Orcs

**Orcs** are one of the known races of Hominum. They live in separate tribes that inhabit the jungles South of the Hominum Empire. They are one of humanities greatest foes and the other races are currently locked in a protracted war with them.

## History

The orcs are known as the first Summoners. Ignatius was once an Orc's Demon.

Approximately two thousand years before the events of the book, an Albino Orc appeared and rallied his people together against humanity in the First Orc War. The exact details are unknown, but what is known is that one prisoner taken by the orc was a son of an elf chieftain. They had taken him to the borders of their territory because they wanted to gift the albino Ignatius quickly and he was prepared to be sacrificed until the Albino orc was killed by Elf archers. Humans and Elf troops led by Lord Ignatius arrived and slaughtered the orcs, rescuing the chieftains son and ending the war with their victory.

## Description

The appearance of Orcs differ based on gender and type. Male Orcs often sport small undeveloped tusks at the start of adolescents, and later develop at the start of adulthood. They appear humanoid in shape, with gray skin, bull orcs are around 7 feet tall with specially bred exceptions, Albino orcs are larger. They have dark hair, larger skulls, and a noticeably larger build than that of humans but smaller tusks.

Albino Orcs are also known to appear every thousand years as a mutation. They are considered special due to their white skin, their incredibly high fulfillment levels, larger size and athletic appearance, and speed compared to the other orcs. Because of these traits matching the drawings in their pyramid, they are seen as a messiah of sorts.

## Culture

Orcs live in a society that is divided into various different tribes, although when an Albino orc with the leadership skills and summoning abilities appears they are able to unite the tribes. They were shown to have once been a peaceful society, with younger orcs caring for their elders and assisting each other in survival. Orcs were apparently the first ever summoners long before the humans, though they are claimed to be weaker than humans in that field because they hid their strength so they could surprise the humans with their strength when they began their final attack.

Summoning is a coveted skill held highly in religious regard. Every year orcs would gather around their pyramid and the warriors would compete in games as young orcs were brought and tested by shamans and those able to summon were given demons.

Yet after Khan began turning them into an army, they were forcibly trained until they were desensitized to violence. Males were to become ruthless warriors while females would tend to their needs. Killing of weak and any who opposed them was common, and they also enslaved gremlins to use as slaves and experiments.

## Skills and abilities

The most obvious advantage of the orcs, is their large size and great strength. According to the accounts of several Hominum soldiers, the orcs are capable of throwing javelins with such force, that they could impale multiple people with one spear from a distance. Another advantage/disadvantage depending on your viewpoint, is the fact that according to the testimony of Fletcher Raleigh, orc skin doesn't seem to be much thicker than human, or elf skin. But despite this fact, orcs seem to have a terrifyingly high pain tolerance. So much so that orcs can be stabbed through the spine, and still put up an unbelievable fight. The orcs are also known to take entire hails of arrows before they fall, and sustain several musket shots with little reaction.

Orcs use mainly use primitive but efficient weapons like macana war clubs, and javelins, but their most impressive weapon, is their ability to summon. Likely ignored on the whole by Hominums aristocracy, and possibly the Elves as well, the Orcs were the first to discover the ability to summon, and develop the skill to the point where they could access more areas of the Ether than any other species, and even use complex spells to create new species.(For reference, see the Goblin page.)