The Gorrano Republic
Demographic Breakdown
Government Type: Democratic Republic / Protectorate
Head of State: Vorac'nath'al, The Eternal Ember, Matriarch of the Dragonkin
Head of Government: Y'anno Yannz Kozdak
Government Body: The Continental Consortium
Political Factions: Cohort of the Sun, The Risen, The Joined Hand.
Nation's Capital: Summit of Ehr'Clans
Other Municipalities: Boarfast, Gokan, Peddler's Remorse.
Population: ~1,680, 000
Racial Composition: 77% Orc, 9% Human, 5% Dragonkin, 3% Giant, 2% Drow, 2% Dwarf, 2% Other
Religious & Spiritual Beliefs: Voracism, Kinfaith, Druidic Circle, Omnism.*
Main Exports: Clay, Pork, Glasswork, Iron, Sandstone, Jackfruit, Tuna, Buckwheat, Unskilled Labour.
Currency: Dracar
National Sport: Lok'Toss
Official Languages: Orcish, Common, Draconic.
Demonym: Gorran.
Motto: "Mercy, Honour, and Good Sense."
*Editor's Note: In accordance with the federal legislature, we will not disclose proportional quantitative data gathered for this section due to potential civil rights violations. We are, however, permitted to inform readers that the beliefs listed herein are represented of at least 5% of census responses.
Gorran Slang, Sayings, and Idioms
"It takes a drawn blade to draw blood." - If you want something done, be ready to do what it takes.
"A mouse can do no right in the eagle's eye." - Be mindful of bias.
"A closed mouth gathers no feet." - Think before you speak.
"Treading quicksand" - Doing something to worsen a situation; considered worse than doing nothing.
Between a Rock & a Hot Place
Gorrano's political status as a protectorate of The Voran Legion makes relations with their Irreghani neighbours especially strenuous, as the Gorrano Highlands lie directly between Anclevan and Voran. This conflict, combined with exponentially-rising tensions between various strata of orcish society, threatens to erode the very pillars of the republic.
ROUGH - (Lowland clans fought the Voran Legion first during 2nd conquest, heavy losses. Legion moved north from there, but Highlanders surrendered, knowing their cause was lost. This lead to reformation of all orcish territories into the Gorrano republic, named for Ehr'Thor Gorrano, who had united the Highland clans under his leadership. Lowlanders resent lack of proportionate representation in Consortium- this was done deliberately by Legionate to a) sow division among orcs/reduce animus toward Voran, and b) to incentivize future forces to surrender, rather than fight.)
Cultural Trivia
Recent issues of classism stemming from Gorrano's precarious political status have shaken the foundations of the usually upheld inter-class bonds of orcish society. Angered by the flagrant bias of the Continental Consortium, orcs inhabiting the Lowland Vale, and other less-central regions of the traditionally orcish-majority nation, increasingly seek a way of life that is free from the out-sized whims of their urban rulers.
The 13 Clans
Most orcs across the realm possess one of thirteen clan names, which acts as their surname. Prior to the formation of the Republic in 1166 DC, the Mort'hano Highlands and the Lowland Vale were divided into territories, each of which was ruled by one of these clans:
Clan Gorrano
Simultaneously controlling the southernmost section of the Highlands and the northernmost portion of the Lowlands, Clan Gorrano was uniquely positioned geographically to serve as a trading hub for the orcish clans, when not at war with one another. As such, it often interceded diplomatically when tensions rose or boiled over, acting as an intermediary.
Clan Harrow
When any male of Clan Harrow comes of age, the village in which they live holds a special ceremony that day. No one who has undergone Lo Draen ka Bownih-Hano ("The Trials of Humility and Grace"), as they are known, can tell the boy what awaits him at sunset. In preparation, he is asked by the elders to perform any task they desire which can be completed by day's end.
(Boys are punched a single time, in the face, by an elder, and the eldest Girl closest in age to the boy tends to his wound as her rite.)
Clan Rekano
"Lords of the Vale"
One of the few orcish clans to remain on good terms with the Roychiamengka, and have profited greatly from their trading partnership. Clan Rekano's gorelocks were the most skilled in the Lowlands, feared for their power and respected for their creativity- they are credited with many of the Animonicon's most recent entries.
