Orc sled
"Hold on little toad man! We are going to get you to Tai'san. One way or another"The infamous orc sleds of the Norian Orcs are their preferred mode of travel for longer distances in high altitudes. The sled is a part of orcish culture in the Razorcrest and Razortooth Mountains. It is usually pulled by 8 dogs at a time, which can pull the weight of the sled and anything inside even up steep inclines. But these modes are besides the point for the Orcs. The real fun begins when its time to go downhill. Then the sled is converted, with the dogs sitting in specially fitted and tailored pockets in the center of the sled surrounded by the cargo. The orcs fasten the dogs to the sled and give the sled a weak push in the right direction until gravity takes over. From then on out it is up to the skill of the driver, luck and fate to determine if the sled makes it down in one piece. The driver has an adjustable rudder, by which they can slightly nudge the sled in one or the other direction, but this adjustment is limited. The sled goes where it wants to go. Let the pull of the ground carry you to your doom friend! Life is too short to just walk down the mountain. Feel the freezing air rush around you. Glory to Tai'San! Its good to be an orc on this fine summer day!
Power Generation
Feeding the sled dogs
Propulsion
Either sled dogs or gravity, depending on the direction of travel.
Orcish sled dogs can pull up to 90 kg each with 8 dogs per sled being the most common.
Weapons & Armament
Whatever the orc in question wants to carry
Armor and defense
None, the priority is speed.
Communication Tools & Systems
Shouting (viable outside snowstorms)
Image source: Mountain Joyride by Ninodonlord via Midjourney
Nickname
The quick way down (orcs), Insane idea (others)
Manufacturer
Price
Generally not for sale, homebuilt
Rarity
Multiple per tribe
Length
5 to 8 m
Height
about 1 m
Weight
around 60 kg, the more weight is left for passenger and cargo, the better
Speed
around 10 kph normally, up to 130 kph down hill
Complement / Crew
One to two drivers, who can take shifts
Cargo & Passenger Capacity
any combination that does not exceed weight capacity (around 240 kg)
Annie Stein
Oh man, this is just some good fun. This article is really charming, and it's nice to see the orcs in a bit of a different light than they're usually shown in. I love the quotes!
Thanks so much for your praise :) The quote is actually part of the really big story cycle I eventually want to write in this world. That story will essentially be inverse LotR: Returning a ring to the master of the orcs to stop others from destroying it. But that is super far off for now ^^
Its almost Worldember!Check out my Prep here! (psst, its a link)
To learn about my main world click on this link! (if you want to ;) )