Xerihsob

APPLICATION Name: Xerihsob Skype: You have it. Reason for Volunteering: I am dedicated to helping the Orcish community; they are a delightful bunch and close-knitted "family" to me. Expected Activity: As much as needed. Not subject to change until the Summer.

Sadly, this is a legend post and because of that I am very doubtful they will make a return. These Orcs had only grown the way they did because of the need to adapt to their surroundings to survive, without the exact same circumstances this kind of Orc would cease to exist. You should still make an Orc, though. ;) Thanks for the feedback! You were a big inspiration to me when writing this (however I was not aware of the post you had linked) and your feedback is greatly appreciated. I was actually expecting the criticism of something along the lines of "elaborate on who Zahn is/was" however was unable to think of anything at the time of writing the post. I agree that it needs to be explained more thoroughly and am going to work on some rough-drafts sometime next week, most likely.

I appreciate this! Smawton was a clear inspiration to me when writing this post.

The Clan Zahn Let me tell you the legend of a clan that had not the easiest of existences, but had remained alive thanks to their stubborness; although stubborness was as much of a boon as it was a blessing and they had fallen to that exact same thing. This is a story about clan Zahn, who they are, what they are, and what they thought their purpose had been. This said clan was a powerful one yet lonesome one, not many had known about this clan due to seclusion and none of heard the story until I have decided to share it with you today. Survival and Presumed Extinction (The barren landscapes the persistent and powerful clan Zahn inhabitated) The main and outstanding reason none had heard stories or tales of this clan sooner was because of the seclusion as I had told you before; though I will now touch up on that a little bit more. This so-called seclusion was because of how inhabitable the lands Zahn had inhabited were, the landscapes were empty, barren and devoid of life. The sky was always grey and covered in sut, the sun had never shone, and the source of food and plantation was nil. The reasoning behind this was that there was a volcano nearby that erupted quite frequently, destroying any hope of life on land. Sure; it is true that the entire clan could have moved but they had not done that because they believe that it had revealed a weakness on their part, and that any who left were not right to be called an Ork of clan Zahn. A good question to ask would be how the clan survived at all in spite of the erupting volcano and barren lands? The answer is they would seek shelter and live in caves. The caves around the area had become home to all of clan Zahn, only leaving once in a couple of elven years to do some hunting. I had mentioned before that the entire land was barren and had no life, but that is not true as I am remembering; there were these creatures that had taken upon themselves the nick-name "Drü-zhozhi" which would roughly mean something along the lines of "ash-eater". These creatures were called ash-eaters as that is what they were, they survived off of the ash that had plagued the land from the volcano. These creatures were said to be very reptile-like and frequently if not always crawl on all four "legs", though when fighting they stand up on both of the hind legs and use the other two as a way to fight, clawing at anything that got too close for comfort. The creatures in question were not carnivorous, though they were territorial and defensive. They had a nasty back, with bone-like spikes protruding out of the back of the creature, perhaps originating in the spine. The size of these creatures is hard to gauge as they hunched for improved speed and confortability when fighting, though even when hunched and stood-up on two hind legs they were able to average around 7', with some more larger sizes hitting around 8'; a sizable foe for the Orks. It is rumoured these creatures drank the lava of the volcano; thought that may just be legend. The meat hunters had gotten from these creatures was as pitch black as the ash the creatures had ate, most likely a side-effect of the unhealthy life-style. (A rough sketch of a hostile Drü-zhozhi) The Drü-zhozhi were not the only ones to suffer side-effects of an unhealthy lifestyle, all of clan Zahn had suffered the same fate. Due to the lack of sunlight from not only the volcano always covering the skies in ash but also to the fact that Zahn had never left the caves, for most of the time that would be a quick and swift demise. In return for the lack of sunlight, the Orks had sported a stunted growth; with most if not all (I would assume around 98%) ranging from 6' - 7'. This was not the only con of the lack of sunlight; In a strange turn of events they have developed a transparent skin and all Zahns are black skinned due to the ash in the air constantly; if one were to observe them they would not be able to tell that they are Orks but would rather assume they are some strange abomination. Zahn Orks have around the same life-span as normal Orks, though the elders of clan Zahn that reach around 300-500 years of age lose their eyesight and gain improved other senses and start to slowly delve into madness and insanity, thanks to life in a pitch black cave. This was such a common occurence that these Orks had gained a special tradition in throwing these "creatures" whom they had given the name "Vruig" into the volcano when it lay dormat, as a sacrifice to induce hope that it will one day cease erupting constantly. (A Vruig) Zahn had developed a habit of not wasting resources because they could not afford too. After a succesful hunt of a Drü-zhozhi they would take everything, including the bones. Bones play a huge part in Zahn society and tradition, since a Zahn keeps everything from a kill they are known to use the bones to forge tools, weapons, and armour; as well as decorating themselves. In relation to this and a direct cause from this, the more bones an Ork of clan Zahn has the more powerful they are; as it signifies how many kills the Ork has achieved without falling. The more renowned and strong warriors of Zahn are covered