Denegrim

"The wild and free, the mad. They only exist because of law. Such freedom must be protected, even from those that exercise it."

### **Government types**

Ultimately a dictatorial empire, the Denegrim power structure has always resolved around the struggle to simply not be the last in the ranking. Those in last place, will simply be demanded to pay higher prices for their rights to exist. Those who are not being forced into various dangerously competative positions can enjoy the privileges of the political games, displays of power and forcefully commanding the ones below into dangerously competitive positions. And at the top there is the emperor, a political mastermind that relies entirely on the competition between the others in hopes to get their hands on the title of emperor.

Government types in respective order
 Chiefdom families

#### Dictatorship

Naturally, a dictatorial rule is recognized by the fact that one person(and occasionally a few with him) holds almost all of the power. His/her will is law and estimated corruption ratio's are rather high. Very often this is also associeted with a large part of the population being poor.

#### Royal template

The mixture of people advising and guarding the dictator. They each try and serve the dictator as best they can, as more often than not, their aspirations are to become the dictator themselves at one point or another. They hold power similar to the dictator but require his/her permission to act first. Rarely does a dictator actually get betrayed by the royal templates as the entire family and race of the template can be banished, jailed, killed or just pushed down all the way to the lowest parts of society for simply not lining up with the dictator. There are virtually no other ways to reach the dictator, let alone become one. The name template originally stemmed from the concept that a temple is a place that distributes the weight of the emperor to foreign rulers of the world.

#### Parliament of honor

The Parliament of honor consists of those aspiring to be the Royal template. Honor isn't specifically defined as being good at waging wars or holding large amounts of strategical resources. Rather, it is the attitude, the flair and means of displaying ones skill that make one part of the Parliament. Those that don't are shunned and 'taken' out of the political game in secretive fashion. The Parliament usually owns most of the land, have many Denegrimians beneath them, are in charge of bringing out new laws and vote up/bring down the Royal template. The ability to distribute resources freely makes them fully potent of defeating or consuming kingdoms on their own. They hardly ever need to work, but often choose to do so, in hopes of being elected by their fellow members and shine in the eyes of the dictator.

#### Vassal clans

Dukes and duchesses of the land. In charge of all within their natural borders, the task bestowed upon these people is following Parliament orders. They follow both the general ruling and their respective owners. The vassals usually have a private arsenal and military force of many Denegrimians at their disposal. The Vassal clans have their combined recruitment centers as clan halls inside each of the capitals. It is often so that the vast majority of clans do not actually get along great and are struggling to get general support. The wide spectrum of differences on moral grounds, training methods, education, safety restrictions, tolerance and industrialization can make one wonder if there's anything other than language that makes these clans connected. The Great Clan halls are only erected in places entirely conform to the ways of the Vassals clan. Though it's not uncommon for there to be more than a few Vassal clans represented in one or more cities. Evenly visited by elderly of the clans, the Clan leaders only ever meet together in secret.

#### Guild houses

The guilds are independant of the Vassal clans and almost entirely selfsufficient. They consist mostly of merchants and craftsmen that control the majority of the standard market. Guildhouses are organized by profession and are on par with the Vassal clans. The only problem the guild houses face is that it's not very appealing to members of Parliament to have a guild profession themselves when a Vassal clan could possess or be part of the guilds for them, effectively limiting the guild houses rise in power. A couple men are devoted entirely to each proffession within a single guild. With a few oddly specific guilds, the total number of guildmembers exceeds the total amount of Vassal clan members by roughly 100 to 11. And so, most of those living in Denegrim fall into this category.

#### Militants

The militants either live to fight or fight to live. And that's roughly about as much as can be said about them. They are the stereotype and make up less than 2% of the population. They own some cattle and occasionally a farm, cave and the larger ones might own a fort. They are often mercenaries that can't do anything other than fight, eat and sleep. They are often unschooled and can't stand up to say much against the smarter, better fed and probably stronger common and upper types of government. They are woefully underpayed and forced to do all the potentially lethal chores no one really wants to do.

#### Chiefdom family

The Chiefdom families are poor beggar families. Naturally they arent very big in number or often seen. They don't really speak the languages or have any say over what happens to them. They live off the lands that aren't being used by the others. A few of them own huts. But as they can only afford to have one child and hardly find the time to take care of them, the children are left behind in different cities with a chance of maybe one day rise across the ranks and be a member of a guild house. Having a real craft and a future are what their dreams usually consist off. There's virtually no real support for them, relying on kindness from others.

## Main

### Label

The Manhandler

A flag showing the manhandler exerting control over the lesser.

## Cults

### Label

The cult of blood

With about as various a perception as one could have, the inhabitants of Denegrim have a distinct tastes and sets of beliefs that create a large amount of variety. Though some are very religious, the authority of any gods that do get worshipped is severely limited. Though the belief that "the Manhandler" above their established pantheons lives is something not one disputes. What he or she is like however, is a wild theological discussion. They seperate themselves by names, orders, instances,... but are pretty uniform in roughly 10 camps when it comes to politics and their respective common practices.

