Orcs

> "*From the deepest, darkest tunnels they came, burrowing and banging, shouting and smashing. We soon learnt not to try to negotiate, save with axes and cannon. For thousands upon thousands of years have we fought them, and many think we will soon be defeated. Yet we have our plans, and some day we will take back our ancestral holds—or else destroy both those homes and the foul Orcs who now pollute them.*"
> ― Gialar Kunst, Dwarf Loremaster
>
>

   The **Orcs** are a highly primitive and warlike race of barbarians and raiders that occupy some of the Southern Hemisphere of the Shoc Scurg World. The term "Greenskins" can also be used to refer to them. The word Greenskins is a common collective description used by many civilized nations to refer to the forces of the **Orcs** and Goblins and other biologically related races. The broadest division is between the Orcs, who are strong, brutish, and savage warriors, and the Goblins, who are smaller and weaker, but cunning and conniving creatures.

The Greenskins are considered by many to be the scourge of all civilization. These tribal warriors are violent in their tendency, raiding ceaselessly, carrying war and barbarism to all corners of the known World. Time and again, hordes of Greenskins would arise without warning and lay a great swath of destruction that has no direction or purpose other than simple violence. Indeed, the Greenskin race's single motive is violence, an ever increasing mass of warfare that has the potential to dominate and cover the entire World in a seething green tide.

However, the Orcs tendency for warfare has created a division within their society that has ensured their race shall never reach such heights. Since the dawn of their history, the Orcs have been plagued by a never-ending series of strife and civil war that has consumed millions of their own kind, for such is their tendency for warfare that tribes have been known to fight each other just as much as they fight the other civilized races of the World. Though such a disunion would often spell the doom of their race, such are the Orcs adept ability to both survive and thrive in the most harshest of environments, that the Orcs can never truly be exterminated from the face of this earth. Without the proper knowledge or unity to progress past even the most basic foundations for a civilization, the Orcs cannot amount to anything better than primitive savages living within scattered tribal societies.

# Brief History

The Greenskin race arrived in the world at some unknown point in the World's pre-history. Ever since then, the Greenskins have spread to become an ever present and belligerent enemy of the other races. So primitive and backwards were the Greenskins during the earlier years of their existence that the only sensible record of their history will always be kept by the very nations that they have attacked and conquered. The first records of their existence was written and kept by the Dwarves.

## The Great Migration

At around an unspecific point of time, the Greenskin race has grown considerably in numbers and have since occupied a large stretch of territory within the Northern Hemisphere of the World, with little to no records detailing it's exact location. What was certain was that in an age lost to time, a great cataclysm rippled through the very foundations of the World. Great tremors rocked the mountains like the banging of thunder, massive tidal waves rose from the sea and crashed against the coast, and finally, long dormant volcanoes erupted within the East and the lands was scarred for all eternity by geysers, lava, and earthquakes. Dislodged from their original homelands by the volcanic activity, the Greenskin race was forced to migrate towards the South-West.

As this mighty migration moved out of the North, the petty tribal kingdoms of Mankind rose up to face their savage assault. However, the Humans couldn't match their bronze swords with the Orc's iron cleavers, and were beaten down time and again. Battered and broken, the tribes of Mankind were also forced into a mass exodus to the to the East, hoping to enter into safety over the Worlds Edge Mountains.

Like a green tide, the Orc hordes swept unopposed in their rampage until finally, they as well reached the foothills of the Great Dwarf Mountains. Upon those distant peaks, the Greenskins fell upon the ancient and once powerful civilization of the Dwarf race. Attacking from above and below, the Orcs surged through the broken battlements of their once mighty Holds and killed all in their path. Thus began a time of warfare that the Humans and Dwarf have appropriately named the Goblin Wars -- for the Goblins were the most numerous of the Greenskin invaders at that point in time.

