Orc Lore

One of the 10 dominant races in the Fesden area.

The Orcs have always been somewhat of outcasts among the 10, but they have fallen even more out of favor with the rest as they refused to worship The Defender; instead choosing to maintain the old ways. This doesn't apply to all Orcs, of course, but the majority of them chose that way. The Orcs tend to travel in small tribes that wander the woods, only gathering in large groups at the holy spots on the holy days of the old ways. They are a simple civilization, and both Orcs that worship the old ways, and Orcs that have joined the rest of civilization and worship the Defender, look on each other with derision at the other group's foolishness.

The history of the Orcs is a long and complicated one, filled with wars, infighting, intrigue, devotion, and sacrifice all throughout the continent of Gelrick. The Orcs were created initially to be a hearty race that would survive the large swaths of land that are covered in desert, and they had to watch as intruders found the surrounding areas to be of great worth, and took over the fertile locations, leaving only the deserts to the Orcish tribes to wander throughout and squabble over for control. The first significant event that occured to the Orcs was when the humans first came to Gelrick, which sparked a larger scuffle between the two groups. The fighting ended when a peace pact was made between the two, but in reality, neither side fully forgave the other for their actions, and since then the Orcs have harbored somewhat of a grudge for their human neighbors. This grudge did not prevent them from helping the humans drive off the elves from Gelrick, especially because the Elves believed that the entire world belonged to them, and the Orcs weren't about to have their lands taken from them again. This conflict cemented Orcs as a force to be reckoned with throughout the entirety of Ameow after that, as even disarmed, the Orcs would either use their tusks to gore their enemies, or would use their inherent strength to best their foes, but due to their religious beliefs, the world at large would never accept them, as the rest of the races followed the newly developing religion of The Defender, whilst the Orcs continued to worship the old ways, and that included all of the rituals and nomadic lifestyle that entailed.

To an Orc, the world was large, as they saw so much of it throughout their lives, as there was a holy spot for differing times of the year, but there were also many holy spots for reaching different ages, including birth, marriage, and death, and as a result, the Orcs have often been hired over the many years for delivery of messages across the continent; a task which the Orcs have begrudgingly fulfilled because the pay was good, and the money was useful while dealing with outsiders. This religious extremism, as well as the mockery from other races has over time persuaded many Orcs to abandon the old ways, as well as their tribe to join with the kingdoms and empires of the Humans and Dwarves, and this is what has produced many Half-Orcs. During the high times of the Sylvric Empire, the Orcs had the opposite of the Human's golden age, as the many Orcish tribes fought for the high throne that sat in the cradle of the Horn-tooth mountains, the seat of which held authority to govern and control the many Orcish tribes. Combat played out for years before a High King was established: King Brigthar Seldermane, whose reign only lasted five years, as the Humans had just killed three of the Great Dragons, and the rest of the Dragons lashed out against all races, and devoured the High King while he sat upon the High Throne. This led the Orcish Kingdom that was forming to shatter again into many distinct Orcish tribes, but this lack of orgainization actually afforded the Orcs more freedom that the other races during this time, and Orcs gained a new reputation as being a free race that wandered from place to place trading and telling stories, all whilst remaining out of the sight of the Dragon overlords.

Genetic Descendants