Gray Orc

# Gray Orcs

*"They think they're strong! They think they're mighty! They're no match for Gahzor's axe!"-Gahzor Teeth Cleaver, hill orc warrior, in response to a compliment about gray orcs.*

*"There's no greater threat to Druz. No greater enemy of the druzi people! Hold your axes high and face the gray orcs with all the fury of our ancestors!"-Angus Doogal, druzi bogatyr, rallying his band of riders before battle.*

*"They are alright company. If you meet the right tribe they can be honest enough."-Byldir Mountainwhisperer, centaur druid and Greenspeaker, speaking to a lucantusk trader.*

## Physical Description:

A gray orc looks less bestial than their more savage hill orc kin, but still obviously an orc. Though slighter than the hill orcs they are over six feet and well built. They are a hairy people with long manes of dark, black, bristly hair on their heads, shoulders, and backs. They have rather large tusks though they lack the piggish noses of hill orcs. They have yellow, orange, or red eyes and lupine ears. Gray orcs are more apt to wear "civilized" clothing than hill orcs, preferring varying shades of brown, black, blue, and other dark colors. This clothing will have a very "home-spun" feel and of higher quality than typical orc fare. Skin tones are usually gray with mottled patches of lighter or darker gray on the chest and flanks, which is where the title comes from. Some small bits of jewelry, religious totems, and fetishes are common ornamentation. Tattoos and piercings are less popular among gray orcs than their kin but scars are proudly displays his scars for the world to see. The tattoos that are chosen represent either some glorious achievement or a great kill and are always religiously significant.

## History:

Whether hill orcs are native to Apia is a constant debate among scholars of all stripes but grey orcs raise no such issue. Gray orcs are not native to Apia, instead they came through a portal from another realm. The gray orcs came in a great swath, determined to rule the entire continent uncontested. Their vast army of deeply religious zealots was augmented by physical avatars of Gruumsh, their god-king, great siege engines, weapons of war and mighty sorcery. When they emerged in the midst of the Great Plains and immediately began sacking, looting and pillaging in both directions it was clear Apia wasn't prepared for such an invasion; though tragically the Apian Blood War would later put the Gray Migration, as it became known, to shame. Some hill orc tribes willingly joined up with the gray orcs but others fought and were annihilated. The Gray Migration brought the entire eastern region to its knees and marked the end of the Sorcerer-Pharaohs of Za'icora, though how exactly is unknown. Despite their great power they were ultimately defeated by a great combined army of Druzi, porcine, centaurs, tabaxi, Demauric minotaurs, onyx dwarves and Za'icoran warriors. With the death of their avatars and great war chiefs, the gray orc army collapsed. The portal that brought them to Apia had closed behind them, trapping the gray orcs permanently on Apia. Without a path home or a central command to guide them, the once mighty warband split into nomadic tribes and went their separate ways. Some gray orcs actually joined Numzug's great war against the surrounding region years later but were ultimately a minor footnote. Today, wandering tribes of gray orcs are common on both the Great Plains and the southern plains. Small patches can be found as far west as Umgar and The Dragon Empire but they are a fraction of what once was. Still, gray orc tribes are dangerous enough when roused and only a fool underestimates the stranded gray orcs.

## Geography:

Gray orcs are true nomads, with only two major cities to speak of. One is in the heart of the Great Plains and the other is on the southern most tip of the southern plains. They are primarily found on the Great Planes, steppes and southern plains though gray orc tribes can be found in even remote places.

## Personality:

While similar to hill orcs in many ways, two major differences set them apart. Firstly, the gray orcs lack the drive to conquest that hill orcs have. They will raid and plunder and fight but conquest holds no appeal to them. That was lost after the Gray Migration. The second is their fanatical devotion to the orcish pantheon. While hill orcs are quite religious, gray orcs are true zealots and the word of their tribal clerics is law.

Gray orcs can be just as mean, savage, and barbaric as their cousins, but rarely enslave or dominate others. Gray orcs are quite likely to react suddenly and irrationally to events, trusting their heart and instincts more readily than logic. When presented with an opportunity to attack a hated rival, a gray orc doesn't hesitate to attack. They display great wisdom, patience and cunning when dealing with outsiders, even with other gray orcs from outside the tribe. A deeply traditional people, gray orcs are slow to adopt new ideas, inventions or ways of thinking. They consult clerics and shamans before every major decision and trust in the wisdom of their ancestors to illuminate their decisions. Gray orcs do have softer sides, caring for their immediate family, tribal pets, and mounts. Songs, ballads and marching tunes are important to a gray orc who likely has several memorized. Due to their wanderlust gray orcs put little value on possessions beyond essentials; gems for trading, food for sustenance, small shrines that are easily portable and a good axe. Most gray orcs put notches in their axes after each kill as a way of both honoring the slain and highlighting their great success as warriors to any who would listen. As weapons are considered sacred, particularly the axe, they will be treated with a reverence and respect that would put even the greatest hill orc smith to shame.

