Orc

Orcs are a Humanoid species. The most notable characteristics of the Orc are their dense, fit physique, green skin, pointed ears, and tusk-like teeth protruding from their lower jaws.

Basic Information

Anatomy

With skin tones ranging from light green to dark brown, and even purple in some cases, for the northern variety of orcs, and warm sandy shades of brown for the desert variety who live exclusively in the south, a heavily muscular frame, and considerable stature the orcs stand apart amongst most men. The orcs have developed a strong warrior culture that makes them highly valuable in hand-to-hand combat. They often excel as adventurers, soldiers, and guards due to their muscular frames. Orcs are most often between 180cm and 220cm, and they weigh between 90kg and 150 kg on average. Many orcs wear tattoos, either permanent clan or family tattoos, or semi-permanent war paint of which they wear into battle.
Orcs have strong builds.
Orc skin tones are usually light green, gray, purple, brown or dark brown. Orcs from desert regions tend to have sandier skintones.
Orcs typically have brown, black, or green hair which is often kept long and braided. Males and females alike often shave the sides of their head. The desert orcs tend to have white hair kept in the same manner as other orcs.
Orc eyes are usually gold, amber, orange, brown or red.
Orcs have slightly pointier and more upturned ears than the average human.

Genetics and Reproduction

Orcish reproduce sexually, though many non-orcs would consider it extreme. Additionally, orcs have incredibly short gestational periods, just 2 months. Because of how rapidly growth occurs loss of mother and child is unfortunatly common.

Growth Rate & Stages

Orc maturation is just as rapid as gestuation and Orcs are 'mature' at just 8 years old and are considered adult by ten.
Once ten, an orc is expected to be independent and to be contributing to the life of the clan, or to have made their decision to leave if that's the life they choose.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Orcs are omnivores, they consume most anything available to them, and they are skilled hunters. Most clans keep livestock of several varieties, due to their natural aptitude for keeping and taming animals. Apart from red meat and fowl, they consume herbs and vegetables which they grow in smaller quantities in their strongholds. Many clans make big sport in hunting the biggest prey in the mountains of which they dwell. The mightiest warriors bring home the biggest carcasses, and a feast is held in their honour. Their food is usually grilled or smoked, seasoned with the herbs grown in the stronghold.

Behaviour

Orcs are not known to be friendly, which is a shame, as this could not be further from the truth. Orcs today are guarded, very distrustful towards strangers, however, if one gets to know an orc, or befriends an orcish stronghold, they are among the most loyal and empathic friends. The average orc values honour and loyalty above anything else. This most often translates to loyalty among their family, but an orcish ally who is truly committed to a cause, is the most valuable ally anyone could possibly hope to find. After historically losing time and time again against any other culture or race they have taken up arms against, the orcs have a fairly bad reputation across Antreia. Other races view them as savage, simple and primitive being who only live for warfare. This reputation has no basis in reality. The modern orcs generally only want to live in peace, and as a race they are actually possessed of a far higherthan-normal wisdom, and an intellect that serves their shamans well in matters of the arcane. Although many orcs still hold warfare in high regard, their culture one that values battle and strength, people tend to misinterpret this. In all actuality, orcs are a very honourable people, who never back down from a promise, or shy away from defending the weak.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Orcish clans consist of many family groups, where one male leader acts as a sort of “parent” to the rest of the clan. There is no ruling that says that the leader has to be male, but as male orcs tend to be stronger and are generally more inclined to competitive behaviours, female leaders are extremely rare. The leader of the clan takes many wives and they father many children. The clan leader steps down whenever a stronger challenger manages to defeat them in single combat, although these tussles often end in the death of the loser. As such, the leader of the clan is the strongest the clan has to offer, typically battle hardened and clever in the arts of combat. Alongside the leader of the clan is often one or more individuals of powerful female magic users called shamans. These are chosen and trained based on aptitude and a connection to what the orcs call the “the almost there”. These shamans hold high regard in the orcish society, and the leader of the clan tend to go to them for advice on all things, spiritual matters in particular.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Most orcs live in the mountain and volcanic regions on the central continent though many have ventrured to the west and south central continents, and live as social outcasts only truly accepted in the reserves of the in their mountainous ancestral lands, or as mercenaries in larger cities across the continent . There’s over a dozen clans who currently inhabit the Mountainlands, but most are of dwindling size. These clans often fight amongst themselves for territory and for the right to hunt the game in the area. Some of the clans are nomads who travel on their gigantic tamed direwolves, while other clans, especially those of more influence and power, reside in one of the six ancestral strongholds scattered across the Mountainlands. Built on small plateued mountains, these settlements consist of stone buildings and tents made from hide and fur, as well as stables for the various animals the orcs keep, and ritual sites for the worship of the orcish gods and ancestors. Most orcs stay far away from the business of other races unless they have chosen to leave their strongholds. Some of the settlements and clans have been known to occasionally trade with human merchants, but even that is rare. This has made them highly individualistic as a people, and many orcish clans stay unaware of the wider politics of the world, unless they leave their families to seek glory and honour by fighting for coin or causes they deem worthy.
The typical orc lives in strongholds, where clan and family mean everything. This is partly due to an obsession with children and childbirth because of the race’s problems with infertility and the high deathrates of new-borns and mothers. The birth of a healthy new member of the family is considered a great blessing, and the children of the orcs are protected as the most valuable a clan “owns”. These children live sheltered lives inside the strongholds, not allowed to leave for the outside world. However, when the children grow older they are expected to prove themselves as skilled hunters and strong members of the clan. Some adolescent orcs leave their families to earn money for their clan as mercenaries or hunters, while some stay in the Mountainlands of where they predominantly dwell their entire lives to care for their own. The high death rate when it comes to childbirth has led to a slight imbalance between the two genders. Female orcs are slightly rarer than their male counterparts.

