The Way of the Wolf

This chapter presents to you the history of the Orcs of Kara'Kar. All of their secrets are revealed here, and expanded upon from the original text. The entire history, their wars with the hated elves and interactions with other tribes of Lemurias. Including Alexander the Great and his humans.

Introduction
To their enemies, they are brutal and fearsome opponents, without parallel in their ferocity and cunning. To their allies, they are noble and honorable, following the traditions of a rediscovered past. The orcs of Kara'Kar are part of a race that has once again found its true spirit, shunning the cruel practices of arcane and demonic magic for the paths of wisdom and power. Some orcs still hang on to the arcane practices of the past, but their time is fading. Though brutal in combat, orcs fight with a feral grace that equals even the finest fencing of an elven noble. For an orc, skill in battle brings great honor. The concept of personal honor that pervades all echelons of orcish society has made the race more cohesive and more of a threat to their adversaries. Even the naming of an orc is temporary until he has performed a rite of passage. Once an orc has brought honor to his name and the name of his clan, the elders give him a second name based upon his deed.

For an orc, personal reputation is as important as his or her clan, and most will fight to the death in defense of either. This is in drastic contrast to when they were led by the forces tainted by the Burning Legion, and were a bestial force barely controlled by demonic magic. While the orcs might seem quick to anger, they are tempered by the wisdom of their leaders and their shamans. There are few of the demon-worshiping clans left, for the Alliance or the Horde itself has hunted down most of the remnants of such clans.

Long Ago . ..
There was a world that orbited a star far in the galaxy. Called Kara'Kar by the visiting Lemurians, which was the wrong thing to call it, since the inhabitants called it Earth. Kara'Kar was the homeland of the Aboriginal orcs. They roamed the lands of their continent, lived in its jungles and tundras, and eked out an existence as simple farmers, hunters, or herders.

They road on powerful, large wolves called wargs, and tamed and hunted the gazelle and other beasts. They lived a simple, nomadic life. The way of their worship was Shamanism. They were to worship the spirits of the sky, the land, the fires, and the waters. They lived a peaceful life, with the rare occurring skirmish or occasional war. They lived this life, for nigh unto several thousand years.

Three events changed their view of the world forever. The first was the coming of the Gods from the Sky, the second was the Invasion of the Civilized Ones, and the last was the Relocation of them to another world.

The Chariots of the Gods
The first event was the arrival of Humans. This was heralded by a powerful ship made of metal that landed and left a cylindrical gate. It also left a Gate dialing device that interfaced with the gate. For days, the aboriginal orcs puzzled over this machine. They wondered who could have made it, built it, why it was here, and why did they choose a place outside of the Dream Snake tribal camp? They marveled, and then it happened. It activated.

It started to roll in place and in time, erupted and a stable wormhole was complete. Out stepped humans. Bipedal creatures that looked like orcs, but were white skinned and not green skinned like the orcs themselves. They claimed that they were the Ancient Lemurians from the Planet Earth, or from a distant star known as Sol. And they began to impart unto the Dream Snake clan all their secrets and trained them in the arts of Psionics.

After many years, the entire Dream Snake clan had become wise to the ways of psionics, the Lemurians, satisfied, departed to their original terra firma in the Solar System. Enlightened, the Dream Snake clan taught others, and this was the beginning of Shamanism amongst the orcs. For as the teachings spread, the power of psionics was forgotten and replaced by reverence for the spirits and the dead.

Many Years Later
The second event happened. The orcs homelands were invaded by their own kind. Greenish skinned orcs who thought themselves superior to these orcs. The invasion happened, and these "pure" ones started killing many. Faced with a crisis, the aboriginal orcs fought the civilized orcs. But it was not long that the Civilized ones found the Gate of the Stars, as the Dream Snake clan called it. Unfortunately, they claimed it for themselves and forced the Dream Snake clan on to a reservation.

For years, the aboriginal orcs languished on the reservations. They were forced to wear civilized clothes, and their shamanistic practices went underground. Soon, however, the civilized ones opened the Gate of Stars and traveled to other worlds. As the nation languished under wickedness and poverty, the aboriginal orcs struck back.

