orc
Orcs are brutal, bestial-looking humanoids whose very existence is frequently the scourge of civilized lands. Eschewing what most other humanoids value as "civilization", they gather in brutal tribes where only the strong survive and the most bloodthirsty of them rule.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Orcs are muscular humanoids that may stand up to seven feet tall but typically display a hunched posture. Their skin ranges in color through various shades of green, gray, and brown, and their hair is uaually black.
An orc's skull is apelike, with heavy brow ridges, and heavy jaws like those of a gorilla with tusklike lower canines. Their eyes are relatively small and light-sensitive, their ears are large and pointed, and their nose is broad and upturned like that of a pig.
Both males and females are broad-chested and powerfully muscled, though mature females possess small breasts.
Ecology and Habitats
Orcs can be found in almost every environment, from the bitter cold of Cori Glacia to the harsh heat of Khaphtela. Their cunning and ingenuity allows them to adapt to nearly every environment, and the overall unforgiving brutality of their culture allows the strongest to survive.
They do not typically build permanent habitations or establish large population centers, instead preferring a nomadic lifestyle of hunting, gathering, and raiding in order to sustain themselves. That said, a suffieciently large roving band of orcs, under a sufficiently charismatic leader, can be a force of nature into itself, and sow fear into the hearts of most civilized races that may find themselves in its path.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Orcs are omnivorous, able to acquire and digest nearly every type of foodstuff available in their environment. They have a strong preference for meat, believing that consuming the flesh of powerful creatures will pass on those creatures' strength and ferocity, but will supplement these meals with tubers, roots, and wild-harvested plants.
Additional Information
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Orcs have excellent senses of hearing and smell, allowing them to track their prey--intelligent or otherwise--across long distances. They also have keen darkvision, allowing them to navigate in absolute darkness and underground, with the tradeoff that they cannot readily tolerate bright light, especially sunlight.
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