Kingdom of Merk

The Kingdom of Merk

The Kingdom of Merk is controls all of the Great Merkian Dessert in its north, which leaves most of its population as either nomadic travellers, or settled into the highland cold-weather taigas at the foor of glaciers, and the cliffs that overllook the bay of giants.

Politics

The Kingdom of Merk is ruled by The Merk. The current Merk is Merk Aja of the Ilint Tribe. The Merk is assigned to whichever tribe holds the one freshwater lake at the edge of the dessert, Ugekh. The city of Zrard, seen as the capital of the kingdom, is considered to be the decider of this. They who hold Zrard hold Ugekh and thus hold the water of the kingdom.

Culture

Merk culture is considered to be the original orcish culture, and it is orcs who tend to live in the kingdom. There are few who can keep up with the chaotic lifestyle of martial competition, infighting to decide on status and position, as well as access to resources. Most of those who come to Merk are species like Giants and Dwarves.

Water wars are often fought between tribes who clash over territories, rivers and streams dry up frequently alongside the changes to the season which drives a constant and dynamic transfer of regional powers.

Religion

Merk is the homeland of the Orcish Creation myth which states that all Orcs emerged from the lake of Ugekh at the bottom of which the mother of all orcs slumbers. She will one day awaken to usher a new horde of Orcs upon the land and deliver an endless rain so that no Orc will feel thirst any more.

As a result of this ancestors are considered to be closer in bloodline to the mother and thus closer to holiness. Ancestral worship as a result is practiced to a lesser extent. It is also forbidden to pollute the lake of Ugekh.