Orc
“Grunts” – Taken from basic hobgoblin stock, the orcs’ ancestors were intentionally exposed to chaos magic. They became stronger, hardier, and much, much stupider than their forbears, and live in bestial filth as roving barbarian pillagers. The more storied legions have “tamed” orcs that act as shock troopers to break up the enemy lines, or as raiders to send against enemy supply lines or civilians.
Orcs wandering alone are more accepted than most potential greenskin deserters, as their chaotic nature makes wrangling them difficult and a good deal of opportunity awaits a greenskin commander adept at ‘poaching’ wandering orc warriors. Similarly, no commander would expect them to follow orders out of their own eyesight, so the likelihood of an orc being an assassin from a rival is slim to none. They may wander for seemingly strange reasons; it’s not unheard of for orcs (being infused with chaos magic) to hear voices or get strange ideas and urges. Good-aligned orcs exist, believing the music in their head to be an angelic choir or having a grandiose sense of purpose beyond the Badlands .
Naming Traditions
Feminine names
Shagdub
Urog
Gul
Burub
Shufharz
Batul
Bumph
Rolfish
Bogdub
Ugor
Glasha
Bugdurash
Kharzug
Sharn
Sharn
Badbog
Mogak
Shelur
Oghash
Burzob
Masculine names
Burguk
Urmug
Saraugug
Brugagh
Orpigig
Golub
Olur
Turge
Zaghig
Xomath
Pigdug
Lorzub
Lorbumol
Yerghug
Xorag
Yargol
Yokgagu
Sogugbu
Isagubat
Wumkbanok
Family names
Orcs rarely have surnames, though an earned moniker is common.
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
Orcs speak the Goblin Tongue with such a heavy accent that it's nearly another language, known as Orcish or sometimes as Ork.
Culture and cultural heritage
Orcs roam around in clans and warbands, reaving, murdering, and pillaging as they go.
Common Dress code
Orcs have little in the way of modesty or fashion sense. They tend to wear either armor or whatever makes them look the most frightening that they can cobble together.
Birth & Baptismal Rites
Orcs are essentially mammals and females give birth like others. That being said, most orcs are formed in the spawning pools rather than from two orc parents. The spawning pools are the pits where the original orcs were buried, practically a landfill. An order of female shamanic mystics called shatraugr see to the blood sacrifices that keep the spawning pools belching out orcs. This process is ritualized, but also transactional, with orc tribes bringing in captives and the elderly for sacrifice in order to keep their numbers up. Human and dwarf blood yields more warriors than Greenskins , and elf blood yields the most. A single elf can spawn three or four dozen orcs.
Coming of Age Rites
When an orc reaches adulthood, they are immediately set upon by those that would be their clanmates. If they can avoid death, they are initiated into the clans.
Funerary and Memorial customs
Orcs that are slain and recovered by their clansmen are thrown into the spawning pools, which yields one or more fresh recruits for their effort.
Common Myths and Legends
Orcs toast to "Te Burz!", or the night. It is referring to the night when they will kill the last elf
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
Orc culture emphasizes strength more than any other factor. Any sign of weakness or gap in their vigilance will get an orc eaten. This tendency goes up over time if the orcs haven’t fought an enemy in a while. They live to fight, and fighting is their only love and joy. They live by no code, only violence.
Orcs are massive piles of muscle wrapped in green rawhide. They have sloping brows over thick skulls, greasy hair usually sporting unkempt dreadlocks, and enormous protruding lower jaws with spiraling tusks ranging from finger-sized to dagger length. Beady black eyes sit beneath thick brow ridges and over upturned nose that range from piggish to skull-like. Even if orcs wished to sneak, the stench of rot that clings to them would make the attempt useless.
Gender Ideals
There are few orc females, which are difficult to distinguish from the males in any meaningful fashion. Both genders have thick slabs of muscle layered under mottled green and gray hide, with the females having a slimmer waist and wider hips. They may or may not have breasts. Orc females are prized mates by the males, and a surplus of females in one clan of orcs will always bring an attack from another clan to claim them. For their part, the females fight next to the men, as their love of violence is shared.
Courtship Ideals
In a strange way, orcs love their mates and offspring dearly. Orcs can display enormous gentleness when wooing or interacting with a potential mate. Gifts ranging from precious stones to war booty to hunting trophies are often exchanged.
Due to the extreme numbers disparity between males and females, the females are usually the recipient of this attention rather than the instigator.
Relationship Ideals
An ideal orc family is a mated pair with a small pack of children.
Comments