Clan Zdoguk

Defenders of the Holy Stone

The Zdoguk Clan was founded by a small group of Uruk refugees fleeing the Great Cataclysm (or the Mighty Wrath of the Earth Mother, as their clan referred to it as) in Averan. The clan focuses on spirituality and understanding the Earth Mother, one of the deities in a pantheon of powerful supernatural forces they believe in.

Judzuk the Stonespeaker currently guides the clan's affairs, interpreting messages and omens from the ancestors of past Orc warriors and chieftans. The clan is a tribal government, with strength and wisdom being highly valued and one's status being derived from those two factors. They are generally isolationist, based in their village on the Holy Island of the Ancestral Stone.

## **History**

### Founding

The founding of this tribe and finding of the Ancestral Stole was led by Judzuk and Mahk, two tribesmen who fled Averan together to find a new home. Upon finding the Holy Stone, they built a few huts in the style of their old clan and made their claim to the land known. As the site was being colonized, more Uruk refugees found their way to island, guided by the ancestral spirits and the Earth Mother, and settled in. They became united in their worship of the Earth Mother, leading Judzuk to be chosen as a leader of the clan.

As more Uruk join the clan, they are assigned jobs according to the needs of the tribe and their ability. The island village is known for several exceptional specialists: herbalist and medicine man, Mahk; blacksmith and craftsman, Ankrok; a famed holy paladin, Zorbak, and an elder shephard and builder, Wholug.

(Information on the formation of this faction. What characters were involved? What shared values/goals/interests brought the people together? What were the trials and tribulations of it's founding?)

## Reign of Judzuk the Stonespeaker (Fall of 1118 A.E. - present)

After the founding of the village, Judzuk ordered the creation of retaining walls to create stable earthen levels to build upon. These walls took several seasons to complete and allowed for further infrastructure projects to begin on the island, from more houses to larger specialist buildings.

Diplomatic relations were opened with settlements that were found nearby, with the Stonespeaker leading a small entourage to the Hunter's Lodge and the Haven of the Flock.

A band of Uruk, led personally by Judzuk, met with the Imperials of House Jeraxious. Their meeting was tense, but after sharing the soup of the Earth Mother around the fire trade offers were exchanged. Although a deal could not be met, the meeting served as a good insight into the power levels of the other races on the continent.

Judzuk hosted Konrad of the Rheinfeld Company in Spring of 1119 A.E., resulting in a simple history stone being carved to mark their agreement. The Uruk tribe traded arrows in exchange for a future debt to be paid by the Rheinfeld Company. This future debt was left unclear as the Rheinfeld Company was heading to battle against the Imperial Humans to the north, vastly outnumbered and their longevity uncertain. The results of the battle happily surprised Judzuk and the Zdoguk tribe, who came to respect Konrad and his company as formidable warriors. They modified their agreement to be a non-aggression pact.

A small team of envoys reached the Dark Elves of the Western Forests, where they were befriended by a female Dark Elf named Song Min. They made simple trades for crops and a horse in order to begin growing fields and populations domestically.

In summer of 1120 A.E., a meeting between Chief Bulruk Teethgrinder of Clan Ghorkul, representing the Uruk tribes of the north, and Judzuk took place at the Ancestral Stone on the Zdoguk Island. He convinced the Chief of the power of the Cult of the Earth Mother and created an alliance with the goal of countering and ultimately defeating dwarven power on the continent, chiefly the Underrealm of Kal'Rhune.

(A good method to not forget important events is as things happen in the server, add a 1-2 sentence note to this area, and as you get enough notes to form one paragraph re-write it as a cohesive body of text, and rinse/repeat until the reign of this character has ended, and begin the next one. **This is one of the most important sections of the entire wiki, please do your part if you are involved in this faction and contribute.**)

## Culture

The Zdoguk Clan's core values all revolve around the Cult of the Earth Mother. The core value is the respect of the spirits and ancestors, which imbue a traditionalist ethos in many of the tribesmen. The connection with their ancestors creates a culture of great deeds. By completing great acts of strength and honor, they hope to cement themselves in the history stones and oral traditions for generations to come. However, there is also a culture of greater understanding, in which an Uruk can gain status by being a mystic in touch with the spirits or by understanding the Earth Mother in a new way. Skilled craftsmanship is also an important skill and trait within the clan.

The secondary values are racial, and typical of many Uruk. Strength and size are major factors in status and job choice within the clan. Respect can be gained with honor-bound fighting or tremendous acts of heroism. There is an emphasis on the process of tracking and hunting great beasts, with small challenges and opportunities for Uruk to establish dominance over one another.

(What are the core values, religions, and other things that differentiate you from other factions)

## Military

The Zdoguk Clan's military force is a conscription force. In times of war, all Uruk are called upon to fight in defense of the holy site or in defense of their clan's honor. For offensive actions the clan generally relies upon its holy paladins, skilled warriors who are blessed by the Earth Mother. The majority of orcs are trained with the bow and the axe, but the paladins all choose their own weapons based on their proficiency or preferences. Zorbak, one of the Earth Mother's biggest and strongest paladins, famously uses a large iron axe with crushing effectiveness.

(What kind of military does your nation have? Is your nation based off of conscription, volunteers; what do you specialize in?)

## Settlements and Titles

Island Village at the Holy Site of the Ancestral Stone (Zdoguk Island, in Uruk)

(Create a list of the settlements and titles your nation holds)

(~1 paragraph giving a brief introduction about the faction. Things such as it's current ruler, culture, government, currently involved wars/etc.)