United for the first time in their history, the Orcs felt a renewed sense of pride as they drove into Dwarven territory. On the edge of defeat, the Dwarves used an invention which scourged the sector, in an event known as the Radiance Cascade. It destroyed many worlds and both Orc and Dwarven fleets. With their leadership and most of their leaders lost in an instant, the disaster scattered the Orcs, leaving them as a handful of clans. Human arrivals, brought to Sirius by the Dwarven invention, settled many of their former worlds. The Orc clans had no choice but to retreat into the edge of their former territory.
Though decimated by the Cascade, the Orcs remain proud. Some hope to reunite the clans through conquest, while others still hope to discover those lost in the Cascade.
How will you reunite the scattered clans?
History
Home World
The Orcs come from a barren world where their survival was a constant struggle. These Orcs became used to lives of hardship, fighting the elements and each other.
Society
For these Orcs, honour, strength and their clans were the most important parts of their lives. Clans would work together to share their meagre resources, fighting everyone else. Larger groups rarely lasted; instead, Orcs put their faith in personal trust and bonds. Without a worthy leader, larger groups would dissolve back into clans and return to fighting among themselves.
Into Space
The Orcs would eventually make it to space, despite their lack of internal unity, where they found worlds where they could thrive. Clans rapidly spread out and claim their territories. By the time the Elves met the Orcs, they had already settled a large portion of Sirius.
First Encounter
With Orc raids and conflicts constantly spilling into their territories, the Elves struggled with their constantly warring neighbours. To mitigate this, the Elves turned to diplomacy, encouraging conflict between certain Orc clans while making key allies.
New Neighbours
Elves offered their border worlds to the Dwarves as they became frustrated with managing these shifting alliances among Orc clans and fallout from their constant raids. Tensions rose as the Orcs’ new neighbours responded to raids by conquering entire systems in retaliation.
The War
The Orc clans were soon faced with aggressive expansion from the Dwarves. With little alternative, the clans set aside their differences and united under a single leader. These combined Orc forces proved more powerful than anyone had anticipated, forcing the invading Dwarves to retreat.
The Cascade
The Orc clans, united for the first time in their history, felt a renewed sense of pride as they drove into Dwarven territory. On the edge of defeat, the Dwarves used an invention which scourged the sector, destroying several worlds and both Orc and Dwarven fleets.
Scattering
The Orcs were suddenly scattered into a number of clans, with their leadership and most of their leaders lost in an instant. Many of their former worlds were settled by human arrivals, brought to Sirius by the Dwarven invention. The Orc clans persisted only on the edge of their former territory, abandoning most of their former worlds.
A Broken People
Though decimated and scattered by the Cascade, the Orcs remain proud. Some still hope that they might reunite the clans through conquest, while others still hope to discover those lost in the Cascade.
Timeline
- 1645 BRC - Orcs expand into space
- 1235 BRC - Orcs encounter Elven Empire
- 33 BRC - Orc-Dwarf War
- 21 BRC - Unification of the clans
- 0 BRC - Radiance Cascade
Society
Coming from a very harsh planet, competition between groups is the Orcs’ way of life. They are primarily local to their familial clans, with alliances and fealty based on personal relationships and trust. Being the strongest for your clan and prevailing against adversity is what they live for. Their society is held by bonds of honour: grudges and debts are forever remembered. Orcs are not without mercy; they are honourable warriors and will typically not harm those who have laid down their arms.
Cyclical Conflict
Since Orcs’ social order is based on personal relationships, it has trouble sustaining very large clans. After a certain population is reached, a new leader will emerge and take a part of the clan with him to create a new clan. Personal ties between clan leaders will still allow these clans to form a larger alliance, often led by the strongest of the clan chiefs. This splintered structure makes it hard for large Orc empires to emerge. On the other hand, they are very hard to exterminate, as they constantly splinter off with new clans migrating into nearby worlds.
Orc society has always been unstable, tending to grow quickly until a crisis causes the structure to collapse into civil wars. Some factions, like the DAO Union, see this as a failure, but the Orcs view it as the natural cycle of things. They believe that forcing something in decline to keep existing is a perversion of the natural order and that adversity and crises are necessary to build strength in an individual and bonds within a clan. An Orc warrior strives to accept his eventual decline and death.
