Uruk

Uruk are an orc dominated culture that take their name from the uruk hills they roam. Uruk bands can be found from the desert of storms, across the savannahs and up into the irralashian alps foothills. A mostly nomadic people, a few permanent uruk settlements exist, most notably in the nation of Erb that stands as a testament to counteract the violent reputation orcs hold.

Uruk travel across their lands in bands (often mistakenly identified as warbands) ranging in size from dozens to thousands. These bands drive herds of tamed, but not domesticated, dinosaurs. Most notably, uruk often travel with several sauropods. The uruk have developed sustainable harvesting techniques that allow them to cut steaks from the flanks of these massive dinosaurs without harming the creature. Wounds are swiftly healed leaving only scars. Heavily scarred skin is admired in uruk culture so a herd of healthy but scarred sauropods is seen as a great achievement. Uruk herders will defend their herds with their lives, to lose a totem of their band is worse than death.

Uruk consider powerful builds and heavily scarred skin attractive, regardless of gender. A powerful orc makes the band stronger, and scars are signs of victories won or hardships survived. Similarly, many bands consider large, jutting tusks to be more attractive than smaller tusks, since the former make more effective weapons. Many also find tattoos to be attractive, particularly large or painful ones that cover a significant amount of skin.

Power and position in uruk herds is based on both strength and the skills an individual brings to the table and family ties are also weighed. A proud lineage, clearly demonstrated strength in combat and ability to manage herds are all important traits for an uruk leader or one who wishes to rise through the ranks.

Young are typically raised by the entire community. Indeed, it would be almost impossible to raise their young any other way, since twins, triplets, and even quadruplets are quite common in orc families, as are deaths in their child-rearing years. Many bands conduct ceremonies when their young come of age, typically around their tenth or eleventh birthday, during which the new adults are told what their role in the hold will be. For communities that practice ritual scarification or tattooing, this is often when they receive their first band-scar or tattoo as well.

While there are orc deities, their worship is surprisingly uncommon among the uruk. Uruk believe that if a creature has a face and a name, it can be killed, and so their own deities are targets, rather than objects of reverence. Some bands teach that the greatest members can earn a chance to challenge the orc deities for a place amid the pantheon. Most uruk don't waste their dying moments praising the divine or praying for a place in the afterlife, but spitting a blood-flecked warning at their deities, promising a new challenger through broken teeth.