Orc

An **Orc** is a fictional humanoid monster like a goblin. Orcs were brought into modern usage by the fantasy writings of J. R. R. Tolkien, especially The Lord of the Rings. In Tolkien's works, Orcs are a brutish, aggressive, ugly, and malevolent race of monsters, contrasting with the benevolent Elves. There is a suggestion, among several somewhat contradictory origin stories, that they are a corrupted race of elves.

## Etymology

The Latin word Orcus is glossed as "Orc, þyrs, oððe hel-deofol" in the 10th century Old English Cleopatra Glossaries, about which Thomas Wright wrote, "Orcus was the name for Pluto, the god of the infernal regions, hence we can easily understand the explanation of hel-deofol. Orc, in Anglo-Saxon, like thyrs, means a spectre, or goblin." The Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal defines ork in the closely related Old Dutch language as a verslindend monster, and points at a possible origin in the Old Dutch nork "petulant, crabbed, evil person".

## Tolkien

Tolkien began the modern use of the English term "orc" to denote a race of evil, humanoid creatures. His earliest Elvish dictionaries include the entry Ork "monster", "ogre", "demon", together with orqindi and "ogresse". He sometimes used the plural form orqui in his early texts. He stated that the Elvish words for orc were derived from a root ruku, "fear, horror"; in Quenya, orco, plural orkor; in Sindarin orch, plurals yrch and Orchoth. They had similar names in other Middle-earth languages: uruk in Black Speech; in the language of the Drúedain gorgûn, "ork-folk"; in Khuzdul rukhs, plural rakhâs; and in the language of Rohan and in the Common Speech, orka.

## Other fiction

As a response to the type-casting of orcs as generic evil characters or antagonists, some novels portray events from the point of view of the orcs, or make them more sympathetic characters. Mary Gentle's 1992 novel Grunts! presents orcs as generic infantry, used as metaphorical cannon-fodder. A series of books by Stan Nicholls, Orcs: First Blood, focuses on the conflicts between orcs and humans from the orcs' point of view. In Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, Orcs are close to extinction; in his Unseen Academicals it is said that "When the Evil Emperor wanted fighters he got some of the Igors to turn goblins into orcs" to be used as weapons in a Great War, "encouraged" by whips and beatings.

## Games

Orcs based on The Lord of the Rings have become a fixture of fantasy fiction and role-playing games. In the fantasy tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons*,* orcs were among the earliest creatures introduced in the game, and were largely based upon those described by Tolkien. The D&D orcs are a tribal race of hostile and bestial humanoids with muscular frames, large canine teeth and snouts rather than human-like noses. The orc appears in the first edition Monster Manual, where it is described as a fiercely competitive bully, a tribal creature often living underground. The mythology and attitudes of the orcs are described in detail in Dragon #62, in Roger E. Moore's article, "The Half-Orc Point of View", and the orc is further detailed in Paizo Publishing's 2008 book Classic Monsters Revisited.

## Capabilities

Orcs are humanoids that usually share both a primitive appearance and conflict with humanity and the other races. Generally speaking all orcs have tendency to enjoy war and often form large hordes. Roughly speaking orcs can be divided into two groups, both with differing levels of intelligence, civilizations and technology.

## Common powers

**Aging Immunity:** Orcs are immune to the negative effects of aging.

**Barbarian:** Orcs have gained insurmountable bravery and an almost inhuman set of abilities derived from rites of passage and special training received from generations of barbarians that came before.

**Enhanced Body:** Orcs physical condition is above normal and peak members of their species in that verse, beyond what can be emulated via natural training and with little to no maintaining.

**Environmental Adaptation:** Orcs can survive and adapt to any environment and condition, being able to tolerate a wide range of temperatures and levels of moisture, any amount of sustenance, breathable medium, etc. with little or no discomfort.

**Feral Mind:** Orcs can tap into a primal instinctive state of mind, which can release an unstoppable rage that allows them to perform in vastly increased capacity, taking and inflicting damage that they couldn't or wouldn't in their normal state.

**Indomitable Lust:** Orcs have indomitably strong lust; a strong and sometimes dark emotion that revolves around a psychological force of intense desire and untamed hunger and that longs or enforces a dangerous form of passion, and a deep thirst that can never be filled forever that can act as an unending source of power for their abilities, taking different forms of corrupt desires be it a lust for sex, money, food or power that can lead to being possessive over them which can lead to a far worse situation.

**Large Size:** Orcs possess a level of physical size greater than is achievable by man.

**Pointed Ears:** Orcs possess pointed ears.

**Shamanism:** Orcs can perceive, contact, and bargain or control the spiritual world through shamanism.

**Tusk Protrusion:** Orcs either have or can generate tusks which can be used in various ways.

**Unnatural Quality:** Orcs either possess a level of any physical property either different from that of a normal member of their species, or is simply a member of a species that is naturally a different property than humans.

**Warrior:** Orcs are Warriors: a person brave and experienced fighter specializing in combat, battles and warfare.