Primal Orcs
"I've never seen a culture so polarizing. They are often seen as dangerous, relentless and terrifying. But back at home, they are caring, patient and calming. I guess passionate is the word I'd use." - Carvelli Goldwalker, elvish Bard
Out in the wilds of Tungushka, away from the roads and settlements that denote civilization, the Primal Orcs call the wilds their home. As the creations Gruumsh brought into the world, they are bloody-thirsty, relentless and devoted warriors to their god, though their cleverness and wittiness are lacking compared to other races. They conduct regular raids against the caravans that patrol the roads and Tungushka and launch full-on attacks against the settlements within Tunguska. Despite their primitive nature and lack of intelligence, they are a very cultured group with intricate rituals, clearly-defined gender roles and a general sense of unity that is difficult to replicate. The multiple clans of the Primal Orcs, though not working in unison, is contributing to the constant state of war Tungushka is facing, as they constantly wish to expand, grow and conquer everything for their own survival as well as to please their god.
Naming Traditions
Feminine names
Feminine names of Primal Orcs include but are not limited to Gorvah, Toff, Dorta, Hazel, Yurtif, and Faz. Most feminine names in the Primal Orc group are either one or two syllables long.
Masculine names
Masculine names of Primal Orcs include but are not limited to Torvanu, Albashir, Diestrongva, Minmivosel, Grontitan, and Ziedonta. Most masculine names in the Primal Orc group are either three or four syllables long.
Family names
The major families of the Primal Orcs are Bluetusk, Bonesplit, Warwave, Fleshflay, Stormherd, and Redflash
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
Primal Orcs communicate between the clans using Orcish, a harsh dialect with hard-hitting constants and rough syllable pronunciations. To the observer, it sounds like constant grudging, arguing or even yelling. Within the clans, they have their own unique language that is not nearly as comprehensive as Orcish, and the words are varied depending on the location, season and subjects around them. One might have a non-orcish word for "Elk", but it may not exist in another clan that hasn't seen an elk, or it might be different for a clan that does but lives in a different location.
Culture and cultural heritage
Every single Primal Orc, no matter what clan they come from, is a warrior at heart, and their society is developed around this notion of chaos and war. Since their creator, Gruumsh, was a manifestation of war and storms, the Primal Orcs followed in his image, physical manifestations of his will as war-waging, unbridled furies more turbulent then the worse of storms. They live their lives, day in and day out, attacking, pillaging, and raiding local settlements that are not Orcish, like the settlements in Tungushka, where they reside. They are relentless in their attacks, and they never retreat: it is better to die as Gruumsh's soldiers than die as Tungushka's prisoners. At home, they heavily hunt the local area with the same mentality.
Average technological level
Primal Orcs are primitive by the rest of the standards in Targonia. While entire nations use magic to solve problems and use diplomacy to solve international conflicts. the Primal Orcs still use bone and spear weapons and do not grasp more advanced technologies and resources like smithing, magic, and agriculture/
Common Etiquette rules
Direct eye contact is the largest sign of respect an orc might give when having a conversation with one. Some match up to their sizes or scars before talking, which is meant to strengthen their bonds of brotherhood or sisterhood. When eating, an orc notifies the cook of their excellence by loudly eating the food, indicating its quality. If it's poor, they will still eat it, but quietly. An orc is not to lie when speaking to another, or to steal one's supplies or attempt to blackmail/persuade a love interest away from their current partner.
Common Dress code
Each clan as a unique dress code that often correlates to the clan name used to describe them. The general rule is that most wear leather from the animals they hunt, especially leather or hide armor when on a raid. Back at home, they wear longer loin clothes with intricate designs. For the females, they wear the same thing when in combat, and when outside, they were skimpy loin clothes or nothing at all (Nudity is no issue for other orcs, in fact, partners are known to flaunt them occasionally).
Art & Architecture
Most art produced by the Primal Orcs are jewelry-inspired pieces like necklaces made of claws and twine, a hairclip with a hawk's feather or a necklace with a Bear totem carved out of bone. When they were clothes back at the campsite, the clothes are intricately designed with saturated colors, multiple lines, and patterns that run across the entire piece. Since the houses are mostly huts made of bone, hide, and stone, the only decoration who could do is the placement of remains, like skulls of animals and humans at entranceways, blood splatters and drips across canvas walls, and sigils marked with animal remains to denote one's house at the entrance.
Common Customs, traditions and rituals
Before launching a raid, Primal Orcs conduct a ceremonial dance called "The Shtormovoy Veter" (Storm Wind, in Orcish). It's meant to please their god and with it be blessed with the speed of a hurricane and a ferocity of a vortex. Afterward, they embark on their journey, as discussed the day before by the Chieftress and the one responsible for leading the charge. After the orcs return from their raid with loot, they conduct another ritual called "The Prinosit Zhertvu" (Sacrifice, in Orcish), which is to again praise their god and thank him for the blessings he gave for the raid. They sort out the supplies gathered into distinct categories like food, clothes, and weapons. When its all done, they sacrifice the smallest pile into a bonfire, as a tribute to their god. The orcs then distribute out the remaining resources alongside whatever the individual orc brought in by himself.
