The Orcish Wastes

The Orcish Wastes are sandwiched between the northern reaches of the Kingdom of Exiles and the southern foothills of the Highlands. It’s a rough, hard land, which is one of the reasons that the Kingdom hasn’t felt the need as yet to expand into it; the other is the tribes of orcs.

As may be expected, the orcs of the Orcish Wastes have interacted with the Kingdom of Exiles on many occasions. The most notable was the alliance with Captain Lannister that allowed him to defect from the Defenders and carve off a chunk of the north-east of the Barony van Heusen to create his own Barony in 98AE. That alliance still holds, and the Barony Lannister is probably the most orc-friendly in the Kingdom.

The orcs band together into tribes, led by a Chieftain who is advised by Champions and priests. Each tribe has its own markings to set them apart from other tribes; in addition, priests of the different Paths (normally Death, Might or Order) have another marking to show which Path they follow. The tribes are highly independent, mostly too busy feuding with each other to bother coming across the border and largely have no patience for non-orcs – the tribes known to be friendly to the civilised races are The Iron Hand and The Smoking Eye.

It’s unlikely that a player character would come from the Orcish Wastes, but it’s not impossible; a half-orc fleeing persecution from their own or other tribes or a non-orc driven out would work as concepts, and the Character Refs may be able to help you with other ideas.