Flight to Lemurias
While most of the teams were on excursions to other planets in the Gate of the Stars network, the Aboriginals attacked! They had taken back the Dream Snake lands and slew most of the dark and evil men that withheld them from their birthright. Acknowledging their birthright, the small Arctic Wolf clan took in most of the honorable green skinned orcs. Those that were dishonorable formed their own clans or were killed outright. To get rid of the rest, the shamans of the Dream Snake clan dialed in a gate address. The gate opened, and the new Orcish Horde poured through.

Soon, the orcs were on Lemurias, and not the 'Alpha Site' the Civilized Ones designated. Still, they were there safely and they started to colonize their new Kara'kar, their new homeland. The gate turned off as soon as they were all through.

Colonizing Lemurias
The orcs had an initial hard time colonizing Lemurias. Although they arrived in spring, they planted their crops too late and it was almost hard to bring the old civilized orcs down into society. A few accepted the old code of honor, but some did not. The orcs did find new animals to hunt (gazelle, impala, white-tailed deer, and the aurochs) but most of the civilized diets found it hard. At least their pack animals -- mostly wargs -- were well fed.

The Gnolls
In the winter, things became hard. That was when the local gnolls arrived to actually teach the orcs how to survive in the wintery conditions. They taught them all about surviving and why it is good to eat meat. Raw or cooked, it should be consumed. The gnolls essentially taught the orcs how to eat like a predator, and not like prey. The orcs then survived their first winter, but three tribes of the gnolls made their first contribution to the Horde during the Battle of Bloody Snows.

The Battle of Bloody Snows
What led up to the Battle of Bloody Snows was that the for the first time during the fall, the orcs met a couple of elves. Now elves don't like orcs and the orcs return the dislike. Almost immediately, a skirmish developed. Then, during the first snow of the orcs' second year, the orcs faced the elves for the first time. What was worse was that they were Pelagasiri Elves, the most aboriginal elves of all. The battle took place during the first snows. The result was that the orcs did win, but with only the help from three troll tribes and three gnoll tribes. But the elves avowed revenge. However, orc blood and elf blood alike colored the snows with red.

The Battle of the Leopard
The second battle between the two races became known as the Battle of the Leopard and established a solid border between Orc territory and Elf territory. It started with elf raids into Orc territory. Many orc women, children, and men were raped and their stores were pillaged. It was then when Azuk the Destroyer led an army of orcs -- barely trained to fight in the new land of Kara'Kar -- into battle with the elves. It was a slaughter of both orc and elf, and Azuk himself fell before the enemy. It was at that moment that Dorak, the son of Azuk, took up his father's sword and slew the Elf King Cendirion in a mighty swoop. Although much orc and elf blood was spilled, the borders were set and there was a cool respect between the races. Dorak was named the Leopard for his heroic killing of King Cendirion.

Induction of new tribes into the Horde
Dorak Leopard became Warchief of the Arctic Wolf clan after his father Azuk the Destroyer. As the gnolls and trolls were allies in the battle, he formally inducted them into the Horde. From the Gnolls, they were the Blondhaired tribe, the Frostpaws, and the Bonegnawers. From the trolls, they were the Risen Boulder tribe, the Hidden Arrow tribe, and the Eternal Mountain caste. It was then that they were formally inducted into the Horde.

Expansion
Faced with the Elves on the south and firmly entrenched in the mountains, the Horde had to Expand into the land northward. And things began to change. The Horde will control a large part of the territory of the Steppes, face new challenges as an organization, and effectually build an Empire over the humans in the area. So the orcs expanded Northward. Making colonies and they go. And new clans were created: the Bonegnawers (orc), the Skullsplitters, and the Ironjaw clans.

Dorak the Leopard then first established the first capital city, known as Azuk'kanmor, named after his own father. Having conquered many human (and non-human) lands, Dorak started to rule wisely. He allowed the orcs to continue their shamanistic traditions and the worship of the spirits. The First Empire of Kara'kar was established and the land itself became known as Kara'Kar eventually. For almost two thousand years, the empire was ruled wisely by Dorak's descendants.

