Orcs

Created at about the same time as humans, the orcs were born of hobgoblin stock, modified by animal souls, especially those of dire boars. They inherited from their porcine soul donors resilient constitution; from their hobgoblin ancestors they gained reason and language. During the Interregnum, they and the ihmisi fought side by side against the humans and gwerin forces in the endless squabbles and raids that characterized that era.

Until the coming of the Red Fang and his reign of blood and terror. Insatiable in his appetites while in mortal form, he was an ancestor to most living orcs today. And his curse of demonic rage bred true. Throughout the Third Age, the orcish people labored under this bloodthirst, this insensate rage. The only saving grace, the only thing that kept the tribes and hordes from destroying themselves in paroxysms of violence, was that the women were spared the worst of the rage. Was it the influence of Serak, Gromash's (the mortal name of the Red Fang) twin? Was it a blessing from the gods? Or just a quirk of fate? No one knows. All that is known is that the women took up the mantle of command. The men led the war and hunting, slaking their thirst for blood on other beings, while the women were the chiefs and shamans, holding the tribes together and reigning in the menfolk. This is not to say that the women were immune to the blood rage. Merely that they were better equipped to think rationally despite it.

As a result, they were shunned by most "civilized" folk and considered demonic, evil, little better than unreasoning beasts. They were pushed to the outskirts, the unwanted places, where they lived in tribes and by raiding, hunting, and (occasionally) acting as mercenaries. Until the Cataclysm. When the Nameless was freed, it sought out the "monstrous" races, chief among them the orcs. With their ancestor, now fully demonic, exerting his will on them, the orcs throughout Noefra fell completely under the sway of the forces of Chaos. As one, willing or not, they took up arms and began to march on the people of Order. They formed the bulk of its forces during the Cataclysm War. Truth be told, many of them saw it as their opportunity to take revenge on the peoples that had slighted them, persecuted them, slaughtered them. Racial grudges have long, but selective memories. Others joined under duress, swept away by the red tide of the Red Fang's anger, hate, and lust.

After the war, the surviving orcs in western Noefra retreated to the north, to the forests of Kotimaa. Broken, they reformed tribes and survived. But something had changed. With the Acceptance of change, their rage was transformed. No longer purely destructive, it could be channeled...if they so choose. Some do choose the path of discipline; others still glory in the red haze. The women still form the backbone of the tribes, being resistant to the blood rage even in its weakened form.

Current Times

Orcs have integrated successfully into the cultures of the Federated Nations. Their primary place of residence is Wyrmhold, where they make up about 1/3 of the population, especially in northern regions. Many wild tribes still stalk Kotimaa, living in and among the ruins of the cities that once dotted that land. A few tribes live in the Dreamwall Mountains, hidden away from the rest of civilization.

The other significant group of orcish peoples in western Noefra are those that dwell along the Lost Coast. Not all the armies of chaos found their way to the final battle at Pactum Battlefield. Elements and companies stayed behind to subjugate the Iron Dominions and Imperial Meztli. After the Cataclysm, subjugators and subjugated interbred heavily in many areas. Pockets of pure orcish or human groups still remain, but most have at least some mixed blood.

Cultures

Wyrmhold

The orcs of Wyrmhold are known for their honor, discipline, and strength. Descended from the four tribes that joined the dragonborn due to a prophetic vision, they were tempered in the war against the Hungering Frost. Now 40 years after the end of that war, they have retained a culture that glorifies strength and battle. The most expansionist of the citizens of Wyrmhold are found among the orcish tribes. Their primary targets (held back by political concerns) are the other tribes of Kotimaa (whom they have raided and been raided by for generations) and the Horse Clans who, as they see it, are wasting all that prime prairie land.

There is a split growing, however--while Tabar still dreams of glory in battle, Kard wishes victory through technology and trade. Ko, always the least settled tribe, has drifted even further away. And Skem, as always, keeps its council close and secret.

Duarchy

Civilized orcs in the Duarchy of Kotimaa are concentrated mostly in Godsfall. The so-called Hellbred orcs, whose ancestors were trapped in the city along with the rest of their army and twisted by demonic machinations, are city dwellers. They have urbanized tremendously. Their civilized mannerisms belie their ferocious appearance. That isn't to say that they're not violent at times. Their rage still burns, but most have sublimated it towards domination via trade and other non-physical means. Other notable tribes include the Watching Eye, who consider themselves the guardians of the ruins and relics left behind by earlier ages.

Wild Orcs

Many tribes of "wild" orcs, not affiliated with any nation, dwell in western Noefra. The largest populations are in the [[Kotimaa]n forests north of Lake Coy'in as well as into the peninsula region. One notable tribe is that of the Grey Eagle.

Eastern Noefran orcs

It is believed that many orcs still remain in the eastern lands. But no contact has been had with them since the Cataclysm.