SHAMANS
MAGES
ORCISH PANTHEON
To understand orcs, it is easiest to use a few simple comparisons. They breed like ants, need raw flesh for sustenance, look like a cross between pigs and humans, and hold no loyalty or love for anyone or anything. They are driven by a few simple biological imperatives, and necessity has made experts of their ways all who would live long.
HISTORY
While not counted among the Forerunner races, orcs have surely been here at least as long as elves and dwarves, for their oldest records all make mention of the blight and death orcs bring. Some have argued that orcs were placed on Trishore by some evil God or mighty Mage. Their unique language and the less than random spread of their Tribal Boundaries would seem to support these contentions, but there is no firm evidence one way or another. Certainly they predate the Human migrations, and their predations on those hunter-gatherers surely influenced current practices in everything from burials (as conducted by most Priesthoods) to architecture (walls that are strong, smooth and tall seems to have been the lesson).
From a human point of view, orcs have figured prominently in many key historical events. Given their unique biology they can exploit any weakness in a civilization, often with devastating consequences.GENERAL
Orcs are not known for their wisdom or insightfulness, nor are they noted for strategic or long-term thinking, but they are cunning, and adept at tactics and problem solving. They are carnivores, driven by both hunger and reproductive need to gorge on fresh meat.
The base unit for orcs is the Clan, consisting of a Breeder (akin to a queen ant), a Chief (akin to an alpha male in a wolf pack), and any number of male worker/soldiers, which most of us know as orcs. Clans will be found in varying densities across the face of Trishore, for they are survivors par excellence. Groups of Clans that are differentiated by appearance and subtle societal characteristics make up the orcish Tribes (Broken Bone, Bloody Head, Rotting Eye, etc.). Each Tribe has a territory covering thousands of square miles.
Orcs have little need for gold or treasures, but most Chiefs recognize the value of good weapons and armor. They are also savvy enough to realize that gold and treasure can be traded for such items, or at least provide the raw materials to help make their own. So they will collect what they can and hide it away in the hope that they can become stronger and more powerful with its use.
Their language has a limited vocabularly, and is unrelated to any other language known on Trishore. Conversely, Orcish has had influences on at least one human language. It consists primarily of grunts, screams, howls and barks, but serves to convey simple commands. They have no true written language, but do have a few dozen common pictograms with which they can record simple concepts.
Bottom of pageAPPEARANCE & PHYSIOLOGY
Orcs are commonly referred to as "pigs on feet", and this gives a general sense of their appearance. They stand around 5’ tall, with a strong, compact build. While they may not appear well muscled and are not large, they are built for hunting and a carnivorous life: they receive +1 on all Strength rolls. Their bald head sits low and forward on their sloping shoulders. They have large erect ears, beady eyes and an outsized and very sensitive snout-like nose.
While their sense of smell is excellent (adding +2 to any chance to detect Invisible beings), their small eyes have both strong and weak points. Their eyes are attuned to a range that includes infrared and can thus effectively see in the dark (infravision). On the other hand, they see poorly at distance, and are –1 to hit with ranged weapons. Moreover, given their eyes are attuned to dimmer light, they find it painful to be about in broad daylight (-1 to all saves in full daylight).
Their skin is also sensitive to sunlight, adding to their discomfort in Solaris’ rays. It is thick and leathery, spotted with wiry black hairs, and ranges in colour from bone white to a deathly blue-white pallor. The chitinous shell that covers their Breeder (see below) is echoed in the chitin or cartilage projections that mark the differences from one orc Tribe to another.
Each Tribe is marked by one or more projections, usually a sharp protrusion of chitin at a joint. 2-4" long points at the knee, elbow, knuckle or jaw line are known, as is a line in lieu of eyebrows for one Tribe. In order to impregnate the Breeder, their reproductive organ (more properly known in orcs as a reproductive "lance") is also covered in this chitin sheath.
Two short tusks curve up from their lower jaw. These are very sharp, but not normally used in combat. They are used, with amazing dexterity, to carve meat off a bone and leave nothing behind. Orcs also tend to be bow-legged, and walk with a rolling gait. While equally ungainly as runners, they are tireless and cover ground quickly.
Bottom of pageBIOLOGY
If orcish appearance is porcine, then it is easiest to think of their biology as that of an ant colony with the temperament of a ferocious, starving wolf pack. Orcs are carnivores, and while they can subsist for short periods (a matter of weeks at most) on vegetable matter, they require fresh, raw meat to thrive. Cooked meat creates painful digestive cramps and will be avoided unless it is the only option. The choice of meats, the freshness, and quantity all have critical impacts on the reproductive pattern of the Breeder in particular.
The Breeder
The Breeder is the queen ant, a "sow" in a Clan of orcs. She is only semi-intelligent, and once full grown barely able to move. Full-grown Breeders are up to 12' long, weighing many hundreds of pounds, with atrophied limbs and few visible features. They are covered, with the exception of their mouth, teats, anus and birth canal, in a thick layer of hard chitin.
