Orcish Lore | Gilda

Orcs

Appearance:

The skin and hair colour of an orc is highly dependent on the conditions of their parents during conception and when they were born. Check out this chart: [Orcish Appearance Chart]
Eyes are all natural colours. However, orcs attuned to mysticism might bear pink or purple irises.
The height and build of an orc can also vary. They are capable of gaining a lot more muscle than the average human or elf due to the hardy conditions they are used to living in. The average height for a male orc is 6'10, whilst the average for a female is around 6'5. That being said, they are capable of being as small as 5'3, but no taller than 7'3. The smaller an orc, the weaker their bloodline is seen. They are not usually reproduced with.
Orcs tend to wear special beaded braids in their hair. The more braids, the more approachable they are. (See the ritual of fond parting below). An orc without beaded braids is seen as a loner or standoffish.

Origins:

The orcs were not placed on Gilda by dragons like the humans, or born from a tree like the elves, they came to be through life-bearing meteors which crashed upon this planet 5'000 years ago.
Made from the concept of rebirth and re-purposing, the orcs tackled the world before them in a new and intriguing way.
Whilst they had a respect for nature, they didn't stop utilizing it, even when the nature was shriveled up and worthless. Until the last atom of something has been used, the orcs will find a way to use it. Everything must be drained of its very last drop before deemed finished.
The orcs expanded in population very quickly. Tribes formed and separated from one another to avoid inbreeding. This took them from their home island to various other islands around Gilda.
Along the way, their mystics formed the five rituals of orcish conduct. All orcs must abide by these rituals in order to show their connection to the ancestors:
- Ritual of Battle Preparation: An orc must consume the heart of the largest and most fearsome beast they can find in order to be ensured additional strength on the battlefield. The spirit of the beast will imbue them with power. The smaller and weaker the heart, the more uncertain an orc will feel. If they do not eat a heart before battle, they will not feel prepared.
- Ritual of Honourable Burial: The dead must be buried with a hunted animal which resembles their reputation. A warrior might be buried with a panther or a boar, whilst a gentle soul is buried with a songbird. This is seen as their spirit beast, and will keep them company in the afterlife or coax them into reincarnation of that very animal. To give a dishonourable burial, the corpse must be burned to ash and then spread over a bonfire to be in eternal flame with no chance of re-purposing.
- Ritual of Marriage / Binding: In a relationship (preferably between two orcs), the strongest of the two will go out and find the largest animal femur bone possible to bring back to their partner. Their partner will then take no longer than a fortnight to carve an orcish saying into the bone, ending in "and so binds [their name] and [their partner's name]." This will sit within their home and serve as their official rite of marriage.
- Ritual of Ancestral Communication: Wielding an heirloom of the being which has passed on, the orc must surround themselves in the fumes of hot water and sage. For a brief time, the dead may choose to communicate with the living orc. It may not work every time, but there is a fair chance it will. It is merely a way to open a door of communication. Whether or not the door is taken by the spirit is up to them. Orcs can communicate with the non-orcish dead but at a much lower success rate.
- Ritual of Fond Parting: An orc will take a bead out of one of their hair braids and give it to someone they care for, be it a friend or lover, when they part. This is a method of saying that they hope to see one another again soon, so that the bead can be returned. It's an endearing, wordless message of kinship. It is quite a big deal. A normal orc won't just hand beads out to everyone and anyone they meet. An orc without beads to give has self-proclaimed themselves a loner, and might have been shunned from their tribe.

