Willy Vereb — Roleplayer Guild

THE GOLDEN HORDE

General Introduction
The Golden Horde is an empire created from the conquests of the Uruk, an orcish nation of former nomads united by the Khagn. The Uruk are militaristic and dreaded for their violence. Submit or die, that is the motto for the Uruk. In spite of this the Golden Horde is quite disciplined and under their iron rule the empire developed and prospered. The most apparent show of this is the Golden Road, a trade route granted by the Uruk through their lands. Thanks to this trade is booming through the entire continent while also providing great wealth for the Uruk themselves. While currently consolidating their power the Uruk army is as fearsome as ever, a threat most of their neighbors are well aware even during this strangely peaceful century.

Names: The Golden Horde, Uruk Empire, Burz'Doram (Black Hand), Uzg'Uruk (Orc Land), Kri'Kadar (Central Tent, often mistranslated as the Golden Horde) and even more.

Location/Geography

Gold nation with number 8 in the center of the main continent.

1.) Gijak'Tor (Plans of Viridia) - Uruk mainland
2.) Gladyss Fellowship - elf-dominated federation of races
3.) The Dwarven Bund of Thirty-Three Peaks (Dreiunddreissighöhesbund, or just the "Bund") - dwarven nations
4.) Marinainte Confederation - trade/shipping affiliated nation
5.) Savdrock Kingdom
6.) Argonian Commonwealth
7.)
8.)
9.)
10.)
11.) Principalty of Yllendthyr - elven island nation

History

Uruk were one of the numerous nomadic races living in the Plains of Viridia. They were wanderers with no permanent holdings split into numerous tribes. These tribes were frequently fighting, both among themselves and in service of neighboring nations. That was until few centuries ago when a young and charismatic leader Orakgash Khagn united the Uruk under a single tribe, creating what is latter be referred as the Golden Horde. Lifetimes of fighting and mercenary background steeled them and the Uruk began their long conquest. Their methods seemed savage yet hid surprising level of planning and discipline. The nations sharing the plains with the Uruk quickly fell to their might and became subservient to the emerging empire. The news spread like wildfire and the deeds of the "Ork horde" were became known and feared.

Orakgash established the Uruk nation and set down the foundation of the empire. Yet his early death prevented him to see when it reached full glory. In honor of him all supreme leaders adopted the title Khagn (often mistranslated as Khan) and continued to direct the Horde to their destiny of conquests. The Uruk also adopted a more sedimentary lifestyle with military leaders becoming nobles and owning lands gifted by the Khagn for their achievements. The borders of the Uruk Empire were in a constant flux, often expanding but there were times they were pushed back. Eventually the Uruk reached their limits and their current leader Bazghok Khagn made steps to consolidate their power. It's been decades since then and while the Golden Horde is far from forgotten they ceased to be a constant threat to their neighbors. The Uruk Empire is an expanse of land uniting many different races and cultures under the iron rule of the Horde. This union aids trade and progress a way never seen before.

Government & Society
The Golden Horde is a large empire of diverse cultures united under the Uruk's rule. Yet barring the heartlands Gijak'Tor the populations at large mostly live the same as they did decades ago, only exchanged one master for another. Uruk became their rulers and they have ultimate say in any matters. Yet in general the Uruk is only interested in collecting "tributes" which can include money, valuables, food or manpower (usually as soldiers). This may seem abusive at first but the Uruk also brought trade and unified law which in general improved their lifestyle. Rebellions occasionally happen as well as punitive campaigns against those failing to oblige the Uruk but they are toning down as the Uruk's gasp over the lands stabilized.

As mentioned before the Uruk did not replace the existing governments more than they found necessary. Uruk generals and other nobles may have became their new masters but overall life went on as usual. What the Uruk changed was the elimination of borders and most internal conflicts. By the law of the Uruk all subjects were equal and must be treated the same regardless of their nationality (with the exception of the Uruks themselves). Laws that were imposed on the subjects are few yet violating any of them has severe punishments. Death penalty was common and certain violations may either risk killing one's entire family in retribution. This resulted in drastic reduction in crime rate as whoever foolish enough to disobey the Uruk were found dead. 

Of course the Uruk have their own laws applying to themselves. If anything these are even more strict, constructed in a way to both keep the hordes in the line and also to prevent the Uruk fighting strength to ever degrade. People are allowed to participate in any religion within the Empire. Not the Uruk, though. They traditionally follow their ancient shamanistic beliefs and unless one suffers through the difficult process to receive the proper papers they are punished under the threat of death if they are caught participating for other faiths. Shamans in general enjoy a particular renown within the Uruk. They are their religious leaders, magicians, scholars or even artisans. The leader of the Uruk and in turn the entire empire is the Khagn. The current Khagn is called Obould the Goldshot.

