Contrary to the maxim that “Good conquers Evil”, Slothjemia has created its own method for keeping wickedness in check; paperwork. The large and mostly efficient bureaucracy that keeps things moving in the empire does so because every desk clerk is, in their own way, a sort of tyrant. Ruthlessly dedicated to whatever job they are … Continue reading An Orc for All Seasons; Chapter 20

Goblinoids and alcohol have always gone together, albeit not necessarily well. They love to brew beer, all kinds of ales, and if they have been living on the surface long enough to discover apples, cider. More powerful spirits are not as commonly found, but in Slothjemia the existence of humans, elves, and dwarves means that … Continue reading An Orc for All Seasons; Chapter 19

Romillia has two long, and proud military traditions. The Grenadiers are dwarven heavy infantry that are armed with axes, blunderbuss, and grapefruit-sized, hand-tossed explosive devices. Hussars are human heavy cavalry armed with sabers, lances, and single-shot musket-style pistols. Many Hussars are also paladins, holy warriors ordained by the Church to fight in the crusades of … Continue reading An Orc for All Seasons; Chapter 18

Slothjemian nobility has less to do than the aristocracy in more feudalistic societies. They determine the amount of taxes their estates owe based on criteria dictated by the Lord Revenuer’s office, but other than that, they have very little function. This frees them up to serve in the military, civil service, or, more infrequently, as … Continue reading An Orc for All Seasons; Chapter 17

There are two types of “investigators” in Slothjemia; Internal Investigators that serve as the eyes and ears of the Throne for all domestic matters, and External Investigators who roam far and wide in foreign lands keeping track of potential threats, and if necessary, eliminating them. The former type answers to the Lord High Inquisitor, the … Continue reading An Orc for All Seasons; Chapter 16

Small communities dot the countryside of Slothjemia, and are both more numerous than in other lands, and more diversely populated. This is due to the fact that in other nations small towns have to worry about the threat of monsters and goblinoids. In Slothjemia, those elements are the population itself. This allows the nobility to … Continue reading An Orc for All Seasons; Chapter 15

Slothjemia does not have a lot of trade partners, and the trade it does have almost always revolves around weapons and armor that is manufactured in the realm. The bulk of trade takes place between Slothjemia and the realms of the Underdark, wherein dwell dark elves, duergar dwarves, svirfneblin (deep gnomes), and illithids, just to … Continue reading An Orc for All Seasons; Chapter 14

Those Slothjemians that favor the “noble” side of the political spectrum tend to be exactly that; the nobility. More inclined to exercise power that is granted to them by the throne, than to express themselves as powerful individuals in their own right, they are most often associated with the Church and governmental bureaucracy. They view … Continue reading An Orc for All Seasons; Chapter 13

Slothjemians that are drawn to the “tribal” side of the realm’s politics tend to be more rural in their mindset. They cling to the old ways of goblinoid life, and resist being drawn in to a more humanlike, civilized culture. Leaders in these communities are shamans, witchdoctors, and of course, huntsmen. They are less likely … Continue reading An Orc for All Seasons; Chapter 12

Huntsmen are the very definition of how people view Slothjemians; lethal, treacherous, pagan, and mysterious. In truth, they are very much like the rangers found in other realms, just with a very different mindset and a slightly more malevolent skillset. Adept at assassination, these formidable characters often travel and fight alone. These were the most … Continue reading An Orc for all Seasons; Chapter 11