> *“Ferocious wild folk, there is no better friend than an orc and no worse a foe on the battlefield. They fear nothing, not god or Fate, and can hew a man in twain. But what else would one expect from the children of the land of myths and monsters?” —Captain Josu Loiola* When one pictures the wild peoples of [[Ash Kordh]], the orcs are often the first to come to mind. They are a people of powerful warriors guided by shamans and intensely tied to the natural world. To many, orcs represent the power of savagery and are seen as feral creatures beyond the boundaries of civilization. To those who know them well, they can take on another character: good-hearted, courageous, daring friends and custodians of the wilderness around them. ### Physical Characteristics Most orcs stand from 1.8-2.3 meters (6-7.5 feet) tall, though most are in the middle to tall end of that range. They are incredibly densely muscular with heavy, almost reinforced bone, something that translates to a significant strength and speed advantage over a human.  Their skin tones are gray, ranging from almost charcoal dark to a lighter stone color. Most have dark hair, though red tinges or streaks are not uncommon. Orcish hair is generally straight and coarse. Yellow is the most common eye color, with a recessive trait for red eyes present in the population. These are sometimes referred to as “animal eyes”, as they reflect back light in darkness not unlike those of a wolf or great hunting cat. Orcs also have what [[Humans]] call “tusks”, two hyper developed fangs in their lower jaw that almost always are visible protruding beyond the lower lip. Their jaws can open wide enough to deliver a crushing and brutal bite if necessary, but most orcs refrain from doing so. These teeth are seen in both male and female orcs. The orcish lifespan ranges from 50-60 years on average, though many fall in battle well before those years. Even an elderly orc maintains more strength and stamina than a human of any age and should be treated with respect and caution if one wishes to avoid their ire. ### Special Abilities Orcs have excellent night vision, able to see in the dark almost as well as in daylight, though they cannot perceive color in the absence of light. This makes them dangerous foes to combat, as they are equally comfortable under moonlight or the sun. In addition, their stamina is legendary and the pace orcs are able to set and then maintain can often beat out horses. Most notable of the gifts of the gods, however, is orcish blood-rage. Every orc is capable of entering a frenzy in combat that allows them to continue fighting long after they should be dead, sometimes until they are literally unable to press the attack because they are missing the requisite limbs or head. Most orcs learn to control and harness their blood-rage at a young age, though there are some who struggle with it more than others. This berserker frenzy is more than enough to strike terror into the hearts of their foes, and many enemies quake at the mere mention of encountering such a thing on the battlefield. ### Language On its face, Orcish is not a complicated language, guttural and growling. It has a rudimentary written form used by some shamans, but is otherwise almost completely oral. Many scholars who study the language will remark often on its strangely poetic nature, however. In Orcish, things are almost always couched in metaphor and imagery. For an orc, all things in nature have descriptive names that when translated literally into another tongue may make little sense. A small beetle found among the needles is called a “pine-dancer” or a tortoise is called a “stone-shield” when translated exactly. While pragmatic creatures generally, it is in their language that the orcs shine with an artist’s appreciation. These names for things naturally fold into the story of how they came to be, and Orcish is well suited to the dramatic legends and myths common to their people. Orcish is also instrumental in the practice of [[Elementalism]], the orcish variety of [[Magic]], as the chants that give power to those practitioners are in Orcish as well. As a people, the orcs claim that their language comes directly from the gods as a gift. Names have a special significance for orcs. Orcs do not use family or clan names, but instead value most the names earned upon adulthood, after a deed or proving ritual that marks their change from a child into a full member of the tribe. Each name varies, though they each reflect what fundamental element (air, fire, water, or earth) the person most embodies in one way or another. They usually construct this in a very specific way, the “of the (elemental form)” structure. These are further modified if an orc becomes a goth, the orcish name for a warleader, becoming a two-part name that reflects their identity and replacing the “of the (elemental form}” structure with “(word-word)”. Shamans can be identified by their names, which vary from this common structure as well. Instead of elemental influences recorded in their names, they