The leader of all Uruk and the current ruler of the empire. While most Khagns rose from the lines of prestigious clan leaders Obould was born from a minor shaman family of healers under the name of Durldar. In spite of this he didn't follow the footsteps of his ancestors and eventually ran away from home and joined the military academy under the fake name of Obould. The studious Obould first became a military engineer but a few years later his actions promoted him to lead his own company. Through the next decade he kept advancing in the ranks, earned both respect and enmity as an upstart. Eventually he earned Bazghok Khagn's favor and after his death Obould was declared Khagn of the Uruk Empire. His rise to power was not seemless however thus he spent the next few years fighting Bazghok's relatives who refused to bow before a "nameless Khagn" like him. Bazghok chose Obould not only for his potential but his origins which made him not bound by the old traditions. Bazghok was a reformer and Obould proceeded doing what his predecessor would've never been allowed to do. This caused further enmities at first but in the end what lead to Uruk dominance was their practicality over traditions.

Obould is an intelligent and well-studied ruler who rose from a common Ork into the most powerful man within the Uruk Empire. His governance lead to a stable and relatively peaceful nation. Also called as Obould Goldshot for his unique gun Ottalmekth, a beutifully crafted repeating musket shooting bullets of solid gold.

Ottalmekth (ancient dwarvish, translate as "Eight Golden Killers") is an unique gun created by dwarven craftsmen specially to please the Khagn. It has a revolver chamber for eight primed and pre-loaded shots and ideally designed for golden bullets. Gold is 71% denser than even lead which gives it great power. While using golden bullets seem excessive they thought it being both fitting and affordable for the Khagn. The gun itself is masterfully crafted and enchanted with fire runes further boosting its efficiency. The end result is an incredible gun with great range, power and rate of fire. Rumors say the gun is so powerful it can siege castle walls but such tales are obviously an exaggeration.

The exact way how Obould acquired this gun is a mystery and there are many different tales about it. One tells that during the siege of Gelberg the defenders grew weary and wished to surrender. To earn Obould's favor they created Ottalmekth, the amazing repeater musket firing gold. Obould was amazed by the dwarven craftsmanship but also grew fearful. In the mix of jeaulusy and paranoia he executed all who were responsible for making the gun, burying the knowledge with it. Another tale says the Bund gifted him the gun only years later to celebrate his successful reign. These two and several other tales circulate within the empire, nobody is sure which (if any) of these is the true.

Demographics
The Golden Horde encompasses multiple nations and thus sports a rather diverse ethnicity. As their rulers and conquerors the Uruk are the first among them. Uruk language is mandatory to learn for anyone in contact with them. In the same language they refer to the subservient races as Snaga. While certain people make connection between Snaga and slaves the word long lost that meaning. Since the time of Orakgash the term Snaga referred to those non-Uruk who aided them, often in matters outside of fighting. Granted, this did not stop certain people to use Snaga as a degrading term, highlighting the part about them serving the Uruk.

The Uruk also known as the orks/orcs are a race of humanoids dominant within the center of the main continent. They are tall, at least 6 feet at average and often highly muscular. More distinctly they have protouding jawline and foreheads, large canine teeth and skin coloration unnatural to any human. This and their legends of ferocity at times titled them as "monsters" or creatures of the devil. Yet barring certain features the orks aren't that different from humans (also proven by the fact they can interbreed to sire a half-ork). They have same maximum lifespan of 120 years. Yet so long they are physically active the Orks don't show signs of venerable age for long. At the age of 60-80 an ork could be still within his prime and thus at average orcs live longer unless they either starve or killed. Due to their higher muscle mass orks at average are 1.5 times stronger than a human and if well-fed can be twice as enduring as them. Feeding is an issue for orks as they consume more than twice as much food as humans at average. Some say orks eat humans and elves on regular basis but those are only rumors based on wild assumptions. In contrast the rumors about orks having poorer eyesight is true at least when the Sun is the brightest. On the other hand orks can see much better during low-light conditions and combined with their dark skin this made them dangerous night hunters. Speaking of which the ork skin varies just like a human's. In their case it can range from pale brown to the usual greenish brown to charcoal black. Just like for humans the skin pigmentation depends on how much one spends in sunlight thus it also can tell lifestyle and social status. In general most if not all ork warriors have black skin.

To an average human most orks look beastly and gruesome but the feeling is somewhat mutual. The Uruk sense of personal aesthetics and beauty are different from humans and especially compared to the elves. As said humans and orks can interbreed and so can with the elves. Yet the latter is extremely rare since both orks and elves consider the other to be seriously ugly. In the end some attention should be dawn to their name. Uruk is both the name of their race and nationality. The term Ork/Orc originates from "Orakbur" a contraction of the words translated as "Sons of Orakgash" which was the nickname of Orakgash's tribe before uniting all Uruk. The name survived and occasionally used between Uruk and it eventually mutated to the short version "Ork" which then become the common name of their race in foreign lands. Due to this origin no Uruk will ever be offended to be referred as Ork, albeit they might politely attempt to correct you.