Average Intelligence

Despite often being thought of and portrayed as unintelligence, orcs are in fact quite intelligent, similarly to humans and elves, even if they are brutish.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Orcs have superior vision in dark and dim conditions and can see in dim light within 60 feet of themselves as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. They can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Orcish names consist of a given name, a family name and most often a honorific like “bearslayer” or “the kind”. These names consists of several of what the other races might deem “guttural” sounds, which are fairly hard to pronounce for most not born or raise by orcs. Most orcish names mean something, oftentimes things like: warrior, strong, or brave, or physical characteristics like “the grey” or “the tall”. To other races distinguishing between male and female names is hard, but there is a general tendency towards female names that end with the letter “a”. Note: Family name is not the same as the clan the orc is a part of. The clan can change, but the family name stays with the orc to their death. Female Orc names: Bolaka, Ugrusha, Karha, Sharbag, Olurba, Hubrag Male Orc names: Bazul, Luruk, Namor, Usharku, Yggrub, Marob, Orcish family names: Mulakhro, Khamuggu, Shuhugarz, Lazgarm, Bargoldub, Lagbugara Orcish honorifics: the Mauler, the Kind, Axe-Hand, Stewmaster, the Beautiful, Red-blood

Beauty Ideals

Some level of body modification is common in orcish society. Tattoos other, semi-permanent forms of skin dying are practically universal. Peircings, while not quite as frequent as pigmentations, are incredibly commonplace, most frequently resulting in multiple peirced ears and septum peircings. Lip peircings are less common, and other body part peircing even rarer still, but one should not be surprised to find an orc with a ring through their lip, especially an orc only recently reacing maturity.

Common Etiquette Rules

The best way to get along with an orc is to be straightforward, honest, and respectful. Orcs lack the egotism of other Humanoids, especially Elves, so there is little one can say that will offend an orc. They do look down on those they view as cowardly, but even more so on sycophants and suck-ups. They know they are usually the biggest, most intimidating thing in the room, and as long as one acknowledges that fact, they'll be just fine. One doesn't have to agree with an orc, and if up front with that, they can be willing to compromise since they aren't typically stubborn either.

Common Dress Code

Orcs tend to wear leather, hide, fur, bone and feathers, mostly taken from the beasts that they hunt. They are also exceptional weapon and armour-forgers however, and as such heavy orcish armour tend to be of great quality. Many wear a combination of lighter leather-based armour, with plates of iron, where shoulder plates are especially popular. Outside of fighting, orcs tend to wear light clothing made from natural materials from beasts. Some orcs weave and make clothing from wool or cotton, for example, but this is less common.

Common Taboos

A person who flees from battle is often mocked, ridiculed, and generally looked down on.
Never make any comparison of an Orc to a pig, hog, or boar. Making pig noises at an orc is extremely rude.
Making a circle with your thumb and forefinger and putting your nose in it is a rude and offensive gesture to most orcs, akin to flipping someone off.
Never get caught in a lie to an orc. Loss of limbs may occur.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Orcs are not haughty, arrogant, or overly stubborn (so long as you treat them with the proper respect). Those who have migrated from the Mountains are often willing to work with other Humanoids, but getting along with arrogant Elves can be a challenge. Orc offspring with other Humanoids is possible, and even common between Humans and Orcs, which are called Froilings.
The offspring of an Orc and an Elf is called an Phiinae. At one point in the distant past (before elven arrogance was as high) this was quite common. So common that an entire race existed.
Orc-Dwarf hybrids are often called Defaeo.
Offspring of an Orc and the smaller Humanoids—Halflings and Gnomes—is almost unheard of. Halfling-Orc offspring are called Lingtres. Orc-Gnome hybrids in particular are considered disgusting among Orcs and Gnomes alike. If any poor child of this kind were found, they would be referred to as the "Nameless" race.

Lifespan

50-60 years

Average Height

2.5 - 3 meters

Average Weight

400+ lbs

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Varying shades of greens, purples, or browns.
Many will uses inks and dyes to stain their skin with darker areas, artistically. Others will intentionally scar themselves for threatening appearences.

Related Organizations

• Kingdom of Qethanvale