## Society:

Gray orcs are nomadic, traveling the plains and steppes in clans or tribes with all their possessions on their backs. Each tribe is led by a high priest who assigns which routes to take along the plains, when to find winter lodging and when to go to war. When the priest reads the signs they are followed, often without question, and a priest often holds his or her position for many years. When supplies run thin in the area the tribe is gathered, they move to greener pastures, taking all their possessions with them. Buffalo, aurochs, mammoths and mastodons are common pack animals for the gray orcs who treat them with reverence and kindness. They will often eat them if necessary but gray orcs have been known to view these animals more like pets and companions than servants. Gray orcs have been known to weep over the death of a faithful mammoth and bury its tusks in an elaborate ritual. They do raise giant wolves and axe beaks as mounts but these creatures are less loved.

Tribes are made up of mostly three or four families, enough to ensure tight bonds of loyalty among the tribes but not so connected that birth defects are common. Sickly gray orcs rarely survive to adulthood, either because of the parent or simply due to the harsh conditions that steppes travel causes. Gray orcs often take a solitary mate and stick with him or her but this is not religiously enforced and a spouse is expected to find a new mate should their current one perish. The tribe must continue. Occasionally, the tribe will stop by or winter in one of the two permanent encampments held by gray orcs. One is located in the heart of the Great Plains and the other towards the southern most tip of the southern plains. What are essentially tent cities surrounded by a palisade, these holy cities are places where violence between tribes is forbidden. Trade, bartering, gossip and exchange of members are common here. Gray orc tribes looking to replace lost animals, acquire members of a sex they are lacking, or gather supplies will winter in one of these cities. Most tribes try to make a pilgrimage every couple of years to pray at the great shrines to Gruumsh in the heart of both settlements, a sacred rite that all high priests attempt multiple times in their lives. It is a hard life, but one that the gray orcs take to willingly. They will not submit, and they will not be beaten.

## Religion:

Gray orcs venerate Gruumsh above all. Gruumsh's influence is incredible on the tribe, even more than with hill orcs. The rest of the orc pantheon is likewise worshiped as well. Non-orc gods are almost never worshiped by gray orcs.

## Alignment:

Many gray orcs are neutral evil. Some are true neutral or even neutral good. While there are a fair number of chaotic gray orcs it is far more likely that a gray orc will be neutral. The rigorous of their tribal, nomadic lifestyle ensures that there is little room from random acts or brutality or savagery. Not that gray orcs are incapable of savagery, they simply reserve it for battle.

## Relations:

Evil gray orcs don't get along well with anyone who isn't a gray orc but they are willing to deal with ogres and trolls, due to their strength and resilience. In an unusual twist for orcs, gray orcs will accept goblins or hobgoblins into the tribe as second class citizens and servants, rather than merely attacking them on sight. Good aligned gray orcs are known to communicate with centaurs, tabaxi and porcine, as well as the nomadic humans of the steppes. Goliaths are respected as both allies and enemies. Still, the are bristly with outsiders, regardless of alignment.

## Language:

The gray orcs speak a complex variant of the orcish. Anyone who can speak orcish can understand this language, but many words, inflections, and pronunciations vary wildly between tribes and usually a period of a few days is required to sort out and get used to the idiosyncrasies of a new tribe. Gray orcs are not fond of learning new languages, but a tribe's clerics typically know common, to interrogate captives, and giant and goblin, to interact with possible allies.

## Names:

Gray orc names are indistinguishable from common hill orc names and so use typical orcish names.

## Adventurers:

Gray orcs are common adventurers. They are wandering nomads with few allies and, when a tribe is killed off, or a weak or exiled gray orc is left behind, he has to start over again. Gray orcs make excellent scouts and hunters, they can become quite loyal to an adopted "tribe" of adventurers and can prove remarkably philosophical companions. Many are clerics, ensuring that they will never be short of requests from adventurers seeking one for their party.

## Traits:

Gray orcs have the following traits...

Size: Medium

Ability adjustments: +2 Strength, -2 Intelligence, +2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma

Gray orc base land speed is 40 feet. Their gait is long and loping and they can cover great distances quickly.

Light Blindness: Gray orcs suffer a -1 penalty on attack rolls in sunlight or within the radius of a daylight spell. Darkvision: Gray orcs can see in the dark up to 60 feet.

Scent: Can detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell. This allows the user to track hidden and invisible targets when using the Track ability.

Weapon Proficiency: Gray orcs are always proficient with greataxe and longbow.

Favored Class: Cleric, scout