Orcs

Three types of Orcs are known; not separated by birth, but by allegiance.

The Orc Swam

Naturally, Orcs are towering goblinoids with green skin and formidable battle fervor. (Although Amaranth Orcs debate exactly how 'natural' this is, maintaining that their species must be suffering some sort of curse.) The Orc Swarm, as it grown to be called, is a huge population of roaming green orcs, that seem to come and go with no rhyme or reason. Unwilling or unable to negotiate, when the Orc Swam has arrived at Amaranth or the Battlefield, they have fought relentlessly and with little quarter or tactics. Still more mysteriously, they've withdrawn just as fast, despite rarely accomplishing any meaningful objective.
Their latest incursion was just as mysterious, and a mixed blessing indeed. In the wet season of 782 AW, the armies of Malthracion had breached the city walls, pushing up through Fort Endurance and into the city proper. They burned much of The Grand Library and were pushing still further in towards the temples and fields; fighting pitched battles in the streets against reserve troops, whilst the bulk of Amaranth's army stood miles away in the Battlefield, expecting an assault at the Keystone. Chaos reigned for days and it was only on the fourth day that Amaranth's Generals realised the Malthracion forces were being assaulted from behind by the Orc Swarm. Rallying her troops and conscripted citizens alike, a young Amari Celeste systematically cut the Malthracion troops off street by street and herded them into the Orc Swarm, before finally engaging the swarm itself, and driving the cacophonous mix of Malthracions and Orcs out onto the farms outside Amaranth. Sealing the walls behind them with magic and divine power, the Orcs tore the Malthracions apart before attempting a few final weak pushes against the walls of Amaranth, and then eventually dispersing into the wilderness..
And yet..

The Red Orcs of Amaranth

Some 800 years ago, the first Red Orcs arrived at the walls of Amaranth, seemingly confused, but purposeful. They explained they'd found a method of breaking themselves away form the swarm; a red herb that gave their skin it's ruddy colour, but sustained their peaceful demeanor too. Asking for sanctuary with in Amaranth, and sufficient land to grow their red herb, they offered their service, such as it was. Wary of some new trick, the leaders of the churches would not accept their entrance, but they would not drive the Red Orcs away either.
Their camp outside the city grew day by day, as they captured and then 'freed' more orcs from the Orc Swarm, until they too withdrew. Growing into a grand walled monastery, with fertile fields in which they grew their food, and their sanity-sustaining herb, the Red Orcs maintained their cordial relationship with the city. Trading sprung up between enterprising members of both camps, and allayed many fears. Still, it would be two decades before they were properly accepted as citizens, by which time, the city limits has already expanded past their walled enclave.
No orcs still live who defected from the Orc Swarm proper, but their records and stories say that, while part of the swarm, their mind was clouded. They acted instead of thought. They raged in battle until it was time to stop. They had no thoughts of their own. Some think that something called them to eat the first herb that broke the swarm's hold on them, though others recorded that it was merely accident. Just one more plant scraped up to feed the vast horde.
The Orcs of Amaranth today practice a monk-like lifestyle of contemplation and restraint. Consuming the plant that they still humbly call 'The red herb', which quells their fury and turns their skin it’s eponymous dark red colour. The House of the Freed still controls all the land of the original monastery, and dedicates much of it’s time to farming this herb, as well as, unusually, teaching this inner focus to any other person who wishes it. Even for those orcs who no longer reside in the enclave, the red herb is provided in their district-allocated rations, thanks to the House.

The Pale Orcs of Malthracion

Various battle reports have told of pale orcs amongst Malthracion troops in recent decades, and much investigation has gone into discovering where they come from. Initial rumours that they were undead proved untrue, or at least unlikely, after fairly well preserved pale orc bodies were recovered from the battlefield (though superstitions are hard to break, and many soldiers still call them 'Dead Orcs'). The bodies revealed no further clues to the pale orcs allegiance to Malthracion, and the military has a significant bounty on information or research providing an explanation.