Orks

Orc Symbol — A common sigil amongst the savage orkish people.

"We'z Orks! An' we'z made fer fightin', and winnin'!"

- A war cry attributed to Warlord Gorgutz 'Ead 'Unter, the legendary ork leader of the 4th Era.

Orks, also known as Orsimer, or Greenskins, are a race of Mer, or Elf-kin, that originated on the continent ofOrsinium in Velous. Orks are green-skinned, barbaric, crude, and extremely warlike. They are easily the most hated of any race of Elf, as they are unfailingly agressive, brutal and destructive, having no qualms about killing others, and each other.

Orks have violent histories with nearly every sentient species on the planet. They have been involved in many conflicts that threatened the stability of the world, and as a race, have claimed uncountable lives throughout the ages, all throughout Existence. orks are, as a mortal race, considered to be the greatest enemy of all sentient life on the planet Earth, and one of the greatest threats to peace and order in all Existence.

Currently the orks reel in anger at the destruction of their homeland by the Humans. Manipulated and under direction of the cunning warlock Gul'dan, the majority of the orkish race were rallied together into a fearsome Black Horde, an empire built entirely on blood and dark iron. Though Gul'dan uses the orkish horde for his own purpose, the Greenskins believe themselves to be embarking on the biggest, greatest WAAAGH of all, to conquer the whole of the world.

History

to be added

Biology

Blackorc-look-02 — Armored Ork warriors.

Orks are said to be "Elf-kin", in that they share common ancestry with the elves that dwell in Velous. This ancestry is hypothesized to come from hundreds of millennia in the past, when the primitive Feylings, progenitors of elves, came about and spread all across Velous. However, the orks' Elvish genealogy is only half-accurate. The ancestors of Orks in particular came to change due to a strange fungus that was ingested by the Feylings that dwelled in the land that came to be known as Orsinium. None are quite sure what exactly this fungus native to Orsinium was - the orks refer to it as "Meat-shrooms", and it has been described by non-orks as fleshy and smelly. This fungi which became so important to orkish society, actually altered Greenskin DNA over several generations, becoming symbiotic organisms living within the orks.

Thanks to the Meat-shrooms, orks are far removed from any of their distant Mer cousins in terms of physiology. The orks have evolved to handle the difficult environment of Orsinium with ease; they are extremely hardy, capable of withstanding incredible punishment, and bear great strength and musculature that beats out any other Earth species. Orks bear short, almost porcine noses, large jaws of sharp teeth and tusks, and hunched-backs. Their most prevalent relation to their cousins is their distinctive pointed ears.

Most of an ork's mass lies in its upper body, an evolutionary trait that has been distilled over generations - for in the brutal orkish societies, only the strongest and most violent survive, the weak and runts are squashed. Orks are generally stronger than any human, but the arena in which they lack is their intelligence. Most orks bear below average intelligence, and many are downright stupid. Orks, though savage and usually unintelligent, are currently the most advanced race of mer, and also among the most advanced races in Velous, rivaling the sergals.

Culture

Orks are not too bright on average, remarkably warlike, and are infamous for partaking in wars and conflicts simply for fun and sport. All of ork society revolves around war and killing, which they believe is the ultimate means of sport and entertainment, as well as being the only worthwhile way of life. Orks will even go to war with each other, and enjoy spilling each other's blood as much as they love killing anything else.

Orsinium is a large continent, but even so is overpopulated, and resources are slim. For this reason, orks often war amongst themselves, in great clan wars that keep their attention within their own borders just enough to keep the other nations of Velous relatively safe. However, under strong leadership, millions of orks can be rallied under a single banner, and when this army is let loose upon the world, little can stand before so many bloodthirsty Greenskins.

The exact orkish population is unknown, but it is theorized that their numbers rival or exceed the total population of humans on Earth on their continent alone. In addition to this, it appears that orks tend to replace their dead very quickly, even in times of war. As a result, the orkish population is believed to stay mostly constant throughout the years. Their population does not grow indefinitely - at a certain point their numbers reach a critical mass that stretches the limits of survivability on their continent, and this is usually followed swiftly by multiple bloody clan wars that check any further population growth.

War and WAAAGHs

Throughout history, orkish leaders have rallied armies of greenskins into what are known as WAAAGHs. These WAAAGHs are orkish war efforts, so named for the fearsome war cry or bellow used by orks, "War". "WAAAGH" is often roared by an ork war-leader or warboss when battle is joined, and his followers will follow suit, creating deafening bellows as the orks scream for war. In this way, whole mobs and armies of orks can be whipped into berserker frenzy.

