Olona
The Olona, or Green Orcs, as the name might suggest are green-tinted Orcs of medium height. They cultivate many popular luxuries, such as citrus, tea, cotton, and dyes. Despite their ubiquitous farming, Olona are primarily famed as warriors, as with other Orcs. They were one of the earliest non-human groups to join the Empire. Olona society is spread wide over the Greenlands, which is named for them. They welcome outsiders to participate in their culture and pride themselves on the wide variety of crops they sell all over the continent. Despite having no central leader, they are perhaps the largest unified group in the Empire.
Naming Traditions
Family names
Like all Orcs, the Olona do not use family names, rather they identify themselves by clan. The Olona clan names always include a color as a descriptor, such as the Red Tooth or the Black Dog clans.
Other names
Olona are given their names by village elders. When an Olona dies, their name is 'given back' to the clan, and the next child's name is drawn from the names of the deceased. No two Olona of the same clan will ever share a name. Due to this custom, there is no difference between a masculine or feminine name. Due to the Olona practice of adopting the children of vanquished enemies, they have a wide variety of names in each clan, more so even than cosmopolitan humans. The collection of available names is kept in a leather bag belonging to the clan elders, and this is called the Ynar Todali, the Bag of Souls and it is sacred.
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
Olona speak Urzghul, or Orcish. Their specific dialect uses phrases and pronunciations that were used in Ichlakati, the language of the now-extinct Rain Elves, who were their oldest racial enemy. The northern clans also have adopted some phrases from Stromgun, the language of the Braithstrom, who they warred with before the Empire drove the Braithstrom south.
Culture and cultural heritage
Combat and warfare dominate the lives of the Olona. Many popular non-lethal combat sports exist, but the favored game is Orgatahuinlegar, a game in which two or more teams compete to capture the hidden flags of the others first. Each team sends a member into the rainforest the night before a match to hide a flag, and then reveal that location to their allies. Teams wear different colors of face paint to easily identify one another. Wooden weapons are used, and from there the only rule is that there must be no killing. The team to retrieve all other flags and return to the village center wins. In the event of a tie, the team with the least number of injuries wins.
Shared customary codes and values
Olona believe that harming a child is the greatest of all crimes, and as such have a cultural focus on communal child-rearing. In addition, they commonly adopt the children of vanquished enemies into the clan. Because of this long intermingling with other species, Olona have a societal emphasis on recognizing deeds over breeding. Olona share a disdain for those who are lazy, or those who put others in danger through inaction.
Common Etiquette rules
Olona greet each other by baring their tusks and growling, a show of strength. They consider it insulting when strangers do not respond in kind, akin to saying that the Orcs greeting them are not a threat. Similarly, it is considered good manners to keep a hand on your weapon while speaking with peers. In a group, the person with the longest braid is expected to speak first. To the Olona, it is considered polite to ask about visible scars as an icebreaker, akin to a human commenting on the weather. Olona do not use silverware, instead eating with their hands, and it is expected that one washes their hands in water frequently during a meal.
Common Dress code
Olana favor tight clothing made of light material in a fashion similar to under-armor jerkins. Accessories such as flowers, bracelets, and painted nails or tusks in the clan's color is a popular addition. An Olona without a visible weapon is considered underdressed.
Art & Architecture
Olona appreciate oration and theater more than physical art, but paintings are considered a sign of wealth. Olona artwork commonly depicts a single stoic warrior, typically actively engaged in combat. Their buildings are designed to house more than one family, large longhouses built between or around trees and often with elevated, slanted roofs to allow smoke to escape while deflecting the Greenland's frequent rain and mist. Some longhouses have entirely walled off private rooms on either side, as the highest status villagers sleep furthest from the door. Some villages have a single longhouse with multiple floors.
Common Customs, traditions and rituals
The Olona believe it is lucky to celebrate the changing of the moons, and do so whenever the opportunity arises. Belief in the ko'na, a sort of 'divine luck', drives much of their superstition. It is believed that all people are born with a pre-determined amount of luck, and this is naturally expended over one's life. Because of this, the Olona have customs outsiders see as strange, such as frequent hand-washing, kissing dropped items, and circling a tree three times to drive off nightmares.
Much of Olona culture is based on ritual combat and the practice thereof. It is customary to jog or run everywhere rather than walking. Insults are expected to be met with non-lethal bouts. Even their sports and games revolve around simulating war without posing much actual risk.
Birth & Baptismal Rites
Babies are considered a blessing from the gods. Births are widely celebrated events, in which the entire clan will gift something to the newborn, traditionally hand-made, though expensive imports from far-away places are currently in fashion. In addition, if the clan grows long-term crops such as citrus trees or coffee, a new tree is planted as the baby's future responsibility. If the child survives their first month, the elders give them a name from the Bag of Souls.
Coming of Age Rites
Children wishing to become adults must go through the Tragth Nogult, the Four Trials. While the specifics vary from clan to clan, the tests are always of Endurance, Selflessness, Might, Resolve. Olona children decide when they are ready to take the Trials, however if they fail they are forbidden from trying again for a period of four years. Children may not leave the village, take a mate, partake in alcohol, or conduct business.
Funerary and Memorial customs
Olona are burned when they pass, and their ashes are mixed into paint. This paint is applied to the closest friends of the deceased, who fast for a week before taking the remainder of the ash to be buried next to the Urzlutnagarite, or Grandfather Tree of the village. Once this process has ended, a feast is held in honor of the fallen, at the conclusion of which the name is returned to the Bag of Souls.
Common Taboos
Gambling is unacceptable to the Olona, as a common belief among them is that gambling saps good luck from a warrior. It is also considered wasteful and selfish to do anything that might risk one's life needlessly.
Any attempt to damage, vandalize, or otherwise disturb the Grandfather Tree is punishable by death. The person who does so is not burned, they are tossed into the deep forest to be consumed by scavengers, and their name never returned to the clan.
Common Myths and Legends
The Olona believe that the rainforests of Ichtaca brought them into being through the whim of The Dreaded One in his guise as Orcfather. Thus, their mother is the forest and their father is fire. It is because of their relationship to the trees that the skin of the Olona is green. Just as they are born of the forest, their death returns them to it, uniting them once again with father fire and mother tree.
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
The Olona value bright, unusual eye colors, something that occurs within them naturally due to ancient mingling with other species. Well-defined musculature is a desired trait, as are bright and well-maintained tusks. Like all Orcs, Olona have long black hair, and wear it in long braids. Intricately knotted braids, or highly decorated once, are commonly depicted in Olona art showing beautiful people.
Gender Ideals
Men are expected to protect the clan from external threats before they become a problem. Male Olona are often sent by village elders to slay problem beasts or neighbors. Women are expected to lead their clans as they age, and protect from threats from within such as disease and dangerous new ideas.
Courtship Ideals
Olona seeking partners paint their faces with a single broad stripe of their clan's color. Traditionally, these Orcs paint the left side of their faces if seeking a male partner, the right side if seeking a female partner, or the center of the face if either will do. Olona that lose a life partner to death are expected to only seek partners among others who have experienced the same pain. Once a partnership is established, it is traditional to wear matching flowers in the braids to announce the match.
Relationship Ideals
Olona as a rule do not believe in marriage, rather they practice short romances until they believe they meet the Urshali, which roughly translates to life partner. When a life bond is made, it must never be broken, and both partners are expected to aid their love in all things.
Encompassed species
Related Organizations
Related Myths
Related Locations
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