Orcs
Appearance
Orcs usually have very bulky builds, independent from their subrace. They are relatively large, usually over 1.8m (6') which often leads to the assumption, that orcs are somehow related to giants. The skin color of orcs can vary a lot, from classical green over dark grey and black to brown or even red. The color highly depends on their subrace and ancestors, but all of them shared porcine faces that featured lower canines that resembled boar tusks. Many also had wolf-like ears that were pointed on the ends, similar to elves, which suggests a certain relation to elves as well. Since very wild uncontrolled intercourse of different subraces, many orcs can not be assigned to one particular subrace. It is assumed that the existence of the original subraces was lost about 7000 b. BF.History
For a detailed timeline of orcs, look up History of the Orcs.Culture
Religion
Orcs believe in the orc pantheon. It is one of the simplest pantheons in Alendia and contains just six different dieties. Since war, fighting, and death play major roles in the life of many orcs, all six dieties are pretty much based on these things. Other than the dieties from The Pantheon of the Twelve-Gods, the orc gods weren't mortals who ascended godhood after their death but instead have always been immortal dieties. The orc gods are:- Gruumsh One-eye, a greater god of storms and war, and orcs. He is the leader of the orc deities.
- Luthic, lesser goddess of fertility, medicine, and orc females; the consort of Gruumsh.
- Ilneval, lesser god of war strategy, orc cross-breeds, and destruction.
- Bahgtru, god of brute strength.
- Shargaas, god of darkness and night, stealth, thieves, and undead.
- Yurtrus, a feared god of death and disease.
Lifestyle
Orcs have a very short lifespan. They reach adulthood at the age of 11 and usually live a little longer than 40 years, given they don't fall in battle. The lifestyle and society of orcs are extremely warlike. If a tribe isn't at war, they are usually planning it out. Orcs believe, that to survive they have to appease their gods by slaying many enemies in battle as sacrifices, leading to the general belief of other races being inferior to orcs. Male orcs dominate society due to their natural advantage in strength. Female orcs often served the purpose of reproduction or aiding sick or wounded combatants. It was very common for orcs to pride themselves on the number of wives and sons. All orcs no matter their gender have a martial education. Orcs didn't have any profession but warriors. Things like smithing, building, and hunting were more of a side job for orcs.Government
Orcs live in tribes, often also called hordes. In Drakthirr there are six major orc tribes:- The Eternal Slayers
- The Green Stranglers
- The Shade Legion
- The First Blades
- The Ruthless Skullbreakers
- The Grim Demons
The real backbone of the society and government of orcs were goblins and goblinoids. Goblins are an integrated part of the orcish lifestyle and often serve as cheap laborers, slaves, or meatshields. After discovering tribes of goblins, The Eternal Slayers decided to capture and enslave some of the goblins instead of just killing them. Soon the goblins reproduced rapidly and turned out to be easily controllable workers, perfectly suitable to take over simple tasks. Goblins are often treated very badly, even worse than war prisoners or criminals. But due to the physical strength of the orcs, the goblins can be easily controlled.