Eastern Orcs

## Native Name

They are originally known as Orcs and are still called this by outsiders. The races split has caused the Eastern Orcs to adopt new names for themselves and their corrupted siblings. The Eastern Orcs now refer to themselves as the Dadka and call the Vile Orcs the Shaydaan.

## Appearance

Most Eastern Orcs and Vile Orcs are naturally large and muscular, averaging around 6’ 5” (1.95m) and usually weighing more than 230 lbs (105 kg), the two are set apart by their skin color and other small factors that tend to go unnoticed by non-Orcs.

Eastern Orcs tend to be tan or brown with the rare greenish tints. Some Orcs believe that those with any green in their skin have an evil buried within them that is vulnerable to exploitation. Some Orcs have small tusks that jut out of their bottom jaw, though most will not grow higher than their nose. They can have up to three on each side while others have none. Their eye colors tend to be shades of hazel, blue or yellow and hair is usually black or dark brown.

## History

The first instance of recorded history was when the Orcish population in what is now Eastern Dhulkar had grown to a point that prompted a large number of the inhabitants to migrate west into the land that is now The Black-Gold Desert, this event is known as The Safarka.

### *The Khilaaf*

After such a great deal of time living in separate environments the Western Orc tribes slowly began to establish a culture of their own. Due to this they desired to be recognized as different from the original Orcish culture and declared themselves to be a separate society who still follow the Diinta faith. In response the Eastern Orc tribes formed The Shirka to show that they were still a united people.

### *The Haysashada*

Years after The Khilaaf a unknown Orc came to the Warchief of all the Western Orcs, Boqor. This unknown Orc had a power that allowed him take the appearance of whoever he looked at. When he approached Boqor he assumed his appearance, frightening the Warchief. He then told Boqor that all of the Western Orcs could gain this power, all they had to do was listen to this unknown Orc. Amazed by this power, Boqor agreed to do what the Orc said. So the Orc gave the Warchief instruction to tell all of the Western Orcs to say a phrase in an unknown language and let the blood of their palms drip into the sand, Boqor told his people to do so on the next moonless night. When that night came almost all of the Western Orcs followed this instruction, and they suddenly changed. Their skin became green, their tusks grew, their eyes turned red and their hair lost all of it’s color, they had become what are now known as Vile Orcs. The unknown Orc then revealed himself to be the greater pride demon known as Andras, the phrase said in the unknown language was an oath to relinquish their free will to Andras. Within a day all of the Vile Orcs moved to underground caverns, leaving only the Western Orcs who remained pure above ground.

### *The Gubashadii*

Once all the Vile Orcs were underground an explosion happened on the border of Western and Eastern Dhulkar, The Calaamad opened and Western Dhulkar burned for a week, killing any Western Orcs left on the surface. After the week had passed Andras sent a number of the Vile Orcs above the surface to begin rebuilding the society into something that served his purposes. Andras had successfully seized control of the Western Orcs and made them his minions.

## Homeland

When the world was young Dhulkar consisted of a large savanna covered in lightly forested areas, rivers and lakes to the east and vast deserts with beautiful oases, caverns and natural underground springs to the west. Much has changed since then, the lands are now split by a giant scar in the earth known as The Calaamad.

Eastern Dhulkar, the home of the Eastern Orcs, has remained relatively the same over the centuries. Large villages now dot the landscape, mostly formed around the edges of lakes or rivers. The architecture of the Eastern Orcs consists of tanned animal skins, wooden posts and clay. Eastern Dhulkar is inhabited by masses of species of big game ranging from gigantic elephants to ferocious lions. Many hunters travel to Dhulkar to hunt, as a result small hunting outposts have sprouted in areas rich with game. These outposts are not of Orcish design and usually have multiple log barracks that traveling hunters will stay in.

### *Fauna*

Elephants, Rhinos, Giraffes, Lions, Hyenas, Warthogs, Bighorned Antelopes, Wildebeest, Cape Buffalos, Zebras, Blotched Dogs, Ostrich, Crocodiles, Saber-Tooth Cats, Cheetahs, Dhulkarian Leopards, Caracals, Servals, Baboons, Aardvarks, Black Mambas, Boa Constrictors, Terogna and Chalico.

## Diinta

Most Eastern Orcs follow a religion known as Diinta, those that do are known as the Diint. The Diint believe that there are four spirits, the brothers Qorrax and Dayax, Qorrax’s daughter Nolosha and Dayax’s son Dhul. The Diint are led by shamans known as Sikh, the Sikh will perform rituals where they consume plants that hold hallucinogenic properties allowing them to "contact" the different spirits. Orcish followers of Diinta are usually chosen at a young age to began training to become a Sikh though race does not determine whether or not a person can begin such training. The Diint's beliefs are recorded and interpreted through multiple legends that renowned Sikh have been told by the spirits during rituals.