are associated with the spirits of the animal form the shaman assumes: “of the (Animal Spirit)-Kin”. For example, “Korash of the Stone” might become “Korash Flint-Eye” as a goth or “Korash of the Arau-Kin” as a bear shaman. ### Ethnicities Orcs draw few dividing lines between each other other than tribal ones, but there are a few noticeable differences between them that follow geographic placement of tribal ranges. Each tribe is comprised of many diverse bands, but the main six tribes will be described in general detail here. These can be considered commonalities that bind the disparate bands together into a tribe and a brief overview, but is by no means an exhaustive catalog of differences. ##### The Kharga’aza (“Many-Spears”) One of the more settled tribes within the southern reaches of Ash Kordh, the Kharga’aza are a large array of bands, some of whom have embraced agriculture. Hunting is still a very important part of life for these people, who enjoy relative plenty in terms of natural resources around them. Their central stronghold is the ancient earthen-works fortification called [[Throkk]], reinforced with timber walls and some stone. Of all the tribes, it is the Kharga’aza who are most exposed to the incursions of the humans to the south and most experienced in defeating them. Many of the most famous orc warleaders hail from this tribe, including [[Murdak War-Son]], the chieftain who created a second Horde to repel the forces of [[The Imperium]]. They are famous for their warriors even among orcs and well-regarded for their constant turning back of human “civilizing” forces. ##### The Zron’ash (“Bone-Dancers”) Usually identifiable among the other tribes by their intimidating masks of bone, the Zron’ash hail from the reaches of Ash Kordh around [[Kala Gaja]]. Of the southern tribes, they are the least numerous, but they retain their prominence for their strict adherence to tradition and careful preservation of Elementalism. In the times during orcish history where their magic has been most under threat or closest to destruction, it has been the Zron’ash who worked hardest to preserve it. Most of the rudimentary writings that exist of the Orcish language originate here, and are often etched into oracle bones and bone decorations that are traded to other tribes. One of the unifying traditions of the tribe across bands is the decoration of a bone mask as part of their rites of adulthood, which the young orc will wear into battle for the rest of their life. ##### The Ishk’harra (“Hill-Walkers”) The most numerous of the orcish tribes, the Ishk’harra roam the less mountainous parts of Ash Kordh and enjoy a definite abundance adjacent to [[The Mere]]. They trade often with everyone, though they much prefer the company of the wild people in the marshes to the southern kingdoms of humans. Known for their excellent archers, the Ishk’harra pride themselves on their bowyers and their work can be most recognized for the twisted, knotted bows they create from *nakhaar*, a yew-like wood of incredible strength. It is common for these bows to look hoary and wild, sometimes even still bearing pins and twigs or leaves. These bows are highly sought after by all the orcish tribes, and it is said for a non-Ishk’harra to possess one is a sign of a friendship that can withstand the end of the world. These bows have been sighted in the Mere in wild folk hands, a sign of enduring friendship. If legend is to be believed, not once has one of these bows ever been captured whole and functional by a non-orc, as their archers would rather destroy their beloved weapons than deliver them into the hands of a foe. ##### The Jhal’tassa (“Ice-Born”) The occupants of the famous orc stronghold of [[Ghurgha]], the Jhal’tassa have an incredible tolerance for cold and spend much of their time fishing or hunting seals rather than the other game more common to the south. They are more comfortable on the water than most orcs and make much use of small boats during the summer months, until the sea itself freezes over. They often form tight friendships with winter wolf packs, though they treat these companions more as equals than pets, and it is not unusual to see Jhal’tassa orcs alongside these giant predators. Their garb is thick fur and their diet is mostly meat, especially in the winter, with a special fondness for liver and the blubber of seals. Traces of Giant blood are very common in these orcs, who tend to be surprisingly large for their available resources, and they keep a lively trade in ivory up and down [[The Jagged Coast]]. ##### The Mhur’daanii (“Peak-Striders”) Born to [[The Dragonspine Mountains]] as their home range, the Mhur’daanii are said to be the first orcs to ever tame and ride [[Dragons]]. This practice has spread through the orcish tribes, but it is undoubtedly much more common among these bands. Fearless mountaineers, Mhur’daanii are excellent climbers and typically spend much more of their lives at higher elevation than even their fellow orcs, with some never setting foot in the “lowlands” of Ash