\*Sidenote: The dictator usually upholds up to three of the following beliefsystems: Judge, Fearless or Strong. Making him either a polician, mastermind, warrior or up to any combination of the three.\*

#### The Judge

The belief that the manhandler will ultimately make out whether or not you did well. The lower classes usually adhere closely to this beliefsystem as they are not met with the shame they usually feel amongst the higher classes. They also believe in the authority of their superiors, just as a judge is deemed superior to their accused and their defendant.

#### The Honorable

The perfect counterpart to the judge subcategory. The followers of this religion have in common that they do not belief anything can be done without honor. "Grace in motion, authority in display" is one of the things they often quote. Their lineage of respectful traditions stems mostly from the way the Royal template treats its dictators. In the same sense do they believe the later treats the manhandler. But only the honorable would ever end up being the new manhandler in the ever exchanging cycle between the two entities.

#### The Fearless

A religious group that holds that true power is found in the need of fearing no evil. The lack of fear would stem from the Manhandlers direct influence on your body. Prime evidence of this is the taking over parts of your body. It is something mindless heretics refer to as 'Reflexes' and ' instinct'. The fearless do not worry about them, merely pitying their inability to see beyond their limited selves.

#### The Obvious

The group that is the most noticable in all of their actions. Just as their name suggests, the obvious make a clear point out of everything they do. Wether it be the choice of words, meaning of said words or even the volume. Everything has to be clarified, over and over again. To them, it is the only way to grow closer to the Manhandler, the teacher of all that are willing to learn. The only way to really make clear the master - student relationship the Manhandler has with followers of The obvious. Anything shrouded in mystery is to be discovered, that is why they will explore and write down things previously acknowledged. And the obvious spare themselves no expense for bringing about cleansing clarity. This religion specifically is followed by guildmembers.

#### The Commanding

Typically followed by either the militants and the vassal clans, the religion is not one without political implications. In fact, some would suggest that this religion is based on supressing the weaker members of society and thrives only when the weak are present in large numbers. This is of course considered heresy within the commanding religion as the religion is one that would speak out against weakness. Commanding the followers to erase all forms of weakness. This religion had their hands on a few acts of ethnic cleansing and have had it's fair share of trials. The cornerstone of this being that the power you have been given must make you and those beneath you thrive. If you fail your commands from those above you, you will not succeed in this. That is what is commonly said, though not written anywhere specific.

#### The Appealing

'How you look is how you are.' Superstitiously inquisitorial followers of this religion seek to cleanse the world of anything that might look like it was evil and are willing to do all in their power to see it to fruition. They believe the manhandler compels them to and so they seek as much power as possible. Naturally, nearly the entire Parliament of honor consists of good, law-abiding members of the appealing religion community. The prettiest and the hardest to persuade, many who follow this religion hold no interest in the hardened political matters. Their amount of show and artistic endeavours are unmatched by any other within all of the lands. They are not only natural entertainers, they are the keepers of peace and often the chefs that cook up brilliant alternative solutions to private problems.

#### The Strong

The most desired religion. This is the one that drives the fearless to jealousy. The strong rather serve as an internal scouting party for talented and capable fighters. As such, anyone in the military force of Denegrim hopes to get involved with this elite training facility. The religion holds that war is waged as a test of devotion to the Manhandler. Not only is exclusivity prime to this religion, but so is the extensive libraries on war and tactical combat. These elite groups are usually only present in the central capital unless they are requested to be elsewhere by the dictator. They are generally in charge of dancing, hunting, wrestling and other sporting services.

#### The Peacebearers

Considered to be the one trivial grouping of followers that do not really contribute. The peacebearers have only one job: "ensuring the peace". The other religious groups frown upon this one as its function seems pointless in light of good competition. The only reason they ever show up is when they see a problem, even if both parties involved in said problem don't see one. They consist of scholars that focus mainly on gathering intelligence on the psychology behind the people and the reasoning of the others outside of Denegrim. As such, they are often either taken over, destroyed or remain neutral to the other religious groups. Their one distinct good feature is that they provide a great deal of literature studies on the Denegrim languages. They are practically imbedded in every other aspect of Denegrim, but do not really influence it that much.

#### The cult of denial

Considered to be first class heretics, separatists and direct enemies of the dictator, these cultists propose the idea of banning addictive substances, providing those that cannot speak Denegrim languages with food and to top it all off giving everyone a chance to vote. Their actions are often shunned as none of the others really want anything to do with them. They even claim that if there's a manhandler, there are others controlling other nations as well. And of all of the outlandish ideas they have, equal rights is the worst. Many of the religions feel like they go in directly against the manhandlers will. Some edgy teenagers might experiment with this, but most serious individuals don't get involved in these types of things.

