Orcs
From World of Gothic
The Orcs are an ancient culture of unknown origin, that has clashed with the human kingdom of Myrtana when they invaded them seeking food and land, as their original, northern lands have frozen over and couldn't support their population anymore.
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Overview
The orcs are very high, standing at over two meters in height and possibly over 150 kilograms in weight. They are built very sturdily, with disproportionate long arms in comparison to legs.
Their primary trait are red eyes and unbelievable strength.
Two subspecies of the orcs exist. One is the more primal, beast-like one, which has emerged from orc tribes isolated under the Barrier and elsewhere. These orcs have lost much of their culture and advanced intellect as well as have become more aggressive and hunched in their appearance.
The second variant retained their intelligence and culture and these traits indeed were the ones that allowed them to conquer the lands of Myrtana and rule over humanity.
Culture
The orc culture is concentrated on strength and war. All orcs are extremely noble creatures, valuing combat prowess and endurance above all else.
Organization
The Orc society is divided into several distinct classes, with each governed by different laws and serving a different cause.
The lowest class are Orcs that belong to neither the Warrior or Shaman castes. They are those that take care of all the menial tasks, from hunting, through building to maintaining the buildings. They are the weakest of the orcs, and rarely do possess any kind of combat training.
The higher Warrior caste is, as its name suggests, the military arm of the Orc society and by far, is the most numerous. This caste is also divided internally according to the training, experience, prowess and function performed by the Orc in question. The lowest rank in the caste are the Scouts, who are tasked with reconnaissance and spying, armed with light orcish weaponry.
Orcish warriors stand higher in hierarchy, and are the main fighting force of the caste, employing a variety of weapons ranging from simple axes to halberds. Most experienced members of this caste become Orc Elites, one of the most dangerous and capable warriors in the lands, wearing resistant armour and employing a variety of weapons, from Orc War Swords to heavy halberds.
The highest authority in the warrior caste are Orc Chieftains and Colonels, who wear state of the art Orc armour and wield the most powerful weapons with deadly skill.
Orcs who are versed in the art of magic are shamans, who form their own caste. They act as advisors to military leaders or even lead armies themselves (see: Hosh-Pak). They are among the most dangerous creatures in the land.
History
Little is known about the origins of the orcs. What is known, though, is the fact that they come from the north of Nordmar and have invaded the human realm in search of food and shelter. Meeting with extreme hostility and resistance, the orcs waged war on mankind.
Prior to this event, a major orc tribe on Khorinis has built a large Temple that served as a place where they would worship the Sleeper, a demon they summoned to help them wage war.
Unfortunately, the Sleeper had other plans and used the five shamans that summoned him to his own ends, that their living hearts would be used to sustain his presence in the mortal realm.
However, it was not enough to allow the Sleeper to freely fight and he fell into a deep, coma-like, sleep.
This orc tribe would be later trapped when the Barrier was erected around the Valley of Mines, and the Sleeper's presence warped its range. Eventually, ten years later, the barrier would dissipate and the Sleeper banished. The orcs would then use Khorinis as a staging area for an attack on the mainland and would ally with the dragons, forming the bulk of their forces, launching attacks against the main part of the island of Khorinis and maintaining a strong presence on Irdorath.
However, even though orc forces suffered high casualties in the Valley and were defeated entirely on Irdorath, they managed to overrun the kingdom of Myrtana and occupy it, with the sole exeption of Vengard.
In order to finalize the invasion, they would help Xardas to find five artifacts of Adanos in order to allow him to fulfill these plans. To this end they'd strike a deal with the Hashishin, paying for access to the ancient ruins in Varant and the vast amount of slave workforce available from the rulers of the desert.
Related articles
| Guilds | Araxos, Circle of Fire, Circle of Water, Dragon hunters, Mercenaries, Militia, Orc Slayers, Order of Innos, Ring of Water, Thieves' Guild, |
| Factions | Hashishin, Nomads, Orcs, Rangers, Rebels, Nordmar |
| Disbanded | Old Camp (Shadows, Guards, Ore Barons), New Camp (Rogues, Mercenaries), Brotherhood of the Sleeper (Novices, Templars, Gurus) |