Orc

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Strong, Ruthless, Single-minded. These are terms that best describe orcs, the most numerous inhabitants of the Northern Wastes. At best, they’re nothing more than simple-minded thugs who abuse their common strength advantage to get what they want. At worst, they’re cunning lords of war who revel in the sights and sounds of brutally crushing their enemies for even thinking of opposing them. Luckily, the Orc populace at large spends all of its time fighting amongst itself, for if one where to ever gain enough power to unite these beasts, all of Dremlin might drown under a sea of green and red.

Description


Physical

Orcs are a large race by general humanoid standards. They can stand anywhere from 5'7" 6'5" in the case of males where females can be anywhere from 5'5"-6'3".

Orcs are heavier than most races. This superior weight is due largely to their muscle mass. On average, males weigh anywhere from 200-285lbs, and females will weigh anywhere from 185-270lbs. The average skin colour associated with Orcs is deep green, although their skin colour can range anywhere from fair green to a mottled brown, depending on maturity. Unlike most of the humanoid races (ie. human, elf, gnome, and halfling), Orcs’ lower jaws usually sport large canine incisors. It is believed that the Orcs evolved these large fangs to accommodate the fact that most meat in the Waste Lands is very tough and hard to tear apart.

Clothing and Jewelry

The only recorded instance of Orcs sporting any kind of jewelry is when they adorn themselves in the bones of dead animals or other humanoids they may have slain.

Orcs generally wear little to no clothing. Any clothing they do wear is usually poorly made cloth made from animal hide. Orc leaders are known to wear the skull of some great animal as a sign of their strength.

Grooming

The hairstyles in Orc society are a wild and ranged variety, varying from simple long hair to fauxhawks to simple out and out baldness. Washing habits in Orc society are pretty much non-existent, as Orcs simply don't see a need to wash themselves. This may also stem from a lack of large water sources found in the Waste Lands.

Psychology


Orc Values

Above all else, Orcs value strength. Orcs strive to be strong in every way; strength of mind, body, and spirit are all highly valued to these machines of war. Proving oneself in battle is the greatest way for an Orc to prove his worth to his tribemates; the greater the challenge or the harder the adversity, the more boasting can be done once the challenge is overcome. To show weakness in Orc society is to invite hardship, and in most cases, death. Orcs will not hesitate to take advantage of another’s weakness to advance their own motives.

The only other thing as important to an Orc as strength is showing the other weaker races that the war machine that is the Orcs is something to be feared and revered. Orcs thrive on showing the other races that Orcs can survive and thrive in any and all situations. Because of this attitude, Orcs will never turn down a challenge, even if it seems like suicide. To an Orc, death is always better then being labeled a failure, or even worse, a coward.

Life


Arts & Crafts

Crafts

Although they are known to covet well crafted weapons and armour, Orc crafts tend to be few and far between, as Orcs generally view anything not usable in battle as worthless and not worth their time.

Music

Orc music is loud and heavy. Large war drums, loud battlecries, and stomping are all instruments in an Orcastra. Orc music is all about the death of the enemy, glory to the tribe, and offerings to Kagent. These songs can be heard late at night or during a battle march, and are used to get everyone riled up and ready for some killing.

Stories

Because of an almost total lack of literacy in Orc society, all stories are passed on through word of mouth. Because of this, most stories and legends have several different versions, depending on tribe, class, and even on an Orc to Orc bases.

Technology & Magic

Technology

The little technology there is in Orc society is almost exclusively geared towards battle. They strive to improve on their weapons to allow them to cause more damage, although they often have little to no success in these ventures, as Orcs in general are terrible smiths.

Magic

Generally, any magic practiced in Orc society is faith-based under the worship of Kagent. There are very few Orcs that learn secular magic, because very few ever learn how to read. The schools usually learned by Priests of Kagent are Augmentation, Chaos, and Necromancy. Battle priests will usually learn Life to give them an edge against other Orc tribes or other warriors.

Love, Marriage & Reproduction

Love is an odd concept in Orc society. Most of the time, the dominant males will simply take the females when the mood strikes them (unless of course the female kills the male). The only real time when females really put themselves out for males is when the male is an exceptional warrior, or when the tribe leader decides that the tribe berserker needs an heir to the position.

Marriage is simply non-existent in Orc society. Females fornicate with several different males in their lifetime (assuming they survive their first encounter).

Reproduction

Orcs hit physical maturity at about 13-14 years of age, and females can start bearing children roughly 3-4 months after reaching maturity. Orcs are a VERY fertile race, and those that have spent time researching them realize that only the oldest of Orcs (generally 45-50) ever become infertile.

Pregnancy and Birth

The average gestation period for Orc children is 3-5 months. During this time, the mother gains weight like any of the other humanoid race, but with some distinct differences. During the gestation period, the uterine wall hardens considerably to protect the fetus from outside trauma. During the time of pregnancy, the only change (other than the larger, tougher stomach) the female experiences is an exponential increase for her craving of high protein foods such as meat.

