Clan Gorkil
Clan Gorkil is one of the elder Clans in Orcish society. It was founded shortly before the Clan Wars by Angbad, in honor of his father Gorkil. It has been central to Orcish society since Aegis and, up until recent times, it was one of the largest Clans.
Contents
History
Founding & the Clan Wars
The Gorkil Clan was founded by Angbad shortly after Gorkil’s death. At the time, there were a plethora of small clans that made up the Orcish race, rather than it being several clans that made up the entirety of Orcish society. After Krug’s death (the exact date and circumstances of which are unknown), the Orcs began to disperse and grow much less centralized, instead consisting mostly of small villages which would mingle with the other nearby villages. One could see upwards of twenty different clans in a single village. However, two clans grew to be much larger and more powerful than any of the other clans at the time: the Rax Clan and the Dom Clan.
The Rax Clan, led by Warlord Tythor, had a heated rivalry against the Dom Clan, led by Warlord Or’ta, that would eventually erupt into a full blown . After a surprise attack launched by Or’ta against the Rax, Lur, and Phol Clan left many dead in the span of a few days all throughout the desert, the Rax Clan retaliated and called to arms not just all its brothers, but for Clans to come and fight with them. This conflict, which would come to be known as either the Rax-Dom War or the Clan Wars, would both unite and divide the Orcish race. Clans and villages began to choose sides and align themselves with either the Rax Clan or the Dom Clan, and years of violent fighting followed.
The Gorkil Clan, before the outbreak of the conflict, already had a strong distrust of the Rax Clan, due to a combination of the vitriol members of Gorkil have against the clan’s namesake and the belief that Tythor was dishonorable. While the Dom Clan, they had a very warm friendship with, attempting to keep the kinship Gorkil had held with his sister alive between the two clans. So, when the Clan Wars started, the reigning Wargoth of Gorkil, Veruk, aligned the clan with Dom.
Veruk led a campaign in the northwest, annexing many of the smaller clans that aligned with the Raxes. The forces eventually closed in on Nomad Plains, where the first major battle of the Clan Wars would be held. At the Battle of Nomad Plains, Veruk personally led five hundred Gorkils, riding the fastest war boars the clan could muster, to eliminate the twelve hundred jabbernaks Tythor had brought to the battle. The group quickly broke through and began to wreak havoc on the enemy forces, decimating the cavalry and nearly routing the enemy. And as the Gorkils decimated the cavalry, the Dom shamans sent lightning crashing down from the skies, made fires erupt out of nowhere right in the middle of Rax forces. While the Rax forces were able to hold their ground for some time, it eventually proved to be too much, and they had to make a hasty retreat. By the end of the battle, the twelve hundred jabbernaks Tythor had brought to the battle was reduced to a hundred and fifty, while Veruk’s regiment had only lost thirty war boars, and even fewer Gorkils.
Soon after the battle, Veruk would find out that Or’ta, and many others in the Dom Clan, had become the first generation of dark shamans. Or’ta had tricked many spirits into becoming slaves to him and other Dom shamans, gifting them with incredible shamanic abilities that had not been seen elsewhere, such as flesh smithing. Veruk was repulsed by this and pulled out of the war, having his Gorkil brethren stand by and protect their villages from any incursions by the Doms or Raxes onto their territory.
The Clan Wars went by with little involvement from the Gorkils from that point on. Due to the relative peacefulness of the clan in this period, it prospered and grew immensely, with a nigh unbreakable bond between this confederation of villages. However, there was an underlying sense of rage over the Clan Wars. The Dom Clan, their brothers in arms, had turned to such dishonorable and horrendous measures. There was a lot of suspicion thrown towards shamans within these communities, that even their own brethren might betray them for the sake of power.
Once the Clan Wars came to an conclusion, ending in Or’ta being smitten by lightning, an act of intervention by Krug, and Tythor’s son Tythus banishing all Dom clansmen who were not killed in the Clan Wars. Tythus united the Orcish people under one flag and founded the War Nation of Krugmar, becoming the first ever Rex.
