Orc

## Summary

Orcs are one of the many People of the Realm in Cerrellus. Orcs live short lives, but good lives. They experience emotions far more strongly than other species, whether that be rage, pride, joy, or sadness. Physically, orcs tend to be taller and bulkier than humans, and have green skin, although many different types of orcs exist. Orcs also tend to have a large jaw to accommodate their tusks, which can range from twice the size of a tooth, to half a metre! Their noses are different to humans too, appearing larger, and more upturned. An unflattering comparison is to that of pigs, which is not a nice thing to call an orc.

## Origins

As told by an orcish tribal elder, or perhaps told by an orcish lecturer at Melton College, orcs were created by Horkos. They were originally called the "Or'kos", after their patron god's namesake (Hor'Kos/Horkos). Over time, the word was Dynakinized from "Or'kos" to "Ork" to "Orc". Nowadays, most orc populations want nothing to do with Horkos and his legacy. The biggest orcish tribe, the Tav'Arj, are known for their staunch belief in justice and peace, and strong connection to the forest and their talent for wood-carving. These values that directly contradict the destructive industrial evil that Horkos endorses.

## Types of Orc

There are many different types of orcs across Cerrellus. Orcs do not really see a distinction between each other in terms of appearance, so they have never really sought to categorise each other into distinct groups. However, other species (specifically the elves) have attempted to draw specific delineations between the various orcish traits into a kind of taxonomy. This method of distinction is largely considered speciesist by orcs, and modern academics tend to agree.

### Tav/"Greenskin" orcs

Tav orcs are the most common type of orc, and usually what people think of when they imagine orcs. Tav orcs can be found almost everywhere in Cerrellus. "Tav" means "wood" or "tree" in orcish, referring to the green colouration of orcish skin.

### Vek/"Longtusk" orcs

Vek orcs typically have blue skin and are taller and leaner than Tav orcs. They have a hunched posture, which is believed to relieve referred pain from their massive tusks. Vek orcs have the longest tusks out of any orc, often reaching half a metre in length.

### Dro/"Swineface" orcs

Dro orcs are known to have more pig-like features than other orcs, with a more pronounced snout and boar-like tusks. Dro orcs are shorter than other orcs, being roughly the same height as half-dwarves, or slightly taller. Some Dro orcs can grow sharp spines on their back, like a porcupine.

### Mar/"Stonejaw" orcs

Mar orcs were sometimes referred to as "goliaths", before the elves realised the people were a sub-species of orcs. Mar orcs are hairless, and stone-coloured, with no tusks to speak of. Instead, Mar orcs have infused with the elemental energy of earth, and in hard times can extract energy from consuming rocks. When the elves saw this, they immediately labelled the species "stonejaws" for their jaw strength, but misundertood the purpose of chewing rocks. They saw it as a silly ritual to show off, when in reality the truth is anything but. When a Mar orc openly chews on a rock, they are not boasting, but instead taking a last resort against starvation.

### Yan/"Eyehorn" orcs

Yan orcs are the most different orcs of all. Their skin, like Vek orcs, maybe blue, but the texture is crusty, no doubt because of where they live: The blue, sandy deserts of the Elterwind Empire. Interestingly, it is known that some Yan orcs can change colour to suit their environment, which has been seen in places like the Southern Badlands, where the Yan orcs are orangey-red in colouration to match the landscape. Yan orcs look like they have huge bellies, but this is a misconception: The lump is actually a camel-like hump on their front which is used to carry vast amounts of water. More interesting than their bellies, however, are their heads. Yan orcs have one large eye, like a cyclops, and one single tusk that grows out of their forehead like a horn.

## Horkosian Revenancy

When a person dies with unfinished business, sometimes they can come back as a ghost. Far more dangerous than ghosts, are revenants. When a person dies with revenge in their heart, you'd better pray they don't come back as a revenant. Revenants are corporeal undead that have all the same abilities that a person did when they were alive, but they must kill their mark and avenge their death. Fuelled by rage and revenge, a revenant can track their mark across the corners of the Prime Material and beyond, never tiring, never slowing down. The revenant has one year from their death date to exact their revenge, or their soul is forfeit.

Due to their strong emotions, especially with their Horkosian wrath and anger, orcs make powerful revenants. Their heightened experience of betrayal and revenge makes them even more dangerous than a standard revenant, amplifying their speed and strength. Horkosian revenants, also, do not suffer from the primary weakness of a standard revenant: 'fading away'. A revenant's soul can become forfeit if it fails to exact its revenge in one year, as everyone knows. However, a revenant can save thier soul and die earlier than this if they give up the pursuit of their target for too long, or come to peace with their death. This results in the revenant slowly (or rapidly) 'fading away', keeping their soul, and going to the afterlife. Horkosian revenants cannot fade away. The rage of an orc burns far too bright to allow a Horkosian Revenant to accept their death, or have any thoughts except revenge. A Horkosian Revenant is a single-minded killer with an alarming success rate in exacting revenge.