Urglin

Urglin

(City)

Titles

Shattered City
Second Home

Nation

Varisia

Region

Cinderlands, Storval Plateau

Size

Small city

Population

5,800

Demographics

Orcs, dromaars, Shoanti, giants

Government

Anarchy

Alignment

Chaotic evil

Demonym

Urglinites

Ruler

None

Source: Orcs of Golarion, pg(s). 19

The predominantly orc city of Urglin (which means "Second Home" in the orc language) is the only population center of any sort in the Cinderlands region of Varisia's Storval Plateau.

Geography

Built in the ruins of an ancient city, Urglin is the only stopping point between Varisia and the Hold of Belkzen to the east. Located in the middle of nowhere on the fire-blasted plains of the Cinderlands, it is a cesspool of savage villainy. It covers about 300 acres of land on the banks of the polluted Ooze River and is divided into five distinct neighborhoods: Scabtown, which holds most of Urglin's markets, the non-orc neighborhood of Pinkskin, the "religious" Bonerattle district, the "upper class" Warmouth neighborhood, and the orc slum of Oozefront. The buildings (what remain of them) are clearly not of orc construction, although the fierce warriors have certainly erected numerous tents and shacks, or have shored up existing stone buildings in order to make them (barely) habitable.

History

Urglin has been occupied for hundreds of years by the violent detritus of the Storval Plateau and the effluvia of the Hold of Belkzen. It is unclear who originally built the city, for the stone buildings scattered about the settlement were surely not constructed by its current inhabitants. Some might assume that due to its location in Varisia, Urglin was built during the time of Thassilon, but this is incorrect: the architectural style is clearly not Thassilonian, but something more recent. Others claim that because numerous ruins bear Shoanti markings, that the was built by the ancestors of the native Shoanti, but this has not been confirmed. Regardless, the orcs of Belkzen have plundered and destroyed anything of value or architectural worth over their time of residence in the city and built up new and ugly shanty towns from scavenged materials.

Inhabitants

Although orcs and dromaars predominate, the city is also home to outcast Shoanti, giants, and half-breeds of all kinds. The orcs of Urglin like to raid the Shoanti tribes of the Cinderlands (and vice-versa), so the two groups are often in conflict. Urglin is arguably the orc settlement most friendly to non-orcs (who are referred to as pinkskins in Taldane), but that is not saying much. Most places of business only cater to orcs and dromaars, and if a human even so much as steps foot in one them, he or she better have the reputation to discourage any challengers.

Urglin's citizens have shored up the city's dilapidated structures with bone, leather, crude stone, and the occasional pieces of wood. Numerous bone-and-leather tents and yurts lie throughout the city's five districts:

• Bonerattle
• Oozefront
• Pinkskin
• Scabtown
• Warmouth

Government

Urglin has no central government; the most powerful groups in the city simply enforce their will by force. The most prominent of these are the priests of Rovagug known as the Bonecarvers, who run a type of protection racket that squeezes money out of anyone weaker.

Economy

Despite the constant violence and anarchy, Urglin does serve as a market for some of the most despicable traders in Varisia and the Hold of Belkzen. The slave trade is of particular importance, with many of the unfortunate souls destined for the slave markets of Kaer Maga passing through Urglin's markets first. Many don't make it that far, however, as they are diverted to serve as entertainment in Urglin's corrupt and highly dangerous gladiatorial games.

References

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