The little orc village of Port Yakha is remote and not on any major sailing routes.  The residents sustain themselves mostly with bounty from the sea.  Everyone who’s old enough to keep their sea legs about them help on sailing trips that take them far out into the open ocean for weeks at a time, returning with ships laden with fish.  Sometimes they trade with orcish vessels that stop to rest in the small village.  More often than not, those vessels are pirate ships, but they cause no trouble in the town.

It’s very exciting when a vessel shipwrecks along the rocky coast nearby.  Everyone in the village hurry to see what treasures they can find in the wreck.  One time, a human woman was found among the wreckage, still alive, pulled out of the cold water by Agot, a respected orc woman.  She took the woman to her family home and nursed her back to health.  

Sarah, the human woman, had been a merchant.  But times had been hard recently, and this ship’s cargo was her last chance at saving her business.  With the ship wrecked and most of the cargo lost (the rest claimed by the people of the village), she had nothing to go back to in her home land.  She stayed in the village for a while, trying to decide what to do, and eventually married Agot, becoming the first human-orc union in the village in generations.  

Sarah had the benefit of being a trans woman, and she and Agot soon had a daughter.  

Zilpha grew up immersed in the traditions of her orc mother.  At a very young age, she chose the name Zilpha when she announced to her parents that she was a girl (just like mommy).  She chose the name because it was the name of a hero-goddess in orcish tradition, a woman who had the power of the sun goddess to heal the sick and bring light to darkness.  Even when very young, she always wanted to help people.  She spent equal parts of her childhood learning to work on the sea and learning the ways of the town’s priestess.

At the age of 20, Zilpha left home to explore the nearby Old Empire, where wars were constantly waged between city-states.  She signed up with an army to be a field medic.  She thought this army was on the right side of the conflict.  After a few years, she became disillusioned with the people she had fought for, and when her contract ended she didn’t enlist again.  

She spent some time travelling between cities and offering healing services to anyone who needed it, until she eventually met a charming hafling who hired her to escort them and a herd of cattle to the Iron Mountain.  The halfing claimed the cattle were special, and were going to make her family’s ranch famous in the area.  Millie and Zilpha continued to get along well on the journey, and when they reached Millie’s home, Zilpha stayed in the area, until she finally moved in with Millie and they were married.

For various reasons, Millie and Zilpha didn’t want to have their own children, but they adopted a pair of halfling children when a family friend met tragedy.  Zilpha later brought home a human child they found looking for work in the nearby city. Besides the children, the pair would take in homeless animals of all kinds-dogs, cats, orphaned calves, even wild animals that were orphaned by hunters.  They became known for taking in orphans and ended up with seven adopted children over the years.  

After some time, Zilpha’s orc-mother died while at sea, and Zilpha brought Sarah to the ranch to live with them (and Millie’s parents, who are still alive and well).  The children all grew up, some staying at the ranch, some leaving to find their fortune elsewhere.  Zilpha started to feel she hadn’t explored the world as much as she would have liked, and is preparing herself to start a new adventure, at the age of 55.

Details on the kids, from oldest to youngest:

Gert-female-halfling.  Married a halfling and moved to his home nearby.

Lutz-male-halfling.  Married a halfling boy who moved in with Lutz on the ranch.

Marius-male-human.  Never really settled down.  Leaves home to try to find his own way, but frequently returns with no money (or even with debts to pay).  The family always takes care of him.

Nico-NB-hafling. A travelling entertainer. Plays music all over the country. Visits home frequently.

Victoria-female-halfling.  Became a healer like her mother.  Went to an actual church to study and lives at the church.

Walther-male-human. Studied finance at a local school.  Lives and works at the ranch.