Half-Orc

Half-orcs are rare on Khorvaire, since humans and orcs have never lived in particularly close proximity. In the small, scattered human communities of the Shadow Marches, however, half-orcs are more common, and they can also be found in the western parts of the Eldeen Reaches and Droaam. The orcs of the Shadow Marches live much as the humans do: It is a rustic life, to be sure, but a far cry from their existence as ruthless barbarian hordes in the distant past. Half-orcs are just as civilized as the humans of the region, and often look almost human despite their size and strength.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Both genders of half-orc stand between 6 and 7 feet tall, with powerful builds and greenish or grayish skin. Their canines often grow long enough to protrude from their mouths, and these “tusks,” combined with heavy brows and slightly pointed ears, give them their notoriously bestial appearance. While half-orcs may be impressive, few ever describe them as beautiful.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

While half-orcs are a true-breeding race in their own right, the jhorgun'taal are just as likely to mate with humans or orcs as with their own kind. The half-orcs of the Shadow Marches don't see themselves as a separate race; rather, they consider themselves to be the bridge that makes humans and orcs one race.
As such, they use the names of both humans and orcs, though sometimes a half-orc name is a blend or abbreviation of sounds or words from both Common and Orcish.

Major Organizations

House Tharashk is the only power center of the race, although a few half-orc settlements in the Shadow Marches have existed for generations. Half-orcs can generally find a warmer welcome from members of House Tharashk and the settlements and tribes of the Shadow Marches than they can from the communities of other races.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Those orcs who chose to welcome humanity to their land were quick to fall in love and start families with the newcomers. In the Marches, half-orcs are celebrated; they are called Jhorgun'taal, "children of two bloods". Blood is everything to the clans, and to them the jhorgun'taal are the proof that orc and human are kin, two branches of the same family. They have the wisdom and strong spirituality of their orc forebears and the intellect and resourcefulness of humanity, and as such many of the greatest druids and priests are half-orcs.
The jhorgun'taal perform important tasks in the Marches, for while they are not as clever or charming as their human kin, they have the trust of both races. As a result, the sheriff of a muck-mining town is more likely to be a half-orc than a member of either of the ''pure'' races. Likewise, when the clans send ambassadors to negotiate feuds or trading rights, they often send a jhorgun'taal, even if a more charismatic human comes along as an advisor.

History

Humans and orcs have been living together in the Shadow Marches for 2'000 years, and indeed, this is where the union of humans and orcs originally provoked the creation of House Tharashk in the first place. In the Shadow Marches, shared orc and human settlements host large half-orc populations and a single orc-human culture. It is a rustic life, to be sure, but a far cry from their existence as ruthless barbarian hordes in the distant past.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

While half-orcs initially faced a great deal of prejudice, the creation of House Tharashk and the existence of the Mark of Finding has forced other races to accept half-orcs. Respect for the house (and fear of its reprisal) now protects half-orcs from violence based solely on race, and many people accept the halforcs among them with light hearts. Half-orcs face the most resistance to their presence in Thrane, where the notion of civilized orcs and respect for the Gatekeepers has never taken root. Also, areas where rogue orc tribes prey on the fringes of society are unwelcoming of half-orcs and often suspect them as spies.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Human
• Orc

Related Organizations

• Gatekeepers

• Ability Score Modifiers: Half-orc characters gain a +2 bonus to one ability score of their choice at creation to represent their varied nature.
• Type: Half-orcs are Humanoid creatures with both the human and orc subtypes.
• Size: Half-orcs are Medium creatures and thus have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Base Speed: Half-orcs have a base speed of 30 feet.
• Languages: Half-orcs begin play speaking Common and Orc. Half-orcs with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Abyssal, Draconic, Giant, Gnoll, and Goblin. See the Linguistics skill page for more information about these languages.
• Intimidating: Half-orcs receive a +2 racial bonus on Intimidate checks due to their fearsome nature.
• Squalid: Some half-orcs exist in surroundings so filthy and pestilent that even orcs would have difficulty living in them. Half-orcs with this racial trait gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws made to resist nausea, the sickened condition, and disease. This racial trait replaces orc ferocity.
• Weapon Familiarity: Half-orcs are proficient with greataxes and falchions and treat any weapon with the word “orc” in its name as a martial weapon.
• Darkvision: Half-orcs can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
• Orc Blood: Half-orcs count as both humans and orcs for any effect related to race.