Scorrosia

Summary
The Eastern half of the Bloody Isle, Scorrosia is a land whose southern regions are among the most sublime on Uarach - soaring limestone pillars, jutting like an angry tiger’s teeth, jut abruptly into the sky, a sea of pillars covered in a dense wood. From the forests hills, to serene glens and ancient elven cities, the land changes as one ventures north, into lands where the Elves of Scorrosia practice their faith: war.

Forests ripped to shreds from state-of-the-art alchemical bombs and blasts of power from fearsome Elven magi cause the woods to blend slowly into war-torn killing fields, littered equally by stumps and corpses. Deeper in the woods on either side, the Elves and Orcs have makeshift battlements, walls built for temporary protection in a war whose ebb and flow has fluctuated from atrocity to the next over generations. Both worshippers of Tanadoth, Lord of War, an ancestral schism wracked the once united Isles into a race war whose flame has lasted millenia. The Orcs, depicting Tanadoth as a mighty Orc, build great statues to his glory, often defacing those of Elvish settlements captured by removing the ears and planting them upon his lips - as makeshift tusks.

The Elves, though renowned for their grace and long lives, have posed an equally existential threat to their neighbors. Dedicating themselves to the ways of Tanadoth, whose dogma is that of struggle and overcoming, of tactical mastery and strategic genius, they have constructed monstrous war machines, magnificent palaces and monuments, and numerous architectural wonders across Scorrosia. The capital, Lanarashasa, sits boldly astride an enormous canal, lined with statues of Tanadoth and monuments to great battles standing hundreds of feet high.

Sitting atop the Elder Throne, Tenarion Sunrender looks out from the High Seat of Scorrosia, his indomitable fortress in Lanarashasa, and seethes. He desires what all his ancestors have yet failed to accomplish: the complete subjugation of Roq’ar, the eradication of the Orcish race from Uarach, and for the Elves to once again rise in hegemony over the Old Continent. The High King of the Elves, Tenarion Sunrender has orchestrated the most successful campaigns against their Orcish adversaries many historians are yet to note - and some on the Old Continent have grown increasingly wary of his increasingly violent practices. Though Uarach is no stranger to genocide, Tenarion’s hunger for the end of Orcs has startled many governments across the Old Continent, whose Orcish citizens have begun disappearing or being attacked openly in the streets of major cities by Tenarion’s agents. It is one thing to send Elvish death squads across the no-man’s land of Scorrosia - another thing entirely to attack citizens of Gratalia, Gosk, Silmicia, and others. Not all Elves approve of his ways, but his boasts of being “Tanadoth-reborn” have worried some - that it might be true.

Inhabitants
The homeland of the Elven race, Scorrosia is the most populous Elven land in Uarach. While its citizens are afforded many freedoms, Scorrosians are expected of much. If one’s skills cannot directly contribute to the northern front, the High King expects one to serve his nation another way - either by progressing the arcane knowledge of the High Magi of Scorrosia, in whose mysterious courts the deepest magics ar practiced, or through architecture, in which the finest monuments and buildings of all the world are built in dedicated to Tanadoth.

While an Elvish nation, the presence of other races is not uncommon. Expert artisans, technologists, magi, and skilled craftsmen from the Old Continent enjoy many privileges while working the fabled lands of Scorrosia, and some are even allowed to settle down and have families. Over the generations, half-elf regiments have formed within the Scorrosian military, earning many honors in their fierce struggle against the Orcs.

Religion
Tanadoth is not as simple as many outsiders might fear - he is not the Lord of Death, but of War - furthermore, he is a great appreciator of beauty, both physical and natural, and rewards those who seek to unite the substance of their life with an aesthetic. Every Scorrosian Elf is a follower of Tanadoth - with few exceptions. As a result, the nation is composed of compelling warriors, master artisans, and fanatical magic users. Those who fail to maintain the dogma - namely cowards, those who humiliate themselves, and the lazy - are sent to the Old Continent with only a backpack of their choicest belongings. Those who wish to leave Scorrosia are granted free passage, but are expected to continue in their service to Tanadoth - and train their children in the martial faith.

What might otherwise be a Spartan lifestyle, given the dedication to self-overcoming and conflict, followers of Tanadoth are actually seekers of great beauty, of immense battles, and of overwhelming victory. Seeking victory in every aspect of their lives, those who follow Tanadoth make supreme allies - and terrifying foes.