For an overview of Origins of Sin check out Mick Dagger’s 2024 Guide to Origins of Sin! For a review of the world’s wetness, check out Mick Dagger’s 2024 Guide to Origins of Sin: Aquatic Edition! Welcome, Sinners, to a moderately priced guide to the world of The Black Tusks of Origins of Sin, I’m our host Mick Dagger, your friendly neighbourhood Goblin. You might remember me from such spectacular successes like “Totally Legit Documents”* or “The Great Goblin Gasilica”. While it should go without saying, this is an OOC (out of character) guide with some IC (in character) flavour, it’s meant to be fun, silly and still informative. Please do not take it as in-character. * The ‘Totally’ Franchise offers no guarantees on any of its products or services. The name of a Franchise is no way an indication of quality of products or services. Much More Than a Grimy Surface The Black Tusks are one of the oldest guilds on Origins of Sin, but before Origins the Tusks have about a decade of history on various other sims. It doesn’t matter what race you are playing, anyone can join the Tusks if they agree to live by our means, in a more tribal way of life. We defy stereotypes at the same time as embracing them. You are just as likely to find a hulking and menacing orc ready to tear you apart, as you are to find a gentle soul that wants only to see you happy. On asking members of the tribe what is the one thing you wished someone had told you when you first approached the group, the one that stood out the most was… how approachable people are on an out of character level. Many of us play shitholes in character but we are definitely not those people in real life. When in doubt, drop a DM on your scene partner and check in. Welcome to the Tribe Anyone is welcome to enter the camp, but only members of the Tribe may venture into the caves where the Tribe makes its home. These tunnels and caverns have been painstakingly dug out by goblins and snaga alike. Most of these tunnels are “off screen” and house things like our elderly, the shoats (a term for our offspring), or mushroom or meat beetle farms. Any newcomer to camp will be met with the face-punching aroma of Orc musk and chicken feces, as well as a cacophony of sounds from a bustling camp. NPC goblins and orcs (as well as the other varied races that make up the Black Tusks) move about camp, avoiding blows, starting fights, betting on fights, or generally working on tasks that benefit the camp, such as tending The Pot or curing hides. Wise petitioners bring a gift for the Gorgun, the fat hearty tyrant that rules the Black Tusks with an iron fist. Many are surprised at the decorum expected of everyone, comparing it to the rituals observed in a gilded marble hall of an elven king. Instead of marble, the floor is covered in mud and instead of courtiers the camp is filled with unwashed bodies and roaming chickens. And yet the Gorgun has a herald (one who is very proud of his job) and if the rituals are not observed then someone may incur the wrath of our grotesque leader. Those who arrive hoping to join the Tusks are put to a test of combat to honour the Iron One. This fight allows us to teach new Tusks the ins and outs of HUD combat and to gauge their ability to ‘give good flop’, that is, when being struck or losing a fight, do they demonstrate appropriate theatrics to bolster their opponent. No one wants to do battle with someone who brushes off every strike as if it was nothing. We want to see the drama! The blood! The THEATRE. Winning the fight does not mean you are automatically accepted to the Tribe. Heed (social structure) Once you’ve joined the Tribe you are a grot. A nobody. A grot who causes trouble for outsiders will be disavowed. In truth the Gorgun probably doesn’t even know your name! But once you’ve proven yourself you can earn a pip, or level, in one of the Three Eyes of Mog (more on that later). Rank is very strictly enforced, a 1 pip must listen to a 2 pip, who must listen to a 3 pip. But just to add to the chaos there is also consideration on the Three Eyes. If the matter being commanded is related to Teef things, then a 2 pip Chorga cannot call rank on a 1 pip Teef… at least not on that particular topic. Fists can change the topic. The leaders of the Three Eyes are selected from the pool of 3 pips. Each Eye has one Hok, the leader, and two or more Bahs, their seconds. Attaining the rank of a 3 pip means you are someone important, the Gorgun probably knows your name and if you get into trouble outside the camp there is a chance the tribe will rally to support you. All Hoks answer to the Bahgun, or second in command of the Tribe, and literally everyone answers to the Gorgun, the ultimate leader. It is important to note that we do not give a shit about your titles outside of the Tribe. You could be the lord of all the realm or the high mucky muck of the great wallabaloo court. If you haven’t earned rank in the Tribe we don’t “see you”. The Three Eyes of Mog There is much confusion among outsiders (and, to be honest, among the Tribe) about what, or who, Mog is. Some say Mog is an Orc from ancient times. Some say Mog is a creed that dictates the actions of the tribe. Still others say Mog is a balance of deeds, like karma. And then there are drinks named for Mog, just to add to the confusion. The chaos is a feature, not a bug. Whatever it is, the tribal structure is based on it. The three “Eyes” of Mog are broken down into the following:
