Orcs

"The orcs are the most warlike and bravest of all peoples.  They dwell in the arctic snows and frosts, where they hunt seals and the leviathans of the seas.  The only life they know is war, and their ships are feared throughout the eastern ocean."  Thus wrote the sage Hymenus of Archin, and what he wrote still stands.  Their raids are feared throughout the shores of the eastern ocean, for their warriors descend without warning and will seize whatever they fancy.  Iron and gold are their greatest pleasures, but they will never take captives or slaves, for they cannot survive in the cold wastes of the north.  But if they chance upon a city that they cannot take, then they will bargain and buy what they need, either with plunder seized elsewhere, or with ivory, of which they are the main source.  And the are canny merchants, driving a hard bargain for their goods. Their warlike nature also makes them much in demand as mercenaries, and as their lands are never sufficient to support their population, there is always a surplus to provide them.  Many who have been mercenaries never return home, preferring a life of relative luxury compared to the hard snows of the north.  Others have founded small colonies along the coasts and islands of the eastern ocean (and beyond).  The orcs of the north look down upon the orcs of these colonies though - orcs who were not raised in the grim cold of the north can never be regarded as the equal of the those that are.  For this reason, some orcs, especially leaders, in the colonies will send their children to be fostered and raised in the north, so that they can be regarded as the equal of their peers.