Orcs are the first Dark Race, created by the Renegade Zarach in his Bone Temple in the Black Jungle on Xu.
Origins
After the Guardian Ulm, together with his brother Nor, left the circle of the gods and changed his name to Zarach, he longed to create a race of his own that would appreciate his contributions to this world. However, he was unable to create life like his father Aonir once did, so he roambed across Eo, stealing many of its creatures and brining them to his temple on Xu where he would reform their bodies to his wishes, creating the Orcs.
Early Days
When Ulm the Caretaker broke the rules of his father Aonir and became Zarach the Bloodthirsty, his first goal was to create his own race, a people who would follow him blindly and worship him only. Driven by this desire, he began to shape new forms of life, moulding them with his will, and produced all manner of heinous creatures. Incomplete and deformed were these beings, horribly disfigured and unfit to survive for long, let alone breed.
Enraged by many years of fruitless labor, he descended to the earth and stole the children of the noble races, races that had been created by the natural order of his father. Abusing the perfection they had received through Aonir’s power, he infected them with his evil and formed them to his liking. Thus he was able to create his own race, strong and enduring creatures in which he instilled a bloodthirst and longing for battle. He named his creation “orc”, which in the dark tongue means “conqueror”.
They were chosen to be the bearers of his will, to be dogs of war, existing only to mercilessly conquer all other races and taint Aonir’s world with the sign of the Blood God. In dark temples in the middle of the steaming jungles of Xu he gave them life and from there, he drove them out into the plains, where the orcs’ existance began. It was a brutal and sparse life that the first tribes led, but with their bestial instincts and their seemingly endless endurance, they not only survived, but increased their numbers rapidly. Great hordes soon began to scour the lands, looking for prey, and in their settlements the sound of blacksmith’s hammers was always to be heard, forging iron into make weapons. Their instincts often drove them to imprudent behaviour, yet a part of the old races’ wisdom survived within these beasts. An orc may be greedy and combative, but he is not stupid.
Zarach’s nefarious plan to conquer the old races might even have succeeded, had his orcs not been so eager to do battle, even against each other. Time and time again, bloody wars erupted between the tribes, and only few leaders were ever able to unite the tribes – and then only for a short while. If ever a tribe leader were strong enough to assemble the armies of all tribes for an extended amount of time, the other races would hardly stand a chance. Even now, most tremble in fear at the sound of orcs crying for blood.
Exodus from Xu
Shortly after they had been created, the dark races were let loose on the people living on Xu. Though ambitious, their efforts were unorganised and ultimately led to the Imperials driving them into the far east corner of the continent, the Shaper ruins of Sanshala. With their backs against the wall, the Orcs, Norcaine and Trolls built a fleet of ships that would carry to safety across the sea - while many of them bravely stayed behind, sacrificing themselves to secure the future of their people.
War of the Six Races
In an attempt to free the Renegades, the dark races, created by Zarach in his Bone Temple, emerged from the Black Jungle, beginning their line of skirmishes against the races of the light. Though the humans were successful at halting their advance, the tides of battle shifted when hostile forces, now led by the Fial Darg, landed on the shores of Fiara, marking the start of the War of the Six Races.
Though allied with the Elves and Dwarves, their forces were pushed back, eventually resulting in the Hybernian Empire splitting apart into the kingdoms of Nortander and the Highmark on Fiara, and Empyria on Xu.
The 150-year-long war was ultimately decided in their favour with the intervention of the Guardians.
Religion
Human lives are short compared to many of Eo's other races, thus they often turn to religion. They are primarily devoted to Aonir and the Guardian Tiara, though, multicultured as they are, some devoted themselves to the worship of other deities, both good and evil.
Culture
As the most widespread people of Eo, humans sport a rich and varied culture that often changes from region to region. Lead by both kings, nobles, and emperors, as well as being influenced by the environment they reside in, theirs is by far the most diverse culture among the inhabitants of this world.
Humans excell in many different crafts, from magic to crafting and building, making them very adaptable.