Ork Wings

The third and often times least regarded of the original species, the Ork-Wings are the closest one might find on Avernus to pacifists. Nomadic, cheerful and free, the Ork-Wings migrate across the world in their closely knit communities as one with the wind, which certainly shows in humanity’s initial interactions with them.

For the most part, they’ve been seen numerous times, albeit at a great distance as they are not native to our continent, and dismissed as a trick of the light. Closer inspection during the Tournament of the Ancient One and testimony by people like Areatha revealed that no, there are in fact flying Orkish creatures on Avernus, but even then they were of little assistance in establishing relations with the majority of their people, as they themselves rarely do so and, in the words of the Sirens or Trolls, “easily forget such things.”

Nevertheless, the Eldar are better equipped in this regard and, armed with contacts from the Remnant Kingdom, have succeeded where we have rarely tried, passing on this report to us of their capabilities and history.

## Physiology

Ork-Wings look, at a distance, like Orks with large feathery wings. This is the initial point that must be gotten out of the way and why they are, on the surface, so peculiar to just about every species that is active in the wider galaxy, as theirs is a contrast to just about every other kind of Ork in existence.

On closer inspection, the Ork-Wings are most similar to their cousins from a distance, but at shorter distances several similarities start to become apparent. While the skin colouration is similar, they possess a “male-female” sexual dimorphism, eschew the Orks’ habitual slouch, and are generally more svelte in build and lack. There are other things such as the lack of overbite that distinguish them from the Orks, but in the Eldar’s words the most telling is missing, “the manic energy and enthusiasm for death that pervades those of the Waaaagh.” Instead, the Ork-Wing’s are said to have an aura of “gentle currents” and visually resemble the Krork.

They also lack the fungoid traits that distinguish the Krork and the Orks, having never been made with them at any point.

Perhaps the feature most distinguishing them from either of their relatives are the great feathered wings that protrude from their shoulder blades. Of great size when born, their wings grow in size and luster as they age and their wingspan is a good indicator of one’s age and wisdom. More related to their wings will be elaborated upon in the culture and powers section as they are linked to both. In the meantime, their wings are remarkably strong, able to create strong gusts of air from the conventional motions required to keep their bodies afloat.

However, the traits that place them closer to their relatives in the Orkoid family are still apparent for all to see. First is an immense level of physical strength and durability, with Ork-Wings having been seen to shrug off wounds that would have completely incapacitated a human. Perhaps for all our sakes it is good that they use their strength primarily for wrestling ornery herd beasts to the ground.

Their endurance is on an entirely different level even by comparison with their other traits, with Ork-Wings seeming to need almost no sleep at all, even intensive levels of physical activity (such as flying or gliding for months on end) seeming to wash over them. They *can* become exhausted, but it requires either considerable psychic exertions or prolonged combat.

It’s these combined traits that give Ork-Wings a somewhat underappreciated capacity on Avernus, the ability to *leave*. When confronted by an enemy Ork-Wings will choose to simply abandon the area and travel somewhere else, and thanks to their endurance can usually escape from a battle without needing to fight at all, so they choose to do so whenever possible.

### Mental Connection

One of the root causes of this is their own version of the War-Field, the unifying and arguably distinguishing trait of all Orkoids. However, it is perhaps incorrect to term their “Field” one for war. The Eldar brought in a Krork Warlock specifically to investigate this, and their conclusion was that their field was designed for the purpose of fostering unity and empathy.

Where the War-Field allows Krork to feel each other’s emotions and communicate at long distances, and the Waaaagh field is overwhelmed by the uncontrolled emotions of the Orks so that it is a self-perpetuating aura of devastation, the Ork-Wing’s field is intended to let them understand one another and draw comfort from each other. It is a far deeper and more personal bond than its predecessors; not a hive-mind, but each Ork-Wing is certainly born into the world feeling the touch of hundreds or thousands of other minds, sharing their emotions, experiences and memories with them.

