Isskari (A Dragon's Tooth Article)

From an issue of “A Dragon’s Tooth,” the collected works of Garavel Norixior, Scholar of the Realms: 
My loyal readers may remember I went on an extended hiatus last year, when I travelled beyond the Arm of Aldwyn for some exclusive scribe-work. Well, readers, that work has finally borne fruit
Allow me to be the first to reveal to you a snippet of life hidden below the ice, to uncover some of the well-kept secrets of Asaal’atash!
Today we discuss the Isskari:
Once thought by many to be a mere bedtime story told to Orcish children, to warn them of the perils of straying too far into the tundra, the Isskari people are very much real. A mirror to the Orcs, the bulk of their people live in one large, subterranean mega-city called Asaal’atash, or “Glorious Purpose.” This name alone should give you a sense of Isskaren sensibilities
Through diagonal and geometrically aligned passageways of gleaming marble and bone, complete with a sprawling, spartan residential district, the cavernous city converges at the middle. There lies a tower-like structure which serves as both the main governing body, along with a gladiatorial arena for those seeking to climb the societal ladder. This core building is called the Beresaadataar or “Keeper of Those Who Aspire”
Isskari social life is based on a ruthlessly strict caste structure, known as the Brands of Iskaar. Through a clandestine rite, each newborn Isskari is marked with a network of tattoos across their skin, brought forth from their own blood. These “Brands” determine which caste you will be sorted into:
🔺The Body, “Karnak,” led by the Vel’Karr: warriors, labourers, and those defined by the physical
🔺The Mind, “Saaresh,” led by the Vel’Isaan: scholars, and those burdened with dangerous magics
🔺The Spirit, “Adaaren,” led by the Vel’Nok: members of the secular priesthood, charged with maintaining the Brands
This is about as much as I feel comfortable sharing in one go, for fear of retribution from the north. If you wish to hear more on my time there, let me know, and let us hope I am not hunted down in the meantime. Till then, spare a copper for the Dragon and read well!
– G. Norixior, A Dragon’s Tooth
Category:A Dragon's Tooth