Orc

Orcs are a humanoid racenative to the continent of Crestfall, particularly the mountainous northern reaches of Gryttrheim. Due to the events of the Millennium War, the orcs are sometimes unfairly viewed by outsider races as savage, warmongering brutes; while the orcs are a highly martial culture, this perception is largely reductive and lacks the nuance to fully understand orcish society.   An Orc and a Human are able to conceive offspring together, resulting in a Half-Orc. This would suggest that humans and orcs share a common ancestor that diverged only recently; however, the fact that an both orcs and humans can also reproduce with an Elf muddies the waters of this theory, as the elves share no ancestors with the other races of Teranuz due to their origins in The Feywild.  

Appearance

The majority of orcs are powerfully built, standing taller than the average human with muscular or endomorphic physiques to match. Orcs commonly have black hair, with grey or pale green skin and large lower canines that protrude beyond the lower lip; these canines, referred to as "tusks", are seen as a sign of virility in orcish culture and are considered attractive for any sex or gender.  

Traits and Abilities

Most orcs are naturally gifted with impressive strength, resilience and stamina, able to endure the harsh conditions of Gryttrheim's frigid mountains and cross great distances with powerful, adrenaline-fueled strides. Another adaptation for the orcs is their natural darkvision, allowing them to see more clearly in low-light or dark conditions than some other races such as humans.   Occasionally, an orc is born with weaker physical qualities than most, such as a shorter stature, lessened muscle mass, or a disability which inhibits physical activity. Because these orcs would face difficulty on the battlefield, these orcs are instead often appointed by their tribes for the role of storytellers and musicians known as "skalds"; a skald's responsibility in orcish culture is to maintain the stories, customs and traditions of a tribe, instilling them in future generations, as well as composing songs and poems to inspire other orcs on the field of battle.  

History

The orcs have occupied the continent of Crestfall for nearly all of known history, predominantly residing in nomadic tribes in the northern mountains of Gryttrheim. During the Pre-Vancian Era, these orcs were known to frequently make contact with the human tribes of norther Zholia; intermarriages between the two races during this time for diplomatic and political reasons were not uncommon.   During the invasion of the Eladrin and the subsequent Millennium War, many of the orcish tribes attempted to skirt outright enslavement and subjugation at the hands of the elven invaders by offering themselves up as mercenaries, making themselves willing to serve either side of the conflict as frontline infantry. The other Races of Crestfall perceived this as the orcs aligning themselves with their conquerors, and in due time many of them found orc warbands invading their towns and villages on the Eladrin's behalf.   As a result, the postwar relationship between orcs and the other native Crestfallen denizens became heavily strained; throughout the Rebuild and the Modern Era, orcs were labeled as brutal warmongers, being treated with distrust and suspicion when interacting with non-orc civilizations. This caused the orcs to recede further into their ancestral home range of Gryttrheim, where the majority of Crestfall's orc population continues to reside in the Modern Era.   In recent years, attempts to mend the historical damage to the orcs' reputation has experienced mixed success; while orcs are certainly more welcome in most of Crestfall's metropolitan spaces than before, the lingering stigma that has haunted them since the Millennium War continues to cast a shadow.  

Notable Orcs

 

Player Characters

• Malakan Majors, a self-realized cleric and founder of the Marshals, formerly a member of Team Dustbowl.