Gol'Dumar Orcs

Gol'Dumar Orcs

Unlike orcs from various other media the orcs of Gol’Dumar are not evil, mindless, brutes that enjoy mindless violence and brutality.  While they are certainly aggressive with friends and enemies alike, that aggression does not necessarily need to end in violence. An orc certainly has no problem squaring up over disagreements, including or maybe especially bragging over one’s tribe or status. The backing down from these conflicts can lead to losing status, so often it will end in a fight, however, fights don’t often end fatally. A yield in the fight is the same as backing down, leading to loss of status. While this is certainly not great for the orc, in most cases it’s preferable to death.  Status is largely what determines an individual’s standing in the tribe, and a tribe’s standing amongst the rest of the Gol'Dumar nation. All orcs have a natural desire to protect those who are incapable of defending themselves.  This means, they never attack communities that can’t or won’t mount any sort of armed defense. Therefore, they tend to view pacifists as creatures to protect.

What Gol'Dumar Orcs Are:

An aggressive, proud people

Greenish to gray skinned people with protruding canines on their lower jaw, often referred to as tusks

Complex, orcs have their own full society, of craftsmen, merchants, scholars, and farmers, each of them is expected to be somewhat skilled in martial combat and always able and willing to take up arms for their tribe.

What Gol'Dumar Orcs are not:

Barbarians, while they can often be perceived as barbaric because of their aggressive nature, they are not all barbarians (notwithstanding there are a few that are actual barbarians)

Inherently evil, see above

Strictly violent or unnecessarily brutal. They hold to a strict code

STATUS - 

The complex social structure of Orcish society are far too nuanced to ever be comprehended by outsiders. To some researchers it seems that strength and battle prowess define an orcs place in the hierarchy, but then retract the definition when several talented crafters, or an orcish scholar achieves a position of power. The power hierarchy of orc clans and tribes shifts like beach sand. Only the orcs themselves seem to understand this hierarchy, and they all know where in the hierarchy they stand.  It’s vital to show the proper respect to someone higher in the pecking order than oneself. Outsiders may not understand why a young, powerful warrior would give deference to a weaker artisan one day, then completely ignore them the next.  Orcs neither feel the need to explain their behavior to outsiders, nor do they care what outsiders think of how they conduct themselves internally.  

In general status is determined by usefulness, therefore older orcs tend to have their status change as they age losing status with one group while gaining it with others.  For example, an old captain in a clan dedicated to soldiering, may have their status drop among the younger orcs who are focused on honing their skills for battle, due to the slowness and loss of stamina from aging. This same captain can gain status with those field marshals and junior officers that understand the value of tactical wisdom and the ability to read a battlefield is a priceless commodity.  

However, as always there are exceptions, which is why scholars can’t quite pin this down.  Because there’s a certain status given to those who have outlived their usefulness.  They are treated, in ways, similar to hatchlings in that any orc is expected to provide care for those that cannot care for themselves.  Reaching this age is considered both a blessing and a curse, so even a high chieftain will give some deference to the aged.

THE YOUNG -

Orcish young are referred to as hatchlings.  Whether this is because they are actually hatched from eggs, or just because it’s the moniker given to the young historically, no outsider knows, as one has never been allowed into a clan’s creche or hatchery.  Orcs are extremely protective of their young. This protection extends to the young of any species.  Often attempting to nurture those young who have lost their caregivers before they are able to fend for themselves. Gol’Dumar hunters will attempt to avoid hunting females that may be nursing or pregnant. This tendency to try to nurture defenseless young does, on extremely rare occasions, result in them having outsiders within their tribes. When dealing with animals they generally try to return them to the wild, although sometimes the animals imprint on their orcish caretakers and remain an animal companion for life.  The few human orphans orcs have found, (often referred to as foundlings) quickly get returned to the nearest human habitation. Orcs, never understood why some humans reject others of their species, but if the foundling is rejected. The orc who found the child will raise it as their own.  These few humans are integrated into orcish society, but will always have a lesser status than full orcs. Orcs have been known to bond with non-orcs but it costs them a large amount of status to do so.

SOCIAL STRUCTURE -

In general, they live in nomadic tribal structures that bond together under a clan banner, clans will occasionally form alliances and create large Orc nations.  First loyalties are always to the tribe, then clan, finally to a nation. These nations or clans may come together to achieve a single goal, may be because the clan chiefs are fond of one another.  These alliances and federations may last for years, or may fall apart mere minutes after agreeing to work together. The orcish temperament is generally quick to anger, and grudges can be held over generations.  Many clans form from tribes who share a grudge against one particular tribe or clan.  A human making any sort racist remarks against an orc, within their earshot, would no doubt align the orcs in a nation until that tribe of offending humans was eradicated. They likewise wouldn’t risk losing status by making similar remarks to humans or elves.  The one insult that almost guarantees a fight is to tell and orc to "humble yourself" this statement directly challenges their status, which nearly always leads to a Dol'Maaugh (explanation below).

