Orc Raiders

“Give Orc a pig, feed him for day. Give Orc a sword, feed him for life.”

~ Kzar Rabahn, of the Black Grasses

Moving like locusts across the Land, the tribes of Orcs, Goblins and Half-Trolls led by the Orc Khans leaving few intact towns or villages in their wake. Every year for centuries, the green-skinned hordes come screaming out of the northern grasslands (called The Fist) to raid and pillage the more civilized inhabitants of the Land. After a few weeks of fighting, killing, looting and burning, they move on top the next area to continue the destructive cycle. Many times throughout history the Orcs could have conquered and remained in the lowlands, but this was never their goal. After they have killed and plundered their fill, they always retreat to their homelands.

## History

### Previous Ages

In -500 Tz: The Orcs begin to make yearly raids on the Land. A sizable horde of Orcs, led by one of the first major kzar commanders, conducts organized raids against human settlements along the edge of the northern grasslands. As result of the brutal attacks, humans in the northlands begin to band together, build rudimentary forts and organize clan alliances to fend off the attacks of these “Orc Raiders.”

In -162 Tz, The Orcs sack Caero. A huge Orc Raider horde led by Kzar Natan attacks Caero, breaks its defenses and puts the entire Kosian ruling family to the sword. In the middle of looting the city, an Orc eagle god appears in a vision to the kzar. Badly shaken by the omen from his god, Natan orders the Orcs to leave the city and never return. By the end of the year, the rest of the eastern Kosian Empire shatters into twenty warring states as well.

### Age of Chaos

434 Tz was a stunning year for the Orcs of The Fist. As a new Orc leader, Kzar Nabar, rose to power after defeating many of the tribal leaders in death challenges, his deal with the Galeshi peoples to provide them scouts and black powder weapons in exchange for swearing to never lead an attack against their people was a monumental event. Led by Galeshi scouts through the Blasted Lands, Kzar Nabar sacked Prieska, nearly toppled the Citadel of Luxor, and even threatened the great Atlantean city of Rokos. As result of his success in attacking the Atlantean homeland, Prophet-Magus Osiras ordered the armies attacking Khamsin to be recalled back to the Atlantean capitol, costing the Empire a final victory over the hated Revolutionaries.

Kzar Nabar for a time was seen with a Solonavi advisor, but eventually banished the spirit being out of his displeasure with the advisor's meddling. However, shortly after the Orcs began the siege of the city of Rokos, the Solonavi revealed their secret involvement in the city, and slaughtered their one-time pawn at the moment of the Orc's greatest conquest in centuries.

After the massive invasion of Prieska by Kzar Nabar’s war-horde (a kzar being a leader of many tribes), and the eventual collapse of Nabar’s army after his death at the Battle of Rokos, a number of the Orcs that came south decided to remain in their conquered lands, for the time being making their home in the sacked Prieska. These Orcs, members of the Shadow Khan tribes, broke centuries of Orc tradition, and earned the enmity of those traditionalist Orcs – the Broken Tusk – who believe that all the loot taken from a season of raiding should be returned to The Fist and divided through trial of combat. By avoiding returning to the Fist, the Shadow Khan tribes earn the enmity of their Broken Tusk brethren who see the break of tradition as an evil and despicable act, but yet make for themselves a second Orc homeland along the western edge of the faltering Empire. Each of the tribal leaders, or khans, may choose for themselves whether they side with the Shadow Khans or the Broken Tusk.

News has reached the Orcs that the reanimated Orc hero, Kzar Rabahn, after slaughtering his hated Galeshi enemies, was attacked and slaughtered by the traitorous Darq the Corrupt. As result of this vile plan, the Orcs will destroy any of the Moonborn on sight, and killing the vile traitor Darq is seen as a quest of the greatest honor imaginable for an Orc warrior.

