Orcs

> "*I will let you be the only survivor, pinkskin. Run along and tell your lords and masters that we are coming. Let them know that the Warpath comes to shatter their gates, burn their homes and take their hearts for the Great God. Let them take up arms to face us, and give us a battle worthy of Morrokh!*"
> ― Warmaster Spinetaker
>
>

## Orc

### Species

Homo Orcus

**Orcs** are a tall, green-skinned species of hominid indigenous to Mortana (in Nesaria), Aukan (in Rulkhar), Keloruela, Roulonne and Kuateoha.

Orcs are physically characterised by their green skin, long canine teeth (particularly for males, where the upper canines often visibly extend past the lips), black gums and lips, slightly pointed ears, tall height and mesomorphic (muscular) build. In contrast to the mostly right-handed Humans and Elfkin, Orcs are exclusively ambidextrous. They generally have shorter lives than Humans, living to 60-70 years on average, and their foetuses stay in the womb for six months. Orcs come in three distinct sub-races, whose differences are explained further down the page; the Morto-Aukanis, Ruawis (or Keloruelis) and Kuahis.

The Orcish race was historically subject to significant discrimination, prejudice, persecution and sometimes genocide, the two most infamous and brutal incarnations of which were the Mortian Genocide and Ruawi Genocide. They were widely perceived as savage, violent, greedy and barbaric creatures - though the negative stereotypes of them are somewhat hypocritical and contradictory, at once depicting them both as dim-witted brutes and as brutally cunning.

The negative, derogatory stereotypes of Orcs are extreme distortions of reality, but are not entirely removed from the truth. Historical Orcish civilisations tended to be highly warlike, prizing athleticism, martial skill and military discipline as key virtues; even the least militaristic Orcish civilisation of Keloruela expected all men to train in the martial arts and was no stranger to conflict. Since the primary victims of Orcish armies were non-Orcs, their reputation of brutish violence has clear origins, even if it was greatly exaggerated over time.

Some scholars have suggested that the heightened fight-or-flight response of Orcs compared to other hominids, and subsequently the greater thrill they experience from encountering dangerous situations such as combat, may be a biological explanation for the Orcish propensity for warfare; however, this is a decidedly minority opinion amongst historians, anthropologists and biologists, and is widely disputed by the Orcs themselves. The mainstream consensus is that Orcish societies were forced to be highly militaristic in order to survive in the face of an overwhelming population disadvantage against Humans; gearing their societies towards warfare both ensured that they were able to defend themselves if attacked by a foe with superior numbers and resources, and also served to dissuade future attacks by building a reputation for being difficult to defeat.

The stereotypes concerning their intellect are also not entirely untrue. Years of scientific testing - accompanied by often heated debate on such a controversial topic - has uncovered that the average Orcish IQ differs little from that of Humans; some studies have even found it to be 2-3 points higher than the general Inecurian average, though these results remain contested. Where Orcish intelligence differs is that their IQs are far less concentrated around the median; their IQ distribution curve is flatter, as they have a relatively higher proportion of both low-IQ and high-IQ individuals. The average Orc is neither more or less intelligent than the average Human - but relatively few Orcs are actually the average Orc. This is likely where the contradictory stereotype of Orcs being simultaneously dim-witted and cunning originates.

## Name

The word Orc is the Anglicised form of the Nesarian word *Orca* (plural *Orce*), which is the Elvicised form of the Mortani word *Ork* (plural *Orker*), which itself appears to be a corruption of *Orūk* (pl. *Orūker*). The Aukanis, who share a common linguistic heritage with the Mortanis, use the word *Auk* (plural *Auken*). The Ruawis use the word *Kor* (plural *Kore*), and the Kuahis use the word *Aka* (plural *W'Aka*).

From these names, the original Proto-Orcish word for Orc can be deduced. Linguists theorise that the original word was comprised of two syllables, with the second syllable being lost to the Morto-Aukanis and the first being lost to the Ruawis, and the Kuahis simplified both syllables into the more basic sound of /a/. The Proto-Orcish word for Orc is considered by linguists to have either been *Aukor* (plural *Weraukor*) or *Aukar* (plural *Weraukar*) - agreement cannot be reached on what the vowel in the second syllable was, as both have equally plausible arguments.

Although the Nesarian word Orc is the one used by the wider world, and is the official name for the race in Imperial documents, each nation of Inecuria has its own word for Orc. With the exception of the Rulcarians, who use the word *Ukh* (derived from Aukani *Auk*), all of them derive their word for Orc from the Ruawi word *Kor*. For example, the Onshians use the word *Koro*, Dragons use *Kaa*, Roulonnaise use *Cour*, and the Saverians and their mainland colonies use *Cora*.

## Morto-Aukani

Morto-Aukanis are the tallest of the Orcs, the men standing at 6' 3" (compared to 5' 10" for Humans) and the women at 5' 8" (compared to 5' 5" for Humans).

Morto-Aukanis have the lightest and least vibrantly green skin, the shade tinted with yellow and closer to dark lime than the dark leaf-green that Ruawis and Kuahis sport.

Morto-Aukani Orcs have the greatest variation in both hair and eye colour compared to other Orcs. The Mortians may sport dark or light brown, ginger, red, or dirty or strawberry blonde straight hair, and exclusively blue, green or amber eyes. Aukanis have less variation, but still more than the other races of Orc, bearing dark or light brown or dark ginger hair, and light brown, almost honey-coloured eyes.

Morto-Aukanis are generally ectomorphic to mesomorphic, and it is rare for the canines to not extend out of the mouth in men (though rare for this to happen in women).

## Ruawis

Physically, the Ruawis are the most similar to Humans, often appearing no different to the average Human aside from the green skin. Ruawi men stand at 5' 11" and the women at 5' 7".

Ruawi Orcs can only natively have straight or wavy black or very dark brown hair, and they can have brown or blue eyes. Their colour of their skin is closer to "true" green than the Mortians, but only slightly darker.

Ruawis are the most physically gracile of all the Orcs, generally having an ectomorphic build, and they possess the smallest noses and canines, which rarely visibly poke out of the mouth even in men.

## Kuahis

The appearance of the Kuahis is the most divorced from Humans out of all the Orcs. Their ribcages are larger in proportion to their body compared to other Orcs (and Humans) as their heart, lungs and diaphragm are all larger than other Orcs to support sustained exercise. They have the greatest height distribution out of all the Orcs, their average height varying greatly between individuals and between tribes, but they average at 6' 0" for males and 5' 10" for females. Their hands and feet are also larger in proportion to the rest of their body compared to all the other Orcs.

Kuahi Orcs can only have curly or wavy black hair and dark brown eyes. The colour of their skin is both the darkest and greenest of all the Orcs. Their noses are larger and wider than the other Orcs, and they also possess the most pointed ears, the largest eyes relative to their head size, and a strong brow ridge. They have an endomorphic to mesomorphic build.