Half-Orc
Half-orcs, although somewhat more populous than their half-elf cousins, are among the rarest species on the planet, and in many cultures, one of the most hated and reviled. As the offspring of humans and oft-feared orcs, they straddle a cultural divide that leaves them in tenuous position.
Basic Information
Genetics and Reproduction
Half-orcs are fully capable of interbreeding with either humans, orcs, or other half-orcs and producing viable offspring. Most offspring of such couplings are referred to as half-orcs, regardless of the proportion of human or orcish parentage, with a few exceptions. Due to the magical nature of orcish genes, half-orcs often more closely resemble their orcish parent than their human parent, and indeed, it is often difficult to tell at first glance whether an orcish person is a full orc, or a half-orc. Nearly all half-orcs possess the characteristic tusks and blue or green skin, although they often have smaller and less impressive tusks than full orcs.
The exception are half-orcs who have 7/8ths or more human blood- that is, half-orcs with only a single orcish great-grandparent. At this point, their magical nature becomes diluted, and they begin to display a variety of both human and orcish features. As far as can be determined, recessive orcish genes can lay dormant for many generations, which may result in two human beings, with no knowledge that they have any orcish blood, producing a child who appears fully orcish. Such children are usually feared and reviled as changelings or spies and are often abandoned or outright murdered.
Interestingly, it is known that half-orcs can produce viable hybrid offspring with half-elves, and these children can display an astonishing variety of elvish, orcish, and human traits. Because of these hybrids, it is believed that half-orcs could theoretically produce fertile offspring with elves; however, no such hybrids have ever been documented.
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