Birth & Baptismal Rites
When a baby Primal Orc is born, the parents notify the chieftress about the birth. Once she has been notified, the mother and father care for the baby for a full 24 hours at minimum. Afterwards, the parent's wait for the next nightfall, where they walk 2 miles outside of their village and leave the baby in the snow for the entire night. This is a ritual called "The Prokhozhdeniye" (Passage, in Orcish). To the orcs, the right to live doesn't exist, and one must be able to survive the night at their weakest to ensure they will not be a detriment to the clan. The next morning, if the baby is found alive, it is nursed back into health and is under the protection of the orcs until they reach 15 years of age. If the baby dies or is nowhere to be found, it is forgotten and the parents pray to Gruumsh to ensure the safe passage of the baby's soul into the next life it has, where it will hopefully find success.
Coming of Age Rites
When a male Primal Orc reaches the age of 15, it has a personal duel against the Chieftess, and the fight lasts until the male is nearly bled out from all the wounds he acquired or physically collapses from exhaustion. This is to give the orc his first scars to indicate his beauty and veterancy to the clan. Married couples fight each other for every 15 years they remain together, to further enforce their bond together.
Funerary and Memorial customs
Orcs killed during a raid are not given special burial rites or services, though, with significant causalities, the survivors pray to Gruumsh for better successes in the future and wish their fallen brothern an eternal hunt when Gruumsh resides. With a chieftess dies, her body is decorated with the most valuable possessions she had as well as her weapon and is set ablaze with the rest of the clan praying to Gruumsh, hoping that this warrior spirit will be useful to him. Orcs do not write down their history like most other races, rather, it is told mostly verbally by the elders in a clan, and when an elder of a significant age is about to die, the females listen to the elder's stories and tales nonstop for the last days of an elder's life.
Common Taboos
A male Primal Orc doing activities and duties normally associated with female Primal Orcs often leads to the outcasting of the individual or a brutal fight against the Chieftess, with her actively trying to kill the orc unless she is physically unable to do so. An Orc attempting to persuade another orc already in an engagement is one of the most taboo and rare disturbances to happen in a clan, which is often resolved with a duel between the orc and the other orc already engaged to the one the original was trying to get. Hoarding supplies before being distributed is another example, though supplies collected through personal actions is alright.
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
Primal Orcs measure their beauty by the scars, burns, bruises and gashes they have amassed during their life. For males, beauty for them includes injuries they have sustained in combat, whether it was by an enemy or a rival. An orc without scars is typically young, and by the time they reach 15 years old, are expected to fight. For women, beauty has a bit more finessed: while injuries are still important, they rely heavily more on decorations like animal skull necklaces, beads, and leather skirts to denote beauty. A female Primal Orc looks for a male orc who has multiple scars across their bodies, is of a large build with tone muscles, and long hair. A male Primal Orc looks for a female orc who has a few scars of her own, but also basic decorations that would differentiate her from other females. Being able to weild an axe as affectively as the male is also an ideal characteristic.
Gender Ideals
Primal Orc males are typically the ones responsible for the fighting and raiding a clan will comit for as long as the clan will survive. They support the clan and their wives by raiding necessary supplies and stealing valuable decorations to make their wives prettier. While the males go off and fight, the Primal Orc females are the ones that actually maintain and run the clan. Though it is not uncommon for a female to fight alongside her comrades, most would prefer to prepare meals and plan the next attack since most care deeply for the clan and their husbands. A male to do the job of a female, however, is shunned upon and is mostly cast away or killed. All clans are led by the female since they can lead with the passion of love and sustainability, while attacks are led by males since they lead with the passion of ferocity and war.
Courtship Ideals
Both males and females are expected to find a partner when both reach 15 years of age. Each individual is free to choose who they want as a partner, and most orcs naturally find a childhood sweetheart growing up that they want to marry. This is mostly within the clan itself, and marriages outside it are rare though sometimes necessary. When the couple is founded and the head chieftess is notified, both embarked on a voyage with their first personal weapons to either hunt a legendary beast or make a raid on their own. This is meant to forge the fires of love within conflict, so that they could work together when the situation is most dire. If the couple returns with their reward, a ceremony called "The Yedinstov" (Unity, in Orcish) where the entire clan celebrates the union of the two lovers and toast in their honor.
Relationship Ideals
The male is meant to support the female by raiding alongside his fellow brothern, bringing in supplies for her to use as well as decorations to make the female prettier as well as their home. The female, meanwhile, uses the supplies brought in to make food, clothes, and upkeep the weapons and armor one might use. Subtlety is frowned upon in Orcish society: they are encouraged to make out, babytalk, have sex and otherwise express their love to each other whenever possible and without restraint.
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