Feast of Zagjan

An orc with a flaming pig.

The **Feast of Zagjan**, also known as the **Festival of the Bear's Heart**, is a yearly feast popular among Warborn. It is best known for hosting the **Games of Zagjan**, a competition among the broods of orcs. The festival is named for and held in honour of Zagjan, the god of strength and challenges.

For three days, the participants of the feast enjoy food and drinks. There are also fights and games where the broods try to prove their worth and potentially usurp the leader of the tribe.

## Feast

At the Feast of Zagjan, it is said that there is plenty of food and drinks,supplied by the Warlord of the tribe. Enough to go around for three days of feasting. Roasted pork is said to be enjoyed on the third day. Fights are to be expected, though killing is supposedly forbidden.

Orcs are the primary participants of the fest, but Goblins and other outsiders are sometimes present. The feasts can be dangerous for them, unless they can rely on the Warlord for protection.

## Games

The Games of Zagjan include several disciplines:in which broods of orcs clash to prove who is best at fighting, riding, drinking and hunting.

The games also hold a great cultural significance to the Warborn. It is held in honour of their god Zagjan, the challenging force, and challenges are an important part of the games.The participating broods fight for social status, in a struggle that ensures that only the fittest survive. The winner of the games is named Herald of Zagjan, and has the right to challenge the Warlord and his brood for leadership of the tribe.

Below are some of the disciplines fought at the Games of Zagjan described in closer detail.

### Flying Pigs

The Flying Pigs, also known as the Flight of the Flaming Pigs, is perhaps the most well known contest at the Games of Zagjan.

The origins of the contest is said to be shaman who created a flammable salve with purpose of burning the the fur off boars while at the same time cooking the meat. However, for some reason it was used on a live pig, which started running around and setting fire to the camp. The orcs supposedly found this entertaining and turned it into a sport.

In the sport, each brood selects two orcs to participates. One holds the pig, anointed with the special oil, and other lights the pig on fire. The pig is then hurled by at the signal of the Warlord. Many pigs die imminently, other run madly about the place. The winning brood is the one whose pig reached the furthest distance.

The pigs that survive the ordeal are allowed to live for at least another year. They often become mounts for the orcs, with their fur is said to grown back thicker than ever. The other pigs are eaten on the third day of the feast.

### Brood Rumble

   Known as a Brood Rumble, this is the most classic way for a Brood to demonstrate that rookie younger Broods know nothing about life, or that decrepit older Broods have long past their time.

### Master's Fight

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The Master's Fight appears to be a fight between the chiefs of each brood.

```

### Timber!

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This contest appears to be about felling and gathering wood and lumber.

```

### That'll Do Pigs

The contest known as That'll Do Pigs is a race to catch a piglet. The contestants are mounted on boars and pursue the piglet around a course in multiple laps.

### Road Rage

The Road Rage is a chariot race. The contestants pilot a chariot and race to see who is the fastest over a few laps around a course. Supposedly, the number of laps around the course is determined through a ritual beating ceremony. Grotlings are put into a bad which is then beaten, and the number of grotlings who manage to crawl out of the bag afterwards sets the lap number.

## Sources

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Sventaromsag, "Thousand Nights: from the Caves of Western Augea to the city of Avras" (*The 9th Scroll, issue 10, p45*)
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Letter by Liluth Araran to Lord Caenu (*T9A The Games of Zagjan, v2020, p4*)
3. ↑ *VisconteDimezzato, Insights from the Lore: The Games of Zagjan* (*The 9th Scroll, issue 21, p59)*
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Records of Sergeant Frederick Wilhelm Hemmer (*T9A The Games of Zagjan, v2020, p7*)
5. ↑ Informative text about the Brood Rumble (*T9A The Games of Zagjan, v2020, p10*)
6. ↑ Mantra transcribed from carvings found on a totem in Near Augea (*T9A The Games of Zagjan, v2020, p15*)
7. ↑ Doggerel carved on a stone in a former orc camp, Southern Destria (*T9A The Games of Zagjan, v2020, p20*)
8. ↑ Orc commentator, at Tukmuk Coliseum in Little Rikwag, Avras, 17 Damos 962 A.S. (*T9A The Games of Zagjan, v2020, p25*)
9. ↑ Recounted from memory to dwarven troops by captured goblin “bard” (*T9A The Games of Zagjan, v2020, p32*)