In an orkish WAAAGH, orks are organized in a very hierarchical manner defined by strength. At the lowest tier of the ork war society is the Gretchin or Grot which are small, relatively weak orkoids that are the first evolved form of ork. (Orks originally evolved from Grots, which are an offshoot of the Feylings that once lived on the Sol'stam Isles.). The most famed Gretchin of all time was Grot-Boss Shub, who was the right hand ork of Warboss Grimskull during the Mythic Dawn War.

Ork Types

Boyz are standard ork fighters, typically armed with any manner of melee weapon or guns, or sometimes both. Boyz are the lowest form of ork in an organized war effort, and are often thrown into battle to kill, die and overwhelm the enemy. Nevertheless, all orks, even boyz, are ruthless and vicious and will fight brutally until death. Only the strongest, meanest boyz get to advance in rank.

'Ard Boyz are hardened, battle-tested Boyz, wielding better weaponry and armor. 'Ard Boyz form the core fighting units of an ork war party, and these warriors are no push-overs. They have seen battle time and time again, each time bloodied more, and more hungry for death. A group of 'Ard Boyz can plow through any defensive line, and unleash incredible carnage on any battlefield.

Nobz are high ranking ork warriors, always put in command of a mob or warband of orks. Nobz are without question the front-line leaders of any ork war effort. Nobz are the biggest, baddest, and most brutal warriors any WAAAGH has to offer, and their rule over their warbands is absolute. Often times, nobz come about from duels, where previous nobz are killed by an underling and their position is subsequently taken over. This constant change in command from a strong ork to a stronger one, ensures that only the strongest Greenskins lead the orkish warbands.

Warboss and Warlord ranks are often claimed by ork war-leaders or nobz in charge of tribes, and WAAAGHs, respectively. The Warbosses are exceptionally powerful and influential nobz who rose through the ranks and claimed the rank of Boss by trials of combat against their superiors, or their comrades. Only the strongest nobz ever get a chance to become a Warboss, who then often form large fighting forces known as WAAAGHs. These Warbosses then take their army and embark on their favorite pastime, going to war.

There has only ever been one Warlord of the orks at a time. These immensely powerful orks were warbosses who, through cunning and brutality, rally many tribes and war bands of orks together to form even larger WAAAGHs, which can be composed of anywhere from hundreds of thousands to millions of ork fighters. Every time a Warlord has emerged and formed a WAAAGH, it has always resulted in catastrophic damage to their enemies, and countless lives lost, all for the sake of the orkish love of war.

Technology

The technology of the orks is maintained by a caste of ork Wierdboyz, who have genetic dispositions to work in several professions, the most notable being the Mekboyz, ork mechanics and builders, in charge of producing weaponry and vehicles for the ork armada. Mekboyz are often the "smartest" of the orks, capable of working machines and developing mechanical systems of their own design. The smartest and most ambitious Mekboyz become Senior Mekboyz and often oversee whole scores of ork builders on a project. They are known for beating down those who fail to produce the best and most brutal ork machines.

Mekboyz construct large machines of war to use whenever they embark on a WAAAGH! However, these mechanical works (guns, ships, and armor) are quite rudimentary, and it astounds many who have encountered Orks that these objects even function properly.

Psykers

Modern Culture

1074x1084 4666 Black Orc Armor 2d fantasy orc warrior armor picture image digital art — A Black Ork.

With the rise of Gul'dan and the Black Horde, new armors, weapons, and ranks have developed. Most of past Ork technology and ranking remains the same, with new additions. Several warbosses now exist as subservients of the Warlord. The Black Orks were created, an elite rank of only the most fearsome and battle-tested ork warriors wielding nearly indestructible armor of black iron, and deadly bladed weaponry. Bloodthirsty and vicious, Black Orks are the most feared class of ork in the Badlands of Orsinium, and the entire world. Killmongaz are hulking Nob brutes with scrap armor and massive two-hand weapons. They are used to smash defensive lines to pieces, as well as lead offensive charges.

Notable Orks

Religion

The Orks as a race do not hold to any strict religious ideology. However, all across the Orkish lands they hold deep reverence for two mythical deities who are central to Orkish culture, the twin gods named Gork and Mork.