#### The cult of blood

A large number of feral individuals. Often these are born without great intelligence and with a great incentive towards animalistic behaviours. They are often the lost members of the chiefdom families and the wilds themselves. They are not considered living beings with value and neither are any that follow them. Though the outbreaks and militant fortress take-overs happen from time to time, their savage inferiority makes them lose virtually any fight. Sadly, their stealthy children stealing abilities and high fertility are a little harder to combat. It is this not uncommon for a child to be integrated into the cult of blood after they are taken from their home. The reason they are called the cult of blood stems from the myth that at one point in history all the religions stood up to their knees in the blood of these feral beings.

### **Races**

Despite claiming to house a wide variety of less than a percentile worth of minorities, there's one predominant race overwhelmingy represented within the borders of Denegrim. The strong, green, pointy-fangs known as orcs. However, years of living in an enclosed orcish society have brought about variation within the orc communities and so, the orcs have developed subraces with accordingly discernable features. Though some features are assumed to be exclusively feminin(such as small teeth), not all are inherently female or male. (Other than the obvious bits...)

#### Malinon; Night orcs

The malinon are orcs with the distinct bodily feature of not being able to grow any form of hair. They proud themselves in their stealth, arcobatics and high muscle to fat ratio. Their attunement with viciousness is more or less prone to the environment they are in, but it has been well documented to be contributed to by their race. They are naturally athletic swimmers, short distance sprinters and nimble fighters, capable of reaching horse speeds within a few seconds for a few seconds. Sadly, they suffer from internal hemmoraging if they push their physical abilities too far. Their bodies do not tend to resist strain for a very long time. And so short bursts of energy yield the best results. Whenever they do perform actions that require both a lot of focus and heavy strain the body, the fires burning on their insides are reflected through their eyes. Known for lighting up rooms and sometimes starting fires by running too much, the night orcs eye-fire can consume their bodies whole if not kept cool long enough. Their nails tend to grow in razor pattern and clip off accordingly.

#### Turminon; Tower orcs

These orcs build up massive quantities of muscles and are resiliant to pain. With primal aspects such as bigger, more exposed fangs, ability to hear heartbeats and a deep voice, they make for naturally fear inspiring brutes. On average, they stand a good 9-10 feet tall and can crush a tree on either arm(with a hero pose). Their name stems from their bodies growing nearly unnatural proportions and their farsight vision. Which, considering their size and strength, sounds a lot less scarier than when you actually need to stand up to one of these monsters in close quarter combat. Though, they are the bigger subspecies of orc in proportion, their hands to body ratio is small. And what's even worse is that often the tower orcs that are not challenged to take on tasks bigger than themselves will deform greatly under the soarly cramped up muscles. The muscles hardly give sway to any calming methods known to all of Orc-hood and getting out of a cramped position will require nearly all of the orcs might. Furthermore, their speeds are not amazing and their moves are predictable. They rely more on the unstopable nature of their attacks than they do on swift strikes, clever maneuvers or scientific discoveries.

#### Sumpfinon; Marsh orcs

The greasy furball of the orc family. Building up muscle mass as well as having a decent fat percentages, these orcs are naturally resiliant against cold weather, most diseases and sometimes small weapon types. They do regularly go into prolonged sleeps of about 3-4 days and are at home in caverns and other dark places. The marsh orcs can see in the dark up to about 20 feet. In proportion to their body, their hands are big and they do not posses nails. Instead, a thick, hardened fungus layer covers the tips of their fingers as well as their palms. Though not as impressive in size as the tower orcs, they can crush trees with both hands combined. A feat little short of grabbing a sword and breaking it in half on ones knee. Throughout most of their lives, these orcs literally hold on to every place they have been. Their breath runs both through their skin and their nostrils, keeping them drenched by the waters they washed themselves in once, ever since they were young enough to bathe. They are likely intelligent and rely on their environment more than on their abilities to consume food.

#### Waldinon; Wood orcs

The most humane orcs. Though they grow hair and fur irregularly on seperate places and can even grow a few spikes left and right, they are mostly known for being closely resembling of humans and most other races. Their phyisical speed to strength ratio is good, but unlike the others, their extreme muscular functions are absent. These are the orcs that usually don't go into a fight and overpower their opposition. Rather, they'd wear them down slowly or slow them down quickly. They are agile warriors, posses more stamina and are on average faster than the other orcs. Their lack of extremes is made up for by their higher than average performances. Their perseverence determines their success and is what makes them into living legends as opposed to dead myths. As the name suggests, these orcs prefer to live in the woods, as it allows them to hunt foes passed many traps before overcoming the disheartened.

#### Sanginon; Blood orcs

These orcs are amongst the ones commonly known for the high blood percentage in their skins. Occasionally dubbed 'Red orcs', these orcs posses a surprising amount of focus. With weaknesses and abilities no other orcs get access to, they often don't get out into public. The sun scorhes their skin, their hair is fiery in color but no heated coals scorch their feet, no torches run out in a burning pain. They can communicate using their skin and can literally feel what fellow red orcs do. As such, there's a greater unity and still more extreme environment they live in. Growing up, they are learning how to control their emotions and harness the oppertunity. When seen in waters, they seem like a blurry sandwave but anywhere else, they stand out. Passing the visibility test with flying colours. So naturally, dark cloth is highly advised.

