Appearance

Orcs are very tall, with the shortest among them standing at six feet, and the tallest reaching eight feet. Both sexes have broad shoulders and are well muscled. With torsos as thick a wine barrels, orcs are built for combat. Their skin comes in all manner of desaturated shades, and their hair is much the same. Male have large tusks on their bottom teeth, and while females have smaller tusks they have sharp fangs.

Orcs tend to wear armor, ranging from leather armor to heavy plate mail. Some even prefer to go into battle with their chest bare, garbed only in the furs and hides of their previous kills.

They enjoy adorning themselves in trophies. Hides, fangs, claws, even bones and skulls, none are above being worn into battle or turned into beads and other adornments.

Abilities

Orcs are built for combat. They possess immense physical strength and stamina, and are fueled by their hunger for battle. Their skin is very thick and tough, almost like natural armor. Orcs prefer melee weapons, like clubs, axes, and swords over bow and arrows. They consider those who fight from a distance cowardly and disgraceful.

They rush headlong into battle with a terrifying war cry that can shake the earth. Once first blood is drawn they enter a battle rage, which only ceases once combat has ended or if they are slain. They become numb to the pain, and many succumb to their injuries once their rage has worn off.

Rare is the orc who can wield magic, and those who can are considered a gift from the gods. These orcs can specialize in various magics, and healers are held in the highest regards.

Orcs are intelligent, though they are looked down upon by civilized races. While not necessarily philosophical, they do understand how the world around them works.

Culture

By outside sources, orcs are seen as brutish killing machines, and are considered evil by other races for their warring ways.

The orcs have no problem with this, as they strive to be the strongest.

In orc culture the strongest rules as king. This title is not passed down by bloodline, but by whoever is the strongest. The king can be challenged at any time by any one, and a duel will be held. There are no weapons allowed, and none may interfere or the challenger immediately loses. The duel continues until either party can no longer fight, and the losing party is executed. Mercy is for the weak, and a king who pardons the loser is turned upon for their weakness.

Orcs are nomadic, living in crude tents that they take along with them as they traverse the countryside, conquering all they come across. Their tents are pulled by stocky horses, and orcs are forbidden from eating their beasts of burden under punishment of death. Their clans can number in the hundreds, or even the thousands if the king has conquered other kings.

Crime is low between orcs, as all crime is punished by death. Those who work against other orcs have no place in the clan, for the clan is life. Things within their own clans are peaceful, with their aggression being turned towards other races or clans.

Pairs are decided based on who would produce the strongest offspring, with the females choosing their mate. Weak or deformed infants are culled, and if a second deformed child is produced the parents are killed as well. Childhood is considered by many to be the easiest part of an orc’s life, and they are fed well to ensure they grow big and strong. Once they reach age five they begin training, and those who fall behind are often killed or cast out by wary parents.

Despite their brutality, orc family units are strong. Pairs stay together for life and fiercely protect their children. Their loyalty is iron clad, and there are no known cases of an orc breaking their monogamous status. On the rare occasion that an orc mates with one of another species they are cast out, if not killed. Their half-orc offspring are spurned and looked down upon by all races, even their own kind.