Orcs
Orcs are often considered like humans, everywhere and common, what sets them apart is their greater focus on class, higher tempers, and much greater strengths. Orcs are loathe to act or be seen as bestial or tribal and hold a great deal of open and direct bigotry towards anyone they consider uncivilized. To an orc, nothing is more important than living as a gentlemen or lady and getting into vicious but sporting fights. Offer an orc a fine cigar and he will thank you, compare him to a pig and he will fight you, no matter who wins a drink will be bought for you and himself. Orcs are deeply bonded with humans, with most considering orcs the brawn to the humans brains.
Orcs are creatures of passion that practically require fine amenities to survive. An orc would sooner go naked than wear dirty or scuffed clothing. From work clothes to drinks to even architecture orcs contain a level of personal, national, and civic pride. Orcs are the first to require that all levels of society be treated with respect and be expected to held to a high standard, be they orc/human or any other race. Orcs put heavy emphasis on style and substance and thus can be considered natural artists and heavily pragmatic. Clothing is to be stylish but made from sturdy material. Drinks must be expensive and of good vintage but reasonably priced. Cigars, a factor of orc culture considered near and dear, must be elaborate and refined. Orcs even extend this ideal to how the Onokrin empire is shaped, much of the culture and style of empire is attributed to them. Public, civil, and private buildings are required to be aesthetically pleasing and fitting to the style of the empire, be it as simple as a water tower or as complex as a town hall or civic works.
Much of the empires innate disdain and nationalism comes from orcs, who take an imperial approach to groups not considered as 'civilized' as them. Part of this is rooted in a history of shame, as the first orcs were little more than barbaric raiders preying upon early human farming settlements. This later turned into an ally of convenience when encroaching gnoll tribes from the south threatened both the orcs and humans. It is this shame that reminds them that they must be better than what their naturally combative and violent instincts drive them towards. It is why orcs are prone to vice and favor sports and combative past times such as boxing or hunting, it stems the inherently wild blood they feel within. This does not mean orcs are ultra-nationalists, nor xenophobic, the same history that makes them imperialistic also makes them very open to those they see as equally refined, such as the Steel Legion and Warren Federation, whom are regarded as social and national equals. Where orcs vent their hatred is tribals, in particular gnolls or those rare tribal orcs, whom they offer open bounties and see as creatures to be made sport of as much as any other beast.
A quick-start guide:
- Both onokrin and tribal orcs are capable of bouts of hyper strong frenzies, become stronger when working together, and have a natural aptitude with weapons that prevent them from being disarmed.
- The deviant subrace of orc, the Oni, lose their ability to grow stronger as a group and instead become much stronger when drinking.
- Onokrin Stats: They gain +10 robustness/toughness and lose -5 vigilance.
- Tribal Orc Stats: They gain +15 robustness, +10 toughness, and -10 vigilance.
- Oni Stats: They gain +15 robustness, +10 toughness, +10 cognition and lose -5 vigilance, -5 biology, and -10 mechanical.
Biology
Orcs are humanoid creatures with strong, strength leaning bodies and durable rugged physiques. The average orc is around six to six and a half feet tall, generally taller than bulkier than their human counterparts. Orcs favor a top heavy build with broad shoulders and barrel chests suited to supporting their muscles. The average orc will have varying shades of green skin that change with exposure to sunlight, darkening withe more time in the sun. Orc hands and feet have sharp black nails that are not true claws but do some to natural points. Orc eyes range in color from red, to yellow, to green, and very rarely gray or black. Orcs have naturally pointed ears and tusks, with males have larger, more pronounced tusks and both sexes have a majority of fangs for frontal teeth, with flatter ones towards the back. Orc noses are generally flat and can vary greatly from being upward and stubby like a pig nose, pointed like a bat nose, identical to a human nose, or flattening to merely being two slits. Orcs generally have very pronounced facial hair in males and will either shave clean or stylize said beards and hairs. Between genders, orcs do not show much difference in physical strength, with orc woman being just as suited for feats of strength as men.
