Orcs were a race of humanoids that had been a threat to the civilized cultures of Toril, particularly

Faerûn, for as long as any could remember. This changed somewhat in the years preceding and
immediately after the Spellplague, when a horde of mountain orcs under the command of King
Obould Many-Arrows unified into a single kingdom, one that was remarkably civilized.[citation
needed]

Contents[show]

DescriptionEdit

Orcs varied in appearance, based on region and subrace, but all shared certain physical qualities.
Orcs of all kinds usually had grayish skin, coarse hair, stooped postures, low foreheads, large
muscular bodies, and porcine faces that featured lower canines that resembled boar tusks. Many
also had wolf-like ears that were pointed on the ends, similar to elves. Orcs were roughly the same
size as humans and other similar humanoids, though usually robust and muscular.[8]

Subraces and Related RacesEdit

Mountain orcs

The most common orc subrace, as well as the first historically accounted for, mountain orcs could be
found throughout most of Faerûn, which they travel through along mountain ranges descended
from the Spine of the World in the far north.[citation needed]

Gray orcs

A less bestial and more civilized subrace of orcs brought to Faerûn during the Orcgate Wars through
one of many Imaskari portals.[citation needed]

Orogs

A breed of orcs descended from mountain orcs who live mostly in the Underdark, though in recent
years they have been returning to the surface in large numbers and taking over Mountain orc tribes,
using their abilities to bully their 'lessers' and plan raids.[citation needed]

Ogrillons

The result of orcs breeding with ogres.[citation needed]

Ondontis

A pacifist cousin of the orc with a fey nature.[9]

Neo-orogs

Magical hybrids of gray orcs, orogs, and other creatures. Generally split into two groups, black
(trained as scouts) and red (trained as elite shock troops)[citation needed]

Boogins

The result of mountain orcs breeding with quaggoths.[10]

While not strictly subraces the result of a human and orc breeding is known as a half-orc while the
offspring of a half-fiend and orc is a tanarukk.[citation needed]

PersonalityEdit

Orcs had poor temperaments and were given to anger more easily than some races. Easily offended
and impatient, orcs generally preferred violent solutions and rarely considered multiple ways of
approaching a problem. However, in spite of this many orcs were excellent at getting results, since
they were creatures of action, not thought. Some exceptions to this profile did exist, however, such
as the famed King Obould whose deeds were accomplished through planning and insight.[11]

SocietyEdit

Orcs bred fast and lived short lives compared with most other races. They were considered adults
anywhere between 11 and 14 years of age, middle-aged at 17, old at 23, and venerable at 35 years
of age. The average orc seldom lived longer than 40 years, even if it managed to avoid violent death.
It was unheard of for an orc to live longer than 45 years without magical aid.[12]

Adult male orcs generally stood between 59 and 71 inches tall, and adult females averaged two
inches shorter. Males weighed in anywhere between 136 and 190 pounds, while females weighed
between 96 and 150 pounds.[12]

CultureEdit

Traditional orcish culture was extremely warlike and when not at war the race was usually planning
for it. Most orcs approached life with the belief that to survive, one had to subjugate potential
enemies and control as many resources as possible, which put them naturally at odds with other
races as well as each other. This belief was spurred in part by Gruumsh and his pantheon, which
taught that all races were inferior to the orcs.[13] Eyes of Gruumsh were orcs specially tied to the
one-eyed god and offered sacrifices, read omens and advised tribes through Gruumsh's will.[14]

Male orcs dominated most orcish societies and females were usually, at best, prized possessions and
little better than livestock at worst. Male orcs prided themselves on their number of wives and sons,
as well as their scars from battle and rituals. Orcs also prized the possession of slaves, though
relatively few owned them.[13]

Most orcs didn't build cities of their own, instead relying on those left behind by others and
improving their fortifications or operating out of small camps and dens, often in natural caves. Orcs
managed ironwork on their own, as well as stonework, though their tools were often inferior to
those of more disciplined races.[15]
Most orcs were part of a confederation of tribes, loosely held together by a despotic chieftain. Bands
within these alliances might have wandered far from their homelands, but continued to greet those
orcs who belonging to the same tribal network as kin.[15] Orc bloodragers were champions of their
tribe, who used primal strength and ferocity to overcome their enemies. Most were bodyguards or
lower-ranking chiefs within the tribal structure.[14]

Another common orc deity was the Cave Mother, Luthic.[citation needed]

HomelandsEdit

Orcs were found in many parts of Toril, though some areas had a higher concentration than others.
Marauding bands of mountain orcs were most commonly found in mountain ranges in the northern
parts of the world, particularly around Faerûn. Gray orcs were commonly found to the east, near the
portal from which they emerged in High Imaskar. The orcs in the Sword Mountains were responsible
for several conflicts with Waterdeep, including the Orcfastings War, and an onslaught caused by the
Black Claw. They were also at least partially responsible for the Trollwars.[citation needed]

However, of all the orcish homelands, Many-Arrows probably stood out the most as the only
civilized orc nation built along the same lines as its human and elven neighbors.

Kingdom of Many-ArrowsEdit

Main article: Many-Arrows

A subset of orcs belonging to a state first formed a century ago[citation needed] by the legendary
Obould Many-Arrows differed from the majority of their kin in cultural attitudes. While most orcs
were warlike and savage, the orcs of Many-Arrows, ruled over by King Obould XVII, were remarkably
civilized, to a point that has made their neighbors curious. These orcs maintained a tenuous peace
with the dwarves of Mithral Hall and the other races in Luruar, though many suspected war could
break out at any moment should the delicate balance between the races be upset.[16] It is from this
region that the most unusual kind of orc would sometimes emerge – heroes.

HistoryEdit

The origin of the orcs was unknown, though they appeared to be non-native to either Abeir or Toril.
The first legends of orcs told of the wars between their primary god Gruumsh and Corellon
Larethian, the creator of the elves and eladrin. The latter two races told of how Corellon defeated
Gruumsh and took his eye; though many orcs denied this charge, they acknowledged Gruumsh as
the one-eyed god.[citation needed]

However, in spite of this early conflict, orcs did not appear en masse until long after this. During the
Days of Thunder when Abeir-Toril was yet united the first orcs were brought over to the world by
the creator races, who built a portal in the Spine of the World mountain range that opened up to the
home plane of the orcs. Through this portal the ancestors of the mountain orcs poured through and
gradually migrated southwards.

Later, the Imaskari repeated the mistake of the creator races, opening up another portal through
which the gray orcs, a variant subrace, appeared. This led to the Orcgate Wars during which
Gruumsh and his allies slew most of the Untheric pantheon.[18] Eventually the portal was closed,
though the new breed of orcs remained behind.

For millennia orcs have plagued civilizations as raiders and pillaging hordes but more recently[as of
when?] a confederacy of orc tribes united under the banner of King Obould Many-Arrows, a chosen
of Gruumsh, forged a more civilized nation known as the Kingdom of Many-Arrows, located along
the northern borders of Luruar. In spite of tensions between the orcs of Many-Arrows and other
nations, the kingdom has not waged war against its neighbors for decades and by all appearances
seems interested in peace.