Lower Red Orkia
by RobinSee the map south of the Magma river, North and East of the Lake
From the Broken Lands Gazetteer Expansion: Atruaghin’s Cut (Atruaghin KaksÁ)
Atruaghin was walking one day when he met an Old Woman. She greeted him and asked where he was headed. "Just roaming around," said Atruaghin. "You better stop going that way, or you'll meet a giant who kills everybody." "Oh, giants don't frighten me," said Atruaghin (who had never met one). "I always kill them. I'll fight this one too, and make an end of him." "He's bigger and closer than you think," said the Old Woman. "I don't care," said Atruaghin, deciding that a giant would be about as big as a bull moose and calculating that he could kill one easily.
So Atruaghin said good-bye to the Old Woman and went ahead, whistling a tune. On his way he saw a large fallen branch that looked like a club. Picking it up, he said to himself, "I'll hit the giant over the head with this. It's big enough and heavy enough to kill him." He walked on and came to a huge cave right in the middle of the path. Whistling merrily, he went in. Suddenly Atruaghin met a woman who was crawling along on the ground. "What's the matter?" he asked. "I'm starving," she said, "and too weak to walk. What are you doing with that stick?" "I'm going to kill the giant with it," said Atruaghin, and he asked if she knew where he was hiding. Feeble as she was, the woman laughed. "You're already in the giant's belly." "How can I be in his belly?" asked Atruaghin. "I haven't even met him." "You probably thought it was a cave when you walked into his mouth," the woman said, and sighed. "It's easy to walk in, but nobody ever walks out. This giant is so big you can't take him in with your eyes. His belly fills a whole valley." Atruaghin threw his stick away and kept on walking. What else could he do?
Soon he came across some more people lying around half dead. "Are you sick?" he asked. "No," they said, "just starving to death. We're trapped inside the giant." "You're foolish," said Atruaghin. "If we're really inside this giant, then the cave walls must be the inside of his stomach. We can just cut some meat and fat from him." "We never thought of that," they said. "You're not as smart as I am," said Atruaghin. Atruaghin took his tomahawk and started cutting chunks out of the cave walls. As he had guessed, they were indeed the giant's fat and meat, and he used it to feed the starving people. He even went back and gave some meat to the woman he had met first. Then all the people imprisoned in the giant's belly started to feel stronger and happier, but not completely happy. "You've fed us," they said, "and thanks. But how are we going to get out of here?" "Don't worry," said Atruaghin. "I'll kill the giant by hack him in the heart. Where is his heart? It must be around here someplace." "Look at the volcano puffing and beating over there," someone said. "Maybe it's the heart." "So it is, friend," said Atruaghin, and began to cut at this mountain. Then the giant spoke up. "Is that you, Atruaghin? I've heard of you. Stop this stabbing and cutting and let me alone. You can leave through my mouth; I'll open it for you." "I'll leave, but not quite yet," said Atruaghin, hacking at the heart. He told the others to get ready. "As soon as I have him in his death throes, there will be an earthquake. He'll open his jaw to take a last breath, and then his mouth will close forever. So be ready to run out fast!" Atruaghin cut a deep hole in the giant's heart, and lava started to flow out. It was the giant's blood. The giant groaned, and the ground under the people's feet trembled. "Quick, now!" shouted Atruaghin. The giant's mouth opened and they all ran out.
Though this is just a legendary story (even a Titan is not thus large, but the story might refer to a real battle with a Giant or Titan in Atruaghin’s Young years), the Red Orcs found a peculiar rock, shaped like a heart with a cut in it, when they settled the former Red Orc Lake. They thought it as a Symbol of Atruaghin to live here where the Giant died, in safety. The cut is probably caused by erosion of an earlier crack, but most sages think it was caused by Blackmoor tools of aeons ago.
The Sacred Cavern as most think is the name of the Rock Castle, yet this is generated by strangers asking where it goes. The Sacred Cavern , is actually the large cave beneath and the Castle is actually called "Inuŋpa ȞahÚ" translasted into "Neck". So the tale has more ties in naming the area's features, of the Lower region.
