Orc
Orcs. Few races can be more infamous than these warriors, caravan raiders, village pillagers, serial killers and rapists. A unflattering image hard earned, and often warranted. However, there are in fact two differing flavors of orc, and distinguishing between the two can be useful, whether you're dealing with a homicidal killing machine, or an honorable warrior as strong with words as with swords. With orcs, perhaps one can judge a book by it's cover.
Civilization and Culture
Common Myths and Legends
Orcish culture revolves around primarily the axis of religion. Priests and chosen form the upper echelon of a group. Green orcs are zealots, the will of the gods visible in every aspect of their lives, whether true or not. Their primary god is Gruumsh, the Maimed One-eyed leader of the greenskins. To add to the confusion, another name for Gruumsh is Maglubiyet, primarily used by goblinoids.
Grey orcs revere gods of war and the forge primarily. An important figure is the constellation Palados, the Defender, also known as Torm in other lands. Other primary deities include Tempus as a god of war, and Gond Greensteel of the forge. It is from Gond that orcs receive their talent and proclivity for the wondrous metal of green steel, a potent substance primarily found in the Volhynia Mountains.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Of special note, dwarves have good relations with grey orcs, and despite their countless wars, both peoples respect and embrace their battle hardened ways, valuing tradition and honor. Wars are often fought between the two species for the sake of testing the strength of the other, only striking a war when both participants are at their best. Green orcs get no such luxury, hated by dwarves boundlessly, an earthly infection to be burned out.
Dwarves call Grey orcs the Grathr-orstr, Green orcs called Slalig. Humans have taken the word Slalig to refer to anything undesirable and to be cursed.
Elves call both types of orc the Orsinúr. This is strange, as the root núr is found at the end of different elvish species, so Orsinúr would translate directly to "Tusked Elf." Why the elves feel orcs are a type of elf is unknown. This doesn't improve relations between the two species. Green orcs find elves to be delicacies, reserved only for their nobles.
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Two differing breeds of orc exist, the green orc and the grey orc. This is denoted primarily by their skin, but they also share similar sizes, red eyes, and enlarged canines much like tusks (green orcs have much larger tusks).
Green orcs are larger, with massive shoulders and minimal hunched necks, as well as minimal hair. Green orcs are similar to goblins, and fit a niche in between the hobgoblin and the bugbear.
Grey orcs feel that it is only coincidental that green orcs are similar enough to themselves to be lumped together, a insult to their reasoning and natural talents. Grey orcs stand straight, upright, and have long heads of highly prized black hair.
While green orcs prize scars, telling crude stories of how each one was received, grey orcs tattoo their bodies heavily, each orc unique and identifiable by their body art. A grey orc killed in battle a thousand miles from home could be returned for burial by simply understanding the tattoos detailing the individual's life.
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