Orc
Brutish humanoids who take real pleasure in harming others and taking what once was theirs, Orcs have a divine mandate to Spread the flames, Spread the Word, Spread the Seed. They are the very essence of barbarians, wearing trophies from past conquests, and tattooing their faces with fearsome symbols of primal power.
Naming Traditions
Unisex names
Ripper, Gouger, Stomper, Pillager, etc. Some parents can get very particular about their little one's first name1.
Family names
Names such as Gug, Gog, Gag, Geg, etc. all spring from a single ancestor named, oddly enough, Gregg. Other names there are, of course, but these are the most common surnames by far. The surnames denote clan memberships.
Other names
Virtually any combination of consonants and vowels.
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
Orcish, and heavily accented Common.
Culture and cultural heritage
The Orcs are very clan-based, and have an unwritten but very strict duty order. One's mom is understood to be at the top of the list.
Shared customary codes and values
Conquest is the Orcs' Gruumsch-given right. If we are not growing, we are dying.
Killing those weaker than oneself is cowardly and is only tolerated if one needs to eat.
Pour one out for Gruumsch, if you know what's good for you!
Honor your family, and clan, unto death. Hopefully you can do it in that order.
Come back with your shield, or not if it is broken. Don't be an idiot! Live to fight another day.
Average technological level
Steam and rudimentary engines.
Common Etiquette rules
Clean your hands after you void your waste.
Salute your enemy before you fight.
Always give the enemy a chance to surrender into slavery, before killing them.
Common Dress code
Too much armor is a sign of weakness and fear. Orcs like to dress with lots of skin showing. Chicks dig scars, right?
Art & Architecture
Their artists have mastered the art of bloodpaint.
Foods & Cuisine
Wide and variegate, stolen from assimilated cultures of their past conquests.
Common Customs, traditions and rituals
Birthdays are celebrated with giving small gifts and carving the beast2 together with family. Their midwinter festival is full of firelight and endearing music. They will often cease fighting on midwinter's day.
The sharing of food creates a sacred space around the diners. Even if they hate each other, they will talk as calmly as they can while they are eating together, bound by tradition to try to work things out.
Birth & Baptismal Rites
Their very first scar is given to them by their mother, usually on the forehead.
Coming of Age Rites
The hunting, slaying, butchering, and sharing of the meat of a wild beast with naught but a dagger and spear.
Funerary and Memorial customs
They bury their dead, again in an effort to honor their future generations, they wish to become part of the soil of their homeland, to nourish those to come for ages.
Common Taboos
Letting food spoil.
Harming children or cripples.
Historical figures
Gog and Magog
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
Chicks dig scars! If you haven't had your nose broken at least once, you are not a man!
Gender Ideals
Both sexes are expected to fornicate indiscriminately in order to swell the ranks of the tribes.
Courtship Ideals
Usually, a drunken one night stand.
Relationship Ideals
Surprisingly, completely egalitarian.
1 Parents will ponder their children's names with great gravity, even knowing that the child will pick their own name when they come of age. Children are absolutely precious to the clans, and are considered part of a clan's wealth.
2 "Carving the beast" is a colloquialism associated only with Orcs, as they are carnivorous. It would be akin to "breaking bread together" in Craysilt. Or Greynor.
2 "Carving the beast" is a colloquialism associated only with Orcs, as they are carnivorous. It would be akin to "breaking bread together" in Craysilt. Or Greynor.
On 27 Fedus, 54NG, twenty-seven attack vehicles were jettisoned from the second, smaller moon, called Terra. The attackers used the planet's gravity to accelerate until they were moving at a breakneck speed that would do as much damage as possible. Their vehicles were engineered for only one trip...it was all or nothing. But the attack was not to go their way, as at least eighteen of their landers were immediately wiped out upon entering Tellus' atmosphere, when the six Travelers appeared in order to help protect the city, which was already besieged by Kobolds being led by Vekheteshaynaralax-Shayna's people. It was known to these dragon travelers that minions of Shayna had infiltrated the Orc society inside of Terra, and orchestrated these attacks to coincide with the kobolds' and giants' seige. Seven of the attack transports made it through the line of six dragons, two of them impacting the protective dome of magical force that had risen around Craysilt to protect it. This did enough damage to finally bring the dome down. Five carrier canisters were ejected from the five plummeting attack vehicles to parachute down amidst the destruction and confusion caused by their ships, which were designed to both damage the enemy and provide cover for the troops. When impacting the ground and exploding, they caused a massive spout of debris as shaped charges blew craters into the ground. The debris, of course, could help shield their landing and would provide ready made cover the in case of trench warfare. In the case of this particular assault, four of the troop carriers wound up landing in the water of the bay, easing the destruction of Craysilt by just a little bit. Orcs are colonizers and raiders, and have decided that they have outgrown the interior of the small moon, Terra. The priests of their new religion, that of Shayna, convinced a large force of orcs to plan and man this attack. None of them have been killed, so far. Their hold on this cult of orcs is very strong.
Until now, the orcs have been aware of life on Tellus for hundreds of years but unable to reach the planet to attack anyone, or to play with them when they started their fun little wars. Recently, thanks to new technology and artificers brought to the Orcs by the priests of Shayna, they ideated and implemented these attack transports. They have successfully kept their own existence secret, in hopes of catching the Tellusians flat footed, but thanks to the work of several groups of people thgeyu were only able to make certain inroads.
SRD
Orc
Medium humanoid, chaotic evil
Armor Class 13
Hit Points 15 2d8+6
Speed
30ft
STR
16 +3
DEX
12 +1
CON
16 +3
INT
7 -2
WIS
11
0
CHA
10
0
Skills Intimidation +2 1d20+2
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages Common, Orc
Challenge 1/2
Aggressive. As a bonus action, the orc can move up to its speed toward a hostile creature that it can see.
Actions
Greataxe. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 slashing damage. Javelin. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 30/120 ft., one target. Hit: 6 piercing damage
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