ZURKUK IRONBELLY
OrcsMaster Siege Engineer
"Give me enough stone, wood, and time, and I could bring down the mountains themselves. But why would I want to?""
Identity
- Residence
- The Ironworks Fortress
- Civilization
- Orcs
Appearance
• Physical: Zurkuk is unusually stout even for an orc, with a massive belly that he claims gives him better balance when calculating trajectories. His arms are thick as tree trunks from years of hauling siege components. • Clothing: He wears a leather apron covered in charcoal sketches and mathematical notations. His fingers are perpetually stained with grease and ink. • Distinguishing Marks: Missing three fingers on his left hand to a prototype catapult. He considers it a valuable lesson in respecting one's own creations.
Relationships
- Family - His wife is a Stone-Keeper who finds his obsession with "dead stone" amusing. They have seven children, four of whom work in his workshops.
- Allies - Maintains correspondence with dwarven engineers, though their clans are officially hostile.
- Rivals - A younger engineer named Gortok constantly tries to undermine his position with flashy but impractical designs.
Personality
- Traits: Obsessive, brilliant, unexpectedly jovial, perfectionist
- Mannerisms: Counts under his breath when observing structures, taps his remaining fingers in complex patterns
- Voice: Booming laughter punctuates his speech, which is peppered with technical jargon
Backstory
Zurkuk discovered his gift as a youth when he rebuilt a broken grain mill to grind three times as fast. Since then, he has designed fortifications and siege engines across orcish territories. His proudest achievement is the Ironworks Fortress itself, which has never fallen to assault.
Daily Life
Zurkuk rises before dawn to inspect his workshops, where apprentices labor through the night. He spends hours sketching designs, testing materials, and overseeing construction. Evenings find him in his study, poring over captured engineering manuals from other civilizations.
Secret
Zurkuk has designed a weapon so devastating that he has hidden the plans, fearing what would happen if any clan possessed it. He dreams of building something that would make war obsolete.
Story Hooks
- 1 Zurkuk needs rare materials from dangerous territory to complete his masterwork.
- 2 His hidden weapon plans have been stolen, and he needs them recovered before they're used.
Narrative Value
Zurkuk provides technical expertise, siege-related quests, and moral questions about the nature of warfare and invention. ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════