Orc
Often depicted as savage brutes and ravaging barbarians, the orcs of Eberron are in fact an incredibly diverse and deeply spiritual people. While it is true that some orcs are uncivilized and wild, this stereotype does not reflect on the majority of orcs living in and around Khorvaire.
The mighty House Tharashk is in fact made up mostly of half-orcs and humans who can trace their heritage back to the orcs of the Shadow Marches, and orcs of the Eldeen Reaches are very closely connected to Eberron and the natural world. The orcs are one of the oldest, if not the oldest, race in all the world. Their history dates back some thirty-thousand years. Orcs are a perfect study in nurture over nature as an orc's surrounding and history could mean the difference between a mad, wide-eyed, axe-wielding barbarian and a humble, proud farmer who seeks to protect his family above all else.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Powerfully built, orcs typically stand just a few inches taller than most humans but have much greater muscle mass, their broad shoulders and thick, brawny hips often giving them a slightly lurching gait. They typically have dull green skin, coarse dark hair, beady red eyes, and protruding, tusk-like teeth. Orcs consider scars a mark of distinction and frequently use them as a form of body art.
Civilization and Culture
Major Organizations
Nine thousand years ago, the orcs were unified as a tribe or nation; the war with the daelkyr put an end to that. Since then, the orcs have been divided into hundreds of tribes. These tribes shrink and grow, absorbing other tribes, splitting apart, allying with one another, and fighting one another. Little binds them as a cohesive group but for race. In the past, however, this one feature has been enough, allowing the orcs to join together to defeat a common threat.
The main power groups among the orcs are the Gatekeepers, the cult of the Dragon Below, and House Tharashk. The Gatekeepers follow the druid traditions passed to them by the green dragon Vvaraak. Tribes devote themselves to the Dragon Below in varied manners; some are depraved and evil, but others are merely repugnant. House Tharashk pulls dragonshards from the swamps in the region, employing both orcs and humans in the effort to gain such rare and valuable treasures.
Culture and Cultural Heritage
Orcs follow only a few religious paths but do so in many different ways, with the culture of the religion often varying by tribe. Three basic systems of belief hold sway: the Gatekeepers, the Sovereign Host, and the Dragon Below. Orcs have personalized each of these religions, changing the names and aspects of the Sovereign Host and each tribe giving its own interpretation to the worship of Khyber. Only the nature worship and honor paid to the Gatekeepers remains stable, with a common view of the world across many tribes. This is due in no small part to the orc druids who have passed down through story and song the secrets given to them by Kharaak thousands of years ago.
History
The history of the Orcs is largely unknown, owing in part to their one-time domination by the Dhakaani Empire. It is known that they have lived on Khorvaire for thousands of years. It has even been theorized that they were on the verge of achieving Civilization when the Goblins took control of them.
From the rise of the Dhakaani Empire, the Goblins history is the Orcs history. They were even unified within the Empire as a race, and most accepted the Gatekeepers even though they may not have agreed with the dogma thereof. It came to an end with the Daelkyr Invasion.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
The orcs of the Shadow Marches are wary of others. In general, orcs judge an individual more by his religion and actions than by his race. Yet each orc tribe has its own way of dealing with outsiders, regardless of the tribe’s religion. Knowing an orc’s tribe is a much surer way to understand him than simply knowing you’re meeting an orc.
Genetic Descendants
Related Organizations
Related Ethnicities
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