A Warrior Society
Every Orc learns to fight at a young age, as martial prowess is a key part of their culture. Individual combat serves as a way to sort out disagreements or even a source of entertainment. These are usually done as codified duels rather than pure brute violence.
The Orcs fight bravely. They enjoy a duel when they find a worthy foe, and they have finely honed instincts that often prove right. They are very independent, and their tactics are difficult to predict, but they sometimes miscalculate, and these mistakes can prove disastrous.
Survivors
As the Orcs faced many trials on their home world, they can thrive in difficult environments where many species might struggle. Orc clans can make their homes on toxic worlds, planets ruined by war and pollution and small, resource-scarce satellites. These are their sanctuaries, where they build up forces until the time comes to expand and try to seize more amenable planets.
The Radiance
The Orcs refer to the Radiance Cascade, and the resulting fallout, as Grek Uzgem. This means "Clans’ Bane". They blame the Dwarves and the Radiance for the destruction of their people and view it with a deep hatred.
There are some among them, however, who view the Radiance as something akin to a challenge, to be conquered as a means of redeeming their people; some even cling to the hope that their lost people still reside somewhere within the heart of the Zone, either frozen in time or as honoured ancestors among the survivors of the fleet who were brought to a new galaxy to conquer, just as the Humans were brought to theirs. The Orcs are particularly prone to obsession, with many claiming that they hear their ancestors calling to them from within the heart of the Radiance, changed but mightier.
There are mundane risks to lengthy exposure to the Radiance beyond obsession, however. Orcs in particular are vulnerable to shifts in muscle mass, leading to mutation, as well as hallucinations. Some Orcs deliberately seek out exposure, believing these hallucinations to be their lost people, but most think it is a dangerous and self-destructive form of madness.
Orc Language
Though many clans have their own dialects and slang, a common Orc language emerged from the unification of their tribes that persists even to this day. This language is commonly used among other clans and outsiders, but it has become increasingly common to use among their own people as well.
Orcs have many names. Most possess a personal name and then use either their mother's or father's name to differentiate themselves from others with that name. Usually a "-kem" or "-em" affix is added to their parent's name; 'kem' will be added after a female name or vowel, while "-em" is common after a name ending with a consonant or masculine names. During large meetings between clans or where such allegiances may matter, they might also add the clan name to this in order to make their loyalties clear.
Female names typically end with a vowel, most commonly "a", while male names will end with a throaty consonant, such as "g" or "k".
Example Names
[Fazgdeg] [Jeurgraskem] [Lergazgdra] - [Personal name] [Son of Jeurgrask] [Clan name]
Fazgdeg would be the son of Jeurgrask and a member of Clan Lergazgdra.
He would usually be known as a Fazgdeg. However, during a formal council within his Clan, he might be introduced as "Fazgdeg Jeurgraskem", meaning Fazgdeg son of Jeurgrask. In a meeting between Clans, he might be addressed as Fazdeg Lergazgdra to signify him as a representative or leader of the Lergazgdra Clan.
Male Names
- Fazgdeg Jeurgraskem Lergazgdra
- Gauzhgugh Naukhoukem Raggrantok
- Dreskhag Thezgdegem Wuzdrantak
Female Names
- Vaksheva Luzgkakem Angrakthra
- Zuzkgra Mauzgugem Jargmarthok
- Rurthka Mauzouken Zugraskga
Note, personal names, which a character is more likely to be identified by, are marked by italics.
Trivia
Notable Characters
- Uzggrak (Jakob's Path) - An honourable Orc leader determined to drive intruders from his home territories.
- Azgag (Jakob's Path) - An Orc Mechanic of few words, but who is protective of his allies.
- Rurthdeg (Escape from New Orzuk) - A petty tyrant Orc who rules over a small colony in the frontier determined to make a name for himself.
Proverbs
- Wounds can be mended; honour cannot.
- Peace is for the dead.
- A true leader has blood on their hands and mud on their boots.
- Whether you promise revenge, loyalty or a round of beers, always deliver.
- Orcs are never more dangerous than when you think you’ve broken them.
