Orcs

From the shadows of the Bloodmounts, from the vast plains of Durd-Nak, comes an enemy that humans and elves alike are simply not equipped to face. There are a great many species of warmongerers on Sapra, but time and time again the orcs have proven themselves the kings of slaughter and war. It is this fearsome reputation that led to the last great alliance of men and elves, in the greatest war to ever stalk the lands of Akiviras.

Origins

Prior to their first encounter with humans in 256, the orcs were mostly confined to the plains of Durd-Nak ('Orc-Land' in Ancient Blekani), occasionally venturing beyond the Bloodmounts to the lands of Ayn Assain and even occasionally as far north as Smia Crai. The life of ancient orcs was a constant struggle for survival, with not much loot available to them without a large and complicated raiding expedition. These early orcs mainly fought among themselves, with their war chiefs competing for land and resources. They worshipped their gods sporadically and infrequently, for (if indeed, they noticed them at all) the ones they called divine saw few reasons to reward them. Their culture was a primitive example of might makes right, with the chieftian having complete power over the community. The role of chieftian passed often through inheritance of the eldest son, and considerably more often through a young upstart slaying the previous chief and taking his role.

Dur-Shraikein

The initial meetings between orcs and humans went predictably badly. Token overtures of peace were made by both sides, but the communication barrier between races prevented any meaningful efforts and soon multiple conflicts broke out across the north. It was then that a rather miraculous discovery was made. The first orcs to slay humans were inexplicably granted miraculous boons, seemingly from their gods. Modern human scholars claim that they were the work of Terror Druids, but the orcs were convinced that their gods finally saw them as being worth rewarding now that they were killing creatures other than themselves. This had a drastic effect on orc society and was likely the driving force behind their ferocity in the Raze-Wars to come. Their culture shifted almost overnight as every orc in the land became heavily reverential of the gods. Shamans and witch doctors who previously eeked out substandard livings were now the heart of the tribe, and many chieftians went to war with each other over subjects who could supposedly interpret the signs from the gods.
This extreme desire to satisfy their gods definitely played a majority part in the unflinching ferocity with which orc war bands swept through the north. Human captives were either worked to death as slaves or sacrificed to the gods in order to plead their aid. Villages were left as nothing more than smoking ruins, and any fortifications the orcs came across were carefully and reverently dismantled brick by brick until nothing remained to be reoccupied. It was during the Raze-Wars that the orcs first proved themselves masters of warfare. Though their tactical ability was simple at best, they possessed an animalistic cruelty and instincts that matched with their formidable physical power to create a truly terrifying war machine.

Modern Day

In 342, the official end of the Raze-Wars was declared. The actual fighting hadn't been going on for almost a year at that point, but it was only then that the coilition forces felt confident in declaring that the orcs would no longer be a threat to the rest of the world. Penned up as they were in Durd-Nak and watched at all times by the Orkillon, the orcs were prevented from posing the same continent-razing threat they once did. Life for them mostly returned to what it had been before contact with humans was established, but with much less infighting. Since battling other humanoids had proven so much more profitable (and pleasing to the gods) than fighting fellow orcs, the various warchiefs began to organise more and more raiding parties to leave the shelter of the Bloodmounts. Though they have been growing in boldness in recent years, as of the 1400s the various races of the continent have still found it easier to simply quash the raiding bands as they crop up, rather than taking more drastic measures such as an invasion of Durd-Nak itself.

The Orkillon

Following the Raze-Wars, humans decided that a watch would need to be kept on the orcs to ensure that they did not overstep their bounds. An unlikely solution for this was found in the Orkillon, tribes of orcs that chose to ally themselves with humanity rather than face exile to the hated wasteland of Durd-Nak. In exchange for keeping watch over their fellow orcs, the Orkillon recieved a degree of free movement outside the Bloodmounts, regular tithes, and a steady supply of good-quality metal. The orcs of the Orkillon have mostly remained skeptical of their gods, believing in the 'Terror Druids' version of events or otherwise excusing their own cooperation with their enemies. Though the Orkillon provide an important service to humanity, they are still largely shunned by society, and tolerated only as long as they remain far from civilisation. It is an arrangement that the Orkillon are only too happy to abide by.

