Lore:Kurog gro-Orsinium

was the King of the  s of the   during the  .  Also known as Chief Kurog gro-Bagrakh. He aided King   during   in exchange for the return of  , and afterward joined the  .   Kurog's reign came to an end in    when, frustrated by the constant disagreements among his clan chiefs, he engineered a crisis between   and   cults in order to discredit his main rival,  , and eliminate the other chiefs. The king's treachery was discovered and he was slain, resulting in Bazrag being crowned the next King of the Orcs.  
Biography
Early Life
Kurog was born to Forge-Wife   of   sometime around  .   As a child, Kurog grew up in an Orcish clan in Wrothgar, and was unsatisfied with his life. He had ambitions to explore the world and prove himself in battle. 

He rallied his companions  ,  , and then friend Bazrag "the Butcher" gro-Fharun and joined the   mercenary company, led by the infamous  . After winning skirmishes in Hammerfell and Cyrodiil, the company made its way to Elsweyr. Kurog went to a tavern in the city of Orcrest and met with a Breton woman named  . He had spoken to her about his past, and said that he would return to his clan and replace his chief by killing him, then taking command of his clan. 

Rise to Power
Kurog and his companions later resigned from Gaspard's Stalkers, and were journeying to Wrothgar. He agreed to meet with Zephrine Frey and had visited Wayrest on his way to Wrothgar. She gave him a tour of Wayrest and its' Breton cuisine, and then had him meet with King Emeric in  . Frey described them to have gotten along smashingly, as they found to have shared similar opinions on politics and warfare, and took great pleasure in making each other laugh. At the end of the evening, Kurog admitted he was returning to Wrothgar to take control of his clan, but decided he would try and rebuild Yashnag gro-Yazgu's kingdom in Falkreath before turning to High Rock. Kurog and Emeric then shook hands, and the latter suggested that Kurog take Zephrine Frey with him to Wrothgar. Kurog, admitting to Emeric that he knew Frey was a spy, agreed anyways as he found her amusing. 

During the trip to Wrothgar, Kurog spoke about his dream to have the Orcish people change their oppressive and restrictive traditions, build large cosmopolitan cities of learning, and introduce new cuisine. Soon after crossing the border into Wrothgar, Kurog entered his childhood stronghold, where Chief   was waiting for him with four honor guards. Bolazgar asked Kurog if he'd come to grovel and beg for his forgiveness. Kurog instead said he'd come to challenge the chief for his leadership of Clan Bagrakh. Bolazgar, shaking with rage, questioned Kurog if he truly believed he could beat him in fair combat. Kurog taunted the chief saying that he'd grown fat in weak in his time away, and that he'd instead been fighting wars in distant lands. Enraged by Kurog's remarks, Bolazgar charged at him with a scream of pure rage. Kurog stood his ground and calmly unsheathed his sword, and countered Bolazgar's clumsy attack with a block, and than decapitated Bolazgar, killing him, and therefore making Kurog the new chief of the clan. Each member dropped to their knees and yelled "Long live Chief Kurog!," to which Kurog proclaimed "Today begins a new day for the Orsimer! I will lead you to glory! On this, you have my word!" 

Kurog spent a few years consolidating his power, growing his clan, marrying wives, and forming alliances with clan chiefs that supported his ideas. To secure her son's success and future, his mother Alga became Grand Forge-Mother, and became an advisor and negotiator for her son. For his hunt-wife, Kurog and Alga turned to  , known for their prized skills in hunting, and Kurog married Hunt-Wife  . For his Forge-Wife, the obvious choice was   from the prized smiths of  , but Alga was more interested in  . Tugha had studied abroad with the smiths of western   for two years, with her experience, modern attitudes, and intelligence winning her the place of Kurog's Forge-Wife. Kurog married had many other wives who worked behind the scenes handling a number of different matters, such as his Immigration-Wife  .  

Alliance with the Daggerfall Covenant
He soon turned his resources to Falkreath Hold of Western Skyrim, hoping to rebuild a great city that could rival Wayrest on the site of Yashnag gro-Yazgu's stronghold. In  , despite the Nords' civil war and Schism years prior, they still proved to be resistant fighters, forcing Kurog to be stationed outside   of   with his troops. King Emeric was fighting in King Ranser's War, and sent Zephrine Frey as an emissary to meet with Kurog. She asked for Kurog's assistance in the war, and while Kurog was willing to participate, he made a number of demands which were to be fulfilled before he would declare war on King Ranser. Emeric agreed to the terms, granting Kurog de jure control of Wrothgar, supporting the construction of Orsinium, agreeing to prohibit Breton or Redguard armies enter the region due to the prior Sieges, and be recognized as an equal in the Covenant. Kurog and his troops were responsible for setting   ablaze when King Ranser returned, proving to be a key and final part in defeating him. Ranser then retreated to  , and met his last stand under Kurog's troops.  

In  , Kurog visited   Palace and met with  . 

Reconstruction of Orsinium and Death
Kurog was a worshipper of Trinimac, and set about reconstructing Orsinium so that it may serve once again as the capital of Wrothgar and a center of high Orsimer culture. Under the influence of his mother Alga, Kurog plotted with the Vosh Rakh, a cult of Trinimac extremists which she controlled. He planned to unite the tribes of Wrothgar by forcing them to abandon Malacath in favor of Trinimac, either via force of arms or subterfuge. Circa  , this culminated in an attempt to frame Bazrag gro-Fharun for an attack on the new temple of Trinimac in Orsinium, followed by an assault on Fharun Stronghold by the Vosh Rakh. However, Bazrag survived the attempt on his life, and Kurog's treachery was revealed. When confronted by the Vestige, Kurog and Alga responded with violence and were slain. 

Chief Bazrag became the new king, but despite Kurog's treachery he was granted a traditional Orcish requiem for the dead.  His spirit is believed to have gone to  .  
 

Notes

After his death, Kurog's spirit is believed to have gone to  .  
Long prior to the release of the Orsinium DLC, Zenimax gave some info on Kurog through some in-game books and dialogue as well as some out-of-game sources that contradicted his finalized character.
In the book Return to Orsinium, many names of the locations mentioned were changed for the Wrothgar zone and it was said that the gates of Old Orsinium were being rebuilt. However, in Wrothgar the city is abandoned, and no construction occurs in the ruins of the city. 
The book ''The (Improved) Emperor's Guide to Tamriel: Northern Bangkorai and the Mountains'' described Kurog as "a mountain of an Orc with a face like a giant's slapped arse" and having a number of missing teeth.  Though these aspects of Kurog were changed before his final character version, his normally loud speaking voice remained.
In ESO website Support questions, it was originally stated Kurog supported the worship of the deity Mauloch rather than Malacath, and that he controlled Southern Wrothgar.  This was later changed, with Kurog's favored deity being Trinimac and his area of control being limited to Orsinium and other parts of Wrothgar allied with him. 

Gallery
 

See Also
For game-specific information, see the ESO article.
Books
 

References