Captain Orin Vellak

Role and Authority

Captain Orin Vellak commands the Cudgel, the city’s delving and security force. He directs patrols in the Greatclub Tunnels, assigns escorts for caravans, supervises crowd control inside the city, and coordinates emergency responses during breaches or infestations. In practice he is the main public face of safety for workers, delvers, and traders. He is not part of the Council and he does not vote on laws. He follows Council directives unless they place crews or civilians at avoidable risk. He accepts accountability for failures in the field and shields his officers from political blame when decisions were made under policy and with proper reports.

Background

Orin was born in the Barrows. He enlisted in the Cudgel young and rose through tunnel teams, route-clearing units, and gate command. In his early career he served with Myra Thorneveil during her active years. When the previous Regent’s term ended, he publicly endorsed Myra. That endorsement helped secure a near-unanimous vote for her across districts. He remained with the Cudgel after her election and declined ceremonial posts. He is known to refuse titles that would pull him from ground operations.

Standing in the City

Orin is widely trusted by laborers, delvers, and even some criminal elements who prefer order to chaos. People listen to him as much as they do to the Regent, and he does not overstep that influence. The Council is wary of his popularity. Some leaders in the Barleys and Promissory would like him to fail so they can back a more controllable figure in the next election. Orin continues to keep his focus on field results rather than campaigns or favors.

District Ties

The Hilt. Headquarters for Cudgel patrols and staging. Orin runs muster, approves mission boards, and signs off on high-risk delves. Captain Orin Vellak is listed as protector of the outer tunnels and de facto leader of the Hilt’s security posture.
The Barrows. Base of his public support. He funds and maintains The Dome, a repurposed grain dome that serves as a shelter for the injured, the elderly, and families in crisis. It operates under no-coin rules and relies on donations and Cudgel labor.
The Spindle and Sprigs. He limits displays of force to reduce market disruption and elite panic. He uses plain-clothes visits when antidotes or sensitive buys are needed, often directing officers to the Sallowrack when official channels are too slow.

Guild Relationships

Barleys. Orin assigns protective details to cultivation sites in the tunnels and sets clear rules of engagement near brood pens. He requires Barley foremen to provide current hazard maps and evacuation routes before guards deploy.
Ashcoats. He accepts commissions for targeted hunts and field-tests new chitin gear with selected crews. He returns faulty lots for recall without negotiation.
Promissory. He provides escorts for legitimate caravans and restricts force against low-level smuggling to avoid collateral damage. He prioritizes safety of bystanders over property seizures.
Cudgel. He enforces simple doctrine: hold the gates, keep routes open, minimize deaths. He does not tolerate falsified reports. He recognizes service with small stipends and public posting of commendations.

Command Practices in the Hilt

Orin begins each day in Emberhook Hall. He reviews the mission boards, checks the roster of return times, and marks overdue crews. He is the only person who carves new names into the Wall of Names. He treats that duty as a formal act and sets the hall to silence when it occurs. He balances high-risk hunts with maintenance runs to keep casualty rates stable across a season.

He uses three readiness levels for tunnel operations: Routine, Heightened, and Lockdown. Routine allows standard delves and caravan runs. Heightened restricts non-essential hunts and increases escort sizes. Lockdown closes specific routes and moves crews to guard duty until Threadspire notes confirm safety. These triggers are tied to recent breach counts, swarm sightings, and missing-crew intervals.

Greatclub Responsibilities

Orin’s patrols cover Odrun’s Handle access points, mid-depth routes used by haulers, and perimeter watches at Odrun’s Head. He follows the standing order to keep Odrun’s Head sealed. Cudgel posts there are permanent, with strict relief schedules and quarantine rules on rotation. Any scout who reports coordinated insect behavior or spore clouds near the fence forces an immediate alert and inspection.

Crisis Protocols

Infestations. Secure access gates, establish firebreaks if needed, and evacuate non-combatants. Use approved pheromones and heat lures to split swarms. Record species and behavior for Barley and Ashcoat follow-ups.
Tunnel Collapses. Prioritize airway and water. Cordon both sides of the collapse, prohibit private rescue attempts, and move in Ashcoat engineers after a Cudgel sweep.
Market Riots. De-escalate by removing agitators without mass arrests. Keep thoroughfares open for healers and haulers.
Political Raids. Decline requests that lack a clear warrant or that endanger a district’s daily operations without strong cause. Orin is willing to accept censure rather than cause preventable harm.

Personnel Management

Orin promotes from field merit, not patronage. He requires squad leaders to log route changes, equipment failures, and antidote usage. He rotates crews between tunnels, caravan duty, and neighborhood watches to limit burnout. He assigns veterans to train recruits in The Hilt and sends retired delvers to assist at The Dome and other Barrows services. This creates a visible path from service to community support.

Public Engagement

Orin speaks rarely in public. When he does, he uses short briefings that explain the risk, the plan, and the help he needs from the district. He visits The Reach to recruit and to give direct updates on missing crews and safe-work practices. He appears in the Spindle when caravan routes change so merchants can plan around delays. His office posts weekly summaries in the Hilt and the Barrows, listing cleared routes, closed routes, casualties, and notable arrests.

Political Position

Orin avoids Council seats and refuses most honors. He believes politics pulls leaders from the work that matters. The Council understands that he holds significant influence but does not seek to replace the Regent. This balance keeps daily operations predictable. It also makes him a constant subject of rumors about future elections. He does not endorse candidates and tells officers to remain neutral while on duty.

Known Allies and Rivals

Regent Myra Thorneveil. Mutual respect. He supported her election and still coordinates major safety policy with her office. He leaves tie-breaking and diplomacy to her.
Jezabel Varlas (Barleys). Values security at cultivation sites but dislikes Orin’s independence. Her faction wants predictable outcomes and limited change.
Bannick Coiljaw (Ashcoats). Respects strength and sends commissions for specific hunts. Dislikes political delays on gear recalls.
Damas Underflame (Promissory). Pushes trade expansion and tolerates dark-trade logistics. Orin limits risk and forces safer practices when possible.

Equipment and Training

Orin wears black and red chitin armor assembled from Ashcoat plates that show many repairs. He trains with standard Hilt gear: hook-launchers, heat lures, and ward tags. He prefers short, clear commands and drills squads on retreat routes, breach rotations, and casualty evacuation. He requires every patrol to carry a basic antidote kit and a written map of fallback points.

The Dome

The Dome is Orin’s most visible civic project. It offers cots, food, and basic care without payment. Retired delvers serve as orderlies and teachers. The site operates as proof that the city values lives outside guild standing. When supplies are short, Orin directs off-duty Cudgel crews to source essentials through lawful surplus or personal donation.

Current Priorities

Keep Odrun’s Head sealed and maintain strict guard rotation. No experiments, no harvests, and no unscheduled entries.
Stabilize caravan routes through the Handle and mid-depth tunnels to reduce price spikes in the Spindle.
Reduce Barrows casualties by expanding training at The Reach, improving antidote access at the Sallowrack, and increasing Hilt escorts for novice crews.
Enforce safe-trade limits that curb violent crackdowns while still deterring high-risk smuggling corridors.