Orcs
Orcs, also known as the Scourge-bloods to outsiders, are a sapient species native to the hazardous island of Giant's End in the south-western hemisphere. In times long-past they were descendants of the diminutive and feeble Goblins, created after the interbreeding that followed the coming of man. As such Orcs resemble both races while retaining its own distinct features, they stand as tall as men and oft-time taller whilst sharing the sharp teeth and green skin of goblins.
Orcs are a diverse people with dozens of different ethnicities, though to outsiders these are often characterized into four main varieties that being green, dark green, black and white. Or as in the orcish tongue; Thragga, Ukri, Kazak and Wogga -- Warrior-bloods, Sea-bloods, Horse-bloods and Pale-bloods. While all four of these groups often have internal divides separating them even further, each of them share more in common than they lack.
The two most known to mainlanders are Sea and Horse-bloods, both of which share the vast and barren Disputed Lands. Once lush and fertile, the coming of the orcs have left the land barren and bitter, their very presence said to carry forth deathly ichor that pollutes the very soil. Though in recent times the Disputed Lands has started to recover from the venomous presence the new-comers had, it is debated whether it is to be considered 'recovering' or 'adapting' to their presence.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Generally the only thing separating Thragga, Kazaks and Ukri are skin tones. Thragga are a light green shade, Ukri are a darker shade of green and Kazak’s generally are ash-black. Orcs generally stand as tall as humans though more often than not they stand taller than them, some orcs have a standard nose while for some it forms more of a snout, their canines tend to be over-exaggerated in their sharpness and often stick out of their mouth with it being more noticeable for some orcs than others. Orc hair tends to be black in color and long in length, however orcs do have the possibility to have the full range of human hair.
However the biggest separation between orc ethnicities, and one that has made it a major point of contention if they are even “orc”, is that of the Wogga. Wogga generally have no hair, and if they do it usually is thinning with the same snow-white color as their skin.
Wogga also are diminutive compared to their larger brethren, standing usually shorter than a human yet taller than a goblin, they also have a high rate of malformations when compared to other orcs. It is not uncommon for Wogga to be born blind, with an extra arm or other body part, to have webbed feet or scaled skin, why it is that the Wogga suffer these mutations is unknown all that is known is its believed to be connected to the scourge but anything beyond that is a guess at best.
Civilization and Culture
History
See the Kazak, Ukri, Thragga and Wogga articles for a detailed historical overview of each Orc ethnic group.
Religion
Orc religion and religious practices vary wildly between the four cultures, the Kazaks worship a polytheistic religion with some gods borrowed from the humans that previously inhabited the northern steppes although with an orcish spin to it, with the chief deity being ruled by a self-eating snake; the Orcish Ouroboros. A concept turned god by the cultural transition of the Kazaks into their own society. While the Kazaks have come to to develop a more sophisticated pantheon with several lesser deities and a head divine in the form of the Grrca, the Ukri’s religion is much less established. The Ukri religion is very decentralized with some petty kings having their own pantheons of which they dedicate worship, some a deeply entrenched and personal system of ancestor worships, or even god-kings who are venerating as living deities and when they die are buried in great boroughs filled with gold, trinkets, and their still living slaves. Again however, this is merely a subsection of Ukri kingdoms, there are many which have no concept of such a thing as a god-king. Besides this the Ukri also still manage some form of the Grozka, the orcish code of honor, while the Thragga still hold it very true and the Kazaks have abandoned all but a few tenants. While the Ukri and Kazaks have come to worship gods, the Thragga believe that if there are any gods they’ve long since turned their backs on the orcs and are not worth worshipping, the only things worth worshipping in Thragga culture are strength and cunning from which the ancestors teach. Elders in Thragga society are greatly respected, as anyone who has lived long enough to grow on Giant’s End must be doing something right. All knowledge is passed down from them and from their forefathers before them, they teach the Thragga how to fight and survive as well as their honor, the Grozka. This is also why the Thragga are often considered closer to roving armies than tribes, Thragga tribes are roving armies, this is the way of the elders, the Zulok. Thragga ultimately are a irreligious people that place a higher importance upon tradition over religion, with their only spirituality coming from a loose concept of the soul with respect for their elders and their ancestors before them. As anyone whose managed to not end up being eaten long enough to die of natural causes in the kill-or-be-killed island of Giant's End and become a spirit has to be respected, since unfortunately most orcs on Giant's End often end up being devoured as well as their souls in a process called Usually this comes in the form of a rival tribe, though when food is in short supply allowing one to be eaten is considered the greatest form of self-sacrifice imaginable, though this may also apply to the natural denizens of Giant’s End. This is why being Grule is a fate almost worse than death, a Grule is doomed to be eaten at the end of their life and denied the chance of being an ancestor. This is also why the greatest blow or tragedy that can be inflicted upon a Zulok is to have all their elders be devoured, effectively scorching their traditions from existence as they can not even draw upon them in the afterlife for knowledge. Druvakka Orcish Soul-eating While we know much more about the other orc religious practices, what the Wogga practice is a mystery. It is known that they do have some manner of ancestor worship, though they lack a Grozka or Zuloks, and it is known that some tribes worship the bones of the giants which they make their homes but outside of that Wogga religion is inherently secretive and kept away from outsiders. Even if they did it's unlikely they share any unified belief.Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
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