Kordh. They are often short for their kind and deep-chested, and nowhere near as numerous as their southern cousins. Their harsh environs have made for exceptionally hardy people and even other orcs are quick to remark on the foolishness of attacking Mhur’daanii in their own mountains. Their stronghold in times of trouble is [[Zagavar]], a peak honeycombed with passages and chambers from the days of The Revealing that doubles as an eyrie for their dragons. ##### The Bhaan’ghiirzi (“White-Eyes”) Least known and most reclusive of the orcish tribes are the Bhaan’ghiirzi, who roam the area that includes the old stronghold of [[Vorroz]]. Their domain is essentially tundra and icesheet, north of the Dragonspine Mountains, and seems to have bred a strangeness into the orcs who make their homes at the verging of [[The Frostmarch]]. Known sometimes as “the children of the northern lights”, they spend much of their lives herding caribou and are relatively few in number when compared to their southern brothers. They are famous for their intricate stone beadwork and the incredible power of their shamans, many of whom are the sources of the most enduring prophecies of the orcish people. They seldom have metal tools, save for the few they trade for, but their connection to magic is incredibly intense. Virtually every shaman born to the Bhaan’ghiirzi has [[The Sight]] (see [[Magic]] for details regarding the Sight), which they say is the gift of the Aurora. While these lights are visible for their brothers in Ghurgha, it is in the Frostmarch that they are rumored to touch the ground, creating a bridge to other worlds. Whether that is true is difficult to parse, for the Bhaan’ghiirzi live most in the margins where myth and reality merge. ### Geographic Ranges The orcs roam Ash Kordh freely, and consider everything between The Vale of the Undying in the East and the Jagged Coast to the west to be their ancestral homeland. They range down into human lands in Genev and Talin on occasion, which is always seen as an intrusion and met with the sword. Ash Kordh is an extremely mountainous region full of alpine lakes, primeval forest, geologically active valleys, and many beautiful things seen nowhere else. It is crossed by the great [[Obisidian Road]], a mammoth flow of lava that has long since cooled, and contains [[The Jagged Peaks]] and Dragonspine Mountains, which are both less volcanically active of late, but still prone to fiery outbursts and earthquakes. The orcs seldom mind, sensitive to the changes in the world around them. While bordered by the human lands to the south, their northern border is essentially only limited by how much cold they can tolerate…which is quite a bit, with the use of their chants and the adaptation of hot blood. Some of the bands range even far into the Frostmarch, certainly farther than any other people except perhaps the elves have dared to go. Ash Kordh is also famous as a land of magic, and is full of anomalies, particularly those the orcs call [[Khiirdu]]: places where time and space are not what they seem due to the distortion of [[Creation]] in the area caused by [[The Revealing]]. These khiirdu are hardly the only abnormalities to be found, however. The site of great battles between Creation and Void, there are all kinds of oddities found nowhere else, some safe and others quite dangerous, from creatures crafted out of pure magic to fantastic sights to the dreaded *[[Varazadi]]*: places where [[Void]] itself has eaten a hole in the fabric of the world. ### Religious Practices ##### Belief in the Gods While humans are fond of saying that orcs believe the gods are dead, this is a vast oversimplification and misunderstanding of their outlook. In Elementalism and orcish religious practices, they recognize the shattering of the gods of the East. But to an orc, nothing ever really dies completely. Its soul, vitality, and power merely become parts of other things in the endless cycle of ending and rebirth. This means that they view the specific gods as no more, but their power lives on in other ways, including in the chants and tradition of magic that orcs themselves use. Orcs do not believe in reincarnation and would indeed find it very strange if it was suggested to them that a relative (or a god) who had passed on would be “reborn” as say, a bear. Instead, they believe that the echoes of what was alive once lives on into eternity like ripples cast into a pool, endlessly spreading. This works on multiple levels. For example, the goodness or courage of an orc is considered to live on in everyone who hears the stories of their deeds and chooses to act in a similar manner, or in those they affected with the deeds done in life. The body is incorporated into many other things: the earth, the things that grow, the things that live upon what grows, and so on, ever expanding. They would say that this is especially true of gods, on a scale of magnitude that the orcs will freely admit they cannot even imagine. Thus, orcs do not venerate the gods the same way humans do. When they