#### Mischenion; herd orcs

These orcs are a wild mix between the other orc races. They are undiscernably various and some have been shown to display some more primal atrributes. Such as the much older giant tusks, shoulderspikes, horned necks, spiked cerebrum, skewered craniums, firebreathing, hooves on their back, elbow shells, rattled skin, permanent rashes, undergrowth,... The variations in colour and shape are sometimes so distinct that orcs from different regions do not recognise each other in the different parts of Denegrim. Naturally those in higher places are better informed and those that travel a lot within Denegrim borders know this. The name herd orcs stems from the exotic idea that cattle knows no form of family ties and the myth that all of the herd orcs are descendant from the same 3 orcs.

### **Illegal**

Of all things found in the laws brought out in the dictators name, the only surprising thing to be found is that there's no banishment on goods or services of any kind. As such, the businesses run freely and are knocked down or simply destroyed when they do choose to try and undermine the political structures of Denegrim. In short, those in power get to act. What is legal or illegal is determined by the overarching powerstructure. Living, for example, is a right that can be denied to you by the dictator. Though not everyone subscribes to the same reservations regarding who what(or that) rights belong to.

There was however, a vegetable that got looked into to see if it could be made illegal. The vegetable had instant death infusing properties for almost all Denegrimians. Aggressive overuse has made it into a myhtical vegetable, that's hard to harvest, even harder to find, nearly impossible to grow and paradoxical to grow in large quantity. The name has been lost to time and there have been no recordings of incidents for as long as most can remember.

### **Maps**

Standing at a whopping size, Denegrim would be a place of tragic chaos if it weren't for the one map that does chart the monstrous amount of land that is Denegrim. Despite its great political, economic and military power, their poor administration and coordination has left the empire of Denegrim lacking in effectiveness in their conquest of other areas.

#### Map by World

The map by world is the standard map that displays Denegrim's capital and the great rivers flowing through it. It is a very generic map and assumed by many to be wrong entirely. The reason this method of dividing is still considered a viable means of representation is due to the fact that it is relatable for other (sometimes rival) nations and allows for transmission of information on the general area in which something is or happens with the locals usually knowing the rest.

### **Natural resources**

The lands of Denegrim are certainly not without their natural riches. With their capital being positioned directly between two high mountain ranges, Denegrim is made into a rather vibrant place with a unique climate that can grow food up to twice a day, every day during the summer and once a day, once a night every day during the winter. The abundance of food primarily serves the fauna, providing the orcs of Denegrim with plenty to fight, consume or hunt. It has a reputation for being a true pleasantry when you are in search of raw resources, whether they'd be Glaze-steel, salts, black powder or even mutton milk. Naturally, the beautiful scenery couldn't help but come with their own rose's thorn. The spontane death is always lurking behind a mask of awe and a false sense of security. With lethal creatures in the ground, water, vegetation and air, the Denegrimians have made surprising amounts of progress at gaining control of the resources and keeping the wildlife out of the most commonly exploited places. The tastiest of spices, foods and drink are all desired greatly by the apex predators of Denegrim. And whenever land is not contested by the animals, the vasal guilds tend to make short work of that.

### **Unnatural resources**

Though Denegrimians are often held to be absolute fools that can neither read nor write, there are a few powers they are regularly exposed to. Each differing based on where you live or where you grew up, but ultimately breeding a firm immunity depending on where one lives. This is known as affinity, even though the locals call it internal affinity.

#### The well of swords

The well of swords is the name of the largest community owned furnaces that are kept running 24/7 due to the incessant need of weaponry for the Dictator. There are, of course, also ambitious creative processes ongoing in these locations in name of the Clans. But the most prominent aspect of these locations has to be their ability to generate additional properties to the materials. It is found in both them as well as the creatures surrounding them. With explosive weaponry as the mythical end goal for all warmongers in Denegrim, typical super species stories and scientifically confirmed sentience to wildlife, it is a place of mystery and wonder that draws the attention of many different parties. Prime examples of its dangers are the creation of all Bulk kinds. Prime examples of its successes are slither bears.

#### The Forge of Blood

The Forge of Blood is a source of arcane energies. Children surrounding the structures and artifacts are not naturally afflicted. But once a single drop of blood enters the places and artifacts, based on what the blood was from, the people and creatures living around it get strengthened and weakened in different ways. As such, festivals of blood are organised and the nation is usually at an all time high due to willing sacrifices of the ("voluntarily elected") other races. The clanleaders foresee a future in which the bloodletting will saturate all of Denegrim and block out all weaknesses. So that even the statues surrounding the capital are covered and the city can live up to its name. "The city of blood covering your knees."

