Orc
Basic Information
Biological Traits
Orcs are an incredibly tough and strong people. They are able to take more punishment then a standard human and are said to easily be able to be the best of multiple men in most cases. Even with this they tend to have shorter lives due to the violent lives most lived. Though this doesn't account for the penitent orcs, but instead the Barbarian Orc Tribes which dot the land, nor does it also account for the orcs who have simply lived in the cities. Regardless, they are some of the toughest warriors in the world.
Genetics and Reproduction
Orcs reproduce sexually, in a manner similar to humans. Orc gestation period is shorter then a human, clocking in at around 6-7ish months
Growth Rate & Stages
Orcs are considered adults by about 11-14 years of age, middle aged at around 30 years, and venerable at around 60 years
Dietary Needs and Habits
Though they are able to eat plants, they are mostly a carnivorous people.
Additional Information
Facial characteristics
All orcs possess tusks that vary from orc to orc, and slightly low foreheads, many also featured wolf like ears similar to elves, and some have described orcs as looking vaguely pig like.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Due to how fast orcs breed, they have spread out far and wide among the lands. While there are the Barbarian Tribes scattered around the world, there are also a fair number of the Orcish monasteries spread around as well. However typically these monasteries only stick to territory the Church of the Flame has a political hold over. However alot of cities just due to the history of the Orcish people, many have fully integrated in cities across the globe
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Orc names are strong and guttural sounding, with female names being slightly more melodic. They don't have surnames, but do use epithets like "Knee Smasher" and "The Behemoth".
Gender Ideals
Traditionally, Orcs are a male dominated society, however female orcs did also get quite a fair number of rights. The male dominance typically just involved the rulership of the whole tribe and the warriors sent off to fight, with females being left behind to act as a sort of "last stand" force in case the tribes home is attacked while the men are away. One should not think for a moment that Orc females are any weaker then their male counterparts, and many are as good if not better then the men at cracking skulls with their bare hands.
However this simply refers to the Barbarian Tribes, as those outside of the tribes typically adopt the gender ideals of the society they live amongst, which is by and large egalitarian with its views on gender roles and the like.
Courtship Ideals
Traditionally, orcs do not have very complex rituals for taking mates, as due to having to keep up their numbers for war they aren't entirely choosey on who they have kids with (which explains how half-orcs are so common in most places). The number of wives and children a Warchief of a tribe has is considered a mark of status and martial power. However again, this largely only describes the Barbarian Tribes as most other orcs take to whatever culture they live among.
Major Language Groups and Dialects
While Orcish is still the primary language orcs learn, they usually adopt the local language of the area they are in for ease of communication with outsiders
Common Dress Code
Among both the barbaric and penitent orcs, many take to not wearing shirts or wearing less amounts of clothes then the say a human, and animal fur and cloaks are still considered to be signs of status. This is due to how they value strength as a people, and so showing off your strength is considered the sensible thing.
Culture and Cultural Heritage
Despite the cultural split, there are still orcs who simply do not fall in either category, and live average lives within the different kingdoms. They are not as common, but they do exist.
History
There are many questions as to the origins of the Orcs, but to this day none can really agree on where they came from specifically. The Elves believe that the Orcs are the offspring of one of the children of Drinn the great corrupter, while the flame believes they first began as children of a pigish demon, but in truth the Orcs did not originally keep a well detailed record of their origins, however they have their own belief. They believe that at the beginning of the world, previously unknown but mighty gods were disgusted at the weakness of the other races, and so would create a new race under their image. The mightiest was Goarus The Old One, and he with his fellow gods and goddesses created the Orcs. These newly made Orcs would huddle amongst each other in tribes in forests and other treacherous places, but within time the gods revealed their true purpose to the Orcs: to wage unending war. Thus began the countless ages of Orcs and Men fighting one another across the world.
To name every war fought against the Orcs, or Greenskins as they are sometimes referred to, would be to name thousands of battles across time. For as long as their had been written history, there had been Orcs fighting the other races. However, the greatest campaign is something burned into the memory of the citizens of the entire continent of Nilush: The War of Green, or The Green War. This was a war when suddenly, thousands of Orcish tribes would unite under the one banner of the Great Warlord named Zudagog the One. They would wage a war of horrific proportions, and entire cities were burned to the ground. However, within time, the orcs were beaten back, but the cost was heavy. By the end of it, the Orcs were on the very real cusp of going completely extinct, as they had just kept throwing themselves onto their enemies, where entire forests were quite literally awash with blood.
After the war, one old Orc would look upon his people and feel shame, Sodaght the Wise. He felt shame that his people had been reduced so, and that they simply throw themselves onto spear points to slaughter those that got in there way. He would walk up a mountain to contemplate quietly, when it is said he ahd suffered a vision. This vision came from none other, then The Flame, who would reveal to him that he and his people need not enslave themselves to their pagan gods, and instead embrace something better. He would come down from the mountain and reveal to his fellow tribesmen of his vision. His tribe largely accepted this new vision within time, and would take up penitent oaths and seek to spread to the other orc tribes across the world. However, it was not entirely successful, as many Orc tribes found this new faith to be a sign of weakness and cowardice, and so the Orcish race was split down the middle, with half becoming worshippers of The Flame and the other keeping to their Barbarian Ways.
So it has been that the Orcs survive to this day. While certainly abrasive, many have come to warm up to the Orcs in time, even with The Green War being burned into the racial memory of many. However the Barbarian Orc Tribes are still many, and so to this day the concern of Orc raids is still a very real thing.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Orcs now operate a curious position in wider society, in where they no longer cause much trouble for outsiders. While many are still concerned with Greenskin raids, many have orcs living within their communities. While Orcs typically are a bit abrasive, by and large they neither occupy a incredibly positive or incredibly negative position within society. Orc monasteries in areas where the Church of the Flame can operate have also helped sway public opinion of them, even if some of their rituals can be seen as "strange" to outsiders.
Lifespan
around 70 years
Average Height
usually over 6 feet tall
Average Weight
180-230lbs
Average Physique
Most orcs are very muscular bodies, due to the martial training of their race
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Orcs had varying skin colors: ranging from bright green, dark green, or greyish skin tones. Grey and red skin tones are also possible based on where they were born
Related Organizations
