"[i]Seems like only yesterday we were pulling Rukdug out of the vats like another other Uruk... and now look at him! Fought his way all the way to Overlord. Hope he lasts longer then the last piece of shrak.[/i]" ~ Golm the Vat Keeper.

The armies of Morder are ever changing as armies uruks, orcs goblins and trolls are born and die almost on a daily basis with their numbers only really being kept in check by the harsh nature of Mordor itself and the constant battle for dominance and power among each other. Captains, Warchiefs and Overlords rise and fall in an ever changing political landscape where might makes right and law and order is enforced by the whims of those with the strength to make their will reality. 

Despite all their differences, all of them start off the same way: Just one of many who are spawned to feed the meat grinder that is life in Mordor. Just another nobody foot solder on the dark lord's armies who is either going to have to prove themselves and make their way in the world or die trying.

Well what are you waiting for ya Shrak?! Get moving!

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This roleplay is inspired by the system of orcish 'politics' developed by the Shadow of Morder. The idea is that players will be starting with freshly created orcish/uruk solders with no renown or greatest to their names. The equipment you are given is general solid but kind of crappy, the armor you've been given is of a poor 'all sizes fits no one' quality and your superiors not only give no shits about your lives but actively kind of hope you die in an amusing way.

All players will be starting off as fresh uruks who have just completed the basic requirements to considered solders in the army: You've gone to the armory and grabbed one of the many poor quality weapons trusted to fresh, unproven scum like yourselves and you've managed to avoid killing yourselves or being killed by one of your fellow solders off the bat. Well done. Now comes the hard part.

Life in Mordor is brutal and harsh with death and combat being near constants. If it's not the wildlife, slave uprisings or the occasional task forces of tarks coming in to purge some of the orcish population and stir up a fresh wave of infighting, it is the brutal and unforgiving nature of orcish politics. The chaos provides opportunity however and there are many paths to power in Mordor. The decisions that players make towards how they go about earning their place in Mordor will drastically change how their uruks develop.

To start with, all new characters will have is their name, a basic solder class (will be listed below), some basic equipment for that class, some personality traits and a single trait you consider a personal strength. After that, the players are free to decide what they are going to do with themselves to develop new skills, earn better equipment, become more renowned or infamous in society or even make plans to fight their way up the ranks... but always remember that you are in Mordor and life here is cheap. Poor decisions can often prove fatal and even the most experienced of uruks can make a miss step that can prove disastrous, but those who survive such things will often do so with scars to body and possibly mind: Strengths and Weaknesses are both born in adversity after all.


[hider=How I plan for characters to be developed]
Players will decide what their characters get up to and how they intend to do such things. Depending on how they go about it, I'll judge the likely hood of success or failure to be rolled against a d100 dice roller. The result is lower then I deem the chance of success, the act will be successful with degrees of success being related to how much lower belong the threshold the result is. Counter to this, if someone rolls -above- the threshold the action will fail with the resulting failure being relative to how much above the threshold it is. How a player sets up the situation will play a big part in judging where the bar is.

For example, let's say that Rukdug decided he wanted to go hunting for caragors. He could decide to just walk out of the stronghold he's stationed at by himself to go and hunt the predatory cats, but while such a feat would reward him with a great deal of renown among his peers and likely earn himself a title for his bold and impressive success, the fact that Rukdug has never gone hunting before and he doesn't know the land very well yet would make the challenges going forward incredibly difficult and more then likely to lead to almost certain death or failure.

Alternatively, he could ask around the stronghold to see if he can find someone a bit more experienced at hunting in the local regions for advice. If he makes a bad first impression the hunter might tell him to shrak off... and if he [i]really[/i] messes things up there could be a duel breaking out, but if he is successful at getting some much needed advice if Rukdug decided to wonder off by himself to go hunting his odds of survival would be improved then if he had wondered off blind. Death would still be a very real possibility because caragors are no joke, but the odds would still be better then going in like an idiot. 
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[hider=Basic Classes]
As Uruks develop and grow, more advanced classes and combat styles will be made possible for them to learn and develop... but everyone starts with the basics.

Warrior - Most frequently encountered type of Uruk. They vary from scrawny sized to large, and everything in between. They carry a one-handed weapon, typically a sword or club of some kind. They also possess handheld throwing weapons that they can use against targets from a fair distance. 

Archer (crossbow or bow) - The most common ranged Uruk type. Generally more scrawny then other uruks, but some uruks who dedicate themselves to the bow can be rather brawny and large. Usually found on higher ground, to be safe from attackers as well as having a better vantage point to shoot from, otherwise they are found usually alone on higher ground or behind melee focused Uruks.  As they tend to have lower toughness than other melee-oriented Uruks, if they get caught in melee they will be at a disadvantage.  

Savage - Similar to Warriors, but wield two weapons instead of one. Always the larger of the Uruks with faces smeared in warpaint, Savages tend to live up to their namesake by being somewhat more bloodthirsty their their peers when it comes to battle. While they can dish out a great deal of damage in a short amount of time, their rage -can- get the better of them as it can leave openings that can be exploited. 

Defender - Easily identified by their massive shields, huge spears, and tall stature, their attacks are slow, but have good reach.  Their shields tend to be made of wood and thus can be broken with enough damage being done, since only defenders who have earned themselves a spot at the higher ranks tend to have fully metal shielding. Aware that their shields can be shattered, most defenders will keep a secondary melee weapon like a sword or club in the event they need it.

Hunter - The Uruk masters of the hunt, wielding sharp, jagged spears. These Uruks are smaller compared to the other classes, but can look threatening with all the spears and javelins they carry on their back. They tend to stand at range, behind other melee Uruks, strafing to get a better shot at their target, easily capable of bringing down the beasts of Mordor. Like Archers, they can't take near as much punishment as melee-oriented fighters.
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[hider=Character Template]
Name- What your uruk is called. You will not have a title or nickname because you're just another nobody at the moment and that kind of stuff is earned.

Class- The basic combat style and kind of weapons your character starts off with. This is the foundation from what greatness is built.

Personality - Try to stop yourself from going to in-depth here. All new uruks are relatively young and only recently left the vats, meaning they haven't had much of a chance to see the world and develop who they are yet in greatest detail. 

Strength(s) - All uruk start with only one strength, but with experience and training more can be developed in time.

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