Kudurru (pronounced koo-DOO-roo) is an orcish-ruled nation located between Amshan and the Shields. Since migrating south many hundreds of years ago, the orcs of Kudurru have developed a unique culture by fusing their traditional practices with those of Amshan and their other neighbors. From their castles clad in iron, the- feudal rulers of Kudurru watch over their vibrant cities. Kudurru is a vassal of Amshan, and social, cultural, and political ties between the two nations are close and well-established.
Geography, flora, and fauna
Kudurru is a largely wild land of arid hills and plains where the mountains of the Shields meet the Taizzan Expanse. Despite the difficulty of living in these dry shrublands for animals and people alike, many have managed to thrive in the region nonetheless, finding adaptations to life in a landscape where it rarely rains. In the south, closer to Ramashal, conditions become somewhat more temperate. Across Kudurru dangerous creatures can be found, magical and mundane alike - the region's reputation for being fierce and inhospitable is not only due to its climate.
Several rivers cross Kudurru, most notably the Isturraka and its tributaries. The level of water in these rivers is quite low for most of the year, only increasing when the winter snow of the highest peaks of the Shields melts in the spring. Agreements between the Kudurran orcs and the Amshani dynasts limit the amount of water that can be used from these rivers for irrigation and the like in Kudurru, as their continued and consistent flow are critical for the survival of Amshani cities downriver.
Kudurru is warm to hot year-round, though there is some seasonal variation. Summers especially can be scorching with temperatures consistently reaching above 100 degrees.
History
Migration south
The ancestors of the Kudurran orcs once lived in eastern Thadria, in what is today southern Erenon. As Viridia expanded eastward and human settlements in the area consolidated and grew, however, these orcs and many other of their kin began to be pushed out of territory in which they had lived for generations. By the late eighth millennium, after decades of fighting against the Dominion, the orcs of eastern Thadria had come to the conclusion that their position was untenable. Large migrations began out of the region; over the next four centuries, the majority of orcish clans departed, leaving their homelands behind. While most ventured to the northeast, into modern day Druzda, some went other directions. Of these groups the Kudurran clans made it the farthest, venturing through Ishtar and the territory of the Eastern Chaskan city-states, around the Arrajan Wilds, and across the Taizzan Expanse.
Conflicts with Amshan and establishment of modern Kudurru
The arrival of the orcs in the Amshani hinterlands was not without troubles. Conflicts between the orcish clans, the likewise recently-arrived Duravi, and the existing clans of northern Amshan soon reached the ears of Amshani dynasts, who were quick to see opportunity in the situation. The settlements in their borderlands to the south had long been poorly defended against the various ferocious creatures that dwelled there, with their military stretched too thin to be effective in the chaotic frontier. In this context, they began negotiating treaties with the orcs, and by Y8020* most had agreed to settle in the south in the foothills of the Shields, where they were guaranteed land and a new status as beholden to none but the Amshani monarchs and themselves.
Demographics
Though the region is best-known for its orcish population, they are in reality a minority within Kudurru, albeit a highly influential one due to their privileged status as the ruling class. Most Kudurrans are human, half-orc, or catfolk, with some gnolls as well. The number of inhabitants of Kudurru is overall relatively low - there are no settlements of more than five thousand individuals.
Culture
Religion
Like in Amshan, Kudurran religion centers around the Kirnashal pantheon. Joint worship of Sraosheh and Mihr is common throughout the region, with clergy appointed by the Amshani state. Owing largely to the remoteness of many Kudurran communities, however, the worship of this pantheon takes on a somewhat unique form in the region, less tethered to organized and authoritative clergy than is typical. Unlike in Amshan, where even small outlying villages possess state-funded temples, many isolated communities in Kudurru have no such luxury, and instead are either forced to rely on their own religious interpretations or travel to temples in larger settlements far away. This has resulted in an explosion in variety of religion, with many fusing the Kirnashal beliefs with those of other pantheons, especially the traditional faith of the orcs. A typical form this takes is to place other deities in subservient roles to Sraosheh and Mihr, but more uncommonly may involve integrating them as equals. While syncretism is not a particularly unusual trait in the worship of the Kirnashal pantheon, the more divergent of these faiths nonetheless cause some consternation for the centralized Amshani clergy.
Society
After two thousand years of contact Kudurran culture has come to strongly resemble that of Amshan. Traditions, arts, values, and so on are quite similar between the peoples of the two lands. Still, the orcs and non-orcs alike of Kudurru are proud of their own distinct identities, forged in the hazards of life on the frontier. Kudurrans have a reputation for their hardiness and indefatigable attitudes, never giving up in the face of even the toughest challenges.
Languages
Asharan is by far the most spoken language in Kudurru, though Common and Orcish are also widely known. Orcish in particular retains a high status as a language of governance and court. Some in Kudurru also know other regional languages, particularly Telan.