Orcs

Believed to be a Curse lain onto the Elves for their hubris by the Old Gods, the history of the Orc is filled with sorrow and bloodshed. But they discovered the power of their Ancestors, and with it were able to become a mighty people, carving out their place in the Spheres. Raised to be soldiers in a never ending war, the Orc are fierce fighters and a gregarious people.

Culture

Orc culture is unified in ways other cultures aren't. Their shared history of violence binds them together, and their ties to their Ancestors bond the generations beyond death.

Blooded Orcs

Every orc must serve their time on the frontlines of The Blood War. Those who have and survived are tattooed with the blood of their enemy. These Orcs are seen with respect by their Unblooded kin and are eligible for leadership.

Unblooded Orcs

As the Orcs spread to Nexus and beyond, more and more Orcs avoided The Blood War for longer. With no Djarl calling them to battle, many languish with dreams of glory but little drive to face the Elves on the fields of Darkwood. Typically Orcs will bear children before serving in the Blood War so they have descendants to pass their power to when they die.

Urbane Orcs

These are Blooded and Unblooded Orcs who have left the Spirehives of Val'Dorath behind and crafted a new life on another Sphere. Somehow cut off from their Ancestries for reasons personal to them, these Orcs carve out new life in strange lands.

Settlements

While in the past the Orcs were nomadic, as they organized and unified against the Elven threat they began creating fortified settlements. While most now live in Fortress Mines and Spirehives, there still remains a vibrant nomadic community that travel the Central Matorral of Val'Dorath.

Army Camp

Moving cities, the Orcish Army camp holds thousands of combatants and support staff under the leadership of a Djarl. While not as organized as the Legion camps of the Duranti Empire, the Orcish Army camp is designed for speed of setup and teardown on an ever shifting battlefront.

Fortress Mine

Val'Dorath is a harsh sphere, and settlements don't risk attack from just the Dire fauna, but from other Orcs. These walled settlements usually abut an open pit mine that is the core of the local economy.

Lumber Camp

These timber-walled fortified camps serve dual purpose in The Blood War, first as forward outposts and second for resource gathering. More built up than an Army Camp, these settlements will last years before the local trees run out and the Orcs have to move on.

Spirehive

As they pushed the Elves back, they took the Bonespires and built settlements around them. Adding encircling walls to the Bonespires the Orcs were able to hold them against Elven counterattack. Once the Elves were pushed back to Darkwood the settlements expanded but the walls did not. Buildings were built atop buildings, growing upwards until the walls could no longer contain them. Then a new wall would be built and the cycle would begin again, piling each new construction on those that came before. Now the Orcish cities resemble hives wrapped around a pure white spire.

Religion

Orcs believe in the power of their Ancestors. Unlike other cultures who venerate their honored or remarkable ancestors, the Orcs channel the power of their Ancestors. The Orcs don't have an afterlife per se. Upon death the Orc's soul is called to their descendants, where it empowers them. Through ritual that power is channeled and the Ancestor's knowledge and wisdom can be plumbed. For those Orcs who do not have living descendants, a family member can craft a totem for the deceased soul to inhabit and lend their power to its wielder. This leads to few Orcs ever being raised to Sainthood or Godhood. And they inherit their general atheism from their Elven ancestors preventing reverence of the New Gods. When off Val'Dorath they may revere local Spirits to appease them, but that is the extent of their worship.