Orcs and The Great Tribe.

"Very few remain who remember the Great Migration of the Orcs. How thousands of what was once a horde of war mongering savages came together as one people, and left the warmth of the Southlands to brave the unforgiving peaks of the Frostreach. Having witnessed it personally, there was a strange sadness there, as if I was watching part of Vanigraad uproot and hide itself away." ~ Braxon Sov, High Enchanter of the Averheim court.
After the Planar Confluence left much of the continent scattered and broken, the Orcs of Vanigraad came to together on neutral ground in Kairn Solem, the Grave of Chiefs. Where violence and bloodshed was forbidden, lest it anger the spirits of the fallen and honored Chieftains of the forty-two tribes that rested beneath the soil of that sacred ground. There they set aside their own conflicts, beliefs, and prejudices, to discuss the future of their race. in the first Kelgrik Goreen, Tribunal of Elders. Calling this meeting was Sheva Ironfist, daughter of Grimkhan Ironfist, the renowned warlord of the Ironhand Tribe. It was Sheva's belief that the Orc tribes were stronger, more fierce, together rather than separate. That the time for tribal conflict had passed. She argued with the Chiefs and Shamans of the fourty-two tribes for three days and three nights, claiming that the Chaos unleashed by the Confluence would mean the extinction of their people. In much the same way that the Humans had been brought low by the calamity. Their only hope rested in standing together and leaving the ancestral lands of the South, the birthplace of their people, and moving North into the Frostreach Mountains. Within its unforgiving peaks, they would start anew, as one people. One Tribe. The Rok'Morcan, or Great Tribe. 
Many dismissed this belief, as Sheva was young, untested in true combat, many scoffed at her audacity. But when the first of the Plague Wolves, corrupted by the energies of Chaos, spilled Chief Hedrik Whiteskull's blood on the the tombs of his forebears, it be came clear, no tribe was safe. In a fury the likes of which none of the tribes had seen before, Sheva leapt into battle, rending the wolves limb from limb with nothing but her hands. "Ironfist indeed," whispered the chiefs as she returned, covered in the blood of her enemy. From that moment, Sheva became the first Tribe Mother. A tradition she would establish early, as all who came after her would be women of the Rok'Morcan. This, she argued, would temper and offset the fury of their primarily male warriors. She would go on to gather the forty-two tribes and lead them deep into the Frostreach, where their new life as a united peoples would begin.
"Despite how peaceful the Rok'Morcan may seem, we have not forgotten our former strength. Our blood still boils occasionally with the need for conflict. Our warriors, young and old, still yearn for a proper death in glorious combat. Thus, we have the Kel'gorim, the Blood Pit. A place where we may fight and indulge our lust for battle, without threatening others. Choosing to die there, if we wish, when we our age becomes too great a burden." Sheva Ironfist, First Matron of the Rok'Morcan.
Still renown for their battle prowess and constitution, the Orcs did not leave behind their battle lust when they left the Southlands. Needing an outlet for their aggression, Sheva Ironfist created the Kel'gorim, the Blood Pit. Dug deep into the mountains, the Blood Pit after first was a place of ritual combat. Where the elders of the tribe could still be given an honorable death by fighting some of the dangerous creatures that roam the Frostreach. But as time went on, it became a source of entertainment as well, an arena where all those who wanted to fight, could do so. Its most significant purpose however, is the Fel'garik, the Ascension. Where the Tribe Mother fights for her right to govern the tribe. Every 6 years, two of the most respected Orc women are selected to step into the Blood Pit with the current Tribe Mother. Whomever emerges victorious, earns the right to rule the tribe. However, this is not the only time a Fel'garik can be called. Should it be deemed by the Tribe that the current Mother is not fit to lead, any woman may challenge her in the Pit, in attempt to take her place. Though such accusations are severe and have only occurred twice since the Great Migration.
"My visit to the Great Tribe was not as I expected. Where I was expecting to see tents or huts, I saw longhouses and great halls, stables and blacksmiths. While these buildings still held some remnant of their formerly tribal natures, in the totems and symbols that decorated their walls, all other aspects of the time are long forgotten it seems." Braxon Sov, on his parley with the Orcs.
After the Great Migration, the Orcs saw a need to move past their more nomadic nature. Choosing to build permanent structures, in place of the tents that could be easily transported. The Great Tribe would work to create a home that would prosper without the need for constant movement. Thus their longhouses became a common sight, with a larger Great Hall serving as a communal dining place for the Tribe. A place to tell stories of great battles, or memorable hunts. To socialize with their kin, and yes, occasionally get into a drunken fist fight. For those expecting to see the primitive side of the Orcs, these structures come as a shock. But Orcish society has become more permanent in Vanigraad, and with the harsh weather conditions of the Frostreach mountains, sturdier structures were needed for the Tribe to survive.