Orc

Orcs have long been the terror of civilization, ever since the Great Horde swept across Erden in ancient times and dealt the coup-de-grace to the dying Reman Empire. But while they have often come into conflict with other races, they have a surprisingly sophisticated culture.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Orcs are a tribal culture for the most part. They're led by a chief, who can be male or female, and a small council of elders who advise them. (Elders are rare among orcs, and very much prized for their wisdom.)
Traditionalist mountain orcs make their homes in villages of wood and stone buildings protected by stockades, or sometimes in abandoned forts or castles. Plains orcs prefer to live a nomadic existence on open ground, such as plains, steppes, tundra, or even desert. Regardless, a tribe produces most of the resources they need by farming and crafting, or gathers them from the surrounding lands; they generally only resort to raiding if they really need to. Gruumsh-worshiping tribes are more likely to be aggressive, but those that worship the Storm-Lord see no honor in pillaging defenseless farmers.

Facial characteristics

Orcs have distinctive facial features that are as rough as their preferred terrain: a slightly protruding browling, sloping forhead, and heavy jaw. Both sexes have tusks, which can reach just shy of four inches on particularly big males, half as much on females.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Mountain orcs prefer mountains, highlands, and alpine tundra. They lean towards the traditionalist side (partly due to their historical isolation), and don't often integrate with humanoid civilization. Many still worship Gruumsh.
Plains orcs are more commonly found on open grassland and tundra. Unlike their green cousins, they are also much more likely to be seen among other humanoids. These orcs have long since turned to following Kord, which is part of the reason why they can fit in more easily with civilization.

Civilization and Culture

Beauty Ideals

Though portrayed as dirty, smelly savages, they are quite fastidious and take a great deal of pride in cleanliness; since they often live in close quarters and are exposed to physical danger, they stay clean to avoid illness, parasites, and infections. Pride in their cleanliness also extends to pride in their appearance; they often adorn their hair and tusks with jewelry, and their bodies with piercings and tattoos (which are also things that they may have invented). Tattoos are records of their lives, with every adult gaining new marks to commemorate victories in battle, marriages, friends lost in battle, children born or sired, and other such life events. Piercings both draw attention to their best features and demonstrate their tolerance for pain. These traits actually make them attractive to some members of other races, which might account for the rising population of half-orcs now that more orcs are living closely with other humanoids.

Average Technological Level

Orcs are generally at a pre-firearms level of technology other than what they've acquired by trade or raiding, excluding, of course, those orcs who have integrated into society at large. However, one area where orcs have historically been ahead of other races is medicine. To survive a battle only to die of infection later, or to be taken by illness, is considered a dishonorable end. To that end, orcs have some of the best surgeons and field medics in the world. It was orcish healers who first discovered that washing their hands and tools and cleaning up the patient's wounds before surgery would greatly decrease the chances of infection. They are also believed to have come up with the procedure now called a "Kassharean section", which according to legend was invented by a healer called Kasshar who, after three days of difficult labor, finally took a dagger from her bedside table and cut the child out of herself. (Both she and her son survived, and he went on to become quite famous.) Orcish medics taught this procedure to humans, and it has since increased maternal survival rates all over the world.

History

Orcs in Vesperia arrived not long after humans. Some were allied with those who would found the Kingdom of Vinland, while others were traditionalists searching for a place where they could live in relative peace. The city orcs prospered, but the tribal orcs continued to be pariahs. They found themselves moving west and north as the frontier expanded; some rooted themselves in the plains and mountains, while others ventured away from there to the Pale Wastes to stay away from other humanoids. Some of these tribes would later rally behind the Goldtusk tribe and subsequently form the Five Pillars Covenant. Many more orcs have since joined the Covenant, because it gives them a sense of belonging.

Genetic Descendants

• Half-orc

Lifespan

50 years

Average Height

6'

Average Weight

255 lbs

Average Physique

Orcs of both kinds are powerfully built, with thick limbs and a broad torso.

Geographic Distribution

• Dragonspire Mountains
• Five Pillars
• Io
• Roaring Plains
• The Pale Wastes

Related Ethnicities

• Mountain orc
• Plains orc