Orcs

Orcs are a lowly lifeform belonging to the 'Scum' scub-category in the hierarchy of races.

They are relative newcomers to the World in Chaos, and occupy the peripheries of the Known Places. They may be found all over, in various shapes and forms; they have formed two autonomous kingdoms, one in the south-western steppes, and one to the south-east, bordering the Unknown Lands. It has been found out that the things variously called orc, grot, ogre, goblin and sometimes geezer are of the same race. There is a type called anorc or anork in the Eastern Kingdoms, which has darker skin and favours deep caverns more, but it was hunted for hundreds of years and is thus mostly extinct.

Physique

Orcs are single-sex, much as snails. A few captured around Avelen were dissected and showed that they lay eggs, but unlike dwarves, this is their primary mode of procreation. It seems that their eggs favour cold places, thus it is surmised that once a select orc is allowed to hatch its young, their eggs are laid in hidden deep pools and caves, and the newborn break their eggs after about three months of gestation. In the first year or two from then on, they grow swiftly in the dark, usually devouring their younger or weaker siblings. In this first stage of their life, they grow to about four feet in height and develop a bright green, sometimes tan skin. At this point, they are ready to climb out of the cavern and see the outer world.

This led to the belief that grots and goblins are a separate sub-species, while in fact they are just very young and small orcs, at least according to Mogensios of Düpios, while Kroat Agrastneg of the Mistgate University argues that this is all just a theory, as orcs do not breed in captivity. 

Anyway, due to the lack of available food and usually having to work together with their larger siblings with a greater appetitey Goblins are a lot weaker than an average human (or grown orc), but they are vile and cunning. Most of the large orc armies that assailed the Western Kingdoms have separate bodies of goblin archers for support.

After spending about twenty to thirty years in goblinhood, a young orc grows the musculature and darker green skin to become a fully fledged warrior. Generally, the darker an Orc's skin, the older it may be considered, and its reputation within Orc society grows accordingly. 

Most Orcs have no chance of a peaceful life, so we have no information about how long they naturally last. The oldest warchiefs sometimes reach five hundred years of age. 

An Orc's ability to survive is a lot higher than that of an average human, even from a young age. An adult orc may continue without food or drink for two weeks or more, even in extreme environments. 

Knowledge

Orcs speak a crude language of their own, but can learn others quickly. Mahl'hadel of the Northern Elven Kingdom recorded an incident when an Elvish patrol was deceived by an Orc warrior whispering to them from the woods on their own tongue. 

Orcs do not care much about writing, but tell stories of old, and the stories, of course, change over generations. They fight a lot among themselves, having little interest in art or creation. The things they make are crude and utilitarian, mostly limited to weapons and engines of war. 

The larger kingdoms have a few primitive priests and mages serving the greater chiefs, but they are otherwise not very well versed in magic.

Orcs are sworn enemies of the dwarves and elves. The hatred between them has not been reconciled since the first wars fought between them. However, due to the meeting of cultures, some influence was made on Orcish society, especially the Dwarven tradition of revering their ancients. The greatest Orc to ever exist, Bârô'Tâk Beláchűr, is revered as a living embodiment of power among its peoples. 

Society

Orcs form a loose-knit society, and most of them live outside the boundaries of their formalized kingdoms. They do a lot of infighting, which they view as a favourable pastime. However, when a great old chief rises, their black banners unite, and they descend upon neighboring kingdoms with much fury.

Lately, a few human kingdoms, namely those of Ódensbarad and the Vyrk, seem to favour recruiting Orcish mercenaries for their wars, and these seem to have no trouble co-operating with either sea raiders or regular armies.

I. The Southern Orcrealm

The larger of the two organized Orc kingdoms lies west of Kronzreg, at the edge of the great steppe. These orcs follow a nomadic lifestyle, usually living in ramshackle buildings. Some warchiefs do, however, raise motte and bailey style fortifications. They are led by a Greatking, who is said to wear golden armor. In a slow conquest moving eastwards, these southern Orcs had made Kronzreg abandon much of its outer holdings around the Bay of Bantas in the preceding years.

Some say that they themselves are pushed on eastwards by an unknown threat on the steppe, but no evidence to prove this theory had been found.

II. The Eastern Orcrealm

Not much is known about this place, except that they wage fierce war on the Dwarven kingdom in their neighborhood. Some scholars suspect that the Orcs living here maintain a facade to show their true numbers, and their kingdom extends far to the east Thrag-way, beyond a point no man has ever travelled.