Jotun
Overview
The Jotun are orcs who dominate the lands to the west and north-west of the Empire. Historically they have been especial threats to Wintermark, the Marches and the Navarr territory of Liathaven. They are barbaric by Imperial standards, but they are neither savage nor primitive. They enshrine the warrior-ideal, and seem to fight the Empire as much for the joy of battle as for any desire for territory or hate for the humans.
People
Much of what the Empire knows about the Jotun has come from interviews with slaves, both orc slaves and human slaves taken by the Jotun who later escaped. They are a warlike tribe that values strength-in-arms and fighting-spirit as their highest virtues; to become more like their ancestors, they seek out challenges against which to test their might and their nerve. While they may view climbing a mountain, wrestling a mandowla or swimming across the Gullet to be renown-worthy acts, they seek true glory and renown in battle.
Jotun ancestors drive them to achieve victory in combat, to fall surrounded by their foes, and to face every threat or obstacle head-on. Jotun regularly fight for sport and pleasure among themselves, as well as to establish precedence. As with all orcs when they have slain ten times their number. It is the bravest or strongest warriors who are able to cross the Howling Abyss to help their ancestors.
This tribe tends to act in a fashion identified by their Imperial neighbours as "honourable." They almost never use poison or venom, for example, preferring to win their battles by strength of arms. They may use complex tactics, but rarely employ ambush or other guerilla tactics unless they are greatly outnumbered. They will usually accept a surrender unless they have reason to believe they are being tricked in some manner, and often allow injured opponents to retreat. They have also been known to allow opponents who have fought bravely to gather their dead or injured, or retreat from the battlefield - while ruthlessly crushing those who they believe have behaved in a treacherous manner.
This is not to say that the Jotun are all warriors. Jotun who are not soldiers tend to be farmers rather than hunters. and it is believed by Imperial scholars that they have learnt many techniques of agriculture and animal-husbandry from their human slaves. Orcs who do not fight have lower status than even the least experienced warrior, however, so it is no surprised that the majority of Jotun prefer to practice the arts of war and leave farming to their human thralls or subjects.
The Jotun are also competent builders, able to quickly and efficiently throw up stockades and pallisades around their camps and settlements, as well as possessing several strong stone fortresses especially along the shores of the Gullet. Some Highborn scholars suggest that the orcs did not build these fortresses themselves, but rather occupied the structures of some earlier inhabitants (some go so far as to suggest these castles were built by the Paragon of Vigilance known as The Sentinel). The Jotun are also known to have several clans who specialise in artifice, specializing in making strong, durable weapons and armour. The northern and western mountains of Kallsea are believed to be rich in orichalcum and green iron.
The Jotun Challenge
Most Imperial citizens have experience of the Jotun only in the context of fighting, and engagements often involve the Jotun Challenge. The Jotun love one-on-one fights, but they have little respect for or appreciation of "champion battles" as such - they seem to believe that everyone on the battlefield should be prepared to act as a champion. An engagement with Jotun will often involve a group breaking up to engage their Imperial opponents one-on-one.
The challenge begins with the orc pointing at an opponent with their weapon and then raising their head up to show their necks to their opponent. Making a slashing or ripping gesture with their hand as they bring their head down with a snarl. This signal shows that they consider the person they are looking at as worthy of honourable combat. The same gesture is often used by warriors facing the Jotun, especially Steinr warriors.
The target may return the challenge, and engage the Jotun in single combat that ends until one warrior cannot continue; withdraws indicating they consider the other combatant their superior; or surrenders to the other, offering them the chance to strike them down or take them as a thrall.
Imperial citizens often ignore the challenge, in which case the engagement proceeds in the more traditional way. A Jotun who does not wish to accept the challenge will usually indicate this with an exaggerated shake of the head. This is the most common response from a Jotun challenged by someone they have identified as a Navarr or Druj.
If the challenged warrior spits on the ground, they indicate that they do not consider the challenger to be a worthy opponent, or that they do not trust the target not to act in a dishonourable way. This is generally treated as an invitation to engage in a fight to the death, without any concern for rules of enagement. Jotun treated in this fashion, will generally fight until either they or their opponent is dead. This is the most popular response from a Jotun challenged by an Imperial Orc, assuming they even acknowledge the challenge.
History
The Jotun tribe is geographically divided but culturally united. The northern Jotun control the area dubbed Kalsea by the Winterfolk. They tend to be a little more cautious and more traditional than their southern cousins, and have a great deal of experience fighting the forces of Wintermark - they have been raiding into Sermersuaq and north-western Kallavesa since before the arrival of the Steinr. There are known to be a number of human settlements scattered across Kallsea, whose inhabitants offer tribute and fealty to their orc masters. These humans often fight alongside the Jotun, and seem to have little love for the Empire; while they are clearly not the equal of their inhuman overlords, they seem to have a social position below that of a minor orc tribe but above that of slaves or thralls. In 371 YE the Empress Britta dealt the northern Jotun a crushing defeat, driving them back into Kallsea and while they have made a few raids into Wintermark since then, they have not launched a significant attack against the Empire.
