ORCS

The Orcs of Habololy are fiercely militaristic and harshly lawful.  Honor is paramount and battle is the best way to earn it.  Respect is key in their society, but it is not easily earned.  The quickest way to earn respect is by devotion to a noble cause, the devotion itself being more important than the cause.  These are the most important two elements in any Orc’s life.

Orcs live in massive organized cities that are built in simple fashion.  Monuments to the deities and mortal heroes abound, where the bigger the monument, the better.  Orcs follow all of the laws with which they are presented over the course of their life.  The laws of their deity, their nation, their family, and their community are all important to an Orc.  Law provides a way of avoiding the loss of either respect or honor.  Orcs will even strictly obey the laws of other nations that they are visiting out of respect.  This is not the case should they visit a dishonorable nation or race.

Because the Orcs are a short-lived race, they place a high amount of importance on tradition and ancestry.  They have seen through mingling with other cultures, that the long-lived races have an advantage over the short-lived Orcs.  Teachers and warriors can take an active part in other cultures for centuries, while the average Orc only participates for several decades.  Long ago, the Orcs realized that they would have to be very meticulous in passing knowledge from father to son and from mother to daughter.  Lessons learned must not be forgotten.  To facilitate this, every Orc performs a ritual called the Dekmurre, where a dying Orc will recite all the knowledge they have gained to the next Orc in the family line.  The ceremony does not take long, but that does not detract from its importance.

Institutions are also very important to Orcish culture.  The military, schools, and temples are entrusted to keep records of events, which can be passed down through the centuries.  Every adult Orc is required to spend at least three years of life working for one of these institutions.  Females always teach, while males go into the military and run the temples.

The majority of Orcs on Habololy live in the Orcish Empire, which has existed since nearly the beginning of the world.  The empire once spanned the known world.  It has seen both brighter and darker days.  There are also Orcs who live elsewhere around the world.  No matter where they live, all Orcs make a pilgrimage at least once in their life to the homeland on the northeastern corner of the main continent.

APPEARANCE:  The Orc is a large humanoid and on average stands 6½ ft. tall.  They average weighing over 300 lbs.  Only when very ill or very old will an Orc appear thin.  Their entire body, from their meaty fingers and toes to their barrel chest, is thick.  Even an Orc’s skin is tough and feels more like that of an elephant than a Human.

An Orc’s head is proportional to his body in size with several defining features.  Their foreheads slope and their hair does not begin until about half way back on the scalp.  Their eyes are smaller than would be expected and are sunken into the head.  The most notable and important feature to the Orcs is the tusk.  All Orcs have a lower jaw that extends out to allow two tusks to grow up and be visible over the upper lip.  The size of one’s tusk is often seen as a measure of the greatness that an Orc will achieve.  Tusks are carved and decorated to demonstrate rank and accomplishment.

Orcish skin is always some shade of gray, ranging from off-white to charcoal.  Hair is always black.  A shaven head is common among males, while the females don short hair.  Only Orcs of young age or of significant prestige grow long hair.  Eyes are the only feature that varies greatly in color.  Grey, blue, brown, and red are the most common colors, but others occur.  Tusks, if not carved, are ivory in color, but turn yellow with age.  Females have the same color trends as males.

Clothing for the Orcs is only about practicality and necessity.  Only armor and ceremonial garb are given any special embellishment.  Most Orcs wear clothes made of leather, burlap, or canvas.  Females tend to use wool and suede.  Actual pants are uncommon.  The males prefer kilts and shirts or togas.  The females generally wear togas.  Sandals are very popular for all, although no footwear is common when at home.  The only thing ever worn by an Orc on the head is a helmet.

Jewelry is uncommon in Orcish style.  Rings are the only piece of jewelry that is often worn.  Because Orcish skin heals quickly and is tough to pierce in the first place, earrings are rare.  Their skin is also very resilient to tattooing, and so the only carvings are found on their tusks.

ALIGNMENT:  Orcs tend to be lawful.  Any chaotic Orcs find it very difficult to survive in the Orcish culture and quickly leave to become savages in the wild.  Orcs of all morality can be found.

RELIGION:  The Oldest Orc is the most revered and worshiped deity.  He is seen as creator, preserver, and keeper of ancestors and their knowledge.  Both Stasis and Han~Sui are seen as great warriors and also have many Orcish military followers.  Tyrogatore holds that same respect in the general population.  Lavash-Ki is considered the new devil in Orcish stories.  Lakius is the old devil and Amat is the defeated devil.

WHAT MAKES ORCS DIFFERENT:

When an Orc abandons his culture and goes into the wilderness, he undergoes changes that make him very different from those he left behind.  Those Orcs differ from the ones described below.