The Jhorash’tar are an alliance of orc tribes that have dwelt in the Ironroot Mountains since before the arrival of the dwarves. The Jhorash’tar have no written records, but their tales suggest they once held most of the Ironroots, and that many of their tribes were annihilated in the early days of the Exile. However, others suggest that the orcs might have been eradicated by the civilization that built Sol Udar. Indeed, the existence of the Face of Mror—a mountain sculpted to resemble a dwarf king, a feat of engineering far beyond the capabilities of the modern Mror— implies the dwarves of Sol Udar were active on the surface of the mountains at some point. Whatever the truth, by the time of Bal Dulor, the bulk of the Jhorash’tar had been pushed to the southwestern regions of the Ironroot Mountains, where they continued to clash with Clan Droranath and Clan Noldrun.
The Jhorash’tar orcs have a distinct culture, with nothing in common with the Ghaash’kala orcs of the Demon Wastes or the Gatekeepers of the Shadow Marches. There are at least six distinct tribes, each split into smaller bands; the DM can add details to a particular tribe to suit the story. Some dwell on the surface of the mountains—often in caves along canyon walls— while others dwell underground, in the same layer the dwarves mined for centuries before breaking through into Sol Udar. The Jhorash’tar have never formed large communities, and usually split when a band has a hundred or more adult members, or whenever a bonecaster—their spiritual leader—advises it.
The primary spiritual tradition of the Jhorash’tar is called the Path of Bones. Bonecasters are their priests and diviners. They can speak with the dead and temporarily conjure spirits to produce magical effects, but traditionally they don’t create lasting undead. A player character following this path might be a cleric with the Grave domain (from Xanathar’s Guide to Everything), though the typical bonecaster doesn’t have access to all the spells and features of a cleric. Bonesworn are elite champions strengthened by spirits; a player character following this path could be an Ancestral Guardian or Zealot barbarian (from Xanathar’s Guide to Everything). The Jhorash’tar believe that the ghosts of the fallen linger, and continue to guide the living through whispers and dreams. Tribes often decorate the entrances of their dwellings with the bones of their own fallen warriors, believing that the spirits of the fallen protect them.
The Jhorash’tar don’t work metal, though some are willing to use metal weapons and armor acquired from the Mror. Bonecaster rituals allow them to shape and harden bone, and they often incorporate bones in weapons and armor. While they often use the bones of large creatures, it’s also common for one of the bonesworn to carry a weapon or token that incorporates an ancestor’s bone. The Jhorash’tar also work with other natural materials, including wood and stone. They have no equivalent to heavy armor, but can combine bone and leather to create armor that offers similar protection to a breastplate or scale mail.
Many of the Jhorash’tar tribes wish for peace with the dwarves, and are working with the Frosthaven clans to reach an understanding. For the most part, these tribes don’t want to live alongside Mror in their cities, but wish for their own recognized lands, and want the right to gather the bones of other orcs from across the holds. However, there are also tribes hungry for vengeance, driven by the cries of their fallen. Such tribes continue to engage in guerilla war and to spread terror however they can. As far as the Mror know, the orcs have had no contact with the Realm Below or the forces of Dyrrn—but it’s possible that a tribe has been touched by the Corruptor, and could emerge with unusual powers or even allied with aberrations.
It’s up to the DM whether the Jhorash’tar were involved in the destruction of Noldrunhold. Whatever the truth, Jhorash’tar tribes live safely in Noldrun territory, though they shun its cities.
Source: Exploring Eberron
The Jhorash’tar orcs live in the Ironroot Mountains, where they have long clashed with the dwarves of the Mror Holds. The Jhorash’tar hold to ancient traditions and revere the spirits of their ancestors, and refuse to leave the peaks where their heroes once dwelled. Some of the Mror clans wish to exterminate the Jhorash’tar, while others wish to see the orcs recognized with a voice on the council of the Holds, and yet the tides of violence ebb and flow.
Source: Morgrave's Miscellany
These barbaric tribes of nomadic orcs were once found throughout the Holds. However, as the dwarven civilization expanded under Karrnathi rule, the Jhorash’tar were forced deeper and deeper into the wilderness. Today, the orcs of the Ironroot Mountains hate the Mror dwarves with an all-consuming passion, and they disrupt the commerce and life of the Holds at any opportunity.
Characters who encounter the Jhorash’tar while exploring the wilds of the Holds can expect no quarter or diplomacy. However, characters whose goals run counter to the will of the clans might seek an alliance with the orcs—but should tread carefully if they do.
Source: Eberron Campaign Guide
For thousands of years, the Jhorash’tar orcs have dwelled in the Ironroot Mountains. Though vilified by the dwarves as uncouth and unintelligent barbarians, the Jhorash’tar are a highly social folk with a strong warrior tradition. The orcs make full use of their knowledge of the unforgiving terrain of their homeland as they hunt their foes.
For millennia, the Ironroot Mountains have been home to the Jhorash’tar orcs, whose tribes fought bitter battles with the dwarven clans. When the dwarves established a stable culture under Karrnathi occupation, the orcs were forced back into the remoter slopes and caverns of the mountains.
The harsh life of the Jhorash’tar carries a high toll in fatalities. Although the orcs’ numbers continue to grow, each generation sees them fall farther behind the dwarves in their safely civilized holds. For this reason, Jhorash’tar culture is focused on combat training. Every orc of the mountains is a warrior able to defend itself if need be—or to lead an attack on a trade caravan or the mining operations of the weaker dwarven holds.
Orcs that show exceptional skill in both leadership and personal combat are given the title bloodspiller, and are among the most respected members of the Jhorash’tar tribe.
Source: Eberron Campaign Guide
The Ironroot Mountains are home to the Jhorash’tar orcs. With the rise of the dwarves’ civilization, the Jhorash’tar have faded back into the darkest, least hospitable parts of the mountains, but they still emerge occasionally to raid caravans or attack weak holds.
Religion
For their part, the Jhorash’tar never followed the Gate keeper druid traditions of the western orcs. Their religious beliefs vary; some worship the Mockery, others follow the paths of the Dragon Below. Many are agnostic, claiming that no just deity would give the dwarves control of the Ironroot Mountains.
Source: Eberron Campaign Setting