Half-Orcs

"You are the balance of two worlds, west and east. In our family's song you are my most treasured chord."
-An orc parent to their half-orc child
Certainly more common in Halinor than their full-blooded parents, half-orcs are still something of a rarity in the west where our story takes place. Gholmeshi is an insular nation after all and the Vociran occupation of Ilsong has not opened those borders much; Tatarr'kha is even further still and less likely to travel abroad.
Half-orcs exhibit a blend of orcish and human characteristics which only makes their appearance wildly varied. Prominent teeth and grayish skin tones are common but not the rule. What is the rule is the tendency for strength and hardiness beyond the typical human norms.
What is interesting about half-orcs is the strength with which they feel. Rage, sadness, mirth and loving, half-orcs experience all emotions deeply and can, if not careful, exhibit them with just as much strength.
Character Traits
Half-orc characters start off with the following modifiers to their stats and abilities
Ability Score Increase
Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 1.
Age
Half-orcs age a little more quickly than humans and rarely live longer than 75 years.
Size
Half-orcs are somewhat larger and bulkier than humans, ranging from the higher reaches of 5 feet to well over 6. Your size is Medium.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision
Thanks to your orc blood, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Menacing
You gain proficiency in the Intimidation skill.
Relentless Endurance
When you are reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you can drop to 1 hit point instead. You can’t use this feature again until you finish a long rest.
Brutal Strikes
When you score a critical hit with a melee weapon attack, you can roll one of the weapon’s damage dice one additional time and add it to the extra damage of the critical hit.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common and Gholmeshi. Gholmeshi is an offshoot of Orcish, possessing its own script and complex rules surrounding formality, conjugation, and vocabulary.
Half-orcs in Halinor
Half-orcs settling in the west are unique stories since their Orc heritage is Eldamari, but certain themes tend to emerge. Familial points of entry invariably tend toward Avosa Tesota but rarely linger; orcs leaving Gholmesh may wish to leave their cultural practices behind, but even they have a strong affection for tradition and formality and the Freeman lack either.
Aqualonde
Gholmeshi has reverence for the natural world and so find some harmony with Aqualonde and its elves. What philosophical differences may exist have fostered good conversations but relationships beyond those discussions have best progressed with the humans here. The half-orcs here have a strong relation to nature and tend towards a practiced control of their emotions.
Avosa Tesota
Half-orcs that remained or live in Avosa Tesota find themselves in their element. The Freeman have a vivacity and lust for life that half-orcs enjoy feeling, and it doesn't help that they can play up part of their orc heritage aboard their ships. It's a matter of one's blood's pride to excel at sea--and a deep shame if one messes up.
Carinthia
A small number of orcs did settle in the north, unafraid of the climate and eager to hone their blades against a great foe. All of this happened before the close of her borders, of course, and gave time aplenty for a mingling of families resulting in half-orcs. Here they tend most towards martial practice, exulting in the chance to push themselves beyond their limits in life or death scenarios. They are not finding much social success in the homeland of the elves of course.
D'yadya
Far and away from Gholmeshi is D'yadya, yet what draws orcs here (and resulted in half-orcs) was the ties to their heritage further in Eldamar. There is evidence of interactions between Tatarr'kha and D'yadya, between the steppe orcs of old and D'yadya's early humans. What they exchanged with one another and learned is of great interest to some orcs and, as a result, their half-blooded children. These half-orcs tend to
Shurevaire
Half-orcs are not especially well-represented in Shurevaire only for the fact that Ilsong and Eldamar have closer institutes of learning than the elven university-city. As half-orcs (and orcs themselves) are not considered less intelligent (by any except maybe the elves), they have no difficulty attending--and indeed, there is some population here.
Tarwa'kem
Half-orcs that have been born or settled here tend to do so for mercantile reasons, same as any other, but there's something to be said for the dry heat. Their home country is in a famously wet climate and many half-orcs find some enjoyment strictly from the lack of humidity or heavy rains. They find welcome from the natives, as long as they prove their worth.