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Sarn Goriwing |
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Update
The tower and garrison of Sarn Goriwing are no more. The Beorns of Mirkwood, along with the Elves of Mirkwood, and the banded forces of dwarves and humans laid siege to the tower. After a tremendous battle, the remaining orcs of the tower fled through a secret passage, leaving the tower in the hands of the goodies.
Description
A spire of glassy black rock in the heights of the Mirkwood Mountains, Sarn Goriwing was built by the Nazgul at the source of the Gulduin, the black River of Enchantment of northern Mirkwood. It is a smallish outpost of Mordor, home to orc raiders and occasionally to the trolls who live nearby.
Territory
The orcs of Sarn Goriwing terrorize the Old Forest Road and the peoples who live to either side of Mirkwood along it, the Beornings of the Anduin to the west and the Dale-landers of the Long Lake to the east. Encounters with the elves of Amon Thranduil are common, since the elvish realm is close at hand. The trolls of Mirkwood live in caves just south of the Mirkwood Mountains, and often interact with the orcs of Sarn Goriwing. Trails and rough roads ply the wood between Sarn Goriwing and Dol Guldur in the distant south of Mirkwood.
Occupants
Sarn Goriwing is garrisoned by a company of orcs sent from Dol Guldur, and a large den of Wargs lives in the mountains nearby. The wargs and the orcs often work together, with the Wolfrider orcs conducting fast raids on nearby regions. The trolls of the forest caves near Sarn Goriwing often are seen, and indeed the greatest trolls often lead the orcs in raids and command the garrison.
INSIGNIA: A simple silhouette of a black wolf's head, howling against the white circle of the moon, on the black background of a surcoat or flag.
History
Sarn Goriwing is the most recent of the outposts of Mordor, having been built only in the last few years. It was briefly commanded by Shagrat, the Captain of Cirith Ungol, and then a string of other orcs before the mighty Grazzt of the Olog-hai assumed command. The orcs of Sarn Goriwing are in regular conflict with the 'good' cultures nearby, and casualties are high--but this only adds to the rough pride of the wolfriding raiders.
From the inception of the Wolfriders of the Mirkwood Mountains, they were led by a tight-knit clan of orcs known as the Ujakalsaki. This tribe was often the smallest of the tribes, certainly smaller than its deadly rival clan, the Ashjaki of Dol Guldur. With the isolation of Sarn Goriwing and its distance from the command of Nazgul or orcs directly loyal to the Vorazg, it remains to be seen whether or not the Ujakalsaki will die out with the Vorazg's Decree to abolish the tribes.