in bones from head-to-toe. A fellow Ork of Zahn can and will challenge another to a klomp to the death in hopes of taking all of the Orks bones, though this does not happen often if rarely at all because of the fact for an Ork to have many bones it demands respect and it is always better for an Ork to earn bones from their own hunts. Not only that; it is simply not favoured because life is too rough to be fighting each-other, they have a tough time surviving as is. Whilst on the topic of tradition and bones, an Ork of clan Zahn is too NOT take the bones from a fellow fallen Ork of the same clan or the creature a fellow Ork has hunted. This will instantly be punished by death on the spot with no warning as it is taboo. (A strong warrior of clan Zahn that has clearly survived many battles) I would assume you have a grasp on this culture and the interesting survival aspects clan Zahn had too face now; so I will explain upon the presumed exctinction of said clan. It is quite simple, really. During the destruction of Vailor thanks to Orgon; the clan had still not changed face on their stance of never abandoning their home. For this reason when everyone else fled to the portal for safety, clan Zahn had remained tucked away in their ravished and battle-scarred corner of the world, in the caves. Advanced Tradition(s) Whilst I have explained and given you a basic grasp of some of the easier traditions, there is still more to tell you. Here I will detail these advanced traditions of clan Zhan and the purpose of them. The Blessing of the Qurzet - At birth a Kub is to be taken to the "main" cave that clan Zahn inhabits; inside of there one would find a glowing tree-like plant that is considered to be a blessing. In reality it is just simple fungi that was able to grow inside of a cave due to the excess amounts of water, but to the members of Zahn it is so much more; it is hope for a brighter and healthier future, one where they do not live every day wondering if they will survive to the next. For this exact reason it has become tradition for the entire clan to gather here together for the birth of a new kub, despite the differences or conflicts they may currently have with each-other. Once said kub is born they will be painted with the glowing characteristics of the tree that they have given the alias of "Qurzet". (The Qurzet) Kubs First Flat - A kubs first kill is a very important thing in any Orcish culture; not just Zahn. However, they handle it a bit differently. Once a kub has been deemed worthy enough to hunt with others (this is done by various tests of strength, some include fighting other kubs and others are as simple as lifting a heavy boulder) they will be brought on their first hunt. If the kub fails to score a kill, they will be forced to fast for a day inside the cave of the Qurzet. If they fail again; they will fast for two days. This will continue getting longer and longer until the kub either dies or achieves their first kill. There is no room for weakness in a clan that can barely survive. Once the kub does earn their first kill, they will not be able to harvest the bones as they are too young and weak to sport such heavy objects. Instead they will take a tooth of the killed Drü-zhozhi and use it too form a blade; which they will carry with them for the rest of their life. Sacrifice of the Weak - If it is clear a warrior is injured in battle and unable to be healed through prayer; they will be pinned down, bound, and taken to the volcano forcefully and sacrificed in hope that the volcano will cease eruptions. It is often a solemn and depressing event, and there have been many against it but at the same time they all still cling onto the hope that it is a neccessity to do this for the volcano to grant them days of hunt where the volcano does not erupt. When it is clear that the injured has died before reaching the volcano, they will not be sacrificed as a dead sacrifice is thought to anger the volcano; causing it erupt even more than usual. Legends The Legend of Zrugagga'Zahn - (Zrugagga; equipped with his legendary armour and sword) The Cave Dweller - The name of this legend is quite ironic; considering all of clan Zahn are also cave dwellers; but this was not a good cave dweller in their eyes. Parent Orks would tell this story to the kubs to assure they do not go exploring in caves that are not already inhabitated by clan Zahn. They would tell the story of a massive beast, capable of felling even the greatest Zahn warrior himsself, Zrugagga. Not much is known about this strange creature or how it arrived, or whom it arrived from. Though it is said to be of massive proportions, bigger than some small caves themselves; and none have lived to tell the tale of an encounter with such a beast. It is said that if one were to venture too deep into a cave in which was not already inhabitated; you would see the eyes of this beast peering back at you in the pitch-black cave, ready to šnatch you away. (An ancient depiction of the cave dweller) The Qurzet Healing Properties - It was rumoured in the ancient clan of Zahn that not only was this tree-like structure used for prayer and worship; but that it had contained healing properties. If one were too take from the bark of the tree and apply it to any wounds, they would heal over and restore the warrior to their former condition in mere seconds. No-one could tell if this was the truth or not however, as if you had injured this religion symbol you would have done the greatest atrocity known to Zahn; and would be killed on the spot after being forced to "purge" yourself of said atrocity. The tree has been such a legend that it has even spread to far-away lands under different names, somehow. (The Qurzet) Mutation into a Drü-zhozhi - Another story told to kubs of the clan Zahn is what would happen if they did not sacrifice the mad to the volcano; the mad would eventually go through insufferable pain upon living for a certain amount of time and slowly transform into a Drü-zhozhi. Hierachy Zahn is unique in the fact that it does not hold a hierachy. It is clear by the amount of bones that ornament an Ork which is the strongest; and they would rather simply all focus one the one goal of survival together than seperate each-other with ranks and statuses.