Orc

Traversing the sea with axe and spear come the Orcs. Often seen as a barbaric tribe of pillagers, they are a proud race of seafarers that attack quick from the waters before many even knew they were there.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Strongly built with smooth black skin save for the white the streaks up their belly and chest to their chin, dots of white on their temples, and webbing between their toes. Many standing between six and six and a half feet tall with large builds for swimming and charging. Their lungs are designed to hold their breath while submerged for extended periods and they can endure the pressures of deep sea fishing.

Biological Traits

Women tend to have longer lifespans than Men. With thick skin and fat layer for swimming in freezing waters, they tend to have more stout figures. Women tend to be smaller in size (closer to 6 foot) than men (closer to 7 foot). Males tend to live to 45 and Females tend to live to 80.
Mothers of newborns will produce milk, though there is no noticeable swelling of breasts during that time.

Genetics and Reproduction

Orcs reproduce like many other humanoids, a male and female are needed for a child to be conceived. Pregnancy usually lasting between 11 and 13 months. Mothers always have a water birth.

Growth Rate & Stages

Orcs grow at the same rate as Humans, reaching maturity at the age of 20.

Ecology and Habitats

Many of the Orcs are sea faring folk. They create village near the shore lines so they are able to fish easily and maintain their ships. Often found in the Northern islands where the waters are colder, but not quite frozen. Their housing is built on stands in order to deal with the occurrences of hurricanes and swells.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Their main food source is fish. Spear fishing and dredging with nets are the most common methods of applying this.

Behaviour

Strength is shown through great feats of combat and strength. Though they are a matriarchal society, males are revered through great feats of the strength. Scars are proof of this strength as long at they are present on the front. Scars on often the back are seen as disgraceful as it likely meant that the one baring them was running away. Scars on the back from cowardice are often branded in a public display as a means of detouring future cowardice acts.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Matriarchal in nature. Orc Women are often in the position of power and have final say in decisions due to their lifespan usually being twice that of the men. Status is based on overcoming powerful prey, such as massive sharks or sea serpents. The head of the clan is usually one of the eldest Orc women with the most impressive scars. More is expected of Orc women as they are expected to live longer than Orc men.
Coming of age is the same regardless of sex. The young Orc is taken out to sea to fight a beast. They are considered an adult of the tribe when they return with a trophy of their victory.
There is no concept of marriage in the Orc culture. Orc men will begin a pilgrimage to the various clans. They leave at the beginning of Spring and can be gone until later Summer at times. During that time they are expected to help each clan with their hunts and farming as well seek out women to sire children with. Due to this fact, warring among the clans is unheard of. If one clan were to begin a war with another, it would like end with the warring clan dying out due to no men arriving and fewer men and fewer children being born. The men return to their clan of birth at the end of their pilgrimage. Though they never sire children within their own tribe.

Facial characteristics

A rounded face and sharpened teeth.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

They are found all over the world. Most commonly around large bodies of water and waterways. The largest settlement of the Orc's are on the island in the far North Western corner of Talamh.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

While they are in water, a second lens slips over the eye to make them able to see clearly underwater. Their ears are quite strong and able to hear both underwater and in the open air. This can lead to their hearing being sensitive to loud noises.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

There are no family names and Orcs are not known by their clan. They are known by their mother's name. The name of a newly born Orc is often chosen by their mother. Last names are the name of the mother and ended with either -cen for Orc men or -dit for Orc women.

Major Organizations

The Orcs are split into several different clans that are spread over their island. The clans themselves are in alliance with one another as any one clan causing trouble for the others could be ostracized and left to die out.

Beauty Ideals

As status is achieved through great feats of battle and strength, those that have a great many scars from previous battles are seen as more desirable than others as they would likely have strong children born from the two.

Gender Ideals

Orc men are expected to hunt, farm, and raid at their clan as well as any clan they visit on their pilgrimage. Due to their short lifetimes the men are given less of the responsibility within the clan. Orc men protect their home and fellow Orcs with the same ferocity as they would their own kin.
Orc women are the caretakers of the home as well as the wisdom of the clan. Seeing over the raising of the children as well as the day to day oversight of the clan, the storytellers and spiritual healers reside with the women.

Courtship Ideals

An Orc man will tell tales of their greatest feats of strength, displaying their scars for everyone to see. An Orc woman who is interested will offer a place to sleep for the night. The two Orcs will usually spend the night in coitus.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

The Orcish language is mostly comprised of sharp tones where inflection is most of the language.

Common Dress Code

Generally, they where minimal clothing in order to show their scars. However, there are instances that they wear clothing. Clothing is kept light and form fitted, usually leather that is fitted to the skin that hangs trinkets and trophies.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Their Culture is based on sea faring vikings and their social status is based on great feats.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

The coming of age custom is that the young Orcs will be taken out into the ocean to battle their first true danger. Usually one of the many sharks that circle around the island that the Orcs come from.
At the beginning of spring, the men of the tribes will begin their trek to the different tribes to mate. This journey usually takes them into the summer, where they return and prepare for the raiding days.

Common Taboos

Scars on the back of an Orc is seen as evidence of their shame, as it means that the Orc was running away from the danger in front of them.

History

On a ship heading out across the sea, a group of explorers were stranded on a collection of islands. A few weeks after they arrived, they began to starve. Crying out for aid, they were met by the Lagundu of the sea, who taught them how to fish and gave them blessings of the large beasts that hunted in the waves. Changing them to embrace the strength of the oceans.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

As the Orcs are often associated with the raids that happen on the sea and the coast of the mainland, there are many of the other races that see them as barbaric.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Human

Lifespan

men: 45 years; women: 80 years

Average Height

6'4" to 7'6"

Average Weight

250lbs to 350lbs

Average Physique

Massive build built for Solid Blitz. charging, doing as much damage, reposition and charge again. A thick layer of fat is present to keep them warm in the sometimes near-arctic waters of their home.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Blackened skinned with a white belly and markings on their temples.