Diet is the key to understanding Breeder characteristics. Like all orcs she can subsist for a while on vegetable matter, but will produce no young and will eventually starve. If she is provided with minimal meat, or spoiled or cooked meat, she will have only infrequent litters (2-3 times per year), usually of 2-8 orcs which will not be of robust strength. However, if she is provided with unlimited quantities of fresh meat, she can produce full litters (up to 18 baby orcs) on an every-other-month basis for her entire life. Breeders can live to be up to 80 years old, though few last that long. Of note, only a very special diet can induce to give birth to a litter of more Breeders.
Breeder lives are usually short due to another unique characteristic of orc breeding. Orc semen is unusually potent and survives within the very flesh of a Breeder for many years. It will even seek out other semen that enters the Breeder and attack it, with the most numerous and vigorous usually being the next to impregnate the next set of eggs.
Thus, under normal circumstances a Chief will use his sharp, chitin-covered reproductive organ (or reproductive "lance") to inseminate his Clan's Breeder. He does this through the very skin of the Breeder, leaving a mark that takes days to heal. He will not need to do this again for months or even years as his sperm live on inside her. But all orcs have a strong, in-born desire to mate with a Breeder, and this mark that insemination leaves is a sign that someone other than the Chief has mated with the Breeder. Moreover, their sensitive noses can actually smell when another orc's semen is inside "their" Breeder.
Thus, orc Chiefs keep a strong and close watch on their Breeder, killing all others who seem to threaten their genetic legacy. Given the ease of discovery most orcs don't dare to challenge their Chief unless they are ready to fight to the death. But eventually as the Chief ages or is wounded in battle, other orcs will find the desire to mate with a Breeder overcomes their fear of the current Chief, and they will fight. If they win they are faced with a dilemma. Though there is little loyalty among orcs, at least those born from the sperm of one Chief will prefer him to all others. Thus, if they impregnate their newly won Breeder, there is no guarantee that their sperm will win to inseminate the next eggs. This could lead to raising more orcs who are less loyal to this new Chief. His other option is to have the Breeder give birth to a new Breeder, impregnate her, and then kill the old Breeder. This guarantees the new orcs are his progeny. And then he can kill all the old Chief's orcs too.
When Sages speak of the internal bloodletting amongst orcs that keeps them from being even more fearsome they are already, it is this sort of leadership change purge to which they are making reference. This, and the constant bloody bickering and internal power struggles that kill so many more.
The dilemma is that getting a Breeder to give birth to a litter of new Breeders is not easy. She must be fed an extra rich diet, one that includes nothing but fresh brains. Fresh brains from intelligent creatures like humans and demi-humans increases the odds to nearly 100% that this Breeder's next litter will be 5-8 baby Breeders. Brains are usually not easy to obtain, are fragile and spoil rapidly, and must be supplied throughout the entire two-month of gestation. So to slay the old Breeder and enhance loyalty, or keep the old one and not have to seek out such food is the choice each new Chief must make.
Finally, any new-born Breeders are born pregnant. The sperm that lived in their mother lives in them too. However, it is attenuated and usually easily replaced by the next orc to inseminate them. But a Clan only needs one Breeder (unless its Cheif has greater aspirations and plentiful food on hand), so another option is to give out the extras to other orcs in his Clan. He then drives them away. If this new Chief's hold on power is not strong this may be his best option, rather than having to try and slay all those bred by the old Chief. It is in this way that orc Clans re-fill voids and gaps in their territories.
Bottom of pageThe Chief
A Chief orc is the pinnacle of orcish success. He will always be the strongest, smartest and toughest orc in his Clan, or he will soon be dead. Usually having at least twice as many hit points as his orcs, and attacking at double their level, he will also have the best weapons and armor his Clan can provide. He will be a formidable opponent, and if attacked in his lair, he will be protecting his Breeder too, and will fight tenaciously.
Chiefs preside over a Clan of nothing but other male orcs, who desire nothing more than to take his role. He has no true allies, and while powerful orcs have been known to keep multiple Breeders in a few locations near to one another, the majority only prowl their own lair and watch their backs. He must also manage food supplies. Orcs coming back from foraging without meat must be punished. Or can become meat themselves. But kill too many of his own orcs and there may be too few to forage or protect the Clan if another clan wants to attack them to find easy meat.
The reverse is when his Clan, perhaps in conjunction with other local Clans, overruns a village, and suddenly has a lot of meat. Does he gorge his Breeder and create many new orcs for the months to come? This risks having too many mouths to feed later. Does he let the meat spoil? This may be a missed opportunity to expand and find even more meat. Does he perhaps keep some of the villagers alive, to eat later? This is a common choice, for these new slaves can do work, and are often self-sustaining: they eat vegetable materials that the orcs can not, and they can even grow it on their own. It is this logic that makes orcs known as such slavers.
Bottom of pageThe Orcs
These are the workers, warriors, foragers and Chiefs-to-be of every Clan. When a shepherd or farmer goes missing, or 50,000 orcs mass at the gates of a city, these are the creatures that are at work. They look much alike to our eyes, but each has a name given by their Chief when he reaches full-grown maturity at the age of 6 years.