It is this closeness that makes the Ork-Wings so empathetic to other beings. They are born seeing the world at least partially from another’s perspective and grow skilled at doing the same even for those not of their collective.

However, to hear the Warlock speak of it, this is as much a curse as it is a blessing. They said they could somewhat understand what it would be like, but while it amplifies the love they feel for one another it would also enhance the pain they endure when one of them is lost. The War-Field is somewhat similar, but where they mourn their fallen comrades, it is not as intense as what the Ork-Wings feel when one of their members is literally ripped away.

One of the root causes of their pacifism seems to be within that knowledge, for an Ork-Wing will likely experience death as closely as one can to actually dying themselves. They may know intellectually that others do not experience this, but as a whole the People themselves state that “they are not very rational.” While others may not feel the loss as keenly as they, they feel it nonetheless, which is a suffering the Ork-Wings cannot abide.

## Powers

The Ork-Wings are interesting in that their development of powers is both a continual process and one that stalls for long periods of time. Their ancestral memories ensure they will never completely lose access to a technique, but advancing them usually relies on a degree of luck or a sufficiently skilled user emerging. Furthermore, there are some abilities they don’t *want* to use, but the memories preserve them, ensuring that the Ork-Wings retain access to the dreadful abilities of the Khan and his horde.

While the focus of the Ork-Wing’s varies greatly from clan to clan, their nature is not so variable.

That nature is Air, which can be described as the capacity to touch that which is real, but not visible. Air is the obvious example, all know it *is* present and can feel its effects such as the wind, but it is invisible and cannot touched physically...at least not in the same way the Ork-Wings can.

They are capable of *feeling* these things and then directing or molding them to suit their whims. Their wings are critical to this, serving as channels to direct the wind and cups to “gather” it and other things of a similar nature close to them. As a result they are usually less skilled at specific manipulations, with such mastery coming only with time and patience.

The end result is that the Ork-Wings find it incredibly hard to affect the physical world with their powers. The one exception is **Aeromancy** of which they are the undisputed masters on Avernus, with even a single Ork-Wing capable of creating storms and tempests with ease and accessing even grander techniques as a whole. Fulmancy as a result of using Aeromancy is not uncommon amongst them, but manipulating lightning directly is incredibly rare, as it is almost exclusively a weapon. Usually Ork-Wings will learn the various lightning related powers only when their clan is in great danger.

As if to compensate, the Ork-Wing’s mastery of telepathy, divination, conceptions and other non physical arts surpasses even the Sirens', albeit in their own way. It must be noted that the Ork-Wings possess very few techniques that are permanent in the same manner as the Trolls or Sirens and theirs are far more personal and fundamental than their kin’s.

In terms of **Telepathy** the Ork-Wings are possibly the most skilled telepathic people on Avernus. Even the Sirens cannot compare to the simple experience most Ork-Wing’s possess, as they are telepathically bound their entire lives and have great insight into both their own minds and those of others. This is before considering the additional benefits of Ork-Wings rarely fighting these battles alone, essentially taking the benefit of the Siren’s courts, but amplifying it with all those other minds being sentient and attacking on their own paths.

Making them even more intimidating in the mental sphere is a mastery of **Empathy**, an often overlooked, school of psychic arts. It is likely one of the most common Ork-Wing abilities after their Aeromancy, with most being able to passively view other’s emotions for a variety of purposes. If threatened, they can easily pick up tells merely from viewing their enemies' intentions, at the same time also attacking their emotions directly, breaking their willpower for a telepathic assault, or merely calming their stronger emotions so that they cease fighting.

