Half-Orcs Deserve Their Place

Hey all,

My campaign is going to eventually be heading into the territory of half-orcs. That's right, a stable half-orc kingdom.

You see, half-elves get it easy -- established kingdoms of their own, social acceptance, and all sorts of positive elven influence, while the half-orcs end up being the gardeners or cooks or lower tier of an existing society, or they are lieutenants to an orc warlord.

In my Western Marches campaign, one of my players lamented the lack of half-orcs as a player choice. I pointed out I had created an alternative that was mechanically identical, but then he suggested that orcs represent the savage tribal human, and to not represent that would be a shame. I gave it some thought, and looked to my campaign map.

I had a North-East corner of the map marked "The Black Ice of Kozeh". Thinking of half-orcs there cast my mind back to the Erokese novels, and gave me inspiration for a half-orc kingdom. I could see a series of clans of humans interbred with orcs now long gone, riding in sleds of wrought iron pulled by dire bears, carrying bone-carved halls with them as nomads.

So here's what I did -- comments and suggestions are always welcome!

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The Black Ice of Kozeh: North of the Theld lies the frozen waste of Kozeh. It is a blasted wasteland of rocks and dark ice and eternal cold, where the scars of the Summoner's War can still be found frozen in the ice.
Kozeh was originally home to the Mor'Urak over a thousand years ago, a warlike race that were in tribute to the Verdraaken Empire, and enemies of the Linnorm. This ended with the coming of the Shebeleth and the Summoner's War, when the Verdraaken Empire was destroyed, and Kozeh nearly with it. The black ash of the Theld was cast as far north as Kozeh, freezing in the ice and snow, turning it black.
Kozeh's temperatures are usually below freezing, except in the all-too-brief summer season. Annual precipitation is minimal, and usually is seen as black snow. The region is home to very little vegetation, which grow only in the most southern reaches where sunlight and warmth are slightly more than fleeting. The rest of Kozeh consists of permafrost, low wind-eroded mountain ranges, roving glacial packs or ice-choked seaways. In the winter months, raging blizzards of black snow can rage across Kozeh, and these blizzards often can dampen, limit, or even negate magic use, causing a great threat to those who depend on magic for warmth and food.
The animal life that manages to eke out an existence on The Black Ice are necessarily some of the heartiest stock in the Western Marches. Confronted with sparse food and biting cold, almost every creature sports an extra thick coat of fur and/or blubber. Roving herds of dire elk, wolves, bears of all types, and birds of prey live above the ice, while fish and whales live below. Many small artic mammals and birds survive on the scraps left by their larger cousins.
In this unnatural arctic world, some magical beasts and exotic creatures call the Black Ice home. Remorhaz are a threat to herd animals and hunters alike on the open tundra, as are frostworks on the glacial planes. Roving packs of worgs harass travellers in the southern regions, while small colonies of yeti live out an isolated existence in the low mountain ranges.
In recent centuries, a small flight of githwyrm dragons has established itself as the top predators. These mighty creatures are both feared and worshipped by the local clans of Kozehk, as well as gith and Theldane that have made their way to the Black Ice.

The Kozehk: The Kozehk are a nomadic barbarian culture of their own true-breeding race descended from the same cultural stock as the Theldane, as well as the Mor'Urak.
While they have many parallel cultural similarities to the Theldane, they are physically distinct. Their features are bestial, with pointed teeth and animalistic eyes. Their hirsute bodies are covered in thick, coarse hair, not dissimilar to that of a wolf. Their senses of scent are heightened from that of a normal man. They are tall and powerfully built and sport many tattoos, which they conceal under their thick fur clothing. Unlike the Theldane, they prize their hair, both beards and long tresses. Kozehk men insulate their faces with great thick black beards and both men and women wear their hair long; decorating it with intricate braids and decorations of bone, ivory, and even gold.
The Kozehk are continually migratory, travelling across the Black Ice in search of fish or hunting grounds. They travel on sleds of wrought iron, pulled by wolves, bears, or even other beasts they have tamed. With them, they pull their Sledge Halls, large clan-buildings of carved bone pulled on massive sleds, hauled by the largest bears they can tame. These Sledge Halls define power within the Clans, and serve as homes and fortresses against the cold and dangers of the north. However, during the long night of winter, that lasts three months, the Sledge Halls halt their travels, and the Kozehk defend their homes against the predations of winter and strange creatures that find the dark to their liking.
Not surprisingly, the Kozehk are master herdsmen and have domesticated a wide variety of animals and dire beasts that provide serve as mounts, draft animals and even war machines. Almost every Kozehk clan keeps a wolf or two as a domestic pet and hunting companion. The most feared and revered beasts are bears, which pull the great Sledge Halls of the Hetmen and warlords, and are used as great warbeasts as well, wearing armor and some rare times serving as mounts.
In the short but relatively warm summer season, the Kozehk people migrate south to the most hospitable part of their tribal grounds, and clerics of all clans work together to use magic to plant, cultivate, and harvest plants for food and linens, all within a matter of a month or two, and trade their furs, bone and ivory goods with the Theldane in exchange for steel weaponry. Food is plentiful and almost festive for these normally stoic and harsh people. It is at the height of the warm season that the Kozehk celebrate their Bloodmoot and Bearfeast days. Here, marriages are performed, clan treaties ratified and trade occurs.
In the darkest days of winter, far to the north, the Kozehk travel to the Amber Hall, and solemnly celebrate the Days of Amber. All of the clans gather at the last standing cathedral of the Mor'Urak, a massive and permanent stone hall lined with amber, to celebrate for three specific days in midwinter. This is where the disciples of the enigmatic Mor'Urak travel from their places in the mountains to trade their goods of much coveted metal, magic, and wisdom with the Kozehk in secret gatherings in the Amber Hall.
Kozehk culture is organized around clans of extended family units ruled by a Hetman, whom holds their position until someone within the clan is strong enough to wrest it from them. The harsh environment easily weeds out the sickly and timid, so weak leaders are almost unheard of. The day-to-day spiritual needs of the tribe are seen to by the bear-priests; who are usually a cleric, although there are some druids who worship the Ghostwind or (red) dragon shamans who worship Karkath, although they live isolated from the clans.
Kozehk clerics worship a unique pantheon – their ancestors. The Mor'Urak are said to live in the mountains, and all Kozehk acknowledge they are descended from their blood. These creatures hold great sway over their nomadic cousins because they alone control the magic and coveted weapons and cultural secrets of the Kozehk. Their goods, each a work of art no matter how lowly an item, command high prices at the Days of Amber. It is unwise to slight a priest, as their magic keeps animals and biting winter at bay and creates the summer crops - If these priest's feel slighted or their advice is ignored, then they will exile someone from the clan, regardless of station, with nothing but their fur garments and a single blade to protect themselves. Needless to say, they are shown great reverence and respect.

Kozehk Characters: If you wish to play a Kozehk, they are played as half-orcs from the PHB, with the following minor exceptions.

• Gain a +2 racial bonus to Handle Animal checks
• Gain low-light vision as well as darkvision.
• Clerics choose a named ancestor to worship, and choose any two domains that reflect that ancestor's traits. Common domain choices are War, Strength, Destruction, Evil, Chaos, Community, but are not limited to those choices.