Tribes of the Hold of Belkzen

The banner of the Hold of Belkzen.

The orcs of the Hold of Belkzen congregate in tribes, which is the extent to which they are organized into any semblance of order. These tribes may be comprised of more than just orcs and often include slaves or even fully accepted members of other races including giants, ettins, and ogres. An unstable hierarchy and constant warfare maintain the balance of power between the tribes, and alliances and feuds rarely last long. Many tribes commission battle menageries (cages full of monsters to be loosed onto the battlefield) and siege engines, when engaged in frequent warfare with other tribes. The names selected for these tribes are designed to frighten those who find themselves facing them across the battlefield.

Prominent tribes

• Bearslayer: A newly formed tribe which began raiding Trunau's outer holdings in 4713 AR.
• Black Sun: The original tribe of Belkzen himself, this tribe is still significant today.
• Bloodied Gauntlet
• Blood Trail
• Broken Spine: This tribe is ruled by Chief Kroghut. Their standard is an orc skull with a spine surrounding it from 6 o'clock, to 4 o'clock.
• Burning Sun
• Cleft Head: Orcs of the Cleft Head tribe are well known for being cowards, waiting for the other tribes to engage in battle, then picking off stragglers. They also have the reputation of being the easiest tribe to scare off the battlefield. The tribe is led by a particularly fat orc named K'zaard the Drover.
• Closed Fist: Not a tribe per se, the Closed Fist was Great Chief Grask Uldeth's police force led by Ardax the White-Hair. After Uldeth's demise, Ardax is now the overlord of all the tribes of the Hold of Belkzen.
• Dead Eye
• Death Tower: Death Tower orcs worship Zagresh and are among the more dangerous inhabitants of Belkzen.
• Death's Head
• Drowning Sand
• Eight Fingers
• Empty Hand: Led by Grask Uldeth, the Empty Hand tribe currently controls the fortress of Urgir and are the de facto ruling tribe of Belkzen.
• Gutspear: The Gutspear tribe of orcs dwells in the caves of the Kodar Mountains.
• Haskodar: Led by Tulluk Clovenface, the Haskodar orcs share rule of Blisterwell with the One Eye tribe.
• Ice Tooth
• Mangled Limb: Known allies of the fearsome orc alchemist Mother Chot, they dwell in the eastern reaches of the Kodar Mountains.
• One Eye: The One Eye tribe, along with the Haskodar clan, rule Blisterwell.
• Open Barrow
• Severed Hand: The most well-known orc tribe of the Menador Mountains.
• Shattered Fang: Known for their ferocity but also for keeping their oaths. They live in the Menador Mountains.
• Skittering Ravagers: A tribe of orcs that plagued the Skittermounds. They were wiped out soon after conquering Skull Hill.
• Skull Eater
• Steel Eaters: The Steel Eaters are a group of mad, 'tribeless' orc engineers and weaponsmiths who remain neutral, allowing them to sell siege engines to all of the tribes. These twisted scientists control the Foundry and no tribe will risk displeasing them.
• Storm-Screamers of Rull
• Twisted Nail
• Unbroken Horn: Since 4716 AR, Paskis Nine-Knives has led the Unbroken Horn Hold, which controls the fortress of Wyvernsting and the Dirt Sea.
• Whispering Blades: A secret hold of spies and counter-espionage agents, the Whispering Blades operate surreptitiously across Belkzen.
• Wingripper

Tribal banners

Each of the tribes of the Hold of Belkzen has a battle standard that is carried with them wherever they go. The tribe's symbol or namesake is depicted on the standard, and it is normally hung from a long spear decorated with the trophies of past battles. This flag never leaves the chief's side in battle (although it is generally carried by a subordinate), and is immensely important to the tribe's morale. Most of these standards are very old, and sometimes magical, and hold nearly religious significance to a tribe's members. If a standard is lost in battle, a chief will do anything to get it back.

References

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.