Orc
The savage hordes
The dreaded Orcs are the youngest of the sentient races created while the Gods roamed Wandrei. Brutal, built for battle, and savagely intelligent, the Orcs were one of the first to be dominated by the Yuan-Ti after the Gods left the world. Making them into brutally efficient warriors, the Orcs fought for the snake-men when the Elves revolted, and after their master's defeat, the Orcs swore to perpetually make war against them, echoing the grudge between the Elven and Orcish gods.
A tribal and nomadic people, the Orcs are almost as widespread as the Humans, however they have nowhere near the same population numbers. They roam the countryside of almost every continent, save the Kraken Isles, where their sworn enemies make their homes.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Orcs are larger than most average humans, but the basic body shape is more or less the same. They have broad shoulders, large and long arms, stout and strong legs, and large heads reminiscent of a jungle ape's, with a low, large brow and large jaws. They have wide, pointed ears, and tusks protrude from their lower jaws.
Genetics and Reproduction
Orcs reproduce the same way as other humanoid races.
Additional Information
Facial characteristics
Orcs have long, wide skulls, with large and powerful jaws. This accentuates their less-than-average intelligence, though Orcs are still savagely witty. Their skin takes on green tones, and their hair is usually black. Their eyes are usually red colors, and they have wide, pointed ears. Their most defining features are the large tusks that protrude from their lower jaws, which most orcs decorate with rings or carvings. The rest of their teeth are also sharp and mostly pointed, though Orcs are omnivores.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Orcs roam most lands, except for the Kraken Isles, where they have been hunted to extinction or driven from the islands. They are also not very common in Arkham Country.
Average Intelligence
8 INT
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Orcs are naturally nocturnal, and as such they have great darkvision. However, they are uncomfortable in daylight, and their sight is dulled in the day. They are able to wield magic, though their nomadic and savage nature means that most who do are shamanistic and not "classically" trained.
Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms
Goblins tend to travel with Orc hordes, for protection and food. The Orcs tolerate the Goblins, since they are slightly smarter and craftier, and are able to sneak into places Orcs cannot, and at the very least serve as food should the Orcs not be able to find another source.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Orcs only have a given name, and should they be in a discussion with a non-orc (usually an interrogation) they give their name and the clan or horde they come from. (For example, Gorbash of Clan Howling Wolf) They may also take descriptors or titles for great deeds, like "Elfslayer" or "Headcleaver".
Major Organizations
Almost all orcs are affiliated with a clan or horde, and each is distinct in dress, heraldry, and tactics, and most rarely interact with one another except during mating season. Orcs have no real qualms with incest, but they recognize the possibility that such acts promote sickly or mutated offspring, and so meet to exchange young, fertile warriors and females to keep the bloodlines mixed.
Beauty Ideals
Orcs hold beauty in low esteem. Their ideals honor strength and bloodthirstiness, and so a "beautiful" orc would be one with great strength or the ability to kill many things, in honorable yet bloody ways. They do see those with longer tusks, brighter eyes, and (for females) wider hips as more attractive, but this is only due to those traits being desirable for mating.
Gender Ideals
The idea of changing gender is foreign to the Orcs. They likely have never heard of such a thing, and their deep-rooted gender segregation in society would make thoughts of such a thing fleeting at best. Female Orcs are usually delegated to "home" tasks, such as preparing food, gathering supplies, and patching tents and clothing, but also such tasks as blacksmithing, fletching, woodworking, and other crafting. Males are almost exclusively warriors, though some are also trained as a clan shaman, learning magic and healing. Males are also responsible for the tribe's animals, hunting, and other related "masculine" tasks. All orcs, however, regardless of gender are taught basic combat techniques from the time they are able to wield a weapon, making even the females formidable battlefield opponents.
Courtship Ideals
Orcs do not mate for life. Instead, the chief, head shaman, and general of the clan take whichever females they wish from among the mature females of the clan, and during "Mating season" the other orcs in the clan may partner and reproduce. Mating season starts in the first melting of the snow in spring, and lasts through the spring months, until summer begins, when the orcs pack up and begin their nomadic wandering again. In that time, Orcs may mate with multiple partners, and because of their quick pregnancy and growth rates, may have multiple offspring in those three or so months.
Relationship Ideals
As stated above, Orcs have no real concept of lasting relationships. They mate for the purpose of reproduction, and though some orcs may develop an attachment to certain individuals and mate with them almost exclusively every mating season, they do not "marry" nor are any lasting pairs "exclusive" since the heads of the tribe may choose to mate at any time with any fertile female in the tribe.
Average Technological Level
Medieval technology. Orcs aren't particularly inventive, and though they may be able to understand eventually how things like skyships or firearms work, they do not have any such technology themselves.
Major Language Groups and Dialects
Common, Orcish
Common Taboos
Nothing is taboo to the Orcs. Murder, cannibalism, incest, and other despicable acts to the other races are (not necessarily common) present in Orcish culture.
Historical Figures
Gorbash of Clan Howling Wolf, Barlog One-Eye, Cadmar of the Skullbash Horde,
Common Myths and Legends
See Myths and Legends.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Orcs hate everyone and everything. They roam the lands, pillaging and raiding from everyone indiscriminately. They only have civil relationships with the barbarous tribes of Cimmeria, though they still constantly raid them as well, and the Goblins that travel with them, though they are seen as no better than slaves.
Genetic Descendants
Scientific Name
Homo erectus orcrist
Lifespan
60 years
Average Height
5' 10" to 7'
Average Weight
175 to 350 lbs
Average Physique
14 STR, 10 DEX, 10 CON
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Orcs have large, wide bodies, and their skin usually comes in shades of green, from a dark forest green to a light, almost lime color, or even yellows or oranges. They have no more or less body hair than the average human, though they also do not have the same hygiene standards, so their body hair tends to be longer and more prominent.
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