Zul Kiras

Zul Kiras
Country Information
Capital:	Zirak-Zan
Languages:	Orcish, other goblinoid languages
Religion:	Zul Kiran pantheon
Government:	Confederation with elective monarchy
Current Ruler:	War-King Krauthil Shadowspear

Zul Kiras, also called the United Clans, is an organized and militant kingdom of orcs and other goblinoids located to the north and west of Arangoth. Bloody conflicts with neighboring kingdoms have been the hallmark of Zul Kiran history, leading one famous elven orator to describe it as "a nation built from the bones of the dead."

History

Main Article: History of Zul Kiras

The kingdom came into existance in the year 109, when orcish armies led by the legendary Fenris Bonebreaker conquered the kingdom of Beren. Bloody conflicts with neighboring kingdoms have been the hallmark of Zul Kiran history, leading one famous elven orator to describe it as "a nation built from the bones of the dead." Some Zul Kirans like to counter with the observation that several of the countries conquered by the United Clans initiated the wars that led to their downfall.

Geographical Features

At its present boundaries, the orcish lands are approximately the same size as Arangoth and Elvendeep combined, stretching from Kahlahra in the east to the shores of the Inland Sea in the west, and from the River Deepwater in the north to the Lunit Mountains in the south.

Government and Politics

Zul Kiras is a confederation of several hundred clans, each having anywhere from several dozen to tens of thousands of members. The the original three founding clans were the Steel Raven, Firestorm, and Fading Sun, but the number of clans has grown as the nation expanded. New groups of orcs and other goblinoids have joined Zul Kiras as new clans, and War-Kings sometimes grant heroes who have distinguised themselves in war the right to found their own clans. Owing to their varied origins, members of different clans can vary significantly in physical appearance, cultural traditions, religious beliefs, and approaches to warfare.

Each clan has its own territory within Zul Kiras, and has a large degree of autonomy in running day to day affairs. The Clan Chieftains elect a War-King, who rules from the fortified city of Zirak-Zan on the banks of the River Thunder. The War-King serves as the supreme commander of the nation's considerable military might, settle disputes among clans, and determine policy in matters which concern the nation as a whole. Each clan sends a representative to the Council of Clans to advise the War-King, and this body has evolved over time into a quasi-legislature, passing recommendations to the War-King that are usually given the force of law by the Zul Kiran monarch.

Neighboring countries have long refused to acknowledge the orcish kingdom as a legitimate nation. The Zul Kirans for their part have had minimal interest in attempting to forge ties with other countries and reverse their status as a pariah until quite recently. Because of its political and cultural isolation from the rest of the continent throughout most of its history, Zul Kiras has remained an enigma throughout most of its existence. Most of what is now known about the orcish nation in Arangoth is due to a book written by Alfrith ul-Branth Aptentrod, a professor from the Royal University in Hornath ul-Marfed who spent a year in Zul Kiras in the company of several orcs from the Fading Sun Clan.

Notable Government Officials

Krauthil Shadowspear: Current War-King of Zul Kiras. An orc of the Howling Wind Clan, Shadowspear was elected in the year 481.

Vazhak Bloodhammer: Reigned as War-King from 470-481. Former general of the Steel Raven Clan's forces. Currently serving as the Steel Raven Clan's delegate to the Council of Clans. Oversaw the invasion and occupation of the western half of Outer Arangoth.

Vrugar Ghostwalker: A wizard of the Firestorm clan. Reigned as War-King from 459-470. Oversaw the rebuilding efforts following the fourth war with Elvendeep. Currently serves as a diplomatic envoy at large for the War-King.

Religion

Main Article: Zul Kiran Religion

The orcish religion is extremely polyglot as a natural consequence of the far-flung origins of the component clans of Zul Kiras. Clans that lived in closer geographic proximity to one another before their entrance to the United Clans tend to have greater similarities in mythology and religious practices. Many clans have almost entirely different pantheons and hierarchies of gods, however, and have different ways of venerating their gods. Some clans also practice ancestor veneration, and still others give honor to numinous spirits that protect and govern various places and activities. The Black Bull Clan was formed from various priests and other religious leaders from the United Clans to ensure that all of the gods receive the proper worship due them. Over the years, the Clan's priests have made impressive strides toward creating a unified mythology, though a complete harmonization of all the disparate elements seems a nearly impossible task. The clan has weathered its share of religious disputes throughout the years, and is not free of internal tensions even now.

One of the few unifying threads among all clans is the worship of Sek, the Orcfather. Among non-orcish clans, he is also referred to as the Goblinfather, Trollfather, or Ogrefather, etc. Sek is the undisputed chief deity in the Zul Kiran religion, though the pantheons that serve him can vary widely from clan to clan. The Zul Kirans believe that Sek rules from his hall of Tanuruzdan, where the souls of the dead are brought before him for judgement. Those found worthy live in his hall and do battle against his enemies, while those found unworthy are cast into a dark and shadowy place called Nnetharr, where they are forgotten. The especially odious might be fed to one of Sek's monstrous pets, or otherwise condemned to an eternity of suffering. Oaths sworn in Sek's name are considered legally binding, and violating such an oath can have grave consequences.