## The Goblin Wars (-1824 to -672)

   The first attack came just after the Humans had reached the Far East. Unidentified enemies infiltrated the Dwarfs underground networks in uncountable numbers, and soon outposts and small strongholds came under attack. With the walls and gates of their once formidable fortress now cracked open by the earthquakes, the scattered Dwarfs quickly became outnumbered and overrun. The first to fall from this massive onslaught was the Dwarf stronghold of Khagh Uluhm.

Taking advantage of the chaos, a wave of Night Goblin tribes emerged within the very centre of the city, taking the Dwarfs of Khagh Uluhm completely by surprise. Using their speed and overwhelming numbers, the Night Goblins took level after level from the Dwarfs. Defiant to the last, knots of warriors and militia rose up to meet the invaders back to back, attempting to hold the Night Goblins off in key locations until the population could evacuate. The King of Khagh Uluhm, King Thedeac Dragongrog of the Dragongrog Clan lead a counter-attack that gave enough time for the women and children to evacuate. With all of the population accounted for, the King ordered his people to finally abandon the city and make their journey towards the strongholds of Nar Faldihr and Barndarom. King Dragongrog never made it, for he valiantly closed the tunnels behind him as the enemy began their final decisive assault.

With the enemies controlling both the surface and the underground tunnels, communication between the holds were lost. The next attack upon the Dwarfs came upon the mineral-rich stronghold of Hankahldur. Known famously for having the largest deposits of Fefrite in the entire world, when the great earthquakes struck, the lower workings of the stronghold became flooded by Drovems Basin. Without any warning, Vermintide expeditionary armies coming from the city of Scratchling attacked the lower workings while an army of Orcs besiege the city from above. Caught between two massive armies, the Dwarfs stood little chance. Despite the stout defences erected by the Dwarfs, after nearly a single year of constant fighting, the city of Hankahldur was inevitably taken. Most of the stubborn population fought to the bitter end, with only a handful of clans managing to evacuate and reach the safety of its sister-hold, Barndarom.

After the fall of Hankahldur, a series of defeats were further inflicted upon the Dwarfs at many different locations within their lands. Columns of smoke rose high above the peaks as surface settlements and mines were put to the torch. Refugees that survived the attacks attempted to cross the mountain passes to reach the other holds, but these places were clogged with enemy armies streaming into Dwarf territory like a flood. As the war escalated, the Underway became a warzone between armies of Night Goblins and Vermintide seeking to control the underground tunnel-highway as their own. To the south, the mines of Gurarum was sacked by an army of Orcs, driving the Dwarfs out of the resource-rich region known as the Gnyth Heights. The Gold and Brimstone mines of Dalbor were also taken by a host of Night Goblins of the Red Eye Tribe. After being besieged for several decades, the strongholds of the Wukx Slopes were lost to the Orcs as well. In time, the entire eastern half of the dwarfs land was lost to the Greenskins.

The Dwarfs eventually lost three more major strongholds in the span of fifty years. Kelgari, the second strongest mountain Kingdom of the Dwarfs fell to the Greenskins in -1789. Vem Kuldor was stormed and sacked by an Orc army in -1754, only to be forced out as a Dragon delved into the tunnels and claimed the hold as his own. Khirndor was attacked and captured by the Orcs the very same year, eventually becoming the new Greenskin fortress of Uddadziz. After nearly a thousand years, the Goblin Wars was nearing its end, and should the Dwarfs not stop the Greenskins soon, nothing would stop them from conquering the whole of the Dwarf lands.

## War Against Humanity (-650BT to -1BT)

In the past, the mountains in the East was considered by many to be large barrier from which contains the horrors of the West at bay. With the Kingdom of the Dwarfs now under siege and buckling under an unrelenting assault, cracks have begun to appear and like a great flood the Greenskins poured out of the mountain passes and spilled towards the lowlands of the West. It was upon those lands that the Greenskins once more met the tribes of Mankind, and over the next six and a half hundred years, the Greenskins with their impeccable numbers and superior iron weapons and armor were slowly but surely beginning to win. In their most dire of time, the Dwarfs saw within Humanity a common ally from which they could together stop the Greenskin threat. Within time, trade flourished between Man and Dwarf, and soon the Human tribesmen were given access to the secrets of crafting iron weaponry. However, even with the aid of the Dwarfs, the Human tribes were far too fractious to put up a valiant effort.