#### The ashen stones

The primary source of hallucinational power. The material is not only dangerous because it might kill the user, but also because it requires an extremely delicate mind to house the raw power needed to contain the beings formed by the mind. With a lightened version, the powder is placed in a bowl of coals and then ignited. The coals keep the heat, the powder provides flashing imagery of materials, objects and sometimes wildlife. With but a few sprinkles of water on the apearing image, the powder can turn it into reality if properly combined with a calm mind. Sufficient powder usage and some of the powder tends to be stored in the body of the everyman. Occasionally, the powder users will find themselves slightly changing under the powders influence. With suficient raw powder, even creation is twarted. Making the need for their belief in the manhandler ever stronger. But ultimately, it is fine-tuning and not overdosing on the powder that leads to ascending in power. As the hungry elite tend to find out early on in their rise.

#### **The Flora Capital**

The primary source of food growth and the most noticable landmark of the capital of Denegrim. The dense woods, forest and waterfalls are a primary sign of magic making its way through the orcish lands. A sacred place, deep within the Denegrim nation, it is forbidden from any to enter except the dictator himself. From its soil came all fruits and species found in Denegrim. Making it into a nearly religious event to perform their conquest, they spread the flora and fauna unto every land they conquer. It is the beating heart of Denegrim.

The secondary most recognisable feature of The Flora Capital, is its unique structure. The buildings are gathered in circles surrounding the woodland forest hill on which the emperor's house is seated. They are the only cities known in Denegrim to live in peace so closely together, with many walls surrounding both the forrest and the whole mountain. Inside the mountain, on the walls and in the cities, the Grimguard watch every motion, ready to strike out and protect their emperor. This all combined with the mysterious building structure of sharp, slippery walls, houses and halls, make this an untakeable fortress against any invader (short of Grim Bulk itself), both foreign and domestic, Erelithians and Parliament of honor. (Though, not for a lack of trying from the later)

### **Housing, architecture and building types.**

Denegrim in general does not really spend a lot of time working on their buildings. The buildings are made for their functions, not for their appeal. Specialized buildings can be found in seperate regions, but not all of them are registrated or even around long enough to matter to Denegrim culture. Though it is underneath outer layers of the stone, that their religious influences shine through. One of the practices is burying the dead upright in the walls, another is burying solely the hands, skulls and feet. Once the village has their walls set up, however, the religious among them are quick to adorn every structure with simple symbols or scratches.

List of buildings found commonly all across Denegrim.

## House

### Inhabitants

Orcs

The houses are used for housing, sleeping and storing items. One important thing to note is that the people of Denegrim more than once a week mistake each others houses for their own. Ironically, it is so very common that no one bats an eye when it happens. The houses are generally tough buildings without many advantages other than being easy to exit, overcome, build and move. The number of houses never exceeds half the amount of people living in Denegrim at any given time.

## Hall

### Inhabitants

Guild members

-The Halls are used to gather in. There's trading, bathing, training, eating, ... basically any function the outdoors and houses are not used for. Finally, it is important to note that there's plenty of arrangements made for what happens when, but it is so swiftly varying that the schedule might as well be a list of Denegrim history of the week. The halls are widespread and still carry a similar theme in their construction. They are 2 stories high. With them standing out above the others, there's little to no chance one can miss it. With an average of about 100 in every city, the halls make out a large portion of the Denegrimian constructions.

#### -A wall

-A Wall. It keeps things out and is actually the main difference between a village and a town. A double layer of walls indicates a city. And so, more walls indicate bigger cities. There may be walls set up around area's that are prone to lots of unexplained deaths over the years, but the warning signs such as piles of corpses tend to prevent that type of knowledge from really being uncovered.

### **Areas, Anomalies and locations of interest**

#### -Meat mountain

A grand pile of food in the center of every Denegrim city. Ironically, the fresh food is on the bottom and the outer layers isolate the cool kept tasty goods that keeps the masses entertained during the winters. If any illness is discovered within the city, setting fire to the meatpile tended to resolve the issue.

#### -Deep swamp

The swamps normally primarily house the hairy species of Denegrim. Plenty of sea-creatures also make their ways up the rivers and remain trapped in their tree-heavy environment. This is their source of water and the primary source of food. The Deep swamp, however, is found in one of the driest locations in all of Denegrim. The surrounding area houses no life and supplies perfectly drinkable water. Carrying water away from the deep swamp in a non-living object has been seen to make it evaporate. It drove up the price for Bag-Hogs.

### Psychology

#### Beauty

The beauty in Denegrim is mostly depicted by their smooth tusks, eyes, their engraved full metal armors and impressive feats of strength. One of these includes fighting and killing ogres in small numbers or in (the heroic) exeption on their own. Others include keeping your head down when the sun is up, performing warrior dances, wrestling, public duels and marching in formation.

#### Children and adolescence

With the bodily changes there came no shortage of mental changes. The children hold true that strength is all that is desirable. Especially when they themselves cannot provide any form of protection against any other in the culture.