invoke the names of the Five, they are invoking not the specific entity, but everything that that entity has become and everything that they have touched. They make offerings to their ancestors and the “small gods” (a sort of animist spirits) as well, but again this is in the hope of channeling the strengths and virtues that these carry within them. Orcs as a people also, unlike the other races, believe all things in Creation have a soul, living or inanimate, and it is common for them to make offerings and respectful gestures with this in mind. Gratitude is a core part of the orcish religion, and it has puzzled many a human to see a stone-knapper thank the flint they are about to shape or the hunter offer something to the tree they are about to fell so that they can cook their catch. ##### Funerary Rites As children of [[Nessa]], orcs take the passage between life and death very seriously, though rites vary from tribe to tribe. Most either practice cremation or burial, in both cases planting a perennial plant over the remains as a reminder that life comes from death. In places where this is not possible, such as the tundra at the verge of the Frostmarch, orcs usually place a cairn of stones over the remains decorated by bone flutes or rattles that are played by the wind, a reminder that their loved ones’ voices still speak. The cycle of destruction and renewal has intense significance for orcs, a representation of the change they see as a fundamental part of nature. While orcs form strong kinship ties, their grief is sometimes quite different from a human’s, as they believe that no one is ever really gone, only changed into a part of the world around them. This is, as one might note, very much an extension of their belief in the gods. ### Relationship with Magic While not all orcs are able to use Magic, it is no secret that the Gift is significantly more common in orcs than humans. The orcs consider it just another force of nature and it exists in a reverential and practical place in their society. Elementalism is an integral part of orcish religious practices and life in general. Orcs are also very comfortable interacting with many of the magical anomalies of their homeland, whether stationary landscape effects, creatures, or the occasional magical weather event. Orcs view all of these things as echoes of the gods and instruments of Fate. ### Notable Cultural Practices ##### Agriculture and Diet Most orcish bands are hunter gatherers, with diverse diets depending on the areas they inhabit. Many change their eating habits based on the seasons and what is available, but all of them tend to be heavier on meat and fish than the average human diet. They are adept foragers as well as hunters, though. What agriculture exists in Ash Kordh is more rudimentary than that of their neighbors and often supplemental rather than the focus, except for around the strongholds in the southern lands that are populated essentially year round. There is enough natural abundance in many places in Ash Kordh that generosity is more normal than conflict over resources, though nothing will keep orcs from a good fight. Obviously in the far north, where food and such is more scarce, there tends to be more conflict between bands that is resource-specific. ##### Clothing and Crafts Orcish crafting is rather rough and ready compared to that of others’, built with function first in mind and generally rough in aesthetics. Their clothes are usually a mix of traded textiles, furs, and buckskin, sometimes dyed or beaded in patterns. Ornamentation and preferred colors vary widely based on tribe and band as well as the individual. Tattoos, ritual scarification, and piercings are all fairly common. Most tribes have some rudimentary metal working, but this is much less common than working with stone, wood, and horn or bone. Their iron is not carved out of the mountains, but taken from the Mere (often referred to as “bog iron”) and is usually poor quality. They are not above scavenging tools or weapons from those they fight and in the days after [[The Great War]], they have enjoyed an influx of weapons given by the [[Dwarves]]. That said, rough or not, orcs make some of the finest bows in the world. Their flint and obsidian work is legendary, as is their work with dragonbone and ivory. Their knowledge of herbalism is also unparalleled, at least of the flora of Ash Kordh and the Mere, and even humans have learned much of their alchemy and healing arts from orcish sources, though this is not often known or honored. ##### Architecture Orcs usually build homes that can be uprooted easily, whether hide tents or igloos in the frozen north, but Ash Kordh is home to many megalithic structures and earthen-works built by their people, including fortifications. Much like their other crafts, orcish homes tend to be humble and practical rather than ornate. Those who make their homes in one place for long periods of time often create communal longhouses with a large central hearth, though this is quite rare. ##### Rites of Passage Orcs