Orcs

Orcs grow up fast, getting to be about 5 feet tall by the time they turn ten. They spend their teen years getting stronger.

An orc thrives on competition, friendly or otherwise. They usually love to watch or play sports, but games of chance bore them. Relying on fate rather than skill? That's for humans.

Orcs can see in the dark.

The orcs are at the forefront of many crafts - orcs of Dorend have advanced sails for their wagons and wheeled ships that would revolutionize travel in Tephra if they shared their secrets. Orcs of Estier are masters of astronomy and geomancy, making crystal matrices that blur the line between magic and technology.

On the continents of Dorend and Estier, completely different dialects of Orcish have developed.

The orcs were made in the Founding Era by their patron, Gruumsh. He made them strong and brave in the hope that they would take what they needed from the other folk of Tephra. But perhaps the one-eyed god made them too wise. Orc legends from the Founding Era tell of great leaders - Kings, Queens, mighty Magnates and warriors - who taught the same lesson over and over again. They would make war and win glory for themselves and their families. But the orcs would not seek to conquer forever, or to leave their foes with nothing. To be a unified threat to all would make all other folk unite against them. And so orcs fought among themselves when they had to, and sold their swords to nations when they wished.