**Divination** or to them the Wind of Fate, is amongst their most potent abilities. Where most diviners see it as a tapestry or weave, the Ork-Wings conceptualise it in such a way that they can gather it like they would a gust of wind. Breathing it in they can see far more futures in a manner that is remarkably intuitive to them. If they wish for futures of a specific time they can simply call that wind to the now with remarkable accuracy, amongst other techniques. What sets them truly apart is their faculty for Fateweaving. As they see fate as wind, *their* domain, directing its course comes to them with far more ease than other species, permitting them to order destiny to the course they desire. It was this ability that made the Khan more dangerous than any other, as they held such a mastery over fate that they could command victory from impossible odds, to the point that Tzeentch is whispered to have feared for its domain. This is likely an exaggeration, but mayhaps have a kernel of truth.

They are known to possess some faculty for the Primal Warp, but to what degree is very unclear. It can be hard to distinguish their normal strangeness from the odd eddies of the Primal Warp a lot of the time.

Finally, the Ork-Wings might be rivaled, but are certainly not lax in the arena of the **Soul**. It is unsurprising such a thing falls within their wheelhouse, as unclear yet present as it is. However, the Soul is ill understood even by the Ork-Wings for the most part, with there being only a handful of Clans that truly investigate it. For the most part, their soul techniques have to do with their own ancestral memories and memory as a whole. Although not something eagerly undertaken they are more than capable of rewriting, adding or even deleting memories within another’s soul. Beyond that almost all returns to clan techniques, with there being a general lack of uniformity. However, a common theme are rituals designed to let one “feel the touch of the winds” or to “release the restrictions on the spirit.” Areatha says she took part in one a very long time ago that allowed her to fly under her own power, and she knows another that grants the one who undertakes it immense, if temporary and fatal power, akin to the rapid aging that struck Jacob before Lulana reinforced his body.

As might be guessed the Ork-Wings with knowledge of these techniques were frequent targets of the Animancers before their attempts to raid were banned. However, the Elder Race has proudly never been caught by the Animancers. Only when brought to the bargaining table have they ever divulged knowledge to the Necromantic Lords.

## History

To understand the Ork-Wings one must understand first their essential nature, then understand their history. The report has just touched on their “field” that distinguishes itself from those of the Orks and the Krork, but one must ask the question; what happens to the Ork-Wings, when they as a people are traumatised?

That was the question they were forced to ask, sixty million years ago in the aftermath of the First Incursion.

The True Trolls were the greatest and most eternal casualty of that incursion, but all others on Avernus also suffered greatly. The Sirens’ first homeland was burned to naught but cinders by the laughing Daemons of Khorne, causing the great diaspora that ended with the establishment of their empire millions of years later, the Lizardmen lost many of their greatest remaining heroes who might have stabilized their position had they not fallen due to the confusion and grief following the death of the Slann, and the Ork-Wings were massacred in immense numbers.

Even back then they were not an aggressive people, or in the words of the Old Ones “fit for the galaxy that was.” Theirs was not the innate strength of the Trolls or the ingenuity of the Sirens, instead they were peaceable and gentle, leaving them ill-fit to contest the daemons that were literal embodiments of combat and war itself. All they could do was fly as fast as they could, feeling as the voices of their kin were cut off one by one and experiencing the sharp, intense memories of slaughter that permeated their field.

Estimates vary given how long ago it was, but according to the Ancient One less than 5% of the pre-incursion Ork-Wing population survived, and they were the most populous of the initial three peoples. The almost total obliteration of the Ork-Wings caused echoes to ripple across history as the trauma of those black days was passed down from generation to generation, being reinvigorated by each incursion.

The Ork-Wings fell into a depression growing ever more despondent and bitter until at last they finally snapped.

Their field does not lend itself to creating the same kind of solid hierarchies that the Ork’s and Krork’s does, with a singular “big leader” who is empowered in turn. But *very* rarely, one might emerge from the Ork-Wings who will champion their cause and carry the weight of their suffering upon their back. The most influential of all of them, the one both reviled and revered for saving their species and the first is known simply as the Khan.

The events that took place happened so long ago that almost no histories speak of it, with only the Ancient One’s memories providing even a semi reliable record. Even he does not know the full picture however, being as he is far from omniscient. What he can be certain of is what happened.