Culture
Orc culture is, in many ways, Onokrin culture as they and humans were the founding races that began the Onokrin Empire. Onokrin culture places a heavy emphasis on imperialism, refinement, art, and civilization. The approach that the Onokrin has, lead by the current emperor Lucius Aratus, is largely diplomatic with greater powers such as the Steel Legion or Warren Federation and largely indifferent to smaller powers unless they prove a nuisance. Onokrin culture is heavily based upon honor, merit, martial strength, and individuality. As humans and orcs make up the largest portion of individuals within the onokrin, they set the standard of how everyone must behave. Little patience is given to individuals who go against empire culture, with law breakers, tribals, and problematic individuals being swiftly detained, exiled, or in many cases challenged to a duel and killed in combat for offending the honor of another. The imperialist approach by the empire largely begins and ends with their direct propensity to violence, be it placing open bounties on tribal communities or their complex network of dueling.
Honor to orcs and humans is everything and to insult another's honor is to invite a challenge for a duel. The laws for duels are old, draconian, and kept in place across the Onokrin, though may be subject to changes depending on the ruling lord or direct intervention by the emperor. While the specifics may vary the general rules remain the same. If an individual feels someone has insulted his honor, he may petition the magistrate for the writ of duel, stating his casus belli (the reason for the challenge) and his demands. The challenger decides if the duel is to the death or to yield, but the challenged chooses the time, location, type of duel, and weapons allowed, subject to agreement by the challenger and the overseeing magistrate. If, for whatever reason, the challenger and challenged cannot come to an agreement, then the local lord or magistrate may dictate the terms in the fairest way possible. Duels to the death are considered legally sanctioned executions conducted in honorable standing, thus the winner is exempt from all repercussions. Should the challenged refuse the duel or otherwise miss the appointed date and time, they will be imprisoned indefinitely and their possessions given to the challenger, with the only path to freedom accepting the duel.
While other races may see such ruthless forms of legalized combat as barbaric, this tradition dates back to an older rite from which orcs and later humans used to weed out the worst of their society. Rather than be concerned with lengthy trials, criminal warrants, investigations, potential corruption, and the eventual housing of criminals it was deemed far simpler to just let parties in conflict kill each other and be done with it. A man of terrible repute might, through guile, corruption, intimidation, or wealth avoid conviction for a crime, but within the onokrin, that man will likely have duelists lining up for miles demanding his head mounted on a pike. One way or another, if imperial law does not deal with the worst of their society, the people will do it themselves.
This level of brutality, surprisingly, comes mainly from humans, not orcs. Orcs put a far greater emphasis on refined and civilized aspects of culture due to their few but still irksome tribal cousins working with gnoll tribes in the southern plains. Orcs care deeply about appearance and social standing, to the point that many elaborate social rituals and industries are built entirely around maintaining the appearance of perfect civility or embracing the more civil aspects of violence and even vice. In terms of refinement, orcs have a great preference towards fine clothing, architecture, art, and music and will spend untold amounts of money to have what they consider improvements to their social standing. Appearances, however, play second fiddle to actual merit and accomplish. What work an orc chooses as his profession and his success in said field is far more important than appearances. A skilled craftsmen who is austere and responsible with his money will have far greater standing than a foppish inheritor of great fortune who frivolous spends his money on the most expensive of wares. A part of this merit is also an orcs martial skill. Many orcs place great standing on sport, often violent sport, such as hunting, boxing, rugby, wrestling, target shooting, and dueling. This focus on physical sports is often seen as the proper way to channel orcs natural aggression into a civilized outlet and thus being both highly skilled and capable is of high note. Finally, orcs are prone to vice, but see select vices are 'civilized' compared to others. Orcs are consummate smokers and drinkers, having elaborate rituals for how a cigar is sourced, how it is wrapped, how it is smoked, how it is held, and even how it is disposed of that vary from location to location. Drinks are less attributed to careful ritual, but no less looked at based on refinement, vintage, cost, and who produced said alcohol. To be seen drinking what would be considered swill is a social faux pax as a great as failing to observe the rules of proper smoking.
Mentality
Orc mentality is one of duality best represented by the difference between tribal orcs and onokrin orcs. One can look upon orcs and see their veneer of civilization, from the fine clothing, the civic pride, the intrinsic development of culture to the point of rejecting their history of barbaric tribals in their totality. No orc among polite society would ever risk even the accusation of barbarianism, such is their shame and pride. Yet, known only to those deeply familiar to orcs, the same rage, the same violence, the same deep seated desire to dominate and fight still burns in the blood of every orc. Every orc struggles with this duality, that the instinct towards baser desire is held at bay by the greater societies expectations of nation and kinsmen. To them, the greatest virtue is to overcome themselves and master their rage. To be an orc is their greatest fight, that is both a curse and a blessing, as to overcome is to prove your own self worth.