Uruk religion is based on their tribal shamanistic roots. They beleive in the gods representing the four elements as well as respecting the spirits of the land, the forest, the rivers and the mountains. Their religious figures were the Laguurz which roughly translates "to do magical". They were chosen from the brightest most gifted members of the tribe and aside from listening to the spirits they also conducted numerous studies and experiments. 

They were both priests, scientists and even magicians. Even in the present this didn't change. Laguurz are all taught in the Uruk religion of the four elements but then they specialize to study other arts. Not all Laguurz are gifted in the art of magic and rather many of them study as scholars, healers or even scientists. Laguurz represents the intellectual class within the Uruk society and indeed the word is used interchangeably with the meaning of genius. As such rather than shaman they are nowadays much closer to viziers and astronomers who seek knowledge.
Bundeszwerge (meaning, dwarves of the Alliance[AKA the Bund]) is the collective name for dwarves under the Alliance of the Thirty-Three Peaks (Dreiunddreissighöhesbund, AKA the Bund) refers to themselves. Unlike many of their peers they left behind their clan-like traditional structure and became the alliance of 33 city-states situated in the same amount of mountains. Just like the typical dwarf they are of small stature but thick with both their strength and toughness being superior. Dwarves at average can live up to 200 years and renown for their craftsmanship, especially in the art of mining and metallurgy. While resisting at first the dwarves ultimately benefited from the Uruk conquest as trade revenues making them wealthier than ever. Given their natural talents it's no surprise that the Bund is one of the centers of firearm production within the empire.
The Uruk Empire conquered numerous races, including elves. Traditionally the dwellers of lush forests they are slender and beautiful humanoid creatures living in relative harmony with the nature. They live for 300 years and renown for their senses and dexterity. As said elves live in relative harmony with the nature and generally distant with cultures of different views. There is also another type of elves who went on and created a small empire on the island of Yllendthyr. They founded large cities and actively trade and interact with people. Regardless of type both elves are currently under the rule of the Uruk Empire, a nation they almost instinctively loathe. Yet most of the younger generation grew accustomed and rebellions are becoming rare nowadays.

Economy & Industry
Ironically considering their perceived savagery, on the long run the Uruk conquest and subsequent rule greatly boosted the nations' development and economy. Most of the fast river routes through the continent were co-shared by numerous nations at once, making their traverse to be like a merchant's nightmare. With the rule of the Uruk these borders practically ceased while in addition several measures were made to pump much needed life into the trade. The result was the so-called "Golden Road". Merchants and travelers could safely pass large distance without worrying about tariffs or bandit raids. The Golden Road made the empire a heaven to all merchants and allowed exchange of goods and information through the continent like never before. With trade banking also prospered, especially on the most popular trade routes.

The Uruk also promoted education and technology, valuing skilled artisans over anything else. They abolished much of the old guild system and promoted manufactures, especially when it concerned the production of arms. While not entirely just their own merit the first universities were also founded within the Uruk Empire and later rulers promoted the creation of even more schools, academies and other places of learning. Mixing innovation with tradition the Uruk Shamans are generally the empire's scholars, learning not just mysticism and magic but also practical knowledge. Most manufactures are under the oversight of at least one shaman specifically studied in the art. Lastly the Uruk established an entire mailing network using warg riders in thousands of posts. While these stables were originally made to support the war effort they soon began to be utilized to carry news, letters or packages to anywhere within the Empire.
Karikasard is the namesake of this mixture. As the young god of violent fires is part of the Uruk Pantheon and can also considered a war god. His name combined with the word Buum (Herbs) can together be translated as "herbs causing violent fires of war" which is a rather apt description for an explosive. Karikabuum (alternatively Kabuum or Kaboom for the noise it generates) is an orkish gunpowder using a mixture of certain herbs and soil. It was first developed by shamans in order to reach a closer connection to the spirits of fire but it eventually found use as a weapon. With sufficient knowledge it's possible to produce low-grade Karikabuum (also called Palsvaj AKA Blasting Jelly) without any special equipment which made it popular and widespread by the time of Orakgash Khagn's conquest. Better mixtures are dried of water and formed into either grains, balls or stalks for better combustion while also using purer and more refined ingredients. While many other kinds of gunpowder mixtures are known the Uruk Empire relies the most extensively on Karikabuum.

Military Overview
Uruk were a nomadic race traditionally fighting while riding on their Wargs. Even now this cavalry forms the backbone of their forces as highly mobile army which can traverse a hundred miles during a good day. Aside from them they also recruit soldiers from all the nations they conquered thus elven archers, dwarven defenders and other curiosities can show up when the Uruk gathers their forces. The Uruk system is highly meritocratic and values practicalities above various preconceptions in order to remain effective. They support technology and known to spend considerable amount on creating and developing firearms (Baloz).
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