Orc

The Orcs were a proud and honorable race that places a high value on community, living in tight-knit groups of families. These clans range in size, with the largest once boasting hundreds of members, and the smallest being around ten or twenty. Each clan held to its own traditions, ways of dress, and history, which reflected in the spirits they choose to venerate. After the Convergence, some clans wandered up into the Far North, and so today there exist two primary Orc cultures.
The Utakian Orcs were the original owners of the Plains, long before humans arrived in Pinar. They were nomadic in nature, roaming the Plains in extended family groups. Some of the larger clans were herders, commanding large groups of domesticated horses, bison, and other native species. When the humans came to the Plains region, they found a nation of Orcish clans, scattered across the Plains. Today, Utakic Orcs are scattered and few, and many of their ancestral names, spirits, and lands are lost. One ancestral campsite still remains in the Sea of Planting, where the very young and very old of the Orcs stay year-round.
The Frunite Orcs dwelled in the Frozen Expanse of the Far North, a harsh and inhospitable place. Despite that, Frunites have a reputation for being warm and jovial, with tightly-knit communities of many families. However, traveler beware- the Frunites, unlike their Southern cousins, are well equipped for combat. They are primarily hunters, and wander up and down the tundra in search of larger game. In recent years, many Frunites have descended close to the Dread Forest, potentially in anticipation of trickling towards the Sea of Planting and other ancestrally Orcish lands to take them back from the humans.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Orcs vary greatly in their outward appearance, but most share a couple of common characteristics.
They are on the average taller than humans or elves, ranging from 5'9" to 7'3", although some clans may be shorter. Their defining features are the greenish-yellow cast to their skin, allowing them camouflage in the tall grasses and shrubs of their homes, heavy-set bones with thick muscles, and long faces with two protruding tusks from the bottom jaw. Some clans may file down their tusks in certain ways to mark their heritage; others let them grow long.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Orcs are on the whole omnivorous; although they require some measure of meat in their youth as they build muscle, many Utakics have a primarily vegetarian diet, supplemented with fish and whatever wild boar or other animals they could hunt.

Additional Information

Facial characteristics

Long faces with bold noses, but almost flat otherwise; lower jaw is substanially larger than the upper, with 2 protruding tusks, which may or may not be filed down.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Originally found almost entirely in the Sea of Planting region of the Plains or in the Frozen Expanse of the North; now are far fewer and more scattered, with some clans found in the mountains or farther north.

Average Intelligence

On par with humans, elves, and other sentient races.

Civilization and Culture

Beauty Ideals

Orcs are very community-oriented, and often decorate to emphasize their role in the community.
The Southern Utakic clans used the red ichorous mud found in the South Plains to draw patterns on their skin that told those in the know the Orc's position in their clan, how old they are, and what they've done to help their clans. The more designs present, the more active the Orc had been, and the more likely they were to become venerated spirits in the afterlife.
The Frunite Orcs consider strength the ultimate form of beauty, and so muscles or the ability to perform feats of strength are important to the Orcish peoples. A Orc who is capable of bringing down one of the large beasts that serve the Northern Tribes as food sources is highly regarded by the community at large.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Orc (multiple dialects), Common

Common Dress Code

Varies based on clan, but usually involved loose skins or furs from the animals they hunt or herd

Culture and Cultural Heritage

To an Orc, community is everything; an Orc may live and die without ever being fully alone. Everything an Orc might have is shared within the community, and there is no real concept of "ownership". Historically, they lived in groups of two or three families, forming clans with distinct ways of dress and adornment. Orcs often intermarried between clans; in these cases, either of the couple might leave their original clan and join their partner, learning new ways of dress and adornment or keeping their own. Alternatively, the clans might combine, and more relationships and marriages may follow the original.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

Most, if not all, disputes within a clan are settled with highly ritualized mock battles. Similar battles take place between clans if discord breaks out; the battle may also incorporate dancing or a feast, to assure the Great Spirits that harmony would be restored.

Common Taboos

Orcs are honorable to a fault, and consider lying, cheating, or stinginess towards others to be greatly dishonorable. To act against the interests of the clan is to incur the wrath of the Great Spirits.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

On the whole, Orcs view most other races as rude and standoffish. The Northern Clans never forgave the Druids of the Dread Forest for not coming to their aid when the humans first invaded, while the Southern Clans were forced into an exodus.

Genetic Descendants

• Half-Orc

Lifespan

70-80 years

Average Height

69 - 87 inches

Average Weight

190-300 lbs

Average Physique

Very muscular; females tend to be larger than males.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Skin is yellowish-green for the most part, although some tend towards the blue end; may decorate with red ichorous mud or black ashes to form patterns that distinguish orcs from each other and show their community.