Orc
Ørhuuka
Orcs are a species of large humanoid beings from the continent of Arokha. Occasionally misrepresented as dull-witted and brutish marauders, thanks to their imposing appearance and traditions, the orcs are remarkably intelligent. Strategically-minded and highly creative, orcs excel at a variety of occupations from military leadership to tradesmanship to artisanship.
Biology
Orcs are powerfully built and rather humanoid, though their body plan is entirely convergent to the hominid form. Their evolutionary ancestors thrived in an arboreal lifestyle, but were eventually forced to adapt to cursoriality when their forest habitat faded into grasslands during the second ice age. Orcs have flattish snouts with remarkably prominent lower canines, forming their iconic tusks. They also have small, triangular ears and the faintest trace of whiskers near the nose and eyes. Orcish hands and feet are heavily padded and only have four digits each. Orcs retain the herbivorous diet of their evolutionary ancestors, surprising many folk who wrongly envision them as bloodthirsty savages. They occasionally supplement this vegetarian diet with invertebrates, but their digestive systems are poorly suited to deal with meat.Civilization & Culture
Language
The orcs have, by far, the most widely varied set of languages on Sphaera, from qorakuiy in the northeast to ørnikh in the far southeast to makwau in the west. Each subfamily has many regional variants, usually divided by tribe, with a total of over three hundred unique dialects.Ritual Combat
Orcs are particularly renowned as the inventors of a wide variety of martial arts, with each tribal group practicing a distinct form of combat suited perfectly to their regional differences. Kozul-ka, for example, is a combat form indigenous to the central steppes that is based on sweeping kicks and manipulation of the opponent’s inertia.Orcish Magic
The orc tribes are also known for their unique brand of magus practice that invokes the realignment of reality in a particular way to produce a desired outcome. Scholars do not yet fully understand the quantum-physical mechanisms that facilitate this, but the leading theory is based upon the psionic alteration of superstring vibration. by Gen Ritter
Scientific Name
Megahyrax sapiens
Origin/Ancestry
Average Height
2 meters
Average Weight
81 kilograrms
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