Just as when all hope seemed lost, around this point in time, a mighty warrior-prince has arisen to become the new king of the Coldfield Tribe, and has since begun a campaign of unification, diplomacy, and warfare that threatens to dislodge the Greenskins from the West. This uniter was Enguerrand dit le Beau, a Warrior-King of unparalleled strength and bravery who had a grand dream of uniting the warring tribes of Men together to form a powerful and unified nation that would be a bastion of hope for all Humanity. This all began on one historic day that would bound the race of Man and Dwarf into oaths of everlasting friendship.

A trading convoy that included the High King, Elsgrik Steelborn was ambushed on its way from Vir Darim to the Grey Mountains. The Orc army that attacked them was enormous, and although the battle-hardened Dwarfs slew the Orcs until their bodies lay in heaps, they inevitable failed and their High King was taken captive. Luckily for the beleagured Dwarfs, this territory was the domains of the Coldfield Tribe, a fierce and warlike tribe of Men who fought relentlessly to clear their lands of Greenskins. Led by their mighty warrior-prince Enguerrand dit le Beau, the Coldfield army fell upon the Orc army with cold impunity.

This meeting would be a turning point in Mankind's history. In the battle that transpired, Elsgrik Steelborn bore witness to this young, human prince facing down a massive Orc known in their tongue as Horknuth Skullcrusher. Despite young kings mighty strength, every killing blow his bronze sword had made was turned aside by the armour of the Orc, and every blow from the Orc's flaming axe came all too close to ending his young life. Steelborn broke free of his bonds and fought his way to Hornkuth's tent, where the Orc kept his pick of the Dwarf King's possessions. Inside he found the mighty warhammer Karza Knash, the Shield Splinterer.

Elsgrik threw the hammer towards Enguerrand, cursing the Orc with every curse known to Dwarfs. Enguerrand caught the ancient weapon and the tide turned for Coldfield. Enguerrand assaulted the Orc with mighty strikes of his hammer, the fury of his blows bringing the hulking beast down to a single knee. With the final strike, Enguerrand smashed the Orc's skull to bloody shards. A mighty feat, even for a warrior wielding a weapon forged with Dwarven skill. With the close of the battle, their holdings avenged, Enguerrand attempted to return the hammer to the High King. In that moment, a historical act came about, one unheard of in all the records of both Men and Dwarfs and forever forged an unbreakable bond of friendship between the men of the lands west of the mountains and the Dwarfen kingdom. On that day, Elsgrik Steelborn gifted the ancient hammer Karza Knash to Enguerrand.

It was a unique happening for such a unique weapon; for the power of Karza Knash is old, ancient even to the Dwarfs, and it is said that the weapon possesses a will of its own, and it actively chooses those who are to bear it into battle. Indeed, as fate would have it, the hammer was always Enguerrand's, and had been waiting for the day the warrior would claim it. The Dwarfen King looked upon Enguerrand and saw within him power, honour, courage and nobility without parallel, and knew that Karza Knash was rightfully his, and he also reasoned that an ancient runic weapon was fitting payment for saving the life of a Dwarfen High King. From then on, the Dwarf Kingdoms and the Coldfield Tribe were the most steadfast of allies.

With the mighty warhammer in his possession, Enguerrand began his campaign to unite the warring tribes of Men against the unstoppable onslaught of the Greenskin hordes. As Elskrig Steelborn returned to his seat of power within Vir Darim, it soon became clear that the Greenskins are growing near unstoppable. In the years that followed Enguerrand's campaign of unification, the Dwarfs within their mountain kingdoms have felt an invasion unlike anything they have endured before. Holding the Greenskin hordes off as much as they could, after nearly a decade, Enguerrand had finally united the Tribes into a single unified force, and it did not come at a better time.