First the Khan began to unify the Ork-Wings, shaking them out of their stupor and despair, rallying them to their cause. This happened just after the emergence of Nurgle, around 58 million years ago.

### Conquest

Then the Conquest began.

The Ork-Wings were swift, faster than just about every force on Avernus and numerous to boot, and before them pretty much all lands fell. Only three peoples remained independent, the prototypical Kingdom of the Remnant who they besieged for millennia, the slowly expanding Empire of Varjinash the rulers of which hid themselves away at the bottom of the ocean, and the Lizardmen Empires who they did not even attempt to overcome, not being suicidal.

Within the space of a few generations, the previously passive and peaceful Ork-Wings had overtaken almost all of Avernus’s surface, creating both the first and in largest empire the world has ever known before setting about pacifying it. Their goal was simple, to ensure that they had time to recover from the memories that haunted their every waking moment and they would give anything to accomplish this.

It was the work of eternity, each incursion setting back their progress by thousands of years, but the Khan would not be denied. Slowly, they clawed back their stability and peace of mind, returning to the tranquility that they could barely remember, and with a sigh of relief...dropped their weapons.

According to the Ancient One it was remarkable to watch, as a people that had ruled with an iron fist for nearly a million years at that stage...simply dropped their weapons, abandoned their ruling and left. Their empire fell without a struggle, the Ork-Wings glad to no longer rule and *happy* to make reparations for their time as tyrants. In his mind it was like an event from a story or play, but he cannot deny that it was real and to him speaks significantly of the nature of the Ork-Wings.

Only the Khan did not return with their people, the now ancient leader instead flying northwards alone. The Ancient One describes them as extremely old (a child still to him, but by most other standards an unimaginable elder), transcended, and incredibly dangerous. Their skill in particular was to take the wind of destiny and bend it to their will, a feat for which they had secured victory for their people and earned the enmity and fear of one being in particular, Tzeentch.

The God of Change had been “born” only recently at that time, being the youngest of the Gods for most of its existence and not yet set into many of its current traits. However, its madness, the product of the soon to come birth was still more than present, and the Khan’s capacity to grasp destiny in their hands terrified the God of Change and Fate more than mortal minds could comprehend because of it.

Somehow Tzeentch forced the Khan to come to them through trickery, pride or even something as simple as a threat to their kin so soon after they had regained themselves, and the Khan answered in turn.

There at the pole, the Khan was met by Kairos, Tzeentch’s Vizier, the proudest, eldest and most puissant of Tzeentch’s cohort, the refined and elegant creature gesturing to a cargo the Khan had carried with them. Half of a chess board, fitted somehow to the edge of the warp rift, connecting with the other side behind which sat Tzeentch himself.

As soon as the connection was made, Daemon, Khan and God all vanished instantaneously and none knew what occurred then or now save Tzeentch itself. There are legends of course, a popular one is that the Khan confidently made the first move, and Tzeentch, beset by a billion contradictory flares of paranoia, was unable to respond, so they trapped the Khan in time giving the God an eternity to create a counter strategy. Another is that the game was simply a trap, and the Khan was tricked at last by Tzeentch and died. A twist to the story is that the Khan knew that it was a trick, and sacrificed their life to implant some poison or idea in Tzeentch’s black heart as an apology to the Peoples they had oppressed.

They are gone now, whatever truly happened that day. The Ancient One thinks if any of Avernus’s peoples could find a way back from their presumed ends it would be the founding three, but he has lost too much to hope or assume such a thing could actually come to be.

With the empire fallen and the Khan either dead or gone, the Ork-Wings have returned as close as they can to what they were before the Incursion, broken down into tribes and clans that follow the wind and their own interests in deciding what they want to do. They are hardened by their previous experiences and are likely amongst Avernus’s most dangerous Peoples if their full might were to be every assembled, but they have the distinction of being the one People on Avernus who is liked by just about everyone.