The Whole Cave is called Até k’Á (Sacred Cave), and has from North to South several rocks named after the body parts of the giant killed by Atruaghin. In this way the legend has a firm base in the culture of the Red Orcs.
So the Whole region with several rock pillars and such is designated as being part of the Legend itself. And who is to say it did not happen. Maybe the tale was describing a larg giant living in the Lower Regions before the Red Orks did, and exagerration and onfusion made the cave and the giant as one, explaining elsd within thevframe of reference of the legend as well as the comprehension of the Red Orcs.
In the NE "Ité íŋyaŋ" (Stone Face) decorated with pigments to resemble a dead eye called "Tanka ištá" (Eye) and brow and several teeth called "Tanka Hi"(Giant Teeth).
The Fungal forest west of this is called "Natá" (Head), and several Funghi resembling brain tissue can be found here; this "Tesla" as it is called is an edible fungus believed to raise intelligence (it actually does nothing other then giving a sugar-rush). The tale explains these as when the giant died, his head broke open and released the funghi.
The large rock in which "Inuŋpa ȞahÚ" (Neck) leads to the surface is called "Hiyete íŋyaŋ"(Shoulder Rock). South of this are two rocks with hollows within; the Western one is called; "Cante Ripi íŋyaŋ" Heart Chamber Rock, being the location where the heart was before Atruaghin split it. The Eastern rock section is called;"Tezi íŋyaŋ" (Stomach Rock, and here the peole were saved by Atruaghin. These were Atruaghin Human and Red Orcs according to the tales.
Three long rocks are below "Cante Ripi íŋyaŋ" , and these are named "T’oka Au íŋyaŋ","Inuŋpa Au íŋyaŋ","Yámni Au íŋyaŋ" (respectively; First-, Second-, and Third Rib).
The large pillar also giving access to the surface by an internal cave is "Phí íŋyaŋ"(Liver Rock) and is painted for generations with the blood of their victims and decorated with scalps, panted over later. This gives this whole rock a brown reddish color and linear structure, similar to a liver.
Then a large barren broken Lands area where bones are tossed around which found no other use, is called; Wičhát’a" (Dead). Some Wokani have animated the bones and common skeletons, and skeletal beasts can be found here. The Red Orcs make a wide berch around this foul area, except to dump excess bones and inedible corporeal remains.
Further south you have a series of fused Pillars formed from a multitude of fused Stagmites and Stalagtites, of which two are really large pillars now. The Red Orcs named the Western rock "Catkayata Sí íŋyaŋ" (Left Foot Rock), and the Eastern;" Isloyatan Sí íŋyaŋ"(Right Foot Rock). Both of these have access tunnels between the pillars to the surface. The Left Foot is a straight upwards shaft between the fused pillars, the Right Foot is a circular tunnel formed by erosion and Red Orc cutting sections of rock away, and is infact a long very steep stairway(with steps several feet.
The last interesting structure of Lower Red Orkia is a Stone right hand of fifty feet tall called "Napé Tanka"(Giant Hand). This appeared in 1007AC when the meteor fell, and sages who know of it, say it is a coincidental shape from partial fused stalagtites broken off from the ceiling here. The Red Orcs see this as a sign the Giant wants to return from the Dead...(it might be clear to say Red Orcs do not go very well along the Giants, or even Ogres are never trusted). Somehow a minor well enables water to come from it (A Wokan somehow opening a tiny Gate to the Elemental Plane, or a small planar rupture is suggested) , and a green carpet of funghi growing on it, and the environment.
Here the latest Map update with all the new information. Yet a lot is still missing, so the mp is far from finished and will receive several new additions soon.
And so we continue boldly forward. :P :geek: :ugeek: ;) Ogremoor, Kol, Gnollistan, Hobgobland, Yellow Orkia Here I come.
Any input is as always welcome, sugesstions and ideas
I hope you like the Logic and flow patterns applied to this solution of the region.
Making the Lower Broken Lands even more 3dimensional as cannonically described yet was never detailed as such before:lol:
Do you like the Color on Greyscale to clarify the location in three dimensions?? I tend to do thec same to Gnollistan later.
And do you like how Lower Red Orkia has become more alive. :D
Even though the map is as of yet unfinished