Orc
They tried to hold onto their culture but much of it blended into a sort of simple but fervent superstition and shamanic belief. Descended from the first worlders from Russia and Siberia these beliefs survived into the modern Orc culture.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Orcs are hardier than humans as well as being stronger and thicker built, they also have deep set eyes and usually have overgrown teeth or tusks
Genetics and Reproduction
Orcs reproduce at the same rate as humans, they don't have a specific mating cycle and instead can go through full gestational cycles up to two times in a year. Infant mortality often is less from hardiness and instead due to the massive range of mutations that a child may take on. Many of these mutations can be fatal to the infant, but are rarely fatal to the mother.
Growth Rate & Stages
Orcs grow like standard humans perhaps spending less time as an infact, becoming Precocious at about 10 months, learning to walk and begin speaking early. Their journey through puberty begins early as well, finishing at between 15 and 20 years. Adulythood among the orcs is often short lived and brutish, but some Orcs have been rumored to have lived for over 200 years.
Ecology and Habitats
Ecologically Orcs developed to take advantage of the warped and twisted radioactive landscapes of the Green Wastes. In that way they often display an ability to eat things considered inedible by other species, also they are often much better at surviving in the wild than other sentient species.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Orc social structure is almost always Tribal, with head-orcs taking control through strength and guile. They are often served by Shaman, Oracles and Witches that have strong connections to their ancestors or the land around them. Beyond that they have a very open structure that views all orcs as family or "Gam Rad'
Facial characteristics
Their most notable faical characteristics are enlarged facial features like noses and mouths full of tusks. The Orc's eyes have evolved to becoming smaller and are often surrounded by thick orbital sockets.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Mostly located in the green wastes and the very far eastern portion of Erryt. There are a few Orcs further south in the burning sands of Khey, and a very small number that have made it as far west as Frans.
Average Intelligence
Orcs are as intelligent as other species, often their circumstances mean that they aren't as educated about the societies of Erryt and can come across dull, but that is often one of the last mistakes those that underestimate an Orc's mind make.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Orcs can see much better in low light and dark environments, and often posess highly honed senses.
Civilization and Culture
Major Organizations
There are many warbands among the orcs one of the more well known in Erryt are the Bloodmaw Tribe, led by one of the most ambitious orcs in the West.
Beauty Ideals
Orcs have a wide array of beauty ideals and standards but tend to find scars and tattoos incredibly important in telling their individual stories, these "World Marks" are often considered carefully and are part of what they find attractive in each other.
Gender Ideals
Orc's do not have specific gender ideals, with the mutation rate among them ideas of a gender binary evaporated in the early days of orc culture.
Courtship Ideals
Orc courtship is incredibly forward, but it still has nuance, Orcs tend to have simple barter economies prefering shows of strength over shows of wealth. In courting an Orc will often try to impress their paramour with feats or actions carried out for that person as well as acts of might and prowess.
Relationship Ideals
Orcs live in many different combinations but it is not rare for there to be large families made of many adults interbreeding to create the most viable offspring. There is a lot of superstition among the orcs about relationships and the connections made there.
Average Technological Level
Orcs are firmly in the Iron age technology wise in the Green wastes, though there are rumors of Tribes of orcs deep in the wastes that have repaired and adapted some of the technology of the 2nd age.
Major Language Groups and Dialects
Orc is the primary language group and seems to have evolved from a mix of East Slavic Languages. It's linguistic relative Goblin has many similar features.
Common Etiquette Rules
Orcs are an honor based society and so prefer that a person be honest rather than polite. For example it is common etiquette to eat offered food with gusto, showing how much you appreciate it, or disapprove of it, as loudly as possible.
Common Dress Code
Orcs dress in rugged clothing Preferring animal skin clothes to lighter fabrics. They also tend to wear a lot of ornate outer layers to show status and to tell the story of the individual orc at a glance. They are used to colder climates and so often dress down in the warmer Western parts of Erryt and in the desert. In these cases they often favor gear straps and just enough clothing to move around modestly and protect sensetive bits.
Historical Figures
Gaia: The Paragon of Life
The first of the Paragons, the Paragon of Life, was an orc girl named Gaia from the green wastes. She was touched early on by the voices and spirits of the 2nd age, reaching through the mutative radiation of the wastes (what is now known as Positive energy). Changed by this she brought life back to much of the wastes before disappearing to the East past the wastes to whatever lies there.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Often seen as monsters or invaders the Orcs have only recently begun to be taken seriously as a species by more than a handful of nations and species.
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Origin/Ancestry
Orcs are at their base mutated humans and so can interbreed with them creating halforcs.
Lifespan
25 years
Average Height
5'10"
Average Weight
250 lbs
Average Physique
Orcs are, on average, very sturdily built.
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Orcs range from light green to deep dark purples and blacks their skin represents resistance to the type of radiation they most often face with the greener orcs coming from more radioactive areas.
Geographic Distribution
Related Ethnicities
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