## Society and Culture

### Society

Most of Ork-Wing Society is organised into clans that are at once both highly unique in specifics, but extremely similar in generalities. This section of the report will deal with common traits seen across almost all observed Ork-Wing clans. While exceptions always exist, they are far from common.

Clans can range from the small (a few hundred-thousand members) to the massive (hundreds-millions of members and often divided up into large sub-clans). As a whole, these clans all belong to the Grand Flock, which is their term for the Ork-Wings as a unified people. Simultaneously, most clans are part of at least one, usually more, Aeries. It is a rather ill-defined term, but best approximates to alliance, fellowship or vassal all at the same time.

The Eldar *think* what it specifically refers to in interclan relations shifts depending on the clans in question. So for example a weaker clan that relies on a stronger one for protection would be a vassal Aerie, but due to the history of the clans it may also be a fellowship Aerie as well.

The Empire of Ashes has only tentative theories of the nature of these relationships, and even should their theories be correct they are near impossible to understand. Ork-Wings make no use of written treaties among themselves, and seem to define the relation by popular opinion as much as anything else. This can lead to two different clans having wildly different views on the nature of their relationship. That such an informal system works so well is considered a testament to the Ork-Wings' diplomatic talents.

Thankfully the Ork-Wings do not tend to involve outsiders in their byzantine inner politics. Instead, visitors are met by representatives. These are usually elders of various traditions, gatherers, shamans, wind riders and so on, who are picked by the tribe to represent their interests.

For the most part though, they have nothing resembling a formalised hierarchy. Decisions on a clan level are generally made via logic and methodology that is completely opaque to outsiders, with tribes usually seen devolving into wide scale shouting matches that can include different members meeting up to continue arguments they were not even part of. Then, as quickly as started, it will end with no hard feelings between the members. To the Eldar it feels strangely reminiscent of an Orkish warboss succession brawl, albeit with far fewer deaths.

Once done, the entire flock will enact whatever decision was reached, usually one related to travel.

Most of these traits can be traced back to their connecting field, which enables such a disorganised system. It would not work for practically anyone else, but the present Krork were able to follow along what was going on quite well, even contributing their own opinions. They did complain about a lack of discipline, but this is not *too* unusual in the Krork.

Once they have arrived at a destination, clan members typically go about their own business. Those with specific jobs will organize together enough of their people to perform such tasks as finding shelter and the rest will...well, do whatever catches their interest.

Addendum: It must be noted the Ork-Wings have one of the strongest cultural aversions to the Caverns on record. Apparently, they retain memories of some cavers with abject horror.

### Culture

Culturally the Ork-Wings are about as disorganised and as “airheads” (a term they seem to take with remarkable aplomb) as it gets. Their clans can organise themselves around seemingly any goal that they find collectively appealing and what that is can change rapidly.

The few universals as already mentioned are their dedication to pacifism (by Avernite standards), empathy and general kindness towards others. In large part this is because they can feel the hurt of others ease, so take it upon themselves to minimise the amount of it in the world. It is certainly a strange task considering *what* world they live on, but the Ork-Wings seem to find no issue with it.

By nature they are not prone to holding grudges and can shrug off desire towards hatred with a casual ease, standing ready to embrace long standing enemies as brother or sister with enthusiastic glee should they be given the chance, or eagerly participating in the rituals and customs of local peoples with as much drive as the people themselves.

With their nomadic lifestyle too comes a great deal of cultural cross-pollination, as the Ork-Wings will usually pick up bits and pieces of other people’s ideas and incorporate them into their own in a variety of ways.

Although technically within the powers section, the importance of ancestor memories must also be noted within the culture section. When an Ork-Wing dies, their memories are released into their field alongside a fraction of their “essence.” An Ork-Wing can consult these memories, with the younger ones usually being “fresher.” Memories are also usually consulted by clan members, as the more direct connection aids in experiencing them without becoming overwhelmed.

