Orc

The Orcs, a proud warrior people, are now exiles from their homeland, who wander the world as a dying race.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Orcs are powerful warriors. They stand, on average, 7 feet tall, and their bodies are bound by thick muscle. They have green skin. They have pronounced tusks from their mouths.

Civilization and Culture

Major Organizations

A number of Orc clans are active as mercenaries, including The Throat Crushers. Other Orc clans include the Goblin Skinners, Dragon Stalkers, Thunder Killers, Jungle Runners, Scale Conquerors, Blood Gougers, and Ghost Vanquishers.

Gender Ideals

Orcs do not have separate gender roles. Both Orc men and women are expected to fight as warriors and to be strong. It is not uncommon for the men and women to fight in their traditional competitions. Both men and women are in leadership roles.

Common Dress Code

Traditionally, Orcs dress in a practical and utilitarian way. They tend to wear light clothing given their jungle ancestry.
Orcs have a proud tradition of tattoo storytelling. Orcs will record their personal history and clan history onto their bodies in illustrative tattoos. To look at an Orc's skin is to know his story. Tattoos are typically inscribed in black ink, along the chest, back, arms, and legs. The light clothing of Orcs allows for these tattoos to be visible.
Scars are worn with pride, as they show an Orc's fighting history as well as any tattoo.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Orcs value physical strength above all else. This is not to say that Orcs lack intelligence, subtlety, or charisma. However, strength is seen as the most valuable trait and the path to resolving conflicts.
In traditional Orc culture, a direct physical fight is considered the honorable way to resolve a conflict. The winner of a fight should be respected. 
Leadership disputes are resolved through fighting. Any member of a clan can Challenge their clan chieftain to a ritual combat. These Challenges are done in the traditional style: unarmored, with no weapons and no magic. One Orc is crowned the winner when the other Orc submits. Typically, Challenges are not fought to the death, but one Orc may die if they do not submit.
The exception to this focus on physical strength are the clan shamans. The shaman is still a powerful warrior, but focuses their energy on communing with the natural spirits of the world. Typically, a clan will only have a high shaman and a small number of apprentice shamans.
Traditional Orc activities reflect this focus on strength. Many Orcs participate in competitions of physical strength as a form of entertainment, including wrestling, lifting, and throwing. As a result, most Orcs have some experience with hand to hand combat in addition to their weapon training.
History of the clans and orcish peoples is paramount. Tattoos are used a form of personal storytelling. Shamans are also responsible for sharing the legends and traditions of the Orc people. 
Orcs prefer to eat meat. They are generally not picky eaters, but they are known to spice their foods with the peppers and herbs of their homeland. They drink orogul, a strong and bitter alcohol that burns like fire.

History

The Orcs originally lived in what is now Fleurgurd. These jungles were the primary homes of the Orc people, who created several notable settlements in the area.
During the Heroic Era, Lurian colonists began creating trading posts along the coast of the Orc homeland. The Orcs attacked these trading posts, prompting a crusade of Lurian knights. Each individual Orc could defeat multiple human warriors. However, the humans fought using their numbers and underhanded tactics. The human knights poisoned the water supplies of the Orc cities and coordinated their campaigns to systematically destroy the Orc civilization. Eventually, the Lurians won.
Most of the Orcs died in the wars of colonization. The remainder were forced from their lands by the Lurians.
Today, Orcs are few in number globally, and travel in small clans. They maintain their warrior traditions. Clans are often hired as mercenaries, bodyguards, or gladiators, given their martial expertise. Orcish clans can be found throughout Durin, especially in Al-Badr, Daderrah, Maliq, and the Trading Coalition.
The Orc race is slowly dying off. The martial nature of the Orcs, combined with their lack of a homeland, means that more Orcs die than are born.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Orcs are known as a warrior people. This makes them the first choice for hire during times of conflict. However, they are also the first who are suspected during times of peace. Humans will sometimes call Orcs and Half-Orcs "tusks" as a slur. 
Some Orcs have assimilated into human cultures. Others straddle a line between the worlds of Orcish culture and human culture. These Orcs may see adapting to human culture as a form of self-preservation, or they may actively reject traditional Orc culture.

Related Organizations

• Fleurgurd
• Great Kingdom of Ndiya-Otongo
• The Throat Crushers