“They are tough. They are strong. They are brave. No other race is as dangerous to humans. They multiply quickly, and their only goal seems to be to further their eternal struggle against humans. Orcs are more dangerous than even trolls or ogres.”
— Corporal Jost Undernickel, Army of the Middenrealm, to his cadre, two weeks before the Third Orc Storm.
Few things in central and northern Aventuria can raise as much panic and fear as shouting the word “Orcs!” As one might expect, orcs live mainly in the wide steppes of the Orclands, which are surrounded on three sides by inhospitable mountain ranges. Orc raids and military campaigns are feared widely, and their belief in the rightness of their strange culture is just as strong as their instinctive hunger for battle and pillaging. Orcs are somewhat smaller than humans, though much sturdier, and their arms are longer. Orcs are resistant to cold, and the horny soles of their feet make easy work of stony mountain paths. Their bodies are covered completely in dark brown or black fur which blends into long hair at the back of their head. Protruding, tusked jaws, flat noses, and wide brows dominate their almost-hairless faces.
Distribution
The largest orc settlements are found in the Orclands, where several dozen families comprise each of seven larger tribes.
The Orichai of the Orclands have more than ten thousand members, mostly hunters, gatherers, and smallholders. The primal Zholochai, who are just as numerous, are nomadic hunters and warriors who range between the Orclands and the Blood Spires. The fast and mobile Zholochai Rider hordes have made quite an impact during raids in recent years. The Truanzhai, more than 12,000 heads strong, populate the Bodir Valley, where they breed cattle and conduct trade. From an orcish perspective, the Truanzhai are almost peaceful. The Molokash isolated themselves from the other tribes by choosing to settle in the marshes of the Bodir and live by fishing. The Tsharshai tribe conducts trade with any who agree to barter, and move throughout the steppes in heavy wagons that resemble rolling fortresses. The Olochtai, which even other orc tribes consider primitive, dwell in the Olochtai Mountains and the Waskir Highlands, where they shelter in caves. Olochtai fur is especially dense and protects them from the cold winds of their homeland.
After the most recent war of conquest ground to a halt, orcs settled along the Svellt River and began to demand tribute. The other tribes suspect that these traitors chose to live close to the humans of the Svellt in order to adopt their relatively soft lifestyle.
Beyond the Orclands, one encounters individual orc families in the far reaches of the Brydia. A tribe of white orcs, the last of the seven major tribal divisions of orcs, is known to live in the far north, among the Ice Pinnacles. Apart from these areas, orcs can be found roaming almost anywhere in Aventuria in gangs of orc bandits known as Yurach. The members of these gangs were driven off by their families for showing cowardice or weakness. Yurach often ally with goblins or human bandits to waylay travelers, but these pathetic, half-starved creatures are nothing like true orc warriors.
Way of Life
An orc’s life cycle is faster than a human’s. Orcs reach sexual maturity at an earlier age, but rarely live more than 40 years (assuming violence doesn’t cut their life even shorter). Orcs live in family groupings under a strict caste system, their lives dominated by the concept of might makes right. Slaves and women occupy the lowest rank. Next come farmers, craftsmen, and hunters. Elite warriors and priests hold the third rank, and the top rank is held by chieftains and shamans. Not surprisingly, the orc caste system is based not on birth or family, but rather on skills and strength.
The strongest and most ruthless orc can claim the title of chieftain, no matter the circumstances of its birth or upbringing.
Aikar Brazoragh, the chosen one of the orcish god of war, is the supreme leader of all orcs. Besides Brazoragh, who is often depicted as a bull, orcs also worship Brazoragh’s divine father, Tairach, who gathers the souls of the deceased in the Realm of the Dead. Orcs believe that Brazoragh slew his father, a thought which neatly sums up the orcish attitude towards life. Shamans are the highestranking servants of Tairach. Along with chieftains, they lead their families and tribes. Orc history survives in an oral tradition which is passed from shaman to shaman, and some shamans are renowned for their incredible memory. They are the reason why the legends of the orcs extend back more than 400 centuries in Aventuria. The myths and tenets of their complex and warlike culture are conveyed in Ologhaijan, the high language of the orcs. For everyday matters, orcs and Yurachi use the more vulgar tongue, Oloarkh.
A Selection of Orc Names
Male: Airakh, Ash(i)rraz, Azzek, Brazoch, Burchai, Byakkrak, Dradgk, Drasok, Drugh, Garvash, Garzlokh, Gharrai, Ghairazz, Girkush, Grakshazz, Gryazhai, Hark hash, Hulgharruk, Jurran, Kershoi, Khaidach, Khurrach, Khurraz, Mardukh, Naggai, Nargazz, Netragh, Orchegg(z), Raszech, Sadrak, Sarkhai, Shardur, Sharraz, Shurrak, Tairon, Thurraz, Uigar, Varrakh, Yagu(ch), Yorrak
Respected warriors, shamans, and spellcasters often have intimidating epithets such as Blood-Eye, Blood— Fist, Bone-Breaker, One-Ear, Shadow-Fur, Stone-Hand, or Yellow-Tooth.
There are no known female orc names, as they have no standing in orcish tribal society.