The memories are some of the most important parts of the Ork-Wings, alongside the living members of their clan. As long as the species as a whole lives, no part of it ever truly dies in a way. Furthermore, the memories serve as a direct source of teaching to the clan, as almost akin to osmosis, an imprint of their skills will seep into their minds, perpetuating their talents across millennia. The literal transference of power is in no small part what has kept the Ork-Wings alive for so long, but it does come with a downside.

The emotions of the dead also transfer, and the more intense their emotions were, particularly in their final moments, the worse it can be. That is what caused the Khan to arise, as the sheer weight of horror and torment brought on by generations of traumatised memories pressing down upon them caused the Ork-Wings to… “crack” as a species.

It may be ancient history, but Ork-Wings are renowned for anger as much as their kindness. They may not hold onto grudges for long, but a threat to one of their own is a threat to their entire clan and they will respond as a unified, furious mass possessing the strength of a storm.

## Relations

The Ork-Wings have the unique accolade of being the only Avernite People who is liked by just about every Avernite people. Even ones known for their arrogance like the Fae seem to have few bad words to say about the Ork-Wings, whose strange attitudes seem to make some degree of sense to the spirits in an odd fashion. In turn the Ork-Wings seem to like every people in turn, generally adopting the attitude of concerned siblings towards more destructively inclined species like the Khoswe.

Vlad’s report on them indicates that the Ork-Wings of his time were not much different from the now, although he does reminisce on many happy (and hectic) days spent with a few clans.

The Ork-Wings as a whole are known to be very close to the Kingdom of the Remnant, with several tribes living there as semi-permanent residents. However, this seems to mostly be migration as opposed to having a specific purpose.

In addition they are known for being able to get along with just about every Avernite people to some extent, even those that are usually abjectly hostile to outsiders. This does not mean they are able to enter their lands in the case of the termites, or are immune to the threat of attack from those like the Animancers if it suits their purposes, but it is far rarer for them to be at risk.

For the most part this is because of their genuinely helpful nature, as tribes will usually make it their business to assist however they can in order to make the communities they encounter happier places. While those that are aware of the potential power of the Ork-Wings are usually more than happy to let them and let the potential juggernaut sleep.

The Ork-Wings further comprise an integral part of Avernus’s internal “gossip” network, which is made up of various nomadic and mercantile groups. Although not necessarily reliable, there are so many spread all over the place that they usually pick up most pieces of news and spread it around the world at a rapid rate.

The Eldar’s contact with them has been made difficult due to how hard it is to keep tribes from wandering off. Nevertheless they’ve had overall success at getting the Ork-Wings to work with them, prioritising the services of their Wind-Weavers to try and supplement their own Farseers.

However, both Ork-Wing and Krork react with an equal amount of disconcertion and familiarity with one another. They are extremely similar by many standards, and there are some very unusual reactions when their respective fields interact, akin to “sharing” memories and information. However, they are diametrically opposed in so many ways that it is more uncanny. The Ork-Wings are free spirited and wild, where the Krork are rule bound and stoic, the Ork-Wings are pacifists where the Krork most certainly are not and so on.

They are not hostile to one another, but they are also unsure of how to interact.

1. ↑ This was before Tzeentch hurled Kairos into the Well of Eternity, and the versions of the Daemon before and after this key event are so different they may as well be considered entirely separate entities. The Kairos of this time was the essential embodiment of Tzeentch’s ambition, the elegant majordomo who dominated the entirety of the God’s affairs and organised its ramblings into actual, practical plots. In spite of the power it gained in the Well, the Ancient One considers the original Kairos to be far more dangerous, as it ameliorated the greatest weakness Tzeentch possessed, spinning the infinite contradictory plans of its master into ones that were actually effective, albeit twisted to suit the daemon’s own ends.
2. ↑ The Eldar theorise this is a legacy system of the base field, intended by the Old Ones to allow for rapid information sharing. Of course at the moment it is currently deactivated, but it may give insight into how Gork and Mork can “infect” Orks.