Clan Worek
Split from Clan Rekano during the opening months of the Second Conquest, due to a schism within the clan leadership over declaring allegiance to Voran. Clan Worek was formed by Chief Ermak Rekano, who took with him most of the Clan's best fighters and delivered them to the Voranite cause. Clan Worek is known colloquially as the Traitor Clan to many in The Republic today.
Clan Gwarek
Split from Clan Rekano during the opening months of the Second Conquest, due to a schism within the clan leadership over declaring allegiance to Voran. Khala Gwarek, then-Chief Gorelock of Clan Rekano, rallied those who wished to defend their territory from the invading Voranites, and was first to join Eigaar Gorrano's Warband.
Clan Maul
Opportunistic. Raiders, thieves, and mercenaries, the nomadic Clan Maul maintained a rugged lifestyle. Their de facto home, Hiss-nok (or in Common, "Serpentine") Canyon, is where they would offen store hoarded treasures from their raids, as well as keep their sick, wounded, old, and those too young to raid, where the clan women would tend to them while gathering bloodmoss, cave nuts, and other food growing in the caves. Sweetweb traps, woven by the indigenous Rootspiders of the valley, might contain dozens of crickets and other edible insects, which were also gathered by the Maul women. The Canyon itself is nigh-unnavigable to outsiders, as the invading Voranites found during the Second Conquest. After a series of disastrous routs, Legate Ebonia Sootscale took over the campaign and instead moved to seal every passage into the Canyon. It took months to establish, but in keeping with Voran's 2-on-1 method of supply line reinforcement, they were eventually able to maintain a siege on the entire Canyon. After two months, the Maul Clan had exhausted their hoarded food supplies, and was forced to surrender.
Clan Petra
Militaristic, men and women both warriors. Fighting style for the latter involves leveraging a larger opponent's size using momentum-turning techniques. Not the strongest clan from a military standpoint, but possibly the best overall in unarmed combat in The Republic, and across the realm, rival the Monks of the Stone Fist as well as the elite Blood Brigade of Voran. Clan Petra inhabits the Vogun Ridge, where their sturdy mountain villages, made of stone and built into the ground, are kept within eyesight of each other to make them less vulnerable to raids, either from the neighbouring Clan Petra of Hiss-nok Canyon, or the marauding giants of Burning Hill to the northeast. Their settlements are arranged to that the farmland they share is surrounded by either their own settlements, or difficult mountain terrain where Diverkites and Red Cougars fight viciously for territory and prey.
Clan Tallis
Once the largest and most formidable of the Highland clans, Clan Tallis [TBD]
Clan Oban
TBD
Clan Kurzen
TBD
Clan Burnak
TBD
A Razor's Edge
Apostrophes are added to orcish names to denote elected officials. Once an orc takes public office, they are given recognition by the Republic solely in this fashion- without title of any kind, so as to keep them mindful of how close their authority is to being removed at the behest of the electorate. The practise itself, like many Gorrano traditions, is appropriated from Roiy'na'menghchka tribal practises.
Taken from their plains-dwelling ancestors, too, is the tradition of Araktur (or, "Erasure", in the common tongue), which dictates that no statue or monument shall ever be made in the likeness of a specific person; the Continental Consortium has even gone as far as passing legislation that criminalizes not only the creation of such a simulacra, but also the commissioning of one (the latter carrying a far harsher penalty).
Kordan
"The Open Fist"
Graelia East
"The Brother City"
Scipion
"The Golden Wall"
Site of the opening battle of the First Conquest, Scipion (known then as Ser Tyrozhe) earned its namesake by holding the eastern front against the Voran Legion over the first hundred days of the war. In doing so, the city defenders bought time for the other Lowland clans to mobilize their forces and prepare for the invasion. Alas, as we all know, this did not prevent the Legion from succeeding in the end, but The Golden Wall is today respected by both dragonkin and orc as a testament to the Lowlanders' indomitable spirit and steadfast courage. It was these same qualities that the Voran Empire would call upon during Aegis' Wake, when it offered homes in the city to any Lowland Labour castemen who hadn't been assigned to the military to volunteer as warriors in the later stages of the war. Tragically, most who took the offer were deployed to Summoner's Plain, and would not live to claim their reward for service. The quarters of the city meant for them have since been converted into urban farmland, in an effort to offset the rapid, ongoing desertification of the Lowland Vale.
Argentium
"The Ticking City"
Ser Duran
"The Untaken"
Summit of Ehr'Clans
"Muck Valley"
Ozhan
"Peddler's Remorse"
Military Structure