Decline of the First Empire of Kara'Kar
At first, the horde had no rivals. But they made a mistake, attacking the Olivaen Elves. Figuring that elf territory was theirs by right, a large orc army attacked the elves at their home at Oliveas. The elves reacted psionically. The psychic attack brought by the elves brought the army's cohesion to it's knees as every orc was forced to fight their brother. In fact, the entire Hidden Arrow tribe of Jungle Trolls was fractured by the psychic attack.

The result was the Tribe of Shattered Minds. The Shattered Mind tribe thought, through their madness and delirium, that the Empire was theirs by right. And in this way, the Horde juggernaut was stopped. Eventually, the Tribe of Shattered Minds did attack -- at the cost of their lives -- but this ruined the empire even as the Black Sea was created in a terrible flood.

Ruins of Empire
Finally, the Horde broke when the Tribe of Shattered Minds attacked at a moment when the Empire was critically weakened. They attacked with Shaman Magic, Warlock Magic, and powerful Wizard magic. They destroyed critical infrastructure around Azuk'kanmor and managed to Raze the city to it's knees. The orcs were scattered, and the dream of an united horde died. This happened circa 2,500 B.C.; when the children of Noah started to inherit Lemurias.

The Indo-European Migration
After the Great Flood, the humans split into three groups. The White Indo-Europeans, the Semites, and the Hamites. The Whites divided into three and then divided into nations. The two nations of concern are the Indo-European Gomer and Magog which conquered Orc Territory. The Orcs were pushed aside, having no power or the organization to defend themselves, they were forced east. Despite their Occidental Culture.

Gomer Pushes West, Magog conquers East. Gomer is concerned with a Linear world view, and Magog is concerned with a cyclical world view. From Gomer comes Western Civilization, and from Magog comes Eastern Civilization.

During the Migratory period, the orcs stayed out of the way of the human armies. They don't concern themselves with the humans, so why care? Only two tribes joined the humans. One particular clan -- the precursors of the Bonechewers -- joined the humans for glory in Aryavarta (then called Dravidistan). Another joined Gomer, but ended up in the highlands. The Orcs soon got their lands back, however, the nation that is Magog would have another invasion. During the Assyrian Empire.

The Israelite Migration
Four hundred years before Alexander, before the Greeks measured their Calendar by the Olympiad Cycle, the Assyrians attacked the tiny Phoenician nation of Israel. Composed of the ten tribes, the King of Assyria exported large amounts of Israelites to protect his northern borders from the Elves and other races (say orcs and Amazons).

The orcs had to share their land again. With Scythians, Massagaetae, and other tribes of Israel. Raids by the Elves and into human territory wasn't enough. It was time for the second Kingdom.

The Second Kingdom of Kara'Kar
The Second Kingdom of Kara'Kar was formed when Kalimag Ironfist forged the tribes together due to the invasions by the Israelites, which were mostly moving to new lands; and the Indo-Europeans. When Nineveh was finally sacked by the Babylonians, they had to deal with migrating Assyrians as well. So, Kalimag became the Warchief of the Hidden Pheonix clan. They conquered the land, and settled permanently in the city of Kardamoor. While the various clans kept their clan and aboriginal culture; Kardamoor became a place where the orcs can experience sophistication.

The Babylonian Empire
Soon, the Assyrian Empire destabilizes and gives away to the Empire of the Chaldeans -- or the new Babylonian Empire. It wasn't to last, but the Empire controlled the fertile crescent. Known as the golden empire, the orcs had little trouble with them and they did what they could do to trade. The second Kara'Kar Horde maintained their unity.

The Aryan Empire
However, the Second Orcish Horde faced their greatest test when they faced the Forces of the Aryans. The Aryans, also called the Persians, managed to actually destroy Kardamoor and split the horde up into clans. However, they only burned Kardamoor, and people soon returned to pick up the pieces and build a new city on a different site. It was then that the Hidden Phoenix clan received it's first arcane leader in many years. And also it's dominance was challenged by the sons of Dorak; who wanted a new united horde under a scion of Dorak the Leopard. Meanwhile, emissaries were forced to bow to a foreign king and hide their mouths as if their breaths could poison the air that the Aryan King breathed -- in Persepolis.

