Hello everybody Jorphdan here the PH is silent.
Welcome back to Forgotten Realms explained, today I’d like to talk about Orcs.
Orcs are found in most fantasy genres and it is no different with Dungeons & Dragons.
So today’s video we’ll dive into the lore and history of this monstrous race!
Orcs are not native to Toril.
They were brought to Faerun through portals from other planes or worlds.
I couldn’t find any information on their home world.
It is likely that at this point not even the Orcs remember where they came from.
The first migration occured many many thousands of years ago through portals built by the
creator races.
They were possibly brought over as a slave workforce but the feral orcs proved difficult
to tame.
They became busy with infighting and warring against one another.
Thousands of years later the in fighting continued despite the fall of the creator races.
Other races such as elves paid little attention to this savage race.
It wasn’t until -3800 DR that the orcs of the North finally coalesced into strong tribes.
200 years after that occurred orc leaders started to appear, orc leaders that could
organize this violent hoard to attack the other races.
It was in -3605 that the first orc invasion occured attacking the Netheril and destroying
much of their towns and villages until a combined effort from the Netherese and the Elves turned
them back.
The creator races were not the only ones to open portals, bringing Orcs to Faerun.
In -1081 some Mulhorandi wizards opened a portal to the Orc’s homeworld and out poured
thousands.
This started the Orcgate Wars and is considered the single greatest time of havoc inflicted
on Faerun by the orc race.
The orc clerics had an ability to call upon direct avatars of their deities.
Which they used to overwhelm their enemies.
The Mulhorand and Unther also called upon avatars in a Battle of the Gods that scarred
the land.
The Untheric pantheon was slain by the avatars of the orc gods, but eventually the combined
efforts of the Untheric and Mulhorandi forces were able to defeat the orc deities.
They were finally stopped in -1069 DR resulting in orcs migrating everywhere across Faerun.
Orcs are aggressive humanoids that live in tribes.
They will band together with other Orcs, and goblins, even trolls and ogres to hunt and
conquer.
They believe they must expand their territory in order to survive.
This puts them in a near constant state of war with the other races of Faerun as they
battle over land.
Warfare infuses every aspect of orc society.
They raid and attack, and during the downtime they train, and build weapons.
Often found dwelling in caves as they are more easily defendable and Orcs are not one
to build towns, living instead in nomadic tent villages.
It is however common for Orcs to live in a ruined fortress they have taken over, either
through force or happenstance.
Woman in Orc society are looked poorly upon, despite the fact they can fight and kill just
as readily as male orcs.
Most female orcs that garner respect have become shamans or spell casters.
Preying on the fear the males have of this unknown art.
Slavery is also common in Orc Tribes, due to the poor treatment of slaves most do not
survive very long.
Orcs aren’t invested in keeping them useful and healthy.
The Orc deity Gruumsh fought the elven deity Corellon and lost his eye in the battle.
Orcs don’t openly admit this occured, however Gruumsh does have one eye and is known as
the unblinking god of destruction.
Because of this insulting battle orcs hate elves most of all and will kill them on sight.
Gruumsh demands his followers to Raid, Kill, and Conquer.
As well as gather and breed to increase their numbers.
It is possibly this calling that is strongest in Orc nature, resulting in Orcs successfully
breeding with a number of creatures.
Dwarves, Humans and possibly other creatures that result in generically named Half-Orcs, but
Ogres have bred with Orcs creating monsters known as Ogrillons.
Because of their half breed nature Half-Orcs are usually smarter than regular Orcs and
have the potential to become chieftains in Orc society.
Leading a horde of orcs against their enemies.
Half-Orcs could really be part of either world, staying within Orc tribes or rejecting that
evil nature and attempting to fit in with civilized society.
It’s an uphill battle when interacting with other races.
Most are quick to assume the orcish blood carries with it aggression, savagery and cruelty.
Orcs may rip out an eye to become more in tune with their deity Gruumsh.
This often occurs as a sacrifice when presenting and offering of a dead elf.
Removing the eye can grant the Orc spellcasting abilities and special favor with Gruumsh.
There are plenty of subraces of orcs but here are some of the main ones.
Mountain Orcs are the most common orc subrace and the first to come through the portals
of the Creator Races.
They can be found throughout most of Faerun but the majority of them are in the North
and the Spine of the World.
They can be 7 feet tall or more and have bestial heads with red eyes.
All mountain orcs share a savage vision of destroying the civilized world and inheriting
it for orc kind.
But despite this the greatest hurdle they face is their inability to band together.
Too much infighting between the tribes.
The Gray Orcs come from the Mulhorandi portals and spread out from that area.
They are of the eastern lands concentrated around the moonsea and endless wastes.
They are vicious and evil but lack the Mountain Orc drive to enslave and conquer.
They are nomads who travel migratory routes between established campsites.
They stay in small-ish tribes of 30-50 and will war with other gray orcs for resources.
They view other orc tribes with jealousy and suspicion.
The Orog or Deep Orc are the underdark variants of orcs.
They look similar to a large mountain orc but their ears are larger and their eyes are
huge and pale.
They have actually learned to craft armor from the strange ores found in the Underdark
and will wear full plate mail and other armor.
Descended from a tribe of orcs that made their way to the Underdark, the world below hardened
and shaped them into killing machines.
Although living in the Underdark for generations they have pushed back to the surface and have
taken positions of leadership within Mountain Orc tribes.
Smarter, stronger, and more deadly than your average Orc they stepped into a role of leadership
quickly and easily.
And that’s it for today!
I want to play a one-eyed orc cleric of Gruumsh.
I’m trying to figure out how that would work, if I’d give myself disadvantage on
perception checks.
It would be a different style of cleric, maybe the War Domain to melee it up in battle.
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