The Orc City

The half-ruined Orc City in the Valley of Mines is one of the most ancient structures on the island of Khorinis, a settlement raised by the Orcs long before any human presence in the region. Its crumbling walls, massive stonework, and maze-like thoroughfares are a testament to the Orcish civilisation that once commanded this territory — and beneath it lies the Sleeper’s Temple, the focus of Gothic’s entire late-game narrative.

History and the Summoning

Centuries before the game’s events, five Orc shamans performed a ritual in the underground complex beneath the city, summoning the demon known as the Sleeper and binding it there. The Sleeper, trapped but not destroyed, has been slowly influencing the valley through dreams and whispers over years, gradually corrupting the Brotherhood of the Sleeper’s leadership and driving the awakening ritual that threatens to release it entirely. The city above is a remnant of the civilisation that created this crisis — now occupied by descendants who guard the site without fully understanding what lies beneath.

Hostile Territory

The city in the present day is held by living Orcs — warriors, shamans, and their sentries — who attack any human on sight without hesitation. The terrain is hostile and the enemies formidable; the Orc City represents some of the most demanding combat encounters in the game if approached without preparation. The Nameless Hero cannot fight his way through: the Orc population is too numerous and too powerful for direct assault to be viable.

The ULU-MULU

The solution is the ULU-MULU, a ceremonial Orcish standard whose creation requires rare ingredients and the help of Tarrok, a friendly Orc encountered in the valley. Bearing the ULU-MULU signals to the Orc warriors that the holder is under a form of ceremonial protection, allowing passage through the city without triggering combat. Assembling the ULU-MULU is one of the late game’s major objectives, and the quest to gather its components drives exploration of the valley’s most dangerous areas.

Gateway to the Climax

The Orc City is Gothic’s point of no return. Once the Hero descends through it into the Sleeper’s Temple, the endgame sequence begins in earnest — the confrontation with Cor Kalom, the destruction of the five shaman hearts, and the banishing of the Sleeper. In the Gothic 1 Remake, the Orc City received substantial visual development: the scale of the Orcish construction, the weathering of its ancient stone, and the menace of its inhabitants are all rendered with far greater fidelity than the original’s engine allowed.