They mature rapidly, from 2 months of gestation, to 2 months of nursing at the Breeders teats with their littermates, to eating raw meat and learning how to hunt, fight and survive by age 6. Most are dead in brawls, battles, attempts to become the new Chief, or inter-Clan combat by age 10. Some orcs have been known to reach 40 years, but this is rare in the extreme, and by then they are venerable and well past their prime physically.
As the foragers for the Clan, they are often found on the outer perimeter of their Clan's territory. Their ability to bring back meat to the Breeder while it is still fresh limits their range, particularly in warm weather. So demand near to the home lair strips the area of meat-bearing creatures very quickly. Thus they work the periphery, seeking areas not already decimated. It does not take a lot of meat to keep an orc, nor even the Breeder alive (a few pounds a week will do), but for full strength and a productive Breeder (which most Chiefs will demand!) much more meat is needed.
It is a hard life, but not one they can leave. Other Clans would simply kill and eat them if they approached, and not returning to their own lair is never an option: they would forever lose the chance to mate with a Breeder. And of course returning from foraging empty handed is a bad idea: the flesh of their bones may provide the meat for the next meal. So orcs on the hunt are always pitiless and driven.
Bottom of pageUNIQUE ORCS
Half Orcs
Orcs take slaves, and they are often females (the males died trying to protect their families). Orc semen is potent, and can generally produce viable babies with humans, but less so with demi-humans. Whether it is for sport or to further subjugate their slaves is unclear, but orcs will often rape after conquering cities or do the same with their slaves.
Particularly horrifying is the fact that they are used to their chitin-covered Breeder, and they use their own reproductive lance without any concern to the pain and suffering of their human victims. This creates deep bleeding wounds in humans, for orcs simply penetrate the Breeder wherever it is convenient. Worse still, orcish semen then circulates throughout the victims body, seeking viable eggs to impregnate, seeking to kill other sperm, and seeking a place to lie dormant until more eggs are found as they would in a Breeder. Fortunately the orcish semen does not survive in humans or other creatures as it does in Breeers, but for 3-6 days the victim is in great pain as the sperm circulate throughout their very tissues.
Children born in this way are known as half orcs, and usually look mostly like an orc. Differences include hair (and facial hair in males), a slimmer build, and darker but thinner skin. More subtle differences include the loss of infravision, greater intelligence, a loss of sun sensitivity and a greater emotional range. They are not as physically strong as their orc parent is. If male, they also lose the innate drive to mate with a Breeder and some of the chitin projections, and invariably they lose the reproductive lance and have a normal penis. If female, should they mate with a human then the progeny will be progressively more human-like over successive generations. This is not uncommon in many of the Calandesian Countries.
Some half orcs that have been raised by human families, in cultures more accepting of them (such as a few Ylthic countries), become productive citizens, albeit ones with violent tempers and craving for meat. Usually cooked meat. Most however fall in with various orc Clans, to join them for a share of plunder or merely to escape the abuse heaped upon them in less understanding nations.
When these half orcs find themselves among full orcs they are not automatically accepted. They must prove themselves hardy enough, or die. Most die. Those who survive bring with them intelligence not commonly found in orcs, but also frequently bring a hatred of those who abused them that is beyond the normal orcish lust for fresh raw meat. Thus these half orcs can serve as the catalyst to create the orcish hordes that ravaged Trishore throughout history.
Bottom of pageORC ARMIES
The overwhelming majority of orcs die at the hands of other orcs. Another significant minority starve to death, or are killed by stronger monsters. Even orc Chiefs who maintain a stable Clan population are constrained by food supplies and their own lack of strategy and long-term thinking to do much more than bully their neighbors. If very powerful they may even force a few nearby Clans into subservience, but their reach always limits their power. When one Clan breaks away from their control, the Chief's focus on returning that unruly Clan into their fold may allow others to break free.
The other option some Chiefs have used is to have multiple Breeders in a cluster of nearby locations. The orcs bred in this case are marginally loyal to the one Chief, reducing the number of breakaway groups, but the logistics of food and managing the variety of sub-clans are beyond all but the most gifted orc Chieftains. And once again their overall power is limited to the extent of their reach.
Thus the frequency of a large group of orcs gathering for a common cause is rare indeed. This is true despite their prodigious potential for breeding and multiplying. And it is fortunate too, for an army of orcs can lay complete waste to an entire region, topple mighty empires, or change the course of history itself. Like a tidal wave they can sweep away all in front of them, and they have done so on many occasions over the millennia.
This happens when someone is able to work around the inherent challenges of orcish biology. Usually it is a total outsider (like Haz of the Haz Imperium), or a half orc bringing extra intelligence to the challenges. They bring a purpose and drive beyond mere hunger. They bring the ability to create a hierarchy of powerful lieutenants who keep breakaway Clans in line. They ensure the Chiefs follow their plan, or slay them and put in play a Chief who will follow their rules. And most importantly they manage the logistics of slaves, food supply, and Breeders.
It is a fine balance of timing, peaking the orc army size with a peak in local food supply. Then they must also unleash this wave of power in such a way that they can feed themselves on the dead of their victorious march. It is a delicate chain of events, and local leaders who fear the orcs are wise to break the chain early on, or their very flesh will be the meal that allows the orc army to march toward its next victory.
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