History:

After landing on Satha 55 years ago, the orcs made quick work of the area they ended up calling home. The land looked damaged, but that never stopped an orc from using it. True to their traditions, they worked the land until it was a barren desert with barely anything left to give.
The beasts in the vicinity were worthy of hunting to turn into huts via their bones and hides. Their settlement became known as 'Tukah', after the orcish island they came from originally.
Why had the orcs arrived on Satha in the first place? What drew them? Well, an unfathomable power drew them- one which the orcs knew was best left in their hands alone. They believed that they were the only ones responsible enough to wield such a strength. However, upon realizing it was in the possession of humans, they had to reanalyze their strategies of one day obtaining it.
Not only were humans upon Satha, but so were the dreaded elves. The orcs of Tukah originally just couldn't be bothered to deal with them. They had run into elves in the past. They were a waste of resources due to their constant desire for battle.
The elves of Satha were no different from the others they'd met in the past. At first, they didn't even try to form any sort of truce. If a fight or disagreement happened, it happened.
It wasn't until 20 years ago that the orcs decided enough was enough. One 'bright' mystic had a great idea to venture into the elven forests to resurrect some of their dead in an unprotected graveyard. The elves were truly outraged and the mystic was murdered on the spot! From that point onward, the elves and orcs were forced into fiercer battle. Will they ever relent? Will it ever end?

Alliances:

The Humans: The orcs attempt to remain in close relation with the humans by advertising their cure for death and anti-aging elixirs (skin deep). The humans are very receptive to these, particularly the anti-aging formulas for their more crusty denizens. However, the orcs can feel their distrust in them. They believe it's due to elven influence... or maybe it's because they aren't 'pretty' in their eyes.
The Elves: Not a chance. Though the orcs would like to try and stop the fighting, they won't do it at the risk of losing their culture. The elves believe in worshiping only life and the potential of life, but they don't respect death as much. Because of this, they will never quite see eye to eye. Currently, the two races fight constantly.
Halflings: Unlike the elves, the orcs are more accepting of halflings. However, they are still pushed to their absolute limits of use. If a halfling fully proves themselves a functioning member of their society, they are given special tribal tattoos over their body as a symbol of honourary orc-ship.
Faunin: Odd things. The orcs have never encountered them before, unless they've been travelling to rare islands in the last ten years. They have no strong opinion of them. As long as they don't get in the way, they will be tolerated.

Atonements:

Wizards: Usually referred to as 'mystics' or 'shamans'. These are very respected members of orcish society. They weave spiritual magic, or 'death magic' as the other races call it. It is not to be mistaken for dark necromancy. Orcish magic consists of weaving the spirits of the afterlife and re-purposing their energy for better use on the mortal plane. Orcs can use 'human magic', but these orcs are immediately kicked out of their tribe for disrespecting the ancestors.
Shapeshifters: An orcish mystic which has chosen to give up their powers to occasionally turn into an animal. Depending on the animal an orc turns into, they will either be respected or mocked by fellow tribesmen. A mighty bear will receive more positive attention than a chicken, for instance.
Undead: Orcs are very accepting of undeads. They aren't seen as a perversion, but rather given a second chance to do more with themselves. Risen cadavers that look quite deteriorated might be taken cared of by the orcs, to fix them into better shape for usefulness.
- Bitten: All undeads carry the curse of undeath. If their ichor gets into a living person's bloodstream, they will eventually die and rise 3 days later as an undead.
- Risen: A corpse which has been brought back to life through necromancy. A necromancer is a type of dark wizard.
- Redeemed: A being that has been revived by an orcish shaman. They are vastly different from undeads to the point where they barely count as one. All of their vitals return, but they have no connection to arcane. These undeads have a built-in desire to constantly achieve greater things in order to make their second chance of life worth it.

Advanced Lore:

Orcs only have a lifespan of 50 years. When they reach 50, they will be judged by their tribe whether or not they deserve to be redeemed.
- If they do, they will be revived the night they die, to which they will become immortal.
- If they don't, they will be left to die and buried with an animal that most suited them.
The orcish language is called 'Barjath' and sounds similar to Afrikaans.
Halflings share the same lifespan as a human.
Orcs age very slowly. In fact, they only barely start showing wrinkles by the age of 45. Wrinkles are a sign of either being close to death, or having been redeemed.
As they are used to living on harsh terrains, orcs do not need to drink or stay cool as much as other races do.