Envoys of King Elskrig Steelborn arrived with news of an Orc horde of such monumental scale as to eclipse all those before it, marching towards the now-legendary region known famously as Screaming Cavern Pass, intent on destroying the races of both Man and Dwarf forever. This, Enguerrand would not allow. He summoned all of his brother-kings to the golden halls of his castle for a grand meeting now known in the books of history as the Council of Seven. There, the kings conferred of how they would face this apocalyptic threat. Some of the assembled kings realised that the only path was to unite into one great host, placing the overall command of the army under Enguerrand. Others, however, would not bring themselves to relinquish command over their own warriors to another king, and remained obstinate. Soon, argument arose between the assembled warlords. Enguerrand saw this and was filled with anger, silencing the fight with one sentence. He denounced the shamefulness of their squabbles while a lesser race stood united and poised to destroy humanity.

Enguerrand implored the gathered tribes not to meet the Orcs and Goblins as they had in the past, standing apart from each other, refusing to lend aid and combine their forces when needed--that would only lead to their defeat and deaths. His voice rising with a terrible rage that was felt throughout the gathering, Enguerrand called on all the tribes of Man to unite and make their common stand with the Dwarfs. It is said that Enguerrand's final shout of "To war!" was answered with a cheer so loud that the Dwarfs heard it as far away as Screaming Cavern Pass.

History records that Enguerrand's army arrived just in time, as the Orcs finally breached the wall King Steelborn had built across the pass. Leading the charge from his horse, Enguerrand fell upon the Greenskins as if they were the gods of war himself. The force of the Human assault stopped the Orc and Goblin advance, then began pushing it back. The Dwarfs saw this as their opportunity and charged from their forts and towers and fell upon the Greenskins' flanks. Fear overcame the Greenskins and they began to break ranks and flee. Their leader, Warlord Flurrg Bloodclaw, rallied his forces and made a counter-attack. Charging, he and his warband came face to face with Enguerrand.

Enguerrand and the Orc warlord entered into single combat, whilst his elite warriors battled Bloodclaw's Black Orc bodyguards. Hammer clashed with cleaver as the two struggled for advantage. After nearly an hour of fighting, Enguerrand killed the Orc warlord with a mighty double blow, first breaking the hand that held the cleaver, then smashing Bloodclaw's skull on the return stroke. The death of their leader was also the death of the Orc army, which broke and ran in utter panic. The slaughter that followed was terrible to behold as the armies of Man and Dwarf fell upon their most hated of enemies. It is said that there has never been a greater concentration of crows in the all the world that which gathered to feast on the stinking and unburied corpses of the Greenskins at Screaming Cavern Pass. So many died that day that it would be over a thousand years before the Orcs and Goblins could again raise such an army, even with their unknown reproduction rates.

With the defeat of the Orcs at the Battle of Screaming Cavern Pass, the security of the lands of the Seven Tribes was finally assured. King Hykon was afforded the funeral rites of the greatest heroes, for such he deserved, and was carried onto his pyre by his fellow kings and his heir. Not only was the race of Men saved, but so was the Dwarfen domain. In heartfelt gratitude, King Elskrig Steelborn pledged that he would charge his smiths with the creation of twelve, magnificent blades in thanks to the Empire of Man for their shared brotherhood. These blades would later be known as the original twelve Runeswords, which continue to be wielded by the Leaders of the Empire to this day. After the Battle, Enguerrand's fame spread wide and far, renowned as a hero of all Mankind. Upon the anvil of war and the fires of battle, at last his dream of a united empire had been realized. For men of all tribes had stood together in the battle-line as allies, and with the truth of their common enemy now made obvious, the old tribal hatreds had evaporated away, replaced only by iron-hard ties of alliance.

## After Screaming Cavern Pass

After the defeat at Screaming Cavern Pass, the Greenskins population was cut down to a manageable level, allowing the kingdoms of Man and Dwarf to reclaim many of its lost territory. Greatly reduced in numbers, the Greenskins were pushed out of many Holds within the Dwarf lands, however the major Holds such as Khagh Uluhm, Hankahldur, Kelgari and many more were far too heavily infested to properly dislodge, thus allowing the Greenskins to keep a firm hold within the West for many centuries to come.