Modern Aegis
Gorkil existed within Krugmar for some time. Their feelings of discontent toward the Rax leadership continued even after having sworn fealty to them, a sentiment that was held by many different Orcs, but most of all the Gorkils. This eventually led to the next Gorkil warlord, Mogroka, and his brother in arms Gorefang’Khor, to begin challenging the Rax leadership. Mogroka ordered the construction of a large fort meant to act as the home for Gorkils. By this point, Gorkil had grown to surpass Rax as the largest clan in Krugmar, so this was a huge upset to the balance of power in Krugmar. Tythus was furious, and at this point Mogroka and Gorefang declared open rebellion against Tythus, the full power of Gorkil, Khor, and numerous other clans backing the two. Mogroka and Tythus fought hard for the title, and the rebellion showed all the signs of becoming the Second Clan Wars, not even ten years after the first. Thankfully, the rebellion concluded after one relatively bloodless battle, in favor of the Gorkils. Mogroka, Gorefang, and Rax realized this and, not wanting to shed even more Orcish blood over a petty dispute between Orcs, decided to settle this in a one on one klomp. Mogroka and Tythus fought each other for a whole three days, with no water, no food, and no rest. Neither side was able to get the upper hand against each other. On the fourth day, both collapsed from exhaustion, leaving the honor klomp at a tie.
With the first klomp for Rexdom ending inconclusively, the War Nation began to prepare for another full fledged war. Mogroka and Gorefang were reluctantly beginning to rally their troops when the Elder Shaman of Gorkil, Krink, came to the two and tried to explain to them that there was another way. Krink had a vision prior to the klomp that Krugmar would be united by Gorefang and Mogroka, and that they were to challenge Tythus again, only this time together.
With the first klomp for Rexdom ending inconclusively, the War Nation began to prepare for another full fledged war. Mogroka and Gorefang were reluctantly beginning to rally their troops when the Elder Shaman of Gorkil, Krink, came to the two and tried to explain to them that there was another way. Krink had a vision prior to the klomp that Krugmar would be united by Gorefang and Mogroka, and that they were to challenge Tythus again, only this time together.
Tythus accepted the klomp and fought valiantly in the two on one, but Gorefang and Mogroka prevailed and deposed Tythus. The two ruled Krugmar as a pair, and ushered the Orcs into a new golden age. At some point during their rule, Gorefang mysteriously disappeared, leaving Mogroka as the sole Rex.
While all of this was going on, Aegis was in the midst of the great return of the Undead. Starting with the attack on Kal’Tryst, the Descendents were forced to band together for the time being and cease all hostilities with each other for the sake of warding off the Undead threat. More pressing to Krugmar specifically, though, was the brief return of Or’ta, supposedly having been fully corrupted by Iblees. He and the brief revival of Dom were mercilessly dealt with by both Tythus and Mogroka, quickly banishing him back to the legions of the Undead.
The Clan Gorkil continued to prosper, however Mogroka, as he should have, focused more on Krugmar as a whole rather than the clan individually. As such, the rest of the time on Aegis is mostly the same for Gorkils as it is for the rest of Krugmar.
Laws & Punishment
-If a Gorkil finds a person who is injured or starving, be they Uruk, human, kha, or any other race, and this person has done nothing to harm them or another Uruk, it is a Gorkil’s obligation to assist them by tending for their wounds, bringing them to a doctor or healer, or feeding them and offering them shelter.
-If the Wargoth demands something, a Gorkil should comply without question.
-A disagreement between two brothers must first be sorted out by talking with each other and trying to reach an understanding. If they fail to come to an understanding, they will have an honor klomp.
-Never betray your Clan, no matter the means. Be it by action or inaction, intent, or word.
-Do not perform dark or white magic.
-All orcs must abide by the code of Mauogh.
Artwork
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Trivia
The Gorkil have bred more Rexes than any other clan.
The Gorkil possess their own mount in the desert, the war boar. The war boar is bred for its strength, speed, and power.
The Gorkil do not worship elemental spirits, they choose to worship their ancestors. Because of this, it is much more likely to see a Gorkil lutauman rather than a Gorkil elementalist.
The Gorkil scar and self mutilate before battle to show their strength, as well as to spark their bloodlust.
The Gorkil have dark green skin and wine red eyes, every cub born a Gorkil possesses these traits.
The Gorkil have a hatred for magic other than shamanism, born in their wars with the Undead in Aegis.
