Orcs & Half-Orcs (Wildemount)

ORCS AND HALF-ORCS
The first half-orcs in Wildemount were born of a union between human warriors and orc traitors in the final days of the Calamity. Orcs are one of Exandria's youngest races, and are said to have been born from elves seared by the blood of Gruumsh, the Ruiner, when Corell on pierced the orc god's eye on the field of battle. For long years, orcs were feared as mindless abominations, drawn to slaughter like moths to flame.
Stories tell of how the blood of the Ruiner flows in the veins of all orcs, driving them to commit acts of terrible violence and anger. Orcs call this fury hgar'Gruum, or the curse of ruin, and use it to refer to everything from battlerage to a bad temper. Half-orcs are said to have inherited the blood of the Ruiner, and to carry the same bloodlust and fury that orcs do.
Orcs and half-orcs do feel a certain pull toward violence and anger. But the simple truth is that there is no curse of ruin. No supernatural power drives ores to kill. Rather, they are simply victims of the same selfish, violent impulses that corrupt all mortal beings.

HALF-ORCS IN THE DWENDALIAN EMPIRE
The orcish settlement of Bladegarden was incorporated into the Dwendalian Empire after the fall of the Julous Dominion, nearly three hundred years ago. Orcs are now renowned as some of the empire's most accomplished soldiers, though many folk still fear the ancient legends of the curse of ruin.
Half-orcs are proud of their heritage, though many are wary of the wrathful curse that supposedly drives them to violence. Those who embrace this gift of fury often enlist in the Righteous Brand to focus their rage against the enemies of the empire. Other half-orcs reject the idea that they are destined for violence, and rely on faith, meditation, and friendship to live peaceful lives.

HALF-ORCS ON THE MENAGERIE COAST
The folk of the Clovis Concord welcome people of all kinds to their shores, yet orcs and half-orcs are uncommon in Concordian cities. Most half-orcs on the Menagerie Coast come from the continent of Tal'Dorei as visitors, merchants, or mercenaries, and rarely settle. Half-orc children in the settlements of the coast are often bullied for their unusual teeth.
Only the Concordian city of Othe has a significant half-ore population. Originally established as a spiritual site for the Ki'Nau people, the city has long attracted ores and half-ores who believe that the curse of ruin has caused them to lash out at those they love. In Othe, they find peace through spiritualism-and a place to belong.

HALF-ORCS IN XHORHAS
The orcs of Xhorhas are a predominantly nomadic people, living in mixed clans of orcs, humans, and bugbears. They wander the wastes, taming the indigenous beasts and trading with Kryn settlements. The relationship between the orcs and the Kryn is relatively peaceful, though many nomadic orcs are angered when Kryn souls are reborn in ore bodies. These ores nonetheless readily accept Kryn into their roving clans, seeing it as a point of pride that a city dweller has been drawn to a more exciting life in the chaos of the wastes.
Most half-orcs in Xhorhas have human or drow blood. In the culture of the Xhorhasian nomads, the union of ores and goblinkin is strictly taboo, for the clans' elders fear the uncontrolled madness of a soul afflicted by both Gruumsh's curse of ruin and Bane's curse of strife.



ORC TRAITS
Exandrian orcs are not bound t o commit acts o f evil by nature. An orc character has the following racial traits.
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 1 .
Age. Ores reach adulthood at age 16, and live up to 80 years.
Alignment. Ores fear the curse of ruin that is said to plague their race, and tend strongly toward either chaos (accepting their fate), or toward law (rejecting it).
Size. Ores stand easily 8 feet tall and corded with powerful muscles, weighing up to 280 pounds. Your size is Medium. Here's how to determine your height and weight randomly, starting with rolling a size modifier:
Size modifier = 2d8
Height = 5 feet + 4 inches + your size modifier in inches
Weight in pounds = 175 + (2d6 x your size modifier)
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Aggressive. As a bonus action, you can move up to your speed toward an enemy of your choice that you can see or hear. You must end this move closer to the enemy than you started.
Powerful Build. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
Primal Intuition. You have proficiency in two skills of your choice from the following list: Animal Handling, Insight, Intimidation, Medicine, Perception, and Survival.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Orc.

Standard Half-Orc racial traits can be found in the Player's Handbook, or you may choose the homebrew "Half-Breed" race option and create a unique race of your very own!