Orcs

> *"Well, at least these Centaurs are not as uncivilized and dishonorable as these Orc Tribes that roam around."*
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> *"You're an imbecile. Orcs may appear uncivilized, but their code of honor, their 'Ronagar' is something many of us could take more to heart. Nothing differenciates them more from us than their sense of honor and their prowess in combat."* - A scholar lecturing a Seraph soldier.
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## Orcs

Male Orc

Female Orc

Orcs are one of a few proud creations of Balthazar, the god of war. Their superior physical stamina and remarkable resolve sets them apart from their other kin, like the Charr and the Centaurs.

## **Phyisology**

With skin tones ranging from light green to dark brown, a heavily muscular frame, and considerable stature the Orcs stand apart amongst Elves and Humans. They also are one of the only race to display tusks. Born with much less magical affinity compared to other races, the Orcs have developed a strong warrior culture that makes them highly valuable in hand-to-hand combat. They often excel as superior adventurers and warriors in non-Orc guilds. This is not to say that they cannot wield magic, however. For example Tursukk the Cruel, the leader of the Sanguine (Maguuma Orcs), has proved his marvelous control of Ether and deadly spellcasting.

The Orcs nowadays can be segmented into three different sub-races between the greenskinned creatures.

* **Plain Orcs** - The most common ones that mostly reside on grasslands, steppes or forests.
* **Maguuma Orcs** - The more corrupted and devious kind that made the Maguuma Jungle and Wastes their home, where ruthlessness was crucial for survival. Even discarding their sense of honor to a degree.
* **Goblins** - These younger, more crooked, smaller yet agile 'Orcs' are a deviation of the Shiverpeak Orcs that had to retreat underground to shield themselves from the severe cold, and thus (de)evolved. The first Goblins were sighted at around 1500 AE.

## **History**

As Balthazar, the god of war, inherited the spirit of fire, and thus the instinct to cause havoc and war, Balthazar created 4 species that would spurr the life - death cycle on Tyria. One of them was the Orc, the ones bearing an iron will and incredible physical endurance, and not to mention their above average strength. Being nomads, the Orcs never established a city or fortress where they would last in for long. They kept that tradition ever since they've drawn their first breath on Tyria.

### **War of Ronagash**

As the Orcs spawned together with the Charr, Centaurs and Krait onto Kryta and Ascalon, they first fought among each other, to prove which race was worthy of being Balthazar's most prideful creation. Completely ignoring the First Tyrian War, that waged between the Eladrin-Dragonborn alliance against the Margonites.

No race ever proved themselves dominantly victorious over the others and they finally decided to go their seperate ways, to prove through advanced means, which race was the most superior. The Orcs split into several tribes and spread across Tyria. The Charr united under one great legion and migrated to Ascalon, while the Centaur moved to Kryta and Harathi. As for the Krait, they were more amphibious, so they vanished into the Uneding Ocean to dominate all waters.

However, even that did not quench the thirst for dominance within the Orcs themselves, and they started competing with each other, before the separated into different Tribes. This although, was resolved, because three major Tribes made a name for themselves, dubbing themselves the strongest of all Orc Tribes.

Over time, only three of them prevailed after most have either joined one of the larger three or have been wiped out, or became Orsans (Half-Orcs).

* **Warsong Tribe** - The strongest among the Plain Orcs. Performing the infamous warsong to benefit from the immense morale from the cheering roar of the Tribe song, which earned them that name.
* **The Sanguine** - The strongest among the Maguuma Orcs. Their bloody, savage and ruthless nature earned them the name of the bloodred color itself.
* **Shiverlings** - The strongest among the Goblins. Their massive army sizes from overproduction and agile physical capabilities gave them an outrageous advantage in swarming their enemies in the Shiverpeaks in a matter of days, completely overwhelming them, which earned them the name.

## **Warsong Tribe**

### **Sacking of Droknar's Forge**

Following the history of the Warband Tribe, after prevailing over most Orc Tribes, they aimed for something greater. And so, they thought of the great fortune of the mountain dwellers, the Dwarves. The Warsong even involved other, smaller Orc Tribes that were vassals of the Warsong in the raid in 86 AE.