Over time, the Orcs would eventually regain their once formidable strength and once again attack the Kingdoms of Man and Dwarf relentlessly. However these raids are often small, easily dispatched and often insignificant. It is only when a massive Waaagh! is formed that the Greenskins become once more a major threat. As such, the remaining history of the Orcs are often divided up between several major Waaagh!, each lead by an equally notorious Warlord.

## Battle of the Tomb Kings

One of these 'Waaagh!' was against the Tomb Kings which revived themselves in 81AT. When the Tomb Kings rose they attacked small orc villages and took many orcs prisoner. They turned these Greenskins into the more dangerous Black Orcs using their ancient magic. These black orcs were kept as slaves to build their great pyramids which are used to cast their Revivication Spells to summon their army of undead.

The larger tribes such as the Wolf Fang and Wild Ones were outraged at the loss of their villages and declared war on the Tomb Kings. They sent great armies to the Desert in the East, where the Tomb Kings lived.

# Biology

The Greenskins are often divided up into three main species, the Orcs, the Goblins and the Gronx. People believe Greenskins are a mix of human and plant cells, and that it is this unusual biology that gives a Greenskin his remarkable constitution. The species' green coloration could also be explained, Imperial scholars suggest, due to some form of algae or green fungus that is part of their cellular makeup. Such a substance could break down and repair damaged tissue at an incredible rate.

Although the three races are biologically related to each other, they are noticeably different in their appearance and characteristics. For instance, Orcs are naturally large creatures with long arms and short legs, huge slabs of muscle moving underneath tough green skin, and their jaws are lined with vicious fangs that jut out from their mouths. They have beady red eyes, a generally foul demeanor, and are naturally bald. Normally six feet tall, they can be up to seven feet tall when stretched out of their characteristic stoop. They respect power and strength, and naturally tend towards becoming bigger and stronger as they rise through their society. While they lack even the most basic intelligence like more advanced races, Orcs possess immense cunning and survival instinct, but rarely adopt new tactics to replace their fondness for close quarters brutality.

In comparison, Goblins are frail in every sense compared to an Orc. They make up for this by having vast numbers and a cunning demeanor. They are cowards by nature, but are highly adaptive in almost every environment. Often used as slaves or involuntary servants, Goblins nonetheless fulfill an important role in Greenskin society. They are intelligent enough to craft crude weapons, gather food and establish the huts and homes of their larger and more dull-witted cousins. Orcs are too thick and lazy to be counted on anything other than fighting, so the relationship between the Orcs and Goblins are essential but not equal. This pairing allows the Orcs to have a stable and reliable workforce whilst the Goblins gain their brutal protection against outside threats.

Gronx on the other hand are a uniquely separate but biologically related species of the Greenskin race. A number of bizarre offshoots of Gronx have been seen in various places within the West though they inevitably favour lightless areas. They generally seem adapted to whatever environment they grew up in. Humans unfortunate enough to encounter a Gronx generally meet one of the variations of cave dwelling Gronx kept as slaves by the Night Goblins. The Cave Gronx move shuffling along on their tiny feet. They seem to be quite short sighted, presumably on account of their upbringing in the darkness of underground cavern systems.

The physiology of the Greenskin race is also quite remarkable. As the Greenskins grows older and win battles against larger opponents, they are pumped with extreme doses of adrenaline and hormones that helps to increase their natural size and strength. These characteristics are the most common amongst the Orcs rather then the Goblins, as the Goblins are often bullied upon relentlessly, which would naturally stunt their growth process considerably.

