| Bonchewer Banner | |
| Bonechewer Clan | |
| Domain | |
| Alternative name(s) | The bone eaters, the cannibal orcs, the dishonored ones |
| Largest settlement | Camp Dead-eye |
| Region(s) | The Southern Steppes |
| Societal Information | |
| Language(s) | Orcish |
| Race(s) | Orc |
| Leader | Orguz the Axe Killer |
| Other Leaders | Orma Firebrand (Oracle), Talkut One-Eye (Shaman) |
| Past Leaders | Normu One-Eye (Chieftain) |
| Religion(s) | Fire Worship |
| Population | 4,700 |
| Alignment | Lawful Evil |
| Allegiance | The Horde |
| Status | Membership Okay |
The Bonechewer Clan is one of the major clans on the steppes. The Clan is most at home in the jungles of Outland, as half of the clan joined the humans and drow in the invasion of Aryavarta in the distant past looking for a new jungle home. The ones that joined were most of the clan that believed in traditional orc honor. The ones that were left behind were led by the unhonorable. In the past, they were known as the Clan of Honored Bones.
Now, finding a new style of honor, the clan has turned to the worst of any sentient endeavors. They turned to cannibalism. Forced to live in the wintered steppes, forced to farm, the clan was forced to turn to the hunting and eating of other intelligent and imaginative lifeforms -- most notably humans. Savage even for orcs, the Bonechewers attacked any sentient. Even making war on the Dragonborn for their meat. The war had a major battle at the site of a river, where most of the clan's warriors was slain.
History[]
The Taan Landscape, the jungles of the place where the Bonechewer Clan comes from.
The Bonechewer Clan, as the Clan of Honored Bones; once lived amongst the jungles of Outland. Speaking Orcrist and living an existence where they worshipped fire in their shamanistic orc cult. As the Clan of Honored Bones, the clan was the expert in depositing their dead in ossuaries rather than burying them in the ground. The ossuaries are the reason why the clan became known as the Clan of Honored Bones.
As the Orcs fled to Lemurias, some say to conquer and some say for freedom from the Civilized Orcs; the Clan of Honored Bones settled on the eastern side of the Caucasus, only to be forced out into the Steppes by the Pelagasiri Elves. While a remnant of the clan persists in their original culture on the western shores of the Carpathian Sea, the rest were forced to live their lives on the steppes.
When the human Clan of Magog recruited half the clan for an invasion of the steppes, they took the best and the brightest of the Clan of Honored Bones. Half the clan followed the Clan of Magog into glory to conquer the lands of Aryavarta. The other half, made up of mostly the worst of the clan, took over and over the years the clan took on a new identity as life on the steppes became hard and brutish.
Still worshiping fire as shamans, the clan had taken to cannibalism (defined here as the eating of sentients). The sentients they ate was mostly human, whom they attacked for food rather than to learn how to survive on the steppes. Rather than place their dead in ossuaries, the Bonechewer clan would eat their dead and throw the bones on a rubbish heap.
The Battle of Bloodied River[]
The Battle of Bloodied River was the mightiest battle that the Bonechewer clan partook in during their war with the Dragonborn. It was also the battle that turned the tide of the war against the clan. The battle took place over the course of a week, where many of the Dragonborn was slain, but over half of the Bonechewer warriors were slain. The clan's back was broken, and while the clan participated in many skirmishes, the borders of the Dragonborn nation and the roving orc clans were drawn here.
Bonechewer Clan Worship[]
The Bonechewers, and the Clan of Honored Bones before them; worship fire in a Shamanistic way. As the clan's beliefs progressed, the Shamanistic cult has turned into a religion with a God of Fire, Alaz-Baytar. The Bonechewers often dance naked around the fire, sometimes dressed only in the sky, and sometimes dressed with just a short cloth girded about their loins, or if female, breast.
The bone chewers have taken to cremation of their honored dead if the individual was especially honorable, noteworthy, or wise. Although the clan eats their enemies and bathes in their blood; cremation is the highest honor given to those who deserve the respect. In this way, the soul of the dead is given to the god of fire, Alaz-Baytar. Sometimes to serve the god in some capacity, sometimes for a place of rest and respect in their version of orc heaven.