Ringiff

**Ringiff** Nautically minded Orc kingdom with robust trading routes and artisans.

Monsfa, Wonderverg, Balance, and port killian

Ringiff is the most southerly of the orc kingdoms, founded with the story of a hero who carved a bloody path to the sea. Before the coalition of the shorter lived races was really founded, an orc named Grek escaped some mysterious elven fighting pit or experiment chamber. Either magically imbued or simply hardened by his struggle, he fought his way out of the dying empire of the twilight of the elves, surviving an encounter at the irongate war where he is personally credited as killing the red dragon named Ormrgothi. Legends of his deeds place him a contrary sides, fighting for contrary causes. All myths contain one element, an unconquerable desire to die with his eyes facing the sea. Grek was not known to raise his own banner or demand fealty, but he had followers all the same, preferring to face his enemies alone and then sleep in the camps that sprung around them. In one very few moments of apocryphal dialogue we have of Grek he was asked by a halfling poet why he was going the wrong way. Grek stopped his walk, that he did for all hours the light was allowed to him, carts and caravans that followed him trying and failing to slow with their errant leader. He laid the scrutiny of a brow that had slayed countless on the Halfling and asked simply what he meant. The Halfling, unexpecting this of Grek as he had proven to be an orc of few words, told him that the sea was much closer if he travelled east. Grek is said to have put a hand to his chin and thought, briefly. After raising his head with purpose and focusing his eyes to the south, he answered that it would not be his sea, and that he knew the sea he was to die in front of was ahead of him.

As these things are known to go, Grek reached the sea, and did not die there immediately. The caravan behind him watched his broad back as the waves rushed to his boots, taking the blood from his axe in the waters. Hushed voices questioned whether he would go back north, whether it had been for nothing. Grek used his blood hungry axe to fell trees, to build himself a hut and to watch the ocean every day. Much of the caravan left, including if legends are to be believed, a young and disappointed Arghig, vowing to do what Grek should have. Some remained by his side, built huts along with him and Port Killian was born, supposedly named for Grek deceased mother. Some arrived to join the orc, or at least see this legend in the flesh. Others came to kill him, to build their own legend and they found that Grek had not had his fire quenched by his beloved salty sea. Years passed, and settlements expanded around, each settler having some wild story of how Grek himself approved them living in his new nation. With Grek at the head, they fought off Raggnloth, ogres and even some say thought back threats from beyond the southern sea. Eventually as an old bearded white haired orc, Grek built himself a boat, no more than strapped driftwood waxed with animal fat. Using his axe as an oar and nothing else but a goatskin of dwarf ale, he silently left mid afternoon to sail out into the sea and die there. He was never seen again.

In the cog years since, Ringiff has become something to be reckoned with on the continent. Defending itself from Ragnnloth with the town balance and remaining in control of a stretch of fertile forest to the northern boarder. Modern Port Killian is an extremely prosperous merchant town with the protection of Ringiff’s naval and amphibious forces in Fort boar. The River Mcfae meets the south sea here and Ringiff uses its mastery of Riverine and littoral transport many goods to suntij and beyond. A Yalmiront scholar Christoph Frosch estimated that at least four million gold coins worth of commerce and trade takes place in Port Killian every day. The port has many drinking establishments, many named fora components of the Grek legend. Ormrgothi’s gizzard ran by an orc, Gnarlhorn from Bendatten, The driftwood tavern, owned by human family the Coles for generations. Two rival pubs called Grek’s axe, both of which claim to be the original to bare that name. Grek’s axe west of the Mcfae is ran by an Ogre called Tornpelt, Grek’s axe east of the mcfae is currently owned by dwarf former adventurer named Urgzak thundercraig. Both claim to be originally opened by orcs of Grek’s original caravan. Port Killians must notable other business is the boar shipbuilders and yard, manufacturers of fine and hardy ships.

Balance is home to the weapon smiths and armourers of Ringiff. Typified by the enormous axe that stands in the town square. The Balance axe is masterpiece of hard stone and iron that stretches 40ft along, sticking out of the ground at a diagonal angle. Around it, orcs craft weapons, hundreds at a time, plate armour sets and unique orcish studded leather armour, considered to be the best leather armour across the continent by many. Beyond the weapon craft Balance functions as a sort of proto-commune, collecting firewood for the forges, trading metals for foods. An adventurer in need of high quality items without many coins to their pockets can do much worse than spending some weeks in Balance and working amongst the Ringiff orcs to forge something themselves. One of the former workshops has been converted to a bar named the sawhouse, serving strong and somewhat inconsistent rum beverages. The Sawhouse also has become so renowned for its drunken brawls that all the tables and benches can be dropped on hinges to make a circular fighting pit.

Wonderverg is the largest city of Ringiff but not the most prosperous or friendly. Most of the city is made of shanty shacks stacked atop each other, with little or no governance or planning to these communities. Orcs make the majority of the population, but also goblins, gnolls, bugbears, kenku, wererats and ogres. It has a beastly reputation that belies the complexity of the criminal operations that lurk underneath the chaotic exterior. From fencing black market items, to more hideous exploitation, every career criminal in Maligon thinks of Wonderverg with the idea of making a profit at some point. Unscrupulous bodyguards or thugs posing as assassins will credit survival in Wonderverg as a point of pride or as a credit to their resume. Wonderverg has a large cult of Leholimo, seen as a sister church for the holy church of Ragnnloth. His high holy pontiff Lehothellus has visited Wonderverg personally, something that is still commemorated on many church buildings.

The Orcs of Monsfa are considered by the rest of Ringiff to represent the most links to a traditional orc heritage, one that comes from before interaction with the elves. Monsfa contains Exemplar Orcish artisans, leatherworkers, artists, bead workers, tapestry weavers and the school of the deathless song. The School is a training ground for the bards following the orcish traditon, perhaps one of the greatest bardic collages across all of Maligon. The Deathless song teaches the benefits of poetry and song in conflict and the importance of culture for memory in peace times. A travelling orc Skald leaving the school is required to stop in towns with orcish communities and perform for hours at a time, stories of the heroes and battles that made the mountains and the coasts and fought back the brutal cruel humans, the Dwarfs who plundered too deep, or the elves whose magicks scarred the lands. While every home in Monsfa is normally engaged in some sort of craft, they run small forested farms, eschewing hazardous land cultivation. There is however an order of Takamul lumber workers who provide the perfectly plained 50ft boards for the boats in Port Killian. Nature clerics and druids work to revitalise the northern ringiff forest almost as quickly as it can be logged. Some of the great palaces have the large wooden statues produced by Monsfa lumberjacks in pride of palace of artistic collections.

Ringiff has a large population of Seals, giant grabs and Ceterat wild cows between Monsfa and the coast.