By the time they reach a fertile age, beauty, balance, learning a craft and proving ones worth are the primary points of focus. As soon as they have their own family or possess a home of their own; politics, war and conquering riches fall into their focal point. Ultimately, either growing a large family, gaining power (by any means) or supercharging the society are the goals Denegrimians strive to achieve.

#### Personality Stereotypes

Ordely, Chaotic; Lawabiding, Rebel; pure, corrupt.

 Lawabiding
 Rebel

The famous 4 personality types. The names each accurately describing their character. Answering the questions of how this person behaves.

 Rebel Chaotic
 Lawful Orderly
 Rebel Orderly

Though "there are 2 types of people". Reigns true here also.

There are those that fit the stereotype all the time. They are considered to be "pure". They are generally bland characters and don't know much change in their behaviour.

There are those that are switching between types all the time. They are highly malleable characters and know much in terms of "evolving" their behaviour.

### Lifecycle

#### Birth.

Denegrim generally is home to fleshy birthmachinery known as eggs. As such, houses keep the eggs and the newborn children seem roughly about 4 years old when they are born. Manners and ways are then thaught to them by the rest of the society.

#### Adolescence

Having learned to perform their tasks as a member of society, the Denegrimian is usually given (if not forced) into military training. If they are found to be less than functional, they are excluded from societal life worth living and no longer thought Denegrimian language.

#### Old age

The old age denegrimians tend to be left alone, unless they are called for specifically. They tend to be teachers, parents and storytellers, linking the youngest of the generation to the oldest.

### **Unconventional Military assets**

Each of those enlisted is assigned the task best suited for them. Making no two assault forces ever the same, nor ever lacking in diversity. By the time the Denegrimian retires from service, they have most likely acquired the rank equal to or greater than general. A point in time in which they begin to show tendencies towards interest in the political game.

#### Grimguard

Amongst all of them, the most privileged are an elite, elected exclusively by the religion of the Strong, The Grimguard. Due to their training, tactical experience and appeal, Grimguard enhance their soldiers in such a way, they become seemingly immesurably more efficient, physically resiliant and even mentally unbreakable. Every Grimguard fallen in battle only ever inspired those wounded and those alive to fight formation-free in unbridled rage with no concern for physical limits, personal safety, antics or ethics. It has been a documented fact that Denegrimians turn highly creative after witnessing Grimguard die. Only the religion of the Strong knows this, however. The grimguard are highly powerful and potent warriors that, in team, are more than capable of taking over villages in minutes, cities in hours, fortresses in days and nations in weeks. Covered to the brim with almost exclusively unnatural weaponry, the are put through the Forge of Blood. Cycling through the weaknesses and strengths of a thousand sacrifices, they acquire a deep understanding of powers, strength, exploitation, aura's, magics, beasts minds, enemies, years of combat experience and ashen stones overdoses on ashen stones, just to name a few. With their new personally recurring insights, linked minds and incredibly potent equipment, the Grimguard are Denegrims best attempt at making a stable, functional team of warriors that can only be beaten by being at odds with the reality of their deaths.

One aditional note here is that in the creation of Grimguard, the ashen stone is the material used to link, train and focus them. The creative power of the ashen stone is kept afloat amidst the Forge of Blood and the blood of every creature Denegrim possesses, fills the cricle one by one. With their minds linked to the stone, the blood streaming past and now into their bodies, they acquire all information, combat experience and deeper insight into the creature and its natural or magical properties. But to 'forge' the Grimguard from this point on is an entirely different process. After being 'created', the grimguard are placed in armor that is yet hot from the well of swords. Their bodies are partially scorched, though their minds are at peace. The armor is then let down into the well of swords until their waste. At this point, the ashen stone their minds are linked to, is submerged and drowned in the well. From among those chosen, even now, some will not resist the effects and try to put out the sensation of having burning bodies as their minds become their own again. The ones that can withstand the burning of the mind have what it takes to learn what it means to 'be' Grimguard. Those strong of mind are not subjected so easily and turn into the Primal. The others learn of Denegrims history and their place in it. After this, years of cooperative training occurs in which the Grimguard trains to synchronize, obey by threat of overdose on ashen stone. A material the elite carries with them always and the emperors house is said to be filled with.

#### Navy

Having needed no large boats the armies of Denegrim don't house any. The machinery used are primarily battering rams and other tools considered hand-held. The military contains no pets, though mounts are considered part of their standard navy equipment. Even if the equipment is at home in a firey enviroment, Denegrimians have learned to appreciate the fire-breathing creature in their battles across rivers and oceans. Traveling underwater only to shoot up and surprise your enemies with you boarding party can be a great advantage, even if that means you are slightly slower on land.

The pets they primariy use are slither bears.

