"They came over the hills, not the bandits the soldiers expected, but the savage beasts known as Orreghan Duinnen, Orcs. Their unnervingly warped features inspired terror in the men, and their sallow skin the color of grave flesh made each individual wish he was in some bustling tavern somewhere else. As their cruel weapons swept into the patrol, men began to cut and run, and were slain as they turned.
The ambush lasted less time than it takes to draw water from a well. For all their ferocity and savagery, the Orreghan were impressively coordinated, weaving a hail of arrows with their intent rush. The soldiers didn't stand a chance"
Scholar Rittevald, on the topic of cave and forest dwelling beasts.
Description
The Orreghan Duinnen are a slightly larger than man-sized race of bipedal humanoids noted for their savagery and prowess in war. Their origins are shrouded in mystery and legend, but even the Tre'Luinn were known to consider the Orreghan Duinnen a sizable threat, attempting unsuccessfully to eradicate them wherever they could be found. The greatest boon to the Tre'Luinn and subsequently humankind is that the Orreghan Duinnen are relatively rare, preferring to maintain remote enclaves away from civilization where they may worship their gods in peace.
In Battle
The Orreghan have the ability to smelt iron and make a type of primative, though incredibly hard steel. Attempts to reverse engineer this process have failed, both due to the limited number of samples with which to work and the difficulty in getting them (The Orreghan Duinnen are nearly impossible to ambush, and will often only attack when victory is assured). The hardness of these weapons and the strength of the Orcs themselves leads them to prefer axe or hammer like weaponry, eschewing swords or spears (though the latter they typically use for hunting, and only occasionally for war making). They are however extremely talented archers, and recovered Orreghan bows are prized for their strength and durability, not the least some of the exotic compound woods found from some of the swamp and jungle tribes. Their expert craftsmanship with certain weapons belies their savage appearance.
Orcs also prefer to wear limited amounts of armor, favoring hides and padded chain armor if worn. Certain members of the tribes can be seen wearing large thick plates. These foes should be treated with caution as they are an indication that the tribe itself has expended considerable resources to ensure their safety in battle, and thus are important in the tribal hierarchy, a position that is not easily attained. There does seem to be a tradition for when and how warriors earn certain pieces are armor, and are thus forced to forge their pieces by hand, given rise to an extreme variety of somewhat amateurish looking armor. It is not known whether their weapons follow the same pattern.
Certain members of the tribes avoid armor completely. These are believed to be shamans or religious leaders as they do not participate in direct combat and tend to carry idols of some sort, perhaps blessing the ambush to success.
Culture
Females of the tribe are not often seen, but the Orreghan vary so much in physical appearance that individuals may not know if they've actually seen a female warrior. In reality, this is typically because females act as the major strategists of the clan, and aren't involved with hunting or front-line combat. They spend their leisure time playing a variety of strategy games that favor aggressive, decisive action, and are therefore conditioned over their development towards being natural combat leaders. Males are distinctly unsuitable for this type of role in the clan, due to the fact that as they grow older they become more and more aggressive and bloodthirsty, only being reined in by the assertive command of the females. The sole exception to this is that in each generation of orcs, one male resists the blood-thirsty urges. These males are identified early and placed under the mentorship of the clan chieftain, who then relates the oral history of the clan as a guide to clan leadership (the clan chieftain is completely uninvolved in clan warfare). These males make up the natural line of succession of the clan, with each new chieftain only taking over upon the natural death of the elder chieftain. Children have never been recorded as seen by humans, leading some human scholars to surmise that perhaps the Orcs are corrupted humans created in some profane ritual. Idols to their gods can be spotted in their camps, but are typically taken with them if they are a migratory tribe. Their camps themselves are fortified strongholds, focused on using natural terrain for strength and concealment. One key sign of orcs in an area is a distinct lack of natural fauna, as the animals are either hunted outright or leave the area.
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