Jotunn Orcs

Orcs are thought to also have come from this same evolutionary branch as goblins and elves, having evolved to live in mountains in northern areas as opposed to the southern regions of goblins. The orc’s skin is a dark grey, often with spots of brown and muted green. These traits help them to blend into mountains and wooded areas.
Jotunn orcs an grow up to 3 meters tall. They have large tusks and pointed ears like the elves.
Orcs have very little in the way of sexual dimorphism, with the differences often being slight changes in height and facial features. If a human wishes to distinguish genders among orcs, they can look at their clothes. Female orcs also often wear chest coverings, whereas male orcs do not.


Orcs will adopt the culture of those nearby. However, a group of Jotunns, commonly referred to as The Jotnar, have a clearly distinct culture from the rest of the orcs. This group can be found within a few small communities in Agavarot, as well as secluded portions of Ferodrill and Strapoda. It’s easy to recognize a Jotnar, as they wear face paint on their bodies and often have piercings. The Jotnar have strict ideas of politeness. For instance, when someone enters the room, everyone must rise and make sure the newcomer has found a place to sit before sitting down themselves. However, rules such as this do not need to be followed by warriors. Jotnar warriors stick out from the rest, as they will always wear armour in public. This armour is not made out of bones, but rather out of steel, but it will often be decorated with the bones of animals. Jotnar warriors are to be respected above all else. When passing a warrior on the street, one must say hello. These warriors will be chosen before the age of five, selected for the traits of strength. They will then be taken away from their parents and then raised separately from the rest of the Jotnars. While it is generally considered an honour to have one’s child become a warrior, some parents don’t wish for this to happen, and may try to bribe the selectors. There are also many stories in Jotnar culture involving parents trying to prevent their children from being selected, with these often being comedic in tone. The selectors are often old Jotnar warriors themselves. As being a warrior is a lifetime duty, once Jotnar warriors are unable to fight, they adopt leadership and other tasks within the “warrior society”. A single Jotnar village will have a single warrior society and a single tribe dwelling within it. The leader of this warrior society often acts as chief advisor to the chieftain of the tribe. Jotnar warriors are not permitted to marry, have children, or own land, and will spend much of their time within The Barrack Circle, a group of buildings belonging to the warrior society of the tribe. The structure of each warrior society differs based on tribe.
Another key aspect of Jotnar culture is food and drink, with the offering of them being seen as one of the purest signs of showing respect to someone else. However, eating too much food is impolite. For instance, one must always ask before taking the last piece of bread. It is also impolite to ask for food, you must wait for it to be offered.
The reason for this culture divergence between the Jotnar and the other orcs was that the Jotnar specifically descend from a group of Jotunn who formed a kingdom in what is now Ferodrill in the early 2000s. This kingdom would eventually be conquered by Wamoichtia, and a majority of the orcs there fled, most of them making their way to Agavarot or Strapoda.