have two major rites of passage into adulthood: “blooding” and a shaman-given task that earns them their name. Each has a component of physical risk associated, though what these things looks like can vary surprisingly widely. Typically, an orc participates in their first battle at a young age—this is considered their “blooding”, and is usually but not always preceded by ritual purification. After this, they are usually given a task that requires courage and facing physical danger by a shaman of their band, which if successful culminates in having a name bestowed. Shamans and njoshari undergo additional rites of passage that demonstrate proficiency in the chants used in Elementalism, as expected in any tradition of magic. These are undertaken when their mentors deem them worthy and those who pass are marked with zahuv: ritual tattoos or scarification that help channel and amplify magic through the body. These markings vary between tribes, but have more in common than different. ##### Love and Family Orcs place a lot of value on their tribes and their place within them, living communally within large extended kinship networks that sometimes span tribes. However, their idea of family is more nebulous than a human’s: a sibling or child related by blood is not different than one adopted, as far as they’re concerned. They tend to make alliances by adoption rather than marriage, as romantic love is viewed very seriously as something between souls and not to be compelled. Orcs are more tolerant than most when it comes to different kinds of love, and basically fall into the camp that anything is permissible between consenting adults. They do delineate very frankly between sex that is recreational outside the bonds of a relationship and sex within one, but tend not to mind either as long as the vows one orc makes to their beloved are honored. ##### Warfare Orcs love to fight, whether to first blood, surrender, or the death. They fight amongst themselves as well as with outsiders virtually constantly, unless united in a Great Horde against some existential threat (and even then they’ll resolve differences of opinion with personal combat). War is a part of life for every orc, though they do not see the point in attacking things that can’t attack back most of the time. The vengeful sometimes will strike at those who are considered otherwise non-combatants, but this is seen as a fundamentally dishonorable action punishable by forfeiture of one’s own life. Female and male orcs participate equally in combat training from a young age, and both are expected to participate in warfare if they are able. ##### Fate and Omens Not unlike Giants, orcs see omens everywhere in daily life, which have led many to characterize them as extraordinarily superstitious. Orcs do not simply jump at shadows, however, nor is their typical reaction avoidance. Instead, they believe that Fate—a force that even gods must bow to—reveals itself in seemingly mundane events. They believe that everyone has an apportioned outcome that will find them one way or another, and strive to face this fate with courage and, ideally, good acts. Where a bad omen might make a human shrink away, an orc faced with the same choice might embrace it and let what comes come. Even death, after all, is not to be feared: even gods die, after all, and nothing dead is ever truly gone. ##### Taboos and the Forbidden Perhaps as a result of the notion that love should be freely given, orcs take a dim view of infidelity generally and find the idea of rape incredibly abhorrent. While they can tolerate the former (albeit usually with shaming), the latter usually ends in a bloody death for the perpetrator upon discovery. Orcs have a strong sense of justice and a number of cultural norms around mutual combat to prevent blood feuds from exploding out to bitter enmities between bands or worse, tribes. They also tend to shame cowardice, though they will try to instruct it out of those too young to know better. The cardinal sin orcs hate most, however, is betrayal. They hold oaths as sacred and honor their obligations. To be dishonest or actively deceitful is the act of a parasite to an orc, one unworthy of even a blade at times. In these circumstances, expulsion from a tribe, branding or physical disfigurement, and even death are not uncommon punishments depending on the magnitude of the betrayal. ### Reputation and Relationships with Others Orcs are often regarded as violent, animalistic savages by the human kingdoms to the south. Their reputation for honesty and sometimes brutal directness is widespread, however. Even humans acknowledge orcs are far more inclined to stab a person in the front than in the back. With their fellow wild folk, they enjoy a better reputation. The denizens of the Mere maintain good relationships with the orcs, as do the [[Giants]] (who are considered a sort of cousin-people). Notably, orcs are known to get along very poorly with the [[Elves]], probably because of the orcish hatred of duplicity as well as elven attitudes and behavior.