Orcs

  Orcs are a race of people who appeared in Essarian history sometime before 1300 BE. It is likely that they came from another Iterum entirely sometime during or after the Pliscian Winter since no mention of them has appeared in Pliscian records. Orcs are generally large of stature. They grow two or more tusks from their lower jaws, which they often decorate with piercings, carvings, and paintings. Orcs will also commonly tattoo their faces and bodies with ceremonial ink, celebrating important events in their lives or natural and celestial phenomena.   They were once a sea-faring people, navigating Essaria's oceans by starlight and the positions of the three moons. The moons in particular are of importance to the orcish people, who revered the celestial bodies as their deities. As they traveled by boat from island to island, they claimed that the moons showed them the way to their next destination. They eventually found and settled on the island of Celestina, where they met and integrated with small tribes of humans. Half-orcs and humans with orcish heritage are commonly found on the island.   The Nythwood tree is a sacred plant to orcs, who utilize its wood for tools and weapons, its fruit for sustinence and dyes, its leaves for weaving and rope-making, and its roots for medicinal purposes. When they arrived in Celestina, the sailing orcs brought with them a number of saplings which grew into a mighty grove that persists to this day.   Orcs are also well-known for their incredible crafting ability. Using Nythwood, mithril, adamantine, and other precious metals, Celestinian orcs have created some of the world's greatest weapons, vehicles, devices, and more.