The Orsimer

Culture

The Orsimer, or Orcs, are the outcast kin of the Elves, transformed when Trinimac, their ancient god, was consumed and twisted into Malacath. From this divine betrayal came their new identity: hardened, scarred, and scorned by other races. Orcs embrace this exile, shaping a culture defined by resilience, honor, and survival against contempt.

Orc society is built around strongholds, fortified settlements led by a chief who rules by right of strength. Chiefs take multiple wives, while other men and women serve as warriors, smiths, hunters, and shamans. This polygamous structure ensures the strong produce heirs, while all members contribute to the tribe’s survival. Honor dictates behavior: disputes are settled by combat, promises are binding, and betrayal is unforgivable.

Orcish faith centers on Malacath, the god of outcasts, who teaches endurance through suffering and strength through hardship. To Orcs, Malacath is not a curse but a patron who sanctifies their place in the world: despised by others, yet unbroken. Shrines to Malacath stand in every stronghold, marked by blood, bone, and vows. Shamans interpret his will, balancing the chief’s authority with divine guidance.

Craftsmanship defines Orcish reputation. Orcs are Tamriel’s finest smiths, forging Orichalcum weapons and heavy plate armor unmatched in strength. Their forges are sacred spaces, every hammer stroke a prayer to Malacath. Orc artisans also carve bone and shape stone, though outsiders rarely value their art beyond utility. Within strongholds, however, craftsmanship is pride and identity, proof that exile produces mastery.

Though often portrayed as brutish, Orcs value loyalty, kinship, and resilience above savagery. They are direct and uncompromising, distrustful of deception. Feasts center on roasted meat and mead, shared communally. Music favors deep drums and chants, echoing mountains and forges. Their culture is harsh but not joyless: laughter, boasting, and feasting punctuate lives of struggle, turning endurance into celebration.

History

The Orsimer began as followers of Trinimac, a noble Aedra worshiped by early Elves. When Trinimac was consumed by Boethiah and transformed into Malacath, his people were cursed, their appearance twisted and their status reduced to outcasts. Cast out by other Elves, they became wanderers and pariahs, clinging to their new god for purpose.

In the First Era, Orcs scattered across Tamriel, often serving as mercenaries or raiders. Their dream of unity coalesced in the founding of Orsinium in 1E 980, a kingdom in the Wrothgarian Mountains. Orsinium rose rapidly, threatening neighbors with raids and ambition. Breton and Redguard coalitions besieged and destroyed it in 1E 980–1E 1050 after thirty years of war. The fall of Orsinium defined Orcish history: every attempt at unity met with suspicion and destruction.

The Second Era saw Orcs alternately oppressed and courted. They fought for coin, carving out reputations as mercenaries. In 2E 582, they joined the Daggerfall Covenant, allying with Bretons and Redguards under King Kurog gro-Bagrakh, who sought to rebuild Orsinium with diplomacy as well as force. This brief renaissance proved fragile; upon his death, old suspicions resurfaced. Still, it demonstrated Orcish potential for legitimacy in Tamrielic politics.

The Third Era saw Orsinium rebuilt and destroyed multiple times. In 3E 399, Emperor Uriel Septim VII granted Orsinium official recognition, making it a province of the Empire. This legitimization brought prosperity, but neighboring Bretons and Redguards undermined it again, fearing Orcish ascendancy. Even within the Empire, Orcs were tolerated rather than embraced.

The Fourth Era finds Orcs once more scattered. Strongholds endure in Skyrim, Hammerfell, and High Rock, each led by chiefs who cling to tradition. Orsinium was granted territory again in 4E 1 but fell after the Empire weakened. By 4E 201, Orcs remain fragmented, respected as smiths and mercenaries but never accepted as equals. Their history is one of endless exile — yet also endless endurance.

Other Information

Physiology:
Orcs are broad and muscular, with green to gray skin, pronounced tusks, and sloping foreheads. They are among the strongest races of Tamriel, capable of immense endurance and combat power. Their lifespans equal other Elves, often reaching several centuries, though life in strongholds is harsh. Their appearance frightens outsiders, reinforcing prejudices of savagery, but within their culture it is seen as proof of Malacath’s forging: scarred, but unbreakable.

Architecture and Settlements:
Strongholds are fortified with timber, stone, and iron, built for defense and function rather than beauty. Longhouses serve as communal halls, while forges are sacred centers. Orsinium, when it stands, embodies Orcish aspirations: walls of orichalcum, forges glowing day and night, and temples to Malacath. Though often destroyed, its ruins and rebuildings symbolize Orcish resilience.

Warfare:
Orcs are famed warriors, excelling in heavy armor and brutal weapons. They fight with relentless aggression, often leading charges or holding lines others would break. Honor is central: cowardice is despised, and betrayal invites exile. Many Orcs serve as mercenaries or Imperial legionnaires, earning reputations for loyalty and courage once their loyalty is secured. Though capable of strategy, they are most feared for ferocity — the unyielding advance of warriors who refuse retreat.

Magic and Attitudes:
Orcs are less magically inclined than other Elves, but shamans play vital roles as spiritual leaders. They commune with Malacath, interpret omens, and guide rituals. Enchanting is practiced alongside smithing, producing weapons of great power. Sorcery beyond this is rare, viewed with suspicion unless tied to clan survival. Magic, for Orcs, is not philosophy but necessity.

Naming Conventions:
Orc names are blunt and guttural, such as Ghorbash, Urog, Mazoga, or Burz. The prefix “gro-” (son of) or “gra-” (daughter of) denotes lineage, though clan identity often supersedes family name. Epithets are common, reflecting deeds or traits: “the Strong,” “Ironhand,” “the Exile.” Chiefs’ names carry weight as banners of entire clans.

Relations with Other Races:
Orcs are mistrusted by Elves, hated by Bretons and Redguards for Orsinium’s wars, and viewed by Nords as brutish but worthy opponents. Imperials value them as legionnaires and smiths. Orcs themselves distrust outsiders, yet individuals often seek lives beyond strongholds, proving loyalty and earning respect. Prejudice remains universal, but Orc resilience ensures their presence in every corner of Tamriel.

Art and Expression:
Orc art is practical, focusing on weapons, armor, and architecture. Yet within their culture, these crafts are deeply symbolic: a perfectly forged blade is as sacred as a statue or tapestry. Music emphasizes drums, horns, and chants, echoing forges and mountains. Storytelling preserves memory through sagas of chiefs and battles, ensuring honor is remembered even when strongholds fall.

Afterlife and Philosophy:
Orcs believe their souls join Malacath in the Ashpit, a harsh but honorable realm where outcasts endure eternally. To Orcs, this is not punishment but truth: their god suffers with them, and they endure with him. Philosophy centers on strength, loyalty, and survival. Honor is the highest virtue, endurance the greatest proof of worth. To betray kin is worse than death, for exile denies one the Ashpit.

Legacy of the Orsimer

The Orcs are Tamriel’s eternal exiles: cursed from divinity, hated by neighbors, and denied lasting homeland. Yet they endure, rebuilding Orsinium time and again, forging unmatched weapons, and standing unbroken in every battlefield. Their culture transforms suffering into strength, exile into identity, and contempt into pride. By 4E 201, they remain scattered but unbowed, their legacy proof that outcasts can become legends, and that endurance itself is a form of victory.