Orc

Orcs were a race of humanoids long held as a threat the to more 'civilized' races of Toril, particularly Faerun, for as long as anyone could remember due to their raiding habits. This changed somewhat in the years preceding and immediately after the Spellplague, when a horde of mountain orcs under the command of King Obould Many-Arrows unified into a single kingdom.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Orcs varied in appearance, based on region and subrace, but all shared certain physical qualities. Orcs of all kinds usually had grayish skin, coarse hair, stooped postures, low foreheads, large muscular bodies, and porcine faces that featured lower canines that resembled boar tusks. Many also had wolf-like ears that were pointed on the ends, similar to elves. Orcs were roughly the same size as humans and other similar humanoids, though usually robust and muscular.

Growth Rate & Stages

Orcs bred fast and lived short lives compared with most other races. They were considered adults anywhere between 11 and 14 years of age, middle-aged at 17, old at 23, and venerable at 35 years of age. The average orc seldom lived longer than 40 years, even if it managed to avoid violent death. It was unheard of for an orc to live longer than 45 years without magical aid.

Ecology and Habitats

Orcs are known to prefer more temperate climates. However, they have been seen in the Far North, forests, grasslands, hills, mountains, swamps, and the Underdark.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Orcish cuisine was notoriously unpalatable for many other races. Some compared the taste of their goulashes to the taste of an old soldier's boot. Some even went as far as to claim that orcs did, in fact, use discarded shoes in their cooking.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Orcs had poor temperaments and were given to anger more easily than some races. Easily offended and impatient, orcs generally preferred violent solutions and rarely considered multiple ways of approaching a problem. However, in spite of this many orcs were excellent at getting results, since they were creatures of action, not thought. Some exceptions to this profile did exist, however, such as the famed King Obould whose deeds were accomplished through planning and insight.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Orcs were found in many parts of Toril, though some areas had a higher concentration than others. Marauding bands of mountain orcs were most commonly found in mountain ranges in the northern parts of the world, particularly around Faerûn. Gray orcs were commonly found to the east, near the portal from which they emerged in High Imaskar. The orcs in the Sword Mountains were responsible for several conflicts with Waterdeep, including the Orcfastings War, and an onslaught caused by the Black Claw. They were also at least partially responsible for the Trollwars.
However, of all the orcish homelands, Many-Arrows probably stood out the most as the only civilized orc nation built along the same lines as its human and elven neighbors.

Civilization and Culture

Major Organizations

The Kingdom of Many-Arrows is the most well known kingdom of Orcs, formed a century ago by the legendary Obould Many-Arrows. While most orcs were warlike and savage, the orcs of Many-Arrows, ruled over by King Obould XVII, were remarkably civilized, to a point that has made their neighbors curious. These orcs maintained a tenuous peace with the dwarves of Mithral Hall and the other races in Luruar, though many suspected war could break out at any moment should the delicate balance between the races be upset.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Orcs can generally speak Common and Orc.
Orcs have a written language adapted from that of the dwarves, but they aren’t a literate culture and rarely keep records or write down their thoughts. When orcs need to communicate in writing, they use crude symbols to convey basic information, such as “food stored here,” “danger close,” or “go this way.” An orc raiding party might leave such a sign in its wake, as an aid to other warriors that travel through the same area later on. Mountain guides, druids, and rangers might be familiar with many of these symbols, enabling them to keep their charges from inadvertently stumbling into a tribe’s territory.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

The traditional orcish culture was extremely warlike and when not at war the race was usually planning for it. Most orcs approached life with the belief that to survive, one had to subjugate potential enemies and control as many resources as possible, which put them naturally at odds with other races as well as each other. This belief was spurred in part by Gruumsh and his pantheon, which taught that all races were inferior to the orcs. Eyes of Gruumsh were orcs especially tied to the one-eyed god and offered sacrifices, read omens, and advised tribes through Gruumsh's will.
Most orcs were part of a confederation of tribes, loosely held together by a despotic chieftain. Bands within these alliances might have wandered far from their homelands, but continued to greet those orcs who belonging to the same tribal network as kin. Orc bloodragers were champions of their tribe, who used primal strength and ferocity to overcome their enemies. Most were bodyguards or lower-ranking chiefs within the tribal structure.
Most orcs didn't build cities of their own, instead relying on those left behind by others and improving their fortifications or operating out of small camps and dens, often in natural caves. Orcs managed ironwork on their own, as well as stonework, though their tools were often inferior to those of more disciplined races.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

Three colors have special meaning to all orcs, and they adorn their bodies, possessions, and lairs with pigments that produce those hues. Red ochre is used to represent blood, grayish-white ash to represent death, and charcoal to represent darkness. The unwritten laws that govern the status of individual orcs within a tribe are manifested to a degree in how each orc uses these colors on itself and its personal items. For instance, the chief of one tribe might be the only one that has the right to stain its tusks with red ochre, while the warriors of another tribe rub streaks of ash into their garments to signify their safe return from a raid.

History

The origin of Orcs is unknown, but many scholars think that they are not native to Toril. The first legends of orcs told of the wars between their primary god Gruumsh and Corellon Larethian, the creator of the elves and eladrin. The latter two races told of how Corellon defeated Gruumsh and took his eye; though many orcs denied this charge, saying that he always had the one eye and that Corellon cheated with magic because he couldn't win in fair combat.
However, in spite of this early conflict, orcs did not appear en masse until long after this. During the Days of Thunder when Abeir-Toril was yet united the first orcs were brought over to the world by the creator races, who built a portal in the Spine of the World mountain range that opened up to the domain of Grummsh. Through this portal the ancestors of the mountain orcs poured through and gradually migrated southwards.
Later, the Imaskari repeated the mistake of the creator races, opening up another portal through which the gray orcs, a variant subrace, appeared. Eventually, the portal was closed, though the new breed of orcs remained behind.
For millennia orcs have plagued civilizations as raiders and pillaging hordes but more recently[as of when?] a confederacy of orc tribes united under the banner of King Obould Many-Arrows, a chosen of Gruumsh, forged a more civilized nation known as the Kingdom of Many-Arrows, located along the northern borders of Luruar. In spite of tensions between the orcs of Many-Arrows and other nations, the kingdom has not waged war against its neighbors for decades and by all appearances seems interested in peace.

Genetic Descendants

• Half-Orc

Lifespan

50 years

Average Height

Usually over 6 feet

Average Weight

230 - 280 lbs