The easternmost orc state, occupying the borderlands where the Wildwood thins into the Steppe of Aziirn. The Shazuihni are boar-riding raiders who attack constantly and build nothing permanent. They're the most feared and least understood of the six orc nations.
Geography
Shazuihn isn't truly a territory in the conventional sense—it's wherever the boar-riders happen to be. Their "land" consists of the forest margins, scattered woodland patches, and the western edge of the steppe where their herds graze.
The Rooting Grounds: Semi-permanent camps where the boar herds graze and breed. These shift seasonally but remain sacred to the Shazuihni. Attacking the Rooting Grounds is the surest way to provoke unified Shazuihni retaliation.
The Blood Road: The main raiding path west into Hedroscobb territory. Generations of raids have worn it into the land—a route any Shazuihni child could follow blindfolded.
The Scorches: Geothermal region to the north with hotsprings, geysers, and unpredictable fire eruptions. Too dangerous for regular habitation but used as a retreat when enemies pursue—the Shazuihni know the safe paths, and invaders don't.
Dragon Spout: Where void and fire leylines intersect, creating eruptions of unnatural flame. The Shazuihni avoid it but use it as a boundary marker.
Borders
- West: Hedroscobb (primary raiding target)
- Northwest: Tarn (secondary raiding target)
- North: The Scorches
- East: Steppe of Aziirn
- South: Wurmspine Mountains region
Climate
Continental, transitioning from forest to steppe. Cold winters, hot summers. The boar herds follow the grazing, and the Shazuihni follow the herds.
Why It Matters
The Shazuihni are a constant drain on the other orc states. Their raids bleed Hedroscobb and Tarn year after year, preventing either from ever fully concentrating their forces elsewhere. In a strange way, the eternal raids help maintain the Wildwood's balance—no one can grow too strong while the boar-riders keep attacking.
If anyone ever united or eliminated the Shazuihni, the entire regional dynamic would shift.