## Orc Sub Species

* **Common Orc** - The Common Orc is the most broadest sub-group of the Orcish species. Though the average Orc stands around the height of a man, they would tower over humans if they only stood upright rather than in their stooped posture. They are immensely broad and solid, thick bones, dense muscle, and are almost completely unintelligent beyond their basic instincts. To an Orc, there is no joy greater than that of battle, and violence is a daily part of Orcish life. Led by tyrannical leaders called "Warlords" or "Warboss", these Orcs are towering brutes that make their Goblin brethren look like runts by comparison. They are usually armed with a simple Choppa (a term for any close combat weapon) and some type of crude armour to protect themselves.
* **Savage Orc** - The Savage Orcs are a feral off-shoot of the Orcish species, these tribes of primitives have been known to inhabit the far South East. Savage Orcs are the result of prolonged exposure to extreme heat, which degenerates the already small Orc brain into a stone age intellect, even by Orc standards.
* **Black Orc** - Black Orcs are a more powerful breed of Orcs originally created by the **Tomb Kings** to be used as slaves, but have since rebelled and found a place in normal Greenskin society. They are naturally bigger, stronger and meaner than regular Orcs. Their name derives from the darker shade of green or black in their skin; another reason for the title might also be their black and red-colored armor and their horrendously foul odor. Though other Orcs tend to look down on Black Orc intelligence, Black Orcs are, if not smarter, at the very least far more organized. They are above the petty infighting that happens in most tribes and settle their differences with other Greenskins with orderly head-butting contests.
## Goblin Sub Species

* **Common Goblin** - The Common Goblin is the most broadest group of the Goblin species. Though they are much shorter then their larger cousins, they are however particularly clever and cunning compared to the Orcs, making them the mediocre craftsmen and builders of a Greenskin tribe.
* **Forest Goblin** - Forest Goblins are a primitive feral version of the Orcish species known to inhabit large areas of Forest. They possess the same appearance and characteristics as their Savage Orc cousins, often living in a even more primitive lifestyle than other Greenskins, wearing nothing but loin cloth and war paint, with some even wearing tribal masks heavily lathered with feathers.
* **Night Goblin** - Night Goblins are a sub-species of underground Goblins who dwell within the many caves and tunnels of the dwarf mountains. Unlike their other cousins, Night Goblins hate light of any source and would only leave their caves during the darkest of nights. In order to hide as much of their skin from any light source as possible, they have been known to wear very dark or black clothing's to better shield their light-sensitive skin.
* **Gnobes** - Gnobes are an offshoot of the Goblin species and share that race's small size, as well as their cruel nature. The most notably difference between them and other Goblin sub-species is their wider and fatter nose and their bluish-green skin colour.
* **Snotters** - Snotters are the smallest of the Goblin sub-species, and can be found in large groups in every Greenskin society. They have the brain power of an extremely enthusiastic and uncontrollable puppy, and their larger Orc and Goblin cousins usually try to capture them and train them to do simple tricks or very basic jobs, such as fetching and carrying equipment.
* **Hobgoblin** - Hobgoblins are amongst the most evil creatures within the world. Hobgoblins are naturally taller and thinner than their Goblin cousins, with some reaching the height of over five feet. They are however, extremely evil, cunning, and many times more treacherous in their nature. They have become so treacherous that there are no Hobgoblins living within Greenskin society as of today. They can only be found as servants within the domains of the Dark Elves or as members of a tribe living within the Hobgoblin land in the Far East.
## Gronx Sub Species

* **Gronx** - the most common type of Gronx.
* **Giant Gronx** - a larger Gronx sub-specie which can be as large as a goblin
* **Colossal Gronx** - the largest Gronx breed
* **Stinka Gronx** - an odd variant of the Gronx that shoots poisonous liquids at its
enemy.

# Hierarchy

Greenskin hierarchy is dominated by the concept of strength. There is no law, and therefore no crime. If a Greenskin feels wronged, he can challenge the source of his trouble to a pit fight. Once the fight is over, the matter is considered settled. Greenskins have no concept of pity; to any Greenskin, the weak are simply weak, and are beneath them in society. A Greenskins can thus attain a higher social rank by simply fighting and defeating members of a higher rank. An alert superior will spot this occurring and promptly beat the challenger down before he becomes a threat. If the superior fails to notice this development, then a battle inevitably results. Should the Orc beat his superiors, he would continue to grow considerably until he would finally challenge the leader of the tribe himself.

