![[ull.png|250]] *The fearless and imperious, Drasika the Destroyer, Orakhon of Ull, ==Human==* **Government:** Tribal Despotism **Capital**: Ulakand (pop. 10,187) **Major Towns:** Kester **Provinces:** About twenty minor khanates **Resources:** Copper, furs, silver, gems(II) **Coinage:** Okka (sp), kurush (cp) **Population:** 277,400 - Human 78% (Bo), Orc 12%, Ogre 8%, Half-Ogre 2% **[[Languages for Genies & Giants|Languages.]]** Baklunish (low), Common, Giant, Old Oeridian **Allies:** None **Enemies:** Ulakandar tribes, Yorodhi hill tribesmen ___ [[Uli Characters]] ___ Located between the Ulsprue Mountains and the Barrier Peaks, Ull is an open area of rich grassland, extending into the Plains of the Ulakandar. Its northern border is in flux, but is generally considered to be within 20 leagues of the capital, Ulakand. To the south, the caravan town of Kester oversees all traffic to and from the southern Dry Steppes. The interior of Ull is quite fertile, but not well watered except during the winter rainy season. The climate is generally temperate, though the hot summer winds that blow across the Kester escarpment make southern Ull very unpleasant during that time of the year. Agriculture is limited to herding with some small scale farming occurring around the Ulakand mesa. Ull’s only exports are slaves and mercenaries with the southern town of Kester acting as a major trade centre for both. Both Ulakand and Kester are infamous for their fighting pits and Uli gladiators are in demand as far away as Mur, Risay and Greyhawk. Inhabited solely by orcs and ogres for millennia, the first humans to occupy the Ull basin were Oeridian tribes who migrated to the region escaping oppression in the Suel Imperium almost 1,600 years ago. Here they lived for generations before again migrating, this time east into the Flanaess being driven by the humanoid Great Horde during and immediately following the Suel-Baklunish Wars. As the Twin Cataclysms ravaged the Baklunish and Suel empires, Ull again fell to barbarity as orcs, ogres and gnolls and others enslaved the Oeridians who were unable to flee. The fierce and chaotic tribes warred among themselves, never able to form a cohesive polity. In time, many of the Oeridians regained their freedom either by escape or rebellion, and these groups eventually came together to form the Yorodhi tribe who live on in the mountains and rugged hills of Ull where they remain fiercely independent to this day. Ull remained a wilderness for centuries before the coming of the Brazen Horde brought new migrants to the basin. As the Suhfeng Brazen Horde thundered across the eastern Dry Steppes, many Ulakandar clans were pushed in front of them with most being driven north across Zeif and into Ekbir and Tusmit and ultimately into the steppes of the north. One clan of horse nomads, the Uli, however made their way into the lands of Ull where they found the grazing lands to be more than adequate for their needs. Finding the ruins of an ancient city atop a mesa in the middle of the Plains of Ull, the Uli people established a tent city, Ulakand, from which to dominate the surrounding area. They fought several small wars against the disjointed orc, ogre and Yorodhi tribes to establish themselves as the new masters of these lands. The orcs were successfully defeated and quickly enslaved. Both the ogres and the Yorodhi were more resistant to the Ulakandar newcomers but over time they too were pushed to the fringes of Ull, into the bleak high alpine passes and valleys of the Ulsprues and Barrier Peaks. Over the following centuries the Yorodhi maintained a fierce sense of independence but remained largely secluded in their alpine home. The ogres however saw some benefit to cooperation with the men of the plains who came to their crude villages seeking mercenaries and pit fighters for the growing markets of Kester and Ulakand. In time, many ogre clans became allies of the Ulakandar, even going so far as to intermarry with them to secure alliances. Unique among the Baklunish nations, Ull has no reverence for Istus. Except for Tensi, no other Baklunish deities are widely worshipped here; the Uli venerate the spirits of their own ancestors, though some are rumoured to favour the patronage of fiends. Most of the orc and ogre population are followers of Gruumsh. The numbers of the Uli enable them to field a strong force of cavalry and still protect their towns and villages with tough infantry. The latter use huge bows, strange pole arms, and great maces. As traders, the Uli are crafty and sly. They are fierce, warlike, and highly unpredictable otherwise. Ull’s current ruler, *Drasika the Destroyer*, rose to prominence through blood and fire, earning her title in the gladiatorial pits of Kester and later on the battlefields that dot the steppes and plains of Ull. Standing well over six feet tall with a lithe but muscular frame, she is an imposing figure even without the battered warplate she wears into combat. Her raven- black hair is braided with tokens from defeated foes, and her piercing amber eyes gleam with a mixture of cunning and fury that unnerves even her closest allies. Drasika wields “Ashen Fang,” a great curved blade forged in the fires of an ancient forge deep in the Barrier Peaks, said to drink the essence of those it slays. Tales of her exploits are whispered across Ull—how she slew the ogre warlord Magrok in single combat, led a daring raid on a Yorodhi stronghold to crush a rebellion, and even survived an assassination attempt orchestrated by the treacherous merchants of Kester. As Orakhan, Drasika maintains an iron grip on Ull through a combination of fear, military prowess, and shrewd political maneuvering. She is deeply respected among the Uli clans and feared by the orc and ogre underclasses. Her rule has brought relative stability to the plains, but at the cost of brutal enforcement. Gladiatorial contests are not just entertainment but a demonstration of power, with Drasika herself often participating to remind her people why she reigns. She has no heirs, and her rule remains precarious, balanced on her ability to keep potential rivals in check. Into this precarious situation comes *Molaak the Skullcrusher*, an unsettling figure in Ull’s already turbulent landscape. A towering half-ogre with the brute strength of his ogre lineage and the tactical acumen of his Uli heritage, Molaak embodies the uneasy union between the plainsmen and their ogre allies. His mother, an ogre chieftess of considerable renown, forged an alliance with the Uli through marriage to one of Drasika’s brothers. Molaak grew up on the fringes of both cultures, excelling in combat and strategy but never fully accepted by either. This duality forged him into a relentless and cunning warrior with a vision of uniting Ull under a new kind of leadership. Molaak’s challenge to Drasika stems from more than personal ambition. He believes that Ull’s reliance on brute force and tradition has stifled its growth. As Orakhan, he claims, he would bring the ogres fully into the fold, elevating their status and integrating their strength into a unified force. Molaak sees himself as the harbinger of a new Ull, one where half-ogres like him represent a bridge between the brutish past and a stronger, more cohesive future. However, many Uli clans view his ambitions with suspicion, fearing that such a shift would upset the delicate balance of power and lead to a loss of their own influence. In early 576 CY, tensions reached a boiling point. Molaak openly challenged Drasika for the title of Orakhan, invoking the ancient tradition of single combat. The stakes are immense: if Molaak wins, he would become the first half-ogre to rule Ull, potentially setting a precedent for dynastic change and further legitimising the growing intermarriage between Uli and ogres. For Drasika, the challenge is not merely about retaining her title but about preserving the identity and traditions of the Uli people. Molaak’s supporters—a coalition of ogre clans, disaffected Uli warriors, and ambitious merchants—believe his victory would herald a new era of prosperity and strength. They argue that Drasika’s rule, while effective, is rooted in the old ways that keep Ull stagnant. Drasika’s allies, including the most powerful Uli clans and the gladiatorial factions of Kester, see Molaak as a threat to their dominance. They accuse him of pandering to the ogres and undermining the hard-won independence of the Uli people.