The loyalty to tribe this leads them to name themselves first by their tribe, then by their chosen name, and finally by any title they have earned. So the War Maker, or Maukavus of tribe Doomcaber named Yawp will be called Doomcaber Yawp Maukavus, his chieftain (Krisur) would be Doomcaber Enkugog Krisur.

After reaching adulthood, around 16 years after hatching, Orcs put their Hatchling name behind them and choose a name to be called that will continue to define them through life. Some choose names are meant to strike fear into enemies, others to promote the orc’s crafter profession, and still others use their chosen name to set an ideal of what they want to achieve.   Legion Skullsmasher the skullsmasher, for example would have chosen their name when reaching adulthood, and having earned the title matching their name shows they achieved their goal of becoming a renowned Skullsmasher.  Whereas, Gragur Smithy the younger, may have just wanted to be forever known as the smithy of the tribe, unfortunately there’s already a Gragur Smithy, so the title the younger was given mainly to be able to tell them apart.

FEARSOME MERCENARIES -

Many tribes and clans do form mercenary war bands.  They often fetch a high price, and have very detailed contracts that outlines precisely where they fit into the chain of command, who they’re expected to follow orders from, and what sorts of orders they will not follow regardless of who issues them.  Such clauses usually cover things such as killing unarmed opponents, chasing down an enemy that flees, or committing to an engagement which will likely result in losing every orc in their troupe.  The Maukavus (WarMaker) will ultimately be responsible for negotiating and ensuring the tribe or clan holds up their side of the contracts.  They will also be the ones to handle and distribute payments for the mercenary work.  The result is they usually have a larger share than all but the chieftain.  A Maukavus will often be an older orc that has less chance of losing status.

RELIGION –

Gol'Dumar orcs participate in a type of ancestor worship. Their lineage is something they are quite proud of and many who don’t have titles will simply add one of their parents names, Yawp szeth Grawp, szeth meaning ‘child of’. Regardless of naming schemes each orc carries on their person a small pouch of coals.  They call them hearth stones, and these are the sacred means by which they hear the voices of the ancestors. Anytime the tribe gathers round a fire for special reasons, such as when a hatchling is ready to leave their child name, a bonding ceremony when a set of mates declares their bond for the rest of this lifetime, and most especially when the fire they gather around is a funeral pyre, they will offer their hearth stones to the fire.  When the fire has burnt down to coals, they will take another set of hearth stones and carry them along, usually in a pouch round their neck over their heart (they often pronounce them heart stones).  They believe these important fires capture all the life lived around them, and so by carrying the hearth stones they are carrying their ancestors lives along with them.  Cremation is therefore their only acceptable funerary right, and they have been known to form a full army comprised of all their people in order to exact retribution on enemies that have dishonored one of them by burying them*.

Each year there is an orcish clan moot where all tribes, and clans gather under a banner of peace, in a festival called Dol’Graugch they have an enormous bonfire where each orc can add their hearthstones to the flames and ensure that all the ancestors can be heard by any orc.  

Needless to say the greatest punishment that can be handed down is to strip them of their hearth stones or, if they died dishonorably in battle, to have them buried.  Keeping them forever from their ancestors.

ORCS AND HUMANS –

There’s been a history of friction between Gol’Dumar Orcs and humans, simply because of the orcs history of mercenary work they’ve fought on the winning sides of many wars.  They’ve also fought in their share of losing battles and wars, but humans are usually quick to forget when orcish blood has been spilled on their lost causes while holding grudges when orcish forces have turned the tides against them.  

For the orcs they generally seem to understand that humans have a different code of status, and tend to not be bothered when a human has issues with them being an orc.  They will, of course, defend their honor with violence should a human begin to actually begin to insult the individual orc.  Such a situation between orcs would most definitely result in a Dol’Maaugh - An orcish clan moot where the purpose is to hash out and individual’s, clans’, or tribes’ grievances through organized combat. (And individual Dol’Maaugh would run like a holmgång, where larger grievances can range from small skirmishes, to full scale battles).

• The only known instance of this was after the battle of Haros Falls, where a mercenary clan served Grand Duke Talaion, on the side that ultimately lost the battle in a complete route.  The Old Aldlarian Empire, the victors in this case, ordered a mass grave dug for all the dead of both sides. This enraged the orcish people, as it denied their ancestors the right to carry on through the ages within the hearthstones.  A moot was called, and a pact decided that they would join as a solitary nation until such time as they had exhumed their bretheren and gave them properly to the flames. Such terrible fury was the conjoined horde, that they laid waste to the entire Aldlarian empire, before they gave a proper sending off to their dead.  It’s said that Haros Falls still smells of soot from how great that fire was.