Siege Engineering
The Siege Engineering codex is the foundational technical and magical treatise of Orcish civilization, a multi-volume work maintained in the Stone-Lore Libraries of Kragthar Hold that encodes the full accumulated knowledge of Orcish siege-engine design, Runic Lattice inscription, and strategic deployment across generations of refinement. The original volumes are inscribed on basalt tablets of a specific resonance frequency that allows Stone-Keepers to read them through touch alone in the dark, and later additions have maintained this format. The codex is simultaneously an engineering manual and a sacred text — the first volume opens with the Statement of the Three Pillars, which frames siege engineering not as a tool of destruction but as the highest expression of the Orcish unity of warrior and builder, and every subsequent technical chapter includes a section titled Meaning of the Work explaining the cultural and spiritual significance of the technique being described.
Artifact Details
- Type
- Manual
- Rarity
- Rare
- Origin
- The first volume of the Siege Engineering codex was authored by War-Seer Korga and Stone-Keeper Lurak jointly, following the Siege of Ember-Peak when both recognized that the tactical and technical knowledge that had won the defense was at risk of being lost when its practitioners died. Subsequent volumes have been added at each major technological breakthrough, the most recent by Forge-Master Baruk Gear-Tooth documenting the Self-Repairing Runic Gears and Aether-Infused Steel discoveries.
Overview
Siege Engineering is a rare manual in Landorya. Its known origin is The first volume of the Siege Engineering codex was authored by War-Seer Korga and Stone-Keeper Lurak jointly, following the Siege of Ember-Peak when both recognized that the tactical and technical knowledge that had won the defense was at risk of being lost when its practitioners died. Subsequent volumes have been added at each major technological breakthrough, the most recent by Forge-Master Baruk Gear-Tooth documenting the Self-Repairing Runic Gears and Aether-Infused Steel discoveries.. Its most cited abilities include Basalt tablets inscribed at resonance frequency allow trained Stone-Keepers to read content through touch alone, Runic Lattice diagrams within the codex can be used as direct templates for inscription work, accelerating the learning process for Runic Engraver apprentices, and The Statement of the Three Pillars at the codex's opening carries a permanent clarity-enhancement effect on readers who speak it aloud before study sessions.
History
The Siege Engineering codex is the most copied document in Orcish civilization, with authorized copies maintained in every major settlement's Stone-Lore Library vault. The copying process itself is ritualized — each copy must be inscribed by a Runic Engraver who has passed the Judgment of the Hammer and taken a specific oath of accuracy, as errors in technical inscription translate directly to dangerous design flaws in the field. An error in a copy distributed in 1142 AR contributed to a trebuchet arm failure that injured six Orcs during testing, and that incident has made the copy-oath a permanent feature of the process.
Powers & Abilities
- ✦ Basalt tablets inscribed at resonance frequency allow trained Stone-Keepers to read content through touch alone
- ✦ Runic Lattice diagrams within the codex can be used as direct templates for inscription work, accelerating the learning process for Runic Engraver apprentices
- ✦ The Statement of the Three Pillars at the codex's opening carries a permanent clarity-enhancement effect on readers who speak it aloud before study sessions
- ✦ Certain chapters on Thunder-Ram construction contain sealed subsections accessible only to those of War-Lord rank or above, maintained by a runic lock keyed to Chieftain-level Stone-Bound Oaths
- ✦ The codex functions as a formal record of the Mark of the Anvil — approved innovations entered into the codex become part of the civilization's shared technical heritage