Hilal

The wall city of **Hilal** is seated between the two arms of the Crescent Mountains. The city is large enough for an individual to stand on top of the highest building in the city and still not see the two ends of the city. The city of Hilal is the capital of the Kraterocracy of Hilal, which owns its name to the city.

Most of the orcish rituals and cultural activites centre around the city. Hilal is often also nicknamed the home of Necromancy. The houses in Hilal are made with locally sourced lava rocks, giving the city a beautiful black look. The buildings themselves vary between lavish houses and dark forbidden study towers.

## History

When the Dusk lord fell and the orcs became free they started to set up camps in and around the ancient moon wall which they had previously used to protect the old Orclands from invaders. Eventually these camps became more permanent and turned into a shanty town. Where most towns would have gradually expended in all directions, the Hilalians decided to keep building next to the moon wall. This has lead to the stretched out thin shape Hilal has today. As the number of undead in the Wastes of Ishtarr increased, they eventually build a second wall, nicknaming it the sun wall. The sun wall is even more well guarded than the moon wall, with any non-orc caught climbing the wall getting executed on the spot.

## Inhabitants

The majority of the cities inhabitants are made out of Orcs, and the city is not particularly culturally diverse. But even still there are some inhabitants of non-orcish decent. Most of these inhabitants are either students from the Hilalian school of Necrotic Powers or refuges who are hunted by religious fanatics and asked the city for sanctuary.

The only race that is straight up blocked from entering the city are the Dragonborn, who the citizens fear will switch sides and attack from within during an dragon-kin raid.

## Culture

Many young and inspiring Orc nobles undertake a pilgrimage to the Throne of Zog to prove their might and cunning to the rest of the world. The first step is to get inside of the city, which often doesn't form a challenge as the guards let most Orcs in without any trouble. The second step is to get over the second wall of Hilal, sneak past the guards atop of the wall and enter the Wastes of Ishtarr. When an young orc is caught they will usually get a stern talking to from the guards and be forced to undergo a mock execution before they are allowed to try again.

After the young noble reaches the other side of the wall they will have to cross the Wastes of Ishtarr. Inside of these wastes they have to avoid being caught and slaughtered by the undead hoards. These hoards are made up of generations of Orc leaders, raised here as the honour guard for the Throne of Zog. By facing the very things they will one day become they will learn to make the most of their time.

If the noble succeeds in surviving the ordeal manages to sneak their way into the feretory of the Dusk Lord they will be told of a secret only the elites of Orc society are allowed to know. Whatever this secret might be, it can easily be seen that knowing it has an immediate effect on the young Orc, as his presence suddenly demands the respect of both the living as well as the death. On the way back the undead hordes will clear a path for the successful noble across the Wastes. And when he walks up to the gates of the second wall, the guards throw them opened for them with much fanfare and congratulations.