Orc Equipment

In the days before human contact was established, orcs favoured simple leather clothes and wraps for modesty. In battle, they chiefly used mail shirts and small round shields, with axes being the weapon of choice. Axes were mostly hand versions, wielded with shields in their off hands. However, the large two-handed battle axes gradually grew in popularity among the orcs, both for their power and the cultural significance attached to them. Helmets, when they were worn, were very simple skull caps of a type that offered little to no face protection. Their missile weapons were mostly limited to javelins, though some tribes included female orcs who were skilled in the use of the bow.
Following the violent and bloody contact with the outside world that was Dur-Shraikein, the orcs progressed in terms of warfare at a very rapid rate. Using technologies and techniques learned from captive prisoners and evil humans allied with them, orcs swapped out their chain shirts for longer mail hauberks. Skull caps were replaced with conical helmets or full metal helmets augmented with mail aventail. Possibly the most extreme example was the adaption of full lamellar cuirrasses, which were worn over the mail and clothing of an orc warrior. Their weapons also suffered an explosion of variety. Though most orcs still favour the axe, a growing number of them choose to carry a sword as a backup weapon, typically of the short to broad variety. When they are employed, the orcs favour polearms such as bardiches, glaives, and the occasional lucern hammer. Though their ranged equipment has not seen substantial improvement, they did learn enough from human captive bowmen to take advantage of superior longbows that can be wielded without the human's strength training due to the natural power of an orc body.
Orc weapons and armour are forged from blackiron, rather than traditional iron and later steel. Durd-Nak is home to many creatures known for devouring ferrous metals, and as such has exhausted most of its supply until very little metals remain in the rock. Blackiron is an inferior alloy forged from two unique non-ferrous metals; tasolite ('Blood of Gods' to the orcs) and blokanite ('Skin of Gods'). The result is a metal that, despite sharing many physical properties with iron, is a dull grey colour marred with black splotches. It is also considered to be a lower quality of metal for the purposes of armour and weapons, degrading easier and offering significantly less durability than iron or steel.

Orc Worship

Orcs worship a pantheon of gods revolving around Gruumsh, He-Who-Never-Sleeps. The one-eyed god supposedly has many family members, all of whom form the rest of the orcish sphere of worship. His wife, Luthic, is known as the Cave Mother, and it is she who tends to the orc women and children while the males are off fighting. She is depicted with long claws and sharp jaws, surrounded at all times by her many bear pets. Gruumsh's eldest and favourite son is called Ilneval, who also serves as his second-in-command. Ilneval is a tactical genius who supposedly taught the orcs everything they know about battle formations, as well as personally forging many of the weapons and armour used by their gods. Gruumsh's middle child is named Bahgtru, who is supposedly always angry and resentful towards his older brother. He is known as a feral beast of an orc, and is supposedly favoured by his mother. It is from him that the orcs claim their strength and ferocity in battle descends. Shargaas is the youngest son, and is known for being spiteful and jealous of his two older brothers for overshadowing him in the eyes of his parents. He is constantly plotting against them, and is known as 'the Night Lord' by orcs for his sinister brutal ways. The final god in the pantheon is a controversial one; Yurtus, bastard son of Gruumsh whose worship is punishable by death in most tribes. He is supposedly covered in festering diseases and rot, except for his hands which are a perfect unblemished white. Among the few orcs who worship him out of fear, he is known as the bringer of plagues, famine, and pestilence.
Though orcs will typically invoke their gods directly (except for Gruumsh, whose name is never spoken aloud lest the orc attract his attention and risk his displeasure) by cursing in their names or painting their designs on their equipment, most of the actual worship is left up to their shamans and witch doctors. Individual orcs will often appeal to the gods by sacrificing large quantities of blood from other races, but only the shamans can lay claim to being able to read the will of the gods through soothsaying and divination.

Two orc warriors stand ready for battle, the all-seeing eye of Gruumsh displayed prominently on their shields