The southern Jotun occupy the area the Winterfolk call Narksyt. In pre-Imperial times they occupied much of western Bregasland and accompanied their northern cousins in raiding Kallavesa. With the arrival of the Marcher army from the east, they were eventually driven out of the marshes. Their numbers were swelled by the lesser tribes driven westward from what is now the Marches; according to historians, they engaged in a brutal war of dominance with the lesser tribes, conquering them and requiring them to offer fealty. Today the southern Jotun are much more aggressive than the northern branch of the tribe; in 347YE they began a campaign of conquest against the Mournwold, sweeping through Liathaven and driving out both the Navarr and the Marchers. They still occupy these territories to this day and make regular raids into Kharaman, Mitwold, Bregasland and even as far east as Tassato.
Look and Feel
The Jotun value courage, strength and martial prowess above other attributes. They do not throw their lives away, nor use their subject tribes as disposable troops, but they are invariably looking for a way to increase their honour, with an eye towards becoming ancestors when they die. The only true dishonour, most Jotun recognise is showing fear in the face of the enemy, or striking a worthy opponent down by treacherous means.
Jotun favour axes and hammers over other weapons, whether two-handed or coupled with a round shield. They tend to shy away from bows, and seem to have no appreciation for the crossbow as a weapon of war - when it comes to ranged combat they prefer thrown axes or javelins. Their love of battle and emphasis on personal glory and honour, as well as their war-like traditions. means that many Jotun warriors are a match one-on-one for their Imperial counterparts, striking savage blows, breaking shields asunder or fighting on with incredible vitality.
The colour red appears to have totemic significance for the Jotun, and figures on most of their banners. They consider powerful creatures such as dire lions, dire bears and dire boars and mandowla to be potent symbols of strength and might. and many Jotun standards are topped with skulls of such animals.
Among the Jotun, certain warriors especially stand out. They include:
- The Jarls are the leaders of the Jotun, and are always their strongest warriors. The Jarls seem to rule areas of land in Narkyst and Kallsea, dominating the orcs and humans that live in those areas and contending among themselves for prestige and honour. Jarls are effectively chiefs-of-chiefs, and often have several lesser Jarls (both Jotun and from subject tribes) who offer them fealty and tribute. A general is often a lesser Jarl, taking charge of battle-field tactics at the command of a more powerful Jarl who sets strategic goals for their army.
- The Ulvenwar are among the most noticeable warriors on the battlefield, wearing the head and pelt of a large bear, wolf or dire beast they have slain with their bare hands. They are usually armed with great weapons, rarely wield shields, and their faces are often painted or tattooed with warlike symbols. They are often selected from a young age and extensively trained in groups, pitted against each other in multiple challenges, and only the one who defeats the others is deemed worthy of becoming ulvenwar. Many ulvenwar appear to be shamans, or enjoy some special relationship with the Jotun ancestors.
- The Skjaldborg are surprisingly disciplined units of warriors who live together and are considered elite soldiers by most Jotun. They generally wield shield and spear, and the ties between them appear to be even more pronounced that the ties between normal members of a tribe. According to some stories, they believe that if one of them possesses the strength of will to cross the Howling Abyss, that warrior will return to carry their battle-siblings across when they die. They tend to be much more defensive than other Jotun, and occasionally use a variant of the challenge in which they call out a unit of enemy warriors. Skjaldborg never leave one of their number behind if there is any chance they can be rescued.
- the Feral are
Not all the Jotun have war on their mind, and the feral are an essential part of any army. Often armed lightly with javelins, spears or other hunting weapons, it is their job to run between units, normally in small groups of their own. It is their job to bring messages, scout, and support the other units. They rely on hit and run tactics, causing enemy units to slow down, turn or spread confusion. They will often scream into battle, often from the flank of a force, forcing them to turn and disrupt formation. They will often then run away, ready to make another strike. They are, however, no less brave than the other Jotun. They seek to force confusion and destroy formations so the other forces can strike.
The feral do not seek to have their own personal glory, but instead to be noticed by the warriors as aiding them, so that the ancestors of the warriors will thank them when the time comes. They will not act in treachery, since they will not disgrace the ancestors that they seek to please.
The Feral are often joined by young warriors seeking to prove themselves. They will often choose a target before they charge and they seek to touch their weapon to that person - not always worried about doing damage. This is a test of their bravery in combat, and the Feral that can get a weapon to an enemy commander before retreating is often held in great repute.
Appearance: Raggety looking often with rags or scraps of fur and bone tied to them, they use whatever weapons they can find. They are often armed with hunting weapons and generally wear furs and leathers.
Magic
The Jotun rarely use battle magic. Their Shamans perform blessings upon their warriors before battle and speak to the dead after they have died. The most noticeable part role for a Shaman in Jotun fighting is when the armies line up. They will walk in front of the shield wall, throwing curses down upon the enemy and calling for the ancestors to see the great victory. In such, the Jotun Shaman are more symbolic than battle mages - although the painting of runes and marking onto the Orc leaders is a common sight before any battle.
Current Plans
The Jotun have recently attacked through Liathaven into the Mourn. They've driven the Navarr out of Liathaven, but they've skirted the Vallorn and have no intention of going near it - not until they have regrown in strength to be able to destroy it once and for all. Now they are in a a good position to strike into the Marches, or down into the Brass Coast, and plan to not only regain their ancestral lands but also gain the strength to strike against the Vallorn in those lands.