Assembling a mighty main force, the Orcs charged the great walls of Droknar's Forge, which fell with relative ease, since the Deldrimor Kingdom never dealt with such a wardriven faction before. They were caught off guard.

The Orcs utilized improvised rams to break down the stone gate, which other races would have needed days for. Entering the capital of the Dwarven kingdom, the Orcs however were finally met with heavy resistance, as Dwarves are as sturdy if not even slightly more standfast than Orcs. The Warsong and its sub-Tribes only proved victorious after a rather smart plan by the chieftain Grimrar, by cutting off the mines and armory from the city, which prevented more Dwarves to aid in the exterior city. The Orcs plundered and raided before they ultimately left a day later. It was a great success.

A few of the smaller Orc Tribes decided to stay in the Shiverpeaks, which then later became the Goblins.

### **Rise of the Krait**

As the Adwetherai, the Tree of Life, radiated enormous, pure magic energy, it was sure to attract attention from all across Tyria. Even the deep sea residents, the Krait, felt its presence even under the Unending Ocean. Their greed and their warmongering even drove them above the sea levels.

A large number of Kraits gathered at the shores of the Tarnished Coast near Celadon Forest around 270 BE. The Eladrin scouts discovered them just in time to repel their first attack. However, it was too late.

The Krait managed to flank the Grove from multiple sides, splitting the Eladrin army in two, as the larger part of the Krait troops held the entire Grove hostage. The High Elves had little choice but to seek exterior help. The Orc Tribe Warsong was actually near the Grove, until Captain Ganduril asked the Tribe for their military support. Orcs, being aware of their age old rivals, accepted the challenge.

At first, Warsong struck the Krait forces that prevented from all Eladrin patrolling soldiers back into the Grove, before the final liberation began. The Orcs started to raid the outer sections of the Grove, forcing the Krait to send their serpent warriors over to fight their nemeses. Outnumbered three two one, the Warsong held their ground, buying enough time for the Eladrin to swipe the remaining garrison within the Grove, before finally striking the Krait into a full retreat.

For the efforts and glorious victory, the Eladrin built a waraxe, with the wooden handle of the Adwetherai itself and steel of the finest metal. The Gorehowl was their new Tribe pride, which was carried around for hundreds of years.

### **Warsong's Defeat**

1997 BE. The Warsong shifted their hunting grounds over towards Maguuma Jungle, since the heavy activity of the Human-Centaur conflict caused many casualties even towards the tough warband of Orcs. Though they weren't fully aware, that they were trespassing Nightmare Court territory. High Mistress Tolodriel ordered Zaladir and his elite Drow squad to wipe out the Orcs.

The unaware Orcs were suddenly ambushed at some point in the Maguuma Jungle. Ultimately, Grimloq was slain by Zaladir, who then took Gorehowl as a trophy and suddenly started travelling eastward. A crushing defeat towards the Warsong. However, it even worsened when the Orcs then chased the Nightmare Court squad back into Kryta. There, the Orcs were once again caught in between multiple fronts. Slain by Centaur and Seraph forces, the Warsong's numbers diminished until they were ultimately crushed by unknown Human forces. The last survivor of the Warsong Tribe being Grimgor Warsong.

## **Culture**

The three different Orc sub-cultures all have their own customs and versions of how Orcs are supposed to live. Generally speaking, Orcs are creatures that thrive for conflict and growth through combat. What they all have in common though, is the Tribe infrastructure.

Each Tribe has a **chieftain**, who commands his troops and leads his following kinsmen and kinswomen into war and glory.

Followed by a **steward**, who is the second in command, who mostly keeps the troops in check, while the chieftain concentrates on the larger decisions.

A small niche but the most elite Orcs of a Tribe are called the **berserkers** for males and **steelmaiden** for females.

Then there's the **tribesmen / tribesfolk** who are the backbone of the Tribe and the main forces within their warband military might.

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