tsusny prospered, and it came closest of to conquering the steppe. When the tribe's Khan grew bloodthirsty and wicked, Nakihat turned his back on them, condemned them, and began his life as a lone wanderer. The tribe was said to have fallen apart within days of his departure. This alone was not enough to convince the Nogroon, for Nakihat could have been a mere political opportunist, leaving when the time was right. Next, Nogroon warned the tribe of a band of raiders that would attack from the east, and told them exactly how they might guard their flank. They were skeptical, but when the time came, they were ready. Not a single Nogroon died that day, in spite of the numbers against them. Still, they gathered he could be an excellent tracker, and a strategist. Finally, one night, Nakihat provided an undeniable miracle which could not be explained by matters of trickery or knowledge or even magic. He told the tribe that a sign would be given to demonstrate that one among their ranks had the soul created by a pairing of the Angels of the Great Gods. That very night, a star fell across the sky, fading into the horizon. Nakihat begged them to chase it, swearing that it was the very sign he had foreseen. The tribe's leaders humored the old man, as by now many whispers had reached their ears of people believing his words. After hours of riding, they found a hunk of burning metal buried deep in the earth; a fallen star. This was the sign they needed.

And so they listened as Nakihat declared one of their rank - an Orc named Anora - the soul-child of Harr, Archangel of the Horizon and Zved of the Stars. They listened as he declared it her duty to follow the horizon and unite all of Orckind under a single banner, as the Khan of Khans, leader of the people of the Great Gods and their Heavens Upon Earth. She would unite the city of the Sunrise and the city of the Sunset, and under her governance, all Orcs would be freed from violence and wickedness. They listened as he directed them in their conquests, taught a new generation of priests, and united them beneath Anora, that she might ride upon the world. They listened as he directed them in their subjugation of nearby tribes. They listened as he demanded that they not vassalize them as so many other Khans would, but to bring them into the fold as new members of the Nogroon. Someday soon, he said, there will be no Nogroon, no Ukhel, no Mori; only Orckind.

Anora was humbled by this duty. The pious orc was already a skilled warrior and priest-mage, and to serve the Great Gods was her greatest wish. She vowed to fight 'til her job was complete, and the smiths of the tribe crafted for her a suit of armor and a battleaxe from the Starmetal which signaled her rise. The entirety of the tribe has been swept up mirrors their Khan's piety. The power of this zealotry, the skill they have attained under Nakihat, and their incredibly powerful priest-mage class will soon be one the likes of which the steppe - and perhaps the world - has never seen. The prophet is on his deathbed; an uncertain time awaits. But Anora strides forward to lead her people into a new era for all orcs.

Alliance: The alliance has not recognized the Nogroon thus far. Why should we, who fight for the justice of the Gods, beg for entry? If they treat us well, they will be treated well.

[Will fill in more cultural shit over time! This is mostly for me to doodle about mythology and alternative gender systems and social stuff and yeah!!!]

Conceptions of Gender, Religion, Culture:

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Spoiler The Meltemi are expected to be stoic and utilitarian, speaking and acting in cool-headed manners. The Gangadiri are expected to be high-minded and thoughtful, to speak to the bigger picture, and to try and enhance group cohesion. The Oraimi are expected to be observant, detail-oriented, and independent. The Aljari are expected to be high-minded idealists, often carried away by flights of fancy and hot tempers. The Hezmiri are expected to be calm, peaceful, and to focus on group cohesion. People have been known to challenge gendered expectations, but the more conservative elements of orcish society have also been known to push back, as even orcs aren't perfect.

Orcish religion revolves around the land, and orckind's relation to it. They worship the Five Great Gods, though they do not deny the existence of others. Their origin myth goes as such: In the beginning, there were only two things: The Great Abyss, and the Divine. The Abyss is that which is not; emptiness; calm. Divinity is perfection; fullness; righteousness. It is without time, that which all minds are oriented towards, and it is the Ultimate. From the Material Divine, the Great Gods coalesced. First came Meltemi, child of the intermingling of Divine and Abyssal. As she observed the emptiness, she spoke a word, and out came Oraima, born of sound and connection. They spoke to one another, and their voices intermingled and harmonized, birthing jolly Hezmir, lover of Music. The others followed soon after; as they looked for something to do, they moved, and the universe gave birth to the horizon, and Aljarik arrived to create the plains so that they might have something to cushion their step. When they grew bored, their desire for Difference gave birth to the mountains. At the highest peak, they found Gangadir sleeping, waiting.

This land they wandered would be the Holy Land; and they would give birth to the first life - the grass, the animals, the first things which breathed and the first things which died. They
gave birth to the angels, to hope, and to justice. Then, they lived in happiness with each other, turning their eyes away from the land they had created. New gods were born; new lands spilled out from the Holy Land, new life, thinking life. When they awoke from their long, loving embrace, they found a broken world without justice. They found conflict, hatred, and strife. These creatures were new, not at all theirs, but the gods loved them all the same; and so they made the Orcs, that they might bring justice about on earth as the heavens desired. As Orcs were given the freedom of Aljarik's love, some strayed from the path; but all remember their divine duty. They must protect the Holy Lands, and save the weak from the reign of the cruel and the merciless. They must bring justice to the world once more.