### *Qorrax*

Qorrax is generous and merciful, he prides himself on providing energy for everything living and keeping Dayax in check. He often times rewards people for their good deeds. Followers of Diinta believe that Qorrax is literally the sun, he watches over everything during the day and rests during the night. The clouds are the energy Qorrax has blanketed around Dhul to provide him with what he needs to keep Nolosha and her creatures in existence, rain is how he transfers the energy from the clouds to Dhul himself.

### *Dayax*

Dayax is jealous and deceitful, he is known to trick the other spirits and mislead people into doing wrong. The Diint say that Dayax is the moon, he spies on the world when Dayax sleeps and pulls the tides in an attempt to feed off of Dhul's energy. The stars are said to be pieces of Dayax's energy that he has lost over time, craters on the moon are where the energy seeped out of his form.

### *Dhul*

Dhul tends to keep to himself, he watches settlements and their interactions with the land, rewarding it with fertility if they respect it or making it barren if they take it for granted. Dhul is the world itself, his face resides in the ocean and his heart is Dhulkar. The Diint claim that if you travel to the ocean you can speak to Dhul.

### *Nolosha*

Nolosha is kind and compassionate, she spends most of her time making sure the animal kingdom remains balanced. As the creator of life she is also the creator of sickness and disease which she uses to punish those who mistreat nature. Unlike the other spirits Nolosha is said to be able to take a more physical form, she channels her energy to appear as a translucent yellow Orcish woman whom emits a feint glow.

## Society

### *Government*

The Eastern Orcs are for the most part isolationists. They are not ruled by a single governing power or any for that matter, instead Eastern Dhulkar consists of many villages of clans that each govern themselves. These clans are usually lead by a Chieftain and Chieftess as well as a circle of elders, strength and patience are held above all else and those who show exceptional hunting prowess will be chosen by the current Chieftain to be his successor. The Chieftess’ role in the clan is not as significant as the Chieftain’s, her main role is to support the Chieftain. the Chieftess is the wife of the Chieftain and is always chosen based off of the same criteria as choosing a Chieftain, in some cases the Chieftess will have more leader like qualities than the Chieftain and will end up running the clan through the chief without the peoples knowing. If any issue should arise that concerns the entire race a tribunal is held with the Chieftain of each clan that is established enough to be recognized, this group is known as The Shirka; at times there can be disputes with clans that are not invited into The Shirka. While a Sikh is usually tied to a certain clan The Shirka always has a dedicated Sikh to act as a spiritual adviser. When dealing with foreign governments a representative will be selected by the Shirka to speak on their behalf. The laws in Orcish society are unspoken but known well, the punishment for theft, murder, assault and anything of the like is up to the victim or the victim's peers. The Orcs will conduct trade between their own villages but almost never trade between other countries, the only time trade ever happens is if another country sends convoys to collect the goods. The Eastern Orcs society is primitive to an extent, they do not care for politics or conquering other lands and instead pride themselves on the fact that they are a self-sustained society.

### *Culture*

As a culture Eastern Orcs are extraordinary hunters, this has led them to value patience and strength as the most important qualities a person can have. Eastern Orcs are also a very prideful and honest people; this is reflected in many of their traditions. Eastern Orcs have a first and last name but the last name is not a family name, this is so that people are not recognized for their parents accomplishments and instead are known for only their own achievements. While village guards will carry out punishment on behalf of a victim of a crime most Eastern Orcs prefer to settle petty things through hand-to-hand combat or in more serious cases armed fights to the death, this has lead to some issues with Eastern Orcs who are on the receiving end of crimes in other countries due to their desire to settle things without the help of an outside source. Though they can be very violent, most Eastern Orcs do not have any intent to start conflict with other people and are actually very friendly.

Eastern Orcish art is typically made of berries and other natural coloring tools ground into a paste and then spread across animal skins to illustrate images of animals, landscapes and spirits. Eastern Orcs tend to frown upon depictions of people that are not actively accomplishing something in their art, they believe it portrays vanity and causes a person to look to much at someone external appearance instead of at their accomplishments. Their literature consists mostly of informative works and legends of renown accomplishments with nothing being publicly classified as fiction by the author since Eastern Orcs believe fiction to be lies and deceitful writing. Much like their literature their music tells stories and legends from history and religion. Their instruments are contructed from natural materials such as wood, plant material and animal hides. This had lead to most of them to be drums or stringed instruments.