In this instance, the leader of a Tribe known as a Warboss and is usually always on the alert for potential threats against his rule. In most cases, a Warboss would usually show physical dominance over his underlings on an almost regular basis, which helps to stunt the growth hormones of many potential candidates as well as a way to discourage their rebellious nature. Most of the time, these duties are often handled by the Warboss' minions, the Big'Uns, which are Orcs of incredibly massive size and strength whose duty is to keep the rest of the tribe in line. Should an Orc or Goblin manage to have both the size and courage to challenge his Warboss, a duel would then occur. These duels are often extremely one-sided. However, upon the instant that the challenger manages to win the duel, he would instantly become the new leader of a tribe. In the aftermath, the new Warboss would be noticeably larger and stronger than when he first entered, and will continue to grow until he would find an opponent that is even larger and stronger than he is.

Goblins on the other hand rarely fight in duels, and would only kill their opponent by more sly means. As such, back-stabbing is the most common form of obtaining a higher social status amongst Goblin dominated tribes, where the value of strength and brutality is usually outweighed by a Goblins sheer cunning and stealth.

On several occasions, if a Warboss manages to lead several tribes in a Waaagh!, he is called a Warlord. Warlords are amongst the strongest and most brutal of the Greenskin races, a behemoth that towers over behemoths. Due to the way Greenskin hierarchy's are formed, it is important for a Warlord to have absolute control over his tribes, or else they would come into fighting. As such, Warlords are often the targets of many assassination attempts by many opponents. Killing a Warlord does not necessarily stop a Waaagh!, but it does cause the Warlord's lieutenants to fight amongst themselves to decide who would be the next Warlord. Should a powerful Warboss step up to take the position as the new Warlord, the Waaagh! would continue, but these situations are often rare and mostly end in internal fighting. Without a strong Warlord to lead them, the Greenskin tribes would then splinter off and the Waaagh! is abandoned.

# Religion

The Gods of the Orcs are a pair of powererful. From the tiniest Goblin to the mightiest Orcish Warlord, all Greenskins would instantly recognize their twin deities simply as Gnash and Smash. These two Gods of the Greenskin race creates that species cunning and brutality. In the Greenskins use of words, Gnash is cunningly brutal, while Smash is brutally cunning.

To put it simply, Smash is the power of brutality and close-quarters combat, whilst his twin Gnash controls cunning and the use of unconventional tactics of warfare. The Greenskin race worship these twin Gods, Gnash and Smash, for they are the ideal versions of everything they aspire to be: strong, unstoppable, fierce, cunning and lucky. Only the Savage Orcs pray to their Gods, as most Orcs are aware that praying to either Gnash and Smash is pointless, seeing as they don't answer the prayers of cowards, and only those that beg to their Gods are considered cowards by the Greenskins.

Once a Greenskin tribe has joined a Waaagh!, they become energized by a supernatural force that the Greenskin Shamans called Waaagh! Magic. This supernatural force is the result of the psychic emotions of the Greenskins, which is often divided up between the magics of Da Big Waaagh! and Da Little Waaagh!. The magical powers of Da Big Waaagh! are boosted by the positive energies of Orcs or Goblins fighting nearby. Only an Orc Shaman can harness this particular Waaagh! Magic into destructive spells that can devastate regiments of enemy soldiers or buff existing Greenskins. The magical powers of Da Little Waaagh! is normally used extensively by the Goblin Shamans, and focuses more on buffs and weakeners rather than direct damage spells.

## The Twin Gods

**Smash** - is the primary deity of clobbering, smashing, breaking, killing and pummelling the rest of the world. This is a notion that resonates strongly with the more warlike Orc sub-species, where their single-mindedness for violence and brutality often out-shadows their otherwise low cunning.

**Gnash** - is the deity of cunning and shamans. Whereas Smash is most likely to clobber an enemy god in the face, Gnash will happily wait until his enemy's back is turned before raising his club and belting him around the back of the head. It is Gnash who is the creator of the intelligent side of the Orcs.