Orcs

According to legend, Orcs used to be at the head of a huge and powerful empire that waged vicious war on anyone who stood in their path. In the wake of a dreadful cataclysm, Orcs are now scattered throughout the world in small tribal groups. Feeling an aching lack in their soul, they bond closely with local animals and form a lasting spirit attachment unique to each tribe. Lost without the history of their race, Orcs seek to find a new place for themselves in a hostile world.

## Appearance and Biology

Orcs vary in appearance, based on region and subrace, but all share certain physical qualities. Orcs of all kinds usually have grayish or greenish skin, coarse hair, stooped postures, low foreheads, large muscular bodies, and porcine faces that feature lower canines that resemble boar tusks. Many also have wolf-like ears that are pointed on the ends, similar to Elves. Orcs are roughly the same size as humans and other similar humanoids, though usually more robust and muscular.

Orcs are a naturally fertile race and they breed quickly. An Orc woman is capable of having 1-2 babies per birth and pregnancy lasts only 5 months. Both males and females also stay fertile through almost their entire lives, only tapering off around 45 - and most Orcs consider themselves very lucky if they live this long. A 4 year old Orc is considered a juvenile and capable of helping around the camp, and at 12 they are fully functioning adults.

Unusually, Orcs don't take mates and no pair bonding occurs at all other than the actual moment of coupling. At other times, males and females are more or less indifferent towards one another. All Orcs consider mating to be a mundane necessity of life, and no special significance beyond that is imparted to it.

## Culture

As a shattered and diasporic group, Orcs are struggling to rebuild and create a culture for themselves. In some places, Orc bands have been so completely absorbed into the local race that they no longer have a culture of their own. For those Orcs that strive to create or reclaim old traditions, it is always closely linked to the region they are living in. The souls of Orcs are still blasted by whatever happened in their past, and without support from Gods or other members of the tribe an individual Orc will revert to being a feral animal in only a few weeks.

For nearly every Orc tribe, life revolves around staving off the lurking feral insanity that lies in wait for them. One of the best ways to maintain a sense of self is close bonding within the tribe, and Orcs are fiercely loyal to their own - to the point of being suspicious or even aggressive towards outsiders. Another method is combat drills and training, as this sparks a feeling of familiarity in Orcs that they cannot quite place. Because of this, every Orc in a tribe will be a trained fighter in addition to whatever other role they have. An Orc child who cannot fight is likely to be culled, as without this they usually go mad before the age of 5.

Orcs also find themselves strongly drawn towards spirituality and an appreciation of nature, and more specifically towards predatory animals. This has lead to the majority of Orc tribes adopting a totem animal as the spiritual heart of the clan. Rather than whatever gods they had before, Orcs venerate the animal their tribe has adopted, often referring to it as 'The God of Raptors' or 'The Tiger God'. The shamans of these animals then teach the tribe to leave along the lines of natural predators - taking from nature only as much as they need.

This link to a totem animal is what prevents Orcs from going insane when they fight, as without it they descend into a battle fury that will force them to fight everything in sight until they collapse and die of exhaustion. This seems to be another mark left from their previous incarnation, and it makes Orcs touchy and prone to insult even at the best of times - again, especially with outsiders. An Orc must constantly work to not be overcome by this fury.

## History and Origins

It is obvious that the Orcs were once a different race and that something monumental must have happened in their past. But the Orcs themselves can remember none of this - their earliest records passed down from the oldest shamans talk about a whole tribe opening their eyes and remembering nothing except a crushing sense of loss. In fact, it seems that finding out more about their past may actually be dangerous to Orcs, as it can bring on the fall into madness. For as long as they can remember having existed, they have struggled to survive in the face of their collective racial trauma.

Records from other races can pinpoint when this happened, marking that the Orc Empire imploded a little over 3000 years ago. Before this, there are records of Orcs being organised but incredibly bloodthirsty, waging war all across the Material Plane and conquering huge swathes of it. History does not record the cause, but suddenly every Orc in creation screamed and fell unconscious, with hundreds of thousands dropping dead on the spot. It is likely that in the months that followed, many more were killed by the nations the Orcs had warred against. Finally, some 50 years after the fall of their empire, the Orcs as we now know them began to emerge.

## Orcs as Player Characters

Ability Score: Str +1, Con +1

Speed: 30' walking

Size: Medium, usually over 6'

Weight: 230-280 pounds

Darkvision: Orcs can see in dim light within 60' as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. They cannot discern colour in darkness, only shades of grey

Spirit-Bond Companion: As children, Orcs are soul-bonded with one of their tribes totemic animals. For the rest of their lives, they share a connection with this creature and gain unique abilities while they are close to them. As Orcs share a Soul-Bond with their Companion, they can choose to take any amount of hit point damage suffered by the Companion onto themselves instead.

As the Spirit-Bond Companion also fills a hole in the soul of an Orc, they take penalties when they are away from their Companion. If the Orc spends a short or long rest not within 60' of their Companion, they do not gain any benefits from the rest and may gain a level of exhaustion if appropriate. If the Companion dies, the Orc immediately takes 3 levels of exhaustion as the loss shocks them in their body and soul. Any exhaustion gained from either the loss of a Companion or not resting near a Companion cannot be healed through magical means until they have reunited with their Companion.

Summon Companion: Once per day Orcs can summon their Spirit-Bond Companion with a ritual spell that replicates the Find Steed spell, with the following modifications. An Orc can only summon the animal they are Spirit-Bonded to, usually the totemic animal of their clan, and the Spirit-Bond Companion is always summoned as a fey creature. If the totemic animal is not suitable as to ride as a steed, using Summon Companion will not change the size or nature of the totemic animal.

Diet: Orcs are omnivores with a preference for meat

Languages: Tribal Orcish

## Names

Traditionally, Orc names have always been very simple with no more than one to three syllables, typically including hard consonants like Us, Zs, Ts, and Gs. There are no real gender differences reflected in names which is in keeping with general Orcish attitudes. The change towards a more shamanic society is also reflected in Orcish names, and names often reflect tribal spirits and gods. For example in the Nightswoop tribe it’s common for young Orcs to be dedicated to one of the aspects of Yinptero, with a name such as Freyog or Azrok. Orcs don’t use surnames like humans and instead take on a title that reflects their deeds or role in the tribe, such as ‘Slayer of Fiends’ or ‘Spirits’ Voice’. Orcs usually earn their first title when they reach maturity, and it may change as they go on to achieve even more impressive feats.

## Example Sub-Races

Nightswoops - a tribe who venerate the Dire Bat, based in Amaroth