The History of The Prophet Nakihat:

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Spoiler Nakihat was born to a scrawny tribe, more a family than even the most minor of roving bands. Things were always scarce; hunger was a constant. He left his kin at a young age, when his eyes could barely reach past the summit of adulthood, hoping to be neither a burden nor burdened. He joined a band of brigands and raiders, a group of the desperate and hopeless who had taken to attacking settled peoples, looting their villages, and even robbing their fellow Orcs. He shed blood, and fought, and stained his very soul red, bringing shame to his Night-Mother, Meltemay.

He lived in sin and desperation for some ten years, until one night, his eyes were opened. Nakihat had always been a vivid dreamer, and on this night he dreamt of the Deep. He dreamt of water and dark; of the daily fading of the sky, which allowed the sea-on-earth and the sea-in-heaven to be one. He dreamt of the ocean that was void, of the Moon Above shining down on him and the Moon Below reflected, gazing up; he dreamt of being trapped between them. He dreamt he was drowning, and as his lungs filled, he dreamt that he was loved.

He awoke feeling a deep drive to meet a singular purpose: He had to go to the place known Bronze Pass. It was the will of the Goddess, and he knew it, though he knew not what for. And so he left his band, pursued by them as a deserter to the edge of the steppe. He rode out from the holy land, and rode, and rode further than he ever did before, his spirit dwindling with each passing moment. He arrived at the pass and found himself amid a group of Orcs who would one day be known as the Tsusny, who rode out after hearing rumors of great catastrophe. Together they fought, mismatched as they were standing alongside the Settled. They fought with all their heart, and as they fought, Nakihat's eyes were opened.

He understood his purpose. He understood the futility of their battle. He understood that even victory would be only short-lived, a temporary reprieve from the unceasing tide that was the Xei. He understood that these Settled could not be expected to handle this alone. It was not just. The Great Gods struck him with another vision. He stood atop Gangadir's great peaks, stared out across the world and saw only void. The sweetness of Aljarik did not kiss the fields, nor did the finality of Oraima's kiss grace the land. There was no life or death; only barrenness. Emptiness. Void.

It was in that moment his magic was awoken. He was not formally taught, but he felt the wisdom of the Great Gods coursing through him. He cast spell after spell, fighting alongside Ganzorig, the leader of the orc band, and when the dust was settled, the alliance had won. The orcs did not stay to shake hands and engage in pleasantries. Justice had been served. They had a home to return to.

As the Alliance of the Settled was forged, another alliance was born on the steppe. Ganzorig and Nakihat felt love blooming on the battlefield, and as they spoke, they found they shared the dream of a great united steppe to stand against injustice. In little time, they pledged themselves to one another and married. Together with the survivors, they formed a tribe of their own, and Nakihat was declared high priest. When Ganzorig and his Aljari spouse Naranbaatar had a child, Nakihat joined in raising them. Together, they saw their dream start to bud and blossom, as they created the greatest Khanate the steppe had seen in some seventy years. When Ganzorig was struck by an arrow some twenty years later, Nakihat was stricken with grief.

The tribe's law being Rule-By-Inheritance, the once-child Sarnai took the reins of the Khanate. Nakihat had loved them as his own, and swore to be a loyal adviser to his kin. Except, when matters of rule came, Sarnai took the path of brutality rather than righteousness. Theirs was a rule of fear, one of executions and pillage, of steel and fire. Greatly troubled by his kin's wrongdoing, Nakihat tried to reason with the Khan - but was met with deafness. There was familial love between them, but Sarnai was convinced that justice could only be enforced upon the steppe through fear.

Nakihat ignored the visions for a long time. He ignored the gods as they called him to leave his tribe behind. He wanted so much to believe that things would turn out differently. They did not. When he finally gave in, it was quick. He left without warning; did not say goodbye to his kin; did not tell his own children he loved them. To do so would kill him, he was convinced. It made little difference to him. By then, he was an orc of nearly sixty years. Without a tribe, he would surely die. He exiled himself to Gangadir's embrace, and there he waited for Aljarik's love.

Except it didn't come. Not in one year; not in ten. In that time, the gods gave him visions; visions of what he would have to do, visions of how he could redeem himself and his dream. Fifty years passed in the cold and desolate wastes. He was ready to ignore the appointed time and hour when the gods gave him a final vision to spur him on: a memory, perfectly relived, of his pledge to Ganzorig; his pledge to unite the orcs, for the justice of the gods.

And so he had no choice. Tears in his eyes and curses for the underhandedness of the gods on his lips, he stepped down from the mountains in order to join the Nogroon...