Description

Orcs are, on average, tall and broad. They have gray or green skin, ears that are sharply pointed, and prominent lower canines that resemble small tusks.

History

Orcs, like many other species, have always been present on Kildar. Originally there were many Orc nations on Kildar. Each of these nations consisted of a collection of Orc tribes. These nations were often at conflict with one another until the Elves arrived on Kildar from the Feywild. The process began slowly, but the seemingly never ending migration of Elves needed more and more land. Slowly, the Orcs were driven from their lands. Eventually, fed up with making way for the Elves, the Orcs struck back. They fought fiercely, but in the end lost the conflicts against these early Elves.   Upon which most of their ancestral lands have been seized and renamed. New lines for counties, provinces and countries have been drawn right through Orcish borders.

This has caused most Orcs to lose their nations, being displaced from their original lands. In the end they had only one sovereign nation remaining, which the Elves mockingly named the Orclands. These were barren, infertile lands that forced the Orcs to be wanderers within Kildar that lived as Nomadic tribes settling from city to city.  

Another dark chapter of the Orc history unfolded when the Orc tribes, typically fractured and scattered, found an unprecedented unity under the banner of an Orc named Gruumak the Unifier. Fuelled by historical grievances, Gruumak ignited an Orc revolt that would plunge the now Human kingdom of Kildar into a protracted conflict known as the War of Unyielding Shadows. They would go on to lose this war due to the timely intervention of a Dragonborn hero named Destro Fortica.

It was years later, when the Pureblood orcs fought with Hadar against the free peoples of the world that the Orclands  were finally and utterly annexed. In the decades after, most Orcs - done with past grievances and grudges - have attempted to integrate into the new Kildarian Guildocracy. However, some remain who remember the old ways and long to return to those days.

Culture

Physical prowess and hunting skills were often praised in days before the Guild Assembly. The best warrior or hunter within a Tribe would be held to great esteem. Nowadays the Orcs feel as if their culture is slowly dying out and is replaced. Therefore Orcs nowadays respect functions that keep their culture alive such as: scribes, shamans, storytellers and clerics. And of course they have great respect for their elders.

Because Orcs have strong ties within their own species/ family and tend to move from city to city looking for work. They often live in secluded neighborhoods or townships called “Qaddar’s” adjacent to cities. While the mood there is lively and wholesome, city resources aren’t often spent in maintaining a Qaddar.

Most Orcs love their connection to the wild and nature, and most keep pets of all kinds of creatures. Even creatures and animals that would be considered unconventional pets by other races.

An Orc's greatest achievement would be to see and experience their culture of old. Orcs found alone are often on pilgrimage to find and experience their holy sites and former cultural lands. Many of which have been transformed or paved over. Nonetheless, Orcs tend to find beauty and a connection to their ancestors along their pilgrimage.    

Language

Orcish and common, Orc is a harsh, grating language with hard consonants. It has no script of its own but is written in the Dwarvish script.

Names

Orc last names are given to Orc youngsters by elders, family and other members of their community. They often embody a great feat the young Orc has committed into becoming an adult, such as: Ogrothu’thanz Uguzaz (Slayed the Enemy), Uguzan'onz Oth'lazr (Found a Well) and ofcourse Sothn Ethathoog (Had their first kiss).

In common speech Orcs only use their final last name.

Otherworldly

Aasimar and Tieflings are considered gifts of Gruumsh himself among the Orc. As Gruumsh wandered the material plane, Orcs now believe he wanders the astral planes as well. From the nine-hells to elysium, Gruumsh explores and would commit many wondrous feats in these astral planes.

Common Orc belief is that when an Aasimar or Tiefling child is born, Gruumsh himself committed a wondrous feat within an astral plane that blessed this child.  

Backgrounds

Orcs work especially well as guides. They often travel all over the continent, and know the routes like the back of their hand.

Classes

Nomadic Orcs tend to favor the physical classes such as ranger, barbarian and fighter as these are the skills required for life on the road.

Orcs on pilgrimage are often clerics or paladins in favor of Gruumsh.

City Orcs can usually don't favor any class more over another..

Professions

City Orcs find themselves within a variety of professions, from guard to banker. However, lifestyles and professions that don’t directly support the family or uphold the honor of the family unit are frowned upon within Orc life. Therefore you don’t often see starving Orc artists.

Appearance

Adult Orcs are about 6-7 feet tall (1,8m to 2,1m) and are considered medium sized. While they differ greatly, Orcs share certain physical qualities. Orcs of all kinds usually have stooped builds, grayish, greenish or bronze skin, and coarse black hair, with low foreheads, and faces of porcine appearance that feature large lower canines similar to a boar's tusks.

Lineages

There used to be distinctions between Half-Orcs, Mountain Orcs, Grey Orcs etc. In recent years, with much mixing of species, Orcs are born from a large variety of lineages. Now all Orc-kin are simply considered Orc. Any Orc traits that present themselves, or if you're born from an Orc mother, you usually define as Orc.