### Post-Breaking

The once formidable Atlantean Empire struggles to reunite its kingdom in the face of an all-out assault from the Orc Khans. Where once the Orcs were content with raids on the borderlands, the rumors of powerful new creatures, perhaps under the control of the Atlanteans, have made them afraid that their window of opportunity is rapidly closing. Fortresses are falling to rampaging hordes of the Khan army, and there are rumors that the Emperor, fearing an eventual assault on the kingdom’s most powerful cities, has been increasing their defenses and asking for assistance from old, and now silent, allies.

The Orc Khans have become a serious threat; they progress deeper and deeper into the countryside and scouts report that siege machines and war beasts were spotted in their ranks. They may attempt to attack keeps, or maybe even cities. The weakened Atlantean emperor's army is not strong enough to hold back so many troops, and it has already abandoned some of the frontier keeps to strengthen the defense of their cities.

## Organization

> "An Elven saying posits that while humans are content to simply stick their noses into the affairs of others, Orcs prefer to use their entire heads."
> *-* Maleficius
>
>

They are not an easy opponent to face, and often turn the tide of battle with their sheer ferocity and rage. On the steppes of The Fist, Orcs and their brethren have learned two lessons well. The first is to keep moving: herds require fresh grazing land, and The Fist’s few habitable areas are under constant challenge by competing tribes and marauding packs. Settling in one place is tantamount to inviting repeated attacks, so it is better to take what one can and move on quickly. The second lesson of the Fist is that force of arms will always trump politics. Or, as the Orcs put it, *“Sterga czer”* (“Strength rules”). This philosophy can be seen in what passes for tribal law and in the frequent invasions that have rolled in off the steppes. The raiders make no excuses for it. The Land is their battlefield.

Like a plague of locusts they descend, devouring resources and sowing chaos and misery in their wake. These are the Orc Raiders - cursed by some as a blight on the Land, accepted by others as low-rent mercenaries. Truly, they are simple creatures - they live for battle and the plunder that follows, taking what they can and spoiling what remains. They care nothing for boundaries or law. In their view, might makes right, and their acknowledged strength gives them a valid claim to take what they wish from other races.

Meanwhile, the common view by many non-Orcs is that all of the green-skinned vermin should be cut down as soon as possible, as the chance of Orcs conquering the Land – rather than just pillaging it and running off – signifies a dangerous trend that may destabilize entire civilized regions. It is a peculiar, uncertain time, and the events of the next few years may well shape the course of Orc – and human – culture.

The Orc Raiders work alongside some of the more savage Troll tribes and have been known to interbreed.

## In tabletop

What’s a fantasy game without Orcs? Not much! Which is why Mage Knight has this minor faction packed with frothing, battle-hungry grunts. Racially, Orcs are characterized by good combat values. After they take some damage, they go berserk before ultimately turning tail and running away. If nothing else, they are predictable. Orcs are also known for their quirkiness, and nowhere is this more evident than in the Chaos Mage, who at one time or another displays an aptitude in just about every Mage Knight skill.

*****Orc Raiders*****

***Factions Portal***

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20010609220050/http://www.mageknight.com/article.htm?cid=19038
2. ↑ https://www.mageknight.net/wp-content/uploads/Mage-Knight-Lore-The-Ages-Longer-History-of-The-Land-From-the-Third-Bookshelf-in-Old-Scrying-Chamber.pdf
3. ↑ https://www.mageknight.net/wp-content/uploads/Mage-Knight-Board-Game-Ultimate-Edition-Walkthrough-September-2018.pdf
4. ↑ https://www.mageknight.net/wp-content/uploads/Mage-Knight-Board-Game-Ultimate-Edition-Expansion-Rule-Books-September-2018.pdf
5. ↑ https://www.mageknight.net/wp-content/uploads/Mage-Knight-Lore-Expansion-Lancers.pdf
6. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20020624165925/http://www.wizkidsgames.com/mageknight/figures\_landing.htm?cat=raiders