Orc childbirth is at best messy, and at worst lethal for the mother. Orc children are born with their incisors and considerable strength for a child of their size. As they exit the womb, they come out screaming, crying, pounding, and biting.

Warfare

Philosophy of War

This is the only subject on which all Orcs from all tribes will agree. War according to Orc society is wonderful. It gives them a chance to band together and truly flex their collective muscles. During times of war, priests freely give out augmentations and gladly dole out healing, while other Orcs do what they can to keep the Berserkers well-fed and happy, and rile them up when needed. The Orc machine is the most well oiled and the most destructive during times of war.

Tactics

The axe is easily the most favored weapon among Orcs. There is no known reason for this, but the Orcs love it. The most-used tactic of the Orc warband is simply attack and overwhelm with numbers, but little known to most is that while the general army is simply fighting away, the Orc assassins will sneak around and try to eliminate any leaders or very powerful warriors.

Faith magic in war generally serves four main purposes: using Augmentation to greater strengthen the toughest fighters and berserkers, using Healing magic to repair fallen warriors, using Chaos magic to cause general disarray in the enemy ranks, and using Necromancy to animate the fallen members of the enemy army.

Orcs tend not to have fortresses, since most of them have little to no skill in carpentry and stone masonry, though they will steal the fortresses of defeated enemies and raid the supplies.

The chain of command for an Orc army is much like any other army. There are generals (usually tribe leaders), Berserkers (used to break/destroy front lines), Knifers (assassins), and finally, the warband leader. Orcs will follow any command given by a warband leader, usually without question and with great gusto.

Aging & Death

Aging Process

The older Orcs get, the deeper the colour of their skin becomes until roughly around the age of 35, when the skin begins to molt and turn a splotched, brownish color.

Death

The most common cause of death for Orcs is death on the battlefield. They see death by old age as being the coward’s way out. An Orc dying in such a way is remembered as a disgrace to the clan, and is generally never spoken of again. Death in battle and in service to Kagent is seen as the most honourable way to die. Any Orc dieing in such a way is seen as a creature that was worth knowing and fighting beside.

Funerary Practices

There are only two types of funeral service in Orc society. The first is for cowards. The body of a coward is simply dumped somewhere random outside of tribe territory to be devoured by some random animal. Sometimes, the body is defiled or torn apart to further humiliate the family and friends of the weakling.

The other practice is saved for those who die in the heat of battle, or for Priests of Kagent. A bonfire is erected near the body. Then friends and family of the deceased use white ash to cover them in honourary markings. The body is then thrown into the fire as all present sing and stomp out a small battle hymn to honuor the deceased. After the body is burned, the ashes are removed from the fire, and some of it is used to mark the Clan Berserker with a sigil signifying that the deceased was a warrior worthy of remembrance. Generally the time of mourning ends with the ceremony.

Society and Culture


Community Structure

In the Waste Lands, things such as taxes, government, laws, and economy simply don't exist. Orcs will do what they want when they want to, and if anyone has a problem with that, then it usually leads to a fight to the death. That said, Orcs will trade in mercenaries and slaves. The rarer the mercenary or slave, the better.

Leaders

There are four main leaders in an Orc tribe. The Tribe Leader is the head of operations and is in charge of things like hunting parties, tribe positions, and when to go to war. The Tribe Shaman (generally a Priest of Kagent) is the second in command, and works beside the Leader as an advisor. The Shaman will also oversee things like births, and may bless the child. The Tribe Birther is the toughest female in the tribe. She has the role of producing as many young as her body will allow. Usually the fathers of the Tribe Birther’s children are either the Tribe Leader, the Shaman, or the Berserker. The Tribe Berserker is the most powerful warrior in the tribe. Other Orcs often see Tribe Berserkers as heroes and as someone to mimic. Usually the Tribe Leader, Shaman, and Berserker are very close personally, often being friends or even brothers.

Family Structure

In an Orc family, it’s everyone for themselves, with the only exception being the Birther and children which have not yet reached maturity. Each family member has one role: help provide for the Tribe at large. If the tribe is successful, then everyone is successful. Generally the raising of children is done largely by the Tribe shaman (for males) or the Tribe Birther (for females). In special cases, some children who show promise of being great warriors are raised by the Tribe Leader, or even the Berserker. The role of every Orc in a tribe is to protect the young (those that have not yet reached maturity). To let a young one die on your watch is a great disgrace for an Orc. The punishments for allowing a young one to die can range from losing a hand to being left with the Tribe berserker (which more often then not will result in the offender being eaten).

