On Martial Importance in Yokudan and Orcish Culture

The Redguards are known across Tamriel for their martial prowess and yet are surprisingly absent from the ranks of the Imperial Legions. The army of the Redguards is not nearly as hierarchical as those found elsewhere on Tamriel. The elite fighters come from religious orders that aid the main body of the army in times of need. These orders are based on merit, and only highly talented warriors are able to stay long in these prestigious orders. Most important is that the orders are monastic in nature. Many Yokudan gods (or their slightly Imperialized versions) center around martial arts such as the HoonDing and Leki and so by mastering the myriad swordsmanship styles these monk warriors honor their gods and themselves. They are called broadly Brothers and Maidens of the Spirit Blade and are instead remembered as individual heroes rather than for their specific order or even family. Yokudan history is rife with heroes such as David and Frandar Hunding or Gaiden Shinji who reached their legendary status through martial prowess. It is worth noting that the actual technique of the Spirit Sword or the Shehai, has fallen into obscurity due to the knowledge of its usage being lost to the ages. The orders still practice strict martial training and serve as powerful troops in times of duress.

It is expected of every individual that they have at least a minimal command of weaponry regardless of social rank and this ability is called upon in times of need as Hammerfell boasts no standing army. This expectation on each person and the legendary status of certain individuals suggests that fighting in Yokudan culture lays in the concept of the individual itself. It does not serve the group but the individual. It bestows riches and honors on a specific person, not their clan or family and is only stressed in a communitarian sense when the survival of the Yokudan people is in peril such as the Thalmor invasion and other large scale wars. Some family bonds are seen but these are too individuals within the family, not a removed sense of clan or tribe. This is further shown in the fighting style of the Yokudan warriors who could best be described as skirmishers. Lightly armored, quick of feet and armed with knowledge of hundreds of fighting styles and weapons that favor finesse and skill they favor a more escapist type of fighting; the saying “Float like a butterfly sting like a bee” certainly applies here. This is due to the importance of the individual. It is something important, sacred even and so it must be maintained and protected.

The Pariah Folk of the Wrothgarian Mountains are often looked down upon by other races as barbaric pig people who have no capacity for the higher arts or culture. While this may be true for some, the average Orc is more than capable of the same levels of intellectual achievement as an Altmeri noble, they just choose not too. The Orcs relish in the chaos of the fight more than most if not all of the other races that inhabit Tamriel. To them it is more than a fight, it is a test, it is a chance to prove their mettle and most importantly it is a chance to defend or aid their tribe. The Orcs live in small to medium sized tribes and this tribe is the be all and end all to their very existence. A single Orc lives and dies with their tribe and there is no higher honor than to fight and even die in service to the tribe. Whether it be defending the tribe or out plundering for supplies, fighting has a distinctly communitarian motivation to it. The Orc identifies themselves with their tribe, it is a single organism that works as one. And one can aid that organism greatest through fighting.

Honor is something that is also prevalent in Orc culture. But this honor is outsourced to the tribe. It is not the individual Orc who gains honor or loses it, but rather the tribe that they had raised such a warrior or failed to. This is evidenced not only by the lack of Orcish heroes despite the fact that there have undoubtedly been countless heroic Orc warriors, but also by the behavior of individuals today. Old Orcs are known to leave their tribe in order to seek death had it not come to them on the battle field and to not live beyond their usefulness. The individual Orc does not matter, but only what he or she can do for the tribe. So when one becomes elderly and can no longer “carry their own weight” they must die as they are a drain on the tribe. This lack of care for the individual is also manifested in the way in which the Orcs fight. An Orc is known to charge head first into battle with as large a weapon as they can swing in order to do maximum damage at the expense of the survival of the attacker. Lastly it is even shown in the religion of the Orcish people. They see themselves as the Pariah Folk led by their King of the Scorned in Malacath. They are not cast out that have come together but rather an entire people who have been expelled. A solitary group that has been singled out, the weight is on the collective, not the individual.