Half-orc

For the playable race, see Half-Orc (playable).

Half-orcs are the inevitable result when orcs clash with other humanoid races. Several orc tribes actively work toward breeding half-orc children for their greater mental capabilities. These half-breeds are despised by most of the world, however, which sees them as the spawn of violence or a filthy perversion.

Appearance
Half-orcs vary in appearance more than most other races, ranging from more orcish features such as greenish skin and protruding lower tusks to near human with little more to distinguish them as half-orcs than prominent noses, jawlines and brows. Some of the offspring of orcs and human however have dominant human traits making them appear as if they were completely human. Regardless of facial appearance, virtually every half-orc has a stature far larger than that of the average human. Their hair most often is dark, favoring shades of brown, gray, or even dark red, although black is the most common. Their eyes are often small and beady, while their ears are almost always pointed.

History
The half-orcs have always existed where orcs and men interacted since the orcs came through the Dragon Gate. Mostly on the far away lands in Aisha. However, with the orcs occupying the Pictish highlands, more half-orcs are in Pictland for some reason than in any other place.

This is because the orcs in Aisha often fought with men, but the men held them back with the creation of their Empire. Men eventually drove the orcs back to the wild places of the world, forcing them to live in the mountains and secluded valleys away from Men, Dwarf, and Elf.

In the Land of Caithness, the orcs of the Blessed Isles have been driven to the Highlands by the Picts, but the two populations compete for resources. While there are some orc tribes in the land of Caithness, most half-orcs are from Pictland.

Half-Orc Heritages
Most half-orcs have a generic orc heritage but, in some cases, the orc ancestry is to a specific and known type of orc resulting in distinctive features and attributes. Some of these half-orc heritages are as follows:

Habitat & Society
Half-orcs are the target of pronounced and often violent prejudice throughout much of Europa. They are seen as the offspring of violence or perversion, and are shunned because of it. This is most true all of the countries of Europa, save perhaps Pictland. The greatest concentration of orcs can be found on the steppes of Eastern Europa, as these areas most frequently suffer under the warlike and brutal thumb of the orcs. Half-orcs are given only the benefit of the doubt in Caithness and Pictland, where many half-orc individuals have proven themselves time and time again.

Life in the Horde
Half-orcs living in orc societies generally find that they are smarter, but considerably weaker than those around them. Because of this deficiency most are taken as slaves. Those who excel in warfare and skill at arms often find themselves reaching positions of leadership. These individuals are very rare, and only one of the many orcish tribes in Europa is led by a half-orc: Snaggloth Half-Man  of the Dire Deer Tribe. Others become witch doctors or shamans, masking their true nature behind elaborate masks that they must always wear.

Life in Human Societies
Half-orcs living in majority human societies often have a hard time fully integrating, partially because of the prejudice directed towards them, but also because of their innately savage and impulsive nature. They are also prone to impatience, greed, and violence, traits that tend to push them into the margins. Despite these tendencies, half-orcs are capable of displaying the full set of human emotions.

Half-Orc Societies
Half-orc societies are generally unknown in Europa. However, a rare exception to this rule is a settlement called Skara Brae, located on the Isles of Oswaria, built near an eariler, Stone Age settlement.

Tattoos & Brands
Often taken as slaves or hunted as beasts (by both orcs and humans), many half-orcs display various brands and tattoos given to them by others. Some have transformed these marks of shame and subjugation into beautiful works of art, turning their painful past into a symbol of pride and survival.

Naming
Most half-orcs either grow up alone on the streets or else are raised by their orcish parent, and because of this, few have human-sounding names. When humans do raise them, they most-often have harsh or guttural names, reflecting their parent's anger at having sired such an offspring.

Religion
Even though half-orcs worship a wide range of deities, most pay at least passing respect to Gorum, Lord of Battle. They do so not only because of the god's martial prowess (a skill that many half-orcs find themselves pursuing), but also his great strength, often considered a half-orc's greatest asset. They also assume that Gorum is secretly a half-orc himself, who only hides within his armor to keep the terrifying truth from his many human followers. Half-orcs who hate human civilization and (openly or secretly) wish to bring about its downfall, naturally find themselves drawn to Rovagug. They see the anarchy the god strives for as the ultimate equalizer of all peoples. Those with a more generous bent worship Cayden Cailean, drawn especially to his embrace of freedom and bravery, while others with a more sinister or morbid outlook venerate Norgorber (especially his embrace of greed and murder), and Pharasma.