#### Footfolk

The footfolk armies greatest strength would lie in the sheer numbers and physical manpower available. Glazesteel doesn't really provide any major benefits over the other materials other races use when not in the hands of an orc. It's a really tricky business finding the smooth edges that won't cut through the flesh of the wearer. Often it is the footfolks bravery, planning, order and authority that drives forward their victories for Denegrim. There have been few instances where footfolk won wars by anything else. With their common attires and constant stream of food, they are each capable of being their own military on top of their basic functionality as a society. Especially considering the number of battle-ready armors and improvised sharp tools available to them in a guild society.

#### Hoard

The hoard is a pile of unspecialized individuals picked directly from the street. These youngsters are yet to prove themselves worthy in combat and specialize in their roles. Many of them won't even know what their affinity is. But if there's one thing that seperates the Hoard from the regular soldiers, it's how much Glaze-steel armor they wear. To be well protected during their first battles, there are a few veterans that operate undercover to provide directions and help out the young win their first battle. They are most certainly not members of the religious stream of the Obvious. The name hoard doesn't stem from large numbers, rather from the means by which they gather loot. Much like the meat-piles, they gather it all in a single pile and divide according to their newly assigned specialization.

Swords, shields and weapons to test are divided equally.

### **Specialized Military assets.**

#### Charger ~high risk~

The fastest or orcs, made for scouting, sending messages and catching the enemy off guard. They are usually the first to enter combat, the first to fall back and the easiest to rally. Short throwing and stabbing weapons make up their primary arsenal. They carry bottles of fire-enhancing brews. Night orcs that fall in this category tend to go up in flames before reaching their target. But one break away from long range weaponry death can provide an insurmountable advantage to the rest of the army. Effectively cooking their way through the enemies defenses and getting away with it alive. The success of entire wars has rested on the shoulders of these chargers.

#### Charger Prime ~high reward~

Those that can break away even from the chargers. Made to dodge arrow-fire and spears.These Chargers are given plenty of fire-starting tools that increase the effectiveness of chargers exponentially. They tend to wear slightly more armor than the chargers and carry shields big enough to hide behind should all things go south. Effectively setting up a first wall on the battlefield the others will try to reach. Chucking the fire-starters over the walls blindly, they can be the opening move the army needs to win a battle and a war.

#### Sabator ~open the gates~

Sabators carry with them battering rams. They are usually selected for their strength, but at times for their understanding of hinges and locks. With their ability to literally push back enemy lines, their heavily-plated shoulders and gloves stand out amongst the others. Weight and weight distribution are they primary traits. They also carry hammers, spikeballs and other handhelds for close quarter combat.

#### Sabator Prime ~ bring out the wall ~

The sabator prime is a primarily wide armored arrow-soaker. This absolute tank is placed in armor designed to support its forward momentum and disruptive shock force. Moving walls makes for their primary target. Whether it be to move them into enemy territory or lead armies behind them. The walls they bring to battle themselves are usually quite an effective strategy. Even if the ogre skullshields make for a very interesting addition to their armor.

#### Night-ocean ~ walkcrawler ~

A more secretive military unit, these scouts and assassins move their way up walls, successfully hide amongst the locals and carry primarily silent weapons and leather armor. They usually come equiped with a shield and sometimes additional cloth. They tend to have to make do with grappling hooks, climbing spikes and whatever they can muster. They are not a gate-opening nor an army-blocking fighters force. Their primary objective is offering support and remaining undetected while the larger army makes their approach. Outside of sieging, they tend to sabotage messengers, forge letters and attempt at stiring the pot. Though this is hardly effective in Tyranny or Dictatorship.

#### Night-ocean Prime ~vertical archer acrobat~

Master of the acrobatic arts, this master-archer is a vertical cover provider and safety net for the other night-oceans. Not only masters of stealth, but careful intel collectors, the night-ocean prime is a great and rare addition to the army. Exposing enemy commanders, striking from assumed safe locations and purposefully pickpocketing messengers, the night-ocean prime might risk their lives for years infiltrating the dangerous environments of the other lands just for some information.

#### Crusher ~halberdier~

Equipped with armor-cutting weaponry, these powerhouses carry with them exceptionally heavy gear. Their role is to break the lines of the enemy over prolongued battle, systematically cutting directly through shields and armors. Their weapons tend to be long enough to strike from the second line, severing limbs and rendering weapons useless. Having no less than fully shielded bodies, the eyes and mouth are the fastest way of taking one down. That is, if you can reach in between the holes of the complex masks they wear. They carry no real close quarter weaponry and aren't known for great physical hand to hand combat skills.

#### Crusher Prime ~wrestler~

The crusher prime comes equiped with the best of anti-armor weaponry. Two Shortaxes made to detatch worn armor from the body, usually exposing the soft, fleshy underbelly of the enemy. But unlike his enemy, the crusher prime wears armor that will stab into and cut anything it touches. It's therefor not uncommon to see them hug their foes as the latter breathes their last or stomp them into the ground with their huge boots. These aren't exactly known for their movement speed across the battlefield, rather their abilities to wrestle down skillful fighters that rely primarily on swift movement or unarmed attacks.

