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 roamed across Eo, stealing many of its creatures and bringing 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 labour, 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’ existence 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 in 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 them 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
After making it to safety on Urgath, the Dark Races began scheming plans to free bring the Renegades, now banished for breaking the rules of Aonir, back to Eo. Led by the Fial Darg, they crossed the sea from Urgath to Fiara, landing on its shores and starting the War of the Six Races.
The Orcs and their allies were very successful in this endeavour, managing to put the races of the light on the back foot, almost securing ultimate victory. However, as they threatened to destroy the creation of Aonir, they Guardians intervened on the side of the light races, helping them turn the tide of battle and ending the 150-year-long war at the Godwall.
After the war, many of the Orcs settled on Fiara, forming the Sharok tribe in North-East, and the Clans, led by the Iron Lord, located around the Gate of the Swords.
Religion
The vast majority of Orcs worship their creator, the Renegade Zarach, as their main deity: their actions and warmongering often reflect this, as they do it in hopes of bringing glory to his name. However, there are groups among them that have taken to worshipping made-up idols as secondary deities, such as the Sharok Orcs praising Mugwa, or the orcs of the Iron Storm the God in the Stone.
Culture
The culture and hierarchy of the Orcs are based on the strength a member can display. Young Orcs must first prove themselves as hard workers before they are handed weapons, resulting in a very compassionless upbringing.
They are warmongers by nature, divided into tribes, the main of which are the Sharok and the Iron Storm on Fiara, and Grarg on Urgath. Due to this, quarrels and disputes are common among them.
These tribes are led by chieftains, shamans or other orcs of high standing and reputation.