Uzg-Alag

Uzg-Alag [UZG ah-LAG] is, to the minds of its inhabitants, one of the freest and most orc-friendly nations on Frahon. To the minds of enslaved orcs overseas, it is a utopian dream to which they yearn to journey after breaking their shackles. To the minds of most human nations, it is a terrifying experiment in allowing orc and orc-kin to govern themselves under their own auspices. It is considered one of Kharastine Caliph Jayir Salid I's worst 'liberal follies'.

Geography
Uzg-Alag occupies almost the entirety of the Selbikh Plateau, between the southern tip of the Worldspine Mountains and the western edge of the Kadauc Mountains. Its neighbour to the north is Aurost, lying in the wide valley of the Quman River, of which Uzg-Alag's Lum River is but a tributary. To the south and west lies the vast Kharastine Empire.

Uzg-Alag is a fertile and temperate country, despite its altitude; nine-tenths of the country is over 1200m above sea level. The climate is mild and wet, with regular rains coming in from the Sunlit Sea, especially during summer. Despite this climate, there is very little agriculture in Uzg-Alag, since the culture and lifestyle of the orcish inhabitants does not lend itself to cultivating crops.

The capital, Kala-Krisar (Orcish, chief's castle) sits perched atop a steep cliff overlooking the Lum River valley, as the river plunges down hundreds of metres to the valley floor. It is said that the granite ramparts of the monolithic fortress were created in one night by a miracle from the Blood God, but this is unsubstantiated.

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Settlements
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Geographical features
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 * Kala-Krisar
 * Lum River
 * Kadauc Mountains
 * Selbikh Plateau
 * Worldspine Mountains
 * }

History
How the orcs of Uzg-Alag won their land from the local human empire of Kharast is remembered fondly by storytellers in a brief tale: the human chief (Caliph) boasts that an orc couldn't hold land more than encircled by his arms, so the ur-Chief Zagorim cuts the human's arms off, and plants them like flags on either side of a huge fertile plateau.

Government
Zagorim Half-Blood is the ur-chief of Uzg-Alag, the central authority over all the other tribal chieftains. While Half-Blood's position of power would ordinarily have him direct the armies of furious warriors, he delegates the command of a tribe's warriors to its chieftains. By granting this measure of autonomy, he generates good favour with the chieftains, and understands that should he need a combined army to defend his country, he can trust to his inspiring presence to rally the tribes behind him.

Religion
The orcs of Uzg-Alag follow the traditional trinity of deities of their kind: the Blood God, the Fire God and the Iron God. Since Ur-Chief Half-Blood is considered the living representative of the Blood God on Frahon, those shamans who venerate that deity in particular receive especial treatment from the Ur-Chief, particularly in positions of high status and authority. Nevertheless, Half-Blood is careful not to alienate followers of the other gods, and promotes total orcish religious freedom in his nation (followers of non-orcish deities, on the other hand, do not receive such liberty). Half-Blood has also performs numerous 'miracles' with his magic that further inspire his people, kindling a surge of religious fervour among the orcs of Uzg-Alag.

Symbols
The flag of Uzg-Alag is a vertical pennant, in the style of a tribal standard, coloured blood red with a silver long-handled double-axe and a pair of crossed bones. The base is usually depicted as a swallowtail to represent a war-torn battle standard.

The motto for Uzg-Alag is ''Ari-jarn lufutaum! Ari-ghash plakaut! Ari-gijak gijakudob! (Orcish, "For the Iron God, warfare! For the Fire God, pillage! For the Blood God, bloodshed!"'')