Outsiders/Relations The most predictable thing about the Tusks is that they’re unpredictable. Just when outsiders are starting to get an idea of how to handle them, things change. At the top of the chaos is the mercurial Gorgun, who is just as likely to invite strangers into the camp to share some Troita tea as he is to command the Chorga to attack! As a guild of Helheim one would think everything is summer roses and bloody hunts, but the reality is, in-character at least, that Helheim tolerates the Black Tusks more than embraces them. The Tusks offer military support (which is mostly effective if the monarch can rile them to fight in the right direction) and keeps the Forest mostly free of other brigands. In exchange the Black Tusks provide a reason to have a Royal Guard by frequently enacting shenanigans in Helheim proper. Totally win-win. Aside from Helheim, the Tusks have no official allies among other groups and factions, however, they are eager to fight and can be (mostly) relied on to show up and hit the correct things. The very next day they might attack the people they were assisting. No one has ever been able to pin down just how many Tusks reside in the forest (though the former Queen of Helheim did attempt a census) which makes attacking them outright a dicey proposition. This is a large contributor to why no one has tried to tame the Tusks. Common Terms
Regular Events While these are some of the events you can expect from the Black Tusks they are not the only events. Check with the sim calendar on the home page of the website for other events. The Meatgrindah: On the Third Thursday of every month we hold a combat event to honour the Iron One. People smash other people and the winner is awarded a title (Dawn Meatgrindah Champion or Dusk Meatgrindah Champion) and 1 silver coin. These take place at 11:30am SLT and 5:30pm SLT. Everyone is welcome to attend. Meatgrindah: the Gathering: When someone becomes a Meatgrindah champion they have a card made of them, like a baseball card. Recently a game has been developed using these cards. Black Tusk Monthly Movie: On the First Saturday of every month we meet in the discord movie channel to watch two 80’s (or earlier) classic films. Much fun and hilarity ensues. Everyone is welcome to attend. Rent-a-Tusk: If you need something done a Tusk will do it for you. For 5c you can hire a Tusk to deliver a message (either a note or with fists), walk your dog, fuck your wife, or weed your garden. Reach out to any Tusk to find out more. The Goblintown Bazaar: Now and then the goblins of the tribe block the road “accidentally” and divert traffic through the camp where people are then assaulted with sales pitch after sales pitch. It’s like a really aggressive IKEA. Everyone is welcome (and encouraged) to attend! Winter Wonderland (annual): Over the Winter Solstice individuals are invited to come to the Black Tusk camp to have their portrait painted while sitting on the Gorgun or the Hok’Jicho’s lap. Strangely, and totally unrelated, there is a rash of burglaries after this event. Everyone is welcome to attend. Annual Bath Day (annual): Around March, when the winter starts to thaw, the Snaga Whip riles the rest of the Snaga into cajoling the smelly Tusks into a bath. There are 5 tubs, one each for the Gorgun, Bahgun, and the three Hoks. These five get to bathe first. The water is not changed out. It is gross. And hilarious. Usually this event is restricted to the tribe. The Meatbeatles It wouldn't be a Mick Dagger's Guide without a shameless plug. Have you heard of Sincadere's singing sensation the Meatbeatles? (Not to be confused with meat beetles, the bugs). To date the Meatbeatles have released 8 albums of parody songs. Each "album" is a box with magical stones, one for each song, that plays the song when activated. The box lid bears some clever cover art. Meatbeatles songs are considered Ear Worms. When you sing or hum a Meatbeatles song feel free to pass along the notecard with the lyrics to people in the vicinity. If they choose to they will also get the song stuck in their head and inflict it on, or er, share it with others in turn. In Conclusion That’s all for this guide, folks. There is much more to the Tusks, but this will get you started. Come learn the rest in character. Venture into the forest at your peril, but do not be afraid to approach the Tusks from an OOC standpoint. We will RP with you and since RP in Origins of Sin is consent based you need only fear us if that’s the RP you seek. We can play your villain, your ally or your stalwart frenemy, so long as you let us know what you need from us.
Oh, and, if you need any other moderately priced services from the ‘Totally’ franchise, don’t hesitate to reach out to me… Mick Dagger… for literally anything you can pay coin for. Which is literally everything. Comments are closed.
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