Orc Culture
Orcish society, at least true aboriginal orcish society, has always been characterized by hardy and rugged living. As a result they are staunch pragmatists, and never shy from killing if it will protect the future of the orc or his clan. All orcs, regardless of gender or station, are expected to pull their own weight and weakness is considered a grave liability. The weakness of one contaminates the strength of all, and it is punishable by the greatest humiliation an orc can receive: exile. Different orc clans however have different personalities.

Yet regardless of their clan affiliations, orcs prize honor over all other things in life — first to bring honor to their clan (and by extension, the Horde) and secondly bringing honor to the self and to their sense of self-worth as an individual. Likewise, hospitality is considered one of the greatest honors that can be bestowed. The orcs, trolls, gnolls, and tauros have become fast and unswerving allies because the tauros gladly offered the orcs shelter in a strange new land as well as their assistance regardless of the cost to themselves.

There is no discrimination between genders in orcish society. Women are able to pursue the same career choices as men, rise to positions of power and are even expected to answer to the call for battle just as men are. Strength (both physical and mental), courage, initiative and independence are prized traits in all orcs. Traditionally, children are seen as children of the parents, but are raised as children of the clan. However, because of the newly unified Horde and the current diaspora of individual orc families creating homes and settling down in various areas, and so life is beginning to become more centered around the nuclear family rather than the greater clan.

One tradition of the orcs on Draenor was a ceremony for newborns of the clan. The infant's parents would stand in a body of water near the encampment with the entire clan observing from shore. The mother would hand the baby to the father, who would then proclaim the child as his, through himself and his father, and present the baby for the clan's blessings. The clan chieftain would then hold the baby and declare the infant under their protection, with the hope that they bring honor and glory to the clan. The chieftain's heir would then give a blessing. Finally the Elder Shaman would ask for the blessing of the elemental and wild spirits, and the hope that the ancestors would watch over the newborn.

In some clans, if the child appears sickly or frail, they will instead be drowned, likely by the father. A common expression of scorn is that an orc "should have been drowned at birth". This is likely the reason that the parents would stand in the water when presenting a newborn. The Blackrock clan and Bonechewer clan were noted for doing this without any qualms. The Snow Wolf clan however, were known to have rejected such cruel practices.

Orcs instinctively revere the rugged forces of the natural elements, and as such, Shamans are held in high regard. They generally have a close relationship with the nature elements and angering them is considered a grave offense.

Wolves are a major symbol of the orcs. They serve as guards, scouts, pets, partners and mounts. Many such wolves came from their own homeworld. Horde shamans can speak to them and summon spectral wolves and many serve a giant wolf Spirit.

Orc Culture. ..

 * is concerned with survival over artistic achievement.
 * reveres its elderly and honors its ancestors.
 * does not apologize for past actions, nor does it demand apologies from its enemies.
 * values valor over cunning—as long as valor doesn’t lead to disaster.
 * resembles "Primitive" human societies, but is, like those societies, far more sophisticated when examined closely.
 * distrusts arcane magic, especially the magic of warlocks—but does not (yet) shun arcanists.

The Rite of Passage
A rite of passage is the ritual one uses to test the right of a young boy to enter the ranks of manhood. For the Orcs of Kara'Kar, this is done by killing a beast out in the wilderness all by the boy's lonesome. To prove he is a man, a young orc must go into the wilderness and kill a beast to bring home for a feast. Most boys choose to hunt a hart buck, but others want more challenging prey. A young boar or perhaps a monster like an owlbear or a peryton. Once caught, he brings it home for a feast.

Through this rite of passage the boy proves that he has. ..
 * courage.
 * determination.
 * strength.
 * learned all the skills he needs to be an adult.
 * and can responsibly take care of a family of his own.