Festivals & Holidays

There is only one type of "holiday" in Orc society. This takes place the day after a successful war march or raid. The Orcs will spend the day singing battle hymns, drinking, eating, copulating, and playing certain games. Games commonly played on these occasions are "Punch Punch" and "King of the Hill".

"Punch Punch" is a game where two Orcs sit facing each other and then take turns punching each other in the face. After each hit, the Orc that was struck must chug an ale. The first Orc to fall unconscious or die loses.

In "King of the Hill", several Orcs will pick a point of heightened elevation (like the top of a hill or a flight of stairs if they’re in a fortress), then race to the top. The object is to get to the top and stay on top as other Orcs are trying to pull or throw you off. The Orc that stands at the top of the hill when every other Orc has given up is declared "king" and will be allowed to eat and drink in peace.

Race Relations


Barbarian

The Orcs view the Drakkar as rivals in war but have a hard time taking them seriously. Orcs generally treat Drakkar with humor and scorn because anything afraid of a little fog can't be a great warrior.

Darkling

The encounters between Darklings and Orcs are very rare. Orcs know nothing about Darklings by and large, and mostly just treat them as exotic slaves once captured.

Drow

Orcs HATE Drow. There are two main reasons behind this. First, Orcs HATE any kind of Elfkin and will go out of their way to kill them. Second, Orcs HATE worshippers of Sirethe, as they feel She is a bastard child of Kagent that doesn't deserve to stand with Him against The Great Blasphemer.

Dwarf

Orcs view Dwarves as true combat rivals. To Orcs, Dwarves are yin to their yang. Where Orcs mostly worship Kagent and focus entirely on offence, Dwarves generally worship Kayleth and are known for their legendary defense.

Elf

ORCS HATE ELVES! They will go out of their way to kill any elves they come across, even going so far as sacrificing themselves. Elves are almost never taken as slaves, for Orcs feel they only deserve death or being eaten alive. Many scholars theorize that the reason Orcs hate elves so much is because Elves are the Orcs’ opposite in every sense, and so they hate them because they don't understand them.

Gnome

At worst, Orcs view Gnomes as a pest and something, tasty at best. Orcs never view Gnomes as a threat because how can something so small and with such colourful hair ever be dangerous?

Halfling

Like Gnomes, Halflings are viewed more as a delicacy than as a threat.

Human

To Orcs, Humans are good slaves. Since Humans can have a variety of different skills, they fill any niche that Orcs themselves cannot.

Rekesh

Encounters between Rekesh and Orcs are pretty uncommon, but when Orcs do manage to capture a Rekesh they are usually killed, skinned, and used for a nice jacket. There are rare cases when Rekesh are kept as an exotic pet for the tribe leader.

Romani

Romani are generally treated like humans unless the Orcs in question know about their Fortune Telling ability. If they do know about it they will keep the Romani as a slave for divinations. Orcs who enslave Romani have mysteriously been known to meet great misfortune.

Wild Elf

Like other Elf-like races, Orcs will generally kill Wild Elves on sight, unless they have some rope lying around, in which case they'll torture the elf with confinement for awhile before eating them alive.

Wolven

See Rekesh

Wood Fae

See Gnome

Religion


Religion in Orc society almost exclusively revolves around the worship of Kagent. Because of this, Orcs are very hostile towards any worshippers of Kayleth, or The Great Blasphemer, as the Orcs call Him. Generally, there are only a couple Priests of Kagent per tribe (The Shaman and his students).

Orcs view Necros as The Prodigal Son of the Great Destroyer. They believe that in time, Necros will rise up and do His Father great honor by destroying Him and taking His place as The God That Will End Everything.

The Orcs view Mellina as the greatest threat to Destruction, because Mellina, being the Goddess of Life, is logically the only one who can stand before The Great Destroyer.

Sirethe, on the other hand, is considered a coward in Orc culture, and those who worship Her are treated as such.

The other four (Gyellina, Bacchus, Mishra, and Rathelle) are non-entities in Orc culture.

Mythology and Folklore


Mythic Origins

It is said that during the First Great Conflict, the Great Destroyer was stabbed by the Blasphemer, and that His Blood spilt upon the land and formed the Orcs. After the Great Conflict, The Destroyer came forth and demanded that His perfect children go forth and conquer the land of the weaker races for His glory.

Popular Legends

There are generally two legends passed down through the tribes. First is the legend of the Orc hero Kraag, who perished fighting The Great Blasphemer in the First Great War. The second is a tale told to Orc children to scare them. This is the tale of The Bear. The Bear is a great murderer of the Orc peoples, and the only non-Orc to be respected and approached with caution.

Names


Name Structure

Names are simple in Orc society. They are consonant-heavy, having very few vowels. Middle names don't exist, and last names are always the same as the tribe name.

Traditions Concerning Names

A baby’s name is given to them by the Tribe Shaman, and only after they have survived their first dangerous encounter.

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