Orcs

A hard people who roam the north, they have a rigged hierarchy based on Strength. They are extremely loyal to their clan and are rarely seen outside their homelands.

Additional Information

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Based mostly in the northern regions.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

All orcs hold the First name that correlates to their tribe. Young-lings hold no name of their own, referred to as whelps, and must undergo a naming ritual at the age of sixteen. The naming ceremony is preformed upon any Young-ling who turns sixteen. They must leave camp and cannot come back until they bring back a hunted predator. If they succeed they may choose a name and a lavish party is thrown for them.

Gender Ideals

Gender Roles aren't much of a thing among Orcs, all men and women are treated equally as long as they prove themselves strong. However only women are aloud to practice medicine, tho its not really understood why by scholars.

Average Technological Level

They have very basic tribal technology, but something that tends to outpace other races is their ability to improvise and keep what they have flexible. They often reuse things that break, and refrain from taking more then they need from nature.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

They speak common, however they have their own dialect. Most can understand it rather well. It has caused some scholarly debate as to its origins have ensued, some believing its a mixed language, others think its just caused by isolation, and some think its just due to lower intellect among the race.

Common Etiquette Rules

Tho there isn't much etiquette among Orcs they do have a deep tradition of be hospitable to guests and throwing vast party's for them.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Orcs' society is centered around strength and survival, their society is a brutal hierarchy that is only able to function due to a few ingrained traditions. The first is Tribal loyalty, as it helps all members of the clan to survive. Secondly, respect for hierarchy allows weaker members of society to survive since orcs rarely kill those below them unless they are directly challenged. The Oldest Orc rules as the elder and is voted in upon the death of the last, but the strongest is chief. The elder decides the daily tasks and oversees tradition and rituals. The chief is responsible for the defense and training of warriors, and managing any possible mercenary work. This system though sometimes brutal is the result of their need for survival in the harsh territories of the north. Despite the emphasis on Strength within the culture each clan views itself in a more communal sense then an individualistic one.

History

The orcs are one of the few who thrived during the Dark Age as conflict swept the land. Their life style and brutal culture allowed them to feed on a weakened system. During the Unity war, however, The Domire Imperium began prosecuting them and pushed them out of the heart lands, as a reaction to orc tribal raiding habits. Now the only tribes left live far to the north out of the reach of the Imperium, where their presence is scarce due to a lack of strategic use. Here they work as a hunter gatherer society, and tribes are sometimes hired out as bands of mercenaries, where the gold they make is used to sustain their clans. Over the past 500 years however the relations between them warmed slightly, with academic interest taking heed and pushing for protection of the Orcish culture. The Federation Of Corthia over recent decades have resorted to using them as slaves, especially in the frozen wastes as mining labor. This has pushed the Orcs to be more accepting of Imperium protection and pushed the Imperium to ramp up pressure on Corthia due to its staunch anti-slavery stance.

Common Myths and Legends

The orc tribes do not hold to the common beliefs held by the majority of cultures, as in they do not believe in the same gods. Instead there is a strong oral tradition among the clans of heroes and legends handed down the generations. Their spiritual beliefs stem from a reverence of natural spirits both malevolent and benevolent, found throughout the world.
The uniting myth of orcs is that of the first Orc, Orcinox, who all Orcs are descended from. Very little is know about him other then he started the first clan from his children and was the first to learn Druidic magic. The site of his death has become a quasi holy site that many Orcs, espacially those with Druidic magic, will travel too. The Grove is kept safe by a combination of clan Urthox and the Druids who live there. Not all the druids there are Orcs or even hold their beliefs, some are there as Grove keepers in the name of Nimsael, of the Wilds.
Obould was an orc chief of clan Urthox during the expansion of the Domire Imperium. He was one of the main chiefs to be fighting against the Imperium during their encroachment, winning many battles against them until his death. Despite his inferior numbers and lack of resources compared to the Legions, he held out for many years and bought invaluable time for the Orc tribes. Emperor Marcus Mercer held him in high regard as a foe, and was later recognized as a hero by the Imperium a hundred years later when The imperium switched their policy on the status of the Orc tribes. He is now held as one of the great battle spirits of the Orcs.
Gortwag of clan Batklen was a great chieftain before the rise of the Imperium. He was known as a unifier and strategic genius even among non-Orc peoples. He was the first and only orc to attempt to unite all the clans into a single codified nation. Not all orcs viewed his attempt as a good thing, and even now there are some who disagree with his status as a hero citing the belief that the orcs are meant to live in a tribal like structure. Upon his death the semi-nation he had been building completely collapsed as no one was able to agree on a successor.
Vitsa of clan Farren was a great Druid of her time. During the great Slave Raid of the Federation of Corthia her tribe was devastated, losing its chief and many warriors in battle. As the elder her only hope was to lead her tribe to safety behind Imperium lines using her Druidic magic to cover their escape. In the end she was able to take out an entire battalion all her own in the process, and save her clan from certain destruction.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Inter-spices relations are extremely rare, but they do happen. Half-Orcs are under an extra level of scrutiny by their tribe, and they have a hard time obtaining prestige within the tribe. Most Half-Orcs will leave their tribe for many different reasons as orc culture is a hard thing to survive, especially if you are considered an outsider.

Lifespan

60 years