Orcs

Grog da Smart by LanzTheDestroyer

Orcs are a race of humanoids who originate from the Cave Deep. Created by Akar they were originally nothing but bloodthirsty monsters, however many made the choice to become more than that and defied Akar, gaining his favour as they embraced Minus and many of the other gods.

## Appearance

Orcs are humanoids belonging to the orc species family. There are two main kinds of Orc. Cave Deep and Surface.

Cave Deep Orcs tend to have lighter green skin and are more bestial in appearance. Surface Orcs have darker skin and look more akin to to humans and elves due to more thorough mingling and interbreeding with those species.

## History

Orcs originated in the Cave Deep, created by Akar as bloodthirsty monsters who seek only to destroy. They’d often conduct raids on the surface to take food and women, as full blooded orcs are only ever male. Despite this, some orcs rebelled against the vision Akar had for them, and he gave them his blessing proud that his creations could overcome his influence through their own will and drive to be better. They left for the surface and set up makeshift forts at the entrances of the Cave Deep to protect the surface from the orcs who remained in the Cave Deep. Shifting from a monotheistic religion centred on Akar, their spiritual devotions widened to encompass more gods in their pantheon. Most surface orc pantheons worship Minus, Akar, and Gabriel most commonly.

Orcs are one of the few races able to manipulate Chaos Energy, however they do so subconsciously through belief. Orcs generally class as a 2 on the Chaos Energy Manipulation scale. Often time Orcs sheer numbers make up for their lack of proficiency with such a gift, although a single, lone Orc will barely be able to affect the world around him through his belief alone. Examples of Orcs using this ability vary. Often they associate colours with a certain quality. Red means something goes faster, green means something is of exceptional quality. Many Orcs who have met Hobgoblins often believe the colour orange enhances one's ability to command military forces and analyse the battlefield around them. Black is believed to enhance one's ability to stay hidden.

## Society

All Orcs tend to organise into clans. Often naming their clans after their overall utility, or by simply stringing words together that they believe are intimidating to outsiders. Some examples of Orc clan names would be; Da Hidey Boiz, Boatkrusha Clan, Majikblasta Clan, Da Orrible Ladz, or Da Skullkrunchaz.

### Surface Orc Society

Surface Orcs usually organise into clans, but many surface Orcs will integrate into other settlements. Surface Orc clans almost always act as vigilante groups, travelling across Fell and offering help wherever they can for no fee of any kind from those they help.

The first Cave Deep Orcs who left the Cave Deep and would later become surface Orcs built fortresses around the exits they used, to serve as a first line of defence for the surface against any raids from the Cave Deep. Once every 5 years, surface Orc clans all gather by an entrance to the Cave Deep, before delving into the Cave Deep to cull Cave Deep Orc numbers and free any captives they find. This event is known among the Orcs as a YAAAARGH!!!. YAAAARGH!!!s usually last between 3-10 days before the Orcs return to the surface. Usually YAAAARGH!!!s don't have leaders, however rare Surface YAAAARGH!!!s can happen, and usually those kinds will have a leader known as a Warboss or Warlord. A Surface YAAAARGH!!! arises when Orc clans gather for a normal YAAAARGH!!! and one clan brings up a threat on the surface that needs their attention. One of the most notable surface YAAAARGH!!!s occurred in 1/1/550 2E, when the lone survivor of the Spellslinga Clan named Blastgutz arrived for a YAAAARGH!!!. He announced his clan's destruction at the hands of the Vampires of Duskwall. Managing to rile everyone up, he convinced them to join him in a YAAAARGH!!! against the vampires. The following weeks were dedicated to recruiting more people for the YAAAARGH!!!, bringing in various goblinoid clans, centaur clans and minotaur clans. By 33/2/550 2E, they had amassed the largest army seen on Fell to that date, numbering in over 200,000 individuals by the time they marched on Duskwall.

#### Clan Hierarchy

Surface Orc clans are led by a chieftain or a warboss. Often these Orcs earn their position through merit and rise to their position due to their clanmates looking to them for guidance. Actively trying to become the chieftain or warboss of a clan is often a futile endeavour, as most surface Orcs consider that kind of behaviour to be qualities of a bad leader.

The gift of magic is prized within Orc clans. Often Orcs with magic specialised for destruction or other military application become "Blasty Boiz", while those who are better at alchemy or restorative magic will be relegated to the position of Shaman in their clans.

### Cave Deep Orc Society

Cave Deep Orcs live in a brutal society. Many clans fight amongst themselves and other clans constantly. While Cave Deep Orcs are the only kinds of Orcs who conduct raids on the surface, not all clans do so. Some clans hold similar beliefs to the Surface Orcs and act as crusaders within the Cave Deep against clans who do venture up top to pillage.

Cave Deep Orcs will YAAAARGH!!! less often. Usually a YAAAARGH!!! will come from the Cave Deep if the fortifications at an exit are too strong for them to leave. The purpose is to overwhelm the Orcs at the exit with sheer numbers. Often this will attract various surface clans within the land to come and deal with this horde of cave deep Orcs.

#### Clan Hierarchy

Most Cave Deep Orc clans are led by the biggest, toughest and most brutal within the clan. Usually they're referred to as a chieftain or warboss like their surface counterparts. Often a chieftain keeps his position by fighting his way up to it and killing his predecessor. He will then need to kill anybody who tries to do the same to him.

Magic is valued highly within Cave Deep clans. Magic users are often referred to as "Majik Boiz", and usually utilised for combat. Blood magic is commonly used by older shamans amongst Cave Deep clans, and one shaman will usually keep several apprentices to leech magical energy from to bolster their own spells.