#### Rusher ~horseback spearmen~

Rushers are normally mounted. Equipped with spears, both for throwing and keeping foes at bay, the rusher makes for a swift and ranged cavalry that can provide heavy support and easily match those afoot.

#### Rusher Prime ~chariot spearmen~

The rusher prime isn't seated atop its mount. Instead, it prefers to ride in a chariot. Still equipped with spears, scythes are actually one of the more desired weapons for the rusher prime.

#### Bladewords ~cannon-fodder~

There is but one way to successfully describe the bladewords:

**"The arrows raining that blots out the sun, drown in the ocean of metal that is the Denegrimians. There simply aren't enough volleys."**

#### Bladewords prime ~Standard soldier~

Though the quote mostly rings true, it is in being armored, strong and prepared masses of fierce warriors, that the Denegrimians real strength lies.

#### Primal ~heroes~

The military asset that requires no introduction in the world of Denegrim, the one on one champions that are the very best of the best. These are pet keepers of the most dangerous creatures in All of Denegrim. They possess quite the following and are representatives of the Parliament of honor. Pets they keep include plenty of Sandstone drakes, multiple Slitherbears, flocks of Tigers, ... and in the time of the Primal Dictator, one Soft Bulk. They tend to have access to unnatural weaponry, armory and others, but choose to wield the natural instead. They are on par with the Grimguard, only less organized.

#### Primal Prime ~living legends~

The stereotypical heroes of the Denegrim legend. Carrying hardly any armor, with a single unnatural weapon in hand and a taunting attitude, these are considered the real skill-filled members. Primal primes tend to outshine the Grimguard in single combat/challenge every time. But due to their champion status, they are often overconfident, self-ruling(and therefor reckless), self-centered and terrible in teams, with results of friendly fire not being few and far between. Occassionally they will take on armor, but won't wear helmets. They are often offered the best rewards and most potent of tools, just so they can be made even more effective.

### **Linguistic Culture**

#### The battlecry: "War!"

As of a few generations, Denegrim lives on the understanding that communication is the most important aspect of any form of relation or reality. War is one such thing. The language of Denegrim differs very little from the other languages, specifically 1 word is of significance. War. The word that by the means of speaking can provide a Denegrimian with an increadible amount of information. "Locations, timing, windspeeds, numbers, archtypes..." This is an ability known to all in Denegrim, but its intricacies are unknown to most, if not all other nations.

#### The Primal honor: "For the Handler!"

The Denegrimians are believed to be born with the natural atunement to the Manhandler. Their desire for honor in battle will make them fight battles against incredible odds or even when they are captured. But only if their faith is broken and their morale demolished do they surrender. Many have been recorded dying for their belief that the nation would fight them out of their dangerous situations.

### **History**

History has a funny way of repeating itself.. so we won't be recording the harvesting and waking up/going to sleep of every single person in Denegrim, but we will consider the most important parts.

#### Lost

The name of a plant that could instantly kill any man in Denegrim.

#### Recorded

In the past there have been recordings of the purple wars. In an age where Denegrim laid siege directly to the elven cities. But over time, these traditions were forgotten and the elves forged emeralds to defeat the orc menace. The once great empire of Denegrim was torn in half. Once it was destroyed and reborn within the same day. And now,...

####

### Current state (due to events previously listed)

The map of the nation is woefully out of date. The wise dictator has come up with the wild idea that a central coordination will result in an absolutely unstopable invasion force that will flood the world and secure the future for all of what will be Denegrim. With elect heroes being sent out both into domestic and foreign territory, the Denegrims eye turns to the handful of heroes(any willing, not the Primal Prime) that now face such a nigh overwhelming challenge.

The nation is generally calm, but cooking up new wars as time progresses. Their desire to overtake more is simply too great. Beind so far down in the south and seeing the threats from high up in the north, there have been attempts made at conquering across the oceans and streams. But after suffering losses to many losses on the waters, the clans expansions have halted. Most of the Denegrimians are working on more methods to scale mountains, cross large waters and performing po(d)wer rituals. A recent influx of tribes joining the nation of Denegrim from the South-East has caused some uproar amongst the Parliament of honor. The tribes aren't aligned with any specific members of the Parliament and as such, tensions rise between the families that already lived in Denegrim as the members do their best to adapt to the new and harsh environment.

The nation of Denegrim stands strong, yet faces internal adversaries that yet prevent it from taking over. In the south there are seasnakes that maim many a man per day. Though the first steps to cutting off their fresh watersupply have begun. The creatures and domains that border the Nation of Denegrim are not recipiants of the nations specific vegetation and fauna. The South-east is perfectly open, but an old contract of ancient orcs that came long before them haults them in their tracks, the Denegrimian language of old still written on their hearts. In the clashing lands east of Naubuterken, the emperor is also busy making the Emerald pool that influences the land at least partially receptive of Denegrimian vegetation.