Ember Orc

Player Race

Ember Orcs are denizens of Larysh, now known as the Ember Wastelands. They resemble regular orcs in many ways, but they have also been strongly influenced by their relations to the Plane of Fire. Their skin is red, and many Ember Orcs also have red or yellow eyes.
Their culture has risen beyond primitive tribes since a long time, and they live in cities built by master craftsmen and elemental magic. Their architecture incorporates lots of metal, but also gemstones, stained glass and fire magic made permanent. Towers and spiraling platforms that serve as home to dozens or even hundreds of smaller buildings are a common sight in the larger cities.
Ember Orc cities are impressive and aesthetic in their own way, and you certainly won't find any skulls, dismembered heads or other primitive elements in the vicinity of a typical Ember Orc settlement.
Living alongside denizens of the elemental planes for so long, magic and fire has become an important part of their society. Many Ember Orcs try to become spellcasters, and they are fascinated by foreign and exotic places. Planar exploration was a surprisingly common pastime in Ember Orc culture.
There are also many extraordinary craftspersons in this society. In an Ember city, it's easy to find blacksmiths using arcane forges, gem cutters specializing in magical jewelry and artisans that become masters of their craft.
When Ashandri was created, war erupted at the frontier between the Ember Wastelands and Delvaroth. And during the invasions of Va'Laeth, the orcs and other residents fought not only against the Laethian invaders, but those from Delvaroth, too. With that history in mind, most Ember Orcs consider humans, halflings and other races from the neighboring region as enemies. A few of them want to leave the old conflicts behind, but they are clearly a minority. They're mostly found at Sharloc's Trade or, less often, in the city of Hollow Market. A few of them also deliberately chose to travel other lands to find out more about foreign cultures and people.

Kogar, Ember Orc and Chieftain of Sharloc's Trade by henryez

Culture

If you have a goal in life, shape yourself into a person who will achieve that goal. This philosophy is the center of life in the Ember Wastelands. Similar to traditional orc culture, strength is still an important factor. But inner strength, the ability to live through challenges and forge yourself into a better person, has replaced the old desire for battle strength.
What better means, exactly, is still a matter of interpretation. Opposite to the Dreevith, Ember Orcs don't seek enlightenment (or at least, most of them don't). Their personal improvement is usually focused on becoming more resilient (physically and mentally), gaining new skills and getting a better rational understanding of the world.
Academies and other training places are very common in their cities, but the Ember Orcs also consider daily activities as tasks to better themselves. Every book you read, every chore you make and every battle you fight turns you into a more capable person. And that's more important than any treasure.
This desire for improvement doesn't stop with the individual. Their entire society is based on constantly changing and evolving. It takes more time, obviously, but whenever they realize something hinders the personal development of people, they try to change it. The one thing Ember Orcs are highly intolerant towards are people putting others down for their own profit or comfort. The concept of slavery is an atrocity to them, and they'll fight it whenever they get the chance.
The downside of this philosophy is that those who truly can't care for themselves often fall through the cracks. Ember Orc culture lifts up those who can achieve things, but tends to turn a blind eye towards those who can't. This created a lot of tension after the apocalypse, when many people where overwhelmed with all they experienced, and failed to function as expected.

Ember Orc equipment

There are many master craftsmen among the Ember Orcs. It is quite common for them to work with fire or heat, sometimes even working together with entities from the elemental plane. Some of them craft powerful magic items, as well, and teach the techniques to their students. This has led to certain types of items becoming relatively common in the Ember Wastelands, such as the double-bladed Ember Sword. Many young warriors and adventurers in this region have one of these in their possession.

Ember Sword by aydarnabiullin

Names

Ember Orcs still retain their traditional names. But they like to add their greatest personal achievements as titles. An engineer might call himself Gruvog, Creator of Golems, while a sage could be named Craedor, Reader of a Thousand Books. If they succeed in achieving something that they consider even more important, they might change the title. Most Ember Orcs stick to a title for decades, though - showing their own demands for what they consider a "great achievement".

Traits

Ability Score Increase: Intelligence+2, Constitution+1
Age: Ember Orcs mature around age 16. They age slightly faster than humans, rarely living longer than 80 years.
Alignment: Living together with elemental creatures, giants, humans and other races has turned the Ember Orcs into a very tolerant race. Most of them have a neutral alignment, but good and evil individuals are not only heard of: They are accepted in their culture, as long as they don't limit other people's journey of self-development.
Size: You are of medium size.
Languages: Ember Orcs speak, read and write Orcish and Common. Most Ember Orcs also know bits and pieces of the ancient language called Ziradhi, a local alternative to Common before relations with other nations became more and more important.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision: You can see in dim light within 30 feet as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light.
Master Craftsmen: You can roll any check to craft an item or use a toolset with advantage. Once used, you need a short rest before you can use this ability again.
Combat knowledge: All Ember Orcs receive at least a minimum of combat training. You gain Proficiency with two martial weapons of your choice.
Fire Resistance: You are resistant to fire damage.